green bean casserole - 5.3g

Alton Brown's Green Bean Casserole
altered to be low carb from http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/152192#

For the topping:
1 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons low carb breadcrumbs (homemade)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Non-stick spray

For beans and sauce:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2- inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons almond flour flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with non-stick spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Bake in the oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
• While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half and half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/152192#ixzz2EeHzOetV
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The counts

Net Carb: 5.3 g

Protein: 5.9g

Fiber: 4.7g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

 

Vegetable Soup - 7.4g

This is yet another one of my mom's recipes that I make regularly, especially when the weather gets cold. It makes a huge batch and is even better-tasting the next day after it's had time to marinate in itself over night.

The next time I make this, I'm going to tweak it a bit, adding more sirloin and low carb vegetables (celery and carrots) and putting in less potatoes (4 instead of 6 so it doesn't become so potato-heavy for the rest of the family). I also pick out the corn since it's a very carby vegetable.

Vegetable Soup
1/4 cup salad oil
1 small onion
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
1 medium zuchinni, cut in 1/2" chunks
1 1/2 pounds sirloin, cut in 1/2" chunks
6 medium potatoes
6 cups of water
1 28 oz can of tomatoes
1 16 oz can of corn
1 16 oz can of green beans
4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil

In an 8-quart pot over high heat in very hot salad oil, cook the onion, celery, carrots, cabbage and zucchini until veggies are lightly browned, stirring frequently. With slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a medium bowl and set aside.

In same pot over high heat in the remaining oil, cook beef chunks, stirring frequently until meat is well browned on all sides. Meanwhile, cut potatoes into 1" cubes. To the meat chunks, add reserved vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes with their liquid and remaining ingredients. Heat to a boil then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until beef and potatoes are fork-tender.

As is, makes about 16 servings or more. Without the potatoes, it makes about 12 2-cup servings.

The counts (without potatoes and corn)

Net Carb: 7.4g

Protein: 19.5g

Fiber: 3.9g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

berry green smoothie - 10g

I kept hearing about these green smoothies everywhere and decided to try making one that was low carb.

The first go around didn't turn out too hot. I drank most of mine by sheer willpower and the kids did not drink theirs. I used too much spinach and not enough water so after sitting for a bit, it got really, really thick. Yuck. It did keep me full all morning/afternoon though! I just had a light lunch and ended up having a late dinner because I just wasn't that hungry.

Today I tried again, and I'm really happy with this one. I made it for myself, but my son tasted it and wanted some, too, which he promptly downed. I just finished this one with my lunch and expect to be pretty full the rest of the day!

Berry Green Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 gala apple (for sweetness)
1 cup spinach
1 CARBmaster Raspberry YumBerry Yogurt
1 cup water
handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in and blend!

If it comes out tasting a little bitter, you can add more fruit or 1 tsp of sweetener of your choice.

Makes 3 8-oz servings.

The counts

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 3.5g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Massive Freezer Cooking!

Pinterest rocks.

I came across some pins where people show you how to do freezer cooking... putting together bags of food so meals are prepared ahead of time, either completely cooked and just needing thawed and heated up or ready to be thrown in a crockpot.

The kids are at my parents' house tonight, so I decided to give it a go.

I made up a list of needed items, hit the grocery store and then came home and got to cooking! I spent about 4 hours putting everything together.

Each bag will probably yield 2-3 meals for my family of four so that's a total of at least 26 easy meals!

 

1) Two bags + four single-serve meals for the husband to take to work of spaghetti. This is completely pre-cooked and will just need thawed out and heated up and topped with cheese. It includes pasta, extra meat, zuchinni, summer squash, mushrooms and my sauce.

 

2) Two bags of shredded chicken and salsa for chicken tacos. I love this crockpot recipe. You just put half a jar of salsa in the crockpot with 1 pound or shredded chicken. Let it cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours and done! Serve it with taco shells or tortillas and all of your favorite toppings. (I'm partial to colby cheese, sour cream, avocados and tomatoes!)

 

3) Two bags of savory chicken. I found this recipe here and it sounded low carb and yummy so I thought I'd give it a try. It smells great and I can't wait to try it soon. It'll just need thrown in the crockpot, cooked on low for 6-7 hours, with broccoli added during the last 30 minutes.

 

4) Two bags of chicken with italian dressing and garlic for Parmesan Chicken and Broccoli. This is a recipe I got from Kraft and I haven't made it in forever. It's low carb if I use Dreamfield's pasta. The prepared bags I made just have diced chicken, Italian dressing and garlic. When I make it, I'll throw that stuff into a pan, add broccoli until done, serve over pasta and top with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

 

5) 1 lb of ground chuck and onions to use as base for chili or spaghetti sauce.

 

6) Two bags of teriyaki chicken. (Only one is pictured because we're having the other one tonight - it smells sooooo good!) I got this one from here, too. Throw in crockpot for 4 hours on high and serve over rice. I'm adding broccoli and mushrooms to mine.

 

I ran out of chicken or I would have done a chicken pot pie. I also ran out of steam and didn't get to my mini meatloafs.

low carb lemon squares - 3g

My friend, Lauren, has an (awesome) food blog. Since 2009, when she originally posted this recipe, I've commented 3 times about how I want to make it and yet I had never tried.

Today, she mentioned it again on Facebook so while the kids were outside playing in the snow, I set out to try to turn it low carb.

I looked around online for some recipes, and found one that I combined with Lauren's to tweak it and make it my own.

The crust needs some tweaking. It tastes good, but it came out falling apart. (I didn't have any guar or xanthan gum, which just would help hold it together.) Edited to add: After it cooled completely and was refrigerated, it firmed up more and was fabulous!

The topping is yummy! Not as lemony or sweet as I thought it would be, but very mild and tastey! My husband even commented on how delicious it was!

Low Carb Lemon Squares
For the crust:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup Carbquik
1/4 cup + 1/8 cup Swerve (erythritol)
5 Tbs softened butter

For the filling:
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Swerve
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tsp lemon juice (substituted for 1 tsp lemon zest)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Blend crust ingredients using a pastry cutter. Press crust into an 8 x 8-inch foil-lined baking pan spayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly.

Filling: Lightly beat the eggs, sugar, and flour together in a bowl. I used a fork. Add lemon juice, heavy cream, and salt and mix well.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling again, then pour filling over warm crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling no longer appears wet and shaky.

Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into 12 bars.
The counts

Net Carb: 3g

Protein: 3.5g

Fiber: 1.8g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

green bean casserole - 6.7g

My husband loves green bean casserole. I don't think I had even tried it until he recommended it for our first Thanksgiving together. I got the recipe off of the French's Fried Onion container, whipped it up and enjoyed it and thus began our GBC tradition.

So when this holiday season rolled around, I checked the carb content of that same recipe: 14g net per serving. Ouch. You already know TDay is going to be carby with its potatoes, rolls, stuffing and pumpkin pie so adding even more carbs to the meal just didn't appeal to me. Oddly enough I didn't even make Thanksgiving dinner this year - we went to my grandma's house instead.

Christmas follows quickly though so I started doing some research on how to make GBC lower carb and of course, I found an Alton Brown recipe. Once again, I love AB and everything of his that I have made has been phenomenol. He has his own GBC that you make from scratch so I tweaked it a bit and oh my... heaven. I doubled the batch for our dinner because we had people over but not everyone tried it (their loss!) so we luckily have leftovers. It will be finished off today because it is devine and I can't stay out of it!

Image via here

 

Low Carb Green Bean Casserole
tweaked from Alton Brown's version

For the topping, I cheated and still used the French's Fried Onions. They're good and low carb and easy. :)

For the beans and sauce:
2 Tbs plus 1 tsp salt, divided
1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 Tbs unsalted butters
12 oz mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbs almond flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a gallon of water and 2 Tbs salt to boil in an 8-quart sauce pan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the almond flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 people.

The counts

Net Carb: 6.7g

Protein: 4.1g

Fiber: 3.7g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

egg nog - 4g

Egg nog was always one of those things that scared me. Drinking raw eggs? Ew! I'd tried some store bought stuff once and just wasn't impressed and didn't understand what the big deal was.

Then I saw an episode of "Good Eats" where Alton Brown takes you through the entire process and by the end of the episode I wanted to make some egg nog so friggin' bad! I adore AB so I knew there was a high chance that it would be yummy.

And it was. So, so yummy! It's one of my favorite holiday treats now!

Yesterday, we went and cut down our Christmas tree and were supposed to decorate it this morning. My husband comes home with store-bought egg nog and a new bottle of rum for the occassion and though very sweet, the egg nog is carby. (12g for 8 oz. That's 1/4 of my daily intake!) He had some things to do before we started so I decided to see if I could make a low carb version!

I wasn't too impressed at first. I used all heavy cream and that's practically all you could taste. I decided to make another half batch using some almond milk to cut down the cream taste but then it tasted too much like almond milk. Still not impressed and now I had a huge batch of egg nog.

I figured I'd try again tomorrow after a trip to the store for supplies but then this evening, I decided to have a cup (can't let it go to waste!) and the tastes have now all blended together and are really good!

AB does suggest you use bourbon, but my favorite alcohol is spiced rum so that's what I always use in it.

I was too busy enjoying the heck out of mine to take a picture. :)

Image via Alton Brown on the Hisotry of Eggnog

Low Carb Egg Nog
altered from Alton Brown's recipe

6 large eggs, separated
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups almond milk
1 Tbs nutmeg
2/3 cup Swerve + 1 Tbs Swerve
6 oz spiced rum


In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup Swerve and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the almond milk, cream, rum and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Clean and dry your mixer bowl and whisk before working with the egg whites. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of Swerve and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

*Beating the egg whites into soft peaks does make it a very frothy and thick drink. If you want your egg nog more liquidy, don't separate the eggs at the beginning.

Serves 10-12

The counts

Net Carb: 4g 

Protein: 5g

Fiber: 0.8g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Pumpkin Cake Roll - 6.5g

I love pumpkin cake rolls and assumed they had to be off my radar eating low carb. Then I realized that a pumpkin pie isn't too carby if you don't eat the crust and substitute a zero carb sweetener for the sugar. THEN I realized I could buy almond flour and make a pumpkin cake roll!

Then I was in heaven because it turned out perfect.

Pumpkin Cake Roll
3 eggs
3/4 cup Swerve (or other sweetener)
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cups almond flour
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat the eggs and Swerve together for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients then pour into a greased jelly roll pan (they measure 15x10x1) lined with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Loosen all four corners with knife and turn onto towels with Swerve sprinkled on towel to help keep the cake from sticking. Roll up into towel and let cool. (I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.)

For the filling:
1/2 cup Swerve
8 oz softened cream cheese
4 Tbs. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all together well. Even though the original recipe called for 1 cup of sugar, using 1/2 cup was still very sweet. It mellowed out by the next day though.

Unroll cooled cake ands pread with filling. Reroll and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

Keep refrigerated. Freezes well. Serves 15!

The counts
Net Carb: 6.5g

Protein: 5.2g

Fiber: 1.4g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Crock Pot Roast -9g

This is so fast and easy and delicious.

Obviously there are potatoes in this, but I'm feeding my entire family so they eat the majority of those and I stick with the roast and carrots. (With maybe a few potaotes in there...) I love adding mushrooms, too, but I didn't have any this time.

Camera was unfixable... new one ordered yesterday. :)

Crock Pot Roast
3 lb roast
3 lbs potatoes (I prefer red potatoes, but russett are fine, too)
1+ lb carrots
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can beef broth
salt and pepper

In a large crocpot, put some chopped potatoes and carrots in the bottom. Rub garlic on the front and back of the roast and salt and pepper both sides. Set the roast on top of the vegetables, then add the remaining veggies to the top. Pour the beef broth over the top then salt and pepper the veggies.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours!

Not sure how many servings this makes. Maybe 10?

The counts

Net Carb: 9g, if you only eat a little bit of the potatoes

Protein: 40g

Fiber: 1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

The Cheesecake Factory

A group of girlfriends and I had a Girls' Nite Out to see one of the first showings of Twilght: Breaking Dawn here in town. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner so before I left the house that night, I went online to see what they had that was low carb.

Turns out, they are kind of sketchy about releasing their nutritional information so it was more difficult than usual and I couldn't figure out what the net grams were, but I did discover three things:

1. The Ahi Carpaccio, an appetizer for two of raw ahi tuna with special sauces, is amazing and makes a great entree for one. (6 grams carbs.)

2. Their side salad is huge for a side salad and their balsalmic vinegrette is delicious. (I don't usually like balsalmic dressings.)

3. They have a low carb cheesecake made with a graham cracker/walnut crust. (websites claim 11g net carbs.)

That was the best meal I have had in ages and I'm tempted to drag my family there soon for a repeat.

The movie was good, too. Here was my spoiler-free status update on Facebook that night:

"Home from Breaking Dawn. I was all :::yawn::: I'm tired. This is kind of boring. Rob and Kristen still aren't great actors. Reneesme's cute. Jacob's hot. :::yawn::: OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? WAIT! WHAT?! WAIT!! AAHHHHH! :::breaks out in a sweat then dies:::"

True story.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas - 8g

When my husband and I got married, his mom gave me a cookbook filled with recipes that she had gathered from their family. It's pretty awesome - all the foods he grew up on, his favorite desserts, his Grandma's recipes, etc. One of them was for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas from his cousin and after I made it the first time, it became a regular go-to meal. I love it because it's really easy and freezes great! I usually double the recipe and split it into two pans, freezing one for later!

By using my Ole Extreme High Fiber tortillas, this is actually pretty low carb. Add some guacamole on the side (for me) and Spanish-style rice on the side (for the rest of my family) and it's a great meal! I also like to top it with salsa!

I may have dropped and broken my camera... so no picture.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
1 small can diced green chilis
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package low carb tortillas

Mix the cooked chicken with the soup, sour cream and onions. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. (I line the bottom with foil for easy clean up.) Add cheese to the remaining mixture, saving some to sprinkle on top. Fill the tortillas, roll them and place them in the dish with seams down. Top with any remaining mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

The counts

Net Carb: 8g

Protein: 39g

Fiber: 10g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

hot chocolate - 3-5g

Oh, chocolate. I love chocolate and am so glad that companies like Russell Stovers exists because I can still get a low carb chocolate fix with their sugar-free candies.

Recently though, while browsing the internet for a low carb milk shake recipe, I came across this blog and her Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Recipe.

My immediate thought: "Well. Gotta try that!"

Try it I did and it's fabulous. Definitely not your crazy sweet vending machine/restaurant/powdered mix hot chocolate but at 5g net carbs, it will give you what you're craving!

I can't believe I hadn't thought of using unsweetened cocoa powder for things before. I mean, duh. I do think next time I make it, I'll try a little less cocoa powder and a little more sweetener. I also definitely liked adding some whipped cream on top.

I was so excited to try this that I forgot to take a picture before I started drinking it, so this picture of a half empty, totally awesome X-Files mug will have to serve as a placeholder until I make it again. :)

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate
From On Life, Love and Low Carb Living

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 Tbs heavy cream

2 Tbs Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (I only use 1 Tbs)

2 packets Splenda (I use 3 tsp Swerve)

ground cinnamon (3 shakes)
Redi-Whip for topping

Add almond milk, cream, cocoa powder, sweetener, and cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir ingredients with a whisk until all ingredients are incorporated evenly and you have achieved a smooth consistency. Continue to heat until small bubbles form on the surface and steam begins to rise. Transfer entire contents of saucepan to a mug and serve immediately. Enjoy!

The counts

Net Carb: 3-6g

Protein: 3g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Cheesy Ham & Brocolli Soup - 10g

My friend made this for a playdate one time and I asked for the recipe between bites while my son and I devoured it. It's so yummy, very quick to throw together and perfect for a fall day!

It does have potatoes, but I just pick out the chunks and leave them for my husband and kids so I'm only eating a little bit of what's been pureed into the soup.

I do not peel the potatoes because there are lots of nutrients in them, I don't want my kids to be picky about not eating the peels and peeling takes a lot of time - which I do not have! I buy the pre-cubed 16 oz package of ham so I get more protein in the soup and don't have to cut the ham up. I also use dried, minced onions and jarred minced garlic so I'm not having to chop those things either. I'm all about time-saving short cuts! Because of that, it literally takes me 15 minutes or less to throw this together in the crockpot.

I do think that the next time I make it, I'll add more broccoli and ham to it so I don't leave my family with basically just potatoes. I should add that I have an 8.5 quart crockpot so I have plenty of room to bulk up my recipes.

 

I just realized what this reminds me of: Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana. It's a less spicy, more garlicy, broccoli-instead-of-kale, ham instead of sausage potato soup... which is basically like a completely different soup, but it has that same feel/similar taste to it. :)

Cheese Ham & Brocolli Soup
I believe it's from Southern Living Busy Mom's Cookbook but I've tweaked this recipe to my own liking.

5 large potatoes, cubed
16 oz ham, cubed
1 medium onion (I use 1/4 cup dried, minced onions)
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
3 cups brocolli florets
1/2 tsp + salt
3 tsp + minced garlic
3/4 tsp + pepper
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook all ingredients except cheese and cream in crockpot on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low for 6 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.* Food process half the mixture then return to pot and stir in cream and cheese. Cook on low for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Makes 14 1-cup servings

*I switch this up depending on what my day looks like. You could technically cook it on high the entire time and it'll be done in 3-4 hours or you could cook it all day on low and it'll be done in 6-8 hours.

The counts

These are based on how I make it, and I only put "2 potatoes" into the recipe calculator since I don't eat the chunks in the soup.

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 13.7g
Fiber: 1.5g
*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

alfredo sauce - 3.5g

It's been drilled into our heads that alfredo sauce is bad because of the fat content, but as a low carb dieter who loves meat and cheese, I already know that my fat intake is higher than your average eat-low-fat-or-your-heart-will-explode-American.

(For the record, I recently had bloodwork done to see how my thyroid was doing and it came back fabulous. Cholesterol, triglicerydes, everything was perfect.)

When I came across this alfredo recipe stuffed in my cookbook, I started to flip right past it. I'd tried it before and it just never turned out that great. I looked at the ingredients though and realized if I substituted the milk for heavy cream, it would make it lower carb and thicker. I searched the store for the right cheese and ended up getting Kraft's Italian Five cheese, which is a blend of provolone, romano, asiago and parmesan. Yum. I increased the garlic, added more cream than the recipe called for and this time, the sauce came out perfect. It is so good!

I combined it with some Dreamfield's low carb linguine, 1 cup of broccoli, 1/4 cup of tomatoes and some Purdue chicken nuggets. While my toddler inhaled it, we had the following conversation:

Me: What do you think of the alfredo sauce?
Son: Nope. I'm not afraid of the sauce.
Me: lol! No, the sauce. It's called "alfredo." Do you like it!
Son: Ooooh. Yes!

He cracks me up.

The total meal was 19g, which is higher than my goal of 15g per meal, but I didn't have any non-breaded chicken on hand. Three of the nuggets alone were 7.8g. In the future, I'll be sure to have some grilled chicken ready to go for this so my meal is only 11.2g!

Carrie's Alfredo Sauce
8 oz Kraft Italian Five Cheese (blend of provolone, romano, asiago and parmesan)
8 Tbs butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper

Over medium heat, melt the butter, then stir in the cream until mixed. Add the salt, pepper and garlic then add a little bit of cheese at a time, stirring with a whisk until it's melted before adding more.

Makes about five 1/2 cup servings.

The counts

Net Carb: 3.5g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 0.1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

tuna casserole - 19g

When a friend offered to set up a meal calendar when my daughter was born, I jumped at the idea. I mean, free, healthy, ready-to-eat meals when you have a newborn are like gold and I knew I'd be starving from nursing and exhausted from not getting any sleep so there was no way I was turning that offer down.

My neighbor signed up to bring us tuna casserole and I admit that I wasn't sure I'd like it. I'd never actually had tuna casserole. I liked tuna salad sandwiches okay. I love sushi with tuna rolls and white tuna being my favorite, but sushi grade raw tuna is way different from canned. When she told me what was all in the casserole, I probably made a face:

Canned tuna. eh.
Peas. yuck.
Mayo. blah.
Pasta. Carb heaven.
Cheese. Yum.

I'm glad I'm willing to try new things because I think I ate the entire casserole single-handedly in a day. I added mushrooms to bulk it up some and because I like mushrooms. :) My neighbor's recipe uses egg noodles, but thanks to Dreamfields Pasta I was able to make it lower carb!

Tuna Casserole
2-3 cans tuna, drained
1 can peas, drained
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
6 Tbs mayonaisse
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 box Dreamfields Low Carb Penne Pasta

Boil pasta, drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, mix the rest of the ingredients, saving some cheese to sprinkle on top.

Combine everything into a casserole dish, sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until cheese is brown.

(Or, if you're lazy like me, just combine everything in a tupperware dish and skip the baking part because you're too hungry to wait 30 minutes and the hot pasta warms up the rest of the food so it can be eaten immediately. :)

Makes about 6 servings.

The counts

Serving size: 1 cup (Technically, a serving of the pasta is 1/2 cup.)

Net Carb: 19g

Protein: 47g! Wow. Tuna has a lot of protein in it.

Fiber: 12g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

watermelon - 2.6g

I was looking around on Pinterest (big surprise there...) searching for tips on watermelon picking.

Our garden was all weird this year and everything basically stopped growing for like a month even though we watered religiously and did everything else we could think of to have a great harvest. Randomly, everything picked up where it left off and started growing, but all of our crops ended up small, non-existant or late.

:(

We've had a few picked-to-early watermelons and a few whose flavor was meh, but today I (finally) got a really good one.


It's a doozy at almost 30 pounds!

Anyway, while I was browsing Pinterest, I noticed that no one had pinned about the least messy way I have found to cut a watermelon:

It's perfect. The juice, seeds and small chunks run down the holes and are caught in the pan instead of getting all over your counter and floor! I came up with this solution all by myself so I'm going to go ahead pat myself on the back for it. Good job, self. :)

When I worked for a catering company, I learned the the quickest way to cut a watermelon. Grab a trash can so you can throw the rind straight in and a good knife. I use a bread knife because it has nice, long serrated blade and the tips are great for picking out the seeds.

Slice it in half then lay one half on the flat side. Slice the rind off each side, then chop the top off so you basically have a watermelon cube.

 

Next, cut it like a loaf of bread. I do about 1" slices.

 

 

Cut each slice into strips. At the catering company, we'd then cut these again to make cubes, but having a toddler and a pre-schooler at home, I just leave them like that so they can pick them up and eat them as is.

 

 

I used to spend way too much time picking out the seeds for the little ones, but now I just separate the parts without seeds into a different container. Non-seeded are for the kids, seeded are for the hubby.

 

 

The (contained) mess! Rinse it in the sink and you're done!

 

As far as carbohydrates go, it's not too bad of a snack, if you can stop eating it. A serving size is only 1/4 cup, but I tend to eat a cup at a time...

 

The counts

Serving size: 1/4 cup

Net Carb: 2.6g

Protein: <1g

Fiber: <1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

fruit n' jell-o - 5-10g

My niece kept raving about this dessert her grandma makes called Fluff. It takes a pack of jell-o (not made, just the powder for flavor), canned fruit cocktail and cool whip... all high sugar and definite no-nos for low carb.

After she told me the ingredients, I wanted to create a low carb version and while this ended up being really nothing like Fluff, I love it! You can use any flavor of jell-o and any low carb fruits you'd like to change it up.

My favorite version:
2 packs sugar-free orange jell-o
1 fresh peach, cut into pieces
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, cut into pieces
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (unless they are sour...)
Redi-Whip

Mix fruit and jell-o together after the jello-has set and top with whipped cream.

The counts

These vary depending on what types of fruit you use. As far as I can figure, a one-cup serving is probably only around 5g of carbs. Definitely less than 10g.

Net Carb: 5g

Protein: depends

Fiber: depends

*Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Can you think of a better and more creative name to call it?

"Hershey's" chocolate syrup - 2.5g

I love Pinterest.

(FYI: There may be quite a few posts on this blog that start off like that.)

So I'm sitting outside while the kids are playing in the sandbox, browsing around Pinterest on my laptop. I come across this pin for a homemade Hershey's chocolate syrup recipe. I look at the ingredients and know I can copy it with my Swerve sweetener, making it low carb.

But how will it taste...?

I decided to give it a shot after the kids went to bed and sure enough it tastes great! This is so exciting to me for multiple reasons. Now I can add some to my almond milk and have a chocolate milk fix - or even splurge and drink some real chocolate milk and not go into a sugar coma! Also, my kids love chocolate milk but with 20g of sugar in Hershey's and 14g in Quik, I don't love giving it to them. Not to mention that I always cringe when we run out because the price just keeps going up!

I even had a Hershey's Lite (ick!) bottle that was almost empty that I could clean out and relabel for my own low carb syrup!!

Low Carb "Hershey's" Chocolate Syrup
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups Swerve sweetener
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt

In a large saucepan to prevent boiling over, combine the cocoa, water, sweetener and salt over medium heat. Mix with whisk until smooth. Stir constantly until it boils, allowing it to boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

It will be very watery but after it cools it will thicken. Keeps for several weeks in the fridge.

Makes almost 2 cups. A serving size according to Hershey is 2 Tbs.

Edit: This does crystalize in the fridge, but I just pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds then shake it up and it's back to being all liquidy goodness.

The counts

Net Carb: 2.5g

Protein: 2g

Fiber: 3.6g

*Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

caprese salad - 4g net carbs

I love me a caprese salad.

I first had one at Joe & Mimma's Italian Pizza restaurant in Newport News, Va. I had never had one and was iffy about it when my co-worker ordered it. One bite and I was hooked.

Then, I discovered Campari tomatoes. They are a bit expensive at the store, but they are so delicious that I buy them anyway. Then we discovered that we could dry out the seeds and plant them in our garden so now every summer we are overloaded with the best tomatoes ever.

What to do with them? This little appetizer, of course!

Caprese Salad
1/2 cup of sliced tomatoes
1.5 ounces of sliced mozzarella cheese
olive oil to drizzle over
salt, pepper and basil to sprinkle

That's it. To make a big batch for a cookout, I've actually cut things up into bite sized pieces and just mixed it all together, but I like it this way best.

The counts

Net Carb: 4g

Protein: 1.5g

Fiber: 9g

*Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce - 7g

My mom makes the best spaghetti sauce ever. She tweaked this recipe from one she saw in a magazine until she got it just right. It is incredibly easy to make and freezes great, so I tend to triple the batch in order to have tons leftover and spaghetti can be a quick go-to meal that I know everyone will eat.

I did do my own tweaking earlier this year: I added pureed canned carrots and green beans to hide in the batch. The first time, I put too much green beans in and you could definitely taste them. I've got it down now though, and even my picky niece forgets they are in there and devours it.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground chuck (or ground turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 Tbs parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups water

Brown meat with onions until no longer pink. Drain. Add remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat until sauce starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

As I said, I triple this recipe and to that I add 2 cans of green beans and 1 can of carrots that I have pureed.

Mom's recipe makes 3 quarts... adding the veggies probably makes about another quart. Triple the entire thing, and I end up making 12 quarts at a time. I freeze them in tupperware containers that hold 3-4 cups each so all I have to do is pop 1-2 of them in the microwave to thaw out whenever I need them!

Combine them with Dreamfields Low Carb Pasta (5g net carbs per serving) and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and you've got a complete, healthy meal! Sometimes, I also sautee some zuchinni and mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder to add to it. So yummy!

The counts (for the sauce only without pureed veggies)

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Net Carb: 7g

Protein: 7g

Fiber: 2g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.