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.

hungover

Every once in awhile, I temporarily become an idiot and overindulge on carbs.

This past Friday, my niece was over doing last minute preparations for her 14th birthday party we were having at our house the following day. Said preparations included stuffing a pinata full of candy and baking 24 cupcakes and two 2-layer cakes.

Basically, our dinner that night became tootsie rolls, cake batter and icing.

It was delicious.

That night, my stomach was killing me. I couldn't even lay on it because that would cause stabbing pains to shoot through my abdomen. I took medicine and tossed and turned all night. The next morning, my stomach was better but I felt completely hungover. Headache, nauseated, sooooo tired, dehydrated. It seriously felt as if I'd been out drinking the night before.

And that's the price I paid for the delicious, sugary carbs. Even if it hadn't been a meal of basically pure sugar, like if it had been too much pizza or bread, I need to remember that my body just can't handle it. None of our bodies are not meant to eat that type of food.

Now to keep reminding myself that very thing so I stay away from my kids' Halloween candy.

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.