Low carb creamy chicken enchiladas

These are so very yummy. The only all thing I had to change in this recipe was to use my favorite Mission Carb Counting Whole Wheat Tortillas.

2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded or 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
1 can mild green chilies
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I have used kale or spinach instead and its delicious)
1 c chicken broth
1 c sour cream (regular or light sour cream works well)
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese (regular or reduced fat cheese works well)
8 Carb Counting Whole Wheat Mission Tortillas (3 carbs) or a similar low carb tortilla

1) Cook the onion and bell pepper. (I cook them with some seasoning)  Combine the chicken, veggies, and chilies.
2) In a sauce pan heat the chicken broth to a simmer.  Take off the heat and whisk in 1 c. sour cream and 1 c. cheese
3) Add 1 c. of the sauce to the chicken mixture.
4) pour some sauce in the casserole dish so that the enchiladas do not stick.  Fill the tortillas nad lay them in the dish seam side down
5) Pour the rest of the sauce over the tortillas and top with remaining cheese

Cook covered with foil for about 30 min until warm and bubbly.  Remove the foil and brown an additional 10 min.

Sloppy Joes

*I guessed on my measurements since I never measure when I make this*

1 lb. ground turkey
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 T. Montreal Steak seasoning
4 T tomato sauce (should be about half a can)
2 T. soy sauce
2 T Worcestershire
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar

Cook the ground turkey and veggies in a few tablespoons of olive oil until done.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and heat through.

We eat this mix on top of a baked sweet potato or scoop it with chicherones.  This can also be served on low carb bread.

chocolate peanut butter fatbombs

These chocolate peanut butter fat bombs are delicious.  They taste like little truffles.  

1/2 c.  smooth all natural peanut butter with no sugar added.  Trader joes has one that is just ground peanuts and salt and really yummy.

1/2 c. coconut oil

2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. low carb sweetener.  A liquid one like Swerve would be best, but I use granulated Splenda just fine.  Granulated just isn't as smooth, but it still delicious in the end.

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1) melt the coconut oil and peanut butter.  

2) Combine everything and pour into small molds.(I just use these small ice cube trays that I got from Ikea years ago)

3) put the tray in the freezer until firm.  probably about 10-20 min.

4) pop them out and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

*these need to be kept in the frig until you want to eat them.  They melt fast since coconut oil melts at 75 degrees*

Curry Chicken

I don't measure much anymore so this is an approximation.  Use more or less according to your taste.

2 large chicken breasts cubed

2 carrots chopped 

1 celery stock chopped

1 onion chopped

other veggies of choice (turnips, snow peas, bell pepper, etc)

1 c chicken broth

2 T. curry

2 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1/2 c coconut milk (from the can)

serve with cauliflower rice

I start to pan fry the chicken and veggies.  Sprinkle with Steak Seasoning.  Add broth and simmer until cooked through.  Sprinkle the curry and stir.  Add the coconut milk and stir.  Adjust seasoning.  

fish tacos

Fish tacos are a staple in our house.  They are Emmalynn's favorite dinner... and in fact according to her the only dinner she likes.  So I had to find a low carb way for us to continue eating them.

fish
egg for dredging
almond meal to coat the fish
low carb tortillas
shredded cabbage
cilantro dressing from Trader Joes
chopped onions and cilantro
jalapenos

Take fish pieces and dip them in egg then coat them in almond meal.  Then pan fry.
toss the cabbage in the cilantro dressing
assemble tacos

So easy and simple.  I'm so glad that this meal still works for us.  It's quick, easy, and my kids and us adults enjoy it.  Win!

Leftover Pho

We have had several rainy cold days which were just screaming for soup. Yesterday I took our leftover Thanksgiving bones and boiled them down all day.  It made a super flavorful broth. Then I added about 6 anise star and a cinnamon stick and let that go another 30 min. I strained the broth and served with mericle noodles, shrimp, turkey, and smoked brisket. Topped with onion, basil, and cilantro. This was so delicious.

Low carb stuffing.

I used low carb bread I blogged about here to make stuffing. You can use this with any recipe that uses fresh bread. Delicious and perfect for holidays.

Bacon brussle sprouts

I first clean, trim the end and cut my brussle sprouts in half. Then I cook them in the microwave for a few.min since I like my brussle sprouts pretty tender.  Then I toss them on a sheet pan with olive oil, Montreal steak seasoning, and chopped raw bacon. Pop it in the oven at 350 until the bacon renders and the brussle sprouts get some color. Yum!8

Taco Salad

This has been one of our favorite dinners for a long time. I cook up ground turkey with some Montreal steak seasoning and shredded zucchini ( I always do this to add in more veggies and streatch out my meat). I make a salad of romain, carrots, celery, and cucumber. Top with the ground turkey, warmed white kidney beans (white kidney beans help block sugar carb absorbtion and are the main ingredient in carb blocker), cilantro and onion. For the kids we add crushed tortilla chips. Then top with ranch and sugar free Italian. Sometimes instead of Italian I'll drizzle plain apple cider vinegar (which is great for sugar control).

This is one of my kids favorite meals and one of those foods that was easy to convert to low carb.

pumpkin muffins- low carb

I tried these low carb pumpkins, except I left out the cranberries and walnuts and made them in a muffin tin.  They were pretty good and I'll probably make them again.  I think next time I will reduce the Splenda since I thought they were a little too sweet.

Simple Syrup

I used this recipe to make simple syrup.  Many alcohols are low carb so you can still make many mixed drinks by using this simple syrup.  Mojito?  yes please!  FYI- if using tonic water be sure to buy diet tonic.  Who knew.  Read ALL labels.

kelp noodles

We found new low carb noodles.  These are available on Amazon.  I have found that I like these best in noodle salads like my Vietnamese Noodle Salad, and the Miracle noodles in things like soup.  These ones stay crunchy and do not soften like the Miracle noodles will.

Low Carb Chocolate

Trader Joes has both Milk and Dark Chocolate with and without almonds with only 2 net carbs per serving.  The best part is that it actually tastes good :)

chip alternative- Chicharones

I had never bought, or even tried Chicharones before Lan got diabetes.  Now they are always in the house.  Lan will munch on them as a late night snack.  They go well with dip, salsa, and guacamole.  We have even used them to make nachos.  Anything that would go well with bacon, goes with these as chips.

Greek Chicken Pitas

These are super yummy.  Something that we ate before diabetes and have adapted so we can continue eating them.

low carb tortilla (such as Mission Carb Count Whole Wheat or Sanoma Carb Counting from Trader Joes)
chopped lettuce
cucumber
sliced tomato
thinly sliced red onion
grilled chicken
homemade Tzatziki sauce

Tzatziki recipe:
(I don't measure when I make this so adjust to your liking, this is a guess on the proportions)

1 c Greek yogurt
1 small Persian cucumber shredded and moisture squeezed out
1 Tbs lemon
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 Tbs mint finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

low carb pizza

This is super yummy.  I put a low carb tortilla in a cast iron skillet that has a little oil in it on low.  Then put sauce ( our fav is pesto) and toppings.  let it go for several minutes.  everything warms up and the tortilla gets crispy.  The tortilla becomes a cracker crust and can hold up to tons of toppings.  This is a great way to use up leftovers.  Inspired by our favorite pizza place we throw broccoli, sausage, chicken, cooked diced turnips (they do potatos), blue cheese, bacon.

Low Carb Tortillas at Trader Joes!

Trader Joes now carries Low Carb Tortillas!!!  I get like 90% of my groceries from Trader Joes so for me this is HUGE!  They are tasty.  They have a handmade taste and feel.  They are not as fluffy as the Mission low carb whole wheat ones and they do fall apart more easily, but we will for sure be buying these again.

eggplant lasaguna

This one is a keeper. Yum!

1-2 eggplants
1 jar low carb pasta sauce (Trader Joes has two different sauces that are only 5 carbs)
2 c shredded mozzarella
Parmesan
16 oz ricotta
1 egg
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Opt: spinach, cooked ground turkey, or anything else you enjoy in regular lasagna

1) peel and cut eggplant into quarter inch slices. It will shrink down as you roast it. Lightly coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 5-10 min each side. I set my oven at 350.
2) mix ricotta, egg, 2 T. Parmesan, and Italian seasoning
2). In a 9x13 casserole dish start layering. I do sauce on the bottom so the eggplant doesn't stick.  Then eggplant, ricotta mixture, sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, any optional extras, eggplant, sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan.
 3) Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 min. Uncover and bake another 10 min.

I don't miss the noodles at all with this one. I like to serve it with either a side salad or broccoli. leftovers freeze and reheat well. This also works as a freezer meal.

protein bars- Kirkland

These are by far the best protein bars that I have found for the price.  They come out to less than a dollar per bar which is pretty much unheard of for something like this.  They are very similar to Quest bars which run about. $2.25 .  Plus we like these ones even better!  Next time you are at Costco give them a try.

lunch- daily salad

Each day I make this salad for Lan.

Lettuce
spinach
celery
cucumber
salami
hemp hearts
flax seeds
goat cheese
deep fried onion (this is not the carb laden kind you put on casseroles, but just fried onions.  I have found them at Asian stores)

dressing
simply some chopped pepperonis with liquid

Lots of fiber and protein to keep him full.  The hemp hearts have a nutty flavor and pack a big protein punch.  The flax helps with cholesterol.

Zucchini noodles

Zucchini noodles make a good pasta substitute.  I use this spirolizer and it works well.

I really like making a meaty spaghetti sauce to serve on top of the spirolized zucchini

1 lb ground turkey

1 jar low carb spaghetti sauce (such as Trader Joes Three Cheese (only 5 net carbs)

1/2 onion chopped

1 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning

2-3 zucchini spirolized

olive oil for sauteing

-Cook onion, Montreal steak seasoning, and ground turkey in a sauce pan until cooked.  Add sauce and heat.  

-In a saute pan, put saute zucchini with a few table spoons of oil until they start to get limp and tender.

-mix together and enjoy!

low carb chocolate chip cookies

With Carbquick that I posted about in This blog post, I made these chocolate chip cookies.  I cooked them in two batches and unfortunately let both batches go a min too long.  oops.  Even though they were overdone, they ended up soft and yummy.  Im excited to try these again and if cooking them a minute less will make them gooy.  I tend to be picky when it comes to cookies.

This is where you can find the original recipe.

I couldn't find brown sugar twin so I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend.  I also didn't use reglar semisweet chocolate chips since I had added carbs from the Splenda substitution.  Instead I just used a brick of unsweetened baking chocolate.  I used my knife and broke up the baking chocolate into small chunks.  This whole recipe ended up making 52 cookies for me and when I calculated it, each of my cookies came out to 2 1/4 carbs per cookie.  Not Bad!

My home made cookie tips (low carb or traditional)
-refrigerate or freeze your dough after you put them on the cookie sheet for at least 10 min.  This is the secret of why break and bake cookies always come out so good and home made ones are flat.  You want cold dough.  Baking frozen dough works too.
-take your cookies out of the oven a little before you think they are done.  Once they are no longer shiny on top, they are done.  if you wait until they are browned then you have waited too long.
-let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before putting them on a cooling rack.
-Use a small cookie scoop such as this one when forming your dough balls.  They come out uniform so they cook evenly.

Tonights dinner with Roasted Delecata Squash

Delecata squash is a great low carb side dish.  It is technically a winter squash, but has a flavor similar to a sweet potato.  This website has a great tutorial on how to cook it.  The only adjustment that I make is that I use season salt instead of regular salt.  It is soooooo yummy.  This yummy  side dish has only 7 g of cars for 3/4 of a cup.  You can stuff this squash as well.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

This salad is sooo good!  It is fresh and light Vietnamese comfort food that is packed with flavor.

salad:
low carb noodles (such as miracle noodles)
romaine lettuce chopped
carrot julianned
cucumber julianned
cooked pork or chicken (I maranade this in soy, wuscheshire, fish sauce... but any way you want to season is fine)
mint
cilantro
chopped peanuts

dressing:
3c water
1c fish sauce
1 c vinegar
1 clove garlic shopped
1/2 c -1c Splenda (I like less)
1 T red pepper flakes (optional)

cook the noodles according to the package.
mix the dressing ingredients
layer the noodles on the bottom.  it should fill half the bowl.  Then top with the remaining ingredients.
When you eat it mix everything together and enjoy.

Sooooooo good!

Wasabi Almonds

These are a delicious low carb snack.  They have just the right amount of kick and are totally satisfying.  Trader Joes again for the win.

Whisps- crunchy cheesy goodness

These are delicious crunchy, cheesy, chips of goodness.  A yummy, salty, low carb snack.  You can find them here.  I have also found them at Costco.

Pickled Cauliflower

Now, pickled cauliflower may sound a little weird.... but it is soooo good.  Sometimes we eat it with a meal, and other times it is a healthy snack.  I originally got this recipe from my mother-in-law and have made some adaptations since then.  This is super easy, so don't be scared to try it.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
2 c water
1 c white vinegar
3/4 c granulated Splenda
1 T red pepper flakes (optional)
1 clove garlic smashed(optional)
lots of salt for drawing out moisture

Break up the cauliflower into bite sized pieces cutting the bigger pieces.  Put the cut cauliflower into a large bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt.  A lot of salt.  Like a cup of salt.  Don't worry, you will later wash a lot of this off.

Let the cauliflower sit for about an hour to draw out moisture and "clean" the cauliflower.  (at least that is what my mother-in-law says.

Rinse the cauliflower and put it in a clean mason jar.

Mix up the vinegar solution and pour it in the jar.  Let it sit for at least 2-3 days then enjoy.  This will last several weeks in the frig.  I make one for my one year old with real sugar and leaving out the pepper.  She LOVES it.

Tortillas

 

 Mission Whole Wheat Low Carb Tortillas.  These are super soft and delicious.  3-6 grams of net carbs per tortilla.  I use them for anything I would use a tortilla, pita, or flat bread.  I even make pizza with it!  This is a low carb win.  You can find them online here.

Miracle Noodles

These have about 1g carb per serving.  If you are expecting real noodles then you are going to be sadly disappointed.  We still prefer zucchini noodles for something like spaghetti sauce, BUT these are great substitute for Asian dishes. They more closely resemble rice noodles.  You can find them here.  I have used them as a noodle substitute in Pho and in a Vietnamese noodle salad.  Yum!

Hemp Seeds

These are high protein and low carb.  They have a nutty flavor.  I have been putting them on salads and they are super yummy.

iced coffee

Each day requires a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus in order for me to function .  I have begun keeping a constant supply of iced coffee in my frig.  I have always loved coffee, but actually stopped drinking it when I was pregnant with Olivia... then she was born..... and developed colic..... and well.... the whole not drinking coffee thing went right out the window.  I was buying the refrigerated cartons of Starbucks pre-mixed coffee, but found that I was going through it rather quickly.  Then I found this tutorial for making cold brew coffee from the Pioneer Woman.  Game changer!  I make about half of a recipe when I make it... simply because I don't have as much frig space as she does.

I typically use any type of coffee that I can get my hands on, but the stronger the coffee the better for this.  I like the Cafe Bustelo espresso.  This makes a very strong coffee, almost a coffee concentrate.  I often water it down a little or add extra milk.  I use just a cheap gallon pitcher and a brick of the espresso.  You can find it at Target for a little less than $4 or on Amazon (click here) for even less!

I fill my pitcher with filtered water, add the brick of espresso, stir, let sit over night.  In the morning I use my coffee strainer (found this at my local Asian market) to filter out the grounds and store the coffee in large mason jars.  I add sugar free creamer for Lan and regular sweet cream creamer for myself.  YUM!  Making the coffee cold brew style eliminates a lot of acidity.  I am not a fan of sour coffee so I love this method.

low carb comfort food- meatballs, cauliflower mash, brussels sprouts

This was delicious and totally satisfying.  I am not a recipe writer, but here is what I did...

Meatballs:
ground turkey
shredded zucchini
egg
Montreal steak seasoning
onion minced

Mix it all, roll, cook however you prefer.  I pan fry or bake

Cauliflower mash:
Cauliflower
cheddar cheese
butter
garlic
salt

Boil cauliflower and garlic.  Drain.  Puree in food processor in small batches.  Return to the pot and cook down if it is watery.  Add seasonings, butter, cheese (or whatever you prefer).

Bustle Sprouts:

I steamed the cauliflower then halved them and fried them in bacon grease.  Yum!

Crackers!!

I couldn't believe it when I found these crackers at Trader Joes.  They are delicious and nutty.  They are perfect with cheese.  I take one sheet and break it into about six pieces.  It is the perfect amount for a snack.  They have 7 grams of carbs with 3 of them being from fiber.  So only 4 net carbs!!

pumpkin pie- Low Carb

One of my husbands favorite deserts is pumpkin pie.  With the holidays coming I knew it was time to start experimenting.  Turns out I found a winner on my first try!  My mother-in-law (an amazing cook) even asked me for the recipe!  You can find the recipe here.

Riced Coliflower

Riced cauliflower is a great substitute for rice.  I is simply small pieces of cauliflower.  Yes you can make your own by putting cauliflower in the food processor.  I have done it before and it is cheaper.... but this frozen riced cauliflower from Trader Joes is so incredibly convenient.  I just keep a few in my freezer and microwave until tender.

Carbquick

This is a game changer.  It has so many possibilities.  Anything you would use Bisquick for you can use this.  You can find it here.  So far i have used it to make fried chicken, cookies, and biscuits.  The box has a ton of recipes and you can also find more online.

Diabetic friendly bread!

Low carb bread is tricky.  I have tried making some on my own and it is not anything like real bread.  This comes VERY close.  It is yummy and just a touch more cheweyer than a typical high carb bread.  This is NOT gluten free.  In fact I'm pretty sure it has extra gluten.  This bread has only 6 carbs and 5 of them are fiber.  That means it only has 1 net carb!!!!  I literally did a little dance when I found this bread.  I was able to find it at Sprouts grocery store.  Its perfect for all of your toast needs.

Life Change

Recently my husband was diagnosed with diabetes.  This threw us through a loop as it was very unexpected.  Although I had been cooking low carb for a while so that I could loose weight, I had to change our diet even more drastically.  Since he was diagnosed I have spent hours scouring grocery stores reading every single nutrition label to find low carb products.  My husband has been dropping weight like crazy and now I have had several friends asking me advice on eating low carb.  So expect to see many awesome finds and low carb recipes.

Paleo Enchilada Soup

I made this the other night.  So yummy.  Be warned... It's spicy. My husband topped his with cheese and tortilla chips (he's obviously not eating paleo). I typed mine with avocado and plantain chips. If you eat a little dairy some grass fed whole milk plain yogurt is yummy in this. Bonus....it is a crock port meal and can be a freezer meal as well.

Find the recipe here:

http://paleogrubs.com/slow-cooker-chicken-enchilada-soup-recipe

Beet chips - paleo snack

So I have been eating according to Bikini Body Mommy, which I have figured is pretty close to Paleo.    Doing so to try and get rid of some of this baby weight.

The last time I was at Trader Joe's I found a fun new snack. Beet chips. The only ingredient is beets. They have been dehydrated and are super crunchy. Yum!

Im pretty sure these would work with most diets. Bikini Body Mommy, Paleo, and even Whole 30. 

Yes please.