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.