Beef stroganoff with eggplant noodles

This one may not look like much, but it packed a flavor punch.  At first I planned to do cuts of steak...and then I saw the price of steak. So ground beef for the win.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion think sliced
1 container mushrooms, rinsed and thickly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Butter or Olive oil for sauteing
1/2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. Soy sauce
1 Tbs. Dejon mustard
1-1 1/2 c. Sour cream
2 eggplants

* Peel the eggplant. Cut it into thin slices lengthwise (about 1/4 in thick) and then into long strips.  Lightly toss them with oil and seasoning.  Lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake @350 for about 15-20 min until done.
* While the eggplant bakes, cook the ground beef with the onions and Montreal seasoning.  When cooked drain some of the excess fat. 
*Add the rest of the ingredients except for the sour cream.  Cook until the mushrooms are done. 
*Add the sour cream.  Combine and taste. Adjust seasonings if needed. 

Serve on top of the eggplant noodles.

Low Carb Sweet Potato Pie

(I don't have a picture of the pie...but here is Em playing pie face.... It's practically the same thing, right?)

Need something low carb to take to impress your in-laws?  Well this is your answer. This was so good and my pumpkin pie loving husband said he liked this one more than my sister in laws top secret famous pie. Now THAT is a good endorsement.

Crust:
2 1/2 c. Ground pecans.  (A fine grind will hold together better.  A course grind will be crunchier. I like somewhere in the middle)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c. Splenda
4 Tbs. Butter soft or slightly melted

*Mix ingredients
* Press into deep dish pie pan
*chill

Pie filling:

1 lb sweet potatoes (choose small fat ones over long skinny ones to avoid strings)
1/2 c. Softened butter
1/2 c. granulated Splenda (or a little less)
1/2 c. Brown sugar Splenda (or a little less)
1/2 c. Cream
2 eggs
1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 tsp. Lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs. Flour

* Poke holes in potatoes and bake or microwave until soft. (Boiling will make it too watery).  When cool enough to handle, peel
* Break apart sweet potato and put it in our mixer. Add butter and mix well.
*Add sugar, milk, eggs, spices, vanilla, and lemon.
*Beat on med until smooth.  If any strings wrap themselves on the beater, throw them out.
* Pour into unbaked pecan crust. Bake @350 for 45-60 min.  A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.  The pie will poof while baking and then fall when it cools.
*Serve with sugar free cool whip or whipped cream

P.S. my mother-in-law loved it. 🙌

Aldi protein bars

We found these carb conscious  protein bars at Aldi and they are so very good. These two flavors in particular.  The caramel nut tastes like a Milky Way and the chocolate coconut tastes like Mounds.  Bonus... Only 2 net carbs each!!!!  Sweet, chewy, chocolaty, and satisfying. 

These Kirkland nut bars are soooooo good. They are seriously a treat and low carb with 7 net carbs  :). This is a little more carbs than my husband typically has for a snack but it is the perfect treat and his blood sugar does fine with them.

Fathead pizza

I tried making fathead pizza for the first time and man am I glad that I did.  It was pretty simple to make. The taste and texture were nice. I got mine nice and crispy by baking it on both sides before adding toppings.

I found the recipe here:
http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2015/04/23/fat-head-pizza/

Low Carb Shepherd's Pie

This was so delicious.  Total comfort food without the carbs.  Although this recipe was a little more work, it will definitely be a regular in our rotation.  I served it along side some leftover bacon brussel sprouts.

1 head cauliflower
3/4 stick of butter
garlic salt to taste
1 egg
2 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 c. peas
1/2 c chicken broth (beef or vegetable would be fine too)
2 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/8 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/2-1 c. cheese (depending how how cheesy you want the top

-Boil your cauliflower florets in salted water until tender.  Drain.
-in batches blend the cauliflower in a food processor until smooth
-Combine the puree with the butter and add garlic salt to taste.  Once it tastes the way you like it, mix in one raw egg.

-In a deep cast iron pot (you can do this in a skillet and transfer to a baking dish if you don't have one) cook the ground turkey, carrots, onion, and Montreal Steak Seasoning.  After the carrots start to soften add in the zucchini, peas, chicken broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  Continue cooking a few minutes.

-Top the meat mixture with the cauliflower and then put the cheese on top of that.  Stick the whole thing in a pre-heated oven at 400.  Cook for about 30 minutes.

The cheese should be well browned on top making a delicious crust.

Loaded coliflower bake

This was so delicious. It came out like a mix between loaded mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. Total comfort food without the carbs. I followed this recipe .  It's a great side for BBQ chicken.

Lower carb BBQ sauce

 This is more of a vinegar based BBQ sauce. It is delicious and has a little bit of a kick. It isn't sugar free but it is lower carb. I have seen it at Target, Sprouts, and regular grocery stores.

Avocado smoothie

This is creamy and delicious. It tastes like an avocado milkshake that I used to get at a Vietnamese sandwich shop.

1 1/2 c. ice
1 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c. Sweet cream coffee creamer
1 dropper liquid stevia
1 med. Avocado

Throw everything in a blender until smooth.

Trader Joe's cheese crisps

Trader Joe's now has another low carb snack. They are carrying cheese crisps. The only ingredient is cheese. They taste like the ones I found at Costco but smaller and thicker. A yummy salty/crunchy snack when you are craving chips

Refried white kidney beans

White kidney beans are great if you are watching carbs. They have a property in them that helps block your body from absorbing some of the carbs that you eat. It is actually the main ingredient in many commercial carb blockers. I find canned white kidney beans at Trader Joe's.

1 can white kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 c. Chicken broth
1 jalapeno
Montreal steak seasoning to taste

- Combine the beans, broth, and jalapeno (washed but not cut. It will give off flavor but not spice) in a pan.
- allow to simmer stirring occasionally. As the beans break down you can remove the jalapeno and smash the beans with the back of your spoon. If you like a smoother texture you can use an immersion blender. When it looks almost the consistency you want remove from heat. They will continue to thicken slightly as they cool.

Sweet potato hash

1 sweet potato diced (white or pink, but be sure they are sweet potatoes and not yams as yams have more carbs)
One onion diced
Montreal steak seasoning to taste

I dice everything and cook it in a cast iron skillet with a drizzle of oil. I like getting g a little color on everything since it adds to the flavor. Sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning to taste.

This is delicious under two over easy eggs for breakfast or as a side dish with dinner.

loaded low carb cookies

My grandma has always made "Oatmeal" cookies every Christmas, and they are pretty much the best cookie ever.  She started by taking a traditional oatmeal cookie recipe and adding everything under the sun that was delicious.  They include coconut, toffee bits, M&Ms, and walnuts.  Christmas just isn't Christmas without these cookies.  Since Lan can no longer have them, I tried making my hand at a low carb version.  We took them to Christmas eve with his family and people loved them.

Ingredients:
2 c. Carbquick.  Add up to an additional 1/4 c if it is needed to make a nice dough
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. Splenda
3/4 c packed Splenda brown sugar blend
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 low carb chocolate bars (such as this one) chopped
1 small bag unsweetened coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts

Directions: 
1) Combine Carbquick, baking soda, and salt.
2) In a separate bowl cream butter and sugars.  Once creamed add the vanilla and eggs one at a time while beating.
3) Combine wet and dry ingredients
4) Add all remaining ingredients and combine.
5)  Shape into logs and wrap in plastic wrap.  Freeze dough over night
6) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Unwrap dough and slice 1-1 1/2 inches thick.  Stand them on end on a baking sheet and immediately put in  the oven.
7) Check after 7 min and keep an eye on them.  You want to take them out before they look completely done.  Watch them closely and take them out when they are no longer shiny.  They will continue to cook on the hot pan while they cool.  Let them sit on the pan a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

I tend to like smaller cookies.... because then I can eat more of them. 😉  The size I make come out to about 2 1/2 carbs per cookie.