P1: 'Milk' Shake - 2-4g

I had some dental work done on my lunch break today, so I needed to find a clever way to satisfy my chatty stomach without irritating my teeth. If you've followed a low carb diet before, you can understand just how hard it was for me to come up with something 'smooth' to eat.

Ingredients:

1/2 C Atkins Advantage shake (found in the diet/health section of your grocery store)
1/2 C Almond Coconut milk - unsweetened

Easy as that! And the combination of the 2 helps to cut down on the 'diet-shake-flavor'...

The carb count will depend on the flavor of shake you prefer.  Dark Chocolate is my favorite, but it has 6 g/container. Strawberry only has 2, but more of a diet taste. I tinkered with both today, and chocolate was the winner by a landslide. However, I'll still appreciate the strawberry in a moment when I need a quick sweet treat.

I've recently discovered this Almond Coconut milk - 1 cup has only 1 carb and 45 calories! Fat is higher, but I rest easy knowing it's a 'good' fat.

P1: Egg 'n Ham Cup - 1g

Found this on Pinterest, and couldn't resist!

Ingredients:
1 (round) slice of ham
1 egg
Pepper
Cheese, if you prefer

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray, and gently form your ham around the sides of the muffin cups. Crack 1 egg into the center of the ham. Don't worry if some happens to run out the creases... it's all going to the same place anyway!

Top with cheese if you'd like, and place in the oven for 20 minutes!
(more or less depending on how you prefer the consistency of your yolk)

P1: Tuna 'Noodle' Casserole - 5g

It's been a busy night in the kitchen - it's too bad I'm not getting paid for this!

I never had tuna noodle casserole growing up, so it doesn't make me nervous like it might some of you.  If you don't like tuna noodle casserole, don't make this dish (well, you're probably not even reading this post). The best part about it is that I had all of these ingredients in my house already, except for the noodles. Pantry, freezer and refrigerator were stocked with just about anything I needed today.

Mine had a stronger onion flavor, but I love it that way, so I won't change a thing!

Ingredients:
3 drained cans of tuna (*I accidentally used 1 can of chicken)
1/2 C mayo
1/4 onion - chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 C chopped steamed veggie of your choice (*frozen cauliflower and broccoli medly)
1 bag shirataki noodles - drained and rinsed
1/4 C almond meal
1 Tbsp butter/substitute (*Smart Balance)
1/4 - 1/2 C shredded cheese of your choice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix tuna, mayo, onion, garlic powder and veggies together in a bowl.  Place your shirataki noodles on a cutting board and 'chop' into bite sized noodles. Stir noodles into the tuna mixture.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking oil. Pour the tuna mixture into your baking dish and smooth out.  Sprinkle the top with almond meal and melted butter. Place in the oven for 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and add your cheese.  Bake for another 15-18 minutes.

Let cool for 20 minutes to 'set' the casserole.

P1: Asparagus with Almonds - 4g

I bought a great bunch of asparagus a few days ago, and now it's up to me to consume it.  Just one more delicious way to cook asparagus!

Ingredients:

20 (slender) asparagus spears (about 1 cut into 1-2 inch pieces)
1 Tbsp sliced almonds - I used the roasted garlic salad topper kind
1 Tbsp olive oil
Supreme Shallot Salt

Heat the oil on the stove at medium heat and chop up the asparagus.  Add the asparagus to the oil and cook for about 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your spears). When the asparagus has turned a darker green, add your almonds & shallot salt and cook for another 2 minutes.

P1: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus - 3g

One of my favorite parts about following a low carb diet is that you can wrap just about anything in bacon... and it's OK! I choose to use low sodium turkey bacon in order to feel a little less guilty about my frequent bacon consumption. It's entirely up to you though!

Ingredients:
20-24 asparagus spears
4 slices turkey bacon
1/4 C toasted sesame oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the bottom inch off of the spears of asparagus, and lay flat on a baking sheet covered with tin foil (makes clean up SO much easier).

Mix the oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl, and brush the mixture over top of the asparagus spears.

Cut the bacon into 3 strips, with 12 in total.

Wrap 2 pieces of asparagus together with a strip of bacon, securing with toothpicks if need be. I broke a couple of toothpicks in half and used them on a few of the 'stubborn' ends of the bacon/asparagus spirals. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes (a little less for very thin asparagus, a little longer for thicker).

P1: Sesame Peanut Chicken - 2g

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp Organic No Sugar Added Peanut Butter
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
Sprinkle of Sesame Seeds
1 chicken breast - cubed

These measurements are 'esti-ments' (I'm going to copyright that word if no one else has!), since I just poured some stuff that I had around the house together in the frying pan.

I heated up all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a sauce pan for about a minute, then I added the cubed chicken.  Stir this one frequently, otherwise the sauce will turn into chunks and potentially burn.

P1: Shrimp Scampi Spinach Salad - 3g

Say that 5 times fast! This was my lunch today, making use of my left over shrimp scampi. Delicious!

Ingredients:

3 C of spinach leaves
1 C shrimp (use as much of the 'sauce'/butter as available)
1/4 C shredded italian cheese blend or grated parmesan

It's as simple as that - the shrimp were still moist and there was a little butter left over from the heated up shrimp to drizzle over and use that as a salad dressing. A great way to utilize the leftovers! :)