Shallot Baked Salmon - 1g

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet
shallots
garlic
dill
drizzle of olive oil

I didn't use any measurements - and you may be looking for a different contrast of flavors, but over all this was a very delicious salmon fillet! I baked it in the oven in tin foil at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yum!

Roasted Cauliflower Poppers - 8g

I like cauliflower - but I wasn't sold on the idea of these at first.  I had some left over cauliflower from my 'fried rice', so I decided to give these a shot. 

To my surprise, they were incredibly tasty!

Ingredients:
3 C cauliflower florets
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Sauce:
1/4 C tomato sauce (lowest carb you can find - mine had 4g per 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp grated parmesan
1/4 tsp oregano
Dash or two of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the cauliflower with the olive oil and salt until well covered. Distribute evenly around a tin foil lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes, take out of the oven and turn each floret over. Place back in the oven and bake again for 20 minutes.

While baking, mix the tomato sauce, parmesan, oregano and garlic powder.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven, and dip to enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.

'Fried Rice' - 4g

Which is neither fried, or made from rice. 

In fact, it is made from a vegetable and happens to be raw!

But it is still equally as delicious - with a similar (though not equal) texture and flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 large head of cauliflower (preferably more of the florets than the stems)
1/4 C spinach leaves (or parsley)
1/5 yellow onion
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (more or less)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce

*For additional flavor/texture (and added carbs) feel free to add some walnuts or cashews - processed

Trim the florets off the head of cauliflower and place in a food processor - about 3 cups worth. Process until all of the florets are minced, and scrape into a bowl to set aside. You can also add the spinach here (or parsley, whichever you have on hand).

Next, in the same food processor, blend the onion, garlic and ginger.  Scrape into the bowl with the cauliflower.

Last, mix in the sesame seeds, oil and soy sauce.

Makes 4 servings, each about 1/3 cup.

The inspiration for this recipe came from http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2008/12/05/raw-imitation-fried-rice/ - which has a few interesting ingredients/alternatives to my version - check it out and play around for yourself!

Pesto Egg Salad - 1g

A delicious twist on your traditional egg salad! Really, I just rummaged through my refrigerator to find something I could throw in here. I happened to have some leftover pesto from the other night (roasted portobello mushroom & eggplant napoleons).  I also tried adding a little splash of balsamic vinegar to half of it, and it added an additional complexity! This is a must try (for pesto lovers)!

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp pesto
1/3 C mayo

*Splash of balsamic vinegar if you're daring!

Separate the yolks and add to a mixing bowl. Combine with mayo and pesto and mix until smooth.

Chop the egg whites and incorporate them into the yolk.

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you're interested. I think I prefer mine without, but I'm not a huge balsamic (or any kind of vinegar) fan. Makes 3 servings.

 Enjoy using the poser 'bread' or just by itself!

*I added rosemary & oregano to the bread recipe - hence the specks in the bread.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops - 2.5g each

The cookie dough pops above were made with almond flour, and the ones below with almond meal. The ones above have 4 carbs per pop, and below have 2.5 carbs.

Ingredients:
1 C almond flour/meal
1/4 C vanilla protein powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 C Splenda
1/4 C melted coconut oil
1 tbsp unsweetened almond/coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60 chocolate chips (I only used 45 when I made the pops with the higher carb almond flour)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out each pop and use your hands to roll into balls. (should make about 15)

Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to harden.  Keep stored in the refrigerator after.

Pepperoni Chips - 1g

Ingredients:

14 Pepperoni slices (1 serving)

    *I tried this with Turkey pepperoni - not as good, and take 20 seconds off the cook time!

Line a microwave safe plate with 3 paper towels.  Lay the pepperoni pieces on the paper towels (flat) and microwave for 60 seconds (could vary depending on the wattage of your microwave). 

Let the chips cool and they will be crispy and ready to eat!

Asian Noodle Dish - 6g

You can find Kelp noodles at Whole Foods, or replace with Shiritake.  The benefit to the kelp noodles is that the seemed to breakdown/soften over time as I cooked them.  I haven't found that to be the case with Shiritake?

Ingredients:
1 pkg Kelp noodles
1 pkg tofu OR diced chicken (cook this first if you're using raw chicken)
2 green onions
3 baby bella mushrooms, chopped (1 C chopped)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
5 tbsp brown rice vinegar
1/3 C soy sauce
1 C water
2 tbsp peanut butter (trader joe's Valencia w/ roasted flaxseed for lowest carb content)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp sesame seeds

In a frying pan, add the vinegar and oil on medium heat.  Rinse the kelp noodles and break them up a bit, then add them to the frying pan.

Chop the mushrooms and add to the pan, along with the sesame seeds, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

Mix and cook on medium heat for a minute or two, and then add the green onions and peanut butter.  Stir together and let sit for another minute.

Add the water and cook down for another 2-3 minutes. 

Last, cube your tofu (or chicken) into 1/4 in cubes, and add to the mix.  Turn the heat off and let set for 5 minutes or so. 

Asian Marinade - 3g

I made this for my tofu (which was great both 'fresh' and cooked).

Ingredients:
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 C soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 green onions - chopped
4 baby bella mushrooms - sliced

Combine all ingredients and marinade for a couple of hours. If using tofu, make sure to press the tofu for 30 minutes or so first, so it absorbs as much of the marinade as possible.

Fluffy Breakfast Casserole - 4g

Most breakfast casseroles begin with a bread base to keep it fluffy.  I combined what I've learned about baking with stiff egg whites (thanks to the 'Best Bread Ever' recipe), and mixed it with some other typical breakfast ingredients to make a casserole that was just as delicious!

This was consumed so fast, I wasn't able to take a picture of it...

Ingredients:
5 eggs (separated)
1/4 tsp cream tartar
1 15 oz container of Ricotta cheese
2/3 onion, chopped
1 container of sausage
2 green onions
1 1/2 C mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown sausage and onion. Chop up the green onions and mix with the sausage and onion and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes - don't need them to be too stiff, but enough so that your peaks flop over a little when you take out the beaters.

Mix the egg yolks and ricotta cheese in another bowl, and then scrape into the bowl with the egg whites.  Mix together well, and add to the 9x13 baking dish. Combine all ingredients in the baking pan, distributing the egg mixture well, and bake for 30 minutes.

8 servings

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups >2g

I MIGHT be the happiest girl on earth right now. Why? Because I just created these:

Chocolate and peanut butter happen to be my favorite.  Every time I get some fro-yo, I can't help but put a scoop of Reese's peanut butter cups on top... not good!

I found this recipe on Living Low Carb...One Day at a Time's blog, and tweaked it a little (that, and mine made a much smaller batch than hers... I can't afford to have too many of these sitting around!) - Makes 5 peanut butter cups at 45 calories & less than 2g carbs per cup!

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
4 1/2 tsp coconut oil
3 tsp granulated splenda
3 tsp Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (only 5g carbs per 2 tbsp)

In a pan, mix together the first 3 ingredients over low heat, and stir constantly until it becomes liquid chocolate.

Line a mini-muffin pan with muffin liners.  Pour in about 1 tsp of the chocolate, or until it covers the bottom of the muffin liner. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Zap the peanut butter in the microwave for about 10 seconds. *My peanut butter came from the refrigerator, so it needed a little heat.  If yours isn't from the fridge, FIRST check your carb count... and second, don't nuke it so long.

When the bottom layer of chocolate is frozen, divide the peanut butter evenly amongst the 5 cups. Pour the remaining chocolate over the top of the cups, and freeze for another 10 minutes.

1 Reese's cup: 145 calories, 15g carbs
2 of these cups: 95 calories, 3.5g carbs!

Smoked Salmon & Zucchini Stuffed Chicken - 3g

The smokiness of the salmon really disguises the chicken - not that there's anything wrong with chicken... but this is definitely not a bland tasting meal!

Ingredients:
1/2 C shredded zucchini
1 egg (1/2 of an egg would work better)
2 oz smoked salmon (about 1/3 C)
1 heaping tbsp mayo
1/2 tsp crushed garlic

2 chicken breasts

1/4 C almond meal
1/4 C grated parmesan


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.

Place the chicken breasts in a ziploc bag, squeeze out the air, and pound your chicken breasts until they are about 1/4 in thick.

Spread the mixture over one side of your chicken breast and roll up.  Use toothpicks to keep shut if needed.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, and place the chicken rolls inside. Top with the almond meal and parmesan for a crunchy texture.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is white all the way through. 

Thick Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake - 7g

This is the most legit, low carb milkshake that I could come up with - very convincing!

  175 calories, and around or under 7 carbs

Ingredients:

1/4 C Chocolate Arctic Zero (lactose free 'ice cream)
1 tbsp Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter w/ Roasted Flaxseeds 
Just under a 1/4 C Whey Protein Powder (French Vanilla flavor - unsweetened) 
4 ice cubes
1/3 C Unsweetened Almond Coconut Milk  
1 packet of Splenda

Blend them all together, and ENJOY!


*Of course, it does require 'specialty' ingredients to keep it low carb. The Chocolate Arctic Zero & Biochem's Whey Protein powder both came from the Healthy Home Market - but you should be able to find them at any health food store. Watch your whey protein powder - this one has less than 1 carb/quarter cup. I also have had luck finding the Arctic Zero at Earth Fare.

Eating on the go!

Eating low carb on the go isn't necessarily an easy feat.

This month is going to be rough for healthy eating. I'll be on the road & out of the office a lot, on top of working late nights.  This 'season' last year, I was in and out of drive thrus and I didn't know any different.

I've got a game plan for this year, and I've stockpiled the glove compartment in my car with:

• Smokehouse Almonds (5g of carbs)

• Dark Cocoa Roasted Almonds (4g of carbs - 100 calorie packs are a beautiful thing)

• Atkins snack bars - carb count varies

My refrigerator is also prepared for lots of meals-on-the-go, that won't need to be reheated (since I'll most likely be eating in my car):

WEEK 1

• Gazpacho (11g of carbs)

• Buffalo chicken salad (3g of carbs)

• Celery sticks & peanut butter with flax seed (5g for peanut butter)

• Persian cucumbers (seedless & tiny) - my all time favorite, found at Trader Joe's

• String cheese

• Sugar free jello

• Black olives

• Sparkling Ice fizzy drinks

Hoping to fight off the fast food urges I get... My goal is to limit my visit there to once a week - and of course I'll be tossing any buns, or getting the grilled 'fried' chicken.

Here goes... 24 days of non-stop work! 

Buffalo Chicken Salad - 3g

 It's like wings - only easier to eat, and perfect for on the go!

Ingredients:

1 large can of chicken in water (12 oz)
1/4 C buffalo wing sauce
1/8 C blue cheese dressing
1 tbsp mayo


Drain the can of chicken well, and mix in the sauces. Serve with celery, cucumbers, or eat plain.

Makes 2 servings.

Gazpacho - 11g

Quick, easy & nutritious! 

Ingredients:

1/2 red pepper (60g)
1/3 yellow onion (50g)
1/2 cucumber (170g)
5 roma tomatoes (380g)
1+ tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and liquify for a minute or two.

When ready to serve, add a few ice cubes to get it nice and cold!

Makes 3 cups - 1 cup/serving