Lots of good eats.

I had a great low carb, high taste day yesterday.  One of the reasons I've been able to stick with a low carb lifestyle for so long is that I don't feel like my choices are limited.  Of course there are things that I miss, but there isn't anything that I miss nearly as much as I missed chicken wings when I was eating a very calorie restrictive diet.

Whenever people tell me that they are thinking about switching to a low carb diet I give them two pieces of advice.  First, you have to think of this as a change in lifestyle, not a diet.  If you lose weight by cutting breads and pasta, you are going to gain it back as soon as you start eating those things again.  I want you to be realistic about whether you can see yourself saying goodbye to bread for life.  Second, don't think of a low carb diet as some kind of miracle quick fix.  It's easy for me because I've been doing it for a long time, I have support at home, and I don't miss the sweets that much.  But if you can't live without Coca Cola, this might not be the right choice for you.

Losing weight and being healthy is not about making yourself suffer.  It's about finding a plan that works for your lifestyle and needs.  Some people don't like the idea of having to say goodbye forever to brownies or french fries, and there are options for those people as well.  Explore all your options before you commit to anything and especially before you spend any money.  There is so much information out there, and there is (without a doubt) an program that will feel like it just fits.

Now, on to the yummies.  I started the day off with 1 piece of bacon, 1 egg scrambled with cheese, and 1 half of a flax pit with a little strawberry cream cheese.  This is a power breakfast because it packs a lot of protein and fiber.

For lunch I had leftovers from my Taco Bake.  I also had some leftover roasted vegetables.  I put them on a plate and microwaved for 2 minutes for a tasty work lunch.

Add a healthy eating magazine and a lot of water for a half hour of bliss.

After work I met a friend for happy hour that turned into dinner at Frisco Tap House and Brewery in Columbia.  I really like this place because there is such a wide breadth of things to choose from on the menu.  It's not often that I have my choice of Chorizo, sauteed artichokes, Ahi tuna, and pulled pork.

I ordered the wings because they are awesome and come with a homemade blue cheese that is phenomenal. I also got a side of sauteed mushrooms that tasted of olive oil and garlic.  I ate all of the mushrooms and ended up taking half of the wings home to enjoy later.

All of this comes back around to my original point.  On a low carb eating plan I am able to enjoy foods that I love like wings, blue cheese dressing, cheese, and eggs.  I rarely feel like I'm being deprived  because I'm able to focus on the things that I can eat instead of the things that I can't.

Veggies and Wine

It's been a tasty day.  For breakfast I had my usual 1 egg and 2 pieces of bacon.  Lunch was more arugula and Steak-umms over pita bread.  I was planning to serve leftovers from my taco bake for dinner but I had to run into the grocery store for some almond milk and I got distracted by these beautiful vegetables.

I picked up a butternut squash, a container of mushrooms, a bunch of asparagus, a pint of cherry tomatoes, and a handful of shallots.  I tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

While they were roasting, the awesome boyfriend and I were able to relax with a bottle of wine that we received as a Christmas gift.  I don't drink a lot of Malbecs and I am happy to report that I really enjoyed this one.  I did a little research online and it looks like a glass of Malbec has less than 5 carbs, so it's not a bad choice if you can limit yourself to one or two glasses.

After the veggies were done I pulled them from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.  I like mine straight off the baking sheet.  The awesome boyfriend likes to sprinkle his with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.  I good way to tell if your veggies are done is by checking the mushrooms.  The'll shrink and dry during the cooking process.  If they have browned like these, you're good to go.

In the end I did end up pulling out the taco bake leftovers because according to the awesome boyfriend, "If it doesn't have meat it's just a snack."  I'm not sure about all that, but the taco bake was very tasty and calling our names.  To reheat the taco bake just cut off the portion you want and warm it in the microwave for a minute or so.  Easy week night dinners make me happy.

Greens and Greens

Work lunch is back!  One of my favorite things about my job is that we have a kitchen that gets a lot of use.  I cook an egg almost every morning and I cook all kinds of awesome-ness for lunch most days.  I eat out about twice a month, and my wallet thanks me for this.

I had 1/2 of a bag of of Dole Southwest salad leftover from the weekend so I took it to work.  I sauteed some Steak-umms and mushrooms with olive oil and set aside on a paper towel to drain.  Then I toasted a low carb pita in the toaster oven.  I spread it with a little pizza sauce and added the steak and mushrooms on top of that.  Then I topped the whole thing with several handfuls of arugula.  I meant to eat it like a pizza but everything kept falling off so I cut it up with a knife and fork.

I tend to buy arugula from the grocery store more than other greens.  I love the spicy, bitter flavor.  More importantly, it will keep in your fridge a lot longer than a bag of spring greens.  Whenever I buy baby spinach I feel like it is wilting after 2 days.  The arugula will stay good for 4-5.

Low Carb Taco Bake

This casserole is the perfect amount of spicy and cheesy.  We liked it so much we ate it 5 nights in a row.  It's a little calorie dense, but extremely low in carbs.  It goes great with homemade low carb tortilla chips.  

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese

8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese

3 eggs

1 packet taco seasoning

1 lb ground beef

1- 4 oz can chopped green chilies

1/4 C tomato sauce

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. Warm cream cheese in the microwave for 10 seconds.  
3. Add cream cheese, eggs, and 1/3 packet of taco seasoning to a large bowl and beat until smooth with an electric hand mixer.  
4. Coat the inside of a glass baking dish with cooking spray.  
5. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan over the bottom of the baking dish and press down gently with fingertips.  
6. Pour cream cheese mixture into baking dish over top of Parmesan cheese.  
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cream cheese mixture has browned lightly on top and around edges.  
8. While crust is baking, heat a large frying pan over medium high and add ground beef.  
9. Cook beef until no more red is visible then drain.  Return beef to frying pan and reduce heat to low.  
10. Add remaining 2/3 packet of taco seasoning, chopped green chilies (do not drain), and tomato sauce. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.  
11. Remove crust from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before adding ground beef. 
12. Spread ground beef over cream cheese crust in glass baking dish.  
13. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over ground beef.  
14. Bake for 20 minutes.  Cheese should be bubbling and lightly toasted when done.  Serve hot. 

Notes

• I used a 2 quart baking dish for this recipe, and it was really full.  I think if you want to use a bigger one that would be fine, but not smaller.  
• This is good topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, or whatever other taco toppings you enjoy.  
• This recipe makes several servings.  When I make it the awesome boyfriend and I can usually make about 3 meals out of it.  

 

The Parmesan cheese is going to brown and form a nice crust for your
taco bake.  Don't worry about it being perfect; just press it down the
best you can to make a foundation for the cream cheese mixture.

You can see that the crust has browned around the edges.  

Taco bake and roasted artichoke.  So good I couldn't finish it.  

Obsessed.

The awesome boyfriend gave me my Keurig a couple of years ago and it is one of the best gifts I have ever received.  I use it every day.  I love being able to get my one or two cups of coffee at home without having to mess with grounds and filters.  I know that I sound like a commercial right now but it's true!

We were keeping all of our coffee pods in a round spinny thing that took up a lot of space on the counter.  My brother recently gave me this awesome coffee tray that fits under the Keurig.  It holds lots of coffee pods and it is saving me counter space, which is crucial for someone who loves kitchen appliances as much as I do.  I also like that it's spring loaded so the slots are easy to refill and the cups are easy to access.  I think you can find a tray like this at Kohl's, or you can order one on Amazon.

Side Note: That Moonshine Madness that snuck into this picture is a super hot barbecue sauce.  The awesome boyfriend is a hot sauce connoisseur and someone gave him this over Christmas.  It's too hot for me, but he likes to put it on pork chops and chicken breasts.  It's relatively low in carbs so if you're looking for a spicy barbecue sauce it might be a good choice.  You can order it from Amazon for abut $6.00.

New Omega-3 Finds

I was wandering through the grocery store, as I'm apt to do, when I noticed some orange stickers that said NEW on a bread product.  I also noticed the word 'flax' on the package and was intrigued.  I was beyond thrilled to find that these pitas have only 4 net carbs each!

They are packed with fiber and omega-3s and, unlike lots of other low carb bread products, they don't taste like cardboard.  I put a bunch of them in my grocery cart and have been enjoying half of one with cream cheese alongside my eggs most mornings.

Another awesome low carb product that has recently made it's way into regular grocery stores is this Smart Balance peanut butter.  Smart Balance makes several products including cooking oil and a butter substitute.  All of their products will help you get your daily dose of Omega-3 fatty acids which will help you maintain a healthy metabolism.

Of course the best way to get your daily dose of Omega-3s is through fish, fish oil, flax, or algae.  The awesome boyfriend and I both supplement our diets with fish oil capsules that can be purchased at Costco or on Amazon.  

Spicy Smothered Chicken and Strawberry Salad

All right friends and family, it's time for another leftover dump.  The awesome boyfriend calls it guerrilla cooking.  Whatever you want to call it, it's the process of taking random things in your fridge (usually leftovers) and transforming them into something new and delicious.

The awesome boyfriend eats a lot of chicken breasts.  He's always on the go for work and it's easy to grill a bag of them on Sunday and pack one for lunch every day.  I had two precooked chicken breasts in the fridge that I used to start this recipe.  When we cook chicken we usually sprinkle a little Montreal Chicken seasoning on both sides, so if you are starting this recipe from scratch you can add that step.

I cooked some bacon over medium in a frying pan until it was extra crispy.  Then I layered the chicken, bacon, spicy barbecue sauce, and jack cheese in a glass baking dish.  I used about 1 Tbsp of spicy barbecue sauce per breast.  Barbecue sauce is loaded with sugar so make sure that you're checking the carbs and measuring your sauce with a Tablespoon.

My favorite barbecue sauces are Sticky Fingers Habanero Hot and Stubb's.  I wouldn't go as far as to call either of them low carb, but they do tend to be a little bit lower in carbs and sugar than some of the other varieties.  I baked the smothered chicken breasts in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, then finished off with 5 minutes under the broiler.  

You can make the salad with whatever you have around.  For this salad I used arugula, goat cheese, crunchy onion strips, strawberries, and Italian dressing.  I generally have all of these things on hand.  Strawberries have carbs too so make sure that you are counting.  You can get a lot of slices out of three or four strawberries.  

This Italian dressing is one of my favorites.  It's only about $3.00 at the grocery store, and it's super low in carbs.  Like the label says, you can use it on anything, and it goes great with the sweet strawberries.