BROCOLLI A LA GRATIN

I just put this together today for a side dish to go with a pork loin I made. It's very yummy. Let's see I got 3 thumbs up from my husband (you know it's good) and my 2 employees. So give it a try......and enjoy every bit of it.

1 10 oz pkg cooked broccoli
1/2 of can of cream of chicken/mushroom soup
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese.
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pimentos
grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together except Parmesan cheese. Put in a greased 1 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese and put in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. The top will get nice and crusty brown. ENJOY!

MY BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE-low carb!

Ok, so I've tried several and I mean several recipes for low carb chocolate chip cookies and some have been ok and some just NASTY. Well none of them have really ever passed the true taste tester -my husband Chris. Thank God he's honest with me. So I thought I'd give it another shot-because I'm not going to give it up.
Well I'm glad I did because I have done it. Chewy middle and crunchy outside. They are wonderful. I can't believe it. SOOOO GOOD! I hope you will give them a shot. I know you will like them.

*this is a 1/2 batch which makes about 26-30 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 MINUTES!

1 stick of unsalted butter(softened)
1/4 Splenda granular
3/4 c diabeti sweet brown sugar sub.
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c vanilla when protein powder
3/4 c almond flour/meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c sugar free choc chips

Cream together the butter, sugar subs, egg and vanilla. Mix in another bowl the rest of the ingrediants except the chips. Add the dry ingrediants to the creamed mixture and mix well. Then add the chips to the batter. Scoop golf ball size portions out on to ungreased sheet. Leave about 2 inches apart. Bake 9 minutes. If you bake too long they get to crunchy all they way through-unless you like them that way. If you do 9 min. they will be chewy inside and crunchy outside. They will look puffy when they first come out and then as they cool they sink in the middle. SO YUMMY.

LOW CARB CHEX MIX RECIPE

Ok, I've been thinking about this for some time and never have gotten around to actually trying this recipe out. My husband LOVES Chex party mix. I mean loves it. Of course he misses it and for Thanksgiving I make him a small traditional batch. He pays for it weight wise but he knows it's going to happen and is ok with that. But pretty much everything can be made over low carb wise. So I thought lets give it a try. So I did---SUCCESS!

1 CUP PLAIN PECANS
1 1/2 C PLAIN ALMONDS
1 1/2 C PLAIN WALNUTS
1 C PLAIN SPANISH PEANUTS
1 STICK SALTED BUTTER
3 TBS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
2 TSP SEASONED SALT (LAWRY'S)
3/4 TSP GARLIC POWDER
3/4 TSP ONION POWDER

Melt butter in a microwavable dish-8x8 is nice. Mix in all the seasonings and stir really well. Then add all the nuts. Mix again all very well and put in microwave uncovered for 3 min on high. Stir and cook another 3 min. Then take out and spread out on wax paper and let cool completely.
Then store in airtight container. This tastes best the next day when it's had time to set.

ENJOY---MY HUSBAND GAVE IT 2 THUMBS UP....as he was chewing.

BEEFY BURGER SOUP

This is very good. I know I keep saying that....but I'm not going to lead you astray. This is adapted from a recipe I got off the Linda Sue's site. Wala...my own!

2 pounds ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
15oz canned pumpkin--LIBBY BRAND
14oz canned beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried sweet basil

In a large 6 quart pot brown the onions and ground beef. Drain the fat. Add the beef broth and pumpkin. Mix very well. Add the garlic powder, chicken broth and bouillon -stir over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and basil. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. This is yummy and you can add frozen green beans also to give some extra yum!

THIS WAY OF LIFE IS FOR SERIOUS LIFE CHANGERS!

This is something I thought I should address here. It's been on my mind for sometime. My husband I get numerous questions about our lifestyle almost everyday. We love to answer all of them. But I do want to say that this lifestyle is not a "DIET". It's not for the light of heart...."maybe I'll give it a TRY". Or the lovely question "what foods can I eat-how long before I loose?" Well this isn't a quick fix for a special occasion. It's not a crash diet you go on for 2 weeks and then start eating junk again. YOU WILL GAIN IT ALL BACK AND MORE. Trust me, we have watched several friends do it...even more then once.

*GET THE OLDER VERSION OF THE ATKINS BOOK AND READ IT!
*THIS IS FOR THE LONG HAUL. NOT SOMETHING TO TAKE LIGHTLY

We get asked all the time if we "cheat"? Well the answer is yes. BUT, we never cheated throughout the whole loosing weight stage. Only once we reached where we wanted to be did we cheat. IT IS NOT SOMETHING WE DO ALL THE TIME. Only special occasions. Remember: YOU PLAY -YOU PAY! You won't feel good, you may have a headache....and worse yet you gain weight back on. Yup...it only takes one bite....which leads to 2! You have to be strong when you have those friends (we all have them) that come up to you at a birthday party and say "just one bite won't hurt". I'm here to tell you-YES IT WILL. And that is why they are usually heavier then you and won't be able to commit to this lifestyle. PLUS---THEY ARE USUALLY VERY JEALOUS THAT YOU'VE SUCCEEDED. Be proud of that fact....that you can succeed. You can do this-but only if you want to.

CHEESY BEANS AND CAULIFLOWER

This would be great for the holidays. Something different. It's very good. I would have taken a picture for you today.,...but we ate it all! Sorry.

1 16 oz frozen cauliflower
1 8 oz frozen green beans
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp onion powder
3 TBS bacon pieces (make sure no sugar added-or cook up your own)
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower and green beans in the microwave using a little bit of water. Try the new steaming bags on the shelves in store now---THEY ARE GREAT!
Put in a greased 2 quart baking dish. Mix in cheese, onion powder, salt and pepper and bacon.
Pour heavy cream on top of mixture. Place in oven 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*in a time pinch ....you can microwave this covered for 8-10 minutes...but the heavy cream doesn't get as thick and mixed in with the cheese. But it's still yummy!

This is a great side to go with the most basic pork chop, steak or chicken recipe. Buy a already roasted chicken from your local market and add this in a pinch. Wa la....dinner in now time. Throw in some sugar free jello for a little sweetness afterwards! ENJOY.....

FRENCH PORK CHOPS AND CABBAGE CASSEROLE

This is yummy. Don't wrinkle your nose at cabbage it really does take on the taste of what you put with it. GIVE IT A TRY.

1 large green cabbage
1 c heavy cream
4 boneless pork chops
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. crumbled sage leaves
1/2 c dry white wine(make sure it's one you would like to drink also)
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Wash, quarter and core the cabbage and then slice it up. Place the cabbage in a saucepan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add cream. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min. Trim excess fat from chops and saute chops in 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet until golden brown. Cover and cook over low heat until tender. Remove from skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add sage leaves and wine to skillet and scrape skillet to remove browned particles. Add to cabbage. Place half the cabbage mixture in shallow casserole and cover with chops. Add remaining cabbage mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Dot with remaining butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. SERVES 4.

LOW CARB DIET STUDY--ONE FOR US!

There was a study done with the New England Journal of Medicine that once again shows positive and wonderful results that included 2 years of research!

The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the other two. Some critics had predicted the opposite.
Please read the link for yourself....it's been on 3 major news channels. Low carb will prevail!

STUDY TIPS THE SCALE IN ATKINS FAVOR!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/16/health/main4266414.shtml

CAMPING.....SO GOOD FOR OUR SOUL AND EATING LOW CARB

Well just to let you know my husband and I have never camped before. Well he has as a kid. As grown ups -so far has been pretty easy. We did have a few mishaps(parking in the the wrong lot# at the park-oops). Other than that-we are having a good time. Besides camping making you appreciate the little things in life...shower and running water in your own home,etc.....you appreciate the food the earth gives you. Making living a low carb lifestyle so easy to maintaine......NO JUNK.

Friday we had dinner at the camp ground. I made pork chops with a seasoning mix of chili pwdr, salt, pepper, onion pwdr, oregeno and ground mustard. For a side we had my yummy coleslaw. Saturday night we will have flank steak with a similar seasoning rub on the grill. I'm also going to chop up some red and yellow peppers along with an onion and grill it in a foil packet with some butter and seasoning. Oh yeah-and add a little shredded cheese at the end to keep it all happy! Sunday we have to pack up but we will have eggs and bacon in the morning with some good ole' coffee. Saturday we worked all day at our business so we at there and not at the campground.
I can't wait to get back there and breathe the FRESH air!

LAS VEGAS BABY-YES YOU CAN EAT GOOD!

Well most people think that when you go on vacation.....you can't eat good. Well I'm hear to prove you wrong. We are currently in Vegas and my husband and I have not had any problems. Really it's very simple. We've had steak and eggs for breakfast--hold the extras. We don't eat lunch because the breakfast was so big. So we have an early dinner.....If you eat at a buffet---so easy. Prime rib, sliced turkey, salad, veggies....need I say more. Tonight we had room service....HUGE cobb salads with diet coke. So good. We have been drinking lots of water and when we are at the pool--RUM AND DIET COKE. My husband has had some Tequila and diet coke. We did treat ourselves to some sugarfree ice cream. yummy! Other than that--no problems. VACATIONS ARE FOOL PROOF WITH THIS WOL--no excuses!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT CAN I MAKE FOR A HOLIDAY BBQ?

A logical question.....but it's very easy to answer. Lowcarbers everywhere love cookouts. It can be full of protein! We are going to have:
JOHNSONVILLE BRATS(reg. kind), SUGARFREE COLESLAW(see recipe below) and a for a light sweet we will be having sliced strawberries that have soaked in SUGARFREE RASPBERRY SYRUP topped with whipped cream. YUMMMMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best coleslaw:
1 pound bag of coleslaw mix
1 cup of Hellman's mayo(you can use reg mayo-but I like the "extra something" of Hellmans
1/4 cup Splenda
2 tablespoons white vinegar plus 1 tsp
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
Mix all the ingrediants except the coleslaw mix together in a bowl. Then add the coleslaw mix in. Chill for several hours.
Serves 8-10
around 3g net carbs.


Plus you can have so many more things for a bbq. Like bbq chicken-using lc (low carb) bbq sauce, roasted veggies on the grill, veggies and dip, ribs,hot dogs, burgers, steaks......plus lc mac salad(using our type of noodles of course)
But the best of all just being with friends that support you and are proud of you.

What's for dinner tonight?

Well if you are new to a low carb lifestyle or even if you just want some great new recipes to choose from for a healthier lifestyle then I'll try and help. So many times you wonder-what do I have already at home that can be turned into-well something decent-if not great. Well let's see..most people have chicken right? Pull those chicken breast out of the freezer and THAW. Once that's done---try this:



PIZZA CHICKEN TONIGHT



4 skinless chicken breasts

small can of pizza sauce (watch the label-make sure there's no sugar added)

pepperoni slices (as many as you want-within reason)

1 cup of shredded cheese of choice

salt and pepper



Now....

Take a 2 qt glass baking dish (8x8) and spray with some nonstick cooking spray. Then place each chicken breast snuggily (is that a word?) in the pan. It's ok if they touch. They are happier that way. Then salt and pepper each to your liking. Ok top each with a little sauce, cheese and pepperoni slices. Pop in the microwave (yes the microwave) for about 15-20 minutes. You may have to cut into one to see how they are doing.

-MAKE SURE THEY ARE COOKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH. The pepperoni will get nice and crispy on the outside. The sauce keeps the chicken nice and juicy.



*if you like serve this with a side salad. It's very good and reheats well also for lunch the next day.