in the low carb kitchen with Lisa

two of my favorite things - slow cookers & leftovers...

2010-06-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday afternoon! Hope you’re having a good day. It’s not too sunny here today and we are in a high risk area for storms, possibly through tomorrow. I hope they just pass right over! Tomorrow my daughter and I will be driving to Highland Heights, Kentucky (just outside of Cincinnati) in order for her to attend her college freshmen orientation program. I’m really hoping it doesn’t rain. We intend to get there early in the evening and spend a little time together walking around downtown Cincinnati. Just us girls!
Last night in my low carb kitchen, I whipped up a quick and easy meal – thanks to leftovers. Leftovers & slow cookers – 2 of my favorite things. I had a lot to get accomplished at home on Saturday and I knew later in the afternoon, close to dinnertime, I was going to be beat. So I made peppered pork loin in my slow cooker. It took me about 10 minutes to prep the pork loin and put it in my slow cooker. For dinner last night, we had leftover peppered pork loin, sliced with horsey sauce drizzled on top. We also had a couple of pieces of cantaloupe and creamy coleslaw, which was leftover from our graduation party on Sunday.
Again, leftovers and slow cookers are 2 of my very favorite things! Thanks to both, I was able to put together a nice, cool meal in about 5 minutes. And speaking of cool meals, I had a great lunch today - spicy egg salad on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves. It was awesome! The last couple of days, I’ve put on 5 eggs to boil while I was getting ready for work. I’ve eaten 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast and used the remaining 3 to make egg salad.
Yesterday I had a special treat when I came home from work. If you like cold coffee drinks – I highly suggest trying this idea – I fill a large glass about 2/3 full with ice, then add cold/room temperature coffee, a little heavy whipping cream and a tablespoon of Splenda. You could also add a little sugar free chocolate syrup for a mocha style drink or maybe even some cinnamon. After a long Monday, this was just the little pick me up that I needed. I’m looking forward to another one today!
Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll be whipping up something good in my kitchen tonight and I’ll fill you in on the new recipe tomorrow. Have a good evening and take care!

summer fun & some quick meal ideas

2010-06-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Good Monday afternoon! Although it’s not technically summer yet, it seems as if the summer is in full swing! Softball games, tournaments, graduations, graduation parties, summer camp for the kids and all the other fun things associated with this time of year. Not to mention the not so fun things like yard work, gardening and house cleaning. The list just seems to go on and on. With that being said, sorry I’ve been not so timely in my blogs lately! I’ve got lots of recipes to post, I just haven’t gotten to them, yet. So begins my to-list for the week.
We’ve been really busy around our house. First and foremost on our agenda has been all the activities associated with my daughter’s high school graduation. We had a very nice graduation party for her & my nephew yesterday. Later this week, her and I are attending her freshmen orientation at the college she will be attending this fall. It just seems as if everyone I know has a flurry of activities packed into their summer.
In addition to the recipes I’ll be posting later this week, I wanted to share with you some quick and easy summer meal ideas. One of my favorites things to purchase from our local deli is roasted whole chickens. You really can’t beat their price, especially when you consider the precooked chicken ends up costing not very much more than an uncooked chicken! One night last week the four of us – me, my husband, my daughter & my son – had cold chicken & cheese for supper. Of course everyone’s taste in my house varies – my husband ate his chicken on a sandwich made with low carb bread and a few pickle spears, my daughter had a chicken wrap & a few strawberries, my son had chicken & pork rinds with a dressing he made using Frank’s hot sauce, while I had chicken, cheese slices and a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter.
On another night, I cutup the precooked chicken and mixed with mayo for a quick and easy chicken salad. Again we all prefer something a little different – I had my chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, my husband had a sandwich & my daughter had a wrap – and we all had a few strawberries, too. Delicious, quick and easy, too! For a quick and easy snack, we almost always have pork rinds and cheese slices on hand. Also, several times last week, my son & I both had fresh slices of cool cucumbers with a bit of salt. I love cucumbers, so stay tuned for some quick and easy recipes.
Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a great evening. Take care & I’ll be back tomorrow!

hot, humid weather and a cool, crunchy oriental style coleslaw

2010-06-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! What a hot, hot day here in the Ohio River valley. I
went for about a mile walk this afternoon. When I started out, it was
hot & sunny but there was a nice breeze. About 5 minutes later, there
was no breeze - it was so hot and humid. I once heard our summers
compared to a hot humid jungle! That's funny! Thank goodness for air
conditioning.
Over the past weekend we had several family get togethers. Luckily, we
all pitch in and bring food, so that not just one person is left to
plan, prepare and cook a meal. Lately, my favorite thing to take to a
get together or potluck is a salad, preferably one that I can make ahead
of time. By preparing my food ahead of time, I don't feel so rushed and
it's just easier for me to have everything ready ahead of time.
During the summer or warm weather, one of my most requested salads is a Napa Salad. If you haven't had Napa Salad it usually consists of Napa
cabbage, green onions, nuts, salad dressing and Ramen noodles toasted in
butter. Basically, it's cool & crunchy. I've made this salad many
times and also made many different versions. My favorite versions use a
prepackaged coleslaw mix, instead of Napa cabbage. Cutting the amount
of net carbs in the traditional version is pretty easy by reducing the
amount of nuts and eliminating the Ramen noodles. It's still good, even without the Ramen noodles. So here's my low carb version -
oriental-style
coleslaw. Notice I call it coleslaw since it doesn't include Nappa
cabbage.
Well, it's time for me to go. I hope you have a great afternoon &
evening. See you tomorrow! Take care!

busy memorial day weekend & a new recipe

2010-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday afternoon! Although after the long weekend it sure feels like Monday. I hope you had a great weekend! We had a busy but very, very enjoyable weekend. On Friday we had a celebratory early dinner with our kids to celebrate my daughter, Lori’s, high school graduation. Then it was off to graduation – she was so cute – she kept looking for us in the crowd & when she spotted us, her & I kept waving at each other. She was so excited. At the after graduation party sponsored by her school, she won 2 beach totes, 2 beach towels, 2 beach chairs, a cooler, a grill & a flat screen tv! Saturday was a work day around our house – thanks to the person that did a little hit and run number on our fence & gate. Sunday was pool party time with my in-laws – we had a blast! Monday, I spent the day at the pool – nice! I love swimming!
I’ve been behind on blogging – sorry about that! But, I have been spending some time in the kitchen, so I’ve got a back log of recipes to post. My first recipe, which I made earlier last week, is zesty chicken with tomatoes & chiles. This recipe is a quick recipe with basically no prep and it all cooks together in 1 skillet – which means only 1 pan to wash – yeah!
It’s funny, so many of our family members are following a low carb lifestyle. I heard at least 4 or 5 people say at our pool party on Sunday, that they were gonna carb up for the day and go back to low carb the next day. Actually, most of our summer picnics include hamburgers, hot dogs or another grilled meat – so that’s a pretty easy way for us to stay low carb. But I think we all splurged on my mother-in-law’s world famous potato salad! That’s the good thing about low carb. If you eat a few carbs at one meal and then you just go back to low carb – it’s easy.
Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a nice evening! See you tomorrow!

last day of school, fishing & crispy fish softshell tacos

2010-05-26T10:23:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you’re having a great day! Today is the last day of school for my daughter, Lori. Yesterday, the seniors at her school did something they hoped to be remembered by for a long time. The students arrived 2 hours early for school, setup a ping pong table and played orange juice pong. They had loud music, doughnuts & bacon. And they ended up causing quite a commotion! It reminds me of what my senior class did immediately following our graduation ceremony – along with tossing our caps in the air – we all threw handfuls of super balls, the kind of small balls that bounce really, really well. Our family & friends thought it was pretty funny but the teachers and janitors at the stadium – not so much!
With the arrival of the warm weather comes lots of fun activities and one of my favorites is fishing, even though I haven’t been fishing in years. We have a friend that keeps his boat in our back yard – it’s just a small 2 person boat with a motor. He’s been having a lot of luck lately – this past weekend he even caught about a 4 pound catfish. After he’s finished fishing, he cleans & fillets the fish. He’s stocking them in his freezer and when he gets a few more we’ll be having a fish fry at our house. I can’t wait, we just love fish!
Speaking of fish, in my low carb kitchen last week I tried out a new recipe - crispy fish softshell tacos. It was kind of funny, every time I mentioned to my husband that I was going to try a new recipe for fish tacos, he kind of sneered. Then I realized why – his idea of any kind of Mexican dish revolves around beef, and sometimes pork, but mostly beef. So I asked if that’s why he didn’t like the idea of fish tacos and he said yes. So I told him just to think of them as fish wraps. He liked that idea… too funny! Anyway, I used tilapia but you could also use other kinds of fish, like cod. I also used whole fillets but you could use chunks instead. You could also use leftover fish fillets.
Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a good evening. We’re having a quick supper and then heading out to our high school for one last time – to attend Honors Night. It’s a special recognition program for the seniors to receive their awards and scholarships. I’m excited about going but I’m also a bit sad to think it’s the last time we’ll be going to the high school for one of our children…

finally - steamed asparagus...

2010-05-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday afternoon!! Hope you had a great weekend! I sure did. Had a chance to spend some nice quality time with my daughter. On Friday night, we had dinner together & then Lori had an appointment for a haircut. Then we watched a movie together & were at our local Old Navy store on Saturday morning (at 7 AM) to purchase $1 flip flops - we bought 17 pairs! On Sunday during church, Lori, along with the other graduates, were honored.
So, what's been cooking in my low carb kitchen? Well, I finally got around to cooking steamed asparagus. I thought it turned out really well & my husband enjoyed it, too. It turns out my kids didn't even want to try it. That's okay - it just left more for my husband & I. Actually, I never ate a full order of asparagus before trying this recipe. Recently when we were out of town visiting my daughter's soon-to-be college, my husband ordered asparagus and insisted that I try it. I was sure it would be awful but much to my surprise, it was really good. So that's my inspiration for my recipe, which I think turned out just as well.
Whether your fixing burgers, brats, steaks, chicken or fish, this recipe would be a perfect side dish. And it's low in net carbs, too - only 2.1 net carbs per serving. It's also high in fiber.
Well, that's my recipe for the day and speaking of recipes, my husband is in the kitchen cooking - I can't wait to see what he is fixing! I think I need to check on him. Have a good evening & take care! See you tomorrow!

Yeah - it's Friday, graduation soon & chicken curry

2010-05-22T06:21:00.001-07:00

Hello & good Friday afternoon to you all!! I am so glad it's Friday - how about you? Even though it is my daughter's last Friday to attend high school. Next Friday she graduates. I'm so proud of her. On Sunday she will be honored at our church and on Wednesday she will be honored at her high school's Honor Night. She has always been such a great student - I don't think I have ever had to remind her to do homework. Her first graduation party that she's attending is tomorrow - I hope she has a blast! There were so many parties this year that she decided she didn't want to have one just for friends. But that's okay, in a couple of weeks we will be celebrating graduation with a party for her and my nephew, Saxton. Too much fun!
As I said yesterday, I've been trying to come up with some quick and easy recipes for the summer. I also like a big variety, too. My family has never been big on having a menu that we follow each week. I know some
families that have spaghetti every Monday, pizza every Friday, etc. But we always like to mix things up! And speaking of mixing things up, I bought some curry powder a few weeks ago and I've been hard at work
researching curry chicken recipes. Here's what I came up with - easy chicken curry. Just a few ingredients - chicken, oil, a little onion, celery & curry
powder. My kids and I also topped our servings with sour cream - just be sure to check the carb count on the sour cream. Everyone really liked it!
So, of course, I forgot about the asparagus once again. I will work on my recipe this weekend and if all goes well, will post it on Monday or even over the weekend. I hope you have a great day & a great weekend. Take care!!

quick meals, shrimp & no asparagus...

2010-05-20T11:03:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! I hope you’re having a great day! My day is going pretty well, except for the weather : ( Don’t get me wrong, it could be a lot worse and we probably do need the rain. I’m just tired of it being so cloudy & gloomy. But, like I said, we probably need rain because, although it’s been very cloudy & gloomy for the last 10 days or maybe even longer, we haven’t had much rain. In fact, we’ve had to water our newly planted bushes, lavender, tomato & green pepper plants every evening. So it will be nice not to have to water them this evening.
I’ve been on a roll trying to come up with new quick and easy recipes. Usually when it’s warmer outside I tend to spend less time in the kitchen – so I’ve been trying all kinds of new recipes. My latest recipe is for what I call skillet shrimp. It’s a really quick & easy recipe using precooked & cleaned frozen shrimp, butter, seafood seasoning & garlic powder. Just be sure to thaw your shrimp first, if using frozen shrimp.
I like to keep frozen, cleaned, precooked shrimp on hand. First of all, the shrimp has no net carbs – yeah! Second, it’s so versatile – sometimes I just get a serving out of the freezer, thaw it in cold water for a bit and eat it plain, with a tiny bit of lemon juice, with "special" seafood sauce, with horsey sauce, or with shrimp cocktail sauce. I also like to add shrimp to salads or mix up a recipe of dilled shrimp salad. Delicious!!
Oh, I almost forgot – I was going to post a recipe for steamed asparagus, assuming the recipe turned out well. By the time I fixed supper last night, I completely forgot about the asparagus! So I will shoot for making it tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks & have a great afternoon & evening. See you tomorrow! Take care!

rain, rain, go away & super easy pepper steak

2010-05-19T10:35:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! Another very cloudy, dreary day here… I am so ready for some sunshine! Even if it’s just a couple of hours in the evening. When I woke up this morning I actually thought I had overslept because my living room was so sunny. But, by the time I left for work – it was cloudy, dreary and looked like rain was in store for the day. I just need some sun!! The forecast calls for clouds today, rain this evening, rain tomorrow, thunderstorms Friday and SUN on Saturday. I can hardly wait! Of course it’s supposed to get really warm, too.
So what’s been cookin’ in my low carb kitchen? Well, Monday night I decided to try something a little different. I came up with this super easy pepper steak recipe. I purchased very thinly sliced round steak at my grocery store, so this cut down on some of my prep work for this recipe. I used a little onion, a medium green pepper & celery. It turned out really good. My husband was so excited he said this was the best thing he’s eaten for a long time! He ate 2 helpings and finished my serving, too. Last night he was hoping there were leftovers for supper. He looked so sad when I told him that he had eaten it all the night before. Too funny!
I think tonight I’m going to try steaming asparagus. I didn’t used to care for asparagus at all but recently tried some freshly steamed and it was really, really good. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll catch back up with you tomorrow. Have a good afternoon & evening! Take care!

recycling, cheesy chicken cauliflower casserole & a walking advertisement

2010-05-18T08:08:00.003-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you had a nice weekend! We did, despite the rainy weather. I think it has rained for about 2 weeks although we did have a little bit of sunshine on Saturday afternoon. During the drizzly morning rain on Saturday, my husband, a friend and I made a nice bench for our deck using recycled materials from our old pergola – it turned out really well. It looks like a nice spa bench and the cost was $0. I was then inspired to recycle some other materials to make flower pots. After all of the work we did on Saturday, by the evening we were beat! We ended up watching movies with my daughter, Lori.
The weekend first started out with a new recipe on Friday night. When Lori came home from school she said she wanted some type of a casserole for supper and would I make it if she went to the store to get any necessary ingredients. We discussed what we thought would be good – she wanted a hash brown type of a casserole but made with cauliflower or turnips. She decided turnips would be good but they didn’t have any at the store. So she brought home cauliflower instead, along with chicken, cheese, bacon bits & a few other ingredients. The recipe for cheesy chicken cauliflower casserole turned out really well! My son, Bradley, had said he wasn’t going to eat but quickly changed his mind when he saw the casserole. His reaction to his first bite was “Holy crap! That’s good! I’m eating!” My husband and daughter really enjoyed it, too. I think it turned out a lot better than what Lori had expected. She ended up eating leftovers for breakfast on Saturday morning and I think she also had some for lunch on Saturday.
On Sunday, I talked my husband into going to the grocery store with me. The first person my husband ran into was someone that used to work for him, years ago. Long story short, he started talking about how he’s been trying to lose weight and nothing seems to work, that he’s healthier than a horse but he keeps gaining weight even though he is eating lots of fruit & veggies. So my husband told him about his blog and our website. He said he’d check it out. It’s like my husband is a walking advertisement, especially after losing 65 pounds! When people have sent him for a while their first reaction is “wow, you are so skinny!”
Next we ran into a man we go to church with. He couldn’t wait to share a recipe with my husband – ground beef mixed with dry ranch dressing seasoning to make ranch burgers. No additional seasoning or condiments are needy with these tasty burgers. I can’t wait to try them. Then my husband shared “his” spicy pork loin recipe – it’s his recipe now since he made it for Mother’s Day : )
Last but not least, we ran into our neighbor in the check out line. He started talking to my husband out low carb and how he has a coworker that needed to lose weight - so he suggested she try low carb like one of his neighbors had. He said 2 days later our newspaper article came out and he shared it with his coworker. Now he also tells other people about low carb and our website.
It’s just great being able to help other people! Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll be back with you tomorrow to share a recipe for something my husband said was the best thing he’s eaten in months. Have a good day & take care!

lunch boxes, very low carb [vlc] & pork patties

2010-05-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Good Friday afternoon! I am so glad it’s Friday & I’m really looking forward to having a weekend to get lots of yard work done. The forecast for this week has predicted rain & storms each day but so far I think we have only had a few sprinkles. I’m really hoping the rain stays away for the weekend!
I’m trying to go very low carb for a while - especially to make up for my weekend of splurges last week. During my work week, I bring my breakfast, lunch & a snack to work with me. I’m fortunate in that I have a kitchenette in my office, with a full size refrigerator. I carry a nice little lunch “box” that is big enough to hold about a 6 pack of canned drinks. It has several zippered pouches & the top even has a way to convert to a larger lunch box if needed. If I am going to be out of the office, I have freezer packs that I can throw in to keep my food cold. If you are low carbing, I suggest trying to take your lunch and investing in a decent lunch box.
So what’s in my lunch box? This week, since I have gone back to very low carb or VLC, I’ve had scrambled eggs cooked with sharp white Vermont cheddar cheese or boiled eggs, slices of cheese and shrimp. I buy a $5 package of cooked shrimp with the tails on, that is frozen. I usually have 2 servings per bag – which turns out to be a pretty good size serving. I simply thaw the shrimp in a bowl of water while I make my morning coffee. When it’s partially thawed, I put it in a plastic bag. The shrimp makes a nice, easy 0 net carb lunch. You can add homemade shrimp cocktail sauce – it has a few carbs but a lot less than the prepackaged stuff. For a snack, I’ve been having pork rinds or pork rinds with melted cheese on top. What’s not in my lunch box – peanut butter. I’ve been eating a LOT of low carb peanut butter and when I started adding up the carbs, I decided to eliminate it from my daily routine for a while. If you’re packing your lunch to work with you, what’s in your lunch box?
Last night for supper, my husband took a turn cooking in our low carb kitchen. He cooked pork patties – another great buy from our local supper store. A box of 8 patties for less than $6 – you can beat that. As a side, my husband had turnip greens – definitely not my favorite or anyone else in our house for that matter! Just ask my son Bradley – he definitely does not like turnip greens but he did give them a try. My daughter had her pork patties in a low carb tortilla and she had a side salad. I just stuck with cheese & pork patties, with a little mayo. A very nice meal indeed…
So what’s cooking my kitchen this weekend – I’m not too sure. Although I know that we have enough leftovers for tonite, so we’ll have a quick and easy meal. Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a great weekend! Take care!

my low carb coworkers & fried chicken strip salads

2010-05-13T10:27:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you’re having a great day so far. I’m glad it’s Thursday because I’m really looking forward to this weekend. We’ve had so much going on lately that I plan on getting lots of stuff done in yard. Hopefully the rain will hold off… the weatherman has been calling for rain with a possibility of very strong storms but so far I think we have only had a few sprinkles, lots of wind and way too much humidity!
So things are getting interesting at work with so many folks starting a low carb eating plan. One of the girls I work with has lost over 15 lbs. Another said she has lost over 2 inches on her waist and that her weight is just falling off & her 16 year old is dropping the weight off too, along with watching her carbs very closely. We discussed recipes, where to find low carb products, etc. I love being able to share info with them! After our discussion, I had a great low carb lunch – shrimp with shrimp cocktail sauce. Yummy!
And speaking of yummy, we had a great supper last night – not much cooking was going on in my low carb kitchen, thanks to my leftovers from the night before : ) We had salads made with prepackaged lettuce mix, cheese and leftover fried chicken strips, cut into bite size pieces and served cold. Of course we all like our salads a little different – I had Caesar dressing, my daughter had a combination of Caesar & Ranch dressing & my husband topped his salad with olive slices and bleu cheese dressing. Supper was ready within 10 minutes, thanks to my leftovers!
So what’s cooking in my kitchen tonight – I’m not quite sure. Maybe breakfast, maybe burgers… we’ll see. Time for me to go, have a great afternoon & evening. See you tomorrow! Take care!

employee appreciation, freebies & chicken strips

2010-05-12T09:59:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you’re having a good day! We had a free lunch at work today – yeah! This week is “Employee Appreciation Week” and our hospital has something special planned for each day this week. Monday was free pancake day – yuck! Tuesday was free chips & soda day - so I had a free diet soda. Today we hit the jackpot – free outdoor grill. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, baked beans, sodas and lots of condiments. Several of my coworkers have recently started following a low carb plan. As I was standing in line they came by with their plates – filled with hamburgers, cheese & pickles – I cheered them on for their great low carb choices & no buns or bread or carbs! I’ve also been pleasantly surprised this week as several of my coworkers have asked for our website address. I wish them all the best of luck!
I spent about an hour in my low carb kitchen cooking last night. I made fried chicken strips. I started with frozen chicken strips, which I thawed about ½ way in a bowl of water, changing the water twice. Because the chicken was already cut into strips, this saved a lot of prep work & it didn’t take too long for the strips to thaw. I used 2 skillets for frying – this helped reduce my cooking time too – I cooked twice as many strips at one time. I think I cooked 3 to 4 pounds of chicken. Each of us had 3 to 4 strips, along with ranch dressing for dipping. Yummy!
After checking this morning to make sure I still had leftovers, I placed on note on the kitchen table asking my family to stay out of the chicken because we are having the leftovers for supper tonight. I purposefully, cooked twice as many as we could eat so that I would have leftovers for tonight. I am really hoping they stay out of them today. We’ll see!
By the way, I’ve shared this chicken recipe with many of my friends and coworkers & they all love the recipe. I hope you give it a try!
Well, I’ve gotta go now. Hope you have a great afternoon & evening! See you tomorrow. Take care!

graduations, Mother's Day & the guys take a turn cooking...

2010-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!! Sorry I’ve haven’t blogged since last week… But, I’m back! We had a really busy week last week – working on our deck and in our yard. My daughter is graduating from high school in a few weeks, so we’ve been busy with prom, college stuff and graduation stuff. Not to mention the other graduations in our family & get togethers to celebrate graduations, Mother’s Day & birthdays.
So what’s been happening in my low carb kitchen lately? Well, this year for Mother’s Day, my sister-in-law, Missy, decided it would be nice for the guys to take control of the menu planning. Thank you, Missy!! My husband put 2 hot & spicy pork loins in the slow cooker on Saturday evening so that they would be ready for early Sunday afternoon. My brother-in-law, Craig, grilled burgers & hot dogs. My brother-in-law, Brad, made a pasta salad with just a little pasta & lots of veggies & olives. And my brother-in-law, Mark, made a broccoli cauliflower salad & he also made a green bean casserole, that he forgot to cook! I was surprised when he sent me a text message asking for the salad dressing recipe! The meal turned out really good. In fact, it was so good that we told the guys they could cook again for Father’s Day. The only thing is, we don’t get together with this side of the family for Father’s Day. Too bad!!
Yesterday, things were finally getting back to normal and I was glad to be back in my low carb kitchen. For dinner, I fixed sweet Italian turkey sausages – although these sausages (similar to brats) are labeled “sweet”, they only have 1 net carb per sausage. I sauted a few onions, some green pepper & mushrooms to use as a topping for the sausages. We also used horsey sauce, mustard and grated cheese for toppings. As a side I fixed green beans. The kids & my husband couldn’t wait to eat! Seriously, I had to tell them that we were waiting to eat until everyone was ready. Don’t you just love it when you cook a meal and everyone gets really excited about eating? I know I sure do!!
Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll catch back up with you tomorrow. Have a great afternoon & evening! Take care!

another beautiful day, bike rider & a quick meal made with leftovers

2010-05-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon & what a lovely afternoon it is here in the Ohio River Valley!! The sun is shining, there’s a nice breeze and the humidity has dropped a bit. A perfect day to spend some time outdoors, go for a walk, or a bike ride. For the last couple of evenings, we’ve been enjoying the nice weather in the evening while sitting on the front porch. We’ve also been watching the cutest little boy – he’s probably 4 or 5 – as he rides his bike up and down the sidewalk across the street for hours at a time. He’s always by himself, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. He rides fast, jumps off his bike, does little tricks, makes motor noises with his mouth, etc. Two evenings ago, our neighbor gave him a handful of candy. So he’d ride, then stop for candy, then ride, then stop candy… He reminds me of my oldest son, Matt. He was just like that!
On to my low carb kitchen. Last night, using my leftover tangy slow cooker pork roast, I made 2 different meals for me, my husband & my daughter. First of all, my daughter wanted her pork roast in a wrap. I topped a low carb tortilla with shredded pork roast, shredded cheese & ranch dressing. She also had ½ of an apple, cut into slices, with the seeds removed. My husband and I had shredded pork roast topped with pickled banana peppers & salad dressing – he had bleu cheese, I had ranch. We also had creamy coleslaw and slices of cheddar cheese. A nice cool supper, with no cooking & everyone really enjoyed their meal. I also had a little snack of pork rinds with peanut butter – this may not sound very appetizing but it is a really good snack.
I’m not sure what I’m fixing tonight, but I’m sure I’ll be fixing enough food for 2 meals so that I will be able to fix a meal really quickly tomorrow night. Have a good afternoon & evening. See you tomorrow. Take care!!

sunny skies, beautiful weather & slow cookers

2010-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! It’s a beautiful day here – sunny and pretty warm, too. Hopefully it will be sunny this weekend. We’re hoping to go watch a friend’s band play at a local barbecue festival on Saturday & I’m pretty sure they’re playing outside. It’s going to be another busy weekend – my niece is graduating from nursing school on Friday – I’m so proud of her! And Sunday is Mother’s Day [don’t forget!] – we normally have a family get together, which usually includes a cookout. But no one has made any plans, yet.
Speaking of plans, I planned ahead this week – my plan is to cook enough on 1 night for 2 meals. That way I will be cooking every other night – we’ll see how that goes:) Yesterday I made a tangy slow cooker pork roast. I love using my slow cooker! Since I was planning on putting the roast on prior to leaving for work and since I’m usually in a hurry in the morning, I decided to do my prep work the night before. I sliced my onion & put it in a plastic bag. Then I made the sauce & put both the sauce & the onions in the refrigerator. I also got my slow cooker out of the pantry and put it on the kitchen counter. Combining the ingredients into the slow cooker took me just a few minutes.
When we were just about ready to eat, I cooked some green beans – I like to drain the water from canned green beans, rinse them well, then cook with real butter and pepper. Yummy and very low carb. My husband added additional hot sauce to his pork roast. I added a mixture of sour cream & guacamole – 1 tablespoon of each – to my pork roast. My daughter fixed a low carb tortilla stuffed with pork roast & cheddar cheese.
Tonight we will be having something made with the leftover pork roast, but I’m not sure what. I’ll let you know tomorrow! In the meantime, have a good day & a good evening. Take care!

prom, pork chops & a quick meal idea

2010-05-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! What a beautiful afternoon it is! We had rain all weekend, including Friday. I think we had about 4 inches, but we are lucky compared to our neighbors in Tennessee – some areas had 12 inches of rain. Wow! That’s a lot of rain. I’m just glad to see the sun shining again and things drying up a bit. In spite of the rain, my daughter, Lori was able to have a great time at her senior prom on Saturday. I haven’t blogged in the last couple of days because I’ve been so busy trying to help her get ready. We spent several hours at the beauty salon on Saturday morning. Then had to find a nail salon that could airbrush her nail tips because she said they looked dirty. And speaking of nails – she said she took all of them off this morning because they were bugging her. But that’s okay – she had a great time before, during and after prom – so that’s what counts! After what we went through for prom, I can only imagine what it will be like when she gets married…
I have been doing some cooking in my low carb kitchen, so I do have a couple of recipes to share. The first recipe is for pork & chicken soy & Dale's seasoning marinade. The second recipe is for marinated baked pork chops, which uses the marinade/sauce recipe listed above. My husband said that these were the best pork chops he ever put in his mouth! The marinade includes only 4 ingredients – it’s really more of a sauce because you can just use it prior to baking – no need to marinade ahead of time. Anyway, I suggest giving it a try – its really good!
Need a quick low carb meal in a hurry? Yesterday instead of having a big breakfast at lunchtime, my husband and I opted for a quick low carb meal. We split an apple (about 5 net carbs per 1/2) and had assorted cheeses & lunch meat. Just be sure to check the net carbs on the lunch meat. For supper last night we had breakfast – thick sliced peppered bacon & eggs. Delicious.
Well, it’s time for me to go. Hope you have a great day and a great evening. See you tomorrow! Take care!

a sunny day - yeah!! and something good to eat, too

2010-04-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! What a beautiful afternoon! It’s finally sunny here – yeah! But tomorrow it’s supposed to be cloudy again and then rain for the end of the week, this weekend & early next week. I’m going to be optimistic and hope that the weather forecast is wrong.
Yesterday was a really busy day for me. I ended up working late so my wonderful husband offered to cook supper. When I finally made it home, he was in the kitchen, just finishing our supper - crispy fried tilapia. This is one of his favorite things to cook. For a side dish, we each had a big salad, made with prepackaged salad mix & assorted toppings, including cheese. We use a lot of the prepackaged lettuce mixes – lettuce & spinach are both low in net carbs and you can create a salad in a matter of minutes. We each prefer different types of salads, so for most meals, we assemble various toppings, including different types of dressings & different types of cheeses.
Here’s an idea I’d like to share – sometimes breakfast is a challenge for me. I’m usually in a hurry in the morning, fixing my coffee & trying to get out of the house quickly in order to get to work. When we have cooler months, I tend to prefer eggs or hot milled flax seed cereal. But I like to mix things up, so my latest breakfast idea is a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter & a couple of slices of white Vermont cheddar cheese. I absolutely love peanut butter & cheese – which is why I love this combination so much. I also take cheese for a snack to work.
Well, it’s time for me to go! I hope you have a nice afternoon & a wonderful evening. Take care & I’ll catch back up with you tomorrow!

another rainy day & another pretty quick meal idea

2010-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! I hope you had a great weekend. On Saturday, I took my daughter, Lori, shopping for prom accessories – shoes, jewelry and makeup. We also had a practice run at the beauty shop so that she knew exactly how she wanted to get her hair fixed. On Saturday night, I went to watch my husband play at a concert. By Sunday I was so worn out from shopping & cleaning house, that I spent the afternoon on the couch, reading & napping. Our weather has been so rainy & gloomy that I really didn’t have the desire to do anything else. And it’s still raining & very gloomy… I need sunshine!
So yesterday I had to break down and go to the grocery store. I really don’t like to go to the grocery store on Monday after I get off work, but if I wanted to cook anything in my low carb kitchen, I figured I better get to the store. Sometimes when I’m not really in the mood to go to the store, I just grab the essentials and figure out what I’m going to do with them later. So my entrees for this week consist of rib eye steaks, pork chops, chicken and fish. I also picked up lots of eggs & cheese.
After going to the grocery store, I wanted to come up with a nice meal. I also needed something quick because my daughter & husband had waltz practice for prom – so I had a limited amount of time to get everything ready. I decided to fix steaks and a salad. The rib eye steaks were on a special – 6 prepackaged steaks for less than $10. Too good of a buy for me to pass up. They were very easy to fix, too. First of all, they were frozen, so I put them in cold water for 30 minutes. While they were thawing, I boiled 4 eggs for our salad. When the steaks were thawed, I added a little oil to 2 skillets, seasoned each steak with a little salt, pepper & garlic powder, and divided the steaks between the 2 skillets.
As the steaks were cooking, I prepared a simple salad with balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing. When the eggs were hard cooked, I peeled and sliced them. Then I placed them in the freezer for a few minutes in order to cool them quickly. By the time the steaks were ready, the salad was ready, too. Each of us had a large serving of salad and a steak. Another yummy & quick meal without too much fuss or prep work.
Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll be back tomorrow with another recipe or two, maybe even three… have a good evening and take care!

birthdays, cravings for sweets & chicken with bacon & ranch

2010-04-22T09:52:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you’re doing well. I didn’t get a chance to blog yesterday. We had a busy day and then we went to my brother-in-law’s house to celebrate my niece, Brayden’s 7th birthday. She is so darn cute. My son Bradley spied her practicing with her presents – she would hold up a present and say “thank you so much”, then she’d put that present down & pick up another & practice saying “thank you” again. Brayden also met each female, whether they were old or young, at the door with a beaded necklace for them to wear during her party. When it came time for her to open presents, she was so excited and her thank-you practicing really paid off – she would thank everyone so nicely for their gift – even if she didn’t quite know what it was!
And yes, I will admit, I had a piece of birthday cake. It was about 3 or 4 bites of cake. I used to eat 2 pieces of cake but now just a sliver goes a long way. I haven’t had a piece of cake this year, I’m sure. Last year, I might have had a couple of pieces but I’m not sure – maybe I didn’t have any. That’s truly living a low carb lifestyle! But I don’t miss it, either. If I’m craving a dessert or a sweet, I’ll make one of the low carb dessert recipes I’ve posted or I’ll have a piece of low carb chocolate.
Okay, time to get back to recipes. My latest low carb concoction that I came up with, in my low carb kitchen, was inspired by an advertisement I saw for a chicken, bacon, ranch sandwich at a local fast food restaurant. My little twist was to add cheese because I love cheese and as you have probably noticed, I tend to use it a lot! I just cooked the chicken in a skillet, then added bacon & a little olive oil. When it was finished I added ranch dressing & cheese. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a try.
Well, it’s time for me to go. Gotta run – hope you have a nice evening. Take care & see you tomorrow!

busy as a bee, prom, tuxedos & menu planning

2010-04-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! Hope you’re doing well! Busy as a bee – that’s how I feel. Sometimes we just have so much to do… I guess that's because we’re getting ready for prom, graduation, graduation parties and college stuff. Speaking of prom, we met my daughter’s date for the prom last night and helped him pick out a tuxedo & accessories. He seems like a really nice guy!
When we finished taking care of the tuxedo, everyone was hungry and we only had about 45 minutes until waltz practice for the prom. I was really glad that I was able to whip up something in a hurry in my low carb kitchen! On Sunday, I made a bacon wrapped pork loin. When I picked out the pork loin, I made sure to get one that would be large enough for 2 meals. For supper last night, I decided to slice the remaining pork loin into about ½ to ¾ inch slices. Then I browned the meat until it was a deep golden brown in melted butter in a skillet. While the pork was cooking, I opened 2 cans of green beans, drained the liquid and cooked them on the stove with butter & pepper. The meal turned out really good and everyone had seconds, except me.
So tonight, I need to come up with a plan to make something that will work for a meal tonight & tomorrow. I’m thinking some kind of chicken but I’m not really sure. My husband will be in a hurry tonight, tomorrow & Thursday for band practice. Tomorrow we have my niece’s birthday get together & my daughter has church youth group. I think possibly on Friday, we might be able to enjoy a quiet evening at home without everyone having some place to be in a hurry.
Whew! The weekend – I can hardly wait. Although, at this time, we don’t have a very good weather forecast for later in the week and the weekend but as we know, that’s always subject to change. Well, it’s time for me to go. Have a great evening and I’ll catch back up with you tomorrow. Take care!

roadtrip snacks & bacon wrapped pork loin

2010-04-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

What an awesome weekend! My husband & I took my daughter, Lori, to NKU to accept her scholarship and register for fall classes. I can’t believe our baby will be leaving home in August. I am going to miss her so very much! But I really like the school and the program she is getting into. We left late Friday afternoon – we were supposed to leave as soon as Lori came home from school, but we wanted to look at her yearbook first. She has been on the yearbook staff each year since she has been in high school & this year she was honored to be chosen as the editor. Her work is only just amazing! From the scheme to the layout & design – I don’t think it could be any better!
We stopped on our way out of town to pick up some low carb treats – diet drinks, water, peanuts, cheddar cheese sticks and string cheese. Oh, and of course, chocolate. Low carb chocolate treats! We had plain milk chocolate bars, caramel pecan clusters & chocolate covered toffee.
Then we munched on low carb snacks, while driving in the pouring rain for 3 & ½ hours. By the time we ended up in Cincinnati, the rain had stopped. We stayed in the middle of downtown & watched as the kids dressed for prom walked by. They looked so cute. We ended up getting a bite to eat at the hotel and then retired for the night.
The next morning we had to be at the college early, so we stopped at a Subway for a quick breakfast – bacon, eggs & cheese. Lunch was served at the college in an Italian restaurant. When I found out they were having an Italian lunch, I thought that we’d be having pasta. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized we’d have a nice low carb selection – chicken breast, steamed veggies & salads. It was a really good lunch.
Yesterday, I was glad to be back in my low carb kitchen! For lunch we had what I call a bacon and egg skillet – chopped bacon, fried with eggs and cream cheese – yummy! About mid afternoon, while we were working in the yard, I cooked a bacon wrapped pork loin. I only spent a few minutes in the kitchen, prepping and browning the pork loin – then into the oven it went so that when we were ready for supper, it was ready, too. We also had slices of Vermont sharp white cheddar cheese. A nice, simple, low carb meal without a lot of fuss. Actually, I think we were too tired to eat anything else after spending so much time working in the yard and cleaning house!
Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you had a nice weekend & a good Monday, too. See you tomorrow! Take care!

festivals and leftovers...

2010-04-16T12:13:00.003-07:00

Good afternoon! What a week… I am so ready for the weekend – how about you? So far, we’re still having beautiful weather and I’m so glad. We’re leaving this afternoon to take my daughter to Northern Kentucky University for a visit. Tomorrow she will attend a welcoming reception with the honors fellows, be honored with a scholarship and register for classes. I am so proud of her! When we’re finished tomorrow, we’ll hurry back home so that we can go to our annual Tri-Fest. Lots of fun, food, music, games, rides, etc. One of my favorite parts of the festival is seeing lots of friends and checking out the entertainment.
I also get a little break from my low carb kitchen. Instead of cooking, we’ll be finding lots of low carb foods to enjoy. I’m sure my husband will get his favorite – polish sausage with a few peppers & onions topped with mustard and hold the bun. Not exactly my favorite! I like the grilled pork chops or the grilled ribeye sandwiches, minus the bun, of course. And the big, juicy burgers – don’t forget to hold the bun. It seems to me they have some kind of fried cheese or jalapenos stuffed with cheese – again, not too bad for the carb count. But there’s lots of other items, too. Like chicken and tenderloins. Okay, I just realized I haven’t had lunch yet! All this talk about food is making me hungry!
One more thing I wanted to talk about today is leftovers. Don’t forget to use your leftovers this week for a quick meal in a hurry. We’ve had leftovers several times this week. One thing we like to do is have a big salad and pull all of the leftovers out of the refrigerator. Then we decide who wants what, warm them up, if needed, and we’ve got a nice, quick meal in a matter of minutes. I’m just saying, again, don’t forget to use your leftovers!
Well it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a great evening and a wonderful weekend! Take care!

festivals and leftovers...

2010-04-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon! What a week… I am so ready for the weekend – how about you? So far, we’re still having beautiful weather and I’m so glad. We’re leaving this afternoon to take my daughter to Northern Kentucky University for a visit. Tomorrow she will attend a welcoming reception with the honors fellows, be honored with a scholarship and register for classes. I am so proud of her! When we’re finished tomorrow, we’ll hurry back home so that we can go to our annual Tri-Fest. Lots of fun, food, music, games, rides, etc. One of my favorite parts of the festival is seeing lots of friends and checking out the entertainment.
I also get a little break from my low carb kitchen. Instead of cooking, we’ll be finding lots of low carb foods to enjoy. I’m sure my husband will get his favorite – polish sausage with a few peppers & onions topped with mustard and hold the bun. Not exactly my favorite! I like the grilled pork chops or the grilled ribeye sandwiches, minus the bun, of course. And the big, juicy burgers – don’t forget to hold the bun. It seems to me they have some kind of fried cheese or jalapenos stuffed with cheese – again, not too bad for the carb count. But there’s lots of other items, too. Like chicken and tenderloins. Okay, I just realized I haven’t had lunch yet! All this talk about food is making me hungry!
One more thing I wanted to talk about today is leftovers. Don’t forget to use your leftovers this week for a quick meal in a hurry. We’ve had leftovers several times this week. One thing we like to do is have a big salad and pull out the leftovers out of the refrigerator. Then we decide who wants what, warm them up, if needed, and we’ve got a nice, quick meal in a matter of minutes. I’m just saying, again, don’t forget to use your leftovers!
Well it’s time for me to go. I hope you have a great evening and a wonderful weekend! Take care!

smothered chicken strips & smoked fish spread

2010-04-14T10:42:00.001-07:00

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day… another lovely day here in the Ohio River valley. They’re also forecasting record-breaking heat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not complaining. I’m ready for warm weather and all the fun that comes along with it. How about you?
With all the fun and extra activities that seem to come hand in hand with warmer weather, I’d like to take a minute to talk about leftovers – again! I know some people say they won’t even touch leftovers but there are so many ways they can be used. If you have the time to cook, why not double the recipe to use later in the week?
Last night, in my low carb kitchen, I made smothered chicken strips. This recipe uses fried chicken strips. If I would have thought about it earlier in the week, I would have made a double batch of fried chicken strips so that we could have had 2 meals. Unfortunately I didn’t think about that & I didn’t have time to make a double batch last night. Basically, it’s chicken strips topped with mushrooms sautéed in butter & smothered with your favorite cheese. The hospital I used to work in served this dish about once a month & we enjoyed it so much, that I was inspired to create my own version. My family loved it!
I was also inspired to create another recipe - smoked fish spread - from an appetizer that’s served at our favorite seafood restaurant in Florida. We have been going to this little restaurant for over 25 years. It’s such a cute little place – at Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach. It has a great view of the water. We went there on spring break and got to watch the funniest little ducks that would dive underwater and not come back up for what seemed like a very long time. Anyway, we love this restaurant and we always have the smoked fish spread while we watch the inlet for wildlife & enjoy each other's company. Good times!!
Well, it’s time for me to go. I hope you enjoy the rest of the day! Have a great evening and I’ll see you back here tomorrow! Take care.