Roasted Summer Squash

I love all the fresh vegetables summer offers, and squash is one of my favorites. This recipe calls for yellow squash and zucchini, but you could easily make it all one or the other. I've also sprinkled them with cajun seasoning. The spicy really brings out the sweet.

4 large zucchini
2 large yellow squash
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil in a sprayer or olive oil cooking spray
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop squash into large chunky slices about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Spray a cookie sheet with a light coat of olive oil. Place squash on the cookie sheet. It's fine if they touch. Spray a light coat of olive oil over the top of the squash. Sprinkle with spices and cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until they have are a light golden color.

Low Carb Biscuits

These aren't flaky biscuits, but have a consistency more like cornbread. Don't worry. They are delicious - especially straight out of the oven slathered in butter - like cornbread. They would be wonderful with some garlic and cheese thrown in the batter. I make them in advance and store them in the fridge in a ziplock bag.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-well muffin pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Mix all dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and combine well. Drop about 2 heaping tablespoons in each well. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Low Carb Crepes

These aren't crepes like pancakes, but more like LC tortillas - a replacement for tortillas for burritos or wraps. You could even use them to replace tortillas in enchiladas. They hold up really well. These are good, but more work than I want to put into a weeknight meal. Definitely something I will be making on the weekends to have during the week though. Be sure you place a paper towel between each one as they come out of the skillet and store them in a tightly sealed ziplock bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

1/2 cup ricotta cheese, whole milk
4 large whole eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons Splenda
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Add cheese, eggs, Splenda, and salt to a blender or food processor and combine until smooth. Heat a lightly buttered Teflon skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the skillet, and tilt so that the batter covers the bottom of the entire skillet. Once the edges begin to curl and turn brown, flip. Cook the other side until done.

Broccoli Salad

Best. Salad. Ever. I haven't served this to anyone yet that didn't love it. Cheese and bacon. It's all you need to know.

1 head broccoli
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup mayo
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cut broccoli into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl with tomatoes. Combine mayo, black pepper, Splenda, salt, and vinegar until well blended and pour over the broccoli. Add in bacon and cheese. Toss well and refrigerate for an hour.

Classic Memphis-Style Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a summer staple, and now there's an LC version! I may never buy coleslaw dressing from a shelf again. The celery seeds were a little strong and I may just omit them next time. 

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons Splenda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons celery seeds

1 16 ounce bag of coleslaw mix

Combine mayo, mustard, vinegar, Splenda, salt, onion powder, and celery seeds in a large bowl. Add in coleslaw mix, toss well and refrigerate for an hour before serving and up to two days.

Cheesecake Fluff

Cheesecake Fluff is the perfect summer dessert. It's cool, creamy, and no oven is required. Seriously, this is SO delicious and SO easy. Really, any flavor of sugar-free syrup can be tried, but my favorite is to add caramel and vanilla. The pecans add depth so it doesn't feel like you're just eating pudding.

8 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup Torani Sugar Free syrup 

1 cup pecan bits

2 tablespoons butter

1 packet Stevia

Combine cream cheese, whipping cream, sour cream and syrup into a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate for two hours. 

Before serving melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add pecans and Stevia. Saute until well roasted. Sprinkle over fluff before serving.

Pizza Bake

So, that was my kitchen by mid-afternoon. I cooked and washed dishes pretty much all day. Last night we had Enchilada Casserole. It was incredible. The crust was SO yummy, and I couldn't help but think it would make fabulous pizza crust. So....tonight I made it into pizza crust. I changed the cheese in the crust from cheddar to mozzarella, and I made two of them. One supreme and one pepperoni. This crust is really runny, so I made them in casserole dishes, which is why I'm calling it Pizza Bake.

The crust held up especially well on the pepperoni pizza, and fairly well on the supreme. There were a lot of toppings, so it got a little top heavy! My husband and kids loved the pepperoni, while my parents and I loved the supreme. The great thing about pizza is that you can put anything on it you want. I made a homemade low-carb sauce for this and added bacon to the supreme because that's how my favorite local pizza joint makes it. I also threw on a couple of chopped green chilis because I grew up in New Mexico, and that's how we roll. Chopping all the veggies took a while, but if I had that done in advance, this could definitely be a week night meal.

I'm including the exact recipe for all of the above and nutritional info on both pizzas. Each part of the recipe makes ONE PIZZA BAKE. If you want more than one, you will need to double everything.

Crust: 
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients well using a hand mixer. Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sauce:
4 oz. Hunt's Basil, Oregano, & Garlic tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon Splenda
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated (the kind in the can)

While crust is baking, mix up sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Toppings for Pepperoni Pizza Bake:
35 pepperoni slices
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded (or Sargento in a bag is good)

Remove crust from oven. Spread sauce across evenly across the crust. Add pepperoni and cheese to the top, sprinkling evenly over crust. Return to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Toppings for Supreme Pizza Bake:
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
2 green chilis, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
21 pepperoni slices
salt and pepper
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded (or Sargento in a bag is good too)

While crust is baking, brown ground beef with garlic. Drain well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove baked crust from oven. Spread sauce evenly across crust. Add beef, bacon, onions, chilis, olives, mushroom, pepperoni, and cheeses evenly across the top of the crust. Return to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

I cooked all day, but dinner was a huge success. The pepperoni pizza bake is GONE, and so are half the deviled eggs. That was my plate, and I am completely stuffed!

Nutritional Information for 1/12 of Pepperoni Pizza Bake:

Calories: 155

Carbs: 2 g

Total Fat: 12 g

Protein: 11g

Nutritional Information for 1/12 of Supreme Pizza Bake:

Calories: 246

Carbs: 3 g

Total Fat: 16 g

Protein: 21 g

Deviled Eggs with Bacon Bits

I was a busy girl today. I tried the Caveman French Toast for breakfast, made these eggs around lunchtime, and made Pizza Bake (that's what I'm calling it) for dinner. I guess that's good because tomorrow is shot. Gunnar has football camp, I'm going to go work on my classroom, I need to make a trip to the grocery store, and I meet with my personal trainer tomorrow evening. Looks like we'll be having leftovers tomorrow night!

I made these around noon and tested one immediately. It was okay. Better than the last recipe. There has to be a billion recipes for deviled eggs floating around. My family liked this one, so it goes on the blog (that means it's safe for me to make again). The eggs sat in the refrigerator all afternoon, and were MUCH better this evening. So, I recommend letting them refrigerate a few hours before you eat them. 

12 eggs

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and add cold water to the eggs. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and cut in half.

Use a small spoon to scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Mash in with mayo, mustard, cumin, and bacon bits. You can mash them with a fork, or put them in a Ziplock bag and mash them together. I used a hand mixer. 

Fill the cavity of the egg white halves with the yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika. Makes 12 servings of 2 halves per serving.

Nutritional Information for 2 halves:

Calories: 220

Carbs: 1 g

Total Fat: 20 g

Protein: 8 g

Caveman French Toast

Yep. French TOAST! Gunnar, my 15 year old son, and I had an enormous debate about this last night when I told him my plans for this morning's menu. Of course, there's not any bread in the recipe, so he's certain that it can't be called 'toast'. Seriously though, you can't tell it from the flavor. It's seasoned eggs that taste EXACTLY like French Toast. Even Gunnar agreed. This recipe will be on the menu frequently from now on. Let's face it, LCHF means you find 1,001 ways to cook eggs. This way is so different, you don't think you're eating eggs! I topped mine with two tablespoons of sugar-free syrup and added a couple slices of bacon.

4 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon coconut oil

In a small bowl, beat eggs and water together until frothy. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil and swirl to coat pan. Add half the egg mixture and let cook through before flipping. Cook until browned on both sides. Add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil to pan before cooking second piece of 'toast'. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information for 1/2 batch:
Calories: 230
Carbs: 4 g
Total Fat: 19 g
Protein 14 g

*Note: the picture shows about 3/4 of the batter, not 1/2. I didn't do a very good job dividing it.

Enchilada Casserole

This was tonight's creation. Wow!!! It was like having real Mexican food! A crust of egg, cheese, and cream cheese replaces the tortillas. The aroma of the crust baking was pretty amazing. In fact, it was so good, I think tomorrow's night creation will be pizza using the same crust. As a bonus, you get pics to go with tonight's recipe! I'll go back and add pics of the other recipes as I make them.

Crust:

2 oz. cream cheese

2 eggs

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients well. Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Topping:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 can red enchilada sauce
8 oz. fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef and drain. Combine with enchilada sauce, tomatoes, garlic, and onion powder. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information for 1/12 of casserole:
Calories: 255
Carbs: 4 g
Total Fat: 17 g
Protein: 22 g

Egg Custard

This is a new favorite dessert for my family. It's incredible just out of the oven topped with whipping cream, but it's just a good out of the fridge! I make several at a time in aluminum pie tins and we take them to rodeos. It makes a tasty and cool snack in the middle of a hot day. Easy to make and only a few ingredients, you can whip it up anytime.

6 eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Splenda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and pour into pie plate. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until firm. Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information for 1/8 of pie:
Calories: 132
Carbs: 0 g
Total Fat: 11 g
Protein: 5 g

Chocolate Mousse

Creamy. Rich. Divine. Decadent. All fabulous words to describe this chocolate mousse. A little bit goes a long ways, and that's a good thing since it's also a little calorie-laden! If you're doing LCHF, that's not a huge deal. I divided this into 2 servings.

2 oz. cream cheese

6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon Splenda

2 tablespoons salted butter, softened

Using a hand mixer, mix all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Nutritional Information for 1/2 of batch:

Calories: 331

Carbs: 6 g

Total Fat: 34 g

Protein: 3g

Zucchini Lasagna

This was my first attempt at low carb Italian food and it was delicious. It was really runny out of the oven, but much more firm and appetizing after refrigerated for a day and reheated. I plan on trying it in the Crockpot soon. I'm also wondering how it would be built, frozen, and then cooked (like a homemade frozen lasagna). All things I plan to try!

1 lb. lean ground beef

3 - 8 oz. cans Hunt's Basil, Garlic, & Oregano tomato sauce

15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese

16 oz.  mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)

3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/2 medium sweet yellow onion

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 egg

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon basil, dried

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet with onion, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Combine ricotta, Parmesan, 12 ounces mozzarella, and egg in a bowl and mix. Arrange zucchini slices in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer half of meat sauce and half of cheese mixture. Repeat layering and top with final layer of zucchini slices. Sprinkle with remaining mozarella cheese, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information for 1/12 of casserole:

Calories: 270

Carbs: 10 g

Total Fat: 16 g

Protein: 23 g

Oopsie Rolls

Thanks to Oopsie Rolls, I don't even miss bread. I butter them and eat them with breakfast, use them for sandwiches, and eat them on hamburgers. You can add cheese and garlic and make garlic toast to go with your Italian meals. Make them ahead of time and store them in Ziplock baggies in the fridge or freezer. Just don't reheat them in the microwave! I let mine sit on the counter, if I remember, and if I don't then I throw them in a hot skillet for a few minutes and flip them until both sides are warm. The process seems a little complicated at first, but before long, you'll be whipping these out like it's nothing!

3 eggs, separated
3.5 oz. cream cheese
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Separate egg whites from egg yolks into two separate bowls. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whip with hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Add cream cheese and baking powder to the egg yolks. Combine with hand mixer until well blended. Gently fold the eggs whites into the yolk mixture. Spoon into 6 or 8 equal dollops on the parchment-lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 89
Carbs: 2 g
Total Fat: 8 g
Protein: 4 g

White Castle Pie

Think a low-carb lifestyle means you have to give up casseroles? Think again! This pie is so yummy I have to make more than one at a time. This is a basic recipe that I've modified (once again to make it a bit more basic), but I've started adding a chopped green chili per pie and serve with salsa verde or a low carb red salsa.

1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (divided)
2 eggs
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Add to large mixing bowl and combine with onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Place in the bottom of a greased pie plate. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the meat mixture. In a bowl, combine eggs, mayo, and heavy whipping cream and whisk until well blended. Pour over the top of the meat mixture. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 of pie:
Calories: 385
Total Fat: 32 g
Carbs: 1 g
Protein: 22 g

Crack Slaw

Yep, you read that right. Crack Slaw. I don't know the origin of the name, but after making this over and over upon request, I'm betting it's because it is SO addicting. This super easy one-skillet recipe has a great Asian flavor - which is great because I REALLY miss Chinese food. There are dozens of variations of this recipe floating around the Internet. I picked a recipe and then modified it. Because I live in Small Town, USA, it's important to me to keep my ingredient list pretty simple. This version of Crack Slaw is about as easy as it gets, but still has an amazing flavor. This recipe makes four generous servings.

*Allergy Alert - My brand of sesame oil is processed in the same factory as peanut oil, so that's something you should check if that's a concern for you or your family.

1 lb. lean ground beef
6 cups cabbage, shredded (I usually buy bags of cole slaw)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Splenda

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Do not drain. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and Splenda. Mix well. Add cabbage and cook until just tender (you don't want it to be soggy), about 5 minutes.

Easy Alfredo Sauce with Chicken and Zucchini Noodles

Best. Meal. Ever. Seriously. This Chicken Alfredo sauce is over-the-top. Put this sauce on chicken and sauteed zucchini noodles (invest in a Veggetti), add a great salad, and it's better than any Italian restaurant and cheaper too! I've included the recipes for my favorite ways to cook my chicken and noodles, but not the nutritional info. Any decent app can give you those. 

Italian Chicken

1 lb. chicken breast

20 oz. chicken broth

1 packet Good Seasons Zesty Italian Season Dressing packet

Combine broth and Italian dressing packet in the bottom of a Crockpot. Add chicken, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Remove from broth and chop or shred into bite size pieces.

Zucchini Noodles

Clean zucchini and turn into noodles using a Veggetti. Sweat the noodles by laying them on paper towels and sprinkling them with salt. Let rest 30 minutes and squeeze excess moisture out using dry paper towels. Place in a saute pan with butter and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons cream cheese

1/2 cup fresh grated (or shredded) Parmesan cheese

Add butter, cream, garlic, and cream cheese to a sauce pan. Bring it to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for about two minutes. Add the grated cheese and stir until it is melted. Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information for 1/2 cup of sauce:

Calories: 268

Carbs: 2 g

Total Fat: 28 g

Protein: 2 g

Mini Italian Meatloaves

I've altered this recipe quite a bit. The original had a lot of carbs and called for it be cooked to as one large meatloaf. I don't like large meatloaves. They're greasy and take forever to cook. I mix up my meatloaf, and then use a muffin tin to make mini meatloaves. It greatly cuts down on grease, cooking time, and everyone gets plenty of the yummy crunchy part. The cheese in this recipe replaces the breadcrumbs, and holds the meat together.

Makes 12 servings

2 lbs. lean ground beef

3 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind in the can)

8 oz. Hunt's Basil, Garlic, & Oregano tomato sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup sweet yellow onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12 serving muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, tomato sauce, diced onion, eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Evenly fill in muffin tin with the meat mixture. Place muffin tin on a cookie sheet. It'll save a lot of clean up time later. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. If you'd like to add more tomato sauce, this is the time to do it, but I haven't figured the nutritional recipe with the extra sauce. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. 

Nutritional Information for 1 meatloaf:

Calories: 198

Carbs: 2 g

Total Fat: 12 g

Protein: 21 g

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I didn't realize how many carbs were in store bought taco seasoning, but I love the flavor of my normal mix. I was a little hesitant about this recipe, but it is delicious and I can't tell the difference. I usually mix this up in a small half pint jar and keep it on my stove. It's great for beef or chicken tacos or even sprinkled on an avocado. 

Use 4 teaspoons of mix per 1 lb. of ground beef. I also add 3/4 cup of water per pound of ground beef, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for 10 or 15 minutes.

2 tablespoons chili powder

5 teaspoons paprika

4 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Makes 24 servings

Eggs in Clouds

This is a Rachel Ray recipe. I tweaked it. The original recipe called for some cheese I've never heard of and can't pronounce. To me, I love all cheese, so I change the cheese to whatever sounds good at the time...or more realistically, what I have in the fridge.

Makes 4, 1 egg servings

4 eggs
1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup crumbled bacon
Pepper

Separate eggs, putting egg whites in one large bowl, and the yolks in four separate small bowls. Use a hand mixer to whip the eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in cheese, chives, and bacon. Spoon into four mounds on parchment-lined baking sheet. I spray my paper with a cooking spray. Make a deep well in the center of each "cloud". Bake at 450 degrees for 3 minutes, then add one yolk to each well, season with pepper, and bake until yolks are set, 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutritional Information for one egg:
Calories: 127
Carbs: 1 g
Total Fat: 9 g
Protein: 11 g

Cream Cheese Pancakes

I wouldn't say that pancakes is a "staple" breakfast in our household, but I usually keep a box of pancake mix in the pantry. Whether it's a weekend breakfast, or a late weeknight supper, they are quick, easy, and everyone loves them. Honestly, it was one of the things I worried about missing when I decided to change our eating habits. Fortunately, I found this amazing recipe. Oh, and it doesn't require any "special" flours. I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, and what I don't have, I can get in my small-town grocery store. This recipe makes about four pancakes. I should also mention, the batter is really thin and they are more like crepes than pancakes, but still fabulous. 

2 oz. cream cheese

2 eggs

1 packet Stevia

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet. Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour 1/4 of the batter into a greased hot skillet. Cook until golden and cook on the other side. Serve with sugar-free syrup, butter, and/or berries.

Nutritional Info for the entire batch: (I usually eat the entire batch...)

Calories: 350

Total Fat: 28 g

Total Carb: 7 g

Protein: 17 g