I’m not a football fan, but I am a fan of tailgate parties. For me it’s all about the food. Most parties are always filled with starchy carb options, so I was really happy to see this great little appetizer recipe. I will definitely be making these tasty morsels for the next party I host or attend!
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnishing
48 fresh perlini mozzarella balls
directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees . Divide the salami between two 12-cup muffin pans, pressing the salami slices into the cups.
Tear aluminum foil into pieces; lightly mold into twenty-four 1-inch balls. Push the foil balls into each muffin cup to secure the salami. Bake until the salami is crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven; let cool slightly in the pan. Discard the foil.
In a medium bowl, mix the artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, 1/4 cup basil and the mozzarella balls.
Place the salami cups on a platter. Fill with the vegetable mixture. Top with more chopped basil.
I stumbled upon this recipe in my Facebook newsfeed this morning.. I am serious about jalapeno poppers, so I just gotta try this chicken… I’ll bet this topping would be great on fish too.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
I’ve been trying to be a bit more picky with giving recipes 5 stars but I just can’t find anything wrong with this chicken. It just doesn’t deserve 4 stars. It didn’t do anything wrong so it shouldn’t be punished! I found this recipe on Mommie Cooks via Pinterest and boy am I glad I did. I had some cilantro that I needed to use and I really love making cream sauces with cream cheese or Laughing Cow so this was right up my alley for the night. It was only sort of jalapeno popper tasting but that doesn’t even matter because these are some fabulous flavors mixed together. If you like jalapeno, cilantro and bacon then this is the recipe for you! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*
5 STARS
3 servings
3.3 net carbs per serving
3 chicken breasts
a sprinkle of cumin (I used about 1/2 tsp)
a sprinkle of chili powder (I used about 1/2 tsp)
a light sprinkle of salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (we are wimps so we just used 1 but I recommend 3)
4 oz full fat cream cheese
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro (can use 1 tsp dried but I don’t recommend)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pan fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon but leave grease. Sprinkle cumin, chili and salt on each side of chicken breasts and pan fry in the bacon grease until cooked through, flipping half way. Remove chicken and keep warm. Throw chopped jalapeno and garlic in pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes over medium heat. Add chicken broth, scraping and deglazing the leftover yummies in the pan. Add cream cheese and stir in until melted. Add shredded cheddar and stir until melted. Add bacon crumbles and cilantro, stirring through for a minute or so. Spoon sauce over chicken.
For those of us old enough to remember, low carb diets from the past had nothing to do with macros, micros or coconut oil! It was about eating as much as you wanted of high protein foods, and giving no thought to ratios of protein to healthy fats.
We are a lot more educated these days about what’s in our foods, where they’re grown or how they’re processed. We come up with elaborate recipes using good fat foods to duplicate the high sugar and carb dishes we crave. I think that is great, but sometimes I long for the old days.
I was kickin’ it old school last night. We picked up some Prime NY Strips from The Butcher Shoppe and grilled them up right. Nobody grills a steak better than my husband, Doug. Grilled okra on the side finished out the dish. No real prep needed other than bringing our steaks’ to room temperature and seasoning them up with salt and pepper before grilling.
Now this is a meal I could get used to!
My husband Doug grills up the best steaks I have ever eaten!
It’s been a challenging few weeks, but I’m back on track. After being laid off from my job as a weight-loss counselor. Ironic, I know! I wasn’t sure how to navigate through my days of not having a set routine.
Talking about food, weight-loss, best practices etc for the last five years, i I contemplated just not making food such a focus. Well we can all see where that landed me. Up ten pounds.
This was taking during my honeymoon to Asheville, NC. I felt good about my weight and health when this was taken.
It’s good to uncover certain truths about yourself, and the truth for me is, I am a food junkie. I do not have the luxury of NOT making food a focus. Returning to some of my best-practices. Planning ahead, being sure there are readily available foods to eat when I get hungry, a good attitude, and a visual prompt. Yes, I’m talking about the pic on the fridge routine. It keeps me mindful of my goal. I happen to love the dress I am wearing in the photo and would like to get back into it!
There is one more important piece that I want to mention here. I get a lot of motivation from reading weight-loss success stories. When I take the time to read the blogs or magazine articles about folks who have reached and maintained their weight-loss goals, I am inspired to reach mine.
I figure that none of us are pillars to will-power, otherwise we would not have found ourselves having to lose weight in the first place. During my counseling career, reading about the success of others placed high on my list of counseling strategies. So, a big shout out to all of us who share our stories. Not only does it keep us accountable, but it is very likely that we are inspiring others to work toward their own goals of reaching a healthy weight.
How about a recipe? You have all seen by now that I love to keep it easy with cooking. Sure, I like to get fancy now and then, but I prefer delicious, one-skillet meals. Here’s a good one to try tonight.
Chipolte Chicken
One skinless-boneless chicken breast cut up into chunks
1 medium red or green bell pepper sliced thinly
1/2 medium onion sliced in thin strips
1 T olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper
2T Philadelphia Chipolte Flavored Cream Cheese
Get It Done
Season the chicken with garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Saute the chicken breasts in olive oil until cooked.
Add the vegetables and cook until desired doneness. Some folks like them still crispy, while others like a little wilted.
Melt in the Philadelphia Chipolte Flavored Cream Cheese.
*This recipe would be good over Shirataki noodles if desired. I’ll bet it would be delicious with chorizo sausage too! Enjoy!
I decided to get back on the low carb wagon, but I needed to find something to satisfy my sweet tooth. There are Oreo Cookies in the pantry, and I was successful in staying away from them.
One tip I advocate is having a Tupperware bowl of whipped cream already to go. When push comes to shove, one can always snack on that when the sweet tooth hits. I whip up an entire carton sweetened with Stevia and keep it in the fridge. If my daughter wants strawberries and cream, it’s already ready already. The canned whipped cream is really expensive, not to mention being environmentally unsound.
So, I scoured the kitchen and came up with a quick and easy low carb, albeit high fat dessert idea, when you need something in a pinch. My measurements aren’t exact here, but here’s what you need.
1/2 Cup of plain greek yogurt
1/2 Cup of homemade whipped cream
1-2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
Additional Stevia or Splenda to taste
Gently combine all the ingredients and put in a decorative dessert glass or bowl. I suppose you could also freeze it, but I haven’t tried that yet. Quite frankly, I needed the immediate gratification. The light and airy goodness of the whipped cream really gives the yogurt a mousse like consistency. Great in a pinch. I’ll bet PB Powder would be good stirred into it as well.. I’ll try that tonight. Enjoy!
I stumbled across this recipe this morning, and I believe it is going to be a part of the weekend lineup.. These will go nicely with the RHONY finale I have recorded!
CHICKEN & ZUCCHINI POPPERS (GF, DF)
Author: One Lovely Life
Serves: 4-5
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground chicken breast
2c grated zucchini (leave peel on)
2-3 green onions, sliced
3-4 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
(optional: ¾ tsp cumin)
olive oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss chicken with zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper (and cumin, if using). Mixture will be quite wet.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook 8-10 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks absolutely fresh and delicious!
Creamy Lemon Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes
YIELD: Makes 2 large servings / 4 side dish servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. reduced-fat (Neufchatel) or regular cream cheese
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and peeled with a julienne peeler into “noodles”
1 heaping cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
DIRECTIONS:
In a large nonstick skillet set to medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cream cheese and lemon juice, stirring until cream cheese has melted into a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Add zucchini noodles, tossing to coat in sauce, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the zucchini noodles – They should be mostly soft but maintain a little crispness.
Top with cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve warm.
Have you ever heard of an egg-fast? It’s where you eat only eggs for a period of 3-5 days for quick weight loss. Don’t judge, I know it’s a fad diet, but nonetheless, sometimes I just need a jump-start to get things going.
I have maintained overall eating habits for the last few weeks, but I have noticed that this last week has been filled with carby contraband. It started out with mudslides at a friend’s house, and ended last night with an ice cream sundae.
I woke up feeling sluggish and puffy. When I am aware of how my pants are feeling across my backside, I know it’s time to take swift action.
Enter the egg-fast! My plan for the next 3-5 days is to eat an egg based diet. I’ve done this before to jump-start things and had great results. I know that most of the weight lost is water, but let’s face it, bloat can make one feel really uncomfortable in their own skin.
I should mention that I broke down and bought a scale this week. I went without one for about two months, and although the freedom from it was sweet, the lack of accountability isn’t a good fit for food addicts like me.
I was a little shocked this morning when I woke up and discovered I had reached 207 pounds.. I know I am a tall girl, but really! I am getting dangerously close to what my husband weighs. Being over 200 pounds does something to my sense of femininity, and that something isn’t positive.
At 5’10”, I can carry extra weight, but being tall isn’t really an excuse to be overweight. So, time to get this weight loss party started.
What the egg-fast provides for me is a no brainer plan. I already know what my menu will consist of, so I don’t have to do any fancy meal planning. Keeping up with my food journal is a breeze, because I am not entering in a lot of different food items to look up.
Wish me luck! Join me if you are so inclined, and let’s see where we at the end of three days, and maybe I’ll make it to five days.
Day 1
Weight: 207
Breakfast:
2 Eggs Scrambled with a tablespoon of flax-seed meal.
I wanted something light and summery tonight for dinner. The rest of my brood is having grilled burgers, and not that I do not LOVE a grilled burger, my preference is to keep it a bit on the lighter side tonight.
Cut to fresh basil! I have to admit that I keep putting my basil infused fingers to my nose as I type out my recipe. It’s just so mmmmm!
Our neighbors are on vacation and granted us permission to pick their tomatoes as well, so I know what is on my menu for this evening.
Basil Lemon Chicken. I know it’s usually called Lemon Basil Chicken, but I’m going heavy on the basil. I’ll be serving it with my neighbors vine ripened tomatoes garnished with, let me think… basil!
A busy day does not have to preclude you from eating a delicious and healthy LCHF dinner.
A lot of people tell me how busy they are, and that they just do not have time to cook. We make time for the things that are important to us, like checking our Facebook pages a million times during the day, or watching marathons of “Orange Is The New Black”. I challenge you to also make cooking a priority.
Fast food, or other processed prepared foods are not satisfying, and often lead to an entire evening of trips to the kitchen trying to chase down some satisfaction. Not to mention they are filled with sugar and starch, which cause inflammation to the body.
I whipped up this meal in about 15 minutes last night for dinner. It’s very low in carbs, high in fat and will leave you satisfied for the entire evening. I had three of the Nutty Coconut Cookies for dessert and I stayed out of the kitchen for the remainder of the evening.
PattyOpinion 