THE OFFICIAL LOW CARB FOODS AND MEALS THREAD!!!!!

I have been planning to post this for some time. This isn't a "What's for Supper" thread from any one day, but a compilation of all kinds of low carb ideas to share among any of us who are always looking for low carb ideas. I know there are plenty of you out there on low carb diets at times, and I know when Zim and I are cutting the carbs, I'm always looking for more new ideas. I went back over some of my photos over the years and copied some of the low carb ones into one location so I could start posting them here. They aren't in any particular order, except by how I had named the photos. I found around sixty I can post here.

Feel free to add any low carb ideas or favorites of your own! Here goes my first ten ...

Cedar planked ahi tuna with homemade garlic aioli and some asparagus with mushrooms and onions


Ahi tuna and salmon with garlic dill sauce, sauteed cabbage and bell peppers


Garden asparagus with homemade hollandaise sauce


Broccoli with butter and lemon


Bunless burgers - one mushroom Swiss and the other with homemade low carb Big Mac special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion, ... on more lettuce - and some Brussels sprouts


Similar low carb burgers and a scoop of cottage cheese


Low carb shrimp and scallop burrito


Celery with low sugar peanut butter, thinned out a little more with oil


Sauteed chicken breasts coated with egg, almond flour, Parmesan and herbs, an avocado and some cabbage


Sauteed chicken breasts with rosemary, cheese and smoked paprika

More coming ...

Don't hesitate to post your low carb ideas or favorites, even if you don't have a photo!

Does a snicker bar count? I'm boiling some new potatoes and adding cream sauce. For dessert, I'm having FRIED new potatoes. I'm pretty sure there are no carbs in those.

Here's another ten ...

Grilled chicken with homemade low carb BBQ sauce, sauteed peppers and an avocado


King crab legs with butter and lemon


Deviled eggs!


Egg drop soup


Egg foo young


Egg, sausage, spinach and cheese cups


Scarmbled eggs, pork tenderloin and BACON


Enchilada casserole


Fish chowder


Sauteed fish with snap peas


I'll be back ...

Yum !! Looks great !

Yes I eat low carbs most of the time. Only on occasion do I have high carb meals.

Ill look and see what I have in photos to share also.

Thanks Patrice !! You et al are responsible for my lowered blood pressure with your low carb suggestions.

Those look great.
Substitute burger buns and use those tortillas for your next burger and garnish as usual.

Bacon wrapped Baked and fried wings no flour.

Too funny, Lufkin!

Sounds great Sharon!

You are so very welcome, White. I've really enjoyed talking with you all about it.

Here are some more ...

Sugar free watermelon granita!


Scrambled eggs with cheese and ham


Bacon wrapped cheese stuffed jalapenos


Jalapeno shrimp


Wild turkey kabobs


Lobster


Meatloaf


More meatloaf and wax beans


Omelets


And more omelets!


More to come ...

That's awesome, Adam! This is just what I was hoping for. I never tried wrapping a burger with one of the low carb tortillas, but I will try that. By the way, my chicken wings photos are on their way too. We love them with just butter and hot sauce. I'll have to try the bacon idea too. Thanks!

Here are ten more ...

Oysters with low carb cocktail sauce, horseradish and lemon (and dry champagne)!


Dill pickles (and tomatoes and bell peppers)


Planked salmon with garlic dill sauce and asparagus


Planked walleye


Poor man's lobster with broccoli and garden minestrone


Poor man's pike with zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes


Pork tenderloin


Pork chops


Pork packages with bacon, onion, bell pepper, tomato and cheese


And PRIME RIB!!!

I don't have pictures but we eat a lot of zuudles. Make noodles out of zucchini and microwave for 5 minutes covered. I have celiac so have to find wheat alternatives.

Heres a new recipe I tried a few weeks ago- for a special supper-its called Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger

Its a casserole with bacon, ground beef,onion,garlic,cream cheese,reduced sugar ketchup, mustard,Worcestershire,eggs,heavy cream,hot sauce,grated cheddar and dill.

Cheddar,cream,eggs and seasonings are poured over the beef and bacon mix-browned to perfection in oven. 2 net carbs per serving.

It turned out lovely.

Thanks, Kyfarmer! I love zucchini and have wanted to try a few variations on that. It will be coming from the garden too if it ever gets warm here!

Sharon, that sounds wonderful! I will absolutely have to try that out. I'll bet it got rave reviews!

And here are ten more ...

Fennuusto wrapped in prosciutto


Baby back ribs with my homemade low carb BBQ sauce


All kinds of side salads. this one with a homemade vinaigrette


And this one with Hidden Valley Ranch (good low carb choice) and a homemade low carb thousand island dressing


Seafood burrito


Citrus shrimp and veggies


A shrimp burrito


Bacon wrapped shrimp skewers


Crispy salmon skins!


All kinds of sliders on lettuce


And there's more ...

Patrice, I'm proud of you! Carbs are killers, especially people with diabetes! I started a diet to get my blood sugars into normal ranges, right before I saw you and Kerry at the spoonbill get together. It is amazing what cutting out the carbs will do for diabetes! I have been eating less than thirty carbs a day. Most of my diet is protein and fats now, and I feel great. Be awhere any that do this type of diet, that it takes your body about three weeks to not feel like you have a flu bug, till it gets used to not getting spoon fed huge amounts of carbs. I am convinced that this is the reason Americans are so porked out, from eating huge amounts of carbohydrates!

I have also discovered sugar free Jello !

Man all the above looks great !!

Thanks Patrice- it did get rave reviews


Another one that was new for me around the same time was Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf.

All great stuff inside-ground beef-basil,oregano,parsley,garlic,scallions or leeks,mozzarella -Worcestershire sauce- low sugar ketschup-red wine vinigar-hot sauce-a wee bit of steel cut oats instead of bread crumbs-

I also added some cream cheese and heavy cream and a bit of low carb BBQ sauce that wasn't in the recipe- but it worked great to a very moist and tasty meal.

I didn't take this photo but thats just what it looked like when I was done.

It just melted in your mouth

Thank you, Lee! Yes, a lifetime of carbs and insulin coursing through our veins has resulted in insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes in epidemic proportions. I know so many people who have completely turned it around though and have gotten off all meds! (You probably recall that we weren't exactly eating low carb stuff at the spoonbill feed! I seem to have my face full of pancakes and potatoes and breaded stuff most of the time. That was fun though!)

Yes! White! Something sweet is so nice and the sugar free jello is great!

That is a thing of beauty, Sharon! Thank you!

And I think I have eleven more photos ready ...

Steak and artichokes


Low carb stuffed peppers


Seafood stuffed trout


T-bone steaks with crab meat


More T-bones with green beans, egg drop soup and a salad


Aaah USDA Prime New York Strips!!!


VENISON, VENISON AND MORE VENISON!


Wings, fried in oil coated with butter and Franks, and served with blue cheese dipping sauce and a little celery and a salad


More wings


And more wings


And more wings! (Sorry, I had the photos.)

Thanks for posting young lady. Always looking for something different to make.

Mac

You're welcome, Mac!

I keep it simple, I have a cup of coffee with protein powder whipped into it for breakfast at around 6:30 and then around 10 am, if I am at home, I will pan fry a thin cut ribeye or Tbone and eat about a fourth of it and snack on the rest of it all day. Around 4 pm I will have another cup of coffee with protein powder and maybe a high carb snack of 2 or 3 ritz crackers with pimento cheese on them. To switch things up I might have 8 or 10 boiled shrimp and a cheese stick sometime during the day. If I am away from the house I usually just don't eat until I get back home. I have lost 146 pounds since August of 16 and still losing.

Congrats on your progress, Brian. We're all rooting for you!

Dang Patrice, I've already had supper but after looking at all that great food I've got to go eat again! That all looks amazing!

It occurs to me that there are a few low carb favorites we make that I have photos of but they didn't end up with these. I'll find them and add them to the collection.

Thanks, Coonman!

You're welcome.
I was looking for a pic of my grilled and baked eggplant parm, grilled tomato with fresh mozzarella and basil with button mushrooms, grilled octopus.

I hope you find it Adam! Sounds great!

Here's a couple more ...

We eat lots of meat fondue here

with various low carb dipping sauces


Here are Zim's vension tenderloin medallions sauteed with onions in butter


Oh yeah!

I love all these great ideas in lovely dinners,Patrice ! Im taking notes

And here's one more we make regularly. Venison roulade stuffed with herbs and cheese and a ton of garlic.



Rolled up, tied and roasted or grilled and then sliced.

So am I, Sharon! It will be fun to see what else shows up here!

WOW !!! That's amazing !!

Sorry no such luck I've been searching my photos on my phone and on Facebook but they have seemed to disappear.

Patrice your stuffed peppers are similar to mine it seems

These are Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers-without the traditional rice or bread stuffing.

Shredded Mozzarella,also parmesan , garlic, cooked chicken pieces,marinara sauce, hot sauce, scallions-orange and red bell peppers, slowly baked in oven in a thin layer of chicken broth to retain moisture.

The chicken can also be replaced with ground beef or Italian pork sausage. Options are nice.

I also went to a low carb diet due to my sugar being high. In 5 months my a1c went from 11 to 7 and I lost 50 lbs. one of my favorite dishes to eat is potato salad. But instead of potatoes you use cauliflower and Splenda as the sweetener

Wow, there are some beautiful looking dishes on here...thanks, Patrice, and Sharon and others who posted. Believe it or not, I have switched to a low carb diet and quit the salt and caffeine to try to lower my blood pressure and have found that it is working. I really did not have to lose a lot of weight but I lost what I did not need to have hanging around my midsection. I am eating mostly venison, chicken, beef steak, pork chops, ribs, fish and eggs with some cheese, broccoli, lettuce and tomatoes to go along with them. Tonight I am having chicken breast with broccoli and morel mushrooms on the side. No photos since I do not have pretty plates and my culinary skills do not yield photo worthy results. PS, I still eat a few chocolate chip cookies.

I'll start taking pics of my low carb meals.
Lots of stews, soups, various meats.

Mini beef tacos


Duck tacos

For all you pasta maniacs......

Spaghetti squash only has 7 carbs per cup vs 43 carbs for real pasta. We eat a ton of it and it's so easy, kids eat it just like the real thing.

adam m, looks good, but what's with the white rice?

It's total calories , eliminating carbs or going low carbs while eating high fat which are calorie rich will not let you use weight. It's all how many calories you consume daily. Imho

How did I do

we do stuffed peppers, but get the smaller sweet ones - use a taco style seasoning on the beef, mixed with some onion, peppers, garlic - topped with cheese and served with canned salsa and chopped cilantro and lime slices.

another easy quick one, is salsa topped fish fillets. give them a light coat of oil, and your favorite seasoning, i like lemon pepper, old bay, or cajun/creole. then top with a slice or two of onion, and a good helping of salsa and bake until done

True, but we're cutting carbs to keep our vision, feet and add some quality years to our lives.

Actually, low carb diets have facilitated substantial weight loss in countless people. Current science now explains that it is not as simple as calories in/calories out. Nowhere near that simple. Dietary fat does not translate directly to body fat. Blood sugar and insulin, rather than dietary fat, play the major roles in storage of body fat. Blood insulin levels (in response to blood sugar levels which result from carb consumption) determine how dietary fat is processed. The chemical reaction required to store body fat requires the presence of insulin. The less insulin available, the less storage of fat. In addition to excess storage into fat cells, current science also explains the broad range of additional detrimental effects caused by excess blood sugar and insulin that wreak havok on organ systems and health in numerous other ways. All for another thread. I'll get off my soapbox for now.

My intent with my thread is not to get in a debate over why low carb diets work, but to share low carb food ideas among some buddies who already know what is working for them and why.

Now back to the thread.

I made it to 78 by not eating healthy so far so good.
I can't imagine substituting cauliflower for potatoes In potato salad. Yuke

Those are some beautiful peppers, Sharon! We'll have to exchange some more stuffed pepper ideas. Great stuff! When Zim gets lots of peppers from the garden, I make them and wrap them individually and freeze a bunch so we can get out a many as we want to heat up in winter. Thanks for the photo! Greatly enhanced by the chicken hot pads.

That's fantastic, Walleyehunter. Now you have me thinking. I will have to try out cauliflower potato salad. I've done the mashed potato thing and cauliflower garlic mashers, and both were good. I sure can't see why that wouldn;t work if you get the texture right. There are enough flavors in mayo, etc that would mask the cauliflower ... Thanks!

You are so welcome, MnMan! You don't need pretty plates to post your pictures here. We'd appreciate them! My goal is to make low carb my normal routine, even if I stray from it for fun. I like to dive into a bowl of pasta or rice whenever I can.

Awesome, Adam! There's some good looking stuff! Duck tacos would be really nice. What kind of tortillas do you use? (And yes, I'd be all over the white rice! Love it. Good call, Waggler!))

Thanks, Okie! I like spaghetti squash with simple butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Zim usually grows a few in the garden too.

Well done, Bulldozerjoe. Well done.

Thank you, l1ranger! It really helps to come up with a bunch of ways to season and bake fish. It also makes an easy meal.

That's okay, Beav. When you come over for supper, I'll make you the real ones.

I'm starving now.. thanks Patrice!!

Minker is the king of low carb diets, I hope he posts some of his favorites.

How do we get recipes for some of your meals Chickie and Sharon?

That's cilantro ontop. If it was me I would've made Spanish rice instead. But that mango sauce was incredible.

Just ask and we'll try to dig them up, Nittany!

C'mon, Minker!

Sorry, and you're welcome, Mac!

Patrice those duck tacos were white corn tortillas grilled on a flat iron griddle. The other are also white corn tortillas I deep fry one at a time. I truly love blue corn tortillas. If they weren't so time consuming to make we would make them more often. We just buy them at the store and they are premade and uncooked.

Let's start off with a recipe for the celery and peanut butter thingy.

Cut the ends off celery spread peanut butter in the grove garnish with raisins and there you Ants on a Log

On the more serious side, how about the turkey kabobs.

Nittany here's a recipe for lamb kabobs but you can use turkey.

Also here's some other recipes.

Hey, Nittany!

I know you're probably kidding on the celery, but for the celery, I bought the Skippy Creamy Natural that has no sugar added, and then thin it out a little more with either canola or olive oil. That will reduce the carbs and make it easier to dip celery in. I wouldn't add raisins - they have a lot of carbs.

The wild turkey kabobs are the ones we make for the conventions (but I assume you knew that) and I have a low carb version that is great. I'll dig up that recipe for you and post it.

Adam, I'm still curious if you had some kind of low carb tortillas for those duck tacos? That would be great.

I been on that Keto diet about 4 weeks and dropped 15lbs but boy do I miss my toast with my eggs in the morning!

Give it a couple more weeks and when you have that toast you will wonder why you ever missed it. Once you have been off the carbs for about 6 to 8 weeks the high carb foods just don't taste that good anymore. I think we have been led into carb addictions with sugar and other high carb foods just to make the big food companies money.

I'm on a what I call semi atkins diet as I eat meat,cheese but also eat fruit and drink fruit juice and iced tea.Lost 30 pounds in the last month.

Patrice, Yes they sell them here. My wife buys them once in awhile.

Low calorie meals are great. But, if others are like me, it is the snacks in between that pack on the pounds. Since I am always on the road I was looking for something that:

• Was low in calories
• Wasn't too perishable over a 12 hour or longer day
• Was easy to grab and eat.
• Was satisfying in small quantities

One of my first thoughts was a hard boiled egg. True it was tasteless. True it really should be refrigerated.

Now, my everyday snack is a smoked hard cooked egg. One at 1:00PM, and another at 4:00PM. At 80 calories they are plenty satisfying and plenty tasty.

Prepare by:

• covering the raw eggs in a pan with 1" of cold water
• bring to a boil
• cover and turn off heat for 10 minutes.
• remove eggs from hot water and place in ice water for another 10 minutes.
• If you've done this right the eggs shells now come off like a prom dress.
• Sprinkle the eggs with a good seasoning like Mortons®seasoning salt, or your own concoction.
• smoke at 150° for 20-30 minutes, or cold smoke for about an hour.

The only caveat is not to smoke to hot or too long, or the eggs will develop a tough outer layer that isn't all that pleasant to chew.

Hats off to you too, Rick! I hear ya on the toast. You might want to check for lower carb breads at your grocery store. The best ones we have are from Village Hearth for 6 net grams of carbs per slice. Once you get settled in, you might be able to add one piece of toast without a lot of net carbs. After you've been away from the bread for a while, that one piece of toast will seem like a lot. Your tastes will change like Coolstucco said. Good luck!

Way to go, Bruce! Some whole fruits aren't too bad for carbs, but fruit juices are usually pretty bad. It still sounds like you're sure gettin' the job done, so good for you!

Adam, if you have any brand names to share for low carb tortillas, I would like to check to see if they sell them anywhere online. The only soft tortillas I buy right now are these for 6 net grams of carbs each:



Any more tortilla ideas would be great! And here's another thought: I've taken a low carb tortilla and baked it long enough to make it a little dry, then sprinkled cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes and diced onions on it and baked it longer to make a cheese crisp. That's not a bad late night snack!

Okay, T-Rex! If you had my free range chickens you could never think a pure steamed egg was tasteless, but for store-bought eggs, smoking sounds like a nice twist! I love that you don't boil them, but turn off the heat and let them sit to cook in hot water. That ice water at the end really helps with the shells. the fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel. Good stuff! Thanks!

I don't know what world you live in, but my chickens produce a nice tasty fried egg, but still a tasteless hard cooked one.

Well ya, nice to see them out galavanting around.

Zim

Like that??

I'll find some the next time I go to the store, I can't think of the specific brand that sells them right now.

I have plenty of recipes with regular flour tortillas. Burritos (elaborate or very basic), fajitas, burgers, soft tacos. Tortillas can be substituted for buns (burgers, hot dogs, Brats- are awesome, etc...) or in place of bread on the table. Quesadillas are quick and real easy. Pizza/calzone (red lobster's lobster pizza is/was a tortilla as the crust). I can keep going but I'm having difficulty typing.

Is oatmeal high carb? Just asking because my girlfriend makes a oatmeal Tortilla that is really tasty and has helped her keep off 40 lbs

I eat fruit for snacks.

How do you smoke an egg?

The hard part is getting it to stay lit.

Patrice, have you and zim considered adoption? If so I'm avalible

Well ya, that's more like it.

Zim

I guess I live in a really happy world, T-Rex. Our hard cooked eggs are just as tasty as our fried, scrambled or any other kind of eggs! I just assumed when you said hard cooked eggs were tasteless, they were store-bought. I think Zim assumed if they're tasteless, they must not be free ranging. Both wrong! Oh well, sounds like you found a good solution anyway. If you get a chance to post how you smoke them, I think Nittany Lion and others would like to see it!

Adam, are you talking about recipes for making low carb tortillas? It would be interesting if you have anything you could share on that. I've never tried it! So far, I can't beat the 6 net grams of carbs in the ones I find at the store, and they're not too bad, but any new low carb recipe would be wonderful to try!

Nvwrangler, oatmeal does have a lot of carbs. Most low carb diets are measuring grams of total carbs minus grams of fiber to determine grams of net carbs. Oatmeal has a lot of fiber, but still enough net carbs to make it hard to fit into a really low carb diet, especially if you're being really strict at the beginning. It does have other health benefits though.

Some fruits are great for a sweet snack, Bruce. Some of the lowest net carb fruits are strawberries, raspberries and watermelon.

Good one, Coolstucco.

Thanks, Bud!

Here's a few of my favorites I've posted on here before.

Carne Adovada-going in the oven


Chicharrones- old phone grainy pic sorry


Green Chile Stew

Thanks for all the ideas. The wife and I are doing this diet again, hopefully we stick with it this time. Smoked boiled eggs sound awesome, thanks for the idea.

T-rex,

What flavor of wood do you use for smoking the eggs?

The eggs are only lightly smoked. So the smoking wood doesn't matter much. But, what could be a more natural pairing for eggs than Hickory?

For the egg lovers:

Get a muffin tin and spray it
Lay a slice of ham in the bottom of each
crack an egg in each one
pepper to taste
Add a little shredded cheese to the top if you'd like

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or longer if needed.

The wife and I just had a steak and 6 lamb chops for dinner. How's that for low carb?

I'm about 10 pounds above my ideal weight, (I'm 6'1" and 195), but I love to eat rice, pasta and potatoes, so low carb is tough for me. Sometimes I carry it off for a few weeks, but I know everybody's body is different.

Pete

I'm on a see food diet I see food and I eat It. If I die tomorrow I will have enjoyed the ride. LOL

Heres another great one- I didn't take these pix but this is what it looks like.

Chili Relleno Casserole. It can be enjoyed for breakfast or any other time.

I'm down from 235 pounds to 189 as of this morning limiting carbs - although I'm pretty conscious of fats too. I've cut out cheese, and substituted (caught) fish for my usual pork and beef dishes.

I do miss pizza and beer though ...

Sharon add some shredded meat in there. It doesn't matter if it's pork, beef or chicken. Works great with leftover meat.

Yes Adam thats true ! Or on the side- like bacon, smoked ham, or any side meat would be good

Mmmmm

Im also thinking Patrice's fantastic Browned Sage Butter sauce on top of a side of good meat would top the whole thing off.

"The secret to life.....butter "

What is so cool about low carb eating is enjoyment of things like meats- real butter- eggs- certain dairy- its amazing.

Wow that sounds good

Thanks, T-Rex!

Good stuff, Adam. Thanks!

Good luck, Malukchuk! What helps us out is planning a bunch of meals and snacks ahead and stocking up so the foods are right in front of us and we don't resort to something we shouldn't. Besides main meals, it sure helps if we have something that is crunchy and something sweet around to snack on.

Thanks, Houts32. Those egg cups are really nice to have made up in advance. They're easy to take somewhere and microwave to warm up too!

I go on that diet regularly, Beav! This diet is what I do in between to make up for it!

Wow! Thanks, Sharon! Zim loves chili relleno.

Pressure9pa, that's fantastic to hear. Congratulations!

All great options, Adam!

No kidding, Sharon! My biggest problem is deciding that the browned sage butter doesn't have to involve rice!!!

My Chickie....

Your great Sage Butter sauce goes so well over so many things- it does not have to involve rice-potatoes- or any of that !

Think of it as over meat dishes alone.

Consider what we spoke of this morning ? Cauliflower "potatoes" -with your browned sage butter over the top- imagine that !

Or drizzled over any meat cooked to perfection as broiled or grilled- or sautéed .

Tis a mighty thing

I've been having 5 pieces of thick cut sowbelly every morning. Low carb.

Patrice,you should publish a cook book.
It all looks delicious.

heres a low carb meal idea....

don't make carbs....

on most days I eat less than 20g of carbs and serving size is limited to a 1/4cup cooked rice,(on days I run, bike or do a hard workout in excess of 1hr I will have up to 50g of carbs) and zero refined sugar or dairy or fruit.... because sugar is horrible for you, and sugar and fat, like in dairy is absolutely horrible for you... but I digress..

I have been eating a Ketogenic diet for the past month... high in omega 3, 6, 9....and good fats...
cooking with and using coconut oil in my protein shakes...

Lots of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, baby kale, baby spinach and sprouts... along with fermented foods like Kimchi and Sauerkraut for gut micro biome health...
protein is game I harvested, caribou, musk ox, mtn goat, blacktail deer, and chicken breast or salmon...




Musk ox, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, olives, kimchi..

Baby kale, baby spinach with a TON of garlic and turkey bacon


Ground chicken breast with scrambled eggs


Black tail burger and lettuce bun

I was thinking about that sage butter, I bet that would make killer sautéed onions and mushrooms (probably best with shiitake or protabella) grill some deer meat with it served with the sautéed goodness mentioned above

for butter, you want to have the grass fed, organic butter... it maintains the higher levels of healthy fats...
vs the regular store butter....

grass fed beef for meat has no advantage though...other than it is typically organic and free of antibiotics and who knows what else..

Cauliflower can make real good pizza crust. Some people apparently mash them like potatoes.

Yes Im already there, Hup ! I have loved this butter for a long time. Its delicious and mixes well into everything.

I made a study in the properties of grass fed butter and it is fascinating- butter isn't just butter !

BTW- nice variety of foods you have there

Patrice I can't believe you haven't been camera banned from all those high class restaurants. LOL
Shame on you. LOL

Been living low carb for 3 months. Down 50 pounds. It is an adjustment but when done right it is good for us. Keep the recipes coming. We have been using most but a few new ideas. thanks all.

Some great idea on here, Thank You for sharing them!!!

I've been doing a low carb diet since mid February and have dropped about 30 pounds. A few things I've learned.
With a low carb diet, you are allowed to cheat (to a point) and cheating is actually a good thing.
Every 3 days I have 1 (very important) cheat meal, where I can have my bread, my potatoes, my pasta, etc. It's about a 500 calorie meal. Why is this important (especially in the beginning). When you change your diet drastically and your body no longer gets the carbs it's used to, for extended periods of time, it can/will go into "starvation mode". Even if you are eating healthily, you gain weight and feel bad. But if you give your body that meal every 3 days, it keeps your body from going into that mode. Over time, what you'll probably discover is that your body will crave that meal less and less. Eventually your body will tell you that a carb meal isn't needed every 3 days, it may be every 4 to 5 days or once a week or more. I'm to the point now, that if I have a carb meal I fell like garbage. It's almost like a crash after caffeine wears off. For those that still want to have a cocktail or two with friends, you can. Vodka tonic basically zero carbs. If you want to have a beer or two, at the end of a hard day, plan to leave 5 to 10 carbs open for the day. It's not difficult. I also do subtract any amount of fiber from the carbs, as they tend to cancel each other out. If something has 8 carbs and 4 grams of fiber, I count it as 4 carbs for the meal.

Thanks, Sharon! I know the sage butter doesn't have to be served over rice. I just start thinking veil thoughts every time I make it! (BAD Patrice!)

Ah, Les! There a few things nicer than sowbelly for breakfast! That looks fantastic to me. And so does your stove, by the way. Can I ask you, what in the world is on the back burner? It's driving me nuts that I can't make out what that is!

Thank you, Boco! I just might.

Thanks for the advice, Hupurest. It couldn't be more true. Those are some beautiful meals - and photos. Thank you! It brings to mind what they say about the colors of healthy food. Good stuff.

Perfect idea for the sage butter, Adam.

Hupurest, I have read the same about grass fed beef as the butter - that being grass fed changes the composition of the fats. Here is one article, but I've read many:
http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
That said, I don't usually go out of my way to purchase grass fed beef but maybe I should. Sharon buys that Kerry Gold butter and loves it. I'm seeing if there is anywhere I can get that locally. Not at our regular grocery store though.

Hey, NorthernOutdoors! I tried one once and it flopped! It looked though! I am sure I didn't have the best recipe. If you have one you've tried and like, please let me know!

Sharon, maybe you can mail me some of that butter.

Aw thanks, Beav!

You bet, and congrats, bear Tracker. If you have any new ideas be sure to post them!

Thanks and you're welcome, Blindsniper! Yeah, I do think most diets direct people to count only net carbs, not total carbs although I haven't seen every diet. Good thing to mention though, if someone is just starting out and looking at food labels. Figuring out a few drinks is a good idea. I make a pretty good low carb Korbel old fashioned - sweet! In fact, there are several restaurants around here that do a pretty good job on a low carb old fashioned! That takes a little trickiness for that.

That's an old , well used,enamal tea pot, Patrice, lol. And I use it for tea water or making instant coffee as I am down to just a couple cups a day now.

Hoopy: Mayo Clinic says that Kombucha can be detrimental ! Be careful. Otherwise, those look like great meals !

Out here grass fed beef is around the same price as buffalo. I would rather buy the buffalo as it's much healthier, very high protein omega 3 and low fat.

True, Adam, though I imagine its easier to get milk from a tame Holstein for butter,than a buffalo !

I can't stop laughing, Les. I had this funny, optical illusion thing going with the teapot. I can see it now though. Thanks!

Hi White!

We sure don't see much buffalo here, Adam. It's always nice to try different meats.

I'm thinkin' so, Sharon! Too funny.

Lol Sharon although it would be kick to try milking one.

O man I'm sorry Patrice maybe one day I'll send you some overnight of course.

Im sure it would be a kick, alright !

Ive heard that you can't roller skate in a buffalo herd, either.

But the steak is good low carb meat

It sure is

Okay, I decided to tackle to low carb cauliflower potato salad thing. Walleyehunter01 mentioned cauliflower potato salad and it sounded good, so I did some studying of all the existing recipes I could find and came up with a recipe of my own. I think this will be really good. I tasted it before it even went into the fridge for the flavors to combine and it was good then!



We'll have some with supper tonight and I'll report back. I'll have to see if my recipe needs any adjusting!

In an attempt to improve on perfection:

You could spin or roll your raw eggs a bit to center the yolks. Or, simpler still, is to store them tip side down. That is especially useful for those free range eggs that should be held a couple weeks to ensure easy peeling of the shells.

I agree, T-Rex. Always pointed end down. That makes a nicer deviled egg too, with the yolk more centered in the wider end of the egg. Thanks!

I really liked the cauliflower potato salad. It worked out really well. That would be a perfect side to go with some brats or burgers too!

Here was a wonderful low carb meal the other night. I had to revisit the browned sage butter and this was perfect. Cornish game hens grilled with some smoke and covered with browned sage butter, and bacon wrapped asparagus.


We had a nice little side salad with that - with our first green onions from Zim's garden.


Man, that was good!

Oh boy that looks amazing

Very good Patrice, I am one of those that has to watch the carbs. Also salt. Do you know of any salt substitutes that will make food taste better? I need someting like that. I've tried several salt substitutes but none of them does the job for me.

I've been buying great, well marbled rib-eye steaks at Safeway for $4.77 a pound for the past week or so. I've never seen rib-eyes so cheap. No reason to not be eating low carbs with steak prices like that.

Lovely lovely stuff Patrice !!!

I want to make that cauliflower potato salad !!

It looks delicious.

I have two cornish game hens that are wanting that Browned Sage Butter all over them too.

Avocado and Leeks or Scallions do so well with everything.

I just found out about the many amazing properties of dandelion greens- I picked a bunch from my yard and put them in cold salt water to lesson any bitterness from the big leaves- it worked great. My salad was absolutely wonderful. I will be eating these forever more in future times. I had no idea the value they have in all ways for health-and cancer fighting too. No wonder so many centurions harvest them worldwide every day.

Waggler, ya can't beat those prices.

I have a local butcher who deals in Angus steaks that I love too.

Black & Gus......lovely names

Thanks, Adam!

You know, Madtrapper, I am a salt eating maniac. Everyone jokes that I salt my food until it's the right shade of white. One thing that I've found that makes food seem to me like it needs less salt - rather than a substitute that is supposed to taste like salt - is lemon. any recipe or sauce that has a kick of lemon juice seems to help for me. Might be worth a try. I also buy the Salt Sense that is 33% less sodium because it's a blend of potassium chloride and sodium chloride. It still has sodium, but less than regular table salt. It's not bad. I hope that helps a little!

Wow, Waggler! $4.77 a pound. That's the kind of deal where you have to go buy up a bunch to wrap up and put in the freezer. Nice!

Thank you, Sharon! I'll get the recipe for the "potato" salad together if you'd like it. That browned sage butter actually stands out more on poultry than it does on red meats. It will be hard to beat those game hens., I went and picked up two more yesterday!

Thanks Patrice, I'm afraid you won't be using all that salt for much longer. I have tried lemon pepper, but it doesn't seem to do much for me, maybe I just need to put on more.

Here's my first real meal since Saturday. It was low carbs until I started adding tortillas.

On the way from the dr i bought this. ..Bottom half of chicken (rotisseried), Spanish rice, and burracho beans, lettuce, Pico de galleo.

So many nice meals to admire

Patrice, I would love that recipe please for the "potato salad" ! Thank you !

Earlier you mentioned an interest in the Kerrygold butter- Im not sure but that it is probably required to ship cold. I would think there is some near to you- have a look in your grocery outlets first- and many times, you can request a special order and they will gladly do that. Or maybe they will have their own special Wisconsin version of grass fed butter. I wouldn't be surprised a bit if thats the case.

Wisconsin has all the neatest dairy products !

As for that Ruby- she needs a good talking to ! Tell herself one day those wee peanuts will be all big girls and they just might decide to keep her out !

Kerrygold is sold on Amazon. But an article I came across says Kerrygold is illegal in Wi. because it does not meet the " 32 quality points that each butter specimen must meet before gaining state approval. Grass fed dairy probably has a legal significance greater than any scientific advantage.
I have no problem cutting all sugar out, hardly eat it any how but giving up tatters and onions and biscuits is hard to do.
Lemon pepper don't help me either madtrapper, lemon juice or grated lemon peel does replace salt in my taste. Cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar will too on some foods.

We use cauliflower to make both "rice" and "mashed potatoes" to replace the carbs laden rive and regular potatoes. They are both very good!

For me its losing weight and fighting Type 2 Diabetes

Hey Madtrapper, I never had much luck with lemon pepper. but loads of lemon juice does seem to help. It does have to fit into a recipe, but it helps a whole lot better than a prepared lemon pepper for me.

Okay, Adam. I hate to say this but I think someone has been lying to you about which foods are loaded with carbs! Rice is high in carbs. Beans are high in carbs (but their fiber counters some of them) and most tortillas are high in carbs. Rice, beans and tortillas all at once add up to a ton! That chicken and lettuce would be just fine though.

You are so sweet , Sharon. I will get you the potato salad recipe. I promise. I was only kidding about the Kerry Gold butter because of the shipping! I'll figure it out! (I'll get back to you on the Ruby Spasmodium! )

Wow, TJM! That's more than I knew about our butter laws! I'm with you on the lemon juice too - but it has to be the right recipe for it. It works great for certain things!

That's great, MikeTraps2. I hope it's working well for you! We even pre-pureed some cauliflower from the garden last year before we froze it so it was ready to use as mashed or garlic mashers. No air spaces in the freezer bags!

If you remove the spud....I might qualify....Fiddleheads !!

Thanks the beans are higher in carbs but aren't they and the rice the "good kind"? The rice and beans equaled maybe 2 tablespoons each at the most which equals about 1/8 for rice and the beans.

I had my first BLT of the summer yesterday. Not my tomatoes but it was really good. The bread was largely corn flour so I guess it wasn't zero carb, but I'll be doing it again.

Pete

Nessy! It's beautiful! I heard you found some fiddleheads. That a good enough reason to celebrate with a potato!

Adam, you just need to get a carb counter or google a food with the word "carbs" after it and get a count of the grams of carbs and the grams of fiber for that amount of food. Subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbs and that will give you the net carbs for that amount of a food. Add up the net carbs for everything you make for a meal and you'll get a pretty good idea of which foods add up a little too fast. For example, 1 cup of cooked brown rice and 45 grams of total carbs and 4 grams of fiber. You subtract the 4 grams of fiber from the 45 grams of carbs and that leaves 41 grams of net carbs for a cup of rice. A lot of folks start out with a target of 30 grams of net carbs per day, at least for a few weeks at the start of a low carb diet. Even if you don't eat a cup of it, rice could pretty much wipe out your day! Same with beans and tortillas - as much as I love them anyway! It's worth it just to have some nice tortillas with rice and beans once in a while!

I am envious, Pete! We'll take a break from the low carb diet just to eat some good BLT's when we can!

good idea but this post is making me hungry! lost 35 pounds since Jan 1st doing just this like you are saying. Keep it up!

Hey Trapper Les! Is sow belly like jowl bacon? I got some jowl bacon not too long ago and it is crazy good. I think even an ole crotchety scudder like Hal would admit liking it.

Im no expert on this subject, but while loading up on carbs is not a good thing if you aren't active, eating carbs is important for maintaining long term health, and can even help protect against type 2 diabetes and prevent cardiovascular problems.

There are two types of carbs; simple and complex. Simple carbs are basically sugar, which is a fast digesting carb which if un-used by your body, will be turned into fat pretty quickly. Fibre and starch on the other hand are considered complex carbs, and shouldn't be avoided all together. Complex carbs that contain fibre are slower digesting, leaving you feeling full for longer, and these complete carbs also control your post meal blood sugar spikes, which obviously helps the diabetic people.

In my opinion, carbs are an essential source of energy, and if managed properly, are very beneficial for long term health, and short term energy your body needs to operate! I rely on carbs to maintain a high metabolism by eating small meals 5-6 times per day, with more carbs an hour or two before workout, and heavy on the carbs and protein after a workout. When I worked as a forest firefighter, we had an outside agency studying our fitness and health on the job. Due to the physical exertion required on a daily basis, we were encouraged to always be sure we ate plenty of carbs to fuel our bodies needed to do the work. I could never do without carbs! I'm 6' 192lbs. Fairly lean, but I eat healthy every single day.

If you are looking to lose weight, calories are something that need to be counted as well! If you aren't in a caloric deficit, its pretty much impossible for your body to burn excess fat. Don't just eliminate carbs from your diet and hope that will work.

Thanks Patrice I appreciate it.

Patrice, I really know nothing about Wi. butter laws. I was just searching that grass butter that Sharron likes and up pops a headline something like "nanny state bans grass fed butter"; so curious me, I read it. The lady was a butter bootlegger/smuggler. There was a Fox News blurb too, Grade A milk and such.
It turns out Amazon may be my best source for the Kerrygold.

I make pizza with Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread(5 carbs). Sausage, onion and pepper, and pepperoni.


Here are a few other low carb meals I eat regularly...






I like HOT Chicken Wings!


[i][/i]

Larry, that is fantastic!

LeverAlone, I think the thing you might be missing is that these folks aren't eliminating carbs, they are reducing their net carbs - after fiber is deducted from total carbs. That incorporates some complex carbohydrates and sources of fiber in foods that don't raise the net carb count too badly. By reducing net carbs, you still eat foods with carbs that are good sources of fiber. No one eliminates carbs completely when they have vegetables in their diet. I absolutely disagree with the statement about type 2 diabetes though - type 2 diabetes is brought on by overloading on carbs over a period of time. A high carb diet causes a continuously high level of insulin which causes insulin resistance. That is the root cause of type 2 diabetes and all kinds of cardiovascular problems.

The folks on here who are talking about eating 20 or 30 net grams of carbs are generally starting out on a low carb plan and increasing their level of carbs after they get their systems in shape, lose weight and get their blood pressure down, etc. If you are in the process of fighting a fire or running a marathon, you are a carb burning machine during those hours. You then need fast fuel to burn and can take on a load of sugar and burn it right away. I'm thinking that's not the case with most of us here most of the time! Most Americans could cut their carb intake way down, lose weight, be healthier and lessen the epidemic levels of type 2 diabetes here. I still trust the reports from the folks on this thread and my own experience and extensive study.

You're welcome, Adam. You're a guy who knows how to cook great stuff. Now I'm kind of counting on you to come up with some more great ideas here.

Tjm, I like the sound of a butter bootlegger/smuggler! I should find me one of those!

Thank you for those great photos, Rendezvous! One wonderful idea after another! Thank you! I need to look into the low carb pita bread. Now I'm hungry!

Sharon, I promised a cauliflower potato salad recipe! here it is:

Low Carb Cauliflower Potato Salad

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp diced green onions
1 stalk celery, diced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar substitute
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Steam cauliflower covered until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer steamed cauliflower to a large bowl.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to warm cauliflower and stir together gently.
3. Chill at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend.

(Add more mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice to taste.)

I will Patrice. Sorry I forgot to take a pic last night but we had grilled beef ribs.

Oh boy that recipe sounds great-thank you Chickie !

I can't wait to try it. I could just feel from the original description that cauliflower -with its bland taste- and acceptance of other things added to resemble other foods in texture- would fit the bill in resembling taters - and some with butter !

Thank you so much for that recipe. It really helps too seeing the photo of the finished- gives you something to shoot for.



The more people see the value in the insulin troubles- the more they will command accurate charge of their lifestyles and become better- even reversing the effects of certain illnesses that have been touted as incurable....depending on the status of their bodies before too much damage has occurred.

The proof of so many having such glowing success in BP control- weight loss- and insulin sensitivity brought back testifies to it all. A start of restricted carbs to begin, flushing the system - rebooting - then leveling out on a good balance -with even some high carb meals at times- but then doing the U turn right back to the road in eating on the norm...is the success stories of many in life.

I still love my pasta once in a while.....just not too often

Thanks, Adam!

Thanks, Sharon! I had some more of that this morning. Oh, and I sure love my pasta too. That and a few other things. I carbed my way through our rendezvous and setup. The last few days have been rough - but tasty!

I made the cauliflower salad recipe last night. The wife was pretty happy, it was good thanks ladies.

You are so welcome, Malukchuk!

Okay, so we did another cauliflower substitute last night. I made a shrimp stir fry on a bed of cauliflower "rice."

I made a stir fry with shrimp, mushrooms, snow pea pods, onion, celery, napa cabbage, scallions, garlic, ginger, almonds and water chestnuts, and I served it on a bed of minced cauliflower instead of rice. I see I should have added a little red pepper for color! The cauliflower rice would not have been bad but I overcooked it. I bought it already minced up in a bag and microwaved it in the bag (package directions), but it sat in its steam a little too long and became a little too soft. A better texture would have helped. By the time we put soy sauce on it and ate it with all the good stuff on top it was alright though!

Looks good.

I posted my wife's recipe for carnitas on the Roast page but here it is just in case.

Here's my wife's carnitas recipe. Pork shoulder is best but you can use other pork roasts too.

1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 small onion peeled and halved, 2 bay leaves,1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican is best), juice from 1 lime, 2-3 cups water, 1-2 medium orange squuezed and halved, 2 large cloves of garlic (sliced or diced), olive oil, s&p to taste

This is done in a roasting pan and stock pot, even in the crock pot (just season add liquids and set) or grilled slowly (marinate first then grill save the marinade and heat it once pork is done).
Braise the pork roast in the oil and garlic and s&p once braised season then place everything else in the roasting pan add oven 325° 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the roast. 
Once cooked (any method above) shred the meat, place back in the stock, serve typically on corn tortillas but you can serve by itself too garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. For an added kick add salsa sliced or diced jalapeños and cheese.
Enjoy

That sounds fantastic, Adam. I'll have to make that!

It really is. Let me know how it comes out. Side choices are endless. Next time we make it I'll take a pic. Oh sautéed onions and or mushrooms are a fantastic addition

Just be prepared, Adam. I might have to "Wisconsin it up" with some lettuce and a dollop of sour cream! (I hope Lufkin isn't watching. )

Do it. it's fine with me and a lot of people put both on it along with quac or avocado, tomatoes etc... honestly garnishes are almost endless.

Here are our last two low carb suppers. Thursday night, we had salmon with Waggler sauce and some garden asparagus.


Last night, we had prime rib with a little creamed horseradish, and I made cauliflower rice pilaf for the first time.

I sauteed up butter, onion, minced celery, a little bit of minced carrot, chicken bouillon paste, saffron and almonds, and then steamed and added the cauliflower "rice" at the end. It turned out pretty good!

I've also been working my way through a layer salad.

This is like a seven layer salad, only it doesn't have peas. Just a family thing. Mom mom never made it with peas. I guess that makes it a six layer salad. Mine has iceberg lettuce, celery, green pepper, onion, mayo, Splenda, Colby cheese and bacon. I could live on that stuff.

Come to think of it, I will be having prime rib and layer salad for breakfast. Oooooh, that's tough.

Looks good as always.
I thought I took a picture of breakfast but I was mistaken. Had an egg casarole (quiche but way bigger) had spinach, maters, onions, cheese.

I made and ate way too much shrimp ceviche yesterday. Pretty much just protein and vegetables.
I should have taken a picture.
ingredients;

spot prawns, blanched not cooked
juice from 2 limes and 2 lemons
hot chili powder

tomatoes
onion
cilantro
avocado
cucumber
salt

Dice up shelled raw/blanched shrimp, marinade in citrus juice for two hours. Then add diced up vegetables for one more hour. Eat with tortilla chips, or my preferred method, with a large table spoon. I can't shovel it in fast enough just using chips.

Man all this is great ! I haven't been able to make the caulif. salad yet but I will. Its amazing that it can be prepared to resemble mashed potatoes, or rice. And bland enough to absorb any seasonings that also resembles taters or rice.

Come to think of it, most potatoes and rice types are pretty bland themselves-and so dressing them up with butter,sauces, seasonings, is key also.

Cool !

With this alternative, you can have your potatoes and eat it too

Thanks, Adam! Those eggs sound good. Have you ever tried making a recipe like that in a muffin pan so you have a bunch of single servings made up? That's a nice trick for low carb diets. Sharon has some great ideas there. Eggs and breakfast meats are great for low carb dieting, but people often find it tough to stop and and take the time to make them in the morning. If you precook some kind of egg/cheese/meat dish in muffin tins, you can bag them up and just grab a couple to microwave in the mornings. I think Sharon even freezes them too.

Waggler, I hate to correct you, but I'm not sure such a thing as "way too much shrimp ceviche" even exists! It's way too hot out here today and that sounds refreshing! Thank you for that recipe!

Sharon, I am working on a couple of pasta alternatives too ... You got me thinking about stuffed bell peppers again and I picked up a few things for those. Not enough time to make them today though so we're going to have a couple of ribeyes and a salad tonight!

Patrice, no I haven't thought about that great idea. I'll have to do it, especially since cooking can be a huge task for me.
Mmmmm ceivche. My best friends wife makes it with crab meat shrimp cucumbers lemon/lime and cilantro s&p

Stuffed bells sound good

When you're feeling up to it, it would probably be a great idea for you, Adam. Then you'd have something easy to grab for breakfast on a day when you feel kind of hungry but not quite up to cooking! When you do make some, I'll be looking for photos!

I finally found my pics of our dishes we made in an italian restaurant in the Bronx. 1 dad and myself from the Ronald McDonald house in NY and a couple from Make A Wish NJ had the opportunity to cook at a renowned Italian Restaurant. It was a private fundraiser event with about 20 people total and we not only enjoyed a sample menu of about 25 different plates each but also bottles of red wine at $2500 each bottle. It was a night that I won't forget. Made a couple of good friends too.

Fresh octopus which was grilled slowly.


Fried non breaded eggplant with a puttanesca sauce and we added some olives to it.



the mozzarella at this point was maybe 1-1.5 hrs old we bought it directly out of the broiler/kettle. Served on top of grilled tomatoes, grilled bells and button mushrooms.


By that time the other quests arrived so we mingled in the wine cellar while dinner was getting finished which also included fresh lamb 4 different ways. No pictures

That is exquisite, Adam. What an amazing sampling of foods and wine. I have to hear more about non-breaded eggplant. Zim grows a lot and we make a classic (breaded) eggplant parmigiana with fresh tomato sauce, but more lower carb options there would be wonderful. Anything with fresh mozzarella and olive oil and tomatoes like a caprese salad is something I look forward to for most of the year to enjoy for such a short time! Thanks for posting those photos! Wow!

Patrice, made your cauliflower potato salad. It was great, will be making more.
Thanks

Thanks! That's great to hear, Rpmartin! If you find any of the other dishes interesting but need a recipe, I think I can dig up any of them at this point.

Thanks Patrice it truly was amazing. Oh I forgot to take pics of the desserts just dessert alone was probably 7 different desserts. I don't think I'll ever have such amazing wine again. One day I'll share the whole experience.

If I recall correctly we sliced it "thick" maybe 3/4" orizontally/width wise had the grill smoking hot and cooked 1-2 minutes both sides just for grill marks, pan fried in Italian olive oil s&p to taste until el dente, topped with fresh hot from the pot puttanesca sauce. By the time you dig in it was tender moist and melted in your mouth.
You're welcome I'm blessed to share.

Just started the low carb thing.Easy breakfast recipes would be great. Maybe something that could made up in a large batch then frozen in portions so would be quick and easy. Always open to new ideas.

Thanks

Make quiche. Quick easy and large portions. For individual portions bake in cupcake/muffin tins (Patrice idea). Tons of recipes online.

Thank you, Adam! I think I'll have to hear more about that adventure too.

You're welcome, RP! I originally saw the muffin pan thing in some online recipes, but I know Sharon had made one and posted photos somewhere earlier. Hers looked great. The one I made and photographed was kind of bland and dry. I want to try a few different combinations of eggs, cheeses and meats done that way. I think part of the trick is to bake the things until they're just barely done, so you can microwave them later and not have the eggs overcooked too badly. I'll try some recipes out and report back ... In the meantime, eggs with ham, bacon or sausage is a good low carb breakfast. You can use ham to sop up yokes of fried eggs, or have one piece of a low carb bread toasted. That's always good. Getting a bunch of the muffins pre-made would sure save some time though!

OK !! Heres the breakfast menu that can be wrapped and frozen for easy meals later. Easy to prepare and good !

Ham, scallions or leeks,cheese and eggs . Make sure and oil the pan! I think oven temp is around 200-250 . Watch it to see when they're done.

Those are beautiful, Sharon! I would like one of those right now!

Adam, quiche is a good idea. Thanks

Sounds good Patrice, trying to come up with a few different ideas so one doesn't get burned out on the same thing day after day. Is there a specific place to look for low carb bread, or certain brand? Do you prefer almond flour over coconut flour?

Sharon, that's perfect. So simple even I could do it. Thank you for posting again

Thank you Patrice !

I just thought too- after they're done, slather them over the top with butter- it should keep them moist to wrap in plastic wrap then in zip locks and freeze- warming up to still being moist.

The pepper I used is cayenne -in the wee chicken shaker !

Thank you RP !

Secret to life- butter

This thread has been a real eye opener. Didn't know about grass fed butter or how good it was for you, amazing. I can't believe all the high carb foods I have in the house .

Sharon that looks incredible.
Rp you're welcome.

I was just at the store and saw grass fed butter man it's expensive but looks oh so good.

Hey, Rp! This is a pretty good bread to buy.

We get it in Reedsburg and Baraboo, so we don't have any problem finding it locally. It's 6 net grams of carbs per slice, so if you really want a nice slice of soft bread or toast, that's not bad! They also make a light Italian that's a little higher in carbs, but each slice is a little wider too.

I do have almond flour around for trying out on things like breading fish, etc. I have never attempted baking anything with it. I can say that if you coat something with it and fry it, be careful to be very gentle with temperatures and watch it closely. It takes on a burnt taste to me if it gets too browned!

Adam, I think I'll have to do some searching to get me some grass fed butter!

Surprisingly I saw it in the baking isle as I liked for corn starch. Sorry I forgot to look at the tortillas for low carb. I didn't go towards that area

Thank you Adam.

I would say any real butter is good- better than other things. If it isn't grass fed- thats ok. Real butter as opposed to margarine and like liquid plastic products into the veins , is the point.

There's volumes to be said of coconut oil too. Olive oil next.

I appreciate the many ways these oils and butters can be employed .

You're welcome Sharon.

I agree the real stuff is so much better.

My wife LOVES cooking with coconut oil. A good extra virgin olive oil is hard to beat.

Yup them 3 are rock stars for sure.

Indeed.

See how Bulletproof coffee is so good with coconut oil in the morning.

People in the Himies-Africa-Indo Asia-parts of Europe - and other places, have enjoyed mixtures similar in part to this for centuries.

Coconut oil has enduring qualities beyond olive oil in many versatile abilities. Although they both have endearing uses in enjoyment in the art of cuisine.

It will be hard to try it as I prefer it black.

Both olive oil and coconut oil also have so many health benefits.

Thanks Patrice, I will be looking for that

Well Chickie, I went and did it-I made that cauli "potato "salad today- it was easy and good !

I haven't had cauliflower for decades-but I could just tell your recipe would be good done up that way, and it was ! Just like bland potatoes, the cauli absorbs all the other flavors it is put with, and all the ingredients mixed with it worked fine.

I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't mince the leeks as fine as I would normally but hey-its really good regardless.

This week is the warmest yet for the year, in the mid to high 70's, maybe some low 80's thrown in, and a cool but filling low carb salad is perfect !

Cant wait for the right test patient to try it on

Thank you so much for the recipe ! Cauli- its whats for dinnah



Stay cool, Chickie !

Great, Sharon! I'm glad that one worked out. There are some variations on what people like in potato salad too, and with that recipe, I think it's important to put in the ingredients you expect to taste in a mayonnaise based potato salad, and they have enough flavor to carry it and make it taste like good potato salad to you!

Maybe for my next trick, I should study how to reproduce a good German potato salad with cauliflower ...

Yes I appreciated that too- using the same things that give it the exact same taste as with the potatoes.

Really, I think its just a matter of expected texture more than taste....a potato- especially russets-are bland, just like cauli. Thats why they need to have things put in with them to dress up the flavor.

This is a great substitute in place of heavy carbs and starch.

For benefit of others here who may want to do this- do you think this can be froze ? It would be handy to make an amount and freeze it for fast use anytime.

I don't know about the freezing, Sharon. If you have a bunch made up, maybe you can take a small amount and put it in the freezer and test it. Then you can report back to the rest of us! The cauliflower would be softer. Maybe that would kind of mess things up?

Okay, so I finally got around to making up some more of the low carb egg "muffins" to test out. I made up three kinds: bacon & cheddar, ham & cheddar, and prosciutto & cheddar. I got a lot closer to what I was after. I chopped up and precooked the bacon first. Then I assembled the three kinds. Each had approximately 1 egg, 1/2 oz of cheese, 1 oz of meat.

I started by spraying an already nonstick muffin tin with olive oil spray just to be sure I could get them out. For the bacon & cheddar, I beat the eggs and poured them into the muffin pan. Then I dumped the shredded cheddar and bacon pieces into them.

For the ham & cheddar and also for the prosciutto & cheddar, I lined each muffin cup with meat first, dumped in some cheese, cracked an egg into each cup and topped with some more cheese. I purposely broke the yolk in some of them and left the yolk whole in the other ones. I love a liquid yolk but I want these to be good to heat up in the microwave, and the whole yolkers could blow up!

This time, I baked these at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes and let them sit in the pan for a few minutes after I took them out. They were not quite set - nice and runny, just the way I like them. Ham & cheddar in front, prosciutto & cheddar in back (all with whole yolks), and bacon & cheddar on the left.


Here they are, cut open! Yeah!


And here are eight of them, ready to toss in the fridge. I think I will freeze and wrap up a few and then see if I can come up with a recommended microwave time for the frozen ones. That would be nice if the whole thing would be an easy grab, microwave and chow down in a minute or two before work. I'll get back to you one that one!


I definitely need to get a deeper muffin pan for big muffins. Mine was too shallow to hold all of the ingredients. I had to pull some egg out of each cup to prevent overruns. You could put any ingredients in these that you normally like in your eggs or omelets, but my main concern was getting the timing down so they would have some room to be heated up again and not be like overcooked rubber later!

If I was making these to serve and eat right away, I would definitely not break the yolks so they would have those beautiful runny yolks when they're served. Again, I'll do some more experimenting with freezing and timing - and using larger muffin cups!

Well I will sure try that with a small amount. If it works,then its a good thing to know.

When I steamed the cauli I made sure it didn't go too long. So it is a bit crunchy in the salad. Maybe after its frozen, it may still be ok,though a bit softer? Ill try it

Oh man, those muffins are amazing ! Im taking notes to enjoy preparing these. I hear you on the shallow muffin pans- my mind is thinking on another type container for those instead of the typical muffin pans.

Even if it is square

You're right-these muffins can take so many diverse options -different meats and cheeses- seasonings-some with minced bell pepper- or scallions- I bet Italian ground pork sausage would work too- the egg and cheese would bind it enough to hold the shape...just like that new ground beef,eggs, cream cheese and cheese dish I fixed last month. It got rave reviews .

I just thought too- I bet cream cheese would be fun in some of those muffins too

Sharon, are you referring to your cheese stuffed meatloaf? Would you have a recipe to share?

Those look really good Patrice, I will have to give them a try. That's what I'm looking for. Ok now we need something without eggs that can be made in a large batch . I love eggs, just not every day.

This was the recipe I prepared that you speak of.


When I did this the first time I didn't have all the ingredients it called for so I improvised. It turned out great, to my relief

I even added things like heavy cream, cream cheese, some low sugar BBQ sauce- and steel cut oats instead of bread. The oats can be left out.

It turned out to be moist and tasty. I got rave reviews from the one I tried it on !

That made me the happiest country girl ever.

Ill hunt down the recipe and post that.

Though, Ive found that meals like this is very much as spaghetti sauce....there are a lot of options to ingredients in this meal-which is a good thing

Thanks, Sharon! I need to try that one!

Okay, here's what we had last night with a few good ideas for the low carb army out there.

Last night, I made breaded chicken cutlets with basil, Parmesan and lemon. That was a simple breaded chicken recipe originally from my mom that I've made for years, but I have adapted it to a low carb recipe. I love these!

I started with boneless chicken breasts and pounded them out to about 1/2 inch thick and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

Then I got my low carb breading set up. First, instead of the classic white flour (at 23 net grams carbs per 1/4 cup), I dredged the chicken in almond flour (3 net grams carbs per 1/4 cup). NOTE: I am reading about bad byproducts that result from heating almond flour, so I am looking into trying coconut flour instead because it is way better for you and also very low in carbs. I'll report back on that one but for now, I'll use the almond flour since very little almond flour actually ends up being used for coating here.


Instead of bread crumbs, I toss a bag of pork rinds (for 0 grams of carbs) in the food processor and grind it up into crumbs.

I think Porkies are the best, but this was our grocery store brand which is okay. If you like the spicy breading, you can use other seasoned and spicy pork rinds.

After dredging the chicken in the flour, I dipped it in an egg beaten with a little water to thin it out, and then onto the final coating. That was made of the ground pork rinds, Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.


I let my breaded, uncooked chicken sit on a wire rack in the fridge for about 1/2 hour.


Then I fried the chicken cutlets gently in olive oil and butter until the coating was golden and the chicken was done.

The last step is to squeeze fresh lemon juice all over it before serving! That really makes it great!

I don't think you can overdo the amount of basil or lemon juice!!! Good stuff!

It's nice to have something breaded and fried with almost no carbs. Hope you enjoyed this one!

Thanks for copying those over from your other thread, Bruce! Great stuff for low carb meal ideas here.

For those of you who didn't see the thread, Bruce and his wife had their fresh caught trout with fiddleheads!

Thanks again, Bruce!

Hey Chickie-

I just pulled some of the Cauli salad out of the freezer....its been there several days.


Its fine...good texture- tastes great !

Nice to know this for future storage

Sharon, that's good to know! I will also report back when I try to reproduce my German potato salad with cauliflower!

OK then ! I cannot wait to enjoy and share such a fine German potato salad

Check this out.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4629660/Low-carb-diet-similar-effect-brain-ecstasy.html

That's hilarious, Buck. Not even having that debate here.

I made some salmon this morning.

First, I used my new ULU from MOOSETROT to cut the salmon off of the skin ...

... and made crispy fried salmon skin!

After frying it on both sides until it was crisp ...


I cut it into strips ...


... and served it with fresh dill and sour cream (sorry, Lufkin!).


And then I threw away the salmon.

NO!!!! Just kidding. I baked the salmon on a cedar plank with a little olive oil, butter and dill.

That was wonderful!

Lovely skins Patrice !

I agree with throwing the salmon away!!

BUT...here's another way to eat the skins. Some night when you are sitting around the campfire, cut a little slit in a green stick and wedge the skin in the split. Hold it near the hot part of the fire and watch it curl. Not too much. Just a few seconds. Now eat it. Similar to pork rinds but not as dry and a lot more flavor

Oooo that sounds good !!! Thank you, sir Ken

Thanks, Sharon!

White, you actually like salmon skin but don't like the fillets? That's surprising! I'll bet a lot of salmon eaters don't like the skin. Do you like trout?

I'm sure on the plank these skins were done as much as yours on the fire. I press them down hard to keep them from curling, just to make nice flat chips. I have allowed them to curl before and then cut the roll into little curls too.

Okay, I copied this one over from What's for Supper just to post a few good low carb ideas. (I tried to cut off most of the potatoes!)


Besides Zim's first-of-the-year garden radishes and green onions, I did some low carb stuff with those crappies and the tartar sauce, so I thought I'd share that here.

Those crappie fillets were dried with paper towel, dipped in almond flour, then egg, then in ground pork rinds with some seasonings and then pan fried in butter and oil. They were wonderful!

My homemade tartar sauce is Hellman's mayonnaise with chopped dill pickles, chopped fresh dill and fresh lemon juice to taste. I love it. Every year, I make up a 32 oz container of it to take up to Canada to share with our buddies up there because they love it too!

Looks great, Patrice !

Thank you for your tarter sauce recipe-Ill have to try that too.

Thank you, Sharon! It's really fresh tasting. I bet you'll like it!

Oh I know Ill love that!

Since it's getting hot outside near you, Sharon, I thought I'd post the recipe for that watermelon granita. It's like an ice or a sorbet. I think you'll like it!

Watermelon Granita


This is a nice, low carb, refreshing treat for those hot days!

1 4-5 lb seedless watermelon
3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
zest and juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup water

Scoop out flesh from the watermelon and remove any black seeds.
Mix melon (in batches) in a food processor until smooth.
Add the Stevia, water, lime juice and zest to the watermelon and mix well.
Pour into a wide shallow plastic container or baking dish and cover.
Freeze for 2 hours and then scrape through and mash up the mixture with a fork.
Repeat this every 2 hours until the whole mixture is frozen but mashed into the consistency of shaved ice or sorbet.

I went to bed the first night when I made it and it wasn't done freezing, so it froze hard over night without enough mixing. To fix that, I poured hot water on the outside of my sealed container to get the frozen mixture out as one piece, broke it into chunks and tossed them in a food processor again - and it turned out perfect!

Enjoy!

I'm copying this one over from another thread. I got some beautiful food gifts from Adam M and made some fantastic low carb tacos with some of the items. I used a recipe for Fiesta Tacos from El Pinto restaurant in Albuquerque! I chose these because they looked tasty and familiar to me - I always make tacos with meat, onions, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and salsa. Here was the twist: I never made the taco meat with stewed green chile before! So I followed their recipe using the Monroe's Stewed Green Chile sent by Adam, and we absolutely LOVED IT! Zim is a convert for life!


We used these Santa Fe Tortilla Company Carb Chopper low carb tortillas (4 net grams each), the Monroe's stewed green chile and the Sadie's salsa which were naturally low carb, so this was a low carb feast!

(Note: The flowers are some little wild flowers Zim picked and brought in for me! )

Tortillas, ground beef, stewed green chile, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes and salsa. We pigged out on these and loved every bite!


Those are the best low carb tortillas we have ever had - and we have tried many! The wheat version is sold at Sam's Club in some stores, but the flour version is only sold in local stores in New Mexico and California. (I contacted the Santa Fe Tortilla Company and found this all out.) They can be purchased online from a company called Lo Carb-U (locarbu.com) I have already placed an order so we have some to freeze! Thank you so much for all of this, Adam!

Oh man so good !

Thank you Chickie for your recipe shared for that lovely watermelon delight! And also those tortillas -wow such a great menu and all good for you too.

Its defiantly warm enough to enjoy that drink in the shade on the porch- like the old folks down south on their screened in porches.

I can bet the chickens would love to commandeer that melon smoothie all for themselves

Hey Sharon! Thank you! I just picked up a watermelon at the grocery store. I see another batch of granita coming soon! Granita has a crunchier texture than a sorbet, but is the same kind of thing - a flavored ice. perfect on a summer day!

I will be careful to accidentally lop off a pile of good melon with the rind to set out for the girls!

My chooks all loved watermelon.

They'd line up in a group looking up at me- waiting for me to set down the rinds- and like you- I always left a very generous ripe portion attached.

It cooled them down -gave them entertainment- and for me in watching them as well.

Im going to prepare this elegant drink and enjoy in the shade on my deck .

I'm gonna have to try that granita.
You guys are so welcome. Wow I'm glad you found a site that sells those tortillas.

Sharon and Adam, I'll be waiting for the granita report! My melon is still sitting here, waiting to become somebody!

I'll copy this over from my What's for Supper thread. Good low carb stuff! Rare prime rib, creamed horseradish (from last year's garden) and cauliflower rice pilaf with toasted almonds. (I didn't mention the cauliflower part on the other thread.)

I made the pilaf with a tiny bit of rice and the bulk of it was minced cauliflower and some toasted almonds. The flavor was good, but again, I overcooked the cauliflower and it was too soft. I was after a rice texture. My advice would be if you try to make a "rice" pilaf out of the minced cauliflower, it barely needs cooking. Those bits are so small, you start sauteing them and they'll be too soft before you know it!

I made a salad with new garden scallions and radishes and some avocado too!

Good stuff!

Thought I'd copy this supper from last night over to here. We had some freezer goodies and some fresh garden stuff. Zim sauteed up some venison loin and onion and I made zucchini pancakes with garden zucchini, basil, eggs and Parmesan cheese ...

... and a dollop of sour cream!

I posted the "official" recipe for the zucchini pancakes on the other thread, but for lower carbs, I use less flour and more egg to bind them together. All good!

And while I'm at it, here was another recent low carb supper we loved.

This is Poor Man's Walleye (Poor Man's Lobster made with walleye instead)

with drawn butter and a side of little zucchini and yellow squash coins, sauteed in butter and dill. Man, that was good!

How are you low carbers doing out there?

Oh boy ! What beautiful cuisine !

That ti candle is perfect effect

In this summer temps its so easy for me to just enjoy salads- with neat proteins added- avocado, meat of any kind- boiled eggs, nuts and cheeses, with tasty dressing and a tall cool mug of water .

Thanks, Sharon Chickie! You should post a photo of one of those nice low carb salads for inspiration!

Here's another one! (I've been working on a deadline lately and have some suppers I didn't get time to post!)

Chicken breasts stuffed with ham and Swiss, with some almond green beans and garden green onions and radishes.


There are more ideas here somewhere ...

Ill try and remember that next time.

Im taking some of the photos from here to my iPad to save, then Ill have photos to see as Im preparing my menus -pictures help a lot

Back up for anymore recipes out there

Thought I'd bring this one back up and see what cooking out there in the low carb world. I've seen some diabetes threads lately and this might give folks some ideas.

Here's another meal from a few days ago. We had roasted pork tenderloin with browned sage butter and a simple salad with some bell peppers and ranch dressing. Hidden Valley Ranch is one of the best grocery store brands for low carb diets.


Along with that we heated up some of my garden minestrone soup from last fall. it has everything that comes out of the garden in it! Good stuff!


I would love it if any of you will add your low carb ideas here. We can all use some inspiration and new ideas!

[/b]3/4 cup Stevia in the Raw[b]


What is Stevia???

An all-natural sweetener.

Here's a link to site we use. The bread and pizza crust are awesome !! The hard part of Paleo for me was losing bread . This helped . If you want more bread and dessert ideas PM me.

https://www.facebook.com/DociaLenz/media...8272&type=3

I'm hungry

Here you go, Canvasback.

It's next to the sugar in our grocery stores. I use it in coffee and anywhere I can instead of sugar.

Yup, you nailed it, bowhunter! Best thing is to learn to just not eat sweets! I have learned to eat everything for the way it is, naturally!

Patrice, love your supper !

I sure do love preparing browned sage butter . Ill be enjoying that again soon, with rave reviews every time from my appreciative beloved recipient

Sorry I missed your call, Chickie ! Ill be catching up with you , eventually, though

Those great meals go so well in cool weather !

On the surface......

Breakfast this am: 2 eggs beaten, a half cup of left over ground elk and black beans thrown in, 1/4 cup quinoa mixed in, all blended. Throw into hot cast iron with some olive oil, cook like an omelet. Top with fresh baby spinach and a fresh jalapeño. Supper: a big hunk of venison well seasoned (cut is irrelevant). Throw in hot cast iron skillet, sauté up another fresh jalapeño and enjoy. Tomm, rinse and repeat lol. Low carb was my diet before I knew it was a diet lol

What is the low Carb Diet good for ? Diabetes, Stomach problems, Weight control?

Yup, yup, and yup. It’s not for everyone, and to truely reap the benefits of it, you need to be committed to it, not treat it like a diet, treat it like a lifestyle. Like Lee said, if you can completely eliminate sugars, you’re better off. I don’t eliminate carbs completely, I just choose them carefully. Complex carbs are a great source of fuel for your body to burn and give you energy and while they’re getting burnt, all that protein your eating can go where it belongs, your muscles.

Is a low carb diet also lower in Cholesterol ?

Is this considered low carb? I made it tonight, pork tenderloin and veggies...honestly I don't know what low carbs are...

Them taters kinda carb it up a bit . Like I said, all carbs aren’t bad. Honestly, one of the worst carbs (at least for me) is beer.....of course I was averaging 12 a day on a light day lol. Best thing I ever gave up

All of the above, Canvasback, plus more.

patrice> are you diabetic or just going for a better lifestyle in eating?
i dont mind low carb but was notified im pre diabetic and now have to Do way better or take a pill. not what i'm wanting to do.
I love you dinner pictures, they truly look wonderful!

Stevia is an artificial sweetener just like aspartame and sucralose. It's made from the leaf of a stevia plant, which supposedly makes it safer than the others. The others were supposed to be safe as well, but we'll see. I'm convinced aspartame is really bad for us.

Definitely not.

Any guess as to how much one of these meals are lower in Cholesterol , Sugar, and fat , as opposed to prepared the regular way ? I tried Nutra Sweet , but that gives me severe headaches.

What meals are definitely out , when it comes to a Low Carb Diet ?

Canvasback, for one- starches- potatoes, corn, rice,grains, especially refined grain like white bread and flour .

Most all the sugars are out- except stevia. That is not an artificial sweetener, that Ive ever known, and is the only one that is good and can be mixed into anything. As mentioned earlier, if there are any added ingredients to it, the label will let you know if they are natural or ok- Ive been using Stevia for years. It is not artificial - but the real thing and can be used as much as one likes.

High fructose corn syrup - for me- is a killer. Something about its makeup is far worse for me than any other natural sugar.

Im on the go today so our Patrice can surely fill you in better than I !

You will feel better trying this ! Main thing is that it makes a person insulin balanced again. The body stops making excess insulin it doesn't need- which creates a world of health trouble down the road.

Maintaining your girlish figure is just a happy by product

So let's say one wants to start looking at low carb style diet....what types of food fall into this catagory?
When should one consider a diet like this? And what are the benefits of doing so?

I'm a simple eater and food shopper....I honestly never look at a label, yes I know I should...my grocery shopping is get in get out..

Besides potatoes being the bad apple, I don't think my diet is that bad but I'm not sure I guess...

I eat a lot of fresh cooked meats, love veggies, and dairy...that's my diet...I'm 49, and have been eating like this since my mom cooked my first meal....as I age I'm thinking more about what's going on with my lifestyle and maybe I need my diet tweaked a bit....

Thanks

There seems to be some new people looking at this. Just know that eating low carb and losing weight isn't necessarily the same as eating healthy. They are not one in the same. You can lose weight by not eating healthy. Carbs is just one of the variables you should be monitoring. Too many people think that carbs are everything and that is only a small piece of the puzzle.

As you can see in Patrices pics she tries to round everything out with leafy greens and veggies too.


A "low carb" diet is one that stays away from carbs. i.e. eatting a hamburger without a bun b/c bread is a carb. the meat isn't.

Therefore eating a pound of bacon would be "low carb" but not necessarily healthy eating. Some laugh but I've talked to plenty of people that don't understand that.

Moderation and a healthy lifestyle is key to be being healthy.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/carbohydrate-foods-topic-overview

Foods containing carbohydrate are grouped into the following categories. The carbohydrate content is listed in grams (g). If you eat a larger portion, count it as more than one serving.

One serving of carbohydrate has 15 grams of carbohydrate. Of course, not all foods contain exactly 15 grams of carbohydrate. Typically if a food has 8 to 22 grams of carbohydrate, that is equal to 1 carbohydrate serving.

Bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beans, and starchy vegetables: 15 g of carbohydrate per serving (1 carbohydrate serving)
1 slice bread (1 oz)
1/4 bagel
3/4 cup dry cereal
1/2 cup cooked cereal
1/3 cup cooked rice or pasta
1/2 cup cooked beans, lentils, or peas
1/2 cup cooked corn
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
Vegetables: 5 g of carbohydrate per serving
1 cup raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
1/2 cup vegetable juice
Fruits: 15 g of carbohydrate per serving
1 small apple or orange
1/2 banana
1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
1/2 cup fruit juice
1/4 cup dried fruit
Milk and yogurt: 15 g of carbohydrate per serving
These are also good sources of calcium.

1 cup milk
2/3 cup plain yogurt. (Food with added sugar will contain more carbohydrate, so check the label.)
Sweets
The carbohydrate content of sweets varies according to the ingredients. Talk with a registered dietitian about how to work these foods into your meal plan.

For a complete listing of foods containing carbohydrate, contact the American Diabetes Association.

Yep, that's what I have been working on.

Zim

Start reading the labels on products you buy and you'll soon learn what carbs are. They are virtually in everything except pure meets. Even fruits and vegetables have carbs(natural sugars) but some of their carbs are better than processed sugar and bleached flour.

On the Low Carb diet, are these foods OK for that diet ?

Apple Pie

Fish Fry

Maple Syrup

Honey

Milk.

Fruitcake ???

Sorry - I was out of town last night.

Ronaround, I have been at times in the range of what they call pre-diabetic and have also had extremely high blood pressure at the same time. Low carb eating helps with weight loss, drops your blood pressure and changes all kinds of things for the better. I have done blood work and then started Atkins induction diet and had blood drawn and tested again in six weeks. It was like night and day.

Like I said before on the Type 2 Diabetes thread, I know a bunch of people now who ate their way out of Type 2 and no longer need any meds for diabetes or blood pressure (which drops along with your insulin levels). These are people who had to take pills or injectable insulin before they discovered Atkins and other low carb diet approaches.

BernieB, stevia is a natural plant sweetener. Zim has grown stevia in our garden. Maybe you were thinking of Splenda? That's an articial sweetener.

Canvasback, I'm guessing you already know what some high carb foods are Carbs are basically sugars and starches - both of which translate into blood sugar after you eat. That includes obvious sugary sweets, many fruits and juices, starches like pasta, rice and breads, and starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes. It takes some study in the beginning to get a handle on which foods are high in carbs. Most low carb diets count "net carbs" (which are total grams of carbs minus grams of fiber) when reading food labels or books.

Low carb foods include meat, fish, poultry and seafood along with a whole bunch of vegetables, cheeses and even butter. You can Google the net carbs in any food. It might be helpful to buy a book to read about low carb dieting as well. Protein Power or one of the Atkins books would be a good start. All written by doctors who have treated loads of patients with diet. Most formal low carb diets start with a couple weeks of really restricted carbs to get your system on track. Atkins, for instance, starts out with two weeks of what he calls his "induction" diet, which allows you a total of 20 net grams of carbs per day. After doing that for a short time and looking up how many grams of carbs and fiber are in everything you eat, you get a pretty good idea of what you need to do.

Anyway, after you eat carbs, they turn into blood sugar. Your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream to get that sugar out and do one of two things with it: it either converts it to immediate energy if you are working hard and need immediate fuel, or it directs it into storage as body fat. After a lifetime of eating a diet too high in carbs and having an overabundance of insulin running through veins every day, we become resistant to our own insulin and it no longer works as well - so we need more to do the same job of processing out an overabundance of blood sugar. The more carbs we eat, the more insulin we need and the less efficient our own insulin becomes - we become insulin resistant. When we creep up to the point that our own internally produced insulin can no longer keep up with the job of processing our blood sugar, due to this insulin resistance, we become Type 2 diabetic. A type 2 diabetic can produce as much insulin as everyone else - it just isn't enough because it doesn't work right anymore. That should tell you what happens if you keep eating the same but adding outside meds to the situation. More insulin >>> more insulin resistance >>> more need for more insulin. It's a problem that keeps advancing.

What the low carb doctors have found is that if you make a sharp turn and really cut out carbs to an extreme for a short time, and then stay with a low carb diet for a while, you body readjusts. After less exposure to sugars and insulin, you become more sensitive to your own insulin and it begins to work efficiently again. Your system becomes more normalized like other people again. That is what happens in the people who end up getting off all of the diabetes meds through low carb dieting. They lose their insulin resistance. With a little education on carbs and the ability to monitor their own blood sugar, many people can live normal lives without added insulin or other meds - as long as they watch what they eat and not head down the high carb road again.

I hope that explanation sheds a little light on the subject!

Patrice do you eat any beans? I'm starting this and know that beans have carbs not sure if the fiber offsets it tho. It's interesting that you talked about severely cutting carbs to start, I tried that and almost became single as i was so cranky and felt miserable. I've cut out all refined carbs and have tried to stay under 50 total carbs A day but that's not net carbs. Thanks for your write up as i learned alot and its clearer then some of the things on the web.

Ps I did this inconjuntion with joining a gym and going at least 5 days a week

Check the total carbs and subtract the fiber for the beans you are eating and you'll know how many net carbs they have. Because of the carbs, I wouldn't eat beans if I'm just cracking down and starting out but I would work them in later. They're good for you and make for some nice recipes.

Nvwrangler, it would be interesting to find out how many net carbs you've been eating after you subtract the grams of fiber. Might be lower than you think!

I think it's time to bring this thread back to the top before I lose track of this in my backup threads. I can't believe it's been over a year! I have added some low carb foods and recipes to my collection, and I will gather those up and get some photos taken and added here. Some folks might need some inspiration!

Im glad you brought this back upstream, Chickie !

Lots and lots of good info on this.

Always works for good health for anyone .

Actually, I can add a quick photo of the ham and cheese and tomato omelet from breakfast ...


I'll get some new stuff out here for you interested folks!

I have been Type 1 since I was a young little guy. I could type for hours on Type 1.

All that being said. Being very active still at 50 plus. I limit my portions and my carbs at every meal. 60 carbs per meal, 20 for snacks. And as much protein as I think I can get away with.

Days of cheating because of strawberry shakes, peanut buster parfaits, beer. Well, that's what they make pumps for and the ability to bolus,LOL.

Since this is a low carb supper, I'll copy it here too ...

I stuffed a couple of chops with a mixture of lots of garden garlic, thyme and spinach in Parmesan and cream cheese and baked those on a cedar plank. I sauteed up some large julienne cut garden squash and dill in olive oil and added some sliced garden tomatoes.

Coloradocat, I hope you have it under control. Type 1 isn't something you bring upon yourself. It's something you have to manage for a lifetime as you well know. I hope you continue to feel great.

For the people starting out and getting Type 2 under control (and eventually eliminating it), a lot of diets/programs/plans start around 20 net grams of carbs per day to get insulin resistance turned around. It really works.

Thanks for posting, Patrice.

You're welcome, Run. I'm happy if you find it worthwhile.

I just polished off a pint of this.

These two flavors are pretty good. They aren't cheap, but for something decadent for only a few net carbs, it's a nice option!

A whole pint, Patrice? I bet that is 6 grams per serving, not six grams per pint! Food police!

I modified my diet that I was on. Having type 2 for as long as I have, it's getting harder to control. But I did the six grams of carbs a meal for a year and a half. Really didn't change my a1c at all, so I worked some carbs back in, and it hasn't hurt my numbers any. They are still too high, but as usual, I'm still searching for answers!

Edit..........It says it is....just wow! Never seen that brand before!

You guys are tough hombres. I would tip over dead on 6 gram meals. 6 grams aint even enough to kick your sugar up on a low,LOL.

Where'd ya find that!

Low-carb, high-fat is the best (& only) diet I've ever been on. Aside from Standard American, but I didn't feel too great on all that

That just appeared at our closest grocery store, and we're sure not on the cutting edge of what's new. I was surprised to see it, but I think enough people are looking for option like that now, that low carb and keto foods are showing up more in the mainstream.

My breakfast every morning was a banana, raw broccoli, and carrots. Found out the banana was bad news. Now, I just eat the broccoli & carrots. What other fruits are OK for a high protein, low carb diet?

Fruits are usually pretty high in sugar. The lowest are some of the berries. You may want to look up carbs and fiber in raspberries. I think those are some of the lowest in net carbs (total grams of carbs minus grams of fiber = net carbs).

Eggs for breakfast are a great option!

Is blended Canadian Whisky high in carbs?

Nope!

This is a great thread - fantastic info. Keep it coming.
Just saw Trapper7's post. Are bananas bad?

Unfortunately, bananas are high in sugar . Once the goals are reached in the body's health, as mentioned earlier, moderate carbs/sugars in splurge once in a while is ok as long as the general lifestyle way of eating is maintained . Bananas sure are good , though !

thanks Sharon. Been having one about every morning to "eat healthy", but guess I will cut it back to once or twice a week or less.

Patrice is much better than I in breaking down carb amounts , but we both still like the occasional splurge times too. In moderation , then back to maintenance mode

Is that Rebel brand ice cream made in Wisconsin? I have not seen that brand of ice cream in Virginia.

I didn't notice, Run. I guess I'll have to go buy more today just so I can check it out!

BLTs for lunch at the lake today Patrice. As far as I'm concerned fresh produce is the only good thing about summer.

Tonight it's brisket and tenderloin on the pellet with Cole slaw beans and some potatoes. I better invite the neighbors

I'll bet you meant to post this on the What's for Supper thread! Sounds great though!!!!

It says it's from Rebel Creamery in Midway, Utah! (I'm eating some more now!)

A banana was my morning breakfast to take with my BP pills. And I love bananas as long as they are pretty green and not too ripe. Gave them up and switched to one piece of wheat toast and some raw broccoli and carrots.

It's been about 3 weeks since I started watching my carbs and eating more protein. I've lost 5 pounds so far and gained a notch on my belt.

You guys should make a cookbook. I'd love to make some of these recipes!

The other night I did a pork roast in coconut milk with some chopped onions, celery, & broccoli. Lots of curry & cayenne too.. Man, that was delicious!

Here's a great recipe for you brownie eaters

Keto Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup erythritol sweetener (We have Swerve at our local grocery store.)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee (optional)
10 tablespoons butter
2 oz dark chocolate
3 eggs
½ teaspoon real vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch or 8x9 pan with parchment paper, aluminum
foil or grease with butter.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients - almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, erythritol, and instant coffee. Be
sure to whisk out all the clumps from the erythritol.
3. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, Melt butter and chocolate for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until just melted.
Whisk in the eggs and vanilla then gently whisk in the dry ingredients just until mixed through. Be careful not to
over mix the batter or it will become cakey.
4. Transfer batter into a baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out moist. cool
for at least 30 mins to 2 hours in the fridge and slice into 16 small squares. The batter will set up a bit more as it cools.

Each brownie is about 2 grams of carbs.

These are insanely gooey and rich. I warmed one and plopped it on top of a bowl of Rebel low carb vanilla ice cream and got the huge thumbs up from Zim. I need to make more, and I will add a photo when I do!

That even looks to be gluten free, Patrice. Thank you for that, we're gonna try it!

Good stuff, Patrice ! I was thinking of this thread in seeing the newer one on loosing weight ...lots of very solid medical info on this one on insulin resistance , BP rates, etc., and the good results of low-carb high protein eating. With some high carb indulgence in moderation once the goals are met .

Great ingredients in those brownies !

Nice thread! Just saw this thread this morning. We have been doing Keto for the last year basically. Especially since our youngest son was diagnosed with T1D in May. I will have to post up a couple of the recipes we have found. Some winners, but a lot of losers in the recipe world! Hardest thing we have found is getting over the texture of almond flour in a lot of the dessert recipes.

Thanks, Sharon!

No kidding, NEYotetrapper! When you fry anything using almond flour as a coating, you have to be really careful not to overcook it too. Burnt almonds do not taste good!

I don't have anything useful to add to the thread at this time, but I wanted to bring it back to the top and be sure it doesn't die with all this great information! Happy trapping! ScottW

Green bananas are ok, just don't eat them if they get too ripe. Most Dr's that explain low carb or keto diets agree on that. Just make sure you keep approximately 70% fat and 20% protein in your diet. If you cheat vary the protien, not carbs.

As most of us have learned, you will lose weight even if that wasn't the plan, and your blood profile will get much better.

Since August 7th my wife has lost 21# and I have lost 46#. She has a thyroid condition so it has been difficult for her but this is really working. It works, now we need to stay with it for the rest of our lives. Not go back to what caused the weight gain.
Dropping a very stressful 3rd job has helped me immensely as well, losing the stress. I am a stress eater. I have done tis prior need to keep the weight off now.

I am glad this topic is back to the top. I think a number of folks who haven't seen this could really enjoy and benefit from all the good info , and excellent recipes contained.

Lately, some have posted topics on low-carb eating, insulin, etc., and this very thread is what I think of as reference, every time the subject comes up.

I'm getting in the mood for making more of that cauliflower salad . Fixed just like potato salad, only without potatoes, it really tastes the same. Since both cauli and taters are bland and take on the seasonings they're blended with. Even the texture is very much the same with both being in mashed form.

Hey Chickie....do you have an air fryer ? I'm thinking on getting one ! I bet you would do amazing things with one of those !

The low carb high protein diet is great for losing weight. There is a problem with it for me, though: Constipation. I've tried Metamucil and other fiber supplements. The only thing that worked was Mira-Lax. But, you aren't supposed to take it every day. I started eating an apple or cantaloupe every day which helped, but wasn't a perfect solution. Coors Light helped too. But, I don't care to drink beer every day either.

For me, it's been an off and on diet. I originally lost 10 pounds and managed to keep it off.

Salads are good fiber, and you can combine it with meat to make a good meal. A salad dressing Mediterranean style with olive oil is good.

Coconut oil tastes very good melted in water . Just heat some water in a cup or glass a bit to melt the cocnut oil , then have it warm, or top it off with cool water. Actually warmed water has a nice effect with the oil in it, like watered down coffee.

If you like coffee, coconut oil in that makes a great drink too.

Drink lots of water, which folks need to do anyway.

Avocados with melted butter and seasonings in them are very good fiber too.

Every morning I have 1/2 a slice of toasted oatmeal bread to take with my pills. My two shih tzus share the other half. I also have a cup of hibiscus tea usually.

For lunch today I had a crusted chicken breast sandwich without the bread and a lettuce salad with Ranch dressing.
I've heard of coconut milk, but not coconut oil. Do you buy that in any grocery store? Maybe I could add it to my tea.

I love coffee, but can't drink it because I have Afib. That's what my pills are for.

I drink a lot of water, two 16 ounce glasses with my lunch and two or 3 more later afternoon.
I don't much like avocados. I love squash. Is that any good?

I'm glad I can eat what ever I want and when I want It and I'm no worse for wear.

T7, yes the store has it...in the sections with other veggie oils. Stores that have natural food sections especially have it. Like olive oil, I think there are coconut oils that are more bland, and others that smell and taste so good like fresh coconut. It is a crisp clean solid oil, not runny at all. Like bear fat . White and solid.

You can add that to lots of foods . The oil helps with the body's smooth operation.

Squash is great fiber, and with butter mixed in, if you want, makes it a nice option too.

Like all the info mentions, as soon as you get on an even keel with your goals, carbs and yes even some spurge foods not so good can be enjoyed. Just not make it a habit too much. I call it taking the ramp back onto the interstate to keep the balance in low carbs, in general.

Hey Beav......aren't you the cat's meow ! This is for you....

Peanut butter cup: 1- no sugar added fudgesicle , 2 tbs all natural peanut butter , 2 tbs sugar free Cool Whip. Microwave fudgesicle for about 4-5 seconds so it will slide off the stick into a bowl. Add peanut butter and Cool whip. Really helped me when I had cravings for a sweet.

Because the US food pyramid is upside down, folks might want to watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ePOa7JPKBE

I proved it to myself with my last annual physical and bloodwork in August. Everything improved just as all of the low carb Dr's suggest. As Dr Nadir Ali says, "eating fat won't make you fat". I might add, eating too many carbs probably will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXtdp4BNyOg

Hope this helps. Stick with olive oil, not seed oils.

3togo, that's awesome. You and a host of other folks too.

You won't hear this from mainstream AMA sources , though some of them privately agree in whole heart. Anything that people can do to help themselves without spending tons of money is generally frowned upon .

Food is the cornerstone of health, even changing how the body heals, and operates , along with building powerful immune systems.

People have been consuming healthy fats forever.

If I recall right, I think Patrice has some things to take care of, to hopefully be back here and enjoy your success too.

Thanks Sharon. Dr Steven Gundry also has a Youtube channel where he posts a new video every week. He is a retired heart surgeon and has been doing functional medicine for the last 20 years since no longer replacing hearts.
The Cleveland Clinic also has an entire section (department) related related to functional medicine. Dr Mark Hyman.

There is tons on info out there, most has been uncovered in the last 15 years. It all disproves the food pyramid and the poor job US food producers have done supplying healthy food for US citizens. Processed food not good.

Have any of you looked at the BMI for what it says you should weigh according to the experts. I should weigh 11 pounds less then when I graduated high school. I wrestled and was lean then. LOL

Patrice, I've looked at your meals on the first page of this thread, you're fancy. Beautiful meals.

From what I see, I guess you're into the keto thing. I'm more of a meat and tater type of guy. But your meals look delicious, and I'm sure they are.