Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up and running! I'm a student, and a mommy, and a homemaker, and everything has just been so crazy busy that I haven't had a chance to get this blog going!
I've had knee problems for most of my life stemming from a childhood hiking accident. I just had reconstructive knee surgery in January to fix the problems, and I ended up 67 pounds overweight. I'm currently on a very low carb/calorie diet (<30g. carbs, usually 500-900 calories), strength training 2-3 times a week, and doing an hour of cardio per day on an elliptical. So far, I've lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks! These are a few of the recipes that have helped me to do it:
Low carb/low cal Deviled Eggs: 1g. carbs, 113 calories, 6 servings
Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs (bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the eggs for 20-25 min, then immediately run them under cold water in a strainer until cool, about 5-10 minutes)
2 tbsp. real mayonnaise (I use Naturally Delicious brand for the omega 3s and natural ingredients)
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt (I just eyeball it)
Freshly ground black pepper (I usually use 4 or 5 twists of the grinder)
Paprika to sprinkle on top
1 tsp. bread and butter pickles, finely chopped (about 1/2 spear - I use Vlasic)
Directions:
Peel the eggs and halve them lengthwise. Pop out the yolks and put them in a quart size ziplock bag. Add all the other ingredients to the bag and close it, letting out the air first. Squeeze the bag to mash the yolks and thoroughly mix the ingredients, then cut the bottom corner off the bag to create about a 1/2" opening. Squeeze the mixture into the egg whites, top with the paprika, and enjoy! This recipe is super easy to double, and even doubled you still only need a quart size baggie. I eat these for breakfast almost every day!
Bacon and Egg Frittata: 3g. carbs, 230 calories, 8 servings
Ingredients:
8 eggs
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. sea or kosher salt
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
Directions:
Beat the eggs, milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix in half the bacon, onions, and cheese. Pour into a greased (I use olive oil to grease) 2-quart oblong baking dish (Corningware Simply Light's is perfect). Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top and bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until you can pierce the top with a fork and have no egg stick. Remove the frittata from the oven and cover it tightly with foil for 5 minutes, then serve. Reheats beautifully in the microwave, just put a slice on a plate and heat on full power for 45-60 seconds. This is another favorite breakfast of mine!
Low-carb Chocolate Mousse: Carbs and calories vary by flavor, 16 servings
Ingredients:
1 4-serving box of Jello instant pudding mix (I've tried white chocolate and devil's food, both are amazing!)
1 cup skim milk
1 8-oz. tub Cool Whip, thawed
Directions:
Mix the instant pudding with the milk. Beat in the cool whip. Chill and enjoy :)
To calculate carbs/calories: 1 cup of skim milk has 12g. carbs and 90 calories. 1 8-oz tub of cool whip has 50g. carbs and 630 calories. Add in the carbs and calories from the entire package (not just one serving) of your chosen pudding mix, and you have the total carbs and calories in the entire batch. Divide by 16 servings and you have the carb and calorie info for each 1/4 cup serving. This is a great treat, but it's a little high in carbs for every day. The white chocolate mousse has 9.6g. carbs and 67 calories per serving.
Cheese Crisps: 0-1g. carbs, calories vary with cheese used, 1 serving
Ingredients:
1/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice
Whatever herbs and seasonings you want
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, mix the cheese with whatever seasonings you have chosen. I like mozzarella, provolone, or Italian blend with Italian herbs and crushed red pepper, pepper jack cheese by itself, and Mexican blend cheese with taco seasoning or powdered garlic, dried onion, and crushed red pepper. Drop the cheese in little piles, about 1 tsp. each, on a baking sheet lined with parchment. It has to be parchment, if you use cooking spray or foil the cheese just blackens. Put the cheese in the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove the cheese to a cool plate or, if you're lucky enough to have one, a granite countertop until cool. Several batches can be made at once and refrigerated for later use - just eat them cold or bring them to room temp, reheating them will burn them. Carb and calorie info can be found on the package of cheese; very few seasonings contain carbs or calories.
Roast Beef and Provolone Rollups: 0g. carbs, 126 calories, 1 serving
Ingredients:
1 slice deli roast beef
1 slice provolone cheese (I like Sargento smoked provolone)
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Put the slice of beef flat on a plate. Cut or break the slice of cheese in half on the diagonal and put the two halves on top of the beef and grind some pepper on top of the cheese. Roll the stacked beef and cheese up from one end, top with a bit more pepper, and enjoy!
Celery and Ranch Dressing: 2g. carbs, 60 calories, 1 serving
Ingredients:
4 stalks celery
2 tbsp. light ranch dressing
Directions:
Wash the celery, trim the ends, and halve each stalk lengthwise. Dip the celery into the dressing and enjoy! Surprisingly filling :)
Tomato-Mozzarella Salad: 2g. carbs, 203 calories, 1 serving
Ingredients:
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10-20 cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Diced red onion
Italian seasoning
Crushed red pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Halve or quarter the tomatoes. Put all ingredients in a quart-size ziplock bag, blow into the bag as you seal it to inflate it, and shake the bag well. Empty the bag into a bowl and enjoy :)
I have a few more great recipes, but this should be enough to start! I'll put some more up next time I have a few minutes.
