Pork Rub Revisited #lowcarb

I don't measure anything as I've mentioned, but this will be close. Obviously, you will need to tweak these according to your taste also.

1 part ground cloves
1 part ground pepper
2 parts cinnamon
2 parts sea salt
3 parts garlic powder
3 parts onion powder
3 parts chili powder
(the darker the better!)
4 parts brown sugar sub
(I used DiabetiSweet)

I rub this into the pork about an hour before I cook it.

WHOA! Great Web Resource! #lowcarb

I happened upon the eBookBeta site this morning while looking for resources for my other blog. After I finished there, I did a quick search for low carb recipes and really hit pay dirt! What an AMAZING resource, not just for this subject, but seemingly for any other subject as well!

In the search that I've linked to my title above, the first link I clicked was invalid (I hadn't found any invalid links in my earlier search for my other blog), but the second one - 300 Healthy + Tasty Low Carb Recipes - looked very promising. As I was perusing it I saw that it might not be appropriate for all low carb plans, as some of the recipes do use ingredients that the more conservative of us low-carbers might not use. But the same can be said for many "low-carb" recipes, as that phrase has different meanings for different people and different plans. But, as always, we have to do our own research, know our own plans, be familiar with our own bodies' responses, and then change or dismiss what doesn't work for each of us.

But there are an incredible number of links to recipes and collections here, and definitely worth perusing for ideas...to say nothing of finding files of information on just about any topic! I'm really excited to have found this site :).

What I 8 Thurs/Fri (May 13-14) #lowcarb

Thursday still not much appetite, had a chicken leg quarter, roasted, and some whole green beans fried in butter and olive oil. Some popcorn in the evening but not much.

Friday I 8 a piece of leftover chicken early in the day, and a piece of grilled fatty chuck steak later in the day. Snack was a small dish of SF chocolate ice cream, and some more popcorn but not much.

If my appetite doesn't pick up, this will be a REALLY cheap summer! :)

What I 8 Wed. (5/12) #lowcarb

Couldn't eat much yesterday, so just had little snacks throughout the day. In total, I ate a piece of oopsie bread with SF strawberry perserves and butter; 2 grilled brats; 2 pieces of string cheese.

What I 8 Tuesday (5/11) #lowcarb

For lunch I had some crab meat mixed with LC ketchup, cream cheese, and horseradish on my homemade crackers. For supper I had a chicken leg quarter, roasted, with skin (the best part!) and some whole green beans cooked in olive oil, sea salt, and butter over high heat, stirring constantly, until they started to get some brown on them...tender but a little crispy...I LOVE them!

My snack was a CarbSmart ice cream bar. And, as a reminder, I always have my breakfast of coffee with a generous amount of heavy cream, and 4 prunes.

Jimmy Moore Goes Cheap! #lowcarb

Clicking on the title of this post will take you to Jimmy's episode of Livin' LaVida Low Carb that deals with budget. He has a few great suggestions that begin to dispute the myth that eating low carb is expensive - which is, of course, the entire purpose of this blog. Along with his and Christine's suggestions in this episode, you can check my actual shopping receipts that I post here each month for other ideas, as well as my Cheap'n'Easy recipes and meals.

Good to see someone of Jimmy's stature in the low carb world helping to get the message out: healthy low carb eating CAN be done easily on a budget.

May 2010 "Big Shopping" #lowcarb

As always, I still have a lot of food from previous months; if I were to live on only what's already in the house, we wouldn't starve for WELL over a month. But we tend to run out of certain things. Plus, of course, I like to take advantage of the sales.

Once again I want to mention that we don't keep carby foods in the house. Doing so is just making cheating all but inevitable for us.

From Glen's (a local chain of supermarkets):
2 boxes of prunes @ $2.59 ea
5 bottles of SF ketchup @ $2.99 ea
1# of vital wheat gluten flour @ $7.99
(And now you see why we don't shop at Glen's - everything is much more expensive than anywhere else. But this month, it was the only place I could get the ketchup and the flour...and I'd forgotten the prunes when I was at Meijer.)
TOTAL - $28.12

From Meijer:
1 package Diabetisweet brown sugar sub @ $6.99
1 container of water chestnuts @ $1.01 (marked down 40%)
3 cans of crabmeat @ $1.59 ea
2 cartons of eggs, 24 eggs each @ $2.13 ea
4 boxes of Dreamfield's @ $2.29 each
ground chuck, on sale for $1.48/lb @ $8.64
chicken leg quarters on sale for $0.79/lb @ $6.73
6 romaine hearts @ $4.69
1 jar SF strawberry preserves $2.69
2 boxes CarbSmart ice cream bars @ $2.99 ea
2 packages of Ideal sweetener @ $4.99 ea
6 cartons SF soy milk (chocolate and cappucino) @ $1.56 ea (on sale, normally $2.09)
1 carton sea salt @ $1.79 (on sale, normally $1.99)
2 cans chicken @ $2.00 ea (on sale, normally $2.59)
1 can salmo @ $2.19 (on sale, normally $2.29)
1 can SF apple pie filling @ $2.42 (on sale, normally $2.69)
4 one-lb bags frozen cooked shrimp @ $3.99 ea (on sale, normally $7.99)
1# raw almonds @ $5.49 (on sale, normally $5.99)
2 one-lb bags frozen tilapia @ $3.50 ea (on sale, normally $5.99)
1 can white kidney beans @ 1.00 (on sale, normally $1.15)
2 bags salad mix @ $1.19 ea (on sale, normally $2.19)
1 package fresh portabello mushrooms @ $1.79 (on sale, normally $2.99)
2 one-lb packages fresh ground pork @ $2.17 ea
TOTAL $138.48

from GFS:
2.5 bag frozen spinach @ $2.49
2.5 bag frozen sliced yellow squash @2.29
(2) 2.5 bags frozen whole green beans @2.99 ea
(2) 36-ct string cheese @ $7.99 ea
5# bag cleaned/cut fresh cauliflower @ $8.99
11.22# smoked ham @ $15.60 (and sliced free!)
4# bag blanched peanuts @ $9.99
1# bag real bacon crumbles @ $6.79
1 box 50 natural sausage links @ $9.79
gallon jar of dill pickle spears $2.99
5# box of frozen brats @ $23.49 (These brats are huge, and worth the high price)
1 two-lb can of decaf coffee @ $9.99
TOTAL - $114.37

Sav-a-Lot:
1 can chicken chow mein dinner @ $2.99
(4) 24 oz. packages of deli meat @ $0.99 ea
2 one-lb bags frozen stir-fry vegetables @ $1.39 ea
TOTAL $9.73

GRAND TOTAL $290.70

This food, along with what I already have, will feed Pete and I (full time) and my adult daughter and her toddler son (several days/week) for this month, and some will definitely carry over into next month. In addition, we usually spend about $100 more for odds and ends (fresh produce, dairy) through the month. I like keeping our bill to $75/week but I bought more convenience foods than I typically do. If I hadn't, I would have spent less. But I'm not able to stand for long periods in the kitchen, preparing and cooking meals, like usual. So I need simple right now in addition to cheap'n'easy :).

What I 8 Today (May 10) - Chicken Patties Recipe #lowcarb

For lunch I had a couple pieces of leftover roasted pork on romaine salad with buttermilk ranch dressing.

For supper I had 2 small chicken patties and steamed broccoli, with alfredo sauce. The sauce is made from a can of alfredo mix I got at GFS. I don't use it often, but the chicken patties turned out just a tad dry and they needed something, this was really quick as, of course, I didn't realize they were dry until I was just about to serve them.

Here is how I made them: put about a cupful of cooked chicken into the processor and processed until it was smooth; stirred in 2 eggs and about 1/4c of parmesan cheese; lightly made small (walnut-sized) balls which I pressed flat, then fried in a little olive oil until they were browned and crispy. I got 12 little patties. They were actually quite wonderful with the alfredo sauce on them, but the next time I will plan ahead and make my sauce instead of using the mix.

Then I had a CarbSmart ice cream bar.

Now to report on this month's grocery shopping...in another post :).

SF No-Bake Cookies #lowcarb #recipe

The other day I made these, based upon my memory of making the unhealthy ones way back before I started lowcarbing. I don't measure anything when I cook (or bake) so the amounts are just guesses.

First I melted in a pan:
1/4c SF peanut butter
1T butter

Then I added
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3c granulated Splenda
1/2c Ideal sweetener
1/2c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4c cocoa powder
1/4c steel cut oats
1/4c oat bran
and stirred it well. Then I added enough almond meal to get it really really thick and stiff.

Then I scooped it out onto a baking sheet covered with parchment and put them into the fridge overnight. I got 42 cookie "balls" out of the recipe.

I didn't figure up the carbs, it's certainly not induction-friendly, and I wouldn't eat more than 2-3 a day, but they're so rich, I wouldn't want to.

What I 8 Today (Mother's Day) #lowcarb

Lovely foodie day!

Started out with some oopsie french toast with SF syrup, and 2 all-natural SF sausage links.

Dinner was wonderful! I fried onions in just a touch of oil in my dutch oven, then ground sausage with the onions just until browned. Then I added a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, a can of drained mushrooms, a container of drained water chestnuts, and some leftover cooked shredded cabbage on top. I seasoned it all with some sesame oil and some soy sauce, covered it, and let it get all heated through, to really hot.

Meanwhile in a sauce pan I put some drained and rinsed shiritake noodles (angel hair) with some butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic/onion powders. Actually I seasoned the noodles quite heavily.

When the pork and vegetables were done I served them over the noodles. EXCELLENT!

For dessert I had a couple of the SF no-bake cookies I'd made on Friday, and for an evening snack I had a bowl of heavily buttered popcorn.

The eating parts of my day really rocked!

What I 8 Today Sat., 5/8 #lowcarb

We were out and about so stopped at a truck stop for lunch; got a lovely but huge chef's salad with buttermilk ranch dressing, half of which I brought home.

When I got home after an afternoon of shopping I had the rest of my salad, and some of the crackers I made yesterday with crab meat mixed with cream cheese, 1-carb ketchup, and horseradish as a dip.

This Week Cheap'n'Easy #Lowcarb

First of all, I still don't have a whole lot of appetite. (I wrote about that this week at my other blog.) So I'm not eating a whole lot of anything. But we've had a couple of stand-out meals this week anyway.

One was a restaurant where my husband took me for my birthday on the 5th. (I'm 53 but don't feel a day older than when I was just 52!) It was chicken breasts covered with smashed, cooked raspberries - not sweetened - and roasted almond slivers. It was AMAZING! The salad was good too, but the main dish was fantastic. And I'm sure I can duplicate it at home easily enough too.

The other was simple, and standard fare around here, but it just really hit the spot. We got a couple of hefty chuck steaks (my favorite cut, plenty of fat) on sale for $2.48/lb. I seasoned them with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder, and broiled them to medium-rare. With it, we had a simple romaine salad with shrimp and buttermilk ranch dressing. So simple. But really great.

One day we also had another of my favorites, pork and cabbage, with the skinny "baby" whole green beans, cooked in a frying pan with olive oil and butter and sea salt, over high heat, stirring constantly. That tender-crisp texture really is fantastic.

With the leftover cabbage I plan to make potsticker patties, we can have them with shiritake noodles fried with some chinese vegetables (yeah, from a can), seasoned simply with soy sauce and sesame oil. That will be our dinner for Mother's Day I think, when my mom is here. It will be something different.

And that's what's been going on in my cheap'n'easy lowcarb world :).