Interim

So, I'm still living with the ex-boyfriend. It's been not fun.

Today, after 13.75 years, is my last day as a professional Graphic Artist. Myself and four other co-workers got to experience downsizing. Boo.

I lucked out though....I have a job again next Monday as a Sales Assistant for the same company. The upside: I will no longer have to commute. The downside: Significant wage cut. So hopefully what I lost in wages, I'll gain in saved gas money. But I was already living paycheck to paycheck...so...it is what it is.

I've pinned a few recipes I want to low-carb. Hopefully in August I can start cooking and posting recipes again.

Right now I'm just going to follow the pace of my transitioning life. Change is good.

Where have you been?

So...my gentleman caller suggested that we move in together. So we did. That was September of 2012.

It was not what I expected.

My excuse for not posting blogs: My kitchen is actually tinier than my previous residence.

What else is going on?
Said gentleman caller has decided to let me in on a little secret. He has problems. Real and serious problems. And now everything about the past year makes sense. I now also no longer recognize the person that I am sharing a home with. I'm also stuck in a lease with said stranger until August...and he just lost his job.

I wonder how this is gonna affect my numbers at the Doctor's on Wednesday. I'm hoping my blood pressure isn't through the roof. But I do kinda feel like a walking panic attack at the moment.

Hells bells.

Please forgive my absence. If my life straightens out before August I hope to start posting again. Right now the outlook is kinda bleak.

And so as not to leave you with such a downer, check out http://www.superbetter.com.

No Julienne?

They say necessity breeds innovation...

So I made some taco meat, then I discovered that I only had enough lettuce and tomato for one serving.

The taco meat was good. I don't typically measure my ingredients so there won't be a recipe. I do throw in a bunch of chili powder and cumin. Some salt, pepper, oregano, cinnamon and a tiny bit of red pepper. I add alot, think about as much as in a store bought taco seasoning packet.

I was also out of cumin....

So i decided I would try adding a can of tomatoes and tomato paste, thinking it would be more on the chili side of things. I was dreaming about my own kind of low-carb hamburger help. 

That's not really what happened. I mean it was definitely edible. But it wasn't hamburger helper.

But it did result in this tip.

I've been seeing all over the internet that people are using zucchini as spaghetti noodles by cutting them with a julienne slicer.  I don't have one of these. 

However, if you take a long knife and score your zucchini the long way, not quite all the way through...you can than take a carrot peeler and peel yourself some noodles. 

It worked pretty great. You can set them in a colander for 15 mins with some salt and let them soften up, squeezing the moisture out after the 15 mins is done.

I also tried eating them without the salt, (it was a little too salty for my taste) and my stomach kinda sounded like I had trapped Chewbaca inside of it. I clearly need to find a happy medium.

 

Low Carb Nutella Crepes

Sometimes I regret having a super old Minolta E323 camera from I'm guessing 2005ish...
The photo I took for the knock off Nutella Recipe that I low-carbed is underwhelming to me. I thought it would be prettier in a crepe.

I've also been meaning to try the recipe for the Cream Cheese pancakes from this blog:
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/cream-cheese-pancakes.html

Today was the day to try for another "Nutella" picture and make some pancakes.

I made my "Nutella" first. Sliced up some berries. Whipped up some cream. Made the pancakes. Put it all together and here is what I got.

These crepes are also great with Sugar Free Maple Syrup.
I will never buy a low carb pancake mix ever again.
These are much better.
Sadly...you can't see the hazelnut spread inside.

I find that the pancakes are really more crepe-like.

Recipes:
Cream Cheese Crepes
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 packet artificial sweetener. (today I used Truvia)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in the Magic Bullet, or some sort of food processor until smooth. Let rest for two minutes to allow some of the bubbles to disperse.
Cook over a medium heat. Approximately 2 mins for the first side, 1 minute for the flip side.
This made 6 crepes for me. Net Carbs: 2.5

Whipped Cream
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Dash of Stevia
Dash of Vanilla

Whip together in the Magic Bullet with the flat blade. It takes mere seconds.
Net Carbs: 1

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Ingredients:
1 oz. roasted hazelnuts
1 oz. sugar free chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
(optional)
1/2 tsp of sugar free hazelnut syrup. (I currently have Torani. I like Monin O'Free as well)

Directions:
Chop up hazelnuts in food processor. Depending on your processor switch blades.
Continue processing nuts. In my machine they get really fine and form a ball.
Continue processing nuts. Eventually the ball flattens out and starts to glisten.
Stop processing nuts. Switch back to a chopping blade.

In a microwave safe container combine chocolate chips with cream.
Microwave for about 30 seconds on a medium high setting. Check with a spoon to see if the chips are melty.
If not, microwave a bit longer.
If they are melty, add the cream and chocolate chips to the nut butter. Blend all ingredients together.

Net carbs: 6

To assemble spread hazelnut spread on top of the crepes and roll up. Dollop whipped cream on with a spoon.

Net carbs without berries: 9.5 (That's for all 6 crepes!)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread...Low Carb of course

Chocolate Hazelnut spread served with low carb crackers
 that I'm still perfecting for bloggery purposes.

On the menu today....my  low-carb version of Nutella. It's not as smooth as its predecessor...but a low-carber needs all the fiber they can get.

You will need an appliance that can chop nuts, and then turn them into nut butter. I use both blades that the Magic Bullet came with. Basically, you use the one with the blades sticking up to chop up the nuts. Then you use the flat one to turn them into nut butter. Then you go back to the chopping blade to add the melted chocolate and cream. I've tried this recipe with and without sugar free hazelnut syrup. I'm undecided which way I like it better, so I will leave that to your discretion.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Ingredients:
2 oz. roasted hazelnuts
2 oz. sugar free chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream
(optional)
1/2 tsp of sugar free hazelnut syrup. (I currently have Torani. I like Monin O'Free as well)

Directions:
Chop up hazelnuts in food processor. Depending on your processor switch blades.
Continue processing nuts. In my machine they get really fine and form a ball.
Continue processing nuts. Eventually the ball flattens out and starts to glisten.
Stop processing nuts. Switch back to a chopping blade.

In a microwave safe container combine chocolate chips with cream.
Microwave for about 30 seconds on a medium high setting. Check with a spoon to see if the chips are melty.
If not, microwave a bit longer.
If they are melty, add the cream and chocolate chips to the nut butter. Blend all ingredients together.

This makes 2 servings. Some for today, and some for tomorrow!
Net carbs: 6

Microwave Oopsie Rolls

No, I did not invent them. I just put them in the microwave.
The awesome lady that did invent them and her original recipe can be found here:
http://yourlighterside.com/gluten-free-low-carb-buns-aka-oopsie-rolls/

She bakes them, and they are great when you bake them. Awesome, in fact. They turn out slightly brownish and are way prettier than mine.

However, today I'm lazy and time challenged, so I thought..."Okay, I have time to make these, but I'm going to throw one in the microwave as a test...just to see...and if that doesn't work...I'll try the NuWave." One Facebook hour later and driven by hunger, I actually made them.

I have one of those Microwave Egg Sandwich cooker things. It has a flip top lid. I left it open - sprayed top and bottom with cooking spray and put my batter in both compartments.

Mine came out flat...(I also got some yolk in my whites.) But for quick low carb, flatish bread in a pinch, this is what I'm doing from now on.

I present to you the Micro-Oopsie.
They come out about the size of an English Muffin.
I'd probably count it as 1 carb.

Recipe:
2 eggs
2 oz. cream cheese
Pinch of cream of tartar

Directions:
Separate yolks from whites into two separate bowls.
Add cream of tartar to whites. Beat the living heck out of this. Took me about 6 minutes with a whisk attachment at top speed. Whites should be stiff. (Makes kind of a cool pattern with the whisk.)
In separate bowl beat yolks and cream cheese til smooth.
Super slowly with a spatula, add yolk mixture to whites and fold in gently.
Spray something round and microwaveable with cooking spray. Put in 1/4 of the batter.
Microwave on high for 45 seconds til you start to hear a slight crackle.
If you have the same Micro Sandwich Cooker thing that I do, split half the batter between the two compartments. Microwave for about 1 min 30 seconds.
Take out and place on wire rack to cool. If they still seem a little too moist you can pop them back in the microwave for another 20-30 seconds.

Makes 4 pieces. 1 carb for two pieces.

Low Carb "Ravioli"

Welcome to my tiny kitchen and sub-par photography.
Today we are making Low Carb Zucchini "Ravioli.

You will need: a vegetable peeler, some sort of grill, I use a Flavorwave oven, but you could also make these on a Foreman Grill, (It is important the moisture is allowed to cook off.) a blender or Magic Bullet type appliance.

Ingredients:
"Ravioli"
4 oz. Zucchini

"Filling"
3 oz. boiled chicken
1/8 cup ricotta
1/8 cup mozzarella
1 tsp. freeze dried bazil
sprinkle of parmesan for flavor

"Sauce":
1/2 oz of cream cheese
1/4 c pizza sauce (I use Great Value)

Directions:
Cut off one edge of your zucchini. Stick a fork in the non-cut end.Peel off ribbons of zucchini for "noodles." Make a plus sign with two noodles going horizontally. Finish the plus sign with two noodles going vertically. Place mozzarella, and chicken in a blender and pulse. Add ricotta, basil and parm. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling at the center of your zucchini plus sign. Fold up the zucchini over the filling. Grill in your Foreman until slightly brown, or cook in your Flavorwave for 6 mins at 400. Flip and cook for another 6 mins.
(My guess for trying to cook these in an oven, place a cookie sheet under a metal cooling rack and bake on there.) While raviolis are cooking, melt cream cheese and pizza sauce together in a small sauce pan on medium low heat or microwave in a mug...easier dish to clean. Serve ravioli topped with sauce.

Stick a fork in one end and start peeling ribbons.

Make a plus sign, add filling.

Fold it and cook it.

Finished dish topped with sauce.  7.9 net carbs