Low-Carb Watergate Salad

If you're local to my area, you're probably a regular at Sonny's BBQ. I ALWAYS get the salad bar when I go. I know some people don't want to make their own meal when they go to a restaurant, but I love salad bars and getting to make the perfect salad. Another thing that I love when I go is getting the Watergate Salad. If you don't know what that is, look it up and bask in its beauty... So good, but definitely full of sugar. A few years back, I came up with a low-carb version of this salad, and it's super easy to make.

What you'll need:

8 ounce container of Cool whip

1 packet of sugar free lime Jello mix

6 tbsp Cottage Cheese (full fat)

3 tbsp crushed pineapple (sweetened with Splenda)

What you'll do:

mix above ingredients together and place it in a resealable container

refrigerate for a few hours to allow it to set well

While this is lower carb than the original, you want to avoid eating it all at one time. A spoonful or two a day is a great little treat.

**Note: You can switch out the lime Jello for orange, and exchange the pineapple for mandarin oranges for a totally different flavor.  Try different mixtures and find your favorites!

Bacon-Cauli Soup

This weather is too winter-y for me.  I'm in Northeast Florida, and even though we don't get super cold her, anything below 70 is cold to me, being a native Floridian. I don't feel like I'm a huge soup fan.  I have lots of friends who get uber-excited when fall hits because it's soup weather. I've never really been that person.  Every now and then, I love a cup of chili or soup, but not too frequently.  When it's cold, like it has been, the mood does strike, though...  Here's a great soup that uses one of my favorite ingredients: BACON!

Here's what you'll need:

1 head of Cauliflower (cut into florets)

2 stalks of Celery (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

8 slices of bacon (cut with kitchen shears before frying)

salt and pepper to taste

xanthan gum to thicken

1 cup half and half

1 quart vegetable broth

Here's what you'll do:

First things first, let's cut and cook the bacon. I take a pair of kitchen shears and cut the bacon right into the pot you'll be cooking the soup in. Then, fry it up until it's crispy and let it settle on a paper towel lined plate. You'll come back to it later!

Now, to the pot, add your onion and celery.  Cook those for about 5 minutes and stir in your xantham gum.  Let that cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add in your cauliflower, and then pour in your half and half and chicken broth.  Bring this to a boil, and quickly reduce the heat to a simmer.  Allow this to simmer for about 15 minutes, which will bring the cauliflower to a tender place, but not mushy.

Add some salt and pepper to taste and serve piping hot!

 

Let's Try a Spinach and Cream Cheese Omelet!

Spinach is something that I have acquired a taste for more and more as I have gotten older. I love it fresh in a salad, or a deconstructed sub.  I love it cooked in a variety of dishes, including soups and dips.  This spinach and cream cheese omelet is SOOO good.  If you're a breakfast eater, add it into your rotation weekly. If you choose to skip breakfast, this is a great "breakfast for dinner" choice.  

Here's what you'll need:
2 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature or softened)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves (chopped to your preference)
EVOO for your pan

Here's what you'll do:|
In a medium bowl, you'll mix together your cream cheese and your spinach.  In a separate bowl, you'll beat your 2 large eggs.  Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your preheated pan.  Pour in your eggs and cook on medium heat until you can flip your them, and flip them. Spread your cream cheese and spinach mixture onto the cooded side of the eggs.  Give that about 30 seconds to ensure the other side of the eggs are cooked.  At that point, fold your eggs in 1/2, and wait approximately 1 minute for the cream cheese and spinach mixture to melt.  Remove your omelet from the heat, and serve immediately.  I can't wait to hear how it this tastes!  Enjoy.

I was all about Eggs before Egg Fasts were a thing!

Back in February of 2011, I dedicated a week to sharing multiple egg recipes.  This was years before I learned about The Eggloaf, Keto Pancakes, Chaffles, etc. I just knew that I loved eggs, and that eating them was helpful for the low-carb lifestyle.  Now, egg fasts are a thing, and I am here for it.  I have done a few egg fasts, and the results are great, and I enjoyed eating eggs for every meal more than a lot of people.  Check back soon for some fun egg recipes (they may not fit the egg fast plan, as that includes very few ingredients other than eggs), but I promise, you won't regret it!

Hello, Hello

Well, hello there! Again, I decide it's time to start blogging. I honestly don't want to keep you on this roller coaster, but I know I have a lot to give when it comes to the low-carb (now, also, Keto) community. I have seen low-carb work first hand on my mom, myself, some great friends, etc, and most recently with my husband, who I helped to lose 25 pounds. I know low-carb works, and I just need to get back to the correct mindset.  

While becoming a mom has been the greatest joy I could experience, it has caused me to put myself and my health on the back burner. I don't want my babies ever to feel like they aren't important, but I also don't want to continue to feel like I do. 

I am mentally struggling. I am not happy with how I look, and while I know that's not what life is all about, I will admit that I am superficial. I also know that when I look better, I feel better. I have really made sure to teach my girls that beauty is found on the inside, and that they should care about a person's heart. However, I want to be the best version of myself, and I know that's a fit version of me.  

This transformation is starting with my mind!  I feel like I am in the best frame of mind for dieting, and I'm ready to take on this weight loss. I have weighed the options, and considered WLS.  I know I can do it without, though! I have the tools and I know what to do to see results.  This is it.  I have some mini-goals over the next few months, but an ultimate goal of being where I want by my 40th birthday, which is in December.  Join me as I knock out this weight loss, but also get in the shape I want. I have decided that a tummy tuck may be in the future, but that I also won't be mad if I can do it on my own without spending that excess amount of money!

I'm starting with the goal of weight loss, but also thinking that this blog can help many. I'll be updating progress on here, but also working to get information and recipes out to everyone.  I can't wait to see where this takes me!  

Let's do THIS!!!