Low Carb

California Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These wraps are not only delectable, but nutritious, satisfying, and quick and easy to assemble. If you have a green thumb, use as many fresh ingredients from your garden. The greens, oregano, radishes and green onions all came from our garden! Still too early for tomatoes! I encourage you to try these delicious wraps!

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced (marinated with olive oil, lemon and seasonings to taste)
Large lettuce leafs, such as: swiss chard, dinosaur kale, green leaf or romaine
3/4 – 1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved (marinated with 1 T. olive oil, lots of fresh oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste)
1 mashed avocado, mixed with 1/4 chopped jalepeno, squeeze of lime and garlic powder, & sea salt
Toppings: Chipoltle ranch dressing, green salsa, sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, green onions, feta cheese

Assemble by placing lettuce leaves on a dinner plate and layer with the above ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop up the filling that has fallen out of your lettuce leaf! Every bite is deliciousness times one thousand! Bon Appetite!

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cream Sauce

A low carb dish that satisfies your taste for comfort food without adding the “comfort food” calories onto your waistline!

4 small zucchini
1 – 2 handfuls of grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh basil
2 T. olive oil
Optional: 2 grilled chicken breasts

Cut the zucchini into noodles. You can use a mandolin or I use a potato peeler, so my “noodles” are a bit wider. Toss the zucchini with a little salt (this will help dry it out a little).

In a good processor or blender, add avocado, juice of half lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and blend until creamy. Add basil and more olive oil, if needed.

Heat pan with olive oil and toss in halved grape tomatoes and cook until your preference (less for firm, more for softer). Toss in zucchini. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. When “noodles” are done to your liking, add to the pan and mix.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

We like to grill 1 or 2 chicken breasts (marinated in lemon, olive oil and Italian hebs) and top the pasta with sliced chicken.

Serves 2 – 4

Egg n’ Oats

Shared by my friend, Betsy Allen DiFabio, developed by her dietitian daughter, and tweaked by me! This is a fluffy, healthy pancake that contains protein, calcium, whole grains, and fruit – a perfect way to start the day!

1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soy, almond, or coconut milk
1/3 cup rolled oats (the recipe calls for traditional, but I used quick)
1/2 tsp. maple syrup or honey (optional)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional)
Mix well in a glass bowl and microwave 2″ on high.

Top with your choice of fruit. I used peaches and blueberries and sprinkled with walnuts.

You can totally make this your own by adding your choice of sweeteners, spices (pumpkin spice, topped with apples would be a delicious fall option), fruit, and nuts. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Spaghetti Squash

This delicious and nutritious dinner is a family favorite, in fact, this pasta loving family is easily becoming as fond of this special “faux” pasta as much as the real deal! I encourage you to think “outside of the box” when cooking pasta dishes and add whatever veggies, meats, and sauces you have available.

Heat your oven to 450.

Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Brush it with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and roast your squash flesh down for 40 minutes and then let cool. In this particular dish, I added chopped broccoli and 2 cups grape tomatoes to my cookie sheet the last 10 minutes to give them a roasted texture.

I then made my sauce, but here is where you can make it your own depending on your taste preference. You can heat up a jar of marinara or open up a container of store-bought pesto. In this case I decided to do a light olive oil sauce. I warmed 1/3 cup of olive oil and 4 T. butter in a medium pan and then added 3 chopped garlic cloves and 1/4 tsp. red pepper and sautéed until garlic was golden. I then added broccoli, tomatoes, and a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach to the sauce. I also squeezed half a lemon to this mixture and then brought my sauce to a low simmer. While making the sauce, Mark threw a chicken breast on the grill and then chopped it up.

Here’s the fun part. When squash is cool enough to handle, take a fork and shred your squash separating it from the shell (it will have the look of spaghetti) and then add to your sauce mixture. I then added a bunch of finely chopped fresh basil and mixed the squash and sauce together. I added the chopped chicken and topped with Parmesan. Serves 4.

Enjoy carb-free Italian!

Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
Seasonings of choice
Sauce of choice (marinara, pesto, olive oil)
Veggies/meats of choice
I used:
1 broccoli crown
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 handfuls chopped spinach
1 grilled chicken breast
Chopped fresh basil
Parmesan cheese
(for my sauce: 1/3 c. olive oil, 4 T. butter, 1/2 squeezed lemon, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp red pepper)

Eggplant Lasagne

I absolutely love this dish and so will your eggplant challenged family as well as all of you that are wanting to lower your carb intake! Think lasagna without the noodles. Still with me?

Eggplant is absolutely delicious, but only if handled properly! If and only if, you can’t stomach it, then zucchini or yellow squash would be an excellent alternative.

As you can see by earlier posts, I am not an exact cook – I give lots of options depending on tastes. I will add to recipes or leave things out depending on either what I have on hand, what I’m trying to get rid of, or what I think would sound good. So when I give you either/ors below, don’t get frustrated, just see what option sounds the best and go with it because any combo works!

Grilled Eggplant Lasagna
1 cup or so – EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large or 1 large and 1 small eggplant (this depends on how much eggplant you like – eggplant shrinks when you cook it)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 – 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
A handful of any fresh Italian herbs minced, such as: basil, thyme, oregano – or you can use jarred – it’s up to you!
1/2 pound deli-sliced capicola hot ham or your favorite sliced deli ham or leftover chopped chicken or a combo of the two
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
6 pieces deli-sliced provolone
16 oz package shredded mozzerela
6 cups mixed greens with your favorite vinaigrette dressing or 2 tblsp. red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 450.

Eggplant*
Lightly brush the eggplant with the EVOO on both sides and arrange on a baking sheet.

Season with salt (lightly) and pepper and place in the oven. Salting eggplant takes out the bitter taste. You may need to overlap your eggplant on the baking sheet and that is ok, or you may have to use a second baking sheet if the eggplant doesn’t fit on one sheet. Roast for 15 – 18 minutes, turning once until eggplant is lightly brown. Remove your eggplant from the oven and set your oven to 350.
*If you are using zucchini, the instructions are the same, though cooking time may be closer to 10 – 15 minutes.

Sauce
Heat 2 tbsps. EVOO in a medium sauce pan over medium to medium high heat. Add the chopped garlic and onion. Cook for 10 minutes until soft, stirring frequently. Add the marinara, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and heat through. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.

Here’s the fun part!
Get out a 9×9 square pan and ladle a little of your tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover. Add a layer of eggplant, capicola/ham/or chopped chicken, 6 slices of provolone or 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and your handful of herbs. Repeat your layer of eggplant, then cover with sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella to your liking and grated Parmesan and whalla, it’s oven ready!

Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes. While it’s baking, prepare some salad greens and right before the eggplant lasagna is heated through, drizzle your salad with your favorite dressing and serve with a slice of your delicious eggplant lasagna! Fabuloso!

This serves 4 – 6 servings (small eaters) or 4 servings for bigger appetites or for 4 – 6 meals for single people that don’t mind eating the same thing every night!

Protein Pancakes

Our family has significantly reduced carbohydrates from our diet. This significant change has trimmed my hubby down by 40 pounds! Lowering carbs has also improved our biometrics, especially cholesterol levels and triglycerides. The benefits of lowering carbs are many, including a reduction in inflammation, a precursor for most 21st century disease.

One of the most resounding things that I have heard from my coaching clients is that they just don’t know what to eat and feel that low carb eating is boring and limiting. As an avid cook, I have been exploring many options and ways to substitute ingredients for lower carb versions. On this blog I will share with you what we eat and hopefully give you some inspiration to make some of these meals for you and your families. My mission is to teach you that healthy eating does not have to be a lifetime of baked chicken and salads, but a lifetime of learning some creative ways to add flavor, variety and low carbs to your weekly menu! I am passionate about sharing with you that healthy eating is a delicious and addictive way to eat!

Protein Pancakes
On the weekends, I like to have something a bit more exciting for breakfast because I have a little more time on my hands, but you could make this pancake batter a day ahead, and feed off of them all week. These are delicious as well as quick. My husband loved them and couldn’t believe that they didn’t have flour in them!

1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg beaters
1 cup gluten free oats – uncooked
1 banana
1 capful vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Blend ingredients together in a blender. Heat a griddle to medium high and pour batter onto hot griddle and cook to your liking! I add blueberries to my pancakes and for extra nutrition, I top my protein pancakes with blueberries, raspberries and chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. If you like a little natural maple syrup, agave or honey, go for it! This recipe makes about 4 good sized pancakes. Enjoy!!!