LC Blueberry Muffins

These low carb blueberry muffins hits the spot when you're craving sweets.

Whole portion is 198.83g net carbs.

Each serving is  11g net carbs, servings: 18

*Note: For sweetener substitute, whole portion is 148.83g net carbs, and each serving is 8.27g net carbs.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Heavy cream

2 tbsp Oil or butter

2 large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract  (0.5g carbs)

1 cup Unsweetened apple sauce (22g net carbs)

1 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Sugar (50g carbs) or sweetener

1 cup Unbleached all purpose flour (95g carbs)

1 2/3 cup Almond meal/flour (13.33g net carbs)

1 tsp Baking powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

2 cups Frozen blueberries (18g net carbs)

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, mix heavy cream, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and apple sauce. Add sugar/sweetener and mix well.

Add flour, almond meal, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until ingredients are combined but don't over mix it.

Fold in blueberries.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Scoop mixture into lined muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.

Servings: 18 muffins

I made 24 mini and 6 regular muffins

Crab Dip

Hot Crab Dip
Ingredients:
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix softened cream cheese with Old Bay, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add crabmeat and fold in. Place cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 34-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Cool slightly and serve with crackers of your choice

With electric mixer mix the cream cheese, Worcestershire, Old Bay, sour cream and mayonnaise until creamy. By hand, fold in cheddar cheese and gently fold in crabmeat. Put mixture in a Pyrex-type dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. While crab dip is baking, hollow out bread round. Cube any bread removed from center. When crabmeat is finished baking, spoon crab dip in bread round. Sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese or Old Bay. Serve warm


1 lb. backfin crabmeat
1 pt. mayonnaise
1 tbs. Worcestershire
16 oz. grated sharp cheese
Instructions: Clean crabmeat.
Mix together all ingredients.
Place in two 8 x 8 inch glass baking dishes.
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Serve with crackers

LC Chicken Tacos

LC Creamed Spinach

This creamed spinach is so goooood!

Whole portion is 8g net carbs.

Each serving is  2g net carbs,

*Note: carbs are from onions and garlic, which can be omitted for 0g net carbs.

Ingredients

1 pk Frozen spinach, or 2 lbs fresh spinach

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Dried onions 

1 tsp Minced garlic, or dried garlic

1 tsp salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp Better than Bouillon, or chicken bouillon (optional)

1/2 cup Heavy cream

Instructions

Melt butter with oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. 

Add garlic and onions, and cook for 30 seconds. Add frozen spinach and cook for 5 minutes.

Add cream, salt, and pepper. Cook until cream is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Serves 4

LC Pan Fried Whiting

What to do with soy flour? I tried to make a loaf of low-carb bread and that didn't turn out as expected. So, I used it as breading and it turned out GREAT!

Whole portion is 16g net carbs.

Each serving is  2.7g net carbs,

Ingredients

6 Whiting fillets, or any flaky white fish

1 lg Egg, beaten

1/2 cup Soy flour

1/2 cup Almond meal flour

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning, or seafood seasoning

1 tsp salt, to taste

1 cup Oil (I used olive oil)

Instructions

Rinse the whiting fillets, and pat dry. 

Combine in a pan the soy flour, almond meal flour, Old Bay seasoning, and salt. 

Brush the fish with egg. Lightly dredge the fish in the flour pan. Set each piece of fish aside to let them absorb the flour.

Add oil to a non-stick pan and set heat to medium, heating oil until hot.  

Cook the fish until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and place on plate.

Optional: You can transfer the fish to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you're frying the rest of the fish.

Bob's Red Mill Soy Flour
5g Net Carbs

Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal Flour
3g Net Carbs

LC Creamsicle Cheesecake

Got a sweet tooth? Try this no-bake creamsicle cheesecake.

Whole portion is 824 calories, 26g net carbs, 72g fat, 16g protein.

Each serving is 206 calories, 6.5g net carbs, 18g fat, 4g protein.

Ingredients

14 oz Boiled water

8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 pk Simply delish orange Jel dessert

Instructions

Add all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk or mix in blender until all ingredients are smooth. 

Pour into 4 serving cups. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

LC Hot Cocoa

A tasty cup of low-carb hot cocoa to warm up after coming in from the cold.

Whole portion is 65 calories, 1.5g net carbs, 6g fat, 1g protein.

Ingredients

8 oz Hot water

1 tbsp Cocoa powder *unsweetened

1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream (can add another tbsp for creamier taste)

1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (if you use vanilla stevia, then no need for vanilla extract)

5 drops of liquid sweetener (Stevia), to taste

Option 1: add 1 tsp of Coconut oil for more flavor 

(extra 40 calories, 0g carbs, 5g fat, 0g protein)

Option 2: add 1 tbsp of Coconut oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter for a Bulletproof Hot Cocoa 

(extra 222 calories, 0g carbs, 26g fat, 0g protein)

Instructions

Add all ingredients in a large mug. Whisk with an electric frother or mix in blender until all ingredients are mixed well.

Enjoy!

Salmon Burgers

Salmon Burgers, just like Tuna Cakes but made with salmon and different ingredients.

Ingredients

15 oz (2-3 cans) salmon

1 lg egg

4 tbsp olive oil, divided 

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup chopped parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)

2 tbsp dried onions

1 tbsp flour (optional, or substitute with coconut, soybean, or almond flour for low-carb)

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk the egg, half of the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce until smooth. 

In a medium bowl lightly toss the salmon with the flour, parsley, onions, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Gently fold in the wet mixture in with the salmon mixture. 

Scoop the salmon mixture and form into four patties; lightly pack them.

In a large pan, heat remaining olive oil until shimmering. Add the salmon burgers and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. 

Serve the salmon with lemon wedges. 

Low Carb Pizza

Sometimes you want something other than cauliflower dough pizza. Sometimes you don't want to experiment with making your own crust using low-carb concoctions. Here is an easy thin crust pizza recipe.

Whole portion is 405 calories, 21g net carbs, 25.5g fat, 30.5g protein.
Each piece is 101 calories, 5.2g net carbs, 6.4g fat, 7.6g protein.

Ingredients

1 wrap Damascus All Natural Roll Ups - Whole Wheat Bake Sense or any low-carb wrap

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup  marinara sauce or pasta sauce

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 F.

Place wrap on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spray/brush olive oil on the wrap. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, *then turn over the wrap and spray/brush remaining olive oil. Bake for 8 minutes. 

Take the wrap out of the oven and add sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Wait for 1 minute before slicing the pizza.

*Note: The additional baking will give the crust a crispy crunch. You can skip this step if you want to add the ingredients straight on the wrap. Bake for 10-12 minutes instead.

Hot Wings

0-1 carbs

Ingredients12 chicken wings, separated
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup Cholula hot sauce, or any hot sauce
1 tbsp olive oil, or any oil

DirectionsHeat oven to 400 F.

Place wings in a baking pan lined with foil. Spray/brush oil on the wings.
Bake for 20 minutes, turn over the wings and bake for another 20 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, melt the butter in a medium pan and add the hot sauce. Cook for 1 minute. When the wings are done, transfer to the pan of and toss until all wings are covered with hot sauce.

Tuna Cakes

I really wanted crab cakes but didn't want to pay the price for them. After all, my New Year's resolution is to save more. So I made Tuna Cakes to satisfy the craving... and yes, these tuna cakes are very tasty indeed.

Ingredients

15 oz (2-3 cans) tuna

1 lg egg

4 tbsp olive oil, divided 

1 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cup chopped parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)

1 tbsp flour (optinal, or substitute with coconut, soybean, or almond flour for low-carb)

1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk the egg, half of the olive oil, yogurt, mustard, Worcestershire sauce until smooth. 

In a medium bowl lightly toss the tuna with the flour, parsley, Old Bay, and lemon juice.

Gently fold in the wet mixture in with the tuna mixture. 

Scoop the tuna mixture and form into four patties; lightly pack them.

In a large pan, heat remaining olive oil until shimmering. Add the tuna cakes and cook over moderately high heat until deeply golden and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Optional: sprinkle additional Old Bay on each side.

Serve the tuna cakes with lemon wedges and mustard. 

Caulk mash

Calculating Net Carbs

Counting Net Carbs is pretty straight forward except when sugar alcohol is involved. Most low-carb protein bars contain sugar alcohol in sweeteners. Examples of sugar alcohols include:

• Sorbitol
• Xylitol
• Mannitol
• Isomalt
• Maltitol
• Lactitol
• Erythritol
• Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates

Typically, you take the total carbs minus the fiber to get Net Carbs. This nutritional label tells us that this bar contains 20g Net Carbs (24 g total carb - 4 fiber).

20g Net Carb = 24 g Total Carb - 4g Dietary Fiber

Carb counting becomes more complex when sugar alcohol is involved. Take this label for example, just looking at the total carbs and fiber, the Net Carbs is 22g... but with the sugar alcohol ingredient, this bar contains 10g Net Carbs. Or does it? 

10g Net Carb = 24 g Total Carb - 2g Dietary Fiber - 12g Sugar Alcohol

The Atkins website specifically states "to calculate Net Carb count with sugar alcohols, simply subtract grams of sugar alcohols (including glycerin), as well as fiber, from total grams of carbs." Their formula is Net Carbs = Total Carb - Dietary Fiber - Sugar Alcohol. So according to Atkins, they claim that, their Caramel Nut Chew Bar is 2g Net Carbs. 

2g Net Carb = 17 g Total Carb - 6g Dietary Fiber - 9g Sugar Alcohol

However American Diabetes Association, NIH, and UCSF disagrees that the entire carb content in sugar alcohol is subtracted from total carbs. 

American Diabetes Association points out in their How do sugar alcohols affect blood levels? article that "if a food has more than 5 grams of sugar alcohols: Subtract ½ the grams of sugar alcohol from the amount of total carbohydrate in a serving of that food."

NIH stated in their Carbohydrate Issues: Type and Amount article that "only about half of the carbohydrate grams from sugar alcohols and half or less from dietary fiber are metabolized to glucose whereas almost all "other carbohydrate" (mainly starch such as amylose and amylopectin) becomes blood glucose.

USCF illustrated in their Counting Sugar Alcohols article that "sugar alcohol is INCOMPLETELY absorbed. Estimate that only half of the sugar in sugar alcohol will be absorbed and impact your blood sugar."

Thus the formula should be: 
If food has more than 5 grams of Sugar Alcohol, 
then Net Carb = Total Carb - Dietary Fiber - 1/2 Sugar Alcohol. 

Therefore the correct amount for the Caramel Nut Chew Bar is 6.5g Net Carbs, not 2g as marketed on their packaging.

6.5g Net Carb = 17 g Total Carb - 6g Dietary Fiber - 4.5g Sugar Alcohol

So what? What's the difference between a mere 2g and 6.5g Net Carbs? The difference is 4.5g Net Carbs per bar. If you eat two bars a day, that is an extra 9g Net Carbs consumed. And if there are other meals that contain sugar alcohol, the wrong amount will be logged in your diet journal - which could impact weight loss. Bottom line is being informed when reading nutrition labels will keep your carb count accurate and not go over your daily budget... especially in the Atkins Induction Phase, where you can only consume 20g Net Carbs a day.

Additional source:

http://livehealthy.chron.com/figure-sugar-alcohol-carbs-6694.html

LC Cheese Crostini

I have not missed bread that much since I've been on my low-carb diet but I do miss the convenience of making sandwiches for lunch. I wanted to make a loaf of low-carb bread for sandwiches. So I searched the net to find a recipe.

Well, I found one that looked pretty good and very easy to make. Then I made it. Oh, does it not taste like the way it looked. So, instead of throwing away the whole loaf, I turned it into delicious cheese crostini.

Whole portion is 2085 calories, 24g net carbs, 147g fat, 73g protein.
Each piece is 174 calories, 2g net carbs, 12g fat, 6g protein.

Ingredients

1 loaf low-carb bread

1 tspn olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

4 slices provolone cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

Heat oven to 375F

Place slices of bread on a baking sheet lined with foil, brush/spray olive oil onto each slice of bread, sprinkle garlic powder on them. 

Cut the slices of provolone cheese into 3 parts and place them onto each slice of bread.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning over each slice.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese is bubbling.