Three Little Nibbles

With Christmas Break and 9 snow days behind me, I am celebrating an icy, but happy return to my normal routine. Gift cards have afforded Barry and I some memorable dates. 

We stopped in at Outback Steakhouse this afternoon. We split their promotional 35 oz. Tomahawk Ribeye, a wood-fire grilled steak topped with roasted garlic butter. It was succulent, savory, and satisfying! Neither of us were hungry for dinner.

We chose the cheesecake as our "special" extra. I had 3 nibbles due to the sugar content and Barry finished it off. 

It is amazing how sugar doesn't control me anymore.

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Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

In my pre-low-carb days, I could easily eat an entire bowl of peanut butter cookie dough. It usually happened over the course of a day. (I know I am not alone.) I loved dough and sometimes baking just seemed unnecessary. 

With sugar behind me, finding low-carb cookie recipes has been a challenge. For one, I do not crave sweets like I used to. Further, substitute-sugars will never taste like white table sugar. This is why this recipe surprised me. The cookies look and taste delicious; and it only takes a couple to curb an urge.

NOTE: I prefer them warm, so I heat up cool cookies for 15 seconds in the microwave.

LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Adapted from a recipe by Laura Hickman 

@ Baking Outside the Box

24 cookies

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1 cup powdered Swerve
• 1 cup Smucker's Natural Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter (just peanuts, minimal salt, and no sugar)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pure bourbon vanilla extract (I use Trader Joe's brand)
• Chocolate chips sweetened with stevia

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare baking sheet with parchment or cooking spray. (I use Pampered Chef Stoneware.)
3. Mix all ingredients in mixer (or with a hand mixer) until well combined and dough has formed.
4. Measure the dough with a tablespoon measure. (I use the Pampered Chef Small Scoop.)
5. Form balls of dough and place them on on your baking sheet or stoneware.
6. Flatten cookies by making a crisscross mark with a fork. (I use a small bamboo fork.)
7. Optional: Add a chocolate chip.
8. Bake for 14-17 minutes till edges are golden brown.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 cookie

Carbohydrates: 4.6

“That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.”

~from the motion picture, The Apartment

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Uber-Tuber!

“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”

~A.A. Milne

When cravings set in, I seem to go UBER-TUBER! While others are reaching for the seasonal baked goods, I am eyeballing the buttermilk mashed potatoes and potato gratin. I just happen to be enamored with one of the highest carbs on the planet.

Botanically, potatoes are classified as a vegetable, although they are nutritionally classified as a starchy food. Potatoes normally replace pasta, rice, and bread during a meal. With 2 ounces of pasta averaging 14 grams of carbohydrates; a donut, 22 grams; a cinnamon roll, 32 grams; and a whole potato, 64 grams, my food craving adds up!  

I spent this holiday season experimenting with just how much I could indulge with potatoes without gaining weight. So, I welcomed small helpings of starchy spuds. Although my cravings increased, my weight stayed stationary from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I still have weight to lose, so potatoes will need to take a backseat.

My mother, Kathy, makes Pork and Sauerkraut on Mashed Potatoes for New Year's Day. This tradition was especially exciting for my Pennsylvania Dutch husband, Barry. He grew up eating this meal. Now that we reside in Idaho, Barry prepares this himself.

While I admit to having mashed potatoes on January 1st, I swapped out the potatoes for spaghetti squash when it came time for leftovers. I even added parmesan cheese just for kicks. I did not miss those tubers!

Spud-fully,

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Low Carb Breakfast Casserole

As I promised in my last post, here is the casserole recipe that we enjoyed Christmas Day. Andres Regalado has been more infrequent with his blogging in the last year or two, but his site is a trove of ideas.

LOW CARB BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

From Andres Regalado @ TheLowCarb Diet

PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: 30 mins
TOTAL TIME: 45 mins

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 11 eggs
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup onions, chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into thirds
• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• ¾ lb bacon
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x13 inch pan.
2. Cook bacon and sausage until reaching desired doneness. Crumble both into about 1 inch pieces.
3. Steam cauliflower for 3-8 minutes until tender.
4. Sauté onions, peppers and any other vegetables in lightly oiled skillet.
5. Stir together vegetables, bacon, sausage, and seasonings.
6. Spread the mixture in the pan.
7. Lightly beat eggs with hot sauce, pour them into pan and top with cheese.
8. Bake casserole 30-35 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

NOTES:
Serving size: 1 serving (Total recipe makes 8 servings)
Protein 34.21g, Fat 38.84g, Cals 455, Carbs 5.66g, Fiber 0.80g -- NET CARBS: 4.86g

BEST BLESSINGS IN 2017,

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