Thai Red Curry Chicken

Red curry with coconut milk is one of my favorite Thai meals. I've had it so many times that I really know what I like and don't like. In the restaurants they usually put basil, bell peppers, and bamboo shoots.  I'm ok with everything but the bell peppers.

This recipe is really a very stripped down version. I didn't add anything to it, but when I make this again I'd add bamboo shoots for sure.

I caved and ate this with white rice. I had cauliflower rice, but it had been in the fridge too long and had some furry elements to it.

I didn't use light coconut milk because the regular has only 2 g carbs, so I'm ok with that. There isn't much difference in the taste between the full fat and the light one.

I didn't use brown sugar but monkfruit instead. This was a mistake. It completely changed the flavor and it wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped. If/when I make it again, I'll keep the brown sugar and just plan on those carbs.

Thai Red Curry Chicken
Recipe from Weight Watchers Ultimate Cookbook
Serves 4

2 tsp canola oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, lightly pounded to even thickness
1/4 tsp salt
2 scallions, chopped
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c light coconut milk
1 T red curry paste
1 T Asian fish sauce
1 T packed brown sugar
2 tsp lime juice
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and add to the skillet. Cook the chicken until browned on the outside and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium, add the scallions, ginger and garlic; cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer; stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken, 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute longer. Serve, sprinkle cilantro over top.

Easy Pizza Bites

Pizza is one of my many down falls. I love me a good pizza. They, however, don't love me. WAY too many calories and carbs for my latest eating lifestyle.

There are many options in the low carb world for pizza. I'll be investigating those for sure. I needed a quick snack for this week's meal prep and I found this recipe.


Easy Pizza Bites
Recipe from Satisfying Eats

1/2 cup almond flour

Photo from Satisfying Easts Blog

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil*
1/4 tsp. oregano*
1/4 tsp. dried thyme*
2-3 oz. pepperoni, chopped
4 oz. mozzarella, shredded
4 tbsp. salted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, add dry ingredients and blend well.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until blended.

Use small scoop (1-1/2 tbsp.) or medium scoop (3 tbsp.) to measure out dough onto prepared cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until slightly brown.

Serve warm with marinara sauce or Ranch Dressing.

Nutrition Information: 60 Calories, 5 grams Fat, 1 Net Carb, 2.5 grams Protein per Pizza Bite (using small scoop)

Broiled Tenderloin Steaks with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

I love Asian flavors. So many of the marinades have sugar in them that jumps up the carb count. This glaze was sensational. Full of flavor and so delicious. I put it on beef tonight, but I could see it on chicken real easily.

Super easy meal, super delicious. I cut my steak into cubes and put them on a skewer. I feel like that gives you more glaze per bite.

Broiled Tenderloin Steaks with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze
Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Photo from MyRecipes.com

1 1/2 T hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp lower-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee) or crushed red pepper [ JW Note: so I missed this part of the recipe and didn't buy this. I used red pepper flakes instead. I'm sure this would give it a completely different taste]
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat broiler to high. [JW Note: or grill in my case]

Combine hoisin sauce, ginger, honey, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Place the steaks on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt. Broil steaks 5 inches from heat for 2 minutes, and turn over. Broil 2 minutes; turn steaks over. Brush steaks with half of hoisin mixture; broil for 1 minute. Turn steaks over, and brush with remaining hoisin mixture; broil 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Calories 194
Protein 24.5 g
Carbohydrate 4.9 g
Fiber 0.0 g

Delicious Low Carb Biscuits with Cheddar

I'm sure I've mentioned low carb breakfast things are hard for me. Eggs are the go to breakfast protein and I am just not a huge fan. I gag them down because they're protein. But I wanted something more, something savory.

Enter Delicious Low Carb Biscuits with Cheddar. I've made these for this week's breakfast to have with a side of turkey or bacon. These are gluten free because they use almond flour and so very easy to make.

When I make them again, I'd like drop in some bacon already and a bit more salt. I also bought the silicon cupcake cups because I've found that many of the low carb bread things like to stick to metal tins or paper cups. These seemed to work out ok.

Delicious Low Carb Biscuits with Cheddar
Recipe from Mamabearscookbook.com

1.25 c almond flour
1 T baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp spicy spaghetti seasoning
1/3 c full fat sour cream
2 eggs room temperature
3 T butter melted
1/2 c cheddar cheese grated

Heat oven to 425° and spray the muffin tin with oil. Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the almond flour with baking powder, sea salt, garlic powder and spicy spaghetti seasoning.

In the second bowl whisk sour cream, eggs and melted butter until fully combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined and then fold in the grated cheddar cheese.

Scoop 1/4 cup batter into the muffin tins; you should get 8 portions. Bake for 10-12 minutes and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before removing from the tin and diving in!

Quick Skillet Steak with Onions and Mushrooms

Such an amazingly simple recipe and so amazingly delicious. It has all the things I like: Beef, Mushrooms and onions. It doesn't get any more basic and any more delicious.

Super easy to throw together and the leftovers are even tastier. It says to serve over rice, but being low carb now, I didn't serve it over anything. I ate it straight.


Quick Skillet Steak with Onions and Mushrooms
Recipe from SkinnyTaste.com

Serves: 4
1/2 lb thin sliced beef round or sirloin steaks
1/2 large onion, sliced into rings
1/2 tsp olive oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 seconds cooking spray (I like Smart Balance)
garlic powder to taste
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Slice beef into thin strips. Season with salt, garlic powder and fresh pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, spray with cooking spray and add half of the beef. Cook one minute, then turn steak and cook an additional 30 seconds. Set aside in a large dish.

Spray the skillet again and when it gets hot add the remaining steak, cooking one minute, then turning and cooking 30 seconds more. Add remaining steak to the dish. Return skillet to heat and spray once again with cooking spray; add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook one minute, then turn and cook onions an additional 30 seconds or until onions are golden.

Lower heat to medium and add 1/2 tsp olive oil to the skillet, add mushrooms, salt and pepper and lightly spray the top of the mushrooms with cooking spray. Cook 1 1/2 minutes, then turn mushrooms and cook another minute and a half. Add to dish with steak and onions and stir to combine. Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken and Lime Cauliflower Rice

I've been meaning to do a slow cooker meal on the weekend to set my lunches (and maybe a couple of dinners) for the week. Left overs aren't my thing, but I'm learning to eat them because it helps stay within my low carb way of eating.

This recipe looked fantastic to me. In fact, it's in the slow cooker as I type. Cauliflower rice is my new favorite thing and I cannot wait to try this.


Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken and Lime Cauliflower Rice
Recipe from PlateJoy

Photo from PlateJoy

1 3/4 lbs chicken breast
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 carrots, diced
3 c green salsa ( I actually used green enchilada sauce)
1 lime, zest
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
4 3/4 c cauliflower, rice in food processor (I bought frozen cauliflower rice)
3 zucchini, chopped
2 T olive oil

Season chicken breast with oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Place at the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place carrots in slow cooker, cover with green salsa and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium-high heat, then add green onions, zucchini and cauliflower and cover. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lime juice and zest, then sprinkle with cilantro.

Remove chicken and shred. Return to the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Put cauliflower mixture in a bowl and top with chicken. Add more lime if desired.

Creamy One Pot Chicken Stroganoff

"Creamy" is one of my favorite words when describing food. I mean, who doesn't like something "creamy". But, can "creamy" go too far?

I think it did in this recipe. I love stroganoff. It's one of my all time favorites. What I like is the tang the sour cream gives to the "creamy" sauce. This recipe uses cream cheese and I gotta say, I'm not a fan.

I won't make this one again, but if you love the flavor of cream cheese, this one's for you. Super easy, and honestly if I do ever remake this, I'd just use a cup of sour cream.

Most of the low carb recipes I've see use cream cheese because of it's low carb count. But sour cream, light sour cream that is, has less than 4 carbs, so the switch would be ok for me.

Creamy One Pot Chicken Stroganoff

Photo credit to Sweetcsdesigns.com

Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com
Serves 6

3 tbsp butter
3 chicken, sliced in half (or 6 small chicken breasts)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, cremini, sliced thin
1/4 cup garlic
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning blend
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, melt butter until foamy and melted.

Generously salt and pepper chicken breasts.

Add to pan and cook on medium high until lightly browned on the outside, about 4 minutes per side.

Add onion to pan, cook to soft, about another 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and garlic and cook to soft, about 6 minutes.

Add stock to pan and scrape up any browned bits, turn heat to high and let reduce in half.

Add cream cheese, Parmesan, Italian spice, pepper flakes, pepper, and stir.

After about 3 minutes when stock thickens and chicken has fully cooked, serve over pasta, rice, baked potato, or sautéed vegetables. [ JW note: Sadly I put it over nothing. I'm sure if it was over rice or pasta it wouldn't change how I feel about it.]

Calories: 254
Carbs: 8
Protein: 29

Easy Keto Ham & Cheese Rolls

I have no idea why they call these "rolls". When I saw the recipe originally I was thinking like a "roll up" type thing. But I think they mean more like "muffin" type "roll".

At any rate, "easy" is the key here. Super easy and, while I haven't tasted them yet, I suspect delicious. I mean, what's not to like about cheese and ham with a little egg.

My previous attempts of egg type muffins was a failure. I salted them too much and WAY over cooked them. this time I think these are thinner and I didn't add any salt. I suspect there's enough in the cheese.

Easy Keto Ham and Cheese Rolls
Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan , or asiago, other hard, dry, grated cheese.
1 cup diced ham
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the shredded cheese and egg in a bowl and mix it until the ingredients are fully combined.

Stir in diced ham and mix to combine. [JW note: I bought one of those ham steaks that are about 1/2" thick and diced that. I feel like it was a nice ham size for these rolls]

Set out a well prepped baking sheet - greased or lined with parchment or a silpat.

Divide the mixture equally into six to eight parts and form into round rolls.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese has fully melted and created a slight brown crust.

Feel free to mix up your cheese selection - but stick with one grated hard, dry cheese (like parmesan or asiago) to keep the flour-like texture.

Cashew Chicken

Chinese food is one of my favorites. It's also full of carbs when you eat it with rice. But rice, to me, really is part of eating Chinese food. Without it, could anything actually be satisfying?

I decided to give Cashew Chicken from Pioneer Woman a try, and keep the rice out. This is a good recipe. I doubled the sauce (I do love my sauce) and that was a mistake. Even though I used low sodium soy sauce, it turned out too salty. Rice really would have helped. But alas...I sucked it up. If I make this again, and if I double the sauce, I'd do half in soy and half in water.

The best part was I was about 4 bites into my meal before I realized I hadn't put in the cashews!

I also added a handful of snow snap peas. I needed a vegetable to add more to it. I think you could add any veggie and it'd be good.

I tried to find the carbs for this and I think it ended up being about 20 grams. Which I think is too many for me to repeat this. But it was good and worth a try.

Cashew Chicken
Recipe from Pioneer Woman
8 Servings

1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes
Kosher Salt To Taste
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped (I didn't add this of course)
1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped
1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted)
2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.