Sliced Beef for the Best Lunches!

I love roast beef from the deli, but I could never get one  baked at home that sliced well. Turns out I was just buying the wrong cut. Thanks to some comparison shopping deals, I scored a small Bottom Round Rump Roast for a bargain price not too long ago. I plopped in the the crock pot with some (2 tbsp) tamari, a tiny bit (1 tsp) of Worcestershire and half a cup of water. Serious recipe. I was just going to use it as a Triple Play meal. When it came out of the crock, it was still in one chunk. My roasts tend to fall apart. Great eating, but not much like the deli variety. This was different.

I share in case you are as ignorant as I was. See, I am such a bargain shopper, I tend not to try more expensive cuts. This is really a cost savings though if you pay deli prices for sliced beef. Plus, this is so much better. No preservatives and so much real beef flavor. I used a cheap Aldi mandoline to slice the beef, and chilled it before I began slicing. I did some thicker slices and some shaved. It was tender enough to do that, having baked 5 hours in the slow cooker. But not so tender that it shredded itself. Love.

These make the perfect finger food lunch with some cheese slices and pickles. I also made a bunch of small sandwiches for the freezer. I make mine with just meat, cheese and bread. Pictured is Maria's Pannini Bread. Pack a frozen sandwich and it thaws out by lunchtime. Then I add my lettuce and mustard, pickles, tomatoe...whatever.

 I have done a little research, and the Eye of Round would be a fine choice too. Now there is certainly no excuse for not having great lunches!

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Eggies and the Nutrition Police

None of my guys eats hard boiled eggs. I will on occasion. When I saw the Eggies gadget at the Dollar Tree, I decided to try it.  I mean, it was a dollar. I saw tons of reviews online of people that hated it. I saw more who questioned why bother. I saw a couple who liked it.

True, I have more kitchen experience than the average person, but I had no problem with leaking eggs, no messy counter, no boilovers. Pretty straight forward process. It does not save cooking time, and even adds prep time. I does prevent the pain of peeling eggs. I will never be good at that.  I know, I know. Use old eggs. Put soda in the water. Bake them instead.  I still have problems getting the shell off smoothly. No lectures please.

While we are on that lecturing subject. Yes, I know this is cooking in plastic and that is not good. I won't be doing this often-- promise. I figure there are so many bad things out there that I can't avoid, that I am not going to be the super vigilant, hyper healthy mom/wife/person that makes everyone around feel unworthy and judged. I remember the day a fellow parent made me feel terrible because I didn't use the right peanut butter and because my back yard did not have mature trees.  Excuse me. I never want to be her and I feel feel the sting of her judgment. I never go around telling people how awful sugar is. Not even when I see diabetics suffering. I offer our story simply as it is.  It is possible.

I work at keeping us healthy, but certainly don't want to make enemies because we choose to use or avoid certain foods or products. I read an article recently about how the "Paleo Police" make so many people give up even trying to make healthy choices. I got some rather snarky comments because I used Tilapia this week.  Ouch. Sometimes it just seems like there is nothing that is safe to consume.Either it is bad to start with, genetically modified, sprayed with pesticides, fed corn, coated in wheat, cooked with smoke, cooked too long, hard to digest when raw, source of salmonella, cooked in the wrong skillet, a possible allergen, or something.  Aaargh!

 I sometimes make bad choices and I admit it. Life is to be lived and every once in a while I have a diet Dr. Pepper. Not too often.  I do the best I can to be a good steward of our health and our finances. The two don't always get along well. Honestly, shopping at Whole Foods is simply not possible for us, and we have always lived simply, so there is no place to cut back.  I'll just place my hope in the fact that the good Lord has my days numbered and the occasional egg boiled in plastic or fizzy soda will not upset his plan for me. We are seldom sick and I have much more energy than people half my age. The reason for the Diner Plan was to keep us stocked in healthy foods when our attention was focused on life. Hard to believe, but despite having a food blog and being a cookbook author, my life focus is not food. I love it, but there is so much more to life. Let's go enjoy it instead of hyper focusing on every bite that goes into our mouths (and that stands true as to the state of the mouths around us too!) So Eggie or traditional boil, tis the season to enjoy some eggs. Go for it. And oh yeah, I remember when those were bad for us too.

Motivation for New Year's Resolutions

We probably all have resolutions to eat healthier. Some of us want to lose pounds, others keep our blood sugar under control. Today I have no recipe to share, but a little motivation instead. I too am going to be dropping some holiday weight from too many indulgences. I picked up these plates on the after Christmas clearance sales. Some were half off. Others were 75% off. It was a bargain a plate love like me could not resist.

Armed with my birthday gift card from Michael's, I purchased a porcelain paint pen. This marker works pretty much like any other paint pen. But after it cures, you bake it again in the oven, and it becomes permanent on you plates. Cool huh? They say it is totally safe, yet they still don't recommend direct contact with food. No problem. I just put my wording around the rims of the plates. I liked it so much, I went back and bought some cups to match. I paid $2.25 for 12 cups. Same for some salad/dessert plates. I still don't know what to do with all of them, but I am thinking lots of my dieting friends are getting some inspirational plates and cups! They would make nice wedding presents too I think. My friends are pretty used to getting handcrafted gifts from me. I love getting home made gifts. To me it means so much that someone gave some of their precious time! That is better than a perfect design or a name brand.

I love these sayings. I think they will inspire me to eat only what I really need.


I have more plates--any suggestions for something else to write on them? Cups too?

Chalkboard in the Kitchen

I have been giving my kitchen a super cheap makeover the last week or so. One thing I did was find these chalkboard stickers at the Dollar Tree. For $2, I now have several ways to personalize what is going on in my kitchen.

The photo above is a recycled jug. It once held Arnold Palmer's Half and Half drink. Now it holds a low carb version of the same mix. Half tea, half sugar free lemonade. This is really refreshing. You ought to try it too--if you have a gallon pitcher. Mine came with a movie night guest. Super thrifty, don't ya think? Just make one envelope of Koolaid lemonade and one family size tea of your choice. Sweeten to taste. This is a lot like the bottled green teas in flavor. It is my new favorite for the summer.



I also put a chalkboard sticker on another recycled drink container. My boys don't care for tea, so Koolaid is pretty popular too. Now everyone knows what flavor I made. I like the screw on lids for beverage containers because I can shake and not have to stir. Using liquid sweetener really helps too.

Last but not least is my poor decrepit crock pot. It refuses to die despite its hard life. The glaze is disappearing from inside the crock. The outside is rusted and stained. One handle is missing and broken. It is the Timex of the slow cooker world. Even though I have a dual crockpot and a mini crock pot, this is still my favorite. I refuse to toss it until it dies naturally. So,I slapped a chalkboard sticker on it. But then, the rest looked even more awful, so I painted it with black craft paint. Even though I did a hurried job and the light was terrible...(it was about midnight when the painting urge struck) it still looks better than it did. A magnet clip holds a piece of white chalk. The fun thing is that I can write on the chalkboard what is cooking inside, and the time when it should be ready. A la tonight's Sloppy Toms. That will be especially handy on days when the family arrives home before the mom, and worries that they may never be fed. It could even hold the directions on how to serve oneself. Hmm. I will have to work on that concept.

I have two more of the black scroll stickers stuck on my fridge now. One is for the dinner menu. I get asked a lot--even though my weekly menu is almost always on the fridge. This is bigger--maybe they will read before they ask. Maybe. The other is for general announcements of things to do or fun things happening. I STILL had more chalkboard stickers, so some got cut up and used as labels. This is fun because I can change what is in a cannister without making a new label. Coo-el.

Breakfast Pizza

This is really just a take off from the pepperoni egg scramble in the EZ Fix section of the e-book. It is a bit more complicated, but the visual appeal is definitely there if you have a bit of extra time. Like so many easy recipes, this is very flexible, so use what ingredients you have and choose the amounts to suit your own tastes.

Breakfast Pizza
5 eggs
enough pepperoni slices to cover the skillet in a single layer
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 cup of cheese, mol
optional: diced peppers and mushrooms

Place the pepperoni slices in the skillet and pan fry them to release their oils. This preps the pan for the eggs. Beat the eggs with the onion powder. Arrange the pepperoni slices into a single layer in the skillet. Pour the eggs over the pepperoni. Let this set a bit, then use the omelet technique to gently move the cooked egg a bit to the inside, letting the wet egg run underneath and on the outer edge. Alternately, you could use the broiler to cook the top. When all the egg is set, top with cheese. As soon as it is melted, cut the pizza into fourths and gently remove from the pan to a serving dish.

This is just one of those easy to fix dishes that get us through our busy days low carbing. It is good anytime of day. Best of all, it helps alleviate pizza cravings.

Drinkable Yogurt on the Go

They say the drinkable yogurts in those cute little bottles are a trend that is here to stay. I have been making my own yogurt, even the drinkable kind, for a while now. It is handy when you don't have a spoon, or want to take it along for the drive. Or when everyone else is drinking milkshakes from Sonic. I have incorporated a few ideas to make yogurt smoothies even better for your health. These home made drinks are much cheaper than the store brands too. Plus, you can make your favorite flavors.

I use the yogurt fresh from the culturing process. Homemade yogurt tends to be a little thinner than store bought variety. After setting some aside to drink, I drain the rest to make thicker, Greek style yogurt for spoon eating, or drain it even longer for yo cheese. For the drinkable variety, I thin it, flavor it and pack it for later.

One trick I have used to make the yogurt healthier is to use the powdered vitamin supplements intended for water bottles. There are several brands available which are sugarfree. In my cupboard I happen to have Fulfill, which adds one additional carb and uses part aspartame, and Vita Splash, which adds three carbs, but is sweetened with sucralose. Unfortunately, I haven't found any that are unsweetened. These add some flavor, so taste as you go. It really depends on how much yogurt you are sweetening, and which flavors you choose to use. Each tube of vitamin mix is meant to be added to one water bottle, but with yogurt, the mileage may vary.

If you don't like any artificial sweeteners, you can still make drinkable yogurt. Thin your yogurt of choice if you use store brands. If you get unflavored, just add the flavors and sweetener of your own choosing. I sweeten it and add coffee flavoring drops or DaVinci syrups. The Capella Boston Cream Pie is delicious. It is also especially yummy to blend in strawberries or other fruits, or to add a fruit puree.

Now, what to pack it in? I have saved old mustard jars that are just right. They hold just over 4 ounces, and have openings that are easy to fill. I can travel with the lid on, then remove it and pop in a straw in the car or at my desk. In the photo, the jar is decorated with glass etching and polka dots. That is a craft project I am testing for Christmas. Just so you know, the yogurt does not have the measles!

One of these will go with me out tomorrow. Now, I am off to finish up the meatloaf and broccoli salad for tonight's dinner. It smells fabulous in here!

Homemade Greek Style Yogurt

In the May 24/7 Low Carb Diner Newsletter, I included information on how to make your own Greek style yogurt. It is wonderful and much less expensive than the store bought variety. Making your own is easy with just a few simple tools like a thermos or a Styrofoam cooler and a heating pad. Make some; then, just drain the yogurt using a coffee filter, and you get all that thick creaminess Greek yogurt is famous for.

Add in your own choice of low carb ingredients. Plain sweetened vanilla is wonderful. I have also added coffee flavorings to make coconut cream and chocolate raspberry. Don't forget the wonderful taste of real strawberries and blueberries. Mmmm. The best part is that we low carbers can make yogurt with cream. The extra fat makes a huge difference in flavor. I have experimented with different combos of milk, cream and half and half. All are good...and the recipes are flexible. A good Google search will provide you with tons of info on making your own yogurt, so I don't need to duplicate that info here. Go research the method that suits you best. Some people use ovens, crockpots or dedicated yogurt makers. I have had the best luck with the heating pad.

Today, for an after school snack, I made a dessert shot with the homestyle Greek yogurt. The one in the photo is vanilla with the leftover almond flour/flaxmeal crumbles I used in the Cheesecake Dessert Shots. I tried to include my fingers in this photo so you can see the size of the dessert shots. The scale is very difficult to discern in the last couple of photos I have posted. Even the spoons pictured are demitasse spoons. Think smaller than average. Think more fun than average. Think fewer calories than average. Dessert shots make sense for healthy eating for the long term, don't you agree? Don't deprive yourself, but control those portions.

Now I am off to make a burger buffet for my guys. Tonight we are having mini burgers. Kinda goes with the theme for the week. Mini everything. Funny how I never planned that!

How Fast Can You Get a Meal Out?

Here in Oklahoma, we have a drive in restaurant called Sonic. They used to claim they had service "with the speed of sound." Right. But, hey, it was a good place to go when you were starving (not literally, that was the carbohydrate addiction talking). Best of all, you didn't need shoes or makeup and no one cared if you wore your bathrobe rather than getting dressed. After all, you didn't even have to get out of the car. What could be easier?

These days, Sonic has nothing on the menu we can eat, except for that obligatory grilled chicken salad that everyone restaurant seems to offer. When I want something even faster than Sonic...even tastier than Sonic...even cheaper than Sonic...the 24/7 Low Carb Diner Plan comes to my rescue.

I grab a brunch casserole from the freezer. Conveniently, it is frozen in individual servings. Three minutes in the microwave oven, and it is ready to eat. Sometimes I top it with some salsa and extra cheese, as in the photo of Farmer's Feast casserole above. It is better than fast food. No shoes. No makeup. No problem. Oh, and no need to tip a carhop!

But I Can't Afford to Low Carb!

With all the economic turmoil, it seems everyone is talking about
budgeting these days. Thrift is the new chic. Hmm, guess I was trendy before I knew it.

Meat is expensive. No way around that. Low carbers eat meat. Not many ways around that!Before I got serious with low carbing, I thought it would be too pricey for my budget too.

But there are ways to trim the budget and still follow the lifestyle. We are, as evidence, a single income family with two kids in college and one at home, who still manage to eat three meals a day. Here are some of my hints--in no order of importance.

How to Feed a Low Carb Family (on a really tight budget)

1. Menu Planning. Nothings breaks the bank more than emergency trips for take out food.
2. Shop Sales. I always go over the grocery ads before I make the menu for the week, That way I can build the menu--especially the Triple Play meal, around the meats that are on sale that week.
3. Shop more than one store. It may be a hassle to shop at more than one grocery, but the savings will convince you. Sometimes, the extras or produce are priced so much higher at stores with great meat sales that you end up with no savings. I buy meat from the sales circulars, produce and many pantry items at Aldi, and several dry goods at Big Lots. I don't necessarily go to all stores each week, but that occasional trip to Big Lots keeps me stocked up on Splenda, coconut milk, even Dreamfield's Pasta sometimes.
4. Buy in Bulk. We use Sam's Club for some items. Cream cheese in the big block, cream, frozen broccoli, American Cheese slices, thin green beans, three pound bags of cole slaw mix, DaVinci Syrups...I never, ever buy anything in bulk that is not a discount off of the regular store price, and I don't buy more than I can use in a reasonable time.
5. Keep a Freezer Inventory. Before I did this, I would forget about what I had in the freezer. It would get burned, we would taste it, throw it out and go for burgers. Now I date everything, keep my list updated so I always know what is in there.
6. Use those leftovers. When the big guys are away at school, we usually have leftover servings from casseroles. I freeze those in individual servings. They are great for late night emergency munchies, or days when the cook is off duty and everyman fends for himself.
7. Stretch the meat. This was so much easier to do when we ate SAD. I would add rice or pasta. Now, we are healthier. I add salad. This is so easy to do when the salad is pre-made in a container in the fridge. It is ready in an instant and fills both the plate and stomach.
8. Inexpensive Cuts of Meat If you buy less expensive cuts of beef, use the crock pot as a cooking method to make them tender and very juicy. If you don't mind pulling meat off bones, chicken legs and thighs make delicious moist dark meat, and are much cheaper.
9. Add some ground Turkey. When I am making Minute Beef or other recipes with ground beef, I often add 1/4 to 1/2 ground turkey. It is much cheaper than beef. It makes the meat mixture tender too. I don't care for turkey alone, but it makes a great mix.
10. No convenience foods. Most of these are incompatible with Low Carbing anyway. But consider the savings when you aren't purchasing pre fab foods. George Stella even tells you to shop only around the edges of the grocery aisles. Sticking to whole foods will keep you healthier too.
11. Do It Yourself Sweetener. I use liquid sucralose quite often. I have found that it can be ordered on E-Bay at a significant savings over the cost of other online retailers or regular Splenda. I recently purchased a dry powder and mixed it myself for about half the cost.
12. Find Buying Buddies. Gather other low carb friends together to share online orders. Almond flours or other specialty items are great to order together. At the minumum, you can share shipping costs. At best, you may order in quantity and share bulk savings.
13. Grow a garden.Now my friends are laughing. I am known to kill every plant that comes my way. I am going to try again this year with some container plants. Just think how much you might save on tomatoes alone.
14.Can or Freeze. Buy produce when it is cheap and invest some time prepping and storing. My pressure cooker doubles as a canner, but mostly I prep and freeze. I have several bags of pumpkin puree in my freezer from pumpkins that were a quarter each after Halloween.
15. Buy Seasonal. This of course, goes for produce, but other things seem to be seasonal as well. Holidays often trigger sales. Stock up on turkeys at Thanksgiving, brisket near Memorial Day, hams at Easter, etc.
16. Clip Coupons I don't devote too much time in this area, but I do ask family for coupons for meat or cheese items. The trick is to only use them on foods you would normally purchase and you are sure you will use. I am also careful to make sure there is not a reliable house brand that would still be cheaper.
17. Brown Bag. It is always going to be cheaper to bring food from home than to eat out. We eat out once a week at a pizza restaurant. The salad bar is a great option for us, the drinks are free, and we always use a coupon. But generally when dining out, one can't we sure where sugar creeps in, and often we have to throw away so much of our meal that is carby, that the financial considerations outweigh the fun of eating out.
18. Stick to the Shopping List. When you have done your work and planned the menu, your grocery list is reliable. Don't add extra items just because they sound good to you then. Chances are they will sit around unused because your plan doesn't have a place for them and they aren't really necessary. If you do eat them, you might be eating too much!
19. Big cans of Tuna. I don't know if you have noticed it, but tuna cans have gotten smaller recently. What used to be a meal for four now only feeds three. The prices have shot up too. And those pouches are even more pricey. I buy the 66.5 ounce cans of BumbleBee Premium Tuna at Sam's Club. It is a bit cheaper than buying the cans, much cheaper than the pouches, and saves one from opening all those cans!
20. Vow to spend less than $2.99 a pound. Unless it is a special occasion, I seldom spend more than $2.50 per pound for meat. True, we don't get much seafood for that price, nor many steaks. I can buy roasts, burgers, chicken breasts, turkey and sausages and stay in those guidelines. If your budget can stand it, plan one splurge meal a week or one a month.