Sunday Prep Day

We have started to attend Church on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning when we can. I gotta say, I love having all day Sunday as my prep day. It makes things so relaxed! Right now I am listening to praise music on the radio while I am marinating my Ultra Chicken. I will cook that later today. Even though I am technically working on the Sabbath, this is a joy, because it is my ministry to my family. My friend once told me she prays for each member of the family when she folds that person's clothes. In a way, I am doing the same thing while I am preparing their food.

As soon as I drag myself away from this blog, I plan on making Three Little Pigs Casserole for our brunch recipe. Also on the plan for today is Flaxy Mini Muffins. I have some new flavorings I picked up while I was visiting my college boys in Arkansas, and I can't wait to try out the new flavorings. Aren't we lucky that flax muffins are so versatile? For a big challenge, I will divide the batter into fourths and make four different flavors of muffins. Much to the chagrin of some people,I'm a big fan of way overcooked campfire marshmallows. Those blackened balls of cinder and sweet have an unexplainable appeal, so the flavoring called Burnt Sugar was calling my name from the grocery shelf. I'll let you know how it turns out. By dividing my batter, I won't make a whole batch of trash bound muffins in case the flavoring doesn't produce the magically enticing muffin I am imagining. I promise to take some photos and blog about my trials when I am done.

'Til then, I've got an afternoon of kitchen fun ahead. Happy Prepping!

Coney,Chili Dog...whatever!

My hubby used to call Ohio and Colorado home. He grew up eating plain hot dogs with no chili. How tragic! He goes on to tell me that he never knew what a "Coney" was until he met me. He will admit to knowing what a Chili Dog was, but it was far from a favorite in his family. Then he met me. On one of our first dates, I managed to spill chili down a light pink business suit after he surprised me at my job to take me out for a quick lunch. He has never forgotten laughing at me for ruining that suit, and my going back to work with a tell tale orange stain. Despite that, I never lost my love for chili topped dogs. A couple of years later, I even battled morning sickness with jalapeno chili dogs. That is another episode in my coney love story...

I am so glad we can still have my favorite while low carbing. With all those glorious toppings, who misses the bun? Tonight was such an easy dinner, thanks to the fact that I had some leftover homemade chili from last night's Multiple Meals Punkin Chili. All I needed to do tonight was to grill up some Oscar Mayer franks, heat the chili in the microwave, and add the cheese, onions and mustard.

I made up a quick batch of Nana's Coleslaw with a Kick--that takes 5 minutes at the most. My son Christian called dinner a masterpiece. John admitted he was a definite coney convert, although he still calls them chili dogs. Oh, and this time out, I managed to spare my clothing.

Do You Look Forward to a Salad?

I do sometimes get tired of salads. I know they are good for us, and we eat salads often. To really look forward to eating them, though, I have to jazz them up a bit--go beyond the usual greens and ranch routine.

One answer to the "I'm sick of lettuce" lament is bacon. I have always loved bacon. I gave it up all those years I was low fat cooking. Now, we can have bacon on the menu every week. This is the salad that makes me look forward to lunch. I bake my bacon on a rimmed cookie sheet. That way, I don't get splattered, and the bacon curls less. I never liked the chewey underdone parts. I like mine crispy. Even better, with oven baking, I can knock out a whole package at once rather than 5-6 strips at a time in the skillet.

Bacon Salad

1/2 pound bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons Splenda or equivalent sweetener
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salad greens
Mushrooms
Cheese (optional)

Fry bacon until crisp. Set aside, but reserve the grease. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, vinegar, onion powder and sweetener. Slowly stir in 2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease. Chill. Assemble salad greens. Add mushrooms and cheese. Top with salad dressing and crumbled bacon.

Serves 4 555 calories 2 carbs

Check up Time

My hubby John had his check up with his doctor yesterday morning. It was amazing. Just a year ago, he was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. He had been heading that way for years. Today, his blood sugar was 78. (I don't think he had actually eaten the Maple's Meatballs I had packed for him, so this was after an overnight fast. He usually averages around 100 two hours after a meal) The doctor was thrilled, and asked just what he had been up to to get such a turnaround. John explained how his loving wife, that's me, had gone into research mode and found all the studies about how the low carb diet often controlled diabetes. Last year, John had received permission from one of the associates to go on a low carb regime, but his primary doctor had been unavailable for that consultation.

The doctor asked what he was eating, and they actually pulled up the website right there at the office. The doctor loved the e-book. John offered to give him a copy, but the doctor refused saying he wanted to pay for it, because it obviously represented a great deal of work. Hurray! He also agreed to recommend it to diabetic patients he treats.

I know that this way of eating needs to be a lifestyle for my family, not a diet. We have watched friends and family suffer terribly from uncontrolled blood sugar, and I want better for my guys. The 24/7 system lets me feel secure that our food choices are always under control. I am always able to give my family the meals which will keep them healthy for life. The occasional splurge--cake at graduation, a Christmas cookie or two--is not the enemy. What we consistently eat in our everyday meals will keep nerve damage, circulation problems, and a host of other diabetic complications at bay. Daily prayer and low carb food are my weapons of choice against diabetes. We appear to be winning the war!

A Two Mug Morning

Nothing too special about this morning, just another day. Last weekend was busy. I had my college boys surprise me with a visit home. I didn't get my usual double batch of muffins baked on Sunday. Since Tuesday is usually a muffin day for us, I decided just to make Minute Muffins. It is almost as quick a prepared muffin, and still very tasty. It is so easy too. Just mix and bake in the same mug.

Today I chose to make a cinnamon muffin. What is better than a nice cup of spiced tea to go along with it? I love hot tea now that I can add a nice splash of real cream. Ahh, cinnamon heaven.

This is a very popular recipe on the low carb forums. It is definitely not my own invention. But just in case you never tried one, here is the recipe.

Minute Muffin
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons Flax Meal
2 Tablespoons Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Flavorings as desired (today I added a good sprinkle of cinnamon)
Sweetener to taste (1-2 packets of Splenda or 2 T DaVinci Syrup)
1 Egg

In a coffee mug, melt butter in the microwave. Add dry ingredients and stir. Add egg and stir. Microwave on high for one minute. The muffin may rise far above the top of the mug, but will fall back a bit. Let cool about one minute and turn out muffin. It may appear too wet, but will dry as it cools. These can be baked in a conventional oven as well, for about 15 minutes. Makes one muffin.

Play around with flavorings using different DaVinci Syrups or spice blends. Thanks to whoever invented this legendary low carb treat!

Secret Granola

I used to make homemade granola for my boys. They liked it as a snack. I remember the days when all their school books had little bits of oat stuck between the pages.

The great thing about granola is that it can be used so many different ways. It can be spooned over sugarfree yogurt for a yummy dessert. It can top muffins for a crunchy surprise. With a bit of cream mixed with water, it becomes a tasty cereal for breakfast.

But when we low carb, the question is: how does one make granola without oats?

It is secret ingredient time. TVP. Sounds like something plumbers use. Practically, a versatile tool for low carbers and vegetarians alike. It is actually Textured Vegetable Protein, a nuggety, crunchy, pretty much flavorless soy concoction that just begs for your kitchen creativity. When re-hydrated, TVP is useful as a meat replacement or extender. 1/4 cup dry TVP contains 3 net carbs and 12 grams of protein. When made into granola, it will absorb the flavors of the peanut butter and sweetener. Crunchy, easy to make and wonderful by the pinchful.

Secret Granola
2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein granules
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup DaVinci syrup, peanut butter, vanilla or caramel flavor


Mix peanut butter and syrup until smooth. Mix dry ingredients together. Pour the liquid over the dry mixture and mix well. Spread into a thin layer on a cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring every ten minutes. Let cool and remove to an air tight container. Good alone, with cream as a cereal, or with sugarfree vanilla yogurt.

24/7 Low Carb Diner News and Recipe Challenge

The Newsletter for March is out. In it, I have some really great recipes for snack foods. I also included some great advice for curbing the appetite. As low carbers there are great snack options out there. But of course, we can all use a bit of self control if we are hoping to see the scale moving down.

For anyone feeling a bit deprived on a low carb diet, I have some advice. If you have a favorite recipe you've been missing, and think you'll never get to eat it again, I have accepted a challenge. Become a subscriber and I will do my best to convert your recipe to low carb or come up with a reasonable substitute. I hope you'll take the challenge.

You can order the e-book and or newsletter at www.247lowcarbdiner.com