So What Have I Been Up To?

      So what have I been up to since my last post on January 20, 2021? Well I'm still working from home so that eats up 40 hours of my week, but at least I'm saving an hour a day on my commuting time. 

     When I'm not working, I keep busy of course, trying to fit in working on art when I can.

     But today I want to share a new kitchen gadget that I bought. I'm not big on gadgets because I really don't have room to store them, but I decided to get this one because my sister in law has it and she recommended it so highly it was hard to resist.

     I introduce to you my new Ninja SP101 Foodi Flip 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven.

     I know...she looks like a regular toaster oven, but she's not. Trust me, I have a toaster oven and it's now in a box of things being donated to Goodwill because this one does what that one does and so much more!

     The Ninja Flip can Air Fry, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, make Toast, Dehydrate, can toast Bagels and can keep food warm. 

     So far I have used it to broil Petite Sirloin Steak with french fries but forgot to take a picture. I've heated up corn tortillas to make Huevos Rancheros, I've air fried potatoes to go with the Huevos Ranchero, but again forgot to take a picture.

     Today I took pictures! Because today I made Egg Bites.

     These are supposed to be similar to the ones Starbucks sells, but Starbucks uses a sous vide method of cooking and I used the Ninja Flip.

     I want to make sure to have the recipe somewhere handy and my blog is the best way to do that.

Recipe:

Recipe & setting:

5 eggs

1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese

1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper to taste.

I put all the eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, salt & pepper into my blender, blend for 30 seconds. Grease your muffin tin, I used a regular metal tin & Pam cooking spray. Fill cups to top, will make 6, I added bacon bits. Put in Ninja Flip, Bake setting for 14 min. Turn the whole tin at 7 minutes.

     That's the basic recipe but I tweeked it a bit and added finely diced red bell pepper and yellow onion to the bottom of the tin and then added the egg. The veggies had a nice crunch to them.

     You can of course do these in your regular oven but it's 101 degrees outside right now and we're supposed to get to 111 so there was no way I was turning on my oven. The Ninja Flip hardly puts out any heat at all! I just love it!

     I wish I had more time to share some artwork, but a nap is calling to me. Until next time...

Broccoli, Ham, Mozzarella Baked with Eggs

I like to share low-carb recipes on my blog so that I have them handy when I need to make them again.

I am lucky enough to work with a great co-worker that encourages me and helps me with eating low carb...and even better, she shares her food!

The other day she shared this delicious concoction of eggs, broccoli, ham and cheese. I had to ask her for the recipe and today I made it for my mom. She liked it, but thinks I was a little heavy handed with the broccoli, which I probably was, but broccoli is so good for you!

The recipe was developed by Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen and you can go HERE to see her original post of this recipe. 

Here's what my version looked like. I thought it was very pretty and hated to cut into it. I hurried to take the picture thinking it would deflate, but it actually stays nice and puffy like this.

But there was no way we could eat it without slicing into it, so I did and wow, wow, wow....just look at all this deliciousness!

So fluffy and cheesy and yummy and little bits of ham...mmmmm, perfect Sunday breakfast food! The great thing is it also keeps well covered in the fridge and re-heats up beautifully in the microwave so it's perfect for eating during that morning break at work.

Recipe:
Ingredients:

• 4 cups very small broccoli florets, blanched about 2 minutes, then drained well. (Next time I will probably cut this down to 2 cups and maybe dice it much more finely.)
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella
• 10 eggs well beaten (I added salt & pepper to the eggs to taste)

Preheated my oven to 375F, sprayed my 9 inch round pie pan with non-stick spray.

In a small pot I brought water to boil then I blanched the broccoli florets for 3 minutes and poured them into a colander and let them sit in the sink to drain well. 

While my broccoli was cooking I diced up a small ham steak and grated the mozzarella cheese. That was probably the most labor intensive part. 

You then layer the broccoli in the bottom of your dish then sprinkle around the ham and cheese add some salt and pepper if you haven't already added it to your eggs, then pour the beaten egg over and using a fork stir everything around gently just to make sure all the ingredients are coated with egg. 

I baked mine for 35 minutes and it was perfect, as you can tell from the picture. Kalyn serves hers with sour cream, I just added a side dish of a few slices of avocado.

That's it! Easy Peasy!

Onion, Ham, Jalapeno and Cheese Frittata

July 7th was exactly one year that I have been on my low carb, high fat lifestyle and I've lost and maintained a consistent weight loss of 23 pounds. I was aiming for 1 pound a week which would have been 52 pounds, but I have to be realistic and realize that sometimes life happens and for one reason or another you can't stick to the plan. Don't fret and beat yourself up, just get right back up on that horse and keep on trucking! I know that is mixing up a couple of different quotes, but you get what I mean, you're a smart bunch!

In the spirit of my one year anniversary on LC/HF, I decided to share a great Frittata recipe! Cause why wouldn't I? I mean just look at this deliciousness!

I also love sharing recipes on my blog because that way I can always find the instructions on how to make something because I'm pretty forgetful!

So you start by melting 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a non-stick, oven safe pan. I used my cast iron pan which I love, love, love, but next time I will make sure to use it on a lower heat level. Once the butter is melted I toss in my diced onion and about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cracked pepper to taste. I just love the smell of onion caramelizing in butter, it makes my heart happy!

I cooked the onions...oh about 4 minutes, then added my chopped ham and diced jalapenos. I would have preferred to use red bell peppers but I didn't have any so I improvised. It's all my training from watching episode upon episode of Chopped and Iron Chef! I stirred and cooked that for about 2 minutes. 

While that was going on, I cracked 8 eggs in a bowl, added a 1/4 cup of half & half, but you can use milk if you so desire. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and a dash of paprika and whisked the eggs. Then mixed in 1 cup of grated cheddar and I mixed in a bit of mozzarella as I didn't have enough cheddar to make up a cup. (Again, my Food Network Chef Training) See the little red flakes of Paprika in there? Yummmmm! Gives everything a great smokiness!

Now was the time to marry the ham, onion, jalapenos with the eggs and cheese and I said my blessings over them and they all became one with the world and it was beautiful!

So you gently stir to try to get all the ingredients uniform so they aren't all just clumped together in one spot and then you kinda leave them alone, see how they get along, for about 5 minutes. During this time you heat up your over broiler and then you place the whole pan under the broiler and you add a little heat to this beautiful marriage and see if they still blend beautifully even when things get hot! And they do and they did and it was good!

Wanted to cut into this right away but I know that patience is a virtue and so I covered it with foil and let it sit for about 5 minutes then turned it over onto a plate and then turned it over again onto another plate cause I wanted the pretty top to be showing. Then I cut into it!

And it was good and my heart was happy, especially after I paired that slice with my favorite low carb beverage.

So I enter into another year of low carb/high fat and here's to hoping I can lose another 23 pounds in the coming year.

RECIPE:   4 to 6 servings

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, diced (about a cup)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of Paprika
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 cup Half & Half (you can use milk instead
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 or two jalapenos, seeds removed and diced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick, oven safe skillet. Add the onions and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cracked pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often for about 4 minutes until the onion gets soft, then add the diced jalapenos and ham stir and cook 2 or 3 more minutes.

Crack the 8 eggs in a bowl, add the half & half (milk) add 1/4 teaspoon salt, paprika and pepper again to taste and whisk and pour into the pan over the onions, ham and jalapenos. Stir to make sure the fillings are evenly distributed and cook, stirring gently a couple of times during the first minute of cooking, and then let the mixture cook undisturbed until the eggs are just beginning to set, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 3 to 5 minutes until the eggs are just set. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let sit for another 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate, then invert again. Cut into wedges and serve warm. 

Still Low Carb in 2016 and Loving It!

It’s a New Year and time for an update on my low carb/high fat (LCHF) way of eating (WOE). Yes...I'm still low carbing! Yay me!

I’m happy to say that I have been LCHF since July 7, 2015 and I am down 27 pounds!!! That’s just 3 pounds away from actually losing 30! I am so jazzed people! You just can’t comprehend how jazzed I am!

I was a bit worried about the holidays because there is so much yummy traditional food available and I not only am surrounded by it, but I also had to help cook much of it. But I made it without one bite of Tamales, Biscochos, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Christmas Cookies and Candies, Walnut Bread, and Ice Cream.

I have also learned to say “I don’t eat that” instead of “I can’t eat that”. I can eat it, I can eat all I want and I can put myself into an early grave…I am making a choice to NOT eat that.

When people want to know what diet I am doing I tell them it’s not a diet, I’ve changed my WOE and I explain to them what things I choose not to eat and they say, “I can’t live without bread!”, I can’t live without pasta!”, “I can’t live without ice cream!” Well you know what… you can. It’s not easy, but it can be done and thankfully there are a lot of yummy alternatives out there. This isn’t just about eating Eggs and Bacon people! That’s what everyone thinks of when they hear low carb. Nope, this is about making small changes and eating yummy things like this:

Low Carb Coconut Pancakes - Recipe from Low Carb Yum

Eggs in a Cloud - Recipe from The Cooking Jar

Random Treats from my sister Lisa, Deviled Eggs, Black Olive, Meat and Cheese Tray and Jalapeno Poppers. She had me over to help her decorate her house for the holidays and she prepared low carb foods we could snack on. Best deviled eggs ever!

One of my favorite meals - Pork Chops with Broccoli Slaw - Recipe for Broccoli Slaw

And how about this Low Carb Taco Pizza? It started out as a Low Carb Quesadilla, but the tortilla got too crunchy before I could finish adding the toppings, so I just let it continue to cook slowly on both sides until it was crisp then I added cheese, ground beef, lettuce, salsa, more cheese and black olives then sliced it with a pizza cutter. This was amazing!

I am trying to mix it up so that I am not always eating the same thing, even though I'm not that picky and I can eat the same thing day after day. But they say variety is the spice of life, so I'm trying to be creative.

Just as soon as I post this I am making a new recipe my sister sent me today for Paleo Tortillas. If they come out ok I'll share the pictures and recipe. Wish me luck!

  

One New Thing a Week Starting Today and Who Doesn't Love Bacon? Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Loving my low-carb lifestyle, it's become a way of life, not just a diet. But noticed I've been getting lazy and having the same old thing. I've just been eating rotisserie chicken in salad or just alone. Last week I made Kale Salad and I loved it and realized that there are so many other low carb dishes out there and I set a goal to try at least one new recipe per week; more if I'm feeling ambitious, but at least one!

Maybe I'll even try to start up my Weekly Low Carb Wrap Up again...we'll see, baby steps here, it's summer and hot!

I get a lot of suggestions on things to make from my sister Lisa and my co-worker Angelica. Lisa recently sent me a recipe for Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs from the blog Real Housemoms. You can follow the link to find the original recipe. I had to tweak it a bit to make sure that my people would eat it. Some don't like jalapeno, some don't like paprika, some don't like mustard and so on and so on...

Started by boiling a dozen eggs. I got a really great tip this weekend from Anne Burrell from the Food Network. I happened to catch an episode where she made Truffled Deviled Eggs and she said she had a foolproof way of boiling her eggs that would make them perfectly fluffy every time and you will never have that green ring around the yolk! Eggs should be two colors, yellow and white! The secret? Place your eggs in a pot, fill with tap water, BTB...bring to boil.  When they boil turn off the burner and cover for exactly 13 minutes and Voila! Perfect eggs!

While I was boiling the  perfect 13 minute egg, I fried my bacon. Is there anything prettier than bacon frying in a pan? Is there anything on this earth that smells better? Ok, well yes, babies smell better, love that baby smell...but you CAN'T eat a baby! Check this out!

Bacon Frying! Yum - Muy Bonito, Que No?

While the eggs are boiling and the bacon is frying, I'm chopping Jalapenos! I'm the Queen of Multi-Tasking! I diced them really small so that I would get a bit of Jalapeno in every bite! Love raw Jalapeno, I put it in salads and omelette's and almost anything that needs a little crunch. It takes the place of potato chips for me. The recipe called for two, but I had a really big one so I just diced up the one. I seeded it first to take out some of the spiciness.

Also Muy Bonito! Green...my fav color!

So eggs were done, ran them under cold water to cool them off so I could peel them. Peeled them, cut them in half, removed the yoke and placed the yolk in a separate bowl and sure enough, beautifully yellow! Forgot to take a picture, but you'll see how yellow my final pictures are below.

I made my egg yolks a bit more simple than the recipe, just mayonnaise, a tad of salt as the bacon would add it's own saltiness, some black pepper about a half teaspoon of regular yellow mustard, not the powdered kind, just the one you put on your hot dogs.

The one thing I did try from the recipe is to add some sugar, I thought maybe it would offset the saltiness of the bacon and you know what? It did! It really added something to it. I only used maybe one quarter teaspoon. Added the bacon and mixed. I didn't add the jalapeno yet as I wanted to make half without jalapeno.

Now in the recipe you place the egg mixture in a plastic bag with a piping tip and pipe them in all nice and pretty but you know what? It's over 100 degrees outside and spending additional time in a warm kitchen when I could be eating in front of the air conditioner was just not in the cards today, so I spooned them in instead.

Here's the bacon only ones that I made. I think they still look rather pretty, even without the piping. The recipe called for a sprinkle of Paprika, but again...my people are not big fans of the Paprika and I think mine was old anyway as it was more brown than a rusty red color, so I tossed it.

Huevos (Eggs) without the Jalapeno!

Here are the ones I really thought tasted much better, but that's because I'm partial to that Jalapeno and the crunchiness! They were delicious!

Mmmm, all that's missing is an ice cold beer!

I only used 6 slices of bacon so with the rest I made BLT sandwiches. Of course I didn't have the BLT as it's not low carb with the bread, but I did enjoy sprinkling my portion of bacon on top of the eggs. Yum!

So technically, this is the one new thing for the week, so I don't have to worry about making anything new this week, but you never know because I know that Lisa and Angelica will be sending me yummy recipes to try! Have a great week everyone!


 

Weekly Low Carb Wrap Up - Week Ten

This should actually be week thirteen but I've been bad and not done a weekly wrap up for four weeks now! But I'm going to get better because as you can see from my previous post I'm killing my Sugar Crush addiction and focusing more on blogging and napping! My two favorite things!

But...just because I have not been posting a weekly wrap up does not mean I've gone off the low-carb wagon! Oh no...I've been doing good, well maybe not good but I've been trying.

I've always been a believer in only weighing in once a week on Friday mornings. For the past couple of months every single Friday I have weighed exactly the same! I was getting so frustrated because no matter what I did I wasn't losing weight!!!

So two weeks ago I decided I was going to weigh myself every day to see if I could detect a pattern...see how scientific I am? What I found out is that I was defeating myself. On Friday's I would weigh myself and then that evening I would go out an eat just a few chips with salsa (ok, maybe a whole bowl).  Then on Saturday I would go out shopping with my mom and I might eat a few more chips and salsa, maybe a frozen strawberry margarita, then Sunday I usually make a nice meal for my mom and my kids and I might have just a smidgen of mashed potatoes or some Doritos casserole.

I found that all those little cheats made me add 3 to 4 pounds by Tuesday and then even though I was good and ate low carb the whole week all I was really doing was losing the weight I gained over the weekend and therefore by Friday when I weighed in I was still at the same weight! Silly me! Defeating my own self! Grrrr!

So this weekend I have stayed true to my low carb plan and have not partaken of any carbs! At least not more than the 20 to 25 allotted during the induction phase of Atkins. This weekend we have had a heatwave, so yesterday morning, before it got too hot I made some tuna salad, some chicken salad, some guacamole and some turkey, cream cheese and pickle roll-ups  Plus I made some detox water. 

Turkey, Cream Cheese and Dill Pickle Rollups, Guacamole and red pepper strips for dipping! Recipe for the roll ups can be found at http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/02/easy-recipe-for-ham-and-dill-pickle.html

My son found this wonderful video for me, three ways to cook eggs in the microwave, here's a picture of the ones I made and the video is posted below.

Scrambled Egg in a Cup in the Microwave

I also mentioned that I made Lemon Detox Water yesterday and I've been faithfully drinking it today. It's so simple to make, just slice lemons into a pitcher and fill with water then let sit in the fridge overnight. I also added a lime and I wanted to add cucumbers and fresh mint, but I didn't have any. I found information on detox water at fitsugar, but I've seen it all over pinterest too! 

Again this morning before it got too warm I made a turkey roast tenderloin and a pork roast tenderloin. I buy the Jennie-O Turkey Roast Tenderloin, the Savory Roast flavor is below, they have several different flavors, the one I made today was Island Marinade and it had a sweetness to it that was excellent!

I cook it exactly as I do the roast tenderloin, you can go HERE to see how I do it. 

I hope that my detox water and careful planning of food and snacks for this weekend helps me to finally start showing some results! 

If you have any good low carb meals you make feel free to share them with me. I'm always looking for new things to cook. Have a great week everyone!

      

Weekly Low Carb Wrap Up - Week Eight?

Notice my little question mark after the title? The last wrap up I did was April 15th and that was week seven. I went a bit AWOL after that last one. BUT...I have kept my low carb lifestyle going. It's not a diet, it's a way of life so there's no turning back now! So that's about three weeks of low carb goodies I have to show you. 

To be honest, I have not had a lot of time to try new recipes. I have pinned several in Pinterest that I will be trying out in the future, but for right now my priority is being with my dad. I mentioned a few posts ago that he had taken a fall and broken his pelvis. He's in an assisted living facility and I try to visit him at least once a day, sometimes twice. On the bright side he is getting better and his break has healed enough that this next week he will be beginning physical therapy! 

Dad and I. Celebrating his 82nd Birthday!

Just yesterday we celebrated his 82nd birthday and he was in a wonderful mood. Happy and talkative, enjoying his family and eating Nopales (cactus) which is his favorite dish. My sister made them for him and now that I think about it, Nopales are low carb, I sure wish I liked them but unfortunately I don't like them or mushrooms either.

My dad holding his containers of Nopales (Cactus) cooked with scrambled egg and onion.

One new thing that I have found and tried and really like are Persian Cucumbers! I love any kind of cucumber but especially these as I am not really fond of all the seeds in the middle and hate scooping them out before I slice them. With the Persian Cucumbers I found I didn't have to. They are super crunchy and I like to dust them with Pico De Gallo powder, which is very spicy and then drizzle them with a bit of lemon. So delicious and low carb. Really satisfies that craving for chips and salsa!

Another new item I tried was courtesy of my co-worker and co-partner in this low carb lifestyle, Angelica. She made the most delicious low carb lasagna! Yes, you heard right, low carb lasagna! But Alicia, you say...pasta is very high in carbs! I know, I know! But not when your pasta is made from Zucchini! This photo doesn't do this dish justice, but trust me it was fabulous!

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna!

In previous low carb wrap ups I've done I've mentioned the Easy Cajun Drumsticks that I've made and I love them, but I decided to try to make them with boneless chicken breast. My son loved them and I thought they were delicious, but I really love them as drumsticks much better. They are just more flavorful and not as dry. Served them with a drizzle of lemon to cut the spiciness a bit and steamed some broccoli. I love eating low carb!

Easy Cajun Skinless Chicken Strips

One of the things I do miss eating on a low carb lifestyle is burritos and tacos. But I found a great new way to kinda/sorta eat a burrito and/or taco. Use a leaf of lettuce! In the photos below I show you several different fillings that I've tried and they were all 100% delicious!

Shredded Beef Romaine Lettuce Taco with Green Beans and Roma Tomatoes

Beef Carnitas Romaine Lettuce Tacos

Chicken Salad Romaine Lettuce Tacos with Slices of Cucumber

Didn't those all look delicious? And so easy. Almost anything you can wrap in a tortilla you can wrap in a lettuce leaf. 

This next dish tastes much, much better than this photograph would lead you to believe. The original recipe calls them Buffalo Balls. They are from an awesome low carb website, I Breathe...I'm Hungry!

I followed her recipe almost to the letter, the only thing I changed is that I added Parmesan Cheese as I didn't have and don't particularly like Blue Cheese. They were really delicious and my co-worker/friend/co-low carber Angelica really loved them as well. You use Frank's Red Hot Sauce...this stuff is fabulous! Meatballs are a really easy way to eat low carb.

And last but not least...a low carb tip for you. A quick and easy Breakfast or mid morning or mid afternoon snack are hard-boiled eggs. I usually just peel two in the morning, cut them up and put them in a plastic container, add a dollop of mayo and some salt and pepper and head out the door. At snack time I just open up the container, mix everything up and eat. Easy, tasty, flavorful!

So there you go. Hopefully I redeemed myself from missing previous low carb wrap ups and we will see what this next week hold for me. Have a good one!


 

Easy Peasy Huevos Rancheros

One would think that since I am Hispanic I would have eaten Huevos Rancheros a bazillion times in my lifetime right? But actually, I have never had them.

But first a funny story from my childhood. I grew up eating every meal with tortillas. My mom would make eggs sunny side up and I would tear off a little piece of my tortilla and scoop up the yummy yellow yolk. I would continue tearing the tortilla and scooping up the egg until it was all gone. Then I would close my little eyes and pat my little round belly and proclaim that that had been the best breakfast ever!

One time, we were on a road trip to Arizona and we stopped at a pancake house in Yuma. I was probably about 12 or 13 years of age. My mom ordered bacon and eggs for me. They brought my bacon and eggs and everyone started eating and my mom looked over at me and asked me why I wasn't eating yet. I said, "I'm waiting for the tortillas".  Mom told me there were no tortillas coming, that in restaurants they served breakfast with toast. I told her I couldn't eat eggs with toast, I didn't  know how and I wanted tortillas. Sad to say I started crying and telling my mom I didn't know how to eat eggs without tortillas! So I didn't eat my eggs and I loved eggs!

Now granted, I didn't think it was funny at the time, but I get teased about it a lot now. I did eventually learn to eat eggs with toast, which is good because I love restaurant breakfasts and they don't serve tortillas.

With Huevos Rancheros you get your tortillas! I was inspired to try this dish by a pin on Pinterest by Bev at Bev Cooks. I thought, "Wow! This looks delicious!" I read the recipe and it seemed easy as well. So I posted on facebook on Friday morning that I was going to make these tomorrow. Well my sister called my bluff this morning when she came over for coffee and said, "Ok, so where are these Huevos Rancheros you said you were going to make?"

Here's the original photo posted by Bev. Now tell me looking at this photo that you wouldn't be driven to try making them as well?

I did tweak Bev's recipe a bit. I didn't have any canned black beans, but my mom had cooked a fresh pot of Peruvian Beans or frijole peruanos so my sister refried them in a bit of oil. While she worked on making refried beans, I heated about 1/2 cup of oil in a pan and pan fried whole corn tortillas one at a time until they were just deliciously crisp, then I blotted them with paper towels. I then fried the eggs and layered the corn tortilla, spread with some of the refried beans, then a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, then the delicious fried egg. My sister chopped some cilantro and we had some salsa in the fridge...we always have homemade salsa in the fridge (I love having my mother live with me!).

Here's a photo of the Huevos Rancheros that I made.

Trust me these are delicious. If you make them you will be addicted...so go on, make them! You can thank me and Bev later!