Baked Sesame Chicken!

Ok kiddies, I made something semi-delicious this afternoon called "Baked Sesame Chicken".

I am ever so thankful for the webstie called "Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes". I found this recipe for the baked chicken here.

Here's a photo of my finished product:
After making this I realized that a few changes were needed:

1. This dish was too salty! I even used low sodium soy sauce. My suggestion is passing on the salt added to the sesame seeds and using low sodium soy sauce.
   
2. Also, I didn't baste while it was cooking in the oven, there was no need.

Tuna Patties

Made this delicious recipe found here

Mandy's Low Carb Quiche :)

I decided to make a quiche this afternoon because they store well and I can eat it over a period of a few days, since I am the only one in my house low carbing :) Here it is:

Mandy's Low Carb Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion
• 1 tbs. butter or margarine,
• One package of frozen spinach (10 oz.), thawed in microwave & drained
• 5 to 6 eggs (use more if you need to, it won't hurt)
• 1 1/2 cups of cheese of your choice
• Salt, Onion powder, and pepper to taste

Directions: Put the butter in a medium size pan and saute on medium heat. When onions become translucent, turn down to medium-low and add spinach. Put the cheese into a pie pan (I used a ceramic one). In a bowl, beat the eggs. Pour eggs into the pie pan. Then, add spinach and onions. Also add in your onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir together and put in the oven to bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes!

Low Carb Cheese It's!

I discovered this snack when I was in a frenzy for something quick and delicious.

Here's what you do:
First, you'll need a Dixie paper plate (can't just be the plain white ones or the cheese will stick to them). Spread a few tablespoons (or a 1/2 cup) of grated cheese of any kind on the paper plate using your fingers to evenly place it all over the surface of the plate.

Put in the microwave on high for 40 to 60 seconds. When it is done it will be darker in color and hard to the touch. Bend the paper plate in your hands and the cheese will break off! :)

Enjoy!

Creative Taco Salad for One!

Hello there, like I said in my previous post, I have been running out of meat and other things so I've been getting creative!

I made a yummy taco salad yesterday and here's my recipe for it:

Mandy's Taco Salad

• 2 turkey or beef patties, chopped up to resemble ground meat*
  
• Taco seasoning (as much as you prefer)
  
• As much chopped iceberg lettuce as you want
  
• Taco sauce (I'm a salsa verde girl)
  
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• As much cheddar cheese as you feel like adding**
  

Directions: Heat up medium frying pan on medium heat, wait for it to get warm and then add your two patties. While they get soft as you cook them chop the patties up with your spatula. Cook the meat thoroughly. When meat is done cooking, switch to a new utensil to avoid contamination. Add a few tablespoons of water and the taco seasoning. Blend together and let it simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes.

Once meat is done cooking, add on top of the iceberg lettuce in a bowl, along with the rest of your ingredients! And enjoy!

Carb count depends on how much toppings you put on, mine generally is about 3 net carbs total :)

*Turkey meat is a lot leaner than beef and doesn't taste too bad with seasoning, or by itself for that matter.

**Don't forget to grate it.

NEW SOUP RECIPE! :D

Here's a quick and yummy soup recipe that I found online, my recipe below is a variation of the recipe that can be found here.

I am running out of things like meat and veggies which is what I live on so this soup has some interesting things in it haha. Looks like I need to go to the store!

Mandy's Noodle, Chicken, and Veggie Soup

• 1 tablespoon oil (olive or vegetable, I'm using olive)
• 1 tablespoon butter (or margarine, which I'm using)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, chopped (I only have one! =[ )
  
• 1/2 or 1 cup of celery, thinly sliced (or two small stalks)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned mushrooms (drain it!)
• 4 cups homemade chicken broth (made with bouillon cubes)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 green beans (the other recipe calls for carrots, but those are too high in carbs)
• A pinch of dried parsley
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Salt (you pick how much)
• And egg noodles! (recipe is below!)

Directions:
Heat the oil and butter in a medium or large saucepan over medium heat. Add your chicken and cook thoroughly. Add the celery, mushrooms, and onions. Cook and stir until the vegetables are crisp and tender! Add the broth, water, green beans, parsley, pepper, and the salt. Simmer, not covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Add your awesome egg noodles and simmer for a few more minutes until heated all the way through!

Once again this a variation of the recipe that I found here



Egg Noodles:
3 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream (I made my own using a substitution recipe found here)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper

Egg Noodle directions:
"Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons of egg mixture into a hot buttered 7-8" skillet and swirl around until the mixture coats the bottom of the pan. Cook until the eggs are set but not browned. Flip and lightly cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 4 crepes. Cut the crepes into strips resembling flat noodles." (Direct quote from this webpage )

This recipe has about 2 net carbs :) Serving size is 1 cup!

Mandy's Tuna Salad

Felt like experimenting and looked on Allrecipes.com, didn't find a recipe for tuna salad that sounded yummy, so I decided to make my own! Here it is:

1 Can of Tuna (flaked, 6 oz.) don't forget to drain it!
1 teaspoon of mayo
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of relish
1/4 cup of celery (or more, I added more, veggies are a MUST for low carbing)
1/4 cup of onion (red or yellow, I used yellow but would have preferred red)
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of garlic salt (has the garlic flavor and the salt, so no need to add salt as well)

Directions: Mix together in bowl and enjoy!

This is a low carb DELICIOUS recipe!

Just found a new induction-safe desert recipe!

This looks SOOOO yummy! I am thinking about making it as soon as I can get to the grocery store for the ingredients!

You can see the recipe by clicking here!

I will post pictures of my version of it as soon as possible! :)

Just a Tip

Here's something that helps: A journal.

Keep one in your kitchen and record what you eat for each meal. This will help you keep track of how many carbs you've consumed each day and when the last time you ate is. :-)

Still Struggling

Yesterday did not go as good as I had planned.

I started the day out good, didn't cheat, etc...


Then I went shopping, got low blood sugar, ended up cracking and eating like seven chicken nuggets from a fast food joint, which all in all was cheating because of the breading but still wasn't that bad.

Then I ended up eating beef lo mein for dinner, which everyone knows either has rice or noodles, mine contained noodles, although I picked most out I am still disappointed with myself for cheating.

The rest of the week is bringing multiple events, birthday parties, father's day, and my aunt coming into town which all mean my mother is creating FABULOUS dishes FULL of carbs that will tempt me...stay strong, Mandy...stay strong.

Free Atkins Starter Kit!

To get the free starter kit from Atkins all you need to do is follow the link: http://community.atkins.com/security/register.jsp?MCID=HomepageGateway&rc=FreeBars, and sign up to become a member on Atkins! I got my starter kit in the mail in Feburary and it has been SUCH a God send. Literally. The free bars were nice because each bar is about $1.oo at the grocery store, but to me the most helpful part were the three information packets. The first is a recipe book, the second an introductory booklet, and the third is a pocket carb counter. I keep the carb counter in my purse!

This is a great starter kit to learn about the Atkins diet and it is COMPLETELY free. :)

The Beginning

I have one word to describe how I feel today: angry.

I have been getting EXTREMELY burnt out on my low carb diet. I have begun cheating and justifying it by saying oh it won't matter if I have a whatever snack here and there.

But honestly...do I really want to jeopardize my success thus far? HELL NO! I have lost about 22 pounds in the past 2 months that I have been doing the Atkins diet.

I am starting this blog to motivate myself to do better on my diet and share my feelings and struggles.

Today I discovered the forums on Atkins.com and posted a few new threads on there to see people's responses. I got a lot of positive feedback. If you are looking for a place to get low carb recipes and help/motivation from other people low carbing I suggest checking it out asap!

I am still getting used to the low carb way of living but it gets easier each day. I have hit a plateau and am now trying to get back on track.