Orange Creamsicle Mousse

This is probably one of my most favorite low carb desserts. Even better, it is so easy to make.

Orange Creamsicle Mousse

1 Small Box of Orange Sugar Free Jello
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Package of  Neufchâtel Cheese*
Whipped Cream (optional)
Hand Mixer

Allow the  Neufchâtel cheese to soften.

In a mixing bowl, combine the boiling water and the jello packet - stir well, you want to make sure you dissolve all of the gelatin. Once it is thoroughly dissolved, add the softened cheese and blend with a hand mixer until well incorporated. I like to leave mine a tiny bit lumpy because I like little pockets of cheese in my mousse.

Refrigerate until set - about 3 or 4 hours
Just before serving, top with whipped cream!

If you serve them in stemware this makes a lovely dessert for company!




*  Philadelphia brand Neufchâtel Cheese has slightly less carbohydrates than Cream Cheese but this can also be made with cream cheese for a slightly higher carb count

Carb Count: 8g of Net Carbs for the entire recipe (not including the optional whipped cream)
Servings: I got four of those small stemware glasses from one batch so I would say about 2g/serving

Asian Inspired Noodles

I am a huge fan of Chinese/Asian cuisine. In fact, it is really my arch nemesis. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on plan, sailing along just fine then WHAM! I am sent flying off track due to an indulgence at the China Buffet. Eeek!

I threw this together to satisfy a craving the other night and WOW they were SO good. I am not a big fan of soy - actually, I am quite a non-fan (PCOS and soy... ugh.. but that is for another post!) but I think in strict moderation it can be forgiven.

I actually paired this with a seafood mix but we (the handsome hubby and I) really didn't care for the mix so next time I am going to just use chicken!

Asian Inspired Noodles

1 Package of Tofu Shirataki Noodles - I found these at Ingles but I actually saw them at Walmart yesterday too, they are in the produce section where all the tofu stuff is. They have a natural ferment-y aroma so you will want to rinse them under cold water in a colander.

2 T of Natural Peanut Butter - I use Laura Scudder's because it doesn't have any added sugar. I only had nutty so I used it and it was fine - I did find the bits of crunchy to be slightly off-putting though so I recommend creamy instead.

Add your noodles to a small sauce pan with a small pat of butter. When the butter has started to melt, you can add your peanut butter to the sauce pan and gently stir it until it melts into the noodles. I then added a teaspoon or two of soy sauce.

And that's it! I tossed it with the seafood mix but next time, I am going to stir fry some chicken pieces and use it instead. I was also thinking about adding snow peas and a little onion next time too. The possibilities are endless!  I felt like we were having Chinese takeout at home. ^_^

This is the nutritional input from MyFitnessPal:

11g total Carbs

- 5g Fiber

6g Net Carbs for the whole dish

Reflecting back...

I found an old unpublished blog post that I wrote about six years ago. I am not sure why I never shared it. I thought I would share it today because I was speaking so openly about my struggles with food addiction (maybe because I knew I wasn't going to publish it?) I wish I could say that I have since overcome them, but I haven't. I think it is always going to be a struggle and a battle for me.

My tumultuous relationship with food started when I was around twelve or thirteen. I don't think it was any one particular thing that triggered it - but rather a multitude of life changes that I was unprepared for at such a tender age. I think it started out as a need to have some kind of control because everything else around me was spiraling so chaotically. It began at the opposite end of where I find myself today. Food was the enemy, not the friend.

I can't pinpoint when the change happened but I know I didn't move from being anorexic to obese over night. It seems to me that there was some point in between, when food didn't play such a big role in my life. Maybe I am wrong about that. Whatever the case, the change happened. Somewhere along the way, food and I mended our differences and developed an intimate friendship. Only now, am I able to look back on the years spent bonding with brownies and see that it was definitely a one sided friendship. The only thing gained was pounds of unwanted fat that in the long run have made me much more miserable then any temporary comfort was ever worth. Now I have the difficult task of severing that friendship so that I can begin my journey toward a healthier, happier me.

I have made the decision to follow a low carb plan. Having tried nearly every diet out there, Atkins was the only one that I ever really had success with. Knowing that, I believe it's the right choice for me and since it is my body and my life I have to do what I feel is best for me even if i don't get as much support as I'd like too. 

Low Carb Jello Cheesecake

Low Carb Jello Cheesecake

1 Block Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 Small box of SF jello - any flavor you like
1 Cup of boiling water
Sweetener to taste - I use 4 drops of  Ez Sweetz
Whipped Heavy Cream - optional



Allow cream cheese to soften or pop it in the microwave if you are as impatient as I am! If you nuke it, allow it to cool a bit! Mix a bit of sweetener into your softened cream cheese. You don't need much since the jello is already sweetened.

Mix your jello with one cup of boiling water until well dissolved, allow to cool.

Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese into your cooled jello. I left my cream cheese a bit chunky in the mixture because I like pockets of cream cheese goodness in mine BUT you can beat it smooth as well!

Poor your mixture into a glass pie plate and allow to set. I let my set overnight but I am guessing it would be completely set within a few hours maybe.

Top with whipped cream if you prefer

The whole pie is 16g of carbs from the Cream Cheese (remember when PCC was 1g!?)
but I cut it into 8 slices for 2g per slice not including the whipped cream which would add negligible carbs if you went easy on it.

It was really very good - this has a light airy texture, not dense like NY style cheesecake.

Squashed Spaghetti [13.5g Net Carbs]

What You'll Need:

1 spaghetti squash - a small one will make two very hearty servings
1lb Ground Beef, cooked/drained
1C Spaghetti Sauce*
1/4C Shredded Cheese

This is a really simple and delicious meal. It is a little higher in carbs than I would typically allot for one meal so I keep my carbs low for the day when I know I will be making this. You want to cut your squash in half and remove the seeds/stringy center. You can really cook your squash any way that you wish but I microwave steam mine because it is fast and easy that way. To microwave steam: cut in half, scoop out the middle junk then place both halves in a microwave safe dish, skin side down. Fill the hollowed out center of each half with about a tablespoon of water in each (doesn't take much) then cover with saran wrap (you want to make sure to securely fit the wrap so the steam doesn't escape!) and nuke that baby for 9 minutes. You can have your ground beef cooking up while your squash steams! Once the squash is cooked, take a fork and pull out the inside flesh - it should come out sort of like noodles (hence why it is called spaghetti squash) try not to pierce the shell if you want to get fancy and serve the meal inside of them. Once your hamburger meat is fully cooked, mix in the sauce and 2 cups of the squash (a small one should yield about two cups) then fill the hollowed out squash halves with the mixture, top with cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly and browned. Voila! Squashed Spaghetti ^_^

Net Carb Breakdown:
2 cups Squash: 16g
1 cup sauce* 10g
1/4 cup cheese 1g
27g for the entire batch which works out to 13.5 per serving. * I use Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce in the can - if you can find something lower you can bring down the counts a bit. Like I said, this is a bit higher than I typically go but this is soooo yummy that it is worth it! ^_^

Super Simple Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

This recipe is so simple but it tastes phenomenal. It is by far the best mashed cauliflower I have ever eaten.

I have tried this dish using numerous different recipes with some pretty extravagant ingredients but I never loved any of them. I wasn't expecting this super simple version to wow me but it did!!

What You Will Need:

1/2 Small/Med Head Raw Cauliflower*

2 oz Cream Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Food Processor*

Steam your cauliflower however it is that you steam it! I steam mine in the microwave because it is fast and easy. You just want to make sure to drain any excess water if you wind up with any because the thick and creamy consistency of this dish is a big part of what makes it sooo good! Once your cauliflower is steamed nice and tender - you should be able to pierce the stem part very easily with a fork - drop it into your food processor with your cream cheese and blend it until smooth but be careful not to over-blend it or you will break it down and make it runny. It should have the consistency of home-style mashed potatoes. Once you get the right consistency, salt and pepper it to taste and they are ready to eat!! This could probably make two small servings but I ate it as one hearty serving because they were sooo good and my honey bunny doesn't like cooked cauliflower anyway. It also reheated really well in the microwave so I think this could be made in advance for busy day meals!

* I haven't tried this yet with frozen cauliflower and I haven't experimented with larger amounts of cauliflower.

* If you don't have a food processor you might be able to do this with a hand masher but I am not sure if you will be able to get the same consistency.

Here is the carb breakdown: 

Cauliflower: 5g

Cream Cheese: 2g

Total: 7g for the Whole Dish and sooo worth it!!!

Craving Killer - Low Carb Nachos! [10.5g Net Carbs vs 71g at Taco Bell!]

Back in my SAD days, I absolutely LOVED the Nachos BellGrande from Taco Bell. Of course, I wouldn't touch them now at a whopping 71g of Carbohydrates!! So... I had to come up with a decent substitution to satisfy that killer nacho craving that still hits me from time to time. This recipe is NOT super low carb - it still comes in at just over 10g/serving BUT that is still much better than 71g!!

What You Will Need:

2 Large Low Carb Tortillas

 1 lb Ground Beef 

2oz Shredded Cheese

2 Tablespoons Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons Salsa

1/2 Haas Avocado

3 or 4 slices of Pickled Jalapeno

These are super easy to make! Cut your tortillas up into whatever size "chips" you like. I kept mine sort of big for easier scooping. You will need to deep fry them to turn them into chips. I put mine in my deep fryer for 5 minutes but next time I will try 3 minutes because they almost got too browned. If you don't have a deep fryer you can probably just fry them up in a deep skillet. I use peanut oil in my fryer but I think coconut oil would probably work well too. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook your ground beef. 

I put one tablespoon of salsa in with my ground beef to flavor it. You will want to check labels and find the lowest carb salsa. Once your meat is cooked, drain it a bit and pile it on top of your chips. I then sprinkled the shredded cheese and the chopped avocado on and then topped it off with the sour cream and remaining salsa. I also added a few slices of pickled jalapeno but you can omit them if you prefer. I forgot to add chopped tomatoes but I bet it would be a good addition - just remember to count the extra carbs if you choose to add them in.

Here is the Net Carb Breakdown: Just Over 21g for the whole dish, Serves 2 for 10.5g per serving.

Tortillas: 12g (I use Mission Whole Wheat Carb Balance and they are 6g/each)

Ground Beef 0g

Shredded Cheese 2g (I figure 1g/oz)

Sour Cream 2g

Salsa 3g

Avocado 1.8g

Jalapeno >1g