P3 Green Bean Casserole

GBC is one of my favorite side dishes. Heck, I could just eat it as my meal and be happy. I never liked the mushrooms that came along in the cream of mushroom soup, though. Between wanting to avoid both mushrooms and canned cream-of-anything soup, I started making my own GBC from scratch a few years ago. The first time was for Thanksgiving, and I successfully made a GBC that was totally gluten-free. But this year I wanted it to also be low-carb. It wasn't hard at all and I am so happy with how it turned out.

P3 Green Bean Casserole

First, prepare the onions:

3 medium or 2 large Onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Refined Coconut Oil (soft or liquid)

Combine all ingredients and spread in a baking dish. Bake at 475 for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking so they cook evenly. Set aside when done.

Next, prepare the green beans:

Steam 1-1.5 lbs green beans until just tender, then rinse with cold water to stop them cooking.

Make up the creamy sauce:

3 T Butter
3 T Oat Fiber
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Stock or Broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 tsp Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or half of each
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Melt butter on medium-heat. (At this point, if you are a mushroom person, you could add chopped mushrooms and saute them in the butter until done.) Add oat fiber. Add cream and broth, whisking quickly. Sprinkle gum/gluccie very slowly, whisking well to incorporate it. Let it come to a bubble and it'll thicken up. Add garlic, salt and pepper, whisk for a minute more, then remove from heat.

Combine the green beans with the cream sauce, and add half of the onions. Spread into a 13x9 pan. Top with remaining onions. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and serve.

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P3 No-Bake Cheesecake

My dad requested cheesecake for dessert on Thanksgiving this year. I was happy to oblige, but our chickens have not been laying many eggs and I didn't have enough for my usual cheesecake recipe. I ended up tweaking Briana's No-Bake Cheesecake from her cookbook Necessary Food (If you are into low-carb cooking, THM, Keto, etc. then I highly recommend this cookbook) and it was a hit! Definitely not the same texture as regular baked cheesecake, but it tasted great.

No-Bake Cheesecake - Low Carb, Sugar Free

Crust:
3 T Butter
1 T Gentle Sweet, or your sweetener of choice (Swerve, Pyure, Erythritol, etc.)
1 cup Almond Flour
2 T Oat Fiber

Mix crust ingredients thoroughly and press into the bottom of a pie plate. If your butter is cold, you'll need to warm or melt it. Mine was room temp and it blended right up.

Cheesecake:
2 8oz pkgs Cream Cheese
2/3 cup Sour Cream
2 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
4 T Gentle Sweet or sweetener of choice, to taste
4 tsp Great Lakes Gelatin (the red can)
3 T Hot Water
2/3 cup Heavy Cream

Beat cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and sweetener until thoroughly combined. It would be easier if the cream cheese was not cold, but I never mange to think ahead enough to set it out so I just rely on my Kitchen Aid mixer to beat the cream cheese. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl well with a spatula so it's all combined.

Dissolve the gelatin in hot water, then add to cheesecake mixture and beat well. Add heavy cream and mix for a few more minutes. Give it a taste to see if it's sweet enough - if not, add another tablespoon of sweetener, mix, and taste again.

Pour cheesecake mixture over crust and refrigerate at least an hour, or longer if you can. I was able to cut and serve this after just about an hour but it gets firmer if it can chill longer. Serve with toppings of choice - we had 1 fruit and 2 chocolate ganache here. :)

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P3 Barbacoa Salad

Leftover barbacoa is delicious on a salad! Like a taco salad only with a different flavor. Love it!

P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef 

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low or "slow cook" in the IP for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce.

Here is my husband's version of the barbacoa salad, all neatly organized. I just throw mine in the bowl. Ha.

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Easy Shredded Chicken

If you like to cook in bulk, you'll love this! You can cook up a whole batch of boneless skinless chicken breast and have it shredded and ready to throw on a salad, in soup, or season up for whatever you'd like to eat.

Use your mixer! I use my kitchenaid mixer but a hand mixer will also work. I can throw the hot cooked chicken breasts right in and the mixer shreds them up easily. The key is to do quick bursts of the mixer, don't just turn it on full blast or it'll throw the chicken right out of the bowl. If you're doing a large batch, put just a few breasts in at once, pulse it until you like the level of shredding, then dump it into a large bowl to the side and do the next few breasts. Repeat until it's all shredded.

You can cook large batches of chicken in a crock pot, but it takes hours to cook them. Still better than boiling, but not super fast.

THEN I got my Instant Pot. Hello! Now I don't even have to deal with boiling chicken anymore OR waiting on the crock pot! I can cook 5 lbs of chicken at once - I just throw it in the instant pot with some water, set it to pressure cook for 15 minutes, and walk away.

I actually keep cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer now so I can use it in recipes as needed. I even keep some seasoned with taco seasoning to use on a taco salad or in a lettuce wrap. So convenient!

Some recipes from this blog that you can make with precooked shredded chicken:

Chicken Fajita (P3)
Chicken Apple Slaw (P2)
Chicken Spinach Tomato Soup (P2)
Enchilada (just sub chicken for beef) (P2)
Chicken Soup (P2)
Chicken Chili (P2)
Chicken Salad (P3)

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P3 Marble Cheesecake

My dad made this cheesecake and it is fantastic! He said it's important to taste the batter before you pour it, to make sure it's sweet enough. This recipe shows exactly what he did so hopefully it will turn out as good for you as it did for him.

Sugar-Free Marble Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350.

For crust:

1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1/8 cup Erythritol
2 Tbsp Butter, melted

Process all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. It will be very thin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool.


For filling:

2   8oz pkgs Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Erythritol
1 tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Lemon Juice
16 oz  Sour Cream
3 Eggs, at room temperature

Beat all ingredients, except the eggs, with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until blended.

Reserve one cup of batter for marbling. Pour the rest into the springform pan.

Add 1 tsp Cocoa Powder and about 1/4 cup Erythritol (to taste) to the reserved batter. Spoon chocolate batter onto plain batter and drag a knife through to make a marbled pattern.

Place a pan with a couple of cups of water in it on the lower rack, underneath the rack where you will place your cheesecake. Bake cheesecake at 350 for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for one more hour before removing it.

Let it cool, and then refrigerate at least two hours until completely chilled.


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P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef

I have fallen in love with Chipotle's barbacoa but it's so hard to go in there and resist the beans and rice, which are not HCG-Friendly. So here is a delicious recipe to make your own barbacoa at home!

P3 Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef 

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low or "slow cook" in the IP for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce.

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P3 Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

This dressing is very much like a caesar dressing, but it is vegetarian. I love it with lots of garlic!

I feel comfortable using this dressing on P2, in place of my milk allowance, but that it something you'll need to decide for yourself and test to make sure it doesn't cause a gain for you. It should be fine on P3 though for sure.

Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

1 cup Mayonnaise (I use Hain Safflower Mayo)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (juice of one lemon)
2 cloves Garlic (or more) minced
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt (or more, to taste)
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate. It tastes best if it's made a little ahead of time.


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P3 Chicken Parm Bites

The chicken parm recipe may be our family's most often-revisited recipe from this blog. It just tastes so good you'd have no idea it was low-carb if someone didn't tell you. I love to make spaghetti sauce, noodle up some zucchini with my awesome spirooli slicer, and have this with it. Delicious.

We started cutting the chicken into chunks to make them all about the same size to aid in cooking, and then our kids started calling them chicken nuggets, and eating them. I don't know why they aren't as into chicken strips but whatever works!

Chicken Parmesan Bites

~1 lb Chicken Breast tenders (I used nine) cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Almond Meal
1/2 Tbsp Oregano
1/2 Tbsp Basil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and beat egg in a separate bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg, and then into breading. Set onto baking sheet while oil heats. Heat olive oil to about medium high. Brown breaded chicken on both sides in hot oil, then place in a baking dish. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

The trick to the zucchini noodles is this amazing spirooli slicer.  You don't have to peel the zucchini first but I prefer it peeled.  Stick it in the slicer with the smallest blade inserted, and spin!

Awesome zucchini noodles!  I slice my zucchini vertically, about halfway through so I get a bunch of half-curls.  Spoon hot sauce over them and you almost forget you aren't eating pasta.

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P3 Stir Fry Chicken and Veggies

This is one of those meals that makes me forget I'm trying to any sort of low carb diet! It's so tasty and filling. And with the cauliflower "rice" I don't even miss the white rice my family is eating.

Mix the following sauce in a glass bowl:
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Oil
4 Tbsp Bragg's, Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Cut up chicken breast into bite-sized pieces - I use about 5-6 chicken tenders - mix with the sauce and let it marinate while you prepare the other stuff.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in wok or large pan on medium high. (I like to use sesame oil but whatever kind is fine.)  Stir fry veggies -I like to do onion, bell pepper and broccoli.  Remove veggies to a separate bowl. Stir fry the marinated chicken in the pan until the chicken is done. Throw the veggies back in and stir to coat with sauce.  Serve over cauliflower rice.

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Cauliflower "Rice"

This is such a good alternative to rice! I love it with stir-fry and don't even miss my once-beloved white rice when I have that meal.

Grate or finely chop a whole head of cauliflower - a food processor comes in very handy for this job, but you can also use a manual grater.

Saute for 4-5 minutes in a wok with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Serve.

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Salad Jars

Salads are a roller coaster for me. I love them, especially with lots of veggies cut up and a delicious homemade dressing. But they are so much work! I hate having to get out a bunch of different vegetables and the cutting board and knives just to make one salad. Enter pinterest and the Salad Jar. My life is forever changed! I can spend the time ONCE and have salads for the week. I feel better eating this good food and my time was spent efficiently. Win!

I recommend chopping lettuce and putting it in first, filling most of the jar. Then add whatever you like - bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, celery, grated cheese, raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, etc. I love it all (except for the celery, ha).

For carrots and zucchini, the spirooli slicer comes in handy! 

I don't recommend chopping tomato and putting it in the salad jars, because they tend to get too wet for me and I don't like wet salad. If you don't care about your salad being wet, then go for it. A better option, in my opinion, is using grape tomatoes.

When it's time to eat, dump the jar into a big salad bowl, add dressing, and eat. If you need to take it with you to work or school, bring your dressing in a small container so it doesn't make a mess of your salad before you're ready to eat.

If you're on P2, you can do this idea too, just be sure to keep it P2 Friendly!

If you try this idea, please leave me a comment to let me know! What do you put in your salads?

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P3 5-minute Strawberry Ice Cream

I make this when my kids are having ice cream and I want my own treat. Often I just make this for them too since they love it and it's healthier than regular sugary ice cream. So easy, I always have the ingredients on hand, and it takes no time at all in my Vitamix!

Quick Strawberry Ice Cream

1 10oz pkg frozen Strawberries
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
Liquid Stevia to taste

Blend frozen strawberries with yogurt. Add stevia to taste - start with about 10 drops and taste, adding 1 drop at a time, mixing and tasting until it's just right.

I think you could sneak this one in on P2 if you used your milk allowance for the day and 1 serving of strawberries! 

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P3 Chicken Fajita

Meals like this remind me that I don't have to have a tortilla to enjoy Mexican food. It's delicious and satisfying, and best of all low-carb! Plus if the rest of your family insists on the traditional meal, they can use the same filling in a tortilla, so you can stay on your low-carb diet without having to make two different meals. Score!

Chicken Fajita

Cooked Chicken - I just boil some chicken breast until done, then shred or chop.  You can also use leftover chicken if you happen to have cooked extra.


Tomatoes or salsa
Cheese, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Veggies of choice:
Onion, sliced or chopped
Bell Pepper, sliced or chopped

You can also use zucchini or squash if you like. Anything goes!

Mix cooked chicken with fajita seasoning of your choice, or just some garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder.

Saute veggies in butter or olive oil until done, about 15 minutes.

 Top shredded chicken with sauteed veggies, chopped tomatoes or salsa, and cheese if desired. Serve!


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P3 Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

I love grilling food. It just gives such an amazing flavor for such little effort. These kabobs are delicious with just a little spritz of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

P3 Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

Chop veggies of your choice into large chunks. I used yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onion. Thread onto skewers, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill to desired doneness, about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

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HCG-Friendly Valentine's Day

February 14th is just around the corner! Don't fall off the weight-loss wagon and make some yummy HCG-Friendly Valentine's Treats.

Phase 2: Definitely limited, but there are still treats to enjoy.

 P2 Chocolate Mousse

P2 Cinnamon Baked Apple

P2 Chocolate Strawberries
(can be considered rogue with cocoa powder)

If you're in Phase 3: So many options open up!

For sweet treats, check out:

P3 Chocolate Waffles for Breakfast!

P3 Marble Cheesecake

 P3 Chocolate Cheesecake

P3 Cheesecake

P3 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

 

P3 Dark Peanut Butter Fudge

P3 Chocolate Coconut Cookies

P3 5-minute Strawberry Ice Cream

P3 Chocolate Brownie Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

(or cupcakes)

And for some fun Beverages:

 P3 Virgin Pina Colada

 P3 Hot Chocolate

Pizza for dinner? Make it into a heart shape!

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P3 Homemade Coconut Milk

I wasn't even a big fan of coconut milk... you know, the stuff that comes in a can. I've used it a few times for recipes but I wouldn't just drink it.

Then my friend shared this link about making your own coconut milk. I had the coconut on hand so I gave it a try. It took 5 minutes and is a.ma.zing.

Step 1. Boil 1 cup of water
Step 2. Put 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut in food processor or blender.
Step 3. Pour hot water over coconut.
Step 4. Pulse about 20 times, letting the mixture sit for a couple of seconds in between. (Don't run it continuously)
Step 5. Strain through a fine sieve into a jar. Refrigerate.

You can use the coconut shreds again, with another cup of hot water. The original link says you can make 4 cups of coconut milk with the same shreds.

You can also take the leftover coconut shreds, dehydrate them, and grind them into coconut flour. Thrifty!

As pictured on the original link, the coconut oil will rise to the top and solidify in the refrigerator. I am always trying to get more coconut oil in (I don't like eating it plain and I don't really eat toast, though it's great on toast) so I just stirred it back in and drank it. I also stirred in some vanilla, a few drops of liquid stevia, and about a teaspoon of cocoa powder. Yum!


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HCG-Friendly Super Bowl Food

Are you ready for the big game? Surprise your friends with these yummy recipes that are low-carb, gluten-free and sugar-free! Or if you're going to a Super Bowl Party and wondering how to stay on protocol, consider bringing a few of these with you so you can eat according to the plan but not feel left out.

I'll list out some of the best main dishes, and don't forget to look for desserts too! 

Phase 2

Meatball Burgers

 Taco Salad (or go rogue with ranch)

Meatballs: Regular or Gluten-Free

 Chili

 Chicken Chili

Chicken Fingers

Phase 3  

Taco Pizza or Tostada

Chicken Parm Fingers

Chicken Salad

Bruschetta Chicken

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P3 Crispy Tostada

This is another version of the P3 Taco Pizza, with chia instead of flax. I also flattened it more and baked it longer, so it made a nice crispy base for my taco toppings. Delicious!

Crispy Low Carb Tostada

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 Tbsp Water
1 Egg
1 cup Colby/Jack, Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
Taco toppings

Preheat oven to 350*. If you use a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well.

Mix all ingredients well and press onto parchment paper into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

Bake for 20 minutes. If you didn't use the pizza stone method, bake about 10 minutes, then flip crust and bake another 10 minutes on the other side, or until crispy and done on both sides.

 

Top with desired taco toppings and serve! I used seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

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