Category: recipes

Low Carb Breakfast: Sausage Drop Biscuits

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The K List blog

I am about 3 months into my low carb adventure and it has really been paying off. I don’t think elimination diets are a sustainable way to lose and keep weight off but for someone who has alot to shed, it can really produce results.  I am now almost 15 lbs thinner than I was before I got pregnant with III.  I lost the baby weight quickly and easily. I honestly didn’t have much of an appetite for a few weeks after having him, I wasn’t drinking and I was bored so we did A LOT of strolling while on maternity leave.  But then I went back to work and spent most of my day in a chair.  I was struggling with merging two routines – a full time job and keeping a baby alive – so my time and focus on exercising & healthy cooking went out the window for a while.  I managed to put about 8 of the 28 pregnancy pounds back on.  I wasn’t happy with the way I looked and now, more than ever, it was important to me to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Sure, III is a baby but before I know it, he’ll be mimicking the way we live.  And I want him to grow up in an active and healthy family.  With his kidney disease, I want him to understand the importance and benefit of a healthy diet and have the nutrition knowledge he needs to be healthy as a teenager and adult when he is making his own decisions.

After meeting with my physician and doing some personalized tests, I learned that I have moderate insulin resistance so cutting carbs and sugars within reason would be beneficial for my health and waistline.

Bottom line – you should do what works for you.  I’ve adjusted to these habits fairly well and can allow myselfs carbs and sugars…. and wine… within reason without reversing my progress.

My biggest struggle was usually breakfast… Before, I rarely took the time to cook something for myself in the mornings and most grab-and-go items aren’t low carb.  I found a couple of recipes online but nothing I was loving so I just came up with my own… hope you enjoy!

1 package (16oz) of breakfast sausage (opt for turkey sausage if you want to cut the fat… but I’m denying myself enough.. ha!)

3.5 cups of almond flour

3  teaspoons baking powder

8 eggs

Shredded cheese… I used basically an entire bag 🙂

Mix in a bowl by hand the same way you would mix up sausage balls.  Use a large spoon to place on a greased pan. Pat down slightly with spoon…not quite as flat as a cookie.  They will puff up some when they bake.  Bake on 375 for 15-20 mins.  I checked on mine at 15 minutes and they needed just a couple minute longer.

You could really throw just about anything you want in here and they’d be great… onions and bell pepper or do bacon instead of sauage.  A great vegatarian option would be wilted spinach and feta.  III loved these as well so next time I will probably grate some broccoli in just to sneak in a little extra goodness!

PS – This makes about 20-24 drop buscuits and they are very freezer friendly.  I put a few in the fridge to eat on this week and froze the rest.  You can thaw them out directly in the microwave!

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Burrito Bowls (I have no idea if they’re actually healthy but at least there isn’t a tortilla involved)

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Lately, I’ve been attempting to either meal prep my lunches for the week at one time or cook enough portions of our weeknight dinners to take leftovers to work multiple days a week… so as not to be enticed with the world’s greatest styrofoam box Chinese joint just a few blocks away from my office.

Sundays is great for meal prepping because I can take my time. On a typical weeknight, I don’t start dinner until after III’s bath while G is giving him his bedtime bottle.  That puts us eating dinner sometimes as late as 8-8:30PM depending on what I’m cooking. On Sundays, though, I get started before bath time – doing all of my chopping, preheating, etc before so once I’m ready to get going in the kitchen, I can whip things up quickly.

Last night, I made healthy(ish) burrito bowls and cooked everything in larger quantities so I would have enough for dinner and 3 lunches prepped for the week (because – let’s be honest – I’m not eating at my desk every single day. I just can’t).

I’m sharing the recipe below. As you’ll learn, I don’t really measure so, um, sorry about that.

1 bag of Mexican rice (because a burrito bowl with brown rice is… meh)

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn (or Mexicorn)

1 can of Rotel

Chopped onions and  bell pepper

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 3 smaller ones)

Taco seasoning, olive oil, red wine vinegar, limes

Lettuce (I used a mixture of arugula and spinach but shredded iceberg is probably more appropriate for this type of dish)

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Marinate chicken in olive oil, red wine vinegar, the juice of 2 limes and taco seasoning. Cook rice according to packaging.  While the rice is cooking, chop your fresh veggies. I mix the beans, corn and rotel (all drained) directly into the rice once it’s cooked. Cook chicken breasts on med-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Mine were on the larger side so it took about 9 minutes on each side (which actually gave them a nice little char on the outside).  It might have been smarter to slice the chicken before browning it but, you know, whatever. Throw in chopped onions and peppers with the chicken for the last 5 minutes.

Combine in bowl, top with cheese. cilantro, salsa, whatever floats your boat!

This made enough for two healthy adult dinner portions and three lunches for myself.

Things I could (and probably SHOULD) do differently… use less canned ingredients (that would definitely take the healthy up a notch), use healthier rice options (but I kind of think that would take all the flavor out of this). I did, however, go low sodium on everything else to make up for the salt in the Mexican rice. Watching your sodium is always a good thing but it’s a habit I’m really trying to enforce around our house. III has a kidney disorder so once he is eating what we are eating for daily meals, we will really have to be in the habit of staying on a low sodium diet.

I got a pack of these bento boxes on Amazon to take my lunches to work. It always seems that I’m taking multiple ingredients that I don’t necessarily want sitting on top of each other getting soggy so I love these  as an alternative to traditional tupperware.

Never Lollygag in Parking Lots (and an amazing grilled chicken recipe)

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I had such a great weekend celebrating my mother and mother-in-law.  It just so happened that the tickets to Mamma Mia I gave my mom for Christmas fell on Mother’s Day weekend.  Add to that an amazing dinner at our favorite Italian spot and lunch the next day with family and it just doesn’t get much better.  I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the lunch I served.  The key – casual, simple and pretty.

 Grilled chicken with corn and tomato salad

Grilled Chicken over Corn & Tomato Salad

This dish was so easy because it required no cooking in my actual kitchen, minimal usage of pots and pans and was perfect to serve family style at the table which allowed me to be with my family instead of stuck in the kitchen cooking and plating food.  Here’s how it went down.

I mixed grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) with red onion, cilantro, olive oil, chili power, cumin, salt & pepper.  (If you haven’t realized by now, this is not the place to get recipes with exact measurements… just season it to taste and make enough to serve however many people you’re feeding.  I did this step when I woke up Sunday morning so it would be one less thing to do when lunch came around.

As mealtime approached, we heated up the grill.  I brushed the corn with a little olive oil and salted it before placing on the grill husk side down.  We left them on for about 12 minutes or so.  I just kept an eye on them and took them off when they started to blacken on the edges.

Next, the chicken goes on.  I marinated mine overnight with a super simple marinade.  Olive oil, lime juice & a packet of fajita seasoning.  It’s seriously so easy and tastes delicious.  While G grilled the chicken (about 6-8 minutes on each side….some of the chicken breasts were huge), I shaved the corn off the cob & into my already marinating tomato & red onion mixture.  I added a little lime juice at this point as well.  I didn’t put the lime juice in that morning because I was worried it would marinate the tomatoes into an mushy consistency.  Then I seasoned a little more to taste.

I spread the corn & tomato salad onto a copper platter and then topped with the grilled chicken which I sliced.  Then sprinkled a little green onion & feta and it was all set!!

I served this with a peach/feta/walnut salad and it was the perfect lunch.  Not too heavy with just enough room for dessert!

It was great to spend a few hours around the table with my family, good food and a few bottles of wine talking about all the important lessons we learned from our mothers – my favorite being:

“Never lollygag in parking lots.”

Chez Katie: Spicy Peach Shrimp over Cabbage Steaks

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New recipe alert!  

We love to have people over for dinner even during the week but it can be difficult to get home from work and have things prepared without feeling like it’s more of a hassle than it’s worth. Today, I’ve got a super easy recipe to share with you that’s tasty and beautiful when plated – great for a dinner party when you want to serve something that looks impressive and tastes great but without major headaches.  

Warmer weather is upon us here in Alabama and I’m craving light and healthy meals – particularly any seafood I can get my hands on.  G & I recently took a quick road trip to Peach Park in Clanton, AL and I picked up some delicious Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce which served as the marinade for this dish.

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads of cabbage
  • 1 head of red cabbage
  • Shrimp 1.5 lbs serves 4 people 
  • Sauce/Marinade – I used the Spicy Peach Grilling Sauce but you could easily puree peaches or mix peach preserved with some vinegar, sriracha, garlic and seasonings of choice
  • Garlic, Salt, Pepper, & Olive Oil
  • Goat Cheese
  • Bacon
First, place peeled and deveined shrimp in bowl with marinade/sauce.  Shrimp isn’t really something you would marinate overnight, so I do this just about 45 minutes before I’m planning to serve just to give it a little kick.  If your marinate too long, your shrimp will be mushy and gross.  You’ll use the sauce later as well.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Second, slice your cabbage into round discs (horizontally).  Place on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.  Since the main element of this meal – shrimp – isn’t super flavorful on it’s own, I suggest going heaving on the seasoning.  Roast the cabbage in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes.  That’s about how long it will take you to do the rest of steps.
Next, chop your red cabbage.  Easy enough, right?

Now, cook the shrimp with sauce in pan on medium-high heat until pink. Throw in the chopped red cabbage toward the end.  Add a little extra sauce and if it’s looking thin, sift a little cornstarch or flour to thicken it up.
While this is going on, pop a few strips of bacon (just enough to add some crumbles on top) in the microwave (I’m not a fan of microwaved bacon typically, but for the purposes of crumbling, it’s just too easy).  
By the time you’ve done all this, your cabbage steaks should be ready.  I like to get mine a little blackened on the edges and top.  It pulls out more flavor.  
Now you just have to assemble – basically, like a pizza.  The cabbage steaks are your crust, everything else serves as the topping.  Spoon the shrimp/sauce/red cabbage mixture on top. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese & bacon and you’re done!
Easy, yummy, pretty and the best part – HEALTHY!  
Between the low calorie shrimp and cabbage, the only major calories items in this dish are the bacon and goat cheese which are used in small quantities.
Because you can pre-slice and chop your cabbage, the time this requires you to be in the kitchen away from your guests is minimal.
Hope you enjoy! If you cook this, comment & let me know what you think.  I’ve never posted recipes here before but if I get good feedback, I’ll post them more often!