CBT Carb Back Thursdays - Apricot Pork Chops

I had a couple of baked russet and sweet potatoes left over from another meal. Sliced each in half and scooped out the middles. Preheated oven to 350'.

My new love: plain, Greek yogurt. Better numbers on the nutrition data than sour cream, useful in it's place. I mixed about 2TBSP to each bowl of mashed potatoes. Into the sweet potatoes I added some cinnamon, brown sugar and softened butter. To the russet potatoes, I also added butter and garlic powder.

Spooned the mixtures back into the shell halves, sprinkled the russet with cheese and the sweet with pecans.

Rubbed some thinly sliced, boneless pork chops with a seasoning blend, Bouquet Garni.

Put potatoes and pork into oven. Bake pork chops for about 15 mins on one side, then turn over and put back into oven.

After about another @15 mins (depends on thickness), smear a heavy TBSP over each.

Have you tried those new Dole, Chopped Salad mixes? I had a really great coupon and they were on sale... this was the bbq ranch. Really good. We fight over it.

Lots of flavor going on here. The meat is sweet and savory, the potatoes sweet OR savory, and the salad crunchy and smoky.

ICE CREAM... on low carb? YES!

For those of us with a sweet tooth, the switch to a low carb diet is a bit daunting on "I WANT SOME ICE CREAM" kind of days. It feels like the rest of the world is all "I got some ice cream and you don't!" (language... if you aren't familiar with Eddie Murphy...)

SO, before we all have a meltdown, I decided to whip some up. There are some great, cooked, custardy style bases out there... you cook and then chill before adding to ice cream maker...

I want ice cream NOWWWW... or in under 30 mins NOW anyway.... cocoa powder needs heated to dissolve... chocolate bars just need melted. I started with a Trader Joe's and a Russell Stover sugar free.

 Break up the 2 bars into the scored chunks, micro on 1 minute at 50% power. NEVER nuke chocolate at 100%... it will scorch and be nasty, lumpy... and not good eats. Stir a little, put back in for 30 second increments at 50% power until you can stir smooth with a fork.  We're going to be adding about 2 cups of heavy whipping cream total. It is no carb and lower water content. Adding a watery dairy product will result in lumpy, nasty chocolate. Add a 1/4c and stir in. 

Get to the 2 Cups total, adding about 1/2 C at a time, stirring smooth.

 At this point, you have some of the most AMAZING chocolate pudding, EVA.

 Add @1.5-2C coconut or soy milk - unsweetened - has 1 carb per cup. Then add 6 squirts of sugar free chocolate syrup. (Or vanilla. Or even the sugar free "simple syrup".)

 Taste - if it is not sweet enough, add a TBSP or 2 of Xylitol or Splenda (powdered splenda has carbs, so watch that).

 Get frozen liner for ice maker from freezer. You DO have to think far enough in advance, night before, to put liner in freezer... I use, thaw, wash, and return to freezer. I store it in the freezer!)

 Add the chocolatey mixture to the maker

 Add blade and cover, turn on. It is that easy! Like my home improvement project reminders in the background... whoops... I never claimed to be better homes and gardens photo ready.

 As it churns, the mixture thickens and starts to have body. 

 At around 20 mins, it stops churning and the ice cream is thick and luscious!

 Take THAT low carb!!! Take THAT Eddie Murphy! I got some ice cream!

This batch had about 4 carbs per serving (4 servings per this batch), mostly from the chocolate. I don't post exact carb counts, depends on your own ingredients and how you serve it.

Don't Badger Me Right Now

New Year, New Direction... for both myself and my blog. I've decided to go back on a low carb diet/lifestyle/penance: Choose your label, but since I do the cooking -

The bf is on board...

...the kids, die hard carnivores to be sure, are not convinced.

There's been talk of a "secret", carb-tastic stash for them hidden in the house... but I fear this would be a bad idea... I am weak.

Italian Beef - start with a cheap roast (as cheap as red meat is these days!)

Add 2 cups beef broth, liberal amounts of italian seasoning and pepper. I've always used a pkt of Italian seasoning - it adds the salt too. Optional is part of a jar of pepperoncini or pepper rings and some of the juice. Adds some warmth and tang.

Cook on high for 4 hours, then low for 4. Shred and serve sprinkled with cheese. Sorry for lack of photos. My camera got a new memory card for Christmas...

Steak tacos - I grab cheap, clearance steaks for this one.

Slice 2 green peppers into strips

Layer steaks in pressure cooker or crock pot, sprinkle liberally with southwest or Adobo seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.

 Add sliced green peppers

Add 3 cups of water to pressure cooker and set for 30 mins on high (1-2 cups in crockpot, set on high for 4 hours). Once cooked, shred. For us non carbers, we layered the meat and peppers on beds of romaine and iceberg lettuces with cheese, sour cream, and salsa. There was a tense moment when the boys got out the tortillas, but I was able to convince the bf it would be ok...

Disclaimer: I am not advocating for the low carb lifestyle, nor am I healthcare professional of any kind. I've done low carb before with great success, fell off the wagon and have been dragging behind that wagon for the last 18 mos.

My jeans are tight and I'm crabby.... I'm still all about my crockpot, prepping more than one meal at a time, and keeping dinner time important.

Lo Pan Chicken

I've catered to the masses for weeks now.... nothing "weird"... stuff "we" like... blah blah. Yeah, well if I have to make one more pan of sloppy joe's this month:

So I poked around the fridge and pantry, to see what inspired me....Asian. Dug up a couple of recipes to "follow": thai chicken with grilled bok choy and rice. I'm going to make sauce, dressing, and marinade at one time- using many of the same ingredients.

Thai Chicken
1 cup peanuts (can subs 1/2 pb)
1/2 can coconut milk
3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP tamarind paste (optional) (from previous chicken satay)
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves)
2 tsp ground ginger (fresh if you've got it)
Whir up until smooth. Set aside.

 Grilled bok choy recipe

2 TBSP ground mustard
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP vinegar (I used rice)
1 TBSP honey
a couple dashes of sesame oil

 Set aside, allowing flavors to meld.

 Marinade for chicken:
1/2 can coconut milk
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP tamarind paste (optional)
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 bundle of cilantro, clipped/chopped

 Fish sauce?? Yes.... fish sauce. Don't smell the bottle, trust me on this. Fish sauce is optional.
2 tsp fish sauce
juice of one lime

 Mix together and pour over chicken - I used nearly a full bag of frozen chicken breasts. Set aside to marinate, 3-4 hours.

Take a little time for yourself

Get rice ready to microwave.

2 C rice

1 can coconut milk

2 C chicken broth

1/2 C water (or more broth if box was full when you poured the 2 Cups)

1/3 bag frozen peas/carrots

 Micro at 100% for 5 mins, then on 50% for 18 mins.

Grill outside or use stovetop grill pan. Either way, get it screamin' hot.

While pan is heating, start the bok choy:
4 heads baby bok choy
1 carrot
1/2+/- edamame
handful bean sprouts (optional)

 Slice heads in half, shred, or use peeler to create thin strips of carrot

 Drizzle olive and a dash of sesame oil into grill pan, add bok choy

While that is cooking, layer the marinated chicken in a skillet on a medium heat. Once cooked, cover and turn heat down to low. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and smear with thai sauce from first step.

Layer the grilled bok choy with the shredded carrot, edamame, and some bean sprouts(optional). Drizzle with dressing:

Serve with rice:

Hey kids.... dinner is ready....

I added a dab of HOT chinese garlic chili sauce... 

It's a harmony of flavors... you like Chinese/Japanese/Thai.....

One kid scraped sauce off chicken and doused with teriyaki sauce and only ate chicken and rice. One kid only ate the rice, one tried it all but only said the chicken was good. 

I need more adults in my life...