Low Carb Living ~ Pecan Chicken Salad

Happy Friday!! It is hard to believe that we're about to close March and move on to April -- the Accounting Secretary in me is so glad to see April on the horizon -- the rest of me wonders how this year is rocketing by so quickly.


A couple weeks ago I was out-and-about with oldest daughter and we visited a favorite little consignment shop in our area. While browsing there I found a copy of 500 Low Carb Recipes from Dana Carpender. I LOVE Dana -- follow her blog and on facebook and love her approach to low carbing. I scooped the book up and now have dozens of pages and recipes marked to try.



First up, Chicken Pecan Salad! I love chicken salad and in my catering days made tons and tons of it. This simple recipe is devine. One tip, toast your pecans to bring out all their wonderful flavor. For your carb-eating family, make wraps with high fiber tortilla wraps.

Chicken Pecan Salad
(Printable Version)

1- 1/2 c cooked chicken, diced
2 big ribs celery, diced
1/4 medium, sweet red onion, diced
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/3 c mayonnaise
Salt

Toss the chicken, celery, onion, pecans, and mayonnaise together. Salt to taste and serve. Makes 2 Servings.

Nutrients Per Serving:
5 g Carbohydrates
3 g Usable or Net Carbohydrates
24 g Protein
2 g Fiber

Low Carb Living ~ Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken w/Avocado Salsa

I feel so neglectful of both my blog and my bloggy friends. It is that time of year for me when work is overwhelming and I am putting in LOTS of hours. It will soon be over and life will return to normal (whatever that is, lol)! More posts coming this week -- I am Frugal Fasting again this week and have some things to share about that. Wonderful weekend wishes!!


I am a big fan of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. A lot of times I find low carb recipes there or ones that need little modification to be low carb. This recipe is in the first catagory. Very, very yummy and the perfect balance of hot and cool. Are you feeding carb eaters too -- how about adding a corn and black bean salad on the side?

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken w/Avocado Salsa
(Printable Version)

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced (I cut back on this and only used about 1/2 an onion)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Net Carbs per serving: 3

Hooking up with my friend Yvonne at StoneGable Blog for her weekly ON THE MENU feature!

A Wee Bit O'Irish Luck

St. Paddy's Greetings!

For the first time in years, I had no plans to make a big dinner on St. Patrick's. Afterall, the kids are all out on their own and I had to work this morning. No one mentioned wanting to do anything and really, I thought I was pretty fine with that. Until this morning,on my way to work I thought about our usual celebration and it made me a little sad to think that it wasn't going to be this year. Things change -- change is good.

Then I got a text message from #1 daughter -- *Are you making St Paddy's food?*. My response was I didn't really plan too -- PULEEEEEZE!! She must have texted #2 son because he called within minutes asking what I wanted him to do for the dinner. Then #2 daughter chimed in that we NEEDED to do St. Paddy's. So as soon as I was able to get out of work, I stopped at the grocery store and loaded my cart full of the usuals -- corned beef, red potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbages and the makings for soda bread. Change is good but so is tradition....this is one I enjoy very much.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Low Carb Living ~ Chocolate Coffee Mousse

Sometimes CHOCOLATE is just what is needed! In a week that hosts an IRS DEADLINE, chocolate is most certainly REQUIRED. It has been a CRAZY week at work -- has me dreaming of the more casual, laid back days of summer. I've been wanting to play with a pot de creme recipe but for the ease of this recipe, I will have to wait until time is more plentiful -- maybe for Easter dessert. Thank goodness dark chocolate can be part of a low carb diet :)


Chocolate Coffee Mousse
(Printable Version)

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp imitation brandy
2 Tbsps instant espresso granules
4 Tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sweetener (I used Splenda granules - I prefer Truvia but I was wanting to keep the carbs as low as possible)

In a large bowl, whip the cream on high speed until almost forming peaks. Add all remaining ingredients, except sour cream, one at a time, mixing on low speed. Add sour cream and mix in. Serve in small, individual, serving dishes. Garnish with chopped nuts or grated dark chocolate. Makes 12 servings. 170 calories and 3 net carbs per serving.

Low-Carb Living ~ Roasted Broccoli & Shrimp

For many, many years I rarely ate shrimp. My former husband is very allergic. I now eat it very regularly. It makes perfect weeknight meals -- QUICK FIX. Roasting is also probably my favorite cooking technique -- again, QUICK FIX! This meal also is a easy one for those of you who try to adhere to a low-carb style of eating and yet still have to feed carb-eaters, lol. Add some brown rice or whole grain pasta and you've satisfied EVERYONE!



Roasted Broccoli & Shrimp
(Printable Version)

2 large heads of broccoli
4 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
20-24 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
zest from 1 lemon + remaining lemon cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large sized bowl mix the broccoli with 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic slices, 1/2 of the chili flakes, salt and pepper (reserving 2nd half). Toss till broccoli is evenly coated. In a medium sized bowl, toss the shrimp with the rest of your chili flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Add in lemon zest and combine. Spread the broccoli onto your prepared baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp into the mix and roast for 10 minutes more, tossing half way thru. Squeeze lemon juice over mixture and give one last toss. Serves 4.

Net carbs per serving: 6

Editing to include this post in Yvonne's On the Menu segment. It is SO good to see Yvonne back in blogland!!

We Have A.....

WINNER!!

My lovely daughter handled all the details of sorting out all the entries for me and credited everyone with the appropriate bonus entries. THANK-YOU Sweetie!! Also BIG THANKS to everyone who left such sweet comments, those who follow - old and new and especially those who shared their treasured family recipes with our friends at Gooseberry Patch. Sadly, there could only be ONE winner.......



and it is SHUG of My Steps of Faith. Congratulations Sweet Shug!!

I have TWO more Gooseberry Patch Reviews coming up in the spring months. Stayed tuned -- I am working on some special giveaway items to go with those reviews too!

Monday Musings

I wanted to issue a reminder that the GIVEAWAY for Gooseberry Patch’s 10th Anniversary Edition of Meals in Minutes ends tomorrow. The winner will be announced on Wednesday – be sure to ENTER and take advantage of BONUS #1 and BONUS #2.

Last Friday marked the end of my 2nd Fiscal Fast for 2012. Again I was able to go the entire week (PLUS - YAY!) without spending. I had a fraud issue in my checking account and my debit card was shut down – good thing I wasn’t spending. It made it easy to sort out my business from the fraudulent activity and I didn’t miss the debit card being out of commission for the few days it took for me to get a new one. Yesterday evening I did make a quick trip (list in hand) to Walmart for some essentials and then made a pass thru the do-it-yourself car wash. Again this month I busied myself working on projects that I had previously purchased supplies for (don't we all have those) and used my public library for entertainment. In the end, I had finished up some things that needed finishing and got to drop off the books I read instead of having to store books that I purchased. Next Fiscal Fast begins 3/24.

We had a very spring-like weather all weekend – including wind – LOTS of wind. I guess that is why kites are sold in March, lol. I am so excited about Daylight Savings Time starting next weekend. That means I get to move my training for my 10K run OUTSIDE!! I am not a big fan of DREADmill running. Probably stems from the fact that the women in my family are proficient at FALLING (we get that from our Mom, lol).

Gabe the Babe came to visit me this weekend too. His Momma went back to work last week and it was her weekend rotation. We had such a nice time. I’ve renamed my little dog. She is no longer Josie but now called JoJo the Super Nanny. She loves Gabe and is so concerned about his care. If he even stirs, she comes to get someone to take care of his needs.

Wising everyone a blessed week!

Gooseberry Patch Early Bird Review & GIVEAWAY ~ Meals in Minutes - ROUND 3

Okay, I am running a day late here. I TOTALLY forgot that yesterday was the deadline for filing Farm returns -- we do a lot of those at work and I was buried. Whew - that is over and NOW I can get on with what is important -- Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks!! This is the LAST recipe I am sharing from the 10th Anniversary Edition of Meals in Minutes. If you are looking for a Low-Carb Living recipe, I resume that series next friday.
This is the recipe that *I* submitted and was published in this wonderful book. This recipe has always been a hit with my family.


Fruity Chicken Salad
(Printable Version)

6-oz pkg small shell pasta
3 c cooked chicken, cooked and cubed (make this super speedy by using a grocery store rotisserie chicken)
2 Tbsp onion, minced
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 c celery, sliced
1-1/2 c green grapes, halved
1 c mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1 c mayonnaise
1 c whipping cream

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to large serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except whipped cream; mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving fold in whipped cream. Serve chilled. Makes 12 servings.

IF this is your first visit here, we're having a giveaway. To have a chance at winning this WONDERFUL cookbook before it is even available AND the pictured vintage inspired Faithfulness Farm Apron and Tee Towel set you can ENTER HERE. IF you have already entered -- you can get credit for another BONUS ENTRY. What do you have to do for the bonus entry you ask.......

well, I am betting you have a stack of THESE just like I do -- family-tested, tried and true RECIPES!! Round them up and head on over to visit the sweet gals at Gooseberry Patch and ......


SHARE A RECIPE. THAT is how all these great cookbooks are possible. Share a recipe and come on back and leave a comment telling me which of your wonderful recipes you've shared. Then you'll get a bonus entry to win the 10th Anniversary Edition of Meals in Minutes and the Faithfulness Farm goodies AND you'll possibly be included in a future cookbook and get a FREE copy of that one too!! Share more than one and earn more than one BONUS entry!Scoot on over and share, share, share!!!

The drawing for the giveaway will be Tuesday, March 6th.