How Simple Is THAT: Taco Seasoning - Low-carb, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Grain-Free

It's Tuesday - must be tacos!! We love tacos, taco salads and all that yumminess. With warmer weather coming on, easy menus are on my mind and tacos and taco salads fit that bill well.

Did you know that a packet of taco seasoning has carbs? A LOT of carbs. The culprit is usually cornstarch -- a totally unnecessary ingredient! It can also have added sugar in the form of maltodextrin - also unnecessary. Don't even get me started on things like MSG, lol. 

Almond & Chocolate Tart

There is hardly a more wonderful combination than almond and chocolate. As a little girl, my most favorite candy was a Hershey bar with almonds -- guess I still am in love with that combination! 

Coffee Cake & MANY THANKS!!

Almond and Coconut flours are staples in our low carb pantry. Imagine my delight when I was contacted by 

Cathy from Wives with Knives and told that I had won her give away from Bob's Red Mill. 

Irish Spud Candies - Low Carb & Sugar-Free

Happy St. Paddy's Day!! Growing up in Southern California, I remember each year as St. Patrick's Day approached one of the most wonderful of treats -- See's Candies Irish Potatoes!! I haven't thought of those in years. Until today!! Now why can't they be low carb? Glad I went experimenting because they are YUMM-O!! 

Hot Cereal Time of Year

photo credit: Earth Sky

Do you feel that? We have certainly had a change in the weather in the last couple weeks. No more 100°+ days and although it is still gorgeous during the days, the nights are getting nippy. We went all the way down to 50°F last night.

Jammin'

 JAM is not something one thinks of as a low-carb food. Sure you can buy sugar-free jams (that are pretty good actually) but making them at home isn't entirely possible without TONS of sugar....at least that is what I thought.

Stocking a Low-Carb Pantry



Photo Credit: Country Living Magazine

The above image is one I've drooled over for YEARS -- this is my dream pantry, complete with the vintage RED screen door. Maybe someday!!

Pantry is more about what you have on hand than it is about where you store that supply. I thought I would share with you what my pantry consists of although low-carb is done is a vast number of different ways and your pantry could look completely different than mine.

How to: Cook Spaghetti Squash

I grew up in a family of gardeners. Because of that I was exposed to a large variety of vegetables and can only think of one I didn't care for as a kid -- Spaghetti Squash.

Some Are Winners.......

and some are not!

I am talking about developing low-carb recipes here. Specifically a recipe for Blueberry Pancakes. Now I have been making a great pancake recipe from Mellissa at I Breathe...I'm Hungry. I LOVE her recipe BUT it is more crepe-like than pancake-like to me. I am wanting a thicker, more *cake* like pancake -- one that can take on blueberries and syrup and hold up.

Crack Slaw

Yes, that is the name of the recipe and now I know why. I have been familiar with this recipe for some time -- didn't ever make it until last week -- have made it 3 (yes, that says THREE) times in the last week. It is addictive!!

Smoked Tuna Dip, Tuna Cakes & A Product REVIEW!

I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Chicken of the Sea and asked to review a new product they have on the marketplace -- NO DRAIN Tuna. Sounded right up my alley -- I LOVE canned tuna BUT hate draining and squeezing it out but even more than that, I hate runny, wet tuna. I decided this was a great time to try a couple recipes for low-carb appetizers for holiday parties featuring tuna.

My Favorite FAST Food

Transparent here -- this was not the blog post I had planned for this weekend. That one will have to wait until later in the week. This weekend just took off on me and ended up much busier than I had planned. In my *old-ways-days*, that would have most likely meant that at least one meal would have been at a fast food sort of place.

Eggnog Latte a la Low Carb

A LONG time ago my family and I lived outside Seattle -- until then I never thought much about coffee -- after that, a coffee hound I was. I worked with a young woman who talked constantly about Starbuck's Eggnog Latte's - when they were going on sale, how good they were, blah, blah, blah. Then the first day that year they were available she brought me one....

Obsessed with Breakfast

Have I mentioned lately that I am obsessed with breakfast? I think a lot of people's impression is that a low-carb breakfast is all about eggs and bacon -- I do eat both but rarely for breakfast. Lately I have expanded my breakfast fare so much that I posted about it here and here, lol....and yet HERE I am posting about it AGAIN!! 

Cream of *Wheat* Cereal & Chia Seed Review

One of my favorite low-carb sites is Carolyn's All Day I Dream About Food. Recently she posted about the food she eats in a day -- with that post she included this recipe for her version of *Cream of Wheat*. I am ALL-ABOUT eating hot cereal and have missed that. Coupled with the fact that recently I am OBSESSED with breakfast, fast-tracked this recipe to the top of my *to-try* list.

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