Poor Man's Atkins

Low Carb Pancakes Recipe

1/26/2015

I know I posted about this before, but I thought its worth re-sharing because we love using this recipe. Pancakes and waffles are a big part of what we love to enjoy in our house and having something that works as a substitutes is awesome. Here's the recipe and it's just about 1-2 carbs per pancake.

Ingredients:
1 cup almond meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup water (for puffier pancakes, you can use sparkling water)
2 T oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 T sweetener
*I add about 1/4 teaspoon Baking powder to the mix to help make the puff up more also works great for a waffle mix.

Preparation:
Mix ingredients together and cook as you would other pancakes. I like to use a nonstick pan with a little oil. The only real difference is that they won't "bubble" on top the same way as regular pancakes. Flip them when the underside is brown.

Recipe link.

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Beanitos Are a Great Snack, to Give to People You Hate

1/19/2015

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Ugh. Beanitos. My intentions were good. "Oh, here's a new healthy potatoes chip alternative that is a little bit healthier and might be a good option for those of us eating low carb and maintaining but still wanting that salty taste." I was wrong.

5 Reasons I Hate Beanitos.
1. The name is too punny. I prefer my snacks delicious. Not Punny.
2. Hardly any seasoning on mine.
3. It tasted like a burnt chip. Only twice as expensive.
4. Where is the salt? um, I get that's its a health snack, but really a little wont hurt.
5. The look like roof shingles.

Just because you can make it into a chip doesn't mean you should.

For the record, my wife liked these. So I may be off base. But I am sure that my wife would back me up when I say, she is usually wrong and I am usually right. Always.

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Fontera Classic Fajita Skillet Sauce for Low Carb Fajitas

1/15/2015

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We are big fans of Rick Bayless in our house. Since we discovered his cooking show on PBS "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" we were fans. We love Mexican food so seeing how he really tries to capture the authentic nature of Mexican culture in the food he cooks is what pulls us in. Seems like every dish he makes is filled with care and love. We even got the chance to eat at his restaurant in Chicago. Sooo good.

All that to say, when Rick Bayless came out with his Fontera line of products we had to give them a shot. We love the enchilada sauce, but the Fajita sauce is pretty awesome. full of smoky flavor and spice it really makes your fajita dish taste wonderful. With some fresh veggies and low carb tortillas you are on your way to flavor town. Super yummy. And the best part is that it doesn't take much time at all.

Anyone else use these products?

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Level Chocolatey Crisp Protein Bar

1/5/2015

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The picture on the box really got me. I'm not going to lie. I feel like the images of chocolate was a real trick to my brain and taste buds. I say that really because the Level Chocolatey Crisp Bars just were not as sweet as I expected them to be. Granted I know they are energy bars and are not candy bars, but they have a vey bland texture with a real artificial taste to me. I expected something else from them for being called "Chocolatey". I can eat these, but overall they give me a real sense of dissatisfaction. I expected more and it didn't deliver. It was pretty disappointing. These bars aren't bad. but they certainly don't bring anything new to the table. When Atkins has so many flavors what would bring me to you Level?
Why not try something new and get fruit in the mix with your bars. That's something that we don't see a lot of other bars doing in community.

Anyway, The level bars still have won me over yet. I will continue to try, but not there yet.

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Hormel Italian Style Beef Roast

12/15/2014

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Sometimes I find myself in a grocery store without a plan. And sometimes I find myself in a grocery story without a plan and hungry for dinner. In these cases I will gravitate towards the deli cases and areas where they have prepared meals. Things that you can throw in the Microwave quick for a meal and maybe even use to accompany another part of your meal.

In one of these instances I stood before the packages dinners in all of their glory and as they did not judge my laziness I found that my hands reached out and grabbed what looked like the prettiest of packages at the time. Hormels Herb roasted Italian Style Beef Roast. The image on the cover looked so wonderful and home cooked that I couldn't pass it up.

I will say that what came out didn't look as pretty as the image on the cover, but it still tasted pretty good. It's an easy enough thing to make too. You stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes and it's ready to go. In our meal we ate the meat with some freshly cut tomatoes and olive oil over a small batch of low carb noodles(yes I know they don't really exists).

The meat added great flavor and the broth it came it was very well seasoned. I think that this is a great choice for people needing something to finish a meal. This would be delicious on a salad, severed up with some fresh veggies, or even with a little fresh tomato sauce on the side.. I cant say that its not as easy to simply put a roast in a crock pot and let it go for hours, but when you are needing something quick to enhance your meal, this might do the trick,

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Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Wrap

12/2/2014

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My wife and I were in need of a quick meal several days ago and there wasn't much in the house for groceries. I found a can of chicken in the cupboard and whipped up this simple idea.

1 Can Chicken

Low Carb Tortillas

Franks Red Hot Sauce

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Blue Cheese

Shredded cheese.

Take the chicken and drain the water from the can. Then place the chicken in a bowl and shred it up. Add some Franks Red Hot Sauce. Enough to make it tasty but you can judge your own spice meter. Just don't be a wimp. Add some shredded cheese and mix together. If you had a little cream cheese that works well too. Heat it up in the microwave for just a few.

Take a couple spoonful's of your chicken mix and add them to a tortilla. Add some slices of tomatoes and lettuce on top. If Blue cheese is your thing then add some of that.

Pretty simple. And pretty low carb. Depending on your tortilla its a meal that could be under 7 carbs easily.

Give it a whirl. Do you have any additions to the recipe that you make?

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Level Rich Carmel Protein Shake

11/17/2014

2 Comments

Holy cow this is yummy. The Level Rich Caramel Shake tastes like the real thing. Super tasty and lots of flavor. I really liked it. The Carmel taste is nice and strong and it has such a creamy taste to it that it tastes like its real milk I am drinking. Personally it may work better for a treat then for a breakfast snack, but why not treat yourself in the morning. Certainly a better choice than a sugary Starbucks drink.

The Level Shakes are where its at for me. Right now I prefer these over the big name brands. Keep the flavors coming Level. :)

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Tyson Anytizers Hot Wings

11/11/2014

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Anytizer Buffalo Wings. Yeah, these are low carb, but is it me or do they never taste quite right. Something about these wings always taste a little off. Not like fresh cooked chicken wings.

It's probably because they are already cooked and then frozen. They are ok, but do yourself a favor, go get a bag of frozen raw chicken wings and cook those. Add a bottle of your favorite sauce too. Its a bit cheaper and they wings have that freshly cooked texture that these seem to miss.

I love wings and I would eat these. if you invited me over to eat these I would. I wouldn't complain. but its just not fully right and something is missing. That being said, invite me over for wings already geez.

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Almond Breeze Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk

11/3/2014

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I know I wrote about Almond milk in the past, but I myself hadn't tried the chocolate varieties out their. I love chocolate milk. Its a real treat and it brings me back to my childhood every time I have it. That being said, I really never have it anymore. Too many Carbs in milk and it gets even worse with all the sugar in it to make it sweet.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Chocolate milk can bee a nice alternative for you though. If you are going in expecting it to match regular chocolate milk you will be disappointed. It isn't that sweet and that give the impression that it is watery. At first I was like all "ew, who wants water chocolate milk." Then it hit me. I quick did a spoonful of Splenda (or other sweetener) mixed it in and in no time I had a delicious treat.

That being said, if you don't care for almonds it does have that taste, but if you love chocolate and are missing those treats this may be a good substitute.

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Hummus As a Low Carb Snack

10/28/2014

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When you're looking for a snack to have with your veggies, hummus can be a great way to change things up a bit. My wife and I both enjoy using peppers and broccoli with hummus for a treat. It's a healthy snack that is a great substitute for unhealthy dips and high carb snacks. Most hummas can have a serving size of anywhere from 5-10 Net carbs a serving.

The only issue that I have is that I tend to like to use a lot of hummus on my veggies, and the amount can collect up pretty fast causing the serving size to double or even triple. Eight carbs can seem reasonable for a serving size, but when your serving size doubles because you aren't paying attention to how much you are eating, then that can be a problem.

If that sounds like you, I suggest measuring out your serving size in a small cup then eat out of that cup. If you are dunking your veggies right into the container, you are going to increase your chances of going over board on the hummus. It will help you to take your time and savor your snack a bit too before it is gone.