Here's the question, is it a potpie, if there is not a pie? I don't know for sure. My gut says no.

I love the idea. I am actually a big fan of pot pies. We used to eat them a lot as kids and the heavier version of me was a big fan of the Marie Calenders ones you that buy in the stores. I love the flakey crust when it mixes with the gravy. Really, the idea of Atkins Crustless Chicken Pot Pie appealed to me quite a bit. It seems like it should be a pretty flavorful creamy treat, It wasn't quiet that way for me though. 

Don't get me wrong it's not bad, it all tastes pretty fresh and what not, but it just seems like when you eat a pot pie you really need that crust to make it feel right. Otherwise something is missing the whole time. The veggies were good, the gravy was nice, but the whole meal was kinda bland. Just unfinished. It was lacking that magic that carbs bring to a recipe like this I guess. Maybe someday a scientist will create a crust for us low carbers, but until then this may be as close as we get. Oh well, I still say its an option they gave us, which never existed before so I am happy about that.

I realized that it has been a little while since I updated the blog on what's going on since we finished our big move to Fargo. We are slowly getting settled here, but it is a process that happens a day at a time. 

The first thing on the to-do list when we arrived was to find jobs. Cambria and I both did some work for a summer theater school teaching for the first month. She taught acting and I was busy doing improv and acting classes. It wasn't a very long job but it helped to give us some time to find real jobs. Cambria has another week or two with the theater school as she has been helping with a production of Oklahoma.  We both found other long term jobs too now so we are slowly getting a schedule of our own which is nice. 

The past few weeks we have been staying with my parents while we shop around for a place of our own. It's been very nice to have a little cushion to get used to the area, and to have a home base where we can stay as we search for jobs and get situated. We have finally found a home and are just waiting to close on it. Seems like everything is going smoothly so hopefully in a week we will be in a place of our own completely. 

Getting our own home lends itself to some new problems though. We don't currently have any furniture to put in it other than a bed, a dresser, and some boxes so we have been searching the internets and craigslist for deals. We found a couch. Now we are searching for a clothes washer and dryer as well as a lawnmower. Just a few things we never thought we would need for a while.

We find out in a week if the new Baby Bean coming is a Ninja-Pirate-Jedi Warrior, or a Princess-Ninja-Pirate-Jedi Warrior. We are super excited to find out, as it will narrow the baby name arguments by half. 

We have had a lot of great time hanging with the family and our nephews and niece. We went to a show with a them at the summer amphitheater. Lots of fun to get out and great to bring the kiddos to some theater. 

Along with all this I have filled some of my time with the project of repairing my old moped. It was kind of a challenge since I know nothing about motors, but I did learn a lot and actually got it running. Turns out that you can discover a whole world of help on the internet. There is someone out there fixing and repairing the same thing I am. It's pretty cool. 

Anyway, thats the scoop. once we get that home of our own I'll be back in the kitchen to create some of my own recipes again. Until then, more reviews. :)

Had dinner with family the other night at Olive Garden, cause "When you are there, you're family". Anyway, besides the yummy salad and soup they have I was searching for something in the menu that might be a bit more low in carbs. On the lighter fare menu they have an item called the Venetian Apricot Chicken. This is a A chicken with a sweet glaze over it with fresh broccoli and asparagus. It was tasty and the Carbs aren't too high. Probably not something you want if you are in the Induction phase, but its carbs are low and you get a good amount of food to fill you up. 

On the flip side, its probably a meal that you could make at home for half the price and have the carbs. But, sometimes you go out with others and you need an option. This one works pretty well.

Anybody else do The OG? What do you get?

The following nutrition info regarding the meal was pulled directly from the Olive Garden Website. 28 Net carbs isn't to bad for a meal out. The price is a little high for this dish at $14.95 in my opinion, but thats what you get for eating at Olive Garden. 

We saw ads on TV and they must have worked because today we ended up doing breakfast at Golden Corral. It's not a bad deal for a breakfast buffet. You can have all the eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and a custom omelet bar for you to enjoy. My wife isn't really a fan of buffets, but the fact that I could get her to go to Golden Corral says it must be a decent deal. We liked to food too. Lots of choices and they all tasted pretty great. 

This bar is not too shabby. It has got a great peanut butter taste with the slightest crunch in the cream which I assume comes from peanuts. Its flavor does have a little whey taste to it, but it's not over powering like other bars. Overall, I enjoyed it. 

They big plus here is the carb count. Because of fiber and sugar alcohols it comes done to being around 1 Net Carb. A nice little filler and no guilt. I love it!

Now this is what i'm talking about. What took so long Atkins? Chili? This should have existed years ago. Such a simple idea, and it works so well. 

Atkins new Chili Con Carne is awesome. It's meaty, hearty, and does a pretty good job of filling you up. The flavor is there too. Not too spicy but flavorful and not just spoonfuls of meat. Yummy peppers in it help to fill the void that are usually taken by beans in a chili. You could add a little sour cream to it if that is your thing. Again, if you are in a hurry, it's a quick fix that's low in carb. 

This stuff would be great to pour over some eggs in the morning too! OMG, I am totally gonna try that! 

I would think that on a cold night this might be a real treat actually. Again, as is the case with most frozen meals, you might want a little something on the side to help fill you up but this one is a bit more filling than some of the others I have had in the past. I liked it. 

Anyone else tried this one? What do you guys think? Have abetter recipe of your own for chili?

Look what I tracked down. Enjoy. :)




ATKINS MEATLOAF 
2 pounds ground beef 
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 
1/3 cup low carb ketchup 
2 eggs 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
1 tablespoon chili powder 
1 teaspoon dried cilantro, or 2 tablespoons fresh 
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Topping: 
1/4 cup low carb ketchup 
1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses 
1 1/2 teaspoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda

In a large bowl mix all but the Topping ingredients thoroughly. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the meat in a greased loaf pan, or shape in 6 mini loaves and place in a foil lined 9x13" baking pan. Brush or spread on the topping. Bake at 375º 45 to 60 minutes for a single large loaf or about 30-35 minutes for the mini loaves or until the internal temperature reads 140-145º.

Makes 6-8 servings 
Can be frozen

Per 1/6 Recipe: 377 Calories; 25g Fat; 32g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs 
Per 1/8 Recipe: 283 Calories; 19g Fat; 24g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs


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My wife and I obtained a Costco Membership and so we have been doing a bit more shopping there recently. Because of this I wanted to see if they had anything in their protein/nutritional bars that might be a sufficient substitute for Atkins bars. Something that is a little cheaper and more affordable. 

I came across the brand Detour which has a variety pack of bars that are lower in sugar and therefore lower in carbs. I picked up the pack for $21.99. With 24 bars inside thats a pretty good deal coming to about $.91 a bar. Far less than Atkins go for. So while the deal is good how do the bars taste? Well, i'll post a review on each flavor over the next couple days. In the mean time you can check out the specks yourself. 

Anyone else eat these? if so, what are your thoughts?

Carmel Peanut: 3 Net Carbs
Peanut Butter Cream: 1 Net Carb
Chocolate Chip Carmel: 3 Net Carbs

My mother made low carb meatloaf the other night and it was really tasty. She said she got the recipe from Atkins.com. They have only a couple recipes on the site to choose from, but your guess is as good as mine as to which one she used. anyway, I am sure there are lots of good low carb recipes out there. Any one care to share?

Good ole Costco. Who doesn't love that place. Being able to save some money to get mass quantities of food you love. Why not. They have awesome deals there and some awesome food in their Kirkland line of products too. Beside the deals they have one of my favorite parts about them is their food court. The food is cheap, it fills you up, and they keep your options simple. I love their Hot Dogs!!! $1.50 for a hotdog and a coke. You can't beat that price with a stick. In college we used to go nuts for those hotdogs. 

One thing they have that is pretty great is a Chicken Caesar Salad. They keep it pretty simple, leafy greens, some tomatoes, Grilled chicken (and a good amount too), and some croutons. I took off the croutons. Low carb and a lot of salad. You could actually share this with someone or save some for another time, it's that big. The dressing should be pretty low carb as most caesar dressing is. Otherwise you could have a couple hotdogs with no bun and still eat like a king.