Bell Pepper Rings filled with Eggs and Mozzarella

Bell Pepper Rings filled with Eggs and Mozzarella

Another meal in the series of Atkins.com meal suggestions!  As a bit of an experiment I used the Atkins.com Customize-able Meal Planner and have been following it as closely as possible for my meals during the last week.  You can see my entire week of planned Induction meals HERE.

I'm a bit unsure as to how to review this recipe.  I mean, the flavor of red bell pepper along with the egg and cheese were fabulous.  However, these were a pain in the you-know-what to cook where the eggs were cooked through.  The bottoms burnt because I had to cook them so long to get the tops of the eggs cooked and not clear/slimy.  Next time I will chop up the red bell pepper, saute a bit to soften then mix together with eggs as a bell pepper scramble.  If you don't like scrambled eggs then I would saute chopped bell peppers, place on a plate and then top with eggs cooked to your liking. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
1 serving
5.1 net carbs per serving

1/2 medium bell pepper
2 large eggs
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut bell pepper in half across the middle, then cut two 1-inch rings.  Remove seeds and ribs.  Place rings in saute pan with oil over medium-high heat.  Place an egg in each ring and cook until desired doneness (do not flip).  Top eggs with cheese and cover pan and cook 1 more minute until cheese has melted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Green Beans with Bacon and Blue Cheese

Green Beans with Bacon and Blue Cheese

This was a nice change of pace as I normally just steam green beans with some lemon, in a DIJON SAUCE or I make them up with BACON AND ONIONS.  Someone mentioned throwing some blue cheese on top of them and I thought "Why not?".  The blue cheese was very strong but it was very good.  You really need to like blue cheese to enjoy this one.  I didn't even bother trying to feed it to the kids as I couldn't imagine them enjoying the strong flavor.  I'm not sure I'll make it again but it was fun and different and helped use up some of the blue cheese I have in my fridge. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY IF YOU OMIT THE WORCESTERSHIRE*

3 STARS
4 servings
5 net carbs per serving

3 slices of bacon
1/2 onion, sliced (sometimes I chop instead)
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 pound green beans (frozen or fresh, any cut.  NOT CANNED)
salt and pepper to taste
1 oz crumbled blue cheese

Cut bacon into small pieces.  I like to use kitchen scissors and cut all 3 slices at once.  Chop onion.  Cook bacon and onion together in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  While the bacon and onion is cooking, we will do a bit of a cheater method to start the green beans going.  If using fresh, wash first.  Put green beans (fresh or frozen) in a microwave safe bowl with about a TBSP of water.  Microwave for about 3-4 minutes to defrost/start the cooking process.  Once bacon looks close to done, add the green beans, worcestershire, salt and pepper to the skillet.  Stir occasionally.  If your green beans look like they are drying up a bit before they have softened, add a TBSP of water or beef broth at a time to keep moist until the green beans are soft.  Plate and immediately sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over. 

Honey Dijon Zucchini

Honey Dijon Zucchini

I thought this was a pretty good side dish and a nice change of pace.  In full disclosure, no one else in my family liked this dish.  None of them really care for mustard flavored anything though, especially not when mixed with one of their least liked veggies.  Read through the ingredients and if it looks like something up your alley, give it a try.

3 STARS
4 net servings
2.5 net carbs per serving

1 tsp canola oil (or your oil of choice)
2 zucchini, sliced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar free imitation honey (can be bought at most grocery stores, even Target & Walmart)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 green onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar, imitation honey, dijon mustard, green onion, salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, preheat oil over medium heat.  Saute sliced zucchini until softened but still crisp.  Add sauce and mix until coated and sauce is warmed.

Roasted Parmesan Crusted Asparagus with Balsamic

Roasted Parmesan Crusted Asparagus with Balsamic

I had high hopes for this recipe.  However, I found the asparagus a bit bland.  Certainly nothing wrong it, it just didn't really wow me.  Perhaps my Balsamic Vinegar isn't a good enough one.  I do think that this recipe could be improved by adding WAY more Parmesan, like really coat it on to make a real crust.  Perhaps even roll the olive oil covered asparagus right in the parmesan.  Yeah, that's the way to do it.  I'd probably throw some garlic powder in there too.  I've written the recipe below on how I'd do it next time, not how I did it this time.

3 STARS
4 servings
4.5 net carb per serving


1 pound thin asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
1 TBSP olive oil
2 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll asparagus in olive oil, coating thoroughly, then roll in Parmesan cheese.  Place on foil covered baking sheet in single layer.  Pepper to taste.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes until asparagus is roasted and cheese is crusted.  Plate asparagus and drizzle balsamic vinegar over.

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

I had such high hopes for this chicken considering the 4.5 star rating on the Food.com original recipe.  I thought it was ok, my Hubs thought it was ok.  However the kids really like it.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't special.  Don't take my word for it though as 4.5 stars on Food.com shows that lots of other people thought this was amazing!  Also, in my opinion it was way too salty so I reduced the salt when I wrote it below.  I think it has potential but needed some additional spices.  Play it up with your favorites and let me know what you think!

3 STARS
4 servings
4.25 net carbs per serving

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix mayo, cheese and seasonings together.  Place chicken breasts in baking pan and spread mayo mixture over the top of each one.  Bake for 45 minutes.

  

Sage Pork Chops

Sage Pork Chops

This pork chop has a pleasant mellow flavor that would go well with a side dish that has a big personality.  I LOVE sage but didn't taste much of it since it drowns in the juices.  You can change it out for any seasoning of your choice and it would probably still be similar tasting.  While on the topic of seasonings, I suggest that you do not salt this dish as the beef broth is plenty salty already.  I realized after the fact that I went wrong by using big thick boneless pork loin.  This dish would be better with bone-in pork chops to help with the moistness.  If you want to thicken the sauce, you can use Guar or Xantham but I liked it just the way it is.  I made mashed potatoes for my carb-etarians and used this runny sauce as gravy and they all enjoyed it, no one mentioning how thin their "gravy" was. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
3 servings
1 net carb per serving

3 bone-in pork chops
2 TBSP butter
1 1/2 tsp dried sage (double if using fresh)
pepper to taste
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 cup beef broth


Rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage and pepper.  In a large skillet sear the pork chops in butter over high heat for 2-3 minutes each side.  You want to form a bit of a seared crust.  Saute the onions at the same time, making a spot for them in the pan.  Add the beef broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low to simmer.  Depending on the thickness of the chops, simmer for 15-25 minutes, flipping once.  Plate the pork chops.  If you want to thicken the sauce, use guar or xantham at this point.  Spoon sauce over pork chops and serve.

Spinach Medley

Spinach Medley

This started as me finding a bag of frozen spinach in the freezer.  Then I found a tomato that needed used.  Then I thought mushrooms would sounds good with it, etc, etc.  I just started grabbing stuff and throwing it in.  It turned in to a great tasting medley that is also very pretty on the plate.  Next time you have some veggies that need used, throw them all together and call it a medley! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
4 servings
4 net carbs per serving

2 slices bacon
1/4 small onion, sliced
1 clove minced garlic
1 bag frozen cut spinach, defrosted and drained
1 small tomato, diced
1 can sliced mushrooms
2 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste


Fry bacon in large pan until crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon and reserve for later.  Add onion to pan with bacon grease and cook over medium-high.  After 1 or 2 minutes, add garlic.  Once onion is soft, add spinach, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Cook until heated through.  Add tomatoes and bacon.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese right before serving.

Hamburger Cabbage Stir-Fry

Hamburger Cabbage Stir-Fry

I had a head of cabbage that needed eaten so this recipe from Linda was right up my alley.  Linda said that at Low Carb Friends they call this Crack Slaw.  I thought it was good for a quick, easy one skillet meal but not really addicting like they are insinuating.  The light sauce from the soy, sesame and seasonings was pretty yummy and perked this dish up a bit though.  The Hubs thought it was good but none of the kids liked it.  The best response from them is the Boy said it was "ok".  I've never been able to get them too excited about cabbage though so the "ok" response is actually pretty decent of a review. :) *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
6 servings
4.5 net carbs per serving

1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head of of cabbage, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP sesame oil (I have toasted sesame oil and thought it added a nice flavor)
Pinch of powdered ginger
Pinch of cayenne, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp Splenda
1 bunch green onions, chopped


In a very large skillet or wok, brown the ground beef with the garlic and a little salt and pepper.  DO NOT drain the ground beef.  Add the cabbage and mushrooms.  Stir-fry until the cabbage is tender-crisp.  Add all remaining ingredients and heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast Shake (or anytime shake)

Breakfast (or anytime) Shake

This is from Sugar Free Shiela and she calls it a Breakfast Shake so I'm sticking to it.  I had it as a dessert though. :)  It's good.  It tastes pretty much like a melted shake.  You can make it any flavor you want, depending on which sugar free syrup you add.  I have found that some syrup flavors are stronger than others so feel free to add a bit more if you think it needs it.  I made this in my Magic Bullet but you can make it in a regular blender or whatever you would normally make a smoothie out of. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
1 serving
4.7 net carbs per serving

3 oz cream cheese, full fat original in the block
1/2 cup egg substitute, full fat original flavor (EggBeaters)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP sugar free syrup, any flavor
4 ice cubes


Blend everything in your Magic Bullet but ice together for approximately 30 seconds.  Add ice and blend until it is a shake-like consistency.

Swiss Miss Chocolate Mousse

Swiss Miss Chocolate Mousse

After the first bite, the Hubs said "it tastes like whipped chocolate milk".  I don't know about you but that sounds like a pretty good dessert to me.  I would describe it tasting more like what it is, chocolate whipped cream.  I could have used it a tad sweeter and may try adding a tsp of granular Splenda next time but it's very good the way the original recipe is written.  The Hubs thought the sweetness was fine so maybe I'm just crazy.  It was very good for something that doesn't need cooked and can be made in seconds.  I'll probably make again when I'm needing something sweet in a hurry.

3 STARS

4 servings

3 net carbs per serving

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 packets of DIET (not sugar free) Swiss Miss Cocoa

Put everything in a deep bowl and beat with a mixer forever and a day until it gets light and fluffy.

Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This is basically the chicken version of my Shrimp in a Garlic Cream Sauce except that one was much better.  I think it has to do with the flavor of Laughing Cow that is used.  I'll probably make this again as it's so easy and quick but I think I'll do it next time with the garlic & herb flavor Laughing Cow that I used in the shrimp dish.  I served this over pasta for the carb-etarians in my family.  You could serve over spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or with just a side of low carb veggies. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
4 servings
2 net carbs per serving

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 TBSP olive oil
5 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
sprinkling of fresh or dried basil


Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan.  Add chicken and cook thoroughly, stirring on occasion.  Add in the Laughing Cow and stir until melted.  It will look like a nasty mess.  Add the heavy cream.  That's when the magic happens and a nice sauce is formed.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with basil.

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

EDIT: I know this isn't really logical but these were MUCH better the next day after sticking in the microwave to warm up.  They had the makings of some good bread if the spices were tweaked a bit.  I'm going to up these to a 3 as I think I might actually make them again, possibly with more cheddar (or sharp versus mild) and garlic salt.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Don't those biscuits look mouth watering, just scrumptious?  Yeah.......not so much.  These were not good.  These are a classic in the low carb world.  I've never really delved into Carbquik until last weeks Pecan Pie Muffins which are now both Hubs and my current favorite dessert, amazingly good.  This second shot at Carbquik was disappointing, especially with it being a classic recipe and one I've seen people drool over on other blogs.  I MIGHT try it again but with some heavy tweaking of the recipe.  As they were, these didn't taste like cheddar, they were dry, a bit crumbling and I couldn't taste any garlic.  They didn't taste even remotely close to the ones at Red Lobster, which is what they are supposed to be a copy of.  Disappointing.

2 STARS (3 STARS after heated the next day)
10 servings
2 net carbs each

2 cups Carbquik
2 ounces butter, cold
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water


-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-Cut the cold butter into the Carbquik with either a pastry cutter or two knives, till the mixture resembles coarse meal.
-Add the shredded cheese, a pinch of salt, and garlic powder and blend well.
-Mix the heavy cream with water to equal 1/2 cup of liquid, pour into dry mix.
-Mix till dough forms and comes together, but do not overwork the dough.
-Drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet approx 1 ounce size portions.
-Bake in hot oven 8-10 minutes till biscuits are golden brown.

Coffee and Cream Cheesecake

Coffee & Cream Cheesecake

This was a little time consuming to make but oh so much fun.  I mean you basically make whipped cream, then coffee jello, then coffee pudding, chill it all then mix it together to make a fluffy coffee whipped cream cheesecake.  I just *might* have licked the beaters while letting it chill. teehehee  I pulled this recipe from Linda and while it was good, I have to say that I agree with her that this is a 3 star recipe.  You might like it better than us if you REALLY like whipped cream or like really fluffy cheesecake.  Don't get me wrong, I ate it like no tomorrow but I prefer a more traditional cheesecake texture.

3 STARS
8 servings
6.5 net carbs per serving


1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup coffee, cold or room temperature
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 cups heavy cream
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla


In a medium bowl, whip the cream with 1/2 cup of the Splenda until stiff. Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator until needed. There's no need to clean the beaters. You can use them later for the cheese mixture.
In a small pot, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold coffee and let soften 5 minutes. Heat and stir over low heat to dissolve the gelatin completely. Do not boil. You can also dissolve the gelatin in the microwave by heating it about 30 seconds or so on HIGH. Stir until completely dissolved. Stir in the instant coffee granules until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add the remaining 1/2 cup Splenda and the vanilla to the cooled gelatin mixture.
Beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Gradually beat the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese until well blended and slightly fluffy. Chill the batter until slightly thickened, about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Very gently fold in the whipped cream a little at a time. Spread in a greased 9-inch pie plate and chill until set, about 5-6 hours. This makes a very high, fluffy pie. 

Fried Chicken Nuggets

Low Carb Atkins Fried Chicken Nuggets

I've made this chicken nugget recipe twice and have yet to manage to get them to look as pretty and crispy looking as Sugar Free Shiela does.  They still taste pretty good so hey...what's looks got to do with it when the taste is good?  This time I tweaked the recipe a bit based on my thoughts from last time.  If you want to try the original, then you can get it from Sugar Free Shiela as the recipe listed below includes my tweaks.  I still just got a generic "it's good" from the whole family so I will probably move on from this recipe next time I decide to make nuggets.  Don't get me wrong as there's nothing wrong with it, I just didn't think the nuggets were amazing. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

3 STARS
4 servings
1-2 net carbs per serving

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 eggs, whisked
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (the kind in the green can)
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup canola oil


Immerse chicken chunks in egg mixture, transfer to ziploc filled with parmesan, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper, coating well. Move to pan with preheated oil to medium-high. Move them around every few minutes so chicken is cooked evenly. Chicken is done once golden brown & stark white inside. 

30 Second Microwave Cookie

It's not the greatest cookie ever but it IS the greatest cookie that takes 30 seconds to make.  It tasted ok.  I'll probably make it again but mainly because of the easiness and I usually have the ingredients on hand.  I have both vanilla and chocolate whey protein powder (I use Body Fortress brand from Walmart) but made the vanilla since Linda said it was the better tasting on her page.  I overcooked mine a bit at 20 seconds and it was dry.  I think next time I will stop at the 15 seconds suggested in the original recipe.

3 STARS
1 serving of 1 cookie
2 net carbs


1 teaspoon butter
1/2 scoop vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder, 1/6 cup
2 teaspoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda *
Water, about 3/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon


In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the butter in the microwave about 20 seconds or until melted. If you're using liquid Splenda, mix it into the melted butter now. Stir in the whey powder and granular Splenda as well as you can. It will be very dry. Gradually add some water, about 1/8 teaspoon at a time, just until you can form the mixture into a ball that isn't too sticky to handle. Keep the dough ball in the bowl and microwave on HIGH 15-30 seconds or until the dough puffs up. Don't over cook it or it will come out very dry. In my microwave it takes about 15 seconds or so. Cool and eat.
If you microwave the cookie for about 15 seconds you'll get a more tender, chewy cookie but it won't be very big. Microwaving it for closer to 30 seconds causes the dough to puff up almost twice as much but the cookie will be pretty dry and crumbly. 

Peanut Butter Pudding

It's late, I'm tired and needing a quick dessert.  So what do I do?  I scour my saved recipe and find this super quick and easy snack.  This peanut butter pudding is very good, not dying-I-can't-live-without-it amazing, but good.  It really hit the spot on a night that I didn't really feel like cooking anything.  I only had chunky natural peanut butter but I think this would be much better with smooth and the nut pieces really distracted from the pudding/mousse consistency.  Even so, it was sweet, creamy and peanut buttery and it hit the spot.

3 STARS
1 serving
3 net carbs

1 TBSP natural smooth peanut butter
2 tsp granular Splenda
2 TBSP heavy whipping cream


Put all ingredients in bowl and mix the crap out of it with a spoon until it becomes whipped and smooth like mousse.  That's it!  It takes about one minute.