Atkins Italian Sausage Primavera Review

Let's start with a random tidbit!  My parents were *THIS* close to naming me Primavera.  Instead she chose Tamara (Layla is my youngest daughter).  Since that's what I thought about when I first saw this meal, you get to now think about it too!  So on to the real stuff.  This frozen dinner almost, kind of, sort of looks like the photo on the box.  More so than some other dinners.  The yellowish sauce on the box is drizzled on so it's not as yellow as the real meal.  However the veggies and meat really do look similar and are a great quality in my opinion.  Sometimes I have a real issue with the meat in frozen dinners as the quality is pretty dreadful.  I can see why we are paying a bit more for these than some other frozen dinners (I paid $3.98 at Walmart, which is the only place I've found them).  The price is worth it for the quality of the ingredients and just the fact that us low carbers have a frozen meal option!  I wouldn't say to eat one of these every day as real, fresh food is always going to be better than any frozen item full of preservatives.  However, I plan to keep one or two of these in my freezer to use for emergencies or lazy-days.

5 STARS
1 serving
5 net carbs per serving

Marinated Beef Kabobs

Apologies for the "blurry" photo.  That's actually smoke coming off the grill.  I forgot to take a photo while plated and went straight to devouring these so this in-process grilling photo is the only one I have.  This was a great basic recipe from Kalyns Kitchen.  I wouldn't change a thing.  She recommends using tri-tip, london broil, top sirloin or top loin.  If you use a tougher cut of meat, marinade for longer.

5 STARS
4 servings
3.75 net carbs per serving

2 pounds beef, cut into cubes
2 TBSP beef stock (or red wine)
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp steak seasoning (watch ingredients for sugar)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a ziploc bag with beef cubes.  Marinate at least 4-6 hours (or even overnight is fine). If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak in water at least 30 minutes so they don't catch on fire.  When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium-high.  Grill kabobs to your desired doneness.

Cheddar Baked Chicken

Cheddar Baked Chicken

This was definitely a family pleaser.  Everyone including the baby liked them (I made the kids portions into smaller pieces like chicken nuggets and cooked for less time).  You can't really go wrong with what is basically chicken nuggets with cheddar mixed in.  Yum!  If you don't have almond flour, I think that coconut flour or low carb bake mix would probably work fine too.  You could probably even skip the initial step of dredging in flour if you don't have any low carb flours available to you.  If you skip the flour, these would be *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*.

4 STARS
3 servings
3 NET CARBS PER SERVING
other nutrition per serving: 527 cal; 34.66g fat; 51.33g protein

1/2 cup almond flour *omit flour to make Induction friendly*
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed pork rinds
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat baking dish in oil of preference to make non-stick.  Mix the almond flour, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl (I use a small plate to help with dredging chicken later).  Set aside.  Pour beaten egg into another bowl, set aside.  In a 3rd bowl/plate mix the cheddar cheese and crushed pork rinds.  Dredge chicken in flour mixture, then dip in eggs, then dip in cheddar cheese/pork rinds mixture, making sure to press coating down into chicken on all sides.  Put in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lemon Caper Chicken

Lemon Caper Chicken

This is a great simple recipe that tastes like something more complex.  I used to make this one back in my carb-etarian days but used white flour back then.  If you aren't familiar, capers are yummy little tang/vinegar fun balls.  Yup, I just wrote "fun balls" and I'm not going to change it.  If you don't have both almond and coconut flours, use whatever low carb flour you have and it will taste just fine.  I prefer the combo because coconut flour gives you the closest texture to white flour, however it sucks all of the moisture out of whatever you are cooking so a mix yields the best results in my opinion.

5 STARS
2 servings
3.6 net carbs per serving

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 TBSP almond flour
1 TBSP coconut flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
pepper to taste
1 egg
2 TBSP olive oil (or oil of choice)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
2 tsp jarred capers
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)

Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally so you have 2 thin cutlets from each breast.  On a plate, combine almond flour, coconut flour, paprika, parsley, seasoned salt and pepper.  Mix together.  On a separate plate, scramble egg.  Preheat a skillet with oil over medium-high heat.  Dip chicken in egg then dredge through flour mixture, making sure to cover both sides with mixture.  Cook chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side.  Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and plate.  Add lemon juice, capers and chicken broth to the same pan.  Stir sauce, making sure to scrape all of the yummy browned bits left over from cooking chicken.  Once heated through, pour over chicken on each plate.  Sauce is very thin.  If you prefer to thicken a bit, add the guar gum, stirring constantly.

Crockpot Tangy Pork Roast

Crockpot Tangy Pork Roast

Great recipe.  I would say that this could be good enough for company, even carb-etarian company!  I've made this twice, once with 1/4 cup Splenda (subbing for the sugar called for in the ORIGINAL RECIPE) and the second time without any Splenda at all.  The entire family agreed that the sweetness was a bit odd with the rest of the flavors so I would recommend not using any sweetener or just a pinch to cut through the tang of the red wine vinegar.  I'm writing it below without any sweetener as I thought that had the best flavor.  The original recipe also called for a bit of ketchup but I used a tomato paste that had no added sugars.  You could also use the Heinz Less Sugar Ketchup.  Whichever you have on hand.

5 STARS
6 servings (original said 8 but 6 is more realistic)
2.3 net carbs per serving

1 onion, sliced
2 1/2 pound boneless pork roast
1/2 cup hot water
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP less sugar ketchup (or no sugar added tomato paste)
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
a few dashes of hot pepper sauce (tabasco or tapatio, etc)
1 tsp of guar gum (optional to thicken sauce at end)

Arrange the onion slices evenly over the bottom of the crockpot. Place the roast on top of the onion.  In a bowl, mix together water, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce.  Pour mixture over roast.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  If you want to thicken the sauce, remove and plate the roast and onions.  With the sauce still in the crockpot, sprinkle guar gum on sauce and stir.  Guar gum creates a bit of a jell-like sauce, not creamy so be aware of the texture, as you can see in my photo.  Pour sauce over roast and onions.

Laughing Cow Creamed Spinach

Laughing Cow Creamed Spinach

It's no secret that I like to use Laughing Cow spread wedges to make creamy sauces.  Just type Laughing Cow into the search box on the top right of my page and you'll see all the yummy sauces I've made with these magic wedges!  I've already posted a creamed spinach recipe as SOUR CREAM SPINACH but this one is made with my beloved Laughing Cow so I figured there's room for two on my blog.  I made it with half of an onion, which I thought was too much so I've written the recipe to only be 1/4 of an onion.  This was very creamy so if you like the taste of the spinach to shine through, you might want to reduce the Laughing Cow wedges from 4 to 2 or 3.  This was super simple to prepare, tasted great and the Hubs enjoyed so this was a winner all around!

4 STARS
2 servings
4.4 net carbs per serving

1 TBSP butter
1/4 onion, chopped
4 Laughing Cow wedges of any savory flavor (I used garlic & herb)
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large skillet over medium.  Saute chopped onion until translucent and soft.  Add Laughing Cow wedges and break them up, smash and stir them until melted (at this point is will look like a train wreck glob and you will think I'm crazy but just trust me, it will melt down to a sauce).  Add the spinach.  Once it starts wilting and breaking down (just a minute or two), add the red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Stir and mix until spinach is wilted to the consistency you like and the Laughing Cow is fully mixed through (usually just 3 or 4 minutes). *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

Atkins Crustless Chicken Pot Pie Review

Atkins Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

click to enlarge

My Super Walmart FINALLY put these little gems in the freezer section.  So let's start with the obvious.  It does not look like the photo.  That's pretty normal for frozen meals so it wasn't much of a shock.  They are 5 net carbs for 9 ounces.  That's fairly large for a frozen meal, most of the low calories frozen meals are closer to 6 or 7 ounces.  I had this for lunch and it didn't have me stuffed but it satisfied me until time for an afternoon snack.  Now on to the important stuff, the taste.  This tasted good!  The chicken was pretty decent (I don't like the quality of the chicken in some brands of low calorie frozen meals), the veggies were plentiful and the sauce was great!  I don't think it really tasted like a pot pie but if you ignore the name of it, then it was very good.  The price point is higher than the low calorie frozen dinners (I think I paid $3.89) but you can't complain considering us low carbers finally have frozen dinners again!

4 STARS
1 serving
5 net carbs per serving

Caribbean Baked Fish

Caribbean Baked Fish

Oh my this was good!  I will certainly be making this one again.  I also can't wait to try it with chicken.  Yum!    This was super easy to make and had lots of flavor.  You just mix the ingredients together for the sauce and pour it over the fish.  Ta-da!

5 STARS
2 servings
4.3 net carbs per serving

juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
salt to taste
2 4-5 ounce white fish fillets (tilapia, catfish, swai, etc)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease baking dish (with oil or nonstick spray).  Rinse fish and pat dry.  Place fish in baking dish.  In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients until thoroughly combined and tomato paste is broken down.  Pour over fish.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Plate fish and pour extra sauce in baking dish over plated fish.

Green Enchilada Casserole

Green Enchilada Casserole

Oh, oh, oh this was good!  My entire carb-etarian family enjoyed this one, including the toddlers.  Casseroles are great comfort food on a cold day and an easy way to use leftover chicken or any other meat from a previous meal.  I made with leftover turkey from an early Christmas I did with out of town family.  However, I'm writing the recipe using chicken since that's what most people have as leftovers on a regular basis.  This recipe is an adaptation from this ENCHILADA BAKE recipe, which is made with red sauce and ground beef.  PS.  This crust is fabulous as a PIZZA CRUST too!

5 STARS
8 servings
4 net carbs per serving

SEASONING FOR TACOS:
1 teaspoon chili powder (add more if you want it spicier)
3/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne  

CRUST:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning for Tacos
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 

Beat or whisk the cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add the seasoning; mix well. Stir in the cheese; mix well. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish; spread the cheese mixture evenly over the bottom. Bake at 350º, 35 minutes or until browned, but not too dark. Let stand 5-10 minutes before adding the topping. 

TOPPING: 
1 pound shredded or chopped cooked chicken 
1 tablespoon Seasoning for Tacos 
8 1/2 ounce jar green enchilada sauce 
4 ounce can chopped green chiles 
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Warm the pre-cooked chicken. Stir in the seasoning, green enchilada sauce and chiles. Spread over the crust. Top with the cheese. Bake another 20 minutes or so until hot and bubbly. Serve with the toppings of your choice (add additional carbs). 

Sauteed Mushrooms

Sauteed Mushrooms

I LOVE mushrooms.  However, my family doesn't so I don't make them very often.  Tonight I made them a carb-y side dish and made some yummy sauteed mushrooms just for myself.  They were easy to prepare and were very flavorful.  I think I ate more than one serving.  Shhhh.....don't tell.  I think I need to make them more often!

5 STARS
4 servings
3 net carbs per serving

2 TBSP butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/8 tsp seasoned salt (check labels as some brands add sugar)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
fresh pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add all other ingredients and saute for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked to your desired tenderness.  Serve immediately as mushrooms generally do not re-heat well.

Cheese n Chili Chops

Cheese n Chili Chops

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. 

This was a nice basic recipe without too much fluff or difficulty with a decent amount of flavor payoff.  It was a bit awkward trying ti spread the cream cheese over the salsa layer.  Next time I'll probably just mix the two together and spread over each pork chop. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
2 servings
3.9 net carbs per serving

1 tsp canola oil
2 pork chops (I used boneless but either is fine)
1/4 cup salsa (check labels for added sugar)
2 1/4 ounce canned diced green chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBSP cream cheese, softened

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season chops with salt and pepper.  Brown chops about 2 minutes per side.  Combine salsa, chilies and cumin in a bowl.  Pour mixture over chops.  Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and simmer chops 5 minutes or until cooked through.  Mix cheeses in a bowl.  Divide cheese mixture over chops, cover and cook 1 minute, just until cheese melts.

Chicken Nuggets II

Chicken Nuggets II

This recipe is called Chicken Nuggets II because, well, because I already have a CHICKEN NUGGET recipe posted.  There are tons of ways to make chicken nuggets so it's great to try different ways and see what appeals most to your family.  My family really liked this one, with no mention of it being odd or "not normal" chicken nuggets.  They just scarfed them down while saying that they were good.  I don't think they realized that they were made with any type of specialty ingredients.  It's also nice to get some extra fiber in their diets by using golden flax.

4 STARS
4 servings
6 net carbs per serving

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup frying oil of your choice
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup golden flax mill
1 tsp Splenda (or sweetener of choice)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried parsley
pepper to taste

Cut chicken breasts into one inch cubes.  Pre-heat frying oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  While pre-heating, mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add chicken chunks and mix well to ensure all sides of each chicken chunk is coated.  Add chicken to hot skillet in a single layer (cook chicken in batches if needed).  Turn chicken after 4-5 minutes or golden brown until all sides are golden.

Ranch Cauliflower Mash

Ranch Cauliflower Mash

I hadn't eaten much cauliflower before becoming a Low Carber.  However, in the low carb world cauliflower is the pretty standard rice or potato replacement so I eventually tried cooking various recipes with it.  I must say that I wish I had included it in my vegetable repertoire sooner.  It is great cooked a multitude of ways, it's yummy and my whole family likes it.  This recipe for cauliflower is a quick, basic microwave recipe but it made my family and I happy.  My 11 year old even packed the leftovers in his lunch the next day.  I used commercially prepared ranch salad dressing (Hidden Valley original) but feel free to whip up your own homemade as well.

4 STARS
3 servings
4 net carbs per serving

1/2 head of cauliflower
1 TBSP butter
3 TBSP low carb Ranch dressing (check labels)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Break cauliflower up into small pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl.  Add approx 1 TBSP of water.  Steam in microwave for 6 minutes.  Remove from microwave and mash with a fork.  Add Ranch, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Black Soy Beans and Peppers

Black Soy Beans

What the heck is a photo of beans doing on a Low Carb blog?  I'm sure that's what you are thinking if you've never heard of black soy beans.  They are the lowest carb bean of them all!  I've yet to try these magic beans but recently went to Sprouts with the sole intent to pick up some Eden Organic Black Soy Beans.  Boy am I glad I did as these are just like "regular" black beans!  I doctored them up quite a bit as I wasn't sure what the taste was going to be like so I wanted to use some ingredients to help blend it better.  If you like your beans with tomatoes and peppers and such, then this recipe is right up your alley!  If you like your black beans a little simpler, I think these black soy beans will make you quite happy as well.

5 STARS
4 servings
5 net carbs per serving

2 tsp olive oil (or sauteing oil of choice)
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a handful of frozen mixed peppers that I chopped)
1/4 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can black soy beans, drained
1 can tomatoes with green chili, drained (check labels as some store brands have less net carbs than the Rotel name brand)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Splenda (optional)
salt to taste

Saute the green bell pepper, onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until everything is thoroughly mixed and warmed throughout.

Celery Root "Potato" Chips

Celery Root "Potato" Chips

Oh these were good.  I mean GOOD kind of good.  Celery Root (aka celeriac) made chips that were extremely close to homemade potato chips.  They do have a bit of a celery aftertaste but it just reminded me of celery salt, which I LOVE so that was kind of a bonus.  I had my 11 year old try them and he declared them awesome....until I told him what they were and he then decided they were "weird" and didn't want anymore.  The Hubs said they were a hit and really enjoyed.  The 2 year old didn't like them and said they were "yuck".  The 15 month old scarfed them while screaming "french fries!" the entire time.  They would be good with a variety of seasonings depending on what flavor of chip you want.  I went with a light sprinkle of seasoning salt and thought it was a perfect flavor to go with the celery salt taste these have naturally.  These will be in my regular snack rotation for sure! *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

5 STARS
4 servings
4 net carbs per serving (this will vary depending on how big your celery root is)

1 celery root (celeriac)
frying oil of choice (coconut, canola, etc)
seasoning salt to taste

Chop the celery top off of the celery root.  Peel the root with a paring knife (I tried a potato peeler and it was a bit too difficult).  Cut the root ball into 4 pieces to be easier to work with.  If you have a mandolin, use it to get even slices.  If not, try to cut each potato chip with the same thickness to ensure they cook evenly.  Add 1 1/2 - 2 inches of oil in large skillet (cast iron works great for this type of recipe if you have one).  Heat oil on high.  It needs to be very hot so test it by putting a tiny scrap of celery root in to see if instantly starts sizzling before adding your celery chips.  Once your test chip sizzles, fry celery root pieces (you will probably need to do in batches as they won't all fit in your pan) until they turn lightly brown with some darker brown along the edges (like kettle chips).  Watch them closely as they quickly go from a perfect crisp chip to burnt nastiness.  Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel covered plate.  Immediately sprinkle with seasoning salt.  Fry next batch of chips and continue the process.

Lemon Pepper Wings

Lemon Pepper Wings

Oh my these were good!  I was in the mood for some wings and these really hit the spot.  So tangy and lemony and peppery, yum.  Wings are one of the greatest things about being low carb / Atkins and it's so fun to play with different flavors for them.  I get giant bags of them at Sam's Club (like Costco) to always have in my freezer.  If you are looking for some other fun wings flavors, I've made PARMESAN CRUSTED (my favorite), SALT AND VINEGAR (can't beat the tang on these), as well as BUFFALO WINGS (you can't go wrong with a classic) in the past.  *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
2 servings
1 net carbs per serving

16 defrosted wings and drummettes
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
juice of half a lemon
pepper to taste

Bake wings in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 1 hour.  I put them on a foil lined cookie sheet that I spray with butter flavored Pam.  They should be fully cooked and the skin crispy when done.  Meanwhile, mix butter, seasoned salt, lemon pepper, lemon juice and pepper together in a medium sized bowl.  Once wings are fully cooked, toss them in the lemon pepper sauce.

*You can also deep fry them for 12 minutes at 400 degrees but we actually prefer the oven method.

Beef and Bell Pepper Saute

Beef and Bell Pepper Saute

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.

This was a very simple and yummy meal.  The original recipe calls for a red bell pepper but I used some defrosted frozen mixed peppers.  Either way is fine, depending on what you have available.  This is a recipe that I've actually made a couple of times since it's so easy and filling.  Nothing that is WOW worthy but a good basic meal. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
1 serving
5 net carbs per serving

5 ounces ground beef
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (or frozen mix)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Saute ground beef in skillet over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add scallions and bell pepper.  Saute until beef is browned and peppers are soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Drain grease if necessary.  Plate meal and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cheddar Burger with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Cheddar Burger with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

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.

This was a decent basic meal but I was still a bit hungry afterwards since there's no sides.  Next time I will probably add a small side salad to accompany.  I used a pre-made frozen hamburger patty since I already had them in the freezer.  If you do, just make sure to check the ingredients for carby fillers or added sugars.  I also just pan fried instead of heating up the grill for just one burger. *INDUCTION FRIENDLY*

4 STARS
1 serving
3.7 net carbs per serving

6 oz ground beef chuck
2 TBSP chopped onion
4 button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 tsp virgin olive oil
1 slice Cheddar cheese

Grill burger to desired degree of doneness.  Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms and onions in a skillet with 1 teaspoon of virgin olive oil until soft and onions are tender.  To serve, place burger on plate, top with onions and mushrooms and then cheese.

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. 

Tangy Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Tangy Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This was my first foray into making my own barbecue sauce and I'm so pleased with how it turned out!  The Hubs and me both really liked meal.  Next time I think I'll put this sauce on some grilled chicken, and yes there will be a next time!  I thought that the spice versus tang was spot on with this recipe so I might have to make some just to keep in the fridge in place of commercial sauces.  Keep in mind that this is a mustard based barbecue sauce versus tomato.  The mustard sauce has more of a tang and isn't quite as sweet.  It's also lower in carbs!

5 STARS
4 servings
4.5 net carbs per serving

1/3 cup granular Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/3 cup real butter
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp chipotle chili powder (can use chili or cayenne as replacement but adjust the amount to the spice level)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP liquid smoke
1/4 tsp dark molasses (optional but it helps give a brown sugar taste)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)

Sauce: Place all ingredients except chicken in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Crockpot Chicken: Place 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a Crockpot (can be frozen or fresh).  Pour barbecue sauce over chicken.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  While still in Crockpot, shred chicken with two forks.  Cook for the shredded chicken for at least 30 minutes on low for flavors to penetrate the shreds.

Serve in a One Minute Bread bun, a low carb tortilla, over a bed of salad, over cauliflower faux-rice, etc.

*If just making the sauce then pour into container, let cool and then put in the fridge overnight for the flavors to fully meld.