Low Carb Chicken Salad

I've been making this recipe ever since I started low carbing years ago. I love it. It's simple, yet full of flavor.

I usually use salad that consists of different greens. I could've sworn that I bought a bag at the store but after searching for it, I only came up with your typical bagged lettuce, cabbage and carrots...so that's what I used. It's delicious either way. 

Low Carb Chicken Salad

2 C. salad
grilled or baked chicken breast
5 whole white mushrooms - cremini mushrooms work, too
1/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
black olives, sliced - I used 4 sliced up
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning  - be sure to check that no sugar has been added
red wine vinegar & olive oil salad dressing*

Chicken & Mushrooms

Shred chicken breast and add to a medium frying pan. Slice mushrooms and add to the pan. Stir in minced garlic and steak seasoning. Drizzle with enough olive oil to keep the mixture from sticking while cooking. Cook over medium-high heat until the mushroom are soft. Remove from heat and immediately top with shredded cheese. Leave everything in the pan until the cheese melts.

To Plate:

Place lettuce on a big plate. Top with sliced olives. Top the olives and salad with the chicken & mushrooms. Drizzle the salad dressing over the top.

Red Wine Vinegar & Olive Oil Salad Dressing:

1/4 C. olive oil
1/3 C. red wine vinegar
1 -2 packets of Sweet N Low or Splenda, to taste - to remove bitterness
2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake well.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers

Today was the first day of my dive back into low carbing. I've written my menu for the week in my previous post.

A member from FamilyCorner.com posted the low carb sloppy joe stuffed peppers that I made for my dinner tonight. This dish was full of flavor and very good. I didn't eat a lot for breakfast and lunch today so I decided to eat one whole green pepper and the filling. The original serving size is 1/2 of a green pepper with filling for 4 carbs. I didn't use quite one pound of ground beef so I probably have enough filling left over to stuff another whole pepper. I'm going to cook the pepper tomorrow, then stuff it and stick it into the freezer for when I need a quick lunch or dinner. This recipe is a keeper!

Low Carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 ounce onion, chopped, about 2 TBSP
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce  - I used Hunts
1 teaspoon granular Splenda - I skipped this
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinergar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt -I skipped this
1/8 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded - I just
sprinkled a little bit on top of my peppers

3 green peppers, halved lengthwise

Brown the ground beef, onion, celery and garlic; drain fat.

Stir in all remaining ingredients except the cheese and green peppers.

Simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, parboil the peppers in a little boiling water 3 minutes; drain. To shorten baking time, I cooked mine for almost 8 minutes.

Place peppers in a baking dish. Stir half the cheese into the hamburger mixture; fill peppers with meat. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350º 15-20 minutes (5 -10 for me) until hot and bubbly and peppers are tender.

Makes 6 servings

Can be frozen

Per Serving: 306 Calories; 21g Fat; 23g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

Click here to see the original recipe.

Menu Plan Monday

For a while, I will be adding a family menu + my low carb dinner menu.

Family Menu

M - hot meatloaf sandwiches - turned into homemade spicy chicken sands because we were shopping later than expected
T - pork soulvaki, spaetzles,  & corn
W- chicken tacos & rice
H- skirt steak, salad & another side
F - pasta & sauce
A - grilled chicken, chicken rice, salad & green beans

Low Carb Menu

M - sloppy joe stuffed peppers
T - pork soulvaki, sauteed fresh green beans & cucumbers w/dressing
W - grilled chicken salad - grilled chicken, mushrooms & cheese over salad
H - skirt steak, grilled zucchini & salad
F -mexican omelet
A - chef salad

 For lots of great inspiration in menu planning, check out Menu Plan Mondays.

{Edited:  This is going to be one of the those crazy weeks where I rearrange the menu. To me, it really doesn't matter what day we eat the listed recipes, just making the menu and shopping for all of the supplies, really helps me out!}

Chili Cheese Dog Tortilla Sticks

Yesterday I had to come up with a snack for my husband to eat while he was watching his JETS advance in the NFL playoffs. (insert boo, hiss and gag here since my Steelers didn't make it).

Since I usually go shopping on Sundays, there wasn't a whole lot left in the cupboards or frig.

I had chili on the stove cooking for dinner and a few hot dogs in the freezer--chili dogs came to mind but there wasn't any hot dog buns. I managed to dig up a pack of soft tortillas. I needed a "holder" for the chili and dogs so I figured that the tortillas would work.

These little sticks became a big hit with my family. I wrapped up what was left and stuck them in the freezer. They will work for a quick grab for lunches for the kids or for my husband.

Chili Cheese Dog Tortilla Sticks

8 boiled hot dogs
8 small soft tortillas
chili
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped onion

Layer the ingredients of your choice onto 1/2 of the tortilla, starting with the cheese, then chili, onions, and then ending with the hot dog.

 Do not over fill the tortillas or they will not stay closed. Start rolling up from the full side, making sure to tuck in the sides half way through.

Place the tortillas, seam side down, into a hot frying pan. Cook just one or two at a time so that you will have plenty of room to turn and brown the sticks on all sides. Watch the sticks carefully because they will brown very quickly. Remove to a plate.

Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and freeze to warm up in the microwave.

Wrap leftovers in foil and freeze to warm up in the oven.

These sticks can be sliced into pieces for little appetizer bites.

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Before Christmas, my son discovered a chocolate chip pie on a menu where we were eating. He knows that I refuse to pay $5.00 or more for a slice of pie so he asked me if I would bake something like this for him. I forgot all about it until he mentioned it last week. I searched online and through a couple of cookbooks that I have here, but nothing grabbed me. All of the recipes called for nuts. Even though my family is "nutty", they are not big fans of nuts in desserts. I found a 1/2 bag of Heath Toffee Chips in my cupboard so I used them in place of the nuts. The results were extremely good.

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated 9-inch pie shell, slightly prebaked*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee baking pieces

Toppings:

ice cream or whipped cream, optional


Directions for Prebaking Pie Shell:

I like using a 10" pie pan to hold a 9" pie crust when making a pie like this. It leaves room at the top of the pie plate to hold
whipped cream or another topping.

Preheat over to 425*

Place the pie crust into the pie pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake for 7 minutes or until very lightly browned.


Directions for Pie:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

In a large bowl, whip eggs until light and foamy.

In a seperate bowl, stir together the sugars and flour. Spoon the dry mix into the eggs a little at a time until well blended.

Mix in butter. Continue mixing untill smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips and toffee pieces. Spoon into pie shell.

If using a deeper pan like I do, bake for 45 mintues or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. If using a regular
pan, it will probably need to bake for 5 - 10 minutes more.

Cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped
cream.

While this pie is delicous served plain or just with whipped cream....why stop there?!?

Check this out...

MMM!!!  It's out of this world topped with chocolate ice cream & drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrups.