PCOS Low Carb Weight Loss Journal

Sometimes a girl just needs her protein in the morning in the form of shrimp, what can I say, it was deeeeeleeeeecious.

for the omlette
2 eggs
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
as much smoked gouda as you like, I probably had about an oz. Grated.

Crack the two eggs in a bowl and whisk with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in skillet and add the eggs, let it cook for a minute or so until the sides are firm. Sprinkle the cheese on top and finish cooking it under the broiler in your oven or toaster oven for a minute or so. When done, flip to create half a circle and transfer to a plate.

For the bell pepper shrimp
5-6 Jumpo shrimp or 10-12 medium shrimp
1 large red bell pepper, or any bell pepper you have, chopped
1Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan and sautee the bell peppers until tender. Add the shrimp then sautee until cooked. Add salt and pepper and transfer to a plate with the eggs and NJOY.

Low carb Middle Eastern Kibbe (kibbeh)

Ok, if you ever had kibbe at a Middle Eastern restaurant, you know that this is a very delecious dish. Its made with gournd beef and cracked wheat (burgul). The aroma of the combination of spices is just amazing. Kibbeh can be fried or baked, formed into balls or squares, but the taste is always great. Since I’ve been lowcarbing, I’ve watched my Middle Eastern family eat and eat my favorite foods, so now I’m attempting to low carb them, and so far this kibbeh recipe is darn right very close to the original thing. And I’m not just saying that because I made it, according to my mom “it was JUST LIKE THE REAL THING”. OK fine I’ll share the recipe here you go:

Low Carb Kibbeh
Filling
2 TB olive oil
1.5 Lbs ground beef, I used 90/10
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp 7 spice
1/2 tsp kibbeh spice (you can find online or at middle eastern grocery stores)
1/8 tsp ghee spice (semn spice)(you can also find at middle eastern grocery stores)
a pinch of ground nutmeg

Layers

1.5 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp 7 spice
3/4 tsp kibbeh spice
1/8 tsp ghee spice
a pinch of nut meg
1/2 head of steamed cauliflower
1 small egg

For the Filling: In a pot heat 2 TB olive oil and saute the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add beef and spices and cook until meat is browned. Set aside to cool down.

For the layers. Steam the cauliflower in the microwave, by adding the raw florets, 2 TB of water and cooking it for 3-5 minutes. Cauliflower should be fork tender by then. In a food processor, add onions and cauliflower and process until very smooth. Add the egg and spices and process again. Finally add the beef and give it a whirl until all ingredients are combined and texture is smooth, but don’t over process it.

heat oven to 350

To layer, divide the layer mixture in half, I used a 9×13 inch pan, Spread half of the layer mixture evenly, then add all of the filling mixture. Spread the second half of the layer mixture on top and smooth it out. Cook the kibbeh at 350 for 20-25 minutes, mine was done with in 25 minutes and broiled it to give it a bit of color. You can serve this with yougurt and cucumber salad which is great, but didn’t have any on hand, so I added some mayo, and Its soooooooooooooooooo gooooooooooood. Please be aware that the meat mixture will decrease in size because the beef will release moisture while cooking, so no surprises, and DON”T WORRY, YOU CAN”T taste the cauliflower in there, the spices come through substantially.

I have to say, I never had sheperd’s pie even before starting LC, so I wasn’t even sure what this was supposed to taste like. All I can say is I was looking for comfort food, dairy free, induction friendly and came across this recipe. It wasn’t the best, I think it was the combination of the veggies I used. Most recipes I found online called for peas and carrots, and I can’t add those back in my diet quite yet. The original recipe I had called for mushrooms which I didn’t have, so I used onions, snap peas and red bell peppers. It had a bitter taste to it, so I’m going to try it again some other time and use maybe celery and mushrooms and see. Here are some pics tho, if you know of a great LC sheperd’s pie recipe, feel free to share.

Green beans
1 head garlic, mashed
2-3 TB olive oil
3-4 cups of green beans
salt and pepper to taste

In a wok, heat olive oil, add garlic and lightly saute, add green beans and saute, stirring often 4-7 minutes. I like mine with a little crunch to them. Add salt and pepper and transfer to a serving plate.

Fish cakes:
2 lbs Tilapia filets
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 medium tomato
2 garlic cloves
one egg
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

Add all the ingredients in a food processor and give it a whirl. Depending on the texture you prefer, I like mine very smooth, so I let mine swirl around for a couple of minutes. If you have LC bread crumbs you can add them, but I wanted mine very simple.
Heat skillet with olive oil, form fish mixture into small cakes and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Continue until done with all the mixture.

Chipotle Mayo
1/2 cup may
2 tsp of chipotle sauce

This is really nice and spicy, just mix the two ingredients together and add a dollop on top of each fish cake. NJOY.

This is very simple and fuss free.

For the ribeye:
1 ribeye steak
salt and pepper to taste

Season your steak and throw it on the grill and cook it to you liking.

For the salad
10 grape tomatoes
1 cup romaine lettuce chopped
1/4 green bell pepper
one green onion
2 TB parsley
1 Tb lemon
1 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the salad ingredients together and eat, adjust salt and pepper to taste. NJOY

This was based on a stuffed pasta shells recipe I found on foodnetwork.com. I have to say this was by far the best lasagnaish dish I made that’s lcish :), I had leftovers the next day and they were very tasty.

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 7 cups cubed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup ricotta or mascarpone cheese (I used ricotta)
• 12 ounces fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and chopped (about 2/3 cup chopped) (I used 2 frozen packages)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon sweetner of choice
• 4-6 thinly sliced chicken breast( as lasagna noodles).
• 2 cups Italian crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 4 ounces coarsely grated fontina cheese ( I used mozzarella)

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tb olive oil, add sausage and saute until well cooked. Add half the onions and the eggplant, season with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and cook until vegetables are lightly carmalized. Add 1 Tb garlic and cook for a minute or so, then transfer to a bowl to cool.

Mean while, season thinly sliced chicken breast with salt and pepper. and saute in skillet unitl almost done, they will finsih cooking in the oven. Transfer to a plate while you make the sauce.

In a sauce pan, heat 1 Tb oil, saute the remaining onions until transluscent then add 1 TB of garlic and cook. Add the crushed tomatoes, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the sauce is reduced in volume by about 1/3, about 20 minutes. Remove from stove and add 1/2 cup parmesan and stir until cheese is completely incorporated.

When the meat mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the ricotta or mascarpone cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and sugar. Stir to combine well.

Heat oven to 350.

Now the fun part, putting it all together.

Add 1/2 cup of the cream mixture at the bottom of a lightly greased 9by 13 inch casserole dish. add one layer of the chicken breast, then half of the meat mixture, then top with the basil cream sauce. Repeat process until done. I topped mine with half cup of mozzarella cheese, cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook 15 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes before serving (if you can :)). NJOY.

I was getting a final project done for a class tonight, so I needed a 20 minute break to make dinner and get back in action. I had 2 lucious salmon filets thawing in the fridge and some veggies. Here are the results, very simple, but very scrumptious.

Ingredients:
2 Salmon filets (size it depending on how hungry you are
1 cup broccoli
1/2 avocado, seeded and cubed
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 lemon
4 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pan, heat 2 TB olive oil on high heat. Salt and pepper your filets and add to the pan. while the fish is cooking get the salad ready.
In a bowl, add mashed garlic, 2 TB olive oil, juice of half the lemon and salt and pepper. Stir to combine then add broccoli and avocado and gently toss. Set aside.
Flip the fish after 3-4 minutes and continue to cook. My fish took about 9 minutes. I wanted a really nice crust, and I got it:) Transfer fish to a serving plate, squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon and serve with the salad. NJOY.

I have to say this in case you didn’t notice, I LOVE SPAGHETTI SQUASH, besides it being a spaghetti alternative, its very versatile. I love cooking one and keeping it in the fridge and making different recipes with it. This recipe is very basic, you just have to get your ingredients together and make.

1 Medium spaghetti Squash, cut in half length wise, baked in oven for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or microwaved on high for 15 minutes.
1 Jar Sugar free Ragu Pasta sauce
4 Italian sausage links, casing removed.
1 TB oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot, heat 1 TB oil, add sausage meat and cook until browned. Add spaghetti sauce and let it come to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and let the flavors infuse for about 10-15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, scrape the squash, add salt and pepper to taste top with spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese and serve immediately, NJOY.

This is based on a recipe I came across online a while ago, yet I don’t remember who its from, if its you, let me know so I can give you credit :). I have to say, I have been wanting to make it for a while, and today was the day, and its absoloutely fantastic, soooooooooooooooo yummmmmmmmy. The flavors just come together and explode in your mouth. The pine nuts really stand out, so don’t skip any ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (4-5 cups cooked)
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (must be fresh, don’t use dried)
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• salt and pepper to taste
*8 Sausage links, I used Italian sausage

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the squash, cut side down, in a large baking dish and bake the squash in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
3. Cook Sausage and cut diagonally into bite sized pieces.
4. Toast pine nuts in a pan lightly, you can toast them dry or add 1tsp oil.
5. Scrape flesh of squash from the rind using a fork and place in a bowl. Add the pine nuts, cheese, sage, butter, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately, NJOY.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com under the title “World’s best lasagna”. I have to say it was good, but since I didn’t have any italian sausage, which the original recipe calls for, the flavor was just good. Also the ingredient amounts listed are half of what is requested in the Original recipe, and trust me I had 6 very nice portions out of this recipe. Hope you like it, and don’t forget to get your sausage :).

Ingredients:
Oil for frying and sauteeing
1 Large Eggplant
1 Lb ground beef/or Italian Sausage
1/4 cup minced onion
1 large garlic clove crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 can canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1TB splenda or sweetner of choice
3/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp italian seasoning(optional, I didn’t have any)
1/2 TB salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
16 oz riccotta cheese
2 egges
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mozzarella
2 cups grated parm cheese
1TB dried basil leaves

Directions:

FOR THE SAUCE: heat 2 TB oil on high heat, add one clove crushed garlic and minced onion, stir until transluscent, add meat and cook until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatos, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water, season with sugar, 3/4 tsp basil, fennel seeds, 1/2 TB salt and black pepper. Stir everything together bring to a boil, then cover, lower heat to Medium Low and let simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours.

FOR THE EGGPLANT peel the eggplant and slice it into half inch pieces length wise. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let sweat for 20-30 minutes. Use 2 seperate bowls, crack one egg and add a bit of salt and stir for egg wash. In second bowl, add grated parm cheese and 1TB dried basil and stir to combine. You can use italian seasoning if you like, but I didn’t have any.
TO COOK EGGPLANT: heat a large pan over Medium heat. With paper towel, pat dry the eggplants. Dip each piece in the egg wash, then in the parmesan and set aside on a seperate plate. Continue the process for all the eggplant slices. Your pan should be hot now, add one cup of oil and fry the eggplant slices. Eggplant will absorb lots of the oil, but once removed, you can set it over paper towels and some of the oil is obsorbed.

FOR THE RICCOTTA: In a mixing bowl combine the riccotta, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt and parsley and mix well. Set aside.

Check and taste your sauce, add more salt if needed, you can add more basil or italian seasoning if you like.

Heat Oven to 325
TO ASSEMBLE: In a baking dish, add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, top with eggplant slices, then half of the tomato sauce, then half of the riccotta. Repeat layers until you have used all the ingredients. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and any left over parmesan cheese. Bring a piece of foil out, spray with non stick oil and cover the lasagna. Bake in oven covered for 25 minutes then uncovered for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

I needed some comfort food today and all I could think of was spaghetti with meat balls in sauce. Mind you I’ve never made this recipe before, so I defenitely had to improvise, and I can really say the results were deeeeeeeelecious and I”m not just saying that because I made it its really good,hearty and hit the spot.

Spaghetti Squash
heat oven to 450
Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds and place in an oven pan cavity side up. Drizzle some olive oil in the cavity, add salt and pepper. Turn the squash so the cavity is facing down, put in hot oven and cook between 30-45 minutes. Mine were done in 45 minutes and had some carmalization on top.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove the spaghetti squash strands with a fork in a serving plate. Give it a taste, if it needs more salt and pepper, add to your liking.

Meat Balls
1 Lb ground beef, I used 90/10
1 large egg
1/4 of a small red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 of a small tomato finally chopped
3 garlic cloves run through a garlic press
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredints in a bowl until well combined. Take a 1TB measuring spoon and scoop out the meat, I wanted mine a little big, so I used two TB of meat for each ball. Form balls in your hand and set them aside until you are done forming all the balls. I had about 15 balls made. In a skillet, heat 2 TB olive oil, add half the meat balls and let it brown on each side about a minute each. Transfer to an oven pan. Repeat the process with rest of the balls and transfer to the pan. Put meat balls in the hot oven at 450 for 3-4 minutes, balls should be done by then. Move pan out of the oven, let balls rest while you make the sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce
I took a short cut and used a whole Jar of Ragu Sugar Free tomato and basil sauce. Its really good and handy when I don’t have time to make a sauce at home. Add a whole jar in pot on medium heat, add meat balls to sauce and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Taste the sauce and add fresh basil if you like.

For one serving, add one cup of spaghetti squash, top with half cup of sauce and five meat balls. Sprinkle some parm cheese and NJOY.

Snow peas Pepper and Broccoli Stir fry with Pan fried Tilapia

1 LB Tilapia, 4 filets
1 9oz bag snow peas
1 red bell pepper sliced
3 cups broccoli
4 garlic cloves mashed
1/2 lemon juiced
Olive oil for pan frying and stirring
salt and pepper to taste

In a deep skillet heat 2 TB olive oil, add half the garlic, sautee for a few seconds, then add the veggies. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are tender. Stir constantly so veggies don’t burn. Add salt and pepper then transfer to a serving plate.

For the Tilapia, heat 2 TB olive oil, add garlic then add tilapia filets, saute for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your filets. Add salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to the serving plate. add a splash of lemon juice and NJOY.

Stir fry
1 bag snow peas
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
3 heads broccoli chopped up
6 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 lb top siriloin steak cut into thin strips against the grain
olive oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

In a deep skillet, heat 2 TB olive oil, add half the garlic and stir fry, before garlic browns add veggies and stir fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. When veggies are done, transfer to a plate. In the same skillet, heat 2 TB olive oil, add the rest of garlic and add siriloin steak, saute until well done, mine took about 3-4 minutes. Add veggies back to skillet, add salt and pepper and stir. Transfer to a serving plate and eat. NJOY.

This has to be my fave stir fry I made so far, I only had snow peas and red bell peppers in the fridge and had canned mushrooms in the pantry and what do you know, the best stir fry. Here are The ingredients and pics to salivate over.

Stir fry:
3 medium bell pepper cut into strips
2 bags snow peas
3 small cans canned mushrooms, or you can use fresh if available
6 cloves garlic slivered
1 cup roasted cashews
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to stir fry

In a wok or deep skillet, heat 2 TB oil, add garlic and sautee, when garlic starts to brown, add vegetables, make sure you constantly stir, so veggies wont’ stick to bottom of skillet and burn. My veggies took about 5 minutes to be tender, which how I like mine. Add salt and pepper and taste. Transfer to a serving plate and add cashews and eat NJOY.