Recipe: "Grilled" Cheese

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Most of your carbs in this meal come from the soup and the bread (not well rounded, but sometimes you must take care of your cravings).

I make these with 4 slices low carb bread (180 cal), 2 slices of cheese (160 cal)*, some spray pam and salt. I like to add 2 oz total of sliced ham (low carb/cal)(60cal).

Lightly spray pam on every slice and then salt (just enough to trick yourself into thinking it's butter). Now you will be cooking these on a outdoor grill. Tastes good, adds flavor and gives the proper feeling of crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Cook each sandwich with 1 oz ham, one slice cheese and two pieces of bread. Grill till you have nice grill marks.

The tomato soup is Campbell's Healthy Request (1 Cup).

*Note: I love the Lucern sliced cheese, since each slice is 3/4 of an ounce (most companies make each slice 1 ounce).

Recipe: Greenie Beanie's

I get string green beans (fresh) at Costco. They are pretty inexpensive for a very large package.

Choose and weight out as many as you can have.

Spray very lightly with Pam, then coat with Garlic Powder and Salt. Toss.

Now lay on the outdoor BBQ grill and grill till one side is black (or almost). The crispier the better - and no need to flip.

Taste great, and even okay the second day zapped in the microwave.

A perfect way to get your veggies

New shawl

I have 700 yards left of the baby blue alpaca. This shawl idea came from ravelry. You pretty much make it up as you go, using decorative stitches separated by stockinette and finish off with a wide border of garter. Finally, a project I can knit on at knit night without losing my place.
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Finally finished Garden of Alla

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RECIPE: Oat snack

1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 C water
1 T sugar free chocolate cook and serve pudding mix, dry
2 t creamy peanut butter, natural

Bring water to a boil, then add oats. Cook till almost done, add pudding mix and finish till thick. Add peanut butter. Divide into two portions. I like to put on wax paper to cool, then I store on small plastic containers. This makes two snacks which I eat cold.

116 cal and 15 carbs

If not sweet enough, you can sprinkle with an artificial sweetener of your choice.
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RECIPE: Tomato salad

2 oz fat free feta, crumbled
3 roma tomatoes, dices
2 T balsamic vinegar
32 slices turkey pepperoni, quartered
1/2 onion, diced
1 t dried basil
S and P
3 low carb tortillas (3 carb/50 cal)

Mix up all ingredients and let sit in fridge over night. Serve with tortillas. This is one serving (lunch).

Be sure to measure and weight your ingredient for an accurate measurement---approximately 500 cal when I made it.
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Recipe: Mock Root Beer Float

This is a great drink to get you from snack to lunch, or snack to dinner. Don't forget to include in your calorie and carb counts.

1 - 12oz can Seltzer Water
2 squirts Root Beer flavored Stevia liquid
1/2 cup crushed ice
4-6 tsp Coffee creamer (powdered)

Mix the 4-6 tsp Coffee Creamer with some very hot water to dissolve and then add the Stevia. Pour into a blender with the 1/2 C. crushed ice. Add about 1/3 of the Seltzer water and blender up well. Pour into a glass and add as much of the rest of the Seltzer water that you can, keep adding as you drink (I use a 24oz glass)

40-60 cal and 4-6 carbs

For variety, use peach flavored stevia, or even caramel flavored stevia.

Pedicure Knit Night

Had a great time. My toes still look great after two days of barefoot gardening. My fingers on the other hand....the nail polish came off the same night in the bathtub. That's okay, it was a nasty color.

Recipe: A great snack for summer

I use about 20 ounces tomatoes and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper it to taste. Marinating for 4 or more hours really adds to the taste.
130 calories and 20 grams carbs

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Recipe: Zuccamole

2-3 Medium zucchini, sliced
1 Package of guacamole dip mix
1 Small onion, finely chopped
2 Small ripe tomatos, finely chopped

Place zucchini in food processor or blender, blend to consistency of mashed potatoes.

Add guacamole mix and blend well
Pour ingredients into bowl
Add onions, pepper and tomatoes

Refrigerate until ready to serve

Each mix has a different level of calories and carbs. So the count is approximate.

Calories 195 Carbs 15

Recipe: Side dish that satisfies

I love onion rings. I really really love onion rings. The calories of the oil and the carbs in the breading make it impossible to include them in a balanced meal, unless...

You will need a sweet onion (Walla Walla or Vidalia) to make this dish, otherwise it may be a little TOO onion'y.

1 onion (9-10 ounces) peeled and sliced thick
Spray Pam
Costco Sea Salt
Heinz Low Sugar Ketchup

Peel the onion and weigh (this will give you your accurate calories and carb count). Now I like mine sliced thick, which means they take longer to cook.

Heat up a fry pan on medium and spray very lightly with Pam. Lay the onions in the pan and sprinkle with sea salt (I use very little, just enough to bring out the sweetness of the onions). Now go away.

It will take about 5 min per side to grill them. You will see them start to turn translucent. Once they are light brown and translucent, turn and cook for about 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Eat with the low sugar ketchup. You will never miss the breading.

81 cal 22.6 gc for 9 ounces
You will need to measure and add your ketchup calories to your totals

Next Week: How to make a low cal hamburger with all the fixings, to go with your onion rings.

Recipe: Best afternoon snack ever

Mock Top Ramen (for those salty cravings)

1 Cup Water
2 t. good quality chicken bouillon
1-2 T lime juice
12-15 oz. napa cabbage cut very thin

Slice cabbage very thin (like noodles). Boil water, bouillon and lime juice (you can also add red pepper flakes if you like spicy or have a cold). Now add the cabbage and bring to a boil. Cook until partially translucent.

Eat hot, with chop sticks to complete the effect.

Very filling, and lasts quite awhile

Less than 100 calories and under 20 grams carbs

Recipe: Latte Revisited

2-3 Tablespoons of your favorite dry instant espresso
4 teaspoons of an instant dry creamer

Place in the bottom of a 24 oz cup.

Add some very hot water and mix.

Now fill the cup 2/3 full with cold water.

Dump into your blender then add about 1 cup of crushed ice and blend well. Pour back into your 24 oz cup (I get my in bulk at Costco).

40 cal/4 gc

Reading Glasses

Someone forgot to tell my body that your 40's are the new 30's.
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Shock game 2

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Socks for the Laundry Elf in the basement

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I started a pair of socks for my husband

I'm making the Walters Manly Socks pattern by Hannah Six.
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Completed socks

Too small for me, so now they go into the gift/trade pile.
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Done!

There is absolutely no way the ball will fit through the center of that flower. I think I'll use a button instead.
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The flower

I'm knitting the flower now on dpn's (243 stitches).