May (Low-Carb, Gluten and Nut-Free) Menu

How is it even May?  This year is just flying by, but I am glad that summer is almost here.  My

Not a short list of allergens.  

family and I have several fun weekend trips and special events planned.  Now that I am aware of what all of my allergies are, I'm going to have to really plan on what I eat (or when I don't eat) on the road.  Staying low carb, gluten free and high fat while I traveled has always been tricky, but doable, but with so many allergies to fruits and vegetables, my options are even more limited.  Luckily, I always have intermittent fasting to fall back so if I need to fast longer than normal (16 hours a day), I can.  You can bet I'll be putting together a list (in blog form too) of what to pack so I don't cheat (too much).

May is shaping up to be an extremely busy, but fun, month for us.  I have 3 races (Cinco de Miles, Gate City Half Marathon and Boston's Run to Remember).   There is also Mother's Day and my daughter's first ever dance recital.  Not that this is any different from usual, but I am going to try to keep my recipes as easy and quick to cook as possible.

Since I do have so many races this month and the weather should be better, we'll most likely pick up some pre-marinated meats from our local butcher shop, Mr. Steer, to grill so I didn't include recipes for those nights.





Are you ready for this month's list?

• Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Taco Bake
• Sloppy Joe's
• Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole
• Mongolian Beef
• General Tso's Meatballs
• Beefed up Meatloaf
• Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken with Vegetables
• Grilled Ginger Soy Pork Chops 

And, just to make my nutritionist happy, I'll be adding lots of vegetables to my diet as well.  Veggies, veggies and more veggies!

Here is a new one I'd like to try:  Roasted Spiced Radishes.  

Stuffed Bell Peppers (Low Carb)

The basic ingredients.

About a year ago when I was re-dedicating myself to the low-carb lifestyle, I stumbled upon a multitude of recipes for stuffed bell peppers.  The recipes seemed easy enough, which as a working mom is super important to me, and none of the ingredients were exotic, another plus.  I found them great for lunches as they were easy to reheat.  Also, I played around with what I stuffed them with.  Sometimes I used cream cheese and mayo.  Other times I used cream cheese and sour cream.  I'd switch up the crumbled bacon with pepperoni if I didn't have any on hand.  Point is, once you start making these you can switch up the ingredients as much as you want and really make them your own to fit your taste.

Ingredients

• 8 Ounces of cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese 
• 2 Tablespoons of full fat mayonnaise
• 2 Green (or really, any color) bell pepper
• 2 slices of bacon, turkey or pig, your choice
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder (optional)
• Any additional low carb toppings that you would like!

Directions

The finished product!  Yum. 

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Soften the cream cheese and then mix it with the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise and garlic powder.
• Slice open and clean out the peppers of all seeds.  
• Spoon in the mixture into the open-faced peppers and add any additional toppings you might want.
• Place the peppers onto a greased cookie sheet and put into pre-heated oven for at least 25 minutes.  I like mine a little crispier so if you do too you might want to put them in for longer.  
• Let them cool down for a bit before enjoying.
• These re-heat wonderfully for lunch the next day.  

Low Carb Baked Cheese Crackers

Today I am going to share with you how to make crackers from cheese.  

Yes, cheese.

It is really simple and if you are new to being low-carb you will be so happy you learned to make these especially when you are craving a snack.

All you need are several slices of deli cheese like Swiss, cheddar or pepper jack.  I usually buy a cheap party tray of cheese and use those.  The trick is to get hard cheese.  American cheese will likely just burn.  No, it will burn.  Trust me on that one.

Now get your parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER) and cookie sheet out and set your oven temp to 400 degrees F.    Spread your cheese out on the parchment paper leaving about an inch between each one.  Then toss it in the oven for 10 minutes, allow to cool and voila!  You have homemade cheese crackers!  

You can also add a little Mexican flair to these by sprinkling them with cumin powder or adding in jalapeño peppers before you bake them.  Yum.