Low Carb Italian, Chinese and Mexican Recipe Roundup!

As you can tell by glancing at this month's menu, my crock pot will be getting a workout!  February kicked off my half marathon training and I just barely had the time let alone energy to make dinner every night or even every other night.  Not good for me as an athlete because if dinner wasn't ready after a run then I was tempted to grab something quick and easy, and not necessarily healthy just to refuel my body.

I don't have a link for my corned beef recipe because, well, it's in my head.  It's the same one I've been using for years and I don't know measurements and such plus it is not quite low-carb.  But what are holidays if not a good time to cheat (with limits)?

Low Carb Italian Dinners

• Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken 
• Chicken Parmesan
• Lasagna in a Bowl - Single serve recipe

Low Carb Mexican Food

• Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas 
• Mini Tex-Mex Chicken and Cheese Pies
• Southwest Beef and Bean Casserole



Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Low Carb Chinese Food

• Slow Cooker Paleo Sesame Chicken
• Crockpot Beef and Broccoli 

American Low Carb Food

• Knock Your Socks Off Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage
• Texas Slow Cooker Beef Chili
• Cheese-Filled Mini Meatloaf
• Cheeseburger Soup

St. Patrick's Day Dinner (March 17)

• Corned Beef
• Low Carb Shephard's Pie 

Easter Dinner (March 27)

• (Really Freaking Good) Umami Roast Beef Dinner
• Honey Glazed Baby Carrots (Higher carb because of the carrots and honey)

Cheese-Filled Mini Meatloaf

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Low Carb, Gluten Free Pancakes!

Photo courtesy of "I Breathe I'm Hungry"

Yes!  You can have your pancakes and eat them too when you are low carb and gluten free.
I discovered this pancake recipe when I did an egg fast to clean out my liver and jump start ketosis about 6 weeks ago.  You can find the instructions for the egg fast HERE. For the record I plan on doing it again after my birthday (February 25) so I can get back into ketosis and, well, clean house from all the birthday and holiday treats this month.

The recipe for those yummy low carb pancakes are below.

Low Carb, Gluten Free Pancakes

Ingredients

2 oz. cream cheese (full fat, please!)

2 eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Mix all of the above ingredients in a blender for at least 30 seconds.  Let the mixture settle for 2 minutes.  Coat a small frying pan in butter and pour in about 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time.  I have noticed that on medium low heat this does take awhile to cook, but you'll want to watch it so it doesn't burn.  The thicker the pancake the longer it takes to cook.  Once the pancake has firmed up it is usually safe enough to flip and cook the other side.

By my calculations you should get 2 pancakes out of this mixture.  If you want more just increase the eggs and cream cheese, but keep a 1:1 ratio in mind meaning for each egg you add in an equal amount of cream cheese.  

A List of Zero Carb Foods to Help Get You Into Ketosis

If you are just starting out on your low carb journey, there are many resources on the internet to help you get started.

When I first got started many years ago I printed out a handy list of foods that were allowed in the first step of any low carb diet- this step helps you get into and remain in ketosis (burning fat instead of sugar).

While the list below isn't the same, I find it to be very comparable to the one I had and a quick check of the website it is linked to, StartLowCarb, is very helpful too.

The only modification I would make on this list is to stay away from margarine, it is man-made and not nearly as good for you as butter.  As for alcohol, I would limit it to 2 drinks per day if you are trying to lose weight.

Yes, butter is good for you.  Just because a food is high in dietary cholesterol does not mean that it is going to raise your cholesterol.