Broccoli roasted in the oven is such a great side dish. Broccoli is very economical right now aka cheap! Which I am all about saving a buck- especially at this time of the year. Mama Bear needs to buy Christmas gifts! haha Oh and did I mention that my Italian roasted broccoli is low carb and delicious!? Make this side dish part of your dinner plate this week. It's already on my menu along side my lil carb Meatloaf!
lil carb Italian Roasted Broccoli- Serves 3
4 cups broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake, optional
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp salted butter
1/4 cup whole milk mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
On a large sheet pan covered in tin foil and sprayed with cooking spray drop your broccoli.
Drizzle on the olive oil then sprinkle on all the garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flake, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
Toss well to coat all the broccoli. Spread in a single layer and roast in the oven for 15 minutes (keep an eye to make sure your oven doesn't burn your broccoli).
Then remove pan from the oven and toss butter with the roasted broccoli.
Top the broccoli with the mozzarella and parmesan and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve up! ENJOY!
Supreme pizza and I used to be besties. Like, I absolutely love supreme pizza. It's a love affair- don't tell Jason. lol. Living in New Jersey for most of my life and now in Pennsylvania (but only 7 minutes away from the Jersey border) gives me the opportunity to have literally the best pizza in the country (in my opinion) and I have eaten my fair share. Believe me. It's almost embarrassing how much pizza I have eaten in my lifetime. The last few years supreme pizza has been a memory for me. Until I decided that I can take those same flavors and same ingredients and incorporate them into a "bake" and let me tell you- this bake is the bomb! It's one of my favorite dinners. Hands down. The bonus to this dish is it feeds up to 8 people. So you can make this for a crowd ORRRR you can totally save the leftovers and have them for dinner and then lunch and snacks and literally any time you would have a slice of pizza. While journey-ing through this low carb lifestyle that I'm on I've come to realize that you might be craving something high carb but you can find alternatives to satisfy those cravings in a low carb way! That is my whole mission for this blog and my YouTube Channel- which if you haven't checked it out you totally should. The video above is a link to my video of me making this dish so click it, check out my channel and subscribe because I am sticking around to share low carb recipes with everyone to keep you happy, healthy, and on track. Now- go get in the kitchen and make this low carb Supreme Pizza Bake and satisfy your cravings!
lil carb Supreme Pizza Bake- Serves 8
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 lb spaghetti squash, about 4 cups cooked
1 lb ground beef, I used 90/10
1/2-3/4 lb Italian Sausage (whatever your grocery store has as far as amount)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped roughly
1/2 cup sliced black olives
30 slices of pepperoni
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
17oz marinara OR pizza sauce-- plus more for serving (I use Raos brand- VERY low carb!)
Parmesan Cheese for serving
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet on high heat add your olive oil.
Then brown the ground beef and sausage until it is cooked through. Drain off all the fat and return the pan back to the stove.
Lower the heat to medium high and sprinkle on all the spices (onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper). Stir well allowing all the meat to get coated in the spices and toast for about 30 seconds. Then add in 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce. Turn off the heat and stir in the marinara until everything is well coated.
To assemble the "bake" add in about 1/2 a cup of marinara sauce to your large baking dish ( I use 8X10) and spread it out to cover the bottom in a thin layer.
Next take half of your spaghetti squash noodles and spread them out in a thin layer.
Add another half cup of marinara sauce on top of the spaghetti squash and gently mix to get the "noodles" coated.
The next layer is half of the sausage & beef mixture. Spoon that on in an even layer.
Then, just like making a pizza you add your toppings: take half of your chopped red onion and scatter over the top. Then add the mushrooms in a thin layer followed by the green bell pepper. Take 15 slices of pepperoni and scatter them in an even layer on top. Then take half of the black olives and scatter them on top.
Then take half of the cheese and sprinkle a layer right on top.
Then repeat the same layers one more time:
the rest of the spaghetti squash noodles-->1/2 cup sauce-->the rest of the sausage & beef -->remaining red onion-->remaining mushrooms--->remaining bell pepper-->remaining pepperoni--> remaining black olives-->the rest of the cheese!
Bake for 30 minutes then let it sit for 10 minutes to chill out.
Serve along side some extra sauce and ENJOY!
I am posting this recipe today because I thought- everyone kinda has a handle on what they are cooking for Thanksgiving dinner by now- I think-! SO- why not post a recipe that you can make to give as gifts. Either a cute take away from your Thanksgiving festivities or a hostess gift or something you can make and store in your pantry for snacking. These almonds are the perfect thing! The best part is that they are homemade and everyone loves a good homemade gift- bonus is that it is edible and those are my favorite kind of gifts! lol These almonds will make your house smell amazing and anyone receiving these will love them! Pack them in tuber ware, glass mason jars, or even cute little baggies tied with a ribbon or bow.
lil carb Holiday Roasted Almonds- Makes about 140 almonds
1 cup natural/raw almonds
1 egg white
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp Truvia
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Topping:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Truvia
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Separate your egg. Save the yolk for something else.
In a medium bowl, whisk your egg white for 1 minute until frothy.
Add in the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, trivia, vanilla and salt. (save the topping ingredients for a little while later)
Whisk together until all combine.
Toss the almonds with the egg white and spice mixture until they are all well coated.
Using a slotted spoon remove almonds from the mixture and place onto a foil lined baking sheet that has been spray with cooking spray.
Any extra egg white mixture can be discarded.
Spread out the almonds onto an even layer and bake for 8 minutes.
After that, remove them from the oven, toss with a spatula and sprinkle with thetopping of cinnamon and sugar.
Place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes.
Remove and let them cool completely before packing them up! ENJOY!
My take on the classic dish we all know and love. Jason and I eat this dinner ALL the time. He loves capers and I love lemon sauces. It really is the best during the week because you want a home cooked meal without any of the fuss and this dinner is exactly that.
Chicken &Asparagus Piccata-Serves 3
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced horizontally to make 4 thin pieces
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper, plus more for seasoning
20 Asparagus spears, ends snapped off and cut into fourths
4 Tbsp butter, divided (I use salted butter)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup lemon juice- about 4 lemons
1 cup chicken stock
3 oz jar of capers, drained
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley for serving
Mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
Sprinkle and rub over the chicken on both sides.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Cook for 3 minutes per side and then transfer the chicken to a plate.
To the hot pan without cleaning it, add in the capers and stir around for 10 seconds.
Add in the lemon juice and chicken stock. Scrap bottom of pan to get the browned pieces up and bring to a bubble- takes about 1 minute. Add the chicken back into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove chicken right to the dinner plate you're going to use.
Add in the asparagus to the sauce and simmer another 5 minutes.
Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the sauce.
Spoon sauce and asparagus on top of the chicken and top with fresh chopped parsley and ENJOY!
Chicken soup can be magical. It can cure everything from a cold to a heartbreak. Plus it is finally beginnings to feel like Fall outside so I figured that now is a good a time as ever to share with you my go-to low carb chicken soup. It is full of healthy veggies and tasty flavors! Make this for yourself for a delicious dinner OR make it for a friend that's feeling under the weather. I guarantee they will thank you!
lil carb Rustic Chicken Soup- Serves 6
3 cups cooked chicken, roughly chopped ( I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 zucchini, cut into thin half moon slices
1 fennel bulb, cut in half and slices thin
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
1 tsp dried thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat a large soup pot on medium high heat and add the oil.
Add in the onions and stir around in the oil.
After one minute add in the zucchini, stir.
Then add in the carrots and celery and stir.
After 1 minute add in the fennel and stir again.
Then add in the garlic and stir again.
Sprinkle the veggies with salt and pepper and stir again.
Add in the dried thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Stir.
Then add in the chicken broth and stir.
Then add in the chicken and bay leaf.
Let the soup come up to a simmer then adjust the heat around medium-medium low so you are at a low simmer for 20 minutes staring carefully every 5 minutes or so.
After 20 minutes taste and season with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf.
Squeeze in the juice of half of the lemon and serve! ENJOY!
Per Serving- 1 slice of meatloaf and 1 Tbsp of sauce:
3g Net Carbs
22g Protein
226 Calories
Meatloaf... the nostalgic childhood meal that you either love or hate. In my case growing up I always had delicious meatloaf served at my house and I looked forward to those nights! In my low carb journey I have created my own version of a low carb meatloaf that I know everyone will enjoy. It comes out perfectly every time and it can serve quite a few people, double the recipe and serve even more! If you think you don't like meatloaf- try mine. Seriously- it is delicious comfort food. But really, what is bad when it's covered in bacon and ketchup?! Not much! So at least I have that working for me! hehe
lil carb Meatloaf- Serves 6
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef, I used 90/10
2 eggs, scrambled lightly with a fork
1/8 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp low sugar ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5 Slices of bacon, raw
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan melt the butter and olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat until they are soft and a little golden brown along the edges.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set that aside as well.
In a large bowl add in the beef, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, ketchup, Worcestershire, and the cooled onion and garlic (plus whatever butter and oil are left in your pan- add it all).
With clean hands mix until everything is just combined.
Put the meatloaf mixture onto your baking sheet and flatten to get rid of any air bubbles then form into your desired shape (watch my video above for further clarification).
Without overlapping, lay the bacon on top of the surface of the meatloaf. I don't like to tuck the ends under but you can if you would like.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. I baked mine in the video above for 60 minutes but all ovens are different.
Spread a thin layer of the topping- 2 tbsp pf low sugar ketchup- right on top.
Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until the ketchup is a deep red color and caramelized.
Let sit for 10 minutes to cool then add to your platter, slice up, serve with some of my meatloaf sauce on the side and ENJOY!
If you're looking for a low carb side dish to serve this with look to the bar to the left of this post and click on "Side Dish" for some inspiration!
With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching I am sharing as many recipes as I can to help you with low-carb-holiday-eating! Let's face it, the holidays are centered around food and when you are on a specific diet- whatever it may be- it can easily put a damper on the holiday festivities. Look no further- I have everyone covered. Fill up your plate with some healthy proteins and lots of veggies and you will be good to go! A staple on my dinner table and holiday table is my lil carb Green Bean side dish. It is SO good- words cannot even describe. The key ingredient here is some champagne vinegar. In your grocery store I bet you have seen flavored vinegars and maybe you have some at home and don't know what to do with them- well, use them with this recipe! The vinegar I use in my recipe is a Pear Champagne Balsamic Vinegar and it is fantastic! If you can't find a flavored vinegar just use plain champagne vinegar. Get excited! It is officially "holidaytime"!!!
lil carb Green Bean Side Dish-Serves 6
1 lb green beans, ends cut off
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
To a large skillet add in the butter, oil, and garlic. Then turn on the skillet to medium heat.
This will perfume the oil and butter.
Once the garlic starts to bubble - about 1-2 minutes- add in the green beans.*
Sprinkle with pepper and salt, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
The beans will be bright green and the garlic will be golden brown.
Then splash in the vinegar and stir.
Cook for 1 minute.
Then spoon the beans onto a platter and top with the pan sauce and garlic. ENJOY!
*If you do not like crispy green beans then blanch the green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes and then put them in ice water. Then drain the water from them and proceed to the next step. Watch my above video for further explanation.
