Low Carb Essentials

Ben says I'm beginning to be quite the expert in low carb cooking.  Don't trust his opinion though, he is bound to be biased.  He has to.  He doesn't have much choice but to eat what I prepare. Haha.

My first round of doing low-carb was horrible.  We were making the same things over and over again.   Buffalo Wings.  Eggplant Parmigiana.  Kebabs.  Taco Salad.  Steak.  Boiled vegetables.  Eggs. Sausage.  Low carb pancakes.   Our options were so limited.   

In this our second round of low-carving, I am happy to report that we have since expanded our low carb "menu".   I discovered life-saving websites that ushered me into the whole new world of low carb cooking:

http://www.djfoodie.com
http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com
http://ginnyslowcarbkitchen.blogspot.com
http://www.lowcarb360.com

These sites are just some of the few I used a lot.   I like these websites because they feature easy to follow recipes for the newbie cook and they don't always call for hard to find ingredients.

Now we can eat burgers and sandwiches using low carb bread.  Lo Mein (pansit) and pasta.  Muffins.  Homemade chocolate.  Flourless cakes.  Homemade ice-cream.

Speaking of ingredients, these are things that are must haves in our pantry:

1.  Eggs
2.  Butter
3.  Beef (steak cuts, short ribs and ground)
4.  Chicken (wings, breast, thighs)
5.  Fish (tilapia, salmon) and Shrimps
6.  Cheese (all kind! cheap ones for cooking plus some artisan ones for snacking)
7.  Sour cream
8.  Deli (bacon, sausage, salami, low carb ham, and proscuitto and capocollo occasionally)
9.  Sweetener (we use splenda, truvia, liquid stevia. we have yet to try powdered erythritol)
10.  Almonds
11.  Almond flour
12.  Coconut flour
13.  Carbquik
14.  Xantham gum (helps thicken sauces!)
15.  Coconut Oil
16.  Mayonnaise
17.  Reduced sugar ketchup
18.  Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Five Spice Powder (to help me make Asian food)
19.  Shirataki noodles (these are life savers!)
20.  Mushrooms (fresh ones, not canned.  we like baby bella and portabella)
21.  Tofu
22.  Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage
23.  Cucumber, bell pepper, eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green onions, leeks
24.  Heavy whipping cream
25.  Almond milk
26.  Pork rinds (for snacking and for breading)
27.  Spices and condiments
28.  Tahini
29.  Hot sauce (sriracha, asian chili garlic paste)
30.  Low carb tomato sauce (the brand contendina has the lowest carb)
31.  Natural almond butter, natural peanut butter
32.  100% cocoa powder
33.  Sugar free jams (we use smuckers)
34.  Frozen blueberry
35.  Low carb ice cream (we love Breyer's carbsmart fudge bar)
36.  Jicama (singkamas.. they make wonderful fries!)
37.  Ground Flax, Chia Seeds
38.  Salad greens
39.  Dill pickles
40.  Diet soda (my weakness)

These simple ingredients helped me stay on low carb much longer than the one month I initially planned to.  Somehow, low carbing is not as boring anymore.   It may even be a permanent lifestyle I can espouse, and not just use it as a quick fix. Now, if only dining out options were as broad.

I am purposely writing all these down to remind myself that I need to go back to low carbing after our planned diet-break this long weekend.