South Beach-esque Diet Works

 A quick note to again acknowledge the power that the Low Carb, Low Fat nutrition regimen works.  I have been able to lose 30 pounds in 59 days in 2022.

Six smaller meals or snacks a day, I never go hungry. I feel great, have more energy, sleep better and more rested.  It is an amazing transformation.  

I have 60 more pounds to lose this year.  I will do it.  Good luck to all.

Great Vegan Burrito MIx

I bought a great vegan product from Sam's Club last week, it is the Tattooed Chef Burrito Blend product.  It is a great meat substitute product that tastes excellent.  It is a frozen product that heats up nicely in a pan with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Now, that being said, I had to doctor it up with about an 1/8 cup of Tone's Taco Seasoning and 1/8 cup of water.  Otherwise I find it less flavorful.  It is certainly personal preference, I enjoy spiced (not necessarily hot, but flavorful) food so I do this a lot to many prepared foods. 

To serve:

Put the fully heated product hot in a burrito wrap or taco shell with some sour cream, and simple salsa and you have yourself a meal.  I like soft tacos and burritos so that is my go-to. 

Here are the links to the actual product at Sam's Club and the whole Tattooed Chef product line.  

Enjoy

https://tattooedchef.com/collections/all-products

https://www.samsclub.com/p/beef-burrito-blend-tattooed-chef-2-ct/prod25240128?xid=plp_product_2 

Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I put together this recipe on a whim to see what I could do with what we had in the house.

I looked in the fridge and freezer and saw a big bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Thought "that would be easy to whip up a meal".  I also saw a full bag of hash browns. 

So here it goes:

I took 6 pieces of good sized frozen chicken breasts and put them into the crockpot on high.  Add salt and pepper, I use a lot of seasonings, I find that many recipes are under-seasoned, and a little salt and pepper does the trick.(Hint: Use a disposable crockpot liner, it is the greatest invention ever.)  😉 

Added some diced onion, about a 1/2 of a large yellow onion.  Next time I will also dice up some jalapenos as well.  Cook in crockpot on high for 3 hours.

Then drain the liquid off. 

Put the chicken and onions back into the crockpot.  

Add a cup or so of Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy BBQ sauce.  But hey, use whatever BBQ sauce you enjoy.   Next time I will use a cup of my homemade BBQ sauce.  Look up the recipe, I think it is excellent and have not had any complaints.

Add one cup or so of orange marmalade.

Cook this mixture for an hour or so on high in the crockpot.

For the hash browns, I used them as a base.  I fried a 4" circle of the hash browns in a skillet until browned on both sides using a light mix of olive oil and butter.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Place the hash browns on a plate put a piece of the cooked chicken on top.  Spoon as much of the sauce as you wish.  Enjoy.😀

Pickled Jalapenos

Easy, easy, easy to make.  10 Minutes is all you need to pickle your own sweet and heat.

In a pot boil:

1 cup vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
2 tbsp garlic
1 tsp salt
2-4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
1 cup sliced jalapenos

When it all starts to boil remove from heat and let cool.  Then take the jalapenos out of the pot and pot in mason jars up to the top. pour the liquid to cover the jalapenos and make sure you get a bunch of the garlic in the jar as well.  Screw cover to jar snug and put in refrigerator for a couple of hours.  You can enjoy these for the next 2 weeks or so. Yummy.

Versatile Cream of Chicken Soup

Cream of Chicken soup.  Is there anything you CAN'T do with it?
 
It is excellent on its own but the versatility in cooking with a can or two of Cream of Chicken is amazing.  It is creamy, "chickeny", it has a touch of salt and the right spices, it can be used as a thickener or binder.  Cream of Chicken is a great compliment to pasta, many vegetables, in all sorts of casseroles, (obviously) with chicken dishes, in ground beef dishes.  It goes great with green beans, broccoli and cauliflower esepcially well.

Always add a pinch of black pepper to your recipes when you use Cream of Chicken soup.  Pepper adds that little zing which enhances its flavor.

My advice is to keep a couple of cans on your shelves if you run out of ideas for cooking.  NEVER stop experimenting with foods, you will find combinations that you will enjoy for years to come.

Enjoy.

Keto Cheddar Bay Biscuits - I will try soon

http://keto-daily.com/keto-cheddar-bay-biscuit-recipe/

BBQ Chicken Leg Quarters

A little work but worth it.

Brine leg quarters in 1 gallon water, 1 cup of salt, and 1/4 cup garlic powder. I brine mine in the refrigerator for 2 days. Rinse thoroughly, put on hot grill. I used a couple of small chunks of wetted hickory on top of the hot coals for a touch of smoke. Grill until cooked through, approx. 45-60 minutes. 

5 minutes before removing slather on BBQ sauce - I prefer homemade, see my post from about a week ago for a great recipe or visit my blog...... JC'S Good Food Spot....Google it

Add BBQ sauce to taste when eating......enjoy, we sure did.