All posts by Rene Averett

Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Recipes, Sandwiches

Induction Eating Plan Day 11

I do encounter  few challenges now and then. Today had its moments. A great breakfast dish that I made up on the spot, then an easy but tasty lunch of a grilled tuna sandwich.  After that, I went shopping. I bought ingredients with the intent of making something special for dinner. I had a pedi/manicure after that and by the time PK and I wandered out of the store, it was late and we felt exhausted. Took the groceries home, then decided to go out to dinner rather than cook.

So we went off to Mimi’s where I had visions of eating their brick chicken. First I had to decline the bread basket they always offer, then ordered the chicken, which comes with a small salad, and requested broccoli instead of potatoes au gratin. That was a challenge in itself. After a wait, the waitress informed us chef was out of half chickens. We could have a breast instead. I decided to go for the pot roast with broccoli, again passing on the potato options. This did not come with salad and while the food was tasty, it was just met and broccoli. Then Mimi’s wanted to send us home with a huge muffin each for the inconvenience, which I had to decline. That muffin alone would probably be 60 net carbs. I am proud of myself for standing strong in this temptation.

So, here’s the menu for Day 11

Food NC
breakfast Mock egg & cheese Rarebit 2.5
Tea 0
 vitamin B12 gummy 1
 lunch grilled tuna sandwich 1.5
sugar-free sweet pickles 2
 snack Russel Stover’s sugar-free chocolate – 2 pieces 1
Roast beef 0
3/4 cup Broccoli with butter 1.5
gravy 2
coffee with cream 2
1/3 cup Pumpkin Mousse 2.5
16

 

Breakfast was an inspiration. I hadn’t thought about Welsh rarebit in ages and I really love it. But this was breakfast and I thought I should eliminate the ale in the cheese sauce, so this is a Mock Rarebit.

Mock Egg & Bacon Rarebit for One

2 large Eggs
3 tablespoons Golden Flax Seed Meal
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
Dash of Salt
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 slice Bacon, thick cut
2 tablespoons Water
2 dashes of Pepper

1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese
1 tablespoon Whipping Cream
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil, crushed
Dash powdered Onion

Preheat waffle iron.

In a small bowl, combine 1 egg and olive oil and beat until mixed. Add flax meal, coconut flour, salt, parmesan cheese and water. Mix until completely combined. Spray waffle iron with baking spray or lightly oil using a paper towel. Pour the mix into 1/2 of the waffle iron. This will make two sections of waffle. Bake for about 2 1/2 minutes or until the steam from the iron quits rising. If the waffle is done, the lid will lift easily without tearing the waffle. If there is resistance, let it cook about 10 seconds longer. Once done, cut the sections apart. Use one section for this recipe. Butter the slice and wrap in foil until ready to assemble.

Cook a slice of bacon. I prefer the microwave for this, especially if you have a ridged pan for it. Put a couple of pieces of paper towel under the bacon, then cook for 1 minute or a few second longer until it is crisp. The paper towel absorbs the grease and you can toss it or put it in a bag and use it to light the coals under the grill the next time you BBQ.

In a skillet, melt 1 teaspoon of butter or spray with non-stick spray. Spray the inside of an egg ring and put it into the skillet to heat as the butter melts. Break an egg into a recipe bowl then slide it into the middle of the egg ring. Cook for a couple of minutes until the whites are set. Put a lid over the egg for a minute and the yolk should have a good film over it. Remove the egg ring and flip it over with a spatula if you want it over easy. Add pepper on top if desired.

Put the waffle on a serving plate, then put the bacon next and top with the egg. In a small bowl, put 1/3 cup cheddar cheese with 1 tablespoon whipping cream, basil, and powdered onion. Put in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds to melt the cheese. Stir and pour over the top of the egg.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 445 Fat: 35.7g Net Carbs: 2.5g Protein: 23.4g

For lunch, we went for an old favorite, a Grilled Tuna Sandwich. This is really like putting tuna salad between bread and adding cheese, but it is so tasty.

Grilled Tuna Sandwich

See all the crispy stuff? That’s cheese and tuna that oozed out while it cooked. Yummy/

Make a flax meal muffin. Then you need:

1 3 oz can flaked white tuna
1 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup shredded cheese of choice (mozzarella, swiss, or jack)
or use 1 slice of cheese

In a bowl, mix together the tuna, mayonnaise and dried onion.

Cut the flax muffin in half across the middle. Spread tuna on the inside of the bread. Heat a skillet over a medium hot burner, then add a 1/2 tablespoon of butter or cooking spray. Put the bottom of the muffin with the tuna in the skillet, then pile the cheese on top. Butter the top of the muffin and place it on top of the cheese, buttered side up.

Cook until the cheese begins to melt, then use a spatula to turn the muffin over. You may need to hold the top of the bun with your fingers as you flip it. Reduce the heat if it is cooking too fast. Cook the other side for a couple of minutes and check that the cheese is completely melted and the bread is lightly browned.

Serves one.

Nutrition Information for the filling.
Calories:261.5 Fat:17.9 g Net Carbs:0.9 Protein: 23.8g

With the flax meal muffin, this is 1.5 net carbs

That’s it for the day. Wait until you see Day 12!

Recipes

Induction Eating Plan Day 10

I tried out a new recipe that I adjusted for low carb and it fits in with the induction requirements. This was originally a recipe from Knorr featuring their Spanish Rice mix. In order to go low carb, I completely replaced the rice. So the new version is good, although not as spicy as I would like. If you want more spice, then use a hot salsa or add chile to it. I might play with this recipe a little more. Lunch was a rerun of Tuesday’s Caesar salad with a little perking up. Dinner was a favorite of mine- hamburgers! Yes, with a bun.  That flax meal muffin can be transformed into a bun.

Here’s the plan for the day:

Food NC
breakfast Cauli-rice Chorizo Bowl 4
Tea 0
B12 1
snack Pork rinds 1
lunch small Caesar salad 1.4
3 cherry tomatoes 1.4
1/2 egg 0.2
dinner Hamburger 0
Lettuce, 1 slice tomato 1.6
Kohlrabi fries – 1 cup 3
roll 1.5
dessert mini-cheesecake 1.6
16.7

 

Starting off with breakfast, which uses chorizo again. I love this spicy Spanish/Mexican style meat with chile. If it’s not your thing, you can make this more Italian and use Italian sausage or just plain country sausage in it. In some ways, this suggests a Spanish version of fried rice. To be honest, it isn’t very colorful, so next time, I think I’ll add green onion and maybe tomatoes to get more color and flavor into it.

Chorizo and Egg  Cauli-rice Bowl

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 medium Onion, chopped
4 ounces Chorizo Sausage or other Sausage
1 cup Water
2 cups Cauli-rice
1/2 cup Salsa
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
6 large Eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

If using a solid sausage, cut it into pieces. If using a ground sausage, break it apart as you put it in the skillet.

Put oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until onions are just tender, about 3 to five minutees. Break sausage into smaller pieces if you’re using a ground variety. Stir pan a few times while it is cooking.

Add 1 cup of water, the riced cauliflower, cumin, cayenne, and the salsa. Stir it all together. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and most of the water is gone. You want it moist, but not wet.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir into the cauliflower mixture. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes, for about 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture is set.

Top with the cheese and cover again for another 2 or 3 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serves four.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 371 Fat: 28.8 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 27.6 g

Lunch was the leftover Caesar Salad from Skipolini’s, which was less than half of what I had there. I had 1/2 a hard boiled egg and three cherry tomatoes cut in half. The dressing was already on the salad. Easy lunch.

For dinner, I made hamburgers with kohlrabi fries.

Low Carb Hamburger

For the roll, make the flax meal muffin.  Put it in a 3″ round bowl or a small cake mold. Either cook in the microwave with the bowl or put the cake mold in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes until browned. If you cook in the microwave, let it cool for about 10 minutes, then slice it across the middle and toast it when you’re ready to build your burger.

For the burger:

1 quarter pound Hamburger Patty
1/2 teaspoon BBQ or other 0 carb seasoning
1 slice Cheddar Cheese
1 Lettuce Leaf
1 slice Tomato or 4 Cherry Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise
Other condiments as preferred

Season the burger and grill outside, in a home griller, or under the broiler. Or you can fry it in a skillet. After you turn it over, put the cheese on the top to melt.

Meanwhile, toast the bun then spread mayonnaise, mustard, or whatever you prefer, on the inside of the top and the bottom. Put lettuce leaf on the bottom. When the burger is done, put it on the lettuce, top with the tomato and put the top on. If you’d like you can add a tablespoon of guacamole to the top before you put it over the meat patty. If you like onions on it, put a very thin slice on it. They are a little high in carbs.

Makes 1 burger.

Nutrition Information without the bun:
Calories:415 Fat: 33.1 g Net Carbs: 0.7 g Protein: 27.4 g
Flax meal bun: 0.6 g

Additional condiments:
Onion sliced thin 0.6 g
Mustard 1 teaspoon 0.2 g
Ketchup 1 tablespoon 5.0 g
Avocado (Hass) 1/4 fruit 0.8 g
Guacamole 1 tablespoon 0.5 g
Dill Pickles 3 slices 0.6 g

Here’s that alien vegetable that many people don’t know what to do with. Most often, it ends up in salads, but it cooks wonderfully.  In this meal plan, it’s standing in for potato fries.

Kohlrabi Planks

1 large kohlrabi, peeled
1/2 tablespoon Seasoning Salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups Oil for frying

Cut kohlrabi down the middle, then slice into 1/4 inch planks to make about 12 planks. Put in a microwave safe bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and cook for 2 minutes to soften them.

Heat oil until it is at sizzle stage. Put the planks in to cook. Give them about four minutes, then check that they are browning. Turn to the other side if they are. Repeat, if necessary to get even browning. Remove to a paper towel to drain.

Season with salt and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition informaiton per serving:
Calories: 78 Fat:6.8 g Net Carbs:1.5 g Protein: 1.0 g

If you’re trying any of these dishes I’m posting, let me know your thoughts.

Beef, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Healthy Life, Main Dish, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan Day 9

Today was a slow start day, so I took a short cut or two.  First, I skipped breakfast and just opted for an Atkins Lemon Bar. It’s 3 nc and I think it is safe for Induction. I couldn’t find any information on the box saying differently.  Then lunch was a leftover from earlier in the week as I finished off my fajita salad. It was less than what I had eaten at the restaurant, so I reduced the carbs accordingly, Therefore, the only new entrees were in the dinner and dessert.

Here’s the menu for the day:

Food NC
breakfast Atkins Lemon Bar 3
Coffee 1/2 tsp creamer 0.5
B12 Gummie 1
Lunch Fajita Salad leftover 6
Tea 0
dinner Steak 0
1.3 cup GG mashed cauli/bacon 3
sauteed zucchini 2.6
mini-cheesecake 1.6
Raspberry sauce 0.5
18.2

 

For an alternate breakfast option, try these Egg Puffs, little cupcake sized baked eggs. For induction, omit the tortilla pieces in it. They make great snacks as well.

 

A nice brunch alternative is this tasty Skillet Italian Frittata that has more sticking powder to it. It uses either turnips or kohlrabi or Daikon radish as a substitute for potatoes.

 

Now for the dinner options.  The main course is really simple as I used a bacon wrapped filet for the meat. You can purchase these ready to go at the grocery. Season with a 0 carb rubbing mix and toss them on the grill to cook or put them under the broiler. The problem I often have with bacon-wrapped items is getting the bacon done without over-cooking the meat. This is a particular problem when someone likes very rare meat. I cooked this on my broiled at 485 degrees (F) to try to slow the cooking a little and give the bacon a chance to crisp.

I paired this with Green Giant Mashed Cauliflower with bacon and cheese. This is a fairly new product from the Jolly GG and it is very good. The package contains about 4 servings, but I usually get 6 out of it by serving 1/3 cup of the potato substitute instead of 1/2 cup. The flavor and texture of the cauliflower mash is excellent.

The other side dish is a quick and easy saute of zucchini and tomatoes.

Zucchini with Tomatoes

1/2 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the sliced zucchini and stir fry it until it is lightly browned on both sides. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.

Serves 2

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 58 Fat: 4.6 g Net Carbs: 2.6 g Protein: 0.8 g

Finally, for dessert, I went back to one of my favorites, cheesecake! Unlike the one I made earlier in this induction experiment, this cheesecake is baked so it is rich and creamy. I made it into 6 cupcakes for small, easy servings. At only 1.6 net carbs per cake, have two if you have the available carbs for the day.

Mini Creamy Cheesecakes

6 oz. Cream Cheese
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 tablespoons Sour Cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Xylitol or liquid sucralose

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.)

Place softened cream cheese and egg in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until they are blended and creamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until blended and smooth.

Put cupcake papers in a 6-well cupcake pan and spray with baking spray. Put two tablespoons of batter into each well, then distribute the remainder evenly over the wells.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cakes are fully set.

While they are baking, prepare the topping. Put three tablespoons of sour cream in a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar substitute. Mix well. When the cupcakes are set, spoon onto the top of each cake, then bake for another 10 minutes to cook the topping.

Chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. Serve as is or top with a teaspoon of sugar-free jam or jelly and/or a teaspoon of Cool Whip.

Makes 6 mini-cheesecakes.

Nutrition information without jam or whip cream per serving:
Calories: 124 Fat: 11.9 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.3 g

Appetizers, Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Poultry, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan Day 8

First day of the second week and I am hanging in there. I feel some of the limitations of Induction, but it isn’t bad. It includes a repeat and lunch out. PK and I went to the movies, so we stopped by Skipilini’s after seeing “Wonder Woman” and had our favorite appetizer, bacon wrapped jalapenos, along with a salad.

Here’s the menu for the day:

Day 8
Food NC
breakfast Cloud muffin 2
Sugar–free Jam 2.5
Coffee with creamer 1
Lunch Caesar Salad 2.8
Chicken 0
2 1/2 Jalapeno Poppers 1.7
Iced tea 0
Dinner Tilapia 0
GG mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar 4
sauteed greens 2
dessert pumpkin mousse 3
19

 

Breakfast was the Atkins cloud muffin from Day 4, but I toasted it and put 1/2 tablespoon of Smuckers Sugar-free Apricot Jam on it. Bliss!  For lunch, we had the aforementioned salad with the poppers. I’m including the easy to make recipes for these for home use. I had iced tea with liquid sucralose so 0 carbs on that.

For dinner, I made seasoned tilapia and served 1/3 cup of Green Giant mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar cheese with it. I also sauteed some greens, namely spinach and beet leaves with 1/4 cup of grated daikon radish. Recipes follow.

Your alternate breakfast option is:

Bacon and Avocado Omelet

3 or 4 large Eggs
1/2 Haas Avocado, cut into slices
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
4 tablespoons Southwest Style Salsa (optional)
4 slices thick Bacon, broken into pieces
Dash Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Water

Break eggs into a bowl, add water, seasoning salt and pepper. Beat until foamy. Heat a medium-size round bottom pan or omelet pan with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.

Add eggs and let cook for a couple of minutes until the egg sets on the bottom, then begin lifting the edges with the spatula and tilting the pan so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat, working your way around the pan. Keep lifting and tilting until most of the liquid egg is gone. This builds a fluffier omelet.

Evenly distribute the bacon and most of the cheese down the one-half of the omelet. Use the spatula to lift and fold the omelet over the top. Reduce heat to low and put a lid over the pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes in order to melt the cheese.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over the top. Cut the omelet in half and serve each half with 2 tablespoons of salsa and half the avocado slices. If you wish, you can heat the salsa before serving.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Info per servings
Calories: 430 Fat: 35.3 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 23.5 g

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers

These are Skipolini’s bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers, but the recipe is similar. They can also be grilled rather than broiled.

Jalapeno Peppers, 5 pepper (remove)
2 tablespoons Cream Cheese, softened.
5 slices of thin Bacon
1/4 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning of choice

Set broiler to 485 degrees (F.)

Cut the peppers open on one side and remove the seeds if you don’t want them too spicy.

In a small bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning to the cream cheese and stir until it is completely mixed in.

Put the bacon on a paper towel on a plate and put in the microwave for one minute to partially cook. This will make it easier for it to get crisp without over-cooking the pepper.

Stuff each pepper with the cream cheese mixture, then wrap with the partially cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Put on a sheet of aluminum foil under the broiler and cook for three to five minutes per side until the bacon is crisp.

Let cool a couple of minutes, then serve. Makes two servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 185 Fat: 16.5 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 6.5 g

Caesar Salad

One of the best spots for good recipes is AllRecipes.com, so I am going to give you the link to a good Caesar Salad recipe.  However, omit the croutons. They are not on the low carb diet at this point and quite possibly never again.

Broiled Tilapia Filet

The beet leaves are intent on dying everything pink.

PK and I weren’t all that hungry after our late lunch, so I split one filet down the middle for dinner, but feel free to make a full filet per person. They are carb free.

2 Tilapia Fish Filets or other white fish of choice
1 tablespoon of Butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Sprinkle of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Rinse and dry the fish, then use a spoon to pour butter and lemon juice on the top. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the broiler pan then place the filets with the butter side face down. Spread the lemon butter over the side that is now exposed to the flames.

Broil for about 5 minutes, then turn and broil for another 5 minutes on the other side. Test for doneness with a fork. The fish should flake, but not be dry.

Use a pancake turner (spatula) to move to a warm serving plate. Add vegetables and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:134.2 Fat:7.3 g Net Carbs:0.1 g Protein: 18.1 g

 

 

 

Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Healthy Life, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Induction Eating Plan – Day 7

Here I am at the end of the first week of the two week period. So far, so good. And this week ended with something a little special, a delightful whipped cream cheese, pumpkin, and cream dessert.  For the most part, there were a couple of repeats in the plan. If I make enough for two and I’m the only one eating, the food comes back into the menu pretty quickly.

You’ll notice I seldom have snacks in my eating. When I do, they tend to be carb free and things like a cup of bullion, a stick of 0 carb cheese, a piece of chicken or maybe a low carb serving of pork rinds. The joy of a this life style is that there a lots of things you can eat if you’re hungry that don’t cost you any carbohydrates,

So here’s what I have for the day:

6/11/2017 Food NC
breakfast Flax Waffle 0.6
1 slice Bacon 0
Butter 0
Syrup 0
Coffee 1
B12 Gummie 1
lunch Mozzarella Grilled Cheese 2
Flaxmeal muffin 0.6
Sugar free pickle 1
Mayonnaise 0
dinner Grilled Chicken Kabab 4
Asparagus 1.9
Salad with pico 1.2
Pumpkin Mousse 3.1
Cool Whip 0.5
16.9

 

Breakfast was a repeat of the previous day with the Flax Waffle with bacon. I love this waffle, so it will be a staple in the future, although I have several other tasty waffle options.

For those who would like to try something else, how about a Scot’s Egg? These can be made the night before and either warmed up or eaten at room temperature, which makes them a great choice to take to work or school or wherever.

Scottish Eggs

Or possibly Scot’s Eggs, but not Scotch Eggs since there isn’t a trace of alcohol in them.  This is a low carb adaptation of the famous Scottish recipe for these delightfully tasty sausage and eggs that can be breakfast, lunch or dinner.  We used to take them to SCA weekends and they were wonderful when cold or just warmed by the sun as a snack or quick lunch.

4 medium-sized eggs, hard boiled
1 large egg, beaten (see Note)
1/2 lb ground sausage meat
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley. Crushed
1 tablespoon dried celeriac (optional)
1 tablespoon low carb flour or coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour

Bring four eggs to room temperature, then place them in a pan of cold tap water. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove from the heat and let the eggs continue to cook in the water for another 9 or 10 minutes. Run cold water over the eggs or plunge them into a bowl of ice water. This helps separation from the shell. I’ve had best results when cooking them the day before (or hours before) and putting them in the refrigerator. When the eggs are cooled, peel them carefully.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix the sausage meat and seasonings together. Split meat into four equal balls, then flatten a ball of meat.

On a saucer, spread the coconut flour around. Beat the uncooked egg in a small bowl and use another shallow bowl to put the almond flour. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage and a pinch or two of salt and pepper into the almond flour.

Take one hard boiled egg, roll it in the coconut flour, then wrap the sausage around it, completely enclosing it. Seal the meat by pressing it with your fingers.

(See note) Dip the wrapped egg in the beaten egg, then roll in the almond flour. Place on the baking sheet, then repeat this with the other three eggs.

Bake for about 35 minutes. The sausage should be cooked completely through with no pink showing. If there is pink, then cook it a little longer.

Cut the eggs in half, if you wish, and serve with any sauce or dressing you would like or just eat as they are. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info: per egg (with breading)
Calories: 328 Fat: 25.5 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 19.2 g

Note: For induction, omit the flour coating, egg wash, and almond flour coating. It will reduce you net carbs by at least 1 carb.

My lunch was also a duplicate from earlier in the week, the flax meal muffin with mozzarella cheese, only I added two thin slices of ham in the middle. Delicious. Again, a filling and delightful lunch.

Dinner was Chicken Kabob. You can either prepare this on a grill or in the broiler. I went the broiler route.

Chicken Kabob

2 plump half-breasts of Chicken
1/2 Bell Pepper, red, green, or yellow
1/4 medium Red Onion
1 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning or other condiments of choice

You will need two large skewers

Cut the chicken into large cubes. Cut the bell peppers into quarters, then again across the middle to make 8 square or rectangular pieces. Cut the onion across the middle and separate the layers.

Thread the chicken, peppers, and onion onto the skewer in alternating pieces. Sprinkle seasonings on all sides.

Heat the broiler to 485 degrees (F.) or bring the grill to ready to cook temperature. If you’re using briquettes, this will take from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the type used.

In the broiler, cook the skewers about 5 minutes on each side, then check the temperature. They should be 165 degrees F. in the middle. If not quite there, cook another 5 minutes.

The grill will take about 35 minutes to cook. Turn over to cook each side.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:163 Fat:3.2 g Net Carbs:4.0 g Protein: 27.4 g

Asparagus with Mayonnaise

This is a recipe I’ve had for ages and love. Very simple and so good!

10 plump Asparagus spear, trimmed
1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the asparagus until just tender, about 5 minutes.

In the hot broiler, put the spears side by side into two groups on a piece of aluminum foil, then spoon 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each bunch and spread around the middle. Sprinke 1/2 of the cheese on each bunch. Broil until the mayonnaise is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely.

Use a pancake turner (spatula) to pick up the bunch and put on the serving plate.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:17 Fat: 3.7 g Net Carbs: 2.0 g  Protein:3.0 g

And for dessert:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mousse

This is so easy you’ll want to make it often. And it’s completely legal on Induction. Use a mixer or blender to get this as smooth and creamy as possible. Don’t over-whip though.

4 oz. Cream Cheese
4 oz. Pumpkin Puree
4 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Dash ground clove (optional)
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/3 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Blend cream cheese and pumpkin until they are smooth. Add rest of the ingredients and beat until whipped and fluffy.

Spoon into serving glasses and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Makes four 1/2 cup servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 212 Fat: 21 g Net Carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 3.2 g

That’s it for this day. Second week starts tomorrow.