Quick Tip #2

Serving sizes are just crazy when you go out to eat which translates into home cooking because you think that's how much food you "need". So needless to say, portion control is a rough concept to get a handle on. I have the hardest time at the end of the day when I want something sweet.
We typically have berries for our dessert but moderation in all things! So I've started portioning out berries as soon as I get home from the grocery store.
Just look up the recommended serving size of your berries (10-11 blackberries or raspberries is what I do) and put them in individual containers. Then there is no guessing at the end of the day! Just add a dab of whipped cream or a scoop of sugar free ice cream and your good to go!

Pizza, Pizza, PIZZA!!

We love pizza in this house. I've tried a cauliflower crust pizza recipe and I just wasn't a fan. It kind of turned into mush instead of a real crust, yuck. So I decided to try something new. I found two recipes on pinterest that I was interested in trying. And bonus, they were both super easy.
Zucchini Crust Pizza
Crispy Cheese Crust

Here is Carter "reading" me the recipe

I decided to kind of combine the two. I used zucchini but added a little more cheese than it calls for and I did my own seasonings.

 I used grated and frozen zucchini that my friend, Megan, gave me (thanks lady!). I approximated 2 small zucchinis, just grate them with a large grater. Drain all of the water out of the zucchini.
Add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
1 large egg
and Spices! I used garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and a bit of pepper.
Mix that sucker up! I used my hands because a whisk was useless.
Spread it out on a greased baking dish.

 Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

  I did 13 and as you can see it got crispy. But it really depends on how thick you spread out the mix. I did it pretty thin because we like a thin crust pizza.
Next, top that bad boy with whatever you want. I used whatever I had in the refrigerator (sausage, peppers, onion, and a bit of bacon) and of course your sauce of choice. But remember to read the labels! I used Organicville's Organic Pizza Sauce (3 net carbs per 1/4 cup).
Now bake it again, just long enough to melt your cheese.

 It was very, very good! I accidentally burned the edges but it was still delicious. Even Andy called this one a "make again"! It's definitely not doughy but it's savory and if you were having a serious pizza craving this would satisfy you. I didn't try it on any kids (other than Andy, who eats like a child sometimes) but it seems like a kid friendly recipe.

Anywho, try this bad boy! It's worth your time!

Zucchini Boats

I forgot to take pictures because this was so darn easy and fast! Next time I promise, because this is a definite "make again". However, I didn't actually follow any recipe for this, I kind of made it up. And you can stuff the boats with anything you choose. This time we did an Italian sausage "stuffing".

• First you cut 2-3 zucchinis (or yellow squash are delicious too!) in half longways.
• Next you scoop out the seeds, but make sure to not go all the way through. 
• Season the "boats" with whatever seasonings you like. We used salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• Then bake for 10 minutes at 350 until a bit soft. This gives the squash a noodle texture. 
• Now STUFF! We put Italian sausage and then topped them with shredded cheese. (You could do a Mexican type stuffing or even a thai seasoned chicken or something and it would be delicious).
• Throw them back in the oven and bake until everything is heated through and the cheese is melty, approximately 5-10 minutes. 

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you come up with!

6 Month Photos

Carter got his pictures taken! They were supposed to be a while ago but I guess we will call them 6.5 month photos. They are all so great! Even the ladies at the photo studio were dying over the pictures. They were all "ahh"ing and "eww"ing over them. And again we were asked if we wanted to get Carter into modeling.

Here are a few, they are all so good it was hard to choose just a few.

Oh, baby boy, you are adorable!

6 Month Lovelies

Carter turned 6 months on December 28. We were still in Missouri so we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Adams. Carter celebrated by having carrots :).

A few things about The Dude:

Carter loves to blow raspberries
He is slowly starting solids, does a "shimmy shake" after a few bites
Can roll both ways
He jumps like crazy 
Love to yell and scream
Talking up a storm
Giggles and laughs
He thinks Daddy is hilarious, Mommy's hair is awesome to pull
Love to pull off people's glasses
Has started to be a terrible sleeper
He has gotten sick for the very first time (roseola and the beginnings of an ear infections)
We found out that he might be allergic to amaxicillin
Still no teeth
Sits like a boss!

Taco "Pasta" Bake

I found a recipe on pinterest.com a while ago for something called a Taco Pasta Bake. Apparently the original recipe has been deleted but here is what it is:
Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3/4 box of penne pasta
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 3/4-1cup water
• shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Brown the ground beef in a skillet, drain the meat. Add the taco seasoning and cook according to the package directions, adding the appropriate amount of water and bringing to a simmer. After that is incorporated, melt in the cream cheese. Then stir in the cooked pasta and 1/2 cup of cheese. Pour the mix into a greased baking dish, top with more cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly and melted. 

It was delicious and we ate it often. I decided I would make this into a low carb recipe because we liked it so much. I made sure to buy the lowest carb cream cheese I could (the weight watchers brand) and read the labels on the taco seasoning, or make your own.
Here are the tweaks I made to the recipe:
Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 shredded spaghetti squash
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 TBS of taco seasoning
• just a dab of water
• shredded cheddar cheese

It is cooked exactly the same and I think I may like the low carb version better. It's has a great amount of crunch and a tiny bit of sweetness from the squash.

I served it with a side of yellow squash sauteed with a bit of butter, red pepper flake, and garlic salt. It was very good and it's a definite "do again".

Get out there and COOK!

Quick Tip

Did you know that Carl's Jr. has low carb options? Well they do! The burger is supposed to have 9 carbs, which is pretty high in my mind. But I don't eat all of the ketchup and I remove the tomato which cuts down the carbs significantly. There is also a chicken sandwich but I haven't tried that yet. I love the burger! It's satisfying, delicious, and huge!

But here's the real tip, do NOT try to eat it while driving. It will be all over your face and possibly all over your car. Take this guy home or pull over. Driving while eating this is probably dangerous for your health.

Happy Low Carbing!