Tag Archives: low carb

Nut Free, Egg free weekly dinners for the whole family! Keto, Paleo & Gluten friendly

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I’ve decided that sharing one recipe at a time can make it difficult to plan for a whole week. So this week, I made 4 different meals, and it is now Saturday and I still have leftovers! Some tweeks can be made to make these follow the Keto or paleo or gluten free diets 

The meals were as follows: 

White fish cooked in lemon butter with couscous and mixed veggies.


This one I pan fried the fish in the juice of one lemon and half a stick of butter, I just dipped them in breadcrumbs (since I don’t use eggs) and made the couscous and veggies in another pot at the same time. I used one package of frozen veggies the carrots and peas mix. Couscous is super easy to make, if you have some tomato sauce laying around it would taste really nice on top of the couscous and veg mix. That’s it, super simple. Follow the directions  on the box for couscous and throw the veggies in at the same time bring to a boil, cover and let sit. 
Chicken thighs with quinoa in a red pepper sauce (one-pot meal).


This I sautéed the chicken thighs in my new non stick pan with butter, turmeric and garlic and minced half a red onion. I puréed three peppers and once the chicken was browned I threw in the puréed peppers and 1 and half cups of quinoa, covered it and simmered it for approximately 15 mins. If the quinoa isn’t soft and fluffy at the end of the 15 then add a cup more water, stir it and cover again for 7 mins. Repeat that as necessary until the quinoa is fluffy! Serve it with cheese for the kiddos and hot sauce or cayenne pepper for the adults!
Vegetarian black bean chilly in lettuce wraps for the adults, and cheddar tortilla wraps for the kids.



There are 4 wraps on this plate and two people ate them lol in case anyone thinks I’m a pig, I am usually but I controlled myself lol

I mean was my masterpiece for the week, made in the instant pot! I soaked a whole bag of black beans or approx 3 and 1/2 cups in a bowl for 30 mins. I sautéed minced garlic, red onion, and mushroom and garlic salt, onion powder, turmeric, and cayenne. Once sautéed I added puréed Roma tomatoes (I’ve also made this with a jar of tomato sauce) and then added frozen organic corn. Covered the instant pot and set to chilli. While that was happening I made two cups of quinoa with vegetable stock! For the adults I served this on top of lettuce sprinkled with pepper, avocado slices then quinoa and the chilli on top sprinkled with cheese and a small bit of Greek yogurt. The kids I did in a cheddar wrap, they ate it and asked for more. We also ate this on leftover day, and today for dinner! Winner, winner, vegetarian dinner!!!

Tex mex style casserole over rice for the kids and without carbs for the adults


This was easy since I had my seasoning made, which consists of garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, sea salt, turmeric,  and cayenne pepper. I browned the ground beef in butter and red onions garlic and seasoning. Then threw it in a casserole dish,  threw in chopped Roma tomatoes, package of shredded cheese, and chives I grew and baked it for 30 mins at 350degrees. You could serve it over rice, or even leftover quinoa! 
This really helped me in the week not to be stressed and well fed. In case you didn’t already pick up on this, I use whole fat ingredients for myself and the family. It’s very close to the Keto or Paleo Diet, and I do personally take from them for myself alone, but I don’t make my kids eat super clean. Unfortunately tree nuts and eggs are basically in everything so I am forced to make almost everything from scratch. 

School lunches, both Nut Free & Egg Free!

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So I’ve now completed making lunches for the first two weeks of school. I must say it has been a successful week, because NOTHING, I REPEAT NOTHING HAS COME HOME!!


What I did was on Sunday while I was making dinner, I refused to sit down, and make my kids two varieties of wraps. 


For the wraps I used spinach wraps and regular wraps or tortillas. They both had no added sugar, and not as much salt as regular or even most whole wheat bread. We always accompany with two fruits and one veggie in the small planet box compartments. 

WRAP 1:

I had was slow roasted beef from natural selections, with old cheddar cheese and sliced dill pickles! This was a big hit with my kids, like Huge! Either on spinach or plain tortilla. 

WRAP 2:

Natural selections turkey with sliced Havarti and green apple slices! Again Boom! Huge hit!

Then I placed all ten wraps into a large bag and kept it in the fridge pulled a new one out every day and sliced on the diagonal, or you can slice it in pinwheels if your kids like that fancy schmancy stuff!

This weeks wraps were amazing! I know because we all taste tested

WRAP 3:

Apple butter, turkey, shredded mozzarella, cucumbers in an ancient grain wrap!

WRAP 4:

Apple butter, Black Forest ham, cucumbers and feta!

I forgot to take pictures of all the wraps but here is one lunch


My kids LOVE cucumbers! I gave them Ontario peaches and strawberries and a cup of yogurt (Liberte strawberry 2%)mixed with half a cup of Motts fruit and veggie sauce (mostly because my little one loves the combo and there is quite a bit of fibre in it) 

I write this for people who get mad that they have to deal with kids allergies at school, or parents who don’t know what to pack, or parents who want to get out of the norm of package foods, or even want to have their kids eat healthier. I really hope it helps!

Happy Back to school!!

Stay tuned for more homemade snacks without packaging!

Lebanese-esq ground beef and couscous

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So I was in the mood for something with a reminder of Middle East tastes, then I realized I have never exposed my kiddos to some of the flavours that I used to and still adore. What I made was a Lebanese style ground beef with couscous. I wanted to add spinach to this, but it had gone bad and the only frozen veggie I had was corn…it turned out fantastic!!!
What you need:

1 and 1/2lbs of lean ground beef 

1 red onion chopped 

1/2 bag of organic or regular corn (I find the organic tastes more like corn) 

1 tbsp of cinnamon

1 tbsp of all spice

1 tbsp of turmeric 

1 tbsp of garlic salt 

1 tbsp of Italian seasonings 

1 tbsp of onion powder

1 tbsp of sesame oil

4 tbsps of olive oil

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste!

With the ground beef and onion sauté all the seasonings and oil, once the beef is brown and the onions translucent then add the corn and 2 cups of water and simmer for about 20 mins or until the water has thickened up a bit, and serve over couscous. 

If you have never made couscous, it’s waaaay easier than rice. You boil 1 and 1/2 cups of water for every cup of couscous you  want. Boil the water with salt and 1tbsp of olive oil or butter and then once the water is boiling toss the couscous in, STIR, REMOVE FROM HEAT, cover and let sit for 5 mins. Fluff and then put the meat on top and ENJOY!!!
This meal has a subtle sweetness with no sugar added and it is very filling and flavourful!

Pressure cooker Turkey black bean chilli

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I did a happy dance, when I tasted this! 

Ingredients:

1.2 lbs of lean ground turkey

Two cups of soaked black beans (15 mins was sufficient)

One cup of tomato sauce

Two and a half cups of vegetable stock or whatever stock you have

Two cups mushrooms

Half a red onion

Three tbsps of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of sea salt

Rosemary two sprigs

Black pepper and white pepper 1 tsp each

Optional: fat free plain Greek yogurt and shredded cheese for topping

Method:

Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, and all spices, and Turkey in a hot pressure cooker on sauté until everything is browned and aromatic! 

Then once everything is browned which is about ten mins, then add stock, Rosemary, black beans and tomato sauce, and seal the pressure cooker and cook for 25 mins.

Top with a spoon of Greek yogurt, cayenne pepper and shredded cheese and enjoy!!!

       

        
I put the chilli on top of plain macaroni for the kids and they loved it! 

  

Eggplant Pizza

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First of all I have always despised eggplant, which is insane according to every Indian person I’ve met. I get that it is a big staple of some favourite staples dishes for basically every Indian I know, but me, I’ve always swallowed it without tasting it (so I didn’t insult my mom or an Aunty) but this week I have been trying to cleanse myself of added carbs, just as a challenge, so while I made my kiddos their pizza on a mini Naan, I made mine on thick slices of eggplant! 

I’m in love! 

I put a little left over tomato sauce on the egg plant, sprinkled some herbs, salt and pepper, then sprinkled cheese, prosciutto, sirloin slices (the package kind) and mushrooms and baked it at 350 for about 10-15 mins, it depends on your oven, but until the kids pizzas were crispy and the eggplant was soft.

Man did it ever smell good baking and holy crap it tasted better than it smelled. I apologize I didn’t take pretty pictures I was too hungry, as I am sick with a fever!





Wasabi Flank Steak Soup

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This is my Go to soup, especially during the winter.

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Ingredients:

1 or 2 lbs of flank steak

Enoki mushrooms (I tell my kid they are mini trees)

Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Kale, Spinach mixed up big salad bag

Garlic

Puréed red onion x 2

2 tbsps of sesame oil

1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 oyster sauce

2tbsps of wasabi paste

Optional seasonings:
Red chilli powder
Cumin
Turmeric
Vegeta

Method:

Slice steak in to thin strips or bite size pieces.

Sauté steak, onion, garlic until steak is medium rare, in sesame oil, add mushrooms, after about 5 mins throw on seasoning to taste but I do whatever is in my cupboard, all the stuff listed above as optional.

Once everything looks cooked, add the greens and sauté down.

Then add water to the pot, more or less 3/4 of the stock pot. Bring to a boil and you are ready to eat. I paired mine with fresh brown bread I picked up from the bakery for a buck fifty.

Everyone in the family likes this, from Grandma to baby and everyone in between!

Enjoy!