Hi, everyone! Since today is day one back here and back on plan, I decided to make a big nice breakfast....hopefully with some leftovers for breakfast tomorrow morning.

I decided to make either a "bake" or omelets using the last of the ham leftover from Christmas and what else????

I mixed 6 eggs with:
about 2 cups cubed ham,
a small can of mushroom slices,
and a can of chopped spinach (well-drained)
We're avoiding excess salt, so I just put in some black pepper for seasoning.

When I started to spoon the very thick mixture into the pan, I wondered how it could be "turned" it without scrambling it. Some of the egg tends to get lost while scrambling, it seems. So, I divided the saucer-sized portion into 4 and turned each one when the edges seemed dry, like pancakes.

This mixture made 16 "patties" and they held together nicely. There was a stray mushroom slice or ham cube here and there, but not alot. I added some flaxseed meal to the last 4 and it didn't affect them at all.

I'm not sure about the carb content on the ham, but it couldn't be much....the total carbs in the spinach, mushrooms, and eggs was around 17. So, with the ham....maybe 2 carbs per pattie? Protien and veggies all in one convenient patty....these will be great for reheating and eating in the car on the way to work.

I'm thinking of making crab or shrimp "patties" the same way....only using broccoli in place of the spinach. I suppose there are endless variations of this. I didn't even miss not having cheese in it!

Next weekend: I wonder what would be good with breakfast sausage and eggs to make into patties?

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Good job Maxi! That is what cooking is all about. One of the keys to staying on plan is to find food that you like and with enough variation so that you don't get bored. It also helps if you can fix it easily, especially when you have a busy schedule.

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Henry

So true, Henry. I was just telling DH that "failing to plan" was a plan to fail w/this WOE. So, I have been in the kitchen alot today. I need to always have something for breakfast ready (even if it is not considered "conventional" breakfast food) and also something to take to work for lunch. I work at a vending company. No healthy stuff there.

I put the rest of the chunked ham in a pot w/some canned green beans to slow cook for a while. I made a bunch of deviled eggs, I made a s/f keylime "pie" in a 13x9 Pyrex pan so I can cut it into squares.....portion control is a big problem for him, and sometimes, me.

Then, I scoped out some recipes for Tequila Lime chicken and made a marinade for some (buy-one-get-one-free) chicken breasts I bought yesterday. I put about half a cup of tequila, a shot of Worchestershire, some minced garlic, a couple of chopped pickled jalapenos, a bit of black pepper, and some olive oil in a big baggie and put the chicken in it. It was barely enough to coat the chicken, so I don't think it will be too strong by the time we grill it tomorrow.

Right now, I'm eating a big salad my favorite way: with red onion and avacado...and Cardini's Caesar on top. When the ribs are ready in a little while, I'll have some of those and some of the green beans. Ready to post on the 5 a day thread now!

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Maxi, that is one of the things I quickly found out as I got started with this WOE. I have a penchant for planning, so it became natural for me to plan my meals a week at a time to take advantage of the weekly food sales and keep the cost down while planning the carb counts on my meals to stay on plan.

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Henry

WOW Maxi! You lit a fire under me. We have NO food right now, so we are going to the grocery today. I'm going to make a few things for ahead of time, too!

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Heather

Sounds great! Got some good creativity going on here

...as I was reading I was thinking a binder might help, then you said you added some flax seed meal. Another thing you could add would be soy protein isolate. Then, going a different way, you could add cream cheese or sour cream for a completely different mouth-feel.

I have a recipe in Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine for some shrimp patties. (I can't remember the exact name, sorry.) I actually used ground pork rinds as a binder! If you don't have it, I can find the recipe and post it, if you are interested.

I'm hungry now -- gonna have to go fix some brekky :fork:

Sharron, thank you!
They held together surprisingly well. I had a couple for breakfast this morning and they reheat nicely, too. I am trying to avoid dairy at all costs. I am horribly lactose intolerant, and also dairy-sensitive.....so I skipped the cheese, although the cream cheese you mentioned would be marvelous in these!

I think I'll be checking the recipe section more often now.

DH grilled the Tequila/Lime chicken this evening and it was good....moist and not too strongly flavored. I had a few cocktail shrimp, some guacamole, and leftover green beans with it. Great meal.

I also have some chicken tenders I put in the freezer to use later. I used to cut them up, brown with onion, and add steamed broccoli and Alfredo for a good one-dish meal. Since I'm avoiding dairy, I need a new chicken/broccoli low carb recipe that doesn't involve any milk products.....any ideas?

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...hmmm

For my first book, Low Carb Cooking at Sharron's Place, I was off dairy. I used Almond Milk for just about everything. The recipe for almond milk is pretty straight-forward, and if you don't have it, I could get it for you. I don't know if it would make an alfredo or not? But, I would think if you used xanthan gum (or somesuch) it would work. You wouldn't have the cheese, though, and I don't believe they've come up with a dairy-free Parmegan.

Now, are you lactose-intolerant or allergic to dairy -- those are two different critters. My sis is LI and can have cheese, buttermilk, yogurt just fine because the enzymes/cultures consume the lactose. However, if you are allergic to dairy, you would need to avoid all dairy products. Do you know which you are?

Coincidently, Maxi, I made something similar for lunch today:

Take 2 slightly beaten eggs, add a 10-oz pack of thawed and drained spinach, and season to taste
Mix with a fork until slightly frothy
Heat butter in a small sauce pan add the egg-spinach mix
Cover and turn the heat to low to cook just until the eggs set.
Turn out onto a platter, lay 2 slices of cheese on top, and cover with the pan lid just until the cheese melts from the residual heat.

Like your dish, it stuck together very well. I used muenster cheese, but cheddar is always great with spinach.

Anyway, it was a tasty dish, but some of my leftover ham would have been a lovely addition - I wish I'd read your post first!

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Teel, that sounds good! I sure wish I could have the cheese!

Sharron, I have not been officially diagnosed as being "dairy-sensitive" or actually allergic to dairy, but I am SEVERELY lactose intolerant....even taking lactase supplements doesn't help like it should.

In November 2005, I went off dairy completely. I lost weight quite quickly....I believe it'
s because the dairy keeps my body inflamed and when I don't eat it, my body stops being so internally irritated and released the "swelling" which is, of course, fluid.

The main protein in dairy is casein. The main protein in wheat is gluten. Interesting that the molecular structure of each of these proteins is almost identical.

No wonder Dairy stalls my weight loss.

Wheat is another problem. I avoid it as much as possible. To avoid, sugar, wheat, and dairy, I try to stick to : meats, soy, eggs, veggies, limited amounts of fruit, and nuts.
I just think my body is in shock and loving the fact there is no dairy or wheat to deal with....I've dropped 5 pounds in the last 4 days.

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