I love Cinco de Mayo and thankfully we get to celebrate it big time because we live here in South Texas. 

Mexican food is actually one of the easiest things to make low carb. It's easy to substitute chips for pork rinds, tortillas for lettuce leaves and rice with cauliflower rice. Plus there is always tons of guacamole, cheese dips and meat to munch on.

I wanted to share with you a few simple recipes that are a staple of Cinco de Mayo at our house. 

Don't forget to make one of my yummy low carb cocktails....because sometimes it's a Cinco de Drinko too.

Have fun and enjoy the time with your family. 

Looking forward to next time!

​Andrea Holley

It's almost Easter weekend and around my house that means lots of sweet treats and parties to go to. 

When you're eating low carb it can be daunting to go to parties or just have all the sugary candy around and not be tempted by it. I'm not saying that I'm not still tempted by a Reeses Peanut Butter egg, but I know it will just make me feel like crap if I eat it...so I just make sure to whip up some of my own desserts to take with me and have laying around.

These are some of my favorite low carb desserts and you know me...everything is simple. 

Spring has sprung and that means it's full on BBQ season here in South Texas. 
BBQs are always a ton of fun but can have hidden carbs everywhere. 
In the video below, I give some of my top tips for spotting hidden carbs at a BBQ and then share my 5 favorite BBQ side dishes. 

Everyone is jumping on the cauliflower pizza crust bandwagon right now. They are definitely a great GF option and some are a great low carb option, but not all are created equal. 

You'll definitely want to do your research and ask questions. The first thing you should do is look at the nutrition label if you're buying at the grocery store or ask to see the nutrition label if you're ordering from your local pizza place. 

Some things to really y look out for are:
serving size (this can be tricky and some are per slice and some are the whole crust)
overall carb count
ingredients (nut flour vs rice or corn flour to help bind)
added sugar (too many GF foods add sugar to "help" things taste better. In my opinion this is totally unnecessary) 

I've taste tested a couple of different cauliflower pizza crust and you'll find my comparison and feedback chart below. I ranked them based on:
Carb count
Crispiness of crust
Overall taste 

In a major rush, this is the easiest crock pot Green Chicken recipe. We stay super busy around here and this recipe is so versatile. You can use the chicken in a casserole, in tacos, on a salad or add a little extra liquid and make a soup.
​
Ingredients:
1 onion chopped
4-5 chicken breasts
1 can green chilies 
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1 cup sour cream 
1 TBS hatch chili seeds
1 Tsp garlic powder 
2 Tsp cummin 

1. Place onions on bottom of crockpot and lay chicken on top of them.
​2. Add the rest of the ingredients on top of chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4.

It's been super rainy here in South Texas, and the thought of Fall being right around the corner really had me craving some Gumbo.

Being GF and wanting gumbo is a tricky thing. You can't just go get a cup of gumbo from a restaurant because they all use wheat flour to make the traditional roux that is the base of many gumbos.

So of course I had to come up with a wonderful alternative and this one totally fits the bill...not to mention its done in the slow cooker!! You know how I roll, easy, simple and yummy. Serve it over Cauliflower rice to keep it low carb or brown rice if you're only eating GF.

Enjoy this wonderful meal. Be sure to come back and tell me how much you loved it.

Hot Mess Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Recipe:
1.5 lbs chicken thighs skinless
1.5 lbs no sugar added sausage (sliced)
2 onions diced
2 celery stalks
1 red pepper diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 TBS cajun seasoning 
8 oz crushed tomatoes
1 package frozen okra
1.5 cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
In a crock pot place the onions and celery on the bottom, layer chicken and sausage on top of onion and celery. Put pepper and garlic on top of meat. Sprinkle cajun seasoning on top of pepper mix, add bay leaves and pour tomatoes and chicken broth on top of everything. lastly layer okra on top and put lid on. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8. Serve with cauliflower rice for low carb or brown rice if just GF.

I love 4th of July, it's one of my favorite holidays and I think one of the easiest to stay on a low carb way of eating. 

I have get lots of questions about what to eat/make/take to holiday dinners. So I thought it would be super helpful to you if I shared our 4th of July menu.

Keep in mind a little planning ahead before going to a holiday celebration makes staying low carb so much easier and enjoyable. You won't feel like you're missing out and matter of fact don't be surprised if the dishes you bring end up being a hit and you go home with empty dishes.

I keep my meals very, very low carb on holidays because I like to get my carbs from my cocktails...lol!

So here's what were having:
Smoked Beef Ribs and Smoked Pork Ribs with Low Carb Bourbon BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
Cole Slaw (recipe below)
Grilled Okra (recipe below)
Strawberry Jello Salad (recipe below)
Strawberry Jello Dessert (recipe below)

Let's start by talking about the ribs and the sauce. I'm not going to go into how to smoke the ribs here because I'm not that awesome yet on how to document the smoking process and describe it in writing...lol...but I want you to keep in mind that often the BBQ rubs that go on meat before smoking or grilling can have sugar in them. So the most important thing you'll want to look for is a sugar free BBQ rub. 

Bourbon BBQ sauce recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups sugar free tomato sauce
2 tsp sugar free liquid smoke
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 TBS bourbon
1/2 cup swerve/xylitol/lakanto sweetener 
2 TBS coconut oil
1 TBS yellow or dijon mustard
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 TBS chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil

Making the Hot Mess
Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and place in container and refrigerate. 

Grilled Okra
Ingredients
Fresh Okra (as much as you want to eat...lol)
Olive oil to drizzle
cajun seasoning

Making the Hot Mess
using 2 bamboo skewers, skewer okra horizontally...place a skewer through the tip and the stalk end.
drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cajun seasoning.
Place on a hot grill for 3 minutes each side.

Strawberry Jello Salad
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
1 cup 4% fat large cured cottage cheese
1 box (0.6 oz) sugar free strawberry jello
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups chopped strawberries

Making the Hot Mess
In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream and vanilla until peaks form, add in mascarpone cheese and mix.
Slowly fold in the cottage cheese and dry sugar free jello mix
Then fold in walnuts, coconut and strawberries.
Spoon into a mold or container of your choice and chill for 2-4 hours before serving

Strawberry Jello Dessert
Ingredients
2 8oz cream cheese packages (room temp)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup swerve

1 package sugar free jello (0.6oz)
1 cup strawberries

3 cups chopped pecans
1 stick butter

Making the Hot Mess
In a food processor or bullet blender chop the pecans. Melt the stick of butter and add to pecans and mix well. spread pecan mixture in casserole dish and bake in 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool.

While pecan mix is cooking boil 2 cups water and add to jello mix in medium bowl. mix well and add strawberries and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl mix cream cheese, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth then add swerve. 

When pecan crust is cool add, cream cheese mix to top of pecan crust. then top cream cheese mix with jello mix and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. garnish with sliced strawberries and eat it up.