Week Seventeen - Day Three: A New Recipe and Girls Night Out!

The other day I was shopping and found orange cauliflower. Isn't it beautiful?

I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it. Perhaps make bread? And then along came this email from Splendid Low Carbing that had this #recipe. Cauliflower, Bacon & Cheddar Casserole. That's it! That's what I'm making. It makes six servings and only has 4.1 net carbs per serving!

There is also a link in the #recipe of her third version of gluten-free baking mix, and it only uses 3 ingredients - almond flour, oat flour and coconut flour. No oat flour? No problem. Make your own by using rolled oats and blending it in the blender or food processor until you have flour. (A scant cup of oats makes 3/4 C oat flour.) I've done it before and it's very easy. Best of all, there is only 5.7 net carbs per 1/4 cup and the entire cauliflower recipe only has 1/2 cup!

If you're just starting to low carb you can have up to 20 net carbs a day. You can gradually increase your carbs on a weekly basis by 5-10 extra carbs a week. Depending on your metabolism you can increase your daily intake somewhere between 30 to 80 net carbs. Mine is at the lower end of the scale, sadly. But you can't fight your metabolism. It is what it is.

If you are looking for a great place to start, the Atkins website is probably the easiest to maneuver through. I am partial to Dr. Atkins because his plan was the first one I ever found that truly worked for me. But feel free to google your own websites. And there's tons of low carb blogs out there to give you encouragement along the way, as well.

And now, back to the recipe! 

Although it said to boil the cauliflower, I steamed it instead as I wanted to keep as many nutrients in it as possible. It took less than 20 minutes to steam the whole head.

Umm... Next time I lift the steamer basket off the boiling pot of water I will wear oven mitts to avoid steam burns. ::shaking_head::

Now I would like to share with you MY finished product! I have to say, it is good just as it is, however I like a little more seasoning than this has. Next time I will probably add a bit more salt and pepper as well as garlic and onion powder.

Today's word is "Yumminess!"

The rest of my day was rather quiet, but then I went out with my girls this evening!

We went to a Japanese restaurant called Chikara Sushi. I didn't have any sushi. Too much rice for me! But I ordered their Sesame Chicken and we all snacked on Edamame.  I also had one glass of white wine. The chicken was a bit overcooked. Next time I go I will order the butter shrimp. :)

Two and a half hours later, when we had laughed ourselves silly, it was time to go home.

Left to right we have me, Monica, Darlene and Carole.
We were missing Kailia and Charee tonight.

Hugs and kisses all around, and then we headed for our respective homes.

So that was my day... A new recipe, a night out with my girls, and a fairly successful food day! I am blessed to have some really awesome friends, I must say. Tomorrow I will see the doctor for a recheck, and hopefully another pound or two lost. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for being with me another day. I wish there was some way to show my appreciation!

In the meantime, have a beautiful night and I will see you tomorrow!

…Lin…