Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Don't let this word, cauliflower scare you. All my life the only way I have eaten cauliflower was with dip. I didn't think of it any other way until now. A friend shared the recipe with me. I tested it,  and found it to be fantastic. So I am sharing it with you today.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

• 16 ounce bag frozen cauliflower
• 4  ounces cream cheese
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Cook the cauliflower until tender & drain.  Butter a 9x13 casserole dish, set a side.  Microwave the cream cheese until soft, whisk in the heavy cream until smooth, then stir in about 2 cups of the cheddar cheese.  Microwave until the cheese is melted.  Add salt and pepper and stir. Add the cauliflower and stir to coat. Place into the buttered casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake at 350º for 35 minutes, until bubbly and brown on top. Let it stand a few minutes.

Servings: 12
Calories: 139
Carbs: 2.22

Chicken and Broccoli Cheesy Casserole

I can remember my Mom saying, "Eat your broccoli"!  Broccoli is one of my favorites.  Whether its steamed, stir fried, baked or boiled.  I wanted to try and make a casserole so here is what I came up with. My kids even ate it. 

Chicken and Broccoli Cheesy Casserole

• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 16 oz (1lb) bag of frozen broccoli
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 chicken broth (or 1 cube chicken bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 1 cup ricotta

Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan. Add broccoli, onion, chicken broth or bouillon, olive oil and pepper to a medium pan. Cook covered for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. In a medium bowl mix the chicken chunks, garlic powder, sour cream and ricotta cheese together, mix till blended. After 10 minutes of cooking the veggies, pour the broccoli mix into the bowl with the chicken. Stir until mixed. Add 1/4 c of the shredded mozzarella cheese to the mix. Stir. Transfer to the greased pan and spread evenly. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese to the top and pop that baby in the oven!

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes. Once the top layer of cheese is browned a bit it should be done. If you like your broccoli on the softer side bake until the florets are to your liking.

Servings: 12
Calories: 116.3
Carbs per servings: 4.6

Crock Pot Pork Chops and Gravy

Pork chops what more can I say?  I like them just about anyway a person can cook them.  I plan on posting quite a few recipes for them in the coming months. Today's is simple. My daughter loves brown gravy and I love onions so I thought why not put these together and here is the result.

 Crock Pot Pork Chops and Gravy

•  4-6 pork chops
•  1 cup chicken broth
•  1 can cream of chicken soup
•  1 packet brown gravy mix 
•  1 packet onion soup mix

Place your pork chops in your slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour over chops.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until chops are fall-apart tender.  (I cooked mine 10 hours and they fell apart.)

Servings: 1 chop
Calories: 202
Carbs per servings: 9

Sausage Squash Casserole

I love squash!  Growing up it had to be fried. I loved the small pieces I could just pop them in my mouth. Then as I grew I found the love for boiled squash. Others would just say "Yuck, how can you eat that?". It was good!  I put this recipe together in hopes to change squash a little. I think it happened. You be the judge.

Sausage Squash Casserole

• 2 medium summer squash, sliced and cooked
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced and cooked 
• 1 lb. sausage, browned 
• 1 cup mayonnaise 
• ¼ cup onion, chopped and cooked in butter
• 2 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• ¼ teaspoon pepper 
• ¼ cup melted butter 
• 1 ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Heat the oven to 350.  Save 1/2 cup cheese for later. In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients. Spread mixture into 13x9 baking dish. Top the 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until light brown.

Servings: 12
Calories: 292
Carbs per servings: 4

Mack's Goulash

I love this recipe it brings back memories of my Dad. Dad would call me up and say, "I'm going to Jackson, wanna go eat at Morrison's?". Of course, it was a trip with my Dad! We would get this every time we went. I don't think they had a name for it other than Okra, Onions, and Tomatoes. My Dad was a very good cook so he started making it at home and well here's his recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Mack's Goulash

• 16oz bag Okra, frozen
• 14oz died tomatoes
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook onions in butter till they turn transparent or soft. Thaw Okra, add to onions. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat cover and cook for 20 minutes stiring often.

Servings: 4
Calories: 374
Carbs per servings: 15.87

Krystal Burger Casserole

I love Krystals but do not like the fact that they are 20 carbs each.  It took me a little while to get this recipe like I wanted it.  I mixed and tested, tested and mixed then I got it just right.  My kids love it and that's a great thing. I hope you will like this one as much as we do.

Krystal Burger Casserole

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope onion soup mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown the ground beef with half of the onion soup mix; drain the fat season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the remaining soup mix and put the meat in a 9-10 inch pie plate.  Stir in half the cheese, then top with the remaining cheese.  Beat the eggs, mayonnaise, and cream then pour evenly over the meat.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 4
Calories: 695.1
Carbs: per serving 12.9

Bacon Meatloaf

I 'love' meatloaf, all kinds, so I thought about making a low carb one. Meatloaf without bread crumbs might be a little tricky but this worked out very well. It's tasty and filling. If you pair it with green beans... now thats a winner!  One slice of meatloaf and half cup of green beans is only 8.6 carbs. I hope you enjoy this one.

Bacon Meatloaf

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb bacon, chopped    
• 14 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 red onion, minced
• 1 bell pepper, minced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit
Chop your bacon and combine in a mixing bowl with your beef.  Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl, and use your hands to mix well.  You can now form it into a loaf and put it in a pyrex dish or a loaf pan.  Bake for an hour or until the meat is cooked through, internal temperature needs to be at least 165 Degrees  F,  Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.


Servings: 8
Calories: per serving 242.5
Carbs: per serving 4.6