Another Quick Supper Casserole

My Note: Sorry, I don't have a photo of the casserole. This is just a pic of a roast chicken. :-)

CHICKEN MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
An easy, tasty supper casserole. Start with a bought roast chicken and what could be simpler?

1 roasted chicken
12 oz fresh mushrooms (340 g)
1 tbsp butter (15 mL)
Curry Sauce:
1 cup whipping cream (250 mL)
6 tbsp bought low-carb ketchup, (90 mL)
OR Splenda Ketchup, page 89,
Splendid Low-Carbing
1/4 cup olive oil (50 mL)
2 tbsp white vinegar (25 mL)
1 tsp curry powder (5 mL)
1 tsp dry mustard (5 mL)
1 tsp SPLENDA® Granular (5 mL)
1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
1/8 tsp black pepper (0.5 mL)
Topping:
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (50 mL)
1 tbsp butter (15 mL)

Debone chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Place in 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish. In large frying pan, fry mushrooms in butter until softened. Layer over chicken.

Curry Sauce: In medium bowl, whisk together whipping cream, low-carb ketchup, olive oil, white vinegar, curry powder, dry mustard, SPLENDA® Granular, salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over chicken and mushroom layers.

Topping: Sprinkle almonds over casserole and dot with butter.

Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 30 minutes.

A Quick Supper Casserole

My Note: I don't know about you reading my blog, but sometimes I really don't want to spend much time in the kitchen. Easy supper casseroles are my favorite way of hurrying things up. I'll post my favorite one next, but I don't have a pic.

MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Delicious served with Chunky Guacamole, page 12, Splendid Low-Carbing for Life, Volume 2.

1 lb cooked chicken, diced (0.454 kg)
1, 14-oz can sliced mushrooms, (284 mL)
drained
4.5 oz can green chilies (127 mL)
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder (15 mL)
1/2 medium onion
1/2 green pepper
2 tsp olive oil (10 mL)
2 tsp ground cumin (10 mL)
1 tsp chili powder (5 mL)
1/2 tsp black pepper (2 mL)
1/2 tsp onion salt (2 mL)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (2 mL)
1 cup tomato sauce (250 mL)
1 cup water (250 mL)
1/4 cup tomato paste (50 mL)
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese (250 mL)

In 9 x 13-inch (2 L) glass baking dish, combine chicken, mushrooms, green chilies and chicken bouillon powder. In food processor, using S-Blade, process onion and green pepper until finely chopped.

In frying pan in olive oil, stir-fry onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in ground cumin, chili powder, black pepper, onion salt and garlic powder. In small bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, water and tomato paste. Add to vegetables and then add this vegetable mixture to chicken and mushrooms. Combine well. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.

Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with a dollop sour cream, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis: Yield: 6 servings, 1 serving:
185.8 calories; 23.6 g protein; 6.lg fat; 6.5 g carbs

Carb Phobia - A Very Real Problem for Low-Carbers

It even happened to me at one point. I was so leery of eating bread especially, as it was my mainstay before low-carbing. Next in line, I was afraid of indulging in sugary desserts and if I did, I sometimes suffered a bit of guilt. I would often put on 2 lbs of water weight due to glycogen stores filling up after strict low-carbing. Then I panicked and thought it would be an upward spiral, but that's not the case when it is an occasional indulgence.

I am a firm believer in cutting out white flour and sugar as much as possible. I will not tell a lie. I like white flour and sugar and things made with it, just like some other people I know. I can even get quite addicted and I will get fat. That is the way it is. I don't like deprivation (goes back to my childhood) and, therefore, set about trying to replace the foods I loved without adversely affecting my waistline. My cookbooks were the result of that drive.

So, I know plenty of people are diehard low-carbers that prefer to never veer off the course. It is truly wonderful and remarkable if you are one of the few people who can maintain such discipline in the face of temptation forever and a day. Some of us - well, life just happens, and it is difficult emotionally and even physically to keep going at those times in life - that's when trouble can hit our waistlines - quite literally. We lose focus, grab whatever is easily available and often it is carbs that will readily and quickly satisfy the need for a boost in serotonin and in mood and feelings of well-being. We don't have the energy to deal with our diets or the lack thereof and the consequences of eating without thinking. This is a slippery slope, of course, to weight regain. If possible, keep trouble foods out of the house, or freeze them. It is important to cut down on compulsive eating at the very least and make trouble foods difficult to come by. Keep acceptable foods around in abundance and keep them coming and interesting at that. If you're too exhausted to cook, get hubby to barbecue and add a large, interesting salad with a tasty dressing.

Alright, here's how I feel about the guilt involved with occasionally slipping up or making the decision to eat something totally off plan - even if it is a few times a week during stressful times. Sure there will be times when you can remain low-carb and strictly so for long periods of time (I myself have done that for years with hardly a slip-up), but I'm talking about other times, when it is not so easy. Forget the guilt, forget the all or nothing approach. It is nonsense stuff and will lead to failure. Acknowledge the fact that you are in charge, that you make the decisions and that you have the ability to say yes or no to a particular food - even when times are stressful. Whenever possible make the decision to sit down to better food choices and if something in there is not on plan - have a little (don't pig out if possible), don't feel guilty and move on - determine to do better at the next meal. In other words - stop and think - the "low-carb diet" mentality has to be with one 24/7 in a sense to keep our brains active on that score and involved in our choices.

Here is an intriguing, sad and probably common story in some ways along these lines written by a very interesting and knowledgeable lady (she is not against low-carb diets, but feels one diet does not fit all) - "She is a Registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She specializes in weight control, cardiovascular health, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, sports nutrition and preventative nutrition. A staff dietitian at The New York Presbyterian Hospital for the past 22 years, she also counsels clients privately and is a consultant to physicians, corporations and health clubs. She was the nutritionist for the 1998 NYC Marathon. She was an exercise instructor in NYC health clubs for 15 years.": Case Study Low-Carb Diet Gone Wrong

Cancer Cells Are Sugar Junkies! Kill 'em with a Low-Carb Diet!

Sugar Junkie Cancer Cells

If a doctor were to prescribe a diet for prevention of cancer, what would that diet be - wow, could it be a low-carb diet? Cool, hey?!

Brain cancer tumor patients respond well, whereas normal treatment can be very rough.

The Inuit (Eskimos) did not know about cancer in their population for generations, but then upon introduction of the Western diet, they became just as susceptible to cancer as what we are in our modern society with all our modern convenience foods.

So, this is the conclusion: "It is beyond doubt that it is highly processed foods that are the major dietary cause of cancer, particularly as they are inevitably based on cheap concentrated carbohydrates." The anti-dote - a low-carb diet.

Too much salt/sodium in the diet leads to hypertension, but why in a child as young as 13?

Normally, hypertension is associated with older people,and usually with people who are quite a bit overweight, but who would dream that it could be possible in someone who looks like an athlete and is only 13 years old?

I have always been sodium-conscious since adulthood. My sons think I am weird worrying about water weight, but seriously I actually feel bigger and more bloated with extra water weight and that time of the month - well, I sometimes think I get water on the brain too!! Then sometimes that water weight has the cheek to turn into real weight gained. I don't know - it could be imagined, but at any rate, I use a light salt and a little of the real thing to get a similar effect. My husband has hypertension and I like to keep him in mind as well. When I cook for all of us, it is lower sodium, but still very tasty, as I like using herbs, etc. Anyway, the guys in my house like cold cuts (I don't - big surprise!) and chips and things like that. I will have maybe one chip once in a blue moon and that's it. My son could eat a whole bag (or tube) in a sitting. Imagine!

My point is, my husband found this article in the globe and mail that talks about a teenager, aged 13, who has serious hypertension and an enlarged heart as a result. This is really tragic! I myself had no idea that this is becoming more common. Here is the article.

Broccoli Salad - Recipe in Diabetes Health Magazine

Broccoli Salad This easy and tasty salad recipe is one I often make as one of the side dishes to accompany a barbecue.

Bobotie - recipe in Diabetes Health

Bobotie was introduced to South Africa by the Malays. This Indonesian curried meat loaf is to South Africa what Moussaka is to Greece and Lasagne is to Italy.

Link to Diabetes Health Magazine - The Professional Issue