Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan Example

Right before I sat down to write out this recipe, I dug back in my fridge and pulled out the leftovers of this Low-Carb Turkey Casserole with Mushrooms, Mozzarella, and Cauliflower Rice, heated it in the microwave, and gobbled it down for lunch.   And oh boy, was it ever a delightful lunch.  I'm pretty proud of this recipe, and with good reason because I tried multiple times with Kara to come up with a tasty casserole that used cauliflower rice instead of rice, and the first three times, we ended up with a casserole that tasted okay but was really watery.  For this keeper version we skipped the turkey stock and used a thick sauce of sour cream, mayo, Dijon, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and spices, and it held the mixture together with just enough cheesy creaminess to make it good!

It's been more than four years since I first tried Cauliflower Rice, but I'm barely starting to explore the possibilities with this idea of substituting low-carb grated cauliflower for rice.  (So many recipes; so little time!)  I'm a huge cauliflower fan so I love the cauliflower rice on its own.  But I know some people don't love cauliflower like I do; however even for people who aren't big of fans of caulflower I think many of you might enjoy these Low-Carb Cauliflower Rice Southwestern Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Poblanos, where there are a lot of other flavors to season the cauliflower.  Be sure not to skip the addition of finely chopped Poblano Chile Peppers (also called Pasilla peppers in many U.S. stores.)  The Poblanos are just barely spicy, but they add a wonderful flavor to the chopped cauliflower.  

I used red, yellow, and orange bell peppers for a colorful dish, but green bell peppers are abundant in gardens right now and they'd also be delicious in this.  I created this recipe with help from my niece Kara, and we both thought the cauliflower rice was delicious with the other flavors here.

I'm trying to get better about using up little bits of things that are in the fridge, and a few weeks ago I found myself with just two links of spicy turkey Italian Sausage and no idea how to use it.  I sat down in my office chair and paged through a few cookbooks and quickly spotted a recipe for Spinach Salad with Italian Sausage in Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh.  I didn't have spinach, but I had one of those little tubs of baby arugula, and since I love Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Arugula, I thought maybe a salad with baby arugula and Italian sausage might be a winner as well.  If you're a fan of arugula, I promise this Baby Arugula Salad with Turkey Italian Sausage and Red Pepper Strips is really wonderful; I thought all the flavors here were perfect together.

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites. Phase One Recipes are also Low-Carb and Gluten-Free.  This recipe was updated October 2012, with better photos, better instructions, and the addition of Hemp Hearts for added nutrition, and now I wouldn't mind updating the photos again so I think meatballs are on the menu this weekend!)

When I first tried these meatballs back in 2009, ground turkey was something I'd been working hard to gain an appreciation for, since it's low in saturated fat (therefore South Beach Diet friendly.)  Now I've been using ground turkey in meatballs and meatloaf for quite a few years, and these meatballs with lots of ground herbs and Romano cheese are still one of my favorites.  In this updated version I added a small amount of hemp hearts to the recipe to bump up the nutrition, but that's completely optional.  The meatballs are a little soft to work with, and you do have to watch them so the cheese doesn't burn when you're frying them, but if you want a flavorful meatball that's Phase One, low-carb, and gluten-free, I think this recipe is a keeper!

You can't go wrong with any of my leftover turkey ideas, but this delicious salad with leftover turkey (or chicken) is an especially good option for anyone who wants to get right back on the healthy eating plan after the big day of indulgence.  This Phase One salad features leftover chunks of turkey with a dressing that's partly made with non-fat Greek yogurt and seasoned with Indian spices.  The finishing touch is chopped cilantro, but if you're not a cilantro fan I would just use more green onion.

I'm always excited when I find a new ingredient that's nutritious, flavorful, and convenient, and these 5th Street Grill Italian Turkey Sausages are a product I've loved since I discovered them earlier this year at Costco. In the first recipe I posted using these sausages, I mentioned how Jake and I were impressed by both the nutritional information and the flavor of the sausages.  I also love that they come pre-cooked, making them so convenient for a quick meal.  Since then I've shared a few recipes using these handy tasty sausages, and my friend Dara from Cookin' Canuck has also fall in love with them and come up with a couple of tasty idea for using them.  Of course, you can use any brand of turkey Italian Sausage in the recipes we've come up with using this sausage if you can't find these, but if you do see these at your neighborhood Costco, I'm officially giving them a nod as one of my Kalyn's Kitchen Picks.