WOE Hacks
RowdysLady
Posts: 1,370 Member
So someone mentioned in another post that it was more difficult to have convenience foods on LCHF. There are hacks - I have a few of my own, but I bet there are LOTS more I haven't considered.
- I make bacon up 2 lbs at a time, in the oven. I just under cook it and store it in the fridge. 20 second in the microwave and it's perfect.
- I scoop out 1 tablespoon of butter and coconut oil and put into ice cube trays - two trays, one for butter one for coconut oil. I stack them and cover in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge. When I need a tablespoon I no longer have to measure, I just pop it out with a spoon - it's hardened from the fridge - so it pops out clean. Makes making BPC crazy quick now that I've purchased my immersion blender.
- I keep a pepperoni stick in the fridge for a quick snack. I don't keep slices because I'll eat them all in a minute if they are pre sliced for me.
- I have been melting cheese to eat like a cracker in the microwave for YEARS - now it's NOT a guilty pleasure that I only do when no one is home. Now it goes right along with my WOE.
What else?
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Awesome tip about the pepperoni (I also can hardly resist throwing a pile of slices down my throat) and the fats!
And bacon in the oven is the ONLY way to make it, IMHO. I put it on a parchment-lined sheet and it cooks in its own fat and comes out perfect, no flipping over. Bonus, it barely ever leaks through the sheet of paper, and so the pan is CLEAN, and I gather up the paper and hold it over my bacon grease jar and all the lovely fat slides right off the paper.
I'd add my little ideas/things I do for LCHF/keto "fast food":- I buy blocks of cheese and slice up some and shred the rest on my block grater, spraying it with some coconut oil nonstick spray, then put into plastic containers.
- I buy hard salami from the deli for snacking on
- Macadami nuts, pepitas (roasted shelled pumpkin seed kernels) and almonds - I buy them in bulk or in jars/tins when on sale and put them into 1 oz. snack containers for the munchies
- Sugar-free gelatin - I make two batches at once and put in 1/2 cup or 1 cup containers for a quick treat. Sometimes I whip heavy cream, sour cream, or cream cheese into them, for a creamy dessert
- Fat bombs - I know this is more of a treat - I make all kinds, so far I've made pumpkin spice, salted caramel/chocolate/walnut, and chocolate/macadamia/coconut. I put them in these teeny ramekins (1 oz) in the fridge
- I wash and cut up radishes, celery, and small onion slices to have ready for salads. Celery, once washed and trimmed, keeps for ages if you stack it up like a bundle of logs and roll it up tightly in aluminum foil.
- Speaking of salads, when I buy my heads of green/red leaf or romaine lettuce (the bagged stuff doesn't last me at all, and gets slimy), I separate the leaves and throw them into the sink with cool water and wash them well and leave for a few minutes. The dirt sinks to the bottom of the sink and the leaves stay floating (any bad or slimy pieces usually also fall to the bottom), then dry them in a dish towel or my salad spinner, and lay out a bunch of paper towel and roll up the leaves in it so every couple leaves has one half sheet of paper towel in between, then I throw the rolled up bundle into the plastic bag it came in, and not tie up tightly. It keeps crisp (amazingly) for about 2 weeks. Then I just take out a leaf or three when I need them for salads, wraps, etc.
- I buy fresh spinach by the bunch, instead of in the washed/trimmed bags, which go slimy pretty quickly once opened - I do buy frozen, but in winter, when it's hard to get locally. I trim the leaves off the stems and set the stems aside to saute in butter (HOLY CRAPOLA - the stems are sweeter and crunchier) and wash and dry the spinach and then put it in a bag and vacuum-seal it or you can suck the air out of the bag with a straw.
- I fry up raw pork sausage links on the weekends, put them in a big freezer bag and just pull out a couple when I make breakfast.
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LOVE THIS THREAD!!!!!
Ditto bacon and fat bombs!
I love soups. I can make a big pot and eat it all week or freeze for later. My current fave... http://paleoleap.com/thai-coconut-soup/
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This is my FAVORITE fat bomb soup. Instructions I wrote show to freeze it without adding the cream, and making huge batches freeze well...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KnitOrMiss/view/copycat-olive-garden-zuppa-toscana-soup-recipe-7399156 -
Great tip about the spinach - I always wind up tossing 1/3 of the bag....going to buy buy the bunch now. I never cook spinach - it's our lettuce here and we eat the stems too but sauted in butter sounds wonderful!2
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Love this thread!
My new favorite hack is when you put shredded cheese and pepperoni (and any other toppings you want) in a bowl, simply microwave for 30-45 seconds, stir and enjoy pizza in a bowl.
I actually don't even miss the crust; super yummy and easy and satisfies the pizza craving. 18 -
Another hack I have especially for those new to our WOE and that have non LCHF people in the home - I moved everything I used to eat but don't eat now into a cabinet in my dining room. So when I went to the kitchen to forage I was nowhere near the cookies, crackers, chips, popcorn, etc. I just "forgot" the cabinet was there, so to speak but my family knows that's their place to snack.20
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I pre-cook and pre-bake. Last week I did about 20 pounds of oven roasted chicken legs and thighs. The hack part is in how I freeze things. Using some large Tupperware containers, I put the chicken pieces in one layer in the Tupperware making sure the pieces aren't touching one another. When they are frozen I put them in plastic freezer bags and return them to the freezer. Since they are frozen separately, they don't freeze together and it's easy to take out one or two pieces at a time. I freeze fat bombs the same way. And burger patties, fish fillets, casserole servings, slices of quiche, and anything else that can be prepared ahead and frozen.15
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I like to cook and I enjoy having variety, but it is just easier if some things are more automatic than others. So my dinners are always something new and different but weekday "breakfast" is always the same (in quotes because its usually some combo of an ounce of cheese and some olives around 10:00 a.m.) and lunch is leftovers from dinner. I always make an extra serving and it goes straight into my lunch container as soon as its cooked.
I also bought myself a food saver and buy tons of whatever meat is on sale and vacuum seal it before freezing - it lasts a lot longer and I can shop in my freezer first.
Finally, I always have olives, cheese, pepperoni sticks and 90% chocolate on hand. Oh and hwc for coffee...lots and lots!8 -
I have been making salads since shortly after dirt was invented and ONLY last year did I learn bjwoodzy's tip about how to wash lettuce. I buy packages of romaine at Sam's Club and used to end up throwing away four of the six heads. I learned this trick from an Alton Brown show, back when the Food Network actually conveyed information instead of hosting idiotic throwdowns and the like. The secret is to wash and store the lettuce as soon after purchase as possible, before the leaves have a chance to start wilting.
Speaking of Sam's Club, when I was there earlier in the week I foolishly showed up very hungry. The upshot was that I bought some pre-cooked grilled chicken strips at a price per pound roughly comparable to Beluga caviar. I'm going to pick up some chicken breasts this morning and make my own chicken strip snacks, to be frozen in serving size portions. And later on, some snack sized meatballs from the really good ground beef I already have on hand.9 -
These are great ideas, thanks for sharing. With lettuce I usually wash, chop and put in a ziploc with a paper towel. It's generally gone before it starts to go bad - but I like the idea of having the full leaves available as well. I'll be trying this! I think if I make myself do some of these hacks I'll be far less likely to just stuff cheetos in my mouth alongside my husband (who is not LCHF). And soup - I want to make some soup! I've only made broccoli cheddar, chicken veggie and beef veggie so far, but I have so many excellent recipes to try. I just need to do it!4
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mandycat223 wrote: »I have been making salads since shortly after dirt was invented and ONLY last year did I learn bjwoodzy's tip about how to wash lettuce. I buy packages of romaine at Sam's Club and used to end up throwing away four of the six heads. I learned this trick from an Alton Brown show, back when the Food Network actually conveyed information instead of hosting idiotic throwdowns and the like. The secret is to wash and store the lettuce as soon after purchase as possible, before the leaves have a chance to start wilting.
Speaking of Sam's Club, when I was there earlier in the week I foolishly showed up very hungry. The upshot was that I bought some pre-cooked grilled chicken strips at a price per pound roughly comparable to Beluga caviar. I'm going to pick up some chicken breasts this morning and make my own chicken strip snacks, to be frozen in serving size portions. And later on, some snack sized meatballs from the really good ground beef I already have on hand.
Lol I learned that trick from Alton Brown too 4 -
Bump0
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Great thread. Thanks for starting it!
+1 for Alton Brown. I continue to watch old Good Eats episodes on Netflix.9 -
Breakfast hack for busy mornings. (Which is every one with a 3 yr old and a husband that starts at 7am)
Using a muffin tray, I put a few slices of shaved ham, crack an egg and sprinkle with grated cheese in each slot. Bake for 15 minutes and that's breakfast that takes a minute in the microwave!15 -
Another good breakfast hack is this Brekkie for Busy People from Low Carb, So Simple. Crack eggs, poke the yolks, top with parmesan, microwave 1 minute (ish) - boom.
ETA: And the best part of this recipe is, my 15yo likes it (and can do it himself haha)!10 -
Great thread. Thanks everyone!
My most recent fav snack/dessert: mix 1 plain unsweetened greek yogurt with 1-2 tsp of instant coffee granules. Instant coffee mousse as it is, (almost) instant coffee ice cream if you pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
::flowerforyou::17 -
Bump0
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Bump indeed...0
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KetoGirl83 wrote: »Great thread. Thanks everyone!
My most recent fav snack/dessert: mix 1 plain unsweetened greek yogurt with 1-2 tsp of instant coffee granules. Instant coffee mousse as it is, (almost) instant coffee ice cream if you pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
::flowerforyou::
I do this with double cream yoghurt (we don't have greek where I live and this is the closest in consistency I think), and instead of coffee I use unsweetened cocoa powder.
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Shadowmf023 wrote: »KetoGirl83 wrote: »Great thread. Thanks everyone!
My most recent fav snack/dessert: mix 1 plain unsweetened greek yogurt with 1-2 tsp of instant coffee granules. Instant coffee mousse as it is, (almost) instant coffee ice cream if you pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
::flowerforyou::
I do this with double cream yoghurt (we don't have greek where I live and this is the closest in consistency I think), and instead of coffee I use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Ditto on this, but I use coconut cream mixed with unsweetened cocoa powder (not coconut milk). It's pretty awesome pudding and doesn't need any sweetener, real or fake.8 -
Bump. Loving the ideas!
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bump...MOAR1
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My husband was moaning about having no dessert in the house a few nights ago, and I made him a pudding that was so awesome I'm going to try it with stevia for myself:
1/2 cup coconut milk (with the cream mixed into the watery part)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs sugar for non-low carbers, or stevia to taste.
Place all in bowl. Whip with egg beater. Eat. The whole thing took a minute.
This would serve 2 normal people or one very skinny husband with a sweet tooth.
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I love the idea about the coconut oil and butter. I have very little time to get ready in the morning. This would be perfect!0
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I've done this essentially with just HWC, no canned coconut milk - and call it poor man's chocolate mousse. Don't know exact quantities, as I do to taste each time. 4
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I've done this essentially with just HWC, no canned coconut milk - and call it poor man's chocolate mousse. Don't know exact quantities, as I do to taste each time.
I haven't looked at the numbers for this because I made it for Mr. Skinny. Still, even if it is a little bit carby, there is the odd occasion where I'd really like a dessert and this would definitely fit the bill - it hits all the notes; fat, coconut and chocolate flavours, plus it's super-creamy.
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I think the pork rind nacho idea is a great hack shared here on another thread! Pork rinds provide a vessel for all sorts of yummy foods instead of chips or tortillas. Salsa, guac, dips, cream cheese....and once the savory flavor is baked off, for sweets treats that are dipable too.
I found I like baking chocolate squares better than cocoa powder in things like my BPC because it blends in better with no gritty taste. It can be melted quickly in the microwave to add in.1 -
@RowdysLady - I find that I like microwaved cheese crisps or pepperoni/salami chips more than pork rinds sometimes - for some dips, too.3
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »@RowdysLady - I find that I like microwaved cheese crisps or pepperoni/salami chips more than pork rinds sometimes - for some dips, too.
That's a good idea. Sometimes I eat things like buffalo chicken dip with a fork.
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You can make greek yogurt from regular plain yogurt...just strain out the excess whey...I use a paper towel in a colander with the yogurt inside and put it in a bowl in the fridge overnight...add nuts and a sweetner of choice, yum...6
