Support and ideas for those on low-carb diet

I watched a video today of a woman making breakfast pancakes with two eggs and a mashed up banana, beaten up together. No flour. Looked ok. Might try it in the morning.

Cold chicken salad.
It is 7.40pm. It is 32° outside and 29° in the bedroom.
I am coming to England tomorrow and bringing the weather with me.

It wasn't a good day yesterday, so I had a cake for breakfast today. Thank heavens I had some, because it worked, that little luxury was all it needed. I keep reading articles about how bad food rewards are, but there's no denying they are the cheapest quickest fix when there isn't a single sweet in the house and nothing else hits the spot.

Here it's blackbirds that seem the most aggressive.

I've a few cucamelons growing but they haven't really taken off yet. All my orca have died, bar one and that looks terminal.

Been very good today to make up for yesterday's binge. Munched on a piece of Manchego as a snack and stuck to red wine.

I've got 4 GC staying overnight so getting an early night as they'll be up with the larks

I really can't like starlings, they drive all the other birds away from the feeders in the winter.

Respect, Anya! I can't think how you found room in your stomach. I am being bad today - a gluten-free cake cookery book arrived yesterday, I have felt deprived of proper fluffy cake for so long I had to try out a recipe, I had one carrot cake muffin with my afternoon tea and have just had another for dessert. I think I feel guiltier about the sugar than the carbs, as I haven't had any besides that. The rest are safely in the freezer. I allow myself a cake a week, so am a bit miffed, since I always keep the males supplied with their own, that they insisted on trying mine and then declared that they were too sweet, and could I make them less sweet next time? They aren't even for them!

Oh dear Anya. Never mind, onwards and upwards (or downwards as far as weight is concerned?).
No haven't done cucamelons JR - OH bought a lot of Italian seed so the garden is full of weird and wondeful courge type things called trompetti or stromboli or something similar. They will climb all over the hedges apparently.
I am spitting tacks. I washed all our white bedding today, dried it in the lovely sunshine and a bird or ten has splattered pooh over the whole lot so I have to do it all again. Starlings I think (maybe a low-carb pie?)

Had a bad day all round yesterday and as the GC stayed over there was bread and brioche in the bread bin, which I raided and then sunk a 4-finger KitKat, two bars of Turkish delight, and two glasses of Bailey's. Yes, they shouldn't be in the house anyway I know, but they're left over from months ago.

I've been awake since dawn with chronic indigestion and other tummy issues I won't go into. Just about feeling human again niw.

Had nothing like this since starting the low car diet so let that be a lesson to me.

It sounds wonderful. Love achocha - have you tried cucamelons? I wasn't impressed, they are the size of large grapes and taste of cucumber, I wanted mini-melons!

I thought I would be having huge problems with menus, with both DBH&Son home now. However they seem to not mind missing carbs as long as they have enough protein and feel full. I bought a large loaf of seeded lovely bread, and made a rye loaf, on Monday. They have barely been touched, I am amazed. The birds will be very happy.

I made a huge stirfry tonight, and topped it with salmon fillets. I'd be quite happy to eat stirfry every night, just vary the veg in it and the protein on top or within. Vary the flavourings, oils, spices etc. and it's different every time. I think I would get complaints though.

Interesting today. Went to the dentist who commented on how good my gums are now, "the gums", he said "are a barometer of health" (sounded better in French).
Has to be the régime.
Dinner was a sort of fish stew, though I intended to make a tagine. Cooked aubergine, courgette, onion, garlic, red pepper, tomato, achocha and beans in ras-al-hanout, cumin, coriander, stock and saffron. Cooked down to a stew and then added bits of fish from the freezer, monkfish tail, cod and prawns and cooked for about five more minutes.
Different but nice.

I like the idea of the haloumi cheese, I hadn't thought of that. As for the nasturtiums, all you need is enough to fill one jar. Even a small jar.

I've got five nasturtiums in my garden so I don't think there are enough to pickle this year, but next year is a possibility. Do nasturtiums keep black fly away? Didn't know that, useful tip.

Re Kebabs ... I made some lamb kebabs (have I already said this...????) with courgette, pepper, haloumi cheese, mushroom and onion when I went camping last weekend. Pre-made them, wrapped them in foil, put them in cool box and simply put them on BBQ when we got there. Ready in a few minutes.

I told DBH about the duck kebabs and could practically hear the salivating! We do often have the sort of fish kebabs that you have, though. This is how the arch looks by july, by September it covers the whole thing and it is impossible to walk through it. Still, it keeps the blackfly off the rest f the veg.

I'm a firm believer in simple is best, so my recipe is most like this one

www.allotment.uk.com/index.php/food-drink/preserving/chutneys-pickles-and-sauces/pickles/item/230-pickled-nasturtium-seeds

and it keeps for years. Well, it did until the DCs started wanting me to grow it for them too. DS make the fish thing at uni but can't afford the capers. DD shoves them in everything. I just try to keep up with growing and picking the flaming things. I have a whole arch in my veg garden devoted to climbing nasturtiums!

Pickling nasturtium seeds? That's a new one on me. Off to google it

The sardine recipe sounds fab; will try that. We get fresh sardines in the market, but they are a fiddle and the barbecue grill takes ages to clean after. Can thoroughly recommend the monkfish, chorizo, tomato and red onion kebabs, they were really lovely.
Glad you liked the fritters Anya.
We have had new potatoes straight from the ground a couple of times and haven't felt at all carby afterwards, (unlike the slice of quiche I had to be polite the other day).

Well what could be simpler and tastier than that? Loved the chickpea fritters Mamie will be using them much more now.

I have introduced just a few more carbs now, like carrots and chickpea flour as my BMI is now 25 and, though I still want to lose a little more weight, I'm quite happy for it to come off slowly over the next few months. Also our new potatoes will be ready soon and I'd like to have just a couple of those. I can see we'll be giving away most of our potato crop this year.

As an alternative we have planted curly kale and black kale and that is doing so well it'll be ready to harvest soon too.

Our Sainsbury's doesn't sell chickpea flour, but it's not a big store. Might try Tesco, but I'm happy to support this little health shop I've discovered, who only have 1 of everything and is manned by two very small, frail old ladies who must be well into their 80s at least, if not 90s. Quite a good advert for their produce at any rate

Thanks for the recipe!

For almond flour, I just grind already ground almond, in a coffee grinder. I can buy gram flour in Tesco and Sainsbury, I have been using it for years, to make fritters and farinata, mainly, but lately I have been adding it to gluten free flour just to give a bit of colour, as in the little sweetcorn and onion pancakes that I make.

Capers - I make an Italian fish sauce, almost exactly like this

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1163643/spaghetti-with-sardines

as well as pasta puttanesca, both really quick and easy and just as nice without the pasta and with salad instead. Only I resent buying expensive capers, so make my own by pickling nasturtium seeds. I occasionally run out of seeds, and have to buy capers, but they aren't as strong as mine so I have to use loads of them. I bet the sardine recipe would be good for diabetics though, or you could use tinned pilchards instead. I add bits of onion and peppers as well.

Mamie I knew I would have to cut back on summer fruits, so now they are part of my salads. My heart is telling me, make strawberry jam! My brain is telling me, have four sliced strawberries on top of your salad! Currently breakfast is greek yoghourt and strawberries.

Thank you - will look for both when I next shop.

I can buy chickpea flour in the organic supermarket here, Anya, but the best stuff was the flour I bought in Spain, really fabulous quality.
OH had been enjoying some summer fruit (apricots, cherries and peaches) but found he had gained a pound or two and he had some stomach pain, so he stopped and lost the weight again. It is all trial and error isn't it?

I'm having your chickpea fritters as an accompaniment to lunch today Mamie. It was quite hard to find chickpea flour (or gram as it's often called) but I ran some down in a little health shop.

I noticed coconut flour in Holland & Barrett when I was seeking out gram flour (they didn't stick it) but have never used that. I'd be interested to hear ftom anyone who has.

Not sure what I ate yesterday but something has severely disagreed with me this morning. I've not felt like this for over 3 months now since starting this régime so being very strict with myself for the next few days.

Za'atar is a mix of spices used in Middle Eastern cooking Loopylou. Think it involves oregano, thyme and sumac, amongst others. I buy it when I am in England!
Chickpea flour is a favourite here, I think my very first post on this thread is a recipe for chickpea fritters which we love.
Has anyone tried almond or coconut flour? I do love naan and wondered if anyone had tried alternatives?

What's za'atar Mamie? And I haven't used chickpea flour so must look out for it.

I envy your garden produce janer! My tiny veg patch is growing well but yours is well ahead of mine my tomatoes are growing tiny green toms but it'll be a while before I'm picking them.

I had a slimfast bar. O god life is so unfair!!! LOL

The figs were by way of a treat, you certainly couldn't have them on a strict no carb. I agree not everyone likes them but have they tasted them soaked in armagnac.
Fish night here too. OH is making kebabs of monkfish, chorizo, baby tomato and red onion. Salad to go with it.
I have tested the biscuits. The recipe was with za'atar, but I wish I had followed my instinct and put a bit of cayenne in too. It was a cup of chickpea flour, tablespoon olive oil, half tsp of baking powder, salt and a tablespoon of za'atar with a couple of tbsps of water to mix. I think a cumin, cayenne mix might work better. I am putting tapenade on some for a starter and the rest with the cheese course, so I am sure they will do....

merlot you're obviously an excellent cook. I don't even know what a caper is.