Support and ideas for those on low-carb diet

Well done GrannyA (but best to lay off cake icing!)

We went to RHS Hyde Hall today and lunch was no problem because I had a Greek Salad and DH had sausages with a small amount of mash and courgettes.

Walked it all off afterwards!!

I can't remember if I ever said, but I wrote to them and had a lovely email back. They said they would always have a GF free option, and to ask if people couldn't see anything, they would make something up. I asked if they could perhaps mark their menu board clearly, but maybe that was a step too far! I'm going there with friends in a couple of weeks, so it's good to know about the greek salad.

It must have been popular, janer because I had the last one!

We steered clear of desserts but I did spot a gluten free chocolate cake in the fridge cabinet. Oooooh the temptation!

I think GS3 is a natural low carb eater. Ever since he could ask for a 'bacon butty' or a ham sandwich, he has eaten the contents and discarded the bread.

I do voluntary work and yesterday I had a phone call saying one of the other guides had phoned in sick, so could I fill in. I hadn't had breakfast, so grabbed two Nairn Oat and Stem Ginger biscuits that I'd bought a while ago. Only 1.7g of sugar each and gluten free too. To compare, a 2 finger Kit-Kat is 11g of sugar.

Not to be eaten too often, but very tasty and made a great emergency breakfast; I didn't feel hungry all morning

They are good. We took them on our epic three day drive to southern Spain in January and they were really useful especially given the bizarre nature of Spanish eating hours.
For lunch we have had a salad of peppered, smoked mackerel, beetroot and avocado in horseradish dressing. Tonight I am inventing a casserole of wild boar (shot by our neighbour), baby turnip, carrot and cabbage with lots of middle eastern spices and some dried apricots.
My DD says she thinks the Anatolia cookbook looks really good. Has anyone seen it?

No - but it looks lovely. I do love their food.

I made mini meat loafs, with masses of chopped veg and a mixture of pork and beef mince, with some strong cheddar as well. I just had one for lunch with salad and coleslaw, it was really nice. Sadly I didn't write down how I made it, which is always the case. I daresay I could roughly duplicate it.

Talking about oat biscuits, I made some last night. They were really nice too, not made for me but for DBH as he will be at home all next week and refuses to eat anything with much sugar in it. I got around that by putting some stevia in the mix. Again, I have no idea how I made them, or even how long they were cooking for as a friend turned up halfway through the baking. They were by way of an experiment.

Well that was a nice lunch - a simple green salad with baby tomatoes and a slab of duck paté. That particular market stall has duck bits, paté and duck sausages, all delicious. On the fish stall was the bluest lobster I have ever seen, really bright marine blue. We bought red mullet though, to have with preserved lemon and coriander with a spelt and feta salad. The summer vegetables are really getting going now but the fruit from the south of France is late this year, I think they have had some heavy rain and strong winds for long periods of time.

Tandoori Chicken and curried vegetables tonight. After a long day in the garden I fancied something hot and hearty!

We're doing a barbecue for DD's birthday on Monday so apart from the bread (which the DGSs will gromph) it will be a piece of cake.

A very small piece of birthday cake

DBH had a dodgy tummy, so was on toast and a packet of crisps. I was left to do my own thing (he usually cooks on Saturday nights) so stirfried a whole bag of prawns in olive oil and chopped chilli, added spring onions and a big wodge of baby rocket leaves. Very quick and simple but very nice.

Made watercress soup for lunch yesterday. Just made up the recipe as I went along using an onion, a stock pot, black pepper and watercress. Added some left over crème fraiche at the end and bunged it all in the smoothie maker.

It was Absolutely Delicious.

Merlot re your BBQ tomorrow, have you tried wrapping a beef burger in a Cos or Iceburg lettuce leave instead of a bun? It really works.

That's what we'll do, Ana Large Cos lettuce already in the fridge. I think it's a great combination.

I'm looking forward to trying Mary Berry's sausage meat lasagne as featured on her programme last Friday night. I'll use leek sheets instead of pasta.

Sorry, Anya not Ana

Thank heavens the veg garden is now in full swing, because DBH is home for the week and we are going to be living on stir-fries of baby veg and meats and fish that need using up from the freezers. He can have various noodles and pastas with his.

Desserts are going to be stewed fruits that need using up. Maybe stirred into greek yoghourt. Although I prefer that for breakfast.

My shape has changed. I have more waist.

And less waste?

Let me know how the lettuce butties go Merlot

Wishing you for your BBQ.

The lettuce butties were great, thanks, Anya. I also marinated chicken thighs in a lemon and thyme dressing which only contained one teaspoon of brown sugar. The DGSs love pork ribs smothered in a sticky glaze so I avoided those.

I haven't had any cake since February and the slice of chocolate birthday cake was well worth waiting for. I haven't minded giving up cake at all but it was nice to have a treat.

Glad you enjoyed them Merlot we enjoy the crunchiness contrast. Try saying that after a

We had family round and DH made the Hairies Chicken Jalfrezi with cauliflower rice. Son and DiL (great curry fans) well impressed and demanded recipe. We leave out the sugar and add a teaspoon of Splenda and use ground almonds instead of flour to thicken.

Just created a lovely lunch from leftovers, which was so delicious and easy I had to tell someone.

I had leftover chicken in the fridge, some bacon what wanted using up, a couple of beetroot with droopy leaves and a slightly desiccated sweet potato.

I spiralised the beetroot and sweet potato, mixed them together and fried them in a little oil and black pepper. In a seperate pan I dry fried the bacon after cutting it up into small pieces. I grabbed a few spicy leaves from the garden, piled on the leftover chicken then tipped the bacon in with the vegetables for a couple of minutes.

Very tasty indeed, and all my leftovers used up

It's too hot to sit out in the garden so I'm eating it in what used to be our conservatory. It was almost unbearable in summer and pretty cold in winter so we've had it insulated and rechristened the morning room. There's posh!

what wanted eating up that wanted eating up

It sounds delicious!
We had green leaves with the last of the duck paté and a smidgin of fig conserve.
Tonight we are having chicken in a paste of preserved lemons and harissa with aubergine and courgette batons cooked in oil and turmeric in the oven.

Tonight we're having Mary Berry's sausage meat lasagne.

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2971901/Mary-Berry-Absolute-Favourites-II-Lasagne-express.html

I've left out the flour and the sugar and will use leek sheets instead of pasta. I think this recipe will also be nice as a shepherd's pie topped with sweet potato mash.

I have already cooked the pork and spinach in the slow cooker. Just need to stick it all together later.

I saw that in the programme last week and it looked delicious.

I bet my grandsons would like that. That's their tea tomorrow sorted!

I'm working my way through the freezer, we are having venison casserole with cauliflower rice, and salad.