Jabberwock’s Low Sodium Chicken Sausage September 22, 2019

“You need to lower your sodium”.

YUP. That’s what Doctor Jon says…

Dammit. This sure puts a wrinkle in my quick and dirty breakfast routine. Generally I have an egg or two, and some chicken or turkey sausage along with a cup of Joe. Quick. Easy. Simple.

But Doctor Jon says to strive for 1500 mg of sodium per day, and definitely no more than 2300 – – – so about 500 mg per meal. He also made some other recommendations which I will get to in future posts.

My go-to brand for breakfast Sausage is Isernio’s Chicken Breakfast Sausage. Egads. 832 mg of sodium for 4 ounces is a deal breaker. Bear in mind that many foods inherently have a small amount of sodium to start with. An egg right out of the shell has about 70 mg, and four ounces of raw chicken usually has 70-100 mg.

My copycat attempt reduces the sodium by 511 mg, which puts this recipe on the list of keepers.

Here’s my workaround…

Jabberwock’s low sodium breakfast sausage

1 lb. ground chicken
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients, and create 8 equal sized patties (2 ounces each). Tip: if you spray a little cooking oil on your hands it makes this easier. Pan fry over medium until chicken is fully cooked.

Serving size is 2 patties.

Fast lane meal prep: Roasted chicken, potatoes and green beans April 26, 2015

Five minutes to prep a full meal is pretty cool. One hour to cook, and its Life in the Fast Lane ! Taters for the fam, Salad and green beans for the low carbers…

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Nice job on the guitar Alvarohh . . .(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WShSwbI_U8c )

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OH.  And that Chicken broth I mentioned:  ( https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/homemade-chicken-stock/ )

 

Poached Egg, Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl April 5, 2015

Fat 7.7 | Carb 18.3 | Prot 10.6 | Cals 187

 

Nice and colorful breakfast this Easter morning!  AND, the nesting blue jay’s eggs are gorgeous.

Poached Egg, Sweet Potato, and Veggie Breakfast

1 slice turkey bacon, cooked
1 egg
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup diced sweet red peppers
2 scallions, diced
1/2 cup leftover roasted sweet potato

Start the poaching water.  Directions for poaching the egg can be found here:
https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/?s=poached

Sweet potato recipe is here:
https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/roasted-chicken-thighs-with-sweet-potatoes/

Get the egg into the poaching water…

Add potatoes, scallions, and sweet red peppers to a non stick pan that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil (I have a Misto) over medium high heat.  Saute until potatoes are warm all the way through. At the same time you can toss the turkey bacon into the pan, it just needs to be browned.

By the time the egg is done poaching the potatoes, veggies and bacon should be done.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Low Carb Bacon Veggie Scramble April 2, 2015

Bacon Veggie Scramble:     Fat 14.8 | Net Carbs 6.8 | Prot 15.6 | Cals 241

Low Carb Bacon Veggie Scramble

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small carrot, sliced
1/4 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 large mushroom, sliced
1 egg + 1 egg white, scrambled
2 slices turkey bacon, sliced
1/4 cup spinach
1 Tbsp salsa

Heat olive oil in non stick pan on medium high. Add carrot and sautee for about 1 minute until the carrot softens a little. Add mushrooms, red pepper, bacon, and sautee until the veggies are soft. Add spinach and sautee for 30 seconds (until just barely wilted).

Pour eggs over the top, and mix until they are cooked. Top with Salsa.

EASY Weeknight Salmon March 8, 2015

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Weeknights are tough around here!  Between working long hours, fencing practices, household duties and traveling for tournaments, there is just not a ton of time to be messing around cooking dinner.

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Three minute prep, ten minutes in the oven.  Serve with veggies or salad, and if you have a little extra time maybe some rice or couscous for the family.

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Easy Weeknight Salmon

1 Salmon fillet
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp white wine
Kosher Salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder to taste
Aluminum foil

Prehead the oven to 375 F.

I made an Aluminum foil “mini-pan” to create a small enclosure around the fish since my sheet pan is very massive. I wanted to make sure that the oil, lemon juice, and white wine were “contained” around the fish to maximize flavor.

Place the salmon skin side down in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and wine. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Cook at 375 F for about 10 minutes. Cook time may vary depending on the thickness of your fillet, fish will be cooked when you can easily flake away a small piece with a fork.

 

Freezer Breakfast Bowls – Cooking in Bulk February 22, 2015

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We finally got a breather this weekend and are not traveling to any fencing tournaments, so it’s time to catch up on some freezer breakfasts for my kiddo!  These can be popped straight from the freezer to microwave, or you can pull one out the night before and let it thaw a little before microwaving.  Either way it makes for an easier morning if your teenager is slow to get moving before school, and this is far more filling than a bowl of cereal.

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COST.  Recently a friend and I were discussing monthly food budgets. She is feeding two adults, two teenage boys, and one teenage girl on a very tight budget. As a result of this conversation I have started paying more attention to the cost of my meals.  Here is the breakdown (none of my items were on sale, and I did not shop at a superstore):

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Potatoes               $ 2.99
Eggs                      $ 2.68
Chicken Sasuage $ 4.99
Green onions       $  .69
Red bell pepper  $ 1.50
Cheddar               $ 1.25
+ ——
$14.10

So, for 12 servings, that works out to $1.17 per serving.  To save some $$ on this dish, you could omit the sausage, and use 6 more eggs instead.

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Country Scramble Breakfast Bowls

5 lb Red potatoes
18 eggs
1 lb Chicken Sausage
8 green onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced finely
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

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Preheat oven to 375 F.

Dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes. No need to peel! Spread evenly on two baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste. Roast for about 25 minutes. Turn potatoes halfway through using a spatuala, and if your oven cooks unevenly like mine, swap pans on the racks.

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Meanwhile, cook the sausage and red bell pepper together. Remove to a large bowl.

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Scramble the eggs, and cook over medium heat. Remove eggs to the bowl with the sausage. Add the diced green onions, and mix well.

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Time to assemble!

Add about 1 cup potatoes to 12 freezer containers.
Top potatoes with about 3/4 cup of egg/sausage/veggie mixture.
Sprinkle each one with a little cheddar cheese.
FREEZE!

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Nutrition Information

Weeknight “One Pot” Chicken Dinner (Well – Really one pan) November 15, 2014

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Prep time is less than 5 minutes!

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Weeknight “One Pot” Chicken Dinner
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4 medium red skin potatoes, cubed
Green beans
“Baby mushrooms”
5 chicken thighs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika
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Arrange chicken, potatoes and veggies on a large sheet pan.  Drizzle it all with olive oil.

Season everyting with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Season just the chicken with paprika.

Cook at 375 F for 45 minutes. Great family meal — to keep it low carb for myself, I just skip the taters.

Perfect Poached Eggs August 24, 2014

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1 Red

Poached Eggs.  How hard can it be ?

Well, if you are fussy about the perfect consistency of the yolk, it can be hard !  For me, I like it to be like a nice thick gravy – and since it’s been a while since I made poached eggs, it took me a couple of tries to get the time right.  By the way, that yolk was not Photoshopped!  We have chickens (I call them “my girls”), and I had been feeding them a little more corn than usual, which contributes to a fabulous orange colored yolk.

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Perfect Poached Eggs and Turkey Bacon
2 slices turkey bacon
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Bring 1 cup of water up to boiling.  Turn down the heat a touch so the water is just barely bubbling.  Add vinegar.  Crack an egg into a small bowl or cup.  Gently slide it into the water.  Cook for exactly 4 minutes!  Sometimes I find after about 3 minutes that the top of the egg needs a little more cook time so I gently roll it over with a large spoon.

While the egg is cooking, toss the turkey bacon into a non-stick pan and brown both sides.

When the egg is done take it out of the water with a slotted spoon to a folded paper towel, roll it over to “dry” both sides.

Asian Citrus Shrimp Skewers with Veggies August 17, 2014

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1 Red

2 Greens

1 Orange

1 Blue

2 teaspoons

Asian Citrus Shrimp Skewers with Veggies

(Shrimp)
12 medium shrimp
2 Tbsp Asian Citrus Vinagrette
1 tsp olive oil

(Veggies)
1 cup broccoli
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup cherry tomaties, quartered
1 Tbsp onion
1 Tbsp diced red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

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Heat a non stick pan to medium high heat and toast the walnuts for a minute or two.

Marinade the shrimp with Vinagrette and 1 tsp ollive oil in a small bowl for 5 minutes. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side.

Over medium high heat add 1 tsp. olive oil, broccoli, carrots, onion, bell pepper, garlic to a non stick pan.  Pour leftover marinade over the top.  Sautee for 2-3 minutes.  Take off the heat and add tomatoes.

Serve the skewer over the top of the veggies and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

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Asian Citrus Vinaigrette

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1 Orange

Asian Citrus Vinaigrette

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp honey
1/2 inch of peeled ginger, minced
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients, whisk, or put in a jar and shake.

 

Recipe adapted from 21 Day Fix Eating Plan.