Who says you can't have fried chicken while eating low carb?! Not me! I was really surprised at how amazing this recipe turned out. I was expecting it to be gooey or not have a lot of flavor. Boy, was I wrong! The chicken had a really good crunchy texture and the seasonings are to die for.

What you need:
1 or 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into fingers)
2 Eggs
Coconut oil
Olive oil

For the breading:
1 Bag of pork rinds (I used plain, but BBQ will work also)
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder (to taste)
Onion powder (to taste)
Salt
Paprika (to taste)
Black pepper

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, add the pork rinds, Parm and seasonings then pulverize. Set aside.
Beat the eggs well, in a bowl. Set aside.

Melt equal parts olive oil and coconut oil in a non stick pan over med-hi heat. (I set my stove to 6 and it was perfect)

Now you're ready to bread the chicken. Make sure you have pounded your chicken cutlets fairly thin, so they will cook faster, then dip the chicken into the egg wash, then into the pork rind mixture. Do this step twice to ensure a good, crispy breading on your chicken.

Fry each piece of chicken about 6 or so minutes per side, until it reads 160 on a meat thermometer. Due to serving pink chicken to my husband more than once (or Thrice), I now am really weird about measuring the temp, so I make sure I check every meat, every time.

Note: If you like a spicier version, you can add some cayenne pepper to the pork rind breading when you pulverize it. (and Blue Cheese is only 2 carbs per 2 Tbsp)

Since I started eating low carb, I have seen tons of recipes that say you can substitute cauliflower for potatoes. I wasn't really sure this would work, but I was down to give it a try.

To test the theory, I decided to try it with a version of my Mom's potato casserole recipe and boy, was I surprised. It was amazing! It wasn't the exact texture of potatoes, but that would be easily corrected with a little more elbow grease, while mixing.

What You Need:
1 Head of cauliflower (steamed)
1 Block softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup Mayo
1/2 Cup Sour cream
1/2 Cup Shredded cheddar + another 1/2 cup for the top
1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
3 or 4 Slices of bacon (cooked and chopped)
1 Bunch green onions (chopped)
Salt & Pepper
Sprinkle of dill

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Steam a medium sized head of cauliflower for about 15-17 minutes.
Cut into bite sized pieces.
In a separate bowl, mix together all other ingredients minus the bacon, a few green onions and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar.
Add in the bite sized cauliflower and stir well. (for a more mashed texture, you can whip this with an electric mixer)
Pour into a 9x11 pan, top with the bacon and remaining cheese, a few green onions and the bacon.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Eating low carb doesn't mean you can't still enjoy your favorite treats. With a couple of tweaks and substitutions, you can enjoy the foods you crave, without the carbs.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Almond Milk*
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree**
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (+/- based on your taste)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 or 2 Splenda Packs (+/- based on your taste)

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender, liquid first and blend well. That's it. Easy as pie... pumpkin pie. 


Note: If you're feeling really fancy, you can freeze some almond milk the night before, in an ice tray and use it in the smoothie for more of a frappe texture.

*For this smoothie, I used Califia Farms' coconut/almond milk blend. It's unsweetened and only had a carb or two per the amount I used and it's dairy free.
**For the pumpkin, make sure you use only pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. 

DISCLAIMER: A special "thank you" to Aldi, for sponsoring today's post.

Last week, I gave you a few tips and tricks for saving money on your grocery bill, by shopping at Aldi. This week, I'm following up with a yummy meal plan even the kids will eat and make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the printable menu planner. Happy eating!

Breakfast: Pina Colada Breakfast Smoothie
Lunch: Sandwich, veggie straws & fruit
Dinner: Veggie Quesadillas

Breakfast: Cheesy scrambled eggs and fruit
Lunch: Sandwich & yogurt
Dinner: Chicken foil packs

Breakfast: Strawberry Hulk Smoothie
Lunch: Tuna sandwich (sandwiches can get boring, substitute a pita pocket or whole grain flat bread instead of plain white bread, to mix it up a little)
Dinner: Parmesan crusted ranch tilapia

Breakfast: French toast casserole
Lunch: Flat bread sushi
Dinner: Chicken fettuccine Alfredo

Breakfast: Cereal & fruit
Lunch: Pb & J + yogurt
Dinner:  Flat bread pizza

Breakfast: Pigs in a blanket  (make a huge batch, freeze for next week)
Lunch: Home made hot pockets (make a double batch for leftovers, for tomorrow)
Dinner: Honey garlic chicken drumsticks

Breakfast: Chocolate chip cookie dough pancakes
Lunch: Home made hot pockets
Dinner: Teriyaki chicken with coconut rice (use brown rice for a healthier version)

... and for those of you who are like me and need it all spelled out for you, right in front of your face, with a neat bow attached, here's a Pinterest board with all the recipes included in this plan. Bon' appetite.

Getting your kid to eat breakfast should not be a stressful situation, but unfortunately, for me, it often is.... or was, until I stumbled on to smoothies. I know, smoothies have been around forever, they are nothing new, but for me, they revolutionized the way I serve breakfast.

There's no more fighting, whining or crying in the morning... and Micah likes them too. (insert rimshot here) Seriously though, I am really diggin' the idea of smoothies for breakfast. Think about it, most parents resort to serving their kids some sort of cereal or toaster pastry or even worse, nothing and think it's ok, it's really not. Look at the back of a box of cereal and it will shock you all the artificial crap they put in there.

I know cereal is quick and easy, but smoothies can be too and they are all natural, no preservatives or artificial colors or any added sweeteners and yes, the kids will actually drink them, especially if you give it a snazzy name, like strawberry Hulk smoothie or Pinkie Pie smoothie.

Whatever you have to do, just get them to try it, after they try it just once, they will love it. My pickiest of picky eaters requests these every morning and he even knows about the spinach.

You can really make a smoothie out of any frozen fruits (or fresh, but frozen gives it a better consistency, in my opinion) plus some kind of liquid (I use almond milk).

For this exact smoothie, I used..
1 banana, a handful of frozen strawberries, about 1/4 cup of almond milk, a spoonful of whole milk yogurt I found at Aldi and a few baby spinach leaves. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend well.

You can garnish with granola for a little crunch or serve it with a spoonful of fresh whipped cream (or cool whip, I'm not judging). Now, sit back and relax, you just fixed the kids a healthy breakfast.

DISCLAIMER: A big thanks to my friends at Aldi, for sponsoring today's recipe.

When deciding whether to add a recipe to my weekly meal plan, I have a few criteria it must meet... It must be easy to fix with not too much prep time. It must be healthy(ish). It must be delicious and it must be kid friendly.

My latest find meets all the criteria aaaannndd, you can make it in a slow cooker... double score. Here's the full recipe...