Soy Thyme Chicken Thighs

Easy peasy recipe that is just as lowcarb as it is delicious. The radishes will fool even the most pain in the ass picky non-low carbers into thinking you made them potatos. Trust me...they've fooled my Dad who HATES fauxtatoes, faux rice, etc! Promise.

6-8 Chicken Thighs (boneless, skinless)
Salt and Pepper
1.5 tsp Olive Oil
1 slice of bacon (yes, really, one slice)
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Dry white wine
1 Tbsp Splenda
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme (fine, losers you can use dry...just cut it in half)
15-20 Radishes, washed, ends removed and cut in half (just under a pound)
1/2 Large Red Onion, diced largely (.5 inches each or so)

Heat a large saucepan/high edged frying pan (at least 3 inches high) until it's HOT. Sprinkly salt and pepper liberally on one side of the chicken thighs. Add olive oil to the pan. Lay the chicken thighs in the hot pan, salt and pepper side down. Season the other side w/ salt and pepper. (I had to do this in batches, 3 thighs per batch). Allow the thighs to brown...don't cheat yourself here, it will take a little while especially with the first batch. Brown them on both sides. Remove thighs to plate once browned on both sides.

Cut up single piece of bacon into small pieces. Drop carefully into the same pan you just removed the chicken from. Allow the bacon to crisp, stirring it around as needed. Once it's all crispy and delicious,  add the halved radishes and the onions. Season the veggies with a healthy pinch of pepper (Easy on the salt, unless you are using low sodium soy sauce) Stir around in the pan drippings until the veggies are evenly coated and you are starting to drool.

Allow the veggies to hang out for 3-4 minutes to allow some flavors to develop. Add the mustard, the soy sauce, the white wine, and the splenda. Stir it around with the veggies and drippings until it's all combined. Bring it to a bubble (a little less than a rolling boil). Lay the browned chicken pieces on top and kind of nestle them down into the sauce and the veggies. See photo below. Ignore the splatters...I wiped them up when I was done.

Isn't this starting to look good? Yes, it is.

Ok, so after you nestle the chicken,  sprinkle it with the fresh unless you are a loser thyme. Cover the pan and place in your pre-heated 400 degree oven.  Cook it for 2.5 hours. You don't have to touch it during that time, but if you are curious and want to check it after about an hour and a half...I won't judge. I'll also tell you that if you check it, you should turn the chicken and re-nestle. Not an imparative step...but helpful.

Remove it and check the radish tenderness after 2.5 hours...they should be more than tender and the chicken should be practically falling apart. If it's not, check to make sure you're oven is on...just kidding. If it's not, throw it back in for another 30 minutes :)

Enjoy...You could serve this over rice for non-lowcarbers, or over fauxrice if you are a low-carber...unless your my Mom. You can also just eat it as is. Hubby and I did. Yum!

Carb Counts

So - for those of you who are new to this...carb count is essentially the carbohydrates minus the fiber (as your body can't digest fiber). You want to aim for approximately 20-25 carbs per day...seems crazy, I know...but once you start this and get well on your way, you'll be fine! Remember this is a goal...but you have to start somewhere.

I would encourage you to start reading labels when you are the grocery store...you will be amazed at things that you considered "healthy" that are actually horrible for you! Let me know if you have questions about any of the items below!

Here are the basic elements of a successful low carb diet

Eat as much as you want:

• Meat
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Green, non-starchy Veggies - brocolli, lettuce, spinach, peppers
• Mustards of all kind
• Mayo

Eat in Moderation:

• Heavy Cream (non sweetened)
• Higher Carb, non-starchy Veggies - green beans, onion, garlic, peas, tomatoes
• Soft Cheeses - cream cheese (get the 1/3 fat...it has the lowest carb count!)
• Nuts - almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts are the best...but watch your portion size, carb counts will add up quickly.
• Lower Carb Alcoholic Beverages - Wine,

Cut Out (or at least severly limit):

• Grains - bread, pasta
• Fruit - although it's not bad for maintenance, there is a lot of sugar in fruit...who knew?
• Sweets, Candy, etc...duh
• Milk - substitute with Calorie Countdown by Hood.
• Condiments - ketchup (unless no sugar added), relish, anything with sugar in it. Check your labels!
• Beans - although they are "healthy", 1 serving will equal your carb count for the day.
• Starchy Veggies - Potatoes
• Soda and Sugary drinks...drink diet, or even better water!
• Sugar Based Alcohols - Rum, Liqueors

See below for carb counts of some frequently questioned items

FRUIT
Portions are 1/4 cup. Carbs shown are effective carbs, the fiber count has been removed.
Apple - 17.3g
Applesauce, Unsweetend (check your Carb Count) - 6.2g
Apricot - 3.1g
Avocado - 0.5g
Banana - 21.2g
Cantaloupe - 3.0g
Cherries - 4.2g
Coconut, unsweetened - 1.3g
Cranberries - 2.0g
Grapes - 6.7g
Honeydew - 3.6g
Kiwi - 6.5g
Lemon - 3.8g
Mango - 6.3g
Orange - 12.9g
Peach - 8.9g
Pear - 21.1g
Pineapple - 4.3g
Plantain - 12g
Plum - 7.6g
Raisens - 31.0g
Watermelon - 2.6g

ALCOHOL - 1 Shot Serving
(Remember...while the counts are low, alcohol actually stops the body's ability to burn fat, it won't set you back in small amounts, but frequent drinking will definitely show up on the scale.)
Another side note - mixers are NOT included in these counts...see below for mixer counts.
Armagnac - 0g
Beer (12oz) - 12.5g...if you have to drink beer, please drink Michelob Ultra...
Bourbon - 0g
Brandy - 0g
Cognac - 0g
Gin - 0g
Rum- 3g (sugar based)
Scotch - 0g
Tequila - 0g
Vermouth, Dry - 1.4g
Vermouth, Sweet - 4.5g
Vodka - 0g
Whiskey - 0g
Wine, Red (4oz) - 2.0g
Wine, White (4oz) - 0.9g

MIXERS
There is only 1 good option listed below for a mixer...
Apple juice, unsweetened (8oz glass) - 29g
Coca cola (8oz glass) - 30g
Seriously...who only uses 8 oz? This is 1.5 days worth of your entire count!
Cranberry juice (8oz glass) - 36g
Diet soda (8oz glass) - 0g
Lemon juice (1oz) - 2.5g
Lime juice (1oz) - 2.7g
Maraschino cherry (1) - 2g
Olive (1) - .5g
Orange juice (8oz glass) - 26g
Pineapple juice (8oz glass) - 34g
Tonic water comes in a number of carb levels - check your bottle!

VEGGIES - Servings are 1/2 Cup...most people eat approximately 1 cup as a serving, so remember to double the count if that is the case!
Artichoke - 6.9g
Asparagus (6) - 2.4g
Beans, green - 4.9g
Bok Choy - 0.7g
Broccoli - 1.7g
Brussels Sprouts - 7.6g
Cabbage - 1.1g
Carrot - 5.1g
Cauliflower - 1.5g
Celery - 0.8g
Corn - 14.1g
Cucumber - 1.8g
Eggplant - 2.0g
Lettuce - 0.5g
Mushroom - 1.0g
Onion - 4g
Parsnip - 9g
Peas - 6.5g
Peppers, Green - 3.4g
Peppers, Red - 3.3g
Pickle (1 medium) - 2g
Potato - 14g
Potato, Sweet (1) - 28g
Pumpkin - 6.3g
Radish - 0.5g
Rutabaga - 4.0g
Spinach - 0.2g
Squash, yellow - 1.4g
Tomato - 3.2g
Turnips - 2.3g
Zucchini (green squash) - 3.3g

Fantastic Cookbooks...

So, for those of you just embarking on your Low Carb Journey...I highly recommend that you purchase the following cookbooks - as they are amazing! I recommend adding salt and pepper to the majority of the recipes, but otherwise they are highly flavorful and very healthy.

Dana Carpenter - 500 Low Carb Recipes
- Low Carb Slow Cooker Recipes
- 15 Minute Low Carb Meals

Happy Eating & Losing!

Introduction - What am I about?

Well, at this point, this is my first foray into blogging, so we'll see how it goes. I have set up this blog to help mostly my family, but also many of the people I talk to about living a Low Carb Lifestyle everyday! I am not a doctor, or any other type of medical professional. Actually, I do marketing for golf courses...so, you ask, how do I get off thinking I'm an expert on Low Carb Living?

Well, actually, I'm not.

However, I have been successfully living low carb for over a year now, and have found it to be the first and only "diet" that I was able to convert into a lifestyle. I had tried Low Calorie, Weight Watchers, Crazy Workouts, Body Cleanses...everything. It wasn't until I committed to going "hard core" low carb approximately 4 months before my wedding that I lost the weight.

I lost 20 pounds in the first month of my new lifestyle, and an additional 10 over the next 3 - I have kept that weight off since November of 2007. While Low Carb living isn't for everyone, it has worked for me. I have combined numerous plans/ideas/inputs to create a diet that works for me...and has worked for my family members, and friends who have also committed.

The beauty of my version of Low Carb living is that you CAN cheat - not all the time, by any means, but enough so taht you don't feel deprived. I think you'll be surprised after you get going on it that you may not even want to cheat as often as you make think!

Anyway, stay tuned as this site develops...hopefully you find it helpful. Let me know your comments, struggles, successes, and what you think about my recipes.

I hope that you find this helpful - I know that I enjoyed reading other Low Carb blogs when I first embarked on this journey a couple of years ago.