Low-Carb/Egg Fast Cinnamon Egg Muffins

Here's a simply simple Egg Fast muffin recipe. If you know me, then you know I can not separate an egg and successfully fluff egg whites for any recipe, so I am always looking for recipes that use the whole egg! This one does! And it's simple! Give it a go!!

Ingredients 

- 6 oz cream cheese

- 5 tbsp coconut oil

- 1 tbsp canola oil (to butter muffin tins) 

- 6 eggs

- 1.5 tbsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

- 2.5 tbsp Torani vanilla syrup 

Instructions

- melt the oil and cream cheese in the microwave for about 2 mins

- add other ingredients to bowl and mix all together with a hand mixer

- pour into muffin tins- 6 large muffin tins, 6 mini muffin tins 

- bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins 

- take out of oven and cool

These muffins can be eaten right away or refrigerated for the next day or two. When snacking on them, they can be heated in the microwave for 30 seconds or eaten cold. Easy meal for the road! 

One serving = 1 large muffin and 1 mini muffin = 1 egg/1 fat/1 cheese

"Egg"joy!

Gigi

Low-Carb/Egg Fast Cream & Herbs Egg Bowl

I saw a recipe for eggs with (heavy whipping) cream and herbs that I desperately wanted during my Egg Fast but the ingredients just didn't match up with the Egg Fast requirements. So, I put on my creativity hat, and really adjusted the recipe to make it Egg Fast friendly! Did you know that 1 portion of heavy whipping cream = 1/2 portion of cream cheese? We'll now you know and that's what I subbed out in this recipe to get the "creamy" effect! I used 2 oz ramekins which only hold 1 egg, but the recipe can be doubled if you are using a 4 oz ramekin which can hold 2 eggs. 

Ingredients

- 4 eggs

- 2 tbsp cream cheese

- 4 tbsp butter (or oil) 

- 1/2 tbsp Rosemary & 1/2 tbsp Thyme- mix together 

- (optional) Parmesan cheese 

Instructions

- preheat oven to 425 degrees

- build your 4 2 oz ramekins according to the diagram

(when cracking the egg into the ramekin, do not pierce the yolks)

- (optional) add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top of the herbs

- bake for 10-12 mins- place on a cookie sheet/pan so the ramekin is stable in the oven 

- once the whites are settled and the yolks are soft, 

- and the butter has melted to the bottom of the ramekin, 

- enjoy!! 

Each ramekin is 1 egg/1 fat/.5 cheese. Enjoy 2-3 ramekins for a meal or 1 for a snack! 

Creamy & Dreamy! 

Gigi 

Egg Fast: My Personal Experience

Good Day to all! Thanks for stopping by to read my blog! I am super excited to be blogging on this topic because I think it will be well received by a TON of people! It's a quick, easy, and safe way to shed those extra pounds! And with summer right around the corner... what better time than NOW!

Well if you haven't heard of it, you should do your research. An Egg Fast is a popular Low-Carb fast to break a weight loss stall. From what I've read on blogs and Facebook groups, it appears to work for everyone, to some extent or another. And I am writing this blog entry to tell you about my personal, and very successful, EGG FAST!

To start you off, let me introduce you to Mellissa of the blog- I Breathe I'm Hungry (IBIH). She has a blog page dedicated to what an egg fast is and another page with her menu and recipes. I mainly followed her blog for my own 5 day Egg Fast. She's got some awesome recipes! You're going to love her!! Not only does she have egg fast recipes, but also other Low-Carb and Gluten-Free goodies. 

So, with the support of my fellow Low-Carbers, I started my Egg Fast on Monday morning, March 16. I created a group on Facebook- Low-Carb Egg Fast Support Group- for all the people who expressed interest and dedication to completing this fast for the next 5 days with me. We all came together on this Facebook group to provide support, share recipes, and encourage one another to "stick with it!" The group has turned out to be a fabulous compilation of hardworking and determined people who are really dedicated to eating and feeling better! 

Step 1:

Read the above links. Familiarize yourself with what an Egg Fast is, the safety and health concerns associated with it, and how it works. While some people follow it to the T, not everyone does and still, they find success. A brief recap of what you can eat on the Egg Fast is: eggs, fat (oil, butter, mayo), and protein (cheese). That's it. But with that being said, there are TONS of ways to use these 3 ingredients to make a killer egg meal!

Step 2:

Meal Planning. Before you can go shopping, you have to decide what you're going to eat. Take a look at Pinterest. There are SO many great recipes there! Here's my personal collection- Egg Fast Menu & Recipes. So, here's my five day menu, which isn't perfect, but it's my personal experience. And I've learned from it!

My 5 Day Menu

Day One

BREAKFAST

1. one cup of coffee (k-cup, zero carb, any flavor), 3 tbsp of sweetener (Torani, Skinny Syrup, DaVinci brand), 1/8 cup of unsweetened almond milk
2. "Muglette" 

SNACK

1. 1 string cheese (equivalent to 1 oz of cheese or 1 deli slice of cheese)

LUNCH

1. 1/2 cup of egg salad
2. 1 oz sliced cheese 

SNACK

1. 1 hard boiled egg

DINNER

1. 1 buffalo omelette

Day Two

BREAKFAST

1. coffee (see day one recipe)
2. 1 Low-Carb Pancakes

SNACK

1. none

LUNCH

1. 1/2 cup of egg salad
2. 1 oz sliced cheese 

SNACK

1. 2 deviled eggs (try using some yellow mustard in the yolk mixture)

DINNER

1. 1 buffalo scrambled egg

Day Three

BREAKFAST

1. coffee (see day one recipe)
2. 3 hard boiled eggs
3. 1 oz sliced cheese

SNACK

1. none

LUNCH

1. 1/2 cup of egg salad
2. 1 oz sliced cheese 

SNACK

1. 2 deviled eggs

DINNER

1. snickerdoodle crepes. Now here I made a mistake! I didn't look at the serving size of the recipe and ate the whole thing! It was four servings! Oops! I didn't let it get me down though!

Day Four

BREAKFAST

1. coffee (see day one recipe)
2. buffalo scrambled eggs

SNACK

1. 1 string cheese

LUNCH

1. coconut egg custard

SNACK

1. none

DINNER

1. 1 snickerdoodle (my adapted recipe)

 

Day Five

BREAKFAST

1. coffee (see day one recipe)
2. 1 snickerdoodle

SNACK

1. none

LUNCH

1. 3 hard boiled eggs
2. 3 real mayo packets
3. 3 deli slices of swiss cheese

SNACK

1. 1 string cheese

DINNER

1. 1 snickerdoodle

Days Six and Seven were transition days. I ate one egg fast meal during those days. On both days, I had pancakes for breakfast and a Low-Carb meal for lunch and dinner. It's important to transition; this is necessary to avoid your body going into shock and gaining all your hard work weight back.

Weight Loss Breakdown:

I weighed myself every morning, after using the bathroom but before having breakfast. I weighed myself in the nude. I recorded my weight below based on the morning that I weighed myself, but the amount is based on the food eaten on the day before.

Day Two: loss of 1.5 lbs
Day Three: loss of 3 lbs
Day Four: loss of 1 lb
Day Five: no loss. If you look at my menu above, you will see that on Day Four, I ate a coconut egg custard and a snickerdoodle. I think that the addition of all that sweetener made me stall. When I cut it out on day Day Five, I lost weight on Day Six.
Day Six: loss of 2 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 7.5 lbs

Step 3:

Now that you have seen my menu and created your own menu, you need to compile a shopping list. Here's mine...

Seasonings are allowed on the Egg Fast, but some are higher in carbs than others so watch out for that. Also, don't forget to buy a block of cheese or deli slices if you prefer to eat this cheese rather than string cheese. I ate all for some variety.

Step 4:

Decide when you're going to start your Egg Fast. If you have your menu planned and refrigerator stocked, then you're ready to start! I suggest first finding a support group (Facebook has plenty. I created one called the Low-Carb Egg Fast Support Group. It's a private group that you have to ask to join, but please do!!) or find some friends to support you through the fast. Everything is easier to do with people that can relate, encourage, and support! Also, choose how many days you want to follow the Egg Fast. The time frame is a personal preference, but I've seen people follow 3-5-7 days or even more. Some people are so pleased with their results that they want to continue even longer than they anticipated. Feel it out first, and go from there. Initially I would commit to 5 days because it is an adjustment in your eating habits and appetite. For some reason, the Egg Fast menu seems to decrease appetites, but you have to remember to eat! And you have to eat at least 6 eggs per day.

Well... "The time has come, to talk of many things"... Don't you remember the story of the walrus and the carpenter from Alice in Wonderland's The Jabberwocky? Well, that's where that quote comes from. And it's how I'm wrapping up this blog post on my personal Egg Fast experience. I hope I've been helpful and that you will dare to try the Egg Fast too!! And plaaaaleassse let me know how it goes!!







Stop Hiding! It's time to start!

Good Luck!!! Break a L"egg"!!!

 

 Gigi

Low-Carb/Egg Fast Pancakes III

Pancake recipe III. Slightly different than Pancake recipe I and this one meets all the requirements to be Egg Fast friendly! Give it a try! 

Ingredients 

- 2 eggs

- 2 oz cream cheese

- 2 tbsp butter OR coconut oil 

- 2 tbsp flavored (of your choice) sugar free syrup (like Torani, DaVinci, Skinny Syrup)

Instructions

1.     A. if using a griddle, melt the butter or coconut oil in the microwave 

        B. if using a frying pan, melt the butter or coconut oil in the frying pan

2. melt the cream cheese in the microwave for 1- 1 1/2 mins 

3. add the eggs and cream cheese into a magic bullet, blender or use a hand mixer and beat

4.      A. if using a griddle, add the melted  butter or coconut oil to the egg and cream cheese mixture and beat again

5. cook pancakes on the griddle or in a frying pan until golden brown and then flip 

6. Continue until the batter is done. Batter should make 12 good sized pancakes. 

7. Now eat 'em while they're hot!

With the addition of the flavored sugar free syrup to the batter, you won't need to add any maple syrup, cinnamon, or sweetener (ie Splenda). 

"Egg"clusively yours, 

Gigi

Low-Carb/Egg Fast Coconut Custard (adaptation)

The I Breathe I'm Hungry blog is so awesome! This girl Mellissa is so creative on how to use eggs! I thought I could get creative too and make a coconut egg custard similar to her caramel custard. I was right!! And it wasn't difficult! The most difficult thing was waiting till the next day to eat it! Lol!!

Ingredients

For the egg custard:

- 2 eggs

- 2 oz cream cheese

- 1 cup water

- 1.5 tbsp granulated splenda (or other sweetener) 

- 1.5 tsp coconut extract

For the sauce:

- 2 tbsp butter

- 2 tbsp granulated splenda 

- 1/4 tsp coconut extract 

Instructions

For the egg custard:

- preheat the oven to 325 degrees 

- microwave cream cheese for 1-1 1/2 minutes 

- combine all the egg custard ingredients and mix together in a magic bullet or blender 

- grease 5 ramekin bowls

- pour the mixture into the ramekins

- place the ramekins into a baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet 1/2 way up the sides with water. 

- bake the ramekins on the baking sheet for 30 mins. This should give the egg custard time to set. 

- take ramekins out of oven and let cool in the refrigerator overnight

For the sauce:

- melt the butter in the microwave for 2 mins

- mix all ingredients together with a whisk 

- refrigerate overnight or make fresh

- when you are ready to eat the egg custards, pour the sauce over each custard and enjoy! 

"Egg"cellently sweet!

Gigi 

Low-Carb/Egg Fast Buffalo Scrambled Eggs (adaptation)

So here's another Egg Fast friendly recipe that I adapted from the blog I Breathe I'm Hungry (IBIH). This one I was actually following the recipe and messed up, stumbling upon scrambled eggs instead of an omelette. But the scrambled eggs turned out to taste better and were easier to make in a jiffy, on one of the many mornings I'm running late!

Ingredients
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp blue cheese salad dressing
- 1 tsp buffalo sauce
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter

Instructions
- melt the cream cheese in the microwave for about 1- 1 1/2 mins
- then add the other ingredients (except butter) and mix all together. I used the magic bullet to mix it all together, but you can also use a hand mixer or blender.
- add butter to frying pan and heat up
- add all blended ingredients to the frying pan and create scrambled eggs
- plate up and enjoy!

Eggs Away!
Gigi

Low-Carb/Egg Fast Snickerdoodle (adaptation)

While doing the Egg Fast earlier this month, I came across this recipe for a Low-Carb Snickerdoodle Crepe on the blog I Breathe I'm Hungry (IBIH).

The first time I made the crepes, I followed the recipe. I thought they were too sweet and the serving size wasn't quite enough for you, so I adapted the recipe to be more my speed and still Egg Fast friendly. 

The ingredients listed below will yield three large crepes and "sauce." I ate one crepe per meal. The ingredients will list the total recipe amount and the individual serving amount in parentheses. 

Ingredients

For the crepe:

- 6 eggs (2) 

- 5 oz of cream cheese (1.75 oz) 

- 1 tsp of cinnamon (1/8 tsp) 

- 1 tbsp granulated Splenda (or other sugar substitute) (1/3 tbsp)

- butter for frying

For the "sauce:"

- 5 tbsp of butter (1.75 tbsp)

- 2 tbsp of granulated Splenda (or other sugar substitute) (3/4 tbsp) 

- 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon (1/3 tsp) 

Instructions

I mixed all the ingredients together in a magic bullet though you can use any other blending device. I swear by the magic bullet for several reasons though: 

1. It's small, therefore easy to clean and takes up very little space in storage. 

2. It mixes in its own cup and has a lid for easy storage/refrigeration. 

3. It's safe to use with your "little" helpers. 

4. It's easy to pre-portion into 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc. 

For the crepe: 

- microwave the cream cheese for about 1- 1 1/2 mins

- add all the other crepe ingredients (to the softened cream cheese) (except the butter for frying) and blend together

- let the batter sit for 5 mins

- heat the butter up in a frying pan over medium heat

- pour 1/3 of the batter (if making the full three portion batter) into the frying pan 

- flip once the batter isn't "jiggly" in the frying pan

For the "sauce:"

- melt the butter in the microwave for about 2 mins

- add the sugar sub and cinnamon to the melter butter

- belt together

- once the crepe and "sauce" are done, pour 1/3 of the sauce into the middle of the crepe and roll the crepe up

- you can add a little extra sauce on top of the crepe to complete!

Carb Count

net carbs per serving is: 3

And trust me, one crepe is all you're going to need. It's actually very filling!! 

Thanks to IBIH for the original recipe! 

Keep it Sweet!

Gigi 

Low-Carb Pasta Sauces

Lately I've been experimenting with some pasta sauces. After making my initial batch of Zoodles, people were commenting on the sauce that they love with their Zoodles, so I decided to try some new recipes! Trying all these recipes makes me like to cook! Unfortunately, I am mostly cooking for one as my family doesn't like the healthy meals that I prepare. :(

I started with a basic basil pesto sauce and went from there. Check out the individual recipes below. 

1) Basil Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of basil leaves

3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil 

1/4 chopped walnuts

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (I just used the prepackaged bottle that you use to top pizza) 

1/2 tbsp of chopped garlic

A dash of lemon 

Instructions 

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet. Blend into a smooth sauce. I started with 1/4 cup of olive oil and added more to help blend the other ingredients. 

2. Pour ingredients over your favorite pasta. I made Low-Carb Vegetable Pasta but if you prefer to not eat low-carb, you can easily pour this sauce over any pasta. 

3. I only used about 1/4 cup of sauce so I froze the rest to use for later. If you don't know about this trick, you must learn. It's so easy to freeze leftover sauce. Just use an ice cube tray and freeze the sauce into individual cubes. Each cube is about 3 tbsp, which is slightly less than the 1/4 cup serving size. 1/4 cup of sauce is 6 carbs. 

Once the ice cubes freeze, pop them out and place in a freezer baggy. When you're ready for your next pasta meal, take out one (or how ever many you want) ice cubes, microwave, and enjoy! 

2) Simply Enjoy Pasta Sauce 

I won't take the credit for this find, but my friend located this low-carb pasta sauce at the Giant grocery store. It's the Giant brand too, called Simply Enjoy. 

It's 4 carbs per serving (1/2 cup). That's really a great find. And of course, a ready made pasta sauce is always great when whipping up a quick meal! There are other flavors too, so you'll have to check them out! 

3) Mushroom Sauté

Ingredients
2 tbsp of olive oil
12 oz of mushrooms
2 tbsp of chopped garlic
creole seasoning
finely chopped green onions

Instructions
1. heat olive oil in the frying pan
2. add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 mins, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula
3. sprinkle some creole seasoning (or any seasoning or salt) and continue stirring
4. cover pan with lid and continue to sauté for another 7 mins. The lid will pull out the natural moisture from the mushrooms and then the mushrooms can sauté in it and not get burned.
5. sauté for another 5 mins
6. season once again, to taste, and add green onions
7. plate and enjoy!

This sauté can be enjoyed as a side dish or on top of your pasta! It's just that versatile!

That's all I got for you now! While I have so many other ideas, I'll stop here and let you enjoy what I've experimented with so far! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! So, what's your favorite pasta sauce? Please share with me in the comments!

Godere!
Gigi

Sneider Fauxtatoe Salad

This Fauxtatoe Salad is a tribute to my Aunt Cori and her mom. The recipe is for a potatoe salad, but I substituted turnips for potatoes. It's my Aunt Cori's recipe and she told me that her mom used to cook with turnips, so I wanted to dedicate this Low-Carb recipe to the Sneider ladies! ❤️

Ingredients

- 4 strands of fresh dill, rinsed and chopped

- 1 stalk of celery, sliced thin

- 1/2 onion, sliced thin

- 2 turnips, peeled and cubed 

- 2 tbsp salt (I used a combination of garlic salt, seasoned salt, and white salt) 

- 1 cup real mayo 

- 1 cup apple cider vinegar 

Instructions

- cut the veggies

- boil some water in a large pot

- once the water is boiling, add the chopped turnips for about 5 mins. You don't want them mushy but not too hard either. 

- when turnips are done, take off burner and add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to the pot to "fix" fauxtatoes (aka prevent browning). 10 mins will do. Stir around. 

- drain the turnips from the water and rinse off

- add turnips to a large bowl

- add 1/2 cup of mayo, and 1/2 of the other ingredients to the bowl with the turnips

- fold in the mayo

- add the remaining ingredients and then fold everything together 

- add salt (and pepper to taste) to the salad and continue mixing

- no need to wait, just dig in! 

A BIG thanks to my Aunt Cori for this super simple and delicious potatoe salad recipe. With a little creativity, this recipe made an awesome Sneider Fauxtatoe Salad! OH! And the best part! My five year old picky daughter asked for some in her lunch!!! Whoop!!!! Whoop!!!! 

A very happy, low-carbing momma!

Gigi 

Low-Carb/Egg Fast "Muglette"

So today is the start of my 5 day, low-carb, egg fast. It's a fast which is suppose to help break through the stall in weight loss that I have been experiencing for months! There's a ton of research to support it too! Just google Egg Fast. But I know you're not going to, so here's the support.....

For the egg fast, all you can eat for 5 days (I chose 5 days but it can be anywhere from 3-30 days really), is eggs, fat, and protein. So my first egg fast meal is a "muglette," that's a mug omelette ya'll! Like an omelette in a mug, yep! 

Ingredients

- 3 eggs

- 1 tbsp cheese

- 1 tbsp meat (meat is not technically egg fast approved) 

- cooking spray 

- salsa, olives, veggies (optional, though also not egg fast approved) 

Instructions 

- spray the inside of the mug with a cooking spray 

- beat 3 eggs in the cup

- add in some cheese and meat (this morning I used shredded chicken, but you can also use pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, anything that you love!) 

- add in your optional ingredients too (I didn't for the purpose of this fast)

- microwave the mug for 1 minute and stir

- then microwave for another minute and let cool

- and eat! 

It's very easy and tasty! It's good for the egg fast and for an everyday breakfast! 

"Egg"joy!

Gigi

Chocolate Mug Cake - *Kid Friendly*

I need a show of hands... What parent can eat a dessert without their kids begging for a bite? Not mine!! Of course the littles want what I'm eating! My five year old knows that I don't eat carbs, but my two year old doesn't understand, so it's hard to keep my yummy desserts away from the kids. So I adapted my already delicious mug cake recipe for the kids! It's not sugar free or low-carb, but is still gluten free and delicious. 

Ingredients

- 2 spoonfuls of coconut oil (though any oil is fine) 

- 1 egg

- 1 spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's chocolate powder (maybe even syrup) would work too!) 

- 1 spoonful of almond flour (or regular flour) 

- 1 spoonful of milk (I used whole, but skim, or almond milk would work too) 

- a dash of salt

- 2 spoonfuls of maple syrup (I used pure maple syrup from a vacation trip to Vermont) 

Instructions

- melt the oil (coconut oil is hard though other oils are already in liquid form) in the mug in the microwave for 1 minute

- add the egg to the mug and beat

- add the other ingredients and continue to stir 

- bake in the mug in the microwave for 70 seconds 

- let sit in the microwave for another minute then plop onto a plate 

- top with whipped cream and/or sprinkles to create something pretty for the littles! 

- enjoy! 

Both of my kids enjoyed this cake so much! Next time, I'm going to add some M&Ms, just because! 

My little copy cats! Love them!!

Gigi

Low-Carb Cilantro Rice

Finally, I tried making cauliflower rice! And it was like heaven in my mouth! I have to thank my hubs for this one, since he actually cooked it while I tended to the littles. 

Ingredients

- one head of cauliflower

- several stalks of cilantro 

- butter

Instructions

- cut the florets off the cauliflower and discard the stem and leaves 

- using a (cheese) grater, grate the florets into a bowl 

- butter up a frying pan 

- cook the cauliflower for about 5 mins and then put back in the bowl

- chop up the cilantro stalks. I used my hand held chopper. Perfect. 

- add the cilantro to the rice and stir up

- add seasonings as desired. I used garlic powder and creole seasoning. 

- now don't forget to enjoy!!

This cauli-rice was delicious! It was also hard to only have one serving, so, I had two. Next time, I'm going to add some lime to it! Makes me hungry just writing about it! Yum yum yum!!! You should try some too!!

Veggies make me smile,

Gigi

Low-Carb Mug Cake

OMG! I found this recipe for a mug cake. It's just like it sounds, a cake that you prepare and cook, in a mug. It's so simple and after try 2 (with adjustments), it's so tasty! And believe me when I say that because I'm not a chocolate lover, but I love this mug cake!! It's so simple! And it's gluten free and low carb and really perfect for anyone to make and enjoy! 

Ingredients

- 2 spoonfuls of coconut oil

- 1 egg 

- 1 spoonful of unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk 

- 1 spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder 

- 1 spoonful of almond flour

- a dash of salt

- 3 spoonfuls of Torani vanilla syrup

I wanted to keep the clean up to a minimum, so I used a small eating spoon for all the ingredients and just one mug. 

Instructions

- heat the coconut oil in the microwave for 1 minute in the mug

- once the oil has melted, crack the egg in the mug and beat

- then add the rest of the ingredients and continuing stirring together 

- heat in the microwave for 70 seconds and then let sit for another minute 

- for the purpose of photos, I turned the mug upside down and let the cake drop on the plate 

While I acknowledge that his mug cake doesn't look so tasty in the photos, don't knock it till you try it. It's freaking delicious!! I used Torani syrup verses Splenda because it: a) is less carbs and b) is sweeter and sweetens the unsweetened flavor of the coca powder. It made all the difference (because I tried Splenda first and wasn't impressed). 

Carb Count:

4 carbs

Now it's time for you to try this simple, delicious, and healthy dessert without guilt! I'm glad I did!! 

Gigi