Share your best menu hack!

I hope you do - enjoy! You can dress them however you like - lemon and S&P is great and/or dip them in just about anything - I made a chipotle mayo last time and it was great. I LOVE THESE!

Starbucks hack :

A grande latte is 16oz- 2 shots espresso, SF Syrup and 12 oz steamed milk.

Instead a Grande Americano- 3 shots espresso, SF syrup, 6 oz water and splash heavy cream. I ask them to steam the HC. They won't charge you for HC but may charge you for steaming. Heavy cream and water gives the feel of milk like a latte for less carbs/calories. If you really want to control how much heavy cream goes in you can ask for it on the side.

So you get more espresso, less carbs and it's cheaper.

Faux potato pancake: spaghetti squash, egg, dried minced onion, salt- cooked in 6 inch skillet with lid on then flip. Serve with dollop of Fage Greek yogurt (super thick)

pizza on low carb pita. Variation I love- mix shredded chicken with low sugar bbq sauce top with mix of Trader Joe's lite mozzarella and lite 3 cheese blend.

My lox and cream cheese fixes sans bagel- stack w/tomatoes, rolled French omelet or on lite English muffin all with Trader Joe's everything bagel spice.

Mug cake: equal parts Carbquik and SF syrup like Jordan's of Toranis, (either 1/4 or 1/3 c each)

1 tbsp cocoa powder and enough water if needed to make pancake batter consistency. Microwave one minute, and then in short intervals until done. Should still look moist in middle

Google Ryan Reynolds Blondies- so good, I used the Almond Flour option and substituted Swerve Sweetener. They are low carb not low calorie. Good for an event where you are sharing

I use decaf americano with a splash of half and half to get to my fluid goals more than I should admit. Also, if I ever remember my Instagram password, I'm so going to follow you!!

Your food looks great. You are quite the chef.

my new fav item is protein fluff- premier protein (i like caramel or cookies n cream, unsweet cocoa powder, stevia or splenda, xantham gum, and ice in the blender. put into a bowl and pop in freezer.

Its about 170 calories for an entire bowl and 30 gm protein

I'm all about making old really unhealthy favorites into new "not quite so detrimental" favorites. ( I'd never refer to them as healthy...haha! ) I'm not just a (former?) sugar addict-breads we're my thing too.

I've made low carb cakes, brownies, truffles, tiramisu, cookies....My favorite low carb cookie recipe is a whipped shortbread cookie made with butter, almond flour, sweetener, and vanilla extract. ( it can be used as a shortbread crust too-for a low carb cheesecake. )

alldayidreamaboutfood.com and lowcarbmaven.com are my favorite blogs.

My go-to hack these days is using fathead dough as a base for almost anything from pizza crust to cinnamon rolls. I've even used it for "pigs in a blanket". It is amazing stuff. There are a TON of recipes on the internet, and lots of variations as well. The calories are crazy high, of course, but it's filling, and it's decent on protein since the dough is basically mozzarella, cream cheese, and egg with additions of what you need to make it into what you want. A pizza made with a halved recipe of dough is at least 3 meals for me. If I need to freeze the leftovers, it freezes nicely.

It's super labor intensive, but that's part of the fun for me. I could spend all day cooking and baking low carb versions of favorite past foods ( and I have ). I should probably get a new hobby.

If I were to have a website, it would be named alldayidreamaboutfood.com! I can't believe someone beat me to it!

I love to bake and cook too. I spend tons of time in the kitchen. When our families are in town they always fret over me being in the kitchen and act like I am doing too much and I am constantly telling them "I love being in the kitchen, this is my happy place, I like cooking for you" until they leave me alone!

I haven't tackled fathead dough but I might make a large batch and freeze some of it, since you say it freezes well. A fathead dough pizza sounds great, and super filling.

It is so freaking good, you won't regret it. Learning to make it may take a few tries...you have to melt the cheeses together and then reheat the dough if it gets too cool to work with. I'd start experimenting with a small amount first.

Emily , You always have the best meal ideas!

This is such a great thread! Thank you for taking the time Em!

All of these ideas are amazing - I'm horrible about actually trying things but I'm inspired. And hubby is grateful.

Especially for whoever had the avocado/taco meat suggestion. ;)