What do you keep on hand to make staying on plan easy?

Pancakes:  I do 'em a couple different ways.  I have purchased a mix from Netrition.com or amazon.com from a company called Big Train.

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Train-Buttermilk-Pancake-Waffle/dp /B000G1ILU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367922847&sr=8-1&keyword s=big+train+pancake+mix

I also tried New Hope Mills low carb pancake mix, but didn't care for it. I guess it used to be branded as an Atkins product.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Hope-Mills-Pancake-Waffle/dp/B000M OGV0C/ref=pd_sim_gro_5

I have also made my own from almond meal.  I usually follow a recipe like this:

• 1.5 cups Almond Meal (or flour - I use almond MEAL from trader joes)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 - 1 cup of water or milk - i usually go high  to make them a little thinner
• I typically add a dash of salt, and a 1 tsp of Vanilla, sometimes a little cinnamon.
• Also - a 1/2 tsp of baking soda can make them fluff up nicely.  You can also add a couple tbsp of sugar free syrup.

I cook them like regular pancakes pretty much.  I go by look. Probably 3-4 minutes over medium heat on the first side, flip and 1-2 on the other side.

Big Train uses gluten, the almond meal pancakes don't.  Big Train looks and tastes a bit more traditional, the almond pancakes taste good, but are more fragile.  Both use a lot of egg, so they're high protein compared to normal pancakes.

For Syrup I've tried Walden Farms, Cary's, and Vermont Sugar free by Maple Grove Farms.  All are available in various groceries here.  The Walden Farms is weird. VERY thick and tastes off to me, but zero calories.  Cary's is ok, but 30 calories per 1/4 cup (I use about 1/8 cup for a typical breakfast). Maple Grove tastes the best to me and is 15 cal per 1/4 cup.

Maple Grove (my favorite for closest to the real thing):

http://www.amazon.com/Vermont-Sugar-Syrup-12-Ounce-Bottles/d p/B001HXJMXA/ref=sr_1_6?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1367923010&sr= 1-6&keywords=sugar+free+maple+syrup

Cary's (not bad):

http://www.amazon.com/Carys-Sugar-Free-Syrup-24/dp/B00061B2G E/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1367923370&sr=1-1&keyword s=cary%27s+sugar+free

Walden Farms (not recommended)

http://www.amazon.com/Walden-Farms-Calorie-Pancake-Syrup/dp/ B0054RRM0A/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1367923395&sr=1- 2&keywords=walden+farm+syrup

For pasta - I use two types:

Fiber Gourmet: 

http://www.amazon.com/FiberGourmet-Light-Penne-8-Ounce-Boxes /dp/B003UIDAHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1367924247&s r=1-1&keywords=fiber+gourmet

And Dreamfields:

http://www.amazon.com/Dreamfields-Healthy-Living-Rotini-13-2 5-Ounce/dp/B004YN7Y4Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=13679 24291&sr=1-2&keywords=dreamfields+low+carb+pasta

Both taste fine to me.  Dreamfields claim to have some magic voodoo that "encapsulates" the carbs so they're non-digestible.  Fiber gourmet replaces the "regular" carbs with Fiber.  

In any case, pasta is a very sometimes thing for me - maybe once a month - with a day of leftovers, so 2-3 meals a month.  But again, with a low sugar sauce (check the labels! some have a lot of added sugar) and a bunch of meat, it's a way to get some variety in.

I will say that in general I eat very low carb. Dinner last night was steak. Just steak.  Breakfast is usually eggs and maybe some bacon.  But sometimes that just feels hard to sustain, so I have my plan B foods like these.

I'm pretty sure you could serve the pasta dishes to everyone and nobody would fuss over the taste.  Sort of like using whole wheat pasta instead of regular.