Just so you all know, I used search before asking for help. But I couldn't find what I was looking for. Please help!

I need to find substitutions for two things:

Granola- I used to have grapenuts or granola with a little milk for breakfast. I'm one of those people who doesn't like meat for breakfast. I just don't find it appealing at all. I like my meals distintive, anyone else like this?
I like nuts so that isn't a problem but does a low carb granola exist? I mean one that fills you and tastes good? Is there a substitute for it?

The second thing
pasta- I make lots of meals that have sauces created from the cooking processes. I miss that third part to meals. I wish I had something for my tuna casserole or to put curry chicken on. What could I put stroganoff on (We've been eating it like soup) how about chicken with cream of mushroom? I have tried the low carb pasta and they are too strong in flavor or they are too chewy (tough?) Is there a substiture for this?

I would really appriciate any idea or thoughts, I've been low carbing over a year and having two teens hasn't made cooking low carb any easier. One of my differculties is getting my calories up to where it should be. Thanks!

Hmm.....granola....I know I saw something about a low carb (well, relatively low carb) granola. Check www.lowcarbmiracle.com I think it was there. It wasn't cheap, but if you're missing granola bad enough, it might be worth paying the bucks for it. I'm not sure if it's the cereal aspect that you're missing or the crunch. If it's just the cereal part, there's some low carb cereals made by Keto that resemble Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies (my daughter likes the second one) that are made with soy. Flax meal mixed with wheat bran (1/4 cup each) and 1/2 cup water makes a pretty good hot cereal in the morning. I add some butter, cream and Splenda, maybe a little cinnamon and nutmeg and it's a lot like the the old Ralston hot cereal.
Pasta...spaghetti squash makes a surprisingly good pasta substitute. It's not chewey or funky tasting like the low carb pastas out there and even looks like genuine spaghetti. HTH

I've found beef stroganoff made with lots of onions and mushrooms -- and sour cream -- so rich, and with varied tastes and textures, that I don't miss the noodles. I've also used green beans as a base -- chicken and sauce poured over them isn't spaghetti, but, again, it's a different texture that completes a meal.

I hate tomato sauces, so I don't miss those -- and can't help there, unfortunately. But cream sauces are, to me, good over anything

Hi Lessara,

Cooked cabbage is pretty good with a tomatoe sauce, kind of tastes like pigs in a blanket. I've also used sauces over lettuce. With cooked green pepper, onions or mushrooms, its really good. Kind of like a lower carb dressing, but I don't think soup based sauces would be good with lettuce.

I used to make a lot of pasta salads also. I have substituted a couple veggie salads instead and my non LC ing family love them.

Broccoli salad: break off all the flourettes into small bite size peices, cook up some crispy bacon, add some onions, celery and green peppers (whatever veggies you like in salads) some cheese (whatever kind) I would just use what ever dressing I used to add to my pasta salad. Mayo, Ital. dressing, ranch whatever you liked to taste. Its really good if you like veggies.

Cauliflower salad (like potatoe salad): Cook the cauliflower until its soft but not too much and add everything else that you would normally put in your potatoe salad.

Both of these recipes I got off this site but changed them around a little to my liking.

Hope this helps!
Shelly

Hi Lessara,

Here is Eastern Europe we have a dish called machanka. It is pieces of fatty pork served with a white sauce on top of a pancake. It's fairly easy to make low carb pancakes: soy flour and protein powder with eggs and cream. They can also be stuffed with a savoury mixture or you can make little fat think ones (some baking soda makes them rise a little) and use them cold to spread butter, pate or caviar on. (Caviar is cheap here)

You might try machanka. The most difficult bit will be the white sauce! Sour cream or liquidised cream cheese might help. You could add some veggies to it to make it more balanced.

Regards,

Robert

I can't eat soy, have get sick from it. That's why I'm looking for something that doesn't contain soy. So far cauliflower rice and zuccini peelings are the things I like, not my children though.
(I had so hoped they would like it so that they could have more veggies in their diet)

Mmmm. Maybe I'll experiment making pancakes with whey protein powder. I'll get back to you if it works!
Robert

When my Gram makes the gravy on Sundays (that's Italian for tomato sauce with all the meats, cooked slow all day...) I usually have a few meatballs, a piece of sausage and the salad. Now she throws a piece of pork in the pot for me. I lay off the bread and pasta, and really don't miss it. But when I'm home, that's different.

I've been cooking down a frozen bag of short cut green beans in olive oil and garlic, until they're fried down to almost burned. They take on a rich, kind of carmelized taste and are more than tender, almost soft. I spread that on my plate and put my meats and sauce over it. Not pasta, but not bad.

There really isn't any substituting ravioli! But thank goodness we can at least have the cheese! Beats the heck out of low fat, when I could have all the plain spaghetti, but no meat, cheese, salad dressing, butter, etc. Echhh!!

Lessara,

No doubt about it - this WOE is an everyday challenge. I used to be a pasta maven and a breadaholic ... now, I they are simply a fond memory, I "think" I miss them, but I really don't. It's hard to explain. When I reached my first goal (20 pounds) I promised myself that I could have some buttered vermicelli on Christmas Eve. I soooo looked forward to that and surprise, surprise ... I had it and no big whoop - I could have taken it or left it. It wasn't as good as some of my low carb concoctions. So much for THAT supposed "I just can't live without it".

I've found many different low carb breads that are certainly adequate - granted, they are not gourmet sourdough, but the trade-offs of this way of life & eating are definitely worth it.

Keep on keeping on ... read recipes and experiment. Maybe you won't need pasta in your life once you decide you don't.

Stay well!

Holly :-)

Atkins sells his own LC pasta at his site: http://atkinscenter.com/shop/produc...Pasta_Cuts.html Or I love to put any pasta sauce on cooked spaghetti squash. Even the DH likes it. Smushed up cauliflower makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes.

Enjoy.

Granola...these are to die for...Vanilla Almond Crunch Granola at www.gramsgourmet.com