Shirataki Noodles? Hmm... What shall we do with you?
Can I make chika first before delving into the recipes?
Okay folks, this blog o' mine just took a new turn : I'm posting something about food! Kind of. My cooking skills are mediocre at best. Chamba chamba ang timpla (sorry mama, hello husband 😉) so I won't pull off complicated dishes.  But Imma discuss the change in my life in relation to food.
When I decided to cut my sugar and carbohydrate intake last August, I meant just that: to slowly reduce my rice intake and to stop sneaking cookies at midnight or running to the nearest milk tea shop just because.
I did well by the way. I wasn't a fan of soda to begin with so I had no trouble of getting rid of that in my diet. Even the milk tea I was able to cut out. I just had to curb my appetite in the cookies, biscuits and cakes department.
I did well too on that area. I'd imagined it would be a lot harder. But when I imagined the grains of white sugar going into it, I'd be like, nooooooooo!

So, what have I been consuming lately?
Eggs - lots of it. Chicken.Duh. Chicharon (I'm no fan of pork meat, something to do with my upbringing and now that I am an adult it's more of a preference but I am so down for chicharon!)
Fish and other seafoods. Avocado (when it was available). Leafy greens and other vegies.
Decaf coffee/Ricoa Cocoa with Nestle All Purpose Cream as creamer and Equal or Splenda as sweetener. Somehow it got to a point where I didn't even add a sweetener. IKR. Nuts (Almond, Peanuts, Cashews)
At this point, I am not suffering, so don't worry about me. I'm doing the #DirtyLC so they say.
I am not missing rice, thank you very much. I've been eating rice minimally since 2016 anyway so it wasn't hard to let go. It got to a point though when I got bored with eating the same stuff and I just knew I had to explore other ways to get my fix without having to consume too much carbs.

Luckily, my younger brother, another LCIF practitioner added me to a Facebook Group called Low Carb Intermittent Fasting™ and that is how I discovered stuff like shirataki noodles and coconut flour. 

Shirataki noodles are thin, translucent, gelatinous traditional Japanese noodles made from the konjac yam (devil's tongue yam or elephant yam). The word "shirataki" means white waterfall, referring to the appearance of these noodles. Largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber, they are very low in digestible carbohydrates and calories, and have little flavor of their own. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

Coconut flour on the other hand is a soft, naturally grain- and gluten-free flour produced from dried coconut meat. It is a natural byproduct of coconut milk production. When producers press coconut for its milk, bits of coconut meat remains. They then dry the coconut meat at low temperature and grind it until it produces a soft, fine powder which is then suitable for baking. Source: https://nourishedkitchen.com/baking-with-coconut-flour/

I bought my shirataki noodles and coconut flour at Shopee, from a seller called Nutrifinds. The coconut flour was Php 98.00 for 1 kl, while the shirataki noodles are Php 85.00 for 200g. 

Here's how I made my Low Carb Carbonara and Pancakes. ;)
Low Carb Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients:
1 200g shirataki noodles cooked according to package instructions
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken breast, chopped
5 tbsp Nestle All Purpose Cream
1 can mushrooms
salt (I use pink Himalayan salt) and powdered black pepper to taste

How to cook:
1. Cook the shirataki noodles according to package instructions. It involves  a bit of boiling and pan fying. ;) Very easy. Set aside.
2. In a pan, heat the coconut oil then saute the garlic and the onion until golden brown.
3. Add the mushroom and the chicken. Cover the pan and let it simmer, until the chicken is cooked.
4. Add the Nestle All Purpose Cream let it simmer.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Low Carb Pancake
Ingredients:
2 pcs eggs
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
a dash of vanilla
1 tbsp Nestle All Purpose Cream
2 sticks of sweetener (but sometimes I don't even use one)

How to Cook:
1. Beat the eggs and add all the other ingredients.
2. Mix thoroughly because the coconut flour tends to get lumpy.
3. Drizzle a bit of oil on a pan so that the pancake won't stick
4. Cook over low fire.

***
If there's anything I learned from doing the low carb diet, it's that you can actually do it if you stop making excuses and put effort to cook your own food, instead of buying it because it's best if you know what goes in it.

I've lost at least 5 kilos (about 10 pounds) since August.
It feels so good, knowing that I have basically quit my addiction to sugar.
I take a bite from cupcakes and bread sometimes, that doesn't make me bad. 
The key is to know when to stop. And not be too hard on myself when I do end up cheating. 😆

XO,

Cassie
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