Because Jami asked.... low carb evening snacks

You pretty much need to pretend you are on the Atkin's diet from the time you finish dinner until an hour before you go to bed. After that, don't eat at all. See previous entry about eating at night for more details.

I have cut out evening eating completely. Works for me. HOWEVER, I happen to have some friends who love their evening snacking and must have SOMETHING after dinner. I did some research and here is a list, followed by some recipes:

• Celery with tuna salad
• Celery with natural, unsweetened peanut butter
• Cucumber with vinegar and olive oil
• Hard boiled eggs
• Deviled eggs
• Dill pickles and cheddar cheese (no kidding, it’s a great combo)
• 1/4 cup berries with 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds (get them in the shell so it will take longer to eat them)
• Other seeds
• Jerky
• Cheese sticks, such as string cheese
• Cheese with a few apple slices
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber slices
• Lettuce Roll-ups –- Roll meat, egg salad, tuna or other filling and veggies in lettuce leaves
• Spread bean dip, spinach dip, or other low-carb dip or spread onto very thinly sliced meat (find a low sodium kind) or lettuce and then roll it up
• Raw veggies and spinach dip, or other low-carb dip
• Mushrooms with cream cheese spread inside
• Low-carb snack bars (watch out for sugar alcohols, especially maltitol)
• ½ cup strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
• A slice of watermelon
• A slice of honeydew or cantaloupe
• Veggies with hummus
• Broccoli with melted cheese
• Sliced tomatoes with cubes of mozzarella with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Leftover meat

Low Carb Smoothie
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/3 cup frozen berries
• 2 Tablespoons Flax Seed Meal
• 1/2 - 1 cup water (less if you want it thicker)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth

Bean Dip
1 ½ cup cooked beans
4 oz fat free cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ cup salsa

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

Spinach Dip
• 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 cup of low fat or fat free sour cream
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon some kind of powdered herb, such as Greek seasoning

If you're using a food processor, pulse the spinach alone a few times. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. If not using a food processor, stir to combine the ingredients in a bowl.

Cheese Crisps
These are an oven-baked version of the Italian frico. It's just basically thin rounds of baked cheese. One of the cool things about it is that they are moldable when still warm. If you drape them over an upturned glass, they will form a cup that you can fill with anything you like. It makes a really nice presentation for a party.

• 1 cup cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Note on type of cheese: You can use any kind, really, but the results will be different. Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asagio, etc, will make a crisp "shell," whereas cheddar will be more chewy and "lacey" (the fat separates out), though still firm. Softer cheeses such as mozzerella will not work well.

Toss cheese with any seasonings you'd like -- garlic powder (about half a teaspoon for a cup of cheese), hot pepper powder, even cinnamon. Or leave plain.

Pile 1 to 4 Tablespoons of cheese (depending on the size you want) on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper oiled on both sides. Flatten the tops so they are in more or less an even pile. There should be at least two inches between smaller mounds, 4 inches between larger ones.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown (they will be a little darker at the edges). It happens fast, so watch carefully.

If you want to mold them into a shape, you want to "drape" them while still warm. You can make cups over an upturned glass, or "taco shell" shapes by draping over any cylindrical object that is at hand (rolling pin, side of glass)