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Ultimate (hopefully) Christmas Thread - Tips, Tricks, "Hacks", Coping Mechanisms, Swaps, Recipes - Anything goes!

JenniferM55 said:
Not sure if you tried the shop online? https://ketokitchenlytham.co.uk/sna...GfBBa8HjjNhoaMSifDR_cQLUfvg1edeEaAmDhEALw_wcB
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Yes I used their meals last year for about 6 months, they are proper home cooked keto meals, The guy who owns it is T2 and uses keto, had lots of other things too. and have been to their shop it’s a great shop in Lytham. I haven’t been in their site for a while though as when I was using them you could only buy stuff if you were having their meals - may have another gander

Sorry forgot to say thank you
 
I think I'm sorted
I have two grown boys at home (by the skin of their teeth, one just got a job and the other is nearly finished uni ) Between them and my husband I live with three big men so Christmas meals (like all our meals) are more fuel than finesse. My Christmas fayre might not be as fancy as some but its what my family knows and loves.
I think I'm just about organised for my first low carb Christmas.
Christmas Eve my elderly parents visit for supper and a movie. Its usually McDonalds so that will stay the same . I'll just slide a patti into a DGF roll. We have hot chocolate (mine will be cream with 85% choc thank you @lovinglife ) with max mallows. I have some 1 carb peanut butter cups from atkins if I need something while they have popcorn and maltesers.
Christmas morning my parents come back for brunch before going to my brothers. This is usually rolls and bacon and creamy scrambled egg with smoked salmon. Again my only sub is a roll. Easy
In the afternoon they pick at their stockings and we have cheese and crackers (I'll have the Olinas seed crackers) and mince pies(I'll have a yummy looking mince pie tray bake sub from keto chef)
At the boys' request we cut some courses from Christmas dinner years ago and it now resembles a glorified Sunday dinner. Broccoli and stilton soup (thank you @Antje77 ) with fancy bread for them and I'll have a slice of locho life bread. Ham and turkey and I have stuffing from ketorama in the freezer. Sprouts and cabbage and possibly carrots. Lots of pigs in blankets. They'll have roast and mashed potatoes, I'll have more meat.
Pudding will be gateaux and cream for them and I have a freezer full of "sweet" options for me including a lovely salted caramel cake from ketorama.
I have a bottle of zero carb wine I found on Amazon and my home made Baileys (thank you @MrsA2 )
Boxing day is a picnic day for us so the only sub I have is yummy sausage rolls from ketorama.
I truly feel like while this will be way too many calories my carbs will be just fine and I won't feel the least deprived.
Baring in mind I'm not the greatest in the kitchen if anybody has any thoughts on cranberry sauce or gravy I would be grateful.
 
@Margarettt I make my own cranberry sauce, always have, fresh or frozen cranberries, sweetener of your choice, bung it all in a pan and bring to boil, simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until the berries burst and go all soft, it will thicken as it cools and that’s it!

I add some orange zest at the beginning which gives a nice flavour and also helps with the thickening. It’s not like shop bought in the jar which for me was never really cranberry sauce anyway, it tastes much fresher and not jammy. Will keep 4-5 days in the fridge but freezes really well too. It’s also great after Christmas in Greek yogourt or maybe make those low carb scones more palatable

I usually make a big batch and freeze in small freezer bag portions or even ice cube trays as once Christmas is over cranberries can be hard to get
 
Thank you muchly. That sounds doable. The sweetener I have is "Trivia for baking...icing" Will that work or should I buy something else? Because I'm still a trainee kitchen wise can you give me an idea of proportions please.
 
Margarettt said:
I think I’m sorted
….
I think I'm just about organised for my first low carb Christmas.
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This is a perfect post to show disbelievers that Type 2s can have a “normal” (I dislike that word but …) mealby dint of a few simple substitutes and omissions. It should be a sticky post!
 
aylalake said:
This is a perfect post to show disbelievers that Type 2s can have a “normal” (I dislike that word but …) mealby dint of a few simple substitutes and omissions. It should be a sticky post!
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How very kind of you to say @aylalake . You made my morning. I'm with you on the word normal. We have family members with additional support needs and have found the word "ordinary" is an acceptable alternative.
 
Margarettt said:
How very kind of you to say @aylalake . You made my morning. I'm with you on the word normal. We have family members with additional support needs and have found the word "ordinary" is an acceptable alternative.
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ORDINARY! Love it! Thank you.
 
Margarettt said:
Thank you muchly. That sounds doable. The sweetener I have is "Trivia for baking...icing" Will that work or should I buy something else? Because I'm still a trainee kitchen wise can you give me an idea of proportions please.
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Hiya,

I don’t really have a recipe but there’s plenty on the web. That sweetener should be fine, if you use fresh a full punnet about 1lb in weight? Then just enough water to cover them, don’t have them floating if that make sense. I’ve never used that sweetener and sweeteners can vary so much in their sweetness - I would go for a couple of tablespoons maybe at first - you can always add more if it’s not to your taste.

NOTE if you use frozen just put enough water in to cover the bottom of the pan and keep an eye on them as frozen ones will release more water if you use them direct from frozen, you can a drop more water if needed once they start to cook. if you defrost them first then don’t drain them and just top up the water a little bit if you think they need it

Keep an eye on them cooking whichever you use because they don’t take long to burst
 
Thank you Thank you
 
Going out for my one and only Christmas family meal tomorrow. Can't see as it being much fun. Fingers crossed we are not going to fall out over the food.
Shall let you know how I get on.

Day went well except for the shocking weather.
Food not too bad but carbs much higher than I would have liked. Had two very tiny Roast potatoes! Hadn't had them for many years.
Carbs for the day 41..... Blood sugar 7.0 this evening so quite happy.
 
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I have just cancelled going to our Senior Citizens Christmas dinner next week on seeing the menu:
Main (no starter) turkey, bread sauce, gravy, stuffing, roast AND mashed potatoes, carrots, sprouts.
Dessert: Lemon meringue roulade or ice cream.
Yeah, a slice of dry turkey and 2 sprouts washed down with a glass of water doesn’t do it for me.
 
All sounds so lovely x
 
Margarettt said:
I know exactly what you mean. No one believes I don't like vodka. I must have been told a hundred times that it is tasteless and I can't not like it but I can taste it and I don't like it!
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I was brought up on Russian Vodka and I can drink it no problems - whilst others around me sleep lol
 
Margarettt said:
I know exactly what you mean. No one believes I don't like vodka. I must have been told a hundred times that it is tasteless and I can't not like it but I can taste it and I don't like it!
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I completely get your point here. I like vodka, but vodka tastes of alcohol - that's it. At the risk of offending vodka connoisseurs, I've never understood people paying £30-40+ for a bottle. To me, it tastes the same as 13 quid a bottle stuff.

Anyway, while vodka may be "tasteless", I'd actually say it lacks the accompanying taste sensations of other alcohol options to distract from the fact it's high alcohol.
 
We often say "we are all different". I can certainly taste and smell the difference in different vodkas. While I don't drink it at all now, I used to have a friend who brought back all sorts of varieties from his business trips to countries that specialise in vodka, and it was great fun trying all the different kinds.
 
With my favourite food being a decent spicy curry and my favourite alcohol being whisky, I'm perfectly willing to accept I destroyed all hope of having a sophisticated palatte long ago!
 
The subject of this thread is rather wide, so I hope I'm not going too far off topic sharing what happened today.
It's a type of Sinterklaas hack, provided by my best friend Inge, and it's very touching and funny.

Sinterklaas is a close relative to Santa Clause, as you can see from his name and red suit, and he celebrates his birthday on the 5th of december in the Netherlands. He fills shoes rather than socks, but his birthday involves presents and lots of sweets and carby food, just like the one of his cousin. He also writes poems to go with the presents, which is the best part of the celebration.

Today I received something like a Christmas hamper through the mail. (There is a thread about Christmas hampers, pretty useful if you need inspiration to make one for a colleague or friend, and a fun read as well: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/personal-chrsitmas-hamper.200737/)

It held 11 small presents, ranging from an interesting cheese to a pack of lighters and a second hand book.
Every single present had a poem to go with it, some only two funny lines, some long and thoughtful.
Present giving like this shifts the attention from food to something else.

It came from my best friend, Inge, who knows me well enough to know I'd want to share on the forum, so even though she is Dutch, she wrote her main poem in English in hopes to become famous around here!
She also included some words that are definitely not allowed on a family friendly forum so I've blanked them out.

I think this poem applies to all of us. (Except most of you aren't listed as oracle, this is just a matter of post count and I think it's quite ridiculous.)

So I wanted to share this as a wish to all of us who do our best and sometimes struggle!
Dikke knuffel to all of you!

 
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