Cake Baby

With most diets, you have to cut out all the fun stuff like cakes and cookies and eat boring things like carrots for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!11!  I think the hardest thing for me is that I am trying to cut most wheat products out of my diet for good...and that means no flour. There are some good replacements, but it ain't the same!
:::Cue singing angels:::
Well, maybe that's a little dramatic, but, here is a yummy little secret recipe I found on one of my favorite treasure troves of low-carb recipes sites (genaw.com). 3-minute chocolate cake. No turning on the oven, no getting out the mixer...it simple, it's tasty, and it will cure that craving you are having. It's low carb because you make it with almond flour, pretty low calorie because you make it with splenda or whatever other non-sugar sweetener you prefer, and it's fast cause you cook it in the microwave. Here is the link to the original recipe. The first time I made it, I did just what it said, and I thought it was way too sweet. Second go around, we cut the splenda back by a tablespoon, only adding in 2 tablespoons...still too sweet for my liking. Maybe next time we will go with one.

But here is another fun and great way to make this recipe work for a busy person...while I was making the last cake at night, I had a little baggie next to it that I pre-made a cake in (only adding one tablespoon of splenda in this one). I left out the chocolate, because I was going to it for breakfast and I am not a fan of chocolate for breakfast (I know, I am a weirdo). I added all the dry ingredients in one baggie, and put an egg and the butter in another.
 The next morning, much to my dismay, I found that my husband had eaten all my blueberries. I was thinking this would be like a freshly baked blueberry muffin...but alas...the best laid plans often get spoiled. So, I grabbed a banana. Not my favorite fruit, but it was something. I put my two baggies in my glass measuring cup and off I went to work. At my work desk, I keep a set of measuring cups and spoons...don't ask why, I'm not really sure, but if you don't, you might also want to grab your tablespoon.
At work, I cooked up my cake, sliced up my banana, and out came this delightful little breakfast.

It's warm, it's moist, and it was fast. It tastes great with my coffee, and it's still a touch sweet, but much better...I think 1 tablespoon of splenda does it for me.

This is probably not the best breakfast ever (remember that the recipe is for 2 servings!) but it is nice to change it up from the boring hard-boiled egg every now and then...and everyone deserves a treat!

Visiting old friends

The title doesn't refer to people...though that would be a good thing to do as well, probably not diet-wise, but soul-wise. But, really, it means looking at something your haven't looked at in a while. Last night I was talking to my sister. My very adorable and dear to my heart nephew, MJ, has been having some health issues, mostly related to his weight. The little guy is really skinny for his age...only in the 3rd percentile (if that means anything to you...it doesn't mean much to me, it just sounds scary!) It has meant a lot of visits to the Dr. and the nutritionist, just trying to figure what is wrong and how to fix it.
Finally, there is an answer! MJ is allergic is just about EVERYTHING! Peanuts, dairy, wheat, rice, soy, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I am forgetting. On top of that, he has some other thing that I can't remember what it is called, but it basically makes him want to throw pretty much everything up...good news about that is that is fixable, just needed some medicine...the allergies are here to stay though (for a while at least)
However, all those restrictions sure sound pretty familiar to me...sounds like MJ is going to be going primal! My sister isn't really familiar with this diet at all, so this morning, I was all set to mail her my copy of the Primal Blueprint Cookbook.
 
This book has over a hundred different recipes that are all gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. Perfect for MJ. And for dieters, they are also all low-carb! I started to thumb through the book to tag my favorite recipes that I have tried, and I see all the beautiful pictures that fill the pages. I see a recipe for pumpkin muffins and think that I really should bake those for a quick breakfast on the go. The there are the yummy almond crackers, and those went so perfect with tuna...how can I give this book up when there are so many recipes I need to make now that I am back on the low-carb wagon!

I did what any practical sister would do...I jumped on Amazon and had them ship a copy over to my sister so I could keep my copy all to myself. I can't wait for the weekend to roll around so I can get to cooking up a storm!

Click on the amazon link above to purchase your own copy of this cookbook. There are so many great ideas in these pages. Mark Sisson, the author, gives great alternatives for those who are still missing the grains, and new favorites too!

*And just an FYI, even though this blog has like no readers, and no followers, so there is really no doubt about it, I am so not paid to even mention this book...I bought it with all my own monies and all that jazz...so this review comes from me!

Po-Ta-Toes?

Last night I was craving something warm and hearty...soup always hits the spot when I am feeling that way. I love cream based soups, and one of the best parts of a low-carb diet is that I can indulge a little with the fats. One of my favorite regular soups is a Baked Potato Soup...Potatoes, Bacon, Cheese...what's not to love? But without potatoes, what is a girl to use? With a quick google search, I turned up this recipe, which recommended the low-carbers best friend, cauliflower! I made some modifications to make the soup more to my liking. I definitely need to take pictures...but I promise, it was yummy and really filling! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
chopped onion...like a handful amounts worth
32 oz chicken broth
6 slices crispy bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, green section only (you can also use chives)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter

Directions: Steam cauliflower until tender, set aside In large pot, saute onions with a little olive oil until soft. Add chicken broth and cauliflower and bring to a simmer until cauliflower is very soft. Using a immersion hand blender, blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency (I liked mine pretty much blended) Add cheese, cream, bacon, and green onions, stir until cheese is melted. Add butter, stir until melted. Serve and enjoy!

Back on the wagon

From Thanksgiving to Now...all bets have been off regarding any healthy eating of any kind! Thanksgiving came and I couldn't resist the temptation of the carb loaded sides: Mashed potatoes, stuffing, flour-thickened gravy, rolls...I was done-for. Then with the holiday seasons rolling up right after that, I figured there was no point in trying to resist all the seasonal goodies, all the holiday parties, and the endless flow of treats that come into the office, so for the past month, I have been a total glutton for food...I have been eating whatever I want.
At first, it felt a little liberating, to be honest. I didn't have to pass on the bagels or doughnuts that co-workers graciously offered. I didn't have to get the third choice on the menu when what I really wanted to dig into was a big bowl of mac and cheese. Most of the time, when eating low carb, I feel fine, I don't feel too limited, and I still eat good food...but there is always that itch you want to scratch...it comes from eating the Standard American Diet for my entire life.
But after a month of eating junk...even when it is "healthy", I am feeling bogged down. I feel bloated most of the time, my system has been out of whack for a while now...after feeling what I felt when I was eating low-carb, high protein, high fat...I want that back. I want to feel regular again...so I am back on the wagon. I am back to cutting out the carbs and sugars that are slowing me down and giving me an extra layer of "protection" that I don't need, and I am ready to start eating some good, clean foods.
For me, the challenge I am going to face is my new school schedule. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work from 8-12, then I leave to go straight to school. I have class that starts at 12:20 pm, from then on, I have three class, with just 10 minutes in between each of them, and I won't get home until 7:30pm every night...so I will need to be packing some snacks, and start looking into some crock pot meals or something that can be ready for me when I get home after class...so be ready to see a lot of those recipes get thrown up here.
Here is to a healthy and happy 2012!

Sometimes you really need junk food

There is a reason I need to lose weight...I love food, and the worse it is for you, the more I seem to like it. I have finally decided to kick myself in the butt and stop this gut expansion before it gets out of hand. Part of that change of mindset needs to be the idea that being thinner and healthier will feel better in the long run than that instant gratification you get when you eat something really tasty. But you know what, all the positive platitudes in the world can't curb a craving sometimes, so I went on the hunt for a better option, and I came up with some Mozzarella Sticks. Low carb, greasy, and cheesy...what more can you ask for?

I pretty much did what the above blog post told me to. I started out with some string cheese. I cut them in half for easier handling in the frying stage.

Next up, a simple egg bath. I like to add a splash of milk or cream to my egg, it seems to help it stick a little better.

My breading consisted of ground up pork rinds (I really need a food processor!), Parmesan cheese, and some almond flour. I also threw in some dried oregano, salt, and garlic powder.

After dipping the cut up cheese in the egg bath, I tossed them into the bag of breading. A little shake and bake action...and voila! Cheese sticks. At this point, I put these bad johnny's in the freezer...I guess it helps in the frying process with the cheese. I don't know, but I had an episode of 24 going, so a 30 minute break was in order.

Since I am not a total piglet, I only fried up 8 of these guys, the rest of them are safely awaiting their day of deliciousness in the freezer...see, you can be like a normal person! I have some frozen food!

After a quick dip in some canola oil (which I think there are probably better options, but I have a big ol' jug of it to use, so I'm using what I got) these little suckers are gooey, brown, and ready to be dipped in some homemade marinara sauce. You could use the jar stuff, but if you look at the labels, you will see how much extra crap they put in there...so I have just made up a batch of my own marinara sauce, and keep it in a jar in the fridge.

This certainly isn't an everyday type of meal, I try to keep the deep frying down to a minimum, but when the craving hits, this is a great option to turn to for some grub.

A new discovery

I have never really been a potato chip eater so I haven't missed eating them on this new diet. But, I used to love eating fried chicken and other battered food that was fried. It is almost cruel how eating a low carb diet can be...here is a diet where the oil is not the enemy, but the breading on the outside! Well, in searching for new ways to prepare my old favorites, I stumbled across a suggestions...pork rinds. I have never eaten pork rinds before, honestly, they sounded pretty nasty...deep friend pork skins? No thank you. But I saw some folks using them as a breading by grinding them up, so I thought I would give it a whirl...and you know what. It's not so bad. Is it just like the real thing? No, it never will be...I made some Eggplant Parmesan last night...will eggplant breaded in ground up pork rinds, deep fried in olive oil taste the same as real breaded eggplant deep fried in corn oil? Nope, but it was so darn close, I don't even miss the other stuff. So far, I feel like I have been pretty successful with cutting the carbs. I have shed 10 lbs with just a change in the diet...I certainly don't starve myself, I just keep my carb intake to around 50g a day. I am planning on adding in some exercise soon and hopefully I will continue to feel good!

The very most important thing to remember...

...when on a diet is to always, ALWAYS keep healthy food in the house at all times! Do not allow the fridge and cupboards to go bare! Last night, I had the option of frozen steak or an apple for dinner. What choices! I didn't even have any veggies around. So what did I start to do? Scavenge for unhealthy crap. And because of the Mr.'s job, we have on hand some quick, 90 second microwave meals that were calling my name. Loaded with salt, sugars, and carbs.
I was able to resist...I had one big ole steak for dinner, and I didn't really enjoy it. Tonight, I am going to the grocery store to stock up on some options to keep the temptations from creeping back up!