Last day of the year!!

Recomitting, Starting Over.....

Whatever we want to call it, it's all the same thing. We need, at times, to blow off some steam.....and some of us do that with food. When that happens, we need to recommit to our original plan towards health and weight loss.

For me, this time, the trigger was staying home too long after my son's accident.....combined being cash poor.....and the holiday season.

I was doing great when Bri had his accident. I was quite proud of myself for not eating anything unacceptable on my plan. I worked from home for about 2 1/2 weeks after the accidnet....so far, so good. Then, after seeing the doc.....and going back to work to find homemade cookies on my desk (my boss's famous sugar cookies and the best oatmeal chocolate chip ever)....and having a "holiday breakfast" at work that was 95% carbs....and not having enough money to buy what I want for Christmas presents.....well, it all kinda came crashing down.

At first I was careful, I had some of the treats at the breakfast, but had a good lunch and dinner. Of course I had some of the cookies, but I shared them with my son.

But then things got totally out of control. Today I have had lots of bad stuff.....not just high carb, but junk! Highly processed, empty calorie, high carb junk. Today I was better than I was yesterday. Today I limited myself, "allowed" myself just a little, after eating good, healthy foods.

January 1, 2007 I totally recommit to changing my lifestyle to what I believe is the healthiest lifestyle.

That lifestyle includes

• Following a low carb plan, specifically Protein Power Life Plan
• Protein requirements = 102g/day (102g = 408 calories)
  
• Carb level = under 40g/day (40g = 160 calories)
• Total daily calories at least 1200.
  
• No fruit X2 weeks, then berries to start
  
• Minimal use of dairy and grains
• Nuts allowed up to once a day
  
• Drinking lots of plain water, at least 80% of intake
• Hot coffee with cream or hot tea with milk acceptable
• Sugar free soda max 2 bottles/cans per week
• NO sugar free hot chocolate
  
• Getting into an exercise program I can keep up.....details to follow
• Minimizing the use of processed foods, artificial sweeteners
  
• Looking for recipe to make small amount of mayo, say a cup or two?
  
• Looking for recipe to make small amount of dressing, 1 cup max.
  

January 1, I will measure myself and record the measurements in Fitday PC. I will also weigh myself. I fear I may be back where I started weight-wise.....and I'm sure at least some of my measurements are larger. I will also update my ticker and post it here.

I am starting with 3 challenges.

• Loose 20 pounds in 20 weeks.
  
• January 1 = starting date
• May 21 = ending date
  
• Walk in neighborhood at least 3 times a week
• Try at least 2 new recipes a month. Record recipe, picture, and opinion here.

Still have to come up with an exercise plan I can live with....but walking and biking will be part of it.

Tomorrow starts a new year. I am hoping it will be a better year. 2006 was not a good year overall, so I am really hoping 2007 will be better!!!

Chocolate

In light of the recent study done on chocolate, I decided to post my new favorite treat.

I use ChocoPerfection dark chocolate, as no additional sweetener is needed.

It's really easy:

Chocolate Pecan Patty:
1 (1.8oz) bar dark ChocoPerfection
1 T butter
1 oz (1/4c) pecan halves.

In small pan, melt butter and then add pecans.
Cook pecans 5-10 min over very low heat, making sure nothing burns. Stir frequently.
Add the ChocoPerfection bar and stir until all chocolate is melted and nuts/butter is well mixed.

Remove from heat and let the choclate mixture cool a bit. While chocolate is cooling, line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Pour chocolate mixture into foil lined bowl and let cool. Be sure to scrape the pan well to be sure no chocolate is left behind. Be sure to use a metal or silicone scraper to prevent melting!! (the first time I tried this my spatula melted!)

Entire recipe:
Calories: 496
Fat: 50g (Sat: 21g, Poly: 7g, Mono: 15g)
Carbs: 21 (Fiber: 17g, Sugar alcohols: ?2g from Erythritol)
Protein: 5g

Give the ChocoPerfection a try. They have free shipping within the US! You can also buy SweetPerfection, which ic oligofructose (made from chicory and mung beans), which contains 5 net carbs per cup (127g total carbs, 122 are fiber).

Doesn't this look good?

Eating Out Low Carb

Eating out.

I love to eat out, because then I don't have to do the work or clean up. Most days now I bring my lunch to work, but I'll often decide to eat out instead. The people I go out with don't go to fast food places, but we often will go to places like Fridays, or sports bars like the Carolina ale House, or local places like Barry's (burgers) or Baba Ghannouj (middle eastern).

If all else fails I can always get a salad....preferably caesar. But I do like to order off the menu, although it can be hard sometimes.

Mexican:
I'll have the taco salad minus the beans and tortilla shell. That leaves lettuce, beef or chicken (and they usually give you a lot!), sour cream, salsa, cheese and maybe guacamole (new for me, I like it). It's high in calories, to be sure....but it's high in protein and low in carbs. Most mexican restaraunts I've gone to serve fresh foods cooked to order. Sour cream and cheese is made with milk and even their salsas seldom have added sugar.

In the Cary, NC area I would recomend El Dorado on Tryon Rd.

Burgers and other foods:
Wow there are a lot of places to get a good burger! When I go out to a burger place I usually get a bacon cheeseburger without the bun. I have a salad and hopefully one other veggie with the burger.

My favorites:
The Carolina Ale House, where you can get a great burger and most places let you get a salad in place of the fries. They always have another vegie choice too, so you don't have to get a salad....or you can get both.

TGI Fridays, where you can get a good burger or a great low-carb meal. The current menu has changed, but at least they acknowlege low carb! Current offerings:
SIZZLING CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES (A sizzling skillet of onions & peppers together with garlic-marinated chicken breasts over melted American and Mexican cheeses. Served with a side of vegetables.)
NET CARBS: 17 (Cut 5 carbs by skipping the peppers and onions.)
SHRIMP KEY WEST (Skewers of seasoned chargrilled shrimp topped with a sparkling citrus splash and served with a side of vegetables.)
NET CARBS: 12
CLASSIC SIRLOIN WITH BROCCOLI (America’s favorite cut! A USDA Choice 10-oz. 28-day-aged chargrilled top sirloin served with a side of broccoli.)
NET CARBS: 6
In the past they also offered a wonderful salmon meal, but apparently they've removed it from the menu. They don't have salmon on the menu at all now, so I guess it wasn't a big seller!

Barry's had a good burger, but pretty much fries and cole slaw is all you have for sides. Not fond of their slaw!

Breakfast foods:
OK in my area there are NO places that serve a good breakfast, except the small family owned places that are only open on the weekdays! About twice a month I do go out with a friend on Saturdays, and we usually go to either The Cracker Barrel, or Bob Evans. The food in both is ok, but they use margarines and oils rather than butter. At least Cracker Barrell has a low-carb friendly menu.

Italian:
The best places for italian are Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill.
Macaroni grill has, by far, the best caesar salad. But at Olive Garden I often get one of their pasta meals (less the pasta) and enjoy their great salad (all you can eat).
At Olive Garden I often have Garlic-Herb Chicken con Broccoli (Rosemary-seasoned chicken breast sautéed with fresh broccoli in a garlic cream sauce over orecchiette pasta), minus the pasta.
At Macaroni Grill, I usually stick with the caesar salad, but have the "classic" salad as theirs is basically a greek salad, and I don't like feta.

Other:
I mentioned Baba Ghannouj. This is a fairly small mediterranian place that has the most wonderful chicken ever! I always get the chicken caesar salad....YUMMMMMM

Eating out isn't always hard....and it's not always bad for you!!! If you choose your places carefully and aren't afraid to ask for special orders, you certainly can get a healthy, low carb meal.

Now if it just wasn't so expensive!!!!

Berry Cobbler

This is my first try:
2 cups Raspberries
1 cup Blueberries
4 T Sweet Perfection sweetener
1 stick Butter
1/2 cup Oats, ground
1 cup Almonds, ground
1/4 cup chopped Walnuts
2T Coconut, shreaded.

Put berries in bottom of a 6 X 9" glass baking dish.
In separate bowl, mix other ingredients, except walnuts.
Mix well, making a thick dough.
Drop teaspoons ful of batter over the berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

I got 8 servings, giving these totals per serving:
Calories: 254
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 9g
Fat: 21g
Saturated: 8g
Monounsaturates: 8g
Polyunsaturates: 4g
Protein: 4g

I have it with a dollop of whipped cream.

Dinner tonight

Man I love LC!!!

Dinner tonight:
Parmesan Crusted Salmon (4oz)
Roasted Asparagus
Small black plum *about 1 1/2 inch diameter)

Totals:
Calories - 384
Fat - 24 g
Saturated - 6 gm
Polyunsaturated - 9 gm
Monosaturated - 8 gm
Carbohydrate - 11 gm
Fiber - 2 gm
Protein - 34 gm

Parmesan Crusted Salmon:
4-6oz raw salmon
1T coconut oil (optional, to keep from sticking)
1T mayo (full fat)
2T grated parmesan cheese
Spices as desired (tonight I used salt, pepper, cilantro and rosemary, just a pinch of each)

1. Rinse and pat dry piece of thawed or fresh salmon
2. Place in small baking dish that has been coated with coconut oil
3. In small bowl, combine mayo and spices.
4. Spread mayo mixture over salmon
5. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over all

Bake 350 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, depending on how well done you like it.
If cheese doesn't brown, put under broiler for a couple minutes.

First time I made this (Dana Carpender's book was my inspiration), even my 21 yr old son ate it!

Roasted Asparagus:
Asparagus
Olive oil (about 1 T)
Coconut oil (optional, about 1 T, to keep from sticking)
Salt and Pepper

1. Break asparagus stems and discard fibrous stalk. Rinse and pat dry
2. Coat baking dish with coconut oil
3. Place asparagus in single layer in baking dish.
4. Sprinkle olive oil and season with salt and pepper
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 min.

LC Chilli!

This started out as a "regular", low fat recipe. I've adapted it for LC.

Chilli:
1lb pork sausage. The bulk type, not links or patties. I prefer Bass Farm Hot Sausage/
1 lb lean ground beef. I use the fatties I can find....after all, you're going to drain the fat off.
1 - 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1c chopped onion
1 c chopped green pepper
1c sliced celery
2 cloves minced garlic (I use 3-4)
2tsp salt
4tsp chilli powder
1T crushed red pepper
6oz ( 1 small can) tomato paste
1 15oz can crushed tomato.

Ground the veef and sausage. Drain off fat.
When fully cooked, transfer to crock pot.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10hrs.

Serving size is 1 cup. Top with 1 oz shredded cheese. (whole milk cheese!)

I usually get 11 cups from this recipe.

Nutritional info:
Total recipe: 11 cups provides 212g fat (78 saturated), 180g carbs (44 are fiber) and 236g protein.
1 Cup :19g fat (7 saturated), 16g carbs (4 are fiber) and 21g protein.

Adding 1oz shredded 4 cheese mix to single serving, for an additional: 9gm fat (6 saturated), 1gm carb (no fiber) and 6gm of protein.

I'll make a batch of this and put in 1c containers and freeze. Heats well in mocrowave, but be careful, this is higher fat, so can burn or overheat easily. I use the defrost setting to reheat.

Two great meals

From time to time, as I find new recipes to cook.....and they come out good, I'll post them here. Both of these meals not only keep within the LC guedielines, they're easy to make and healthy. Even my 23yr old son likes them!

Two great meals:

Salmon and Shrimp with alfredo sauce
6oz pieces of salmon, poached. 2 large shrimp (16-20/lb size) per serving, steamed

1 egg yolk beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter
1 clove finely minced garlic
1 T parsley
1 cup Parmensan Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Romano Cheese, grated

Add yolk to cream and heat slowly, stirring often. As it starts to boil, add 1 stick butter. When melted, stir in parsley and cheese. Heat, stirring constantly until cheese is all melted. Add more cheese as desired.
Alfredo sauce carb count per Fitday:
1/8c = 19g fat (12 sat/1 poly/ 6 mono)//Carb 1 // 8 protein

Place pieces of fish on plate, top with shrimp, and spoon sauce over all.

Serve with broccoli and butter.
Total for the meal (our salmon filets were 6oz each):
Fat 46 (S 22, p 6 m 15), Carb 11 (F 5), Protein 56.


Meal 2:
This one I got from Dana Carpender's cookbook 500 Low Carb Recipes:

Polynesian Pork:
4 large pork chops or pork tenderloin (4-6 oz each)
1/2 cup soy sauce (if you're not big on salt, you might want to use the lower salt version)
4 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

Mix all ingredients except pork and pour into zip-lock bag. Add pork and let marinate at least 20 minutes.

Remove pork from marinate and arrange in shallow baking dish.

Bake 40-60 minutes, or until cooked thru. Baste with marinade as needed during cooking.
Counts (per book): total of marinade divided between 4 pieces would give 7 effective carbs, but figure around 3-4 as not all marinade will be eaten.
Counts per Fitday: 5 carbs and 2 protein (1/4 of recipe)

Serve with fresh asparagus with butter and parmesan cheese.

Total for the meal (our pork tenderloins were 6oz each):
Fat 25 (S 12, p 2 m 19), Carb 9 (F 2), Protein 53.