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Showing posts from February, 2009

Guest Chef Creation-- Cynnara's Dinosaur Eggs

For those who have kids, this recipe is invaluable. However, for an adult bored with eggs on a low-carb diet, it's more than invaluable. Thank you, Cynnie! ROTFLMAO, this is so simple, you're going to flip that you hadn't thought of doing it before this. Take four ramekins and spray with nonstick spray. Take four pieces of bread and butter them on both sides. (Normally before buttering, I get cute and use food coloring and drop various colours on the bread to form speckles for the "shell" portion of the egg. Then place one bread into each ramekin, allowing the points to stick up. Crack one egg into each ramekin, trying to not break the yolk. Drop in a couple of drops of food colouring in the whites area and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until the eggs look set. Take out, let sit for 5 minutes before serving. With the colouring, it makes the presentation of an

Recipe- Simple Lemonade Chicken

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I admit, I was skeptical of this recipe. I don't care for lemon pepper, so I thought I wouldn't like this, but Dante urged me to give it a shot. Yum! We couldn't find white wine Worcestershire sauce, but the regular kind did fine.

Recipe-- Beef Burgers with Corn Salsa

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I was surprised at how good the corn salsa was. Yes, it added to the carb count, but it's a savory addition when you can afford the extra grams.

No one Believed Me, so here's the proof

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I knew I'd recorded my heaviest weight on a weight tracker, but I couldn't remember where until I stumbled on it today. There it is at the bottom of the chart on the right -- 298 lbs, a little over a year ago now. I've lost 54 pounds since that day, and more comes off when I follow my diet. No one believes me when I tell them I've already lost 54 pounds. Like, nothing counts before your surgery date. A year of struggle is a year of my life, and it darn sure does count. Someday, when I'm in those skinny jeans or daringly wearing a bikini (yeah, at my age!) I want to have the proof I used to weight just shy of 300 pounds because no one will believe me then, either. LOL!

Rosy Spiced Cider

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You can get diet Cranberry Cocktail without sacrificing flavor, but this one's going to remain a high-carb treat. However, for those on Liquid diets, any flavor is a welcome change.

Recipe Reprise-- Country Pork Stew

Country Pork Stew Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil 1-1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1” cubes 1 cup chopped onion 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or equivalent from a jar 1 tsp. Dried sage Black Pepper, to taste ½ cup dry white wine (or ½ cup white grape juice combined with 1 T. cider vinegar) 1-3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth 2 T. tomato paste ¼ tsp. Ground allspice Note: While these directions are given for an electric skillet, you can use a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. An electric skillet gives very even heat, and has a useful simmer setting, but not everyone has one. Heat the olive oil in the electric skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes and onion, sautéing until brown, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients in the order given, stirring a moment before adding the next. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and walk away for one hour. It’s done with the pork is fork tender. Nutrition: 284 calories 7 g fat 42g protein 7g carb 1g dietary

Recipe-- Grilled Portobello Open Faced Sandwich

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You don't know good until you've tasted this little gem! This is one of the reasons I look forward to grilling season.

Recipe-- Savory Barbeque Chicken

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Recipe-- Beef Bourguignon

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Minty Black and White Cocoa

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You can definitely cut the carbs and calories on this one without sacrificing taste. I buy the Diet Swiss Miss (25 calories) and use Cool Whip Free instead of whipped cream. Every little bit helps, but I admit I serve this to guests more often than just myself.

Moms For Safe Food-- A Guest Blog

Did you know? Millions of acres of genetically engineered (GE) crops have been planted in the United States.Nearly two-thirds of the products on our supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients.Consumer polls show that 80-95% of Americans want GE foods to be labeled - mainly so that we can avoid buying them!The British Medical Association has called for a global moratorium and/or ban on GE foods and the New England Journal of Medicine warned that, the allergenic potential of GE’s is uncertain, unpredictable and untestable. Why we try to eat mostly organic foods We had a very dear friend visiting over the Christmas holiday and she was surprised at the number of organic food items we have around here. “Organic Coffee!” she said, surprised.It got me thinking about why we eat organic foods. I’ve been eating natural and healthy food since college. I was ill in my freshman year and the school doctor suggested I eat a bit more carefully. I guess coffee and cigarettes was

Spinach and Shrimp Salad with Tripple Mustard Dressing

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I will agree that using packaged spinach is a good idea for this recipe. You can also find frozen shrimp in the freezer cases, and you can save money by boiling the little critters yourself. However, I admit I buy with the tails off. I said I'm lazy. LOL! The dressing is out of this world good. You'll want to keep that one handy for every time you serve a spinach salad.

Counting Carbs and Resisting Temptations

On one of the LapBandTalk forums, someone asked me if I really do count even the carbs in my coffee creamer and manage to stay under 30g a day. I do indeed count the creamer in my coffee. It kills me to limit my coffee, but switching to hot tea helps in the winter. I stopped taking Metamucil and switched to Miralax on my doctor's recommendation. I don't have to count the Miralax. Yes, keeping the carbs that low is very rough sometimes, especially during holidays and family celebrations. However, I can be forgiving of myself for the rare celebrational moment, as long as I'm reasonable. Sometimes it means getting inventive, other times it means depending on someone else to be "coach" and say, "Aunt Bea, we really appreciate what you did baking that birthday cake, but Lena's only allowed a sliver of cake. Anything more will cause a blockage and a hospital visit. Thank you." Really, it's outside influences that cause me the most distress. I actually

Beef Roulades

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Earl Grey Latte

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Yes, that's 27g of carbs that was cut off. Ouch, I know. You can significantly reduce the carbs by using whipping cream or half-and-half, and of course substituting the honey with Splenda. The idea still works, and it's a great winter day warmer.

Tangy Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

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If I could keep apricot preserves in the house, I'd make this more often. The guys love it! So do I, because it's so simple.

Turtles Snacking Mix

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I love, love, love Turtles! This recipe saves me from pigging out on all the wrong things because I'm having a chocolate craving. I do recommend packaging this in Ziploc snack-sized bags so you can easily grab just a serving. For me, taking the whole jar into the living room or office is a death knell to my diet and the whole jar.

Mean Lean Vegetable Chili

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I don't worry too much about the carbs on this one because as a bandster, I just don't eat that much of this chili. It's great during the "mushie" stage because everything gets cooked very well.

Bumpy Chicken

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It really does look bumpy! Great dish to serve the kids. They'll love the name.

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf

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This one's not low calorie, but it is low carb. Watch yourself!

Creamy Thai Coffee

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Okay, so it's heavy on the carbs. Let's face it, once in awhile won't kill you. This is much, much lower in carbs than going to a fancy gourmet coffee shop. Trust me. Don't believe me? Go to Starbucks.com and get the nutritional info.

Braised Pork Chops

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Don't neglect that sauce! It's soooo good! If you don't have a Safeway grocery, just use regular brands. Lena

The First Weekend Eating Out

This weekend was a "road test" for my new lifestyle. Friday I went with a local quilting guild to St. Simon's Island for a once-a-year event/sale on special quilting fabrics. Naturally of course, we had to sample the local restaurants. and this year was seafood! I was smart enough to choose an appetizer only, a 5 oz chunk crab cake with no naughty breading or fillings. I only ate half and asked for a box. It's still in the fridge. Then yesterday, I was a very naughty girl. Dante and I went to the Hoggestown Medieval Faire in Gainesville. We left early, but in a bit of a rush, so no breakfast. Dante insisted we stop at a McDonalds for a quick bite. (sigh) I should have ordered one of the "breakfasts" and eaten just the sausage and eggs. No, I was weak. I hadn't had an Egg McMuffin in years, and couldn't resist. (flogging myself for my crime) It took me close to an hour to eat the silly thing, but I did it. (Tsk! Tsk!) Now at the faire, I was better ou

Lean Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake

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I couldn't believe it. However, I'm lazy. I bought the pre-made chocolate cookie crumb pie crust (usually available where the puddings and other baked goods can be found.)