Fat Frog Diary

  If you have any trouble reading this email, please view the newsletter online by going to http://www.journeylite.com/newsletter.php HEALTHY EATING   |   RECIPE   |   SUPPORT GROUPS   |   SUCCESS STORY   |   "QUESTION OF THE MONTH"     JourneyLite is dedicated to offering support for successful weight loss with the gastric band. Our website has many tools to keep you connected. Check out the online message boards and personal blogs to offer support, find inspiration and ideas, and to familiarize yourself with JourneyLite. Arlene C. JourneyLite Patient Houston, TX Looking at all the things she can do now, Arlene thinks getting the band is one of the best things she has done in her life.          Click to Learn More What's the skinny on weight-loss pi...

Low Carb Changes: 1. Substitute an equal amount of ground up pork rinds for the bread crumbs. 2. Use Wondra flour to mix with the shortening. Less lumps! 3. Substitute either rutabaga chunks or turnip chunks for the potato for a low-carb alternative. Fresh cauliflower can also work, but will be somewhat mushy.

From my friend Pat Sager:      

This and several recipes you'll see this month came from my grandmother's Eastern Star cookbook. I do recommend substituting Splenda Brown for the brown sugar in this recipe, and take the time to find the lowest carb catsup you can.

While this has no calorie or carb count, you can expect a little bit of a carb jolt. Go easy on the sauce, and you'll be fine. This recipe works very, very well in the crock pot, and comes out falling off the bone tender. Caution: Don't use diet cola. Go buy the smallest bottle you can of coke and use about 8-12 oz. Mix it all with the catsup, and give the rest of the coke to a deserving skinny friend.

Packing a Healthy Lunchbox by Leanne Ely, C.N.C Over the years, the school cafeteria has become a place of too many choices. From franchise fast food offerings to the usual stuff we grew up with, most kids don't know how to pick a healthy lunch or are not inclined to do so considering the many tempting offerings. The alternative is packing your child's lunchbox and it is probably one of the healthiest things parents can do for their school-aged children. The expense isn't just in the pocketbook either. Not eating healthfully costs dearly healthwise. Like anything else, lunch is a time to balance your child's meal. Having a decent protein/carbo ratio in your child's lunchbox will help him or her finish the day with energy to spare. And while sandwiches are okay, the Ultimate Tortilla Roll-ups (see recipe) is perfect lunchbox fare. Not only are they easy to make and pack well, kids also truly love them. There are hundreds of variations on this theme, too. You don...

From Hungry Girl: Posted Tue, Jul 14, 2009, 3:26 pm PDT http://food.yahoo.com/blog/hungrygirl/31517/4-secrets-to-guilt-free-cupcakes The cupcake is one of those irresistible little treats that can get WAY out of hand. Those crazy, designer, fancy, boutique-bakery cupcakes? YIKES. They can easily get up around the 600-calorie mark. Hungry Girl has the scoop on how to make the best low-calorie cupcakes around. The best part? No one will EVER suspect they're low in calories and fat... Our Best Secret Ingredients These help make our cupcakes guilt-free and delicious... Canned Pure Pumpkin - This stuff makes an excellent substitute for eggs and oil in cupcake recipes. In fact, mixing up a 15-oz. can of pumpkin with nothing but a standard box of devil's food cake mix creates a yummy, brownie-like treat that works great when baked in muffin tins. No-sugar-added applesauce is also a good natural add-in. Fat-Free Liquid Egg Substitute - What's the point of using real eggs in baki...

Even I am stunned by the ingenuity of these garden ideas. I'm going to try some! http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/251/grow-your-own-food-in-a-bag-in-a-truck-anywhere.html Tin Cans? How about those big-ass coffee "cans" made of plastic I have by the ton? I'm so trying this. Lena

Why do I crave certain foods? Like the writer in this article, at certain times of the day I'm a lunatic for certain foods. Thankfully, I've managed to curb the sugar and chocolate cravings. They're still there, make no mistake, but I can substitute a string cheese or a healthy snack. But why does my body crave those things? Why is it such a specific list? Well, here's the answers to those burning and fat-producing questions: http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/13805/your-food-cravings-explained-and-contained For me, the answer was ridiculously simple. Let my body have something about every three hours. Here's a rough schedule. I don't adhere to it rigidly, but you get the point. 6 AM or so-- I awaken and all I want for those first few hours is my coffee. Fine. I permit myself three mugs of coffee. That's exactly 3g of carbs. 9 AM-- Now my stomach (upper level only) growls a little. So, I have an egg. Or perhaps a bit of bacon. Protein only, with ver...

Selena Illyria does it again. This Cucumber Snacker Recipe is for me! By Rachael Ray Recipe Link: http://www.foodnetw ork.com/recipes/ rachael-ray/ cucumber- snackersyoull- never-miss- that-cracker- recipe/index. html Recipe: Ingredients 18 slices, 1/4-inch thick, English or seedless cucumber, about 1/2 a whole cucumber 2 or 3 pinches salt 6 ounces herb cheese (recommended: Boursin) 1/4 pound smoked Norwegian salmon Black pepper Directions Set cucumber slices on paper towels to drain and dry. Season lightly with salt. Spread each slice of cucumber with a little cheese. Arrange cucumbers on a serving plate. Top each snacker with a small piece of salmon. Crack a little black pepper over the snackers and serve or chill. -- Dear Reader, Let Me Seduce You . . . Love, Selena Illyria: www.selenaillyria. com , www.pinkchairdiarie s.com Out Now at Changeling Press: Dawg Town: Homecoming Out Now at Loose-Id: Blood Claim: Prelude Out Now at All Romance eBooks : Ba'al & Bondage . __,_._,...

I'm an author. I need "thinking munchies" that don't cost me a ton of carbs and calories. I'm going to give you another way of making chips, and one with a slight variation: vegetable chips! Veggie chips are great because you get more than just potatoes: any solid vegetable can be made into a chip! I made it with beets, zucchini, turnip, and carrot, and sweet potato (and a regular potato, just to be sneaky!) but you could use anything: parsnips, pepper, and anything else that can be sliced on a mandolin. I stared longingly at my cauliflower (my absolute favourite vegetable), but somehow I thought it might not work as well. There are a lot of summer vegetables that work very well with this recipe, but it would also be great in the doldrums of winter when all you have to eat is parsnip: hey, why not fry it? This recipe involves frying instead of baking because lets face it: you want chips. You are in it for the fat and the salt. But with this recipe, you can do it o...

I'm definitely trying this! Most kale that you get in the grocery store is very woody and stiff, but because ours was homegrown it was a bit softer, which meant that we treated it a little differently in this recipe. If you are using kale from the store, strip the leaves from their stems (so that you have half of a leaf), as the stems can be extremely tough. Don't worry about it on any very small pieces, though. Either way, making chips was a delicious way to eat some extremely healthy vegetables, all while curbing those pesky salt and oil cravings. Even easier and healthier than vegetable chips ! Kale chips 3 or 4 large kale leaves with the stems removed2 tbsp red wine vinegar1 tbsp olive oilA few pinches of salt 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and salt and toss with the kale. 3. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping the kale halfway through. Do not overcook or it will be bitter. Difficulty: very easy From...

Baked Eggs With Spinach and Ham (Phase 1) Make-Ahead: Ham and spinach can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until ready to use. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Serves 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 (1-ounce) slices lower-fat, lower-sodium boiled or smoked ham (not honey glazed), cut into thin strips 4 ounces baby spinach, chopped (4-5 cups) 12 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Instructions Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat an 8" by 8" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ham and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl w...

Stores are dangerous places for me right now for several reasons. The most important is they are "impulse buying" traps. Stores are set up and designed so you are tempted all the way until you reach the parking lot. Note that it seems you always have to walk to the fartherest point to get what you need, and you can't escape the "impulse buy" racks at the checkout with their candy bars and junk.   Now I have to add in the money issue. DH has been out of work since March. If you think there isn't age discrimination, try to find work past the age of fifty. Good luck. Anyway, to say the least, we have to watch every penny. Shopping in stores means bringing back a receipt and hanging on to the scrap of paper until it shows up on the online banking statement. God forbid if you need to return an item without your receipt.   Now imagine Christmas shopping this way. In years past when times were good, I enjoyed the process of shopping at holiday time. Sure, mo...

Here's what I've learned about low-carb and the band. Getting off the carb addiction can take two weeks. It's not worth torturing yourself. Get on the wagon and stay there using these methods.   Low carb doesn't mean no carb. It means knowing what you put in your mouth and in what quantities. You can get around the band by eating things that slide past it like ice cream. (My personal weakness)   The best thing to do is find a substitute that gives you a feeling of "reward" so you don't feel deprived. In place of ice cream, I have cottage cheese I've flavored and sweetened with Splenda. Other people make ricotta cremes to do the same. Nice thing is, Cool Whip Free is allowed. LOL! Now I've discovered Jello recipes that make frosty ice cream substitutes . Now that's living large, since they don't require an ice cream maker. Sorbets work too, but they can be "expensive" carb wise unless you make them yourself and use substitutio...

It's hurricane season, and something I keep an eye on. TS Ana was a waste of time from the beginning. This is not true for TS Bill and TS Claudette.    TS Bill will likely be a hurricane before the middle of the week, according to forecasts. I think I'll pull out my hurricane checklist and get ready, just in case.   TS Claudette is just going to be a pain in the butt. Still, she's one to watch.   Anyway, if I stop talking, you know we've temporarily headed for safer ground.     Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...  it's about learning to dance in the rain.   Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com Writing blog: http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com Recipe and Pagan blog: http://third-infinity.blogspot.com Low Carb Diet blog: http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com  

Another recipe from my friend Selena Illyria. Makes me wish for an ice cream maker.   By: Ina Garten Recipe Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-sorbet-recipe/index.html Recipe: Ingredients nocoupons 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup very good cocoa powder (recommended: Pernigotti) 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups water 1/4 cup brewed espresso (1 shot) 11/2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (recommended: Tia Maria) Directions In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups water and the espresso. Cook over low heat until the ingredients are dissolved. Off the heat, stir in the coffee liqueur. Transfer to plastic containers and refrigerate until very cold. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. The sorbet will still be soft; place it in a plastic container and freeze for 1 hour or overnight, until firm eno...

My friend Selena Illyria sent out this recipe, and I just had to share.   By The Neelys Recipe Link: http://www.foodnetw ork.com/recipes/ neelys/watermelo n-sorbet- recipe/index. html Recipe: Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 4 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons grenadine 3 fresh mint leaves 1 (3-pound) seedless watermelon Directions In a small saucepan, bring sugar, syrup, lemon juice, grenadine and mint leaves to a boil dissolving the sugar granules. Let cool slightly. Cut the rind off the watermelon and cut into chunks. Puree half of the chopped watermelon in a blender. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large glass bowl. Repeat with remaining watermelon. Add slightly cooled syrup mixture and mix well to incorporate. Place sorbet into a 2-quart plastic container and freeze for 3 to 4 hours. -- Dear Reader, Let Me Seduce You . . . Love, Selena Illyria: www.selenaillyria. com , www.pinkchairdiarie s.com Out Now at Changeling Press: Dawg Town: H...

Great article! Me, I'll stick with sucralose.   http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/sugar-substitutes.aspx   Lena Austin   "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." —Dr. Seuss   http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com  

Don't freak. The soy is soy sauce. It's good!!

Note that you do have to marinate!! This is very important!!

Honoring my friend Cynnara Tregarth and her cooking today!!    Mmmmmmmm I've got to try this. Since you shared, I'll share my Con Job Rub   1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup kosher salt 1 tbsp chili pepper 2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp dried cilantro 1 tsp Creole seasoning (By Zatarann) 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp Italian seasoning   Mix together in a bowl. Place into a ziploc freezer bag-- keep in cool dark place for up to 3 months. When putting on meat- pat it on and gently rub it in. Marinate the rubbed meat in the fridge for 6 hours-- then rub some more just before smoking or grilling.   Cyn . __,_._,___