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Showing posts from March, 2010

Almond Milk-- My new Almond Joy and Xylitol

Well, I found a few. I definitely found, bought, and tried the Almond Milk. Fiona Jayde was absolutely right. This stuff is great! I am shocked and thrilled to report that ONE CUP is only 40 calories and 2 carbs. Needless to say, my little creamer pitcher is full so I can have as much coffee as I desire this morning without guilt or a red face. It doesn't really whiten my coffee's color, but it still mellows the flavor. Since I can't judge by color, measuring becomes more important than ever. That alone is ironic, since I have a whole cup to use. DD and I had already tried Soy Milk, and were pleased with it. However, the carb and calorie count were less than thrilling.at 100 calories and 11 carbs for a cup. Susan really loves the vanilla, so she's willing to "pay" for the carbs. I'm not. I'd also been less than thrilled to discover that all my favorite artificial sweeteners were less than good for me. (sigh) I've always believed in "bett

Dairy Update-- Fiona Jayde to the Rescue!

Turns out my friend and fellow author Fiona Jayde is lactose intolerant.I'm already on the detox (notice the similarity to low carb?) Here's what Fiona said: Dood - I SOO understand. Here's a couple of tips if you're interested: Use Almond Milk in any recipe that calls for milk.It makes slightly denser things (like waffles or whatnot) but it tastes very much like regular milk. For butter - use Earth Balance - looks the same tastes the same. Tofutti makes terrific products from cream cheese to sour cream - and while its not quite the same, its absolutely doable. Hubby makes me  dairy free cheesecake with Soy Whipped Cream and Toffuti Cream Cheese. Its not the same as the real thing, but I'll take it. (At this point any dairy I eat will form a knot in my gut) My diet is basically a "detox diet" - no diary, no yeast no sugar. I cheat on the sugar part, but I've had no yeast or dairy (that I know of) since November, and I'm seeing a marked difference

Post-Doc Happiness

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Hooray!! I may have only lost 2.6 lbs, but I lost 4 lbs of fat! Woohoo! Doc says it was probably water, and may be related to my dairy sensitivity. Speaking of which, Sarah T, the nutritionist at Dr. Baptista's, has asked me to keep my food journal and especially mark carefully all uses of dairy. She's suspecting that it's not lactose intolerance but something more specific. Meanwhile, I've noted every drop. Even more than two ounces of half-n-half in my coffee makes my face red. Hmmm...   L ena 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  

Weigh-in Day Nerves, Dairy, and 28 Days of Hell

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I don't know why I'm nervous. I know --because my scale tells me so-- that I've not lost but a pound or two in the past month, and I think I know why. Stress. Stress = Dairy. I've waaaay overdone the dairy this month. I managed to stop being a cookie and cake hound, but the dairy downfall is still with me in times of stress. With DH out of work, we're stressed to the max at my house. Whereas one month ago we were celebrating my daughter getting a job at long last, hard on the heels of that little party came the bad news-- furlough for Randy. The last time he was out of work, we almost lost the house to foreclosure. This time, we may not lose the house, but we're now behind on the mortgage payments while I scramble to juggle all the bills. Without Susan generously giving us most of her paycheck and Randy's unemployment, we'd be sunk. No matter how many times I tell myself that the house is just a thing you own and can be replaced, there's an emotiona

Caribbean Roasted Pork

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I changed this recipe in the preparations, but that shouldn't change the carb and calories. However, I think using Splenda Brown will lower the carbs IF you remember that you only need 1/2 the amount of brown sugar when you use Splenda Brown. 2 T. brown sugar (or 1 T. Splenda Brown) 2 t. sea salt 1 t. ground cinnamon 1 t. ground cumin 1/2 t. ground allspice 1/2 t. black pepper Aluminum foil 2 (12-oz) pork tenderloins or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs Olive Oil Preheat oven to 375F. Throw all the sugars and spices (brown sugar to pepper) into a small bowl. Cut up the meat into bite-sized chunks. Put them in a large bowl. Sprinkle on enough oil to coat the meat thoroughly. Stir or toss the meat with your hands. Now dump in half the spices and toss again. Dump on the rest of the spices and toss. Last time tossing, I promise! Line a covered roasting pan or casserole with foil. Dump the spiced meat in the pan, cover, and bake 30-45 minutes until done. Bandsters-- whirl the pork in

Crock Beef Italiano

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This is so easy, I'm so excited! The original recipe had the roast added last, but my crock wants the meat added first. Remember, read your directions. 1. Mix these in a bowl: 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 T. onion powder 1/2 T. oregano 1/4 T. dried parsley 1/4 T. sugar (Splenda works just as well) 1/4 t. black pepper 1/4 t. basil Dash thyme Dash celery salt 1 16-oz jar pepperocini peppers, drained and sliced (I removed the stems and whirled them in the food processor with the juice, then added the whole thing to the bowl.) 1 (10.5 oz) can low sodium beef broth 2. Put the beef blade roast, trimmed of excess fat, in the bottom of the crock. 3. Pour the bowlful all over the roast. 4. Turn on the crock pot to Low. Walk away for 6-8 hours. Serve with a stir-fry of zucchini and yellow squash or perhaps Faux-tay-toes. Add a big spinach salad. 4 servings, about 1/4 lb each. 158 calories, 13g carbohydrates.   L ena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com Writing blog: http://depravedduchess.blogsp