Testing ‘Fat Bombs’

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I made my first fat bomb this afternoon. The primary ingredients are coconut oil, butter, unsweetened peanut butter and chocolate. 1 small cup is a single serving and more than enough to fill you up.

I made my first fat bomb this afternoon. The primary ingredients are coconut oil, butter, unsweetened peanut butter and chocolate. 1 small cup is a single serving and more than enough to fill you up.

Since my way of eating is low carb/high fat, I shoot for a daily caloric intake of 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbs. That seems to be my sweet spot for weight loss. Some days that’s easier said than done. Enter ‘Fat Bombs.’

Fat bombs are small (and I do mean small) treats that are high concentrations of fat (talking 90%+) that give a boost of energy and help you feel satiated longer.

It really is impossible to eat a lot of fat bombs. Eating fat alone fills you up quickly and for a long, long time. Read More

Bacon, Spinach & Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

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This quick and easy breakfast casserole lasts for a few days and ends up saving me a lot of time in the mornings. Plus it is mighty tasty, low carb and healthy!

This quick and easy breakfast casserole lasts for a few days and ends up saving me a lot of time in the mornings. Plus it is mighty tasty, low carb and healthy!

Lots going on over the next few days. The weather forecast is awesome and I intend to spend my mornings training for my 5k or upping my walks to 8 miles.  To save time in the mornings I decided to whip up an egg casserole to last us for the next few days.

Breakfast casseroles are the easiest things to make. All you need are 8-10 eggs (for an 8 x 8 dish), some sautéed veggies, 1 cup of cheese and a protein. Toss in a little salt and pepper and you have yourself an amazingly tasty way to start the day. Read More

This Low Carber No Longer Avoiding Yogurt

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Turns out the carb count listed on the nutrition labels of yogurts isn't correct. Plan, full fat Greek yogurt is back in my fridge.

Turns out the carb count listed on yogurt nutrition labels isn’t correct. Plain, full fat Greek yogurt is back in my fridge.

I love yogurt, but the sugar and carb count was too high a price to pay during my weight loss journey. I stay away from foods with a carb count above 10g and sadly yogurt falls into that category. The only exception to this rule is for berries, but I never eat the full serving size (keeping the net carbs under 6g).

Yesterday I got a wonderful surprise while reading 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender. Turns out the nutrition label on yogurt isn’t correct.

How is the content on food labels determined?
The government requires companies to calculate the carbs in food “by difference.” You see, food makers have to measure everything – calories, fats, protein, water and anything else – in food. Once done, the assumption is that everything leftover are carbs.

The carb count on the nutrition label of fermented milk (think yogurt and buttermilk) is wrong because it actually includes the lactic acid that the bacteria produces after it eats most of the lactose.

The carb count on the nutrition label of fermented milk (think yogurt and buttermilk) is wrong because it actually includes the lactic acid that the bacteria produces after it eats most of the lactose.

While it works with most foods, fermented milk acts differently. To make yogurt or buttermilk, bacteria are added and kept warm until the bacteria grows. This is what gives yogurt its thick texture and tangy taste. The bacteria eat up almost all the lactose (milk sugar) and turn it into lactic acid. So the standard nutrition calculation is counting that lactic acid as a carb.

In their book The GO-Diet, doctors Jack Goldberg and Karen O’Mara recommend counting 1 cup of plain yogurt as 4g of net carbs.

Which Yogurt Is Best For Low Carb?
I’m avoiding all nonfat or low fat yogurt. Also any flavored yogurt or with fruit added. Why?

The amount of added sugar. Food companies add a lot of sugar to replace the fat they took out. Otherwise the yogurt would taste like crap.

My new snack - 1/2 cup of plain full fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of mixed berries and a dash of cinnamon. Yummy and only 5g of net carbs.

My new snack – 1/2 cup of plain full fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of mixed berries and a dash of cinnamon. Yummy and only 5g of net carbs.

I’m going with plain full fat Greek yogurt. Full fat provides a more creamy texture and taste. Greek yogurt has the added protein that’s always awesome. Besides, I can add my own flavors — cinnamon, fresh berries or vanilla extract.

Strangely enough, finding a full fat Greek yogurt isn’t that easy. Thanks to our government pushing the unhealthy low-fat diet fad for nearly 60 years, none of the major American food companies make full fat Greek yogurt. If I wanted full fat Greek yogurt, I needed a Greek import.

Unfortunately, Wegmans only has one brand, Fage. Nothing wrong with Fage (it’s delicious), but I’d like the idea of trying different products and finding the best one for me. Sigh…

Oh well, I may have to head over to Whole Foods next weekend to see what they have on tap.

Loaded Cauliflower Muffins

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This little side dish is a great way to play with veggies. Next time I plan to add broccoli and diced red pepper to my Cauliflower Muffins.

This little side dish is a great way to play with veggies. Next time I plan to add broccoli and diced red pepper to my Cauliflower Muffins.

Made with cauliflower, almond four and flax seeds, these spongy muffins are a nifty little side dish for dinner. This recipe is from George Stella’s The Complete Low-Carb Cookbook. The recipe makes 12 muffins total, so you’ll have plenty of leftovers.

I did make the mistake of chopping the cauliflower too small, which resulted in over cooking it. The cauliflower ended up too mushy rather than crunchy in the muffin. Lesson learned for next time.

While the bacon, cheddar and Parmesan makes for a nice flavor, I needed a little more punch. I ended up salting my muffins and melting a little butter on top. Yum! Read More

Low Carb Sausage & Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

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These yummy stuffed peppers are a great alternative to my typical morning fare of eggs, avocado and tomato.

These yummy stuffed peppers are a great alternative to my typical morning fare of eggs, avocado and tomato.

Looking to mix up my breakfast from my usual eggs, ½ avocado and ½ tomato, I turned to my dad’s stuffed pepper recipe, minus the rice. My low carb version of this dish included a red or green pepper, sausage and baby bella mushrooms. It’s easy to make and delicious.

It takes about 50 minutes to make (45 of those minutes is baking time). If you don’t have that much time in the morning, then I urge you to make it the day before. It tastes just as good on the second day. Read More

Smokey Joe Burgers – Healthy, Simple & Delish

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Thanks to this burger recipe, Smoked Paprika is now my favorite seasoning. It is truly amazing.

Thanks to this burger recipe, Smoked Paprika is now my favorite seasoning. It is truly amazing.

Like most households, ground beef is a quick, easy, go to protein for dinner. The problem is that burgers can get pretty dull. Thanks to a few of my low carb cookbooks, I found a few recipes to kick my bun-less burgers up a notch.

This particular recipe comes from Rozanne Gold’s Low Carb 1-2-3 and has only 4 ingredients. It takes 3 hours for the ingredients to create a great flavor, but it is worth it.

Smokey Joe Burgers
Net Carbs: 1.5g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground sirloin
  • 1 medium onion, grated (enough for 2-1/2 tbsp of onion pulp)
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions

  • 3 hours before serving, place the sirloin, onion pulp, smoked paprika, and salt. Using your hands, mix the thoroughly (but don’t over mix).
  • Shape the sirloin into 6 large, thick patties. Individually wrap each patty in foil and refrigerate for 3 hours (no longer than 3) to bring out the flavor.
  • After 3 hours, pre-heat the broiler. Remove the burgers from the foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet and broil, about 6″ from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until they reach desired doneness. Serve immediately.

Healthy Loaded “Potato” Soup On Cold, Winter Day

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My faux potato soup hit the spot on a very cold day. Cauliflower is an amazingly versatile veggie.

My faux potato soup hit the spot on a very cold day. Cauliflower is an amazingly versatile veggie.

The wind is howling, rain is on the way and it’s terribly cold outside. Time for soup! Yep, I’m in soup mode.  Earlier in the week I tossed cauliflower, onion, green beans and beef in some broth and made a veggie beef soup.

But I’m craving potato soup. Yum!

I love potato soup but it’s too high in carbs for me to enjoy at the moment. What’s a low carb girl like me, with a desperate need for potato soup, to do? Switch out the potato with a medium head of cauliflower!

Cauliflower?  Oh, yes.

This soup made a wonderful lunch on a cold winter day. Plus it’s outrageously fast, filling and easy to create. Most importantly I got my potato soup fix with just 4g of net carbs. Read More

Low Carb Maple Scones With Frosting

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Maple Pecan Drop Scone with Buttercream Cheese Frosting! This puppies are healthy and go great with coffee in the morning.

Maple Pecan Drop Scone with Buttercream Cheese Frosting! This tasty low carb baked good is healthy and goes great with your morning coffee.

This morning I instead of the normal fair for breakfast – 2 eggs, ½ a plum tomato and 1 oz. of avocado – I quipped up some low carb scones to go with a hot Cup of Joe. It was delicious. The recipe, from George Stella’s The Complete Low Carb Cookbook, takes less than 30 minutes to make. And at 2.5 net carbs per scone, it was a great way to start off this very cold, snowy morning.

Over the weekend I made a batch of Buttercream Cheese Frosting, the recipe coming from the same book. I planned to make the scones today, so I got a jump on it and made the frosting ahead of time. Since my scone recipe only makes 6 and my frosting recipe serves 12, I decided to cut the frosting recipe in half. Read More

Low Carb Bacon & Egg McMuffin

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Eat your heart out Mickey D's! My own low carb bacon, egg and guacamole mcmuffin.

Eat your heart out Mickey D’s! My own low carb bacon, egg and guacamole McMuffin.

This morning I tried a new recipe — the Paleo Sausage Egg Mcmuffin. I just replaced the sausage with bacon and, at the hubby’s urging, placed everything on Oopsie bread. So that added 1.2g of net carbs to my morning meal. Not a big deal as it was delicious.

My Love Of Breakfast Sandwiches
I spent many mornings pulling up to a McDonald’s drive-thru window collecting a Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit or an Egg McMuffin (always with a large OJ). I was just too rushed in the mornings to make a healthy meal at home. Or so I told myself. So I got fatter and made McDonald’s richer. Smart! Read More

Healthy Almond & Flaxseed Silver Dollar Pancakes: YUM!!

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The Maple Silver Dollar Pancakes turned out awesome. I ended up doubling the size of my husband's pancakes. I had 4 pancakes, but mine were half the size of my hubby's.

The Maple Silver Dollar Pancakes turned out awesome. I ended up doubling the size of my husband’s pancakes. I had 4 pancakes, but mine were half the size of my hubby’s.

Yesterday morning I whipped up a batch of healthy silver dollar pancakes, a recipe I found in George Stella’s Complete Low Carb Cookbook. Not only are these tasty, but very easy to make.

The recipe calls for almond flour and milled flax seed. So your batter is brown in color, but thanks to the maple extract, you won’t need syrup.

Maple Silver Dollar Pancakes
Net Carbs: 2g
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4 points
Serves: 4 (makes 16 pancakes) Read More