Butter, Butter, Butter

One thing I love about low carb living is butter! Real butter. Not fake Fabio margerine. If you want to give your vegetables a kick, then try some yummy butter and extract or spice combinations.

Orange Butter
I bought a bag of frozen (steamers) broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with nothing else added (I check the ingredients). I put the bag in the microwave and half a stick of butter in a pan. About a minute before the vegetables were done, I turned on the stove and melted the butter. Once the butter was melted, I added a teaspoon of orange extract. I stirred the extract and butter together, then added the vegetables. Then I stirred the vegetables (along with some slivered almonds) into the butter until they were well coated and snapping hot. I also topped the vegetables with salt and pepper. The end result was a light buttery orange flavor added to my vegetables, and let me tell you - it was dee-licious!

Garlic-Lemon Butter
This time I stirred up some fresh cut zucchini and squash in butter with a teaspoon of lemon extract, and a heavy dash of garlic salt and cracked pepper. You could also cook a chicken breast in garlic-lemon butter. Yum!

Almond Butter
Add almond extract to your butter, plus some slivered almonds to go along with your vegetables (try it on green beans).

Italian Herb Butter
Melt your butter and stir in Italian herb seasoning and use it stir up whatever vegetables suit your taste buds.

Best Crockpot Turkey Breast Roast Recipe Ever

Sometimes I create something wonderful by pure chance. This is one of those times. I bought a boneless turkey breast roast, but couldn't decide what to do with it. I searched online for a crockpot recipe, but I couldn't find one I liked. In the end, I poured a half cup water into the crockpot, and the generously sprinkled Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning all over the turkey breast, threw it into the pot, turned it on low for 8 hours...

And OMG! I wasn't really looking forward to dinner. I was expecting a tasteless, dry turkey. I blown away at how moist and yummy my turkey turned out. It was so good I ate more than my share! DH loved it too. So simple, yet so delicious. 

Root Beer Float Protein Shake

I've been trying to stay away from diet soda, but once in awhile, you simply need a treat (especially after you talked yourself into going to the gym for the first time in ages). Tonight I made a root beer float protein shake.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup of diet root beer
1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 scoop of Jay Robb's Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
ice

Blend. Pour into a glass. Enjoy! 

Low Carb BLT Wrap

Today, I made the most scrumptious lunch - a BLT wrap!

Directions:
1. Cook 4 slices of bacon.
2. Peel off a large iceberg lettuce leaf, wash, pat it dry with paper towels and lay it on a plate.
3. Spread 2 tsp. of Hidden Valley Ranch Bacon Dressing on the lettuce (1 carb for 2 T.).
4. Spread 2 T. of guacamole on the lettuce (I use either HEB's Natural Guacamole or Wholly Guacamole Classic).
5. Slice a tomato. Cut one slice in half and place both halves on top of the guacamole. Sprinkle salt and pepper on your tomato.
6. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over your tomato.
7. Top with your four slices of bacon. Roll the lettuce wrap and eat!

Approximately 1.5 carbs

Chicken Breasts with Vegetables

Several years ago I was experimenting in the kitchen and came up with this recipe. It's one of my DH's favorite dinners.

Instructions:
1. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning on each chicken breast. Place the chicken breasts in a greased baking dish (I spray with Pam).
2. Dice up 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes. Place a small amount of tomatoes on top of each chicken breast.
3. Dice up 1 small zucchini and 1 small summer squash. Put a generous amount of each on every chicken breast.
4. Sprinkle the vegetables with Greek seasoning.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.
6. Top each chicken breast with cheddar cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is melted.

Approximately 2-3 carbs.

Low Carb Breakfast Salad

I've been thinking about how I can get more vegetables into my morning. I came up with this crazy idea of making a breakfast salad! Who would have thunk?

Ingredients:
1 cup lettuce and / or spinach, torn very small
1 boiled egg, diced
2 slices of bacon, crumbled (save the bacon grease)
1/2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
3 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths

Toss the salad with bacon dressing.

Bacon Dressing: Put 3 T. of the bacon grease (the fat) into a small saucepan. Add 3 T. of red wine vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp. of Dijon mustard, and a few drops of Stevia (or a tsp. of Splenda). Whisk the mixture over low heat until warm. Pour over your breakfast salad! Approximately 3 carbs.

Tea for Weight Loss, The Tea Series, Part 1

I've decided to post a series about tea. I am a bit of a tea connoisseur. I love a good cup of hot tea, or a tall glass of iced tea. I've made a point to educate myself about tea, and I've learned some exciting things. The first and foremost thing I've learned is that tea can help with weight loss!

All teas (white, black, green, oolong, pu-erh) are harvested from the same plant: the tea plant, also known in scientific terms as camellia sinensis. The different types of tea are based on how they are processed. They all have the same properties that help us with weight loss. Tea has three synergistic properties that work together: caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

Tea has about 65 mg of caffeine per brewed cup (8 ounces). Coffee has about 90 mg of caffeine per brewed cup. But we are comparing apples to oranges. You see, tea has L-theanine, an amino acid that counteracts the negative effects of caffeine. This works to send your brain a message telling you that you are satisfied and full, rather than hungry. So basically, it works as an appetite suppressant. And then there is the EGCG which is an antioxidant that helps kick your metabolism into fat burning mode. How cool is that? Tea by itself won't cause you to lose weight, but it acts as an effective supplement to your low carb diet.

To top it off, tea is much healthier than diet soda. Let's face it -diet soda is chemicals and fake sweetner. Tea is an ancient drink that comes from nature. It's totally safe to drink tea all day long! Now I know what you are thinking: how does the caffeine effect your sleep? Well, I can tell you from personal experience that about a week and half into low carbing and full time tea drinking, I am now sleeping through the night.

In Part 2 of The Tea Series, we will talk about the different kinds of teas.

Cherry Cordial Protein Shake

If you want a real treat in a healthy package, then you must try making a cherry cordial protein shake. It's to die for!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup club soda
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 scoop (or 1 package) Jay Robb's Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
3 tablespoons DaVinci's Sugar Free Cherry Syrup
1 tablespoon flaxmeal (optional)
1 tablespoon chia gel (optional)

Blend. Add ice and chop till fine. Drink up!

Classic Deviled Eggs

My great-grandmother taught me how to make deviled eggs when I was just a girl. I've always loved them. They are a staple of my low carb diet.

How to Boil Eggs:
Place 3 day old brown eggs (they peel better) into a pan. Cover the eggs with water (1 to 2 inches). Bring the eggs to a boil. Allow the eggs to boil for a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and place a cover on the pan. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and submerge them into a bowl of ice water until the eggs are completely cooled. Crack the egg on both ends. Peel from the top end down first, then around the side of the egg.

How to Make Classic Deviled Eggs (6 whole eggs, 12 deviled eggs):

Boil and peel 6 eggs. Use a sharp knife to cut the eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove the yolk from each egg and place all of the yolks in a small bowl. Mash the yolks well with a fork.

Mix In:
2 tbsp. real mayonnaise
1 tbsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. sugar free relish
dash of salt and pepper

Fill each egg "bowl" with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle paprika on the deviled eggs. If you want to be fancy about it, you can put the yolk mixture into an icing tube and "pipe" it into the egg bowls. Enjoy! 0 carbs, 32.5 calories, 3 protein, 2.5 fat

Weekend Fat Fast Results

I started a Weekend Fat Fast on Friday, July 19, 2012. My beginning weight (as of Friday morning) was 189 pounds. This is naked butt prior to eating or drinking anything weight.

The Fast
Day One (Friday) - I had to rearrange my meals to fit my day. It's not that big of a deal, but I had to drive across town and knew I'd be out and about for 3 hours, so I made my protein shake on the go. I also woke up late (had to pick up the teen daughter from the Batman premier at 3 a.m.), so I had my scrambled eggs around 9 a.m. I found that I'd get a little hungry at the 2 1/2 to 3 hour mark, which was fine because it was time to have another mini meal. I was never starving, but I can't say I felt completely full either. I kept telling myself it's only 3 days. I can do anything for 3 days, right?
Day Two (Saturday) - I lost 2 1/2 pounds! Yippee! I finally broke past 188 (lowest I've gotten in my 3 pounds on / off game). My Saturday morning weight came in at 186.5. To top it off my morning blood sugar was 156. Now that is still too high, but I've been struggling with this since I started back low carbing (and actually started testing -my bad). Every morning my BS has been 220-230. This is a significant improvement! One things though: I started to have foot cramps. I take a chelated mineral for this reason (low on magnesium). Two a day usually cuts it, although it was recommended I take 4. I think I might be low on potassium with my diet (I am using Morton's Lite Salt). I'm going to go ahead and take 4 chelated minerals (you can't take them at once, so I have to spread them out through the day).
  Saturday started out great, but it was kind of tough. I felt hungrier, and flipped out on DH when it was time for my super Jello. He ate the whole darn bowl! Seriously! The entire bowl! I had to have my protein shake, and make another bowl of Jello. I also had a headache and a toothache (I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and go to the dentist). I went to bed early (without my Jello), but woke up about 10:30 p.m. and ate my 1/2 cup as if it were ice cream.
Day Three (Sunday) - My weight is the same (phew) and my BS came in at 158. One more day to get through eating the same thing in the same amounts all day. It's not horrible, but it's not fabulous either. I felt better on Sunday, so it wasn't too bad of a day. I was definitely ready to eat something different!

The Results
Drumroll please...
This morning my weight is 186.5. I maintained a 2.5 weight loss. I've read that people have lost 5-7 pounds on Atkin's Fat Fast, but would gain half of it back within the week. I didn't lose as much, so I truly hope it sticks. I also lost an inch in the bust. Oh yeah! My Monday morning blood sugar came in at 161. Certainly far from perfect, but much better than it was prior to my fat fast.

Reflection
I knew almost as soon as I started that I should have made 3 days worth of meal plans in order to have a little variety. It takes time to work out the fat/protein/carbs/fiber/calorie intake. DH won't do this fast with me because he hates mayo (sad for him). I need to come up with replacement ideas for the man. I also realize he will need more calories. He could stand to lose 10-20 pounds, but he's not that far over the scale like me. There really is a tiny person under all of this fat. I just need to let her out. Overall, I think this 3 day fat fast did me some good (jumped started my weight loss which was stalled and lowered my blood sugar). It also made me realize that I'm really going to have to count, record, weigh, measure, and track what I eat in order to figure out my sensitivities. What causes me to lose / gain pounds? What causes my blood sugar to go up / down? I tried to do this by estimating and staying away from processed food, flour, wheat, and sugar, but I realize now that I'm seriously sensitive to something. I need to figure out what that something is exactly.

I'm now a bit stumped. What was the cause behind the effect? Was it the upped fat? The lower carbs? The limited calories? Did protein play a role? And what about fiber? I'm going to carefully play with these things over the next few weeks to see which ones my body responds to. Overall, I consider my fat fast a success. If I do it again, I will definitely make a 3 day menu with a little more variety.