Friday is the bomb-diggity.

Nothing like a little 2002-speak to get the most thrilling day of the week off of the ground.

Low-carbers represent!

I was approached to write a piece for Diets in Review, so now you can see five rudimentary reasons for looking to low-carb as a healthy lifestyle choice. The article is short (I spill a thousand words in a sitting), so check it out!

It is not only Friday over here, but the last day of school brings with it a house filled with teens--and they're all going to want to be fed.

You notice I've been refraining from mentioning the glamour that are the Real Housewives of New York. At the same time, I'm also NOT mentioning that they are doing an 'extra footage show' next Thursday, where they're sharing even more of the ba-witchery that are the RHONY. I've been getting into the new series, but they're just hollow shells in New Jersey compared to the Countess chewing with her maw wide open.

Have a great weekend! The recipes will be organized before the end of the month, before they fall off of the front page. In the mean time, there is a google searchie box to the right which will aid you in finding the deliciousness that is whatever you might wish from cauliflower. Just tap your ruby reds together and it will be yours, gorgeousses!

There's no place like home--even if it's piled in socks and looks like it was hit with cyclonic action.

Thanks so much for your continued support of my blog.

Links here will not be moved again, so please feel free to bookmark the articles here and know they will remain at the bookmarks.

While Examiner.com has ultimately chosen to keep my articles on their site (although I asked for their removal), I believe the format here is easier for printing and general use.

Please feel free to use these recipes for private use and enjoy them.

Please share my blog's link with anyone looking for recipes or articles I have written for the use of friends and family.

Thanks again!

Civil Disobedience for Low-Carbers

Just say no to croutons and senseless pasta killings.

People are SO concerned about social convention and SO concerned about what others might think.

It's time to take your health into your own hands.

If people want to be difficult, it's time to employ a little civil disobedience.

If someone hands you a plate of pasta, you tell them that pasta is murder. Those little spaghetti trees give their lives for substandard tomato sauces.

If someone tells you cake is low-calorie, so it's ok, you tell them, so is poop, but Betty Crocker didn't put that on the refrigerator aisle.

If someone tries to tell you that a potato is healthy because it's a vegetable, let them know that potatoes contain more starch than Dracula's collar, and itchy collars make vampires grumpy. Then flash your canines.

Just throw people off, use humor, and when worst comes to worst, pull the Fred Sanford, throw your hands over your chest, loll about and yell, "Jesus! Jesus I'm coming to you, Jesus!" at the suggestion that someone is trying to get you to drink a Capri Sun and eat a 100 calorie snack pack.

A little drama goes a long way and makes for great photos later.

All recipes and articles are here!

Please note: links in most of the articles will go nowhere for the time being and the recipes are not yet linked to the recipe list to the right. If you are searching for something, look to the right below the page view box and scroll for the entire list of all things just added; or you can use the google search box to find the recipes.

I also changed the look of the blog to celebrate a new era of my blog.

It's like shoes, only cheaper.

All recipes are being moved back to this blog

I have had friends emailing to ask me where the heck my Examiner.com articles are. They're here in draft mode in my blog as of two hours ago.

My apologies for the inconvenience! I moved 300 articles in the last day and a half, and it was a ton of work. I am going to be working overtime in the next week to place everything here without spamming subscribers.

If you're not already a subscriber here, please do subscribe! This way you can keep apprised of changes to this blog--and believe you me, there will be many, or my name isn't cleochatra!

PLEASE NOTE: Links in many articles will not work at this time, since they are still tied to Examiner.com. This will be rectified.

I am working to get recipes up for people who have asked for them. A search in the search box to the right for recipes should net the one you're looking for until I can make links match recipes.

Whee!

MSG isn't always labeled as MSG

MSG by any other name... still a headache source

Monosodium glutamate, once made largely from various sources to enhance flavors of foods, is hard to pinpoint. Labeling doesn't always provide the information due to different terms for the stuff.

Think it's not a problem?

Hidden MSG is not limited to use in food. MSG sensitive people have reported reactions to soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners, and cosmetics that contain hidden MSG. The most obvious common hiding places are in ingredients called "hydrolyzed protein" and "amino acids."

Drinks, candy, and chewing gum are also potential sources of hidden MSG. Also, aspartic acid, found in aspartame (NutraSweet) ordinarily causes MSG type reactions in MSG sensitive people. Aspartame is found in some medications. Check with your pharmacist.

Binders and fillers for medications, nutrients, and supplements, both prescription and non-prescription, including enteral feeding materials and some fluids administered intravenously in hospitals, may contain MSG.

truthinlabeling.com

When speaking to food labeling and avoidance, just as sugar can be hidden in myriad terms, so, too, does MSG go by various names. Folloing is a list of ingredients which either absolutely contain MSG or which often create MSG during processing:

glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Monopotassium glutamate
glutamic acid
calcium caseinate
sodium caseinate
hydrolized corn
gelatin
textured protein
natrium glutamate
carrageenan
natural pork flavoring
bouillion and broth
soy sauces, extracts and proteins
flavors and flavorings
natural flavors and flavorings
hydrolized vegetable proteins
autolyzed yeast
hydrolized yeast
yeast extract
protein isolate
malt extract
barley malt
boullion

For an even more thorough list of ingredients and information, please visit truthinlabeling.org

Spices can harbor secret, bad ingredients

Where available, read labels. source

Residing in the spice aisle, jars and containers of flavors vie for attention. The problem is that many assume these are healthy spices, devoid of anything other than the usual low-carb herbs many like to use in cooking.

Some hidden ingredients you may not have seen:

1. Sugar. I know, right? Sugar is not necessary for spicing food, but it adds flavor cheaply and has a negative impact on blood sugar. Watch for any forms of -ose as well.

2. Soy. Soy is one of the major food allergy culprits, causing everything from hunger to rashes to weight loss stall. Beware: Soya is still soy.

3. Natural flavorings. The definition for natural flavors stems from the Code of Federal Regulations.

The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

4. MSG. Mono sodium glutamate tricks the brain into thinking it's enjoying something absolutely wonderful. In fact, MSG is problematic for many users, causing everything from migraines to other negative physical reaction. MSG comes in many forms, which will be discussed tomorrow, and should be avoided.

Spices should bring out the flavor in foods without causing any unnecessary physical issues as a result. If you are using a spice to make jerky and find you are suddenly enduring physical discomfort, look to the spice cabinet. You might just find those seemingly innocuous flavor choices are causing more trouble than they're worth.

Low-carb while being green to save green

Big blue marble of happiness. source

In the wake of Earth Day, it's important to remember we all share the planet together, and the health of the planet is as important as your well being, since it sustains that healthy body. These tips also help to save money!

1. Keep your freezer stocked. An empty freezer works much harder to keep its temperature regulated than one that is filled. If the budget doesn't allow for a freezer filled with healthy food choices, try adding gallon milk jugs of water to the appliance. It is always smart to keep a large, fresh water supply in case of emergencies.

2. Grow your own vegetables and fruits. You can control the amount of chemicals being put into the soil (and your produce) when you create your own bounty. Victory gardens are coming back, and for a reason. More than simply for economic reasons, people want to know what they see is what they get.

3. Shop smarter. The more quick trips you're taking to the store for groceries (you keep forgetting the fresh whipping cream), the tougher it is to save gasoline, and the worse it is for the environment. Keeping trips to once a week (or less) will emit some of that carbon footprint.

4. Oven lovin'. As you get to the end of a cooking cycle in your oven (and depending upon the recipe), turn the oven off in the last five minutes of cooking. So long as the door remains closed, food continues to cook.

Ways to drink more water

Drink your health!

Yesterday I spoke to reasons to hydrate.

It's not easy to drink 64 ounces of water a day, and you might not have to think of this task as one that is impossible.

Try these tips for getting more water:

1. Take a shot of water ever 30 minutes. A four ounce glass of the clear stuff every 30 minutes is not like staring down a large glass.

2. Drink more tea. While not every glass of liquid should taste like rosehips, tea is fairly innocuous in terms of beverages. Skip the sweeteners and the caffeine when you can, and enjoy nature's bounty in the form of tiny steeped leaves giving your tastebuds a hug.

3. Chill. Try water in different forms, from crushed ice to snow cones. If you need flavor, add some herbal tea, or make ice cubes to be crushed or shaved from your favorite tea flavors.

4. Concessions. If you just can't give up your diet sodas, try this instead: for every 8 ounces of soda, drink 8 ounces of water first.

5. Exercise. Take advantage of the thirst that exercise creates, and drink your water!

Tip: At the fast food drive thru picking up your Caesar side salad? Skip the bottled water. At well over a buck a pop, if you can't get a cup of the stuff, you're better off pocketing the funds and getting a tall glass of the cold stuff at home or at work.

Tip: Skip expensive beverages in the restaurant. If you're going out for dinner, you could easily save upwards of $18 if a family of six skips the soft drinks and orders the water. The food is so flavorful, why not temper with a glass of the cool stuff?

Water: More than dihydrogen oxide

Wet, wild and wonderful. source

As snow makes way for warmer spring weather, is it important to visit the importance of staying hydrated.

Five reasons to stay hydrated:

1. Water is essential to life. While going without food for some time might not kill a human, going without water for a relatively short period of time will kill a person. Even Bear Grylls drank his urine when stranded in the desert (well, on tv, anyway).

2. Weight loss. Not only does drinking water replace other, higher calorie and carb drinks, but it helps fill a stomach that may have otherwise been necessarily filled with food for satisfaction.

3. Cleansing. Water helps flush out toxins through using the restroom (the restroom: it's more than for idle chatter and using the cell phone).

4. Healthy skin. Among other things, the body is made from a lot of tissues that require water for health, including the skin. Lacking in water, the body has to draw fluids from less important functions to greater ones. Skin loses out during dehydration.

5. Burn more calories. According to Salynn Boyles, Michael Boschmann, MD, and colleagues from Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center, performed a study to determine if drinking water actually speeds weight loss "After drinking approximately 17 ounces of water, the subjects' metabolic rates -- or the rate at which calories are burned -- increased by 30% for both men and women. The increases occurred within 10 minutes of water consumption and reached a maximum after about 30 to 40 minutes."

Click here for ways to incorporate more water into your healthy lifestyle plan.

Low carb Easter ideas keep the day hopping

Basket of pastel gorgeousness. source

While coloring hard-boiled eggs is a family tradition, the stark truth is that America was more likely founded on brightly-colored jelly beans, bright pink grass and chocolate bunnies that children delight liberating their ears from... with their teeth.

How can you help your family celebrate a moderately healthier Easter this season?

1. Wee Sweet. Don't make candy the entirety of the basket. If candy is a must-have, pick one of their favorite things and give them a small baggy of the stuff.

2. No Sweet. Fill colored plastic eggs with other things, from money to gift cards to iPod dowloads, there are as many ways to fill a basket as your kids have interests.

3. Give a smaller basket. Those huge Easter baskets require more filler. Downsize the basket to make the bounty look greater.

4. Move it! Instead of a passive Easter egg search, put your kids' slow twitch muscles (and brains) to work with a scavenger hunt for their baskets (or prizes).

5. Gift. Give a toy or a gift insted of candy. A toy will last longer and be treasured more than a piece of candy dissolving into the blood stream.

Spring cleaning for your low-carb home

Refreshing change of pace: Try fresh whipped cream

You might be the only one in your home following a low-carb regimen, but that doesn't mean you can't make healthier choices for others living in your home.

In honor of spring cleaning, here are some quick things you can do to ensure your family is eating more healthfully--even if not low-carb:

• Get rid of: Open containers in the refrigerator that have been around for awhile, and especially if they include corn syrup solids.
• Replace with: Products that are organic. If containing sugar, it's not optimal, but it's still arguably healthier.
• Get rid of: Spices containing sugar or MSG.
• Replace with: Products whose ingredients are obvious by scanning labels. Watch for products with hydrolyzed soy protein, which is, to many, a fancy way of saying "MSG". These chemicals can trick the brain--and the blood stream.
• Get rid of: That tomato soup in the cupboard that contains corn syrup.
• Replace with: Home-made tomato soup from tomato paste. (Recipe coming tomorrow)
• Get rid of: That whipped topping that contains corn syrup
• Replace with: Fresh whipping cream and a touch of stevia sweetener.
• Get rid of: Regrets
• Replace with: A pat on the back. Small changes take time, but they end up creating big rewards in the end!

For more tips:
Combating boredom eating
Surviving office parties
Emergency preparedness and low-carb

Low-carb recipe: sweetened condensed milk substitute

Thick and convincing, to the eye and taste buds

OK, so it's a little late for the holidays. Still, many a recipe calls for sweetened, condensed milk. Even if you could emulate the flavor, how to get that consistency?

It's easier than one might think. At a net carb count of about 12 for an entire recipe, your own low-carb recipes never tasted better.

Substitute anywhere a can of sweetened, condensed milk is required.

Low-carb sweetened condensed milk

1 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Stevia

Combine all in a blender. Mix until well-blended. Makes the equivalent of one can of sweetened, condensed milk.

Erythritol : Yet another sugar alcohol from corn

Which bites more? Twilight or corn in your low-carb?

Just when you thought erythritol might be made of unicorns frolicking through Robert Pattison's hair...

Erythritol is made from stuff like corn!

Sure, this one causes supposedly less gastric distress, but that's not a reason to embrace it as the new 'it' sweetener.

While made from birch bark in the past, the corn industry has been working its naughty no no magic on erythritol and has for some time.

One of many erythritol products, Now, states :"Erythritol has been part of the human diet for thousands of years due to its presence in foods such as pears, melons, grapes and mushrooms. Now Erythritol is 100% pure and derived from a corn source."

Looks like the corn industry has consumers coming and going.

Now more than ever, it is important to make informed consumer decisions. Read those labels, and read beyond the ingredients. Words like "erythritol" don't tell the real story of what's inside that little wrapper.

What you need to know about sugar alcohols: Not so sweet

Lend me an ear? source

You're following a low-carb diet and you've seen them before: those low-carb, sugar free products in the stores or sold online that promise to assuage your sweet tooth without packing on the pounds.

But what do we really know about sugar alcohols?

What are they made from?

While studies show that sugar alcohols do not contribute to tooth decay, we also tend not to know about the other nefarious results of using the stuff. From gastric upset (laxative thresholds) to cravings for sugar, sugar alcohols are a relentless promise of deliciousness without the regrets.

For many, however, the truth might be unsettling.

An online document from the Canadian Diabetes Association gives the only full-on run-down of sugar alcohols this author could locate.

Here are some of their findings.

Sorbitol: Found in mouthwashes, sugar free candies, gums, ice cream and more.
Laxative threshold? 50g/day. What natural foods have a laxative threshold?
Manufactured from (are you ready for this?) corn syrup or glucose.

Mannitol: Found in chocolate coatings for ice cream.
Laxative threshold? 20 g/day. What natural foods have a laxative threshold?
Occurs naturally in pineapple, among other things, but is manufactured from seaweed or mannose (derived from manna, which is a high-carb item).

Maltitol: Found in chocolate flavored bars, baked goods and ice cream
Laxative threshold? 100 g/day.
Manufactured from (are you ready for this?) high maltose corn syrup

Xylitol: Found in oral care products, like chewing gums and mints.
Laxative threshold: 50g/day.
Manufactured from: (are you ready for this?) Xylose, most prevalently from sources such as corn cobs.

Do you see a common bond among 3 of the 4?

The corn industry seems to generally benefit, whether it is convincing us that corn syrup is perfectly healthy or its lower-carb (supposedly) counterparts--also derived from corn syrups and corn products-- are.

With a greater education in food choices by informed consumers, it is important to know that whether it claims to be healthy or not, it's emanating from the same crop.

Sugar alcohols are not only not necessary to good health, but some might argue that it is furthered by an industry whose sole purpose is to make profits, regardless the cost to human health.

Low carb roasted vegetable pizza recipe

Pine nuts add some extra crunch and are low-carb

Do you have some roasted vegetables left over from your latest frolic with paninis?

If so, look no farther.

Readers/friends have mentioned roasting vegetables for pizza.

I happened to have a summer squash on my counter and decided to roast some vegetables to see what would happen. The results were pretty darned good!

I:
sliced three mushrooms
cubed the raw squash
chopped some onion into chunky clumps
cubed some green pepper

Tossed the pieces in a mixture of olive oil and Mrs Dash Garlic herb blend seasoning (this is my favorite). Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees (stirring a few times to keep the vegetables evenly cooking) for about 45 minutes (it could take you more or less time).

Prepare a pre-cooked cauliflower crust and spread with pizza sauce. Top that with the rest of the lasagna roll-up spinach/ricotta blend (if you have extra, woohoo! If not, you can use a white sauce/alfredo). With the back of a spoon,schmear the sauce/ricotta/spinach mixture.

Next, add the roasted vegetables and chunky, chopped, fresh tomato. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and feta, and, finally, top with pine nuts.

Baked this in a 350 degree oven for another 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

The crust didn't hold up as well initially, but I don't have any problems eating something that decadent with a fork. This is because there are so many toppings, and they weigh quite a lot. Not as much as me... but a lot.

Nutritional amounts will vary according to vegetables used, so make sure to calculate accordingly.

President Obama family plan Victory Garden as trend in home gardening grows

Veggie Tales... from the White House. source:Greenpeace

More and more Americans are showing concern over what is cropping up in foods purchased in stores. From cattle forcefed grains and antibiotics to foods ripe with high fructose corn syrup, consumers are taking matters into their own hands.

The First family is no exception.

Just some of the harvest the Obamas will enjoy:

"cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey."

Regardless of political persuasion, more and more American families want to know where their food is originating.

According to Michelle Obama, “You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”

Jennifer Aniston and Madonna among many celebrity low-carb fans

She's been in the Zone. source

It's no surprise to anyone that low-carb eating is pretty healthy and delicious.

Add that celebrities also follow some of the regimens available, and you have a recipe for change. Following plans like the Zone Diet and Sugar Busters, the A-listers are looking for food love in all the right places.

The list includes:

Jennifer Aniston
MattLeBlanc
Matthew Perry
Renee Zellweger
Madonna
Brad Pitt
Cindy Crawford
Winona Ryder
Demi Moore
Kristin Davis
Kirstie Alley
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Sharon Stone
Tori Spelling

This list is not only one whose time has come, it's proof positive that eating a healthful diet without excess refined foods is more than knowledge and power--it's a pretty face to boot.

Chili's Guiltess Grill offers options to hungry low-carbers

Carne Asada: One of the menu options with Chili's new
Guiltless Grills menu

Low-carbers generally suffer from a lack of choices from establishments when it comes to being able to eat out healthfully and within a budget.

Enter Chili's.

A step closer to lower-carb dining bliss with the Guiltless Grills, Chili's promises a lower calorie count, if not always a lower carb count.

For many folks, some of the Guiltless menu options are too high in carbohydrates, pushing into the 50+ carb ranges, something that would suck the life out of folks unless following a higher-carb plan or maintenance.

Still, there's great news in terms of their guiltless Grill in the form of three particular dishes:

From the Guiltless Grill, winners emerging are the Guiltless Carne Asada, Guileless Cedar Plank Tilapia, and the Guiltless Grilles Salmon. Other options include main course, kids meals and sides.

Check the table below for some lip-smacking options.

Chili's Truly Guiltless Items

Guiltless Carne Asada	5 net carbs
Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia	3 net carbs
Guiltless Grilled Salmon	5 net carbs
Triple Dipper Wings over Buffalo w/ Bleu Cheese	2 net carbs
Caesar Side Salad (Hold the Croutons)	about 6 net carbs
Cup Chicken Enchilada	8 net carbs
Spicy Garlic & Lime Grilled Shrimp	7 net carbs
Chili's Classic Sirloin	1 net carb
Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Platter (kids)	4 net carbs

From Chilis:

• The New Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia is a seasoned tilapia fillet tossed with house-made pico de gallo and a lime wedge. The fillet is cooked and served on a cedar plank.
• The New Guiltless Carne Asada Steak Sirloin is flavored with our signature carne asada rub, flame-grilled and topped with house-made pico de gallo and a lime wedge.
• Guiltless Grilled Salmon – An eight ounce salmon fillet lightly seasoned and seared to perfection.

With choices for everyone, from kids, to people who eat like them, to soups, to salads, to their latest Guiltless Grill, Chili's is a place the entire family can visit for a great meal that won't break the bank--or your trouser hems.

Review: Fat Head: The Movie

Did Spurlock feed us a load of bologna?

On the heels of Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me comes the antithesis to the high-carb, low-fat mantra.

Comedian and former health writer Tom Naughton sets out on a mission: eat McDonalds for 28 days and see what really happens. The results are pretty incredible and documented in the new documentary: Fat Head.

By keeping carbohydrates to roughly 100 per day and dining solely at McDonald's, Tom Naughton not only lost weight, he improved his health profile. While anecdotal, as was Spurlock's experience, Naughton is able to make some important, scientific points regarding the role of insulin in health.

With heavy hitters like the Eades', Jacob Sullum, Dr. Mary Enig, Dr. Al Sears, and Sally Fallon, this film might be surprising. Those expecting a pretty cheesy, cartoonish, ridiculous compendium of "McNugget humor" will be treated to a hard-hitting, intelligent (yet humorous) documentary powerful enough that you'll not only watch it more than once, you might do as I did: I purchased four copies to loan to friends (and two to give away to friends and family).

While Spurlock refused to release his personal food diaries for the period of time he castigates McDonalds in his documentary, Naughton is as forthcoming as he is funny. His diaries are published online here.

Naughton is quick to admit his is more of a modified "Zone" Diet than true low-carb, but the facts of the matter remain (for Naughton): Cut carbs, lose weight, get a good medical workup.

Fat Head
Documentary
Tom Naughton, Director
Time: 104 minutes, with interview extras
Studio: Morningstar Entertainment
Cost: $14.99

Buy this DVD at amazon.com.

Review: PureVia Stevia Sweetener

Box it up, baby!

It's been a long time coming, but now, as Stevia sweeteners engage the marketplace, there is something oh so sweet in the air.

Enter: PureVia sweetener.

Made from stevia, by the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, this is a granular version that dissolves easily in liquid and tastes pretty fantastic.

No more lip puckering, bitter stevia taste, now consumers can enjoy these little packets of sweet added to everything, from iced tea to hot coffee, to yogurt, to those flax muffins you're baking for tomorrow (I peeked in your window).

Ingredients: Erythritol, Isomaltulose, Reb A (Stevia extract), Contains 1% or less of Cellulose Powder and each Natural Flavor.

Word of warning: while the calories are 0, each packet contains 2 carbs, so budget accordingly.

I'm also a little wary of the ingredients. Natural flavor? In a Stevia sweetener? Erythritol?

Still, even with the advent of the addition of a sugar alcohol to the mix (Erythritol), I haven't noted cravings or any of the other issues associated with sugar alcohols, much the same with other products using stevia (such as Zevia sodas). Still, users should exercise caution should cravings or stomach upset ensue.

A box contains 40 packets of the sweetener, with a stick (packet) acting as a serving.

Distributed by: WholeEarth Sweetener Company LLC. www.purevia.com

Book Review: Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age

So pretty you'd wish her a pimple if she wasn't also so
darned wonderful.

Don't let author of her book Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age fool you. She only looks like she's 20 years old.

In fact, Vonda Wright, M.D. is an advocate for fitness, regardless of age, and brings hope for geezers like me who always put off fitness because we looked at it as an all or nothing proposition.

Easing couch potatoes into fitness regimens that can work for readers, Dr Wright, an orthopadic surgeon who sepcializes in sports medicine for people over 40, is able to share this information with readers, helping to take them to "the next level."

In her book, among other things, you can learn to:

• understand your body and approach exercise and injury in a new way
• make the most of your exercise routine during a busy week
• hydrate and understand how to eat right
• void injury to rotator cuffs, lower back, knees and legs
• maximize stretching, running and weight training

She shares, through pictures, proper exercise form, and through words she shares encouragement for a society who feels we lost it after 25. through powerful stories of people well beyond their 60's, readers will definitely find the motivation to look for those walking shoes, to take those baby steps, and to embrace life after 40. She even shares a 6 week plan for taming your inner couch potato.

Turn your inner dud into an inner stud with this book.

Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age
Number of pages: 304 pages
Book size: 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
Available in Softcover
Publisher: AMACOM,

To order: visit amazon.com

Book Review: The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution

Frederick Hahn, the ginge Chuck Norris of the East

A fantastic book written by a personal favorite writer and fitness guru, Frederick Hahn knocks what we think we know about fitness training out of the ball park with his book The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow-Motion Exercise that will Change your Body in 30 Minutes a Week.

While many argue that it takes hours a week at the gym to achieve fitness, Hahn argues that slow, meaningful lifting is more beneficial to people, not only in a time-starved chaos of work-home cycles, but for health and fitness in general.

Tackling myths and creating new, positive lifestyle goals that even the busiest body can follow, his book is chock full of intelligence, scientific information, and proper exercise procedures for people looking to lose weight.

An added bonus? Whether you work out from home or in a gym, Hahn shares different regimens, complete with exercises for everyone. This is a book for skeptics who believe hours at the gym a week = necessity. Hahn, himself a low-carber, walks the walk and helps people, not only from his studio in New York, but now in book form, thoughtfully, intelligently, and not a minute too soon.

The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution
Number of pages: 192 pages
Book size: 9.5 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
Available in Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books, New York

To order: visit amazon.com

For more info: Want to win a copy of this book? Visit my blog for more details.

Tools of the trade: The crock pot

Vegetable chowder in variable-sized crockpock

Nothing is more delicious than coming home at the end of the day to a slow-cooked chowder, soup or stew.

While in the past, this kind of quality meal came in the form of hours spent over a stove, bringing out flavors in dishes, now the same success comes in the form of the crock pot.

Easy to use, practical and economical, crock pots come in various sizes for various applications. Make everything from stuffings, to pulled pork to taco soup in the time it takes to assemble the ingredients, read the instructions and set the temperature.

Crock pots vary in size, from small (for two) cooking, to vast bowls meant for families of 6 or more.

This Hamilton Beach crock pot is my favorite 'stay at home' solution to not knowing which size bowl to use. I say stay-at-home, because it's easy to see there's no way to adequately secure the lid as with some of the other crock pots. Still, despite this, this is a crock pot that won't leave you stewing. Choose the size of the bowl needed (2, 4 or 6 quart) for your meal, and you're off and running. The heavy ceramic bowls are sturdy and can be used for everything from soups to fresh fruit.

Problem? The bowls are heavy and this is not easily transported. the last thing you need is a car filled with soup. As well, choose too large a bowl, and your meal will probably overcook.

Average cost: $59. for sale at Walmart and amazon.com

Going on the road? Travel crock pots are now available too! Just plug this Travel Pro crock pot into a 12 volt source and you can enjoy hearty meals in your RV or at your camp site.

The bowl is pretty small, only a quart, so if you plan to feed more than yourself and your road warrior companion, you might want to look at one of the larger models.

This crock pot retails for around $39.

Regardless of the reason or the season, with so many possibilities, why not invest in a little counter space?

Some recipes to get you started:

On Wisconsin! Broccoli Cheese Soup
Savory Vegetable Chowder
Chili
Cream of Jalapeno Soup

Beat your meat

Beat it, kid. Source

Meat tenderizing is no easy task.

While some use vinegar-based marinades to break down the fibers within a steak, the meat mallot is a quick and powerful way of softening steaks.

Mythbusters found a way of tenderizing steaks with--naturally--explosives.

No matter how you try it, there's nothing that say love like a little tenderness...

Good Calories, Bad Calories

The book

Gary Taubes is a god.

Admittedly, one of the reasons I neglected the task of reviewing this book is most definitely due to own human failings and limitations.

J.R.R. Tolkien wove stories which moved gracefully across thousands of miles, through thousands of pages, from book to book to book.

Even the astute Middle Earth bibliophile would stumble at the responsibility and the honor of reviewing a book written by someone so knowledgeable and learned that even with great care the reviewer is stumbling for words to describe what cannot be described.

Color me the moth to the silver-haired flame of Taubes.

Gary Taubes, celebrated science writer who put aside a great amount of time, and with great effort, weaves together a long, little-known history of a people dependent on the fat of the land (literally) who were lost along the way.

Taubes. source

The Guide to Middle Girth

Our own story begins with Taubes' discussion of the forefathers of medicine and nutrition and a man named William Banting. Giving personal accounts of the characters in an easy-to-identify-with way, readers learn who led the charge in the fight against insulin.

The great and demonstrable antithesis to our heroes could perhaps be outlined best in the structure of the system that advocated a switch to primarily grains and low-fat lifestyles (think food pyramid and scientists favoring those lobbies) from the largely higher-fat, lower processed foods of earlier times that humans thrived on prior to agrarian lifestyles taking hold.

As the machinery of knowledge moved ever forward, forged from the hammers of so-called 'dietary progress', east coast scientists with an eye over all and ears that would not hear sealed the fate of a nation, enslaving them in adipose.

With evidence generally questionable, the scientists oppressed the voices of reason and millions of years of human nutrition. The studies which showed that changes in the diets of the indigenous peoples could create such a seemingly sudden obesity and disease rate among the Sioux, Jamaicans, Africans and the South Pacific Islanders.

In a world moving into information chaos, with conflicting information threatening to beat us down, and where many could break the chains and fight for knowledge and freedom, many eke out lives of silent desperation in caves lit only from those who smirk through skewed studies and conflicting interests.

Though not Gandalf, Frodo or Bilbo, Taubes is, himself the storyteller, putting us in his book-filled, hearth-warmed study and unraveling the long history of how we arrived at where we are today... because of science.

Brilliant, flowing and a read so stuffed to the gills with information you would claim your brain had had second breakfasts, this is not a book one reads once and files away. This is a tome begging owners to write in its margins, to underling passages and to become a part of the unwinding journey, willingly drifting along as a Hobbit looking for hope.

And as the scientist delivering us from the scientists, Taubes delivers.

Taubes at Berkeley. source

The Two Chowers

Taubes' book flows largely in neat, chronological order, making the pages readable, and the book difficult to put down.

Rather than appealing to dogma, over 100 pages of concise attributions to studies and resources burden the text beautifully with a "look for yourself" enabling, making readers both teachers and activists for health.

The index is extremely well-organized, and the notes, often found at the bottom of pages lend a quality of depth as sides, though spoken to us by a friend in the seat next to us during a lecture. They are welcome and are obviously the love's labor of a man so filled with knowledge he had to share with us lest he burst from excitement.

The book, thousands of rousing aha moments of epiphanies and often with a reader gritting teeth in anger at the pap being fed to consumers who trusted science and the government as the final say for so many years, is a must-read.

For friends inclined to being overwhelmed by the information, I recommend starting at the end of the book and moving forward, chapter by chapter, so as to see where modern science has taken us and where we indelibly began--as a species without agriculture: lean and lithe, and without obesity.

Gary Taubes.

There is always hope

From the prologue:

"The reason for this book is straightforwards... solutions.

The chronic diseases of civilization, the inability for studies to adequately show cause and effect, and the call for more studies to test the conventional wisdom may cost so much financially when so few boast to know the answers for so many."

And at what cost to civilization, which slowly asphyxiates under the iron thumbs of so few.

Like Tokein, Taubes is a modern day man who believes that we can overcome, and that there is hope worth fighting for, and that we already possessed the tools to fight--we'd just lost them along the way. His message of change through effort, science and information, we can free ourselves from the faith-based fears being promulgated from those ruled by money and lobbyists, farm subsidies and schlock.

In a world brimming with fear and Koko Krispies, we have one man who, as a labor of love and through a sense of unrelenting duty, leads us through, so long as we are willing to make the journey.

Thank you, Gary Taubes.

Good Calories, Bad Calories
Number of pages: 640 pages
Size: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.7 inches (Hardcover), 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches (paperback)
Available in Hardcover and Paperback
Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (September 25, 2007), Anchor; Reprint edition (September 23, 2008)

To order: visit amazon.com

Creative ways to stay low-carb during Valentines Day

Low-carb raspberry frap

Valentine’s Day is Saturday, so practice the art of saying “Thank You” now without indulging, since someone will probably hand you cupcakes and chocolate. When they’re not looking, toss it into the ficus plant.

If you have the opportunity, give your treats away to a neighbor.

It never hurts to schmooze a neighbor. They might be even nicer to you. Remember the last time you were locked out of the house, naked, and Sally Lou helped you get through the window? Well there you go. That deserves some well-gifted chocolates.

You could even include a note with it.

“Dear Sally, You’ve helped me with important stuff
(Like the time I was trapped outside there in the buff)
If it wasn’t for you getting me out of the chill
There are bits of me that would be frozen stiff still.”

World Nude Day: Look better naked with low-carb

If only I nude now what I nude then. source

The things you find out when you thought every option for a holiday has been entertained.

People with bad eyesight rejoice! There can be no qualms on a day where participants around the globe are encouraged to share their own (globes, ahem).

Here are some tips to looking good while celebrating Nude 2009.

1. Leave your clothes on. I mean really. I saw my grandma naked once.

2. Caveat: Robert Pattison is welcome to comply with Nude 2009. So long as there are photographs.

3. Follow a healthy weight loss program, filled with fiber, fruits, vegetables and other vital nutrients a body needs to remain healthy and supple. I'm partial to low-carbohydrate eating, myself.

4. Drink your water. Skin looks best when hydrated.

5. Exercise. Nothing tones those muscles like healthy activity. Never show a full moon unless those glutes have been doing more than spreading out in a chair.

And, who knows? While it may be some time before Hallmark comes out with a card commemorating yet another holiday, where would you keep the card anyway? Naked people don't have pockets. Or somewhere to keep the change to purchase the card, for that matter.

Low-carb tartar sauce recipe

Tartar sauce is great stuff.

Play with the spices for different flavors choices. Adding spicy peppers may give this recipe a little extra dip zip!

This recipe is induction friendly and gluten-free.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 small dill pickle
1/4 cup chopped onion

Mix in a blender and keep cold.

Makes a cup of Tartar Sauce, or 15 Tbsp. Each servings is 2 Tbsp, or roughly 1/7 of the recipe.

For 2 TBSP: Calories: 230, Carbohydrates: 2*, Fiber: 0, Net Carbs: 2, Protein: .7g, Fat: 23 g

Valentine's Day recipe: Mini pizzas

Say you love me with these healthy, fun mini pizzas. These are made using the oopsie rolls

Using Oopsie rolls as bases or small circles fashioned of cauliflower or zucchini pizza dough, cute and festive food for the Day of Love has never been easier!

Just make, cut the pepperoni into hearts to garnish, and serve up the fun...and the love.

This recipe is induction-friendly and gluten-free.

Valentine's Mini pizzas

6 Gluten-free rolls
pizza sauce*
cheese
pepperoni
toppings

Spread scant amount of sauce on each roll. Top with mozzarella cheese and then arrange pepperoni and any extra toppings. Place under the oven broiler for 2 minutes on high, or until cheese is bubbly.

*Choose the best pizza or spaghetti sauce based on least amount of carbohydrates per serving. I buy the Wal-Mart brand (Great Value) pizza sauce, and find it perfect, at only 4 carbs per quarter cup.

Makes 6. Nutritional information will vary according to the crust used.

Low-carb stuffed crust pizza recipe

It's ok to be cheesy when it's this healthy pizza crust.

There's nothing quite like Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizza.

Sure, as low-carbers we've successfully been able to find ways around wishing for pizza, but the elusive cheese-in-the-crust was a pipe dream (like wrestling in the ECW) until now.

This recipe is a take from the cauliflower recipe. (Zucchini is a perfect choice for folks who don't appreciate the slightly pungent flavors of cauliflower florets.)

Unlike the original cauliflower (or zucchini) pizza crusts, an added dimension of Paremsan cheese, sprinkled on the pan serves two purposes:

1. It adds flavor;

2. When the crust is rolled to cover the addition of string cheese around the edges, the crust crisps up during the second baking, adding a slightly breadier quality to the crust.

This recipe is induction friendly and gluten-free.

Cauliflower Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower*
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
Parmesan cheese
3-4 packets of string cheese (individual)

pizza or alfredo sauce**

toppings (make sure meats are cooked)
mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press out evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). Remove from oven while pizza is golden but without turning edges dark.

Remove the pan from the oven. Allow to cool slightly (say, 15 minutes. This is important; you don't want to melt the cheese). Run a metal spatula around the outside edge of the crust to loosen it from the pan.

Working with string cheese, peel each into 3-4 strips. Take each strip and place them around the perimeter of the crust, making sure all strips are touching (for a thicker edge, use half to an entire piece of cheese per section). Carefully, roll the edge of the crust over to cover the cheese, and press down into the top of the crust. Continue working around the pan until the entire pizza's edges have been folded and pressed over the cheese.

Place pizza in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool completely.

After removing the crust from the refrigerator, and prior to baking, add sauce, toppings and cheese.

Place under a broiler (grill for the Europeans) at high heat just until cheese is melted **. Remove the pizza from the oven and slice through the center only, halving the pizza (you'll see why in a moment).

At this point the cheese in the crust will not be melted.

Reheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Bake pizza for 10 more minutes. Check to see if crust cheese is gooey by lifting up slightly near the cut line with a spatula. Bake until cheese in crust is melted and goo effect is achieved through the spatula lift test (should take no longer than 15 minutes). With practice, you won't need to cut the pizza anymore.

Serve warm. Can be reheated perfectly, and the cheese re-melts.

Serves: 8

Nutritional Information for 4-pieces string cheese around edge: 207 calories, 13 grams fat, 3 net carbs, 1.5 grams fiber, 18.5 grams protein.

Nutritional Information for 8-pieces string cheese around edge: 279 calories, 17 grams fat, 4 net carbs, 1.5 grams fiber, 24 grams protein.

Notes:

*I use frozen cauliflower prepared according to package directions. After cooked and slightly cooled, I shred cauliflower with a cheese grater (you can use a food processor), and then measure for the recipe. (Don't pack down the cup with cauliflower. Just fill it with a spoon or the cup itself.)

** The pizza sauce I use is Great Value Pizza sauce from Wal-Mart. At only 4 net carbs per quarter cup, you get a lot of punch for little carbohydrate pow.

Need topping ideas?
Super Veggie Supreme Toppings
Taco Pizza Toppings
Cowboy Toppings
Fresh Toppings

Next Article Low Carb Examiner Low carb Chinese New Year menu

Ginger dipping sauce, fortune cookie, stir fry, rice, and
boneless breaded chicken, all low-carb

Happy Chinese New Year!

Whether to celebrate the Year of the Ox, or because you love Chinese Food, here are some recipes to tantalize those taste buds.

Wontons
Wonton Wrappers
Wonton Soup
Cream Cheese Wontons

Soups and Sauces
Egg Drop Soup
Wonton Soup

Meat Dishes
Beef and Broccoli
Szechwan Beef
Boneless Breaded Chicken

Dessert
Fortune Cookies

Sides
Stir-Fried Riced Cauliflower

Sauces
Ginger Dipping Sauce

Miami Women's Health Examiner Charlotte Libov also wishes readers a Happy Chinese New Year!

This list will continue to grow: It doesn't matter if it is Chinese New Year or Thursday evening. Subscribe now for more delicious Chinese recipes!

Low-Carb Chinese New Year Recipe: Wonton soup

Add wonton soup to your Chinese menu

Wonton soup is a wonderful way to use the rest of that pork roast you have resting in the refrigerator.

Just use low-carb wonton wrappers and you're all set for Chinese food fun!

Wonton Soup

Wonton wrappers
1/2 pound cooked pork, shredded or diced finely
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
a few drops sesame oil
1/4 packet Stevia
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ThickenThin/Not Starch
Pinch of black pepper
4 cups chicken stock (I use 1 box Swanson's Organic Chicken Broth)

Combine pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Stevia, 1 chopped onion (save the other), ThickenThin/Not Starch and pepper in a mixing bowl. Place a tsp of filling in each wrapper. Seal edges of wrapper with water.

Boil water in a large pan.Cook wonton wrappers until they rise to the top,about 6-8 minutes. Remove from pot and let drain.

Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add wontons and green onion and bring soup to a boil again. Remove from heat and add a dash of sesame oil. Serve.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 194, Carbohydrates: 7g, Fiber: 1.5 g. Net Carbohydrates: 5.5 g, Protein: 15 g, Fat: 12 g

Low-Carb Chinese New Year Recipe: Cream cheese wontons

Add wontons to your menu!

Wontons are delicious. Now, with a low-carb wonton wrap, adding the rest of the ingredients is easy.

These fry up beautifully to accompany any Chinese dish, from stir fry to Szechuan beef!

Cream Cheese Wontons

Wonton wrappers
6 ounces cream cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup imitation crab
egg white

Set wrappers aside. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, onion, soy sauce, garlic powder and crab.. Place 1 tsp filling in each wonton. Fold corners and seal with egg white.

Fry in hot oil until crispy and brown. Serves 6

Nutritional information for 1/6 recipe: Calories: 202, Carbohydrates: 8 g, Fiber: 1.5g, Net Carbohydrates: 6.5 g, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 15 g

Low-Carb Chinese New Year recipes: Wonton wrappers

Cute example of the Chinese Horoscope source

Chinese New Year begins on Monday. This means there is still time to perfect low-carb fun in the kitchen!

While authentic, flour based, wonton wrappers are only 4 carbs per wrapper, guilt is lessened substantially when 1/6 of the entire following recipe is only 3.5 net carbs.

Wonton Wrappers

1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup soy flour
1/8-1/4 cup water, as needed

Lightly beat egg in bowl with salt. Add 1/8 cup water.

In the center of a flour well in a bowl, add the liquids, and stir in ingredients. Add water as needed. If the dough is still too dry, continue to add small amounts of water until dough is able to be handled.

Form the dough in a ball and knead. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

On a lightly-floured board, roll out dough into thin sheets and cut into 3 1/2" squares. These can be refrigerated or frozen and used later if lightly dusted with soy flour prior to storing.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 85, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Fiber: 1.5 g. Net Carbohydrates: 3.5 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 5 g

Wonton wrapper uses: Extremely versatile, wonton wrappers are fantastic for dumplings, wontons, in soups, as chips, small edible cups and more! These small delectable wrappers can be baked, boiled or fried for many uses.

Low-Carb Chinese New Year recipe: Fortune cookies

Cookies won't cost a carb fortune

No Chinese feast is complete without fortune cookies!

These tantalizing mini-bites are a fun addition to beat the doldrums from any day.

These are not gluten-free, but they are pretty delicious.

Fortune Cookies

Low-carb tortilla shell (I use Mission)
1 egg
Splenda (granular) 1 packet
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix egg with almond extract and Splenda (almond is a flavor used for real fortune cookies!).

Cut 4-6, 3” circles into a large tortilla. (I use a knife around a 3” diameter glass).

Paiint egg solution along the outer edges of the inside of the round with a pastry brush or fingers. Fold the cookie in half. Press edges together. Paint the outer side cookie with the egg solution on both sides. Press fat side/edge of the cookie inwards to shape the cookie. Place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until slightly browned and hold their shape. Cool on a rack.

***Optional: If you want these to be crunchy, you could fry them in oil in a skillet.

Tip: I don't add fortunes inside of these, because we tried-- the paper was embedded into the breading no matter what we tried!

Instead, wrap the cookie in a slim band of paper (with non-toxic pen) writing on it-- which is the fortune-- and secure with a small bit of tape underneath.

Or tie with a red ribbon (good luck in the Chinese culture) with a small fortune written on it!

Low-Carb Chinese New Year recipe: Beef and broccoli

Red packets. source

Broccoli is a mainstay in many low-carb households.

That said, the addition of beef to this healthy vegetable also yields a favorite stir fry recipe.

With only 6 ingredients to the main recipe, this is quick and painless, delicious and savory. The added marinade is just that much better.

Want to learn more about the picture and another chinese New Year tradition? Keep reading.

Beef and Broccoli

2 cups broccoli (fresh)
1 pound boneless beef steak (I like sirloin or flank)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (or comparable spice)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp water

Sauce
1 tsp Thickenthin/Not starch or xanthan gum
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch ground red pepper
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups beef broth (I use organic)

Cut cleaned broccoli into small flowerets. Cut florets into tiny bits. Slice stalks into long strips. Set aside.

Cut beef with the grain into 1 1/2 inch strips. Cut those into 1/4 inch thick slanted slices. In a bowl, mix beef with soy and garlic and marinade for 15 minutes. Prepare sauce (recipe above).

Place pan over medium high heat on stove with a Tbsp of oil. When oilis hot, add half of the meat mixture and cook until meat is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add another Tbsp of oil and repeat cooking the rest of the meat.

Pour remaining oil into pan. Once oil is hot, add broccoli and cook for about 1 minute. Add water and cover pan, stirring frequently until broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Add cooking sauce, along with meat. Cook until sauce boils and then thickens.

Makes 4 servings.

Calories: 425, Carbohydrates: 5g, Fiber: 1.5g, Net Carbohydrates: 3.5g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 31g

Did you know? Red packets are handed out to all family members, and usually contain money. By custom the amount is given in even numbers, as odd numbers illustrate amounts given at funerals. Numbers can be figured by adding the number in the tens column with the ones column; therefore 70 dollars (7+0) would be appropriate as funeral money, whereas 40 dollars would be considered a perfect gift for red packets.

Low-Carb Chinese New Year recipe: Szechwan beef

Heat from the chiles in this recipe may give dragon breath
source

This recipe is super quick and easy to make, and is the perfect main course for a light, fun dinner. Paired with cauliflower fried rice, this will be a hit, whether it is Chinese New Year or a busy school night.

Szechwan Beef

1 pound beef steak (sirloin and flank are perfect)
2 Tbsp canola oil
8 red hot dried chiles
1 large carrot, cut into 3" long strips
1 8 oz.can drained bamboo shoots

Cooking sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 packet stevia (or 2 pckt Splenda)
1/4 tsp Thickenthin/not starch or xanthan gum

Prepare cooking sauce. Set aside.

Cut beef with grain into 1-1/2" strips (freezing beef prior to this step may assist). Cut each strip into 1/8" across-the-grain slices. Set aside.

Heat pan over medium-high heat with canola oil. When pan is hot add chiles and cook, stirring until chiles begin to darken.Remove from pan and set aside.

Add beef to pan and cook until browned (1-2 minutes).remove from pan and set aside. Add carrots to the pan and cook until tender-crisp to bite (about 2-3 minutes). Add bamboo shoots. Cook for one more minute.

Add meat and chiles to the pan, along with cooking sauce. Stir until sauce boils and thickens.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional information: Calories: 245, Carbohydrates: 12 g, Fiber: 2.5 g, Net Carbohydrates: 9.5 g, Protein: 26 g, Fat: 9g

Did you know? In chinese tradition, opening doors and windows on New Years lets the old out and brings in the new. source

Low-carb Chinese New Year kicks off with ginger dipping sauce recipe

Coupled with breaded chicken, dipping sauce hits the spot

I love ginger, and this is a perfect sauce/ boneless wings combination! You can find the recipe for the low-carb chicken wings here.

Zingy and tangy, this sauce can be sweetned according to taste.

Ginger Dipping Sauce

¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced (I use 1 tsp ginger spice)
1/8 cup lemon juice
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ tsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp ThicknThin/Not Starch

2 packets Splenda granular (or to taste), or raspberry Sugar Free davincis 1 tsp, plus only 1 pckt Splenda (Can also substitute with 1 packet Stevia)

Combine all save for Splenda/davincis/Stevia in a blender until smooth.

Sample for flavor. If not sweet enough or too lemony or soy-saucy, add Splenda and/or davincis raspberry SF syrup for some extra sweetness and flavor until you find it to your liking.

Serve with chicken wings and riced cauliflower.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 9.5, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fiber:0g, Net Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: .5g, Fat: 0g

Did you know?

Many refrain from eating meat on the first day of Chinese New Year.

"On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs." source

Low-carb Chinese recipes help hail the New Year

Low-carb Chinese New Year's Feast

Beginning January 26, 2009, the world welcomes the Year of the Ox.

Because of the cyclical lunar nature of the Chinese calendar, first introduced by Emperor Huang Ti, the Chinese New Year will fall anywhere from late January to early February.

This year marks the year of the Ox; more specifically, the Earth Ox.

Known for their true sweetness, Princess Diana falls under this sign.

Over the next week or so, this column will focus on healthy, fun foods for the Chinese New Year, along with traditions, trivia and true love for the cuisine of the Asian continent!

Is the Food Pyramid a Scam?

Pyramid scheme, or small in the scheme of things? source

Granted, I am not not a fan of the food pyramid; I just think people tend to abuse some of the notions while fully ignoring the rest.

It's a little bit like the Constitution and how people tend to interpret what they want from it while eschewing the bits that don't suit their political agendas.

Is the true scheme in the pyramid, or in how it is misconstrued that low-carbers don't even come close to the so-called prescribed healthful eating of mainstream America?

Furthermore, are low-carbers that far off of the mark?

Vegetables: 3-5 servings per day

The USDA sets the average servings size for vegetables at 1/2 cup per serving, or 1 cup for leafy vegetables.

How many people do you know following a high-carb, low-fat regimen eat the recommended servings of vegetables daily? On Atkins (2002) induction alone, the recommended servings of vegetables can be up to 6 servings, twice what many will eat a day. Low-carbers may be eating up to 6 times the recommended alotted vegetable intake than the average American citizen who may trip over a piece of lettuce on their way to the cake.

Add the next stage of Atkins (OWL rung 1), and the number jumps from 3-6 servings of vegetables per day to 4-8.

Results: Low-carbers surpass amounts recommended by the USDA


Fruits: 2-4 servings a day.

The USDA sets the average serving size for fruit as either 1/2 cup of fruit, or one piece of fruit.

Fruit, while seemingly verboten in low-carb eating, is anything but. Foods high in antioxidants that are lower on the glycemic index include: blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries. one-half cup of blackberries, as an example, yields only 2.5 net carbohydrates. That means that for low-carbers to hit the minimum for the day, one serving of low-carb cranberry sauce plus one serving of blackberries in yogurt is an easy way to hit those values--and many do!

So why is it assumed that people following a low-carb regimen don't partake in the healthy consumption of high-fiber fruits?

Results: Low-carbers meet or surpass amounts recommended by the USDA

Dairy: 2-3 servings a day.

The USDA lists a serving of dairy as one cup of yogurt, 2 ounces of cheese, 2/3 cup cottage cheese.

This is a no-brainer in terms of low-carb, unless we're dealing with allergies. Atkineers easily bring in 2 servings of dairy, even when following induction. No problems here, either.

Meat: 2-3 servings per day.

The USDA lists a serving of meat as 2-3 ounces of lean meat, poultry, or fish, 1 cooked egg, or 1/3 cup nuts.

Protein makes up surprisingly little of many low-carb plan. even in the most stringent form of Atkins, protein makes up a maximum of 35% of the overall ratio in terms of fat/protein/carbs. (Using fitday.com is an easy way to calculate these percentages). That is nowhere near the supposedly high values the general public is led to believe the average low-carber is consuming.

Results: Low-carbers meet or surpass amounts recommended by the USDA

So, again. what is the problem here? You're about to find out.


Bread: 6-11 servings

The USDA lists a serving from this grouping as 1 slice bread, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1/2 bagel.

This is where the insanity ensues. It is known that while many low-carb plans will allow for whole grains and healthier choices in terms of roughage and fiver, most of the processed foods found on store shelves rush straight to the bloodstream like Paris Hilton towards a shoe sale.

Sure, the average American can hit that 6-11 servings, but at what cost?

Taking USDA standards, the average United States citizen is bringing in over 250 carbohydrates in these items alone at almost no nutritional value whatsoever.

That is a harrowing number, and, frankly, with the bulk of nutrients coming from fruits and vegetables, coupled withe the fiber from those groups, who needs the dough, the rice, and the same stuff the cows eat?

Results: Low-carbers neither meet nor surpass amounts recommended by the USDA

Fats bad... sugar... well, that's bad, too...

The USDA states that these should be used sparingly.

Together, fats + sugar are not friends. Atkins noted, in his '72 book, that the reason that fats and sugars don't play well together is because of the effect both have (and rather badly) when combined. It's a bit like combining free speech with alcohol. Sure, the Constitution allows for freedoms, but combining them can end up with you in the ICU over time. When we're speaking to the food pyramid, it is absolutely noted that fats are to be limited while in the presence of processed carbs and sugars.

The irony is the mention of sugars specifically, since many of the 6-11 servings of breads and rice and all foods that turn to starchy goo on the tongue already supply more than those needed allotments for sucking down table sugars anyway.

Regarding fats? In Atkins induction, it is reasoned that 60% of calories will be coming from fats. People assume that means eating spoons of mayonnaise and rolling around in butter pats. The truth isn't that sensational.

It's not hard to achieve that margin of fat when cuts of meat aren't lean, and when eggs tend to be fatty by nature. Cheeses should be full-fat. When the food pyramid is adjusted to allow for healthy fats, it is obvious that the number of grain-based foods shrink by comparison. So where's the fat, guys?

Fat in sour cream? Well, that's also dairy. The fat helps stave off sugar cravings due to the lactose. In a lamb chop? Well, that's also meat, and the fat there helps stave off any cravings which may be tipped off in accompanying vegetables.

In low-carb, very little--if any-- is fat for fat's sake.

Results: Low-carbers most likely meet or surpass amounts recommended by the USDA in terms of added fats such as mayonnaise or butter, but only as exists in products consumed.

In terms of healthful eating, low-carbers meet or exceed the recommended servings of most food groups on the food pyramid. Certainly, while you won't find a low-carber noshing on the Frooty Loopers, rice pilaf or the Bagel products (where is the healthy fiber in either of those?), there are certain places where it is fully fine for low-carbers to fail in the eyes of the USDA.

And if this means we're outside clapping erasers after class, at least it doesn't mean that as a group we're panting during gym.

What do you think? Drop me a line.

Low carb soy ravioli recipe

Close-up and red sauce used for emphasis

On another day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Soy Ravioli

2 cups soy flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling: Ricotta

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

Divide dough into 3 parts and roll on lightly floured board into 10" X 20" sheets. Using knife/pastry wheel, lightly mark dough parallel to the 10" side, at 4" interwals. Mark lengthwise at 2" intervals, to make 4" X 2" strips.

Moving along the bottom of the 10" side, place 1 tsp filling about 2/3 way up the strip. Fold bottom half up to cover filling. Seal edges with fork. Place on lightly floured board to rest.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 60 ravioli.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 recipe: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

Small bytes: Boomshine, snickersnee, and death row inmate eats his own eyesma

Boomshine.

When guards opened the cell door of death row inmate Andre Thomas, they made a gruesome discovery: the man, convicted of the brutal stabbings deaths of his estranged wife and their young children had consumed his eye. The good side? It's low-carb.

Addicting game finally becomes famous. Boomshine is a great time waster for anyone trying to keep from ingesting the cheesy doodlers in the kitchen. Joshua McIntire shares additiction with readers. Because no one should enjoy sloth alone.

Snickerwhut? No. It's not satisfying. It's a large knife.

Amy Dungan talks weight loss scams.

Animal Fat. It's what's for dinner.

Nothing says Friday like food recalls.

Macbeth says "It gets the red out."Finally, Melissa Alvarez shares a story about a woman who dropped 180 pounds instantly. How? By poisoning her husband with Visine. You just can't make this stuff up.

Low carb soy tortellini recipe

Boy oh boy soy!

Soy Tortellini

2 cups soy flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling:
Ricotta cheese

To make tortellini: Divide dough into 2-3 parts and roll each ias thin as possible on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut into 1-1/4" circles. Place 1/4 tsp filling on center of each circle. Fold pasta in half moon and seal edges. As with cappeletti, streth dough around fingers and pinch ends together.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 120 tortellini.

Nutritional Information for 5 agnolotti: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

Low carb oat flour tortellini recipe

Shown here with marinara, shredded Parmesan cheese and chives

On another day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Oat Flour Tortellini

2 cups oat flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling:
Ricotta cheese

In mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make tortellini: Divide dough into 2-3 parts and roll each ias thin as possible on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut into 1-1/4" circles. Place 1/4 tsp filling on center of each circle. Fold pasta in half moon and seal edges. As with cappeletti, streth dough around fingers and pinch ends together.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 120 tortellini.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 recipe: Calories: 120 ,Carbohydrates: 21g, Fiber: 3g, Net Carbohydrates 18g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3 g

Low carb oat flour cappelletti pasta recipe

Seen here topped with marinara sauce, shredded Parmesan and chives

On another day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Oat Cappeletti

2 cups oat flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
2-4 Tbsp water

In mixing bowl, combine oat flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make cappeletti: Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a 9" squares on a lightly floured surface 5, equally-sized squares). Place 1/4 tsp filling in the center of each square. Fold diagonally to form triangle. Seal edges. While holding the folded side of the triangle against your finger, bring the two bottom points around your finger and pinch together. Pinch to form a cap.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 100 cappeletti.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 cappeletti: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

Low carb soy cappelletti pasta recipe

Unlike agnolotti, cappeletti is shaped into
triangles and pinched

On the fifh day of pasta, my true love gave to me:

Soy Cappeletti

2 cups soy flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make cappeletti: Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a 9" squares on a lightly floured surface 5, equally-sized squares). Place 1/4 tsp filling in the center of each square. Fold diagonally to form triangle. Seal edges. While holding the folded side of the triangle against your finger, bring the two bottom points around your finger and pinch together. Pinch to form a cap.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 100 cappeletti.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 of the recipe: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

Low carb soy linguine noodle recipe

Serve with salad, chives, alfredo sauce and pine nuts

On the fourth day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Soy Linguine

2 cups soy flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make linguine:

Using a pasta extruder: Using a pasta extruder, feed dough in walnut-sized pieces. Pasta will be pressed through the machine. Cut pasta to preferred lengths (usually 8-10”). Let rest on a towel for up to an hour.

Counter method: Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Roll into rectangles as thin as possible. You should be able to see through the dough. Fold or roll dough loosely from short side down for the length of the sheet. Using sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4" strips. Shake strips loose. If the dough is too sticky, use a pizza cutter to slice thin strips in the sheets as they lay on the counter.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 16 ounces of noodles.

Nutritional Information for 1/8 of the recipe: Calories: 100 ,Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 6g, Net Carbohydrates 4g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 0 g

Low carb oat flour linguine noodle recipe

Linger over linguine

On the third day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Oat Linguine

2 cups oat flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
2-4 Tbsp water

In mixing bowl, combine oat flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make linguine:

Using a pasta extruder: Using a pasta extruder, feed dough in walnut-sized pieces. Pasta will be pressed through the machine. Cut pasta to preferred lengths (usually 8-10”). Let rest on a towel for up to an hour.

Counter method: Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Roll into rectangles as thin as possible. You should be able to see through the dough. Fold or roll dough loosely from short side down for the length of the sheet. Using sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4" strips. Shake strips loose. If the dough is too sticky, use a pizza cutter to slice thin strips in the sheets as they lay on the counter.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 16 ounces of noodles.

Nutritional Information for 1/8 of the recipe: Calories: 90 ,Carbohydrates: 16g, Fiber: 2g, Net Carbohydrates 14g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2 g

Resolution 2009: Tom Petty wisdom

If there were unicorns, this would be even better.

Are you Runnin Down a Dream in 2009? Or Did you have A Change of Heart?

The truth is most people are Free Fallin' in the new year. While you're Learning to Fly, here is perhaps the most important message.

Life changes don't just happen. They take time. Deconstructing old, unsuccessful thought patterns, stopping the insanity, making real choices and real changes are the keys to long-term success.

The final woohoo in your pocket of win?

I Need You To Know you're not a mental octopus, and you don't have 8 karmic arms to perform a multitude of tasks. You're a great person with the same baggage the rest of us have.

Changes should not be Too Good to be True. You brush your pearly smilers every day and you don't expect a medal. The same goes for positive, healthy changes made over time. Healthy gums and fresh breath are rewards in and of themselves.Treat adding water, vitamins, movement and other small, 2-week changes the same way.

Don't Do Me Like That. Save the drama fo yo mama. Everyone has an inner swooning couch and some epsom salts tucked into their cleavage. We get it. Make 2009 a year to just do it. If you make a mistake, own it. No do-overs. No trauma in the drama. You don't have enough insurance to call that whaambulance every 30, my friend.

The waiting is the Hardest Part. Remember, we don't wake up one morning and find out we're 50 pounds heavier. The events that led to the gain were life changes, too. Small ones, but life choices nonetheless. In the same regard, you're not going to wake up tomorrow 50 pounds lighter, with the tattoos removed and without the cigarettes. It takes small, meaningful, bite-sized changes --over time-- to make a lifetime of success.

Remember: Tom is watching you. Still, that doesn't mean you have to live like a refugee.

Happy New Year!

This is part of the 5-part anti-Resolution resolve: No Resolutions, Get Smart, Less is More, Baby Steps, Tom Petty Wisdom

Resolution 2009: What about Bob?

Insert 'Tourette's' moment here source

Doing what's right for you isn't supposed to be all-inclusive in the first week of a New Year. Convention might have us believe we're supposed to do twelve things at once and be fit by February, right? Wrong. As I mentioned in the last part of the series, doing everything at once is a cause for burn-out, and it's just not practical.

Take things slowly. "Baby Steps," are the wise words of the film "What About Bob." (Oh I so went there)

You didn't pick up your bad habits in a weekend. It takes time to reverse the trend. So instead of the frenzy for fabulousness in early 1990, take matters into your own hot little hands by trying this:

Make a list of palpable goals you want to achieve. Let's say you choose five smaller goals: drinking 6-8ounce glasses of liquid a day, getting more exercise, tossing out the junk, taking vitamins (at least the multi) and calling your mother once a week (hey. It could happen). Make your goals as specific as possible. Go ahead. List 25. I'm not telling your Rabbi.

Prioritize. Now, from most important to least important, rate these tasks. For the sake of brevity, I'm going to: 1. toss out the junk, 2. get more exercise, 3. drink 6-8 ounce glasses of liquids, 4. call my mom once a week (sorry, ma!) and 5. take at least the multi vitamin I have been neglecting--in that order. If you listed 25 changes to make, that could require more paper.

Method of Success. Introduce one new change every 2 weeks (14 days). If the task takes one day, take one day. Wait two weeks and get going on the next task. Getting rid of junk in the house may take a day. It may take 14--that depends on how many times you made with the doe eyes at the Twinkie that's been in the cupboard since 1867. Commence with the "Get more exercise" (or your #2 in the plan) next for the next 14 days. Keep adding one small thing every two weeks. 25 tasks and you're a year later and that much happier.

Next: More on making changes slowly, the benefits, and how this is counterintuitive to everything we've ever been taught about having it all right now. (Longest. working. title. ever outside of Dr. Strangelove)

This is part of the 5-part anti-Resolution resolve: No Resolutions, Get Smart, Less is More, Baby Steps, Tom Petty Wisdom

Resolution 2009: Less is more

More of this, more or less. Ahhh. source

On the title: Ooh, how cliche, you say! How facile, you lament!

How wise like an Einsteinian plate of win, I say. Put away the lulz and keep reading.

We overload ourselves come January 1. Not only are we going to lose weight, but we're going to stop smoking, save third world countries, and look so good in a halter that even Posh Spice's breasty bits pout in shame.

We resolve to: jog 3 miles per day (even if we've never put a jogging shoe on our peds), drink a gallon of pure, spring-fed artesian water everyday, do yoga (I'm partial to strawberry myself), take 37 vitamins at each meal, detox regularly, and adopt a puppy every week.

Come on. Who died and made you Captain America? You're not supposed to posture for your upcoming high school reunion. We want easy, attainable changes that mean something. So let's drop the perfunctory perfection pretenses and hit the meat punching bag of reason.

Try these simple tips for making change that you are already on the road to making.

Drink 6-8ounce glasses of liquid a day. Yes, coffee and tea count. Yes, drinking more is better, and don't forget foods contain water as well. Liquids are filling and help keep skin supple, so drink them, but don't drown yourself.

Get more exercise. Put down the phone. I didn't just tell you to run out and buy the Ab-grabber deluxe sponsored by Tony Biddle, the enigmatic celebrity with huge, gleaming teeth. Take the stairs instead of the elevator when feasible. Park farther away from your workplace or store.Walk to the post office when you can. In short, do what you can for your physical shape and capabilities. Just being on feet more often burns more fat.

Toss the junk. Notice I didn't tell you to run right down to Holistic Foods and plop down $500 in Fruit leathers. I told you to dump the Haagen Daas and to Emancipate from the English Muffins from your kitchen. Getting the junk out of the house is easy. If you can, donate non-parishable goods locally to a food center. Just get it outta there!

Changes should appeal to our inner lazy, and not try to mold ourselves into something we aren't.

Next: Baby Steps.

This is part of the 5-part anti-Resolution resolve: No Resolutions, Get Smart, Less is More, Baby Steps, Tom Petty Wisdom

For more info: Jamie writes about weight loss in her own gee danged way and has lost 84 pounds in 2008 as a result. Take that, convention!

Resolution 2009: Get Smart

Talk to a heel. Don't be one. source

I already deconstructed your hopes and dreams of burying yourself in guilt and iniquity in the coming year as millions of people across America throw their collective hands up in the air and say (with mock emo-sighs), "Well, we tried!"

After buying the book, looking at the back cover, and then looking at the pretty pictures, we threw on our sneakers and walked out of the door, straight down to the minimart, and doused ourselves in a whipping-cream-to-the-mouth can of aerosol fail.

People make resolutions knowing full well the whole point of them is to end up like Amy Winehouse a week later, hair askew and face buried in a bowl of whatever the drug of choice is. We might not be yelling "Blaaaaakkkeee" as we stumble out of cars, with our chi-chis falling out of our shirts (that could count for you, too, fellas), but the truth remains: we stink at resolutions and we know it.

2. Get Smart.

Why do people fail at goals like resolutions?

For starters, we tend to order our resolution fail as the Vente-sized one.

Making goals too general (I will be skinny this year *fist pump of righteousness*) rather than in specific, bite-sized ones (I will lose 10 pounds this year), are the undoing of many a well-meaning dieter-to be-- so fuggetaboutit.

Start with something you know you can do, and make it easy or at least tangible, will ya? Forget needing a book to make it happen. Forget the goal of wearing size 8 jeans that will make Angelina Jolie weep with envy. We're talking about easy tasks. Decide to drink 6 glasses of water a day. Decide to walk to the office 3 days a week. Decide to throw out the English Muffins that have been plaguing your diet efforts for the last 3 weeks.

In short, ditch the Resolutions, and make the smart choice: something easy that you can follow through on now. Positive changes aren't supposed to be sacrifices. They're supposed to be reaffirming and attainable.

Some easy ideas to be successful in your sloth in 2009 coming tomorrow.

This is part of the 5-part anti-Resolution resolve: No Resolutions, Get Smart, Less is More, Baby Steps, Tom Petty Wisdom

For more info: Stay tuned for more anti-Resolution rebellion!

Resolution 2009: Ditch the Resolutions

Happy New Rear in 2009. source

Resolutions are for chumps and suckers.

Yeah, they work for some people, but the vast majority use Resolutions as an excuse to continue bad behaviors from the year before (and to pick them up again in about 2 weeks from now).

Instead of deluding ourselves with butterfly farts and puppy dogs, in this five-part series, I'll be discussing 5 ways to make real change without posturing (and the resultant do-overs).

1. Resolve not to make resolutions. Temporary at best, and making us failures at worst, those Hallmark-happy moments to drop 10 pants sizes or to never touch another croissant (again!) are about as out of reach as Mars (the planet, not the candy bar).

Resolutions begin as guilt and defeat, and they end up there, too. We all know that Resolutions, the multi-billion dollar baby boon to diet companies and smoker's chewing gum everywhere is laudable, but, how many truly stick to resolutions?

When 15,000 of Franklin Covey's customers were interviewed in 2008, this is what they found:

The top resolutions for 2008 are the old standbys — get out of debt and save more, lose weight and exercise. Getting organized and spending more time with family also top the list.

Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they simply aren’t committed to the resolutions they set.

So rule #1, from your friendly, neighborhood thighdergirl:

No Resolutions for 2009.

Next Up: Get Smart

This is part of the 5-part anti-Resolution resolve: No Resolutions, Get Smart, Less is More, Baby Steps, Tom Petty Wisdom

For more info: How will you cope? Stay tuned to find out!

Low carb oat fettuccine pasta recipe

Topped with alfredo and pine nuts, this dish is a hit

On the second day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Oat Fettuccine

2 cups oat flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
2-4 Tbsp water

In mixing bowl, combine oat flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make fettuccine:

Using a pasta extruder: Using a pasta extruder, feed dough in walnut-sized pieces. Pasta will be pressed through the machine. Cut pasta to preferred lengths (usually 8-10”). Let rest on a towel for up to an hour.

Counter method: Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Roll into rectangles as thin as possible. You should be able to see through the dough. Fold or roll dough loosely from short side down for the length of the sheet. Using sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4" strips. Shake strips loose. If the dough is too sticky, use a pizza cutter to slice thin strips in the sheets as they lay on the counter.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 16 ounces of noodles.

Nutritional Information for 1/8 of the recipe: Calories: 90 ,Carbohydrates: 16g, Fiber: 2g, Net Carbohydrates 14g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2 g

Low carb soy fettuccine pasta recipe

Now you don't have to walk past-a the fettuccine.

On the second day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Soy Fettuccine

2 cups soy flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make fettuccine:

Using a pasta extruder: Using a pasta extruder, feed dough in walnut-sized pieces. Pasta will be pressed through the machine. Cut pasta to preferred lengths (usually 8-10”). Let rest on a towel for up to an hour.

Counter method: Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Roll into rectangles as thin as possible. You should be able to see through the dough. Fold or roll dough loosely from short side down for the length of the sheet. Using sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4" strips. Shake strips loose. If the dough is too sticky, use a pizza cutter to slice thin strips in the sheets as they lay on the counter.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 16 ounces of noodles.

Nutritional Information for 1/8 of the recipe: Calories: 100 ,Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 6g, Net Carbohydrates 4g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 0 g

Low carb oat flour agnolotti pasta recipeoat ag

Half moons of pasta gladness.

On the first day of pasta, my true love gave to me...

Oat Flour Agnolotti

2 cups oat flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling:
Ricotta cheese

In mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make agnolotti: Divide dough into 2 part and roll each into a 15" circle on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut into 2 1/2" circles. Place 1 tsp filling on center of each circle. Fold pasta in half moon and seal edges with fork. Put on lightly floured board.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 30 agnolotti.

Nutritional Information for 5 agnolotti: Calories: 120 ,Carbohydrates: 21g, Fiber: 3g, Net Carbohydrates 18g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3 g

Low carb soy agnolotti pasta recipe

Agnolotti resemble half-moons, or small empanadas

On the first day of pasta my true love gave to me...

Agnolotti

2 cups soy flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water

Filling:
Ricotta cheese

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

To make agnolotti: Divide dough into 2 part and roll each into a 15" circle on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut into 2 1/2" circles. Place 1 tsp filling on center of each circle. Fold pasta in half moon and seal edges with fork. Put on lightly floured board.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 30 agnolotti.

Nutritional Information for 5 agnolotti: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

For more info: Stay tuned for more pasta excitement!

Hannukah recipe: Slow cooker (crock pot) beef brisket

Beef brisket is a cinch. Crock pots work in a pinch. source

Since beef brisket is slowly cooked to retain its moisture, the slow cooker (or crock pot) is an easy way to prepare this meat in advance.

Crock Pot Brisket

4-5 pounds well-trimmed brisket
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 tsp vinegar
4 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place meat in slow cooker. Mix ingredients and pour over the meat. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until meat is tender, checking periodically to ensure more water isn't needed.

Juices can be made into gravy, or can be drizzled over the meat.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional information: Calories: 595, Carbohydrates: g, Fiber: 1 g, Net Carbohydrates: 1 g, Protein: 32 g, Fat: 50 g

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Oven-baked beef brisket
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Fun Hannukah treat: Melon dreidels

Standard dreidel. source

Who says a dreidel must be fashioned from clay?

Low on the glycemic load and index, this treat is colorful and fun!

Melon Dreidels

Cantaloupe melon
Honeydew melon
Toothpicks

Cut melon into 1" X 2" bricks (1 per dreidel). In the last inch of the length, carve to a point with four sides (see picture, right).

With a toothpick, carve nun, gimel, hei, and shin on each side (food coloring could also be used to draw the symbols).

(Nun), (Gimel), (Hei), (Shin)

From Wikipedia:

which together form the acronym for (Nes Gadol Haya Sham – "a great miracle happened there"). These letters also form a mnemonic for the rules of a gambling game played with a dreidel: Nun stands for the Yiddish word nite ("nothing"), Hei stands for halb ("half"), Gimel for gants ("all"), and Shin for shteln ("put").

Insert toothpick in each and serve up the fun!

Note: Can also be made from cheese.

Rules of Dreidel

The code (based on a Yiddish version of the game) is as follows:

• Nun - nisht - "nothing" - nothing happens and the next player spins
• Gimel - gants - "all" - the player takes the entire pot
• Hey - halb - "half" - the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
• Shin - shtel ayn - "put in" - the player puts two markers in the pot

Remember: The game of Dreidel doesn't require traditional gelt. Substitute with real pennies or counters instead of the high-in-sugarconfection.

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Hannukah Recipe: Brisket

Delicious, any way you slice it. source

Brisket is a mainstay at the Hannukah events my stomach has had the pleasure of attending.

Following is an easy way to make your flank steak thank you for its existing on your table.

This recipe is fairly devoid of any sauces or seasonings, but there are other variations of the recipe I will be sharing to add some zip and some convenience into this time-honored tradition.

Easy Beef Brisket

4-5 pounds beef brisket
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degree Farenheit.

Rub surface of beef brisket with salt. Place in an ungreased 13 X 9 rectangular pan. Top with sprinkled pepper. Cover and bake until tender, about 3 hours.

Cut thin, diagonal slice acoss the grain at an angle (this is a 2- or 3-face approach) or straight across the grain (above, right). Serve with remaining pan juices drizzled over the meat.

Serves 12.

Nutritional information: Calories: 590, Carbohydrates: 0 g, Fiber: 0 g, Net Carbohydrates: 0 g, Protein: 32 g, Fat: 50 g

Perfect with: Jicama Latkes or Zucchini Latkes

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Hannukah: Zucchini latkes recipe

Latkes from zucchini? Anything but meshugena.

Not everyone can place their hands on a jicama for the holidays.

When zucchini is available, this also makes a fantastic rendition of the famous latke.

Zucchini Latkes

1 pound zucchini
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Heat 1/4 cup poil in a pan over medium heat until heated but not smoking.

Grate zucchini by hand. Squeeze excess water, either by wringing through a towel or through fists (like Chuck Norris). Mix in a bowl with egg and salt.

About 2 Tbsp of latke material makes each latke, and you can fit 3-4 in the pan at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until latkes are lightly browned.

Drain on paper towel. Add more salt as needed.

Keep warm until serving.

Makes about 12 latkes.

Nutritional information: Calories: 131 , Carbohydrates: 1 g, Fiber: trace g, Net Carbohydrates:1 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 14 g

Looking for more Hannukah recipes? Stay tuned!

Happy Hannukah: Recipe for latkesHannu

Jicama behaves similarly to potato when shredded and pan-fried.

L'Chaim!

Celebrating the festival of lights can be light on the waistline when making latkes from the starchy jicama root instead of potatoes.

Jicama Latkes

1 pound jicama
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Heat 1/4 cup poil in a pan over medium heat until heated but not smoking.

Grate jicama coarsely by hand. Squeeze excess water, either by wringing through a towel or through fists (like Chuck Norris). Mix in a bowl with egg and salt.

About 2 Tbsp of latke material makes each latke, and you can fit 3-4 in the pan at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until latkes are lightly browned.

Drain on paper towel. Add more salt as needed.

Keep warm until serving.

Makes about 12 latkes.

Nutritional information: Calories: 139 , Carbohydrates: 3 g, Fiber: 2 g, Net Carbohydrates:1 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 14 g

Readers who enjoyed this column also read:

Mock apple danish spread (from jicama)
Jicama, the root of deliciousness

Stay tuned for more Hannukah recipes! Subscribe today and don't miss a thing.

Low-carb old-fashioned egg nog recipe

A cold mug o win! source

Egg nog isn't the reason for the season, but it is the delicious, chilled icing in the glass.

The most scrumptious Leann sent me her recipe for this delicious and easy beverage that might just double for a protein smoothie any day of the year!

Note: Because raw egg is used, obviously this recipe isn't going to be for everyone, particularly those with weakened immune systems due to pregnancy, youth, older age, illness, or other physical conditions and reasons. Read more at this link regarding who should consume raw eggs and who should not.

Old-Fashioned Egg Nog

1 raw egg*
1 cup half-in-half
1/2 tsp vanilla
sugar substitute to taste

Blend well. Serve cold.

Makes 1 serving of nog.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 474, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 38g

*pasturized egg-in-the-carton can be used - make sure it is egg w/ yolk and no spices

For more information about raw egg safety: Visit this link

What healthy foods can I send to the troops in Iraq?

Tired troops rest. AP photo

They're in Iraq, and they're hungry.

While it's safe to say the troops are also tired, weary and hard-working, they are also in need of healthy, quality foods in the form of shippable proteins, fats and antioxidants.

1. Beef jerky. High in protein and sustenance, meat sticks in the gut for longer periods of time. It's literally an easy grab-and-go food, tends not to spoil in heat or cold, and provides a lot of energy in its form.

2. Sunflower seeds. Small packages of this product provides energy and good fats, while its vitamin E promotes cardiovascular and healing benefits.

3. Nuts. Tree nuts (for those not allergic) provide a lot of energy in the form of small snacks. Almonds and macadamia nuts are both high in fat and low on the glycemic scale, promoting a feeling of fullness. High in fiber, vitamin E and selenium, antioxidants promote health in conditions which might not otherwise be healthy.

4. Pre-paid phone cards. You can't eat love, but the ability for troops to call home means more of their money can be sent home to their families so that they can eat healthfully as well.

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These not-for-profit groups offer more information and services to the men and women serving overseas:

anysolider.com This organization provides names and addresses and needs of soldiers, but care packages can be sent to anyone. The site is extremely giving, based on the love of one family's support for their son and burgeoning into a full-fledged effort that has brought comfort and security to tens of thousands of men and women overseas. site

Operation Gratitude (picture, left) From their site: Operation Gratitude "seeks to lift troops' morale, and bring a smile to their faces by sending care packages addressed to individual service members deployed overseas. OPERATION GRATITUDE care packages contain food, toiletries, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support." Like anysoldier.com, this group has helped hundreds of thousands of soliders through locating the needs of the men and women overseas. site

Do you know of any other organizations paying it forward to the troops in a not-for-profit manner?

Make a snowflake online (and other fun holiday diversions)

More fun than dandruff flakes.

Mindless merry-making munching will get many a person into trouble.

Here are some ways of keeping occupied and in the spirit of the holiday season(s)this December:

1. Make a Flake. This website will keep you animated about the winter holidays. While it might be too warm for the white, fluffy stuff this winter, users can still fashion their own snowflakes without the fuss--and paper cuts. Visit this site for more holiday fun. Make-a-Flake

2. Yeti Penguin toss. Penguins are low-carb, and watching a cartoon yeti launch these little tuxedo-d birds into the air for points is a fun, simple time-waster while you're on hold (or talking to your grandma on the phone). It's also dangerously addicting. Yeti Penguin Toss

3. Decorate a virtual tree. You might not have braved the attic yet for the decorations, but don't miss out on the chance to festoon an online tree. With lights, tinsel and a snowman, your workload just became a little bit lighter. Decorate a tree

4. Decorate a gingerbread cookie. Heresy, you say! Still, there's nothing as fun as decorating those little ginger faces. Below is the one I decorated. I was going for fun, but my cookie looks like he is covered in green chest hair. Decorate a cookie

How did you score on the Yeti penguin game? Share your high scores in comments. (I scored 322.9 feet)

Fred Hahn: Strong Kids Healthy Kids

Cute kids, great book

Hot off of the presses, and just in time for the holiday season, Fred Hahn has done it again.

The author of The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution has anted up.

But this time, it's for the kids.

Strong Kids Healthy Kids: The Revolutionary Program for Increasing Your Child's Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week makes a splash where few others have dared to go: strength training for the younger set, coupled with a healthy, lower carb eating plan.

From the inside cover:

A popular misconception is that young athletes shouldn't engage in strength training because it can stunt their growth oreven cause injury. Nothing could be further from the truth. Current research indicates that strength training is the single most effective exercise method for improving strength and fitness, and can dramatically alter and improve a child's body composition.

In what seems to be a ridiculously short amount of time to work out and lose weight for a largely sedentary (and spreading) demographic of children who can be seen as obese, says Hahn, "In strength training, specifically, slow and controlled speed strength training, you do each exercise very slowly using the appropriate weight or resistance until the muscles being worked are totally fatigued or exhasted after several repetitions, generally lasting for 60-90 seconds per exercise. Why slow? Instead of letting momentum take over for a portion of the exercise (as happenswhen you jerk or toss a weight too fast), you push or resist the weight under control, asking the muscles alone to do all the work, which reaps a proportionally greater reward."

Sounds different from what we learned in the 80's from pumping iron, doesn't it? The idea of slow, controlled movements with lower weights, for less sets and with longer reps (not more) seems to fly in the face of convention. Add kids to the mix, and one might wonder if the ginger-haired Chuck Norris may have lost his martial arts marbles.

Arguably, kids could teach us a thing or two about fitness if parents are willing enough to look at careful strength training as a viable option to aerobics, melting suits and restricted calorie diets. In Fact, Hahn has been working with kids in his Serious Strength studio for some time now, and says the results of his program have resulted in some pretty tremendous success stories.

In just two 15-minute strength training classes per week, Fred was able to transform 12-year-old Michael H. from a pre-teen who was very active and overweight (the combination sounds unlikely according to conventional wisdom, but it isn't) to one who healthfully lost 33 pounds by incorporating the carefully-planned regimen detailed in the book.

The healthy eating portion of the book promises grass-fed meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy, the importance of good fats and drinking water. And, let's face it--any guy with a black belt can use the words "Pee Pee" all he wants to, honey.

The book promises recipes, unconventional thinking, references to studies and resources, an easy-to-read layout, little-known facts, and a whole lot of promise to a generation of kids more at risk for type II diabetes than ever.

Pictures of the exercises (form) are provided, and Hahn, conscious of both financial needs of families as well as time constraints, has put together two, distinct regimens for safe, slow fitness: one for the gym, and one for the home.

With pictures of kids performing safe workouts in both scenarios, parents will have a pretty sound idea of good form, and getting kids to not rush through the program and to take their time is what distinguishes the proper age of the young person ready for a strength training routine. After all, it takes a bit of maturity and willingness for a young person to make it through even 15 minutes of strength exercises twice per week, let alone using the proper, careful techniques Hahn has laid out in this book.

Still, what is 30 minutes a week of strength training to a nation of young people who spend more time than that texting friends and playing World of Warcraft?

Above: Video of Fred Hahn discussing his strength training plan for kiddos.

Number of pages: 157
Size: 7X9, standard binding
Hardcover
Publisher: Amacom, New York
Publication Date: 2009

To order, learn more, and check out more Hahn goodness that correlates to this book: visit strongkidshealthykids.com

More bacon gifts for the holidays

In addition to the bacon goodness that comprises yesterday's list of porcine presents, following are more gift ideas for the baconistas out there.

5. Bacon candle. Technically, this candle is part of a BLT candle trio (bacon, lettuce and tomato), but who am I to tongue throttle anyone who jhas gone to the trouble to light up my life with the aromatic scents of food? These candles run a bit steep in price, but to the true foodie, there is something to be said for a wax sammich. Go ahead punk. Light up my lunch! $33.95 for three candles.

6. Bacon air freshener. Let's face it--some people shouldn't be around open flames (Michael Jackson comes to mind). When your car has lost that new pork smell, it's time to call in reinforcements in the form of the bacon air freshener.

While the product is listed at a gag gifts site, being the pork Pollyanna that I am, I'm going to assume gag doesn't represent the smell of those brown strips of scented beauty that could dangle from your rear view mirror. $2.90

7. Bacon Floss. Dental hygeine in this nation is important, for crying out loud. Without teeth, how would we consume bacon? With the tantalizing, fresh taste of fried bacon, now the flossing conscious can clean between those pearly whites without losing that breakfast freshness.

8. Bacon flavor spray. Because you can't lose weight eating bacon (the website speaks heresy!), this ingenious spray allows users to spray food items with this carb-free, bacon-flavored spritzer. As a tide-me-over, spray a little on those pulse points and smell like every day is another day in a Denny's Grand Slam paradise. $5.95

9. Bacon Beer. More correctly known as smoked ale, this gift is truly two great tastes that taste great together.

Nothing says delicious inebriation like adult beverages that taste like they were fermented by the feet of little sows dancing barefoot in hops.

You know. Like that I Love Lucy Episode. $6.45 for a 22 ounce bottle.

10. Yoder's Canned Bacon. Is there anything else in this big, wide world that hits the spot quite like a can of bacon? Now, multiply that fantasy by 12. Yoder's sells half-cases of the stuff in one convenient order (no need to worry if there will be enough to send to the cousins again this year, my friends).

Imagine: instead of eating that boring, fresh bacon, one can pop open a can of 100% cooked and drained bacon, and pretend you're in a Zombie shelter, fending off flesh-eating maniacs while enjoying the fresh, smoked rhythms of that sweet, canned pork music. According to Yoder's, "Between 2-3/4 and 3-1/4 pounds of raw bacon go into each can." That's a lot of holiday cheer. $119.95 per 12 cans

More bacon gifts for 2008

Top bacon gifts for Christmas

LIp-smackin' tongue snackin' bacon

Seen until now, primarily only in government, why not bring a little pork home for the holidays?

Contrary to popular opinion, a bag of pork rinds in the stocking isn't going to go very far in terms of winning points with the Christmas crowd. Aside from the inability to fit chicarones into Yuletide hosiery comfortably, they tend to get messy when simply poured into the velvet gift of goodness near the hearth.

Try these gifts instead:

1. Mo's Bacon Candy Bar. While I can't vouch for its exact carb counts, there is something primal about micing chocolatey goodness with a pork product. While your Jewish friends will slap the yarmulkes off of your meshugena head for offering this delecacy this to them during Hannukah, your mother will probably hug your ribs for thinking of her. $7.50

2. Ultimate Bacon lover's gift pack. This pack melds together the beauty of all things bacon for less than forty bucks. Complete with everything to flavor your world, the set contains: a jar of Original Bacon Salt, 5 new Limited Edition flavors of Bacon Salt (Cheddar, Jalapeno, Applewood, Maple and Mesquite), and a jar of Baconnaise (Regular or Lite), all in an attractive bacon-themed package. I don't know about you, but I never leave the house without a little dab of Baconnaise under each armpit and behind my ears. Did we mention that an added bonus, Bacon lip balm is the final accoutrement in this gift set? If the dogs don't chase you through the neighborhood now, they will, my friends. They will. Lick your lips and run fast. $39.99

3. Maple Bacon Morning Coffee. From the site: Reminiscent of a hearty Saturday morning breakfast around the table, this sweet, savory coffee delights the senses with the smell and taste of home! Maple Bacon Morning has a base that's full-bodied and complex, and it's a delicious way to rise when the rooster crows! Jumpin' Jehosepork! Does it get any better than that? Ground roasted, caffeinated bacon? If Starbucks could market this, we would be a nation thriving for its liquid nutrition. $7.49 for 8 oz.

If you're in the mood for hog breath

4. Bacon-Flavored Mints. Quick! We're late for the meeting with the boss, and a quick breath check shouts for bacon mints. If we can't carry bacon floss, there's finally a quick way to ensure a breath that's great with eggs. Each 2"X 2" tin delivers a lipsmacking procinepalooza of packed palatability--and for only $1.99, it's a way to stretch a the greenback on pork belly. No longer does the recession apply to what happens when folks get a whiff of halitosis. Thanks to Uncle Oinker's Bacon Mints, every sweet exhalation can smell like morning breath.

The class of every holiday party (source)

5. Bacon Scented Bacon Tuxedo. Sizzle! There's no fashion like the kind that screams "Whip me, beat me, make me smell like a cheap male Hor-mel!" The talk of any holiday party, people will be drawn to the magnetism of this luscious leisure suit. It's classic looks coupled with a smoky ambience, the only thing missing is the butter-scented ascot.This timeless fashion is made from a washable latex-- just like most spatulas, but without the socially-awkward chafing. Dry clean only. $99.95.

Related Links:

Eat my shorts

Quick dinner idea: Turkey pot pie recipe

You'll gobble up this alternative to turkey sandwiches

The bird's the word in the following days to Thanksgiving. Turkey soon leads to leftovers, but there's no need for them to be anything but savory and delectable.

Just pre-bake the oopsie crust and pre-cook and chop turkey in advance, mix the ingredients together when ready, and bake. The Alfredo sauce can be home-made, as well!

Just think-- in 30 minutes, your tastebuds will be exalting your fantastic acumen from the frosty autumn rooftops.

Turkey Pot Pie

Crust: Oopsie roll dough

3 ounces cream cheese
3 eggs, separated
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat whites with cream of tartar for 3-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, mix yolks with cream cheese. Combine the two bowls carefully, folding ingredients together until just blended.

Pour batter into 2 greased 9" pie pans and bake for 30 minutes. Makes 2 crusts (this recipe uses only 1 crust).

Filling:

1 cup Alfredo sauce
1 cooked, chopped turkey
1 can Veg-All

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine filling ingredients. Pour into prepared, baked crust.

Topping:
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Top casserole with cheese and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 462, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Fiber: 2 g, Net Carbohydrates: 7 g, Protein: 21 g, Fat: 40 g

Cranberry frozen frappuccino

Life's the berries!

You may be looking at a refrigerator filled with leftovers this morning from your Thanksgiving feast.

Why not start with a new frappuccino to set the mood?

Made with cranberry tea and topped with a dollop of cranberry sauce, this festive, chilled drink will put a cool spin on a drink favorite.

Iced Cranberry Tea Frappuccino

4 ounces warm water
Cranberry tea bag
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 packet sweetener
1 Tbsp Davincis sugar free vanilla syrup, or 2 drops Stevia Sweetleaf vanilla liquid drops
1-1/2 cups crushed ice
2 Tbsp low-carb cranberry sauce (recipe here)

Combine powdered sweetener, tea and water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess tea bag into water after removing to get the most of the flavor and color.

Crush ice in blender (or, better yet, use the crush setting on the icemaker). Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until frothy.

Top with whipping cream and chocolate syrup if desired (recipes follow)(or top with extra cranberry sauce).

Makes 1, approx 12 ounce frozen frappuccino.

Nutritional information (without the cream and chocolate): Calories: 103, Carbohydrates: 1g, Fat: 3g
Nutritional information (with the cream and cranberry): Calories: 156, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fat: 5g

For more info: Stay with your Low Carb Examiner for more leftover recipes

Thanksgiving recipe: Easy turkey gravy

Gravy: condiment of Pilgrims everywhere

This recipe was taught to me by my step-mother when I was a teenager. I was surprised how something so easy turned into a thick, bubbly, and delicious gravy--and I helped!

Tasty turkey gravy is as easy as adding water to drippings and... well, why talk about to the recipe when I can post it?

Tip: Make sure the roasting pan can endure stove top heat. If not, simply scrape and remove drippings to a stove top safe pan.

Easy Turkey Gravy

Turkey drippings in pan
2 cups water or organic chicken broth
ThickenThin/Not Starch
salt

After removing the turkey from the roasting pan, place pan on stove top. Add 2 cups water, ThickenThin, and salt (to taste) (if the turkey was brined with salt, omit salt in this step). Turn heat to medium high, stirring liquid constantly to keep from burning in the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low, stirring occasionally to keep gravy from burning.

Serve with mashed cauliflower and turkey.

Added bonus: This recipe also facilitates some of the cleaning of the roasting pan since water is boiled within.

Thanksgiving recipe: Low-carb giblet gravy

tunt
You'll flip your giblets over this savory gravy.

Turkeys are filled with parts that people don't always want to eat on a stick, but wouldn't mind seeing made into a thick and savory gravy. Why toss some of the giblets, when you can add them to gravy?

Turkey giblet gravy

Turkey neck (could also use gizzards and liver)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped celery (include leaves)
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
salt

In a 4 quart saucepan, add chicken stock. Boil turkey neck/parts, celery, carrot, onion, salt and pepper. Simmer until stock is reduced by 25%. Strain out liquid. Save meat*.

Dice turkey and eggs into small pieces.

In 1 stick butter in a pan, add ThickenThin/Not Starch. Cook until thickened. Add liquid, diced meat and egg, and cook until proper consistency.

*vegetables can be saved and used elsewhere

Makes 8, 1/2 cup servings.

Nutritional information: Calories: 110, Carbohydrates: 3 g, Fiber: 0 g, Net Carbohydrates: 3 g, Protein: 13 g, Fat: 5 g

If you like this recipe, see also:
Gravy
Broth Gravy
Mashed cauliflower

Thanksgiving: Safe turkey preparation

Be safe, or illness may give you the bird. source

Talking turkey should always include a discussion regarding safety.

While turkeys can't lash out (unless they are Ninja turkeys--and then you will only know after they have dispatched you forthwith), working with poultry has propensities towards causing illness if care is not used during preparation. Bacteria can grow rapidly on a bird or surfaces that come into contact with the turkey, so be careful, and follow these important tips:

If buying a frozen turkey, purchase a couple days in advance of cooking.

Keep turkeys refrigerated and in their original wrapper until ready to prepare. (Storing in a shallow pan will ensure that any leakage from the turkey will be safely contained)

A turkey can be frozen, but use within the year when at all possible. If thawed properly in the refrigerator, a turkey may be frozen.

Always remove giblets from the turkey and prepare separately.

Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fareinheit. This is the minimum temperature established by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. From their website: "A whole turkey (and turkey parts) is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures."

From the USDA: REMEMBER! Always wash hands, utensils, the sink, and anything else that comes in contact with raw turkey and its juices with soap and water.

Thawing times (in the refrigerator)

4 to 12 pounds	1 to 3 days
12 to 16 pounds	3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pounds	4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds	5 to 6 days

Thawing times (in cold water)

4 to 12 pounds	2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds	6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds	8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds	10 to 12 hours

both charts from USDA.gov

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Need more information? It's better to ask than to end up in the hospital with food poisoning. With so many options available, why not ask?

Let's Talk Turkey

Website: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp
Contact: USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 TDY 800-246-7072
Email: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov.

To talk to a food safety specialist call 1-888-674-6854 between 10 am and 4 pm eastern time and on Thanksgiving Day 10 to 2 pm eastern time.

For an FSIS automated response system, "Ask Karen" is available 24/7. Answers to questions can be found in their extensive database of food safety information regarding food borne illness (and its prevention), as well as safe handling, preparation, and storage of meat, poultry, and egg products.

Butterball.com

Website: http://www.butterball.com/
Contact: 1-800-Butterball
Email: talkline@butterball.com

Cooks can also sign up for turkey text messages by entering their phone number or engage in a live web chat with a Butterball Talk-Line Expert.

This article is part of the editorial section: Holiday Guide Next Article Low Carb Examiner Thanksgiving: How to roast a turkeyr

Some poultry lovin' from the oven. source

Roasting is the standard, traditional way of preparing the centerpiece of every Thankgiving dinner. Baking the prepared bird in the oven offers various benefits. Aside from the lack of specialized equipment that may be needed when brining, smoking and deep frying, the roasted bird can be stuffed prior to baking.

Tips: Allow about 30 minutes cooking time per pound of turkey.

It is easy to overcook a turkey. When the bird reaches 170 degrees, check for doneness. Temperature will sometimes continue to rise even with the oven turned off, so don't think about turning off the oven after the turkey is at 185 degrees. Consider shutting down oven operations at 170 degrees, keeping an eye on the thermometer to ensure the temperature continues to rise.

Roast Turkey

Turkey
salt
other spices (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fareheit.

Remove giblets from the turkey and rinse the turkey thoroughly. Pat dry with a paper towel. Rub with salt. (If stuffing, do not salt cavity.) Fasten the neck skin to the back with a skewer. Fold wings across back with wing tips touching slightly. Tuck legs uner the band of skin at the tail end of the bird or skewer legs (some birds come with clips which hold the legs in place).

Place breast side up in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with oil or butter. Do not add water and do not cover.

Place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the bird when it begins to turn golden brown. When the turkey is about 60% done, remove the skewers holding the legs together.

Use the following table as a general guide for cooking times. Regardless of the size of turkey, make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fareheit by taking the temperature with a meat thermometer usually in the thickest part of the thigh or in the breast. If stuffing is in the cavity, make certain the reading there is at least 165 degrees.

(More information regarding turkey safety is coming next!)

Approx. Turkey Weight	Time
6-8 pounds	3- 3.5 hours
8-12 pounds	3.5- 4.5 hours
12-16 pounds	4.5- 5.5 hours
16-20 pounds	5.5- 6.5 hours
20-24 pounds	6.5-7 hours

Once the turkey is removed from the oven, let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

If you liked this recipe, please also consider:
How to smoke turkey
How to brine turkey
How to fry turkey
Turkey safety tips

For more info:
Better Homes & Gardens Interactive Roasting Guide
Turkey 101 from about.com
Turkey Roasting Video from eatturkey.com
Roasting Turkey at High Altitude

Thanksgiving: Deep fried turkey

A fried turkey will have a gorgeous golden hue. source

Turkeys are fabulous birds. The vertible little black dress of the Thanksgiving scene, turkeys are practically perfect in every way.

Frying a turkey will require a special piece of equipment called a turkey fryer (see below for more details), but with the proper equipment and a little patience, you're ready for a feast! Surprisingly, fried turkeys won't be greasy, but moist and flavorful.

While I saw a lot of turkeys meeting with fryers on Thanksgiving in Texas, the idea is certainly not exclusive to the South.

Tips: Smaller birds fry better than larger ones, so sticking to a turkey 15 pounds or less is important. Do not stuff a turkey that is to be fried.

Safety is incredibly important when frying a turkey. Burns and fires are not uncommon when dealing with gallons of hot oil and a heat source (especially propane), so use caution.

Place the fryer outside on a level surface and away from breezes.

Keep kids and pets away from the fryer, and never leave hot oil or fryer unsupervised.

Do not dispose of oil until cooled completely.

Fried Turkey

Thawed or fresh turkey (15 pounds or less)
3.5-5 gallons oil with a high smoke point (canola, peanut or corn oil)
Breading or an herb/spice rub (optional)

To determine the amount of oil needed, submerge the turkey in the fryer basket. Fill the fryer with water until the turkeyis immersed by 2-3". Carefully remove the turkey, and note the level of liquid. You will need this much oil. Discard water and dry the pot completely to avoid splattering.

In fryer, heat oil to between 350 -375 degree F (this might take up to 30 minutes).

Remove any plastic from the turkey (including pop-up timers and any clamps) and any giblets/innards. Wash the turkey thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels. Dry rub the turkey with spices if desired. Keep turkey refrigerated until ready to fry.

Since the oil is already hot, turn the heat down slightly. Using a hook, slowly and carefully lower the turkey into the fryer, leg end up. Increase heat to the fryer again once the turkey is inserted as it is important to maintain heat. Fry the turkey for about 3 minutes per pound. Because is easy to over-fry a bird, it is better to test for doneness rather than make a guess and end up with a rubber bird. To test for doneness, move turkey to a paper-towel lined tray and take temperature in the densest part of the bird. If the temperature registers below 170 degrees, place the turkey back into the pil for 3-5 more minutes.

Remove from the oil and allow to rest for up to 20 minutes. Carve.

---

The fryer to the right is one example of a turkey fryer (this one is a 30 quart fryer which retails for roughly $69.99). While sizes vary, fryers tend to come with the same equipment.

1. The aluminum stockpot. This is usually made from aluminum.

2. The outdoor gas stove. This is usually propane.

3. Hook. This important tool is used to lower the turkey into the oil when no basket exists. Usually, a fryer that doesn't come with a basket will come with a hook.

4. Basket. Like many deep fryers, a basket may be included as the means to keep the turkey from touching the bottom of the pot and burning. If using a basket instead of a hook, make sure to adjust the turkey's position occasionally while cooking for even doneness. Follow instructions for safety.

5. Thermometer. This tests the heat of the oil in the pot.

6. Injector. This is generally a means of adding mosture to the bird. Because oil tends to splatter in the presence of water, brining is generally a riskier proposition. The injector is a means of still botoxing the bird with brine, but without the burns.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider:
How to smoke a turkey
How to brine a turkey

For more info about frying turkeys:
How to Deep-Fry (with pictures)
How to Deep-Fry a turkey (with more pictures)
About.com How to Fry a Turkey

Deep turkey frying safety tips

Deep fried turkey rubs and injections:
allrecipes.com rub
about.com rub
about.com turkey injection

Butterball sponsoring live turkey chat, November 25

One way to get a tan... source

From Butterball.com:

Ready to talk turkey?

Don't miss your chance to talk virtually with the Talk-Line Experts! Join the Butterball Web chat November 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT.

Can't make the chat? Safe turkey tips coming soon.

Thanksgiving recipe: Low carb broth gravy

Easy and flavorful.

There can never be too many shoes--or gravy recipes for that matter.

This recipe is the one of the easiest ways to make gravy, and is healthy, too!

The use of organic chicken broth adds flavor without possible MSG overload from bouillion.

Low-carb broth gravy recipe

2 cups organic chicken broth
2 Tbsp ThickenThin/Not Starch
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, mix chicken broth with ThickNThin/Not Starch, salt and pepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until the desired thickness is attained.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 22, Carbohydrates: 2 g, Fiber: 2 g, Net Carbohydrates: 0 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 0 g

See also: Bouillion Gravy

Thanksgiving recipe: Low-carb twice-baked yams recipe uses pumpkin

Topped with fresh, whipped cream, pecans and nutmeg for a more dessert approach.

While yams are fairly carby, here is a way to enjoy the dish without going whole yam-hog.

The addition of cream cheese adds to the savory value, also adding needed fat to help stave off any possible blood sugar issues due to the carbier nature of the yams.

Set aside half of the yams for another recipe.

Twice baked yams

8 small sweet potatoes
2 cups pumpkin
1 package cream cheese*
salt and pepper
butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place yams on cookie sheet. Cut cross-hatch into the top (an "x") and bake for an hour. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Change oven temperature to 350 degrees

Carefully peel back top edges from the yams. Leaving the shells intact, scoop out the innards. Keep half*, and save the rest for another recipe. Mash yam innards. Add pumpkin, cream cheese and butter and mix until fluffy.

Spoon or pipe mixture back into the shells and bake for 20 minutes or until warm.

Optional: Top with sour cream, butter,bacon bits and cheese for a loaded version. For a sweeter flavor, sprinkle with nutmet and cinnamon, and a small pat of butter.(Adjust nutritional values according to additions)

Makes 8 small yams.

*Nutritional information: Calories: 137, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 1.5 g, Net Carbohydrates: 8.5 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 9 g

See also: Twice-baked yams made with cauliflower

*Please note: The equivalent of a small yam would be .5 cup cubed cooked yams combined with .5 cup pumpkin. Adjust for even lower carbs by adjusting the ratio of yams to cauliflower. To lower calories, cut cream cheese by half.

Thanksgiving: How to smoke a turkey

Smoked turkeys tend to have a deeper color. source

Smoking a turkey brings out a bird's sultry side. Different than the standard styles of turkey preparations, smoking can be not only easy, but economical.

Tips: Don't use a huge bird. Because there's a danger zone in keeping uncooked poultry at a tepid temperature for too long, and because it takes between 6-8 hours to smoke a turkey, the bigger the turkey, the longer it takes (and the greater the danger of possible food poisoning).

Don't have a smoker? One can try an indirect smoking method using a grill, but be cautious to keep the temperature hot enough to cook the bird!

Smoked turkey

1. Wash thawed turkey, inside and out, and remove giblets.

2. In smoker, fill the liquid pan with water.

3. Light quality charcoal and close the cover. Use a thrmometer to ensure the smoker is in the safe zone temperature wise (250-300 degrees F) before adding the turkey.

4. Place the turkey (sans stuffing) on the top grill rack.

5. Add charcoal as needed every hour to keep temperature at 250-300 degrees, and keep moisture in the pan, as both water and heat are necessary to achieve a perfect turkey. Open the door as minimally as possible, as every time the door is opened, 15 minutes will probably have to be added to the cooking time.

6. Turkey is finished when the inside of the thigh registers 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer.

---

Tips:

• Do not smoke turkey on a windy day unless sheltering the smoker from wind.
• 
  
• If using mesquite or hardwood chips, soak in water for an hour prior to use and then toss them on the already-hot coals.
• 
  
• We smoked a turkey last year and it didn't cook all the way through. When this happened, we didn't have to toss the turkey. We covered the bird loosely in foil and placed it in the oven at 350 degreed F until the internal temperature reached 160 degrees.
• 
  
• There are several kinds of smokers consumers can consider. The smoker to the left, by Weber, is big enough to smoke a turkey and a ham at the same time. This model currently retails for $229.00.

The Char Broil smoker to the right is a smaller model of smoker, but has the ability to also be used as a standard barbecue grill as well as a smoker. This model currently retails for $130.00.

Not sure how much smoker you need? Make sure to read Derrick Riches' article "Before You Buy a Smoker" at about.com. Derrick also reviews several smokers in various price ranges.

Note: I am not affiliated with any products and neither endorse nor act as an affiliate to any companies mentioned. Products shown are sample products found through quick searches of the internet. Consumers should shop carefully prior to making any purchase.

More tips for the perfect smoked turkey:
Smoking tips
How to smoke a turkey with pictures
ehow.com How to Smoke a Turkey
about.com How to Smoke a Turkey

How to brine a turkey
How to fry a turkey

Thanksgiving recipe: Low-carb gravy

Good gravy, boatman!

While this won't be the lowest-carb gravy in the world if adding Kitchen Bouquet for the color, this still produces a nice, quick gravy, even minus the turkey juices on Thanksgiving.

This is an all-purpose, quick gravy for almost any occasion, and is perfect with mashed cauliflower. The chicken bouillion can be replaced with beef for a different flavor.

Low Carb Gravy

2 cups cold water
2 Tbsp bouillion (chicken or beef)
2 Tbsp ThickNThin/Not Starch
2 Tbsp Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce*
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, mix cold water with bouillion, ThickNThin/Not Starch, salt and pepper, and Kitchen Bouquet (*if you're going for a darker gravy).

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until the desired thickness is attained.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 31, Carbohydrates: 7 g, Fiber: 4 g, Net Carbohydrates: 3 g, Protein: 0 g, Fat: 0 g

Thanksgiving recipe: Low-carb, twice-baked yams

Yam happiness, fully-loaded: sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, chives, butter.

While yams are fairly carby, here is a way to enjoy the dish without going whole yam-hog.

The shocker? The addition of a special ingredient to cut the carbs.

The addition of cream cheese adds to the savory value, also adding needed fat to help stave off any possible blood sugar issues due to the carbier nature of the yams.

Set aside half of the yams for another recipe.

Twice baked yams

8 small sweet potatoes
2 cups cooked, mashed cauliflower
1 package cream cheese*
salt and pepper
butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place yams on cookie sheet. Cut cross-hatch into the top (an "x") and bake for an hour. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Change oven temperature to 350 degrees

Carefully peel back top edges from the yams. Leaving the shells intact, scoop out the innards. Keep half*, and save the rest for another recipe. Mash yam innards. Add mashed cauliflower, cream cheese and butter and mix until fluffy.

Spoon or pipe mixture back into the shells and bake for 20 minutes or until warm.

Optional: Top with sour cream, butter,bacon bits and cheese for a loaded version. For a sweeter flavor, sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon, and a small pat of butter. (Adjust nutritional values according to additions)

Makes 8 small yams.

*Nutritional information: Calories: 170, Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 3 g, Net Carbohydrates: 11 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 12 g

More sides for Thanksgiving are coming, so keep checking back!

*Please note: The equivalent of a small yam would be .5 cup cubed cooked yams combined with .5 cup mashed cauliflower. Adjust for even lower carbs by adjusting the ratio of yams to cauliflower. To lower calories, cut cream cheese by half.

Thanksgiving: How to brine a turkey

You won't cry fowl with a bird this moist. source

Sodium. The stuff that causes ankles to swell twice their size is the same substance that helps turkey tissues absorb more moisture as well.

Brining is an outstanding and flavorful way of making the star of Thanksgiving all the more succulent and as juicy as the conversation coming from your sister-in-law at the table.

The biggest complication to brining is due to having a container large enough to hold both the turkey and enough liquid to cover the turkey (plus two inches for good measure) as well as the refrigerator space to house the 'bird bath'. A cooler will serve the same purpose as a refrigerator, so long as the turkey is kept chilled.

Even though this recipe is properly begun a couple days ahead of the main event, Thanksgiving cooks will delight in this easy-to-make recipe.

Note: Make sure the turkey is not frozen upon brining, and if using a kosher bird, know that it has already been salted.

Basic Brined Turkey

Turkey, thawed
1 cup salt per gallon hot water
hot water

Dissolve salt in hot water. Allow brine to cool completely. Remove giblets from turkey.

Immerse turkey in brine for at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours (a good rule of thumb is one hour per pound of turkey). It is easy to overbrine a turkey, and once this happens it is too late. Make sure to start on the lower end and err on the side of caution.

Pour off liquid and rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

Optional: Letting the turkey sit overnight in the refrigerator will allow the skin to dty slightly for baking (ensuring a crispier skin).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fareinheit.

Place turkey in a shallow baking pan. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings underneath. Brush the turkey with butter or olive oil. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (remove foil for the last 60-90 minutes of roasting and baste with pan juices). Roast turkey for 3.5 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the bird reads 175-180 degrees (usually the thigh). A fork inserted into the thigh should reveal clear liquids.

Let turkey rest for 15 minutes prior to carving.

Note: the turkey will contain salt, so gravies made from the turkey drippings will probably not require added salt.

Stay tuned and learn how to smoke a turkey, fry a turkey, roast a turkey and other turkey tips and safety pointers over the next three days!

For more brining recipes: (These are mostly not low-carb, but will offer some ideas for brining):

About.com: 10 brining recipes
Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast turkey
Low-carb Turkey Brine
Our own Food and Drink Examiner's brining method

Fresh cranberry sauce
Mashed cauliflower
Tips for staying on plan when cooking
Don't fall off of the wagon at Thanksgiving

New weight loss surgery option requires no cutting. Meet TOGA

Can a new weight loss surgery be a palpable tool in health? source

Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin is more than a surgeon: he's part of the University of Michigan team who are ready to begin performing weight loss surgery without a scalpel.

The catch? You may feel 'a little down in the mouth' afterwards.

According to the Star Tribune, surgeons at The University of Minnesota, "are getting ready to perform weight-loss surgery with another experimental device that slides down the mouth to the stomach." This device will create a partition in the stomach to decrease ability for that muscle to accomodate too much food.

With its short recovery times, painlessness and scarless medical procedures make for less complications, TOGA just may be the viable alternative to other weight loss surgery options currently offered.

Should you book your appointment yet?

No, says researchers. While overseas testing has shown 40-50% excess weight loss in a period of a 6 month to a 1 year timeframe, further testing and documentation will be required before this new technology is available to the general public. source

To see this groundbreaking weight loss alternative to other Weight Loss surgery options, click here. This video shows "an experimental device called "TOGA (transoral gastroplasty) which passes through the mouth into the stomach to perform weight loss surgery."

What do you think?

Mashed cauliflower recipe

Get loaded!

Who needs mashed potatoes when cauliflower can be had in nice, white bundles of floret happiness?

Nothing says love like disguising America's favorite Thanksgiving side by just throwing the bag away.

Mashed cauliflower

2 bags frozen cauliflower (about 15 oz each)
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
4 Tbsp butter

On stove: Boil water. Add frozen cauliflower and cook until flowerettes are extremely tender, between 6-8 minutes. Pour off excess water.

In microwave: Place frozen cauliflower in a 4-6 quart covered, microwavable container. Cook for 8 minutes, or until cauliflower is steamed and extremely soft. Pour off excess liquid.

Throw the cauliflower sacks away if you're trying to steer kids to not ask questions about the 'potatoes' (it's our secret).

Place cooked cauliflower in blender. Add sour cream and butter. Blend, stirring occasionally (do not stir contents with tongue).

Serve with gravy. You can place bowl of piping hit goodness next to a prepared bowl of whole cauliflower. Kids may steer away from the cauliflower and grab what they think are the mashed potatoes!

*tapping my head* This is because we're smart, and sneaky.

Makes about 8, 1/2 cup servings

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 114, Carbohydrates: 7 g, Fiber: 3 g, Net Carbohydrates: 4 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat:9 g

Lose weight during Thanksgiving? Sure. Don't get sauced.

Don't gobble too much this November.

Yesterday I spoke about cooks tending to dabble in the gobbler while griddling.

While sampling in the kitchen can be the beginnings of a difficult holiday season, beginning at noonturkey, and ending January 1 of the following year, there's something to be said for the feasters.

Keeping your waistline slim during Thanksgiving Dinner is as easy as following these tasty steps.

1. Don't come to the table hungry. Eating a high-protein snack prior to the meal is a great way to ensure not overfilling the plate. Even when a body registers its fullness, by the time the marrow is sucked clean from that turkey bone, the damage is done if a person eats past satiety and into being over-full.

2. Use smaller plates. Cliche, perhaps, but the less white space to fill on the fancy porcelain planes of food placement, the less opportunity to spoon three extra helpings of tofurky into spots that look barren. The stomach is really only roughly the size of a fist, and to pile a plate high is forcing that muscle to work overtime in an effort to accept and digest that excess yam-ness.

3. Go whole hog...on turkey. Turkey is higher-protein fare, providing more bang for the stomach-filling buck. Choose to make the star of the show the emcee of hunger this Thanksgiving, and leave the high glycemic load foods like dinner rolls and bready stuffings by the wayside.

4. Watch the alcohol. While fermented libations might hit the spot, alcohol also affects the blood stream, causing a depressive feeling which many satisfy with higher-carb foods for a system stablilizing effect. If partaking, choose to stop at one, and make certain to accompany alcohol with food (like turkey) to keep the ensuing hunger at bay.

For more info regarding alcohol and its effects on a particular Marvel hero, see this.

Tips for not stuffing yourself at Thanksgiving

Don't put that bounty on your booty.

Thanksgiving, with its celebration of bounty and food is a favorite of Americans, with millions of tables being set across the country with lip-smacking amounts of food.

Here are some kitchen tips to keep cooks from diving face-first into the gravy boat:

1. Don't sample cooking while cooking. While it might be tempting to grab a pinch of this, and a spoon full of that, those calories and carbs add up. Taste as necessity dictates, but don't make the assumption that because it was consumed while wearing an apron that its calories and carbs slipped down your elbow.

2. Make healthier versions of old mainstays. Thanksgiving didn't originally include pumpkin pie and biscuits. Your menu need not either. Look for stuffings made from low-glycemic load items, and make the cranberry sauce without sugar this year.

3. Giving thanks... for a great waiter. If it seems that leftovers and the food preparation this year could well kill your waistline, prepare for fewer leftovers by taking dinner on the road to a local restaurant serving holiday fare. You'll still walk out satisfied, but without worrying about caving into an entire pie later in the afternoon.

Wondering if there are restaurants near you which will be open for Thanksgiving? Check here!

In Denver, vegan, and looking for a tofurky dinner? Check out our Denver Dining Examiner's column for more information.

Fresh cranberry sauce recipe

So fresh you'll slap its face. source

Countless Thanksgiving tables have witnessed the schlop of the nuclear tower, bright red cranberry gelled canned product annually.

This amalgam of crimson deliciousness is easier to make than you think, is high in antioxidants, and is, most importantly, low-carb.

Fresh cranberry sauce

4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 Tbsp stevia powder (more or less to taste)
1-1/2 cups water

Mix all ingredients in a 4 quart saucepan on the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all sweetener is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook until skins burst, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate.

Makes 8, approx. 1/2 cup servings.

Nutritional information for 1/8 of the recipe: Calories: 25, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Fiber: 2 g, Net carbohydrates: 4 g, Protein: 0g, Fat: 0 g

Related Links: Turkey stuffing recipe

Make your own: low-carb iced raspberry tea frappuccino

How sweet (and caffeine-free) it is

Want the flavor of delicious frappuccino without the caffeine? Need something lower-carb than some of the chain coffees?

Raspberry zinger tea from Celestial Seasonings gives pink precious beauty and flavor without the jitters.

Iced Raspberry Tea Frappuccino

4 ounces warm water
Raspberry tea bag
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 packet sweetener
1 Tbsp Davincis sugar free vanilla syrup, or 2 drops Stevia Sweetleaf vanilla liquid drops
1-1/2 cups crushed ice

Combine powdered sweetener, tea and water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess tea bag into water after removing to get the most of the flavor and color.

Crush ice in blender (or, better yet, use the crush setting on the icemaker). Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until frothy.

Top with whipping cream and chocolate syrup if desired (recipes follow).

Makes 1, approx 12 ounce frozen frappuccino.

Nutritional information (without the cream and chocolate): Calories: 103, Carbohydrates: 1g, Fat: 3g
Nutritional information (with the cream and chocolate): Calories: 206, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fat: 6g

Whipped cream recipe
Chocolate syrup recipe

If you like this recipe, try these:

Iced Coffee
Iced Frappuccino Coffee
Starbucks Green Tea Tazo Frappuccino

What are Stevia Sweetleaf liquid drops? Click here to find out more.

Low-carb iced frappuccino coffee: Make your own

Cool caffeine in a glass

McCafe might be free on Friday, but free from carb and calorie damage it's not.

Instead of driving to the golden arches and forking out the green just to see red and feel blue over the carb counts, why not tickle those tastebuds pink over quick and painless iced coffee?

At only 3 carbs for the loaded, 16 ounce recipe, the wallet will feel heavier, but the spirit will be light (and pants won't be tight).

Low-carb iced frappuccino

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, instant or regular
1 cup ice (more or less to need)
4 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp or packet of sweetener (Davinci's syrups will work here, too)
whipping cream*
chocolate syrup*

Make coffee and place in the refrigerator to cool for several hours. Pre-dissolve granular sweetener in coffee, or use davinci's syrup. Blend coffee, cream, and sweetener in blender until smooth. Add ice cubes one at a time until the desired thickness is reached.

*Optional: Add whipped cream to the top and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Makes 1, 16 ounce iced frappucino.

Nutritional information without optional cream and chocolate: Calories: 206, Carbohydrates: 1, Fat: 11 grams
Nutritional information with optional cream and chocolate: Calories: 412, Carbohydrates: 3, Fat: 22 grams

Whipped cream recipe
Chocolate syrup recipe

If you like this recipe, try:

Iced frappuccino
Iced Green Tazo Frappuccino
Raspberry Tea Iced Frappuccino

Make your own low-carb iced coffee

It looks like Ovaltine but is so incredibly
energizing it might stunt your growth

In an ongoing series devoted to keeping money in wallets during the impending recession while still enabling eyeballs to bulge from caffeinated sockets all over the world, following is a standard low-carb iced coffee recipe.

Quick tip: Using ice cubes made from brewed coffee helps keep coffee from becoming watered down in the actual beverage.

Low-carb iced coffee

1 Tbsp heavy cream
8 ounces cold coffee
1 cup ice cubes
1 packet sweetener (or davincis syrup)

Prepare coffee in advance and chill for 3-4 hours.

In a glass, combine chilled coffee, cream, sweetener and ice cubes. Cover glass and shake until frothy.

Tip: If adding granular sweetener, add to the coffee to dissolve while the coffee is still hot and prior to refrigerating. If adding Davincis or other low-carb syrup, add when the beverage is cold.

Makes 1 - 16 ounce iced coffee

Nutritional information: Calories: 50, Carbohydrates: 1 g, Fat: 4 g

If you like this recipe, try:

Iced frappuccino
Iced Raspberry Tea Frappuccino
Iced Green Tazo Frappuccino

Fresh whipped cream
Chocolate sauce

Make your own iced Starbucks green tea tazo frappuccino

You'll ho ho ho for this green tazo giant

Green tazo frappuccino tea is the deliciously sweet stuff of the wide-eyed, alert, jittery gods.

Not only healthy, green tea packs a mellow-flavored caffeine punch like no other.

No need to purchase expensive, loose green tea to make this Starbucks knock off: just use the green tea in the cupboard, and before you can say Bob's your father's brother, you're into a green frothy glass of happiness.

Tip: If you don't keep Davincis in the house, try using Stevia Sweetleaf liquid vanilla drops instead.

Iced green tazo frappuccino tea

1/2 cup warm water
1 green tea bag
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 packet sweetener
1 Tbsp Davincis sugar free vanilla syrup, or 2 drops Stevia Sweetleaf vanilla liquid drops
1-1/2 cups crushed ice

Combine powdered sweetener, tea and water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess tea bag into water after removing to get the most of the green tea kick and color.

Crush ice in blender (or, better yet, use the crush setting on the icemaker). Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until frothy. If the color isn't as green as you'd like (think Starbucks), add 1 drop green food coloring and mix.

Top with whipping cream and chocolate syrup if desired (recipes follow).

Makes 1, approx 12 ounce frozen frappuccino.

Nutritional information: Calories: 103, Carbohydrates: 1g, Fat: 3g

Whipped cream recipe
Chocolate syrup recipe

What are Stevia Sweetleaf liquid drops? Click here to find out more.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Iced Coffee
Iced Frappuccino Coffee
Iced Raspberry Tea Frappuccino

Quick chocolate syrup recipe

Make your own iced coffee!

Need a chocolate syrup or drizzle in a snap for your iced coffees, lates, or for chocolate milk?

If the syrup sits at room temp, it may harden. If this happens, add a titch more water, reheat, stir, and pour.

Quick Chocolate Syrup

1 square Lindt dark chocolate
2 Tbsp hot water
1 small drop vanilla
1 tsp sweetener (or a drop of liquid sweetener)

Microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between cooking times, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Makes about 3 Tbsp.

Nutritional information (increases if you also eat a square of chocolate on the side): Calories: 50, Carbohydrates: 1.25 g

Try this with:

Iced Coffee Recipe
Coffee Frappuccino Recipe
Green Tea Frappuccino
Iced Raspberry Tea Frappuccino

Free McDonalds McCafe coffee Friday, November 14. Should you?

Holy McCarbs, Batman!

Tomorrow from 7 am to 2pm, McDonalds is giving away free McCafe coffee to customers.

Still, the jones coming on for the caffeine should be met with caution.

Even though the McCafe, coming in as a size small, sounds like a great value, it might be more than consumers bargained for in carbohydrates.

While the caffeine might wake America up, the following information should be the real eye opener. Ranging from 9 -41 carbs, it might be better to remember that free might end up costing more than droopy-eyed drinkers think.

McDonalds Small Coffees

Product	Serving Size	Calories	Carbohydrates	Fat
Nonfat Cappuccino	8.6 oz	60	9g	0g
Cappuccino	9 oz	120	9g	7g
Nonfat Latte	10.9 oz	90	13g	0g
Latte	10.8 oz	150	11g	8g
Nonfat Caramel Cappuccino	8.6 oz	150	33g	0g
Caramel Cappuccino	9 oz	200	32g	5g
Nonfat Caramel Latte	10.9 oz	230	16g	0g
Caramel Latte	10.8 oz	230	35g	7g
Nonfat Hazelnut Cappuccino	8.6 oz	150	34g	0g
Hazelnut Cappuccino	9 oz	200	34g	3g
Nonfat Hazelnut Latte	10.9 oz	180	37g	0g
Hazelnut Latte	10.8 oz	230	36g	4g
Nonfat Vanilla Cappuccino	8.6 oz	150	34g	0g
Vanilla Cappuccino	9 oz	200	34g	5g
Nonfat Vanilla Latte	10.9 oz	180	37g	0g
Vanilla Latte	10.8 oz	230	36g	0g
Nonfat Cappuccino with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup	8.6 oz	50	15g	0g
Cappuccino with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup	9 oz	100	15g	5g
Nonfat Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup	10.9 oz	80	18g	0g
Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup	10.8 oz	130	17g	4g
Mocha with Nonfat Milk	10.3 oz	240	41g	3g
Mocha	10.3 oz	280	40g	6g

*information from McDonald's.com

Solution? Try these low-carb iced coffees and teas instead:

Iced Frappuccino 1 carb per serving
Iced Green Tazo Frappuccino 1 carb per serving
Iced Coffee 3 carbs per serving (with whipping cream and chocolate), 1 carb without
Iced Raspberry Tea Frappuccino3 carbs per serving (with whipping cream and chocolate), 1 carb without

Need your caffeine fix? Check out Big Red Boots, Examiner's own caffeinated hep cat

Oh baby! We've all been there. Get well soon.

It's Thursday morning and you're praying to the porcelain princess. You've been passed out on the cold tile floor since three a.m. mumbling something about Smurfs and squirrels.

What are some stomach soothers acceptable for low-carbers? Put down the saltines and pick up these proven tummy tamers instead.

Peppermint tea. Peppermint is a stomach soothing plant, and is perfect in an herbal tea. Its warmth has a way of chilling even the coldest bones that have been splayed on the floor since late last night.

Chamomile tea. Chamomile is a natural, mild, muscle soothers. Quieting upset stomachs (you know--that muscle that has been wretching since yesterday), the flavor is a mild one--something that might be appreciated when the room is still swaying.

Egg Drop soup. Ancient Chinese secret? Notsomuch, thanks. The herb, ginger, is known for helping tame tumultuous tummies. With egg adding to its staying power and providing needed nutrients during 'bad stomach times', this is a hearty, soothing meal in a bowl. (For a quick and easy version of egg drop soup, see this recipe.)

Ice cold water. Providing same results, but with a cold liquid, sipping ice cold water is surprisingly soothing. Ice slows down the rate of liquid entering into the gullet, providing less of an opportunity for difficult digestive issues to occur (throwing up due to sudden influx of liquids into the stomach). Without any additives, there's just something safe about the clear stuff.

Diet GingerAle. Stay away from corn syrups and the carby stuff. For the ginger, egg drop soup is a better choice for its natural ingredients, but there are times a trip to the local SuperWay soda aisle will be your relief. If you can find a ginger ale sweetened with stevia, do it. Otherwise, other sodas will work in a pinch.

Other relief? Hot water bottles provide pressure and warmth to spasming midriff muscles and can provide relief to ailing bodies. Wrap bottles with a towel to offset the sometimes searing intense, and be sure to test the bottle's heat prior to placing it on yourself or a loved one. Still, please use caution. While hot water bottles are a tried and true stand-by, they are also the source of unintentional burns. As such, hot water should be tempered with cold to find the perfect balance of weight and warmth.When in doubt, pour it out. For more hot water bottle consumer safety tips, please visit this link.

A low-carber asks: What can I eat when I'm sick with the flu?

Boredom eating and weight loss: When to give in... and when not to

Put down the cracker and nobody gets hurt,

We're wild and wooly creatures of habit.

The tv comes on at the end of a long day, and weary eyeballs are assaulted with messages for cookies, chips and Burger Happy. Blood sugar levels have dipped since dinner, and as your eyes dart for the kitchen cupboards, the question remains: will you?

There is real hunger (discussed in yesterday's column) and then there is eating for various reasons.

1. "I deserve this!" It's been a long day, and your boss' toupee fell into your cleavage. Three times. And then it winked at you and crawled under the desk. You ran over your neighbor's prized ficus tree on the way home, and the mail man thinks picking up your mail isn't exactly mandatory. You deserve it, right? Wrong. food isn't about reward. To satisfy hunger is one thing-- to mask problems is another entirely. While that poptart might taste great on your tongue momentarily, is it going to put to rest any issues with badly balding employers? We all deserve health and happiness.

Instead of "I deserve this" snacking, instead make a list of your positive qualities. Treat yourself to something positive and affirming. A new pair of shoes, CD or your favorite magazine with a soak in the tub (take your shoes off first) and some realization are in order. Not a second helping of baklava.

2. "I am tired" If you're tired, you're going to make rash decisions you'll regret later. Blood sugar crashes have a way of making the body want to compensate for needing a burst of energy, and while your eyes are fighting to stay awake for one last episode of MythBusters (you want to see if Adam will singe his eyebrows off this week), sometimes it is best to take physical cues and hit the hay.

Instead of eating to stay awake, set Tivo and hit the hay. If your body is tired, become in tune with its signals. It's telling you it needs the rest. While it might seem too simple to just go to best due to being tired, night time is the right time for hay-hitting. If you have an report to finish, wake up early tomorrow and get it done before the paperboy sets off the car alarms with the morning Tribune.

3. "I am bored" It is so easy to claim boredom as a reason for eating. In fact, many Americans claim snack amnesia due to mindless eating (usually brought on from being idle). Whether watching television or because of wanting a lift, there are other ways to engage in those late night urges to eat a plate of cake.

Tips for boredom:

• Engage in a hobby that keeps fingers busy while watching television. Even if needlework and crafting isn't your thing, you can start addressing those Christmas cards now, or organize photos in the album during the commercials.
• During commercials, see how many push-ups or sit-ups you can do. Not only is this a fun challenge if you happen to have kids or a mate in the room, but you're building muscle and moving.
• Watch tv only while exercising. Whether you're marching in place, riding a recumbent bicycle or hiking up an incline on your treadmill, keep watching television an active past time. You'll find yourself motivated to choose better programming and you'll reward yourself with a slimmer, healthier body as well.
• Launder. Ironing clothes and sorting socks keeps hands out of the jelly beans and assorted candies. Not only that, but you're finally making it through the pile of AWOL BVD's.
• Minitask during ads. If feeling the burn during ads isn't your style, try taking on quick tasks during ads. Recycle the mail. Make up your next grocery list. Pay a quick bill. Tell Auntie Mabel she left her "When Chihuahuas Attack" DVD with extra footage at your house. Quick tasks are tasks which add up to being huge timesavers later, and what feels like a small, unimportant job completed, even an hour later, amounts to about 10 minutes of productive time you spent not wiping day glo Cheeto orange from your knit pants.

Remember, cravings dissipate. Spend your time making decisions based upon your needs and not what you feel you deserve. Because we all deserve health, happiness, and a bright future.

Can I snack at night?

Flax cracker with cream cheese and dill is a good choice.

Regardless of weight loss plan, night time is the undoing of many a dieter. Whether from boredom or actual hunger, one quick aquestion will answer whether to assuage hunger--or boredom.

Are you hungry?

If the answer is "yes," then feeding the body is natural. Feeding habits and boredom leads to weight gain through habitual snacking, but actual hunger, even late into the night, is a sign that the body needs a little bit of fuel.

Stick with protein and fat

A small slice of cheese or a deviled egg are an excellent way to gauge hunger. Aside from the fact that both are literally only 1 carb and less than 200 calories, these little protein powerhouses pack a punch and will keep the growling stomach of a low-carber quieted through the evening.

Why not fruit?

Fruit tends to break down into sugar in the bloodstream fairly quickly, unlike an egg, which tends to show its staying power in the stomach longer, creating satiety, whereas the fruit tends to cause more hunger (especially in anyone with unstable blood sugar).

Vegetables... with fat

If a vegetable is what occasionally floats the boat, make sure to accompany the fare with some fat. Even vegetables contain some starch which, when broken down in the system, can revert to the bloodstream, causing potential hunger. Go for low-starch vegetables, such as celery, and couple this with a Tbsp of softened cream cheese. The crunch with the munch, and the fat where it's at, this crunchy munch will keep palates pleased.

Come back tomorrow. I'll be discussing ways to stay out of the cupboards when noshing is for evil and not for good.

Breakfast on the go

Enchiladas for breakfast? Why not?

Mornings are about as chaotic and potentially painful as two wombats stuck in a pair of nylons. One can't simply grab for a box of cereal or slap two slices of bread in the toaster either.

Where does that leave the low-carber?

Luckily, the slightest planning on the weekend can mean quick grab-and-go breakfasts.

1. Egg McMuffin. In this economy, and at the drive-thru, a dollar for a breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese is a great deal. Toss the bread, however. One English muffin can boast over 30 net carbs.

Make it better: Place this sandwich on an oopsie roll and you have over twice the staying power from the added protein in the eggs--and you can eat as you run.

2. Waffles. Used to popping a couple of Mego waffles into the toaster to start your day? Take a couple hours on Sunday to make a big batch of gluten-free, low-carb waffles for the entire week. Low-carb waffles freeze well and can be thawed as needed for a quick breakfast.

Make it better: Use Davincis sugar-free hazelnut syrup as a maple syrup substitute.

3. Last night's dinner. Why not enjoy that lasagna or pizza again for breakfast? Healthy foods are still healthy, regardless the time of day they are consumed. Reheating dinner for breakfast on those brutally fast mornings will provide the same satiety as any other meal, but without the hassle of heating the pan. Break the rules!

Make it better: If the meal is carb-heavy (vegetable base) add fat to help with satiety. An extra pinch of Parmesan or a small slice of cheddar will go a long way to stave off any potential hunger.

Friday food fun: Low-carb tortilla cups runneth over

Fresh and fruity, fun and fancy, these will mini-bowl you over

The only thing more fun than eating these sweet and savory treats is making them! The consistency is like a thin pie crust, and this is a great accompaniment to savory or sweet dishes-- and even alone!

Packed in Bento lunches, made into tarts or mini pumpkin pies, or as a classy way to present guacamole and salsa with your taco salad or fajitas, give these a try and you'll never look at those tortillas the same way again!

While these small snacks are not gluten-free, they are low on the glycemic scale and big on flavor and punches of color.

These small snacks really dish up the fun when it comes to presentation and palate happiness.

Fun Finger Bowls

Mission Low-Carb Torillla Shells (or any other low-carb shell)
Scissors or knife or biscuit cutter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

For small bowls: Cut tortillas into 2.75-3" circles and press into a non-stick mini cupcake pan or pre-spray regular pans with nonstick spray. Each tortilla makes 5-6 tiny bowls

For large bowls: Cut tortillas using 4" circles (roughly half the diameter or slightly more) to make 2 bowls per tortilla. Press into a regular-sized non-stick cupcake pan or pre-spray regular pans with nonstick spray.

(Save the scraps and see notes section!)


Bake for 10-15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let rest until cool.

These can be made and stored in a loose plastic sack at room temperature.


Notes: These are not gluten-free.

You can use scrapbooking shears to make interesting edges around the outside of the shells! (looks totally cute)


What to do with the leftover tortilla bits?

The excess snippings can be cut into strips and fried as a crunchy topping for your taco salad! You can also fry them, and then sprinkle with Splenda and cinnamon for a low-carb dessert.

Pictured: Top fruit-only bowls: Cantaloupe, green grapes and blackberries are a fun way to colorfully fill out the bowls. (Also seen in picture 2)

Middle Picture: Using fancy scrap booking shears, I cut a design around the circle pre-baking. Filled with cheesecake pudding and topped with a bento-cut banana in the shape of a flower, and you have a cute dessert.

Bottom, starting top center: Fresh, whipped cream with Splenda and a strawberry make a light and quick dessert.

Top right: Dip the top of your bowl in a low-carbohydrate chocolate glaze for a quick and flavorful bowl for yogurt, pudding or custard. Shred chocolate over the top to finish.

Right middle:Peanut butter and jelly with a twist: Stay out of a jam, and top your thin-spread peanut butter instead with fresh, whipped cream and a strawberry.

Lower left of top picture: Cheese please. Cottage cheese topped with a berry brings sweet and cool to a refreshing lunch.

Get stuffed: savory turkey stuffing recipe uses low-carb staple

Stale oopsie rolls never looked this good

It's the most wonderful time of the year--for a low-carber.

Thanksgiving, with its promises of tender turkeys, gracious gravies and varied vegetables, is a wild wonderland of flavor and fun for anyone watching their girthing while celebrating our nation's birthing.

This stuffing is meant to be baked in a separate casserole dish, so the addition of water will help keep your bounty moist and ready to go, whether it's for college football or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. If you choose to stuff the bird, the addition of water will most likely not be necessary.

Atkins induction friendly, and gluten-free, one thing is for sure: this dish will do a touchdown dance on the fourth Thursday in November-- all while keeping you from floating out of your pants.

Stuffing

3 cups stale oopsies
3 cups celery, chopped (make sure to get leaves in there, too!)
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss all ingredients except water. Add water and toss. Transfer to a covered 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 6, 3/4 cup servings

Nutritional Information: Calories: 350, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Fiber: 1.5 g, Net Carbohydrates: 3.5 g, Protein: 4.5 g, Fat: 35 g

Feed your head: Take this Turkey Trivia Quiz and test your cranial knowledge with this test of turkey.

Mock apple danish spread recipe

The apple doesn't fall far from the jicama tree (Jicama is a tuber)

Need something with your oopsie danish? Want a sweet topping to oatmeal or a flax cracker? This recipe is easy to make and has the consistency of a granny smith apple in baking.

Mock Apple Danish Spread

One cup jicama cubed (1/4" cubes)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional but fun)
nutmeg
cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
2 packets stevia (or Splenda)
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop jicama into small cubes. Toss with sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg (and nuts if you're adding them) in a small, ungreased covered casserole. Toss butter on top. Cover and bake for about 50 minutes, stirring every 10-20 minutes to redistribute flavor and butter.

Once jicama is golden/cooked (note: it will not soften, so relieve yourself of that notion right now), remove from oven and mix with cream cheese. Refrigerate, covered.

To serve, heat spread for 20 seconds. Serve onflax crackers..

Note: The texture of the jicama is akin to a semi-crunchy granny smith apple.

This is not induction-friendly unless you nix the pecans.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information (for spread only, not flax crackers): Calories: 115, Carbohydrates: 4, Fiber: 2, Net Carbohydrates: 2, Protein: 1, Fat: 11

For more info: Preparing for the holidays? Don't wander. Thanksgiving ideas for a fun and delicious holiday season are coming soon!

Happy Halloween, Lindt chocolate style

Just a big bar o yum

1. Stay out of the candy

2. Stay out of the candy.

3. Stay out of the candy.

Can't follow tips 1-3? Try substituting with something you can have. Trick or Treat everyday for adults, Lindt 85% chocolate is not only a low-carb confection, you can do more than simply place the bag on your face and have people look at you and roll their eyes while you inhale deeply.

The ingredients are pronouncable and you are looking at a product with no sugar alcohols.

If you're going to go dark, go real.

Rich and decadent, and a little bitter for anyone not used to dark chocolate, 1 large square at only 5 net carbs for 4 large squares is enough to tame any choco-beast.

So Treat with the Lindt...it's the Trick!

For more info: look for Lindt at your favorite large shopping center in the candy aisle or at their website, Lindt.