A Quick Observation

A quick observation that I have made is that I seem to struggle with dieting more when I am at work, than when I am anywhere else. I have no problem sticking to my diet when I am at home, or when I am out doing "chores." When I am at work, however, it seems like all I want to do is snack. I don't know what the reason for this is, but it is most definitely the case. The great thing about me making this observation is that I can now prepare for this.

There are some great snack foods that come in handy when you figure this out about yourself. My favorite for this type of occasion is bacon. I love to eat a few pieces of bacon when I am wanting to snack. (notice I said wanting to snack, and not hungry) The benefits of snacking on bacon are high protein content, and virtually no, if any, carb content. In that same thought, cheese is great. I just buy blocks of cheese, and cut it into cubes. It takes a little time, but costs less this way. Another snack I like to have, but must plan in advance for, is hard boiled eggs, which I sometimes make into deviled eggs. They are convenient, but you have to consider others when picking this snack. It is important to remember that some people have a problem with the smell. If you share a space with someone else at work, make sure it isn't offensive to them.

If you are pressed for time, and can only make a quick stop on the way somewhere, there is always beef sticks, like Slim Jims, or my favorite Jack's Links. Also, most convenience stores have pork rinds which are high in protein and low in carbs. Think of some other low-carb snacks that are convenient, and make a list of them. Make them in advance, so you never get into a bad carb situation.

Have You Had Your MUFA Today?

Some of you are thinking, this gal has gone off her rocker. What the heck is a MUFA? Others may know what I am talking about. A MUFA is something that I have had in my diet for a long time, but until recently, had no idea how important it was. MUFA stands for monounsaturated fats. I have always consumed these MUFAs while living the low-carb lifestyle, but I never knew how improtant they were. After watching an interview with the authors of the book The Flat Belly Diet on Rachael Ray's show earlier this week, I pieced together some information.

I researched The Flat Belly Diet, and what it was all about for the past few days. The way the diet works, is you consume four meals that should be four hundred calories throughout the day. With each of these four meals, you are to eat a MUFA. The important part is, though, your MUFA must count as part of your four hundred calories, not in addition to those calories.

There were some things about The Flat Belly Diet that I disagree with. It seems that The Flat Belly Diet is geared towards being low-calorie, more so, than being low-carb. Well, you know me, I'm loving the low-carb lifestyle. I don't feel that low-calorie is the way to go for my personal body type. So, I decided to take some of the suggestions, and leave the others behind. I decided that I am going to try my best to incorporate a MUFA into each meal. It seems I have more success when I am eating more MUFAs anyway.

If you don't know what a MUFA is, I will give you the list. MUFAs, again, are monounsaturated fats. The four categories of MUFA that I like are oils, nuts and seeds, avocados and olives, and chocolate. Oils are specific, like Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grape Seed Oil, and Soybean Oil. If you sautee your chicken in one of these oils, and put it on a mixed green salad with cheese and eggs, you have done great with a low-carb meal, and including your MUFA. The nuts and seeds category includes a lot of different snacks. Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and sunflower seeds are all on the list. These can be a quick snack, or you can add them to your meal. Pecan Encrusted Tilapia is a great way to include your MUFA, and be high protein at the same time. The avocados and olives category is pretty self explanatory. Olives make a great snack with some cheese. Avocados are great to add to your salad, or you can make a tasty guacamole to dip your low-carb tortilla chips in. Finally, my favorite, but least often consumed MUFA is chocolate. Dark chocolate, especially, is a good MUFA. Living low-carb, though, you must try not to have an abundance of chocolate, as it is not a low-carb food.

I like the idea of eating more MUFAs throughout the day, and I am thankful for having been reminded of this by The Flat Belly Diet on Rachael Ray. Hopefully this MUFA information, and list, can be of help to you on your journey towards living low-carb.

Quick and Easy Tray

It sounds pretty obvious, but just in case you forgot, a meat and cheese tray is perfect for your low-carb Superbowl Party. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Basically, fill your tray with meat, cheese, olives, and pickles. Pick your favorite meats and cheeses and fill the tray. If you have blank spots, add in dill pickles and olives. Put a dish of blue cheese or ranch dressing in the center, and you have a great dish for the big game.

Hot Wings

The best food for a Superbowl Party is, hands down, hot wings. I don't think that I have ever been to a Superbowl party that I haven't enjoyed some delicious chicken wings. There are many different sauces out there that you can dress your naked wings with, and it's important to find the sauce you like the best. Always check the label for hidden sugars, which can make your low-carb attempts go wrong. I like to cook my wings at 350 degrees until they are just crisping on the outside. This takes about an hour, and you need to turn them 3 to 4 times during cooking. After they are done, I toss them in my homemade buffalo sauce. For my buffalo sauce, I use 2 tbsp butter for every 6 wings. I use 1 to 2 tbsp Louisiana Hot sauce for every 6 wings. I also add a tbsp low-carb ketchup to thicken and lightly sweeten my sauce. Once the wings are done, I mix the amount of sauce I will need, and toss the wings in it. It's wonderful if you have a nice blue-cheese dressing to serve with them. I make my own, but there are great store bought dressings out there, so just taste and look around. Be creative, and have fun when making Hot Wings.

Kickin' Marinated Shrimp

Shrimp make a great party snack at Superbowl time. Here's a recipe for great marinated shrimp. You will need the following ingredients:

1 pound fresh cooked shrimp, deveined
1 1/2 teaspoon lime peel, finely shredded
1/2 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Rinse your shrimp, and pat them dry. Set aside, while you combine the other ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the ingredients together, and add your shrimp. Toss them to make sure they all get coated. Cover the shrimp in the marinade, and refrigerate for 3 hours. During those 3 hours, stir the mixture 3 times. Finally, drain the shrimp, and place on a serving tray. These will be gone before you walk away.

Phenomenal Cheese Spread

The name says it all. This cheese spread is out of this world. It will have your football fans raving, even if their team loses. You will need the following ingredients:

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (my favorite cheese)
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon each, crushed basil and crushed oregano
1/8 teaspoon each, crushed thyme and dillweed

Put all ingredients together and mix at medium speed, until they are combined. Immediately following, spread the mixture onto cucumber slices, or baked pepperoni slices.

For baked pepperoni slices, just place pepperoni side by side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the pepperoni at 325 degrees for a few minutes. About halfway through the process, blot the pepperoni with a paper towel, and flip them over. The cheese spread tastes excellent on the baked pepperoni. Serve them to your guests, and accept compliments graciously.

More Delicious Dip

Here's a great tasting dip that you can eat with or without your homemade tortilla chips. For this one, you will need the following ingredients:

16 ounces sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
6 to 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
6 to 8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
8 to 10 ounces corned beef, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

Dry your rinsed and drained sauerkraut with paper towels. Place it in a large bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. Stir all of the ingredients together, and transfer them into 2 quart casserole dish. Bake it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Serve it while warm with low-carb tortilla chips (see recipe below for tortilla chips). Everyone will enjoy this great creation.

Chips and Guacamole

Holy Moly, did I just say chips? I know you can't have tortilla chips on the low-carb lifestyle. But, you can have a low-carb tortilla wrap, and do what I do with it when I just want some salsa. I take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut my wrap into triangle shapes. Then, I throw them in the fryer for about a minute, flipping them halfway through, and sprinkle them with salt to taste while they cool on a paper towel. Now I have tortilla chips. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, for the guacamole...

Take 2 medium avocados, cut them in half, and pop out the pits. Place them in a bowl along with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and mash until it is the consistency of your liking. Add in a small Vidalia onion, chopped finely. Add in one medium tomato, ripe, chopped. And finally, add in 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro. Taste it, and if you need to, add a little more of any of the previous ingredients, and serve with you tortilla chips.

Great Low-Carb Chili

What Superbowl Party is complete without a great chili? For this low-carb version, you will need the following ingredients:

two medium onions
four cloves of garlic
three to four pounds of ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)
five tbsp chili powder
four cups beef bullion
tabasco sauce to tatse

Saute your onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Brown you meat, and add the chili powder and beef bullion. Cook over medium heat until your meat is tender, and the bullion has boiled down a bit. Sprinkle cheese over top of the chili, and serve. This recipe makes eight to ten buffet sized servings. Everyone will enjoy this, and no one will notice that it's low-carb.

Down, Set, Hike

With the Superbowl coming up in the next couple of weeks, it might be tough to stay low-carb. Everyone knows that Superbowl parties are famous for unhealthy finger foods. If you are worried about your snacking habits, and ruining what you have worked so hard for, tune in for the next few postings here on Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle. Over the next few days, I will be giving recipes for great tasting, low-carb snacks and appetizers that you can take to the parties with you. Or you can host the party yourself, and be sure that you have low-carb snacks on hand. Low-carb snacks are coming, so stick around.