Ranch Crusted Chicken

Oh, man! This one is delicious. My whole household loves chicken and sometimes it gets repetitive to eat chicken too often. This is a great way to help get rid of the boring grilled chicken blues. It's a simple recipe and only calls for a few ingredients. The chicken ends up so flavorful, and it's the juiciest chicken I have ever eaten.

What you'll need: 

1 cup mayo (Kraft in our home)
3 tbsp ranch dressing seasoning (Hidden Valley Ranch in our home)
3 chicken breasts, tenderized and cut in 1/2
bread crumbs (crushed up pork rinds in our home)
parchment paper

What you'll do:

In a bowl, mix the mayo and the ranch dressing seasoning together. In a separate container (preferrably with a flat bottom), add your pork rind crumbs. Take your chicken and dip it in the mayo/seasoning mix. Then, once it's coated, dredge it in the pork rinds. Place each piece on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, making sure to cook each piece all the way through. Remove from the oven, let it cool, and enjoy!

What are you giving up?

Growing up, I always gave up (or attempted to give up) something for Lent.  While I didn't always know why we do it, I definitely always participated. I had a basic understanding that it was out of a deep respect for Jesus Christ and a way to gain a respect for the Easter season. I've explained it to my girls with an overiew, but this year, I wanted to be able to give them more information. I did a little research, and was happy to be able to give them this information: 

40 days

Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

In years past, I have given up diet soda, chocolate, sweets, etc. It has always been a food/drink that I can recall.  This year, I'm feeling good about my state of mind, and I started trying to decide what I would give up this year. In the past, I know that once the 40 days was over, I went right back into the habit. I didn't want that to happen this year, so it got me to thinking. What can I give up, and stick with. Then, it hit me! This year, I will be giving up crappy excuses and lack of motivation. 

Check back in over the next few months and let's see what happens when I bust my butt working out, and eat on point every day!!!

Cauliflower Salad

If you miss potato salad, I've got an exciting recipe for you! 

If you love bacon, I've got an exciting recipe for you!

If you miss taking a fun side dish to a summer barbecue that you can eat while you're low-carb, or keto, I've got an exciting recipe for you!

The best part is that it's all the same recipe... It's a cauliflower salad, using cauliflower in place of potatoes.  This recipe can be doubled or tripled, as needed, as well. I make a single batch most of the time, but when we have people coming over, I cook accordingly.

What you'll need for a single batch:

Frozen Cauliflower (12 to 16 ounce bag)

3 Eggs

6 Strips of Bacon

1/2 Cup of Shredded Cheese

Mayonaise

Mustard

Onion Powder

Garlic Salt

What you'll do:

Boil your eggs, and set them aside after peeling them. Then, bring your cauliflower, along with 1 cup of water, to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. While the cauliflower is cooking, in a medium sized bowl, mash your eggs with a fork, and add in mayonaise (around 1/3 cup) and mustard (1 tbsp). Mix together, and add in 2 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp garlic salt. Once your cauliflower is drained and has cooled, chop it up lightly, and add it to your mixture. Chop your cooked bacon into small pieces and add that, along with the shredded cheese, into your bowl. At this point, you can add more mayonaise if it needs it. Mix lightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

What's the Magic Carb Number?

There are different varieties of the low-carb lifestyle. Some people will tell you that it is best to stay under 30 carbs per day. Others will tell you to limit yourself to 60 per day. While neither of these ideas is wrong, listening to someone else's opinion is. 

Lowering your carb intake in any way is going to show some results. Going to 60 or less carbs per day, when you used to consume over 300 carbs per day is going to help you shed some pounds, as well as get your energy level to rise. 

Lowering your carb intake to 30 per day, or less, is a more drastic reduction from the 300 plus carbs that you may have been eating. This will cause you to see more dramatic results. You will notice almost immediately the weight coming off. 

It is true that lowering your carb intake in any way is going to give you desired results. You are not going to see 50 pounds melt off miraculously overnight. You will see, however, gradual and desired results at a steady pace. Remember, though, that you need to do the plan that works best for you. You must stick to this way of eating to have success. "Cheating" on this "diet" will detour your weight loss. With that in mind, weigh out your options. Even though the results may be better with 30 carbs or less, you may not be able to adhere to that. If this is the case, you need to concentrate on 60 carbs or less, because in the end, you'll have a higher success rate than constantly failing at staying below 30 carbs daily. Good luck. Here's to your health.

The Fruit Debate

There are many beliefs when it comes to eating fruit on the low-carb diet. Some people will tell you to avoid it completely, while others will tell you it's okay to have because it contains natural sugars. 

There are some that are healthier than others. Fruits can be broken down into groups that include those low in sugar, moderate in sugar, and high in sugar. You should always find out the nutrition facts of food before consuming it, whether you are trying to stay low-carb, or not. 

Here are some common fruits broken into groups for your low-carb convenience. 

The list of fruits that you should absolutely avoid due their extremely high sugar count are: 

bananas 

cherries 

figs 

grapes 

kiwi 

mangoes 

oranges 

pears 

pineapple 

plums 

pomegranates 

tangerines 

Fruits that have a moderate amount of sugar in them should be avoided mostly when you are living the low-carb lifestyle. These include, but are not limited to: 

apples 

apricots 

blueberries 

cantaloupes 

grapefruit 

honeydews 

nectarines 

papaya 

peaches 

strawberries 

watermelon 

If you are going to eat fruit while living the low-carb lifetsyle, there are some that are lower in sugar, and are a healthier choice. Some fruits lower in sugar are: 

blackberries 

cranberries 

lemon 

lime 

raspberries 

The sugar in fruit is somewhat different than granulated sugar, but in effect, it is the same on your body. I, for one, feel very sick after I eat most fruits. They feel heavy on my stomach, and I lose energy. If you are someone like me, and notice the same reaction to fruits that I have, you would be wise to avoid them. There are people who don't have the same reaction to fruit that I do. For those people, eating fruit everyday may be just fine. For me however, eating fruit daily is just not an option.

It's Wing Time!

It's Superbowl Weekend! This year, a Florida team is going, so I'm considering watching. Let's be real, though... I'm only interested in the snacks, for the most part. While I love many snacks at a Superbowl party, all snacks are not created equal. Wings are superior in every way! While it's easy to find wing sauces at the grocery store that are low carb, I just love a homemade sauce so much more. If you are buying a sauce, make sure to check the label for hidden sugars. I personally prefer flats to drums, but I won't turn any wing down! I like to cook a few pounds of wings, and here's how I do it. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your wings up on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. I lightly spray the foil to keep them from sticking. I cook them until they are crispy on the outside. This takes about an hour, and you will 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.

Finally, put this snack over the top with some homemade ranch or homemade blue cheese dressing, and enjoy!

Low-Carb Watergate Salad

If you're local to my area, you're probably a regular at Sonny's BBQ. I ALWAYS get the salad bar when I go. I know some people don't want to make their own meal when they go to a restaurant, but I love salad bars and getting to make the perfect salad. Another thing that I love when I go is getting the Watergate Salad. If you don't know what that is, look it up and bask in its beauty... So good, but definitely full of sugar. A few years back, I came up with a low-carb version of this salad, and it's super easy to make.

What you'll need:

8 ounce container of Cool whip

1 packet of sugar free lime Jello mix

6 tbsp Cottage Cheese (full fat)

3 tbsp crushed pineapple (sweetened with Splenda)

What you'll do:

mix above ingredients together and place it in a resealable container

refrigerate for a few hours to allow it to set well

While this is lower carb than the original, you want to avoid eating it all at one time. A spoonful or two a day is a great little treat.

**Note: You can switch out the lime Jello for orange, and exchange the pineapple for mandarin oranges for a totally different flavor.  Try different mixtures and find your favorites!

Bacon-Cauli Soup

This weather is too winter-y for me.  I'm in Northeast Florida, and even though we don't get super cold her, anything below 70 is cold to me, being a native Floridian. I don't feel like I'm a huge soup fan.  I have lots of friends who get uber-excited when fall hits because it's soup weather. I've never really been that person.  Every now and then, I love a cup of chili or soup, but not too frequently.  When it's cold, like it has been, the mood does strike, though...  Here's a great soup that uses one of my favorite ingredients: BACON!

Here's what you'll need:

1 head of Cauliflower (cut into florets)

2 stalks of Celery (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

8 slices of bacon (cut with kitchen shears before frying)

salt and pepper to taste

xanthan gum to thicken

1 cup half and half

1 quart vegetable broth

Here's what you'll do:

First things first, let's cut and cook the bacon. I take a pair of kitchen shears and cut the bacon right into the pot you'll be cooking the soup in. Then, fry it up until it's crispy and let it settle on a paper towel lined plate. You'll come back to it later!

Now, to the pot, add your onion and celery.  Cook those for about 5 minutes and stir in your xantham gum.  Let that cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add in your cauliflower, and then pour in your half and half and chicken broth.  Bring this to a boil, and quickly reduce the heat to a simmer.  Allow this to simmer for about 15 minutes, which will bring the cauliflower to a tender place, but not mushy.

Add some salt and pepper to taste and serve piping hot!

 

Let's Try a Spinach and Cream Cheese Omelet!

Spinach is something that I have acquired a taste for more and more as I have gotten older. I love it fresh in a salad, or a deconstructed sub.  I love it cooked in a variety of dishes, including soups and dips.  This spinach and cream cheese omelet is SOOO good.  If you're a breakfast eater, add it into your rotation weekly. If you choose to skip breakfast, this is a great "breakfast for dinner" choice.  

Here's what you'll need:
2 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature or softened)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves (chopped to your preference)
EVOO for your pan

Here's what you'll do:|
In a medium bowl, you'll mix together your cream cheese and your spinach.  In a separate bowl, you'll beat your 2 large eggs.  Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your preheated pan.  Pour in your eggs and cook on medium heat until you can flip your them, and flip them. Spread your cream cheese and spinach mixture onto the cooded side of the eggs.  Give that about 30 seconds to ensure the other side of the eggs are cooked.  At that point, fold your eggs in 1/2, and wait approximately 1 minute for the cream cheese and spinach mixture to melt.  Remove your omelet from the heat, and serve immediately.  I can't wait to hear how it this tastes!  Enjoy.

I was all about Eggs before Egg Fasts were a thing!

Back in February of 2011, I dedicated a week to sharing multiple egg recipes.  This was years before I learned about The Eggloaf, Keto Pancakes, Chaffles, etc. I just knew that I loved eggs, and that eating them was helpful for the low-carb lifestyle.  Now, egg fasts are a thing, and I am here for it.  I have done a few egg fasts, and the results are great, and I enjoyed eating eggs for every meal more than a lot of people.  Check back soon for some fun egg recipes (they may not fit the egg fast plan, as that includes very few ingredients other than eggs), but I promise, you won't regret it!

Hello, Hello

Well, hello there! Again, I decide it's time to start blogging. I honestly don't want to keep you on this roller coaster, but I know I have a lot to give when it comes to the low-carb (now, also, Keto) community. I have seen low-carb work first hand on my mom, myself, some great friends, etc, and most recently with my husband, who I helped to lose 25 pounds. I know low-carb works, and I just need to get back to the correct mindset.  

While becoming a mom has been the greatest joy I could experience, it has caused me to put myself and my health on the back burner. I don't want my babies ever to feel like they aren't important, but I also don't want to continue to feel like I do. 

I am mentally struggling. I am not happy with how I look, and while I know that's not what life is all about, I will admit that I am superficial. I also know that when I look better, I feel better. I have really made sure to teach my girls that beauty is found on the inside, and that they should care about a person's heart. However, I want to be the best version of myself, and I know that's a fit version of me.  

This transformation is starting with my mind!  I feel like I am in the best frame of mind for dieting, and I'm ready to take on this weight loss. I have weighed the options, and considered WLS.  I know I can do it without, though! I have the tools and I know what to do to see results.  This is it.  I have some mini-goals over the next few months, but an ultimate goal of being where I want by my 40th birthday, which is in December.  Join me as I knock out this weight loss, but also get in the shape I want. I have decided that a tummy tuck may be in the future, but that I also won't be mad if I can do it on my own without spending that excess amount of money!

I'm starting with the goal of weight loss, but also thinking that this blog can help many. I'll be updating progress on here, but also working to get information and recipes out to everyone.  I can't wait to see where this takes me!  

Let's do THIS!!!