Berries: The low carb fruit

First bowl of blackberries

The Carbometer garden is adding in blackberries and raspberries today.  I've been planning the addition as far back as the sketch of the garden, however, I could never find producing trees/bushes for sale until yesterday.  Blackberries and raspberries are something I wouldn't think of starting from a twig, like I did the cherries; which have produced 12 cherries in the last 2 years.

I was willing to invest in healthy plants and transplant for the blackberries, raspberries and I hope one day soon, blueberries.  Our strawberries are coming in well.  A pint of strawberries is harvested about every four days since the beginning of May.

Berries are lower in carbs and still high in fiber.  Raspberries and blackberries are a super food for the low carb advocate as they have a high count of fiber as compared to blueberries and strawberries.

1 cup of blackberries is 14 carbs with 8 grams of fiber
1 cup of strawberries - halves is 12 carbs with 3 grams fiber
1 cup of raspberries - 14.6 carbs with 8 grams of fiber
1 cup of blueberries - 21 carbs with 3.6 grams of fiber
1 cup of cherries - 19 carbs with 2.5 grams of fiber

The care of the berries does require plant food, which I am not used to doing. Hopefully, I will not miss a step with the berries and have a garden fail.

Happy Carb Counting

The Carbometer Gardens' Largest Harvest and Introducing Salt and Pepper

The largest harvest yet!

As it's been literally since Thanksgiving since I've written a post for the blog, I thought I had best update the blog.

Recently we have celebrated our largest single harvest. I harvest the garden every 4 days, the lettuce is usually always in need of harvesting and we have been taking carrots, broccoli, radishes, onions and asparagus on an as needed or as available basis. In April, after a nice rain storm, I noticed that the garden, especially the carrots was starting to become overly ripe. A few carrots looked absolutely huge and they were! We've been enjoying carrots with everything and now we have peas to go with our carrots.

With the nice rains of April also came a mini heat wave which bolted the spinach and some of the cooler variety of lettuces I had planted in November. I was sad to see the specialty lettuce go, but I'm able to plant more spinach. I'll need to start seeding the specialty lettuces later in the summer to enjoy them next winter. Lettuce likes cool weather, temps in the 60's and 70's and we are likely to well exceed that this summer. I have planted a lettuce which seems very robust as long as I keep it covered in the summer, it's called Cesar lettuce. That has become our staple lettuce.

Deviled Eggs - less than a carb!

As far as my personal progress on my low carb diet, I have gained some weight but managed to stay within my maintenance range. I do eat more carbs per day than when I was actively trying to lose weight and now average 150 - 175 carbs a day. I was not able to hike daily as I had prior to March 2015 due to a car accident. I am just now starting to hike 2 - 3 times a week. I'm confident, once I am able to regularly hike and do the recreational activities I love, I'll be back to the lower end of maintenance weight range.

For a low carb dish deconstruction, I'm sharing deviled eggs! Recently, I found myself with way too many eggs from our hens so I decided to try to make deviled eggs.  There is only .5 carbs per egg because...mayo and mustard have no carbs and an egg has only 1 carb.

Here's a welcome to spring!  May you have your walking shoes on and enjoying the great outdoors.

Introducing our new ducks: Salt and Pepper

Happy Carb Counting!

'Tis the Season to be Jolly

Merry Christmas from the Carbometer!

Here's a quick update from the urban farm.  We are still carb counting here and hope you are too.  Thanksgiving and the holiday season of December for many of us, is one big carb avoidance. One of my friends joked that Thanksgiving is really Carbsgiving.

I'm still working on my new normal since being rear ended in March.  I have some limitations which effect my daily living, most disappointing is the loss of fine motor skills for my right hand which means from now on my posts will be dictated and then cut and paste into the post.  I must say thank goodness for modern technology, but I feel like I'm always having a conversation with myself!

I'm also A LOT slower than I used to be.  I am trying to keep up the steps as much as I can. I still promote 10,000 steps a day or as much as I can get in.  I average 7200.

Slowly but surely we're getting our Christmas decorations out and up.  Over a span of a few days I hope to have everything done. Thanks to the great inspiration that Facebook brings my Christmas treats for close friends and family include pumpkin spice pecans and a little something I came up with myself which is a quick start chili spice packet.

 I plan my days around putting a few of these together and making a trip to the post office get all of them out before Dec. 20th!  I have to keep my family from eating all the pecans before I can get them packed up!

 So for those of you who want to watch your carbs over the holidays here is a quick guide of things that you can do: 

Focus on the sides:

Broccoli

Cauliflower 

Brussel Sprouts

Green Beans

Candy Cane Beets (I have some of these growing in the garden!)

Skip out on:

Dinner Rolls

Stuffing

Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Go small on dessert:

Flans, custards or a few small cookies, skip the pies and cakes or make them minis - put more into the experience and less into the eating.

From our house to yours have a very happy holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

What's Up at the Urban Farm and The Carbometer Fake Eggs Benedict

The Carbometer Hens

Hello World!  I know it's been some time since I posted, it's a day by day thing here at The Carbometer as I continue to recover from a rear-ended accident that happened March.  It's a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing.

I have some really exciting news.  I now have fresh vegetables arriving in The Carbometer garden.  As many of you my know, California is in a scorching drought and there are water rations everywhere.  Our part at The Carbometer was to ditch the lawn and put in a garden area, with raised beds.  We have done half of the garden, building as we have resources to do since we are doing it all ourselves.  So we have 4 beds of 3' x 6'.

 In these beds we have romaine, basil, asparagus, cucumber, Capri, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, red onions, strawberries, baby bell and regular bell peppers, also growing on the property are chardonnay grapes (that we eat as table grapes), cherry trees and a little Fuji apple tree.  The garden has not met my expectations.  The sun exposure was too much and stunted the growth so we have to use a lot of shade cover, during most of the day, this has slowed down veggie production but at least we know now.  So far, romaine only fit for our dry land tortoise - who loves it, basil for salads and pizza, a few tomatoes, some cherry and lots of pear tomatoes, three peppers, 1 strawberry (I kid you not)!  1 cherry!  The apples are just coming in and I think we'll get at least 10.  We've had what grapes we could salvage from the deer, maybe 6 bunches.  I think we have until about November for the current plants but I will start planting some winter vegetables next.

Coconut

This spring we invested in 4 baby chicks, who are now some pretty big hens but aren't laying eggs yet and soon to come in a few weeks, two goats.  A white Pygmy we have named Coconut and a Nigerian billy whose name moves back and forth from Captain America to Prancer on a daily basis.The idea is to have baby goats and to milk Coconut and participate in a local 4-H program on dairy goats.

So with the recent spoils, I made what is close to being an all from The Carbometer garden breakfast that I call The Carbometer Fake Eggs Benedict.

The Carbometer Fake Eggs Benedict

Here's the fiber and carb count:
2 poached eggs - 2 carbs - no fiber
1/8 cup long sliced green pepper - 1 carb - .5 fiber
1/8 cup sliced Capri tomatoes - 2 carbs - .5 fiber
1 slice of buttermilk toast - 19 carbs - 2 fiber

Total carb: 24 carbs and 4 fiber.  To lower the carbs consider increasing the green peppers or using a bed of spinach which will give you more fiber too!  Now that I'm maintaining my weight I have started to introduce some grains back into my diet, but only about 3 times a week and mainly equivalent to 1 slice.  On days that I do not have grain, I substitute with a fruit, like a half of an apple.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and Happy Carb Counting.

For the LOVE of Beets!

Just roasted Red and Golden Beets

I'm starting a bit of a farmstead here at The Carbometer. We have recently added two raised garden beds and another two this weekend.  In the garage, are four baby chicks so there will be fresh eggs.

Now there is rumbling about the benefits of a few miniature goats to help control all the lovely grasses and weeds that seem to thrive on the property.  I don't know about the goats, but I was advised to get milk producing goats and make goat cheese, which I love, and goat ice cream, which I've been told is divine.

One of the vegetables I would like to grow in the garden would be beets.  I've never raised beets in a garden before, I've only had them out of a can and one time, a friend made a salad for me from beets out of her garden that she roasted.

 This week at the farmers market, one of my favorite stands just happened to have beets.  I asked them how they would roast the beets.  So here's how I did it.

Clean the beets and wash them thoroughly.

Roll in olive oil

Wrap in aluminum foil

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Take out and let cool, remove one layer of skin from the beets and slice and serve or chill for use later.

They are wonderful!

Carbs in beets....13 carbs per cup.

Happy Carb Counting!

Salmon and Asparagus Bisque in Baked Cauliflower Cups

I have been recuperating from a car accident which happened in March and it's been challenging for me to do too many things during the day which involve my back/right hand/ right arm...thus sitting too long, typing, cooking ect. Thankfully I have been able to walk. So, as I slowly get back to normal with physical therapy which should start soon, after some neurology tests, I'll hopefully be back to my 2-3 a week posts in the future, which is my goal.  So until then, enjoy this little piece I've been working on this week...

So...after a long delay, a short update and a little low carb lunch from whatever I happened to have in the fridge today.

The Carbometer garden is sprouting, we have two more garden beds ready to be put in which will be strawberries and something else, yet to be decided. I've decided to put in an asparagus hill on a slightly sloping side of my property instead of into a garden bed. So, up by the lilacs, in a few years, I'll also be able to harvest asparagus.


Here's a little picture montage of the garden progress.

Radishes

Cucumbers

I made a Salmon and Asparagus Bisque which I poured into baked cauliflower cups to serve. This recipe serves 8 - 10 people.

1 lb asparagus cleaned, wooded sections removed and cut into bite size pieces - blanch - 12 carbs

.5 lb salmon - steamed in one cup lemon juice - 20 carbs - steam alone, flake, set aside

4 Tbsp butter - 0 carbs

1/8 cup cornstarch- 14 carbs

Salmon and Asparagus Bisque in a Baked Cauliflower Cup

1/4 tsp garlic powder- 1 carb

2 cups sour cream - 14 carbs

3 cups - evaporated milk - 72 carbs
(you could do more sour cream to lower the carbs, but I'm not)

1/2 cup tomato puree - 9 carbs

2 Tbsp white wine (I used chardonnay) - 1 carb

3 cups cauliflower -  steamed and mashed cauliflower - 15 carbs

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese - 0 carbs

Total carbs - 15.8 - 19.75 carbs

The picture doesn't do it justice, it takes wonderful and would be a great starter to a fancy meal or lunch with green salad. Very rich and tasty!

You could sprinkle with fresh dill or do as I did and place two fresh asparagus spears across the top.

How to bisque:

Melt butter in saucepan till melted, add in cornstarch and wisk, adding garlic powder, wisk till smooth, add in sour cream and evaporated milk, lower temp so that it is bubbling but not boiling, stir constantly for five minutes till smooth, lower temp again, add blanched asparagus, flaked steamed salmon, tomato puree and the wine, stir well and then simmer for 15 minutes.

How to make cauliflower cups:

Mix mashed cauliflower with the shredded mozzarella - fill a 12 cup cupcake pan. Use cupcake liners if you  want the cups to be pretty, I didn't, I had to dig the cups out a little when they were done, but they were still good! Bake in the over at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Presentation:

Place cauliflower cup on plate, using a soup spoon, fill to overflowing and place on desired garnish. Serve immediately.

Happy Carb Counting!

Renewal in a New Garden

I have great hopes of starting a garden this year.  My husband and I are reconstructing our front lawn, which was a victim of the eternal drought that California has been in, will now be our garden. We are starting off with 2, 6' x 3' raised beds and eventually hope to get to 8 or 9 in the space.

I was never a good gardener, I have tried to start but I became distracted by my kids, my job and the fact that you have to establish a routine for water, thinning, harvesting, mulching ect.  It's a lot of work and I've decided that in order for it to be successful, I'll have to plan it like a job.  I'll be scheduling seeding and transplanting, times to fertilize, or not, nitrate, mulch, thin out, cover and FINALLY harvest!

I was disappointed when I looked at the Better Homes and Gardens gardening site and their application found hardly any vegetables would grow in my zip code, but when I visited the Farmers Almanac, I was pleasantly surprised by how many actually do.  I'll even put in a few bushes for berries and maybe some barrel planted fruit trees that we could shelter in our garage in the winter.

Rough plans

If you are one to look at plans, here are the rough plans:

I'm pretty sure 9 raised beds of 6' x 3' will be a lot to take care of.   In the center we would like to have some type of seating area with an arbor or open gazebo area, we just need to not be casting shadows on things that will need sun.

Wondering what we'll plant?  For starters, we'll do strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, mini bell peppers and radishes.

Happy Carb Counting!

First raised beds

2015 Dietary Guidelines - Yeah for Eggs!! Limits on Sugar

One of my favorite egg dishes

In case you haven't gotten your daily dose of news, the U.S. has posted the 2015 Dietary Guidelines and they contain some surprises and for some of us...some validation we've been waiting on for some time.  Turns out...eggs are okay and haven't been proven to increase blood cholesterol.  There are no limits on how many eggs you can eat a day.  I think, I'll make deviled eggs this weekend..

What was really quite refreshing for me and an obvious peeve for the soda industry is that there are now limits on sugar intake!  I am actually astonished to know that there haven't been guidelines on sugar intake before.

Here's a little snapshot directly from the guidelines for you to see what that means:

"Because added sugars and solid fats are not nutrient dense and solid fats contribute to saturated fat intake, the USDA Food Patterns recommend that intake be limited. The guidance on the approximate amounts of solid fats and added sugars that can be part of a healthful diet is as follows: children ages 2 to 8 years: 120 calories/day; children 9 to 13 years: 120 to 250 calories/day; girls ages 14 to 18 years: 120 to 250 calories/day; boys ages 14 to 18: 160 to 330 calories/day; adult women: 120 to 250 calories/day; and adult men: 160 to 330 calories/day. Intake limits varies by age and sex and are based on residual calories after all food group intakes are met. The intake limits include solid fats and added sugars from all sources in the diet: from sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages, including coffee and tea, and breakfast cereals, to solid fats in burgers, sandwiches, and pizza, to the combination of solid fats and added sugars in snacks and desserts such as cookies, cakes, ice cream, and donuts."  - find this information here:  http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/06-chapter-1/d1-3.asp

What does 120 calories of solid fats and added sugars look like:

My homemade beignets... I stop at 3 of these

A medium sized donut with chocolate glaze is 193 calories, 6 grams saturated fat and 11 grams of sugar. - The 11 grams sugar approximately 3 teaspoons - 48 calories + 6 grams of saturated fat at 9 calories a gram - 54 calories: - 102 calories right there - this would be advising an eight year old to stop after 1.

There are some very popular items out there which people may even frequent daily.  For all our Starbucks lovers out there who may love that blueberry yogurt muffin with honey!  It sounds awesome!  30 grams of sugar and 4 grams of saturated fat. -120 calories from the sugar and 36 from the fat - total: 156 calories. - You better have your coffee black with that one...

These exercises remind me why I count carbs and not calories and why, I'm not going to count my sugar.  Because at 50 gross carbs a day (I do not subtract the fiber) - if 100% of my carbs came from sugar that would be 200 calories.  Most of my carbs come from vegetables so I know I'm in the clear here.

Hope I didn't spoil your breakfast!

Happy Carb Counting

Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It - Book Review

As many of my readers know, I came about the low carb lifestyle through my doctor.  I had gained too much over too short a period of time for her comfort that she suggested it.  Over a 14 month period, I lost 50 lbs.  I had needed to lose 22 lbs., but the lifestyle was so easy, I just continued and achieved a healthy, normal weight for my frame.

For many years, my days and my goals were mainly mandated by someone else's schedule.  It's called working, or for many people, overworking.  During the last several months, I've been enjoying my schedule since I stepped back from the corporate life.  I have after 18 years, two kids, too many mortgage refinances to count, finally have the chance to actually read something not related to a corporations goals, but related to mine.

One of my low carb coaching participants who has a great thirst for knowledge on all things low carb shared a great book with me written by Gary Taubes, called Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It.  Gary writes about the science of diet, shares the history of how we have gotten to our recommended food pyramid and why it's difficult for the medical community to whole heartily recommend the low carb lifestyle when they certainly should be.

If you are a history buff, you will enjoy the background he provides on the very first low carb diets. The shorthand version is that the low carb lifestyle is not a fad, it's been around for a very long time. Bursting the myths of not eating fat and calories in: calories out balance will make you thinner is something that should be taught in elementary school.  Anyone who believes in these two core areas of thinking, should read the book.

What is evidently stressed is that SUGAR is bad and starch should be avoided.  He has direct ties back to the core epidemics plaguing world health today - obesity and diabetes.   Hmmm, the two things I was on the brink of being before I started my low carb lifestyle change.  

The author shares results of testings conducted by universities, namely Stanford and Duke.   Stanford who compared the low carb diet to several low calorie and vegetarian diets and found that low carb had the best results and the most sustained results.  Duke came to such a resoundingly successful findings on the benefit of low carb that they have their own list of foods and guidelines for getting started on a no sugar, no starch diet.

My key benefit was reaffirmation that I am indeed, heading in the right direction.

Happy Carb Counting!

Waste Not....and Frozen Lemonade Yogurt Pops

Frozen Lemonade Yogurt Pops

I am on a bend to not waste anything.  I am ultra conserving.  It drives my kids wacky that I'm doing this, but I'm trying to teach them that we can get ahead in many ways in life if we just pay attention to all the details.

One of the biggest areas I needed to pay attention to was just how much food I bought and how much I threw away. When I was able to finally focus on what I was buying and preparing, I uncovered a pretty huge savings.  My first month of this experiment was this last fall.  I set out to not spend more than $500 on groceries that month.  I did my best effort to clip coupons and try to buy sale items. At the end of the month I had spent $900.


I tightened in again.  $500 for the next month.  I refused to buy boxes, I write The Carbometer, I shouldn't be cooking with the help of a box anyway!  This new rule would help get all those refined sugars and grains out of our diet.  Result that month $650.  I'm not one to give up too easily.  I set out again.  No grocery stores the next month.  Result that month $420.   For January, I've brought the grocery total to $360 and I believe I can get it to $250 for February.

No boxes, no grocery stores - except for 1/2 priced meat specials, lots of meal planning all help make the goal.  Now I make one trip to Costco a month and pick up milk at a big box grocery outlet during the month if I can't get back to Costco and I pick up my fresh spinach from the farmers market.

The problem with shopping bulk is that you sometimes have things which are leftover and you don't know what to do with them.  This month is was plain yogurt.  I had used about a serving of the tub and it was going to expire the next day.  I would literally need to make a lot of something.   I searched the internet and found yogurt pops.  Though it's not hot yet, I thought, nice treat for the kids, but do I have enough of the stuff to make them.  I certainly didn't want to throw in a lot of honey or sugar to make the pops taste good.  It's one thing to save something, but another if it would still go to waste if no one would eat it.

There on the counter was my last container of Country Time Lemonade....I wonder what those pops would taste like with that.  I made a small sample of a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon of Country Time Lemonade.  I had both kids taste it and my husband.  My son and my husband both wanted a bowl of it right away...2 cups down.  My daughter said she'd eat it as a frozen pop.  With the remainder I made 8 frozen pops and 6 two-ounce cups.

Yogurt officially saved!  Will I buy more Country Time Lemonade?  I have to think about that...  technically it's not a box.

Yogurt pops:

7 servings of plain yogurt - 133 carbs
8 tablespoons of Country Time Lemonade mix - 128 carbs
Total carbs: 261 carbs

Mix well and place in pop containers and freeze - This made 8 - 3 oz pops and 7 - 2 oz pops
Approx.  13.7 carbs for 2 oz pops and 20.6 carbs for 3 oz pops.

Happy Carb Counting!

Gratitudes of My Low Carb Lifestyle

Aug 2014 - 45 lb loss

Feb 2013 before low carb

GRATITUDES

I have been reading a lot of gratitudes lately of my friends.  I've been asked to participate in gratitude chain letter like activities.  I never was one for chain letters, so it's always hard for me to get to started.   Gratitudes though are a reminder to us all to be grateful and humble for whatever aspect of our life has turned out better than it likely could have. 

I have had the great fortune of finding a way to control my weight in the last year and half.   In a country where most people are actually overweight and obese.  Of those over age 20; 69% of the population according to the Center for Disease Control fall in the overweight and obese category.

I'd like to personally congratulate the 31% who aren't, including myself for making it, because I am sure at one point or another, many were on the other side of this equation.  Guess what, I'm not good at math so I'll stop there with the data.   Short story...a lot of people should be trying to do whatever they can to not be overweight and obese.  I know there are many reasons, medically and emotionally for weight gain and loss.  I know there are many different ways to take it off and keep it off.   This is just my personal success and I'm trying to help all those out there who haven't yet decided which route they want to go to see my example through this blog.

So, my gratitudes of a low carb lifestyle are:

1. I'm grateful, I made changes to my lifestyle and didn't go on a diet.

2. I love being in control of what I eat, when I eat and how I eat.

3. I'm very happy that my ankles no longer swell at night!

4. It's amazing to me that I have broken my sweet tooth.  I can't even walk into a traditional grocery store without being overwhelmed by the smell of processed sugars, needless to say walking by a candy store prompts immediate nausea. - Quadruple Gratitude!

5. I am extremely happy that I didn't invest a lot in diet trends and pre-packaged foods, or supplements though I did try one and it failed miserably...oh marketing.

6. I'm proud of myself for not doing anything extreme.  I never fasted, or only drank things or just did a soup.  I did it with real food, over real time and I kept to realistic exercise which for me is hiking (very grateful for Pine Mountain)

, walking, the occasional aqua - aerobics class.  I am a believer of +10,000 steps a day.

7. I'm doubly grateful to see and know I can keep up this lifestyle and enjoy food, enjoy making food for others and sharing and helping others who want to make a lifestyle change too.

8. I am grateful for the looks on my friends and families faces when they see me after a long time.  For the comments of my children, that they too are still in wonder at how and where did my shape go?

9. I'm still excited by the day the doctor updated my health file from overweight to normal.  I still remember the nurses question:  "Is this right, was this the right weight?"  "Were you trying to lose weight?"  YES!  "Well, Congratulations, it doesn't happen very often."

10. I'm grateful for YOU, that you read this.  That maybe it will help you or help you, help others.

Happy Carb Counting!

Cold Water, Hot Water, Lemon Water or Drinking Enough Water in Winter

Having some hot tea on a cold day!

It's cold outside and the last thing I want to do on some of these cold mornings is hike.  Quite frankly, the last thing I want to do is....anything.  Sometimes when it's super cold, all I want to do is sleep.  My nickname from my cousin is ClaireBear.  It actually has a lot of different reasons why she gave me that nickname, but it does play true in winter, I certainly want to act like one and sleep winter away.

Another thing that I do in winter is drink WAY too much coffee.  Between my husband and I, we drink at least 10 cups a day.   I'm sure I'm good for 5 of those if not more.  Too much of anything is not good.  I have no reason to drink so much coffee.  Other than to get myself to WAKE UP!

Good thing I have kids who have to go to school and low carb clients who expect me to be at the hiking trail and who expect me to get this blog out!!!

So today I've set my sights on water and trying to get that water up like it is in summer.  In summer, I drink a ton of water.  I'm constantly refilling my bottle.   Now, I notice I fill my bottle maybe once a day, not 4 times.  When I needed to lose those few pounds I'd gained over the holidays, it was slow going.   I still haven't lost all of them and though I'm at my goal weight, I wouldn't mind being back down to my lowest low.  So here are some of the times I'll try to get in that precious liquid;

1.  I've read that the asian cultures do a hot water cleanse in the morning and the evening.  The first thing they drink in the morning is hot water and the last thing they drink is hot water.    (2 cups)

2.  I have at least two cups of coffee by 9:30 a.m. before my hiking - (2 cups)

3.  Stop to drink 2 times on the hike (I haven't emptied my bottle yet in these cold months... (1 cup)

4. I noticed I haven't drank with lunch for awhile.  I'm now making lemon water or if I don't have lemons, weak lemonade out of Country Time Lemonade, I halve the suggested serving size and then double the water for an 8 carb drink and I drink it warm...(2 cups)

5. When I have to drive my daughter to dance I take my own water bottle and walk around town while she's in class. (1 cup)

6. Dinner, again, I'm not drinking....so I am now doing speciality tea, either peppermint or acai berry.  I try to have at least 2 cups.  (2 cups)

So that brings me to 11 cups.

I have just looked up how much water one should drink to help promote weight loss a day, paired with a healthy diet and exercise, of course.....13 cups.   Check it out yourself, they have some good tips at SFGate.

So, I'm still short...I have to add in 2 cups in there somewhere.   I guess it's going to have to be in the afternoon because I DO NOT like to get up in the middle of the night...remember, I'm part bear.

Happy Carb Counting!

Diets and New Year's Resolutions

The Magic Kingdom

Welcome to 2015!  What diet are you going to start?  How much did you gain over the holidays?  More than you wanted or desired?

I was on a trip of a lifetime for myself and my family.  A special trip I had planned for three years.  We went on the Disney holiday cruise to the Caribbean followed by 10 days in Disney World.   All in all, we were gone for 18 days.   18 days of eating out, being catered to on the ship and having all kinds of sweet things available almost 24/7.

I also had a theme for our trip while we were in Disney World.  I focused on visiting all the highly recommended themed dining experiences.   Guess what the highlight of our experience is, what we talk about the most....the ship and the food.   Very little about the rides or the shows.  We loved Epcot!  My son wants to eat in every single restaurant in every country.    We'll need to go back for an entire month in order to do that.

Awesome cod on lettuces with peppers and shrimp

 What I was most impressed with was that Disney does a great job of lower carb and calorie offering options.  There was a healthier option at the sit down dinners on the cruise, they labeled gluten free and no sugar added items.  I pretty much ate whatever I wanted, enjoying their specialty bread, one slice only, not several.  I ate dessert every night and enjoyed my wine, port and champagne, I even had two beers.  Every once in awhile I had an ice cream cone.  I didn't count one single carb.

I was full beyond comfort on several occasions.  There wasn't a scale for me to check on everyday so by the time we got off the cruise, I was hyper sensitive to make sure I walked a lot and I brought my steps up to at least 12 or 13K steps a day, one day I made it to 22K.

We arrived home and I weighed in yesterday.  I was up only 1.5 pounds.  Well within my acceptable weight range. When I think back on what I did well it was the walking and choosing the no sugar added desserts. I kept with lower carb sides, salads, mixed vegetables.  Steering clear of pasta, potatoes and rice and any type of starchy carb for breakfast.  No Mickey Mouse waffle for me.

Favorite breakfast - lox on cucumber!

I actually think, I could have lost weight on the trip if I actually had to.  If I had skipped the desserts and held off a bit on the port, beer and champagne.  When in Disney World, I exercised the split plate at many restaurants and took my tupperware everywhere.  We loved our trip and we loved our food.

I know that one of the main new year's resolutions for many of us is to start a diet.  I was pleasantly surprised to see on US News & World Report cited the two diets I recommend in the top 3.  Mayo Clinic Diet and the TLC diet.  TLC just beating out Mayo Clinic.   TLC doesn't talk about carbs as much as the Mayo Clinic does but if you check their suggested meal plans their carb counts are in the 50s.   TLC is a great way to look at low carb if you have any heart and cholesterol issues and a wonderful maintenance plan.   Mayo Clinic diet is a good choice if adult on set of diabetes is an issue. Here are some quick links to both:

TLC

Mayo Clinic

One of the characteristics both of these diets mention is that they are ways of life...that to ultimately achieve your goals long term and get out of the danger of health issues, one must make a lifestyle change.   May your New Year's resolution be a lifestyle change and not just to go on a diet.

Happy New Year and Happy Carb Counting!

Community Course and Getting Back to Salads

Today I was super excited to see my Low Carb Coaching and Weight Loss Course added to the local community center guide of classes.   I'll start offering my classes in January!  I'm doing a bit more foot work to hang posters and promote the course but I certainly hope this is the start of something great!

Now that I'm maintaining my weight, I am having a little fruit and it's a great add to salads.
I created a Pear, Pecan, Chicken and Feta Spinach Salad with a red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.  Total Carb Breakdown:

Pear, Pecan, Chicken and Feta Salad

1/4 cup diced fresh pear - 6.38 carbs / 1.3 fiber
1/8 cup pecans -whole - 2 carbs / 1 fiber
1/4 cup chicken - 0 carbs / 0 fiber
1/8 cup Feta - .77 carbs / 0 fiber
1/4 cup sliced black olives - 2 carbs / 1 fiber
2 cups Spinach  - 2.2 carbs / 1.4 fiber
Oil and Vinegar dressing - 0 carbs / 0 fiber

Total carb count: 12.2 carbs / 4.7 fiber

Looks great and tastes great too!

Here's a few things I am looking forward to trying in the coming months:
Cauliflower Tortillas and pizza crust!
Cauliflower and Egg scramble
Making my own salad dressings!
Enjoying some fruit, like apples and pears in salads
Marinating my own vegetables!
Making Coleslaw!
Making raspberry jam!
Building a garden and looking at getting chickens.

My pantry is almost completely empty of boxes!  I can't believe it.  I'm getting down to the true cost of making things without processed foods.  I'll start to develop a list of staples to have on hand that will allow someone to have a low carb diet and make a plethora of dishes throughout the month.

Happy Carb Counting these last few days of the year!  Enjoy your time with family and friends.

A Birthday Sleepover - A.K.A - A Carb Filled Weekend

Home Made Birthday Cake - No Box Cake Here!

My daughter turned 10 this week.  Crazy how time flies by.  We are still in the moment of wanting a birthday party and I'm at the moment in my life where I really don't want to plan one and I certainly don't want to pay for one.  I talk her into a sleep over at home for a few friends.  We custom make her invites, I decide to use only what's on hand for the celebration and outside of buying the birthday gift, we'll have down home home made birthday party.

Before I know it, I'm planning an overnight for 13 girls.  I tell myself, I'm okay with this.  We'll get through this and it won't be so bad.  Meanwhile, my husband makes arrangements to spend most of the evening in our room watching TV and my son, luckily scores a friends birthday invite party for the same night.

It's an early out day at school and it's raining, so even though we are only 4 houses away from school, we have to pick the girls up with the suburban. We have an early snack/dinner - Pizza!  I made the dough in my bread maker.  While the two large cheese pizzas are in the oven we start on the cake.  This is touted as one of the highlights of the party...making the cake, so sporadically in between hiding and seeking, the girls help me make the cake.  A chocolate fudge cake.  After the pizza and loads of dress up, two girls decide it's enough and they are done with the party and they want to go home.  This is before three other girls are yet to arrive and before the cake.   I don't know if these girls are going to miss something or are wise beyond their years.

We are missing just one party girl when it becomes obvious to most of the girls that the cake is almost done and they come into the kitchen to the smell of something chocolatey which of course must be good. The pressure is on for that cake.  I keep asking them to wait but it becomes apparent that will not be possible so we forge ahead with the cake and agree no present opening till our last guest arrives.

I cut the cake into two equal sections and decorate it quickly with whipped cream - 1 carb per tablespoon!  Quickly we put on recycled birthday candles, you know the ones you can't quite throw away from all the years past.  I put them on, we magically have 10.  We sing happy birthday and they literally dig into that cake.  It's gone...within minutes with a little brownie bite size left for our last guest.  Okay....that was good.    Our last guest arrives, has the rest of the cake and we are on with the rest of the party.

We play a little Pictionary, a little more dress up and make up and then we convince them we can watch a movie and I'll rent one from On Demand.   We chose "Blended" with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.  The kids loved it and watched it, the whole time.  Meanwhile we go through 10 bags of microwave popcorn.   As the movie comes to an end, I'm asked for vegetables, carrots or celery sticks with peanut butter.  We are out of the celery but have tons of carrots.  I do several and slice them up in thick julienne style pieces.  I'm proud of them for wanting something other than pizza!

They play some more, it's getting late.  I hear from some of the girls that a few have fallen asleep.   Others are making a video together, having a blast.   It's now almost 11 PM.  They are hungry again.  I have a few more pizza dough rounds left.  I offer pizza.  Pepperoni and Cheese this time.   It's ready by 11:30 and they settle into watching a free movie - The Tooth Fairy and have moved all the sleepover things into the living room and it's apparent to me this is where the sleep will occur.

I make it to the end of the movie and the teeth brushing for most...and back to the floor in the living room with the lights out and TV off and I fall asleep to the chatter of 1/2 the girls as the other 1/2 have managed to sleep.

In the morning, I wake up on my own.  It's 7 am.  My daughter wanted me to make beignets which I had just learned how to make last week, followed up by homemade doughnuts, which I've NEVER made, but the bread machine has a recipe for the dough so I'll try.

I decide to do the doughnut dough first and that was a good call because it will be an hour and half before it's done in the machine and then would need to rise for 40 minutes, be shaped and rise for another 40 before I can even fry them.  Most of the girls will likely be gone before I even start doing the doughnuts.  I make the beignets.  

They are so much quicker and relatively LOW CARB!  To me anything that is under 25 carbs for a meal is low carb on my maintenance plan.  When I'm trying to lose weight it's 12 carbs a meal or less staying under 50 carbs a day.  Most people eat 370 carbs a day so any reduction will help someone eat considerably less.  I've been doing a low carb lifestyle since Sept of 2013 and I've lost a total of 50 lbs.   There is only 1/2 cup of flour in the recipe.  The recipe makes 24 beignets.   Here is the carb break down:

1/2 cup flour - 46 carbs
2 tsp sugar - 8 carbs

2 eggs - 2 carbs
1 tsp vanilla extract - .5 carbs
1 tsp of powdered sugar - 2.5 (per three beignets)
Total Carbs - 59 / 3 per beignets - a serving of 3 beignets - 7.3 carbs!

I was greeted with various looks of "What is that!?" when I served them for breakfast.  I don't believe any of the girls had tried beignets.  But after the first first round they wanted more.  I made 3 batches of beignets in the time it took the doughnut dough to finish in the bread machine.

We did eventually do the doughnuts, with just 4 girls left, and they disappeared before I could take a picture.  I have a feeling I'll be making those more often, and maybe I'll make those into gifts - they looked pretty awesome.  I have to admit the experience of making the doughnuts and all the GREASE that they need to fry, I don't know if I'll ever have one again.  Well, maybe just one.  Carbs in one glazed doughnut is 22.  I'm actually able to have one.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome birthday party...something we likely should have been doing for birthdays all along.

In the new year, I'm going to start experimenting with low carb bread and dessert recipes as well as lots of one pot meals as I try to get my kids used to stews - with all the fresh, homemade bread I'll be making!

Have Tupperware...Will Travel

My favorite tupperware: bento box

I just came back from a vacation with my family over the Thanksgiving break.  One could say this was a strategically planned vacation to keep me from having to cook on Thanksgiving or that I wanted to take advantage of super low airfares for traveling on a major holiday.  It was a little of both.

I have to tell you...it was absolutely dreamy traveling on Thanksgiving!  The airports were empty and the flight crews were happy and celebratory.  The stress was off because I suspect everyone had already gotten to where they were going.  We usually have Thanksgiving on the beach near our home.  It's a magical event because like the airports...the beach is empty and for almost the entire afternoon - ours.   I look forward to doing our next Thanksgiving dinner back at our beach.

The super salad tupperware with built in silverware

I haven't traveled for awhile and I certainly haven't done any air travel with my two kids and husband for over a year.  With all the changes happening with bags and snacks and food charges, I put a lot of planning into our trip.  I was going to have to pack some low carb snacks for myself, so why not pack some for all of us.  We would be traveling for almost 17 hours (cheap airfare - usually means at least 1 stop) plus we decided to drive to a major airport, which for us is four hours a way - this time San Francisco.

The packing snacks got out of hand and I ended up packing breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I planned every travel day meal except for Thanksgiving which I'd let my kids eat out in the lovely New York, JFK airport.   How the heck did I get all that food through security? Especially sauces, butters, anything liquid based.   I did pack mayo, mustard, salad dressing, peanut butter, salsa, sour cream, and jelly.  The security screening is okay so long as the items are under the 3 oz limit on each container and they are in a quart size bag and each passenger.  So we had 4 - quart bags, each packed with food stuff along with toothpaste and shampoo. 

The 2 oz. containers in a quart bag

In the end, I saved an incredible amount of money on food.  Our total expenses on the way was $3.00 which was my break down to buy headset on the flight - long flight, forgot my book :-(.  On the way back we spent $100 on a nice meal where everyone got to choose their own appetizer, entree and special drink!  I was surprised how inexpensive that dinner was.  What did I choose?  I had a BACON CHEESEBURGER on a half bun with a glass of wine!  30 carbs!  WooHoo!

Here's a look at my special tupperware which made it easy for me to serve meals on planes and in airports.

I've started a Pinterest posting board for The Carbometer.  Follow there athttp://www.pinterest.com/thecarbometer/

An Experiment or For Real - Lifestyle Changes are For REAL

Arrival of eggs - 24 hours in transit

Almost a year and a half ago, I set out to lose a little weight - for real.  I was beyond what type of diet would work best to drop a few pounds quickly and I really needed to drop a few pounds forever.   I chose the low carb way because it was recommended by my doctor and after a few weeks of doing it, it was EASY.

A lot of things in life we do because they are easy and quick.   A lot of times, when we set out to do things in that manner, we do them unprepared.  That unpreparedness leads us to sporadic and likely not lasting results.  My 20 lb weight loss goal moved to be a 47 lb goal after I had managed to make the diet a lifestyle change.  Now at a 50 lb weight loss, I do have the feeling that I can achieve anything.

Unpacking - Did they make it!?

I can change my life in some pretty drastic and unimaginable ways and be successful and HAPPY.   It all depends upon how I set out to define both the successful and the happy.  Weight loss is great. Not having a job is not so great and now, I'm redefining myself in a way I did not think would be possible or in a way in which I could possibly be happy.

One of the goals I have is that I am only going to do things I truly enjoy for the next 15 years.   That's quite the statement when I have two kids who are in Jr. High and Elementary school.   I realized the only way I was going to be happy in my career would be to surround myself with those efforts.  I was never ever going to be able to replace my past position which was incredible in allowing me to do all relatively good things with an extremely exceptional and wonderful community of like minded folks.

What this means for me is an extreme hit to the bottom line.  After an analysis of my personal costs and what I had access to, I realized I wasn't so bad off and if I did a few key things in the right way....I'd be fine, maybe even happy.  I just didn't know if those that have no option but to follow me would think so.  I'm going to share just one of the major efforts I've undertaken to change my overall lifestyle.  The food budget.

Why the heck is there a picture of bubble wrapped eggs on this particular blog?  It's because I brought them with me on my vacation.  A vacation planned YEARS before I ever set out to lose a few pounds.  A vacation that was essentially paid for and perhaps today, doesn't fit my new lifestyle but one I am determined to make not only a great vacation - but one which will lead the way for how I live my life going forward - No matter how poor or wealthy I may find myself.

Looking good....

Since we had 1 free bag check per flyer...I thought what the heck...I 'll packed the eggs in my checked luggage.   Yep, 18 eggs.  Along with almost everything else in my fridge and freezer at the time.  Where we are staying - we have a full kitchen and inside laundry.  I figured if they didn't make it...I'd be doing a lot of laundry.  I had looked into buying groceries at our destination and it would be pretty expensive and more importantly would take away time from our experience.  I planned we would bring enough for breakfasts, most dinners and the occasional lunch. By the time I was finished, I had two luggage bags full of 80 lbs of food.

Thus...the eggs in my luggage.

 With my new low carb lifestyle and my process of reinventing myself and only doing good things, I find myself with a limited and one could say, stretched budget.   My grocery budget is $500 a month.  It sounded do-able.  I looked back at what I had been spending on groceries before my reinventing ...and that was about it.  What I didn't look at was how often we ate out.

They look amazing!  

Oh...I failed at first.  And now I'm starting to gain ground.  The first month - I missed the grocery budget by almost $500.  I was still buying boxes, I was still even though we weren't eating out, we were eating fast-food at home.  I realized that really is what processed boxes are - a relatively fast-food and very expensive.  I also started using our freezer for something more than decorative ice cubes and ice cream.  I freeze lots of things and I buy in bulk now.  I rarely go to supermarket, I find myself pulling out the recipe box and lining up recipes I have items on hand for.

I recently dreamed about my grandmother.  She passed away in 1999 at 98 years old.  She experienced years of drastic economic crisis living through both World War I and World War II and the depression.  She had a big purse.  Inside that purse she carried a small picnic, an arsenal of bathroom tools; clippers, tweezers, kleenex, bandaids, chap stick and toothpicks at all times.  I remember being on a trip with her and complaining because I was hungry and we were nowhere near or stop for lunch.  She pulled out of her purse a baggie with a pickle and butter sandwich in it.  That was the best sandwich I have ever had to this day.  She was so happy to share it with me. I'm trying to be more like her.

This little exercise of bringing my groceries on vacation, which involved 24 hours in transit which included at least five hours of driving, two domestic flights and not including the at least hour it took me to carefully wrap the eggs box covered with bubble wrap and shipping tape inside box covered with bubble wrap and shipping tape....was one step in that direction of being more like my grandmother.

One small crack but still usable!

I always wondered why she had pickle and butter sandwiches?  I know now, it's because both items won't spoil, regardless of temperature in a purse for at least 24 hours and they were relatively cheap items at those times and pickles were usually made at home - in fact all the items could be made at home.  I may even try to make my own pickles.  That will be right after I build the chicken coop and the greenhouse....

Happy Carb Counting and Budget Pinching!

Hearth and Home and a 50 lb weight loss.

Beautiful jacket made by Leona!!

I've hit an incredible milestone.  One, I actually never set out to accomplish.  I've slid to 122 pounds, a 50 lb weight loss.  I don't know how long I'll stay here.  I had no expectation of getting here, but here I am.

I ate an ice cream cone...gave me a stomach ache and tonight I had a slice of homemade pizza...a real slice, not just eating off the toppings.  It was an incredibly thin crust so I suspect it was around 23 carbs.  I also had a meatball sandwich for lunch.  I have, in fact consumed 75 carbs today.  I'm actually still in a low carb range.   Just a reminder, low carb is a diet of 130 carbs or less a day.   I normally am at 30 to 50 carbs a day.

It's getting colder.  I wore my favorite jacket today.  My incredible friend made it.  Thank you Leona. I received 12 compliments on it today!  It's true, I counted.  I had thought I had lost it.  I have been mourning it's loss for at least 3 years.  I had to move to find it.   There are a few things in this world which bring you home.  With the smell of fires lingering in the air, I feel I'm home, with my amazing wool masterpiece of a jacket, I feel I'm home. With my homemade cheese and pepperoni pizza, my kids feel like they are home.  Tonight..for the first time, they both told me, it was the best pizza they had ever had.

Harvest of Memories cover photo

I've made some serious life changes in the last few months.  I've had to make a lot of changes, I've had to come to accept a few things I don't think I would have ever accepted.  I'm growing up at 44 and I have yet to really figure out where I'm going to go, beyond the point of knowing I very soon need to start sharing with you my story.  How I got to here, from there.  Why I left the best place on earth to pursue magical dreams only to seek out the comforts of home.  On Dec. 13, I'll launch a new blog called Falling Out of Oz.   I hope you'll join me there.   Until then...enjoy the smell of the hearths in your neighborhoods, hold your loved ones close, have a lovely Thanksgiving.

This holiday try the pumpkin cheesecake and the spaghetti squash muffin recipes.   But more than
anything...believe in yourself at this time of reflection and thanks.   I've been working on editing a book of poems I wrote a LONG time ago, highlighting it with pictures of my kids at the same time of when I experienced the poems, it's been a lingering project.  The book of poems is called "Harvest of Memories" and it will be the 2nd edition and available online through Amazon..hopefully by the new year.

For those who know me..I miss you!! Happy Thanksgiving!  Happy Carb Counting!

Experimenting with Spaghetti Squash and -2 and Counting

Spaghetti Squash Muffin with Sour Cream and Salsa

I have just discovered a very yummy way to have something bread like without the flour!  I'm head over heels in love with how incredibly easy it was and the different things I could do with this new information astound me.   I have been trying to figure out how to use spaghetti squash as a base for things like eggs Benedict, a tortilla like wrap...I just see that there are a lot of possibilities with the squash that I just LOVE to eat.

Today, I was messing around and decided that I'd see if anyone had made spaghetti squash muffins.  I found a few recipes, but I didn't have all the ingredients.  One was too simple, I almost didn't take it seriously.  I was desperate so I thought, okay I'll try this one.

Super simple:

Take your spaghetti squash that has already been cooked and prepared.  If you don't know how to do this, please look it up, there are several ways but I prefer the oven method.

1 lb of spaghetti squash - prepared - 31 carbs / 8.8 fiber
4 eggs - 4 carbs

Whisk the eggs, pour over spaghetti squash and mix together.

Spray muffin pan, spoon in mixture into muffin pan.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.   AMAZING!

This made 12 muffins so 3 carbs each!!  Eat up! Tsp of Sour Cream and Salsa add a 1.5 carbs.

I had one with butter...and then I had one with sour cream and salsa and then my mind went nuts with all the ways I could serve this.  As a side with grilled chicken or steak.  As a base for my eggs Benedict, add other stuff to the mixture for a breakfast muffin or a lunch muffin with cold cuts and cheese....So pleased with myself.  You must try.

-2 and counting.  I am now 2 lbs below my target weight.  I'll be changing up my workout at the beginning of December to tone.  I want to try to make sure I don't gain weight in the process of toning so I'm actually a little excited to be starting that process with 2 lbs to spare. 

I'm also celebrating a new low carb coaching participant this week!  Yeah!  I hope to be able to help as many people as possible achieve their weight loss goals and change their lifestyle so they never have to feel like they will gain the weight again.  If you are interested in having a low carb coach, just let me know, I work virtually and in person so please don't let distance keep us apart.

Happy Carb Counting!  Gobble up some spaghetti squash as part of your Thanksgiving dinner!

Hop Scotch with the Bathroom Scale

How important is to weigh everyday?

There have been many times when I thought my scale was broken.  Usually the thought crossed my mind when I was on a really long weight plateau or when the scale was going up instead of down, I would shake the scale a little and be like..."come on...give me a good number!"

Yesterday, my son told me after his escapade in the bathroom where he supposedly washed his hair that the scale seemed broken.  I asked him what could possibly have broken the scale?  Did he drop something on it?  No.....unless his jumping up and down on it had something to do with it stuck on 255 lbs  Hmm.  I guess I'm really lucky it made it this long without breaking sooner as I'm sure, whatever version of hop scotch he was playing with the scale, was likely happening every time he took a shower.

Now what!?  I'm not really in the mood to go find another scale, but I suppose I'll have to.  I'll mess with it, see if I have any mechanical magic in my hands to make it come back, but being that I burned out the motor in the coffee grinder this morning doesn't give me much hope.   How helpful is the scale anyway?  Since I've already made my goal weight, I could just go to the gym in the morning and weigh there...right?

We'll see...I'm going there today.  What I dislike about using multiple scales is that they are all different.  The weight I get at the doctor's office is always different than what I had on my scale.  It causes a sense of anxiety when I use another scale. Will it say I weigh more? Will I not have made my goal weight on this particular scale?  Great...now I'm dreading the gym.

I read an article about how weighing everyday isn't healthy.  They suggest weighing twice a week or even once a week.  Weighing everyday for me was a good reminder that I was watching my weight.   So I disagree, yes some days I did weigh more than the day before and that made me correct.  I don't know what I would do if I would have gone a whole week without weighing and find out that I actually went up a lb instead of down a lb.  For someone who lost on average less than a 1 lb a week that's a full week set back.

Anyway, I guess I'll be scale shopping....anyone have any recommendations?

For those following my pumpkin experiment on how long a pumpkin can feed a family. I still have pumpkin bisque left that I'm eating...I can't believe that 1 pumpkin provided me with so many meals. I'm experimenting with banana squash.  I'm going to make lasagna next with the banana squash replacing the lasagna noodles.

Happy Carb Counting!

PS...Just continued messing with the scale and I fixed it!!