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