BBQ and Picnic Foods

How to survive BBQ's, Picnic's and other Summer Time Outings. 

Tips and Tricks:

• Offer to Bring Something- "Thank you for inviting me, can I bring a veggie tray or deviled eggs?", "How about a green salad?", "Would you like me to bring some finger food like pinwheel sandwiches or roll ups?", "How about some unbreaded chicken wings?" if you bring something Low Carb then you at least know that you can eat something there.
•  Be Prepared- Whenever I have to go to a gathering and I'm not sure what food people are bringing or what might be in something I always try to pack a small lunch bag and keep it in my car or have a protein bar or ziploc bag of bacon in my purse as a back up.
• Food Allergies- If someone asks why you're eating something different you don't have to say that you're Low Carb or that you're trying to lose weight. You can just say that you have food allergies or you're allergic to sugar and carbs or  you can't eat it. I normally say "I'm allergic to Sugar, Flour and Soy" or "I can't have sugar or carbs".  Some people will ask if I have Celiac and I say no, but it's kind of similar. They usually don't ask more after that unless they also have problems with certain foods.
• Don't Trust Gluten Free- Gluten Free does not equal Low Carb! A lot of times I've found that Gluten Free items actually have more carbs than the normal product does. If you can't check the label and see what's in it then don't trust that any Gluten Free item is Low Carb because it's probably not. 
• Beverages- I always bring my own water bottle or a bottle of something that I can drink and no one ever acts put off by it. Lots of people carry water bottles and especially in the heat I doubt anyone would make a big deal about it. You could even offer to bring Crystal Light Lemonade or offer to bring soda and then make sure some of it is diet. It's certainly not the most healthy option and I don't recommend drinking soda all the time, but it's better than filling yourself full of sugar in my opinion. 

Food Suggestions (as shown above):

1. Garden Salad
2. Garden Salad with Tuna, Chicken, Steak, or any unbreaded meat.
3. Hamburger patty without the bun.
4. Low Carb Pinwheel Sandwiches.
5. Cream Cheese and Lunch meat Roll-ups.
6. Bacon Cream Cheese Squares.
7. Celery with Cream Cheese and Bacon.
8. Celery and Carrots with Ranch.
9. Chicken Wings - Unbreaded with Buffalo or Garlic Parm sauce.*
10. Deviled Eggs.
11. Any kind of unbreaded meat that isn't covered in BBQ sauce.**
12. If bringing a sandwich tray make yours with lettuce instead of bread. 
13. Bell Pepper and Onion kabobs to add flavor to your bunless burger.
14. Macaroni Salad with Dreamfields Low Carb Pasta***

* Most are kinds of Buffalo Sauce are fairly low sugar, but not all. Ken's is ok and the kind from Buffalo Wild Wings has 2 carbs for 5 wings in both the Buffalo and the Garlic Parm.

**Some sauces have 17 grams of sugar per tbsp. I look for pieces not drenched sauce or if possible ask for one with no sauce or rinse it off or at least scrape off the excess.

***It's very important to follow the cooking instructions on Dreamfields pasta and DO NOT overcook it. Drench it in cold water and keep rinsing it until it's cold. Don't reheat it either. I've never had any issues with it but I'm also OCD about the cooking process so that may be why. If it stalls you then don't eat it. I like it and use it sparingly and have no issues with it. 

Good Luck! Enjoy your time with friends and family and if you do eat something questionable don't beat yourself up too much, just make sure you get right back on track with the following meal.

Watch out for added Carbs/Calories in Frozen Drinks!

With summer sometimes comes more temptation with summer time parties and celebrations and everyone drinking slushies, milk shakes and frozen alcoholic beverages in various colors and flavors. It's important to remember how much sugar those drinks contain and avoid them.

 

Alcohol also has sugar in it and can lower your inhibitions and let your judgement slip on just how much food you should eat. It can also cause you to need more food to offset the effects of it as well. Also those who are Low Carb will get intoxicated a lot faster than someone that consumes more carbs due to not having anything to absorb the alcohol. If you feel that you must have some kind of drink then maybe opt for something mixed with Crystal Light instead of a sugary mixer.

Summer Time can also bring discouragement when it's time for an event that involves bathing suits... that's when you need to step back and take a look at your progress and be happy with how far you've come so far and with the fact that you're taking steps to improve your health. Then look for a style of bathing suit that covers your problem areas the best and opt for a cover up or swimming skirt or swimming shorts to go over it if you don't like your thighs etc.

Maxi dresses that gather under the chest are often good choices, knee length summer dresses are good if you like your legs, mesh tops help with those who don't like their arms and the swim skirts and shorts help with those who don't like their thighs. There's a lot of cute coverups out there.

Having a melt down or a panic attack or getting mad at people for inviting you to an event won't help the situation and will only take longer in the fitting room...

I've had a few friends experience this in the past few weeks so I thought a reminder would be helpful in case anyone else was also feeling that way. It also does not help to get frustrated and fall off the wagon either.

Hang in there and focus on the good parts and enjoy your summer. You can't go back and relive the summer and you could be missing out on some fun memories if you avoid pool side gatherings. 

What's for lunch at work?

I often get asked what I eat for lunch at work. Normally it's bacon and eggs but today I got tuna and boiled eggs from the salad bar and put some bell pepper in it with some mayo. Yummy and simple! :)

Long Term Sucess/Life Time Maintenance and Rewarding Yourself!

This topic came up in my reply to Melody who's lost 45 lbs in her first 5 weeks on Low Carb and I decided it might be helpful to others as well so I'm going to share it. Congrats Melody! You're off to a great start!!!

As we all know this is a long process and a life time change to improve your health and way of life. To change the way you think about food and not to comfort or reward yourself with food. But it's also important to make sure to reward yourself along the way when you can.

Try get a new pair of workout pants, or a new flattering wrap top that helps you start to see your progress more. Maybe a new yoga mat for doing Palates if you need something low impact and you aren't up for the gym yet. Even go see a movie, but skip the snack counter... eat lunch or dinner before the movie. Get a mani/pedi, have a spa day at home with a friend. Maybe get some new pj's or new undies. Make sure that you at least have one properly fitting outfit so you feel good going places.

I went from a size 56 dress, 8x/9x men's shirt with a 91" waist to a size 18/20 dress, 1x/2x tops so I've had to replace my entire wardrobe several times along the way. It sucked spending the money on clothes, but it felt so good to wear an outfit that fit me correctly. It's also important to get rid of your clothes when they become way too big, or get out the sewing machine and alter them. Because if you keep the bigger baggy clothes around and you start gaining weight you won't realize it in your clothes if everything you have is baggy or stretchy.

I've been wearing nothing but dresses with leggings and boots to work all winter (stretchy clothes). My office was passing around germs and I was busy, never home, not sleeping enough, not drinking enough water and I got a sinus infection that was upsetting my tummy for 3 weeks and then I had the flu that lingered for 4 weeks and lots of extra stress from work. I've still been doing low carb, but not as low as I normally do and I started drinking more Sprite Zero and Fresca trying to settle my tummy and I think it made me feel worse and upset my tummy more from the added sweeteners in the long run.

The scale gradually went up a bit... but I wasn't too worried because I still looked the same and my clothes still fit me.  Then Friday night I went to go put on my "Skinny" jeans that used to fit comfortably and they wouldn't button out of the dryer. I realized that I had not worn them in two months. I sighed and put on my relaxed fit jeans and they fit me snugly... That's my sign that I have to go back to induction level carbs (20 or less per day) instead of having off days of 30-40 carbs per day like I have been doing a lot the past couple of months.

The gradual increases can sure add up in time if you gain 10 lbs one month and 10 lbs another month, you have to catch it before it gets out of hand. I know it's not added muscle weight because I haven't been training hard lately, it's from eating too many carbs for my system. With my PCOS I have to stay at 20 or less per day to maintain my weight and to feel my best. I haven't been working out because the numbness has gotten worse due to excess skin cutting off circulation and pinching my nerve. I'll post more about that later though.

I had increased portions because I was working over time and I would often be at work until 6:30 or 7pm so I started getting bigger salads for lunch to compensate for a later dinner. My salads had a lot of turkey, ham or chicken on them from the work salad bar so I know there was hidden carbs there even though I brought my own dressing. I'd eat half the salad at 1pm, the other half at 4/5pm and then dinner around 8/9pm. But it ended up adding an extra meal to my day instead of it just being a snack. Then some days I'd say screw it, my tummy was already upset so I'd grab a piece of pizza with my salad too. I normally avoided the carbs because they upset my tummy, but it was easier to give in to them when my tummy was already upset.

I'm sharing this with you guys to let you know that even someone like me who's maintained the loss for over 2 years still has to watch it and that we can all have little setbacks, we all have to be careful. We just have to get back on it and watch the carbs and portion sizes to keep yourself in check. Also make sure to drink enough water too and try to get enough sleep... I struggle with the sleep part because I'm always busy with something or my mind is wanting to go go go instead of resting.

Remember the important part is to never give up on yourself, ever! You can do it, because you are worth it!

-CJ

Homemade Broccoli, Bacon and Cheese Soup with a BLT Wrap

It's cold and rainy and nothing sounded good the other night except for Broccoli Cheese Soup and I decided to add some Bacon!

I just used my standard go to combination for a sauce base.
1 stick of butter
16 ounces of Heavy Whipping Cream
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used Cheddar here)

For an Alfredo I use an Italian Blend of whatever I have on hand.
Just melt the butter, melt the cheese, add the cream and stir while bringing it to a boil. Keep stirring and let it simmer until it thickens.
Once the sauce is done cooking then I added the steamed broccoli and crumbled the bacon.

You could also pair this with a BLT made on a low carb tortilla or a lettuce wrap or a BLT salad. 
I decided that it was too much food for me for one meal so I just went with the soup and then ate the wrap later.

 I don't eat soy because of my PCOS so I will only use one brand of low carb Tortilla. All of the other ones that I have found are made with soy flour. I use the Mission Carb Balance tortillas, they do have a small amount of soybean oil but that doesn't bother me like the soy flour, soy lecithin or soy protein does.

Soy basically mimics estrogen and was causing problems for me so I stopped eating it altogether last summer. Most ladies with PCOS already have high estrogen levels and should not eat soy and should try to eat more broccoli because broccoli naturally helps to rid your body of excess estrogen.

Dreamfields Low Carb Rotini

 Dreamfields Rotini pasta with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and ground beef.

 Once again I want to stress the importance of following the cooking instructions exactly! I boil the water, set the timer (but don't hit start yet), measure out the portion size of pasta that I want to cook. Hit the start button and drop the pasta in the boiling water. As soon as the 8 minutes is up I immediately remove the pasta from the stove and drain it in the sink while rinsing with cold water to stop the cooking process. I always measure out the portions and don't over cook the pasta and I haven't had any problems with this pasta. It might not work for everyone and if you notice that it stalls you when you haven't had any other carbs then I would suggest not eating it until you're on maintenance.
 

I separated the dry pasta in to 6 servings and cooked 2 servings, 1 of those servings is in this bowl for dinner and the other one is in the fridge for tomorrow.  I store the sauce separate from the noodles so that I can reheat the sauce without reheating the noodles. I don't want the noodles to over cook because then your body will absorb more of the carbs that should not be digested and would increase the carb count. When cooked properly, one serving is 5 carbs plus whatever is in the sauce and veggies that you add.

I made a simple sauce with bell pepper, onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, black pepper, Italian seasoning and a little parmesan cheese. You could easily use frozen onions and peppers like shown above or fresh ones if you have them available. You can use canned or fresh tomatoes depending on their availability as well. Garlic powder can also be used instead of fresh garlic. You can also cook up the ground beef ahead of time and used it the next day. This is also great which grilled chicken or even an Italian sausage that's lower in carbs. You can also skip the low carb pasta and just layer meat, sauce cheese in a pan and bake it like a lasagna. I have pictures of that in other posts. If you have high carb eaters in your house you can easily cook them some normal pasta and serve them the same sauce.

Nom Nom Nom....Tri -Tip!!!

Do you have Tri-Tip in your area?

Do you know what Tri-Tip is? 

I checked wiki for a good definition:

"The tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin primal cut. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. per side of beef. In the United States, this cut was typically used for ground beef or sliced into steaks until the late 1950s, when Otto Schaefer marketed it in Oakland, California. Shortly thereafter, it became a local specialty in Santa Maria, California, rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and other seasonings, cooked over red oak wood and roasted whole on a rotisserie, smoked in a pit, baked in an oven, grilled, or braised by putting a pot on top of a grill, browning the meat directly on the grill surface before and after the braising. (The tri-tip is still often labeled the "Santa Maria steak".) Most popular in the Central Coast of California and Central Valley regions of California, it has begun to enjoy increasing popularity elsewhere for its full flavor, lower fat content, and comparatively lower cost."

Here's a pic from Wiki too:

I grew up in California and we always had Tri-Tip, my Dad cooked them all the time. It wasn't until I moved to Kansas that I found out it was a regional thing....... I noticed that there wasn't any in the stores so I asked the butcher if he had any and he said, "What's that?". I tried explaining that it was a large roast with a fatty side and it was triangle shaped with 3 tips. None of the stores knew what I was talking about.

I had never cooked one myself but I sat or stood at the kitchen counter watching my Dad season them for years and watching him cook other things too. Since I moved away when I was 19 he hadn't really eaten much of my cooking, but he loved my baking. He'd go BBQ the meat and I'd cook the side dishes, chop stuff, stir stuff, do the inside work. The first time he visited me I BBQ-ed chicken and he said "Man, you're a good cook! This taste better than my chicken, where'd you learn this from?" I smiled and said, "From watching you!" :)


This is a CA Tri-Tip cooking on my Dad's grill, there is two of them there. But notice the shape, that's where it gets it's name from.


I saw Tri-Tip Steaks for sale in MA and I asked the butcher if I could buy the steaks uncut. He said they had a roast and showed it to me.  They are not as big as the ones in CA and they are a lot leaner too. He showed me the fresh cuts and for whatever reason they don't have the big ones here. He said they are not real popular here and no one would buy them if they had more fat on them....... I laughed and said but that's the best part that keeps them juicy and adds flavor while on the grill. He agreed with me. 

They had them labeled as "Oven Roasts" with the label saying Sirloin Tri-Tip Roast. So I'm thinking maybe some people just don't know what to do with them and cook them totally in a oven or put them in a crock pot. Sure they are good that way too but they are much better with crispy outsides!
 


Since these have less fat on them I melted some butter and a little olive oil in the bottom of my grill pan, seasoned the Tri-Tip and seared both sides and the edges to lock in the flavor and moisture.

If you turn them on the sides like this to brown all the edges, just watch out that they don't fall over and splash hot grease on you.

Then when the outsides were all seared, I put them in a baking pan.

Added more seasonings and put some extra butter on the top of them so they wouldn't dry out.

Covered the pan in foil and put them in the oven to finish cooking.

 I really need to get my grill assembled......


They smelled sooo good!

Ready to cut into it.

I had to resist tasting a piece before I was done cutting it. 

 The finished product ready to eat.

It was very good!!! Nom Nom Nom!!!!!!
(and that's a salad plate, not a dinner plate by the way. People often ask me about my portion sizes so I try to include that my meals are always on salad plates unless I state otherwise. I didn't watch portion sizes in the beginning, it just happened over time the closer I got to goal.)

My oldest dog was standing there crying at me hoping to get a bite. He did not get any Tri-Tip but he did get a doggie cookie.... LOL

So..... the final verdict, was it as good as my Dad's???

It's almost as good as my Dad's...... Almost. :)
Since this is my first time cooking a Tri -Tip and I used a grill pan and a oven instead of a BBQ grill...... I'm gonna be so bold as to say that he's a good teacher and if I tried enough I bet I could beat his Tri-Tip..... Look out Dad!!! <3
(Of course I only say that now that I'm grown and he can't ground me anymore). LOL

Hello Everybody

Thanks for the emails, pm's and messages.
I'm fine, just been busy. :)
Yes, I'm still low carb and I will be for life!
This isn't just a diet, it's a healthy way of eating and a healthy lifestyle. I hope everyone is doing well.
Here's my dinner from tonight, it was yummy but it needed bacon! LOL

~CJ
Sent from my Droid 2.

Low Carb Bread

First of all let me say that I had not had any low carb bread since about 2005 before trying this bread. Also I have always been a fan of white bread and never really liked wheat bread. I was still low carb but more like 30 to 40 carbs per day for a few years and I would have a piece of normal bread or a normal tortilla once in awhile. Then when I went back on induction I basically did a years worth of induction without using any low carb bread or low carb tortillas and no sugar free candy or atkins bars either. I just went straight for the foods that were naturally low in carbs and really I feel best when I eat that way and don't load up on low carb products. But having the atkins bars handy has been helpful, but I will post more about those later, this post is about bread!

The normal grocery store that I go to doesn't have any low carb bread, but I stopped by a Market Basket and they had this bread, so I decided to try it. I bought it about 3 weeks ago and keep it in the fridge and I still have half of the loaf left. I also want to try the sprouted wheat bread from Trader Joes but I need to finish off this loaf first before I buy another one.

This bread isn't bad, it does taste like wheat bread of course and it has a bit of a spongy texture but not really spongy to where it feels funny on your teeth when eating it. I find that I like it better toasted, it gives it a better texture. I toasted one piece and had half a serving of peanut butter and half a serving of sugar free jelly and it was sooooo good, I felt like I was eating something bad for me even though it was only 8 carbs. I had not had a PB & J in well over a year. But it did make me want a glass of milk with it and some doritos was the only down side. LOL

I also made french toast with it and that was a nice treat. Another day I toasted a piece and put tuna on it and that was good. I tried it just with butter and cinnamon...... but it made me want a second piece and some oatmeal, but instead I made scrambled eggs. Today I toasted a piece and put egg salad on it, that tasted very good to me. Maybe I was just super hungry, I'm not sure, but I really liked it. I just use one piece and have it open face and then ate the extra few bites of egg salad by it's self.

 This combo filled me up and I didn't want a 2nd piece of bread or anything else. I suppose I could have two pieces at once because they are 5 carbs each but then that just limits my carbs for the rest of the day, so it's really all about choices. I haven't noticed any change from eating this bread, but I am also using it sparingly and not as an everyday staple. I guess I could, but I would rather save those carbs for something else and just go without the bread since I'm so use to not having it. I think of it more as a treat then an everyday thing, or something nice to have on hand if you are in a hurry and have to take food with you on the go, then I might make an actual sandwich out of it because it would be a better choice then normal bread.

More Friends :)

One of my favorite couples and long time friends. :)

 

And their crazy puppies.

 One of their puppies loves to give me huggles and kisses. :)

 Another friend, she is a very wonderful lady and I will always be grateful for her.

Two more wonderful ladies! I miss our girls nights/days together.

 And since people like to see what I eat, here is my salad.

 My steak and broccoli.

My Sister's Wedding

This was the main event of my trip, my Sisters wedding. :)

We hadn't seen each other in so long, she started smiling and didn't stop. <3

 She didn't want to put me to work, but I helped her anyway, cause what are sisters for!

 The Happy Couple! LOL

 He is a very nice guy, he gets the "CJ seal of approval".

 After some last minute decorations, the rehearsal, dinner and more decorations and clean up we hit the hot tub.

 The next day was the wedding and pictures before the wedding.

 The photographer was great! I know several good photographers in KS if anyone needs a referral.

 A close up of the dress. She has lost about 80 lbs! A few months ago she told me that I was her inspiration to lose weight. She made me cry like a baby. <3

 I got to drive the Bride and her Mom in a pink Mary Kay Caddy. :)

 Here comes the Bride!

 It was perfect weather for a wedding. There is a pond just past the gazebo.

 The cake.

 We had to set these cupcakes out and it was impossible to get them out of the package without getting a little bit of frosting on your fingers. I didn't eat a cupcake or so much as lick any of the frosting off my fingers when I was done setting them out. They smelled good, looked good, but I knew they would taste way too sweet for me and make me sick so I didn't try one.

 Is any wedding complete without an emergency ice run??? LOL
Luckily there was a store down the road and the guy was nice and helped load it in the car.

 The food was good, they had beef, pork and turkey with baked beans, potato salad and rolls. I ended up with just a plate of beef, pork and turkey and left the wedding craving a salad. LOL
I'm so glad that I was able to be there for her wedding, we have been friends for a long time and she became my sister. We're not biological sisters, we chose each other to call sister. :)