Monthly Check In #2

I was worried that this month I wouldn't see vast improvements in my metrics. I had gone over my self-prescribed 40 net carbs on a number of days. As I stepped on the scale (now that we have one) periodically throughout the month, I was disappointed to see how little weight I seemed to be losing.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

My highlights for August:

• I lost 2½" from my waist and another 2½" from my hips
• I did end up losing a total of 9 lbs over the course of the month
• My body fat percentage went down 4%
• My BMI dropped 1 point

Stuffed Peppers

I never much liked traditional stuffed peppers. With four red peppers in my refrigerator on the verge of getting too old to eat, however, I couldn't think of anything else to make. Since the traditional rice filling was out, I grated up some squash seed cores left over from a meal of Mock-aroni and Cheese I'd made earlier. I thought it tasted better than any other stuffed peppers I've had.

4 red bell peppers (1 lb)
1 lb ground beef
¼ c chopped onion (1½ oz)
1 clove garlic
½ c shredded yellow squash (4 oz)
1 egg, beaten
½ c grated Romano, divided (1 oz)

1. Cut tops from peppers and remove seeds and ribs.
2. Dice pepper tops. Sauté with beef, onion, garlic, and squash until beef is browned and vegetables have softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Boil 3 qts water. Set peppers in boiling water for 3-5 min until they turn bright red. Remove and let cool.
4. Mix egg and ¼ c cheese into filling.
5. Stand peppers in an 9x9 pan and spoon filling evenly among them. Top each with 1 T cheese.
6. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 min or until cooked through.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 pepper Serving per Recipe 4

Amount per Serving Calories 441 Total Fat 33.7 g   Saturated Fat 13.8 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g   Monounsaturated Fat 14.3 g Cholesterol 150 mg Sodium 185 mg Potassium 376 mg Total Carbohydrates 9.2 g   Dietary Fiber 2.9 g   Sugars 5.4 g Protein 24.3 g

Bacon Chicken Kiev

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Brats worked so well, I thought I'd branch out and try it with a non-pork-based meat product. I'd never made Chicken Kiev, or even eaten it, so when I looked up a few recipes, I was surprised to discover that the traditional method coats the chicken breast in breadcrumbs. I decided to skip that step entirely and just stick to the bacon.

2 cloves garlic
½ t salt
½ c butter, softened
2 T finely chopped parsley*
2 T finely chopped tarragon*
2 T finely chopped chives*
¼ t pepper
2 t lemon juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1½ lbs)
8 slices bacon (½ lb)

1. Mash garlic with salt to form a paste.
2. Mix with butter, herbs, pepper, and lemon juice until well blended.
3. Roll into a log in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until solid.
4. Place chicken breasts one at a time in a gallon-size plastic bag and pound to about ¼-in thickness.
5. Cut herbed butter into 4 pieces. Wrap a flattened breast around each piece.
6. Roll bacon around breasts and secure with toothpicks.
7. Bake at 375°F for 45 min or until juices run clear.

*NOTE: You can also substitute 2 t dried herbs, crumbled between your fingers.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 breast Serving per Recipe 4

Amount per Serving Calories 451 Total Fat 31.7 g   Saturated Fat 17.4 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 1.8 g   Monounsaturated Fat 9.7 g Cholesterol 157 mg Sodium 1056 mg Potassium 127 mg Total Carbohydrates 1.6 g   Dietary Fiber 0.2 g   Sugars 0.1 g Protein 39.9 g

Weekly Menu #9

Sunday
Breakfast: Berries and Cream Smoothies
Lunch: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Kiev
Dinner: Beef and Onion Pizza

Monday
Breakfast: Banana Waffles
Lunch: Granola Bars
Dinner: Eggplant Romano

Tuesday
Breakfast: Pear Bread
Lunch: Cheesy Herbed Chicken with Creamed Spinach
Dinner: Faux-tato Pancakes

Wednesday
Breakfast: Vanilla Maple Waffles
Lunch: Bacon Spinach Frittata
Dinner: Peanut Chicken

Thursday
Breakfast: Pear Custard
Lunch: Fish and Green Beans Almondine
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs
Lunch: Coconut Chicken Drumsticks
Dinner: Pork Sausage Focaccia Sandwiches

Saturday
Breakfast: Maple Bacon Waffles
Lunch: Chicken Pesto Lasagna
Dinner: Citrus Pork

Zucchini Muffins

For most of my early childhood, we had a huge garden in our backyard. One of the vegetables we grew way too much of every year was zucchini. I remember pulling wagonfuls through the neighborhood with my dad in an effort to share the abundance. Now that I've rediscovered zucchini as a low-carb staple, it seemed only fitting to recreate my mom's zucchini bread recipe as a low-carb dish.

⅔ c almond butter (6 oz)
4 eggs
2 T honey
6 T butter, softened
¼ t salt
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
1 c finely shredded zucchini (6 oz)

1. Beat together all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. Divide batter evenly among 6 well-greased jumbo* muffin cups.
3. Bake at 350°F for 60-65 min or dark golden brown and set in the centers.

*NOTE: This recipe can also be made in standard muffin cups. Divide batter up among 12 cups and cut the baking time about in half.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 jumbo or 2 standard muffins Serving per Recipe 6

Amount per Serving Calories 346 Total Fat 29.9 g   Saturated Fat 9.5 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 4.7 g   Monounsaturated Fat 13.9 g Cholesterol 154 mg Sodium 485 mg Potassium 340 mg Total Carbohydrates 13.2 g   Dietary Fiber 4.0 g   Sugars 7.7 g Protein 10.7 g

Vanilla Maple Waffles

Two days before payday is often a culinary adventure in our house. The bananas I'd been planning to use for Banana Waffles had been eaten earlier in the week. Rather than completely redesign breakfast, I tweaked my intended recipe a bit and produced this dish. Adam tells me these are the best waffles he's had lately, which is really saying something considering how many waffles we've had for breakfast (and dinner) the past few weeks.

⅔ c almond butter (6 oz)
4 eggs
6 T butter
2 T maple syrup
¼ t salt
2 t baking powder
1 t vanilla
¼ c cream

1. Beat together all ingredients until well blended.
2. Brush a small amount of butter or oil over cooking surface.
3. Pour ½ c batter onto waffle iron and cook for 2 min, 45 sec.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing surface between every other waffle.
5. Waffles may be enjoyed immediately or frozen and toasted.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 waffle Serving per Recipe 6

Amount per Serving Calories 372 Total Fat 33.5 g   Saturated Fat 11.7 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 4.8 g   Monounsaturated Fat 14.9 g Cholesterol 167 mg Sodium 488 mg Potassium 284 mg Total Carbohydrates 10.7 g   Dietary Fiber 3.3 g   Sugars 5.5 g Protein 10.7 g

Pork Roast with Root Vegetables

Our local grocer had another sale on pork loin last week. Big haul of meat, little price. I was getting a bit tired of Garlic Pork and Citrus Pork, yummy though they both are. Having also found radishes on sale, I was inspired to make this dish. I used scallions as you see in the photo just because I had them on hand.

2 lbs boneless pork loin
½ lb carrots, cut into large pieces
½ lb radishes, whole or halved
½ onion, quartered (3 oz)
¼ t each salt and pepper, or to taste

1. Place pork loin into the crock of a slow cooker.
2. Surround with vegetables.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours until until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
5. Remove from crock and let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice pork and ⅛ vegetables Serving per Recipe 8

Amount per Serving Calories 191 Total Fat 7.1 g   Saturated Fat 1.8 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g   Monounsaturated Fat 2.1 g Cholesterol 67 mg Sodium 151 mg Potassium 543 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.6 g   Dietary Fiber 3.5 g   Sugars 1.9 g Protein 25.6 g

Raspberries and Cream Smoothies

I never used much sweetener in my smoothies, but I did tend to prefer fruits that have a high concentration of natural sugars, such as bananas. Here is my low-carb version of an old favorite. I made it most recently as a treat for my daughter who was disappointed to have missed out on the ice cream truck at the zoo.

1¼ c frozen raspberries (6 oz)
¾ c heavy cream
¼ c shredded coconut (1 oz)
½ t vanilla
1 t honey

1. Blend together all ingredients until smooth.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size ½ c Serving per Recipe 4

Amount per Serving Calories 151 Total Fat 13.1 g   Saturated Fat 9.2 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g   Monounsaturated Fat 2.4 g Cholesterol 31 mg Sodium 11 mg Potassium 83 mg Total Carbohydrates 8.7 g   Dietary Fiber 4.0 g   Sugars 2.0 g Protein 0.9 g

Weekly Menu #8

Sunday
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Waffles
Lunch: Roast Chicken with Baked Radishes
Dinner: Sausage and Onion Focaccia

Monday
Breakfast: Bacon Cheese Omelets
Lunch: Bacon Burgers with Fresh Salsa
Dinner: Garlic Pork

Tuesday
Breakfast: Raspberry Smoothies
Lunch: Beef Tacos
Dinner: Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: Banana Pecan Custard
Lunch: Coconut Chicken Drumsticks with Cucumber Tomato Salad
Dinner: Chopped Steak and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Thursday
Breakfast: Maple Almond Pancakes
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Kiev with Green Beans

Friday
Breakfast: Beef Sausage and Egg Sandwiches
Lunch: Cheesy Herbed Chicken
Dinner: Citrus Pork

Saturday
Breakfast: Romano Popovers
Lunch: Bacon and Egg Salad
Dinner: Hamburgers with Carrot Chips

Cheesy Herbed Chicken

I was planning to make Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki one night, but I hadn't gotten around to making a new batch of yogurt for the sauce. I ended up just making hamburgers. I figured I could make a Mediterranean herbed chicken and serve that with tzatziki instead. But when I still hadn't made yogurt several days later, I just tossed the ingredients for the meatballs in with the chicken and this was the result. Very yummy and no need to plan ahead with the yogurt.

¾ c minced onion (4 oz)
2 T fresh parsley (or 2 t dried)
1 t lemon pepper
¼ c oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1½ lbs)
½ c grated Romano (1 oz)

1. Mix together onions, parsley, lemon pepper, and oil. Marinate chicken breasts 10 min to overnight.
2. Bake on a metal rack over a baking pan at 400°F for 20 min.
3. Sprinkle cheese over each breast and continue cooking for another 15 min or until cooked through.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 breast Serving per Recipe 4

Amount per Serving Calories 333 Total Fat 17.3 g   Saturated Fat 4.1 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 4.4 g   Monounsaturated Fat 6.8 g Cholesterol 120 mg Sodium 162 mg Potassium 67 mg Total Carbohydrates 2.8 g   Dietary Fiber 0.6 g   Sugars 0.1 g Protein 42.6 g

Maple Almond Blondies

I hadn't made a desserty dish in several days, so I looked at what I had on hand and created a new recipe. After just one bite, Adam proclaimed it "a definite win." I liked them at room temperature, but I thought the taste was significantly better after I'd set them in the freezer for an hour.

1 c almond butter (9 oz)
1 egg
3 T butter, softened
¼ c maple syrup
¼ c heavy cream
1 t vanilla

1. Beat together all ingredients and pour into an ungreased 8x8 pan.
2. Bake at 375°F for 45-50 min or until the center is set.
3. Let cool 20-30 min before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 12

Amount per Serving Calories 185 Total Fat 15.5 g   Saturated Fat 3.4 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 2.9 g   Monounsaturated Fat 8.3 g Cholesterol 27 mg Sodium 100 mg Potassium 181 mg Total Carbohydrates 8.6 g   Dietary Fiber 2.5 g   Sugars 5.0 g Protein 5.3 g

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

Several big box stores had back-to-school waffle makers on sale this past week. Adam and I decided we should get one. We made waffles every morning for four days running. This was my favorite batch. My daughter's first comment was, "Waffles? Again??" But after she'd cleaned her plate, she changed her tune, "Are there more? I'm still hungry."

⅔ c almond butter (6 oz)
4 eggs
6 T butter
¼ t salt
1½ t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
2 t honey
¼ t vanilla
1 c shredded apple (8 oz)

1. Beat together all ingredients until well blended.
2. Brush a small amount of butter or oil over cooking surface.
3. Pour ½ c batter onto waffle iron and cook for 3 min.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing surface between every other waffle.
5. Waffles may be enjoyed immediately or frozen and toasted.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 waffle Serving per Recipe 6

Amount per Serving Calories 346 Total Fat 29.8 g   Saturated Fat 9.4 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 4.7 g   Monounsaturated Fat 13.9 g Cholesterol 154 mg Sodium 444 mg Potassium 299 mg Total Carbohydrates 12.8 g   Dietary Fiber 4.1 g   Sugars 7.2 g Protein 10.7 g

Chicken Pesto Lasagna

I was looking to make a baked noodle dish with something other than a traditional tomato-based sauce. Pesto seemed like a good bet and chicken breasts were on sale this week. I mixed it all up, added a dash of low-carb garlic bechamel, and made a very rich and delicious lasagna. Adam even commented that maybe it was just a little too rich. I, of course, scoffed at the very idea and helped myself to a second serving.

3 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ c heavy cream
Pinch nutmeg
1 recipe Almond Noodles
1 recipe Spinach Walnut Pesto
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and thinly sliced
½ c grated Romano cheese (1 oz)

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 min.
2. Stir in cream and nutmeg. Simmer until thick, about 6-8 min, stirring frequently.
3. Layer noodles, pesto, chicken, and cream sauce in a 9x9 pan. Top with grated Romano.
4. Cover and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20-25 min or until edges have browned.
5. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 9

Amount per Serving Calories 351 Total Fat 33.3 g   Saturated Fat 10.0 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 5.2 g   Monounsaturated Fat 16.0 g Cholesterol 101 mg Sodium 313 mg Potassium 254 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.9 g   Dietary Fiber 2.3 g   Sugars 1.0 g Protein 10.1 g