Political Nutrition

Seriously. I have had some success lately with chocolate and baking and well, dessert in general. But it was really gnawing at me that if you can make a flourless chocolate cake, then a low carb one should be a natural. Right? Make that gluten free too, grain free and sugar free as well... yeah, I know what you're thinking. Same here. Just wasn't happening. Always ends up more of a torte, and often while I can devour a torte, my friends and family are a bit overwhelmed with superdark chocolate confections. I just hadn't achieved that perfect balance, until now. Per DJFoodie's  recommendation, I took a recipe from Atkins ... which used sucralose, then I subbed in my go-to sweetener... Swerve . The thing about Swerve is that it acts just like sugar when baking, and doesn't make your stomach feel like a soccer team has taken up habitation in your gut. Best thing? Doesn't have the glycemic spike of many artificial sweeteners. They might be calorie free, but they can...

So expecting a dark and stormy Saturday, I put on my baking apron and waited for the sun to disappear behind the angry clouds. And waited. And waited. But alas, it's another happy sunny day with no sign of rain. Yet. So what to bake? I've had a few somewhat snippy, possibly angry, messages lately from blog readers wondering why nothing new is coming out. My blog is dry. Just like my surroundings. So I promised myself, a new recipe for today. I just don't know what that is. It'll be healthy, that much I can tell you. Hubby asked "do you have what you need?" Of course I do.  It's just an idea of what to do with them I don't have. I was thinking Pecans though. I have a whole bagful. Fudge could be in order. Or not. Maybe I should go savory today. Big pot of soup. Or chile. Or some wild new salad combination. Nah.  I'm just really out of zip. I'm tired. It's sunny. I have no motivation. Hang on. I do have motivation. Today is the da...

After a week of dipping fresh Strawberries in homemade chocolate dipping sauce, we were ready for something totally different. Still healthy of course, just different. Cookies. Buttery, sugary cookies. We also thought it was time to break out the new fruit extracts. When you first go low carb you discover that you can dress up anything with a good extract. Not artificial flavors and not sugary syrups. Just a little extract can change up a recipe in a heartbeat. Which is what you'll have many more of if you eat right. Lose the grain, lose the sugar... and ultimately gain your health back. The great thing about these cookies? You can change up the flavor of the cookie, and change up the flavor of the icing. Ultimately there's no end to the combinations you can make.  And they are the perfect recipe for a summer day, since they don't take long to bake. Plus, in the summertime when your children are home? You can get them to do the baking. Now mine are grown, but I b...

I'm discovering that pancakes can be a fabulous low carb, grain and gluten free option. Really. And the more I play around with batters, the more I realize bisquick was just one of a thousand mixtures you could use. So here's how to create your own spin on pancakes and invent your own signature recipe. Start with equal parts of a variety of nut and bean flours on the market. There are sooo many to choose from. In today's recipe, I used equal parts of chickpea flour (garbanzo/besan) and peanut flour. Why peanut flour? Simple. The lower fat nut flours won't provide the texture or binding you need. So if you use Almond flour it's a little dry. Hazelnut flour a little gritty. So you have to experiment. I've also added Whey protein which is great but seems it doesn't agree with me in larger amounts.  C'est la vie. So, for every 1/2 cup of flour, use one egg and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, along with a heaping tablespoon of sweetener (I prefer Sw...

My favorite snack cake growing up was a Funny Bone. Wrapped in silver foil, like a Ring Ding, but shaped like a Yodel, and filled with this awesome peanut butter cream. Truth? It wasn't real cream, or real peanut butter, and who knows what kind of crap was used to make the most horribly delicious food ever. A few years ago I had an awful craving, actually... more like 10 years ago. I haven't eaten sugar in close to nine years. But back to my story. I went online, and to my utter delight, Gristedes in New York would ship me as many boxes of my childhood obsession as I wanted. I ordered like 7 boxes. I wanted my husband to try them. I wanted my girls to experience the sugary rush of awesomeness. Back then, I had no idea it was so deadly. And now I do. But it doesn't mean I gave up my love of Chocolate and Peanut butter cakes rolled in chocolate. Carolyn, over at AlldayIdreamaboutfood.com, had this great layer cake with peanut butter frosting and ganache. She also had a ...

So I was looking for an easy fudge recipe when instead I happened upon a recipe that sounded equally fabulous. Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffins. Really, huh. I thought could they be as good as as my favorite recipe blogger makes them sound? Yep. They could. But not without a hitch or two. Totally my fault. First, I was impatient. So where she said, very clearly, eggs at room temperature, I figured, not important. Guess what, it is. Because when I tried to cream the butter and eggs, it looked like a bad accident. Curdled beyond belief. Had to toss it out. So, if you try this recipe, follow the directions. Carolyn, who writes the fabulous blog I found these at, and who creates unbelievable recipes, is quite good at providing accurate instructions. Follow them.  Here's my take (pretty much the same as the original) Ingredients: 2 eggs at room temperature. Don't use cold eggs. Please. 1 stick (1/2 cup) organic butter, softened 1 Cup Almond Flour, sifted 3/4 c...

Holiday traditions can really screw with you when you've completely changed your diet. I'm not talking "on a diet" I'm talking lifestyle change. Christmas with the Millers has some pretty great traditions when it comes to food. Get up with a great cup of coffee and watch the kids with the stockings and Santa gifts. When everyone is assembled, break out the gift exchange and ooh and aaah. Then sit down to Bagels and Lox and stuff yourself silly. This is usually followed by some schmaltzy TV movie or parade, a nice brisk walk, and then the dinner preparations begin. In honor of the Grinch, a good Roast Beast is always on the menu. Accompanied by Yorkshire Pudding, which, for those of you who are uninitiated, is a popover made with the drippings of said beast. There's salad, veggies and wine as well.  And Dessert? Always the Yule Log. My mom makes it. It's fabulous. The cake is just a thin chocolate layer designed to hold the filling. Which is...

While you may be able to cook with grains, and eat them doused in milk, you wouldn't head out to the fields and gnaw on a wheat stem. And if you understood how grains react in your body, you might think twice about swallowing even one bite. But it's a plant you say? Would you eat Poison Oak? Tree Bark? So why on earth would you grind up a wheat stalk and eat it.  You need flour? Grind a nut. Pick one. They are all delicious, different flavors and textures to create different foods. Pecans are good but soft, not really the stuff a good bread is made of. Almonds are fabulous, but a bit dry, so adjust accordingly. Hazelnuts are about perfect. So what's for breakfast if you take away the cereal and toast? Hmmm.  How about a French Toast Pancake or an Omelette with a little bacon on the side? Or a Blueberry muffin and some fresh berries. Starting to sound like breakfast? Wait! Did I say Muffin? I did. Just bake it with nut flour. The first week or two you may...

Today was the notorious DDay for me. Doctor. Labs. Did my cholesterol go up? Did a high fat low carb grain free diet deliver as promised? Did it transform my metabolism? Did it become a fat burning cholesterol lowering machine? Or was I suckered by some really slick psuedo-science?  Without further ado. drum roll please... my cholesterol has plummeted. And I do mean plummeted.  LDL 52 Total Cholesterol: 134 Was 169 Triglycerides: 85. Was 153 HDL 65 Was 60 My weight is declining. My sugars under control. I eat Prime Rib and make my muffins with Butter. I indulge in decadent Chocolate desserts.  I do however only use Organic foods, hormone free, and meat that is grass fed. But in 8 years I couldn't do what 4 months of clean eating has done. It's freaking amazing. And nothing like the Doctor giving you Kudos. Even wondered if I could keep doing it... "are you kidding" I asked. I eat chocolate 3 times a day. Yeah, I can do this.  And so can you. ...

Cranberries. Gotta have them with my Turkey. But what kind of cranberry sauce has no sugar! I've made a decent one with Splenda, but only with a little sugar too. This time we're going whole hog... so to speak. I'm testing out a nice cranberry spice jelly with Swerve. And if you've never made your own Cranberry sauce... it's incredibly easy. Do not buy the canned... please people... if you can boil water you can make your own. 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg 3 cups cranberries 1 cup water 1 cup Swerve (might use the powdered, as it tends to granulate after it's chilled) or Splenda... even Sugar or whatever you use. If splenda I recommend a 50/50 blend (1/2 cup). I've used only Splenda and didn't care for the results. Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until well blended. Add cranberries and return to a boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. The cranberries will...

You want a crust that holds together. You want a crust that holds up to your filling. You want a crust that tastes yummy not like somebody forgot to remove the cardboard box.  But you can't have sugar. Or maybe you need gluten free. You can't have wheat... or grains. Can't have carbs. Ooooh what to do. I'll tell you what to do. Grab some nuts. You're favorite kind or those that are perfect for your filling. And take your mind out of the gutter... you know who you are....  How about a pecan crust with a maple cream filling. Or a Walnut with Apple Cinnamon. Mine tonight was a yummy hazelnut with Mocha Latte cream filling. The recipe is the same  no matter what.  For a 9" pie crust, use 2 cups of nuts, 2 tablespoons of sweetener (whatever you use that equals 2 tblsp of sugar) and 3 tablespoons of melted butter (or Ghee), hopefully organic.  Grind the nuts to almost powder form, leaving a few lumps for taste. You can use a food chopper, but I u...

I know you've said to yourself a million times. All I ate was a salad. Really. Went to lunch with the BFF's and you were soooo good. All you ate was a salad. And you didn't touch the bread. Let's analyze that salad shall we? Croutons? yup. Creamy dressing? yup. Avocado? Of course. Swapped that baked potato for a salad last night? Was it the candied walnut with raspberry vinaigrette? Oooh, no it was the wedge with the Blue Cheese Dressing. Everyone else ate Tacos and Burritos and you went with the Taco Salad. Yep. Tortilla strips, refried beans, guacamole... uh huh. These aren't healthy salads people. These are fat traps. They are the food devil in disguise. A salad should be about the fresh organic ingredients in it. A good salad has no grains, no gluten and no refined sugars or HFCS. It doesn't have dried fruit or processed salad dressings. If you want to avow that you only had a salad... hold the croutons, use a good olive oil and balsamic vinaigr...

I have my Swerve. I've mentioned it in my last post. I can't explain it to you, so visit their site at www.swervesweetener.com and read about it. It looks and tastes like sugar. It's natural, not artificial. It doesn't create "gastric discomfort" which anyone with any experience in sugar free commercial foods knows is code word for "where's the restroom?" It also bakes and cooks like sugar. That's really the importance of it. As the title suggests, I take my cheesecake seriously. Cream Cheese. Sugar. Vanilla. The real deal. Now since I don't eat grains, and we need to keep it low carb, I do have to lose the graham cracker crust. So I'm going with a coconut crust instead. Just to give it a bottom to stand on.  I don't often eat cheesecake since I left New York. It's always smooth and creamy or custardy. Doesn't have that dryness it requires to be true to itself. Everyone is always adding Sour Cream or milk or som...

For years, the sage advice to those who wanted to trim down was to eat dry toast, lose the butter. Have egg substitute from a carton. Better yet, live on controlled portions from the freezer section at the supermarket. Hey I tried all of it. Sure I'd lose weight. For awhile. But of course it wasn't sustainable. I was hungry, and the longer I did it the hungrier I got. And when the dam burst loose I would gain it all back and then some. Some of you know what I'm talking about. I tried Atkins once, for a while, it worked, for a while, but it seemed a bit more focused on the foods you could eat instead... like the processed snack bars, of course with the Atkins label. And then I got sick. And then he died. So I was faced with the challenge of keeping my blood sugar in check. Cholesterol in check. Blood Pressure. Geesh. Eat this don't eat that. Couldn't take it anymore. After 8 years I gave up. I'd gained 20 pounds. My labs always looked good but I was miserable...

Work Study is an integral part of many students' lives. It helps them financially get through school, and is an opportunity to gain some incredible job skills. Oh I know there are a bunch of yahoos in DC who want to deeply cut funding for work-study. But I'm a big fan. It's a damn good program. But seriously... my daughter's first year assignment? The main Dining Hall. Now you might think woo hoo. She gets to clear off tables and wash a few dishes. But this was a hell of a lot more than that. First, the dining hall was in her dorm. One floor down. So early morning shifts were no big deal.. roll out of bed and slide down those stairs. Secondly, she was in the kitchen. Yep. Learning valuable life skills that she brought home with her. Now this is where it pays off. I got a deep fat fryer for my birthday. Now don't get started on the whole "that's not healthy" thing. Because now that we're eating real food, fat is our friend. Not in ridiculous am...

Most years, birthdays are a reason to eat really bad food. And justify it. And feel guilty about it. And ultimately regret it. Not this year. I was hell bent on not going off the new eating healthy plan, yet still having my cake... yes I'm going to say it... and eating it too. My grandmother, like most grandmothers, had some pretty good family recipes. Whether she got them from The Joy of Cooking or her own mother actually handed them down we'll never know. My mother said she didn't have my favorite of those recipes, Hungarian Nusstorte. So, as noted in my previous blog entry, Murphy was obviously still hanging around... trying to screw things up. Hmmph. Really? The thing is, I figured with Google at the helm, I'd find the same recipe somewhere. And when I landed on one that said "Hungarian Nusstorte" I figured bingo! I was wrong. It was NOT my grandmother's Nusstorte. Maybe it was Hungarian... and maybe it was a nusstorte... but a really bad Hungari...

So I was planning to tell you about my fabulous new low carb grain free chocolate bundt cake. But while it tasted pretty good... it looked like a chocolate donut suffering from radiation poisoning. Kind of a "Honey I shrunk the kids" cake. So, a little coffee whipped cream on top and a large serving on a small plate, and it actually appeared almost normal. Just not blog worthy. But these are. These are OMG fabulous. No, I haven't caved in and abandoned the cave-people way of eating. These aren't potatoes. Really, they aren't. Well, truthfully they might be known as Mexican potatoes.  Or Jicama . That's Hi-ki-ma. If you don't travel to the southwest, you may not be aware that this incredibly delicious root vegetable is a staple in regional cuisine. I've never had it cooked before though, as it's usually found in salads. And I'm a big fan of it in salads. But I saw that bloggers were discussing Jicama fries and absolutely had to t...