Wifezilla's Way

Wheat Politics & George Burns

2012-02-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Dr. Davis alerts us to an upcoming political push by a wheat growers association on his Wheat Belly Blog. The continuing stream of information showing the harm caused by ingesting grains must be making a dent in their profits, prompting action on their part. Apparently the Grains Food Foundation is moving to Washington DC for better lobbying access, but they are also going to target what they call the "influencers". Nutritionist, medical professionals, diet and nutrition journalists and even bloggers.

"G.F.F. will proactively track grain-focused initiatives (studies, books, broadcasts, articles) with the goal of preempting or countermanding misinformation regarding grain foods on an ongoing basis. The G.F.F. Scientific Advisory Board members will lead efforts to provide rapid response to false communications and claims against grain foods, including fad diets."

"To effectively guard against potential extreme attacks against grain foods, G.F.F. will develop a crisis communications plan to continue to develop appropriate reserves to enable prompt industry response to neutralize such attacks."

Maybe this explains the recent rash of "you don't have to give up grains FOREVER - just until your gut heals!" type blog posts and articles popping up on the net. I don't know about you all, but if I sliced my arm open and nearly severed a thumb juggling knives, I am not just going to give up knife juggling until my wounds heal. I am going to find a new hobby.

Lets put it another way. Comedian George Burns smoked cigars and drank whiskey almost every day of his adult life and he didn't die until shortly after his 100th birthday. Not only that, he was active and working until just before his death. In fact, it wasn't his smoking and drinking that did him in, it was a fall resulting in a head injury. He was never able to fully recover. Reports are that Mr. Burns smoked between 10 and 15 cigars a day for well over 70 years.

Is this an example that cigar smoking is healthy? That whiskey is a revitalizing tonic? No. It means that George Burns had the unique ability to recover from damage caused by smoking and drinking. It does not change the fact that smoking and drinking are inherently damaging. It is the same with modern wheat. Modern forms of wheat are inherently damaging to everyone who eats them. Some of us just have a genetic advantage and can easily recover from that damage. Others can not. Can you mitigate some of that damage by using ancient grains or using traditional preparation methods? Possibly. But for me, it isn't a chance I am willing to take.

So next time you read a blog saying how happy someone is to be going back to wheat, keep in mind two things. 1) There may be a powerful lobbying group involved and 2) a person truly returning to wheat and grains may have been born with a body much more able to repair itself than you.

Lower Carb, Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

2012-02-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a modification of an Elana's Pantry gluten-free carrot cake recipe.

While it is NOT Atkins induction friendly, it can be modified to make it as carby or as carbless as you like by playing with the carrot/zucchini ratio.

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almond flour

2 tbsp coconut flour

2 teaspoons celtic sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

6 duck eggs (or XL chicken eggs)

½ cup erythritol ( ¼ cup honey if you can handle some carbs)

6 packets of splenda or truvia

¼ cup grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil

3 cups carrots, grated or 1½ cups shredded carrots plus 1½ cups shredded zucchini

1 cup raisins, sugar-free dried cherries or sugar-free dried cranberries (optional)

1 cup walnuts or slivered almonds

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir.

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, and sweetener of choice.

Stir carrots, raisins and nuts into wet ingredients.

Stir wet ingredients into dry.

Place batter into 2 well greased, round 9-Inch cake pans or make in to muffins by using a muffin tin.

Bake at 300° for 35 minutes. Reduce cooking time if using muffin tins.

Elana has a frosting recipe that goes with this carrot cake, but I left it off. If you can have dairy, a sugar-free cream cheese frosting would work great. Since I am off dairy for now, I just buttered mine. If you only require the recipe to be gluten-free, pick whatever frosting you like that doesn't have gluten in it and enjoy.

Dairy-free sour cream

2012-02-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sour cream is delicious and works so well in many recipes. Not being able to use it due to lactose issues or a dairy protein allergy can really cramp your cooking style. Fortunately you can make your own dairy-free sour cream replacement and carry on. Even though this is very easy to make, it does take time to ferment, so plan ahead.

Dairy-Free Sour Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of sugar-free coconut milk

• 1 packet of Yogourmet freeze-dried kefir cultures

Directions:

Pour the 2 cans of coconut milk in to a large mason jar. Stir well. Sprinkle the dehydrated kefir grains over the coconut milk and stir again. Allow to sit on the counter in a warm spot for 12-24 hours. Coconut milk will thicken and separate a bit as it ferments. Taste after 12 hours. It should be slightly sour and creamy. If it isn't sour or you want a stronger flavor, allow it to sit out another 12 hours or so.

Scoop the thick sour coconut kefir out of the jar leaving the "whey" behind. Use as you would regular sour cream in any of your recipes.

NOTE: The warmer your room temperature, the quicker it will ferment.

***

Super Quick Dairy-Free Sour Cream

No time to wait for kefir to ferment? Paleo Food gives this alternative...

"Sour cream - chilled coconut milk combined with a few drops of lemon juice"

They don't give details, but coconut milk does separate when chilled, so pour off the liquid and use the thick coconut cream remaining to make your sour cream substitute.

While making sour cream this way is a lot quicker, you will miss out on all the great probotics you get with the kefir version. Try to use the kefir version whenever possible.

Reluctantly going dairy-free

2012-02-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

When you are fighting years of damage to your body done by processed foods and the ravages of time, things you used to enjoy eating can turn on you. Along with eliminating grains, most starches and refined sugar, I now find myself betrayed by my old friend dairy. Coming from Wisconsin, dairy has always been a part of my life. If you have ever had cheese curds fresh out of the vat or a cold glass of fresh raw milk, you know I feel about my moo juice.

After clearing up a lot of my health issues from pre-diabetes to high blood pressure by going low-carb and ditching grains, I still had one remaining problem. Chronic constipation. Now before you start saying "That's what you get for not getting enough fiber you meat munching weirdo! Eat a whole-grain cracker!", keep in mind I had constipation issues years before I went low carb. In fact, I can trace my issues to formerly following a very high fiber diet, which contrary to popular thinking, actually causes damage to your insides.

I tried supplements, vitamins, cleanses, etc.. in an effort to get things moving and nothing seemed to help. Once I discovered kefir and began eating it daily, I did get some relief, but the plumbing was still far from top notch.

It wasn't until I got a stomach virus that I figured out what my underlying problem was. After 4 days of hardly any food at all, my constipation issues were gone. When I felt better I started reintroducing foods like bone broth, soups and stews. Things were still fine in the gut region. Cool. Then, feeling much better and back to my old self, I ate a piece of cheese. Ouch!

I could feel that piece of cheese moving through every inch of my system. Then the constipation returned. A light bulb went off in my head and I dropped dairy again. A week later I wanted to see if I would have the same problem with some good raw dairy. Through a series of covert operations including secret handshakes and a decoder ring, I was able to score a gallon of raw milk. I tried dairy again. Again the constipation returned.

Well crap! Seriously. If I want to be able to go to the bathroom without pain, I have to give up cheese, milk, yogurt, kefir..... AAARRRGGGHHHH! After feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes, I got down to business and started revamping my recipes and making them dairy-free. While I may possibly be able to reintroduce dairy at some point once I have had time to heal, I am not going to stand by and deny myself yummy low-carb food in the mean time. I will be posting new dairy-free recipes, recommended substitutions, and revised old recipes. There will still be general low carb recipes I get from friends, and dairy-free alternatives if I can swing it.

Lower Carb Dark Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

2012-02-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

While these muffins are based on low carb ingredients, the carbs can still add up. I wouldn't make these if you are on Atkins induction phase or have issues maintaining weight loss when eating nuts. As an occasional treat or a snack for kids who can tolerate a higher carb level, these are tasty and mix up rather quickly.

Lower Carb Dark Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
2 duck eggs (or 2 jumbo chicken eggs plus 1 yolk)
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
10 Tbsps butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup erythritol (or 1/4 cup honey if you can handle more carbs)
3 packets of Truvia or Splenda
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
Mix wet ingredients into dry.
Spoon in to a mini muffin pan. Divide batter equally among the 24 spots.
Bake at 300° for 10-15 minutes. Edges of the muffins should be lightly browned. Cool and serve.

NOTE: To keep the carb count as low as possible, use the darkest chocolate chips with the highest cocoa content you can find. You can also replace up to half of the chips with organic cocoa nibs to get the carbs down even further.

Recipe: Low carb fudge pops

2012-01-31T10:00:00.001-08:00

There is no reason to feel left out when you hear the chiming of the ice cream truck. You can whip up your own low carb popsicle quickly and easily. These rich, tasty chocolate treats are sure to hit the spot on a hot summer day.

Wifezilla's Low Carb Fudge Pops

Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Sweetener to taste

Directions:

With a hand blender, mix the cream cheese and then slowly add the whipping cream. Whip until mixture is nice and creamy. Add cocoa powder and sweetner such as Splenda, erythritol, or stevia to taste, erring on the sweet side. (Once it is frozen, the sweetness fades a bit and a mix that tasted just right in the bowl can end up tasting not quite sweet enough.)

Place in small disposable drinking cups. Add a popsicle stick and freeze for about 2 hours. You can also use the plastic smootie pop sets or tupperware popsicle makers.

This will make anywhere from 3-6 popsicles depending on how large your containers are. My smoothie pop sets makes 4.

Marinara Melt

2012-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

While I advocate as much home cooking as possible, there are times when your schedule forces you to take short cuts. During those instances, the time it takes to cook your food takes priority over the ingredients. You can still stay on the low carb path, you just may have to make a few allowances for convenience items.

This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and works great on days when a job, appointments and household chores leave you very little cooking time.

Marinara Melt

1 jar of Ragu No Sugar Added Tomato and Basil sauce
2 lbs ground beef
12 oz grated mozzarella cheese
2 tsp jarred minced garlic
1/4 cup dry parmesan cheese
Optional: Fresh basil & oregano
Optional: red pepper flakes

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. If you are adding fresh herbs, add it to the meat when it is just about finished. Fresh herbs turn bitter when over-cooked. Drain and return to medium heat. Add Ragu and parmesan cheese and stir until it starts to bubble. Top with shredded cheese and cook another minute or two until the cheese melts. Makes approximately 4 servings.

Quick and filling, this recipe goes down great on a cold, rainy day. Serve with butter fried Italian summer squash and sliced onions. If you can manage to slice and cook your side dish while the meat is browning, you can still finish the whole meal in 10 minutes or less.

Steak Wraps

2012-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

I am fortunate enough to have a Mexican grocery store with in easy driving distance of my house. Along with great deals on fresh produce, they also have good beef sales. I took advantage of a recent sale on sirloin tip steaks and used that to create this make in minutes meal.

Unlike big meat slabs of steak at your typical grocery store, steak cuts at the Mexican market are very thin. These thin cuts make quick cooking easy. If you don't have a Mexican market nearby, ask your local store's butcher if they can slice some steaks very thin for you. Another option is to use pre-packaged Steak Umm's, but these tend to be more expensive, and fresher is better in my opinion.

South of the Border Steak Wrap

South of the Border Steak Wrap
• Thin sliced steak
• Cream cheese
• Salsa
• Salt, pepper, and butter for frying steak
• Large Lettuce leaf (optional)

Fry thin steak pieces in butter or ghee in a larg

e pan or on a griddle. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to over cook. Place cooked steak on a plate lined with paper towels. Blot with additional paper towels. Spread cream cheese over steak slice. Add salsa and roll up steak. If this looks like it might be a bit messy to you, wrap the steak wrap with a piece of leaf lettuce to help keep the fingers clean.
Allow 2 -3 wraps per person depending on steak size.

Philly Steak Wrap

• Thin sliced steak
• Cream cheese
• Fried onions, mushrooms and peppers
• Swiss cheese
• Salt, pepper, and butter for frying steak
• Large Lettuce leaf (optional)
Same technique as above, you are just using a different filling. Caramelize the onions before adding the peppers and mushrooms. This one will be messier because of the filling. Just be prepared.

Thin sliced steaks fry up quickly. Be careful not to overcook or they get tough.

RECIPE: Spicy Butternut Soup

2012-01-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Butternut squash are inexpensive and abundant fall through winter. Take advantage of this excellent grocery store and farmer's market bargain by making a hearty, healthy, butternut soup. While squash is a little bit on the carby side, it is a great food for those who have moved beyond a very low carb induction phase and are on a maintenance program.

Ingredients

2 small or 1 large butternut squash
1 lb of spicy pork sausage
6oz sliced portobello mushrooms
1 large red onion
2 packages cream cheese
butter for cooking onions and mushrooms
ground cayenne pepper to taste
Sea salt, pepper, fennel and ground sage to taste

Half and clean the butternut squash. Either roast in the oven (350º for 1-2 hour) or microwave in a covered dish with a little water (45-60 minutes). While the squash is cooking, brown the sausage and drain. Set aside. Dice the onions and cook in butter until caramelized. In a separate pan, cook the sliced mushrooms in butter until soft.

Once the squash is nice and soft, scoop it out of its shell and run through a food processor or blender with just enough hot water to get the blades to get the squash mixed well. (In my little food processor it took about 4 batches.)

Pour the squash puree in to a large stock pot. Add the sausage, onion and mushrooms. Add more water if needed to get the puree to a nice thick soup consistency. Add spices to taste. (I go heavy on the cayenne!). Once everything is hot and well blended, stir in the cream cheese. Keep stirring until it's melted.

Serve in a large bowl with a pat of real butter on top

Fantastic Shakes Without the Sugar

2012-01-27T12:37:00.000-08:00

When the weather gets warm, the thought of sipping a cold frosty shake comes to mind. It might take a little advanced planning, but you can still sip on a thick, cold shake even if you are avoiding excess carbohydrates. Instead of sugar-loaded ice cream as your base, you just freeze some Greek yogurt ahead of time and use that instead.

Take your favorite plain, full-fat Greek-style yogurt and freeze it in either muffin tins or ice cube trays. You want it to be frozen in a size that can easily be crushed in your blender.
Let the yogurt freeze for several hours or overnight.
When it's time to make your shake, take 6oz worth of frozen yogurt (3 "muffins" with my tin) and put it in a blender with 3/4 cups of coconut milk, almond milk, cream, whole milk or half and half.
Pulse to get the frozen yogurt pieces well broken up.
Add your sweetener of choice such as erythritol, Splenda or raw local honey.
Flavor your shake with either vanilla extract, natural peanut butter, some unsweetened cocoa powder, or add some fresh berries.
Blend on high until smooth.
Serve in a frosty mug with a bendy straw.

This recipe is extremely flexible and the shake can be made as thick or as creamy as you like by adjusting the liquid amount. If you use cream as your liquid to reduce the carb count, be careful you do not blend too long or you will turn the cream to butter. Make extra yogurt cubes ahead of time and store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container so you can make a shake whenever a craving hits.

Note: I have also tried this technique using frozen heavy cream and frozen milk. The best texture and flavor came from the shakes made with yogurt, but the cream will work in a pinch.

Recipe: Abi Fae's Fat Bombs

2012-01-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

If you are eating a low carb diet, your primary source of calories should be from fat. That's is the low carb diet's "dirty little secret". You aren't eating a high protein diet. You are eating a HIGH FAT diet.

Some people need more fat than others. If your body easily converts protein to glucose, you need more fat. Prone to seizures or other brain disorders? More fat. My "bestie" Abi Fae falls in to the seizure-prone category and has devised a very quick, tasty way to get plenty of healthy fats in to her daily eating plan. I present... the FAT BOMB! If you are looking to up the level of healthy fats in your diet, this is a great thing to try.

Shown: Fat bombs with high cocoa chocolate chips.

Abi Fae's Fat Bombs

• 8 oz unsweetened almond butter
• 8 oz raw coconut butter (Artisana brand is excellent) OR virgin coconut oil
• 1 stick butter

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 bar of 85% cocoa chocolate (Black and Greens, Dagoba, Lindt, etc...) or high cocoa chocolate chips

• Sweetener of choice to taste (I use a small amount of eryritol, but you can also use Splenda or raw, local honey if you are not super carb sensitive. Abi does not use any sweetener in hers.)

Optional add-ins

Roasted nuts

Dried sugar-free fruit like cherries or cranberries

Cocoa nibs

Unsweetened coconut flakes

In a microwave-safe bowl, soften the stick of butter, the coconut butter and the almond butter for 1-3 minutes until the are easy to stir together. Once the butters are blended, add in any extras making sure there is still enough butter blend to coat all the goodies. Taste and add sweetener if desired make sure to stir well.

The butter mix then needs to be put in some kind of form to cool. Silicone muffin cups, baking pan, chocolate molds, etc... just make sure it is flexible so you can get the fat bombs OUT of the molds. Melt the chocolate bar in the microwave in a glass dish and add the 2 tablespoons of butter to make it smooth and creamy. Dip your chilled fat bombs in to the chocolate and allow to cool on a piece of wax paper or a silicone sheet. You can also drizzle the melted chocolate over each fat bomb. Store in the refrigerator.

Because of the low melt point of the butter and coconut butter, these need to be kept cold once finished. If you plan on sticking these in a lunch box to eat later, simply put your fat bombs in small jelly canning jars and add a few low-sugar, high-cocoa chocolate chips instead of using chocolate molds and coating with melted chocolate. The thing I like about using the chocolate chips is the label shows how many carbs per chip so you can easily decide how carby or carb-free you want to make each jar full.

Low carbing on vacation

2012-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like spending a long weekend with 4 sugar-junkies to test a person's low carb resolve. On a recent trip to Dillon, CO with members of my book club, carbs where everywhere. Fortunately I had packed a small cooler with low carb foods and was

able to avoid temptation. Instead of Skier's French Toast, I had turkey slices with cheddar, boiled quail eggs and some fresh veggies. Instead of bagels, I had a steak, turkey and pepper stir fry.

Of course, these were meals we cooked at the condo we rented. Eating out was a little more challenging. I was able to find a few goodies without going carb crazy or being too much of a pain to the restaurant staff.

Instead of a plate of giant blue berry pancakes or waffles topped with sugary syrup and whipped cream, I had a very delicious homemade green chili with pork. At one of our lunches, hot wings with veggies sticks was the perfect alternative to pasta dishes.

Now you may be getting the impression that I was some kind of low carb saint on this trip. I wasn't. I had wine, a delicious wheat beer at the Dam Brewery and even had an ice cream cone while walking through Frisco. But since I was able to make overall good meal choices, these vacation treats didn't lead to binging, massive weight gain or loads of guilt.

Low carbing in a carby world is difficult, but it isn't impossible. With a little planning, your vacations don't have to be a dietary nightmare.

Toast? Who Needs Toast?!

2012-01-25T18:30:00.001-08:00

Thin cut eye of round makes a much better yolk-dunker than toast. The eggs are fresh duck eggs friend in coconut oil. A delicious, nutritious breakfast!

Trying to kick the soda habit?

2012-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

Even if you managed to kick the regular soda habit and are no longer destroying your health with high fructose corn syrup, is it really wise to drink diet sodas? There is controversy about that topic with some saying both Aspartame and Splenda have potential hidden dangers. Until the science shakes itself out, it might be a great idea to drop soda all together.

As a long time soda junkie, I know that isn't easy. One thing that can work well if plain water bores you to tears is herbal tea. A flavor I highly recommend Market Spice Cinnamon Orange Tea. It is naturally sweet and requires no additional sweeteners, natural or otherwise, at all! How do they do it? Apparently it is the orange and cinnamon oils they add to the tea mix.

I brew up a big batch and put it in large swing top bottles, grab one when heading out to work and sip it throughout the day. This tea is so strong you can usually get three batches out of the same tea leaves. Using a French Press, I add 1/4 cup of loose tea and add hot water. Steep about 10 minutes then add more water. Each "pressing" will be a little weaker, but keep adding to a large pitcher. After you have exhausted the tea mix, add cold water to taste. That's it!

Keep in mind not all cinnamon orange teas will be naturally sweet like Market Spice, but I have found some at small tea shops that have a similar flavor and sweetness level. In Colorado Springs, Laura Lee's Teas carries it in regular and decaf. (I use decaf.) Ask the proprietor of your local tea shop if they have a tea that is a naturally sweet cinnamon orange tea and give it a try. If you find yourself reaching for sweetener, hop online and order yourself some of the Market Spice blend.

Neglect

2009-07-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have SO neglected my blog. Writing is something that is never easy for me, and time is short. You can find a lot of my new articles on my Examiner page here...

Denver Low Carb Examiner

My little ducks have been keeping me quite busy. I raised 3 Welsh Harlequins to go along with my runner, rouen drake, and the buff/kahki mix I hatched out myself. We should have full egg production by fall.

They are so cute when they are little, but they grow up so fast. Here they are now...

Shelley

Wendy

Bebe

I have also been working on their pond. I am using natural filtration and trying to get more plants in the system. When I am done tinkering, I will post photos of that too.

I am still low carbing with my occasion book-club related transgressions. My weight actually went up a few pounds over the holiday, but my measurements stayed the same. Weird! My blood pressure is still fantastic and a constant reminder that low carb is the right thing to do and the tasty way to do it :D

Chicken and Egg Drop Soup

2009-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

I went out to eat with a girlfriend of mine the other day. She had moved out of state but was in the area and wanted to eat at her favorite Chinese restaurant. We used to eat there on a regular basis years ago, and I thought I if I left out the rice and skipped the egg roll, I should be able to find something tasty to eat. Instead I ended up with a serious stomach ache. Everything was so loaded with corn starch and tasted so sweet there was no way I could enjoy the food. My old favorite, egg drop soup, was particularly vile, consisting of copious amounts of salt and thickener with very little chicken or egg flavor. It inspired me to make my own heartier version that included actual chicken meat and plenty of eggs. I hope you like it as much as I do.

This recipe reheats well for a quick lunch at work.

Wifezilla's Low Carb Chicken & Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
3.5 oz package of Shitake mushrooms, chopped
5 jumbo eggs
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 package of fresh sugar snap peas, cut in 3rds (about 1 cup)
2 16oz boxes of Chicken Broth
Chicken bullion, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Butter (for cooking the mushrooms. About 1 Tbsp) and some oil for frying up the chicken

Directions: Fry up the chicken in large soup pot over medium heat in enough oil to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it is done, cover with chicken broth and let it simmer until the meat easily comes off the bone. Debone chicken and add meat back in to the stock. Add water until you get just under 2 quarts of liquid. While chicken is cooking, cook chopped mushrooms in butter in a separate pan. Add mushroom, green onions, and sliced peas to the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Add pepper, garlic and bullion to taste and turn off the heat just before you add in the eggs. Whip eggs together in a bowl. Drizzle VERY slowly while stirring in one direction for silken egg threads.

The carb count question...

People often ask for carb counts on my recipes. The problem with the carb counts is that people often use different ingredients and freely make substitutions. Another issue is serving size. What I would consider a serving might be 1/2 serving to one person and 2 servings to another. To get the best, most accurate carb count, enter the items used to create your version of a recipe in to www.fitday.com or www.thedailyplate.com. These free services allow you to properly calculate calories, protein and fat content in your foods and account for any alterations or substitutions.

How fresh is your food?

2009-01-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Since going low carb, a lot of the food I eat is fresh, local and requires little (if any) processing. As part of my movement to fresh foods, over the years my visits to farmer's markets has increased, I have planted my own herbs, I have some fruit trees and even my own grape vines. Last year I got together with some friends and we started our own community garden. It is only natural that I have taken the next step.

What is the next step? I purchased ducks so I can start getting my own fresh eggs. Sure, I could have gone with chickens, but my uncle raised ducks and geese, and I was just more familiar with them. The back yard poultry movement isn't something I expected to be a part of, yet here I am. I even found a great forum with very knowledgeable people to pester with lots of questions. www.backyardchickens.com

I have taken the plunge and adopted some adult birds. Once the days get longer the females should start laying and I will have my own fresh, delicious eggs from my new family members. Here is the flock...

The drake (Khaki Campbell light brown duck with dark green head) is named Jack. The Dark Khaki Campbell female is Janet. The Fawn Indian Runner is Chrissy, and the Buff duck is Lana. Chrissy and Janet should lay about an egg a day once they get started. Lana is a seasonal layer and will only lay Spring through Fall. She can still produce over 200 eggs a year. Three egg producing ducks might just be enough to keep up with my families consumption.

My latest Examiner post tells the story of another low carber that has taken the plunge in to poultry ownership. Stop by and check it out....
Fresh Food Takes a New Turn

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Hopefully you are all having a good start to the new year. I just wrote an Examiner article listing some predictions I have for 2009. If you get a chance, stop by and check it out. Be sure to let me know if you think I am on to something :D

Predictions for 2009

Low Carb Gingerbread House

2008-12-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Photos of my gingerbread house made of slim jims, jack links, and beef jerky are up on my Examiner site here.

Making your own "meat masterpiece"? Send me a photo and I will be happy to post it.

Merry Christmas :D

Gingerbread houses are for wussies!

2008-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

As part of a Christmas party I am attending on Saturday, there is going to be a gingerbread house contest. Not touching sugar and flour for over 18 months has been very good to me, so I really see no need to start now. While I do admit that sugar and flour are better used as a building material than a food source, there just has to be a better way.

Instead of walls made out of gingerbread, candy trim and peppermint wheel windows, I did think about baking sheets of low carb almond cookies and using sugar-free candies. It would have the appearance of a traditional gingerbread house, but lack the traditional toxic ingredients. The more I thought about it, the more lame it seemed. Why pay tribute to sugar and wheat addiction by making a pathetic imitation? Instead, I decided to pay the ultimate tribute to my low carb lifestyle and make my gingerbread house out of MEAT!

You got it! Sausage logs walls, beef jerky "shingles", circles of summer sausage and any other dried meat that will hold its form. For mortar, instead of frosting I will use cream cheese onion dip fortified with a little palm oil. Decorations and trim will be almond slivers, pecan, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds. There wont be a single gumdrop, licorice whip, or peppermint anywhere near my masterpiece. I think this will be a fitting tribute to low carb living.

So far all I have is $30 worth of dried meat and several packs of cream cheese and a head full of ideas. Stay tuned to see if I can actually pull this off.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:39:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone is having a tasty and fun Thanksgiving. Here is my dinner before it mysteriously disappeared. There is cooked-ahead turkey in Cream of Chicken Mushroom gravy, sausage and squash stuffing, "Jacked-up" cauliflower, a spinach salad and some sharp cheddar cheese. Who needs rolls!?!

I have recipes for most of these over on my Examiner site as well as instructions on what to do with that turkey carcass (you didn't throw it away, did you???). Stop by and check it out as soon as you recover from your food coma :D

Denver's Low Carb Examiner

Sugar-free Halloween

2008-10-28T07:53:00.001-07:00

I was able to find packages of Sugar-Free Double Bubble at my local Walmart, so it looks like I am set for my non-poisonous trick-or-treat offering. Not sure how the kids will take it. I guess I will find out at the end of the night. Either my pumpkins will be fine, which means they didn't notice I slipped sugar-free gum in their bags. Or, I will find smashed pumpkins, a burning pile of copies of "Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution", and "Death to Low-Carb!" spray painted on my VW Golf. Well, it could also be angry militant vegetarians who caught wind of my propensity to eat meat, but I guess in that case, the pumpkins would have been chewed on instead of smashed. I guess I will have play "Pumpkin CSI" to know for sure.

Along with purchasing non-toxic treats, I have also been going through my music collection trying to find a good mix of music to play Halloween night. I usually hook up some outside speakers and play some of the kid-friendly selections for the munchkins that come to my door. I have been working on building this collection for quite a few years, so it is pretty extensive. I was Facebooking with a friend of my hubby's the other night and mentioned I was jamming to some Halloween tunes. He asked what songs I was playing and I ended up typing up the entire list. Through the magic of cut and paste, I am posting it here in case anyone else is looking for some good music to play for treat-or-treaters or at their Halloween bash. Most music genres are represented, and some are a tad corny, but they sure are fun. Just be sure let me know if I left any good ones out.

Wifezilla's Ultimate Halloween Party Music List

"This is Halloween" by Marilyn Manson (as well as the original from the movie soundtrack)

"Black Magic Woman" by Carlos Santana

"I put a spell on you" by Natacha Atlas (as well as the CCR and Bett Midler versions)

"Every Day is Halloween" by Ministry

"Voo Doo" by Godsmack

"When You're Evil" by Voltaire (comedy song)

"Oogie Boogie Man" from Nightmare Before Christmas

"Psycho theme song"

"De Ja Voo Doo" by Kenny Wayne Sheperd

"Devil with a blue dress" by Mitch Ryder

Theme from Beetlejuice

Theme from Halloween ala Mike Myers

"Monster Mash"

Theme from the Addams Family

"Magic Man" by Heart

"Runnin' with the Devil" by Van Halen

"Blue Moon" the Platters

"Once bitten twice shy" White Snake

"Nemesis" by Shriekback

"Halloween" by Steven Lynch (comedy song)

"Thriller" Michael Jackson

Amityville Horror Theme

Ghostbusters Theme

Exorcist Theme

Tales From the Crypt Theme

Friday the 13th - Jason's Theme

"Devil in Disguise" by Elvis Presley

"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC

"Psycho Killer" Talking Heads

"Voodoo Lady" Ween

"Weird Science" Oingo Boingo

"Devil Inside" INXS

"Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon

"Blinded me with science" Thomas Dolby

"Zombie" Cranberries

"I'm Your Boogie Man" KC & the Sunshine Band

"Don't Fear the Reaper" Blue Oyster Cult

"Time Warp" Rocky Horror Picture Show

"Dead Man's Party" Oingo Boingo

"Hell's Bells" AC/DC

"Love Song For A Vampire" Annie Lennox

"The Beast" Concrete Blonde

"Deliver us from Evil" by Bullet for my Valentine "Evil Ways" by Carlos Santana "Dirty Deeds" AC/DC "Abracadabra" Steve Miller Band and "Evil Woman" by ELO

"Witchy Woman"--Eagles!

"Somebody's Watching Me" Rockwell

"Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult

"Clap for the Wolfman" The Guess Who

"Feed my Frankenstein" Alice Cooper

"Invisible Man" by Theory of a Dead Man

"Blasphemous Rumors" Depeche Mode

"Creatures" 311

"Live & Let Die" Guns & Roses

"Possum Kingdom" the Toadies

"Bad Moon Rising" CCR

"King of Pain" the Police

"Girls are F*cking Evil" by the Ataris

"They're coming to take me away" Napoleon

"If you want blood" AC/DC

"Dragula" Rob Zombie

"Little Devil" Neil Sedaka

"The Killing Moon" Echo and the Bunnymen

"Race with the Devil" by the Stray Cats

"Counting Bodies Like Sheep" Perfect Circle

"Sell your soul" Hollywood Undead

"Bark at the moon" Ozzy Osbourne

"World is a Vampire" Smashing Pumpkins

"Prince of Darkness" Megadeath

"Bloodletting" Concrete Blonde

"Can't fight the Moonlight" by Leann Rimes

"Vampires in Love" Deadlines

"Neon Moon" Brooks and Dunn

"If I was your Vampire" Marilyn Manson

"Poison" Alice Cooper

"My Boo" by Girlicious

"Hungry like the wolf" Duran Duran

"Animal I have Become" 3 Days Grace

"Cold Hearted Snake" Paula Abdul

"Living Dead Girl" Rob Zombie

"Move your body like a snake" R. Kelly

"I can sleep when I'm dead" Jason Michael Carroll

"Devil went down to Georgia" Charlie Daniels

More Halloween Issues

2008-10-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am not the only one who has been agonizing about whether or not to poison the neighborhood children with sugar this Halloween. Columnist Brian Cormier also has it on his mind...

"It's a little-known fact that this is also National Dentists Buy Expensive Cars Week across North America. Wherever children go door to door, dentists will be cackling with glee and their receptionists getting to work extra early tomorrow in order to deal with all those calls from moms and dads (probably mostly dads)."

Please stop by and check out the rest of his blog post. It's a great laugh :D

Why I never have any food in the house....

2008-10-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

My 18 year-old settling in for a good old fashioned refrigerator raid.

TB: Yet another reason to ditch carbs

2008-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Not only is there a tie between type 2 diabetes and heart disease, there is also a link between diabetes and tuberculosis. The University of Texas Public Health team reports;

"-- Type 2 diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes involving chronic high blood sugar, is associated with altered immune response to TB, and this was particularly marked in patients with chronically high blood sugar.
-- Patients with diabetes and TB take longer to respond to anti-TB treatment.
-- Patients with active tuberculosis and Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have multi-drug resistant TB.

The World Health Organization estimates that 180 million people in the world have diabetes, and that number is expected to double by 2030. Also, according to the WHO, each person with active, untreated TB infects on average 10 to 15 people per year. "You do the math and it adds up to a major public health threat," McCormick said. "If you have Type 2 diabetes in an area with high rates of TB, your chances of getting TB goes up. In countries where a third of the population is infected with TB, this becomes a real issue."

In a recently published study in linical Infectious Diseases, researchers reported that the immune systems of patients with Type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis respond differently compared with patients with TB alone. "This immune impairment may be what makes patients with diabetes so susceptible to TB," said Fisher-Hoch, whose career as a scientist was recently honored with a Hall of Fame Award from Women In Technology International. " (full article)

Controlling blood sugar is about more than just treating diabetes. Unstable blood sugar seriously effects the immune system and can set you up for many different chronic disease (check my Examiner post on Diabetes and Heart disease for one example). One of the best ways to get your blood sugar under control is to follow a low carbohydrate diet. Check out the websites for Dr. Bernstein, Dr. Briffa and Dr. Mary Vernon to learn how you can avoid additional illness risk if you are already diabetic....or even if you aren't!