Low Carb Meals, Harry and Reeve

Fall has arrived in the Boston area. 

My little shed has been decorated with Indian corn and kale.

The vintage flower cart I found this summer is perfect for mums and pumpkins.

After a year of Covid and the pounds creeping back on

I began my low carb dieting again and have a few easy

recipes to share with those of you doing the same thing.

Buffalo Chicken dip is a favorite for fall football games in front of the TV.

The guys have the chips and 

I have the celery sticks to be compliant with my carb counting.

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe: 

• 8 oz softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing
• 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1- 2 cups of Shredded Cooked Chicken 

Carb count is 4 grams per Tbsp serving with celery sticks.

Mix all ingredients together and bake for 20 minutes in oven at 350, but may be served cold.

This is so yummy you will have to control yourself portion wise.

Next recipe is a low carb Eggplant Lasagna.

Eggplant slices take the place of noodles.

Olive oil and salt and pepper into a 400 degree oven until soft, about 25 minutes.

Peel and slice the eggplant longwise. I used one medium size eggplant for a 9x13 dish.

Ingredients call for marina sauce with ground beef. 

I love Raos brand for its flavor and low carb count.

This was absolutely delicious! I found the recipe on  

Wholesome Yum here. Click here to see the full details.  Lots of

great Keto (Low Carb) recipes on this site! 

Net carbs are only 6 per serving!!

The idea is to aim for 20 carbs a day when you begin. 

A standard for me is tuna fish with mayo and celery on a salad 

with 1 carb dressing (read your labels) and a few marinated mushrooms and a pickle.

If you are craving something forbidden like a pizza or hot sandwich, I recommend the Josephs Low Carb Pitas  with 5 net carbs as the base and build on it. Here I layered a little mayo, sliced turkey, shredded swiss cheese and pepperoni slices for a yummy hot open faced sandwich. 

Simply start with the pita cut in half and laid in a frying pan or griddle and then add toppings.

Count the carbs to stay within your limit. This hot sandwich had a carb count 8. 

Pita 5 g, Mayo 0 g, Turkey 2 g, Cheese 1 g, Pepperoni 0 g.  Just count and create and enjoy!

Mashed cauliflower with light cream and butter is a 

favorite low carb substitution for mashed potatoes. 

Served with any chicken or meat and green vegetable,

 this makes a great low carb dinner.

An easy and delicious Chicken Bocolli Alfredo dinner has a secret ingredient. 

This Classic Alfredo sauce has 2 carbs for a 1/2 cup. I baked up some spaghetti squash instead

of pasta, and used the sauce over chicken tenders and broccoli for a total carb count of 8 grams.

If I omitted the squash and just had chicken and broccoli, the carb count would have been half.

I make pasta for the guys, so it is one of the ways you can feed the family but stay true to your diet.

Simply reserve a few chicken tenders and sauce for your portion. 

The guys get the pasta mixed with the sauce and the chicken and broccoli on the side.

Everybody is happy with this meal!

For breakfast its been harder for me since I discovered I had an egg allergy.

Eggs are the perfect low carb food, with only 1 carb per egg.

Alternative eggless breakfast ideas are cottage cheese and diced strawberries.

Strawberries are low in carbs and are 1/2 carb per small berry. 

You can google anything to find out what the net carbs are,

which is the way you count the carbs. Subtract the fiber gram total from

 the food's carbohydrate total to get your NET CARBS. 

And an avocado is only 2 NET carbs for an entire one!

One mistake I made and seemed to slow my weight loss

was not realizing how many carbs are in blueberries.

One of my favorite eggless breakfast is 3/4 cup of plain Greek Yogurt, 

some chopped walnuts and berries. But the blueberries are considered on the high side, 

so I have since banished them and replaced them with diced strawberries to 

add the sweetness the yogurt calls for.  Walnuts are only 2 grams per 1/4 cup. 

A low carb cocktail idea is my version of a cosmo. Lets call it the "SO LOW COSMO"

because the carb count is soooo low. Diet Cranberry Juice, Key Lime Juice, 

Vodka and just a teeny splash of Cointreau or orange flavored liquor 

(this has more carbs so can be eliminated altogether).  

Without the orange liqueur, this drink has only 2 carbs. 

Of course you can have most any clear alcohol with flavored seltzer, 

like a diet coke with run, or vodka with lime soda water. Steer clear of wine!

So far I have lost 5 pounds and I have at least ten to go.....no thanks to COVID!!

It was so stressful to me, that during the beginning of the pandemic I chose not to 

stress myself out further with being on a diet and trying to cook for the family while 

not being about to go to the supermarket like I used to do, picking out the ingredients

I needed to stay on my routine.  But now I feel like the food emergency is in the past

and the shopping can be done, using the safety measures like masks, now required to stay safe.

Even little 3 year old Reeve has gotten adept at keeping on her mask when she 

goes out, like here at a farmers market in Maine.

Otherwise she is loving life at the farm~

and has even begun taking dance lessons!

She is in love with her new little brother Harry!!

Harry arrived in early August and I have only gotten to meet him twice.

He is a good natured baby and everyone is head over heels in love with him!

The fall weather is perfect for family hikes in Maine.

Snapchats on a daily basis keep this grandmother up todate with her littles ones.

Reeve likes to hold him and help feed him his bottle. It is the sweetest thing to see,

even if it is from a distance.

The next time I visit them I hope to have dropped a few more pounds. 

Last week I chopped three inches off my hair as I am letting it go natural

in regards to no more coloring.  Another COVID decision!

If you have any favorite low carb recipes or meals leave me a note in the comments, 

I would love to hear them!

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My dollhouse feature on The Enchanted Home and Weight loss update

Happy Friday everyone!

I am thrilled to be featured on a new series, The Style File,  at my friend Tina's incredible blog

The Enchanted Home!  She asks me some interesting questions about this dollhouse hobby

that I have been working on and you might be surprised to read what celebrity inspired me to begin

working in miniatures.  Lots of dollhouse pics that I have not posted on my blog here, so 

make sure you run over and check it out!

Also a quick update on my low carb weight loss journey. 

I am happy to report I am at 19 pound weight loss at this point, and I have 

integrated more carbs back into my diet.  Overall I just eliminate the white

stuff, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, with the exception of the Fantini scali 

bread which I have mentioned before.  The white wine is also back, but on weekends

only or if out to dinner.  So if you think you can't eliminate certain things forever,

you don't have to....just do the hard work for several months and then you 

will be in the position to allow yourself some of the things you love.

This picture of me and Matthew Mead was taken two weeks ago when we

met at my lake cabin to check on it and to help Matthew pick up some of his 

photo shoot props.  Its still very wintery up at the lake in New Hampshire,

and it was actually kind of depressing going inside the cabin.  I will post

more about our intentions of rebuilding there and where we are in the process.

Anyway, this was the only pic I could find that shows my body so you can see I am 

looking more "trim" as my dad likes to say!  I have had many readers

share their own weight loss success stories, and it makes me so happy to 

have inspired them in anyway.  I know how much happier I feel every day going

into my closet to not fret over what will fit or what will not.  What will make me

look thinner, and what is not flattering.  So its a diet that has worked for me,

and I hear its working for many of you as well!!  Bravo!!

click here to go to The Enchanted Home 

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A Yummy Lo Carb Spaghetti Recipe

Looking for some comfort food while on your low carb weight loss journey?

This morning I stepped on the scale and was rewarded with another 1.5 pound weight loss.

That brings my total to 12 pounds now! So what I am doing is working and it  just makes 

my resolve stronger.  However I still want to eat certain things, like spaghetti and meat sauce!

 The key difference will be making your own spaghetti using Spaghetti Squash.

This is the football shaped squash at the grocery store. 

Cut it in half lengthwise,

scoop out the seeds, then place in a pan with an inch of water 

and cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.

 As a fastidious carb counting nut, 

I am always trying to find the lowest carb 

foods that taste good.  Red sauce has been one of those, 

and until now the lowest

carb red sauce I could find was about 6 carbs.  

BEHOLD!  

RAOS HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE

 With only 4 carbs in a half cup, this sauce is amazingly delicious!

I added Italian sausage* (cut the meat from the casings and saute until cooked through).

Some chopped green pepper was added to the sausage and then I added the RAOS.

*(you can use ground beef or turkey or shredded chicken)

The cooked spaghetti squash was removed from its shell using a fork to create

long pieces of spaghetti looking squash. Pour the meat sauce over the squash,

top with mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese melts. For extra flavor I 

added ribbons of sliced fresh parmesan cheese. 

For my husband and son, I poured the sauce over

cooked ziti, so they had real pasta, and I had the squash.

It breaks up the plain roasted meats and chicken...

These mini potatoes are awesome for feeding the rest of the family.

Easy as pie to roast with the chicken or roast beef, and the hubs and kids

have their starch, at very little extra effort. 

Keep counting your carbs and you will be rewarded by your scale!

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Basic Easy Lo Carb Meals and Rules for Results

So much conversation about my last post on my lo Carb diet! 

I thank all who left me notes and wanted to hear more on what I have 

been doing.  It seems a lot of us are in the same boat, and that gives me comfort

to think we are, and that maybe I can help you drop some weight.

Let me start by saying I have lost another 1.5 pounds since I last posted

and it just makes me thrilled that it is finally coming off!

COUNT EVERY CARB

The basics of what I do are trying to stay around 20 net grams of carbs a day 

for the first two or three weeks.  After that you can add a few more, but if you

want quick results, stay at 20 carbs and then add more when you are in the mood

to eat something generally forbidden.  I lost the first nine pounds during Christmas holiday.

I had a small cannoli and some tiramisu but the next day I went right back to 20 grams.

That is the point. 

IF YOU CHEAT, DON'T REPEAT

 If you go off with a cheat item, don't use it as an excuse to go off 

even further.  Get right back on track and you will be fine if this is a very occasional thing.

My meals go as follows:

BREAKFAST:  EGGS and COFFEE

• One or two eggs. fried, scrambled, poached, hardboiled or omelet.
• Omelets are a great way to keep it interesting.
• You can add cheese or a bit of onion and green vegetable. 
• Top with a teaspoon full of fresh salsa found at the grocery store.
• Salsa adds a lot of flavor and keeps it interesting.
• Sometimes I have a slice of bacon, but not daily.
• Coffee with half and half or light cream.  No SUGAR.
• Fruit can be a morning snack if it is strawberry, blueberry or melon,
• Add it to a half cup of cottage cheese if you don't like eggs.

Read your carb counting guide 

(find one online or get the Atkins Carb Tracker App 

on your phone.)

 LUNCH: CHEF SALAD OR PITA POCKET SANDWICH

• Salads with various toppings are great lunch options. You can add various meats and vegetables that are low carb to the salad. Use last nights leftover vegetables and meats in your salad.
• Oscar Meyer Family Size packages of Roast Turkey or Ham make lunch meals quick and easy.
• Home roasted meat and chicken are zero carbs, so roast a chicken or turkey if you can.
• Dressings must be under 2 grams per Tablespoon.
• My Pita sandwiches are the Josephs brand, which are Net 4 grams of carbs.  
• Egg salad, Chicken salad, Tuna salad are also rotated into my lunch time meals and are served on a salad or in a pita pocket. Mayonnaise has zero carbs.  

 Learn to read Carb labels.  Everything has what you need to know except produce and meats at the supermarket.  The total carb per serving of turkey is 2 grams.  That is what you add to your daily total when tallying carbs.

On the Josephs Pita pockets it shows one serving is 1 pita.

The pita has 7 grams of carbs, but it also has 3 grams of Fiber.

You subtract the fiber from the carbs to get your Carb total, which would be 4 carbs.

Always subtract fiber from carbs to get the NET CARBS,

 which is what you want to be adding up.  

WRITE IT DOWN.  I keep it in my phone under notes, when I first begin my

low carb diet so I can retrain myself to not overeat my allotment of 20 carbs.

I had gotten in the habit of popping things in my mouth around the house.

NO NO NO!! It will be an adjustment but its fun to KNOW the scale

will be rewarding you in just a few days right away if you do this properly.

 Salads are going to become a part of your meals.  Always have some lettuce in the fridge,

and Romaine is best.  Caesar Cardini's dressing is the BEST tasting MOST delicious dressing!

I serve a big casear salad twice a week and shaved fresh chunks of parmesan cheese with fresh ground cracked pepper and this delicious dressing!! 

I add a bit of flavor to a green salad by adding a bit of green onion and some sliced strawberry with

a low carb dressing. Usually Ranch, Blue Cheese and Caesar are the low carb dressings. But some brands add sugar and that raises the carb count.  Read your labels.  

Make your own dressing too, using red wine vinegar, olive or avocado oil with a bit of mustard and garlic powder. Yum, and its almost 0 carbs.

Once you start reading labels, you will see how easy it is to count your carbs.

 DINNER: MEAT/CHICKEN/FISH AND VEGGIES

AND COOKING FOR A FAMILY

 I make a meat or chicken or fish (that is not in a sauce), 

and then I make some starch like potato, rice or pasta for everyone else but me. 

 Accompany the main meat with one green vegetable, and a salad and and you are good to go!  

I eat everything but the starch item. If I am not really hungry I don't make a salad.

 I just eat my meat and vegetables. 

If you so have leftover salad it can be tomorrow's lunch.  

When I shop I always buy two large things of green vegetables, lettuces, and my diet faves:

Josephs Pitas, Eggs, Cardinis dressing, Lunch meats from Oscar Meyer.

I recommend FORGET ABOUT BAKING low carb treats as well

as not keeping sweets in the house if you have no willpower. 

It is best to not try to be eating bread and sweets, instead of 

doing what you have always done and figuring out a way to keep doing 

those bad habits of eating foods that aren't very good for you.

At least in the beginning. 

 Its hard to eat a cookie if there are none, right?

WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY

When I decide to go on this diet, I give myself a pep talk.

I want to lose weight, and I know I can do it, if I follow the rules.

Your reward comes when you step on the scale and there is NOTHING

better than seeing the numbers go down.  It is very satisfying.

If the scale doesn't go down, or even goes up, don't worry.

It WILL go down, and I hate those days when it doesn't drop,

trust me, but it keeps you on your best  behavior knowing you have to weigh in.

COMMIT

Soon your clothes will fit better and be a little loose.

Those fat pants will no longer be your go to choice!

Make a commitment to yourself, and you will be rewarded.

Start now, and the springtime will have you wearing the clothes you like,

Not covering up with untucked shirts and yoga pants.

WRITE IT DOWN

Write down your daily weight in your app on Atkins Carb Tracker

or your food journal notebook.  It is so much fun to see the numbers drop

after all the dedicated carb counting you have done.

The first week is hard, and then it gets easier.  For those of you who eat

a lot of sugar, it will be harder, as the cravings will be stronger,

but it will eventually subside, and you will feel great!

And lastly, the white wine thing that I talked about on the last post

seemed to resonate with many of you as well.

I miss the taste of my Savignon Blanc, but I have adjusted and now

haven't had white wine in 6 weeks.  Today when I stepped on the 

scale I lost another 1.5 pounds.  

Last night's dinner was a delicious strip steak with green beans on the side.

The guys had mashed potatoes, but I did not, of course!

Buy a better cut of steak if you are feeling a little deprived.

SNACKS

Shrimp cocktail with just a dab of cocktail sauce.

Cheese and Pepperoni, yes please!

Deviled Eggs

Olives

Keep snacks on hand that are low carb, like macadamia nuts, pepperoni,

green veggies for dipping in ranch sauce, celery stick with spreadable

low carb cheese or natural peanut butter. 

Read labels to see if it works for you.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol will slow the weight loss, but if you want a drink, just keep it 

to the zero carb variety and you will lose.  Diet Coke with Rum,

Silver Tequila with Fresca, or Vodka with flavored seltzer.

Your choice.  Life should still be fun, and when you drop a few

pounds its even better!!

WATER AND VITAMIN

Take a daily multi vitamin, as many will get leg cramps, and this vitamin

will prevent this from occurring.  Also drink plenty of water.

It will keep the hunger at bay and is a good thing when you cut your carbs.

I always have a glass of water with me in the house, and a bottle outside.

Hope everyone has success on this journey with me. Remember I am 

just telling you what works for me. If you have questions, speak to your

doctor before you start a low carb weight plan.

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The one thing that was sabotaging my Lo Carb diet

Low carb dieting has been my go-to method for losing weight.

But what was sabotaging my low carb efforts in recent years??

A few pounds gained here and there.... and after a few years they added up to

where I just wasn't feeling that great about how I looked in my clothing.

And so, the untucked shirt look. Yup. 

 Another untucked shirt photo....

And then this....I never felt so big.

 When my middle son Brandon married last October I tried to shed some pounds 

following my go to Atkins or Low-Carb diet but it didn't seem to be coming off 

as quickly as it had in the past.  I barely had lost 5 pounds and I wanted to lose 15!

It was a lot of restrictions for not great results.  I chalked it up to menopause

and the lower metabolism rate of being a woman of a certain age. Ugh.

My method of Low Carb dieting is basically the Atkins, 

which is counting carbs, and staying under 20 net grams of carbohydrates per day. 

 It was effective for me in the past, but I was doing something differently

 that was short changing the results.

So what was I doing differently?

White wine. 

In years past if I had a cocktail when I was following

the Atkins it would be a 0 carb drink, which means something 

like a Rum and Diet Coke.

Clear alcohol is zero carbs, and so are diet drinks.  

But over time I had switched to white wine.

And that was killing my efforts.  White wine has about 4 grams in 5 ounces.

How do I know this is what was sabotaging my diet?

Well,  after Thanksgiving I started a strict low carb diet and went

back to my old ways. Counting carbs carefully, not guessing, and weighing myself daily.

That part is not fun, but make a commitment and just do it.

I also decided to switch back to a rum and Diet Coke or a Tequila with Fresca.

The results were pretty amazing!

I dropped weight quickly!

I have lost 9 pounds in 5 weeks by making this change, and this includes a few

times I went off diet for a sweet during Christmas.

15  years ago I was relatively thin and happy with my weight.

I had been following Atkins diet for two years at this point and it was 

easy to maintain my weight and know what I could and shouldn't eat.

 And things went along nicely in the weight department.

 I started my business with my shops and I was too busy to eat, so that

didn't interfere with weight either.

 But as age crept up, so did the weight. Notice the white wine. 

 I remember thinking I was heavy in this picture. 

 Do you ever look back at photos and think you

were foolish to not have admired your own looks?  

We can be so critical of ourselves.

I just know I enjoy life a lot more when my weight is in a certain range.

And when it creeps over that, it makes me uncomfortable.  

My method has been to do the carb counting when needed to drop weight.

But for the first time, when Brandon got married, it didn't drop hardly at all.

 Life is too short to let those nagging pounds get to you.  

I remember this picture I took

of me and hubs after I had successfully dropped a few pounds. 

 I will always be chasing away those extra few pounds I guess.  

I don't want to give in, and give up. 

Champagne is lower in carbs than white wine, so there is always that...

but for now I am sticking to ZERO carbs if I want a cocktail at the end of the day.

And if you are interested in what I do for meals, I would be happy to write a post

on that if you like.  So its 9 pounds down and I'd like to drop another 6 or 8 more,

and when I do, I will get a photo taken to show you all.

Wishing all of you on the "I wish I could lose weight" journey

some fortitude and success in your efforts.  Remember, this diet worked

for me, and I am not a doctor! So do what seems right for you, and if 

 you too have good success with counting carbs to control your weight, I 

would love to hear all about it!! 

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