Happy Bite-Seeing

Mr. V's Family Restaurant for Brunch!

Native Grill & Wings | Nampa, Idaho

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Fit Donuts | Meridian, Idaho

A Selection of Donuts from "Fit Donuts"
Meridian, Idaho

I was a fully committed, high-carb, SoCal gal when I moved to Idaho. I immediately noticed how few donut shops there were. The ones I tried were average and I missed the specialty places I left behind. Although the donut landscape has greatly improved, my lifestyle has changed.

I discovered "Fit Donut" on Instagram. I had never imagined "fit" and "donut" being used side-by-side. I checked out their website and liked what I saw. So, I chose this sunny Saturday morning to drive over to Meridian, Idaho.

I was not expecting a perfect, low-carb food, but these donuts come pretty darn close! The owners emphasize "high protein, low fat, low carb, [and] low sugar", whereas LCHF majors on low-carb, high-fat, and moderate meat. Still, with only 3-9 carbs per donut, I can enjoy these as an occasional treat.

We cut the donuts into smaller pieces so that I could sample my 7 selections. While no substitute sweetener completely mimics table sugar, my sugar-eating husband and son approved of these donuts. As for me, I thought the sweetness was perfect and not overwhelming. 

Most of my readers live nowhere near Meridian, but I am listing what is shown on their site. This way you can compare the similarities. 

Selling Points

• High protein, Low fat, Low carb, Low sugar!
• A healthy alternative to processed pre-packaged snacks!
• Made with fresh "clean" ingredients.

Main Ingredients

• Almond milk
• Cashew milk
• Almond Flour
• Spelt Flour
• Coconut Flour
• Whey Protein (which contains milk products and soy products)
• Gluten Free Oats
• Stevia
• Honey
• Powdered Peanut Butter
• Cocoa Powder
• Sprinkles
• Sea Salt

Always exploring, never boring...

Are you more geeky or nerdy?

Let's be playful for a moment. Have you ever labeled yourself as a geek or a nerd? Generally, we like to name our passions, if for no other reason, just to feel normal about having them. Yet, are geek and nerd interchangeable and which one do we use?

I have freely employed both words until I discovered that some people have strong feelings about their use. This graph helped make sense of it. Although I relate to a few things on the right side and do not identify with some items on the left, I clearly find myself in the realm of geekiness. I am outgoing, happiest around people and whatever connects me to them.

For me, low-carbing certainly qualifies. So would blogging and writing poetry. I also steer toward social media, culture, items handcrafted from nature, Apple products, Etsy, eBay, vintage, and so on. Anything that captures my enthusiasm could be listed.

Where do you find yourself? Feel free to share with me under COMMENTS.

SOURCE: slackprop.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/on-geek-versus-nerd/

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2 Low-Carb Summer Tips

Welcome to my 100th post here at Everlovin' Low-Carb!

Tip #1

Summer salads are an excellent way to cool off. I love the organic spring and herb salad selections available at the market. They pack a noteworthy amount of nutrition. I do not like, however, how these salads become limp and flat once the dressing is added. To solve this problem, I mix in freshly chopped iceberg lettuce. The salad is crisper, has more crunch, and fills me up faster.

Tip #2

Do not allow your favorite low-carb foods to become mundane. Always be looking for ways to liven them up. For instance, I made the 90-Second Microwave Paleo Bread yesterday. I revamped the original recipe by using duck fat, Salish Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, and Bragg Organic Sprinkle. These were simple changes, but they provided a real treat at mealtime.

Smiles,

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How does Oprah's new cookbook speak to me?

Weight Watchers stock surged by 300% in 2016 when Oprah Winfrey took a high-profile role in their company. Having purchased 10% of their stock, Oprah became the company's second-biggest shareholder. She captured the world's attention with her premiere commercial, asking the question, "If not now, when?" This was followed by a rapturous video tweet where she says repeatedly, "I LOVE BREAD!"

Kevin Fallon, from Daily Beast, is indicative of those who adulate Oprah Winfrey. On February 11, 2016, he wrote:

"And here is Oprah Winfrey, our most trusted confidante, telling us that not only is eating bread OK, but that, with the help of Weight Watchers, she managed to lose weight without sacrificing it. Glory be to God. Glory be to O."

Kevin is not alone. Oprah's following clamored to hear more, feeling as if a revelatory word had loosed the shackles of poundage. Oprah was giving people a mandate by basically saying, "Are you with me or not?" And the bread thing? It was a prod at the paleo and low-carb community.

Oprah Winfrey and I have 3 significant things in common: we share the same birthday, we love bread, and we have battled weight gain for most of our lives. I'm sure she, like me, desires a satisfying relationship with food without deprivation. I have watched her score incredible weight loss victories, often through arduous means, only to plummet backward. I can certainly relate.

Oprah has published a cookbook titled, Food, Health and Happiness. The website, Prima, wrote an article highlighting the book's "10 best weight-loss cooking tips". So, I was curious. What new cutting edge information does Oprah's cookbook have to offer?

THE 10-TIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Her cookbook features a soup recipe with "white wine, bay leaves, and cashew cream". 
• She carries truffle zest in her purse.
• Oprah is not enamored with mashed cauliflower, so she adds "two boiled Yukon gold potatoes".
• She loves turkey and pulses whole white or dark turkey pieces in a food processor.
• Fatty salmon has been replaced with lower calorie monkfish.
• Butter lettuce is used instead of tortillas.
• She recommends quinoa, using mango chutney for flavor, and disses cheese sauce.

MY TAKEAWAYS

• I will definitely be checking out her soup recipe (which might be low-carb) and experimenting with truffle zest. 
• We just had mashed cauliflower with lemon butter and herbs. It was amazing! If I was to add high carb potatoes, I might as well skip the cauliflower.
• I do prefer whole, shredded turkey over ground turkey.
• Butter lettuce is nothing new. Low-carbers and dieters alike have been replacing bread and tortillas with lettuce leaves for decades.
• Oprah counts calories or points, not carbs. So, fat—something that adds much flavor to food—is naturally omitted. Salmon does not need to be sacrificed on a low-carb diet.
• Quinoa is very high in carbs and I have never found it filling.
• Mango chutney is flavorful but can add substantial carbs.
• Cheese sauce is quite beneficial in a low-carb lifestyle—as long as it does not contain grains or unhealthy additives.
• As for bread... I have explored many low-carb bread recipes that are incredibly satisfying, contain the texture I love, and have a healthy fat content that fills me up.

Overall, the cookbook is not written for low-carb individuals, although I'm sure there are recipes that can be adapted. I wish Oprah the best, but I am sticking with my Everlovin' Low-Carb.

To watch Oprah's "I Love Bread" Video, click HERE.

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"From Fat to F.A.T." — with a new meaning...

Grilled Shrimp Chile Lime Salad | Baja Fresh

I was looking back at a 2007 post on my former blog, eye-dyllic.blogspot.com. The piece is titled "From Fat to F.A.T." It was the beginning of something  . . . just not the right something.  My acronym for F.A.T. stands for "Fit And Trim". I simply gave "fat" a more positive image.

I had begun exploring a Mediterranean diet. Yes, I was consuming healthy fat, protein, nuts, and low-carb veggies. However, the grains, sugar, beans, and higher carb vegetables were working against me.

The LCHF lifestyle has unequivocally changed my perspective. By incorporating more healthy fat and cutting out the carbage, I am finally experiencing real F.A.T. results. 

I hope the following article is an encouragement to you. Much of what I wrote still holds true. All of us started somewhere. The important thing is where we are now.

FROM FAT TO F.A.T.

by Karen June Miller @ eye-dyllic.blogspot.com

April 23, 2009

A little transparency here... I have contended with weight ups and downs since I was a toddler. I was a chunky chica in an era that considered baby fat to be part of a healthy upbringing. Unfortunately, this established a preset for the years ahead. Throughout my adolescence, I was never huge, but I was usually dealing with at least 10 to 20 extra pounds. Before marriage, I became very slim while singing and dancing in a vocal band. After getting married and having 3 children, my weight began to gradually climb until "mental pause" brought my metabolism to a screeching HALT!

I dream thin. I always have. And, my outer reality is not in alignment. Up until a week ago, I weighed more than I have ever weighed. I don't dislike me, I'm just miserable living in this body. I have less energy and I am noticing unfavorable changes. 

At 51, it would be easy to think that looking good again is futile since I no longer have a youthful body hiding beneath this upholstery. The thought of drapes, flagging upper arms, and jowls is far from appealing, but I do believe that by placing the emphasis on health, I could easily surprise myself. 

I love turning negatives into positives. (I have often seen God use negative circumstances to birth something new or simply upgrade my life.) F.A.T. = Fit and Trim. I gave up calorie and carb counters many moons ago. I refuse to interrupt the sensual pleasures of eating with statistics. 

My plan is based on something I have always loved: the Mediterranean diet. Not long ago, while shopping at a business closure, I picked up a fabulous book written by a female Italian chef. I will divulge the title and details in my next post. Let's just say that I have already lost 4 pounds! Woo woo!

That's all folks... 

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Cello Whisps to the Rescue!

I have written much about my potato love. If there were any way to blame it on living in the potato state, I would. After all, my entire driving experience is spent behind cars with suggestive license plates. Unfortunately, I brought this affection with me from California. It was deeply rooted.

I do allow myself mini servings of potatoes now and then. My main downfall is potato chips. Those . . . I cannot trust myself with. So, I look for crunchy alternatives to stave off my urges.

One noteworthy substitute is called Whisps. The name is not easy to say. I am fine with "Whisp", but "Whisps" becomes a lisp. I have to whisper it, which only makes eating them more alluring. 

Say CHEESE baby, because that is all you will get. Cello Whisps are tasty by themselves or covered with avocado dip or used as croutons on a salad. Erin at My Fling with Food has a recipe called Best Buttermilk Fried Chicken that uses Cello Whisps in place of panko breading. I will surely be recreating her recipe.

In the meantime, I was only able to find these elusive cheese crisps at Costco. Even with the discount, they were not inexpensive, but I will be getting my money's worth.

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Flavorful Low-Carb

Flavorful Low-Carb [Click to Enlarge.]

The low-carb/keto lifestyle keeps our taste buds twirling with seductive adjectives!

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