Burger Tots

by Margot Cioccio

My mom got one of those electric cake pop makers. So we have been coming up with other ways to use it beyond cake. Everything you make comes out in the shape of a ball which is kind of fun.
So we have made Tilapia tots from 24/7 Low Carb Diner. http://247lowcarbdiner.blogspot.com/2013/03/tilapia-tots.html They were delicious. My whole family loved them. So that recipe got us thinking of other ways to make quick pop in your mouth dinners. Burger Tots are what my mom and I came up with. This recipe makes about 90 Tots which seems like a lot, but I have two teenage boys who will devour them. If its too much for your family you can split it in half. I also figure that if there are leftovers they make good quick grab and go lunch food.

Burger Tots
2 lbs of Lean Hamburger pre cooked and seasoned to taste.
     (We used Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Parsley and Italian Seasoning)

10 eggs beaten
2.5 cups of almond flour
1.5 cups of shredded cheese. (We used med Cheddar but most similar cheeses would work)
2.5 tsp of baking powder
1.5 tsp of Celtic Sea Salt

Mix up the eggs, almond four, cheese, baking powder and salt and then add cooked hamburger. We also added about a 1/4 cup of lacto fermented green, yellow, orange and red peppers. You could use diced raw peppers or you might sauté' them. How to make delicious lacto fermented peppers is a topic for another post as well as optional for this recipe.

We will be served ours with a marinara dipping sauce as well as a cranberry dipping sauce.
Along with sides of spaghetti  squash, cold slaw and steamed zucchini. Of the 90 Burger tots less than 20 remained.  So it was a hit that we will make again when my mom brings her cake pop maker or when I get my own.

I realize I have not kept up with posting to this blog. So there is quite a lot that I could tell you.
My biggest news is that I start school for Massage Therapy in September. So I am looking forward to that while at the same time enjoying the relaxed pace of the summer.

I have added to my low carb lifestyle, lacto fermenting of vegetables and have begun making my own kefir (kind of like drinkable yogurt). I'll tell you more in a future post.

Pattypan Squash

I was given a big basket of Pattypan Squash that I have been finding interesting ways to use. I was pleased to discover another low carb option.

I have chopped them and sautéed them and they are delicious with a bit of onion.

We added them to scrambled eggs. Which was similar to having cubed hash-browns. They did not get as mushy as zucchini or yellow squash does. My kids like what we call cowboy breakfast which is a mixture of scrambled eggs, cubed has browns and sausage crumbles. So they were happy for me to find a good hash-brown replacement.

Today I decided to see how they would do as a pan fried pizza crust.
I sliced the squash in half inch slices.
Mixed up some olive oil, vinegar, a bit of salt, garlic powder and basil. I dipped each slice in the mixture allowing them to soak it up a bit before flipping them.
I transfered them to a frying pan and cooked them till they were golden brown. As I completed each one I laid them on a baking dish and topped them with Spagetti Sauce, Seasoned Ground Beef and Cheese.
Finally I broiled them till the cheese melted.

My husband and I enjoyed them for lunch. They were a bit more like eggplant parmesan than pizza but certainly delicious, easy to prepare.
You could probably come up with your own topping variations.    

September Progress Report

The new scale and the old scale disagree by about 4 pounds.

I have been a bit neglectful on posting how I am doing on my weight loss journey. I have been sticking pretty close to my plan. I am still loosing.

I did get a new digital scale it says my weight today is 201 and the old scale say 195. According to both I have been loosing but I still feel compelled to use both scales which seems kind of dumb and defeats the purpose of getting a new scale. Anyway from this point on I am going to switch over to the new scale. The old scale you could lean a bit to one side and add or gain a pound or two. The new one seems to be much more accurate and less temperamental. Just like the numbers on the old scale better. Its a little frustrating to not be below 200 when the old scale says I am. Grrrrr I will make the switch. 

I have not posted any recipes because I have been mostly cooking add lib. You know with the stuff that is on hand and not really following any real recipes. I did have a couple of great cooking weekends with my mom who is also following a low carb lifestyle of eating and cooking.

Low carb egg mc muffins  - yum

Amazing Cake that cooks in 3 minutes

Pre-mixed muffin or bread mix

We have discovered that the whole family really like this pizza recipe.

Source: eat-drink-smile.com via Margot on Pinterest

I have managed to get beyond a couple days of cheating during my sons birthday and get right back on track. That is a big big change in the past it could have taken several months and in some cases a year to get back on track.

September 24, 2012

Anyway here is my current measurements and weights for September 24th 2012
Weight according to the new scale 201
according to the old scale its 194 which is a 4 lb loss
stomach 36  - is another 1 inch loss
hips 41 - is another 1 inch loss
Thigh is 23
Calf is 16
Arm is 13 a half inch loss 

I am making progress. I am fitting in to pants that did not fit previously. So progress is slow and steady. Which is good. 

Size 14 - Ya hoo - Progress Up Date

Starting Photo June 21, 2012

August 19th 2012

Today I was wearing size 14 pants. Ya hoo they fit again.

Inches must be coming off of places that I'm not measuring.
My clothes are fitting differently. 

I have been sticking to my low carb plan now for 8 weeks. I'm averaging about 2 lbs a week loss and feeling great.

I will probably do these up dates only once a month.





 

Starting Point  6/21           7/13                      7/27                  8/16
Starting weight 215             205  -10                204 -11            199 -16 total
Bust 40 inches                     40  - 0                     38 - 2             38 - 2 total
Stomach 41inches                37  - 4                    37 - 4             37  - 4 total
 Hips 46 inches                     42  - 4                   43 - 3             42 - 4 total
 Thigh 24 inches                   24 - 0                    22 -2              22- 2 total
Calf 17 inches                      17 - 0                   16.5 -.5            16 - 1 total
Arm 15 inches                      15 - 0                   13.5 -1.5          13.5 - 1.5
                                       Total Losses          Total Losses             Total Losses    
                                             10 lbs                11 lbs                         16 lbs          
                                            8 inches             13 inches                   14.5

Weight Loss Simulator - Tool

Current 200 lbs

My Goal 135

I thought this was very motivating to see what a difference getting to my goal weight will make.
It lets you customize your model to make it look a bit more like you. Its pretty fun - check it out.


Click on this one with the beach background to try out the simulator for yourself. 

Source: modelmydiet.com via Margot on Pinterest

Calculating Daily Fluid Requirements

I was not home on Thursday or Friday to do my regular progress post. Today is Saturday and I decided to at least step on the scale to see if it had moved one direction or the other. I am happy to say it shows another 2lb loss. Which brings my weight to 200 lbs. Still way too much and I still have a long way to go. Progress should be celebrated along the way.

I also actually drank all 8 - 8 ounces of water yesterday. So my marked bottle system from the previous post works. That is for sure more water than I ever drink .  I probably drank another two cups after the bottle was empty. I have two bottles that I made so today I will use both bottles to continue to track that extra water beyond bottle #1 that I drink.
I found this tip on how to calculate your own daily water requirements from My Food Diary
"There are many different methods for calculating daily fluid requirements.  However, a simple equation to help adults figure their fluid needs is that for every pound of body weight, you need about half an ounce of fluid intake per day.  For instance, if you weigh 140 lbs., simply multiply 140 by .5 to estimate your daily fluid needs in ounces, then divide by eight to estimate your fluid needs in cups per day, rounding up to the nearest full cup.  [example:  140 x .5 = 70 ounces; 70 ounces divided by 8 = 9 cups of fluid per day] 0.5 ounces x Body Weight in Pounds = Daily Fluid Requirement in ounces"
  
Here's my own calculation based on my current weight.  
0.5oz x 200 lbs = 100oz divided by 8 = 12.5  That will be a bottle and a half so I will now use both bottles. 

This was also a good article about why water is important for weight loss. 

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4693137_drinking-water-affect-weight-loss.html

Days Worth of Water - Idea

Its hard to tell if you are really drinking the recommended eight 8oz glasses of water.  So my mom and I used old juice bottles to make these day's worth of water bottles.

We did the lines by measuring 16oz of water and pouring it in to the bottle and making the mark on the side. You continue adding 16 oz of water for each mark. The final mark at the top is your fill to line.

I have been trying this out today. Its almost noon and I have drank almost to the noon mark. Yeah I'm on track for my water intake.

You could buy a fancy bottle with a squirt top and do the same thing but today we are recycling.