My Life As Art

Friday, August 3, 2012

Oopsie Rolls

Photos and collage by Margot Cioccio

I found this recipe at http://yourlighterside.com and my mom and I are giving it a try. I've made these before but its been quite a while. We decided to double the recipe which may be why our 2nd six got a bit runny. They still all turned out great. We decided we did not fold the mixture as well as we could have.

"Oopsie Rolls (Gluten-Free Buns)
3 large eggs
pinch of cream of tartar (1/8 tsp)
3 ounces cream cheese (Do not soften)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Separate the eggs and add cream cheese to the yolks. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff (if you’re using the same mixer, mix the whites first and then the yolk mixture). Using a spatula, gradually fold the egg yolk mixture into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spoon the mixture onto the sheet, making 6 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly.
Bake about 30 minutes (You want them slightly softer, not crumbly). Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and then remove to a rack and allow them to cool. Store in a loosely open sack and allow to rest on the counter before use (otherwise they might be too moist). Can be frozen.
Notes: If you are making these to be savory (for burgers) you can add dry mustard and dill or other seasonings to the yolk mixture. If you want a more sweet roll, add a very small amount of stevia natural sweetener to the yolk mixture.
Makes 6 Induction Friendly, Gluten-Free rolls.
Nutritional information per roll: Calories:85 , Carbohydrates: .6 g, Fiber: 0g, Net Carbohydrates: .6g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7.5"

Today we are having Oopsie Rolls with fried eggs.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Liquid Sucralose

I just ordered four 1oz bottles of liquid Sucralose from this company. http://www.puresucralose.com/. For years I have been using powdered Splenda and I will still use it for some things. This liquid Sucralose removes the carbs and calories that add up fast when you use a cup or more in a bake goods. The bulking agent that Splenda uses to make it measure the same as sugar is what adds the carbs and calories.

Here's the information the company has listed with the product. "No Calorie Sweetener QUICK SWEET PURE SUCRALOSE What is Sucralose? * Sucralose is the active ingredient in Splenda® sweeteners. * 800 times as sweet as sugar * Zero Calorie * FDA-approved general-purpose sweetener: o Safe For Diabetics o Safe For Entire Family (including children and pregnant women) * Safe for cooking * Can be used anywhere sugar would be used * High concentration * Less aftertaste than other artificial sweeteners * No carriers or bulking agents such as starch, dextrose, or maltodextrin * Powder: o 1 gram = 1.7 lbs. of sugar o 1 oz. = 50 lbs. of sugar * Liquid: o 1 drops = 1 teaspoons of sugar Splenda is not truly “No Calorie” because it typically contains carbohydrate bulking agents. But our sucralose powder and liquid are truly Calorie-free."

For every teaspoon of Splenda I use I generally count 1 carb per teaspoon. One drop of liquid equals 1 teaspoon and I no longer have to add a carb to my day. I'm pretty excited for this product to arrive, its only coming from San Diago so it should arrive early next week.

My mom and I will split the 4 bottles and I am excited that she has decided follow a low carb lifestyle. So be watching for new and revised recipes using this product.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Progress Report #5

Look they are now using Splenda!

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

So slow and steady wins the race. Still not much of a change on the scale but 5 inches is nice.
I have stuck to plan and I am finding I am hitting that point of having too much energy in the afternoons and evenings. I need to try and get out on my bike and burn some of that off but its been pretty hot here lately.

I've added photos of some items that I did not realized were available made with Splenda. I am going to ask my grocery story if they can stock them. Since I am not drinking soda its nice to have something besides water to drink. The Arizona diet teas are available in most places. Which is nice when I'm out running errands or at work or just need a treat to be able to find these. In general I am drinking water but it helps me to find suitable substitutes for things I have let go of.

I suppose if you wanted this fizzy you could make them with sparkling water.
Might have to try that some time.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tuna Balls

I have been wanting easy pop in your mouth foods. One idea that I came up with was Tuna Balls.
You could probably add chopped veggi as a variation. These are simple but tasty and made about 20 balls.

I used:
2 Small Cans of Tuna - Drained
1 Package of Cream Cheese
1T of Brown Mustard
I creamed it all together by hand.
It seemed too gooey so I added
3T of Almond Flour stir again.
I scooped up gooey balls of my desired sized and rolled them in Parm.Cheese
I put the finished balls in the freezer to harden.

I will keep them in a plastic container in the fridge as one on my grab and go options for this week.

These would also make nice party appetizers to take to assure there were things at the party you could eat.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Progress Report #4

I saw this funny cartoon on Pentrest and pulled it to include in my blog post.
I'd love to tell you that I have seen significant losses this week. Its all pretty much the same as last week. I have stuck to my plan, I have not indulged in even much in the way of legal treat kind of foods this week. I have drank more water and very little of other drinks. Not all victories can be measured by a scale or a tape measure. It has been that time of the month and that is a good week to stay away from the scale.

Source: awesomefatlossplan.com via Margot on Pinterest

Quite often this is the point where people throw in the towel and start to moan that this is not working and go back to the old ways which over years have proven themselves to not work. They are those familiar comfort foods that call to us when our self worth sags ever lower because we have tied our self worth to our performance and other opinions. I just started reading the book The Search fro Significane. I expect it will kick my butt in some areas.

Here is another victory. I've had a lot of my support systems shift or change or vanish in to thin air in recent weeks. I have felt very emotionally unstable but I have not turned to food to fill those now empty places. I am working to get used to my new normal, it is uncomfortable and at times discouraging because I find myself outside my old comfort zone. I know it will get better as time progresses and I get more familiar with how to cope and even thrive as a result.

I was reading a post about some of the reasons we hit stalls along the way. Sometimes is is just our body adjusting to the changes.

Another thing much like the water issue last week. If you don't drink enough your body hords what it has. The same is true of not eating enough. I may have been guilty of that this week. Not that I have been trying to be restrictive, its been hot and I just have not been hungry. I may have alos been taking too much vitamin D. Too much and you don't feel hungry or even slightly nauseous. We have sun again and I probably don't need as much as I do when its grey and gloomy here. So I've adjusted that about mid week and actually started feeling hungry again.

So check out this quote. "3. Undereating - Most of us choose to follow a low carb WOE after unsuccessful attempts to reduce with the standard lowFAT, calorie-restricted mythologies. It's difficult to grasp the idea of a "diet" that instructs you to EAT when we are so used to restricting, cutting back and denying hunger. Avoid the tempatation to eat less, thinking that this will boost your efforts and speed up the process. In fact, undereating is one of the surest ways to stall your efforts and bring your weight loss to a grinding HALT. When you go for more than 4 or 5 hours without eating, your body interprets this as a fast, and will adapt very quickly by slowing down your metabolism and conserving your stored energy, ie. your fat. This is exactly what you DON'T want!

So I probably need to set myself up for next week with grab and go foods that I can eat about every three hours even if I'm not really hungry.

I'll try to post some of what I come up with. Anyway this was a good article that I read with a lot of good helpful tips http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html

Remember your self worth is not defined by what the scale or the tape measure say your performance was. Nor is it based upon what others think or you think others think of you.

Titus 3 "³For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I am approaching this journey from a Christian perspective. So that will come out in my writing here. If you are wanting more spiritual support and encouragement I invite you to visit my devotional blog. http://devotionals-margot.blogspot.com/

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Friday, July 13, 2012

Progress Report #3 Water Issues

So I am committed to sharing the journey
not just the victory weeks.

This week's results are not what I was hoping for but the only major change I see is that I've been out in the heat and did not drink nearly enough water. So it seems my body has gone in to water conservation mode. Grrrrr

On my to do list: More water

Starting Point 6/21          Week #1 6/28 Week #2 7/7    Week#2 7/13
Starting weight 215                    210                           202                  205
Bust 40 inches                           same                        same                 same
Stomach 41inches                        40                           39                     37
Hips 46 inches                             44                          same                  42
Thigh 24 inches                         same                        same                 same
Calf 17 inches                            same                          16                   17
Arm 15 inches                           same                           14                  same
                                               Total Losses           Total Losses       Total Losses
                                                  5 lbs lost               13 lbs lost               10 lbs
3 inches lost             6 inches                 8 inches

Lost last week        Lost This Week         This week
                                                     5 lbs lost                8 lbs lost                Up 3 lbs
                                                    3 inches lost            3 inches lost           3 inch lost

So this week I have been out side in the heat everyday working at Vacation Bible School. I did drink water but probably not enough water. I have eaten clean all week the scale and the tape measure were not so kind today. This is not cause to give up, thankfully I already know this part.
I'm going to say that very likely this being the first really hot week that I've been out in that I am likely retaining water.

I did drink more water and less of the crystal lite stuff. I've not been hungry which is good. I've not been tempted to go cheat on high carb foods. I can't say that I've gone over board in any area.
So this week we will remember it is a journey and there are weeks where the scale and the tape mesure don't move or don't go the direction we want. My self worth is not measured by a tape measure or scale.

Here's a good article on water retention tp://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-body-wieght-ambient-temperature

This was also a nice pdf I found on the subject: www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/Fluid%20Retention.pdf

I thought this quote from the pdf article was interesting.

Dehydration. If not enough water is taken in, the body cells attract fluid into themselves and when replete build up an impermeable outer wall to protect themselves from further fluid loss. Where there is not enough water circulating in the system, hormonal reactions trigger the storage of even more fluid in the body tissues, particularly the fatty tissues, causing further water retention

In all likelihood I have not drank enough water. In this heat and knowing that I have been prone to retain water in the heat in the past - I'm going to just keep on, keepin on and we'll wait and see how next week goes.

I'm off to drink some water.