Happy Ending....Hug a Child Today

Hi Friends,

I got goose bumps talking with a man at Lowe's Saturday. He and his wife heard about a 3 yr old boy in his neighborhood (7 yrs ago) that was being miss treated by his parents daily (in FL. at the time).

This boy was being beaten badly.

This man, Mike (Lowe's employee), went to the mother and told her he heard about it and wanted that bad treatment to stop.

The mother pushed the boy out the door and said,

"here, you want him? you can have him!" ....

Mike took the boy home and called his attorney the next day and adopted the boy, had the mom sign all the papers and never heard from her again. Moved from that area soon after that.... The boy is living a happy life with about 100 animals on a small farm now and has never been beaten again. The boy is hugged much and truly loved.
Wow, this man works in the Lighting/ceiling fan department at Lowe's in Madison Georgia. I wrote him a complementry letter to Lowe's for the great service he gave us Saturday.

Mike .. what a true hero!!!

Now I have goose bumps all over again.....

Please do not hurt your kids, and if you hear of one being miss treated,

do something about it.

Love you all, hug a child today!!

Joan Bunge

Not Diebetic any more (almost) happy dancing now!!

Drum roll please,

call Paul Tuschy, to do a drum roll fast!!!

I just came home from my doctor's appointment, every 3 months,
check up for pain management (spinal stenosis) and diabetes check.
My doctor was amazed!!
No more pain meds prescribed,
cutting one of my diabetic pills in half for 1 week
then stopping it altogether (glucotrol).
She said it causes weight gain, OMG!
Cutting my insulin way way down.
Will go off the metformin in a month or 2. (it's the one that causes awful diarrhea)
She said I will definitely NOT be diabetic much longer, if I kept this up.
She even said that she was going to have to "re-think" her own diet, as a vegetarian.
My A1C was 5.5. she almost fainted..this time last year, it was 8.6.
4.5 to 5 is normal and not diabetic!!!!!
also I had lost 15 pounds since my last visit.
I'm so happy!!! and getting healthier every day,
Thanks to Dr. Atkins and all my low carb friends!
Blood pressure normal also....
love you all,
joan

There is no TRY

Gluten free & grain free
Sugar free
Atkins
Primal
Paleo

All these ideas of how to eat to get "healthy" back into my life
are important.
Read, learn, do.

Do or Do not. There is no try.

Commit to it.
No cheating.

Pork & Bacon Sausage OH MY!

Have you ever seen this "Pork & Bacon" sausage in your grocery store?
It is the bomb! I promise you it is awesome!
Has the texture of sausage and taste like bacon.
I caught this on sale recently for 2/$3.00, unheard of I know.
If your store carries "Farmland" brand, look for it.
Delish, all meat.

I'm eating more meat and getting healthier
and happier, younger and smarter too!

Email me anytime
bungej@bellsouth.net
friend me on face book too.
Love you all.

'Know the goal and focus on the plan with an unrelenting passion.' Remember this the next time the carb monster is tapping you on your shoulder. Goal+Focus+Passion=Results!

Jalapeno Poppers Low Carb Recipe

Here's another easy Low Carb "3 ingredient" recipe that I LOVE!

These are so good, you will wish you had made more.

The heat from the peppers is cooled a lot during

cooking and with the cream cheese too.

First, wear gloves if you have them.

Cut top off jalapeno, slice in half and remove seeds

and light colored membrane parts.

Fill each half with about 1 Tbsp cream cheese

and wrap each filled half pepper with a whole piece of bacon.

Bake at 375 (pre-heated) on a foil lined baking sheet for about

45 minutes until bacon is crisp.

Even the bacon drippings from these is delish!

Cavemen and Cavewomen would love these!!

And so would any other Low Carber out there.

Email me how much you love them:

bungej@bellsouth.net

Join my blog too!

Love you all,

hugs from Georgia.

YOU

There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.
YOU are the only person who can revolutionize your life.
YOU are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success.
YOU are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes.
Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that YOU ARE the only one responsible for your life......

Being fat is hard. Dieting is hard. Choose one. I have.

Blackened Chicken Breast, baked

I salted and peppered the chicken breast,
laid them in the pan
(lined with tin foil and sprayed with Pam),
sprinkled lots of seasoning salt,
lemon pepper, and some mixed seasonings
made for gourmet hamburgers,
it's just coarsely ground herbs on top.
Baked it at 350 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours uncovered.
then I covered it and left it
in the oven while the oven cooled about another hour.
They were very juicy. Needed some garlic tho!!!

smoked sausage/peppers/onions recipe

It's smoked sausage, onion, green bell pepper,
a hand full of sliced tomatoes that I had as
leftovers, some dried red pepper flakes and
lemon pepper, nothing else in there,
just got it all sizzling and covered and
let it cook maybe 15 minutes, then uncovered
and let the juices cook out. I'm the only one
in the house that like this, so I can make
it as hot and spicy as I want!!! Hubby can't
eat spicy and Mom doesn't like spicy.
so that's OK with me!!

Being fat is hard.

Dieting is hard.

Choose one. I have.

I Love This Low Carb Eating

I wrote some of this, some I stole from my friends, no names are mentioned, hope that's OK:
While at the grocery store Sat. , I went down the bread isle, so I could buy a loaf for my 93 year old Mom, who lives with us. I just stood there a few minutes and enjoyed the aroma. Then all of a sudden, it didn't smell good any more, it smelled like poison. Yeah me!!

and that's a very liberating feeling !!!

I love having a HUGE list of foods that I can eat without worry. I love eating a healthy diet, even if it doesn't match up with the government's idea of healthy. I love feeling like a totally new person. I love shrinking. I love not having to worry about severe health problems, like heart attack and stroke. I love all my Atkins friends.And eggs. I love butter, bacon, steak, hamburgers, cheese, salad and all the other great foods.

It is so nice to be able to eat all the foods that we were told for years were bad. It is nice to finally be feeling great and losing weight (however slowly it goes) and not feel hungry all the time. When I did WW i lost weight but I was never satisfied and always thinking and obsessing about the next meal. I never do that now. Bacon is meat candy!!!

Cutting waaay back on the sugar cravings is probably my #1 favorite thing. It's like being freed from a drug addiction. I mean I can still look at a cupcake and say "wow that looks tasty" but I don't feel like I have to have it, or like I'm truly suffering without it.

Green Beans Made Delish!!

I cooked the best ole canned green beans last night!
I gotta tell you all how I did it:
I first put about a teaspoon of bacon grease in a pan,
got it hot,
added a large chopped up onion,
stirred till almost tender,
added a big chicken bouillon cube,
and 2 cans of green beans with juice.
Stir and let simmer without the lid for about 30-45 minutes.
Most of the juice will cook out,
that's OK, don't add anything else.

These are delish!!!
I could have just eaten that (all of it) for dinner.
Hope someone tries this simple, easy recipe!!

I am worth it! low carb

I realize that this way of eating ( woe) is more trouble to do than
what we were used to.
But it's so worth the end product tho!
I'm diabetic, so I have always had to have something
to snack on to take with me,
used to be an apple or a banana or something easy like that.
Now, I try to keep some peanuts or an Atkins bar with me.
but really there are lots of snacks we can have if we get in a pinch,
drive thru McDonalds and get a burger,
just without the bun .

It really depends on just how bad you want this "thinner/healthier you".
This diet does take a lot of work, but we are so worth it.
If we don't do it, no body else is gonna do it for us, that's for sure!
Plus if we don't get a handle on this weight problem now, when?
next year?
we may be 30 pounds heavier then!!...
sorry, I didn't mean to rant.....
I love you all and just don't want you to spend your life over weight, like me!

Pavlova beautiful dessert, low carb recipe

This is from an Atkin's friends page, Kate Riggle.
Thank you Kate!!!!

Pavlova

8 egg whites
1 1/2 cups splenda
1/2 t xanthum gum
2 tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the topping
1 pint heavy cream
2 T splenda
fresh fruit(berries, peaches etc..)


Preparation method
1.Preheat the oven to 350F.

2.Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and draw a rough 10in diameter circle.

3.In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed, then whisk in the splenda and xanthum gum a little at a time,then add the vinegar and vanilla until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

4.Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment within the marked circle and, using a spatula, flatten the top and smooth the sides.

5.Place into the oven bake for 30 at 350F. Then reduce the heat to 250F. Cook for 30 to 45 min, then turn off the oven and leave to cool completely. It will brown and puff then sink in the middle.

6.Once cool, remove the meringue base from the oven (you can keep the meringue in an airtight container for a couple of days or store in the freezer for up to one month).

7.When you are ready to assemble the pavlova, invert the cooled meringue disk onto a large plate or a serving stand, and peel off the baking parchment.

8.For the topping, in a mixing bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Top with fresh fruit or berries.

J

MIM Pumpkin bread/muffins LOW CARB recipe

Ariel Circleofnine 8:33am Aug 6 Hi Joan! I know you are loving the low carb way of eating and like to cook. Recently I like to tell myself I "perfected" a variation on the standard MIM and so Id love to share with you. If you decide to try this, I hope you like it. Refrigerate after making these for later use, I didn't and they spoiled over night. :-( Pumpkin Flax Muffins -------------------------- 3/4 cup to 1 cup of ground flaxseed 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 packets splenda or 3 heaping tablespoons Splenda 2 scoops vanilla protein powder 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 cup canned pumpkin 3 eggs, beaten 1/4 chopped pecans tsp vanilla spices to taste (used nutmeg & pumpkin pie spice) I mix all wet ingredients together then add dry ingredients and mix well. I spray either muffin tins or small baking dishes with PAM or grease with butter, spoon batter into them and bake at 350 for about 20 to 30 minutes depending on pan size (just stick a toothpick or knife down into cakes to test as usual). I plugged it into a recipe builder: Based on 6 servings I got: 280 calories, 19 grams fat, 14 grams carbs but 7.5 grams fiber and 17 grams protien. So for just under 4 gram net carb...and good with butter or cream cheese or whatever! Have a great weekend!

Ariel Circleofnine whoops, more like just under 7 grams net carbs :-) still low! enjoy! email me at bungej@bellsouth.net any time. hugs and much love to you all. No cheating! Mine made 12 muffins.

Why do Atkins?

This is one of the reasons I write a blog:

Susan Stover is one of my Atkins Buds!!

she wrote this today:

This is my first time doing Atkins,
so i really can't relate to the falling off the wagon.
As for myself, i love this WOE (way of eating),
i would feel so guilty sticking non atkins food in my mouth
and hope i always feel this way. My mind is set to, this ...
is my lifestyle now, to reach my goal.
Too feeling better physically and mentally about myself.
But it can't stop there, to maintain i can't ever go back
to eating the way i used too, or i'd be back to where i started
and i do not want to be there again.
Plus i'd have to fess up to all you guys.
And Joan's NO CHEATING keeps me in line.
As to telling someone else who has, it's just not worth it.
Sorry, didn't mean to write a book:))

Tomato, Okra & Cabbage Soup recipe

This recipe started out as:
http://fatsecret.com/recipes/cabbage-and-tomato-soup/Default.aspx

but has evolved into my own recipe!
As usual for me, I like to tweak recipes.
Frank's Hot Sauce makes everything better.

In a large pot:

1-2 tablespoons bacon grease
1/2 cup each:
onion, celery, bell pepper chopped
1/4 cabbage or 2-4 cups chopped
Cook the above till wilted and kinda soft.

then add:
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen sliced okra
1 can green beans
2 chicken boulion cubes
2 cans of water
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Splenda
Salt & Pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

bring to a boil, stirring. cover turn heat down to low,
simmer for 1 hour.

If cabbage messes you up, you should leave it out or cut back on the amount.
I bet I could even put my "blender on a stick" in this and make it
creamed soup. then add some heavy cream and butter at the end,
like in your bowl! yummy.
I remember someone made it and didn't like the taste (and tossed it out),
to me, that's an inexperienced cook,
add stuff to make it good to you!!
like, I added red pepper flakes,
some vinegar (2 Tablespoons) and 2 Tab. of Splenda also.
Make it your own recipe. you could add meat, chicken or beef also!!
When I serve this in my bowl,
I add some Franks Hot Sauce
to the top and maybe some cheese.
email me any time, if you want:
bungej@bellsouth.net
Love to all my low carb buddies.
Hope you all have a wonderful day.
Don't cheat! Eat healthy today.
Plan ahead for great results.

Zucchini Boats low carb PIZZA or Sausage recipe

http://www.convertunits.com/dates/

to check and see how long you have been eating right!
I've been on Atkins 146 days as of today, July 25th, 2011.
love this way of eating!
More energy, great food,
great friends on facebook doing it with me,
diabetes is much better, loosing weight too!
All this makes me a happy camper these days.
Now, If we could just sell our house!!
made the best food yesterday:
zucchini boats.
I'll find the recipe and add it here and a picture too.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mushroom-Stuffed-Zucchini/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=63109499&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2011-07-13&prop28=RecipeOption&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1

Ingredients in original recipe

(I took out the flour,
and added sausage and a few more spices)

• 3 zucchini, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the zucchini whole until they start to become tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the zucchini, and set aside to cool. Once cool, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the center flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch thick shell around the entire zucchini. Chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the mushrooms and sweet red pepper until tender and the mushrooms release their juice, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and oregano, then stir in the reserved chopped zucchini flesh and Monterey Jack cheese. Heat the mixture until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot. Stuff the filling into the hollowed-out zucchini; sprinkle each with about 3/4 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
3. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
4. Broil the zucchini until the filling is bubbling and the cheese is browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

New Pizza zucchini boats:
After boiling the zucchini as above,
scoop out innards,
put about
1 tablespoon of Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) pizza sauce inside.
top with grated cheese
top that with pepperoni slices
and grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
I cooked these longer than the top ones because the inside were cooked already in other ones, these I wanted the sauce to get hot and cook into all the other ingredients as well.
These are now my new Pizza favorite food!

High Protein Shakes for low carb diets

These 2 brands above are just 2 of the ones I've tried.
I really like the flavor of the shorter container, bought at Wal-Mart!
The Unjury brand is one that I found while doing research.
It is used a lot for patients who have had stomach by pass surgery.
So I thought it would really be good. It was more costly,
I had to buy it on line and I really didn't like the flavor much.
But by adding vanilla flavoring and cocoa powder , plus other ingredients,
it can be made to be pretty good.

To make shakes with these,
you can concoct your own recipes.
See bottom for more ideas for flavors!!!
Yesterday I did this.

In the blender, put this:

1/3 cup heavy cream
2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
1 teaspoon Splenda w/fiber
8-10 ice cubes
and about 1 half can of diet cola

Cover and hold your hand on the lid at all times.
Blend on high for 2-4 minutes
until smooth.
Taste it now, so if you need more Splenda or more ice,
now is the time to add it.
Blend again and pour into a tall glass.
I use this for my breakfast, lunch or a late night snack sometimes.
I do not do it every day, maybe once a week for a change.
My protein powder was 3 g carb for 2 scoops and 110 cal .
then no carbs for the added heavy cream or diet soda pop.


OK, another one I love it instead of the Cola, I add
Diet Orange Soda to it.
It taste like an orange cycle.

I have made these using cold coffee left over from breakfast,
that's yummy!!

And of course cocoa powder added to the coffee is good too,
but you need to add more Splenda.

I also used the same as the recipe, but used root beer in it instead of cola.

The shake results are endless only to your imagination!!
Have fun,
and let me know how you made yours!!
email me or facebook me anytime
(Joan Bunge)

bungej@bellsouth.net

A Refreshing Drink Recipe low carb

Daily Dish from "South Beach Diet"

A Refreshing Drink Recipe

There’s no better way to cool off on a hot summer day than with a flavorful, refreshing drink. This cooling beverage features a delicious blend of hibiscus tea and sugar-free lime-flavored seltzer water, which will keep you hydrated without the empty calories usually found in store-bought soft drinks.

Hibiscus Tea Spritzers With Lime (Phase 1)

Description
Hibiscus is a tropical flower that is often used to make delicious herbal teas. Its fruity, lightly floral taste and stunning red color are reminiscent of cranberries. Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, hibiscus has also been found to be a natural relaxant. In this recipe, you can use 100% hibiscus tea or one of the many herbal blends containing hibiscus.

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes
Steep time: 6 minutes
Chill time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups water
4 hibiscus tea bags
Ice cubes
1 1/2 cups chilled sugar-free lime seltzer water
Granular sugar substitute to taste (optional)
1 small lime, sliced

Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add tea bags, and steep for 6 minutes. Stir in 1 cup ice cubes and refrigerate until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Fill 4 (10-ounce) glasses with ice. Pour tea over ice, top with seltzer, add sugar substitute, if using, and stir gently. Garnish with lime slices and serve.

Nutritional information
Per (1-cup) serving:
0 calories
0 g fat (0 g sat)
0 g carbohydrate
0 g protein
0 g fiber
0 mg sodium

Making a floor cloth

Materials needed:
canvas, scissors, knife, straight edge,
primmer paint, acrylic paints, iron, varnish.
Big flat work surface, patients and
imagination helps.






1 The first thing to do when getting ready make a floor cloth
is buy your cloth.
It's really a thicker canvas material, that is made for floor cloths.
I usually buy mine off eBay, and get free shipping too.
It will come by UPS or Fed-Ex in a big roll.

2 Now to figure out the finished size:
if you know where it's going to be in your home,
like in front of your kitchen sink, measure that areas length and width,
that you would want the rug to be. Make sure it would fit where you want it!!
Now figure how big to cut your canvas cloth.
The finished product will have a
2" hem all the way around it.
So you have to add that hem size to the finished size before you cut the cloth!!
Say if you want the finished size to be 24" X 38",
cut your material 4 inches bigger or:
28" X 42", that's so you will have enough cloth to turn under to hem it 2" on all sides.

3 Ok, now cut your cloth. I get my hubby, Rick, to cut mine.
He measures, usually on the floor.
then he marks it with a pencil.
then lays a flat edge down and cuts with a straight edge knife.
But scissors will work as well if they are sharp.


4 The next step is to paint your cloth with a good primer paint.
let it dry between coats and paint at least 2 coats.
This will give you a good finished paint job
and makes the canvas thicker, stronger and heavier too.


5 Now turn the cloth over so the underside in up.
You will hem the under or bottom side,
then turn it back over to paint the top!!!
Hemming it is a very important step.
I measure 2 inches in, all the way around and mark it.
then have your iron hot and ready,
fold your cloth and iron it under to make a good crease.
Then I use a double sided tape,
buy it in the tape section at Lowe's or Home Depot.
put the tape in the fold and seal it good.
You should have a nice hem all the way around when finished.
It takes a while to do it right. Be patient.


6 Next is to paint the cloth.
Be sure you turn it over to have the top side
that was primed on the up side!
Now, get ready to paint it!!
You can paint it all one color,
or do stripes or anything you want!
Use your imagination.
I have painted all kinds, even Christmas cloths,
or smaller ones can be used for place mats
and runners on your dinning room table!
I have even used stencils to make designs sometimes,
that way they all turn out the same,
like if you put a design in each corner,
you want them to all be alike!!

7 OK, Now if you are completely finished painting it,
you are ready to varnish it.
I use a good water based varnish with a gloss finish.
This will hold up better under heavy foot traffic over the years.
It gives your rugs a pretty shinny finish, protects the paint and colors
from fading and extends the life of your floor cloth.
Now be sure you signed it someplace, maybe on the bottom and date it too.
That's it, hope you had fun.

One tip, let it dry really well between steps.
Also, prime it before hemming it always because it will shrink some.
See some of my floor cloths:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1050343813416.8919.1070353375

email me if you have questions.

bungej@bellsouth.net

Making Soap/ I'm cheap

I love to save money!

I also love to be clean and smell clean.

So instead of throwing away 25%

of my soap bars, I save them and

simmer them in water till melted.

Then just pour the new liquid soap into my

plastic soap bottles that I have saved.

Be sure to cool it first to room temperature.

Be careful, don't spill or burn yourself.

And be sure to label your new soap.


The first time I did this, I didn't put enough water in it,

and when the soap cooled, it hardened in the bottle.

So don't be afraid to water it down.

You can use this showering

or just to wash your hands at the sink.

Or wash your dogs!!

email me any time

bungej@bellsouth.net

Cabbage low carb veggie

I love to use cabbage in cooking.
I have started buying whole heads
and running it thru my food processor.
If you use the top blade , not grating it, but the slicer side,
you will end up with "angel hair" pieces.
This head almost filled a gallon zip lock bag,
I will mix a cole slaw dressing using mayonnaise,
vinegar, splenda and celery salt.
Then when it's about time to eat,
I'll mix in a hand full or 2 in with the dressing.
If you mix it earlier, the juices from the cabbage come out
and make the slaw very runny and watery.

I like to use some in making a tossed salad also.
Sometimes I just get a small bowl of cabbage by it's self
and put Italian dressing or blue cheese dressing on it
for a snack or crunchy salad.
But I also use it cooking soups, stews and other things.
I like having cabbage ready in the refrigerator
to just reach in the bag and grab.
I have bought the bags already shredded,
but this way is a lot fresher and cheaper!
Plus you will get a huge gallon for the price of
that tiny little bag that's 2 weeks old when you buy it.

Email me at:

bungej@bellsouth.net
anytime

Michelle's cooking/organizing lesson

This is a great cooking and organizing lesson from my low carb buddy,
Michelle Machin. She's on the Atkins face book page about as much as I am.
I'm tickled that she wrote something to help us all on our low carb journey!!

Below are Michelle's words:

Every day I see people post here that they do not know how to cook, or need ideas for this, that, and the other. I'm going to put on my teacher/mommy/granny hat for just a minute and post two of my most important tips for food prep and portion control (yes, Atkins is about portion control, too).

Tip #1: Use measuring cups! Keep measuring cups where you need them. Go to the $1 store and buy several sets--I bought 10. (You don't need quite as many sets of measuring spoons--one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients.)

I keep a 1/4 cup measure IN my bag of shredded cheese. I keep a 1 cup measure in the box of cereal for the kids (well, I did...they don't eat cereal any more). I keep a 1/4 cup measure in the bag of blueberries in the freezer. If something needs to be measured, and I use it more than a once a week, the appropriate measuring cup stays in the container with the food. I also keep the cheese slicer in a gallon size zip lock baggie with the chunk of cheese--I hate using a wet slicer, and this one slices exactly 1 ounce.

When I was making four servings of PIM yesterday, I portioned some ingredients directly into the bowls. The cheese, however, needed to be used between the layers. I pulled out four 1-cup measures and put 1/4 cup of shredded cheese in each one. Then I put a 1-cup measure beside each bowl. When it came time to sprinkle in a layer of cheese, I used the measuring cup assigned to each bowl. That way, I made sure that each bowl got exactly 1/4 cup of cheese.

Tip #2: Buy a scale. You may think you don't need one, but you do. For years, I was stingy and used the scale I bought for WW back in the 1970's. Last year, I bought a new one--and I love it! It has a nice flat glass top, so I can use coffee filters, paper towels, or a paper plate to weigh the food, and it goes up to about 5 lbs (so I can use it for canning). I use www.fitday.com to keep track of carbs (or look them up) and it is often more accurate to use the weight. For example, yesterday I wanted to know the carbs in kale chips. I put all my washed, cut kale in a zip lock bag (part of the preparation process) and weighed the whole thing--it came to 4.7 ounces, and was much easier than trying to put on all that kale in measuring cups.

Thank you so much Michelle!!!

Now I'm gonna add my 2 cents worth! :-)
One of the first things I do if I'm going to be cooking a lot that day,
is to run a sink 1/2 full of soapy water with Clorox in it (about 1/2 cup).
I keep a white dish rag in it, that way,
as I mess up I can wash up easily and wipe down counter tops
between recipes.
I don't want e coli growing in my kitchen!!
Michelle said:
hot water deactivates the bleach when it comes to killing germs
(works great for whitening, though).
That is one of the things they taught us in the
food service management classes
(I held my certification for about 25 years).
See, yall, even I learned a good lesson today!
Love Michelle for all her great thoughts and worlds of knowledge.
I gotta go watch the Casey Anthony trial now and paint.


OK...lesson over! there will be a test soon!!!
Email me:
bungej@bellsouth.net

Asian Marinate for Fish low carb recipe

Asian Marinate for fish.

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 teaspoons mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons cooking oil or olive oil

Mix together, pour 1/2 of sauce over fish filets to marinate.
Save the rest to use on fish on your plate.


I LOVE fish and I'm expanding my ways of cooking fish all the time. I also love to use Old Bay seasoning all over fish and cook in butter in a frying pan, medium heat, non stick pan. Very easy and so good too!!!

Email me at:
bungej@bellsouth.net
anytime

Ketchup & Soup low carb recipes

Good Morning all you wonderful,

beautiful Atkins friends!

I'm happy and busy this morning.

Already made a pot of low carb soup and Linda's

"better than Heinz Ketchup". Pictures will follow soon.

The Ketchup is a wonderful surprise,

it really is better than Heinz!!

It's GRRRRREAT, like Tony the tiger says!!!

Hope everyone is good today.

Hugs and kisses to all.

No cheating on your low carb journey!!

oh, don't be afraid to make this,
I had all the ingredients already,
you probably do too.
You don't even have to cook it,
just mix with a spoon.

EVEN BETTER "HEINZ" KETCHUP
6 ounce can tomato paste
8 ounce can tomato sauce *
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/16 teaspoon allspice
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all of the ingredients well. Optional but recommended (see my update below): simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Cool then chill before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Makes 1 3/4 cups or about 28 tablespoons
Do not freeze

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/evenbetter_heinz_ketchup.html

The recipe for the soup is from fatsecret:

http://fatsecret.com/recipes/cabbage-and-tomato-soup/Default.aspx

• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 cubes chicken stock
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped or sliced tomatoes
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Dice onion.
2. Shred cabbage.
3. Add diced tomatoes.
4. Add tomato paste.
5. Add water.
6. Add stock cubes and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Bring to boil and cook for one hour.

I added:

2 cups of frozen okra and
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
and 1/2 teaspoon butter
brought it all to a boil, turned heat down to simmer,
and cooked about 1 hour.

If you wanted, this would be a good base to add chicken or beef to.
I love soup and am always looking for new recipes that are low carb.

email me any time: bungej@bellsouth.net

Tim Corrects US News Health report

U.S. News Health recently came out with an article ranking the most popular diets, and of course, Atkins was one of them. We know that they won't give them top spot on the list. It's too politically incorrect. (And if you don't understand what politics has to do with it, go see the movie “Fat Head.) But they ranked it lower than even I thought they would. On the Atkins Facebook page, U.S. Snooze, oops, I mean U.S. News, wanted to know what we thought. Here's my answer;

What do I think? I think you got it absolutely WRONG!!! First, you base the rankings on how well it adheres to the US Government's guidelines. WHO SAYS THEY ARE RIGHT? Certainly not us! Even if it is the government's business to tell us what to eat (and it isn't!) they should base their information on science, not special interests. But like most other government agencies, that is not the case.

Second, you seem to have very little knowledge of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. You make the same uninformed, uneducated assumptions that many others do about what Atkins is all about. You look at the first phase, and conclude that it constitutes the entire program. IT DOES NOT! Atkins is a whole foods diet. It is about removing the focus from processed foods, and getting back to the basics that our bodies were designed to run on. On Atkins, most people eat MORE vegetables than they have in their lives. Lean meats, dairy products vegetables, and yes, even fruit and grains are part of the overall plan. On the whole, it is not as much about restricting carbs as it is about eliminating bad and unhealthy carbs (refined grain and sugar.)

Third, you make the mistake of assuming that eating saturated fat MUST lead to heart disease. After all, everyone knows that! So a diet unafraid of saturated fat like Atkins is automatically put at a disadvantage. The only problem is, there is NO scientific evidence proving that saturated fat is linked to heart disease. NONE! In fact, quite the opposite. Just because "everyone" knows something, doesn't make it true! The most heart healthy diet on the planet is one developed by a cardiologist; Dr. Robert C. Atkins!

Fourth, the way to control or prevent Type II diabetes is to control and level off blood sugar levels. The two biggest culprits in causing blood sugar spikes and elevated levels are refined grain and sugar products. Which of your higher ranked diets eliminate these two things? The low carbohydrate ones severely limit them. Atkins completely eliminates them! Dr. Atkins called his diet a "godsend" for Type II diabetics. Dr. Atkins, as usual, was right!

Finally, I see Atkins as being handicapped throughout the "Best Diets" test, largely because those of us who are successful on Atkins know that it isn't a "quick fix" diet. It is a new way of eating, a new lifestyle, an end to the roller coaster of dieting, a way to stop the yo-yo dieting that is destroying people's metabolisms. It is the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It hardly belongs in the same category as the other diets that you consider to be "better!"

So there!

Have a happy day, free of the chains of sugar!

Tim Conway