Panko Cod

5oz Cod Filet

1 tsp(s), Mayo

1/4 cup(s), Panko

Preheat toaster oven to 400 degrees.  Place a piece of foil in the bottom of the oven tray.  Rub the cod filet with Mayonnaise.  Press them into the panko.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until cod is done and lightly browned on top.

Comment:  This is a simple, yet delicious dish.  I sometimes make it with crushed vinegar and salt potato chips and sprinkle it with a little malt vinegar.  Also, if you have one that fits your toaster oven pan, place the cod on a raised rack allowing the juices to drip into the pan and the bottom to brown some.  You can also increase the portions and even cook it in the oven if needed.  The cost of this dish depends on how you buy your cod.  I normally buy a package of about 4-5 costing about $6.00.  The panko and mayo are items I always have on hand so this dish will cost around $1.25 per serving.  I serve this with a salad keeping my meal healthy.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 143
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 50 mg	17 %
Sodium 106 mg	4 %
Potassium 0 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 3 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	1 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 21 g	41 %
Vitamin A	2 %
Vitamin C	2 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	2 %

Inventory Yourself

In my reading I've found something that I think is really important to anyone starting a diet.

1 - List the reasons why you want to lose weight.  (Boy do I have a number of reasons!  - health and appearance are the basic reasons but they can be broken down to many sub-reasons.  Health - I'm tired of being tired.  I'm tired of being inactive.  Appearance - I'm tired of looking at myself in the mirror and not liking what I see.  I'm tired of looking at others that have a bit less fat than I do.  I'm tired of putting on clothes that simply won't button.  I'm tired of my smaller clothes being stored in the attic while my fat clothes are in the closet.  Those are just a few reasons I have for wanting to lose weight.

2.  Take your measurements and keep a record of what they were when you first decided to diet.  (I promise you!  Taking my measurements became one of my biggest pushes to go on a diet.  I'm looking forward to taking them every week or so to see how much they have changed.)

3.  List all healthful low-calorie foods you really like.  (Not such an easy task, especially if you're doing a low-carb diet.  I love my fruits and veggies, which most are high in carbs, but I also love chicken and fish which are higher in protein.  And of course I love rice and potatoes which are virtually out on the low-carb diet.)

4.  Record your eating patterns for a week.  (Boy was this an eyeopener.  Each day I wrote down everything I ate as well as my mood.  This amazed me but also educated me to the fact that a lot of my eating and what I ate seemed to be connected to my mood.  If I was upset I seemed to want nothing.  If I was bored I wanted sweets.  If I was tired I wanted quick foods.  Creating this list also helps you keep up with what you eat when you start your diet.)

5.  List your danger foods.  (I made a list of the foods that are completely off limits and posted it on the side of the refrigerator.  I put it there and not on the front because it felt more personal to me and was kind of out of site from others.  It wasn't that hard for me to always look at it before opening the refrigerator and was also there by the cabinets to keep me safe when opening them too.)

Psyching Up

I ran across this article about psyching yourself up before starting your diet and it made so much sense to me.  I think it helps me understand why I'm having such a hard time keeping my diet going.

1.  Once you've decided to start dieting, you won't want to wait too long to get started, but try to give yourself at least a week to get ready.  (I didn't do this!  I started the next day)

2.  Spend some time thinking about how you got overweight.  By understanding your problem, you'll be best able to determine an appropriate dieting plan.  (When I read this I had to stop and think about why I gained weight.  My main reason was because I quit smoking, which was a great thing to do but the habit of putting something into my mouth continued, just not with cigarettes.)

3.  Forget about miracles and realize that you'll be giving up instant gratification in foods that make you gain weight for long-term gratification in being thin, in having a new body and a new life.  (I fell for some of the miracles.  I even spent a small fortune on NutriSystem.  They worked as long as I ate their foods but when I tried to quit, so did my dieting.  I didn't learn anything about how dieting really worked.  I even tried some of the 'super duper pills' that are supposed to help curb your appetite.  They don't teach you anything either.  You have to LEARN how to eat and how to control your own life.)

4.  If you are to succeed, you'll need commitment to whatever diet you choose, confidence in yourself and patience to wait for results.  (Commitment is SO important.  But you have to do a little more than just commit.  You must make the diet fun.  Doing the same thing day-in-day-out will get boring and you'll end up finding yourself giving up.  Try different foods.  Try different recipes.  Teach yourself how and what to eat while enjoying it along the way.)

"Low-Carb" Packaged Foods

Be wary of low-carb ice cream, meal replacement bars, and other "treats" labeled low-carb or sugar-free. They often contain ingredients such as maltitol, which is just as bad as sugar in a lot of ways; it's a carbohydrate that affects blood sugar. In general, products that talk about their "net carbs" or "impact carbs" deserve close scrutiny of the ingredients and careful experimentation.

Comment:  I almost fell for one of these 'low net carb' snack bars.  I was in Walmart and they had several boxes of these delicious looking snack bars on sale.  I looked at the front and it said "3 net carbs".  That sounded perfect for my diet.  I picked up 3 boxes in different flavors and as I was about to put them into my basket I decided to look at the back.  It said 26 carbs!  I have no idea what 'net carbs' are but I do know what the carbs listed on the back of the package are.  Needless to say, I put them back on the shelf.

So, if you see a package that says low net carbs, read the back before buying.

Artichoke Chicken Casserole

8 oz. chicken breasts

1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup green onion tops, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

8 1/2 ounces artichoke hearts (drained)

1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook chicken (any way you choose) cool and shred, should make about 2 cups.  Saute mushrooms and green onions in butter.  Sprinkle with garlic salt.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients.  Place mixture into a 2 quart casserole.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Comments:  This recipe is great in carbs but a bit high in protein so you'll want to really watch what you eat the rest of the day.  The calories aren't too bad, under 400.  But the taste is delicious and served as a lettuce wrap it is unbelievable!  1/6th of the dish will give you from 2-4 wraps depending on how full you fill them.  And believe me, you'll be full when finished. 

This dish ended up costing me about $7.00, counting the Romaine leaves, giving it a cost of about $1.25 each.  This dish will also make a great cracker spread but remember that the crackers will add carbs plus.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 386
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18 g	28 %
Saturated Fat 7 g	36 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 137 mg	46 %
Sodium 433 mg	18 %
Potassium 373 mg	11 %
Total Carbohydrate 8 g	3 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	4 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 45 g	90 %
Vitamin A	10 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	12 %

Getting into a Rut

There are people who eat the same things day after day and like it that way. But frankly, most of us like variety, and will get bored very quickly if that is not built into the way we eat. There are many ways to avoid low-carb boredom. There is no reason not to eat a wide variety of foods, and in fact, a varied diet is likely to be better for us nutritionally. Every cuisine on the planet has low-carb options; you just need to skip the starch and sugar. Also, most dishes can be "de-carbed." 

Comment:  This one took me a few minutes to figure out an answer to that would fit my eating style.  The 1st thing I came up with was to allow myself 1 MEAL a week of something I truly love but can't eat because of the carbs.  After eating on the low carb diet for as long as I have I find that I truly enjoy my 'treat' meal but don't eat as much because I get full quicker than I did before.  My treat meals are a small hamburger (with the bun), or Chinese Sesame Chicken with Fried Rice, or maybe a Banana Sandwich or I may go out to eat at a restaurant and order something besides a salad.  No matter what, I only allow myself the 1 Meal and not the whole day of meals.  This does seem to help with my boredom.

Another thing that I'm doing is to look, not so much for a variety of food, but a variety of ways to cook those that I love.  If you've noticed, many of my recipes are chicken.  It's low in carbs and I love chicken so I scan the internet looking for recipes that contain chicken and adjust them to my own taste and diet.  One way I do this is to go to MyFitnessPal and enter the ingredient listing of a recipe to check it's nutritional value.  If it has an ingredient that is too high in carbs I either eliminate it or find a substitute.  When I've made the adjustments I'll then give my new, healthy recipe a try.  

So, don't get bored - find ways to make your meals happy without all of the carbs.

Meal Planning

When you first start a new way of eating, you'll undoubtedly run into old habits that need to be changed to new healthier ones. No longer can you mindlessly hit the vending machine or drive-thru. This is a good thing: Pausing to re-consider our habits is a constructive step toward making improvements in our lives.

But in the case of eating, it's important to plan ahead for awhile until your new habits come naturally. Nothing will sabotage your goals more quickly than realizing that you're hungry but you don't know what to eat, you have nothing in the fridge, or you have no time to cook.  Meal planning before you grocery shop, as well as batch-cooking—which is picking one day of the week to make a bunch of meals that you can eat throughout the week—can be excellent tools to ensure you always have food at the ready. Also, keeping low-carb snacks on hand is a great idea.

Comment:  I agree with the planning but before you do, make yourself familiar with the foods that you CAN eat.  I made a mistake my 1st week and went to the grocery store to buy healthy food.  I knew that meant eliminating breads, potatoes, rice, etc. but I didn't know it also meant most of the fruits I love - oranges, grapes, bananas, etc.  I never realized these foods carried a large amount of carbs.  And not knowing this I spent $70.00 at the store and about half of what I bought I couldn't eat.  So I now shop for LOW-CARB foods with a little treat now and then of an orange, banana and even a grape or two.

Something I've found that is low carb but you have to watch the sodium content are Pork Rinds.  I've discovered that these can take the place of crackers and chips for me.  I use them 'sparingly' in my soups and even in place of bread with my chicken salad.

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (1 lb.)

4 ounces thinly sliced, low-sodium deli ham, cut into pieces

3 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup nonfat milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Place the chicken in bottom of baking dish. Loosely pile the ham over the chicken.  In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, margarine, mustard, milk, wine, and pepper; mix well. Stir in 1/4 cup Swiss cheese and broccoli. Spread this sauce over the ham, then sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and lightly golden.  Serves 6

Comments:  This dish turned out delicious.  It has the high protein and low carbs I limited to and the calorie count wasn't bad either.  Also, the cost was low.  The chicken was part what I had found on sale at Food Lion.  (3 lbs. for $6.00 - 5 pieces)  That made the cost of the chicken about $2.40.  The ham I bought in the deli and ended up paying $2.10.  The cream cheese was $1.50.  The butter, mustard, milk and pepper I won;t even bother to count.  The cheese was $2.00 for a 2 cup package giving me a cost of about $.50.  And the broccoli I bought frozen on sale for $1.25 for a 1 lb. pkg.  I used half of it for a cost of around $.65.  Total cost ran around $7.15, serving 6 for a total of around $1.20 per serving.  And the meal is well worth it.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 207
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10 g	15 %
Saturated Fat 6 g	30 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 70 mg	23 %
Sodium 490 mg	20 %
Potassium 334 mg	10 %
Total Carbohydrate 6 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	4 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 25 g	50 %
Vitamin A	12 %
Vitamin C	57 %
Calcium	19 %
Iron	5 %

Cauliflower Patties

1 lb. cooked cauliflower

1 egg, beaten

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375F. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl combine cauliflower, egg, cheese and breadcrumbs.  Mash ingredients with a fork until well mixed. Using clean hands form into 8 cakes. Place cakes on prepared baking sheet and spray the tops with cooking spray cooking. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

These are delicious.  I ate them in place of meat along with a small salad.  And It's is inexpensive too!

I bought the Cauliflower at Food Lion which was on sale for $1.00.  The cheese was $2.00 for the full package and I used just under 1/2 the package making it approx. $1.00.  The Panko was $1.79 and I used about 1/3 of the package costing approx. $.60.  And of course the egg which was just pennies.  This ended up costing about $.65 per serving.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 415
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 23 g	35 %
Saturated Fat 14 g	69 %
Monounsaturated Fat 7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 147 mg	49 %
Sodium 1538 mg	64 %
Potassium 259 mg	7 %
Total Carbohydrate 17 g	6 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	7 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 34 g	68 %
Vitamin A	12 %
Vitamin C	39 %
Calcium	97 %
Iron	8 %