Saturday Dinner Party

Low Carb Coconut Flan

Freshly Baked LC Pecan Cookies

We're having some friends over for dinner tonight. It's going to be a low carb feast - artichoke hearts, an assortment of exotic cheeses, olives, salad, creamed spinach, steak, red wine, LC cheesecake, LC pecan cookies and coffee. I'm probably leaving a few things out but that gives a pretty good idea of what we're planning.

Much of the fare is homemade. I just baked the cookies yesterday evening and the creamed spinach just passed it's final taste inspection. Thumbs up on both counts. If I manage to pull off the steaks without a hitch all will be well in Wowee Zoweeville. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of the steaks ... I'm firing up our mini-barbecue tonight. A sure sign that Summer is indeed upon us. Great weather for such an occasion - mid 70's and mostly clear skies. We're usually on the receiving end of the sweet scent of neighboring barbecues. But tonight we're fighting back!

Apart from that I've been running some errands today and prepping a new LC recipe that I'm planning for my Tuesday Healthy Fellow column. In their own way, weekends are often as busy at weekdays. But I'm thankful for it all. As difficult and hectic as life can be sometimes, there's always so much more to be grateful about. I'm typing that as reminder for myself as much as anything else.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. Here's hoping for a healthy and joyful Summer for us all.

Egg Bake Madness

We've made egg bakes every Sunday morning for the past several weeks. Mad and I have it for breakfast/brunch and enjoy the leftovers during the week days. Each "pie" makes 8 slices and travels well. It tastes great and you can add anything to the party you'd like. We've experimented with different cheeses, fresh herbs and salsas. This morning I also included some chopped bacon for variety. Very tasty!

Recipe: New Mexican Egg Bake

I hope you're all having a great weekend. Best wishes for the upcoming week and beyond.

I'm off to make some LC cookies now!

Graduation Lunch

Rib Eye Steak w/ Steamed Broccoli and Creamed Spinach

Yesterday we attended a graduation lunch at Spago in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right occasion to snap any food photos.* The menu wasn't 100% LC friendly but we chose carefully and asked for one minor change to make the entree "on plan".

Starter: Caesar Salad w/ Anchovies and Roasted Peppers

It was an elegantly presented salad that came with a piece of toasted, artisan bread topped with a butter spread and roasted peppers. We enjoyed the salad and scooped the peppers off of the toast. Easy peasy and delicious.

Entree: Roasted Chicken w/ an Assortment of Mushrooms and Veggies

This originally came with potato puree as well. We asked them to hold the puree and double up on the mushrooms/veggies. The chicken was outstanding and was accompanied by a rich reduction sauce. So good. Perhaps the best chicken I've ever had! The white meat was so flavorful and juicy! There must have been a magician working in the kitchen!

Dessert: Just a cup of black coffee for me. Mad had a cappuccino. No need for anything else. We were both satisfied but not stuffed. A good feeling.

Tonight we're going to another graduation party. It'll be a much more casual affair - pizza and salad, chips and soda, etc. We'll most likely eat prior to going and see if we find something that works for us while we're there.

It's great to be able to go to such events, respect our health goals and still enjoy the celebration. In fact, I think we enjoy these gathering even more nowadays. Why? Because we're not feeling ashamed/bad about harming ourselves re: overeating and we're focusing more so on the reason for the celebration in the first place - our family and friends ... not self-medicating ourselves with food. As an added bonus, we also set a better example for those around us. Always a good feeling.

* This is an old photo I don't think I've posted before. It's an image from my birthday dinner earlier this year. Mad and I shared the steak and a glass of organic red wine on this occasion. A near perfect meal with my perfect mate!