Martha's Vineyard 2010

We just wanted to share a few photos from our recent work trip to Martha's Vineyard. It was a very busy time. But it was sprinkled with quite a lot of beauty and joy along the way. We'll remember it fondly, I suspect.

PS - I almost forgot the most important part ... we both lost a few pounds on the trip! We ate plenty of LC-friendly food (homemade and at restaurants) and enjoyed it immensely. Lots of fresh veggies, great seafood, the occasional glass of organic red wine and a fair share of running around ... literally.

Heads Up - Ceviche Recipe to Come

Healthy Fellow Summer Ceviche

Ladies and Gents,

We just made a delicious, LC-compatible ceviche recipe last night. I'll post the details tomorrow after I put up the full column on Healthy Fellow. Just wanted to get the word out about it. Mad isn't a ceviche fan in the least. But she loved this version. I did too. I hope you will as well if you try it out.

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your summer so far. We're staying very busy but are otherwise well. Fingers crossed but things may slow down a bit starting next week. That would be a welcome change.

Update: Here's a link to my Summer Ceviche recipe.

Quick Breakfast Post

My current favorite breakfast: organic cottage cheese + all-natural (sugar-free) fruit preserves * and raw, organic walnut halves. Couldn't be easier to throw together. Super nutritious and relatively low-carb. Love the taste and texture. The walnuts give it a granola-type crunch without the empty calories.

* We use the Nature's Hollow brand of xylitol-sweetened fruit preserves. All the flavors rock, IMO.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I whipped up a new recipe on Saturday. I was inspired to do so after walking down the isles of a local health food store and market earlier in the week. That got me thinking about what I used to eat and that lead me down the "create a better monster" culinary route. And since Mad's out of town at the moment, I had some extra time to go crazy in the kitchen.

Correction: Come to think of it, the true genesis of this recipe probably had more to do with a blog I read recently by a fellow low-carber, October. She mentioned feeling bored with some of her everyday food selections. That + my fond memories of eating blueberry muffins in my younger years = this new recipe.

The actual recipe and directions will be posted tomorrow on the Healthy Fellow site. Did the muffins turn out well? Let me put it this way ... they're all gone. It took all of three days to polish off 10 muffins. No guilt though. The nutritional profile is pretty solid. Plus, I was on a bachelors diet - I ate whatever was left in the house.

Edit: Here's a direct link to the recipe: Low Carb Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I'm going to keep this post short because I'm not certain if anyone's actually reading this. And typing to oneself can't possibly be a very healthy endeavor. After all, it's not quite like keeping a diary.

One last thing though. Starting next Wednesday, I'll post a series of questions and answers featuring Dr. Richard Feinman of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society. He's such a fantastic advocate and resource for anyone interested in low carbohydrate nutrition. I highly recommend following the NMS Twitter feed.

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!