Dana's blog

Remember how I said I'd defrosted my freezer recently? Well, another thing I found that needed using up was a package of three salmon fillets. So I served That Nice Boy I Married salmon for supper last night (he likes salmon a lot better than I do.) A few bites in, he pointed to his plate and said, "If I ordered this in a restaurant, I'd order it again the next time, and I probably wouldn't even think of ordering anything else. This is phenomenal."

And it was super-easy and quick! I didn't measure, but we're only talking four ingredients here, anyway. Here's what I did:

I've been nagging you for years to eat breakfast -- preferably a big one, with plenty of protein. Few diet strategies could be more bass-ackward than skipping breakfast; you'd do far better to skip dinner, though I'm not advising that either. Breakfast is the single most powerful weapon for controlling hunger and energy level throughout the day. (This would be the one thing that stupid "Big Breakfast Study" got right.)

So what did I eat for breakfast today? One of the most nutritious, filling, and yes, delicious quick dishes I know how to make: Scrambled Eggs With Chicken Livers.

I may be a bestselling cookbook author and all, but I'm still one of you. Not just because I eat low carb -- I've got the same chores and the same worries. Which is why I spent Sunday defrosting my freezer. Well, one of my freezers; I have two. Somehow the one in the garage had not sealed well in this humid summer weather, and it had inches of frost, and even icicles!

A lot of dieticians, doctors, and media folks get worked up about ketosis. Here's what The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition has to say:

Stopped by the local Goodwill this afternoon, and found, of all things, a bunch of Nutrisystem meals. Nutrisystem commercials have been all over television around here, boasting about how delicious their food is, how easy and effective their program is, how you never have to go hungry, etc, etc, etc. So I was understandably curious to take a look at the meals they were offering.

One of the greatest treats of summer is fresh berries. I’m happy to tell you that they fit
beautifully into a low carb diet Berries are among the lowest sugar fruits. So enjoy them while
they’re – well, less expensive.

Strawberries are summertime ambrosia, and a half a dozen large strawberries will only run you
8.3 grams of carbohydrate, with 5 grams of fiber – for a usable carb count of just 3.3 grams
Have a dozen

One cup of raspberries – a generous serving – contains 14.7 grams of carbohydrate – but 8 of

I would write about this myself, but I don't have access to the full text of the journal article, and anyway, Dr. Mike Eades has already done a bang-up job. You need to read this: Another China Study.

Hope you'll come back here afterward, but you really need to read Dr. Mike's article.

CRUISE! CRUISE! CRUISE! And Not JUST With Me!

When I recorded a podcast interview with Jimmy Moore of Livin' La Vida Low Carb the other day, he told me he was planning a low carb cruise for this January. Sounded good to me, and I told him so. Long story short, I'll be going, too, and will be joining the list of featured speakers! I'm really, really excited about this.

Well, no, she can't. Or rather, she could, but cherry pie involves a flour-based pie crust, which ain't happening 'round here. Which is why there is a cherry cheesecake in my refrigerator, instead.

There's a Montmorency cherry tree in the backyard of our old house. We still own the house; we rent it to a terrific tenant. A terrific tenant who spotted bugs. Which is why I was hanging around the backyard the other day, waiting for the nice Terminex man to finish his inspection. By the time he came out from under the house I'd picked almost a quart of cherries.

Since I wrote this column, a number of sugar-free chocolate products have gone off the market, while many new ones have appeared to fill the void. Hence the update.

“Health food” – how dreary! After all, everything that’s good for you tastes bad, or at the very least is dull to the point of joylessness. How sad, how prissy to eat only healthy foods – you know, like chocolate.

Breakfast:

Pepper jack omelet with chunky salsa

Lunch:

Leftover roasted chicken leg and thigh. Because the skin comes out flabby when you zap leftover chicken in the microwave, I always peel it off and lay it in a skillet. I warm it over medium-low heat till it's crispy again, and eat it as a treat after I'm done with the meat.

Snack:

Pea salad
Sugar-free dark chocolate

The Webmaster (aka That Nice Boy I Married) and I just got back from our local "taste" event, Taste of Bloomington. We hadn't actually been out on a date for a while, and it was a nice evening, not too hot, so it seemed like just the thing. Had a very nice time, and I am now quite full.

These things always have an abundance of carbs. Among the things we did not eat were all manner of sandwiches, fried rice, egg rolls, pizza, sugared strawberries, and ice cream. So what did we have?

I have a Google News Alert set for "low carbohydrate." For the past few days it's been sending me a headlines about the so-called "Big Breakfast" study. Here are some of them:

* Big, Well-Balanced Breakfast Aids Weight Loss

* Study: Big, Carb-Heavy Breakfast Key to Weight Loss

* Eating carb-rich breakfast helps lose more weight

* High-carb, high-protein breakfast for losing weight

* New Weight Loss Diet Recommends High-carb And Protein Big Breakfast

Note the editorial emphasis on the big breakfast being "high carb" or at the very least "balanced."

That Nice Boy I Married and I were invited to a small cookout Saturday night. Had a very nice time -- good food, good company, lovely evening for sitting out. Well, it kind of sucked that while everyone else was drinking wine, I was sucking down a whole 2 liter bottle of club soda. But other than that, a really great time.

Haven't done this for a while! Time to get back to it. Yesterday I ate:

Breakfast:

Omelet, filled with mushrooms and onions sauteed in olive oil, and about an ounce of liverwurst. So yummy, I made the same thing this morning!

Lunch:

Egg salad, with celery, scallions, green pepper, light mayo, and mustard.
3 Finn Crisp crackers

Dinner:

Pan-broiled rib eye steak
Green beans almandine

Snacks:

Sugar free dark chocolate
Sugar free Reese's cup