NEW BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

LOW FAT BREAKFAST

NEW BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

One of the keys to enjoying and staying on a low fat diet is eating a nutritional and low fat breakfast.  In my case it is a very low fat breakfast.  The only fat consumed is from a small amount of 2% milk that is poured over the Special K with Red Berries.  This is a delicious cereal that has zero fat and only 110 calories.  I enjoy a small 5.5 oz can of V8 Vegetable juice that has zero fat too.  The V8 also helps my vitamins go down smoother than drinking just water.  This breakfast fills me up and reduces the craving to eat before lunch time.  If I get hungry before lunch I eat some kind of fresh fruit.                                                                                 

LOW FAT SALSA

LOW FAT SALSA

I discovered this delicious dish by accident. I had made a fresh summer salad using chopped red onion, red and green bell peppers, celery, garbanzo beans and cilantro. We enjoyed these fresh veggies and beans with a low fat balsamic dressing. The following day a guest came over and rather than serve the same salad, I poured a cup of Safeway Select Salsa Verde over all the beans and veggies. One taste and I knew I had a family hit. This salsa is awesome. My friend could not get enough of it. He devoured it and asked for more. I love this dish too. It is not only good as a dip with reduced fat chips but also great on chicken and fish right off the grille. Low fat and super good.

LOW FAT TACO AND TOSTADA ALTERNATIVES

LOW FAT TACOS AND TOSTADAS

We love Mexican food more than most anything.  When I downloaded the nutritional chart for taco bell and other Mexican restaurants I was amazed how much fat was in the food.  Using nutritional labels as our guide I have been able to create some good tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tostadas by using low fat ingredients.  For taco's we use a whole wheat soft tortilla or a store bought hard tortilla shell.  You need to be very careful when choosing a store bought shell.  The fat content varies from brand to brand.  We bake the shells rather than fry them in oil.  This adds no fat to the taco.  We found one at Safeway that has only 1 gram of fat per shell.  Fill this with ground turkey meat with no fat taco seasoning and then top with low or non fat cheese and salsa.  Makes a good taco.  For tostadas, I take Rosarito Zesty Salsa beans (0 fat) and saute onions, garlic, jalepeno and bell pepper.  Mix it all up and add in about 1/4 cup of La Victoria Salsa Brava Hot Sauce.  Spread this on chips or a baked corn tortilla.  Top the tortilla with lettuce, low fat cheese, onions, tomato and cilantro for a great tostada.  I post the enchilada recipe later.

                                           

LOW FAT BURGER ALTERNATIVE

BISON,  TURKEY AND BOCA BURGERS

Who doesn't crave a big fat burger on a warm summer or winter day.  I sure do.  When the burger urge comes I now turn to Bison, Turkey and Boca Burgers.  The Bison (Buffalo) burgers are the best but have the highest fat content at 15 grams.  Add the bun at 4 grams and you are over the 15 grams of fat limit but what the heck.  The bison burgers we buy are a full 1/3 pound of meat.  I can be satisfied by only eating half.  These burgers are great.  To lower the fat content I also use ground turkey which has about 5 grams of fat per burger.  Add the bun at 4 grams and you have a burger under 10 grams of fat.  If you really want to be low fat use the Boca Burgers.  These meatless burgers are made with vegetables and only have 1 gram of fat per patty.  Add the bun and you have a burger that is only 5 grams of fat.  I load my burgers with relish, ketchup, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato.  All which are no fat.  Last night we enjoyed the Bison burgers and they were delicious.  Eating only half of the burger was satisfying but I went ahead and finished the second half too.  

LOW FAT TURKEY HOT DOG

LOW FAT HOT DOGS

Me and my daughter love hot dogs.  In the past it was a treat to enjoy a hot dog during our weekend trips to Costco.  But at over 40 grams of fat, the Costco dogs are not on my diet.  I searched several supermarkets for low fat hot dogs.  You really need to read the labels closely.  Some so called reduced or low fat dogs are still very high in fat content.  I decided to try turkey dogs because they are low fat.  Beware.  Not all turkey dogs are low...low fat.  Just because the label says turkey dog does not mean you are getting the lowest fat dog.  You need to get the Oscar Mayer 98% fat free dogs.  These dogs have only 1 gram of fat!  Add the bun with 3 grams of fat and you have a hot dog with only 4 grams of fat.  Compare this to the 35 gram of fat Costco dog.  I load my turkey dog with mustard, relish and onions and get the satisfaction of eating a hot dog.  Note:  When you order the chicken caesar salad at Costco beware.  The salad has 45 grams of fat.

LOW FAT PIZZA ALTERNATIVE

LOW FAT PIZZA ALTERNATIVE

DINNER AT HOME

We found a great way to enjoy pizza without all of the fat and calories.  This dish can be made at home in under 15 minutes.  You simply take a Flat Out Multi-Grain wrap (2.5 grams of fat) and top it with my homemade pasta sauce (0 grams of fat)

and throw on some Saregento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian cheese (4.5 grams of fat in 1/4 cup).

Sprinkle on some crushed oregano and pop in the oven until the cheese in melted and the sides of the wrap are golden brown.  My daughter loves pepperoni pizza and so do I.  We add Hormel turkey pepperoni sometimes.  17 pieces of turkey pepperoni only adds 4 grams of fat and 70 calories.  You only use about 10 pieces on each pizza.  These pizzas are really good.  Thin crisp crust.  Great for appetizer or main dish.  You can top the pizzas with just about anything.  I like to add some grilled onions and canned mushrooms to the pizza.  Cooking note:  bake the wrap in the oven for a few minutes to get it crispy.  Then add the sauce and toppings and pop back in the oven to melt the cheese.

KINCAID'S FISH, CHOP & STEAKHOUSE

KINCAID'S FISH CHOP AND STEAKHOUSE

HONOLULU, HAWAII

I have always like Kincaid's and was curious how I would do there now that I am on a low fat diet. The clam chowder, pea salad, bacon wrapped kobe meatloaf, BBQ tuna club, crab cakes and baby back ribs were all things I cannot order. After I studied the menu it came down to the fresh fish selections. The lunch menu had fresh Ahi Tuna, Opakapaka and Mahi Mahi served with a variety of creme sauces. I opted for the Ahi Tuna with horseradish crust. I told the server that I did not want the sauce or mashed potatoes that came with the entree. Just the fish and vegetables. The meal was delicious even though the vegetables were a little too greasy. The Ahi was cooked perfectly and the horseradish crust gave it some flavor. My only problem with the dish was the price. It was $21 for lunch. Other fresh fish items ranged from $19 to $22. When you consider this does not include a salad or anything else it is just too expensive. We had a table with a nice view of the harbor, good service and good food. It was only the price that would keep me from coming back again for lunch. You can order other entree's that range from $10 for Crispy Fish Tacos to $17 for the crab cakes. If you add a salad or dessert, you can easily spend $35 for lunch here. Kincaid's has a great happy hour from 4-7. You can get drink specials and half price appetizers during happy hour. This is a good deal for the food.

12 POUNDS GONE

LOST 12 POUNDS

After almost two months on the diet I have lost 12 pounds.  Going for another 8 pounds and will continue on diet for another few months or more.  The shirt and shorts I am wearing are size MEDIUM.  

LOW FAT DIET - IT WORK'S!

LOW FAT = LOOSE POUNDS

The low fat diet continues to work.  I have shed almost 10 pounds now.  My clothes feel better and looser and I feel great.  The low fat life is not too difficult.  They key is to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going in the morning.  I have a bowl of Special K cereal and small glass of V8 Juice to start my day.  On weekends I may enjoy a egg burrito using Egg Beaters (Zero fat) and a whole wheat tortilla.  The Egg Beaters are the Southwestern style and they are delicious.  Top with some fat free salsa and you have a great dish.  I use a lot of salsas for flavor.  Discovered a great dish by accident using a green chili salsa made by Safeway.  I made a salad using red onion, green and red bell peppers, garbanzo beans and cilantro.  I then poured the green salsa into it and mixed.  It was delicious.  I enjoy this salsa with low fat tortilla chips.  We eat more fish and veggies.  Also have turkey hot dogs that are only 1 gram of fat per dog.  This totally satisfies my cravings for hot dogs and is very low fat.  When I get hungry for a burger we opt for the Boca Veggie Burgers or turkey burgers with fat free cheese.  I also have Bison (Buffalo) burgers, hot dogs and steaks.  Bison has less fat and calories than beef, chicken and fish.  It is a bit expensive but allows you to have the dogs, burgers and steaks and still keep the fat down.  Our tacos are now made with ground turkey and topped with low fat cheese.  We bake our taco and tostada shells in the oven to reduce fat.  When eating out I opt for fresh fish and veggies.  I have no craving for fried food right now.  I have replaced chips, cookies and candy for snacking with fresh fruit.  I have been out to several restaurants this past week with clients.  I have not had too much of a problem finding low fat meals.  It just takes a little time to go through the menu.