More Lessons Learned From Fasting

The thought of my digestive system working 24/7 every day of my life makes me feel a little sorry for it. It never gets a break, never takes a vacation. Every day I just keep filling my belly with more food to digest, more work to do. For this reason I have periodically fasted to offer it a little rest.  Though I know some people fast for spiritual reasons, I am not that 'good'!  I have only fasted for health reasons. To tell the truth I've never felt that I could honestly fast for spiritual reasons - my motivations would likely gravitate toward weight loss and spoil my spiritual purity. Spiritual pureness aside, I have fasted on several occasions with the expectation of ridding my body of toxins and the hope of easing various sources of pain. During one such fast I discovered a relationship between my mind and my stomach.  It was a sort of epiphany - an unexpected self-revelation. After several days of only drinking a lemon juice blend, meant to detox my body, I had finally begun to come out of the 'detox fog' and feel the benefits of the cleanse. But I was still craving food -- voraciously!  My stomach was DEMANDING I feed it. Everything I'd read said that by this stage in my fast I should NOT be hungry but my stomach did NOT cooperate! It was like the kid in the supermarket screaming at his mother, "I WANT this and I want this NOW!"  My mind was like the parent calmly trying to comfort the child by reasoning, "I know you want this but I know what's best for you.. and right now you can't have it."  So the kid yells even louder, "You're not the boss of me! I want it NOW! GIVE IT TO ME!" …and the battle continues. During this time I understood that my body parts seemed to have survival instincts of their own. And they didn't hesitate to convey their needs to one another. My brain was able to reason that a fast was good - but my stomach was like the unruly child who cares only of itself! It was sure it would die if it went without food for another minute. It was determined to convince my brain of this fact and it even got my taste buds to join in the conspiracy!  Together they kicked and screamed and threw a fit crying that they NEEDED to be satisfied, immediately!  It actually made me more determined to see my fast through to the end and to show my 'child-stomach' who was boss! In the end my 'parent-brain' won the fight - barely. I have never done a fast that long since. I think three days is adequate time to give my digestive tract a lovely vacation and though my tummy balks somewhat it has become a little more cooperative!

To Detox or Not to Detox...found out I was following an Infamous Master Plan...

With the start of the New Year I decided to do a 3 day cleanse to 'detox' my body and give my digestive tract a break. I embarked on a three day fast following a plan (made famous by Hollywood stars) which I have done periodically over the years - something by the name of Master Cleanser.  While I dined on my fresh lemon juice and cayenne pepper concoction I kept waiting for my body to rebel against the toxins that were supposedly seeping out of every pore…it never happened. I expected to be fatigued and experience a steady, dull a headache because of the toxins leaving my body. The book promised I'd feel better soon, but oddly enough, I never felt bad!  I was HUNGRY but other than that, I felt fine. Then it dawned on me! Perhaps the negative side effects listed in the Master Cleanser are NOT actually caused by the toxins leaving one's body, but in fact, they are the beginning stages of ketosis and carb withdrawal!  In past years, when I'd followed the Master Cleanser, I'd had several days feeling like 'death warmed over' all the while assuming it was because my body was ridding itself of toxins. But this time I only felt hungry. That's when I decided to read up on detoxing cleanses. In my research I found that the original author of the famous Master Cleanser was convicted of murder by practicing medicine without a license! Yikes! Let me rename that the Infamous Master Cleanser! After reading several other articles I concluded that maybe I didn't actually need to detox my body. In fact, one statement pretty much summed up all I read about detoxing, when it said… very delicately: "That's what your F-ing liver is for..." Thought provoking!  Could my body's organs actually manage detoxing me without my drinking gallons of fresh squeezed lemon juice? Perhaps it could! Detox aside, I was pleased to learn that, by regularly reducing carbs, I didn't experience the negative effects carb withdrawals during my cleanse.

Stacie's Bacon Chips & Guacamole - Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday!

It doesn't get much better than this!

Stacie's Bacon Chips & Guacamole

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed
2 Tbsp each finely diced tomato, onion, cilantro
2 Tbsp or less sour cream
Dash of salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients and scoop with bacon 'chips' - crisply cooked bacon strips. The numbers reflect the above recipe for guacamole and four strips of cooked bacon. Makes two servings.

One serving has:

240 calories
6.5 carbs
20 fat
10 protein

Cheesy Crustless Quiche

Shara's Crust-less Quiche (Real Men Really Do Eat This!)

This rich and delicious quiche is packed full of good and cheesy flavor - it's so good it doesn’t need a crust!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick).  
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 large eggs
1 cup cream             
3 oz cream cheese (softened)  
2 cups 2% cottage cheese
4 cups jack cheese, (1 #) shredded        
1 tsp salt 
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in saucepan, add corn starch and cook until smooth.  Set aside.  Beat eggs, add cream, jack, cottage and cream cheeses, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add butter/cornstarch to egg mixture. Stir until blended. Pour into a 10 x 15 nonstick baking pan.  Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until top begins to turn golden. Makes 15 servings

272 calories
6.5 carbs
21 fats
12 proteins

Newest Favorite! Low Carb BLT Club Wrap

BLT Club Wrap

BLT Club Wrap - The Fixin's

BLT Club Wrap - My newest favorite lunch!
This is super yummy and very low in carbs.
1 large leaf butter or iceberg lettuce, washed and dried
1 Tbsp mayo
2 thick slices turkey breast
2 thick slices ripe tomato
2 pieces cooked bacon
1/4 avocado, sliced

Place lettuce leaf on plate and spread with mayo. Layer with turkey, tomato, bacon and avocado. Gently fold lettuce around filling. Secure with toothpick if desired.

341 Calories
3 carbs
25 fats
22 proteins

January 1st - My Favorite Day of the Year!

January 1st - My Favorite Day of the Year!

I think my favorite day of the year is January 1st.  It's what I call a 'Free Day' and it's really the only day of the year I feel is truly this 'free'.
Let me explain.
As the year comes to an end I find myself considering the past twelve months- and when I do this, I realize a lot has taken place. 2014 was no exception. This kind of reflection stirs up a lot of gratitude in me because I realize all that I have, and all that took place, and how I grew, and what I learned and… best of all… no matter what…I made it!
Reflecting also causes a little melancholy in me because I usually recognize some habits I've taken up that aren't beneficial or I find that I've forgotten some things that are beneficial. The New Year is the perfect time to turn over the proverbial leaf but apprehension sets in when I about how much effort it's going to take to 'turn' that leaf over - to make those changes.
January first is the lovely 'Day In Between'. The day after the holidays and before January 2nd  -- January 2nd is the day I wake up and realize the party's over! Push has come to shove and whatever I decided to do 'in the New Year' happens--  starting NOW!
But January first - oh blissful day! I am not accountable yet! I'm still coming down from the holidays and getting used to the New Year and any resolution I vowed doesn't take place until TOMORROW!  'Tomorrow' - January 2nd - is The Day of Reckoning! But January 1st is another story!
I spent my January 1st sleeping in and later drinking mimosas with my dear mother-in-law and enjoying an unusually sunny Northern California day. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I knew that 'tomorrow' I'd start a new habit of… and I'd pick up that old habit I'd forgotten about….  
But for today - January 1st- Ahhh!   What a WONDERFUL day!