Month: Oct 2016

A Day of Very Low-Carb Eating

Emma2 Comments

What does a day of very low-carb eating look like? Bacon and eggs, chicken salad and then steak, blue cheese sauce and green beans?!

Okay, some of the low-carb clichés work well. I don’t mind bacon and eggs in some form for breakfast every day. Otherwise, I might have low-carb bread (and you can see our great recipe for this here) with butter and Marmite, or I have smoked salmon or leftovers from the night before.

Whisper it: I’m not fussed about steak. A great burger, on the other hand… I’m also keen on turkey, particularly turkey mince which is very versatile. Turkey tacos, turkey chilli, turkey burgers and turkey curry are regular features in my house.

Bacon and egg.

Two rashers of back bacon, chopped up and fried in a little egg. Once they have cooked, I add in one large egg and mix it up. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes to make.

2g carbs

Prawns and vegetables

imageI made my own Marie Rose sauce (2tbsp mayonnaise, a teaspoon of tomato puree and a dash of Tabasco), and mixed this with 100g king prawns. I served this with salad and steamed broccoli. I also had some dry-roasted peanuts.

10g carbs

Turkey steaks in mushroom sauce

I had one and half turkey steaks, diced with a cream sauce. The sauce was made from mushrooms fried in a little butter. I added a tablespoon of wholegrain mustard, 250ml double cream and some salt. (I used about a quarter of this sauce.) I served it with steamed cauliflower and salad.

8g carbs

atkins-barI finished with an Atkins bar – the chocolate coconut one that’s a bit like a Bounty bar. These bars are controversial in low-carb circles. They are heavily processed, after all. However, I really love the coconut chocolate one and I count 8g of carbs per bar, not the 2g of net carbs the label claims*.

8g carbs

 

 

 

*You need to figure this out yourself. The nutritional information for the Atkins bar subtracts polyols (the sugar alcohol used as a sweetener) from the total to give you the net carb content, but some people find polyols do affect their blood sugar levels.

Jovina cooks Italian: Pesto flounder with dressed garden salad

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Pesto Flounder Packets

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This recipe is easy to adapt to seasonal ingredients. When basil is not available, use a spinach or red pepper pesto. Baking in parchment during cold weather is quite successful, but use the grilling method when the weather cooperates.

4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 (6-ounce) flounder fillets or any white fish fillets available in your area
  • 1/4 cup prepared pesto
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Sliced tomatoes
  • Lime slices

Directions

Prepare  an outdoor grill.

Cut aluminum foil into 4 pieces large enough to enclose the fillets. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on each piece of foil. Place fish on top of the oil.

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Lightly spread 1 tablespoon pesto over each fillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with tomato and lime slices.

Seal foil packets and place on the grill. Grill 8-10 minutes or until fish are cooked.

Summer Entertaining | jovinacooksitalian

Garden Salad

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 of a red onion, sliced
  • 2 small tomatoes, diced
  • Half a cucumber, diced
  • Sliced radishes and black olives to taste
  • 4 cups torn garden lettuce
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Italian Vinaigrette, recipe below

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a salad bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste and add a little more dressing, if necessary.

Italian Vinaigrette

Yields: ¾ cup

  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian mixed herbs
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

Whisk the first seven ingredients together. Whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time, until it is all incorporated.

Jovina cooks Italian: Herb marinated grilled chicken

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The marinade used for this chicken recipe makes the chicken really delicious.

Ingredients

  • One 3-4 pound chicken, wing tips removed

Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh herbs ( I used oregano, basil, sage, parsley, rosemary, chives and thyme because that is what is growing in my garden.)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl or measuring cup.

Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the chicken backbone; remove the backbone (Save it for broth).

Turn the chicken, breast side up, and press down firmly on the breast bone to crack and flatten it. Tuck the wings under the back.

Transfer the flattened chicken to a medium glass baking dish. Loosen the skin a little and rub the marinade under and over all the skin of the chicken.

My comment: for the less surgically adept (including me!) you can use pre-cut chicken pieces.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator one hour before cooking.

Heat an outdoor grill to high with all the burners on, then, turn one or two burners to the lowest setting to create a low heat area.

My comment: Or use your usual kitchen grill

Grill the chicken, skin side down over the hot side of the grill, until the skin is browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the chicken skin side up and move to the low heat side of the grill.

Cover and grill over low heat until cooked through, about 20 – 30 minutes. Internal temperature should be around 170 F.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to 180 F. Carve the chicken and serve.

NourishedPeach: Grilled chicken with chipolte lime sour cream

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This recipe was originally Smokey Grilled Chicken Quesadillas with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream but it works as well without the bread accompaniment.

 

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Lime, juiced

1 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

For the Chipotle Lime Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1 Clove Garlic, grated or pressed

1/2 Teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt

On the side

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2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

4 Slices Cooked Bacon, chopped

4 Green Onions, thinly sliced

Chopped Cilantro, for garnish

Directions

For the Chicken

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chipotle powder and salt in a small bowl.  Place chicken in a shallow bowl or plastic resealable bag and cover with the marinade, ensuring the chicken is coated well.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and place on the grill.  Grill, covered, for 8-10 minutes, flipping once in between cooking, or until chicken is nicely charred and thoroughly cooked through.  Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes and then chop into small pieces.

For the Chipotle Lime Sour Cream

Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk well to combine.  Let sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.  Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance.

Add

Add cheese, bacon, green onion and diced chicken to each plate.   Serve topped with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream and sprinkled with cilantro.  Serves 4-6.

 

“Artificial Pancreas” Approved by the FDA

EmmaLeave a comment

medtronicIn the news this week was a story about the FDA’s approval of a new insulin delivery system for people with type 1 diabetes – the so-called artificial pancreas.

The new Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G hybrid closed loop system is an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The two devices can communicate.

Medtronic’s previous system already had a feature that would stop the insulin pump if a person’s blood sugar dropped too low. The 670G predicts when a person’s blood sugar level is dropping, preventing the low in the first place. It also corrects high blood sugars.

This is the first time such a level of automation has been available, which is why the pump is being called an artificial pancreas.

However, it still can’t work out what a person is eating. The wearer needs to tell the device they are about to eat and how many carbohydrates they will be ingesting – hence the name hybrid closed loop, instead of fully closed loop.

There is still a possibility of mistakes – the wearer under or overestimating the number of carbs they are about to eat – but the 670G will correct the error if blood sugar levels go too far up or down.

There are thought to be five other partnerships between manufacturers also looking to develop similar pumps.

The pump won’t be available until the spring of next year and Medtronic expects to start rolling the new product out outside of the US from summer 2017.

Read Medtronic’s press release here.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ask for changes in nutrition advice

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The USA  based Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics submitted comments supporting the scientific process used by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in drafting its recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Academy’s recommendations to the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services include:
1) Supporting the DGAC in its decision to drop dietary cholesterol from the nutrients of concern list and recommending it similarly drop saturated fat from nutrients of concern, given lack of evidence connecting it with cardiovascular disease;

2) Expressing concern over blanket sodium restriction recommendations in light of recent evidence of potential harm to the larger population;

3) Supporting an increased focus on reduction of added sugars as a key public health concern; and

4) Asserting that enhanced nutrition education is critical to any effective implementation.

The final 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are expected to be released at the end of this year.