Dude! It's Almost Beef!

John Gibson of the Lighter Side Facebook discussion group gives his take on the new pink slime slogan, "Dude, It's Beef!" which beef producers are trying to use to improve its image.

"I think the slogan should be:

Dude it's "Mechanically separated, preheated, fat extracted, sprayed by ammonia gas so you don't die beef like stuff"

I think it has a better ring to it."

Great job John. I applaud honesty in advertising!

Governors stand up for pink slme

Several Governors from beef producing states are pushing back on the pink slime issue. They are hitting the main stream news touting the safety and long term use of pink slime as a reason for people to continue to eat beef containing the ammonia treated product.

On a Fox News broadcast this morning, Governor Sam Brownback said we have been eating pink slime for 20 years without issue, so we shouldn't stop eating it now. Oh really? A quick news search will tell you that simply isn't true. Beef recalls abound, primarily from contaminated ground beef.

A recent case involved over 40,000 lbs of Tyson ground beef contaminated with E. Coli in December 2011. A google news search under the term "beef recall" show case after case of ground beef recalled for E. Coli, Listeria and Salmonella contamination. The USDA maintains a data base going back to 1996 where you can search for all food recalls. Ground beef and beef sausages (made, obviously, from ground up beef) feature prominently.

The fact is the process of making ground beef on a factory level inherently contains a risk of bacterial contamination and 70% of America's ground beef contains pink slime. Making pink slime (aka lean finely textured beef) is even more risky than the ground beef itself. That is why it must be treated with ammonia before being added to ground beef and sold to unsuspecting consumers. So despite the claims of governors concerned about job loses in the pink slime producing industry, highly processed ground beef and the use of pink slime is not without issue.

While I can understand governors trying to protect their states industries, my personal opinion is that foods containing pink slime should be clearly labeled. The use of pink slime does make ground beef cheaper and people should be able to decide of they want to take the additional risk of using pink slime to save some money.

If the governors really wanted to make an impact on this issue, instead of publicity shoots of them eating slime burgers, an independent study showing a nutritional comparison of slime beef vs regular beef, or a bacteria test of some beef with and without slime would be much more productive. Stop trying to manipulate consumers and just give them the facts. Then let each person make an informed choice. If you are actively working to make it harder for people to know what is really in their food, you can't be surprised when people avoid your products like a pink plague.

Avoiding pink slime and meat glue

Buying meat in the store sounds like such a simple thing until you realize your meat may not be "meat". From pink slime to meat glue, processors are using technological tricks to turn waste scraps in to something resembling food. While some stores have pledged not to use slime and glue, it's getting to the point where you have to take matters in to your own hands to make sure your food is really food. Here are a few ways to reduce your exposure to faux meats.

• Buy beef on the hoof: Buy directly from a farmer you personally know. Have the cow butchered to your specifications. Local Harvest and Eat Wild are good places to start your search for a whole or half cow.
• Grind your own burger meat: If you don't have the money or space to get a whole cow, you can still buy whole cuts of meat and make hamburger yourself. Chuck, ground round and sirloin all make excellent burgers. An inexpensive hand grinder can get you burger meat and give you a workout at the same time. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, look in to getting a grinder attachment.
• Buy organic: By law, organic hamburger meat can not contain plink slime. Meat glue, however, may still be used. It just has to be meat glue made from organic materials. Buying a whole cow is still your best bet.

Quote of the day

John K. posted this on a low carb Facebook group:

"I had to share a friends post regarding the red meat study: "If 1 in 10 early deaths are caused by eating red meat, does that mean that 9 out of 10 are caused by eating vegetables?"

Diabetes Diet Damage

The following comment comes to us from a front line medical professional. She sees up close and personal the effects of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and faulty medical dietary recommendations.

"I see in my job as nurse anesthetic patients (ages 50-65) with DM2 who come to amputate a leg or toes. DM2 has ruined their body totally, arteries, eyes, kidneys (several of them [are] in dialysis), heart etc. When I ask then about diet, they (all of them) tell [me] they followed it as told, some of even say the doctors told them they can eat anything as long they take pills and insulin shots. And the result of this diet is dialysis, heart attacks, amputations........My husband's uncle died in DM2 complications blind, amputated, in dialysis. Who takes responsibility when these people die far too early only because totally wrong diet ? Nobody !!!??" - Mirva P.

Since diabetes is a disease of improper blood sugar regulation, it makes total sense to base your diet on foods that have a minimum impact on blood glucose levels. Those foods would include meat, full-fat dairy, leafy greens, and healthy natural fats like coconut oil, lard, and butter. Instead, this is what medical professionals tell diabetics to do:

• ADA: Drink non-fat milk, eat small amounts of lean meat, eat tofu or low-fat cheese, eat whole grains, and that potatoes, low-fat crackers and other low-fat snacks are fine at every meal in small amounts.
• NIH: Their website incorrectly claims that, along with fruit and starches, "...vegetables, and milk groups are highest in carbohydrate. They affect your blood glucose levels the most." They then recommend people with diabetes eat most of their food from the grain group.
• Mayo Clinic: They recommend "...a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories, with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In fact, a diabetes diet is the best eating plan for most everyone." They also go on to proudly show their complete lack of knowledge about the endocrine system by saying "When you eat excess calories and fat, your body responds by creating an undesirable rise in blood glucose. "

There are plenty more examples of horrible dietary advice out there, but these three organizations are the heavy weights. That fact that they don't understand that sugars and starches raise blood sugar, that fat without sugar CAN'T make you fat, and that eating foods like whole grains and fat-free food will spike your insulin levels through the roof is criminal.

I take that back. They DO understand apparently. This is from the National Institute of Health. The same people who think dairy foods and vegetables are highest in carbs and want you to eat plenty of whole grains.

"Glucose, a simple sugar, provides energy for cell functions. After food is digested, glucose is released into the bloodstream. In response, the pancreas secretes insulin, which directs the muscle and fat cells to take in glucose. Cells obtain energy from glucose or convert it to fat for long-term storage." (more)

So what is really going on here? Why tell diabetics to eat things that spike blood sugar and insulin knowing this will cause damage? How can they not connect the dots and just tell diabetics "sugar and starch = bad". Are they trying to keep people dependent on medicine? Are they incompetent? Were they bought off by Big Grain and Big Pharma? Are they criminally insane? I really can't explain it, but maybe Heinlein can.

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice. - Heinlein's Razor

Low Carb vs ADA Diet for Diabetics

This statement was recently posted in a low carb group on Facebook. It is a valuable lesson for those who are following the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

"I started low carb last year, with a so-so okay from my doctor. After I'd been low carbing for a month he asked me to go back to the diabetic diet recommendations for 3 days. I was prediabetic, and he wanted to see what my bg [Blood Glucose] tests showed under both diets (I emailed his office my test results weekly). He was shocked at the differences and at how quickly my bg went unstable on the standard diabetic diet. *I* was in pain within 24 hours (belly pain) and could not wait to go back to low carbing - which is how I discovered that I'd become wheat intolerant. When I saw him a couple months later I got his hearty blessing to stay on low carb. In 4 months my blood tests had improved hugely. And last month he declared that I was no longer pre-diabetic." - Patricia S.

First of all, I would like to applaud Patricia's doctor for having such an open mind. Many doctors would just be towing the line, telling their patients to cut fat, reduce calories and eat plenty of "healthy whole grains". Some doctors would have just fired her as a patient. This doctor did an actual experiment (with a willing test subject), collected comparative data and followed the facts...not the latest marketing material from a drug company while prescribing a bunch of pills.

And second, congratulations to Patricia for coming up with a way to treat her condition and enlightening a medical professional at the same time. Thanks for sharing your story with others. Your example shows how taking your health in to your own hands and not just blindly following authorities can save your life.

Behold the power of ghee!

Clarified butter, or ghee as it is referred to in India, is a way to make butter even more versatile. While butter is a delicious natural fat containing vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D and selenium, it has the drawback of a low smoke point. Once butter reaches around 350º, it starts to burn. By removing the milk solids and moisture naturally present in butter, you can increase the smoke point to around 480º, higher than that of many vegetable oils.

This means that your easily burnable butter can now be used to cook at high temperatures...even deep fry. By making ghee, you are no longer forced to use potentially unhealthy, high omega 6 vegetable oils just because you want something fried nice and crispy.

How to make ghee

• Melt unsalted butter over low heat in a sturdy pot. Make sure you do NOT stir.
• Cook the melted butter until it is a clear golden liquid (approx 20-30 minutes). Light brown milk solids will form and settle to the bottom of the pan. Skim off and discard any thick foam that forms on the top.
• Strain ghee through a strainer lined with cheese cloth or coffee filters into a clean, dry jars.
• Ghee does not need to be refrigerated and will be semi-solid at room temperature.

Low Carb Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that features cream as its main ingredient. It's mild taste and rich texture make it great for pairing with many flavors including berries, spices, chocolate or nuts.

While the original recipe calls for sugar or honey as a sweetener, you should have no problem using erythritol, Splenda or your favorite low carb sweetener instead.

Basic Panna Cotta

• 1 qt heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup erythritol

• 1/4 cup raw honey (or other low carb sweetener)

• 3 tsp real vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp of cold water
• 2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin

Heat the cream, erythritol and honey together. Get it very warm but do not boil. While cream is heating sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it set for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla to warm cream. Slowly add warm cream to gelatin and stir well to dissolve.

Place in ramkins, mugs or lightly greased muffin tins and let set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Top with crushed fresh berries or 85% cocoa chocolate shavings.

Here are a couple of variations to try.

Lemon Panna Cotta

• 1 qt heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 1/2 large lemons squeezed)
• 2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin

Top with strawberry chia jelly

Spice panna cotta
• 1 qt heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp of cold water
• 2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin

Top with pecans or slivered almonds cooked in a little butter with a touch of sweetener.

Fructose study finds fructose isn't a problem

At a time when research is beginning to show long term damage from a diet high in fructose, there is now a study that claims fructose isn't really a problem after all.

"After reviewing more than 40 published studies on the matter, researchers from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto found that fructose — a sweetener liberally added to soft drinks and processed foods — had no effect on weight compared with diets that provided the same calories from other carbohydrates."

Oh really? It isn't the fructose? I could post the study showing fructose is uniquely fattening or that ingesting high levels of fructose causes all kinds of damage aside from weight gain, but I think this line at the end of the article says more about the real story.

"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the study. The researchers have received unrestricted grants from the Coca-Cola Company to fund other research."

Huh. An agency that receives funding from Coca-Cola found that the main ingredient in Coca-Cola isn't harmful? Wow. Color me surprised!

Being from Colorado, I am making a Southpark-style official declaration of Shenanigans. Now where did I leave my broom....

Strawberry Chia Jelly

Chia seeds are a healthy and nutritious little seed that, for some reason, American have turned in to a rather ridiculous toy.

The chia seed was once used by Aztec Warriors and was even valued as a currency. Oh how the mighty have fallen!

"In ancient times, seeds of the chia plant were a staple food of the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans. These seeds were eaten by Aztec messengers who carried them in a small pouch as they ran great distances between villages.

This seed was so valuable to the Aztecs that they used it as a medium of exchange. The Aztec priests and nobility were often paid in chia seed.

According to Jesuit priests, chia was the third most important Aztec food crop after maize (corn) and beans. Chia bread was used in some of their religious ceremonies.

When the Aztec civilization fell during the Spanish conquest, the Spanish banned chia and certain other native crops due to their use in religious ceremonies, and replaced them with crops such as wheat and carrots." (More)

And now Americans use chia seeds to make weird toys that most often end up as gag gifts at office Christmas parties. :: facepalm ::

You can help return chia to its former glory as a wonder food and give yourself a tasty treat at the same time by making a batch of fresh chia jelly.

Strawberry Chia Jelly

12 large frozen strawberries or the equivalent in other frozen berries
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Splash of lime or lemon juice

Sweetener to taste (2 packets of splenda +1 packet of equal or Truvia equivalent)

Place in a bowl and allow frozen strawberries to partially thaw. Slice strawberries and add sweetener. Add chia seeds and stir. Allow strawberries to completely thaw. The chia seeds will absorb the strawberry juice and turn into a gel. After a few hours, add more seeds if the topping appears to be a bit runny. If it looks too thick, add a few more strawberries.

*NOTE: While the chia seeds will form a gel around the outside, the seeds in the middle will retain their crunch. This has never bothered me since the seed centers are small and it feels like you are simply eating a strawberry seed. If this sounds like something that might annoy you, use a spice grinder to turn the chia seeds in to more of a flour.

Wheat Politics & George Burns

Dr. Davis alerts us to an upcoming political push by a wheat growers association on his Wheat Belly Blog. The continuing stream of information showing the harm caused by ingesting grains must be making a dent in their profits, prompting action on their part. Apparently the Grains Food Foundation is moving to Washington DC for better lobbying access, but they are also going to target what they call the "influencers". Nutritionist, medical professionals, diet and nutrition journalists and even bloggers.

"G.F.F. will proactively track grain-focused initiatives (studies, books, broadcasts, articles) with the goal of preempting or countermanding misinformation regarding grain foods on an ongoing basis. The G.F.F. Scientific Advisory Board members will lead efforts to provide rapid response to false communications and claims against grain foods, including fad diets."

"To effectively guard against potential extreme attacks against grain foods, G.F.F. will develop a crisis communications plan to continue to develop appropriate reserves to enable prompt industry response to neutralize such attacks."

Maybe this explains the recent rash of "you don't have to give up grains FOREVER - just until your gut heals!" type blog posts and articles popping up on the net. I don't know about you all, but if I sliced my arm open and nearly severed a thumb juggling knives, I am not just going to give up knife juggling until my wounds heal. I am going to find a new hobby.

Lets put it another way. Comedian George Burns smoked cigars and drank whiskey almost every day of his adult life and he didn't die until shortly after his 100th birthday. Not only that, he was active and working until just before his death. In fact, it wasn't his smoking and drinking that did him in, it was a fall resulting in a head injury. He was never able to fully recover. Reports are that Mr. Burns smoked between 10 and 15 cigars a day for well over 70 years.

Is this an example that cigar smoking is healthy? That whiskey is a revitalizing tonic? No. It means that George Burns had the unique ability to recover from damage caused by smoking and drinking. It does not change the fact that smoking and drinking are inherently damaging. It is the same with modern wheat. Modern forms of wheat are inherently damaging to everyone who eats them. Some of us just have a genetic advantage and can easily recover from that damage. Others can not. Can you mitigate some of that damage by using ancient grains or using traditional preparation methods? Possibly. But for me, it isn't a chance I am willing to take.

So next time you read a blog saying how happy someone is to be going back to wheat, keep in mind two things. 1) There may be a powerful lobbying group involved and 2) a person truly returning to wheat and grains may have been born with a body much more able to repair itself than you.

Lower Carb, Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

This recipe is a modification of an Elana's Pantry gluten-free carrot cake recipe.

While it is NOT Atkins induction friendly, it can be modified to make it as carby or as carbless as you like by playing with the carrot/zucchini ratio.

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almond flour

2 tbsp coconut flour

2 teaspoons celtic sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

6 duck eggs (or XL chicken eggs)

½ cup erythritol ( ¼ cup honey if you can handle some carbs)

6 packets of splenda or truvia

¼ cup grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil (1/4 cup coconut oil also works)

3 cups carrots, grated or 1½ cups shredded carrots plus 1½ cups shredded zucchini

1 cup raisins, sugar-free dried cherries or sugar-free dried cranberries (optional)

1 cup walnuts or slivered almonds

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir.

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, and sweetener of choice.

Stir carrots, raisins and nuts into wet ingredients.

Stir wet ingredients into dry.

Place batter into 2 well greased, round 9-Inch cake pans or make in to muffins by using a muffin tin.

Bake at 300° for 35 minutes. Reduce cooking time if using muffin tins.

Elana has a frosting recipe that goes with this carrot cake, but I left it off. If you can have dairy, a sugar-free cream cheese frosting would work great. Since I am off milk, cheese and cream cheese for now, I just buttered mine. For some reason butter doesn't bother me the way other dairy items do. If you only require the recipe to be gluten-free, pick whatever frosting you like that doesn't have gluten in it and enjoy.

Dairy-free sour cream

Sour cream is delicious and works so well in many recipes. Not being able to use it due to lactose issues or a dairy protein allergy can really cramp your cooking style. Fortunately you can make your own dairy-free sour cream replacement and carry on. Even though this is very easy to make, it does take time to ferment, so plan ahead.

Dairy-Free Sour Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of sugar-free coconut milk

• 1 packet of Yogourmet freeze-dried kefir cultures

Directions:

Pour the 2 cans of coconut milk in to a large mason jar. Stir well. Sprinkle the dehydrated kefir grains over the coconut milk and stir again. Allow to sit on the counter in a warm spot for 12-24 hours. Coconut milk will thicken and separate a bit as it ferments. Taste after 12 hours. It should be slightly sour and creamy. If it isn't sour or you want a stronger flavor, allow it to sit out another 12 hours or so.

Scoop the thick sour coconut kefir out of the jar leaving the "whey" behind. Use as you would regular sour cream in any of your recipes.

NOTE: The warmer your room temperature, the quicker it will ferment.

***

Super Quick Dairy-Free Sour Cream

No time to wait for kefir to ferment? Paleo Food gives this alternative...

"Sour cream - chilled coconut milk combined with a few drops of lemon juice"

They don't give details, but coconut milk does separate when chilled, so pour off the liquid and use the thick coconut cream remaining to make your sour cream substitute.

While making sour cream this way is a lot quicker, you will miss out on all the great probotics you get with the kefir version. Try to use the kefir version whenever possible.

Reluctantly going dairy-free

When you are fighting years of damage to your body done by processed foods and the ravages of time, things you used to enjoy eating can turn on you. Along with eliminating grains, most starches and refined sugar, I now find myself betrayed by my old friend dairy. Coming from Wisconsin, dairy has always been a part of my life. If you have ever had cheese curds fresh out of the vat or a cold glass of fresh raw milk, you know I feel about my moo juice.

After clearing up a lot of my health issues from pre-diabetes to high blood pressure by going low-carb and ditching grains, I still had one remaining problem. Chronic constipation. Now before you start saying "That's what you get for not getting enough fiber you meat munching weirdo! Eat a whole-grain cracker!", keep in mind I had constipation issues years before I went low carb. In fact, I can trace my issues to formerly following a very high fiber diet, which contrary to popular thinking, actually causes damage to your insides.

I tried supplements, vitamins, cleanses, etc.. in an effort to get things moving and nothing seemed to help. Once I discovered kefir and began eating it daily, I did get some relief, but the plumbing was still far from top notch.

It wasn't until I got a stomach virus that I figured out what my underlying problem was. After 4 days of hardly any food at all, my constipation issues were gone. When I felt better I started reintroducing foods like bone broth, soups and stews. Things were still fine in the gut region. Cool. Then, feeling much better and back to my old self, I ate a piece of cheese. Ouch!

I could feel that piece of cheese moving through every inch of my system. Then the constipation returned. A light bulb went off in my head and I dropped dairy again. A week later I wanted to see if I would have the same problem with some good raw dairy. Through a series of covert operations including secret handshakes and a decoder ring, I was able to score a gallon of raw milk. I tried dairy again. Again the constipation returned.

Well crap! Seriously. If I want to be able to go to the bathroom without pain, I have to give up cheese, milk, yogurt, kefir..... AAARRRGGGHHHH! After feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes, I got down to business and started revamping my recipes and making them dairy-free. While I may possibly be able to reintroduce dairy at some point once I have had time to heal, I am not going to stand by and deny myself yummy low-carb food in the mean time. I will be posting new dairy-free recipes, recommended substitutions, and revised old recipes. There will still be general low carb recipes I get from friends, and dairy-free alternatives if I can swing it.

Lower Carb Dark Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

While these muffins are based on low carb ingredients, the carbs can still add up. I wouldn't make these if you are on Atkins induction phase or have issues maintaining weight loss when eating nuts. As an occasional treat or a snack for kids who can tolerate a higher carb level, these are tasty and mix up rather quickly.

Lower Carb Dark Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
2 duck eggs (or 2 jumbo chicken eggs plus 1 yolk)
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
10 Tbsps butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup erythritol (or 1/4 cup honey if you can handle more carbs)
3 packets of Truvia or Splenda
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
Mix wet ingredients into dry.
Spoon in to a mini muffin pan. Divide batter equally among the 24 spots.
Bake at 300° for 10-15 minutes. Edges of the muffins should be lightly browned. Cool and serve.

NOTE: To keep the carb count as low as possible, use the darkest chocolate chips with the highest cocoa content you can find. You can also replace up to half of the chips with organic cocoa nibs to get the carbs down even further.

Recipe: Low carb fudge pops

There is no reason to feel left out when you hear the chiming of the ice cream truck. You can whip up your own low carb popsicle quickly and easily. These rich, tasty chocolate treats are sure to hit the spot on a hot summer day.

Wifezilla's Low Carb Fudge Pops

Ingredients:

• 8oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• Sweetener to taste

Directions:

With a hand blender, mix the cream cheese and then slowly add the whipping cream. Whip until mixture is nice and creamy. Add cocoa powder and sweetner such as Splenda, erythritol, or stevia to taste, erring on the sweet side. (Once it is frozen, the sweetness fades a bit and a mix that tasted just right in the bowl can end up tasting not quite sweet enough.)

Place in small disposable drinking cups. Add a popsicle stick and freeze for about 2 hours. You can also use the plastic smootie pop sets or tupperware popsicle makers.

This will make anywhere from 3-6 popsicles depending on how large your containers are. My smoothie pop sets makes 4.

Marinara Melt

While I advocate as much home cooking as possible, there are times when your schedule forces you to take short cuts. During those instances, the time it takes to cook your food takes priority over the ingredients. You can still stay on the low carb path, you just may have to make a few allowances for convenience items.

This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and works great on days when a job, appointments and household chores leave you very little cooking time.

Marinara Melt

• 1 jar of Ragu No Sugar Added Tomato and Basil sauce
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 12 oz grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 tsp jarred minced garlic
• 1/4 cup dry parmesan cheese
• Optional: Fresh basil & oregano
• Optional: red pepper flakes

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. If you are adding fresh herbs, add it to the meat when it is just about finished. Fresh herbs turn bitter when over-cooked. Drain and return to medium heat. Add Ragu and parmesan cheese and stir until it starts to bubble. Top with shredded cheese and cook another minute or two until the cheese melts. Makes approximately 4 servings.

Quick and filling, this recipe goes down great on a cold, rainy day. Serve with butter fried Italian summer squash and sliced onions. If you can manage to slice and cook your side dish while the meat is browning, you can still finish the whole meal in 10 minutes or less.

Steak Wraps

I am fortunate enough to have a Mexican grocery store with in easy driving distance of my house. Along with great deals on fresh produce, they also have good beef sales. I took advantage of a recent sale on sirloin tip steaks and used that to create this make in minutes meal.

Unlike big meat slabs of steak at your typical grocery store, steak cuts at the Mexican market are very thin. These thin cuts make quick cooking easy. If you don't have a Mexican market nearby, ask your local store's butcher if they can slice some steaks very thin for you. Another option is to use pre-packaged Steak Umm's, but these tend to be more expensive, and fresher is better in my opinion.

South of the Border Steak Wrap

South of the Border Steak Wrap
• Thin sliced steak
• Cream cheese
• Salsa
• Salt, pepper, and butter for frying steak
• Large Lettuce leaf (optional)

Fry thin steak pieces in butter or ghee in a larg

e pan or on a griddle. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to over cook. Place cooked steak on a plate lined with paper towels. Blot with additional paper towels. Spread cream cheese over steak slice. Add salsa and roll up steak. If this looks like it might be a bit messy to you, wrap the steak wrap with a piece of leaf lettuce to help keep the fingers clean.
Allow 2 -3 wraps per person depending on steak size.

Philly Steak Wrap

• Thin sliced steak
• Cream cheese
• Fried onions, mushrooms and peppers
• Swiss cheese
• Salt, pepper, and butter for frying steak
• Large Lettuce leaf (optional)
Same technique as above, you are just using a different filling. Caramelize the onions before adding the peppers and mushrooms. This one will be messier because of the filling. Just be prepared.

Thin sliced steaks fry up quickly. Be careful not to overcook or they get tough.

RECIPE: Spicy Butternut Soup

Butternut squash are inexpensive and abundant fall through winter. Take advantage of this excellent grocery store and farmer's market bargain by making a hearty, healthy, butternut soup. While squash is a little bit on the carby side, it is a great food for those who have moved beyond a very low carb induction phase and are on a maintenance program.

Ingredients

• 2 small or 1 large butternut squash
• 1 lb of spicy pork sausage
• 6oz sliced portobello mushrooms
• 1 large red onion
• 2 packages cream cheese
• butter for cooking onions and mushrooms
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• Sea salt, pepper, fennel and ground sage to taste

Half and clean the butternut squash. Either roast in the oven (350º for 1-2 hour) or microwave in a covered dish with a little water (45-60 minutes). While the squash is cooking, brown the sausage and drain. Set aside. Dice the onions and cook in butter until caramelized. In a separate pan, cook the sliced mushrooms in butter until soft.

Once the squash is nice and soft, scoop it out of its shell and run through a food processor or blender with just enough hot water to get the blades to get the squash mixed well. (In my little food processor it took about 4 batches.)

Pour the squash puree in to a large stock pot. Add the sausage, onion and mushrooms. Add more water if needed to get the puree to a nice thick soup consistency. Add spices to taste. (I go heavy on the cayenne!). Once everything is hot and well blended, stir in the cream cheese. Keep stirring until it's melted.

Serve in a large bowl with a pat of real butter on top

Fantastic Shakes Without the Sugar

When the weather gets warm, the thought of sipping a cold frosty shake comes to mind. It might take a little advanced planning, but you can still sip on a thick, cold shake even if you are avoiding excess carbohydrates. Instead of sugar-loaded ice cream as your base, you just freeze some Greek yogurt ahead of time and use that instead.

1. Take your favorite plain, full-fat Greek-style yogurt and freeze it in either muffin tins or ice cube trays. You want it to be frozen in a size that can easily be crushed in your blender.
2. Let the yogurt freeze for several hours or overnight.
3. When it's time to make your shake, take 6oz worth of frozen yogurt (3 "muffins" with my tin) and put it in a blender with 3/4 cups of coconut milk, almond milk, cream, whole milk or half and half.
4. Pulse to get the frozen yogurt pieces well broken up.
5. Add your sweetener of choice such as erythritol, Splenda or raw local honey.
6. Flavor your shake with either vanilla extract, natural peanut butter, some unsweetened cocoa powder, or add some fresh berries.
7. Blend on high until smooth.
8. Serve in a frosty mug with a bendy straw.

This recipe is extremely flexible and the shake can be made as thick or as creamy as you like by adjusting the liquid amount. If you use cream as your liquid to reduce the carb count, be careful you do not blend too long or you will turn the cream to butter. Make extra yogurt cubes ahead of time and store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container so you can make a shake whenever a craving hits.

Note: I have also tried this technique using frozen heavy cream and frozen milk. The best texture and flavor came from the shakes made with yogurt, but the cream will work in a pinch.