Wine post follow up.

Ladies, and gents ( if there are any gentleman followers!) I thank you all for your comments. And I would so love to go tasting with those of you who mentioned it. I love tasting and touring, although I guess for some it could be as exciting as watching paint dry! For me, I love the look and smell of the vineyards, the hurried pace during the crush and the relaxing tempo of the tasting rooms. It's heaven on earth to me, and if I was born a Rockefeller or a child of Bill Gates, I would so set myself up on alittle plot of land in California and grow me some grapes!!!

Dawn had asked a question about why red wine has carbs and white doesn't. I'm sure it has something to do with the juice coming in contact with the skins during the wine making process. I went to a site that had alot of information and is a great site if you ever want wine info. The writer is Lisa Shea and it seems from her blog that she follows the Atkins, low carb diet, so she posted some wine info I found interesting. I'm sharing it here for those who are interested. Hope you all have an awesome day. It's 82, cool, breezy, sunny and gorgeous in Blue Bell, PA today!!!!

 The information I have copied below is from Wineintro.com. Lisa Shea also has a low carb site and the link is below. I checked it out and there is some great info there. Isn't this little world of blogging wonderful? It takes us to all kinds of places. I started out looking into the carb count of wine and got so much more informtion.

The Calories in Wine

For a 3.5oz glass of wine, which is what many consider 'one glass', the alcohol provides around 80 calories. The calories in a glass of wine come solely from the alcohol in the wine. There are only trace amounts of protein in the wine, 0 grams of fat, and 0.0 grams of saturated fats.
There are about 3 grams of "carbohydrate equivalents", 9mg of calcium, .3mg of iron, and 5g of sodium. For more exact details about the vitamins, minerals and components of a glass of wine, read USDA Carb and Content Information on Wine.
For more about the carb-like activity of wine, read the Wine, Carbs and the Atkins Diet article as well as Wine, Alcohol, and Ethanol - the Chemistry of Wine.
Here are some caloric figures for 'full servings' of wine and wine-like products:

• 5oz Wine: 100 calories
• 5oz "Lite" wine: 80 calories
• 12oz Wine Spritzer: 120 calories
• 12oz Wine Cooler: 215 calories

How does this compare to other alcohols? A similar "single drink" would be:

• 12oz can of beer: 146 calories
• 2.5oz shot of rum/vodka/etc: ~100 - 120 calories

Mixed drinks are even higher in calories because many involve multiple shots, cream, or fruits.
Thinking about your health? Those few extra calories may bring far more healthful benefits per-calorie than just about anything else you could drink. Wine's healthy offerings including protecting against heart disease, cancer, and much more.
If you are dieting, be sure to read about Wine and Calories - How Wine is Metabolized.

Wine is actually VERY unlikely to get turned into fat. However, if you drink a *high alcohol* wine, that alcohol will get used by the body as energy first, before it decides to start using your fat cells. It does that at a rate of 7 calories/gram.
These are all generalizations, though. The true amount of calories in a glass of wine varies from wine to wine.

Atkins, Low Carb and Wine
I also run a Low Carb website so it happens that I do a ton of research into how wine affects health, how wine affects weight loss, and every other combination. I have been on a low carb diet for many years now, and am quite happy and healthy with it. It's important to realize that low carb is NOT about eating tons of fat. It is about eating low SUGAR. It's about avoiding junk food, avoiding processed foods, and focusing on quality vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and so on.
Cholesterol is one of the key concerns of people on a low carb diet. As you probably know, scientists have now divided cholesterol into groups. There is the "good cholesterol", HDL, which gets fats to be excreted out of your system. And then there is the "bad cholesterol", LDL, which keeps those fats in your blood stream. When the fats hang out in your blood, they tend to stick inside your arteries, clog them up, and cause things like ... death.
Wine, in addition to lowering your blood sugar levels, has also been shown in scientific experiments to increase the amount of HDL found in your bloodstream. So if you have a glass of wine along with that steak, not only do you help depress the blood sugar levels in your body, but you also help bring in some HDL, to counteract the LDL that is flooding your system!
Plus, with the USDA listing carb values of 0.8g to 1.8g per glass of wine, the wine shouldn't even dent your total carb count!

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters!

I can't remember where I saw or read about making these little treats.  I think it was somewhere on the BFC facebook page or on Jorge's website. But wherever it came from, I changed it up slightly by adding the salt. I just like the sweet and then the little taste of salt. By all means leave it out if you're not weird like me!! You can alter the amounts, more chocolate, less nuts or vice versa. They chill up very fast in the fridge and then you can peel them off the cookie sheet and put them in a container. I store mine in the fridge because I like them cold! I also bought some lavender salt when I was in California and used that last time I made them.

Here are the ingredients I used:

3 bars of dark chocolate, at least 85%
2 or more cups of nuts, rough chopped ( I like macadamia and walnuts)
Fleur de sel, or other fancy large grain salt

1)Line a baking sheet with wax paper

2)Break up chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1- 2 minutes stirring intermittently until chocolate is melted

3)Roughly chop nuts and add to melted chocolate

4)Drop a tablespoon full onto the tray spread out like you would do with cookie dough

5)Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt....or not depending on how you like 'em

6)Chill in the refridgerator about 15-30 minutes

Store in sealed container or in fridge. Calculate the s/c value based on how many your batch makes and the amount of nuts and chocolate you use.

Good wine is a necessity of life for me. ~ Thomas Jefferson

View from our terrace at the Wine Country Inn

Hello Everyone. There has been so much discussion on wine lately that I felt compelled to add my two cents! That's what I love about our blogs. We all give our opinions, and respect each others thoughts, and we certainly get alot of points of view. The topic of wine seems to be a big one though, and I wanted to share my thoughts.

In the champagne caves at Schramsburg, with my son, his fiancee.

When I started the BFC, I was surprised to see that wine ( good wine, not sweet dessert wine) has very little to no sugar. I remember googling it to verify this fact. Sure enough I found it to be true. But as a wine lover and a participant in many wine tours ( I have this deep love of Northern California and the wine country), I remembered some of the wine lessons I learned;fermentation occurs when the yeast consumes the sugar in the grape juice. So wine is not a sugar laden beverage. There are some super sweet dessert type wines, but they are not what most people consume.

I realize there are many schools of thought, as well as some of you, who say you can't lose weight while consuming a couple of glasses of wine a day. Well, wine is a caloric beverage, with little nutritional value. There are some good properties and health benefits associated with red wine, and we all know the Europeans have been enjoying wine with meals from a very young age. It has no fat, a minimal of carbs, little to no sugar. The alcohol componet does make it caloric, so it has the ability to count towards a daily calorie allowance, but there's not alot to it. But to say that you can't lose weight if you have two glasses of wine a day, but you can if you have several slices of bacon, cheese, nuts or chips, doesn't make any sense if you really think about it. I know we don't count calories, but you all know you can't eat unlimited amounts of the "free 0/0 " food. That is the mistake that I have been making. I have been overdoing the bacon, the cheese, the nuts. Staying within my limits, but overdoing nonetheless. I could be wrong, but I believe therein lies my problem, not those two glasses of wine a day. Even though we don't count calories, they do play a role in the loss of weight. That's why some weeks our losses are better than others. If we were to count, we would see that we had too many, even if they did come from belly good foods.

I love wine. It's something I like to read about, talk about and pair food with. I'm not an alcoholic, but I can't imagine going out for a nice meal and not pairing a glass of wine with it. It may seem strange to some, but I don't get cigars or golf, yet I would never dare to tell those that are passionate about those things, that it doesn't make sense to me. It's just not my thing.

I did lose this week, and it was a big loss for me, 3 lbs. I had gained the week before, so I was playing catch up, but I had my two, ( and a few more on the weekends) glasses of wine each day. I did cut out the extra cheese, bacon, nuts, and cut back on one carb each day. I think that was the difference

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I do think it can be worked into the program. Can you have your wine and all your 6 carbs too? That I'm not so sure about. I have the sugar under control, but I am struggling with the carbs. So that's what I'm working on. But my wine, well that's another story. That bottle of Sean Minor Pinot Noir I shared when we went out to dinner tonight was delicious, and it made my seared scallops and spinach all the more heavenly. I passed on the bread though! And that's where I'm concentrating my efforts on. Cheers!

Future daughter-in-law and me listening intently to our wine guide!

Late afternoon champagne on the terrace at Mumm

Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life's most civilized pleasures."--- Michael Broadbent

Hubby finally gets in a photo!

 

Wine tasting at Jordan vineyards

Back on cruise control!

Good day everyone. I've missed blogging lately but I have been following everyone. I really enjoy all of your posts. Wouldn't it be great if we were closer and we could meet one day every couple of weeks to catch up and chat in person? We sure are spread out all over the place!

Today was weigh in day and I am happy to report that I lost 3 lbs from last week. I had gained last week, so I lost that and 6/10 more. So I am happy, and I know that the reason is that I got serious this week. I have been really portioning, and making my lunch ahead of time so it's ready in the fridge, and I also cut back on the bread for breakfast. Only one slice of Ezekial instead of two. I don't count calories per se, but the app that I use to track my food does. I pick for it to track sugar, carbs, fiber and it tracks a fourth category as well, so I pick calories. I could see by the amount that I was eating in a day, even staying within the BFC guidelines, that I was way overdoing it. I realized that I had to make some changes, or I would just be hanging around the same weigh forever. It's amazing how I lost just by doing those few things for the last few days.

I have been working alot too, and it helps to have stuff planned and ready when I need it.I've been packing a lunch in the morning and snacks too. Even when I'm working from home, it helps to just stop for a break and everything is a ready.

 So I finally got my son to take a photo of me to post this week. I would like to see my progress as I go on this journey. So here's the good the bad and the ugly!! I couldn't find a place in the house with a neutral and/or empty background, so he just took it in my bedroom. I used to take pretty good photos when I was younger, but now I'm never happy with how I look. I'm hoping this will change for the better soon!

So thanks to all of you again for following along and for all your wonderful blogs. It is nice to have our little group for support. Until next time!

Thought for the day: There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. ~Author Unknown

Evil Jungle Princess!

It's a humid, cloudy, post rainy Sunday morning here in PA. Just took the dogs for a walk and feel like I need a shower. I got up refreshed from a great night's sleep. I am enjoying the life of a single girl, even if only for a weekend. Some of the guys should be home shortly.

Yesterday, even though it was supposed to be a Pattie day, I ended up doing work and catching up on stuff that will need to be done for work this week. I felt good to get that out of the way. Then I did a few errands, and got takeout Thai food while I was out.

My favorite dish is called Evil Jungle Princess. It's chicken and veggies (eggplant, onions, carrots, broccoli) in this very light, thin, orange sauce. The offical description says "boldly spiced chicken, sauteed with vegetable medley and flavored with exotic herbs and spices". I think I taste some coconut in there, and it does have some spices with some kick to it. They serve it with white rice. I asked for brown but they didn't have it. So I put alittle of the rice into the concoction, stirred it together and ate in on my deck with a nice glass of Chardonnay, and a few new magazines that came in the mail. It was quiet and peaceful and very relaxing. I forgot to take a photo to post, so I looked online and found a recipe on a blog for it. I think it would fit in ok on the BFC. The one I ordered has different veggies, but I don't think it would matter what veggies you put in. I'll post the recipe at the end.

After dinner, I curled up on the sofa and watched Eat, Pray, Love,. I enjoyed it and even shed a few tears in some parts. The 'eat' part of the movie was alittle hard to watch. She was in Italy and all the pasta and pizza reminded of the two times I was there. My mouth was watering, especially for their pizza. It was so good, and one of the best food memories along with the gelato!

I made myself a little dessert to top off my evening., I melted one of my dark chocolate nut clusters ( I promise I will post this reipe soon) and added some blueberries and redi whip. Stirred it all together, and it was like a sundae with the nuts and melted chocolate. So delish! I confess I over did it alittle on the berries. And that brings me to my next thought.

I really think that if I am to be honest, I don't lose the way I should because I overdo my portions. Even the stuff that we are allowed to have that's 0/0 in sugar and carbs, like cheese and mayo, I am overdoing it on. The same with nuts. I really have to get strict with this, or I will just be treading water here and not moving forward.

Today, because I felt like I had the time, I went through alot of the blogs looking at what everyone eats. I pulled out the BFC book and now I am going to come up with a plan for 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners that I can make, and especially quick ones when I'm working or in a hurry. I need to have a written plan, and not the 'hmmmm., let's see what shall I have for insert meal  today' plan. So that is my goal for today. To put all this great info that you all share and is written in the book into a working plan for the week.

I have a birthday coming up in 2 weeks and I have set a little goal to reach. It's a high goal, but I'm going to go for it. If I fall short, at least I will be closer to my goal. I know it's better to set short, attainable goals, but I just want to go for it this time and see if I really get strict, really count and track, and increase my activity, if I can do it. Wish me luck!

Thai Style Evil Jungle Princess from OhGloriousFood.blogspot.com

This has long been my favorite to get at Thai restaurants! I was thrilled when I found this recipe and tried it out right away! It was so good! The kids were licking not only their plates, but the serving bowl by the end of dinner. I didn't make it too spicy - between a 1 and 2 but next time I might make it a bit spicier so I can have leftovers! ;)

Thai Style Evil Jungle Princess

1 TBSP olive oil (or Peanut)
6 garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 1/2 stalks lemongrass chopped into 1" - 4" pieces (variety is fun!)
4 TBSP lime zest (or 6 Kaffir lime leaves, softened in warm water)
4 8 oz chicken breasts, skinned and sliced into pieces
1 C coconut milk
1 C chicken broth
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
10-12 fresh mint leaves, chopped
4 TBSP fish sauce (I left this out, since I had none... I just added a small amount of salt toward the end of cooking)
2 tsp cayenne pepper - or to taste
6 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 C finely chopped red cabbage
1 C finely chopped Chinese cabbage (or regular - that is what we used!)
1 2/3 enoki mushrooms (I didn't use these but might next time!)

Cooked Rice if desired

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Wok and add the garlic. Cook until oil is infused with garlic and add the lemongrass, lime zest, and chicken. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, and chili powder and stir fry until chicken turns white and sauce has cooked down into a coating cream. Stir in the sugar, mint leaves, and fish sauce. Add your cayenne, keeping in mind that how much you add will determine the 1-5 heat factor. I would say that 1 1/2 tsp was about a 1.5 on the heat scale. A little spicy, but still fine for kids. Stir in lemon to suit your taste.

Put the sliced cabbage and mushrooms into a hot skillet with a little chicken broth or water (just enough to cause steam) and allow to heat through (I did 8 minutes or so)

Serve the cabbage over rice (if desired) and top it all with the evil jungle princess! YUM!!!

***NOTE - towards the end I wanted it a little saucier so I added more coconut milk (about 1/2 cup) so it was a little thinner... but still awesome and it went farther that way! Woooo hooooo;)

Wishing you a restful weekend!



Hydrangeas from my garden. They make me smile!

Hello Everyone. Happy Friday. Hope it was a good week for all. Sorry I have been a little out of touch. I think I mentioned once before that I work for my husband. I am a nurse, but actually run his medical practice. It takes up almost as much time as a full time job, but I am able to do alot of the business end of things from my home office. One of our staff is out sick for awhile, and I  just found out, may not be returning, so I will have to cover all day Monday and Friday for her, until I hire and train someone. I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself, but it's frustrating when you put time into training and teaching someone and then they leave and you have to start all over with someone new. Those two days let me have alittle more "me" time, but now I'll be up and out the door at 7 and somedays not returning until 6 or 7.

But I really rely on you my blogger friends, and I will be checking in and keeping in touch. It might be a little harder to post more than a few times a week. But I'll do my best.
I'm getting better with my photos too, so I will try and post more of them. I promise to post my chocolate nut cluster things later this week. They are so good and BFC friendly!

 Hope you all enjoy the warm weather. It's sure hot here in PA! I am staying put this weekend and not traveling to the shore. Hubby and the boys are down, well two of the boys and three of their friends. I need to just chill out here with the dogs. Work is about 30 minutes closer to the shore than my PA home, so with the dogs, I would have had to leave work, drive back 30 minutes, get the dogs, and turn around and drive the other direction to New Jersey in rush hour traffic. Just wasn't feeling it!

So dinner tonight with my folks, and tomorrow I plan to catch up on a few things, maybe get a much needed mani/pedi and just relax by the pool. I need these alone days sometimes! It rejuvenates me. Living in a house with all men ( one hubby and three sons) and all male dogs can be a bit much sometimes. Even though two of the boys are not home for the summer, their visits can wear me out, even though I love them. That male testosterone!

Hope you all have a great weekend, whatever you do!

Until next time:

Thought for the day:

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop - Ovid

 

Questions?......Answers!

A great big thanks to all of you who answered the questions I posed. There was alot of cutting and pasting, but I think I got all the answers organized under each question. All of your ideas and tips were great. I love to see things through other people's eyes and there was some great advice given. So big drumroll please......here are the answers!!!

1) You are with a group and everyone is ordering takeout from the pizza/sub shop for dinner. What would you order? 

• a salad w/tuna and some veggies.
• Small pizza with whatever toppings you love. I put all the toppings on 2 crusts and eat the 2 crusts. If they don't fit on 2 crusts, I eat the toppings off and leave the crusts on the plate. I have been asked many times if something was wrong with the pizza! This amazes my friends because I can eat all that and still lose.
•  at the pizza/sub shop today I'd get a salad. If I were eating wheat I'd eat a slice of pizza and a salad.  
• I would order a sub and eat it without the bread, or I would put the sub fillings in a smart and delicious totilla or ezekiel bread

2) You go to a baby shower or other ladies event and there are sandwich trays, chips and dips, fruit trays, pasta salad, and cake and candy. What do you choose?

• take a sandwich and leave the bread
• I went to a baby shower recently and I just ate the chips and salsa. I may have had a grape or 2? I am more focused on the sugar than the carbs!
•  at the shower I'd eat some chips and dip (portion out 10 chips or so b/c that's about a serving), and have a few berries. I'd skip the cake. Regardless. 
•  I would take the sandwich and leave the bread and have several pieces of fruit. I would drink lots of water, coffee or iced tea to fill me up and keep my hands occupied.

3) What do you order at a fast food restaurant?

• chicken strip or hamburger wrapped in lettuce and a side salad
•  at the Fast Food restaurant, I'd do a bunless burger. If I were doing well the rest of the day, I'd have some fries too.  
• We just went to McD's on the way out of town Saturday. I had the Southern chicken sand. It is supposed to be like Chik fil a...not even close:( But I ate the chicken patty with mayo and the dill pickles and threw the bun away. I would have eaten 1/2 the bun, but it "wasn't worth the calories" fresh. I also eat a lot of chicken strips when I eat fast food. 
•  a hamburger with no ketchup and eat it without the bun and I would share an order of fries.

4) You go to a restaurant and they bring out hot fresh baked artisan bread with cold butter. Is it okay to eat those carbs if you count them in your total?

• a small piece
• This is one thing I really try and stay away from. My Sailor daughter only wanted an Italian restaurant before she left. I knew if I went I would eat their bread that is LOADED with garlic dripping butter. I ate 5 pieces. Keep in mind I would have eaten the whole basket and asked for more in the past.
•  Today I'd skip the bread, but if I were eating bread I'd have a piece and count it in my carbs, unless I were going to choose pasta for my dinner, then I wouldn't.  
•  Starting to eat the bread would be hard because once I start I don't want to stop, so I would only have a small piece if I was feeling strong to stop at one.

5) What salad dressing to you choose for your salad when you are out and can't check the nutritional labels?

• cesar
• I always eat ranch dressing. I think it has either no sugar, or 1 sugar. I love ranch with everything.
•  blue cheese. Although last time I went out I asked the manager what the label said and HE LOOKED IT UP!
•  I would ask for dressing on the side and have either blue cheese, ranch, balsamic vin.

6) How do you handle going to someone's house for a dinner when you have no idea what will be served?

• don't panic, just eat the meat and veggie
• You are lucky to be invited:) I think we can always eat meat, some salad and if you need something more, a small slice of bread or potato.
•  If it's possible, I talk to the hostess before I go somewhere. This is where the wheat free helps out tremendously. People look at you much less oddly when you are not eating wheat than if you are not eating sugar. Go figure. Anyhow, put yourself in your hosts' shoes - if you are having someone over, don't you want to serve them food that they are going to enjoy? It's your responsibility as a guest to make your needs clear. That being said, if that's not an option, I'd just do the best I could with what I was served. And look at it like a good opportunity to spend time with friends. Food is secondary. :) 
•  I have a snack before going to someone's house for dinner,that is still a work in progress for me :)

7) What do you pack for a brown bag lunch?

• smart & delicious wheat tortilla w/meat and cheese
•  I would pack my usual sandwich, on a sandwich thin, and a small baggie of chips. Again, this is a lifestyle. I would rather eat a small amount of chips, than to never eat a chip again.
•  hard boiled eggs, celery, cheese, peanut butter and no sugar jelly sandwich. :) Eat what you love, love what you eat!  
•  Salads or sandwiches on ezekiel bread, baby bell cheese, celery and cucumbers with hummus

8) If you were to plan so BFC friendly appetizers that others would enjoy, what would you serve?

• That dubliner cheese and artichoke dip w/celery
• My BFC appetizer for my recent get together was little smokies in crescent rolls. Everyone else ate them whole, I ate them sans the roll:)
•  I had friends over last week and served celery sticks, deviled eggs, sliced chicken lunchmeat and cheese crispiees. If I would have had any tortilla chips, I would have served those with salsa.
• an assortment of meats and cheese, olives, maybe some low sugar veggies and tzatziki.

I told you how I really like it when you write what you ate. I am trying to write down what I ate each day. I'm not too good at that. So here it goes for yesterday;

1 ezekial english muffin, topped with reduced fat cheddar cheese, chia seeds, 2 poached eggs
coffee with cream and stevia drops
total s/c - 0/2

wrap made with chicken, lettuce, ranch dressing, cheese, onion
small bag of chips
green iced tea with stevia
s/c - 1/2

afternoon snack one piece of dark chocolate nut cluster ( I am going to post the recipe soon)
iced coffee with cream and stevia and benefiber
s/c - 2/1

dinner out at Houlihans, shared tuna appetizer with hubby
chicken breast topped with cheese and bacon and side of ginger cole slaw ( no roll)
2 glasses of wine
s/c- 0/1

pm snack 1 glass of red wine and one square of dark chocolate
s/c - 2/1

exercise: 30 minutes of elliptical at the gym
Until next time:

Thought for the day: Questions focus our thinking!

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