I use one of those Magic Bullets to prepare this – but you can use whatever type of blender or smoothie maker that you have at your disposal.

2 egg whites (since they are raw, I use the pasteurized egg whites in the carton from EggBeaters)
1/2 cup fresh pineapple (no sugar added; chopped into small pieces)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup ice
3 packets Splenda
1tsp Imitation Coconut Extract
1tsp Imitation Rum Extract

Put it all into the blender and blend until smooth.

This gives you 2 ounces of protein – approx. 10g Protein total. You can add more egg whites if you need more protein to start your day!

Honestly? It tastes like the real thing! Yummmy good!

I use one of those Magic Bullets to prepare this – but you can use whatever type of blender or smoothie maker that you have at your disposal.

2 egg whites (since they are raw, I use the pasturized egg whites in the carton from EggBeaters)
3-4 med sized strawberries cut into pieces
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup ice
3 packets Splenda
1tsp Vanilla Extract

Put it all into the blender and blend until smooth.

This gives you 2 ounces of protein – approx. 10g Protein total. You can add more egg whites if you need more protein to start your day!

The true test for me, however, was this: how does it taste in my morning coffee?

On my diet – there is just one thing I cannot.. .no matter HOW BAD I want to lose the weight, I just cannot, for the life of me, compromise and that is my coffee. I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same.

Splenda in coffee just is not the same – - neither are any of the other substitutes I’ve found.

I came across Stevia quite by accident one day while searching for organic foods online. I even recommended it to my mother, who is a diabetic and struggles with sugar substitute issues, as well. She is even more picky than I am – - and she’s a faithful Stevia user now!

Here’s the low-down for you on the product (which you can usually find at your local health food store, or in the health/organic section of your grocery):

• Stevia has ZERO calories. Yep – you heard it… ZERO.. as in NONE
• Stevia has a glycemic index of… yea, you guessed it… ZERO
• It is all natural and 100% organic
• Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to Paraguay
• Stevia is 30 times sweeter than sugar in its unprocessed form
• The pure glycosides that are extracted from the Stevia leaves are 250-400 times sweeter than sugar
• For those of Jewish faith, Stevia is 100% kosher
• You can use Stevia not only for sweetening drinks like tea and coffee and quick meals like on grapefruit or cereal – but you can bake with Stevia, as well. There are hundreds of recipes – - below, I reference a Stevia cookbook with some great recipe ideas
• Be aware of the Stevia/Sugar conversion when using it, though – - remember, it is 30 TIMES SWEETER THAN SUGAR! Dont’ make the mistake of using the same volume of Stevia as you would with regular sugar. Below is a conversion table

What are Stevia’s equivilancies to sugar?

Some Great Stevia Recipe Books:

Stevia Sweet Recipes: Sugar-Free-Naturally
A review from Amazon.com says:Of the 3 Stevia cookbooks I own, this is my favorite. I would think that most people who want to use stevia, are looking for healthy too, and lower carb, not just how to replace sugar with stevia. He uses whole grains in his recipies, which are much lower on the glycemic index than their refined counter parts, making them good for diabetics and some less restrictive low carb diets. I was looking for a recipe for zucchini bread and none of the books had one, so I took his Oatmeal Banana Bread recipe and replaced the fruit with zucchini and it came out fantastic! I could do that because the basic recipe is sound. He gives a lot of info on stevia including the fact that you have to adjust it to your taste. He covers pretty much all the bases in this book, except as one person pointed out, the use of liquid stevia, other than to say that he prefers to use the powders to the liquid.

Sensational Stevia Desserts
A review from Amazon.com says:This is a good book. It gives you the nutritional breakdowns which is nice, and compares them to the same products made with sugar. She uses healthy ingredients, but not much in the way of whole grains. It’s definitely low-carb friendly, as you can easily see how many carbs each recipe will set you back. None of the recipies include other sugar sources which is nice to see in a stevia cookbook.

Stevia: Naturally Sweet Recipes for Desserts, Drinks, and More
A review from Amazon.com says: I have been using stevia as my SOLE sugar replacement for just about a year now with the aid of several cookbooks to keep me going. I find it hard to use many recipes that ask for non-nutritive sweeteners because they usually happen to be low-carb, high-protein/fat, and animal products abound. My first breath of fresh air to this dilema was this book. It uses whole grain flours and provides many purely vegetarian (vegan) alternative recipes.

Healthy Pizza Dough Recipes
Pizza Dough Prestissimo
Quick Pizza Dough
Quick-Rising Pizza Dough
Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough

Healthy Pizza Recipes
Caramelized Onion & Artichoke Pizza
Caramelized Onion & Olive Pizza
Dessert Pizza
EatingWell’s Pepperoni Pizza
Greens & Gorgonzola Pizza
Grilled Pizza with Eggplant, Tomatoes & Feta
Grilled Pizza with Garden Tomatoes
Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes & Feta
Peperonata & Sausage Pizza
Pear, Walnut & Gorgonzola Pizza
Pesto Pizza
Pizza with Broccoli & Black Olives
Pizza with Potato & Artichoke Topping
Pizza with White Beans, Prosciutto & Rosemary
Smoky Corn & Black Bean Pizza
Tex-Mex Pizza
Thai Chicken Pizza
Turkish-Style Pizza
Wild Mushroom & Sage Pizza

EatingWell Magazine also provides us with these tips about pizza:

Grilling Pizza
The first time you slide a circle of dough onto a grill rack, you realize this technique really is going to work. We found that a covered grill with a large surface area is best because it allows you to crisp one side of the crust over hot coals, then flip the crust over onto indirect heat to warm the toppings and melt any cheese.

Using a Pizza Stone
One way to ensure a really great pizza crust is to use a wood-burning oven that reaches a temperature of at least 600°F, a feature most home kitchens lack. Fortunately, you can transform your regular oven into a pizza oven by baking directly on a hot pizza stone. The unglazed clay surface absorbs and distributes heat evenly, producing a crisp crust.

Using a Pizza Peel
The best way to transfer a pizza to a stone is to use a wooden paddle called a peel—and it is much easier to slide a small pizza from a peel than to slide a large one. To use a peel for recipes that call for 12 ounces of dough, divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 10-inch circle. Transfer one crust to a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel. Turn edges under to make a slight rim. Assemble the pizza, using half of the toppings. Make sure the dough slides easily on the peel; add more cornmeal if necessary. Open the oven door and set the tip of the pizza peel near the back of the stone. Pull the pizza peel toward you, letting the pizza slide onto the stone. Quickly close the door. Baking time for a pizza baked directly on a stone is shorter than for pan pizza: allow 8 to 10 minutes. Assemble the second pizza on the peel with the remaining dough and toppings while the first one bakes. Remove the pizza from the oven with a wide metal spatula to slide the pizza onto a pizza peel or pizza pan.

Buying Pre-Made Pizza Dough
Look for whole-wheat pizza-dough balls at your supermarket. Check the ingredient list to make sure the dough doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oils.

Thanks EatingWell!

…it’s not unusual for someone to experience a yo-yo effect following a low-carb diet. The body loses water, muscle and fat during weight loss, especially on a low-carb diet. A very low-carb diet is not recommended for the long haul. A modest low-carb diet, such as the diet followed by many diabetics, is more healthful, cuts carbs to a reasonable level and focuses on carbs that are high in fiber.

Some low-glycemic (low sugar), high-fiber carbs include:

• Oatmeal
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Beans and Barley
• Sweet Potatoes
• Vegetables

Eating more vegetables and fruit means you can eat more food and lose weight. Because vegetables and fruit have a high water content, the calorie level is lower. You can eat more, yet take in fewer calories, and feel more full.

Kalyn, at Kalyn’s Kitchen, has a great recipe for sweet potato fries – a lo-carb and tasty alternative to regular fries.

A Veggie Adventure provides an easy and yummy Microwave “Baked” Sweet Potato (Per Serving: 86 Cal (1% from Fat, 8% from Protein, 91% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 20 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 34 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 15 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 1 point)

Orange Roughy in Ginger Sauce
1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, or chives
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 orange roughy fillets (1 pound)

Preheat oven to 400 F Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion or chives, ginger and garlic in a small bowl.

Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof casserole dish. Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Cod, sole, flounder may be substituted for the orange roughy

Calories: 242
Protein: 35g
Carbs: 3g
Fat: 6g
Saturated Fats: 1g
Sodium: 1154mg
Cholesterol: 45mg
Fiber: 1g

Good stuff! I served it with steamed snow peas and broiled tomatoes with Pesto sauce and a small glass of white wine. My husband put it on the ‘do it again’ list – which is a good sign that he liked it too.

At least for me? I gained back 14lbs of the 26 lbs that I lost earlier this year. That sucks, yea I know. The second half of this year was all about falling into the trap of ‘stress and worry’ eating. I had many great things happen in 2006 – - and many not-so-great things. It was the not-so-great things that caused me worry and stress.. along with it, major serious bouts of insomnia that had me up at wee hours of the morning working, and snacking.

The snacking part KILLED me. Top that off with me feeling the weight coming back on — getting bummed out about it, causing me to delve further into my stress and worry binging. Makes TOTAL sense, doesn’t it?

Yea, well – no sense looking back – - there’s only forward to go. I started the new diet fresh and clean for the new year. It hit a whopping 190lbs by the end of the year.. so mine’s not a success story to be told, not in the least. It’s this cycle of diet/binge/diet/binge that I’ve been putting myself through over the past several years – - I can’t seem to break. I keep trying though – - and at least that keeps me from hitting that dreaded 240lb mark again!

A little history: I weighed 240lbs in 2003 – - a dreadful, dreadful weight that I never wish to hit again. Back then, I vowed to take it off, and I did! I sucessfully dieted my way to 150, and I felt awesome. Any idea what it’s like to drop 90lbs of yourself? It’s pretty thrilling. In the late months of 2004, I hit 190 – - through pure laziness. I mean, I got myself down to 150 and thought I had it made, right? Pfft! I dieted again and got myself back down to 160 in mid-2005. The tale end of 2005, I visited 190 again. Arrrgh! I dieted AGAIN and got myself down to 170 in the early months of 2006.

On December 31, 2006 – I weighed in at 190 again. WTF is it with that number? It haunts me! So, here I am at 190lbs again – and dieting again. I would LOVE to sit here and say I’m really going to do it this time. But, I can only hope when I drop those 30-40 lbs again, I will have learned my lessons from the past and remember how quickly those pounds pile back on! Here’s to 2007!

In the spirit of the new year – here’s a dessert recipe I’ll share. I’ve had it twice so far – and it’s not so bad. I mean, it’s not a pint of Ben & Jerry’s – - but it’s doable!

Mocha Ricotta
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package sugar substitute (like Splenda)

Mix together ricotta, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sugar substitute in a desert bowl. Serve chilled – - dust the top with a bit of espresso powder and even drop 4-5 mini chocolate chips on the top.

It’s pretty decent, really!

Calories: 261
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 17g
Fat: 14g
Sat. Fats: 9g
Sodium: 166mg
Cholesterol: 42mg
Fiber: 0gy,

Grilled Shrimp with feta and tomatoes

Vinaigrette:
2 T red-wine vinegar
2 t dijon mustard
finely grated lemon zest
salt (or salt sub) and pepper to taste
3 T extra virgin olive oil

3 lb large shrimp (cleaned)
finely grated lemon zest AND juice (from 1 large lemon)
1/4 c olive oil
2 t dried oregano
salt pepper
1 head Radicchio (2 if small)-outer leaves discarded inner leaves separated rinsed and dried.
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes…cut into 8 pieces each
8 oz fresh feta cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 c whole mint leaves

prep vinaigrette:
whisk vinegar, mustard, salt pepper. while whisking constantly drizzle in the oil until thickened. set aside (makes 1/3 c)

toss shrimp, zest, juice, olive oil, oregano salt pepper in large bowl. Let rest for 15 minutes, toss once.

Prep grill
Thread onto metal skewers. grill over high heat no more than 2 minutes a side.
Place in large bowl
Trim the tough white bottom of the raddichios leaves, then add to the shrimp along with the tomatoes, cheese and mint. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve in large decorative bowl

Info:
cals: 270
carbs:8gm
protein:33gm
fat:11gm

4 6-ounce red snapper fillets
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Season the snapper fillets with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
2. Place a sauté pan large enough to accommodate all the fillets over medium-high heat. Add the snapper and lower the heat to medium. Cook until well-browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook 1 more minute.

Serving Size: 1 6-ounce fillet

Number of Servings: 4

Calories 215
Carbohydrate 0 g
Fat 7 g
Fiber 0 g
Protein 35 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 579 mg

*skip the kosher salt and substitute a salt substitute or your favorite seasonings to decrease sodium content.

Baked Tilapia
Serve with a green salad or steamed asparagus.

Servings: 4

• 4 tilapia fillets (about 4 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, crumbled
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 2 medium lemons, quartered
• Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly mist with olive oil.

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Place the fish on baking sheet; mix spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle over fish rubbing in lightly. Mist lightly with olive oil and place in preheated oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the fish.

Per Serving:
101 Calories; 1g Fat (9.4% calories from fat)
1g Saturated Fat
21g Protein
4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber
55mg Cholesterol
63mg Sodium