One Man, One Cow, One Planet and other Videos

I've been watching all sorts of documentaries lately. I'm heading to bed to watch this one on my laptop now.



These are some other DVDs I've watched lately. I'm not saying I agree with everything being said in the videos, I just find them interesting and thought provoking...

Food Matters


King Corn


Food, Inc


The Future of Food

Low Carb Waffles

 

Low Carb Waffles

4 Large Eggs

2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

3 Tablespoons Water

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

4 Packets Splenda or 8 Drops Liquid Splenda

2.5 ounces Plain Pork Rind Crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and then add the cream, water and vanilla extract; beat some more. Mix the Splenda packets (if not using liquid) with the cinnamon and pork rind crumbs and add to the egg mixture. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir and check the consistency. The mixture should be thick, but not too thick. If it is too thick, add just a little bit of water at a time until it is thinner. Stir in the melted butter.

Pour 1/3 cup batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer of your waffle iron) onto a preheated iron. Close and bake.

Makes: 6

Per Serving (with Splenda Packets): 149 Calories; 12g Fat (71.8% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 169mg Cholesterol; 214mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

Per Serving (with Liquid Splenda): 146 Calories; 12g Fat (73.0% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 169mg Cholesterol; 214mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

Note: If your iron holds more than 1/3 cup of batter, you'll need to see how many waffles you get and divide these numbers by the number of waffles you get for the nutritional info...

893 Calories; 69g Fat (71.8% calories from fat); 50g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1012mg Cholesterol; 1286mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 8 1/2 Fat.

I made a couple of batches of these. I let them cool completely on a wire rack, and then I placed them into a ziplock freezer bag and froze them. When I want a couple, I just pulled them out of the freezer and pop them into the toaster. I took these to work one day for lunch and let some of my co-workers try them. Nobody could believe they were made with pork rinds. LOL!

For those of you not following the Low Carb Lifestyle, I have a Whole Wheat Waffles recipe on my website with lower calories and fat.

Low Carb Pancakes

Low Carb Pancakes

4 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2.5 ounces Plain Pork Rind Crumbs
1/4 Cup Splenda Granular or 12 Drops Liquid Splenda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the heavy cream and Splenda. Mix the cinnamon with the pork rind crumbs and slowly add to the egg mixture. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the batter to thicken. If the batter is too thick, add some water 1/2 teaspoon at a time to thin it out. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a lightly greased, hot skillet. You may need to spread the mixture out just a little bit. Cook until each side is lightly browned. Serve with butter and sugar free maple syrup. You can't taste the pork rinds in these pancakes. They kind of remind me of whole wheat pancakes.

Makes: 8-10 pancakes (depending on how thick your batter is).

Per Serving (with Liquid Splenda): 139 Calories; 11g Fat (73.1% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 139mg Cholesterol; 199mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

Per Serving (with Splenda Granular): 142 Calories; 11g Fat (71.5% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 139mg Cholesterol; 199mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

These can be made ahead and frozen. Cool them completely on a wire rack. Place a square of waxed paper between each pancake and place into a ziplock freezer bag. Store in the freezer until you are ready to eat. When you want some, simply pull them out of the freezer, put the pancakes on a plate and microwave until hot.

For those of you not following the Low Carb lifestyle, I have a High Fiber, Low Fat pancake recipe at my website.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Just Say No to Snow

Since I don't really have any food stuff to write about, I'm just going to take this opportunity to whine and babble.

It's snowing again. :( I worked this past weekend and had to drive in the snow. Now here we are again... even more snow. Luckily, my friend Francy (who is the secretary on my shift) has a friend with a big truck so they're going to swing by and pick me up today. The part I'm mostly worried about is how many of my employees are going to call off because of the snow. Since we work at a hospital, it doesn't matter how bad it gets, we're still open. They offer a free taxi if you can't drive in the bad weather, but some of the people either live outside the area the taxi will drive to, or they just won't ride in the taxi because they think the drivers are creepy.

We're supposed to be having a carry in at work to celebrate 3 birthdays today. It's nothing fancy, just a hotdog dinner. I supply all of the hotdogs and they each bring something to go along with it. One lady makes chili sauce, someone brings condiments, someone brings plates and silverware, someone brings soda, etc. It's a fun thing to do. I always ask everyone what they want for their birthday. I use to buy it, but I decided it was getting too costly, so now I make what they want. :) One guy wants no bake cookies, the other guy wants plain brownies, and my boss wants brownies with icing (she loves chocolate). I made the no bake cookies last night, and then I made dark chocolate brownies with dark chocolate icing and sprinkled mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Since we have 3 birthdays to celebrate at once, Francy is helping me out by making the plain brownies.

I'm thinking if everyone calls off and I get stuck at work over night, I just may have to eat some of this stuff. LOL!!! Seriously, I hope not. Well, I'd better eat something and then shovel some snow before I leave. Thanks for listening to me babble. :)

PS, I'll post the recipe for waffles and pancakes I made on Friday hopefully sometime tomorrow (unless I'm still at work).

Cinnamon Snackers

Yes, I know after reading the ingredients, this recipe sounds pretty gross, but actually it's pretty good. These remind me a little bit of the cinnamon twists from Taco Bell (which I use to love).

Cinnamon Snackers

1 oz. Plain Pork Rinds
1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Splenda Granular

Place the pork rinds into a plastic or paper bag. Drizzle the butter over the pork rinds, shaking the bag as you go. Mix the cinnamon and Splenda together and sprinkle over the pork rinds. Close the bag and give it a good shake. Pour out onto a place or into a bowl and enjoy!

Serves: 1
Per Serving: 272 Calories; 22g Fat (72.3% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 72mg Cholesterol; 624mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Fat; 1 Net Carb

Are Pork Rinds Bad For Us Really?

I was looking up a recipe that uses pork rinds and came across a post by Dana Carpender, one of my favorite low carb cookbook authors. I've had some people giving me funny looks when I've told them some of the things I've made with pork rinds lately (after all, aren't pork rinds bad for us?). Here is part of what Dana wrote that I thought was rather interesting....

"It’s no surprise that 1 ounce of plain pork rinds has no carbohydrate. But you may be surprised to learn that pork rinds have almost twice as much protein as they do fat. You’ll get 8.8 grams of fat, and 17 grams of protein, almost as much as three eggs! 155 calories. All of this makes pork rinds quite satisfying –– a 1 ounce bag should keep you full for hours.
More surprising, over half the fat in pork rinds is monounsaturated. 4.1 grams of the fat in pork rinds are monounsaturated, and another 1 gram is polyunsaturated. Just 3.3 grams are saturated fat, though I should add that I am convinced that natural saturated fats are a healthy food.
By comparison, 1 ounce of potato chips has almost the same calorie count –– 152 calories –– with 15 grams of high-impact carbohydrate. They have 9.8 grams of fat –– a gram more than the pork rinds –– and just 1.98 grams of protein. All this adds up to a predictable blood sugar roller-coaster –– and the hunger that comes with it.
Potato chips have less monounsaturated fat than pork rinds –– just 2.7 grams. The saturated fat content is nearly the same, at 3.1 grams. All of this adds up to pork rinds being a healthier and far more filling snack choice than potato chips.
How about other snacks? Corn puffs have 15.3 grams of carb, with only 2.15 grams of protein. They contain 9.8 grams of fat, and 157 calories. You knew these weren’t a healthy snack, right? Pretzels have been touted as a healthier alternative, because they’re low fat –– but they have 22.5 grams of carb in one ounce, all of it from refined white flour. Only 2.6 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat –– you’ll be hungry again very soon.
Nuts and seeds make good low carb snacks, with plenty of healthy fats, protein, and minerals, and fiber that pork rinds lack. But if you’re keeping your carbs to “induction” levels –– 20 grams a day or less –– pork rinds are a better choice.
So despite their reputation, pork rinds are a perfectly respectable food, offering more in the way of nutritional value and hunger satisfaction than most things that come in cellophane bags."

Pepperoni Chips

These pepperoni chips satisfy the need for something crunchy. A serving of these will do the trick. :)

Pepperoni Chips
(Low Carb Version)

14 Hormel Original Pepperoni Slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a piece of foil dull side up on a baking sheet with the foil going up the sides (if you don't have the foil going up the sides, grease will go under the foil and make a mess). Place the pepperoni slices in a single layer and bake for 8 minutes. Pat excess grease with paper towels and place back into the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool. These can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days. You can eat these like chips, crush them up and sprinkle on a salad, sprinkle them on soup, etc.

Note: If you use any other brand of pepperoni slices, be sure to check the carb content.

Serves: 1
Per Serving: 140 Calories; 13g Fat (85.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 0g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 35mg Cholesterol; 490mg Sodium.

Pepperoni Chips
(Reduced Fat Version - Untried)

14 Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a piece of foil dull side up on a baking sheet with the foil going up the sides (if you don't have the foil going up the sides, grease will go under the foil and make a mess). Place the pepperoni slices in a single layer and bake for 8 minutes. Pat excess grease with paper towels and place back into the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool. These can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days. You can eat these like chips, crush them up and sprinkle them on a salad, sprinkle them on soup, etc.

Serves: 1
Per Serving: 66 Calories; 3g Fat (50.0% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 0g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 494mg Sodium. WWP: 2

Clothes Donation

CLOTHES DONATION

I just had a call from a charity asking me to donate some of my clothes to the starving people throughout the world..  I told them to Back Off!! Anybody who fits into my clothes isn't starving!!

Chocolate Cake For One

Chocolate Cake For One

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Large Egg
1 Tablespoon Davinci Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (this can be found at Walmart with the Coffee)
2 Tablespoons Splenda Granular or 12 drops of Liquid Splenda
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Place the butter into the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften. Mix all of the ingredients together until they are as smooth as possible. It should look similar to cake batter at this point. Spray a bowl with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray and pour the mixture into the bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. This is best eaten warm. Optional - top with a little bit of homemade whipped cream sweetened with Splenda.

Serves: 1
Per Serving (using Splenda Granular): 264 Calories; 23g Fat (74.1% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 263mg Cholesterol; 195mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 Fat; 6g Net Carbs.

Per Serving (using Liquid Splenda): 252 Calories; 23g Fat (77.3% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 263mg Cholesterol; 195mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 Fat; 3g Net Carbs.