Category: Health and Wellness Tips

Big Dinner Out Of Little Healthy Bites

Big Dinner Out Of Little Healthy Bites – Low Carb Holiday Buffet

If your holiday buffet features large chaffing dishes filled with au gratin potatoes, heaps of stuffing, fiesta corn, and cheesy macaroni, you’re not offering much to anyone on a low carb diet. If your guests have to walk away with just a couple slices of turkey and a few celery sticks, you’re not going to feel too good about that. If you’re planning a buffet this year, you might want to figure out how you can make all your guests happy, even the ones on a low carb diet. Let’s take a look at several dishes that go well on a healthier holiday buffet.

Pretty Proteins

Starting with the main event, you can certainly roast a turkey and slice the meat, put it on a platter, and call it good. Or, you may want to present an alternative. Thin slices of turkey make the perfect “wrap” instead of using tortillas on a low carb diet. Cold turkey slices wrapped around blanched asparagus with a piece of cheese is a classic that many people look forward to on a buffet. You can change this classic up a bit by changing the vegetable to broccoli, spinach, or even cucumber. Put together a variety of wraps with different cheeses, herbs, and seasonings.

A hot alternative is to first roast your asparagus or other vegetables, then add cheese and wrap in the turkey slices. Now coat your turkey rolls with finely crushed pecans or almond meal, then lightly fry them and serve hot. And, don’t forget ham slices and prosciutto can also be used for wraps.

Another protein we love on buffets is seafood. Aside from the classic bacon wrapped shrimp, what else can we do to make our holiday buffet special? Of course you can serve small salmon filets that have been oven roasted or grilled to perfection. Cut the filets into finger food size for easy serving and have a dill sauce on the side. Coat the salmon in a ground pecan meal and fry for a sweet crunch.

Salmon and cucumber is a combination that gets rave reviews on any buffet. But, rather than sandwiches with bread, why not make something a bit simpler and low carb diet friendly. Put canned salmon, smoked or not, in your food processor with lemon juice, cream cheese, and seasonings and process until nice and fluffy. Then, serve on thin cucumber slices, either round, cut lengthwise, or on the diagonal.

Crab meat, shrimp, or other seafood is a great way to add protein to your buffet table without adding a lot of carbs. Celery sticks are a very diet friendly way to “serve” cold protein dishes. Chop the seafood, mix with mayonnaise or cream cheese, and seasonings, stuff the celery sticks and you have a tasty, protein rich food that also provides some very good carbs. Or you can marinade crab meat or other seafood in an oil and vinegar dressing and serve in a ceviche style dish for something entirely different.

If you want a hot main dish made with seafood, try forming patties or “cakes” out of the seafood, add onion, sweet red pepper, and celery, then crack in an egg, mix, and, instead of adding bread crumbs, add almond meal until mixture is sticking together, but not too moist. Then form your patties, about two to three bite-size, and quickly fry in a good oil. Serve each little cake on top of a leaf of romaine lettuce or other sturdy green like kale for a simple main dish that is easy to eat and very tasty.

Don’t forget the vegetarians in your low-carb main dish buffet menu. Black bean burgers are one option that is relatively low in carbs but very high in protein. You can use a mix of dried, cooked beans, put them in the food processor, add your celery, onions, and flavors, and blend until you can form patties. Add cilantro and other deep flavors to make them more interesting. Add in an egg to help the mixture hold together, then form your patties and fry. Serve just like you did the crab cakes.

Tofu is a also a welcome addition to the buffet table when vegetarians and vegans are looking for a filling dish to enjoy. The trick is learning how to cook and present a good tofu dish. To begin, completely dry the tofu by pressing down firmly serving-size pieces with a heavy weight between clean towels. Once dried, you want to fry the tofu, and then marinade it in the flavors you want to present. When the tofu has absorbed the flavor, it’s time to stir fry and toss into a hot or cold dish for your buffet. Roasted veggies are a perfect option, as well as mixed greens, shredded cooked cabbage, and nuts. Use your imagination and several different marinades to make your tofu dishes interesting and delicious and your guests will be very pleased.

Satisfying Sides

This is normally where the difficulty starts. Since we often think of sides at a holiday dinner as the starches and carbs, it’s hard to imagine what we can do to get away from that whole thought. The trick may be tweaking the classics, but you may also need to try entirely different dishes than you are used to.

Since sweet potatoes are high in carbs, and sweet potato casserole with the marshmallow topping is off the charts, you may think you have to avoid this classic entirely. But, there are ways to make even sweet potatoes more diet friendly. Start by thinking small. You don’t want to eat even a cup of sweet potatoes on a low carb diet. However, by making little sweet potato fritters, using almond meal for the binder, you can enjoy a couple bites of this holiday traditional food without being too concerned. You may also want to temper the sweet potato mixture with a bit of pureed pumpkin to lower the carb count even further.

You can do the same thing with white potatoes if you wish. Just make small potato puffs, reducing the high carb count of the potatoes by adding Parmesan cheese and cream cheese to the mixture. Bind with almond flour and even an egg for a real flavorful bite. Be sure to add chives or green onions for an even prettier look and delicious flavor.

Macaroni and cheese is a no-no on a low carb diet due to the pasta. However, you can make a cheesy alternative that will satisfy even the most diehard mac and cheese fan. Steam cauliflower, lightly mash, then mix in a cheesy white sauce until you reach a desirable consistency. Put in the oven in a casserole dish and top with a buttery faux breadcrumb topping, using almond meal instead of the breadcrumbs, cooking until golden brown on top. Set out on your buffet and watch it disappear even faster than your old mac and cheese did.

What do you like about the traditional green bean casserole? The creamy sauce and crunchy fried onions, right? Go ahead and make a white sauce using almond flour instead of wheat flour, that’s step one. Then cut sweet onions up into thin wedges, drizzle with olive oil, toss with almond meal, and roast until browned slightly. Quickly cook your fresh green beans, then add all the ingredients together and toss well. You have all of the elements of the classic green bean casserole without all the carbs.

Another option is to create a fun green bean wrap. Start by blanching your beans. Peel a large onion, and drop in the blanching water for a few seconds, just until you can separate the layers. Remove one layer, slice to lay open, then put some beans inside, add a dollop of cream cheese or goat cheese, and season as you like, then roll up and dredge in almond meal or crushed nuts. Lay seam side down on a baking sheet and bake in moderate oven, roasting until onion is nicely browned. Serve your little green bean casserole bundles hot with a little creamy dipping sauce.

There are numerous options for healthier, low carb buffet offerings at your holiday buffet. The trick is to look at the ingredients you can have on your diet in any main dish or side dish, then pick apart the recipe and get creative. The great thing about a holiday buffet is that everyone expects something a little different from a regular sit-down dinner. So have fun with it and enjoy!

Start Your Feast Off Right – Low Carb Holiday Appetizers

Start Your Feast Off Right – Low Carb Holiday Appetizers

What do you think of when you imagine serving your guests holiday appetizers? Usually lots and lots of creamy dips and other goodies? If you are trying to restrict your carb intake, you may be thinking you will have to skip out on all those yummy starters. However, there are ways to cut out the extra carbs without sacrificing all the wonderful flavors you want to enjoy during this festive season. Here are a few suggestions to cut back on the carbs right from the start.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

For some reason, everything seems to be getting super-sized, even appetizers. These little snacks have expanded to almost side-dish portions in recent years. One of the simplest ways to create a healthier appetizer buffet is to create bite-size portions instead of big platters of dips and spreads. You can scale them back down and still make a big splash. Tiny bites, or “tapas” are becoming all the rage, taking the restaurant business by storm. Maybe your own tapas are just what you need to scale down your holiday appetizers to a healthier size.

Instead of the large cheese logs you have made in the past, try making individual bite-size cheese balls. The same can be done with the spinach dips you currently serve in a big bread bowl. Instead, make tiny bites using similar ingredients. By offering smaller, bite sized portions, your guests will not tend to keep dipping and inadvertently fill up on appetizers before they even get a chance to sit down at the table.

Classics With a Twist

Take a look at some of your favorite appetizers and rethink the ingredients. Swedish meatballs is a great hot appetizer that’s filling and tasty. You can make them small enough to keep them healthier, yes, but you can also replace high-carb breadcrumbs with low-carb alternatives, such as almond flour and meal. Of course you can buy low-carb baking items like flour and biscuit mixes to help with the types of appetizers that require breadcrumbs or a crust.

One of my favorite appetizers is stuffed mushrooms. But, a breading-based stuffing is not on a low-carb diet. Again, rethink the classic recipe and you’ll design a stuffed mushroom that easily fits your dietary needs. Saute a little onion, garlic, and celery with flavorful sausage, then stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stuff your mushrooms and you have a low-carb appetizer that is sure to please anyone. If you want a stuffed mushroom more like the ones you enjoy at restaurants (they use more breading because it stretches the stuffing) then stir in a bit of almond meal or even finely ground peanuts. You won’t be able to tell the difference, but your figure will.

Those delicious creamy spreads and dips with the thick pieces of crusty bread alongside may be appetizing, but that bread is loaded with carbs. If your diet has you shying away from bread and crackers, can you still enjoy the spreads? Sure you can. Spinach dip, crab dip, cheese balls, and other favorite appetizers are often light on the carbs as long as you find a new ‘vehicle’ to serve them on, or in. Stuff a grape tomato with crab dip and enjoy! Spread spinach dip on a cucumber slice. Cut celery up into one or two bite pieces, fill them with your favorite cheese ball ingredients, and you have an instant low-carb alternative to cheese and crackers.

Stick With a Few Favorites

There are appetizers that are naturally low-carb. Think of your favorite protein-based appetizers and you’ll have a few ideas right away. Wrap just about any seafood in bacon, put it under the broiler, and you have a festive appetizer that is perfect for any holiday buffet. Remember ham and Swiss cheese wrapped asparagus bundles? These are the appetizers that have stood the test of time, and are low-carb diet friendly.

Also, don’t ignore the obvious; the antipasto tray. Olives, sausage, cheese, pickles, and artichoke hearts artfully arranged, can be all the appetizers you need. This is a classic that never gets boring. Be sure to include a variety of each element to keep the interest.

When the Holidays come around, we all look forward to the appetizer buffet. But, when you’re on a low-carb diet, the choices can feel limiting. The surprising and wonderful thing is… they’re not! You have a lot of choices, some very familiar, that will keep you happy as well as low-carb

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory

While there are commercial classes you can take to improve your memory, there are little changes you can make in your daily life that will have a big result on your ability to retain information. Here are Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory or your power of recall:

1. Foster Curiosity – Become curious about the world around you. When you become curious, you begin to take interest in your surroundings. By establishing the habit of constant questioning and asking “What if?” “Why?” and “How?”, your brain will begin to take in information and facts more readily.

2. Attach Emotion – Scientists have discovered that by attaching an emotion to an event, it is more vividly burned into your mind. Because of the connection you now have with the event, it is almost unforgettable. If you can begin connecting emotions with your actions, your memory will become enhanced.

3. Move – Yes. Movement stimulates memory. Getting out and exercising is proven to boost your brain power. Some people even learn facts – state capitals, spelling words, vocabulary – more readily by moving while learning.

4. Have Fun – Just as with emotions, having fun with the information you’re trying to remember will help make it easier. Make a fun mnemonic, where you make up a story associated with the letters of the facts you’re hoping to absorb (example: My Very Eager Mother Jogs Southward Until Nearly Pooped is the planetary order – including Pluto!). Tell a story about the events that happened or just be silly with the details.

5. Get Lost – Have you ever gotten lost while driving around town? After you finally found your way, you were probably more comfortable the next time you drove around. Sometimes getting lost will heighten your senses enough for your brain to take in more information and hang on to visual cues.

6. Eat Healthy – Eating certain foods can have a positive effect on your memory. Scientists have proven that some foods, such as ginkgo biloba, cranberries, yellow fin tuna and even spinach can increase your memory.

7. Have a Conversation – Talking can actually increase your memory. Well, not just talking, but having a deep conversation about a subject. When you converse back and forth about a subject, your brain is forced to clarify thoughts and connect the dots.

8. Breathe – Taking deep breaths also increases your ability to retain information. By oxygen flooding to the brain, your senses are heightened and the blood vessels expand. As more oxygen rich blood flows to your brain, your memory is increased. By breathing, not only do you increase your mental capacity, but you also observe the calming and stress-relieving properties deep breathing has to offer.

9. Sleep – Sleeping helps to improve memory because when you sleep, your brain has a chance to connect and archive the information you’ve taken in over the course of the day. Once you hit REM, your brain begins connecting all of the details you’ve absorbed, which is why you sometimes have strange dreams. After the dots are connected, your brain stores the information for later use.

10. Work Puzzles – Even though you might not be the best at word puzzles or Sudoku, actively working those types of puzzles help increase brain strength. Just like working your biceps allows you to lift more weight, giving your brain a workout allows you to retain more information.

Improving your memory is probably easier than you imagined it to be. For the most part, doing daily activities with a purpose can improve your memory.