Sitting stable at 1.6 above LDW.
Okay yesterday I posted a good M2 pancake recipe so today I'm giving you one that is good to have on week 2 of M1 (first morning if you like!). Treat this as one of your caution foods for the day.

Almond Meal Pancakes        
2 eggs        
1/3-1/4 cup water (for puffier pancakes, use sparkling water)        
2 T virgin coconut oil         
1 cup almond meal        
1/4 teaspoon salt        
2 tsp cinnamon (more if you like)        
1 tsp baking powder        
1/4 tsp vanilla        
1 T sweetener or 4-6 drops stevia

Mix wet ingredients and dry separately. Mix together and cook as you would pancakes. Flip them when the underside is brown. They take a little longer than regular pancakes due to the higher moisture but are so good they are worth the wait.

Top with lightly mashed berries (strawberries and blueberries) and sprinkle with some xylitol or stevia.

Makes about Six 4-inch pancakes. You want to make them small to make flipping easier.

Serves 2. Also works for breakfast and save the other half for a snack or lunch…OR half the recipe.  (These freeze well) I count this as a 500 cal. meal when I eat half with 1/2 cup chopped fruit. 

Variations:
Add 1/4 cup flax meal or substitute 1/4 of the almond meal with flax meal

Take out the sweets, cinnamon, and vanilla….you’re left with wraps! Fill with lettuce tomato a little mayo and some salt and pepper….or tuna salad wrap perhaps. Use your imagination here!

Cheers!
CAT

Can you tell I like Pumpkin!!!! LOL I figured if I'm buying a can then I better have a few ways to use it all up!

Pumpkin Pancakes
 
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (Or use 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon & 1/8 tsp Nutmeg)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (Gluten Free)
2 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1/2 Cup Water + 2 tbsp water
4-5 tsp Stevia

1. Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth or mixed well.
2. Spray Pan and heat non-stick skillet or griddle to medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Flip pancakes when bubbles start to appear and edges look cooked. Cook other side until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy with Sugar Free Pancake Syrup. 
3. Serving Size: 3 Pancakes Per Serving
(Thanks Mitzy!)
CAT 

I love making tuna salad. I'm always sure to buy the real mayonnaise but let's face it....it isn't cheap. Since I only use 1 Tbsp in a serving a small jar lasts me a couple weeks but a large jar always expires before I get through it. I like to mix in bell peppers, green onions, pickles and then I slice up cucumber as my crackers. Salt and pepper to taste and tadaa!! So here's a recipe to help cut the cost of mayonnaise and ensure you are not getting the bad sugars from the other whips out there. (posted by Jessica on 11/5/2011 and Bev on 11/21/2011 Thank you!!!)

Home Made Mayonnaise 

1 whole egg
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vinegar (acv or white)
1/4 tsp mustard
1 cup light oil (grape seed or safflower type)
1/4 tsp sea salt

Immersion blender.

In a container that's slightly larger around than your immersion blender, drop in egg, lemon juice & vinegar, and mustard. Next pour in oil.

Put blender down on the bottom of the container and turn it on. You'll see white stuff start to swirl around...when the white starts to come up to the top, slowly move the blender up and down a bit until the whole thing is blended and white. The longer you blend, the thicker it gets!
 
At the very end, mix or stir in salt, to taste. 
 
This makes about 1 1/2 cups of mayo - keeps for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.  
Don't get much healthier than that!!!
CAT 

Now this is creative!
JUST LIKE STUFFED BAKED POTATOES

16 ounce package frozen cauliflower
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded 
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 pieces bacon, chopped and fried until crisp
Paprika, optional 

Cook the cauliflower until soft, about 8-10 minutes; drain very well and break up the florets a bit with a spoon. It's also very good if you leave the cauliflower a little chunky. Put in a greased 8 x 8" baking pan or a 2 quart casserole. Mix in the cream cheese, cheddar, green onion, salt, pepper and bacon. Dust the top with paprika, if desired. Bake at 350º for 20-40 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Or, microwave, loosely covered, for about 40 minutes on 50% power, turning the dish after 20 minutes.
Makes 6 servings
Per Serving:  324 Calories; 27g Fat; 15g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

You can use up to 2 pounds of cauliflower and there will still be plenty of sauce and cheese to go around.
With 2 pounds of cauliflower the count would be:
Per 1/8 recipe: 256 Calories; 21g Fat; 12g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs Per 1/12 recipe: 171 Calories; 14g Fat; 8g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Some of the ideas out there are AWESOME!!!
Cheers!
CAT


 

I'm 1.2 above LDW. Yay!
Saw this recipe on a couple blogs today so I'm sharing it too!

Flourless Pie crust
1 1/4 cups almond meal
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp (approximately) of icy water
 
Method: Combine almond flour and salt in a mixing bowl, stir in coconut oil and
mix until mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix in water, 1 tbsp at a time, until
a dough is formed. Refrigerate until ready to use. When ready, roll out and
place in a pie dish. Fill your favorite fruit (we recommend apples, but
blueberries are also delicious) and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15
minutes or until crust turns a rich golden brown.

I can't wait to try it!
Cheers!
CAT

Sitting happy at 1.8 above LDW. Not complaining as it hasn't moved for awhile so I'm feeling pretty stable.

SNOW!!! My goodness it isn't stopping out there. It's only 10 below but it feels colder. Think I'll make some hot cocoa for me and the kids this evening. It's weather like this that makes me want to curl up with a good book by the fire. I won a book at the women's festival that I've been meaning to read. Perhaps this is a good day to start it. It's called The Passion Test by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood.

Update: The week liver cleanse...meh. I stopped a day early as I was just feeling sick from it. I didn't notice any improvements of any sort. My weight didn't change either (not that I was expecting it to but that I should note it). So I don't think I will recommend that particular cleanse. I'll try a different one in a couple months.

I better get shoveling here!
Cheers!
CAT

No idea what day I'm on for Maintenance, lol. Couple weeks in I think. I've been so busy that I've just been trying to eat clean M1W2 foods and so far all good. I finally got my shipment and reopened shop. Winter is here and it is cold! I'm all over the place and I'll explain why...

Yesterday I was searching for protocol safe whey protein isolates and ended up in a store. The guy was....well, very 'buff' LOL. He has done professional competitions and obviously knows his stuff. I gave him the requirements and he immediately led me to one that he thought would be perfect. I commented that he must have known I was an hCGer at which point he said I should not be putting "That" in my body. I let him ramble a bit so I could understand why he felt the way he did before I took my turn. His argument was purely based on the lack of scientific proof. I said that results speak loader than science and proceeded to explain why I thought the science was missing (there are actually some studies done properly that do have great results but most do not because of changes made to the protocol). To make a long story short (I was there over an hour just me and him talking shop, lol) we ended the talk on very friendly grounds. I learned some new things about ketosis and he learned that maybe there is something to these homeopathic drops after all. I had a great time talking with him. We have plans to do a study of our own! I don't want to say too much about what we are studying (it isn't actually the vlcd part) but if it works....let's just say we have some plans :)) I'm not certain when we will do all this but the seed has been planted. Sorry..huge rant but I'm excited!
Cheers!
CAT

I'm sitting by door hoping my shipment comes today. I don't dare leave because they make you wait until the next day to be able to pick up at the post office. Makes sense since they have to pack it around with them all day but I'm making sure that doesn't happen today. Of course there is the chance that it isn't coming until tomorrow in which case I will be sitting next to my door again, lol.

Egg day went well the other day bringing me down to 167.2 but I did jump back up to 167.8 the next day. Still sitting there today. That's 1.8 above LDW so in the safe zone but barely. I've decided to do a liver cleanse. I bought it awhile back and I think this is a great time to do it since it requires me to eat real clean for a week. Well, that is what I'm supposed to be doing right now anyway! I started this morning and I'll post how it goes. This should also help to kick out those carbs cravings that I have self induced by cheating. I chose the 7 day cleanse because I have never done one before and just want to see how this goes. Maybe next time I will try the 30 day one. There are no restrictions on calories so I can continue to maintain.

I added exercise in yesterday. We woke up to snow and my hubby said, "it is time." We had some wood in the shed but not near what we need for the winter. So, we loaded up the kids in warm gear and headed for the bush. It is actually only a 2 minute drive from us which is rather nice. In 2 hours we filled the back of the truck with nice dry beetle kill :) The kids got a good taste of what it means to work and can now say that they helped heat the house this winter. So they only did part of a row but not a bad start and they behaved very well. I could see pride in my boys eyes while he ate his well deserved snack during a well earned break. It's good for them....and for me! My endurance was good. No huffing and puffing but I definitely felt it in my arms. Good toning session! The only mistake we made was making our fire too big last night. I roasted all night!
Cheers!
CAT