Stupid Carbs!!!

So I think it is safe to say that I've fallen off of the wagon a few times with this low carb/sugar thing. I have stuck to it for the most part in my travels which is surprising but good. My road block I have run into is at home believe it or not. My mother-in-law is spending some time with us this week since my travels are taking me away quite a bit (5 cities in 2 weeks) and to say that she makes some good meals would be an understatement. I stated when I started to lower my carbs that I would not let it affect my family's diet negatively. I said I would just eat around the carbs that I make for them. Well, it is very difficult when someone else makes the food and makes it look so darn good! Last night, we had apple cider braised pork roast (carb approved) with arugula salad (also carb approved) and... loaded mashed potatoes (not so much). I ate more than I should have, I admit. Oh well, no body is perfect.

Today, I'm jumping back on the wagon. To start, I had my own recipe of low carb smoothie which is my new favorite thing. Here is the recipe:

Low Carb PB&J Smoothie
1/2 cup Carb and Sugar Smart Yogurt (by Yoplait) or any other low carb/sugar yogurt in vanilla and strawberry flavors (use 1 of each)

1 heaping tbsp of full fat peanut butter (the low fat stuff has a ton of carbs/added sugar)

1 tsp of honey or agave nectar

1 tbsp skim milk

2-3 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy.

Okay, now for a "real" recipe for "real" food. After all, this is a Food Blog. I don't want to load it up with a bunch of healthy stuff. In the spirit of last nights potato side dish, here is a link to one of my favorite potato side dishes. Tyler Florence's Ultimate Scalloped Potatoes Gratin. It is wonderful and easy to make. Enjoy!

Road Warrior... Naples, FL Edition

Just got back from a conference in Naples, FL. I know, I know... rough life right? I assure you my feet didn't even touch sand. My lips however did touch some delicious food. My wife and I like to vacation in this area so we like to think we are pretty well versed on the culinary scene of Southwest Florida. I paid a visit to an old favorite and was not let down. One thing's for sure, if you like seafood, this area of the country is for YOU!

The old favorite that I dined at was the U.S.S. Nemo located on Tamiama Blvd. in Naples. To drive by this place, you'd never notice it. It is set in a run down strip mall that is in dire need of a makeover. Luckily for me, I had read reviews on this place the first time I ate here over a year ago and I knew how fantastic it was this time so location was not an issue for me. First and foremost, if you want to eat here, get a reservation. Both times I have patronized this establishment I did not have a reservation and not only did I have to wait, but I had to deal with the Nazi like hostess who continually reminds me (without me so much as muttering a word to her) that I did not have a reservation and was throwing her night off as a result. I looked past it since I knew what I was in store for this time. And what I was in store for was Miso Glazed Broiled Sea Bass. I want to make sure I am clear when I say this, THIS WAS THE MOST FANTASTIC SEAFOOD DISH I'VE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH! There, now that I've been subtle with you, let me tell you about it. This is a sweet and extremely tender dish that includes the aforementioned title character broiled and glazed and placed atop jasmine rice and served with a tangy and creamy sauce/balsamic reduction of some sort. It comes with green veggies (green beans mostly) that pair well with the light flaky fish. It's just that simple. No more, no less and nothing short of phenominal. Pair it with a glass of white wine (I went with Pinot Grigio... one of my wife's favorites) and you will thank me later. Seeing as I had already ruined my low carb/low sugar diet with the rice, I did have a bight of my colleague's coconut cream pie which was quite good but could not hold a flame to the main course.

In short, I will be back as long as I keep going to this wonderful place either for vacation or for work.

That's it for now, gotta run and catch another plane. This time, Chicago for a promotion interview. Probably won't be much to write about as I am told my interview will be conducted over dinner at the airport. Mmmm... McDonald's. I joke, I am sure we'll dine someplace decent. I'm just not holding out hope that I'll be blown away by anything at O'Hare International Airport.

Cheers for now!

Off to Kansas City!

It's my Monday today. Yesterday was a company holiday so it made for a nice 3 day weekend with my wife and daughter. We had a ton of fun that included hanging out with friends and introducing my daughter to the Nintendo Wii system. I hope that wasn't a mistake. We tipped it off with my wife's (and her mother's) famous pot roast and potato pancakes. Since I don't make it, I cannot provide the recipe. Let's just say it is nothing short of the best thing my wife makes. It takes a lot of work (well... the potato pancakes do anyway) but as my wife posted on Facebook yesterday, "It's sooo worth it!"

Moving on, today I restart my travels with a business trip to KC. I am having dinner with my now ex-boss who quit last week. I'm guessing this is sort of a goodbye dinner but it will no doubt be at a good restaurant. There are so many good eateries in KC that I cannot name them all here on this page. Still, since I never can seem to keep my mouth shut when it comes to food (and I mean that in every sense of the phrase) here's my two cents on KC:

If you like BBQ, KC is the city for you. There are several top notch joints here that will please even the most decerning of smoke enthusiasts. Which one is best is a matter of opinion and really just depends on what you like. If you like an old fashioned, saw dust on the floor, rude cashier but good BBQ, you're looking for a place like Gates Barbeque. This place has the best Burnt Ends I have ever tasted. Burnt Ends are essentially the charred end pieces of a brisket that aren't burnt at all. They're full of smokey flavor and are quite tender. Order the Burnt End on Bun with some cole slaw and baked beans and you will be very happy. My favorite place in KC for BBQ though is a high end establishment called Jack Stack BBQ. Picture a high end steak house but replace the steaks with ribs, pulled pork and sliced meats. This place is PHENOMINAL. If you go, get what I call the "Dinosaur Bone". It is essentially a bone in smoked prime rib that will knock your socks off. Get baked beans as a side and add a side of the Cheesy Corn Bake. I have said this many times about the Cheesy Corn Bake --- it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE! This wonderful side is like creamed corn only replace the cream with melted cheese and add some house smoked sausage. Outstanding! Being a smoke enthusiast myself, I can go on for hours about BBQ so I'll stop here and move on...

Here are a few other restaurants that I love in KC. Like I said, there are literally hundreds of great places so these are just a few:

1) Blanc Burger --- high end gourmet burger joint
2) Nick and Jake's --- Order the shrimp and jalapeno grits
3) Blue Koi --- Asian fusion
4) Ra --- Trendy Sushi
5) Dean and Deluca --- Grocery Store and Gourmet Cafe
6) Jaspers --- Great Italian
7) La Peep --- Awesome breakfast joint

That's all for now because I've gotta go. Four hour drive so I can grab a hotel and then go to 2 hour meeting. The things I do for work! Cheers!

I Think I am Becoming a Beer Snob

I should start by apologizing. I realize that my original intention was to post here daily but it has been a long week so I am sorry for not posting. I was just downstairs in my house grabbing my 2nd cup of coffee (I'm halfway through bag #2 of my Starbucks Christmas Blend --- if you haven't tried it, wait until November and go and GET SOME!) and I was just having my usual thoughts as to what my wife and I and anyone else who may come by will be having to drink this weekend. In other words, I was pondering what was going to be the beer of the weekend. All of the sudden, I realized that the beers that I was thinking of picking up were all micro brews. If you'd have asked me 5 years ago what was my beer of choice; my answer without thought would have been good old Miller Light every time. Nowadays, I find that my palate is more refined.

Actually more than anything, I find that I am an "Occasional Drinker". That is not to say that I drink occasionally. Quite the contrary. I drink more than some but not quite as much as others. By "Occasional Drinker" I mean that I let the occasion dictate what I drink. This classification system applies to all drinks be it spirits or suds but this post is going to apply to beer occasions only.

With that beind said, here is my take on what beers to drink when:

1) Gamedays: Typically if there are sports involved, it needs to be a mass consumption style beer. That's where my old faithful of Miller Light comes in. You don't have to do Miller, of course, Bud, Bud Light or anything like that would be fine. It's nothing but the shear fact that you are watching an American sport such as football or baseball, you should be drinking a nice cold American beer. I know, I know... there will be some that say that micro brews are American beers too. Hush, I'll get to your beers shortly.

2) Evenings with friends: This is an opportunity for everyone to try something different. Depending on the size of the crowd you can go with a nice micro brew (see fellow beer snobs, I said I would get to you). A friend recently introduced me to Magic Hat #9 and it wonderful. It is a pale ale without so much bitterness that typically comes with a pale ale. It is definitely one of my new favorites. A friend of mine and I also enjoy some good imports when we get together. A couple of these include Smitchwick's and Boddingtons. Both great imports in my opinion. Especially if you like more full flavored beers.

3) Cold Weather: Cold weather calls for darker beer in my opinion. I like a good Amberbock or Guiness when it comes to the bitter cold. Seems to provide some warmth. And the flavor seems to lend itself to that time of year too. In the fall, I also like Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat. Good fruity and full flavored beer.

4) Warm Weather: When the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, really there are many beers one could go with. Personally, I like Blue Moon with an orange slice. It is one of the more refreshing beers out there. Really, spring and summer being big seasons for beer, you could go with 100's of different kinds here. My wife likes Bud Light Lime. Not too bad if you like fruitiness in your beer.

Anytime Brews: A few of these I already mentioned but there are some beers that are just good anytime. Here's a list of my favorites: Smithwick's, Guiness (DRAFT ONLY), Fat Tire, Schlafly IPA, Boulevard Wheat, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I could go on. I do love my beer!

That's all for now! Cheers!

Waste Not, Want Not

Yesterday I continued the Asian theme at dinner by making beef with broccoli stir fry. No, I am not obsessed with broccoli and I do realize that there are other lower carb vegetables other than broccoli but I am a fan of using all of the food you buy at the store. I do not like to throw away food if I can avoid it. To me, that is wasteful and there is always something that you can make with the ingredients in your kitchen. Iron Chef and Iron Chef America on the Food Network have taught us nothing if not that. So with that in mind, I knew I had found a great deal on some sirloin steak that would go well with the broccoli given the right seasonings so I went to work. The result was a restaurant quality meal that my wife and I (not so much my daughter) liked very much. My wife also liked the Pagoda Frozen Egg Rolls that I had purchased at the store (don't worry, I didn't eat them since I am trying to stick to the lower carb things right now). Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try:

Beef with Broccoli
1 lb sirloin steak (pounded to 1/4" thickness)
1 head of broccoli cut into florets
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

For the Marinade
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of balsamic vinegar

First make the marinade by combining all the marinade ingredients and whisking until the sugar dissolves. Cut the steak into strips and place in a sealable bag. Marinate for at least 2 hours. When ready, heat 1 Tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok on high heat. Brown the meat and reserve to a plate when cooked to medium (slightly still pink). While the meat is resting, wipe out the wok and steam the broccoli by placing 1 cup of water and the broccoli in the wok. When fork tender, drain in a colander. Heat the other Tbsp of sesame oil in the work and return the meat and broccoli to it. Pour in the rest of the soy sauce and toss to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes and serve. I served with steamed brown rice (although again, I'm lowering my carbs so my wife and daughter ate the rice).

A Very Low Carb New Year...

So a couple of years ago, I decided that it was time for me to get back to working out again. I was a fairly new parent of a beautiful little girl and I wanted to make sure that I was there for her for as long as possible so it was time to lose some weight and get some excersize. Afterall, I was in my early 30's and certainly wasn't getting any younger. I swore to myself at that point that I was not going to fall victim to any fad diets (or any diets period). Why? The answer is simple: I ENJOY FOOD! I love food and believe that life is indeed too short to warrant putting yourself through the grinder of fad diets. Believe me, I've tried them. They're no fun. Even the one that says you can eat a pound of bacon but you cannot touch a piece of whole wheat bread (really?). Even the Special K diet that says you can lose a pants/dress size in a week be eating 2 of your 3 meals a day with Special K products isn't enticing (that one DOES NOT work by the way). In the end, I think we can all agree that most fad diets are just that; fads. They give you the facade of losing weight and being healthy but they are not sustainable. I mean, come on, are you really not going to eat bread for the rest of your life?

With that being said, in my workings out over the past 2 years, I've lost roughly 40 lbs and 4 inches off my waist line. It feels great. However, I hit a plateau about mid year last year and was struggling to find new ways to work out and most importantly: lose the spare tire around my waist. This is quite literally one of the only parts of my body that I take issue with these days. The middle 30% of my body seems to be something that has plagued many a man in his 30's. It is quite possibly the most difficult place to lose weight on a man (for women, it's the thighs and backside) and can be very frustrating to deal with when you spend 60 minutes a day 5 days a week at the gym like you're supposed to.

So I started to read up on the subject of love handles and the spare tire. I found out that there are 3 things that are imporant to toning that part of your body: plenty of cardio, core resistance training and most imporantly decreasing your carb and sugar intake. It is in that spirit, that I have decided not to go on the Atkins Diet or The Zone, but to simply decrease the carbs that I eat and virtually eliminate the sugary desserts for a while. That is not to say that I won't have any dessert or pizza or anything like that. And it certainly isn't to say that I won't write about those things on here. It's just saying that I have a goal in mind and a little adjustment in my personal diet is needed in order to achieve that goal. Again, the key words are "a little". I am not a fan of dieting or making yourself miserable so little is changing here. But sometimes, it's the little changes that make the biggest difference.

It is in the spirit that I present you with my lunch recipe from yesterday: Asian Spiced Turkey and Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 bag of frozen broccoli
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the turkey and drain. Return turkey to pan and add the cooked broccoli, ginger, soy sauce and seasonings.

Sounds to simple doesn't it? I know but it is quite good and VERY low in carbohydrates. One bit of advice is to watch the salt. This dish already has soy sauce in it so the sodium content is pretty high. Still, like I said before, I won't compromise taste for a diet so season however you like! I enjoyed this with a Carb and Sugar Control Yogurt and a bottle of water right after I got back from the gym. It was great! And it kept me full much longer that the usual sandwich lunch did. Overall, I was pleased.

So far, I'm off to a good start in my battle against "The Tire". That is, until my father-in-law comes to visit this weekend and we go out to dinner at a local steakhouse and perhaps out to brunch at a place known for their beignets!

Cheers!

Christmas is Over, and I have Gotten Fat... er.

I have so much to discuss today. I see that my last post was just before the Christmas holiday so please accept my apologies. So much goes on this time of year, it is just hard to find time to get actual work done let alone my new found hobby of blogging.

Over the Christmas "break" we visited my in-laws in Wisconsin. They live in a suburb just west of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is one of my favorite cities in the U.S. for so many reasons not the least of which is their food. From great restaurants and frozen custard joints to my mother-in-law's Martha Stewart-like cooking, there is always a ton of fun to be had in America's dairyland. We started off our trip with a stop by Kopps Frozen Custard

. Let me be careful, because I don't want to oversell this place... BEST FROZEN CUSTARD EVER!!!! They have a great flavor of the day (which was Brandy Eggnog for the holiday) that changes everyday. My favorite by far is Palermo Lemon. They also have a shake of the month (Eggnog in December) and a Sundae of the month (Christmas Celebration Sundae for December). It is the latter that will send your head spinning causing a brain freeze like no other you've had. This sundae is three scoops of Kopp's Vanilla custard each topped with 3 separate sauces. The sauces are what make this sundae great. They start with an Amaretto Cream sauce on scoop 1. Scoop 2 has a caramel rum sauce. Scoop 3 ends with a mint fudge sauce and acts like your Andes Mint at the end of a big meal. But they don't stop there. No, no... they top the whole thing with chocolate shavings and mixed nuts that bring this sundae to an ending of perfection. To say this sundae is fantastic would be an understatement.

Kopp's also offers Jumbo Burgers. Although the frozen custard is clearly the star at this establishment, the burgers are a close 2nd. They are JUMBO indeed and they are made on a flat top griddle and topped any way you like them. It is not my favorite burger in the world, but they are worth checking out with a side of onion rings and a shake of the month. Make sure you share the burger with someone if you do. They aren't lying when they say Jumbo Burgers.

Although Christmas does bring with it an extraordinary amount of culinary delights, we will end the holiday blogs here so as not to confuse anyone into thinking this is a holiday blog as a whole. I am looking forward to 2012 and the continuation and growth of this blog. Please keep checking back for recipes, restaurant reviews and more food for thought!