Over the past four weeks, in an effort to break through a fat loss plateau, I endeavored into the world of low carb dieting via the Men’s Health TNT Diet.  I’ve dabbled in the low carb world a few years back.  I tried the Atkins diet back in the “day” (the 300 lb day).  I made it one week BUT that was the longest I’d actually stuck to any diet.  That at least gave me something to hang my hat on.

You may or may not be familiar with the theory behind low carb dieting so I will attempt to explain it in plain English…or at least in my Georgia version of plain English.  Your body has a pecking order for burning calories.   Before it will turn to burning fat, it will first turn to your “glycogen stores”.  Your body essentially does three things when you consume carbohydrates: 1.) it burns them immediately for fuel  2.) it stores them as glycogen in your liver and muscles or 3.) if the glycogen stores are full, it is stored in your fat cells.

Roasted Wild Salmon and Dill

One of Dave’s Super Foods! If you can’t find Wild Salmon (stronger flavor and slightly less fat) farm-raised will do just fine.  This is a very quick, healthy, low carb entree good for any night of the week!  Courtesy of CookingLight.com.

Ingredients:
1 (2 1/4-pound) wild salmon fillet
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices lemon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450°.

Place fish, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush fish with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle dill and rind over fish; arrange lemon slices over fish. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Nutritional Information:
Yield:  6 servings (serving size: about 4 1/2 ounces)

CALORIES 192 (33% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.8g); IRON 0.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 60mg; CARBOHYDRATE 0.3g; SODIUM 369mg; PROTEIN 30g; FIBER 0.2g

Mexina Salsa Verde

A very easy, fast, and delicious salsa that spices up any meal.  Courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:
3 green tomatoes
2 fresh jalapeno chilies
1 large red tomato
1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 cup lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Place tomatoes and jalapenos in a pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until the tomatoes and jalapenos turn light green, about 15 minutes. Drain well, and place in a blender with the onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Puree to desired consistency and chill.

Nutrition Information:
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories: 25 Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 83mg
Total Carbs: 5.6g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2g
Protein: 1g

I spent most of today watching a train wreck.  One of those things you hate to watch but you just can’t turn away.  It’s been a fairly blah day here in Georgia so that means indoor family time!  That would normally be the case but today my son has been on a Spongebob coloring marathon, my wife was at work and my daughter had a play performance across town.   I was still in charge of my son but I wasn’t the center of his attention.  Woe to me if he’s never the center of my attention!

While the crayon shrapnel was flying, I was cruising the channels and stumbled upon “Man vs. Food” on the Travel Channel.  THAT is the train wreck I couldn’t turn away from.  If you aren’t familiar with this show, the premise is a man travels across the US in search of food challenges like “eating a 6 lb. hamburger in 3o minutes” or “eating 17 chili dogs in one sitting.”  It truly is a spectacle to behold and the host makes it through almost all the challenges.