Greetings! Are you going to a Super Bowl Party and want to stay on your eating plan? Here are a few tips. Eat something on your plan before you go so that you won’t be tempted to just grab the first food you see when you arrive at the party. Bring a food that you can munch on like a vegetable tray or turkey roll ups. A cheese tray would work too! Or maybe you make a yummy low carb dish that you can take to the party. If your plan allows alcoholic beverages, stick with low carb beer and wine or champagne and limit your intake. Sip slowly and drink a full glass of water in between each drink. Champagne spritzers work well! Scan the entire food display at the party and focus on the tasty delights you know you can eat (and completely avoid the ones you should not eat). If you find there is something so delicious that you can’t pass it up, take a small piece or share it with someone else. Most importantly, I think, is to have a positive outlook and feel confident that you can stick to your plan. It’s easier to stick to your plan when you have good food at your fingertips. Enjoy the party and I hope your team wins! Wishing you a happy, healthy and low carb week. Till next time………………Melanie

Greetings! Here’s a healthy, low carb soup recipe you’re sure to love, courtesy of the Peak Health Team: 4 cups diced cauliflower (about one large head), 3/4 cup diced onion, 3/4 cup diced celery, 1 diced carrot, 3 TBL butter, 4 cups chicken bouillon (Knorres) or canned broth, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup heavy cream. Salt/pepper, 3 slices cooked and diced bacon, 1 diced green onion.
Directions:
Melt butter and saute onions and celery; combine with chicken broth, cauliflower and carrots and simmer until tender. Use immersion blender (or stand blender) pulse till desired smoothness then return to pot. Add cream and cheese a little at a time whisking until melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Top soup with crumbled bacon bits and diced green onion.

Note: cooked chicken is a good addition as well as some broccoli. If you add broccoli, also add 1/4 tsp baking soda when you simmer the cauliflower mixture. The baking soda removes any bitterness and lets the nutty broccoli flavor shine through. A 1/4 tsp of cayenne added to the mixture gives the soup a hint of spiciness.

Enjoy! Till next time…………Melanie

Greetings and Happy New Year! It’s a new year and a new opportunity to get back on your plan, continue it or start your new plan to a healthier lifestyle. How exciting! Here’s a recipe courtesy of the Peak Health Team that fits the bill for delicious AND low carb. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken, 1 celery stalk thinly sliced, 3 green onions chopped, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Toss celery, onions and chicken in a large bowl, put aside. In another bowl, mix mayo, pecans, Dijon mustard, salt/pepper, dill and any other herbs of your choosing. Pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetable mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.

This recipe serves 4 and has less than 1 gram net carbs per serving – wahoo!

Have a happy, healthy and low carb week! Till next time………Melanie

Greetings! Are you keeping up with your food diary? I know it may be a bit challenging but it’s a really helpful tool, especially during the Holiday Season when we can overeat carbs and not even realize it! I keep it simple and use a paper-based log. (Like the one I received from Peak Health.) You may prefer an online source or your own computer to keep track of what you eat. Whatever method you choose, please remember to log the food you eat….it’s important and useful! I don’t take my diary with me when I leave the house, however, I’ve gotten good at tracking the food in my head and then transferring it to the diary when I get back home. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Peak Health Team for assistance with your diary and if you’d like more tips, tools and ideas, I would be happy to chat with you. Just tell your Peak Health team member and they will put you in touch with me. Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Carb-Conscious Holiday Season! Till next time………Melanie

Greetings! Once in awhile while I’m out and about, I like to get a cup of coffee at one of those coffee shops, like Starbucks. To keep my selection on the low carb side, I order a regular size decaf cappuccino with whole milk and a sugar-free flavoring, like hazelnut. Delicious and low carb! Unfortunately, there are not many other items that are low carb at these shops, so try not to be tempted into any of their sugary treats. I know that can be challenging, however, if you get the coffee first and take a big sip (watch it’s hot!) the sweetness from the sugar-free flavoring should help reduce the temptation for anything else. Wishing you and happy, healthy low carb week. Till next time…………

Greetings! While I was at Peak Health last week, I learned about the Great Low Carb Bread Company. Several practitioners, including Dr. Quigley, order bread, bagels, etc. from this company and like their products. If you would like to give them a try, their website is greatlowcarb.com. This can be a quick and easy alternative to making your own bread and most importantly can satisfy your bread craving! Making breadcrumbs from their bread is a great Thanksgiving stuffing ingredient too! Wishing you happy, healthy and low carb eating! Till next time………….Melanie

Greetings and Happy Autumn! I have been making home-made spaghetti sauce for over 40 years and substitute spaghetti squash for pasta since I have been following a carbohydrate-conscious lifestyle. I wanted to find a low carb lasagna for variety and a quick Google search produced a variety of websites offering free recipes. I ended up printing several and then mixed and matched to come up with my own version. I used eggplant however there are recipes that use zucchini as well. I think the key to this recipe is having a really delicious sauce. And I used 3 cheeses: part-skim ricotta, parmesan and queso fresco instead of mozzarella. My husband and I were happily surprised that low carb lasagna could be so tasty! Here’s my ingredient list: 2 large eggplant cut lengthwise; spaghetti sauce, home-made or your favorite store brand; the 3 cheeses mentioned above; spinach sautéed in onion; oregano, garlic powder, parsley and salt and pepper. I baked the sliced eggplant for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees then layered sauce, eggplant slices, all the spinach, the ricotta mixture (ricotta, salt, pepper, 1 egg, parsley, oregano), sliced quesco fresco then layered again. I topped it with parmesan and baked at 375 degrees until golden brown and bubbly. Yummy! You can also add mushrooms and carrots and peppers if you like. Hope you have delicious fun experimenting! Till next time……………

Greetings! Meagan Fitzpatrick RN, BSN shares a great recipe for low carb pizza:

The crust recipe: 2 cups almond flour, 2 eggs, Italian seasoning to taste, 2T olive oil.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients (it is normal for the mixture to be sticky). Roll crust dough onto parchment paper into pizza shape (size of a pizza stone), the dough can stick to a rolling pin so may help to put a piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and roll on that instead of the roll directly. Place parchment paper (remove top parchment paper if used it for rolling) directly on oven rack and bake until golden brown, about 15-20min. Remove crust and turn oven to broil. Put your pizza toppings on! Put pizza back in oven until toppings are bubbly and cooked to your liking (only a couple of min).

Mike and Meagan’s favorite pizza combinations: pasta sauce (we have found the Classico brand to be the lowest in carbs), shredded mozzarella, chopped onions, chopped green peppers, pepperoni, sausage (cook first), Alfredo sauce, deli ham cut into pieces, chopped jalapeños (grill first), bacon pieces.

Enjoy and Happy Low Carb eating! Till next time……………….

Greetings! Here are some tips for eating at a BBQ during the July 4th Holiday:
1) If you are not sure what kind of food will be served at the BBQ, eat something on your plan before you go. This way you won’t feel so famished that you eat the first thing you see! And you can then pick and choose wisely!
2) Consider bringing a low carb appetizer to munch on like cheese and veggies.
3) If you want to drink alcohol (and it’s on your plan), wine or champagne are good choices as they are generally low in carbs. But don’t overdo it!!! And remember to drink a full glass of water before and after your drink!
4) Plan ahead if possible, meaning that you limit your carb intake before going to the BBQ so that you can eat good carbs when you get there and still be within your daily plan.
5) If you really just HAVE TO HAVE a specific higher carb food, eat it…..but try to limit yourself to a bite or two. If you find yourself eating the whole thing……get back on track the very next day!
6) If you are given a plate that already has a hamburger with a bun on it….just eat the hamburger and toss the bun. (I like cheese on my burger!)
7) Bring someone with you who also follows a low carb lifestyle so that you can support each other with healthy eating.
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy, Low Carb and Safe July 4th weekend! Till next time…….

Greetings! My name is Melanie and I’ve been blogging on the Peak Health Family Medicine website since March, 2015. My goal is to provide tips and tools to all those who follow a carb-conscious lifestyle. I am not a medical professional, however, I am a Peak Health patient and fellow low carb follower for over a year (I’ve lost 30lbs!). I offer my experiences with a lifestyle I love; share how it works for me and provide ideas and information that will help you on your journey to Peak Health following a carb-conscious lifestyle.

As many are well aware, it’s not all about the diet. A lack of physical activity also plays a role in the development of obesity (and many other health conditions) in many senior adults. Additionally, there are a variety of other conditions that can affect a senior’s level of wellness and ability to participate in many activities, such as joint pain. A chiropractor can assist in diagnosing and treating these conditions, which would help a senior be able to perform activities more easily, and in the most serious cases, make doing them actually feasible.

I would be happy to chat if you have any questions and/or would like some motivational ideas or support! Just let your Peak Health providers know of your interest and they will put you in touch with me. I look forward to chatting with you. In the meantime, have a healthy, low carb week! Till next time………………