Super Easy Low-Carb Appetizer for Your New Year’s Eve Party

In case you have been living under a rock, or taking nutrition classes at a University, then you know that when it comes to fat-loss and health low-carb wins hands down.  I’ve written about that here, here, here, here, here, here and a whole lot of other places.

Your New Year’s Eve party is right around the corner, so I wanted to give you something easy that you could make that would be both tasty and helpful with getting a head start on your New Year’s Resolutions.

When you go low-carb one of the things that you miss the mot is crunchy stuff like crackers.  Here is a great alternative that I love with Baba Ganoush (a great, lower carb alternative to hummus).

Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients

4 slices (approx 1 oz each) cheddar cheese (pre-sliced from a grocery store – I’ve used several brands and they all seem to work fine.)

Parchment paper

Directions

1.  Take cheese and fold into quarters (you end up with 4 pieces of cheese that are about ¼ the size of the original slice) and place on baking sheet that has been covered with a sheet of parchment paper.

2.  Preheat oven to 400 F, and put cheese in oven when the oven heats to 400.
3.  Bake for 8min

For a crisper cracker – leave the cheese on the parchment paper for an hour or more to help it dry out.  The longer it sits out the dryer it gets and the crisper your cracker.

Nutrition

Makes 4 servings of 4 crackers

Regular cheese crackers – 18g net carb per 1oz serving
These cheese crackers – .5g net carb per 1 oz serving (4 crackers)

Josef Brandenburg is 2010, Washington, DC  Personal Trainer of the Year Nominee for both Personal Fitness Professional Magazine and The Washington, DC Fitness Association, and author of “The Body You Want”. He shows normal people with hectic lives and average genetics how to create the bodies they want in the time they actually have. To find out more about the 7-Day Free Trial click here. You can also pick up a FREE copy of his brand new CD – “Why Eat Less and Exercise More is The Worst Advice Ever” here.

Nutritious, Delicious, Romantic and Budget Friendly

You know how you usually think of lobster as a very special and expensive treat?  Well, not this year.  Since people consider lobster to be a luxury food, demand is way, way down this year, and supply is way, way up thanks to really good oversight of fishing practices.

More supply + less demand = cheaper lobster.

It’s actually cheaper than steak right now.  So, my fiancé (will be my wife tomorrow!) and I have been taking advantage.

This weekend we went to Harris Teeter and got 8 lobster tails for about $21.  (A year ago I think that one lobster tail in a restaurant was $20.)

Read more

The Best low-Carb Ice Cream I’ve Ever Had

This Sunday me and my fiancé were walking to J. Crew in Georgetown looking for this blue and white seersucker jacket that I had seen online when we passed Ben & Jerry’s and I saw a sign in the window for milkshakes. My all-time favorite milkshake is mint chocolate chip.

Seeing that sign in the window made me think about having a sweet, minty, creamy shake with big chocolate chunks at the bottom. It almost made me walk into Ben & Jerry’s, but I resisted and said to myself, “there’s got to be someway that I can make one of those without sugar… today.”

I never found the jacket I wanted, but I did figure out how to make the best low-carb ice cream I’ve ever had. No sugar alcohol. (I’ve found that the sugar alcohols interfere with a lot of people’s ability to lose fat, and are only OK in ice cream.) And it was mint chocolate chip.

Also, I’ve found that sugar alcohols (in all commercial brands) alter the consistency of the ice cream, but this one has the same consistency as regular ice cream.

Ingredients

2 cups cream
¼ cup water
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract
pinch of salt
green food coloring (optional, only if you want it to be green, otherwise it will be yellow because of the egg yolks)
4 egg yolks
12 packs Splenda (or ½ cup)
½ cup of chopped sugar-free chocolate (I like dark)

Directions

1. In a microwave safe bowl, heat cream and water until steaming (2min).
2. While cream is heating, mix everything but the chocolate together well. Add to hot cream and return to microwave until steaming, but NOT boiling (1min).
3. Follow instructions on your ice cream maker. Be sure to add chocolate half way through the process.

Nutrition

6 servings (about 1 cup) with 5g net carbs per serving vs. 52 for 1 cup of Ben & Jerry’s

The Disheveled Fitness Chef – Josef Makes a Low-Carb Mock Danish

I can’t believe how yummy this simple recipe is!

One of my clients, Paula (not Dean), was kind enough to share this mock Danish recipe with me.  So, now everyone asking for breakfast ideas beyond bacon and eggs has a new and easy option.

Oh, and while I am disheveled on the video I always shower before I meet with clients:-).

The Mock Danish

Ingredients

2 oz cream cheese (2)
1 large egg, beaten(0.6)
1 packet Splenda(1)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(0.3)

Directions

1. Put cream cheese in a small, microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for about 1 minute or until softened.

2.  Remove from microwave. Stir in the egg, Splenda and vanilla extract into the cream cheese.

3.  Put back into microwave and cook on high for 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Makes one serving with 3.9g net carbs

More Ideas From Paula About Variations on the Mock Danish

“I sometimes use a couple of tablespoons of the DaVinci’s sugar-free syrups instead of a Splenda packet, like raspberry or cinnamon. Also, a sprinkle of cinnamon makes it taste even more like a cinnamon roll.  It’s also good with a spoonful of SF jam on top. There are lots of ways to modify it.”

Josef Brandenburg is Washington, DC’s top personal trainer for busy people. He shows normal people with hectic lives and average genetics how to create the bodies they want in the time they actually have. To find out more about the 7-Day Free Trial click here. You can also pick up a copy of his brand new CD – “Why Eat Less and Exercise More is The Worst Advice Ever” here.

Josef’s Fiance Presents: Veggie Spaghetti

Q: When is spaghetti a vegetable?

A: When it’s a spaghetti squash!

We all know that we will have less body fat, better health, and more energy with fewer processed carbs in our lives. The spaghetti squash offers a way to improve your physique and eat a yummy old favorite at the same time. Try this as a side dish with your favorite protein, or add ground turkey, beef, or imitation meat to the sauce for a complete meal.

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash
Salt & pepper to taste
1 jar pasta sauce (with no sugar added)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450? F. Chop squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and slimy gunk; be thorough and get it all.
2. Spray lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes.
3. Let the squash cool approximately 5 minutes. Scrape the tines of a fork across the insides to separate the “spaghetti,” scoop out, top with sauce, and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Number of servings depends on the size of your squash. Per 1.5 cup serving with 1/2 cup sauce including some olive oil is 150 kcal.

Josef’s Breakfast Fiesta

One night I was hungry, and I needed a new recipe for newsletter #29. So, I looked in my fridge and found eggs, spinach, avocado, turkey bacon, salsa and an orange, and asked myself, “How can I make something yummy and quick with this stuff?” With my hodgepodge of ingredients I created what I am now calling a “Breakfast Fiesta” because it was vaguely Tex-Mex and it was freakin’ awesome.

Ingredients

1/4 cup sliced ripe avocado	80 kcal
1/4 cup salsa	18 kcal
2-3 cups spinach	20 kcal
1/2 to 1 orange	43-86 kcal
1 or 3 whole eggs	70-210 kcal
2 or 3 egg whites	17-51 kcal
2 or 4 pieces turkey bacon	40-80 kcal

Instructions

1. Begin cooking turkey bacon. While bacon cooks, begin wilting spinach in the pan that you will be cooking your eggs in.
2. Add eggs and scramble with spinach. Flip turkey bacon.
3. Cut up avocado, and add to eggs. Cut up 1 to 3 slices of the turkey bacon and add to eggs.
4. Turn off heat under eggs, and mix well. Transfer to plate and top with salsa, and serve with remaining bacon and orange.

Nutrition Facts

Large version (3 whole eggs + 2 egg whites + 4 pieces turkey bacon 1 whole orange) = 1 serving @ 511 kcal (yes, it is ok for a man to eat a breakfast that large—the more muscle you gain the more food you can eat without gaining body fat and the easier it is to lose body fat.)

Small version (1 whole egg + 3 egg whites + 2 pieces turkey bacon + 1/2 orange) = 1 serving @ 332 kcal

Josef’s Quick and Easy Mock mashed Potatoes

After I dropped my 45 pounds of body fat I thought that mashed potatoes would be off-limits to me. And they are. BUT, I have found a really, really good substitute for them made of cauliflower. Before you turn up your nose, give them a try. You won’t believe how good they actually taste.

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower, quartered & steamed	66 kcal
2 tbsp butter	204 kcal
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped	20 kcal
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Steam cauliflower for 5-8min. While cauliflower is steaming, sauté the garlic.
2. Place everything into a food processor and process until all chunks have been removed. This may take some stirring.
3. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Makes 4 servings at 73 kcal per serving

Client Recipe: Brett’s Black Cherry Sparkle

As Jell-O likes to say, “every diet needs a little wiggle room.” They’re right—everyone needs some low- or no-calorie treats in their life that can nurture their sweet tooth without packing on fat. One of my clients, Brett T., came up with this simple, tasty, and very unique recipe. Oh, and yes, it’s KOSHER.

Ingredients

1 box sugar-free black cherry Jell-O
1 cup Coke Zero

Instructions

1. Follow the directions on the box, but replace the cold water with Coke Zero.
2. Optional: you can put a few tbsp of FAGE (or any other brand) of Greek yogurt on top for a little extra creamy, high-protein goodness.

Nutrition Facts

Each box yields 4 servings @ 10 kcal/serving (not counting yogurt)

Josef’s Super Quick and Easy Cheesy Mexican Wrap

If you’ve got 5min and access to a microwave then you can make a really, really yummy meal that won’t contribute to a pot-belly or thunder thighs.

Ingredients

1 low-carb wrap	50 kcal
1/4 cup fresh shredded “Mexican” cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)	114 kcal
1/2 cup chopped pre-cooked chicken	115 kcal
2-4tbsp cup no-sugar added salsa	15 kcal
1 large handful raw veggies (carrots, celery, pepper, etc.)	15 kcal

Instructions

1. Place chicken + cheese + salsa on a microwave safe plate, and microwave until cheese is melted – about 30-60sec.
2. Using a spoon or a fork (you don’t want to burn your fingers!), scoop contents of the plate into your low-carb wrap.
3. Enjoy with raw veggies – you’ve got to keep “it” moving!

Nutrition Facts

Makes 1 serving @ 309kcal per serving.

Josef’s Healthy Bacon Cheeseburger

Ingredients

4 oz. frozen lean beef patty	199 kcal
1 oz. cheddar cheese	113 kcal
1 leaf large-leaf romaine lettuce	5 kcal
Ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, or whatever you like	30 kcal
2-4 shakes Mrs. Dash Salt-free seasoning mix

Instructions

1. Turn heat up to med-high under a suitable pan. Cook burger and turkey bacon in same pan. Flip.
2. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash on the done side, and then place cheese on top. Cook until desired level of done-ness (medium, well, etc.)
3. Place on lettuce leaf, and top with condiments.
4. Enjoy with a few extra raw veggies.

Nutrition Facts

Makes one serving at 347 kcal per serving

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