Pork Chops with Paprika Cream

I love pork, but I always wonder what to do with it. It goes well with sage...and barbecue sauce, but what else? How about paprika? And sour cream, and onions, and mushroom? The results were tasty and reminiscent of stroganoff.

Ingredients
6 pork chops
4 T. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sour cream
2 T. paprika
salt and pepper

Instructions 
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. While the butter is melting, salt and pepper the pork chops. Brown the chops on each side and then put them into a 9x13 pan.
3) After the chops are done browning, add the rest of the butter to the skillet. When it melts, add in the onions. When they soften and begin to brown, add the mushrooms. Cook the onions and mushrooms until they are soft and nicely browned. Turn off the heat.
4) Add the sour cream and the paprika to the onion/mushroom mix and stir.  Spoon the mixture over the pork chops and spread evenly.
5) Cook for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Buffalo chicken skillet

Mom's gone, so tonight I made the kids some chicken tenders. Chicken breast, egg wash, panko bread crumbs and a little bit of seasoning and they were thrilled.

I am continuing to eat low carb, high fat, so now bread crumbs for me. I love buffalo chicken, so I decided to throw together a keto skillet for myself. I sauteed some onion and celery in butter, cooked up some chicken, made a buffalo sauce, and topped it with ranch dressing and cheddar cheese. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Buffalo Chicken Skillet

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter
2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces cream cheese
2 T. buffalo hot sauce
1/4 c. shredded cheddar
Ranch dressing
Parsley

Directions:
1) Heat skillet over medium heat. Add butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, add the onions and celery. Cook until tender, stirring it every few minutes. When it is tender, add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more.

2) Remove the veggies to a plate, and put the chicken in the pan. Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink in the center. Add the chicken to the plate with the veggies, reserving the butter and juices in the pan (I used a slotted spoon).

3) Reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese and buffalo sauce to the pan. Stir constantly. When it is melted, add the chicken and veggies back to the pan and stir until coated.

4) Top with cheddar cheese until melted.

5) Remove to a plate and top with ranch dressing if desired (blue cheese would be wonderful too). If you like it to look kind of fancy, for pictures and what not, add some parsley.

Cabbage and Salami Scramble

Despite the huge snowstorm yesterday, I was determined to make it to my doctor appointment, my one month follow up at ReforMedicine, where I have been working Drs David Usher and Christina Funk and their medical weight loss program. So far, I have been more than pleased. I knew that I was feeling better physically and that my thinking was sharper. My clothes have fit better as well.

Even with all of those benefits, what I have been most pleased with--because it is an entirely new experience for me--is that I no longer have cravings for sweets. I don't recall a time in my life when my sweet tooth was so thoroughly quieted and that foods that were triggers for me were not only not temptations, but frankly unappealing. I have no desire to eat a doughnut. Let me say that again...I have no desire to eat a doughnut.

Now, some folks will be interested in numbers. I started 29 days ago weighing 328.5 pounds. Dr Usher did body composition analysis at my first appointment and my "body fat mass" was 132.1 pounds. I recognize that is more than many adults weigh.  Yesterday, my weight was 305.6 pounds; in other words, I lost 22.9 pounds*. Interestingly, yesterday's body composition revealed a loss of 1.3 pounds of skeletal muscle and 1.5 pounds water weight. If you're good at math, that means I lost 20.1 pounds of body fat.

The last month has also allowed me to play with different foods and recipes. I have picked up many great ones on Pinterest, though I am also creating quite a few of my own. Today, for example, I made up a wonderfully tasty recipe, which I have interestingly labeled "Cabbage and Salami Scramble" (Trust me, the recipe is better than the title).

Cabbage and Salami Scramble

1 T. Butter
1-2 T. Olive Oil
1 c. chopped cabbage
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
~10 pieces of salami, quartered (I used the pieces that were about the size of a 50-cent piece).
Salt & Pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese

1) Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2) Cook cabbage until tender. Add mushrooms and salami to the pan. Cook until browned (that's how I like it). Season to taste.
3) Top with shredded cheese.

*Results not typical, but it does work really awesome for a lot of people. 

Want to learn more? Check out ReforMedicine

Reuben Stack

Reuben sandwiches are one my favorite foods. Following a LCHF eating plan, it makes it difficult to eat reubens. Rye bread and thousand island dressing are carb-loaded. So...how to meet my craving. I decided to try making a reuben stack.

Reuben Stack
4 slices corned beef
1/2 c. sauerkraut, rinsed
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 T. mayonnaise
paprika

1) I start by rinsing my sauerkraut. Why? I think it removes some of the bite, but keeps the taste. Don't rinse it if you don't want to, it's up to you.
2) heat 1/2 cup of the sauerkraut in the microwave for 45 seconds or so, to take the chill off. (I have an old microwave. I paid 10 bucks for it 20 years ago. Maybe yours is more powerful and you don't need 45 seconds).
3) Lay the slices of corned beef on a plate, spread the sauerkraut over it, and top with the Swiss cheese. Microwave until the cheese is melted.
4) Spread mayonnaise over the top and sprinkle with paprika.

I absolutely loved it!

Cauliflower pancake

This morning, I threw together a quick "cauliflower pancake."
 I shredded a half cup of cauliflower on my box grater, mixed in an egg and whole milk mozzarella and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I cooked it in butter in a frying pan over medium heat. I topped it with herb butter and ate it with some sliced pastrami.

Cauliflower Pancake
1/2 c. grated cauliflower
~1/3 c. shredded mozzarella (I prefer whole milk)
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 T. butter


1) Mix all together in a small bowl.
2) Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter is good and bubbly, put in the cauliflower mixture and spread around to make a pancake. As it cooks, the top will begin to bubble and the edges will dry slightly. Flip it and cook it a few more minutes.
3) Top it with herb butter and enjoy!

Superbowl Sunday Breakfast: Buffalo Chicken Omelette

Nothing says Super Bowl like buffalo chicken, am I right? I'll be honest, I am not even sure if today is Super Bowl Sunday. I mentioned the Super Bowl to my 7 year old today and she asked, "what's the Super Bowl?" Given that my 11 year old son didn't know who Brett Favre was yesterday, I shouldn't be surprised I suppose. However, I do know that a lot of people eat buffalo wings on the day of the big game, so I thought what a perfect opportunity to try a buffalo omelette.

Buffalo Chicken Omelette
3 eggs, scrambled.
1/2 c. onion, diced
2 T. Butter
1/2 c. shredded chicken
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Gorgonzola crumbles
Buffalo hot sauce.

Method:
1) Sautee onions in 1 T. of the butter over medium. Set aside.
2) Cook the eggs over 1 T. butter over medium-low to medium heat. Feel free to tip the pan to allow some of the undercooked egg to flow to the edges of the pan. When the eggs are nearly set up, put cheddar, blue cheese, onions, and chicken on one half of the eggs.  Remove to plate and fold in half.
3) Drizzle buffalo sauce over the top.
4) Enjoy!

*In hindsight I may have added a little bit of bacon to the mix.

Pizza casserole

Well, I survived the first weekend on HFLC (High Fat, Low Carb). Even though the flu invaded our house, rendering our children feverish and horizontal, I enjoyed learning as much as I could about this new adventure. I read science, testimonials, and recipes. Lots of recipes.

For the uninitiated, an HFLC diet limits carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day. Instead, the majority of calories come from fat (its called high fat, not high protein). Briefly running the numbers for Saturday and Sunday, I was eating approximately 70-75% fat. Needless to say, the food has been quite tasty.

Briefly, yesterday I had a t-bone and sauteed onions for breakfast, dried beef and a mixed green salad with blue cheese dressing for lunch, and a hamburger, salad with dressing, and green beans with herb butter. Today, I had a 4 egg spinach omelette and 2 slices of bacon, sauteed cabbage and kielbasa for lunch, and pizza casserole with roasted cauliflower for dinner.

So, about that pizza casserole...

For several years, with very few exceptions, in the Kanz home, Sunday nights have been for pizza and movies. But how does one eat pizza following a HFLC plan? So I decided to throw together a pizza casserole.

Pizza casserole
-1 pound Italian Sausage
-1 pound ground beef
-8 oz tomato sauce (make sure to check for carb level).
-1 T. Italian seasoning
-1 t. salt
-1/2 t. ground black pepper
-8 oz shredded mozzarella
-14 pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. While oven is preheating, brown the sausage and the ground beef in a large cast iron pan. When the meat is browned, add the sauce, italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and let simmer for a minute or two.
3. Turn off the heat and spread the cheese evenly over the top of the pizza (if you are wondering about our uncovered section, my wife doesn't like to eat dairy). Top with pepperoni.
4. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until cheese is browned.
5. Let cool for a few minutes when it comes out of the oven. It helps the cheese set up.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

In for a penny, in for a pound

Between 2008 and 2013, I sparsely blogged here about "Making the Better Choice," a mantra I had developed while doing Weight Watchers. A quick review of the posts I shared reveals a general commitment to wellness, exercise, and healthy eating. The careful observer will also notice that although I lost 165 pounds at one point, over the years, I struggled to maintain. I played with lots of different diets--Weight Watchers (by far the most successful for me, and an excellent program), the NoS Diet, MyFitnessPal, Whole 30, the MIND Diet, and Intuitive Eating to name the ones I recall trying. I also met with a dietician and a therapist who helped me to explore my eating and my addictive tendencies.

Unfortunately, between 2013 and now, I have continued on a roller-coaster of insanity. I would lose a large amount of weight only to regain it--and more--a few months later. I have attempted Weight Watchers both online and in meetings perhaps a half-dozen times since 2003 never with much immediate success and with no sustained success. It has been frustrating.

This summer, my primary doctor talked with me again about my weight. He is always gentle and encouraging. We talked about my poor self-control when it comes to sugar, which for me, can lead to extreme binges--a pound of M&Ms, a whole box of ho-hos, a few pieces of pie. Unfortunately, once the lid is off the sugar monster, I have a very difficult time getting him back in. Earlier this year, I decided to cut refined sugar from my diet. My binges got better, I lost weight; however, sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I decided to have a little sweet treat, which quickly gave way to mass consumption of sugar.

Anyway, my doctor encouraged me to consider seeing David Usher MD at ReforMedicine, who is board certified in obesity medicine and runs a medical weight loss clinic. I initially tabled the idea, deciding to try it on my own again and, as I said above, failed. In the midst of my struggles, however, a patient of mine mentioned having seen Dr Usher and offered rave reviews, so I decided to call and schedule an appointment. I knew nothing of the program other than two endorsements.

I met with Dr Usher last Friday. He has developed a supervised program of weight loss that follows a low-carbohydrate model. I have always rejected low-carb as ultimately unlivable (without having tried it) and so I was skeptical, but Dr Usher is an enthusiastic advocate of his program. In fact, a student who was observing had already lost 15 pounds in the previous few weeks. I was also encouraged by the help offered to get sugars out of my diet.

So, I'm in for a penny, in for a pound they say, although it cost more than a penny, and I hope to lose much more than a pound. My current weight is 328 pounds, so I have a long way to go, but I am hopeful.

I am posting here at the start, which is a risky move. What if I fail? What if low-carb is ultimately unlivable for me? God knows and time will tell.

But for today, in this moment, I'm in.

A righteous man falls seven times and rises again...and again.