Leftover Dump: Steak and Eggs

At my house there are often yummy leftovers.  The awesome boyfriend doesn't like leftovers much, but I love them.  About a third of my recipes are born out of a need to use up the rest of last night's dinner.  Another third are inspired by being too lazy to go to the store and working with whatever happens to be in the fridge that day.  The last third is half genuine creativity and half dumb luck so next time you think that you can't cook, try to remember that you have some good odds.

I made the awesome, amazing, Steak and Tomato Saute a few days ago and that dish has turned out to be even more versatile than I thought.  The first night we had it over arugula with a little oil and vinegar.  The second night we had it over tofu pasta with some olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Today I had it at work with another of my favorite versatile ingredients, eggs.

Ingredients
leftovers from Steak and Tomato Saute
2 eggs
splash of heavy cream
handful of shredded cheese
pinch of salt

Directions

1. Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet.  
2. Dump cold steak saute from a Tupperware into skillet and stir with a rubber spatula until steak is heated throughout.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.  
3. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl.  
4. Add a splash of heavy cream, a handful of shredded cheese, and a pinch of salt.  
5. Scramble egg mixture with fork and pour egg mixture into skillet.  
6. Stir with rubber spatula until eggs are cooked through.  
7. Serve immediately alongside steak leftovers.  

Steak Saute over Arugula

This dish is majorly yummy and I like it because it's pretty versatile.  I like to have the whole thing over some arugula but you could also eat it as is with a side dish.  If you're going to put it over lettuce, make sure that you pick a hearty green.  Spinach or field greens will wilt under the hot steak and tomatoes.

Ingredients
1 lb sirloin steak
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized yellow onion
2 C cherry tomatoes
1 C sliced mushrooms
1 C red cooking wine
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 bag prepared arugula

Directions

1. Trim your sirloin down to bite size pieces.  They should be a couple of inches long and about a half and inch thick, at the most.  
2. Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides.  
3. Remove skin from onion and discard.  Chop onion into inch long pieces.  
4. Slice tomatoes into halves.  
5. Heat a large pot (one that has a lid) over medium high and add olive oil.  
6. Once oil is hot, add steak to skillet and cook until steak has browned on all sides.  
7. Remove steak from skillet, leaving liquid, and set aside on a paper towel to drain.  
8. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, and tomato to skillet and cook for 3 minutes or until onions have softened and garlic is fragrant.  
9. Once onions have cooked down, add red cooking wine and stir until all ingredients are incorporated   
10. Cover pot and let cook for 6 minutes.  
11. At the end of 6 minutes, add steak back to skillet and stir.  
12. Cook entire pot for 2 more minutes, or until beef is heated, tomatoes have burst, and all ingredients are incorporated.  
13. Serve immediately over a bed of arugula or other hearty greens.  Enjoy!

Notes

• This dish would also be good served over tofu pasta.  The steak and tomatoes release a good amount of juice that will thicken a little bit so there's no need for dressing or pasta sauce.  If you are really pressed for sauce you could add a low carb marinara on top of the steak and veggie mix.  
• You could also sub in your veggies of choice.  Keep the tomatoes because they are juicy and help to bring everything together, but feel free to toss in butternut squash, zucchini, broccoli, or whatever else you like.  Just make sure to count your carbs.  
• This recipe works best if the steak is very thin.  Your grocery store butcher can probably cut the steak to your desired thickness.  You could also pound the steak with a meat mallet if it is too thick.  
• I buy my arugula in a bag because it's convenient but if you buy fresh arugula, bravo!  A bag usually has about 4 cups in it.  I used approximately 1 Cup of arugula for a serving of this saute.  
• If you can make a big batch of this recipe, do it.  I was able to use the steak, tomato, and onion mix to make a Steak Salad and a tasty Steak and Eggs over the next couple of days.  

I love this big nonstick soup pot so much.  My aunt gave it to me for
Christmas last year and I use it all the time!

What's the deal with Greek yogurt?

If you've visited a grocery store, eaten lunch in a cafeteria, or watched any television commercials in the past few months, chances are that you've heard about Greek yogurt.  I'm always wary of new food trends with cult followings, even ones that seem harmless or inconsequential, so I decided to do a little research.

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Companies that initiated the craze were largely Greek only brands like Fage, Chobani, and Oikos by Stonyfield Organic.  Now that Greek yogurt has gone mainstream you can get it in almost every brand and flavor.  The original Greek yogurt tastes kind of like a cross between regular yogurt and sour cream.  I know that there are people out there who are seriously addicted to this tart and tangy flavor, but I'm not one of them.  This creates a problem because most of the fruit flavors have added sugar and are not low carb friendly.

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I went to the grocery store and filled my cart with all the Greek yogurts I could find with less than 10 carbs.  The awesome boyfriend and I sampled them all and decided that the hands down winner is Dannon Light & Fit Greek.  Each 5 ounce serving has 9 carbs and 12 grams of protein.  That's more than double the protein of regular yogurt which means that this snack will keep you fuller, longer.  In addition, this yogurt has only 7 sugars compared with the 14-16 that most of it's competitors have.

The only downside to this power food is that it will cost you.  A four pack of Dannon Greek is about $4.00.  The awesome boyfriend and I have been limiting ourselves to one a day, either after lunch or before bed.

Is Greek yogurt really better?  The short answer is yes, due to sugar and protein stats alone.  The long answer is also yes.  Greek yogurt goes through an additional straining process that removes a lot of the lactose and sugar that you'll find in regular yogurts.  Lactose and sugar are what cause regular yogurt to have a high carb content so reducing these dramatically lowers that number.

Additional resources on Greek yogurt:
Greek Yogurt Vs. Regular Yogurt
What is Greek Yogurt?
Why You Should Eat Greek Yogurt

Got a question that I didn't answer here?  As always, feel free to email me at lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com.

Poached Eggs over Spinach

I have been on this huge poached eggs kick lately.  I had them at a brunch with some friends and someone at the table told me that she eats them all the time.  This got me thinking that I might like to try to poach some eggs at home and see how it goes.  It turns out that I love poached eggs!  They're good on so many things and, once again, great for a low carb diet.  This version over cooked spinach is quick and easy to make at work or at home.

Ingredients

1 tsp vinegar

2 C baby spinach

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp dry minced onions

2 eggs

1 slice salami

1/4 C shredded Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat water over medium high.  Water should come to a slow simmer, not a rolling boil.  
2. Add vinegar to water.  
3. Crack eggs into a small bowl, being careful not to break the yolks.  
4. Dump eggs straight into hot water.  
5. Eggs should cook in hot water for 3 minutes.  
6. While eggs are cooking, add olive oil to a medium sized skillet and heat over medium.  
7. Add spinach and dry minced onions to skillet and cook until spinach has cooked down and is a bright green color.  
8. Remove spinach from skillet and place on plate.  
9. Add salami to skillet and cook for about 30 seconds on each side.  Salami should be lightly toasted.  
10. Remove salami from skillet and layer on top of spinach.  
11. At this point eggs should be nearing 3 minutes.  Remove from hot water gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.  
12. Layer poached eggs over top of salami.  
13. Sprinkle Parmesan over top of poached eggs.  
14. Season with salt and pepper.  
15. Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Notes

• Poached eggs are not an exact science.  It took me a couple of tries to get the heat and timing just right on this recipe and I'm sure you will have the same experience.  I like my yolks pretty runny, but if you like yours firmer you can cook for a little bit longer.  Just keep adjusting the cooking time and temperature until you get a consistency that you like.  The big thing is to make sure that you can't see any clear egg whites when you remove the egg from the pot.  
• Don't try to crack the eggs straight into the hot water.  It's very hard to drop them in gently enough when you do it this way.  When I add the eggs to the water I have the lip of the bowl almost in the water.  It's really more of a sliding motion than a pouring one.  

On my first day I thought it was so weird that this hot plate was in the
kitchen.  What office needs more than a toaster oven and a microwave?
Now I don't know how I ever lived without my awesome work lunches.  

Dry minced onions are one of my secret weapons.  They are good in
lots of things.  I always keep some on hand to add a little extra flavor.  

You can see here that the water is not anywhere near a boil.  A good
simmer should have some little bubbles forming on the bottom but
nothing more than that.  

Cranberries are a power food.

I'm going to share a secret with you all that I don't normally let people in on.  Sometimes not eating fruit makes me sad.  There was a time when I used to really enjoy my morning grapefruit, afternoon apple with peanut butter, or evening banana.  In the grocery store I occasionally gaze at all of the beautiful produce and feel a little pang of regret.  I'm always looking for ways to sneak these things back into my diet, and endless variation of cranberry dishes being the latest.

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Cranberries are extremely low in sugar and not many people enjoy them raw.  I've tried to like them in their natural state and I just can't do it.  They're too tart and they make my mouth pucker.  The good new is that the glycemic load is very low so you can eat them without sending your blood sugar into a tailspin.

One half Cup of chopped cranberries has only 4 net carbs and 25 calories.  This means that if you've had a good day you can have a whole Cup of cranberries in one serving.  One cup of fruit is generally enough to quench my fruit cravings when they creep up.  

Cranberries have a ton of antioxidants that can help relieve stress and reduce your risk of various types of cancers.  They also have a compound that can help prevent periodontal disease, and they can help lower cholesterol which is good for your heart.

My favorite way to eat cranberries is lightly cooked with a little bit of butter, Splenda, and water.  I don't like to cook mine down too far because I enjoy the sour sweet flavor, and the more you cook anything the more you destroy the fiber content.  You can check out my recipe for a cranberry compote here.  Cranberries will be out of season soon, so make sure you stock up.  I've got a couple of bags in my freezer right now to help me get through til next fall.  

Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Squash

It's stuff squashed round two, folks!  Yesterday I posted an awesome recipe for a spinach stuffed acorn squash.  Of course, the squash had two halves.  The spinach stuffed squash was so good I decided to take another crack at it with the second half!  Round two was possibly more delicious than round one, and I made it in the toaster oven at work.  Bam!

Ingredients

1/2 of 1 acorn squash

1 Tbsp dry minced onions

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 C baby spinach

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 egg

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425.  
2. Scoop seeds out of acorn squash.  
3. Place face down on baking sheet.  Add 1/4 inch of water to baking sheet.  
4. Bake for 20 minutes.  
5. After 20 minutes, remove squash from oven and discard water.  
6. Sprinkle dry minced onions, salt, and pepper onto the fleshy inside of the squash.  
7. Stuff spinach into the squash.  
8. Spread minced garlic over top of spinach.  
9. Crack egg on top of the spinach.  
10. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of spinach and egg.  
11. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Cheese should be slightly toasted and egg should be cooked through when squash is done.  

Notes

• I don't like to be a jerk and take up the toaster oven for 40 minutes so cooked this squash at home for 20 minutes the night before.  All I had to do at work were steps 6 -11.  If you want to do that, just pre cook for 20 minutes.  Flesh should be slightly soft but not mushy.  Stuff it and cook an additional 20 minutes the next day.  
• You can stuff these acorn squash with whatever you like!  I've heard about people using apples, raisins, sausage- all kinds of stuff.  If you come across a particularly good combination please share with me via email.  

Wonder machine.  My work lunches would be so boring with you.  

 

Spinach Stuffed Acorn Squash

I love fall vegetables.  I love the smells, the colors, the textures.  I just love them.  The awesome boyfriend thinks that I am absolutely crazy because sometimes I stand in the grocery store smelling the pumpkins, but I just tell him to go read a magazine and leave me alone.  This particular acorn squash was calling to me from a display of fall veggies so I decided to give it a new home (inside my belly).

One cup of acorn squash has around 13 net carbs, so adjust your servings accordingly.  If you're going to make it a meal plan on having the whole thing for 20-25 carbs, or have half the squash on the side of a meat dish for 13-15 digestible carbs.

Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 Tbsp dry minced onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 C baby spinach
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425.  
2. Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out seeds.  Put one half away for later.  
3. Lay squash with opening down on a baking sheet.  
4. Add about 1/2 inch of water to the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  
5. After 20 minutes remove baking sheet from oven and discard water.  
6. Turn squash over so that cut side is facing up.  
7. Sprinkle dry minced onions, salt, and pepper, over inner flesh of squash.  
8. Add spinach to center of squash, pressing down until opening is completely full.  
9. Sprinkle minced garlic over top of spinach.  
10. Place butter on top of spinach.  
11. Bake stuffed squash for an additional 20 minutes.  
12. After 20 minutes remove from oven and serve hot.  Enjoy!

Notes

• Adding water to the baking sheet helps keep the squash from drying out and shriveling.  If you don't have a baking sheet that is deep enough, you can use a glass baking dish instead.  
• One cup of baby spinach is a very approximate measure.  Just stuff as much in there as you can!

Scooping the seeds out of an acorn squash is super easy.  These
are much easier to prepare than a butternut variety.  

Yum.  The flesh should be squishy enough by now for you to just
dig in with a fork.  If not just pop the squash back in for a few more
minutes.  

Chicken Omelette with Peanut Sauce

I love eggs, y'all.  They're super cheap and super versatile.  I'm always looking for new things to do with them and when I came across a bag of bean sprouts in the grocery store I was struck by inspiration.  

Ingredients

3 strips of bacon

5 eggs

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 C precooked chicken strips

1/2 C bean sprouts

1 bunch green onions

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot sauce

This recipe makes 2 servings.  

Directions

1. Cut bacon into small pieces with kitchen shears and cook over medium heat until bacon is cooked throughout.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.  
2. In a medium sized bowl combine eggs and 2 Tbsp soy sauce.  
3. Roughly chop chicken strips and bean sprouts and add to egg mixture.  Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated throughout.  
4. Remove one green onion stalk from bunch and reserve for garnish.  Chop remaining green onions and add to egg mixture.  
5. Add bacon to egg mixture and stir again until all ingredients are incorporated  
6. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium.  
7. Once skillet is hot, add egg mixture.  
8. Cover skillet with foil and allow to cook for 5 minutes.  
9. Remove foil and discard.  After 5 minutes underside of omelette should be lightly toasted.  
10. Add shredded cheese to one half of omelette.  
11. Use a spatula to fold the omelette in half over the cheese.  Allow to cook for 1 additional minute.  
12. Remove omelette from skillet and cut in half.  Chop remaining green onions and sprinkle on top.  
13. In a bowl mix remaining 1 Tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, and hot sauce with a fork.  Split peanut sauce into 2 portions to serve.  

Notes

• I get pre cooked chicken strips from the deli department next to the lunch meat.  Typically I pick up this variety from Butterball.  
• Make sure that you buy bean sprouts which are different than alfalfa sprouts.  The smaller sprouts will shrivel up and turn to mush in the skillet.  
• If you're on your toes you can whip up the peanut sauce during the 5 minutes that the eggs are cooking.  
• If you only want one serving just cut the recipe in half.  I made this for awesome boyfriend and myself and you all know by now that I am way too lazy to make 2 omelettes.  

I just cut the bacon strips right into the pan with kitchen shears.  

Bean sprouts and cheap and yummy.  Next time I think I'll buy a smaller
portion though because I wasn't able to use this whole bag before it
went bad.  

If you have a skillet with a lid that would probably be easier to work
with than the foil.  I didn't happen to have one handy.  

Rice vinegar is what gives the peanut sauce it's tangy flavor so it's
important to use this and not just any vinegar.  

Mrs. May's Naturals

I think I've mentioned before that sometimes I wander around the grocery store looking for new low carb fare.  This is usually an uneventful venture, but occasionally I will strike gold, as I did with the line of snacks from Mrs. May's.  One of the pitfalls of avoiding sugar is that it can be a challenge to get that 'something sweet' when a craving hits.  You can always have a spoonful of peanut butter or a yogurt, but what if you're not at home or you're tired of eating things with a spoon?  Mrs. May's has a bunch of products that are perfect for this occasion.

The product that I stumbled over in the grocery store was the original Cashew Crunch.  In my grocery store there is a section that has all of the 'health food' and this is where I go to get ground flax, almond meal, coconut oil, etc.  Several Mrs. May's products were nestled on a shelf there, and this is the one that I happened to pick up.  The only ingredients in Cashew Crunch are cashews, sesame seeds, and organic cane juice.

You can check out additional nutrition facts on the website, but I'll tell you now that this product has 10 net carbs per serving.  A serving is about six pieces of Cashew Crunch, which is enough for a small handful.  I like to pick out just three pieces of Cashew Crunch and top them with peanut butter for a salty sweet treat that packs a lot of protein.

Almond Crunch
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After visiting the Mrs. May's website I was delighted to discover that there are dozens of products in lots of flavors.  There's an Almond Crunch that is probably similar nutritionally to the Cashew Crunch.  There are also lots of nut and fruit crunch blends.  Stay away from the tropical varieties as those fruits tend to be high in sugar, but lots of berries are low carb and probably a good choice.  Just check the nutrition facts and make sure that you measure your servings.

All of these products weren't available in my grocery store, but many of them are available on Amazon.  I'm going to be ordering some to review and I'll keep you all posted on how that goes.  I'm especially excited to try the Sesame Strips and the Chocolate Rounds.   

I love pinkberry.

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I know that pinkberry is old news, but I thought I would mention it anyway in case you haven't heard.  Frozen yogurt shops are in high fashion these days, especially the ones where you get to add your own toppings.  Side note: I avoid those like the plague because I can't control myself and the cups they give you hold enough for 4-6 portions.  At about 20 carbs a serving I'm not recommending that you eat frozen yogurt every day, but once in a while this is a good choice for a sweet treat when you've had a good week.  

pinkberry Caprese salad made
with frozen Greek yogurt
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The awesome new item that pinkberry has rolled out is Greek yogurt with a line of savory toppings.  You can get things like mozzarella cheese, olives, hummus, and basil.  A meal size portion has only 7 carbs and a whopping 18 grams of protein.  There's also a snack size portion that weighs in at only 5 carbs.  This would be a great option for lunch or a heavy snack.

There are also sweet toppings to go with the Greek yogurt, including granola, honey, and a wide array of fresh fruit.  A high protein breakfast will keep you full right up until your 1:00 lunch and is a much better option than cereal, oatmeal, or a bagel that will leave you hungry again at 10:30.




Greek yogurt has not been rolled out to all pinkberry locations yet.  You can get more information about nutritional content and whether or not your location has Greek yogurt here.

Leftovers and Happy Hour

Today was a yummy day.  For breakfast I had my usual fried egg with a little cheese on top.  For lunch I had some leftover goodies in the fridge that I needed to use up.  I hate throwing away food!

That's a Smart and Delicious Soft Wrap from La Tortilla Factory topped with a few pieces for corned beef from the deli.  I love corned beef because if you throw it in a hot pan it will crisp up like bacon.  I melted some Swiss cheese from the deli in the microwave and topped it off with some sauteed mushrooms.

I also had some leftover Cauliflower Mash from a couple of nights ago that I had on the side.  I love a hot work lunch.

After work I met some friends at Frisco Tap House & Brewery for dinner and trivia.  I am in love with bar trivia, although admittedly not that good at it.  I am weirdly accurate at name-that-tune so my friends let me stay on the team.  I love Frisco Tap House because they have a really diverse menu and there are lots of low carb friendly choices.  There is a goat cheese salad with Chorizo that I am mad about and there's also a super spicy buffalo chili that comes with lots of sour cream.

Today I wasn't feeling super hungry so I ordered a side of mushrooms and a side of artichokes.  Both taste of olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.  The portions are huge and this was actually more food than I was able to eat.  The awesome boyfriend doesn't like either of these things so it's always a treat when I'm out without him and I can stuff myself with them.

Down with Food Journals!

I'm aware that this cartoon is totally irrelevant.
I just thought it was funny.
image via

After some careful analyzing I've decided that I will no longer be posting everything I eat.  There are several reasons, not the least of which being that it has become a giant pain in the butt.

The main reason I'm doing away with food journals is that they are not getting a ton of readership.  I often get questions in my inbox about specific restaurants or items on the food journal, so I'll keep posting things that are of interest, but by now I'm sure that you all know that I eat a scrambled egg most mornings for breakfast.  End of story.

This will give me more time to focus on the survival guides and reader questions that I have been neglecting lately which is good news for you- the lovely reader!  So keep sending along your questions, suggestions, and comments.  I'm almost done with this long semester of graduate school so I'll be answering them all very soon!

Groceries Monday, December 3

purchased at Giant Food on Centre Park Drive in Columbia, Maryland

• steam ready frozen cauliflower: keep on hand, for cauliflower mash
• corned beef from deli: keep on hand
• swiss cheese from deli: keep on hand
• Laughing Cow Original Creamy Swiss: for cauliflower mac and cheese (coming soon)
• sour cream: keep on hand, for cauliflower mac and cheese
• Dreamfields carb control pasta: for cauliflower mac and cheese
• Velveeta: for cauliflower mac and cheese
• canned chunk white chicken: for cauliflower mac and cheese
• sliced mushrooms: keep on hand, saute with eggs in the morning
• Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt Cherry: keep on hand

Inspiration for The Weekend

Lovely readers, I am completely and totally swamped.  I am up to my eyeballs and then some!  I have one more week of classes, then one week of exams.  Thank goodness it's almost over (for a little while anyway).  I'm taking a break from the seemingly never ending studying, so only a couple of things to share today.

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First, I finished Water for Elephants and I loved it more than I have loved a book in a long time.  Go out and pick it up immediately.  I started a new book today by Sophie Kinsella called I've Got Your Number.  It is the story of a girl who loses her engagement ring and her cell phone in the same day, and the struggle that she goes through trying to get them back.  It's mostly funny, definitely much lighter than Water for Elephants.  It's a nice change of pace and I am enjoying it so far.  This book definitely falls into the 'chick lit' category so if you're looking for something thought provoking this is not a good choice.  It's a quick read and a good palate cleanser between more serious texts.

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The second treat I have for you all is this awesome graphic that was forwarded to me by a friend.  This applies to so many things in life, but it really makes me think of my battle with sugar.  I love the sweet stuff, what can I say?

Doctors will tell you that it takes two weeks to break a habit, but it was more like two months for me.  I struggled through every bit of it.  Now, I barely miss sweet desserts and snacks, but I actually cried on more than one occasion when I was trying to quit.    Fortunately I had the awesome boyfriend there to save me from myself.  I don't think I would have made it otherwise.  If you're going through your own sugar battle take heart in the fact that as soon as you get over the hump it will get so much easier.

That's all for today folks.  It's back to the books for me.  I've got lots of awesome recipes coming soon so please keep checking in.  Also, I've received several recipe requests via email.  Please continue to forward your questions and suggestions to lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com.  I'll be answering all of them very soon!

Steak and Potatoes (Cauliflower)

I keep seeing all these recipes for delicious cauliflower mash and every time I try to make them at home my cauliflower comes out lumpy or runny.  I finally got one together that I'm happy enough with to share, although I have to admit that it is still a work in process.  I've always been a big believer that you don't need a bunch of expensive kitchen equipment to be a great home cook and that includes a food processor, but this one might break me.  If anyone has advice on how to get creamy, smooth cauliflower mash without a food processor I would really appreciate it!

Anyway, this mash and steak night was yummy.  I found a massive ribeye at the grocery store that I pan fried and the awesome boyfriend and I were able to split.  Yum.  

Work Breakfast

When I first started working at my office I thought it was strange that everyone cooked their food.  I'm not talking about a microwave here although we do have one that gets used sometimes.  We have a hot plate and a toaster oven and people make gourmet meals in our tiny kitchen.

Now that I've been working at this job for about a year I have completely assimilated and grown to love my awesome work lunches, but it took some getting used to.  If I ever leave and have to go back to the land of sandwiches and microwaved leftovers I don't know what I'll do!

This omelette was made my sauteing mushrooms in olive oil and then setting them aside to drain.  Then I scrambled two eggs with some heavy cream and let them cook in a small pan until they were toasty brown on one side.  I added the mushrooms and a slice of American cheese to the middle, folded the whole thing over, and served with steak sauce.  How much better does this look than your microwave oatmeal?

Did someone say free audio books?

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I am in the midst of my last week of classes!  Don't celebrate too hard, it's not my last week ever, but it is the last week of this semester.  My professors this fall have been wonderful, but very demanding, and I am glad that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I spent most of this weekend working on a presentation that I'm making this evening.  It is awesome and worthy of an A, but I did get so busy tweaking it that I forgot to upload my pictures.  Fear not fellow foodies, because I do have something to say.  

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I just started reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and it is AWESOME!  The characters are well developed and complex.  It has some dark parts, so make sure that you have your tissues handy, but there are several funny moments as well.  I hear that the movie was also good so maybe I'll check that out once I'm finished.

I want to mention that I downloaded this book for free from my local library.  In North Carolina, everyone who has a library card is eligible to download audio books and eBooks.  I imagine that there is something similar set up in other states as well.

You have to download a software called Overdrive Media to be able to access the audio book files.  You are allowed to download up to four at a time and after the lending period they will expire automatically and you can delete them from your computer.

To get started just stop by your local library and get a library card.  They will be able to help you navigate the digital library there.  Audio books from iTunes are generally around $25 so this service represents a huge savings for me.  I also like to listen to lighter, funnier things when I am working out.

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I'm also reading Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, but that one is a paperback so I have it by my bed.  It is the hilarious memoirs of the time that he worked as an elf at Santa's Village at Macy's.  It's only about 150 pages so if you're looking for something light and quick to get you in the holiday spirit, this would be a good pick.

What are you reading?  I'm always looking for a new page turner.

I'm going to upload my pictures like a good little girl and return tomorrow with more delicious low carb recipes.  Until then, happy reading!