Ducks 'n a Row

weight-loss

Super Easy Low Carb Greek Yogurt Snack For You

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Low carb dieters love what they get with their weight loss plan. They lose weight fast, enjoy extra energy and feel better. Aches and pains diminish and may even go away. So, what’s not to like?

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Snack Recipe #lowcarb

The greatest challenge of any low carbohydrate plan is getting variety into your eating. Not everyone has the time or interest in making elaborate recipes but interesting foods help to keep you going. If a low carb dieter doesn’t have a selection of the right foods on hand, before long they will be eating foods that will sabotage their progress.

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

Yesterday I needed a mid-afternoon snack and didn’t know what I was going to do. Then I had a brain storm. I have no idea why I never thought of this before but I thought of a new way to eat zero-fat plain Greek Yogurt as a snack and I love it.

This is so simple, no recipe is required but here it is:

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Snack Recipe

Ingredients

2/3 cup fat-free plain Greek Yogurt

1/8 tsp coarse sea salt

Chili Powder (sprinkle on to taste)


Directions

Sprinkle salt onto yogurt.

Mix it through with your spoon.

Sprinkle chili powder on top and enjoy!

What low carb treats do you like best? Try this loaded low carb cheese crisp recipe for a culinary surprise. They make a great snack or even lunch.

Loving my #lowcarb diet more now that I found this Greek Yogurt snack #recipe! Share on X

Enjoy!

 

 


 

How To Make A Delicious Low Carb Berry Protein Shake

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low carb protein shake recipe

This delicious protein shake is an energy-booster. It is moderately low in carbs (5-7 net carbs from the two milks) and 3-5 net carbs for 1/2 cup raspberries / strawberries. If you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this would be an E meal as it has healthy carbs, no fat and lots of protein. If you want it to be an S, you will have to get some fats into the meal. It will also work with Phase 2 of several of the popular low-carb diets like South Beach or Atkins.

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

“Amazon’s Choice” Trim Healthy Mama Pristine Whey Protein Powder =>  Shop Here! 

 

Strawberry Raspberry Low Carb Protein Shake

Low Carb Berry Protein Shake

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 packet Truvia stevia sweetener

1 scoop  Whey Protein (sweetened with stevia)

1/2 cup frozen berries (raspberries and strawberries mixed)

1 pinch Himalayan Pink Salt


Directions

Pour coconut and soy milks into a blender.

Add Truvia sweetener, pink salt and frozen berries.

Blend until the berries are chopped up.

Add the whey protein.

Blend until smooth.*

Pour immediately into a tall glass and enjoy!

*Tip: do not overblend after the whey protein is added. The more it mixes, the frothier it will be. Unless you like it that way, I recommend you stop after it is mixed just enough to eliminate lumps. Probably about 30 seconds. 

What a way to NOT miss ice cream! This berry protein shake is ever so good and #lowcarb, too! Love it ♥ Share on X

Berry Protein Low Carb Shake

The greatest challenge I have had with low-carb eating is in coming up with good recipes to satisfy that need for sweets. Here are two really good dessert recipes “in a mug” that have helped me so much plus a great oatmeal pancake recipe. I think you will like them:

Goey Chocolate Lava Cake in a mug

Dreamy Creamy Cheesecake in a mug

Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes with fresh blueberries

Do you love low carb eating? Have you ever heard of the Trim Healthy Mama weight loss plan?  I love it!

 

Enjoy!

 

 



Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes With Fresh Blueberry Topping

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My go-to eating plan is low-carb. I enjoy it – feel great on it – and I lose weight! Only problem, carbs keep “calling” me and, eventually, I do find them again. When that happens, the weight comes back, too. 

That is why Trim Healthy Mama  caught my attention, as my friend Sarah was shrinking before my eyes (Sarah lost 24 pounds in her first month on THM – her hubby lost 29 – and she looked radiantly beautiful! I couldn’t help but notice.)

,

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links❤️

If you are really curious, or in a hurry, this is the book that told me everything I needed to get started losing weight => ☑️ Trim Healthy Mama Book
Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe #DucksnaRow #THM #healthyeating
The clincher was when I found out I could stick with my beloved low-carb eating and still have an occasional healthy high carb (+ LOW fat) meal that would jumpstart me into quicker weight loss. Quicker? Really? Oh yeah!

For more information about the THM eating plan, check out their website or get the book. It is available in the public library or you can order it from Amazon right here: Trim Healthy Mama Plan – The Easy-Does-It Approach To Vibrant Healthy and a Slim Waistline
These oatmeal pancakes are one of my favorite THM – E meals (E is for energy. That is what the high friendly-carb – low fat meal is called.) Someday I may write about the whole plan but I am still a beginner so I’ll wait on that.

This “beginner” has lost 11 pounds painlessly and I am loving THM all the more. That 11 pound weight loss came with many stops and starts, I might add. Such as the windstorm that knocked our electric out for 5 days (“McD’s driveup here we come!”) followed by a 26 inch snowstorm just a few days later and hubby in the hospital – seriously ill – twice. Each time, I did not concern myself with any special plan. We were in “survival mode.” Interestingly, I never gained back any weight. I held steady until I went back on THM and began to lose again. Amazing.
There is no need to be on Trim Healthy Mama to enjoy these pancakes. The ingredients are healthy and they taste great. Some people like to grind the oatmeal into a flour-like consistency. I actually prefer them made with the oatmeal straight out of the round box. It adds lots of texture and taste. The pancakes are so filling that you may say “this is just ONE serving?” But, trust me, it is!
Start book for Trim Healthy Mama

*Inspired by the THM oatmeal pancake recipe page 259 of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.

Trim Healthy Mama pancke recipe E meal

 

Healthy Oatmeal Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 egg whites
1/4 cup club soda – OR – 1/2 tsp baking powder*
1 pinch pink Himalayan salt
1/3 – 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 – 1/2 tsp butter
Healthy oatmeal pancakes #tips #weightloss #THM

Directions

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
Spray with amcoconut oil pan spray or other non-stick spray.
Beat egg whites slightly in a medium size bowl.
Add cottage cheese, oatmeal, Truvia, salt and baking powder.
Mix well.
Spoon into three round pancakes.
Cook until edges turn golden.
Flip over to cook other side.
Remove and serve on a dinner plate.
Top with warm blueberry topping and 1/2 tsp. butter (optional)

Topping

Place the blueberries in very warm water before starting the recipe.
Drain them well.
Spoon on top of the pancakes and top with 1/4 tsp butter.
*Tip – 1/4 cup of club soda works so much better than baking soda. Use one or the other to add fluffiness.

Enjoy!

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New Year's Resolution – What To Do First

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By Sinea Pies

Christmas wrappings are tossed, “bowl games” won or lost and the big-dinner leftovers are gone. Our minds now turn to “what’s next?”  What is next? Indeed!  

My mind naturally goes to the changes that I would like to make. 

  • The clutter that naturally increases during the holidays gets to me. I want to de-clutter in a big way. 
  • The pants are fitting too snuggly for words so getting rid of some pounds is also upfront on my mind. 
  • Depending on the year, the inevitably squeaky budget gives me a yearning for the simplicity of a debt free life.  

So, what’s first? My  daughter tells me that she and her husband are taking a year off from doing any home renovations. They seem to be redecorating something in their beautiful farmhouse all the time and they’re tired. 
Me? “All of the above?” It should be but if I am going to succeed, maybe one thing at a time is a better approach.

fitness, weightloss, exercise, gym

My question for you is “What is first on your New Year’s to-do list?”

I’d love to know. In fact, let’s take a little poll to find out where we all stand right now. Feel free to add your own answer, beyond what is offered, and even pour your heart out in the comments below.

To participate in a very quick survey…CLICK HERE …  Your New Year’s Resolution (or, “What I plan to do first, now that the holidays are over.”) 

We’ll share the results of the poll in a few days, after we have some significant feedback! Should be fun. Happy New Year!

Some posts you may have missed:

      


Photo Credit:
Photostock on Freedigital Photos


Fabulous BLT Salad

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Yum
By Sinea Pies

I’m losing weight—FINALLY!!!  Took me a while to catch on but with the help of my sister (in-law) who has lost over 50 pounds, and my brother who has visibly lost weight, as well, I realized that I had to go low-carb.  

Sue is following the Medifast program very, very successfully  She looks gorgeous. Seth is doing a version of Atkins and sometimes Carbohydrate Addicts diet for the occasional night out.  I decided to do a true Atkins induction phase to start with. Four pounds off and loving it.  The Atkins bars and shakes are helping me with my “thing for sweets”. It makes it very palatable (pardon the pun).

Today I was running low on choices in the frig so I fried up some bacon (in the oven) and made this great, low-carb, totally satisfying salad for lunch.

Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
Tomato, cut into small wedges 
Swiss cheese, cut into squares
Bacon, cooked
Mayonnaise, 1-2 T
Directions
Cut up lettuce in bite-size pieces
Slice tomato into wedges
Break the cooked bacon into pieces that can be handled on a fork.
Cut Swiss cheese into squares.
Arrange the tomato, bacon and cheese on top of the lettuce.
Dollop mayo on top.
Enjoy!!!
The carbohydrates are in the tomato. 
1/2 medium tomato is approximately 3-4 carbs.

Low Carbohydrate Diets in Books:

      

Note: this author is an affiliate of Amazon. I earn a small commission from products purchased from Amazon through this blog. Thanks in advance for your patronage. 

Lighten Up With Liz!

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Happy Weight Loss Wednesday!
Health & Fitness Expert
Liz Bonis
You know, I just love Liz Bonis!  If you haven’t heard of her, you must get acquainted.  She is the vivacious radio/tv personality of Lighten Up With Liz…and a home grown product of Rochester NY.  A little known fact about Liz: she is a graduate of the school that I work in!  Faith Temple School (now known as Destiny Christian School and Preschool).  She is one of our claims to fame!
Liz is not only a health & lifestyle reporter but she is a registered dietitian, a certified nutritionist, a certified personal trainer, and a diabetes educator. And she had time to get her Masters degree in Communications, as well. 
With boundless energy and a great sense of humor…Liz has the rare gift of bringing joy and laughter to what can be a very touchy subject:  WEIGHT!
So many of us look forward to the interesting anecdotes and funny “asides” from Liz as she has her brief radio conversation every day at 8:15 am with Beth & Chet. We drive to work with her. She fills her show up laughter, the latest in medical studies and really interesting tidbits that you’d “only hear here”!  She researches for us, reads for us, translates medical jargon into just plain English!  We love Liz!  
Liz is seen regularly on TV Channel 12 in Cincinnati . 
She also appears on 13WHAM in Rochester NY and has a very popular 
daily talk show on WHAM 1180 AM radio in Rochester NY.
Here is a nugget, straight from Liz’s website Lighten Up With Liz, that may help you figure out what’s going on if weight loss isn’t coming easily:
The “Dynamic Duo” for Weight Loss
International Journal of Obesity
June 10, 2011
“When it comes to losing weight, we’ve all heard the mantra “eat less, exercise more” right?  But a new report says ther are two other elements critical to successfully losing weight and keeping it off.
In a dual-phase randomized trial of 472 obese people, researchers found that managing stress and treating depression made a big difference to long-term weight loss.
This makes sense if you tend to overeat when you’re stressed out, but even’t if you don’t, if you are finding it a struggle to manage your weight you might want to have your stress and depression levels checked out.  If you can’t remove what’s stressing you, employ a coping mechanism such as exercise.  It may also help ease depression; about one-third of people who exercise on a regular basis find that their mood improves with exercise.”
What’s a coping mechanism for you?  I must confess that mine is usually chocolate! No surprise, huh!  Think I should Liz’s exercise suggestion and see how it goes?  Leslie Sansone DVD, where did I leave you? 
About Liz 

Banish Belly Fat by Liz Bonis

For Tomorrow We Diet by Liz Bonis 
Dining Dangers by Liz Bonis

Recent Posts:
Mops, Brooms, Dustpans..Oh my!
Declutter Your Way to Happiness
Walk Away the Pounds w. Leslie Sansone
To Do List—pull a weed!
Calculating Weight Watchers Points
The Dukan Diet

Red Robin Knock Off Bonzai Burgers

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By Sinea Pies

Don’t you love a thick, juicy burger when it first comes off the grill? Can’t wait to get your hands on it!  Whether you select a traditional burger with ketchup, mustard and pickles or something more exotic, burgers are the best way to make cooking on a Saturday SIMPLE.  

This Simple Saturday post is for those whose Saturday is not going to be a staycation, but a working Saturday. You clean. You shop. You work outside. Maybe take in a ballgame…and you make dinner. Let’s make it fun for the whole family but not too much work for you!

So, let’s spotlight something exotic…
Teriyaki Burgers
Have you ever eaten at Red Robin?  One of their most popular menu items is the Bonzai Burger.  This is a Bonzai Burger “Knockoff” Recipe.

Teriyaki Burgers on the Grill

Ingredients
85 – 90% ground beef
Swiss cheese
Teriyaki sauce in a bottle
1 can pineapple slices
Soy sauce
Salt and Pepper
Hamburger rolls 
    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. This will be used to melt the cheese on the burgers at the end. 

    Warm up a skillet on  the stove, medium heat, and spray with Pam. Place pineapple rings inside and sprinkle with soy sauce.  Simmer till the juices run almost dry.  Keep on low heat until time to serve the meal.  Start up the grill.

    Form hamburger patties by hand, making a ball from the ground beef about the size of a tennis or baseball.  Squish each on a plate using a sheet of waxed paper, aluminum foil or even another plate, till they are flat.  Lay the formed patties on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover them on top with Teriyaki sauce. 

    Take the patties to the grill and place them on the grid, sauce-side down.  Now pour about 2T of Teriyaki sauce on the un-sauced side. (Is “unsauced” a word? It is now!) Leave them on for a while before the first turning.  Now, turn them a couple of times, as they cook.  
    When the juices just start to run, remove the burgers to a foil-covered baking sheet and bring indoors.  Top each with a pineapple ring, slices of bacon, slice of Swiss cheese and pop in the oven to melt the cheese.  About 3 minutes should do it.

    Place on hamburger rolls and garnish with the extras you like.  You may want to use: Thousand Island Dressing, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles and/or tomato slices or nothing extra at all.

    Serve with chips or macaroni salad on the side.  ENJOY!

            

      Photo credit: Hamburgers on a Wooden Board by Grant Cochrane on freedigitalphotos



      Weight Loss Wednesdays

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      Weight Loss Wednesdays have arrived!


      Actually, I have some nerve even talking about this…especially today.  
      I am at an all-time high for my 5’2″ frame. I confess that way too often in recent months I’ve been topping 150-ish pounds. Clothes too tight.  Totally uncomfortable.  “What do you mean I can’t eat desserts twice a day, get almost no exercise, and consume major fats like ice cream, pancakes, and go out to eat four times in less than 8 days, and lose weight?”  Oh…so THAT’s the problem!

      Well, today is the first day of the rest of our lives, people, and it’s time to get ORGANIZED and lose weight for good!  

      Yes, weight loss involves organization, just like anything else that we want to be good at.  So, let’s start out with some questions and for the next few weeks we’ll share some answers, and success stories, for ENCOURAGEMENT.

      Questions to Ask Ourselves:
      Do I need to lose weight?
      How much?
      How long have I been fighting this battle–and am I tired of it yet?
      Am I ready to get my mind set and do this?
      Do I have a plan?

      GREAT INSPIRATION: Here is a video clip of Joy Bauer, the Today Show diet expert, of her recent visit on CBN’s 700 Club where she gives some weight loss tips AND a wonderful testimony from a mother and daughter, Sherrie and Courtney, who have lost a ton of weight.  Courtney, 60 pounds.  Her mother, Sherrie, 156 pounds.  Sherrie started out on Weight Watchers and then they added encouragement and direction from Joy Bauer’s book “Your Inner Skinny”….did you know we have an inner skinny us?                    
      Apparently we do!  I love it!

      For “Your Inner Skinny” Click Here

      Add your comments, share your links.  Let’s team up and encourage each other!

      Here’s the VIDEO:

      And, for the month of July 2011, do not forget to enter 
      the GREAT GREETING CARD GIVEAWAY!