Perfect dessert for low carb lifestyle in Hoboken, NJ

Almost every single day of the week – acquaintances in Hoboken who haven’t seen me in a while are astounded at my profound and rapid improvement in my weight and appearance (thanks for the compliments, everyone!)

The evidence, along with the periodic updates to the low carb life section here on Hoboken411 naturally results in frequent conversations about “how did you do it?” Of course I try to sum up the secrets to my success in the most digestible and easy to understand formats.

But one question that comes up often is “sweets.” It’s apparent that a large number of residents have a penchant for sweet things, especially desserts.

My usual response is that once you go low-carb, “snacking” and “cravings” are almost eliminated from your life (eating becomes more of an after-thought, a primal instinct).

However, with the help of my friends Mike & Kristie from The Body Transformation Experiment – I discovered a way not only to pretty much eat a meal – but also cover your desire for a dessert-like dish if needed!

Let me introduce you to my friends Ricotta Cheese and Berries.

Ricotta Cheese & Berries are perfect low-carb treats!

Ricotta Cheese is a wonderful byproduct of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese.

A lovely texture, rich taste, and a low-carb essential. Yes – it’s moderate in fat & protein, but low in carbohydrates.

Want your dessert? Simply take a handful of low-carb berries (blackberries, blueberries or raspberries) and mix them with a good Ricotta Cheese (Lisa’s Deli on 9th St. has some of the best!) But even Polly-O or Biazzo work too. Just be sure to get the full-fat ones.

I want to remind anyone considering starting a low-carb life, that amazing changes will happen to your dietary needs.

If you make it past the “light-headed” stage of the transformation (this is where many people “fail” in their attempts to go low carb), your old desires to snack on anything (especially sweet items) will almost disappear. I seriously have a massive wall of “snacks” I bought to prepare myself to this new life, and I realize now that snacking is a thing of the past.

But it happens – and what you learn is that a late night snack in the low carb world MUST be high in fat, and low in protein and carbs. Besides the wonderful Macadamia Nut, Ricotta Cheese & Berries also does a great job of satiating you without spiking your blood sugar into a disastrous negative health spiral.

411 tip: Just be careful about how much you use. This is naturally filling, and should be used sparingly. It will fill you up fast as hell. Eat it slowly and savor it. Some friends have suggested using Stevia or Xylitol to add so-called “natural” sweetness you used to crave to it, but I recommend against it. I had a bowl last night – and I was amazed that I considered that a “sweet,” because if I ate the identical dish a year ago, I’d spit it out saying it was bland and boring. But today it’s totally different. Best bet is to get “un-used-to” anything sweet. In the long run, it’s just not good for you!

Are you ready to go low-carb yet?

Technorati Tags: Berries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cravings, dessert, Hoboken, Hoboken411, Light Headed, Lisa's Deli, Low Carb, Low Carb Dessert, Low Sugar, New Jersey, NJ, Raspberries, Recommendation, Ricotta Cheese, Sugar

Getting creative with low carb omelets in Hoboken, NJ

Living the low carb life might leave you with many less choices when it comes to what you eat, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely down and out.

The almighty egg and wonderful omelet gives low-carbers an almost blank canvas for culinary creativity!

Here’s a dish I had recently that I hope can give you some inspiration as to what the possibilities are.

Below, we have half an omelet, which consists of extra yolks, chopped pieces of baked pork chop, sliced jalapeno peppers and fresh mozzarella cheese. On the side is a refreshing scoop of homemade bruschetta (tomato, onions and garlic).

You can easily make this yourself, but considering my time is valuable, this gorgeous meal came from the talented crew over at Cugini Kitchen (918 Washington St.), where on their menu they have an “I did it my way” omelet.

What is you favorite omelet creation?

Technorati Tags: Blood Sugar, Cugini Kitchen, diet, Egg Yolks, eggs, health, High Fat, Hoboken, losing weight, Low Carb, Low Carb Living, New Jersey, NJ, Nutrition, omelets, Weight Loss

Legal Beans now offering slow-cooked BBQ options in Hoboken

Spotted an exciting sign over at the oft-flooded Legal Beans eatery downtown – they’ve been offering Slow Cooked, Hickory Smoked BBQ for a whole year already! How’d I miss that?

Some good BBQ choices at Legal Beans

With Joey’s BBQ long gone, Hoboken has dwindling BBQ options – but Legal Beans has a lineup of exciting meats like Espresso Rubbed Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket and Dry Rubbed Chicken. Minus any sugary BBQ sauces, this sounds like dream come true in the low carb life!

Tried THREE of their options last week- Pulled pork, ribs and the brisket. Here’s the 60 second rundown and ranking:

1. Brisket: Heaven on a plate! Tender, fatty juicy meat. Will definitely order again.
2. Pulled Pork: Also very well done. I asked if they added an sugar to the seasonings, and they claimed they didn’t. But the pulled pork here did have a good, yet somewhat sweet-ish taste. I’d suggest eating in moderation.
3. Ribs: If you like ribs that are similar to a dog-chew, where you have to really dig your teeth in and gnaw away, then you will be happy. If you like the “fall off the bone” type ribs that melt in your mouth – then stay away. While the flavor was good, we didn’t prefer the tough texture. Will not order again, despite their impressive appearance.

Sides: Almost all of the sides were carb-heavy (beans, cornbread, mac & cheese and more), but chose the cole slaw which was homemade and quite good.

See Legal Beans BBQ Menu Here.

Technorati Tags: BBQ, Brisket, Dry Rubbed Chicken, Espresso Rubbed Ribs, food, Hoboken, Legal Beans, New Jersey, NJ, Options, Pulled Pork

Eating low carb is easy at Cugini Kitchen in Hoboken, NJ

I write about Cugini Kitchen (918 Washington St.) on Hoboken411 a lot. And I have good reason to!

For one, they’re some of the nicest business owners I know in Hoboken, and they serve delicious food at a fair price.

Another reason I’ve been mentioning them more as of late – is because I find eating there quite compatible with living the low carb life.

Like this meal I had the other day. I took their marinated skirt steak special – and was able to replace the usual high-carb mashed potatoes with a tasty steamed broccoli with spicy colby jack cheese instead. Hit the spot, and I was able to make two servings out of it because it adequately filled me up.

See Cugini Kitchen’s awesome new menu here
and the weekly specials for 3/19 through 3/23 here – and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Cugini Kitchen, Hoboken, Low Carb, Low Carb Living, New Jersey, NJ, steak, Vegetables

NorCal Margarita recommended for low-carbers

For those well-immersed in the low carb lifestyle already know that you need to watch your alcohol intake carefully. For instance beer is just not a good idea because of the high carb counts, and red wine would be a better choice (in moderation of course).

But I recently discovered the NorCal Margarita – which buzzed around in the Rob Wolf Paleo Solution circles.

Basically, you just mix fresh squeezed lime juice, tequila and soda water to your level of taste. The reason this scores massive points in the low-carb arena – is because for one, tequila is gluten and starch free – and that lime juice apparently blunts any insulin response from the alcohol.

I found a really tasty tequila that is worth checking out. It’s called Espolon Tequila and is smooth as some of the most expensive brands at a much lower price. You can pick up at Buy Right Liquors in Jersey City for only $19.99 a bottle – or at Sparrow’s in Hoboken for $23.99 a bottle. Paying any more than that – and you’re getting ripped off.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Espolon, Hoboken, insulin, Lime Juice, Low Carb, New Jersey, NJ, NorCal Margaria, Paleo, Rob Wolf, Tequila

Macadamia Nuts should be on ALL low-carb shelves!

One of the most exciting aspects of any new endeavor, including the low-carb lifestyle – is fine-tuning and “tweaking” the process as you gain new knowledge and experience.

An example I’d like to share was (re)discovering the Macadamia Nut.

Originally, one of my go-to snacks in the low-carb lineup was tasty Virginia Peanuts.

They’re definitely not altogether bad per se – but are highly addictive, and unless you’re perfect with portion control, odds are you’ll shovel more down your gullet than you intended. They’re that tasty! But who needs the excess carbs and protein?

Enter the Macadamia…

Much higher in (good) fat, and substantially lower in carbohydrates and protein that peanuts. Something amazing happens when you snack on Macadamia nuts… You find yourself perfectly satiated just popping a couple of them – and gone is the “hypnotic desire” to eat your weight in nuts.

Important note: This is probably only applicable if you’re already humming smoothly on a consistent low carb system. Call it an “expert snack” if you will, because if your daily diet consists of tons of pasta, breads, candy – these nuts will probably make you even fatter. So proceed with caution!

My favorites are the Trophy Farms All Natural Oven Roasted Macadamias. You buy them in cases of individually-wrapped 2oz. bags. I feel they’re better than the Mauna Loa brand, and the handy pocket-sized portioning is perfect as a backup to help keep you in check.

I might eat about two to four ounces a week, and have also used these as a convenient high-fat, low carb, low protein snack closer to bed time.

Highly recommended!

Technorati Tags: Hoboken, Low Carb, Low Carb Lifestyle, Low Carb Snacks, Low Protein, Macadamia Nuts, Macadamias, Mauna Loa, New Jersey, NJ, Perfect Snacks, Trophy Farms