Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Avocadoes

As you may recall, yesterday I created an avocado-based feast. I'm pleased to report that it was a perfect evening of dry wine, sparkling conversation and happy tums.

As I made two avocado dishes (main and dessert), this post is part #1: the main event.

Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Avocado.

This really could not be easier.  All that is required is cheese, streaky or shoulder bacon, and perfectly ripe, or even slightly hard, avocadoes.

Just follow the steps in the collage below: obtain avo's, remove the stone, fill with feta, wrap with bacon.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 180C, or until the bacon is crispy.  Speaking of bacon, when I opened the packet, this had a strange effect on my canine companion.

Such soulful eyes.  How could I say no?

The cheese I used was goat's feta, a good strong flavour.

As I had more avocadoes than bacon, the last few were not wrapped, but instead stuffed with bacon and egg. These made breakfast this morning.

The meal was served with crusty bread, white wine, salad and garlic asparagus.

The chocolate avocado mousse was almost too much after such a rich meal, but we managed it, then lay around like beached whales, lamenting a lack of self-control.

Tomorrow: the mousse recipe. :D

Low-Carb / Ketogenic Diet Ideas

Well, I'm not surprised, but it seems that the world agrees on Paleo Bacon Maple Pancakes. It's the most popular post on the blog, after only a few days.  I knew I had kindred spirits, and now I can count them, via blog hits :D**

Low-carb and keto diets. There must be something in the air because every second person I meet is keen on going low-carb, or even trying a ketogenic diet.  The ins and outs of such diets will be the topic of a post in the very near future, for now I'll just say that I have nil problem with these eating approaches, if they are done properly. 

Omelette cooked in coconut oil, with avocado. To lower the fat, increase egg-whites to whole eggs.

The biggest problems people have are: thinking they can low-carb while still exercising intensely, avoiding veges, thinking calories don't matter (yes, you can gain fat while in ketosis), and neglecting to replace electrolytes - magnesium, sodium and potassium being the main ones of concern.

Grilled pork belly, broccoli, olives and grass-fed butter.

The different types of low-carb diet are: low-carb/high fat (like Atkins), low-carb/high protein/low-fat (Dukan) and ketogenic (low-carb, high fat, moderate protein). There are also extreme low-carb diets, like the protein-sparing fast, which is .. well, a fast with a bit of protein.

Another omelette, foldover version. 

Venison loaf (very lean) with salad. There is spinach in the loaf.

As I'm rushing around today getting ready for a conference (and flight that leaves at crazy o-clock in the morning) and will be gone for 10 days, this post is just a quick recap of some meal ideas for low-carbers.

It's in reply to an 'SOS, what do I eat?' email.  Packing can wait, as can that last-minute washing. Who needs clean undies anyway? Pfft, overrated.

Salmon and broccoli/pecan stirfry. I sprinkled a little parmesan (0 carbs) on the vegges

Cheesy,. cauli bake. Stick cauliflower together with cheese and bake it. You can add other veges.

Leftover veges of all types, mashed in the processor and with some eggs added. Bake.

Fat bombs. Melted coconut oil and cocoa butter. Some xylitol, almond butter in the middle.
I made these in a silicone muffin pan.

lean mince meatballs with a chunk of string cheese in the middle. 

Salmon on a big mushroom instead of bread. This cashew nut dressing.

green veges, nuts and a little parmesan (yes, I'm a fan of this combo)

Stuff to snack on.

Bacon-wrapped asparagus, fish, avocado sauce (avo, garlic, lemon juice)

Lastly, I don't have a pic, but you can get in the habit of making various muffins using almond flour, with protein powder added if you use it. These are great for carting to work. Just experiment. Almond flour, eggs and... anything else that comes to mind. Xylitol and erythritol are good for most people. For some people on keto diets, these polyols will knock you out of ketosis, but most people are ok with them.

I hope that gives you some ideas! Another place for inspiration is Pinterest. You might find some ideas on my Eat to Live board.  On my return, I'm definitely trying a squash or cauli pizza base. I've been looking at them with hungry eyes for toooo long. It's past time to fulfil that fantasy.

Have a great weekend, and I'll try to blog while away. Also, I've reconsidered the undies situation: better go throw some stuff in the machine.

**Edit. The Avocado Ganache Cake is now back on the top spot, due to Buzzfeed (number 39). In fact, it's winning by more than 600 hits.. :D Busy day on the blog!

Pics from the weekend, OTAT

This weekend has just *flown by*, like one of those birdies that I don't know the names of in the last post (sorry, I'm clueless with birdie identities.. ).

As usual, there was shopping and food prep. I even scoured the fridge and made it clean again (what . a . mission). The source of a pervasive 'something died' smell was located and turned out to be a festering pile of meat juice from Razzy's petfood.  Mmmm.. so good.

Today we flooded the wash house, walked to the market. It was a standard Sunday. :-/

Pics:  I love the look of this pink sauerkraut. The flavour is not as nice as the regular white cabbage kraut, but it is pretty in photo's.

Skype with Miss J. She has had a haircut. Very swish, yes? She is just mastering writing, but prefers to send emoticons and make up a story to go with them. We both think the 'exploding face' icon is hilarious.

She's growing up so fast! (*sob*). Can't even handle it.

Omelette with nut cheese.  Perfect breakfast.

Skyping in progress. We had dinner at Mamasana's last night, which involved munching, skyping, setting up her new TV and drinking maybe a little vino? (I would never..).

Blah, blah, blah...

blah, blah, blah ,blah....

Coffee today at Willows cafe. Here I am shown making a stand against photoshop and makeup. Bloggers, let's unite against sanitised pictures of ourselves. Let's show our real selves, in all our blotchy, regrowth showing, unflattering angle magnificence!

If you can manage a bra strap peeking, and work up a double chin that's especially good.

Sauerkraut.  A new batch, with kelp salt (hence, little black specks).

I hope your weekend has been as full of love and fun as mine was.

Here comes a new week and, following Shauna's lead, I am resolving to time manage by focusing on one thing at a time (OTAT).  It's a bit late to be a new years resolution, but considering I've never been on time for any major life event (graduated university at 39, etc. etc.), I think it's probably all right.

:D

Some Pics of Late and of Much Earlier

In case you haven't psychically deduced it, I enjoy photography. I really like food photography and wish I was better at it. Upskilling in that area is definitely on the 'to do once postgrad is finished', just like so many other things (roll on August!).

The Programmer has a thing for birdies (the feathered kind, haha), and takes some wonderful pics that never get seen by anyone but me.. and now and then, the lucky readers of Fit to Blog.

:D  Here are some pics taken in the last few weeks, and a random blast from the past.

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 Dinner!  Following a suggestion from Lou, I made some zucchini fritters and served them with creme fraiche and salmon. This one definitely deserves a repeat performance 

(and not only to get a better pic!).

Sauerkraut, which was 1/3 red cabbage. The whole lot turned a luminous pink!  

Happy, happy, happy food.. 

More nut cheese. The almond/cashew combination is spinning my wheels right now.

Eggs, onions and green stuff.  Standard busy day fare.

Birdies

The Re:Start Mall.  Slowly Christchurch is coming back to life.  Lately there have been few aftershocks and much construction. Nearly all of the city is now open to the public (even if not actually open in terms of commerce happening) and it's beginning to look more populated and less apocalyptic.  

The Re-Start Mall is made of shipping containers. It's supposed to be temporary, but I hope it stays.  It's something a little bit different and interesting, forced by necessity to be unique, and who in Christchurch can ever see a shipping container and not think 'earthquakes'?  Nobody. Large metal boxes have become the default symbol of life in Quakytown.

And, a random selection from the archives (2003 - ten years ago!).  My old friend Il Tritone, who lives in Piazza Barberini. I've had a photograph taken with this statue on every visit to Rome (which I think is four or five times now, and I do realise how lucky I am to have lost count).

This was on my second trip. The first time (in 2001) I practically lived in the internet cafe that is/was across the road to the right of this pic because it took me two weeks to get over the shock of being a foreigner. The cafe was set up for spooked tourists: all the food  (and coffee - such a travesty!) was in vending machines so you didn't have to try speak Italian to impatient Romans. That place probably saved me from running straight back to NZ. ;)

Fast Food

Well, I'm having a ball working from a shared office. I can't blog too much about secret squirrel client jobs, but this one is a lot of fun, and a lot of work. Of course, I'm still in that awkward phase where I'm anxious about stanking up the place with my salmon noodles and definitely didn't feel brave enough to pull out the Nikon.

Week in Eats, F3 Check In and 'a thing'

Eats!

It's important to fuel those study efforts with awesome food. You may notice a certain 'thrown together' feel to this Week in Eats. This is how I eat when kitchen time is limited.

Talent, Dinner, Boobies..

Life this week is just breathing and assignments: one on sports nutrition and one on boobies.  The topic is breastfeeding and how to encourage more women to do more of it. I'm looking for a punchy quote to start the essay. 

Aunty K suggested "Everybody Needs a Bosom for a Pillow" - Cornershop. It could work... Any other ideas out there?

Adventures with Avocado

Since I discovered Oh She Glows Avocado pasta sauce recently, I haven't been able to stop making it.

Random Foodcam

It's been a while and the food pics are piling up with nowhere to go.
Time to offload.

It's lots of simple stuff going down over here, but so is my waistline, and without much effort (truthfully, who wants to work too hard at that?), so it's all good.

The Week in Eats

How's your week going?

Over here, I'm in full, crazy late assignment mode, so don't mind the crazy hair 

and desk that looks like a paper bomb went off. It's only going to be two days late, 

but still I get stressy about any missed deadline. The cure for a stressy Sara? Yoga. Aaaand...

Peach crumble

I even scribbled down the recipe so that I can write it up for you.. right after I've submitted my gazillion page research report on the wonderment that is attitudes, knowledge and behaviours
surrounding peri-conceptual nutrition. Mmmhmmm.