Tag Archives: netrition

Low Carb Pantry Essentials

Low Carb Pantry Essentials:

Low Carb Pantry Essentials. OK, here’s the deal. We all know Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your pantry.  Buy things as you can and then keep them stocked while you add to them. I think one of the problems people consider when going lowcarb is OMG I don’t have any of this stuff and they give up.  Eating lowcarb does take commitment and that’s really about all it takes. If you are eating recipes from this site you will be eating keto lowcarb and trust me, I am not into suffering.  As a chef in my former working life it has been relatively easy for me to formulate my recipes and all you have to do is now follow them. I realize most people cannot do this (re-formulate recipes) and now it should be much easier for you. Some of the recipes may look complicated and some of them actually are and if you want a finished meal that tastes like anything people will actually eat it takes time, good ingredients, and patience. I have eaten all the recipes here and have eaten this way for the last nearly 12 years and as I said, I am not into suffering. I eat a lot of fat cause fat makes your pants fall down, as in lots of weight loss and…it is good for you. I eat full fat cheeses, tons of butter, olive oil and 40% heavy cream. I render and use my own lard and tallow and I am not asking you to do that, only that you use healthy fats which means, if possible, no vegetable (seed) oils. Butter, olive oil and coconut oil should do you very well in almost all cases.

Yes, I am lucky to be living in foodie town heaven Portland, Oregon. I have access to absolutely everything here. Not all of you will be this lucky and my only advice can be to do as well as you can under your own circumstances. Here is another lucky thing for me. Portland is the home of Bob’s Redmill.  I go to their only store and buy things in bulk for 40% less than any grocery.  Most of the products & prices I get from Netrition are probably the best I have found and their shipping is ridiculously low and free with a $99.00 order.  I have marked them with a red X.

It will cost a bit more in the beginning but I would suggest trying a product before you stock up unless you are familiar with it.  I will say as the guinea pig, these are the products I highly recommend. You may have a product you have used & love and I say continue using it as I am absolutely not wed to anyone else’s decisions.  Each link will take you to pictures & prices of the products and NO I am NOT compensated for any endorsements I may make here as these are all products I use…everyday.

It is almost always less expensive to order from @Netrition than from @Amazon.

Examples:                                           $Netrition                      $Amazon

Carbalose Flour                                     9.99                                17.99

Pork King Good Pork Crumbs          10.99                                12.99

Bob’s Almond Flour                            10.99                                14.37

Lily’s SF Chocolate Chips                     6.99                                  9.30

Mt. Olive SF Sweet Relish                   3.89                                  7.27                              

Many times Amazon is forcing you to purchase 3-6 items to get the prices above and the list goes on.  It is my opinion that Netrition is not only less expensive, it is very easy to get free shipping with a purchase of $99.00 or more. Where do I shop?  Netrition.

Here, in one tidy package, are over 550 Keto~Paleo~Low Carb~Diabetic Chef’s Recipes

Essential Equipment: Pretty short list but I’m going to blab about a couple things first.

A Good Quality Set Of Knives And What To Look For:

 Chef's KnifeBoning KnifeParing Knife

 

 

My preference happens to be Forschner Knives made by Victorinox which is the same company that has been making Swiss Army Knives forever and first delivered to the Swiss Army in 1891.  I have had my chef’s knife nearly 40 years which is pretty good testament as to its quality and durability. There are several reasons why I like these knives. 1.) The balance and feel in my hand and yours may be different 2.) The prices. They are extremely well priced for what you get. 3.) They are easy to sharpen and keep sharpened. There are different hardness’s of steel blades and Forschner is what I call a middle of the roader. It is easy enough to realign the blade on a knife steel quite easily and hard enough to keep its edge for a time. I do have a honing stone and I use it maybe every 3 years. Remember every time you use a stone you are grinding away part of the blade. All you are doing when using a knife steel is realigning the blade which happens with use. Knife EdgeI liken a knife blade to my beloved Rocky Mountains. If you could see a straight on view of a blade that needs sharpening it is kind of raggedy. By steeling the blade it aligns those raggedy edges back into line which sharpens. Every time you hone a knife you are actually wearing away part of the metal. Keep this in mind when purchasing your knives. How often do I want to hone them? How often do I want to just steel them? How long do I want them to last? If you end up with very hard steel blades the edge will last a long time but they are much harder to sharpen and depending, it may need to be done professionally. As you look at the pictures notice the Rosewood Handled Knives and each is riveted three times. These are my preferred knives but you can’t put them in a dishwasher and I never have.  All knives should always be hand-washed. The three rivets will hold the blade forever. When looking at the length of a knife it refers to the blade length-not an overall length. It is absolutely essential to have knives that feel good and have the right balance in your hands and this will be different for each of you. Buying knives is an investment. I have more than 3 knives but really it is my belief you only need 3 working knives. I do have an electric knife. One last thought: The absolute easiest way to cut yourself is using a dull knife. Ever notice how it can “bounce” off an onion and into your finger or hand? That’s a dull blade so keep those puppies sharp.

Baking Pans:

I have talked several places on the site about the importance of quality metal baking pans and this is another reminder.  If you are going to bake it would be a very good idea to use professional pans.  Magic Line Pans are the best quality available, they come in about every size & shape you will ever need and…they are made here in the USA.  There is a complete size set of square pans (6″, 7″, 8″, 9″,10″ and 12″) and with these you will have what you need (and perhaps more) to make my recipes.  Since there are only two of us I often make a ½ recipe, use the 6″x6″ pan and cut into 8-10 pieces.  I think because I promote this set of pans several places on this site they keep selling out of them so if you don’t see the 6 pan combo call 309-747-2125 and they will make one for you. 

The rest of the stuff and I’ll add as needed:

I have always pretty much been a chef of limited gadgets but there are a few essentials you will need. For me if it only does one job then I don’t need or want it, if it does two jobs then maybe, and three or more count me in baby. And before you laugh, there are a few gadgets that do only one thing but they are few and far between. I have had and used the same Chef’s knife for nearly 40 years and same goes for my Sharp convection microwave. Got it in 1978, I have no idea how many times a day I use it but it’s plenty, and it still has the original bulb in it. It was produced long before the notion of planned obsolescence. I guess now-a-days you can buy a microwave for $40. but what are you really getting?

Lagniappes

3 Replies

What on earth are lagniappes? and what on earth is a Food Lagniappe?

LagniappesMerriam Webster Definition–is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase and more broadly something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. The term is found in use in Southern Louisiana and Mississippi and is a Cajun French or Louisiana Creole French term.  It is the equivalent of the thirteenth roll in a “baker’s dozen”.

I would like to thank you for coming to my website and I hope you found ‘some food for thought’ and at least a little information.  I have certainly had a good time doing it.

Educate YourselfFood For Thought:  If you are unable to find/buy an item anywhere but the internet be very wary.  Many of these internet sellers also market products through Amazon which tends to make a product look more legitimate-but be very wary.

Educate Yourself.  Education is knowledge and knowledge is power.

How to Correctly Calculate Sugar Alcohols:

The effects that sugar alcohols have on your blood glucose can vary so it is difficult to know how they will affect your blood glucose levels every time. Because there is less effect from sugar alcohols than either sugar or starch, you can use the following tips to estimate how much carbohydrate from a serving to count in your meal plan for foods that contain more than 5 grams sugar alcohols.

  • When a food has more than 5 grams of sugar alcohols:
  • Subtract ½ the grams sugar alcohol from the amount of total carbohydrate.
  • Count the remaining grams of carbohydrate in your meal plan.

Note: This tip is useful for those who are intensively managing their diabetes with insulin or advanced carbohydrate counting.

Example:

Portion: 1 bar
Total carbohydrate 15 grams, with 6 grams of sugar alcohol
One bar counts as 12 grams carbohydrate (15 – 3 = 12)

Sugar Alcohols

Erythritol, Isomalt, Lactitol, Maltitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates

What to say about sugar alcohols-best to stay away from them as much as possible as they can cause all kinds of gastric distress accompanied by pain and suffering.  Maltitol in any form is absolutely the worst and if there is a best it might by erythritol & xylitol.  About the most I can say about Sugar Alcohols is that they do not promote tooth decay.  I personally use Liquid Splenda, (EZ-Sweetz-zero carbs in any amount used) Just Like Sugar Table Top, Just Like Sugar Baking,  and Just Like Sugar Brown, all of which I order from www.netrition.com .  The Just Like Sugar line of products is basically pure inulin with brain damage carbs and equally brain damage fiber.  Each gram of carb is offset by each attending gram of fiber.  We all have our own preferences and these just happen to be mine.  One of the things I have found over the last almost three years is that my tolerance for sweet stuff is not that great.  Most everything tastes too sweet to me.  My husband recently bought some Diet Rite cola sweetened with Splenda.  I took one sip of it and it tasted like sweetness overload to me.  I am not sure but perhaps it is a function of Diet Rite attempting to match the disgusting sweetness of Coke or Pepsi.

Splenda Low Carbing

Try To Learn To Cook if you don’t know how.  Try finding a free online (low carb) cooking class.  If you can follow simple instructions try some of the easier recipes in the Low Carbing Among Friends and Jennifer Eloff cook books.  There are a ton of terrific recipes that will not put any tons on you. Seriously don’t these look scrumptious?  The book cover photos always lure you in with desserts but inside are some really terrific recipes…even for a novice.   I have not done much research on this because I don’t need it but if you do, the research can be fun, fun, fun.  My first husband used to accuse me of only wanting to do the fun things and my secret?: Make everything you do fun.  Easy peezy japanesy.

Baking is science & chemistry and cooking is art & creativity and there is a vast difference.  You don’t want to mess much with science & chemistry…but art?…creativity?…ahh…now there is something most of us can wrap ourselves with and…Katie bar the door.

This is one of my favorite gummment terms:  GRAS and it means Generally Recognized (Regarded) As Safe.  Boy, in my book that takes care of a wide swath of stuff.  If I had my choice (and I do) I would choose a salad, broccoli, cauliflower, or any number of things over Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates-Yuck.

FOIA-Freedom Of Information Act.  This can be useful if you have made a formal government (in my case, FDA) complaint to find out what is (has) happening with your complaint.  At this point I have not had to use it because as time passed I actually watched the results of my Julian Bakery FDA complaints via the internet.  FOIA Instructions  The charges are nominal and they will send you a bill.

How to File an FDA complaint.  This is pretty easy once you know the steps to take.  Most people send information to some FDA office in Washington, DC and it is my best guess it goes into the garbage.

You need to write a comprehensive, concise letter (several of mine, in the beginning were anything but) and then your letter and any supporting evidence is sent to your local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator.  Easiest is e-mail. (See PDF of all FDA toll-free phone numbers).  Consumer Complaint Coordinators  Call the office in your state to get the name and e-mail address of your coordinator.  (I have to say my FDA coordinator is absolutely terrific).  Once the complaint has been made you are assigned a complaint number and this number is what you use to obtain any documents you may wish to see under the FOIA.  Do not contact your coordinator again as they are unable to give you any update information-this is what the FOIA is for. Basically then, it is a matter of time.  As the saying goes, the wheels of government turn exceedingly slow and exceedingly fine.  Be patient…like 4-5 months patient.  Certainly you can monitor the company you have complained against which is what I have done.  As I said, I watched Julian Bakery crumble and almost disintegrate before my eyes via the internet.  This is a list of Better Business Bureau complaints during the Julian Bakery meltdown with the FDA.  The BBB’s rating for Julian Bakery is now a D+. Complaints Filed With The BBB.  Update October 12th, 2013: Julian Bakery has now been downgraded to an F by the BBB.

Anyone who ever said that eating low carb is expensive may not be telling the whole truth.  It is expensive…in the short run… and will probably save you countless healthcare dollars in the long run.  I believe for me, living with diabetes and living low carb, that I am healthier at 67 than I was at 50 or 55.  I consider myself very lucky and try to count my blessings every day.  I live in a very large metropolitan area where many good grocery stores and restaurants vie for your every food dollar and where just about everything is available, if not in a great grocery then at specialty markets and butcher shops.  There are more Asian markets here than you can shake a stick at.  For those of you living in the thousands of smaller towns and villages between the East and West coasts, I know it can be more difficult.  My only advice is to educate yourself and pick the very best and healthiest foods you can and remember, you can always order from www.netrition.com They only charge $6.99 for shipping anywhere in the country no matter how much or how little it weights.  I have received orders that weighted 25-30 lbs. and yep, the shipping was a measly $4.95.  Shipping has now gone to $6.99 but in the world of the internet it is still a super bargain and over $99. the shipping is FREE.

Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust but Verify”.  At the signing of the INF Treaty, his counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev responded:  “you repeat that at every meeting,” to which Reagan answered:  “I like it”…I like it too.

April 1st Fingers