Carb Substitutes

Some great Substituting ideas!!! 

Hash Browns
Substitute: Squash for potatoes

Summer squash (the football-shaped yellow kind) tastes similar to potatoes when cooked—but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil, says Mary Dan Eades, M.D., coauthor of The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook.

Carbs Eliminated: About 15 grams (g) per hash-brown patty

The Taste: "Not as firm and crispy as regular hash browns, but the potato flavor is there."
Mash Potatoes


Substitute: Cauliflower for potatoes

One of Dr. Agatston's favorites: Steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute, add a little nonfat half-and-half substitute, and puree in a food processor or blender. "Salt and pepper to taste and you've got something that quite honestly can compete with the real thing any day," says Dr. Agatston. To make it even better, try adding roasted garlic, cheese, or sour cream to the mixture.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup

The Taste: "After a couple of bites, you forget it's not potatoes."
Lasagna


Substitute: Zucchini slices for noodles

Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips, instructs Lise Battaglia, a New Jersey chef whose past clients include Jon Bon Jovi. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp. "Then simply make the lasagna as you normally would, replacing lasagna noodles with the baked zucchini," she says.

Carbs Eliminated: 36 g per serving

The Taste: "Delicious. The zucchini provides texture that you don't get from noodles alone."
Spaghetti


Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti

A cooked spaghetti squash is like Mother Nature's automatic spaghetti maker—the flesh becomes noodlelike strands. "All you have to do is cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half—cut side down—on a plate with a quarter cup of water," says Elizabeth Perreault, a chef at Colorado's Culinary School of the Rockies. Nuke the squash for 10 minutes or until it's soft to the touch. Let it cool, then scrape out the "spaghetti" strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup

The Taste: "Great. Spaghetti squash has exactly the same consistency as real pasta."

Pancakes


Substitute: Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix

Here's a can't-fail recipe from The South Beach Diet. Mix together half a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal, a quarter cup of low-fat cottage cheese, two eggs, and a dash each of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process in a blender until smooth. Cook the mixture like a regular pancake.

Carbs Eliminated: 45 g per pancake

The Taste: "With syrup, you could never tell the difference."

Scalloped Potatoes


Substitute: Tempeh for potatoes

You may think you don't like soy-based foods, but that could be because you don't cook them right, says Beckette Williams, R.D., a San Diego-based personal chef. "Tempeh can be really bland, but if you jazz it up with herbs and spices, it's a great substitute for potatoes." Her recommendation: Saute a couple of cups of thinly diced tempeh with garlic and onions. Then pour a cheese sauce (sharper is better) over the tempeh cubes and bake for half an hour.

Carbs Eliminated: 11 g per cup

The Taste: "Just like a slightly nutty baked potato."

Macaroni and Cheese


Substitute: Diced vegetables for macaroni

Even instant mac and cheese can go lower-carb; use only half the pasta in the box and bulk it up with a couple of cups of frozen mixed vegetables, says Sandra Woodruff, R.D., coauthor of The Good Carb Cookbook.

Carbs Eliminated: 13 g per cup

The Taste: "I hate broccoli, but I wouldn't mind eating this."

Pasta Salad


Substitute: Mixed vegetables or black beans for half the pasta

Same idea as the mac and cheese, but try black beans, diced tomatoes, and chunks of ham, tuna, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs, suggests Richard Ruben, an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. "These kinds of salads are a blank slate, so you can top them with anything from a creamy blue-cheese dressing to vinaigrette, or even lime juice and slices of avocado," Ruben says.

Carbs Eliminated: 10 g per cup

The Taste: "Awesome. I don't miss the extra pasta at all."
Cheese-Flavored Chips


Substitute: Low-fat string cheese for chips

Just crazy enough to work: Cut sticks of string cheese into quarter-inch-thick slices and scatter the rounds on a cookie sheet coated with nonstick spray, leaving them an inch or two apart. Bake at 375 F for 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Let them cool, then peel the chips off the tray.

Carbs Eliminated: Up to 90 g per serving

The Taste: "Like the cheese you pull off the top of a pizza."
Pizza


Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust

Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom, says Ruben, "then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly." Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni or other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Carbs Eliminated: About 20 g per slice

The Taste: "Like pizza, but moister. Give me a fork!"
Beef-a-Roni


Substitute: Eggplant for pasta

Mixing diced eggplant with ground beef is healthier and more highbrow than this old skillet special—call it moussaka American style. You have to soften the eggplant first, says Williams. Cut it in half, brush it with olive oil, and then broil for 10 to 20 minutes. "Let it cool, dice it up, and mix with hamburger, tomato sauce, and spices," she says.

Carbs Eliminated: 26 g per cup

The Taste: "Exactly like Hamburger Helper, in a good way."
Sandwiches


Substitute: Napa or Chinese cabbage for bread

Slap your turkey and Swiss onto a leaf of cabbage and roll it up. "I've made some great-tasting BLTs using cabbage instead of bread," Battaglia says. Dip the roll in low-fat mayonnaise or mustard.

Carbs Eliminated: 29 g per sandwich

The Taste: "Better than eating plain cold cuts."

One Direction

Yes, I understand this new boy band is a group of babies...but what can I say? I love them babies!! My friend the other day literally said " Oh Jillene I saw this really hot highschooler the other day and totally thought of you"...That's really embarrassing...but I mean...

Maybe my face could stop looking like a 16 year old and start looking my age? Or not...either way...

My favorite is the the second boy in from the left. Couldn't even tell you his name....so that's good.

I first saw these lil' slippery babes on SNL and started laughing because they're so BOY. They weren't trying to dance (because they probably can't) but were just walking in and out of different line formations of what I'm sure the choreographer decided were "strong boy band poses". Then each of them would grab their diaphragm with one hand as their microphone was in the other and REALLY PASSIONATELY SING in that boy-band-kinda-way. It was hilarious and adorable. When they all walked to the DSL corner of the SNL stage, they had a lil' hop step to get them moving that was just so presh. Each transition happened on each verse or chorus. It was just so...BOY that's the only word for it. Plus they're dressed in our hipster 2012 gear which is hilarious because boy bands are always so "relevant" in that trendy way. And the song "That's What Makes You Beautiful", is the kind of song every girl can sing to herself and pretend it's personally about her...I mean I totally do that. Like that song JUST THE WAY YOU ARE by B. Mars? In my world that's totally about me individually (as i'm sure it's about you individually when you're listening to it in your headphones as well...).

Now all of these little details were enough to make me fans and such but, what made me buy their song on itunes? BRITISH ACCENT!!!!!! What the heck? How do you sing in an American accent but speak in a British one? What is UP with that? Whatever- I'm into it...

Oh and since the lyrics are clean you can play it super loud while babysitting and have a dance party with the kids because it has such a cheerful beat to it any age wants to jump around in a princess dress to the beat...and you can totally act like you're playing it for the kids, right?

Side note: My friends little sister successfully stalked them to the point of going to the gym with them and hanging at the hotel with them for the rest of the night...AND apparently have done this with multiple teen sensations like Justin Bieber, I'M IMPRESSED!.

So there you have it. One direction, my new obsession. Get with it. They're my new fashion icons for men. ( boyz....)

Jaundice...???

After I arrived home for spring break from my six hour plan ride I WAS STARVED! So my older brother, mom and I went to eat At Martha's by the strand in Hermosa Beach. My favorite thing to get there is the Tofu Scramble mmmmm delicious! After enjoying some hot coffee with Soy my mom says, "Jillene...you're yellow"...my brother says, "Oh yeah I noticed that too I just thought you were trying some new bad makeup...".
...okay 1. if I were wearing BAD MAKEUP please bring that to my attention? and 2. NOT WEARING MAKEUP!!! so like I'm yellow?
I said "yeah you know I did start noticing my eyes weren't as clear as they usually are and the bottoms of my feet seemed a little more yellow then usual..."

I guess that was a problem. I went to the doctor that afternoon for blood tests, and an ultra sound. I'm not sexually active, I don't have a tattoo and I don't do drugs so I knew it wasn't Hep... and everything in all my tests came out clear...so whew no liver or kidney disease my way, but here's he thing I WAS STILL YELLOW!!! So I decided that I should start investigating this transformation for myself. What had changed? Why could this be the case?

This past Sunday I got out of church and it was pouring rain. I needed to walk too many blocks to the station so I popped into Organic Avenue uptown to see what it was. It was an all natural juice place with many natural remedies, i thought I'd ask them what they thought about my Jaundice problem. The guy working, who happened to be a dancer for Merce Cunningham...NBD, told me about the effects of too much protein. He sia dthat yes even though it may fasten your metabolism which may help with weight loss it makes everything in your body work quicker resulting in quicker aging as well! who wants to get older quicker? I sure don't...

A few weeks earlier after being a vegetarian/ vegan on and off for 10 years I thought I'd start eating chicken on a daily basis. I'm really interested in body building and sculpting my body as an athlete would. I thought I'd need more protein to begin this venture so I added non-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and chicken and fish back into my diet...I also noticed I'd been drinking a lot more coffee than I normally do which I know is hard on the liver and kidneys (the organs responsible for jaundice). After hearing this dancer speak about the terrible sides of meat, I was happy to cut the chicken back out again and begin to grapple with some concerns...

What if I took everything I've learned thus far in my life and actually began applying it? What if i listened to the various lessons I've had in nutrition and health, and my various trainers and ran with this information? What if I began to change!
My first step is to cut the coffee and switch to green tea, cut the chicken and go back to the protein powder. I know I felt great adding in the yogurt and cottage cheese (non-fat) so that's going to be a keeper for now. But I'm curious in this journey? Is it possible to be a vegetarian and create beautiful lean muscle? Is it also possible to clean my organs and feel shiny and new as a person? I want to start making life changes. I want to start shifting from my old ways into some new ways. As I approach my college graduation and begin to step into "real life" I want to start being a "real person"... the person I've always dreamed of being. Imperfect, but still challenging myself daily. I'm interested in beginning to live my dreams now, in my artistry, in my body, in my thinking, and by who I surround myself with.

I've always been focused on the past, dwelling on it...romanticizing it, and comparing myself to it or punishing my self about it. This is dumb and not helpful. What would my life look like if I were interested in the present? If I'm interested in my choices NOW that will lead to my better tomorrow?

Vow: I will never diet again but rather begin cognitive thinking about healthier choices that serve my body and keep me connected with myself
: I will continue to inspire myself daily however I need
:I will stop pushing myself aside and begin loving this girl, this womyn I'm with everyday!

I believe in change, I know it's hard...I know it may sound silly and like it's been said before so why is this different?Because I have a plan!! And as I've learned from many a trainer, "if you don't have a plan, the world has one for you!"

Get ready world because I'm pushing forward towards my dreams of a thriving mind, body, and soul!

...so I guess turning yellow was a good thing? It was a clear sign things needed to change...