The Info Pool

Make Your Own Low Carb Fast Food At Home

Most people who maintain a low carbohydrate diet tend to miss out on eating out. Cutting back on carbs usually means that you can’t indulge in hamburgers and French fries. Not all restaurants have jumped on the weight loss bandwagon yet, but many are realizing that they can attract more customers by offering a some low carb items on their menu. You can always bypass the whole restaurant scene by preparing your own low carb fast food at home. This can save you money, while at the same time saving you from the carbs.

“The end result is a low carb fast food burger you can enjoy without feeling guilty.”

One popular appetizer that many people order at restaurants are mozzarella cheese sticks. If you’re on the Atkin’s of South Beach Diet, there are ways to prepare it so that it’s more of low carb fast food. Instead of using breading and deep frying the sticks, you cut a block of mozzarella into strips, roll it in an egg, followed by crushed pork, then bake them in the oven. These tasty little morsels have tons of taste and virtually no carbs.

The old hamburger is a staple of eating out. Although you can always make a burger at home, there’s no bread allowed for low carb dieters so they usually shy away from this American favorite. You can turn this into low carb fast food at home by using Portabella mushrooms as a substitute for the bun. Even though it may not sound all that appetizing, it’s actually incredibly delicious.

For optimum flavor, it’s essential to prepare a marinade for the mushrooms. Using an olive oil base, you can add your own appealing flavors. While grilling the burgers, throw the mushroom caps on too. The end result is a low carb fast food burger you can enjoy without feeling guilty. Don’t be surprised if others in your household want to substitute their plain buns for mushrooms too!

Another hurdle that you have to get over when you’re trying to lose weight is desserts. Ending a meal at a restaurant with a decadent piece of cheesecake is wonderful. You can still indulge in a small serving of this rich dessert at home too, as long as you make it so it fits with your low carb diet menu plan. Just forego the graham cracker crust and use a sugar substitute.

With a little creativity and some imagination you can alter many restaurant favorites so they align with your new, healthier lifestyle. If you do find yourself having to eat out at times, just make wise choices from the low carb fast food options available. Ask the server to keep your dressing on the side of your salad, order a piece of skinless chicken or a steak and just think about how great you’ll look in that bikini in the summer. To get into the shape you want takes a little bit of sacrifice, but is well worth it.

June 10th, 2007

Pay Per View Movies Are Still A Great Option

Often, after a hard days work, my husband and I are too tired to go to the theater to watch a movie. It’s times like these that I’m extremely grateful for pay per view television. Naturally, it’s not the same as going to see a movie on the big screen, but the appeal for me is that I can sit in my favorite chair and just relax, knowing that we don’t have to drive home afterwards. A lot of the movies are a bit older too, but I usually don’t get to see all the movies I want to at the theater, so it’s a good way to catch up on all the ones I’ve missed.

“NetFlix is definitely convenient, but still not as fast a pay per view because you still have to wait for the movies to be delivered”Another cool thing about pay per view is that it’s now free to watch some of the movies. I think they call it ‘on demand’, but the concept is still the same as traditional pay per view. All you need to do is find something you want to watch, click on it and it starts. A lot of the movies and programs are on HBO, and there is also free music and children’s shows. You’ll find quite a few of the stations programming this way, as long as you can pick them up. This type of ‘on demand’ viewing is just what I need when I’ve missed a movie or program.

Pay per view channels also play lots of special events, such as sporting events like the WWE wrestling, concerts and awards shows. Often then special events cost a bit more than the movies do though. WWE wrestling specials for example, often cost between 30 and 50 dollars. I’m glad my brother has his own pay per view account now because he is a huge wrestling fan and would always come over to watch the wrestling specials at our place. At 30 dollars a pop, it starts to add up very quickly!

A lot of people predicted that NetFlix’s gain in popularity would be the death of pay per view companies, although, I’m not sure that was the case. NetFlix is definitely convenient, but still not as fast a pay per view because you still have to wait for the movies to be delivered in the mail before you can watch them. Pay per view channels also show things that aren’t available on DVD yet. The movies in the mail services may take a bit of a bite out of pay per view services, but I can’t see them disappearing any time in the immediate future. With digital phone becoming more popular, a lot of customers seem to be returning to the cable companies, and paying to watch movies at home again.

I think I’ll stick to pay per view for the time being. It’s so nice to be able to relax at home in my comfy clothes on the couch and watch a movie when I feel like it.

June 10th, 2007