Meal plan this week

I've created my meal plan for the week.  I started this week with cooking a smoked picnic ham (8#).  It's been sitting in my fridge so it's time to cook it.  Tomorrow I'll cook up some spareribs.  Yes, I bought some today at Publix.  $1.99/pound was too good a deal to pass up (they are normally $3.49/pound).  

Back to the entrees for the week.  Ham today.  That will last in excess of a week.  Tomorrow spareribs.  I'm still working out which sauce I'll use.  And on Friday, I'll cook up more chicken thighs.  I'll use Linda's recipe for Seoul Chicken here.

There are a number of blank spaces in my meal plan.  I'm focused on the main entrees that require pre-planing to prepare (ribs, chicken, etc.).  Breakfast, for the time being, is easy.  Leftovers or eggs.  I like to have some flexibility in my menus.  That's because sometimes I might not feel like eating whatever I planned.  And the only way this will work is with flexibility.  Similarly, I do not pick put my clothing the night before because I might not want to wear it when I wake up.  :-)

I wish I could resize the pic smaller without losing quality.  I'll keep working on it.

Status update after two weeks

Hi!  I'd meant to post yesterday and the day got away from me.  It started with a  family brunch at a local restaurant.  That was fun!  I had a "breakfast cheeseburger" - essentially a cheeseburger topped with an egg and bacon.  I also ate sweet potato fries.  Now, someone please explain to me WHY a restaurant thinks it is necessary to ruin PERFECTLY yummy sweet potato fries with ... honey!  I like my sweet potato fries (on the rare occasions that I eat them) plain with salt.  And I always forget to ask before I sub them in for regular french fries.

Last night I met up with the card group and we played various card games:  Oh Hell, Bitch Rummy, 31, and Liverpool Rummy.  We ended the night with a couple of rounds of Catch Phrase.  Loads of fun!  It's potluck and I took  Sahale Crunchers (Parmesan & Herb Almond snack).  

The title of this post is "status update after two weeks."  So here's the update.  I'm down another pound!  Yay!  I've included the last day of the prior update for informational purposes.  

Legend: 

C = Carbohydrate grams ingested

T = Total calories for the day

C = Percentage of total calories that came from carbs

P = Percentage of total calories that came from protein

F = Percentage of total calories that came from fat

A = Percentage of total calories that came from alcohol

E = Effective (net) carbs in grams

M = Number of meals that day

D = Amount of water intake during the day

W = Weight

Yes, I went way over my normal daily carb intake yesterday.  It was planned.  I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream after brunch.  And I had (imitation) crab salad and Jelly Bellies while playing cards.  I stayed gluten free yesterday and that was my ultimate goal.

For anybody wondering, on the days when I eat lower calories, it's not intentional.  I eat if I'm hungry.  If I'm not hungry, I don't eat.  As you can see from the charts, sometimes I eat a lot and other times I don't.  That means, the days when I ate in the 1100 calorie range - I wasn't hungry for more.

Thank you for following me on my flight!

Planned shopping

Leftovers again today!  I finished off the BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs at lunch today.  They were just as tasty today as when I first prepared them.  The texture improved too.  I think.  It could be that these last two ribs were cooked a touch less than the others in the batch.  I have leftover Parmesan Mustard Chicken for tomorrow.  Lip-smackin' yummy!

I took a look at the store ads for this week.  Nothing caught my eye at Winn Dixie (bummer cuz' I like the gas discounts there).  On the other hand, Publix had several items I'm considering.  Funny enough, this week's ad is reminiscent of the ad from two weeks ago - which is unusual.  Here's what's on sale that caught my eye:

*Pork spareribs:  $1.99/#
Medium lobster tail:  $8.99/each
Ribeye steak:  $8.99/# bone in
XL Jumbo Shrimp:  $11.99/#
Swai fillets:  2/$10 (24 oz pkg)
Hillshire Smoked Sausage: 2/$6 (13-14 oz)
Raspberries:  3/$5 (6 oz pkg)
Haas Avocados: 10/$10
Asparagus:  $3.49/#
Hellmans's Mayo:  2/$5.41 (30 oz)
French's Yellow Mustard:  2/$1.89 (14 oz)
Blue Diamond Almond Milk: $2.79 (64 oz)
Block cheese is on sale for $2.50 (8 oz)
Aluminum foil: 2/$6.19
*$50 Gas Card:  $40 if buy $50 groceries

Here's my conundrum.  I want the gas card.  I could easily spend $50 on groceries - that I will eat (or use in the case of the aluminum foil).  I just don't need food this week.  I also really want the spareribs.  I want to compare them to the country style.  I think I prefer the spareribs.  It just so happens the spareribs are a tad bit higher in fat - all the better for my LCHF way of eating.  Plus it might help with the texture I mentioned when I first cooked the country style ribs.  

I'm not able to justify buying a ribeye (despite the awesome price) as I have three thin-sliced ones in the freezer.  Oh!  Did I mention I cooked and ate a ribeye for breakfast earlier this week?  YUMMY!  Especially liberally seasoned with Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.  

I think my post tomorrow will be about in-season produce.  Maybe.  Check back and see.  :-)

Leftovers status

Hi!  Here it is Thursday night and I still have leftovers.  That means ... I didn't make the third entree this week.  I have 2 Parmesan Mustard Chicken thighs left.  They re-heat very well!  I also had some BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs left from last week.  That is what I ate for dinner tonight.  Oh yeah - that Cauliflower & Ham Salad lasted a couple of days - it was scrumdiddlicious!  It reminds me of potato salad - except way better.  It travels well too.  

I use glass containers for my leftovers.  Why?  Because the plastic ones kept becoming sticky on the outside and they were nasty to touch.  No matter what I tried, I could not remove the stickiness.  Back to the glass storage containers ... this week I stored the cauliflower salad in a glass container.  Then I put it in the square, flat, short lunch cooler.  I put flat reusable ice packs under the container.  Viola!  A lunch or snack for later.  When the container was too big for the amount of leftovers, I transferred the leftovers to a ziplock bag and ate out of the bag with a spoon.  Brilliant!

Tonight I'm going to look at the store ads for this week.  It'll have to be an unbelievable price for me to buy more food.  I have plenty of protein on hand.  And I still have cauliflower in the freezer.

Have a TERRIFIC night!

Cauliflower & Ham Salad

Happy Monday!  Did you survive with all of your hair still in your head?  Or did you pull some out? LOL It was a day today!  Tomorrow will be even busier.  I prepared a new entree when I got home.  Ready for it?  Cauliflower & Ham Salad.  

It's a cold dish - perfect for summer.  It was pretty easy to put together. The most challenging part was draining the cauliflower.  I was in a hurry so I micro waived it then drained it.  Next time, I will probably roast it.  That should eliminate the need to drain the cauliflower.  Oh, as for the "cubed ham," my local store (the one and only AWESOME Publix) carries Hormel cubed ham in the butcher/meat section (not with the lunch or canned meats).  Even before chilling this recipe, I snuck a bite.  It was absolutely delicious!  The sauce has some sweet-n-spicy action going on.  It bursts in my mouth.  I give it 5 wing flaps!!

I started with one of Linda's recipes:  here.  I made changes based upon what I had on hand.  I omitted the onion because ... I don't care for raw onions and I was not in an oniony mood.  I don't do pepper much either so I left it out.  With the sweet relish, I might omit the Splenda next time.  I absolutely LOVE (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!) Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.  It has salt, herbs & spices, dehydrated onion, and dehydrated garlic.  

Cauliflower & Ham Salad
7 oz cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (I used frozen cauliflower)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1.5 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt
1/2 tablespoon granular Splenda or 2 drops liquid Splenda
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounce ham cubes
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped in large pieces

Place the cauliflower in a large bowl.  Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.  Drain and microwave on high 2 more minutes.   Cook until the cauliflower is slightly tender and not mushy; drain off any excess water.  Let it cool to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients.  After it's cooled, squeeze additional water out of the cauliflower.   I used paper towels. Alternate: roast the cauliflower instead of microwaving it.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, parsley, salt, and sweetener.  When the cauliflower has cooled, add the dressing and gently toss to coat.  Stir in the tomatoes, ham  (if you use pre-packaged cubed ham squeeze some water out with a paper towel), and eggs.  Cover and chill at least 3 hours.  The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors meld.

Nutritional Information for the entire recipe:

Carbs:  16.13 (7%)

Protein:  17.69 (8%)

Fat:  83.58 (85%)

Calories:  950

Parmesan Mustard Chicken

Yesterday I said today is "cooking day."  That might've been a bit of an overstatement.  My goal is to cook an entree on Sundays - one that will last throughout the week.  I also cook on Mondays because I don't have regularly scheduled events or meetings on Monday evenings.  Then, if I'm running short of entrees later in the week, I can cook up one more.  That way, I have a variety during the week with, hopefully, some carry over to the following week.

Before cooking the entree today, I had to cut  up the chicken leg quarters I bought earlier in the week.  Did I mention - I paid $.79/pound for those!  The downside is I had to cut them up.  Today I just cut the drumstick off the thigh.  The drumsticks are good to go and I froze them, two in a bag.  Yes, I remembered to wrap each in cling wrap so they don't freeze together!  

The thighs need a touch more work to make them "pretty."  I've never really cut up a chicken before.  It looks like I need to remove the spine/back bone from the thigh.  For the time being, I've frozen the remaining thighs as is.  In the meantime, I'll do something I'm good at - research.  I will read up on how to cut up the leg quarters, make them pretty, and debone them.  Maybe I'll take pics of the process!

Here's a pic of the chicken I got for $7.90.  It's already separated.

Are you ready for the recipe?  I started with Linda's Parmesan Deviled Chicken from here.  Linda used Dana Carpenter's recipe from here.  This is what it looked like fresh out of the oven.  If you use thighs cut up and trimmed from the store, you probably won't have as much juice after cooking.

Fresh out of the oven

 And this is a few minutes later, after it's settled - just before I ate it!

Plated after sitting for a couple of minutes.

I changed up some of the ingredients - which is why I changed the name.  I've added cinnamon instead of cayenne.  Based upon Linda's suggestion, I also added a sprinkle of salt after cooking.  I eliminated the oil - it's not necessary if 

Plated after sitting for a couple of minutes

you keep the skin on.  You can use any kind of mustard.  

This chicken is very tasty!  The mustard adds nice kick but not spicy even though I used spicy mustard.  The parmesan cheese mellows the mustard.  I give this recipe 5 wing flaps!

Parmesan Mustard Chicken

1/4 cup spicy brown or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced 

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, canned works
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on*
Salt, to taste

In a shallow bowl, add garlic to mustard and white wine.  In another shallow bowl, mix the parmesan cheese, paprika and cinnamon. Coat the chicken with the mustard mixture then coat well with the parmesan cheese mixture on all sides. Place the chicken in a non-stick foil-lined 9x13" baking pan and sprinkle any remaining parmesan cheese mixture over each piece of chicken. Bake at 350º 75 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is golden brown.

*The original recipe called for 8 thighs.  However, the mustard mixture I had only created enough to coat 4 of my chicken thighs (probably because mine, bone-in, were 14 ounces each!)

Nutritional Information for the entire recipe:

Carbs:  10.65g (4%)

Protein:  96.8g (33%)

Fat:  81.05g (62%)

Alcohol: 1%

Calories:  1180

Status check after one week

Tomorrow is cooking day!  I still have some leftovers:  1 half a stuffed pepper and 2-3 servings of BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs - slow cooked.  I have some chicken defrosted so at least one meal will include chicken.

I didn't eat much today (Saturday).  I had a wonderful and filling breakfast:  4 oz of pork jowl bacon and 2 eggs.  That filled me up for many hours (at least 6).  I attended a Toastmasters meeting this afternoon and there were sandwiches available.  I snagged one on my way out and to my next stop: boardgames at the home of a friend of a friend.  In case you are wondering, I ate the meat, cheese, and mayo in the sandwich - no bread or tater chips for me!  I drank my normal amount of water - two 44 oz cups of it.  BUT ... the sandwich innards was not sufficient to fuel my body until I got home and I developed a headache.  Sooooo, when I arrived home I heated up the last of the defrosted Sloppy Porky stuffing (which was yummy, yummy, and more YUMMY!).  And I made a chocolate shake:  HWC, water, liquid Sugar Twin (from Canada), and 1T unsweetened cocoa powder.  

BTW, I'm very proud of myself because I did not have anything to eat during the boardgame play.  There was: pizza, chips, Cheetos, candy, and other bad-for-me foods.  Go me!

I'm a week into my recommitment to cooking.  The cooking, and my blogging, has helped me focus on my goals.  Below is the recording of my carb intake (grams and percentage) and the percentage of fat and protein, as well as the amount of water I drank each day for the past week.  

I've been following low carb for years (maybe in another post I'll share more of my low carb history) but kept choosing to eat higher carb foods every so often. Sometimes those "every so oftens" lasted a month or two or three.  More recently, I've been on track for a bit over two months with a couple of "planned off days" here and there.  

I'm a bit nervous to put this out there but here goes.  I've been bouncing between 255 and 244 for a while.  I was always aware of it even if I tried to pretend otherwise because I still fit in my smaller-sized clothing.  Two and a half years ago I was at an all-time high of 275.  So I've maintained a 20-25 pound loss for over two years!  That's a win in my book!  

I started the week at 251 pounds.  This morning my weight was down to 246.5 pounds.  Some of that was water weight - not all of it though because I'd been eating low carb for months before tightening it back up.  I always like to see a loss in weight - especially when I'm actually tracking such information.

Thank you for joining me on My Low Carb Flight!

Groceries the week of August 13-20

I scored a great deal on chicken leg quarters this past week - $.79/pound!  It was a 3-day special at Winn Dixie. I bought the last 10# bag at the price - and obtained a rain check for 2 more bags.  I'm SET for chicken for a while.  

Here're the rest of the proteins I bought this week:

• Ground pork $2.49/pound (bought at Publix) 
• Pork chops $2.99/pound (bought at Publix)
• Boston butt pork steak $1.73/pound (bought at Winn Dixie)
• Boston butt pork country style ribs $2.08/pound (bought at Winn Dixie)
• Thick cut bacon $3.33/pound (bought at GFS in bulk)
• Thin cut bacon $4.50/pound (bought at Publix in 1-pound pkg - next time I'll buy it at GFS)
• Beef back ribs $2.99/pound (bought at Publix)
• Jumbo chicken wings $1.79/pound (bought in bulk at GFS)

Because I bought so much (more than I intended), I split up the packages and froze most of it.  This time I remembered to separate* the pieces before freezing them so they don't freeze together in one lump.  Now I can defrost single or double portions at a time.  

I spent $75.74 on protein.  I bought enough to last 30 entrees.  That works out to ~$2.81/entree/protein.  That seems reasonable.  I'll learn more as I fly this path and have a trail to go back to and compare.  For all I know, $2.99/pound is horrible for pork chops.  Besides the chicken leg quarters, I know the bacon was a good deal:  bacon these days is normally $9-11/pound.

It's a good thing I bought the protein last week - there's nothing on sale at the stores this week that I want.  Except for salmon - it's on sale for $6.99/pound.  I'll wait until Monday or Tuesday to decide if I want any salmon.  I have 2 pounds of cauliflower in the freezer so I don't need veggies for another week or two.

*Nearly every time I write out the word "separate" I flash back to when I first learned how to remember how to correctly spell it - from watching TV.  No, not Seasme Street or Electric Company - although I watched those growing up.  No, I learned it from a police procedural.  When I was a child, I watched Adam-12 on television.  Officer Reed (Kent Mc Cord) was writing a report and used the word "separate."  He mentioned to his partner, Officer Malloy (Martin Milner) that he never remembered how to spell the word.  Malloy responded with something along the lines of "remember that you have to separate a rat" from his friends.  That memory trick stuck with me for over 30 years!  That show, and Hill Street Blues and S.W.A.T., also set a life-long enjoyment of police procedurals.

BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs - slow cooked

I know, I know.  I said I wasn't cooking anymore entrees this week.  BUT ... I realized I still had 4 pounds of pork country style ribs in my fridge - and no room in my freezer!  So I decided to cut them up and cook them today as I worked from home.  The recipe is modifiable (i.e., Brown Sugar Twin for the sf syrup or apple cider vinegar for the white, brown the ribs before putting them in the slow cooker).  These ribs are delicious!  The slow cooking allows the flavor to seep into the meat so you get the sauce flavors in each bite.  I give these ribs 4 wing flaps because the texture is a bit stringy/pasty.  I overcooked them (I think).  I didn't watch the time closely.

BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs - slow cooked

• 4 lb. country style pork ribs, cut up not slab (I used bone-in because that was on sale)

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup tamari (wheat-free) soy sauce
• 1/2 cup low sugar ketchup (I used Heinz Reduced Sugar)
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• 3 tbsp. sugar free maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. vinegar 

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients; Put ribs in slow cooker and pour sauce evenly over ribs. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours (FYI: my "high" cooked these to doneness in 3-4 hours - your might require longer time).  This recipe serves 4 to 8.

Nutritional information for the entire recipe
Carbs:  34.43 (3%)
Fat:  340.26 (67%)
Protein:  339.51 (30%)
Calories: 4628

Yummy late night snack

You know what I love about low carb eating?  Okay, there are a number of things.  ;-)  But tonight, there was one thing in particular.  A late night snack of lox and cream cheese!  It's such a decadent-tasting snack.  I loves it!  I had the same snack last night too.  This was the last of the lox - unless it goes on sale.  Lox is not inexpensive!

Square dancing

Do si do your partner.  Alamand left your corner.  I square danced last night!  Last summer I started taking square dance lessons on Tuesday nights.  Back at the end of January, my "class" graduated from the Basic level.  Then we started learning Plus level calls.  It's a LOT of fun!  And it's good exercise.  We dance to the basic calls from 7:30 to 9:00 and then to the Plus calls from 9:00-10:00.  I've made some great friends through the square dance group.

One of the things I love about Suncoast Squares - the group I dance with - is that it's all-position dancing.  That means boys can dance as girls and vice versa.  Another thing I love about it ... no fancy dress required.  We dance in street clothes.  And yet another thing I love about it ... the hugs!  After every tip (a combination of patter calls and signing calls) everybody yellow rocks - hugs.  Good hugs can provide a pick-me-up after a long day.

Various clubs around the country have fly-ins.  Fly-ins are weekends full of square dancing.  It's LOADS of fun!  And the dancer's skills improve drastically over the weekend.  At least mine did in February when I attended my first fly-in.

If you haven't tried square dancing recently, give it a try!  

Tuna Casserole

This blogging thing is fun.  Who knew?!?!!  I'm hoping some of my online friends find me.  I know I'll get positive feedback from them at least!  Y'all have realized by now that I cook low carb.  That's obvious from the title of my blog.  Hey, that's cool to write ... my blog.  My blog.  My Blog.  :-)  Okay, back on track.  I cook low carb.  What might not be so obvious is that I try to  make my recipes LCHF aka low-carb-high-fat.  I aim for an intake ratio of at least 70% fat.  The rest (carbs, protein) depends upon my total intake for the day.  My goal is to eat no more than 20 carbs - total.  Not net.  For the time being, I don't count calories although my tracking program keeps count.

On the heels of a successful foray into the kitchen, I had a less successful one tonight.  I made Tuna Casserole.  Now you should understand, I've been making tuna casserole since I was 8 or 9 years old.  It was a staple for dinner.  And I was good at preparing it!  Back then, I made it with pasta and cream of mushroom soup.  Then my dad read about the Atkins Diet Revolution, and we swapped out the pasta for peas or green beans - and never looked back.  We did top it with french fried onions (those yummy things in a can).  I KNOW how to make a kick-butt tuna casserole.  And I biffed it tonight.  LOL  

Actually, it wasn't bad. It just lacked seasoning (I'm used to using tuna canned in olive oil and have switched back to tuna in water) and was a bit watery.  The watery part is the cauliflower.  I give it 3 wing flaps.  Next time, I will roast the cauliflower instead of boil it.  I would also use about 1/2 the amount of cauliflower.  And will add mushrooms.  If this doesn't work out the second time, I'll go back to my other recipe (made with mayo and sour cream instead of HWC).

Here's the recipe:

1.  4 cans of tuna in water, drained very (very, very) well

2.  16 oz frozen cauliflower

3.  3 stalks celery, chopped (larger cut)

4.  3/4 heavy whipping cream (HWC)

5.  8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (large holes)

6.  2t Penzy's Fox Point seasoning

Preheat oven to 350F.  Boil cauliflower and celery until tender.  Drain very (very, very) well.  Season with Penzy's Fox Point.  Set aside.  Heat the HWC and add Fox Point seasoning to it.  Put 3/4 of the shredded cheese in a casserole dish.  Add heated cream and mix to melt the cheese.  Add the tuna and mix.  Add the cauliflower and celery and mix.  Pop, covered, into oven for 20 minutes at 350F.   Remove lid.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake another 10 minutes.  

Nutritional Information for entire recipe:

Carbs:  35.93 (6.77%)

Protein:  181.67 (34.32%)

Fat:  140.25  (59.45%)

Calories: 2,123

Sloppy Porky Stuffed Green Peppers

I mentioned in my last post that I decided to start cooking again.  Cooking real food - not just hotdogs.  Not just making chicken salad from store-bought rotisserie chicken.  Last week I made a pizza with a meat crust.  I used the recipe from Karen Barnaby's book The Low-Carb Gourmet.  This cookbook is my all-time favorite cookbook.  Next time I make it, I will take a picture and post it.

Last evening I prepared Sloppy Porky Stuffed Green Peppers.  I started with this recipe for Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers from Linda's website.  She ROCKS the low carb recipes!  I changed it up a little bit.  Ground pork was over $1 less expensive than ground beef or chuck so I went with that.
  

Ever since I started cooking for myself, I've avoided stuffed green peppers.  I was forced to eat them as a child.  I HATED them.  Oh, I loved the stuffing.  Just not the green peppers.  I tried them a year or two ago and eat the innards but tossed the peppers.  I'm prejudiced against the word "pepper."  Pepper to me means spicy-hot.  Yuck!

So, as you might guess, I was a bit hesitant to use peppers this time.  However, they were on sale ($.69/each). So I bought 2.  And a large tomato.  I figured I'd stuff 2 peppers and a tomato, just in case.

Weeeeellll, I ruined the tomato* before I even stuffed it.  So that left the 2 peppers.  I have to confess, I was prepared to eat the sloppy joe mix and skip the pepper.  BUT! I tried the pepper with the first bite.  And then the second bite.  And third.  You get the picture.  It was really yummy!  There was no heat to the pepper.  It simply added a bit of a stronger flavor to the bite of food.  Some people describe it as bitter.  I don't think that describes it.  I can tell you, I'll eat the rest of the peppers.  I give this recipe 5 wing flaps of yumminess! 

I ate one half a pepper and bagged the remaining three.  One is in the freezer to see how it freezes.  The other's I'll eat later this week.

Here's the recipe I followed:

1.  1.09# ground pork

2.  1 oz white onion, chopped (larger pieces)

3.  1 stalk celery, chopped

4.  1 clove garlic, minced (smallest pieces)

5.  1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used Contadina because it was - you guessed it - on sale)

6.  1 drop Sweetfreez

7.  2t white vinegar

8.  2t Worcestshire sauce

9.  1t yellow mustard

10. 2t Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt

11. 1/2t sea salt

12. 8 oz mild yellow cheddar cheese, shredded (shredded results in bigger pieces than grated)

13. 2 large green peppers, cut in half (I cut it in half from top to bottom instead of around the diameter) with the ribs and seeds removed

Brown ingredients 1-4.  Mix ingredients 5-11 and add to the browned pork mixture.  Simmer for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.  If it looks dry, add up to 1T water.   Preheat the oven to 300.

While the pork mixture simmers, par boil the green peppers.  I put the peppers (already cut in half and cleaned) in the water before it was boiling.  And I left them in there 4 minutes - until the pot started whistling.  Remove the peppers from the pot, drain and put into a baking dish.

At the end of the 10 minute-simmer, turn off the heat and add 1/2 of the shredded cheese to the pork mixture.  Stir the mixture.  Scoop the mixture into the pepper halves.**  Top with the rest of the shredded cheese.  Pop the stuffed peppers into the oven and let cook for 10 minutes or so.  When the cheese on top is all melty gooey, remove from the oven.  

*If you want to use tomatoes in place of peppers, don't par boil the tomatoes!  Oops!

**I had enough of the pork mix for another half a pepper - which I didn't have.  I put it into a bowl, topped it with a little cheese and scarfed it down.  Sloppy Porky in a bowl!

Nutritional information for the entire recipe:

Carbs:  30.4g (6%)

Fat:  144.1g (69%)

Protein:  115.5g (25%)

Calories:  1881

FYI - without the peppers, the fat percentage increases to 71%