I created this blog so I could swap and share low-carb recipes, pics, tips, etc. with my friends and family.  For those who do not know me, I am married to a wonderful man, Tom, and we have two daughters, Andie and Erin, who currently live at home while they are going to college.  I have a full-time job outside of the house so I don’t have nearly as much time as I would like for cooking, but I enjoy it so I try to fit it in whenever I can.  To call me an amateur cook is probably an over-statement. 🙂  Tom has done most of the cooking for our family for years.  Unfortunately, it has taken a few poor health diagnoses (and advice from my good friend, Jana) for me to “wise up” and realize that our diet and lifestyle included high carbs which was the cause or contributing factor for most of our ailments. My oldest daughter, Andie, has celiac disease.  Interesting enough, most gluten-free frozen or boxed foods contain high carbs.  The rest of us did not change our poor diets and Andie had her own easy, ready-made gluten-free foods.  This resulted in a worsened health condition for Andie with added weight gain.  Her family practice doctor told her she needed a low-carb diet. Erin was also recently diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, systemic Lupus.  Her rheumatologist advised us that a healthy diet would help her even more than her Lupus medication.  Unfortunately, the kid is 19 and not taking her diet as seriously as I would like, but I think she will come around at some point.  Fortunately for her, she doesn’t have a weight problem.  A low-carb lifestyle has really helped me with some digestive issues, weight loss, etc.  It is more work and costs a little more, but it is so worth it!!  Nothing is more important than our health!!  ♥  

Updated on 9/27/14.  As of today, Andie has lost 37 pounds as a result of our low-carb lifestyle.  I have lost 20 and Tom has lost at least 10.  Tom was also told by his FP that he can now stop his cholesterol medications as a result of our low-carb lifestyle.

Updated on 2/14/15.  As of today (Valentine’s Day), Andie (age 22) has lost over 45 pounds as a result of our low-carb, high protein lifestyle.  ♥ Tom and I have both lost a little more weight, and we are all feeling healthy and fantastic.  While Erin (soon to be 20) struggles a bit with our little or no sugar life style (and really misses her mashed potatoes), she has accepted the changes and has seen first-hand the benefits for the rest of her family.  Fortunately for her, she is naturally thin.  🙂

Update on 6/28/15.  Unfortunately it has been a busy year so I haven’t been able to try as many new recipes as I would have liked.  I hope to add more this summer.  ♥  

Update on 10/23/15.  Tom and I now find ourselves to be “empty-nesters.”  Our grocery bill has decreased and we have more leftovers to take to work for lunch.  I’ve started freezing meals and this has been very helpful.  I noticed in my first post that I mentioned that eating health takes more time and is a little more costly.  I want to change this comment.  I believe when you first start changing to a healthy lifestyle, it does require a little investment (i.e., almond/coconut flour, sugar substitutes, etc.), but eventually you find that you use these products all of the time and that you eat more at home and are not eating out.  I think this balances out.  I’ve been doing this low carb lifestyle for two years now.  I’ve learned that healthy eating is not just about focusing on low carbs, it is about cutting out sugar, eating more protein, watching your calories, avoiding processed foods and focusing on natural/organic foods and products.  I feel like I’m turning into a hippie, but it is a good thing!   

Update on 7/17/16. A couple of months ago, I was diagnosed with a large kidney stone that required three surgical procedures. You can imagine my shock because I am one of the healthiest eaters I know!  The stone was caused by eating TOO much animal protein, having a major addiction to almonds and, most importantly, not drinking enough water. I cannot stress enough the importance of drinking plenty of fluids (water; iced tea; sugar-free lemonade; diet, light-colored sodas, i.e., Sprite, 7-Up, etc.). This was not caused by a low-carb lifestyle. Needless to say, I try to drink 3 liters of water/fluids per day, I stopped my almond addiction and am cutting down on my consumption of animal protein. ♥    

Update on 11/19/18. It has been two years since I updated this blog. My mom was diagnosed with NASH, a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. By the time it was discovered, it was already in advanced stages. It was an obvious shock to our family and last year was spent in and out of the hospital (mostly in-hospital). She had a liver transplant but she just wasn’t strong enough to recover. She passed away in January. During this time I was still eating healthy, however, stress caused me to over eat, to not exercise, and my wine intake to increase. Fortunately, my husband took over on all of the cooking. However, now I have 25 pounds to lose and am ready to start living and loving life! 

Michelle W.