Balancing Carbs with Fats and Proteins

Eating a healthy diet that allows you to lose or maintain weight requires balancing carbohydrates, fats and proteins.  You need 50% of your daily caloric intake of 2000% a day to come from fat, 30% from protein and 20% from carbs.

You should never eat carb alone.  When eaten on their won your blood sugar rises rapidly, then plunges…leaving you tired and hungry.  And craving more carbs.  And it causes weight gain.  Eat those carbs with plenty of healthy fats and protein…and you ingest and burn them nice and slow.

Though the following recipe is a carrot dish, and carrots being very high in carbs (97% of it’s calories are from carbs), when combin3ed with butter, pecans and bacon, it reduces the carb load to a acceptable percentage.

Glazed Carrots With Bacon And Pecans

4 slices of thick cut bacon
1/2 cut pecans- coarsely chopped
1 pound carrots- roll cut
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon thyme
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the bacon in a 12-inch iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add the pecans and cook until fragrant and slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pecans to the plate with the bacon.

2. Add the carrots, salt, honey, the chicken broth, and thyme to the skillet. Bring to a boil, covered, over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost tender when poked with the tip of a paring knife, about 7 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the butter to the skillet. Toss the carrots to coat and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are completely tender, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer the carrots to a serving dish, scraping the glaze from the pan into the dish. Season to taste with pepper, sprinkle the bacon and pecans on top and serve immediately.

Sautéed Chicken Breast with Lemon and Prosciutto Sauce

2 organic chicken breasts, skin on
4 Tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
3 Tablespoons organic butter
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried sage
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons butter
2 slices thick cut prosciutto, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

1)  Generously season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper and dredge one at a time in flour placed in a shallow dish; shake gently to remove excess flour and set aside.

2)  Heat butter and coconut oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides and butter begins to color, place cutlets in skillet, skinned side up. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté without moving until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook on other side until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes.

3)  Leaving fat in skillet, transfer cutlets to plate, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in 200-degree oven while preparing the sauce.

For the Sauce:

1)  Set skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sage leaves; sauté until garlic is fragrant and sage crisps, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Add chicken stock, increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Off heat, swirl in butter, and add prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.