ladidi's Profile

If her BF is strict about "no carbs" as she mentions, quinoa and beans are not going to fly. They are low-glycemic index foods, but they most certainly have carbs. Strict low-carb diets typically allow less than 30 grams per day -- just half a cup of cooked quinoa has about 15 grams; beans and chickpea flour will have even more.

In fact, one of the reasons low-carb diets are effective is precisely because of the lack of variety in foods allowed. There comes a point when consuming more protein, fat or fiber is simply unappealing -- this happens much less often with carbs. Thus, calories consumed stay low. It's not the only reason the diet is effective, but it's certainly an important one.

Her question also exposes one of the reasons why overweight is associated with poverty. Carbs are CHEAP. Protein and fat sources simply cost more, no matter how you slice it, owing to their perishability and the subsidy system.

But to her question: eggs are truly the best inexpensive low-carb "filler" available, unfortunately, but she might try fashioning them into something like cloud bread for variety. Ground flax seeds can also be mixed with an egg for an oatmeal-like concoction. But the first thing I'd try would be to add more quality fats to the dishes, as has been suggested.

http://www.food.com/recipe/carb-free-cloud-bread-411501
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/breakfstpudding.htm

I must be the only person in the world who loves frozen spinach! I mean, I love fresh spinach too and I'll concede that there's definitely a taste/texture difference, but I eat frozen spinach at least once a week (heated with just olive oil, salt and garlic).

The advantages of fresh spinach don't outweigh the trouble of washing it, using it before it goes bad, and the hassle of cooking it all down. Plus frozen is way more economical! I buy the organic kind from Trader Joe's that's packaged similarly to the picture above. Love their frozen green beans too!

I'm eyeing the dress too!

I haven't used cloves specifically for flies, but I lined the bottom of my kitchen window with whole cloves when I was having an ant problem and it was magical how quickly they disappeared. Now that I think about it, I don't see many flies around my house, either...

Aw, I like it! What a great idea for a healthier office birthday choice. Instead of everyone eating cake on top of their regular lunch, the office could have this for lunch instead! Could be a great idea for a catering business...

And I don't think using cream cheese or mayo as frosting is gross at all...most sweetened frostings use exactly the same ingredients, they just also include a ton of sugar.

In college, I had a preference for a juice drink that came in an interesting glass bottle. I saved the bottles, soaked off the labels, and filled about 20 of them with water. Each bottle got a varying number of food coloring drops in order to create a cascade of several colors. Then I lined them up in color order along a long windowsill. Cheap and eye catching, and the water didn't mold or anything after a year (though you could use some kind of vinegar or alcohol if you were worried about that).

I like this a lot. Reminds me of the Alton Brown kitchen.

Hahahaha, add it slowly to salads. I add regular lettuce slowly to my arugula salads...and that's only if I don't have enough arugula growing out back to make a 100% arugula salad!

Haha, I used to do this before I had a smart phone. I'd take a screenshot of the Google map directions of where ever it was I needed to go, and then pretend my phone was smart...

Real smart phones are easier though. I also do this to compare prices of products I regularly buy at different stores.

I do this, but not to preserve half a bottle of great wine. Rather, I keep a jar in the fridge for small amounts of unfinished table wine and add to it whenever my husband or I decides not to finish a glass (we're not talking about really great wine here). I probably wouldn't drink the jar's contents - I keep it in the fridge for much longer than a week - but I use it for cooking because it's usually the wine's acidity and not overall quality that I want in the dish. That way, I don't have to open a new bottle just for cooking.