Rule #16 and a recipe

“For the overweight and obese, salt commands attention for two reasons.  The first is health.  Too much salt and you will upset your body’s exquisite mechanism for maintaining proper levels of fluid.  That causes increased blood volume, which makes your heart work harder to move blood through arteries, which increases blood pressure.  Like anything under too much pressure, some thing’s going to blow.  When it does, we call it stroke or heart disease.  It is a leading cause of premature death in the general population.  It is the leading cause of premature death among women.

There are less grave but nonetheless important consequences as well; swollen “Cabbage Patch doll” ankles, dry skin, and puffy bags under the eyes.  Fluid retention also can slow weight loss and cause you to get discouraged.  You don’t need that.”

Here’s how Bob manages his salt intake:

“Don’t use salt at the table.  Don’t even put it on the table; having it there will make it too easy to add to your food without thinking.  If you really think something needs salt, you’ll have to get up to get the shaker.  That’s a disincentive right there.

When you check a label for salt content, always check portion size as well.

Use lemons and lemon juice to enhance flavors.

If something you’re cooking calls for a teaspoon of salt, start with a half or a third instead.  You can always add more later.  You can’t take it out.”

I'm happy to say I follow this rule and a lot of the same things Bob does as well!  We NEVER have salt out and available.  It's put away up in the cupboard and normally only gets added to baking dishes that call for it.  Once in a while I will add it to veggies I am roasting, but in that case I always use sea salt.  Another little tid bit I wish Bob would've included.  If you use Sea Salt, you tend to use less because the salt "flavor" is stronger with Sea Salt than regular iodized table salt.

I actually feel very in tune with my salt levels in my body.  I can tell by how I feel whether I've taken in too much sodium and I can also tell when my sodium levels are where they should be.  It's those days I report I'm "feeling skinnier" lol.  The fluid retention is a key indicator as well and obviously the sodium levels skyrocket when you eat out.  My thirst levels change as well obviously, which is another good indicator.

So anyway, that's that.  Here's the recipe I promised:

Mini Omelets (makes 24 "omelets")

24 eggs
"Fillings" - bacon, mushrooms, jalapenos, salsa, cheese, green onions, ham...whatever you like in your omelet.


Preheat oven to 400 F

Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray (I use olive oil in an ionizer)

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs to scramble.  Some may choose to add a splash of milk or sprinkle of S&P at this point...I chose not to.

Fill each muffin cup approximately half way full with the egg mixture.  Top with your fillings and bake for approx 20 mins.

I made 6 omelets with just bacon and cheese, 6 with veggies and ham, 6 with homemade candied jalapeno, and 6 with homemade mild salsa.

THEY WERE SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!

On to today's menu (sorry this is getting so long!)

Breakfast: 2 mini omelets, 1 banana
Snack: nothing (yeah yeah yeah I know!)
Lunch: Quinoa stuffed bell pepper, Apple
Snack: Carrots and Hummus

Happy hump day all!