 |
| A nervous Harley Miller pays the Vet Pet a visit. |
Hello HCGers - I hope you all had a great weekend and a good start to this week. I apologize for being a little late with this entry, but I was gone all weekend and playing catch up the past couple of days. I had the unique opportunity to coach a dear friend and rival coach's basketball team this weekend at the Texas A&M Team Basketball Camp. Coach Craft is the fine basketball coach at McKinney North High School and he and I have been doing battle with each other for the past several years. We decided to coach each other's teams during the summer since the UIL does not allow coaches to coach their players out of season. What a great experience it was. The young men from McKinney North are not only really good basketball players, they are mannered, respectful, and give me great hope about our future generation. I got to know 10 really great young men over the weekend and I have even more respect for Coach Craft and the Bulldogs than I did before. Thanks Bulldogs.
I have another big thank you to hand out. This time it goes out to some fellow HCGers - Danny and Amy Cox of McKinney. Danny owns and runs the Vet Pet in Frisco. His animal hospital and clinic is located in the Petco located at the North Dallas Tollway/Eldorado. Amy also does grooming as well. Well ol' Harley (you remember the Shepherd that has devoured our backyard) turned a year old recently and it was time for him to get a check-up and his shots updated. So me and the kiddos loaded him up and went to see the Vet Pet himself. What a great crew Danny has as they took great care of Harley and made the whole process really painless (of course I wasn't on the receiving end of that fecal check either) and were genuinely concerned and interested in his health and well-being. If you have some veternarian services, please consider Dr. Cox and the Vet Pet. If Frisco is too far, Danny told me that there are plans to open additional Vet Pets in the Petco stores in Allen and Addison as well. I will let you all know when those hospitals are open. Funny thing about dogs - they can sense things so well. Harley usually loves to "go" and getting in the car is met with much enthusiasm and delight by our four-legged son. However, today he wasn't nearly as excited - it was as if he sensed that this was not a field trip to the park or a joy ride to the post office. And certainly when we arrived at the Vet Pet, his fears were confirmed and that tail that is usually a lethal weapon from wagging back-in-forth with such gusto, was tucked tightly between his legs. Those perky ears, slicked back like he knew this was not going be good - and for him, I'm sure it was not. Amazing how dogs pick up on stuff like that. Well, he survived the visit, got a great report and crashed on the way home with Myles in the backseat. I gave him half a ribeye tonight for his drama and he gobbled that up happily. I wonder if he will pick up that we are leaving for vacation for 2 weeks without him?? Somehow, I bet he will.
 |
| I knew this was no joy ride - not getting in the car ever again! |
Ok here are a few recipes that you can have on Phase Two of the protocol. Many of you are looking for variety, so try these and give me your reviews.
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS:
3.5 oz of lean ground beef
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 serving of melba toast crumbs
1tablespoon of onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
teaspoon of garlic powder
teaspoon of onion powder
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Hollow out tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and turn upside down to drain for 10 minutes;
Brown ground beef adding onion, garlic and spices;
Pack ground beef mixture into tomatoes and add small amount of water to bottom of dish;
Top with melba crumbs and salt;
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes;
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Makes 1 serving of protein, vegetable and bread: 215 calories
Phase 3 Variation - add string cheese and also cream cheese to mixture and wrap with bacon.
Cabbage Rolls
INGREDIENTS:
3.5 oz of lean ground beef for each serving
4 large cabbage leaves
1 cup of 99% Fat Free Beef Broth
1 tablespoon of onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed and minced
dash of garlic powder and onion powder (What exactly is a dash anyway???)
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375;
Lightly blanch large cabbage leaves and set aside;
Brown ground beef with onion, garlic and spices;
Spoon ground beef mixture into cabbage leaves, tuck in ends and roll up (burrito style);
Put cabbage rolls in a baking dish and add broth to the bottom;
Brush lightly with beef broth and bake in oven for 20-30 minutes;
Spoon sauce over cabbage rolls periodically to keep moist.
Make multiple servings at one time for best results.
167 calories each
Strawberry Sorbet/Pops
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 medium strawberries
Approx. 3 cubes of ice
Any powdered or flavored Stevia to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or cocoa (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
PREPARATION:
Blend ingredients together until smooth;
Pour into a dish or Popsicle molds and freeze until firm.
Makes 1 serving of fruit - 35 calories
Warm Strawberry Compote
INGREDIENTS:
5 large fresh sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of cayenne
dash of salt
Vanilla or dark chocolate Stevia to taste
PREPARATION
In a small saucepan, combine ingredients and stir thoroughly;
Saute on medium heat until warm and bubbly and a sauce develops;
Serve warm in a bowl and garnish with mint;
Top with cinnamon Melba Croutons
Makes 1 fruit serving - 35 calories
Next entry I will divulge the secrets of my highly requested "Jalepeno Sausage Bombs" and also my "Beyonce Thighs" for our folks on the maintenance phase. Until then, I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. Look for the next entry on Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment