Busy Morning Eggs Verde and Red-eye Sweet Potato Fritters

We want to eat healthy at breakfast and that usually means avoiding fast food and restaurants that serve huge plates of food. Cooking at home may be daunting, but these recipes are easy and take very little time. The sweet potato fritters can be made ahead of time and reheated.

Busy Morning Eggs Verde

8 large eggs
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 - 5 ounce can diced green chilies, drained
¼ cup scallions, diced
1/4 cup yellow bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Pour all into a greased skillet and cook or scramble to desired doneness. Feeds 1 or 2 cowpokes or 3 or for slowpokes.

Ginger's Red-eye Sweet Potato Fritters

4 pounds sweet potato
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (low carb option - coconut or almond flour)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Coconut or vegetable oil

Peel sweet potatoes and grate in a food processor with ginger root. Combine with eggs, flour, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt until well blended. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large skillet to 360 degrees. Form small balls out of sweet potato mixture batter, drop into oil in batches and fry about 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Transfer fritters to paper towels and drain. Serves 8 starving strangers or 4 starving wranglers.

Recipes courtesy of 'Authentic Cowboy Cookery Then and Now' by Carol Bardelli.

Merry Christmas! Here's your free cookbook from your's truly!

Download or read online a FREE .PDF or text copy of my cookbook 'The Best of the Best of JB Ranch Recipe Sampler Cookbook' by Carol Bardelli.

Simply click here to go to Scribd and download or read it.

Recipes included are from A Cowboy Cookin’ Every Night Cookbook By Carol Bardelli, All American Meals Cookbook Compiled by the JB Ranch Staff, Authentic Cowboy Cookery Then & Now by Carol Bardelli and F.E. “Lizzie” Hill, Easy Gourmet For Diabetics Cookbook By Carol Bardelli, SN, The Hooked Cook – A Fisherman’s Cookbook
By Carol Bardelli and John Cuneo Sr., The Protein Edge Cookbook High Protein, Low Fat, Low Calorie Recipes by Carol Bardelli, SN and the Iron Mountain Gym Staff, Wild Man Gourmet Wild Game Cookbook By Carol Bardelli & The JB Ranch Staff, Use Your Noodle! Three Italians Cook By Carol Bardelli, Nikki Diavolo & Dante “Blue” Azzurro.

Free pancakes at IHOP, free grilled sandwich at Jack In The Box, low carb and diabetic options

It's a good day for fast food lovers. IHOP is giving away a free short stack of pancakes to all customers and asking for donations for the Children's Miracle Network in return. Simultaneously, Jack In The Box is offering a free grilled sandwich to anyone buying a large drink. Free carbohydrate laden foods aren't exactly doing a favor to your waistline though. But who can turn down free pancakes for a good cause.

Read "How many carbohydrates should I eat?"

While fast food, and starchy food like pancakes in particular, are not healthy foods per se indulging occasionally won't hurt most healthy people. Diabetics and borderline diabetics might want to pass on these carbohydrate bombs as they elevate blood sugar. Low carbohydrate dieters should also think twice before accepting these freebies. Or get the free sandwich, skip the bun and the International House of Pancakes hotcakes.
Click here to read more and see the video.

Tailgate recipes, football fans love this Cajun style crab dip recipe

This full bodied dip almost makes a meal in itself. If you're entertaining a large crowd, be sure to double or triple the recipe. Don't be afraid to add a cup of precooked salad shrimp, or feel free to substitute your favorite seafood in place of the crab. Lightly sauteed scallops go well in this recipe as well. To keep this treat low carb serve with vegetables instead of toast or crackers. Click here to get the recipe and see the video.

Food manufacturers play tricks on consumers and dieters

One of the biggest mistakes dieters make is trusting food manufacturers, not reading labels, and not researching nutrition information on unlabeled food items like meats. This can lead to consuming hundreds of extra calories a day. Not only can this stall your diet it can lead to unwanted weight gain. You may think you're eating healthy, yet end up packing on extra pounds.

Food manufacturers play tricks on consumers by commonly marketing products like sodas, candy, and snack foods like chips and cookies, in packages that appear to be single servings. But most are actually two or more servings per package. Few people who eat high calorie, refined snack foods bother to read the nutrition labels. This is one reason so many people are overweight. Simple oversight on how much you're really putting in your mouth is a crime against your waist.

We assume we're sticking to our diet when we shop the frozen foods section and buy prepackaged diet foods. They're portion controlled for us and low in fat and calories. Well, maybe not.

On example is Michelina brand Lean Gourmet Snackers Baked Pepperoni Pizza. The package is the same size as the other diet entrees. Read more and and watch the videos.

To lose weight don't skip breakfast

It's been said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. People who eat breakfast weigh less, while those who skip this "breaking fast" meal typically weigh more. Studies have shown that eating breakfast is associated with improved strength and endurance in the late morning, along with a better attitude toward school or work.

Studies show that your brain requires an adequate supply of readily available glucose (sugar converted from carbohydrates) to function well. Eating breakfast replenishes blood glucose levels, a vital factor in performance as the brain cannot store reserves of glucose.

Breakfast also jump starts your metabolism, important for weight control. Below are some breakfast recipes to jump start your day. Always be sure to balance your meals with adequate protein, a small serving of a whole grain carb or fruit, and a small amount of healthy fat.

To read more and see the videos click here.