Tretakoff Musings

As part of America's tradition of New Year's resolutions, I joined thousands of Americans in trying to drop a few pounds this year. In addition to the 70+ miles on the bike on my commute each week, I am trying to eat a little better. One place a coworker, Alison , turned me on to was Mixt Greens , a salad place extraordinaire. I enjoyed a heck of a repast, and after, I wondered just how nutritious my meal was, so, just on a whim, I headed over to their site. Buried under a small tab marked Nutrition Info, I saw this amazing calculator , allowing me to see the exact details of what I just consumed. Not just the prepacked pieces; the very meal I had custom made for me. It's powered by a company called FoodCALC , and they have partnered with several restaurant chains to do this. Why I think it's brilliant is that Casual Dining places usually struggle for a good reason to drive people online, or vice-versa. The occasional loyalty card does it, as do coupons, but this g...

Yesterday was the annual tradition, complete with the 20 lb. bird. As I have moved to a much lower carb lifestyle, I decided to try my luck with some traditional Thanksgiving treats, low-carb style. See, normally I just get tortured by the massive great gourmet food, and end up relenting, then feeling terrible. This year, not on my watch. First up, dessert. I love Pumpkin Pie, but the crust and filler is a carb-killer. A few years ago, I tried a mix and a Pecan crust, but that was WAY too advanced for me. This year, I made the pumpkin pie filling from scratch, and decided to skip the crust. In essence, a pumpkin custard. Of course, had I known a food processor is not the best for liquids, I might have had more. Sigh. After cleaning the mess, the blender did the job, and the result was surprisingly good! Add some Cool Whip Lite, and it was damned impressive. Next, one of my other major vices: cranberry sauce. Maybe it's because I was raised in the cranberry capital of the world, but...