G is for Green

Some foods that I eat regularly while watching my weight are green beans and greens.

I can remember spending two weeks each summer as a child visiting a relative's farm while my parents had some alone time. Although I am from a rural area, I always lived in town and never understood what real farm life was like until I stayed with my cousins. Gathering eggs, milking a cow, and butchering chickens were foreign concepts to me until I experienced them firsthand. I had helped my mother with simple gardening, but learning a little more about farm gardens and crops during those summers was educational. I snapped fresh green beans from the garden by the bushel load until my fingers were sore. There's nothing quite like the memory of the texture of fresh, fuzzy green beans to take me back to those times in an instant.

Today, our family typically does not eat green beans from our small garden. In fact, my husband refused to plant them because he had grown up eating the majority of his meals with green beans, and he said he would be happy to never eat green beans for the rest of his life. His mother was an expert gardener, and canned like crazy. Some things have changed, though, and we use green beans now as part of our low carb plan. We like them cooked in a little bit of organic coconut oil. Of course, a little bit of bacon added in doesn't hurt the flavor, either. Green beans are a source of antioxidents, and contain vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. 1/2 cup green beans=about 5 total carbs.

Greens, in the form of salad or lettuce greens, have become a regular part of life for me. Although I was never a huge salad lover before, I now probably eat about 5 salads per week as part of my lunch routine. Sometimes I eat iceberg lettuce, but there really isn't a lot of nutritional value in it. I prefer to use chopped romaine or even spinach salad, or a mixed bag of various 'exotic' greens when I can find a good deal and the family is feeling adventuresome. Large romaine leaves, I have found, are a great way to make a sandwich without the bread. The leaves are sturdy, and can hold together regular sandwich fillers quite nicely if folded over. Give it a try if you haven't. There are a lot of other greens I could mention here, but these are the most common ones I eat right now. Romaine is an excellent source of folate, and a great source of fiber. 2 cups of romaine lettuce=3 total carbs