thanks! i can't wait to try it! just promise me it won't taste like pork rinds LOL. of course, this is beef we're talking, so it should be much better!

i fry up a pound of bacon on sundays if my hubby isn't working. i leave the grease in the skillet and cover it up. it stays on the stove and the next week i fry up another batch in it. i have it on hand to cook everything with that way.

as for coconut oil, i hate the virgin stuff. i hate coconut. the unvirgin oil though i like to cook with, but it's way too expensive for everyday use. (back before i started LC'ing, i only used it for popcorn.)

next time i go to the store, i'm gonna ask the butcher for some trimmings.... oh, if it tastes good with salsa, i'll be in heaven!

lol! Good! And as for the lard chips..I dunno if they'll taste like pork rinds, as I've never had pork rinds. They sound kind of gross, but they're probably pretty good. Who knows..

no, they aren't good, trust me. i see a thousand recipes calling for pork rinds on every lc website, and they're NASTY. oh my gosh, i thought i'd try using them to bread my chicken in one night. i nearly hurled at the smell when i opened the bag, and i hate to say it, but my opinion didn't improve a bit when i bit into the chicken! (or maybe it was pork chops, i really don't remember which... i only remember the valuable lesson i learned... keep those things far, far away from me!)

It is all in the mind or the nose or the taste buds of the beholder. Personally, I agree the pork rinds SMELL bad - but when used as the carrier for wonderful dips and stuff, it just isn't any better. With the Splenda, butter, cinnamon and rebaking them, you have some sweet yummies. I don't expect to change anyone's mind - I, too, have my boundaries. I just want to put a voice in for the pork rinds and the fewer you buy means the more there are for me. That is a good thing!!

i really wish i could believe you, because they are incredibly inexpensive and i really miss crunchy snacks. but i'll leave the shelves in the store fully stocked just for you!

You can trust me, LadyC, that I love them and can't buy them fast enough. I fully acknowledge that they aren't for everyone. I love raw oysters and abhor lima beans - and just as with pork rinds, everyone has their own preferences. I didn't jump into the love affair without some tentative steps. Before LC, I could not understand why anyone would eat those things - those pork rinds. Once LC became a WOE and a WOL, I began to try a variety of things never before appreciated. I now eat fried cabbage, and zucchini - two things I have learned to love in this LC world. I will smile and think of you when I find my treats still sitting on the shelf. Thank you!!!

Funny, I was just thinking about this today - albeit in a different sort of way.

You see, I've been on a road trip - a three-to-four day driving trip, and as we all know, that can often mean fast food outlets.

The weird thing? I was thinking along the lines of starting a thread called, "I don't have to....."

Meaning, I don't have to eat that kind of food anymore.

I *was* kind of judgemental when I first started low-carbing...thinking that what other people put into their shopping carts was somehow 'less-than', but now...after a couple of years of low-carbing, I'm actually grateful that I don't 'have to' eat that kind of food anymore.

I think the biggest change is the switch to 'real food'. That never would have happened for me if I hadn't decided to embark upon a low-carb way of eating. It's not really a matter of which low-carb diet, or whether it has more or less carbs than the next plan - but rather, how reducing refined carbs in our diets leads to whole food eating.

I'm actually grateful ... and not so judgemental anymore.

I'm grateful that I don't crave that stuff anymore, and that I appreciate real food. This took a long, long time....but nevertheless, I'm truly appreciative of what low-carb eating has done for me in terms of being able to ditch junky foods.

While on the road, I found myself craving grilled salmon and wilted greens.

What a switch from a couple of years ago, when I'd be craving some kind of junk food.

Now, when I see junk food - I'm shocked. I think to myself, "I can't believe I actually used to eat that stuff". Stuff filled with hydrolized this or that, corn syrup and the like.

I feel lucky.

That I don't like that stuff anymore.

So, when I happen to notice what's in someone else's cart, I'm more inclined to feel happy that I'm not in that trap anymore. I'm not standing there looking at someone else's stuff thinking, "How awful"...I'm standing there, thinking, "I'm so glad I don't like that stuff anymore".

I don't judge people by what's in their cart, but we're all observant, aren't we? I would never comment or make a face. Even a compliment, IMO, is a little rude.

I'm actually quite self-conscious about my grocery cart. If I'm buying tofu for my b/f, I have to buy some meat to go with it so people won't assume I'm a low-fat vegan or something.

Of course, I feed my dog raw, so going through the checkout with chicken lungs and backs is a little weird in and of itself.

I had to get in on this thread just because I have always been paranoid about my own shopping cart. So much so that even when I go through the express lane I imagine what people are thinking... how can you only need _____ or ______. I hate buying things in express that would allow people to figure out what I am doing with it. I'm a paranoid weirdo I know.


Now I know why I have always been paranoid.... it is you people judging my cart

I am sure yesterday I got a lot of stares and interest when I bought 3 filets of salmon, 2 and 1/2 dozen eggs, 2 pork tenderloins (they were on sale), 2 large cans of tuna, 5 individual packs of tuna, fruits and veggies for the kids, and whole wheat bread for my daughters lunch sandwiches.

I'm sure the world is always curious as to how we can eat so many eggs, but DH and I and both our kids eat eggs every morning for breakfast. I eat tuna and boiled eggs just about everyday for lunch.

Do I judge others carts? No, but I do notice. What cracks me up is people who think they are saving money by buying the cheap brand of processed foods when really it is so much more economical to eat seasonal fruits and veggies and to buy meat that is on sale.

I usually check out the tabloids. Today's Weekly World News had a cover story on a "redneck vampire" attacking a trailer park.

they don't think they're saving money, take it from one who used to load my cart up with processed foods.... it isn't about nickles and dimes, it's about convenience! back when i could eat that stuff and not know the difference, i didn't care HOW much more i was spending, if it got me in and out of the kitchen quicker, it was worth any cost.

If you want a crunchy snack...I just ordered a couple of packages of "Just the Cheese" crackers from the low carb store. I got Jalapeno and ranch flavour and they are mighty fine. 1 gram per serving.

Cheap they are not, however.

i don't see it at netrition...