Make Accountability Work for You: Skinny Cowboy Caviar (Low Carb Recipe)

Everything you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17, GW)

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Have you been at this weight loss thing a while? I have. I’ve battled it off and on for twenty years (read: yo-yo dieter). Last year in our Bible study, Made to Crave, I read some interesting statistics. When setting a goal and having accountability for setting that goal, the probably of reaching that goal is:

10% when you hear an idea
40% when you decide you will do it
50% when you plan how to do it
65% when you commit to someone else to do it
95% when you have an accountability appointment with the person you’ve committed to

What do you think? Has this been true in your life? It certainly has in mine. I’ve had the most success in my weight loss goal in the last ten months because I actually made myself accountable to some important people.

First, I made myself accountable to God. This body of mine is His temple. I had horribly abused His temple. It’s important for me to show God that I love Him and want to obey Him by getting my temple healthy.

Second, I made myself accountable to two other people who also made a commitment to God: my mom and my good friend, Michele. Even though it was only the three of us who completed the Made to Crave Bible study last fall, we made a commitment to weigh/measure once a week and share our trials and triumphs. When we’re having a rough time of it, we pray for each other. When we have victories, no matter how small, we celebrate with each other. We keep in touch.

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We’ve all had great success in the past ten months. My mom is five pounds from her goal weight and Michele is losing every week, getting fit and healthy. Our success seems to be based on the last three statistics listed above: we planned our goal, we committed to each other, and we keep our accountability appointments every week.

I want to let you know that all three of us are reaching our goals in different ways. My mom is watching her portions and eating foods from the low glycemic index (my dad is a diabetic) and being more active. Michele is doing Weight Watchers and walking. I am carb cycling, eating from the low glycemic index, and exercising.

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to get there — you just have to find a plan that works for you. There’s no one plan that works for everyone. To find what works for you takes, well, work. It takes research. It takes talking to others who are on their weight loss journeys. It takes trying out some different eating plans. But it does not include FAD DIETING! Remember, you didn’t put on your extra weight in two weeks and it won’t come off in two weeks. It’s not how our bodies work.

Whatever you decide to do, do it for the glory of the Lord. If you place your faith in Him, commit to Him, and find at least two other people you can REALLY commit to, you will see successful results. In fact, I invite you to partner with ME, personally, and make a commitment to me. I will, in turn, make a commitment to YOU — to share what I’m doing each week, how I’m doing each week, and be your encourager! I will be honest with you. There’s no reason we can’t work together.

Photo Source: Sandra Hall Rosser

Today, I’m giving you another personal favorite low carb recipe, Skinny Cowboy Caviar. The first time I made this, I had it as a meal over mixed salad greens, but it can be eaten as a morning or afternoon snack as well.

Skinny Cowboy Caviar (Serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

2 large avocados, pitted and peeled

1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced

1 medium sweet onion (I love Vidalia), finely chopped

1/2 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen — avoid canned because of the sodium)

1 cup canned black beans (rinsed well and drained well)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder (or ground cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons salsa

1 Tablespoon, chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Juice of a small lime

Jalapenos or green chilies (optional, you decide how hot you’d like it)

Directions:

1. Cook hamburger or turkey over medium heat. Cook thoroughly, then drain. (Weight Watchers trick: while meat is in the colander, rinse a couple of times with boiling water to remove even more fat!) Return to pan and add dry seasonings (garlic powder, chili powder/cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper). Add onion, corn, beans, and salsa. Mix until meat is coated with the spices and the salsa is bubbling. Cook until onions are slightly translucent, but still a little firm. If mixture seems a little dry, you can add more salsa, but you don’t want a soupy mixture. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Roughly mash avocados into chunks in a medium bowl. (Save the pits.)

3. Add tomato, meat mixture, lime juice, and cilantro. Stir well. Mixture should be a chunky, like a dip.

4. When storing, place the avocado pits on top of the mixture and keep in an air-tight container. This helps keep the avocado from turning brown. Mixture will keep in refrigerator 2-3 days.

Serve over a bed of mixed greens (my favorite way) or with carrot sticks, celery sticks, green pepper slices, crackers, toasted French bread, or tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information (per 1/2 cup serving): 225 calories, 15 g fat, 325 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrates*, 12 g dietary fiber, and 30 g protein.

*By now you’re probably screaming at me: YOU SAID THIS WAS A LOW CARB RECIPE! THIS SAYS 18 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES IN A HALF-CUP SERVING! Truly, this is considered a low carb, low glycemic index recipe. You have to look at all of the nutritional information. Most of the fat in this recipe is considered good fat (from the avocados — click here to find out about good fats). Yes, it has 18 grams of carbs, but look at the dietary fiber! When the dietary fiber content is higher, it means that you’re eating healthy carbs (click here to find out about good and bad carbs). Black beans and corn are two of the most fiber-rich foods you can eat. If you just can’t justify 18 grams of carbohydrates in a half-cup serving, feel free to omit the beans and corn.

That being said, you cannot snack on this recipe more than once a day. Moderation is the key. It always is. This recipe has all the makings of a great snack: good fat, some good carbs, and protein. The combination of these three nutrients will keep you feeling full because it takes longer to digest them.

Now, will you make that commitment? Drop me an email at lbtk1@aol.com or leave a comment below. I promise to answer. I promise to partner with you and increase your accountability!

Have a blessed weekend! Get out and move your body! Enjoy!

shr