Friday Night Dinner

I think I should also share some of the challenges that I have on this diet such as temptations that I don't overcome......  I was supposed to go to a spa party after work last night, but the rain was so bad and storms were on the way, so I begged off and came home instead.  On the way home, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner.  I hadn't planned on dinner, because I expected to eat at the party.  I had fish, salmon and chicken breasts in the freezer, but then I thought about how good salmon patties would be with canned salmon.  Not changed for the 17 day diet - but just the way I always make them - which is the way mama made them, with crushed crackers, egg and seasonings (I use thyme and dill weed.)  I also had 2 yellow squash in the frig and I thought, "that squash sure would be good fried" - not sauteed in a little olive oil like earlier in the week, but coated with corn meal and fried in canola oil.  So when I got home from work, I boiled some corn on the cob, made fried squash and salmon patties - and I thoroughly enjoyed my soul food supper.

Dr. Mike's Power Cookie

I have been anticipating this cookie since I first read the recipes in the book.  I wanted to be ready to make it when I got to the second cycle, so I started looking for the ingredients I didn't have on hand. I found everything except the flaxseed oil and almond paste.  They weren't at my two most frequented stores: Aldi and Wal-Mart.  I figured I could find them at Bi-Lo, Publix, or one of the specialty grocery stores. 

Today I decided I wanted to make the cookies, so I looked online and found a few different recipes for almond paste, and of course, decided to make the easiest one.  I had a bag of sliced almonds in the freezer which was 1 1/2 cups, and that was the amount called for in the recipe.  It also used 1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract, 1 egg white and 1/4 tsp. salt.  You grind the almonds in a food processor alone, then add the other ingredients and mix until it forms a paste.  It makes plenty, I froze 4 2 Tbsp. batches (the amount used in the cookie recipe) and had a 1/2 cup container left that I put in the refrigerator and will use for something in the next few weeks.

I did find the flaxseed oil at Bi-Lo, they had one bottle on the shelf and it was on sale for over $7.00.  The expiration date was 04/11 - I decided I didn't want to pay that much for something that was expiring this month.  So I thought I would make the cookies and just use canola oil - the recipe only calls for one Tbsp. of oil, so I didn't think it would make that much difference flavor wise.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients.  I decided at the last minute instead of substituting canola oil for the flaxseed oil, I would use sesame oil.  I also had to convert the 10 Truvia packets into a bulk amount, because I bought Truvia in a container.  The way I figured it, 10 packets equals 3 Tbsp. I gathered all the ingredients and made the cookies!

I was surprised at the consistency of the cookie dough, it was rather thin for cookie dough and sticky.  The recipe is supposed to make 18 cookies and that's what I had - not all the same size, but I had 18.

The finished product!  There are 17 cookies on the plate, because I had to sample one.  It was quite dense and very filling.  One cookie is definitely all you need for a snack and will make a nice breakfast with milk and maybe an orange or something.

Oatmeal for Breakfast

I decided to make my favorite oatmeal breakfast this morning.  I like to combine steel cut oats, oat bran and regular oats, either old fashioned or quick.  I was excited to find quick cook steel cut oats at Aldi last year.  They cook in about 7 minutes compared to regular steel cut oats that take about 30 min. to cook.  This was also the first time I had found steel cut oats ouside a health food store.

I cook one serving of each, except I only had about 1/2 serving of oat bran left in the box, so I added a little more steel cut oats.

Before the 17 day diet, I would add butter, (not margarine, BUTTER) sourwood honey, and a little cinnamon to my oatmeal.  Now I use about a half tsp. of Truvia and cinnamon - not as good, but it'll pass.

Since I always have leftovers, I just add a little water and microwave the next day.

Dinner

There are times when you know having a healthy dinner is going to be difficult, usually because of schedules and time constraints.  Yesterday I had a hamburger patty and tossed salad for lunch.  About 3 pm I ate a piece of sweet potato pie.  Left work at 5, went to exercise at 5:30, left there at 6:30 and headed to a church service in East Ridge.  I ate a pear on the way to church.  I left church at 8:00 and was hungry, but couldn't figure what I should eat.  I thought about stopping at a convenience store for low fat chocolate milk, I had done that previously after exercise - have a pint of chocolate milk and call it supper.  But I was wanting something to eat, and finally decided to hit a drive through.  I went through Wendy's at 8:30 and got the smallest size of fries - the value size.  And that along with water was supper.  I knew it might cause some reflux problems - eating french fries so late, and it did.  I woke up for the first time in a long time during the night with reflux.

Tonight when I got home from work I didn't have anything prepared and had an hour before church.  So I prepared a "30 minute meal."  I thawed chicken breast tenders in the microwave and sauteed them in a little olive oil - seasoned with lemon pepper and garlic pepper.  I steamed some fresh broccoli and chopped up squash and onion and sauteed that in a little olive oil.  Thirty minutes from start to finish - that was great.  I made enough to have another meal, probably lunch on Friday.

Portable Breakfast

About once a week I have a smoothie for breakfast.  Very easy to make, I just hate having to wash the blender. Ha.  I use 1/2 cup Yoplait light vanilla yogurt, 1 cup 1% milk, about a cup of frozen berries - this morning I used half blueberries and half strawberries.  Sometimes I buy mixed frozen berries.

  It makes a portable, delicious, filling, healthy breakfast.

Tomorrow will be 2 months

It is hard to believe it has been 2 months since I started the diet.  I have lost a total of 14 pounds since Feb. 14th.  I had lost 3 pounds since the first of the year just by cutting back, nothing really structured.  So almost 20 pounds this year with about 30 more to go.  I have not been following the diet plan precisely, especially, in the last few weeks, but have the basics down and stick to it pretty closely. 

I plan to start back on cycle one the first of May - hopefully that will give me another jumpstart.  I would really like to lose 10 pounds a month and be at my goal by the end of July, but I know I will have to stop cheating on the weekends and having those occasional restaurant meals where I don't adhere to the plan if I expect that to happen.

I really think once I reach my goal weight, it will be easy enough to keep it under control - just watch my weight very carefully, and when I gain 3 or 4 pounds, go back to a more restrictive diet for a week or so and get it off.  Sounds good in principle anyway.......

Last night I made a hamburger plate - actually, the only "bad" thing about it is the sauteed onions - I cooked them in the hamburger grease - but they sure were good.  The ketchup was the reduced sugar kind from the book.





I love the new MiO that Regina sent me.  It is hard to believe such a small amount can make such a great glass of iced tea!  That was a real treat to go with my hamburger plate.



Last Friday night I had a couple of left over baked sweet potatoes and got a real hankerin' for a sweet potato pie.  I didn't have pie crust on hand, so went to the store to get them.  It would have been more healthy to just make it as a sweet potato custard without crust, but........  I tried to make it as healthy, low carb as possible so I used the two sweet potatoes, mashed; 2 eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup 2% evaporated milk; 1/4 cup truvia; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. nutmeg; 1/8 tsp. allspice.  No butter at all.  It turned out pretty good.  I think the truvia leaves a little after taste, I might should have used a little less.

This picture is after a few pieces have been eaten.  It's very good when you haven't had pie since Christmas!

Beginning Second Week

I lost 6.2 pounds last week, and I am happy with that.  I took measurements this morning, so I can also keep up with that. 

I made the lettuce wraps this morning to take to work for lunch, and they were very good. I need to thaw some tilapia and salmon and cook them tonight to have for the next couple of days, and I need to make another salad.  Later in the week, I think I'll make chicken fajitas to use as lettuce wraps. 

I find myself wanting something else to snack on - some carbs, like pretzels or crackers or something.  So far, I have resisted. I keep thinking of the weight loss and how this is the first time I've felt like a diet plan is actually going to work, and hope that I can continue to resist until I get rid of the cravings.

Recipes

This morning I made a Greek Omelet using 2 eggs, and for the filling - sauteed spinach, chopped onion, chopped tomato and crumbled low fat feta cheese.  That turned out well.

I made the chicken vegetable soup and added some left over green beans to the ingredients - I have really enjoyed that soup. 

I found a recipe on the feta cheese wrapper that I think will be very good to use in Phase 2, when you can have shrimp.
                             Feta Cheese and Shrimp Bake
1 small onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in large oven proof skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.  Add garlic and cook additional minute.  Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to a boil.  Cook until tomato juice thickens about 5 minutes.  Season with pepper to taste.  Remove tomato sauce from heat and stir in shrimp.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.  Bake until cheese melts and shrimp are cooked, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with chopped oregano and serve hot.

Note:  I will use dried oregano and just put it in with the tomatoes.  The recipe didn't say how many servings - but I'd think 4 - 6?

Another New Diet

I don't usually publicize when I begin a diet, because I don't want to be embarrassed when it doesn't work, or I get impatient and give up or whatever the case.  But I am feeling very optimistic about this one.  I believe I have my mind right to stick with it and not cheat.

I started it on Monday, 2/14, so today is the 6th day, and I haven't cheated yet!  I haven't really been too hungry yet, and I haven't been tempted past my weakness point.  There have been a couple of challenges to face with eathing out, and I managed pretty well, I think.  On Monday night - the first DAY, no less - I went to dinner with a friend. I got to choose the restaurant and had a brainstorm.  Long Horn Steakhouse allows adults to order from the kids menu, so I chose the grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette.  I removed the croutons, left the cheese, (wasn't much) and enjoyed the salad with a very small amount of the dressing.

The following morning I was meeting a friend at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and as I was driving there, I was trying to figure out what on earth I could eat for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and still be good.  I asked for 2 boiled eggs and orange slices.  They didn't even charge extra for the oranges, so that was nice.  As it turns out, my friend has been doing a modified Atkins for a couple of months (less fat than is usually allowed), and she has lost 30 pounds.  She had 2 eggs, over medium, bacon and wheat toast, but didn't eat too much of the toast.  Anyway, I overcame those challenges right off the bat.

I am not using the menus in the book verbatim, but am using them as a guideline.  Last Sunday night in preparation for the week, I grilled 2 salmon filets (cast iron grill pan sprayed with Pam,) baked 2 tilapia filets, seasoned with lemon pepper and baked 2 chicken breasts seasoned with garlic pepper.  I cut the chicken breasts in half and had 6 meals ready to go.  I made a large green salad, leaving off the tomatoes until time to eat it, and had bought some frozen steam in the bag vegetables - broccoli-cauliflower-carrots, and green beans. 

One good thing for me is that I don't mind eating the same thing frequently - as in leftovers.  A couple of days, I had the exact same menu - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  But I don't do that all the time.

As is usual for me, this is getting lengthy, so will close and do another post with recipe ideas.  I hope to hear from friends and others who are also trying (or have tried) this diet.