Healthy Meatballs

My daughters LOVE meatballs like nobody's business.  They will order spaghetti and meatballs when ever they can (at least my youngest does.)  I found this recipe on a Ideal Protein Facebook group (Janeva Eickhoff's Ideal Protein recipes).  I want to make them for my youngest but not tell her that they are healthy and see what she thinks.  Only after  she goes for seconds will I inform her of the cauliflower content.  Bahahahahah - its a mother's dream come true!! 

Janeva's original recipe was for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and they were fantastic. These are the larger size meatball.   I used the largest size Pampered Chef scoop to make these.  It made 14 meatballs.  On IP that's 7 per serving.  I could only eat 4-5 before I was stuffed!  I used Greek yogurt to cool them down a little.  The buffalo sauce was at the top end of my heat tolerance index.  To make these, just replace the marinara in the recipe below with Franks Buffalo wing sauce and you're good to go.

I also made them for spaghetti so I am putting that recipe out here.  For these, I used the smallest Pampered Chef scoop.  It made a whopping 32 meatballs 

I served them with a homemade marinara and whole wheat pasta.  You could easily use zoodles with this for a Phase 1 friendly dish.

Healthy Meatballs (adapted from Janeva Eickhoff)
Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
2 C. cauliflower florets
½ C. grated zucchini
½ C. chopped green onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 ¼  tsp. sea salt
1/3 C. egg whites ( I used 1 whole egg in place of the egg whites)
Olive oil cooking spray

Homemade marinara
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 T parsley
1 T stevia
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix all marinara ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until needed for meatballs
3.  Place cauliflower, green onions and zucchini in a food processor and pulse to a riced consistency.
4.  In a large bowl combine chicken, riced veggie mixture, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and egg whites.  Mix together gently.  Do not over mix.
5.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.  Scoop meat mixture (about 2 T. for large  meatballs, or 1 T for smaller ones) and gently roll portions between palms to form a smooth ball.  Place on olive oil sprayed baking sheet.
6.  Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.  Remove meatballs from oven.
7.  Pour some of the marinara sauce in a bowl and transfer meatballs to the bowl; toss to coat. Let the meatballs sit in the sauce while you raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
8.  Drain the moisture and wipe the grease from the baking sheet.  Apply a fresh coat of olive oil cooking spray.
9.  When oven has reached 450 degrees, give meatballs another toss in the bowl, transfer meatballs and sauce to the baking sheet and bake on the top rack of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

10.  When finished cooking, toss in the remaining marinara and serve over pasta or zoodles

Healthy Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup from SkinnyTaste

Here is another great soup recipe from SkinnyTaste.com.  I've been really happy with everything I've tried from both the blog and Gina's cook book.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Doesn't that look good!


Give it a try.  Its pretty tasty:

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

I love nachos, especially all dripping with cheese.  Since I really trying to watch my carbs, the chips are not so good but the internet to the rescue!!!   I found this recipe for mini bell pepper chicken nachos  - it uses mini bell peppers instead of chips.  They are fantastic!!

I found the recipe on Facebook but am linking to the original poster of it.

Here is my pan of them hot from the oven

and my plateful.  You get about a quarter of the pan.  

To cut down on fat (or make it Phase 1 friendly) use GO Veggie soy cheese - cheddar or cheddar - pepper jack shreds.

Or use a mix of cheddar and Monterrey jack if you dare

Snacking just got a while lot better!

Minestrone Soup

During the winter I love soup.  I make a big batch and freeze half.  I'm so glad I did because this past week we got another batch of cold weather and I thawed out my minestrone and lunch was done for the week

Try it for yourself.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

½ lb sweet Italian sausage

1 c. diced  Onion

1 cloved minced garlic

1 c. carrots, diced

1 tsp basil

¼ tsp oregano

2 small zucchinis, diced

1 – 1 lb can Italian tomatoes (diced or stewed)

20 oz beef  stock

1 – 1lb can red or white kidney beans

½ c. rice or barley

½ c. red wine

1 Tbsp oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown sausage in oil in a large kettle or stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, carrot and basil.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, tomatoes, broth, and oregano.

Bring to boil then simmer for 1 hour. 

Add beans with liquid, rice/barley and wine.  Simmer another 20 minutes or until grain is cooked (note barley will take 30-40  minutes to cook to desired firmness)

Serve with grated parmesan.

Enjoy!

Maple Dijon Chicken

I went in for my monthly check in with my coach last week.  Lindsay was running behind (or I was earlier than usual) and I heard Dusty, another coach, talking about some recipes.  This is one that she mentioned and I grabbed a copy and made it that night for dinner.  It was really good.  Pair it up with some roasted asparagus (and roasted potatoes on phase 4) and you've got a winner of a chicken dinner.

Dijon Chicken

½ c Dijon mustard

¼ c maple syrup (Phase 4, or use 1/4 c WF pancake syrup for Phase 1)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 chicken breasts

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Pat chicken dry.  Lay in a baking dish and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix mustard, syrup and vinegar together and pour over chicken

Top with more pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme if desired

Bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes.

Super Simple Chicken and Zoodles with a lemon pepper vinaigrette

Sometimes you just want dinner to be easy.  But easy and on plan don't always go together, unless you plan ahead a little bit.

My planning for tonight was two step.

First, our grocery store had rotisserie chickens on special, buy 2 for a special price.  SO I bought 2.  We had one for dinner over the weekend and the other I picked the meat off to have for lunches or whatever through out the week.

Step 2, when I make zoodles I make a lot  ... I mean like 3 or 4 zucchinis worth.  That way I get my veg and can save some for lunches later in the week.

So 2 of the elements of tonight's dinner were already well in hand.  All I needed was some sauce/spice to go with it and I would be set.  I made up a batch of a lemon vinaigrette I learned how to make in my first cooking class and drizzled it over the chicken and zoodles after I'd warmed them in the microwave (make sure to drain/pat dry the zoodles after you warm them because they will still release a bit of water when they are rewarmed)

Here's the recipe from Against all grain I use for zoodles.

Here is the vinaigrette recipe.  This is the same one I used for this sauteed asparagus and pasta dish from a while back.  I included the original (balsamic) version since I'm going to be back in Maintenance in a week or so (after my January reset).  The balsamic version is for Phase 4 only.  The Apple cider vinegar version is Phase 1 friendly

Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
1/4 shallot, diced

To make the Phase 4 version: use 2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp red wine vinegar
To make the Phase 1 version : use 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients.  Drizzle about 1  to 1.5 TBSP over chicken and zoodles.

Kung Pao Chicken with Zoodles from SkinnyTaste

I love Chinese food.  Even better when I can make it at home.  Even better than that when its a healthy version.

I love SkinnyTaste.com for this reason.  So far I have loved every dish I've made from the website and cookbook.  This Kung Pao chicken was a bit of a stretch because I am kind of sensitive when it comes to spicy food.  Ironic that I married a man who loves Indian food and thinks most things I make are mild (even when I'm choking because my face is on fire:)  So I thought  - OK I'l try kung pao chicken,  That's kinda spicy right, so the hubs ought to like it ... and it was spicy and he did like it.  It was just on the edge of what I can eat but boy was it good.  And now I have another recipe that uses zoodles ... I love me some zoodles.  I feel like I'm eating pasta but its zucchini :)  Win win in my book!

This is a Phase 4 recipe.  I'm not sure I could make it Phase 1 and still have it taste as good so I left it alone.  I may try some swaps (splenda for sugar is easy, its the Balsamic I'm worried about ...maybe apple cider vinegar.  And possibly a thin cauliflower puree to replace the cornstarch to thicken the sauce).  If I get to trying that I'll update this post or make a new one with the Phase 1 recipe on it.  For now just look forward to it when you hit maintenance!

Here is the kung pao with zoodles as eaten for dinner tonight

Here's a link to the recipe: kung pao chicken with zoodles

Stuffed Pepper Soup from SkinnyTaste

In the winter I'm very into soups.  I love the warmness that you get from them.  They just feel like a comfort food when its so cold outside.

I've also been thinking about trying stuffed peppers, because I've never made them (although my hubs says I have so maybe its better to say I don't remember ever making them :) )

And lo and behold but this stuffed pepper soup recipe popped up in my Facebook news feed from SkinnyTaste.  I've tried several of Gina's recipes, from both her website and cookbook and I've been extremely happy with both how easy most of them were, the taste and the healthy aspects.  You really can eat healthy and enjoy it - especially with others out there first leading the way and sharing what they know!!

The only change I made was to replace the brown rice with cauliflower rice and to use diced tomatoes with chilies to give it a little bit of zip.   The brown rice is fine for Phase 4, but the cauli-rice makes this friendly for all phases.

Stuffed Pepper Soup adapted from www.SkinnyTaste.com

Ingredients:

• 3 cauliflower rice  (or 3 c cooked brown rice for Phase 4)
• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes 
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt.Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic.Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked cauliflower rice.

Makes about 9 1/2 cups.

Nutrition Facts from MyFitnessPal.com

Servings 6.0

Amount Per Serving

calories 218

Total Fat 6 g           

Saturated Fat 3 g     

Monounsaturated Fat 2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 67 mg  

Sodium 1114 mg     

Potassium 940 mg  

Total Carbohydrate 15 g     

Dietary Fiber 2 g    

Sugars 9 g               

Protein 24 g

Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls

I'm not a chef.  I'm an engineer.  And a recipe hound.  I don't make up very many recipes - only about 3 of the ones on the blog are ones I've created myself.  I'm OK with that.  Because I find the search for new recipes just as exciting as making them up myself.   And the heavy lifting has already been done.  It just comes down to is it something I want to make versus how do I combine flavors and textures to make an appealing dish.  I like being a recipe hound ... its a catchy name.  Maybe I'll rename my blog someday if I can figure out how without blowing links up all across the internet.

Enough about me.  On to the food.
I've been hearing about cabbage rolls for a long time.  Now that I'm much more experimental in the food department I thought it was high time I tried them.  I found this crock pot recipe (that is also paleo and totally Phase 1 friendly - mind the restricted tomatoes) and thought I'd give it a whirl.
Oh my head, am I glad I did!!!
While the directions (listed below) took a little time (especially boiling the cabbage to start with) these really are pretty easy to make.  And with both crockpot and oven directions, you have options
These smelled fabulous while they cooked and the taste did not disappoint! Now since I've never had cabbage rolls of any kind before I really don't have a basis for comparison, but these were really good (even the hubs thought so :) )And it makes 12 rolls (a serving is 2) so there is plenty to feed an army (or be lunch for a few days to make a busy week go a little easier).
From a Phase 1 standpoint each serving is about 5-6 oz of protein and only about 1/8 c vegetable.

Ingredients for Paleo Cabbage Rolls from www.StupidEasyPaleo.com

serves 6
1 large head of green cabbage
1 pound (454 g) grassfed ground beef
1 pound (454 g) lean ground pork1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 white onion, diced finely
1-1/2 cups of riced or grated cauliflower
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 oz (235 mL) crushed tomatoes
4 oz (118 mL) tomato sauce

Directions for Paleo Cabbage Rolls

1. Rice or grate the cauliflower using box grater or food processor.  Save 1-1/2 cups for this recipe and the rest for something else. It’s tasty fried up in this side dish.

2. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. To prepare the cabbage for rolling, you’ll lightly boil it whole and peel the leaves off a few at a time. Cut the core out of the cabbage and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. As the leaves soften, you can peel them off with a spoon. Take care not to rip them in half. The whole process usually takes about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can throw the whole cabbage in and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. The outermost leaves will become very soft but still usable. In either case, peel as many of the leaves off as you can and let cool a bit.

4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or your fat of choice. Add the onion and grated cauliflower and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the cauliflower is softened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

5. Combine the onion and cauliflower with the meat, and mix by hand to incorporate all the ingredients.

6. Roll the golumbki by holding a cabbage leaf, concave side up with the stem toward you, and placing a large spoonful of the meat mixture at the stem end. Then roll forward, fold the sides in and end with the seam down.

7. Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in a bowl. Put ~1 cup in the bottom of the crockpot (or casserole dish). Lay the golumbki in with the seam side down. Cover with the remaining tomato mixture once the crock is full.

8. For a crockpot, cook on low for 5 hours. If using the oven, cover the top of the dish with foil and bake for 90 minutes at 350°F (175°C).

Nutrition Information via MyFitnessPal.com

calories 312

Total Fat 12 g   

Saturated Fat 6 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g

Trans Fat 0 g

Total Carbohydrate 7 g

  Dietary Fiber 2 g

Protein 30 g      

Mashed Cauliflower

I like having things that feel "normal".  It keeps me aware that I'm not "on a diet", I'm living a healthy lifestyle.  That being said, I love mashed potatoes.  I could eat pounds of them.  And now that I've found a fantastic meatloaf recipe, I want meatloaf and mash for dinner.  A lot !  :)

So how do I get a good substitute for mashed potatoes and still stay Phase 1 friendly?  Mashed Cauliflower (or turnips, or a combination of the two - I'll have to try that and report back)

I've tried making mashed cauliflower before and the results were less than appetizing, but this mashed cauliflower recipe from Andover Diet Center is amazing!   Its creamy and fluffy like regular mashed potatoes, but its so much better for you.  I think there are 2 keys to its success - the milk (remember you get 1 oz of milk a day) and using the food processor to whip the snot out of them,

I made it with garlic powder and Butter Buds in addition to sea salt and pepper, and let me tell ya I could have eaten a lot more than my 2 c. :)  I don't say that very often about cauliflower, but I am learning the error of my ways with respect to this veg.  It has a lot of potential!

Roasted Chicken Galantine

So its January and I haven't blogged for a while.  Trip to Italy, holidays all that stuff kinda got in the way.  I will say that this is the first year in a great many that I haven't had "Lose Weight" or "Get Healthy" as a New Years Resolution.  "Stay Healthy" maybe, but not "Get".    Its kind of a nice feeling.

That being said I am doing a reset and doing Phase 1 again for the month of January.  The coaches at the clinic where I go have said its a good idea, especially if you got off track during the holidays.  Which I did.  I didn't' gain any weight (which is probably a first) but I did not lose the weight I gained in Italy or over Thanksgiving.  So I think a reset is a good idea.  Plus the fudge and Oreo ball diet says maybe its a good idea too.  I'm really not sure how I didn't gain weight, but I'll take it!!!

To start it off I made a Chicken Galantine - that's a de-boned chicken stuffed with spinach and onion and mushrooms and garlic. Totally phase 1 friendly and not all that hard to pull off - it looks really impressive too!!

I will state up front that I went to a cooking class (2 actually) that showed us how to de-bone a chicken.  In one of the classes we actually performed.  Its not too difficult really and this is a great YouTube video that shows exactly what we learned in class.  If you don't want to de-bone it just make the stuffing and stuff it.  Cooking times will be different though.

So start with a 2.5-3 lb whole chicken, thawed and ready to go.  De-bone or not, its up to you, although its super nice to just slice it up and have chicken meat surrounding the stuffing.  Go ahead give it a whirl.  No one will know how you did. (Maybe now is a good time to admit my first solo attempt at de-boning a chicken, I cut the wrong side for the first cut and so ended up with 2 halves of a deboned chicken.  I just snuggled the pieces up real close then stuffed and trussed.  It still tasted the same and next time I hope I'll remember which side goes first  :)

The other cool thing is if you want to attempt your own chicken stock, just throw all the bones in a crock pot with water (8 cups), carrots (2-3, peeled and rough chopped), onion (quartered), celery (2 stalks, rough chopped), a couple of bay leaves and some salt and pepper.  Cook for 6 hours on High and voila - chicken broth.  Here's my broth, about 2 qts worth.  It tastes pretty good too :)

For the stuffing you need an onion (diced), a couple cloves of garlic (also diced), a 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed free of liquid, and a package of baby 'bello mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed and sliced.  If you aren't in Phase 1, I'd add some fresh mozzarella or ricotta cheese to it as well  :)  And if you want to attempt to make your own cheese here is a simple ricotta recipe - its easier than you think.  Go on, be adventurous!!

Saute the mushrooms for a few minutes over medium heat (add about 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan too)  then add the the onions and some salt and pepper and cook til everything looks pretty done (maybe 5-8 minutes).  So long as the onions don't caramelize this is still Phase 1 friendly.  Add the spinach and garlic and mix it around.  Let it hang out another 5 minutes.  If you are adding the cheese do it now stir around for a minute or two then remove from heat.

If you haven't de-boned the chicken yet do that now ... its OK I'll wait.

Now stuff your bird ... again the video shows exactly what we did to stuff and truss it up so do all those things.

Here is my little chicky all stuffed and ready to go in the oven

Bake at 375 for about an hour and a half.  It should have an internal temp of 165 degrees.

This chicken is the finest I've ever tried.  We even rewarmed it (in the oven, not once but twice) and it was still juicy and tender and delicious.

To rewarm it, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes till its all warmed up again.

Enjoy

No Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Snack

I went to a Yoga and Wine class last week.  I was told "light yoga".  I thought I could do that.  I'm hear to tell you there is No Such Thing as Light Yoga!!!   It kicked my sorry little butt.  I was just really happy that I had a massage scheduled for the next day :)

No really it was a great night and showed me how I need to get movement and flexibility back into the routine.  Then it really might have been a light yoga class :)

Another bright note of the evening was the snack Lindsay made.  Chocolate Chip protein balls.  You heard the right ... I improved them a bit and made Double Chocolate Chocolate chip protein balls ... .mighty fine snackin' if I do say so myself.  And only around 130 calories each!

Enjoy!


Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Protein Balls*
1.5 c quick oats
1/3 c ground flax
4 scoops chocolate whey protein powder
1/2 c natural peanut or almond butter
2 Tbsp Enjoy Life semi sweet mini chips
3 Tbsp honey or agave
1/2 cold water

Mix everything together.  Use a medium scoop (or 2 Tbsp) and form into balls.  Freeze/store in the freezer.  These are soft enough to eat right from the freezer.

Makes 18

*Optional - add a few drops of stevia if the dough doesnt taste sweet enough

Nutrition Info from MyFitnessPal.,com
Calories 133
Fat 5 g
Carb 11 g (Net 9 g)
Fiber 2 g
Protein 10g

Kate's Miso Tahini Acorn Squash

I remember my mom making acorn squash when I was growing up.  I hated it ... who would want to eat squash.  Well as most things go, as I grew up I realized my mom may just have know some things about cooking :)  

I like all kinds of squash now (spaghetti squash, butternut squash and of course zucchini and yellow winter squash)  I have yet to try acorn squash.  I was talking to a friend at work who told me I just had to try this recipe.  It was from a program she had done and it was one of her favorite recipes.

Since I just happened to have an acorn squash sitting on the counter waiting for an epiphany to figure out what to do with it, I thought I'd give it a try.

Here it is waiting to be baked

It turned out fabulous.  The miso and tahini mixture kind of crusted over as it baked.  It was a really nice flavor paired with the squash.  This recipe is a definite keeper.  Very warm and satisfying on a not-so-called autumn evening.  No I want to experiment more with both winter / hard squash and miso/tahini.  I've also seen some miso salmon glazes around the internet.  I suspect that will be coming to a kitchen near me sometime very, very soon.

Here is the recipe courtesy of Kate

Miso Tahini Acorn Squash 

Serves 2
Ingredients

1 medium kabocha (or acorn) squash, cut in half and seeds removed

4 Tbsp. sesame tahini

2 tsp. miso paste

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place squash half cut side up on baking sheet.

Combine tahini, miso, garlic, and oil in a small bowl; mix well.  Cover cut side of squash evenly with tahini mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until squash is fork tender.

Nutrition from MyFitnessPal.com

Calories: 352

Total Fat: 23 g

   Saturated Fat: 4 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 217 mg

Carbohydrate: 35 g

   Fiber: 5 g

   Sugar: 1 g

Protein: 10 g

Amanda's Homemade Yogurt (sans yogurt maker)

So once I started Phase 3 I was so excited to be able to eat yogurt again.  I had taken a class from Becky and she talked about making her own yogurt and I wanted to try too.  I found a bulk yogurt maker on Amazon and promptly ordered and made my first batches of yogurt, 5 cups a a time.  When I mentioned this to my dear friend Amanda she said "Why'd you get a yogurt maker?"  and promptly sent me this super simple recipe for the best dang Greek yogurt this Iowa girl has ever eaten.  And bigger batches.  Instead of making yogurt every couple of days, I make it every week or two.  MUCH more economical

For the amount of milk, I only use a half gallon.  I don't need great amounts at any one time and this makes enough for me to eat, occasionally cook with and if the hubs wants some he can have some too.  If you want a greater amount of yogurt go with the full gallon.  Still use the 8 oz carton of plain yogurt as your starter.

This is plain yogurt at the end.  I'm not sure how you would make a flavored yogurt, but I like mine plain with honey and some blueberries so this works perfect for me.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 - 1 gal. whole milk

1 8 oz container of plain, Greek yogurt (I always use the full fat version)

Tools

Food thermometer

A large pot with matching lid

Two large towels

Sieve

Large bowl (big enough for the sieve)

Cheesecloth or flour sack (non fuzzy) kitchen towel

* Two or three clothespins (optional)

The process

Pour the gallon of milk in the large pot.  Heat on low/med heat until it reaches 180 degrees, stirring occasionally to cut down on the "skin" on the top and the burning on the bottom

When the milk reaches 180 degrees, turn off the heat and move the pot to a cool burner.  Continue to monitor the temp.  When the temp reaches 125, add at least half of the container of yogurt into the warm milk.  I always use a full container but as little as a 1/4 cup will work.  Stir lightly.  Put the lid on the pot.  Wrap one towel around the pot.  Fold the other towel in half and cover the top.  Put the pot in the corner of the kitchen counter and leave it alone for 24 hours.  

After 24 hours, take off the towels and lid.  You'll see whey (a clear liquid) on the top.  The yogurt should be semi solid.  Now it is time to set up drain the whey (optional, but this is the way you make thick Greek yogurt).  Take the sieve, cheesecloth/towel, and bowl.  Put the sieve inside the bowl.  Line the sieve with the cheesecloth.  *sometimes it is nice to have wooden closepins to clip the cheesecloth to the sieve*  Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth sieve.  Cover the sieve with the lid (optional).  Let the whey drain out of the yogurt for an hour or two.  

Store in the frig.  Eat at your leisure

Lindsay's Overnight Oats In A Jar (OOIAJ)

Mornings can be hectic (especially when you hit the snooze 2 or 3 times before actually getting up :))  I know for me, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and if I'm rushed it can set a bad tone (food-wise) for the whole day.

One of the recipe's my awesome coach gave me when I started Phase 3 was Overnight Oats In A jar (or OOIAJ as I call it in my head).   I had never heard of such a thing before and wondered if it could really be that good.  But Lindsay swore by it so I gave it a try and of course it was delicious!  Simple too.  Just fill a mason jar (or other container) with all the ingredients and let it soak over night.  To make it even more streamlined, I fill mason jars with all the ingredients except the yogurt and the milk and stick it in the freezer.  I usually have 2 or 3 in the freezer at any one time.  When I know the morning is going to be hectic, I pull a mason jar out of the freezer before I go to bed, add the milk and yogurt and let it sit in the frig overnight.  In the morning I stir it up and put the lid back on and take it to work.  It doesn't get any easier than that!  Its filling and creamy and peanut butter-y.

Here is the recipe:

Lindsay's OOIAJ
1/3 c. quick oats
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/2 banana (or 2-3 T fruit of your choice)
1 T all natural peanut butter (only nuts and salt on the ingredient list)
1/3 c skim milk
2 T plain Greek yogurt (I use homemade - I'll post that recipe sometime soon)

If you are freezing it for later - mix first 4 ingredients in s mason jar or freezer container.  Make sure its big enough to hold the milk and yogurt later.  When ready to eat, add milk and yogurt and let sit in the frig overnight.  Stir it up before you eat it to mix all the flavors.

If making just a single serving, mix all the ingredients and let it sit for at least 5 hours to soak the oats.  Stir and enjoy

Nutrition information (courtesy of MyFitnessPal.com)
Calories: 319
Fat: 12 g
Total Carb: 40 g (Net carb: 35 g)
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 13 g

Pizza Bites (Stuffed Mushrooms)

Let me start off with I am not a mushroom fan.  But If they get masked by what ever they are with I can handle them.  These pizza bites use a baby portabella mushrooms as the base for a sausage meatball, pizza sauce and cheese.  They are in a word - phenomenal

Here is a link to the super simple recipe:  Baby Pizza Bites

The only change I made was the cooking method.  I am not much of a griller and the hubs was otherwise occupied (setting up the RPG game area for the company we were having that evening).  So I decided to bake them.

I cooked them at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Sacrifice one and cut it in half to make sure the sausage is cooked all the way through before you top it with the sauce (OH and I found a no sugar added pizza sauce too - Great Value brand at Wal-Mart - it was great on these and I used the left over sauce in a pasta bake the next night).

I topped with mozzarella (since they were for company and I was out of the soy cheese) and then returned them to the oven to broil for about a minute - just to get the cheese melty and gooey.

They are also super cute on a plate and look all fancy for the little bit of work they take.

Here is the recipe for reference:

Baby Pizza Bites (great for all phases)

Ingredients

12 button mushrooms, wiped of any dirt and stems removed

½ lb Italian chicken sausage

1 egg ehite

¼ to ½ c no sugar added marinara sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Wipe down your mushrooms and remove stems. Then place them stem side up on a plate.

Throw your Italian chicken sausage in a bowl along with your egg white. Use your hands to combine it all together.

Then make tablespoon size balls of the meat mixture and plop them into the cap of the mushrooms.

Place on a sheet pan (with sides) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Remove pan from oven and turn on the broiler.  Top each mushroom and sausage cap with either pizza/marinara sauce and a little mozz. Pop back in the oven for a minute or so until cheese is melted and bubbly!

Stick a toothpick in it and EAT IT.

Baked Rutabaga Slices

So while we were in Italy, we had some of the most amazing food I've ever eaten.  A lot of it was basic, comfort food, like the potatoes Stephania made.  They were little potato slabs, cross cut, and baked.  Amazingly simple.  Amazingly tasty.

I knew I wanted to try them when we got home, but I'm back in Phase 1 since the vacation until I lose the rest of what I gained.  So, back to the trusty rutabaga.

Don't those look amazing!   They were too, trust me. And super simple.

Enjoy!!

Baked Rutabagas
1 small rutabaga, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices
EVOO
Sea Salt,  garlic powder to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.  
2. Cross cut the rutabaga slices on each side.  Just make a little tic tac toe board on each side but be careful not to slice all the way through.
3. Place rutabaga slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Flip the slices over, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.v(you can use what ever spices you think sound interesting.  For the first time out I stuck with simple)
5. Bake at 400 for 25 min
6. Remove from oven, flip over and put back in oven for 10 minutes.

Serves 1

Enjoy

Oh Mamma Mia!

That's how you say omg in Italy - mamma mia.  OMG would be Oh Madonna.

That's how I would describe vacation. 10 days in Italy ... mamma mia.   It was our honeymoon (we delayed it so we had vacation stored up).  Oh Madonna!

Seven of the 10 days was a wine tour.  We got to pick grapes and watch them go through the "turning into wine" process (well up to the point where the fermentation has to work).  We had 2 or  more wine tastings per day (PER DAY!!) which included appetizers at a minimum or a meal depending on the time of day.  We had 4 course dinners most nights.  We had pasta and pizza and dessert! Oh the desserts (mamma mia) !

Definitely not IP protocol on any phase :)  But I knew that going in.  That's one reason I wanted to be on Phase 4 before we went so it wouldn't be such a shock to my system.

I gained 10 pounds...in 10 days ... Oh Madonna!

But there is good news in all of this.

First - it was expected :)  I was going to enjoy myself and I did, immensely!  I was hoping all the walking we did would offset some of the weight gain ( and maybe it did :))  but I wasn't going to restrict myself on my honeymoon.  It was like a cheat week and a half instead of a cheat day or cheat meal :)

Second - I went back on Phase 1 the day after we got back (we got in at midnight on Monday so it was Tuesday morning).  I had my weigh in and Lindsay and I talked about getting the weight off.  So far (its now Thursday) I'm down 4 pounds by my scale at home.  This is SO encouraging to me because it tells me this program really works!!  When I have been on other programs and gained some weight (which really is inevitable), I couldn't get it off following the program.  It just didn't work a second time for me.  Not sure what I was doing differently but whatever the reason I still failed consistently to maintain a weight loss.  And now the first time out, when I knew I would gain weight, its coming off the second time as easily as it did the first time.

That makes me happy!

I figured it would take about 3-4 weeks to lose what I gained in Italy.  It may be faster than that at this rate.  But whatever the time frame, I am confident it will be gone in the near term.  I have never in my life felt more confident that I could lose weight.

Thanks Ideal Protein (and Lindsay) for this success!

Now that I'm back to reality I'll be posting recipes and thoughts on a more regular basis again.  I've got a few recipes I really want to try (Spaghetti Squash mac-n-cheese among them).  And I've got 2 new cook books that I need to work my way through :)  They will mostly be Phase 4 recipes, but some will be Phase 1 friendly as well with little to no adjustments.  I also really want to look into soups and crock pot meals to make things a lot easier in the evenings.

Hot Cereal for Breakfast

Its turned chilly in my neck of the woods.  Unseasonably chilly!  High in the 50s today and its still early September!  Luckily I have a great hot breakfast idea.  Its from many years ago and to be honest its the only way I can eat Grape-Nuts.

That's right you heard me ... Grape Nuts.  Those hard little nuggets that will break your teeth if you're not careful.  BUT .... add some milk, heat them in the microwave for a minute and a half and then add maple syrup and fruit (I had fresh blueberries this morning) and its turns into something warm and filling and really, really tasty.

Here's how I make it:

1/2 c Grape Nuts cereal
1/2 c skim milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Mix cereal and milk in a bowl large enough to allow the heating mixture to expand without overflowing. Heat on high for 1.5 minutes

Stir in the syrup.

You can add fruit if you like.  The nutrition facts are just for the cereal though

That's it!

Simple, Delicious.  Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts from MyFitnessPal.com
Calories: 295
Fat: 1 g
Total Carb: 67 (Net Carb: 60)
Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 10 g

Before and After

There it is ... me on my wedding day last October and me just last week - 65 pounds lighter and feeling fabulous

Phase 3 went really well.  I was preparing myself to gain weight because that's what is typical - just a few pounds but still.  Instead I lost.  Not sure how because I felt like I was eating so much, but it wasn't just like before.  It wasn't carb heavy - in fact I rarely hit my carb limit!

I'm using MyFitnessPal android app to track everything.  I'm really going to have to watch the fats and proteins but carbs don't seem to be a worry as of yet :)

I'm looking into paleo and grain free, gluten free cooking.  Some sweet treats that are grain free are also much lower in carb (due in large part to the type of flour used)  I like that I can have chocolate chip cookies or brownies every once in a awhile and not fear a weight gain.

The website I'm using most heavily is www.againstallgrain.com  I am fortunate in that I don't have food sensitivities or medical conditions that force a particular type of diet.  I also recognize that not all grain free/ gluten free is going to be "healthy" or low carb.  But these are more whole food type recipes and use little to no overly processed or refined products so that's healthier and a move in the right direction in my book.

I started making my own cheese and yogurt - that way I know just whats in it  I make my own granola bars and they are protein packed and delicious.  As soon as I get the ingredients I am going to try a go at bread low carb and grain free.  Higher in good fat but its worth a try for something different.

And now I start the trek over the other side of the weight loss hill in the fields of maintenance.  Here's hoping for a long and joyous stay there :)

Catch you later, I think I see some daisies to skip through.