The UnDiet Weight Loss Guide » October 2014

Monthly Archives: October 2014

Low Calorie Recipes UnDiet Eating Plans Vegetarian

300 Calorie Day

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We haven’t talked about the Rotation Diet here on The UnDiet – I’ll do that in an upcoming post, but I did want to give you a taste of how easy it can be to do what most people would think is impossible and that’s to have only 300 calories in a day and not be hungry.

On 300 calorie days you’ll want to use salad dressings and sauces that are 25 calories per tablespoon (or less) so that you don’t use up the majority of your calorie allotment on jazzing up your salads and veggies . I’ve included a recipe in this post, but for those of you who are crunched for time most health food stores carry these in the produce section by the lettuce or on the shelf in salad dressings section, or you can whip up your own by combining yogurt and herbs seasoned with sea salt and black pepper – my Yogurt Dill Dressing recipe will show you how it’s done and you can create endless variations from there.

Oh and if you’re checking my math and wondering why it doesn’t add up, when doing the Rotation Diet you don’t count the calories in fruits or veggies, so they’re freebies. Eat as many fruits and veggies as you want. That’s the secret to staying out of the “gorilla hunger” zone.

Breakfast

40 calories

  • apple slices dusted with cinnamon
  • coffee with 2 tablespoons half & half

Lunch

50 calories

  • green salad tossed with 2 tablespoons Yogurt Dill Dressing
  • artichoke cut in half, hairy choke removed and cooked with cut side down until tender in a broth made of white wine, vegetable broth, garlic and balsamic vinegar, allowing the broth to boil down so that the cut side of artichoke is carmelized.

Quick version: use frozen artichoke hearts instead of whole artichokes. Don’t use canned artichokes, they’re a whole different animal – a bit tough and vinegary. If you use canned artichokes you’ll not be satisfied with your lunch salad. If you’re not satisfied with your lunch salad you’ll start to think that eating healthy doesn’t really work. If you start thinking that eating healthy doesn’t work then you’ll start eating junk food. If you start eating junk food then you’ll start gaining weight and feeling lousy. If you start gaining weight and feeling lousy, you’ll get really really grumpy. If you get really really grumpy then … well you get the picture – don’t use canned artichokes.

Dinner

50 calories

  • celery sticks with 2 tablespoons any 25 calorie/tablespoon dressing
  • Imagine Foods Butternut Squash Soup thickened  or vegetable broth with pureed roasted onion and/or cauliflower.
  • 1/2 whole wheat roll

 Snack

120 calories

  • 2 cups lite popcorn (if no cream in your coffee you can melt 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon honey, drizzle over popcorn, toss until well mixed – m-m-m, who needs caramel corn?!)
  • sliced apples

 

Yogurt Dill Dressing

1 serving = 2 tablespoons

Per serving: 19 calories, 1.5 net carb, 2.3 grams protein, .5 grams fat,

Since I use this recipe in my Rotation Diet menus (and another version in my low carb menus) I’m using low calorie ingredients and including the calorie count as well as the carb count for any low carbers using this.

Even if you’re going for the low calorie bang, be sure to use real mayo, not the light stuff which contains added sugar and other ingredients to make up for the loss of fat.

Stir together:

1 cube dill pesto or 2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 cube parsley pesto or 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced

 

At the end of the day, you’ll have lost around a pound – maybe a little more, maybe a little less. That’s a nice way to recover from a day or two (or a lifetime) of unhealthy eating. Rinse and repeat.

Recipes

7 Cheap and Easy to Prepare Superfoods

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easy and cheap superfoods

Super Food #3

One Green Planet recently posted an excellent article giving us the 10-4 on the seven cheapest superfoods you can buy. They give their readers some ways to use these foods but as I read the article my mind started whirling with all kinds of quick and easy ways to prepare these affordable superfoods so you can more easily make them recurring items on your menu.

Note: these are not listed in order of their super powers. These are all equally superfoods which you can use at your discretion.

 Number 1 on One Green Planet’s list is Spinach

Spinach is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, calcium, folic acid, fiber, carotenoids, and iron. Fresh spinach is fantastic but one of spinach’s super powers is that you can so easily stash a frozen bag in your freezer to have it ready for any dire nutrition situations.

Grab a handful and add to soup, brown rice, pasta, creamy dip, hummus, chili, green juice or fruit smoothie. These might be leftovers, a dish you’re slaving over or frozen or boxed prepared dishes. Depending on the dish you may need to thaw and squeeze dry but for the most part you should be able to get away with adding the frozen spinach right to the dish you’re serving. It doesn’t need to be cooked, just warmed up to a temperature comfortable for consumption.

Garlic Spinach is a favorite at my table. Saute up some onions in a little olive or coconut oil. You can skip this step but I like the sweetness of the onions with the slight bitterness of the spinach. When the onions are almost al dente add LOTS of sliced garlic, sea salt and black pepper to taste. When garlic starts to turn slightly tan add spinach, stir and cover. When the spinach has wilted remove from heat and add a small pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Spinach Pizza

Cheesey Spinach Eggs

Number 2 is Coconut Oil

Coconut oil can have a profoundly positive effect on your health. Some of it’s amazing super powers include fat loss, stress relief, improved brain function, improved cholesterol levels, increased immunity, and better digestion. These are just a few of the improvements this amazing oil can make in your life.

You can use it to saute with, although it does have a slight coconut flavor so I haven’t completely replaced my olive oil with coconut oil. Because it’s solid when chilled I use it to make a Quick Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting by melting it together with grain-sweetened chocolate chips and peanut butter.

When making Caramel Sauce I substitute coconut oil for half of the butter.

When making baked goods I substitute coconut oil for 1/4 to all of the butter, depending on if I want a butter flavor or not.

I add a melted tablespoon to fruit smoothies and when it chills it helps to make the smoothie a little thicker. I do the same in green juices and smoothies.

Instead of a mayo-based dressing on fruit salads I make a coconut oil and citrus juice dressing.

Whip into honey for a delicious spread. Add ginger or citrus zest for a little extra kick.

Drizzle over popcorn instead of butter.

Hot Chocolate Almonds

Popcorn Snacks

Brownie in a Cup

 Number 3 on the List is Strawberries

Strawberries make the superfoods list due to their power to protect the body from cancer and heart disease, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds and many more healthy benefits are hidden under that little green cap.

Like spinach, strawberries are easy to keep in your freeze so they’re ready to go when your fridge is empty of fresh fruit and you need something for breakfast or dessert.

A handful of fresh or frozen strawberries tossed into your morning green or fruit smoothie will give you a boost of Vitamin C.

Fresh or frozen strawberries mashed with a little agave nectar for a sweet pancake or ice cream topper.

Fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate make an impressive dessert or decadent snack.

Fresh strawberries sliced on top of a green leafy salad and sprinkled with toasted pecans or walnuts will have your family or guests bowing to your culinary skills.

Dip fresh strawberries in yogurt. Plain, vanilla or fruit-flavored yogurts all work well. To make it even healthier stir some flaxseed or chia seed into the yogurt.

 Number 4 is Quinoa

Come on, you didn’t think quinoa would be left off a list of superfoods did you? Quinoa is a gluten free seed that’s loaded with protein, fiber and minerals. It is almost always grown organically although you’ll want to read the label to be sure if that’s something that’s important to you.

You can use quinoa in all of the same ways that you would use brown rice, couscous or millet. So go ahead and use it in some of your favorite recipes.

Add cooked quinoa to soups and casseroles.

Mix chopped vegetables, cooked quinoa and salad dressing for a high protein, fiber rich salad.

If you’re making soup or stew you can toss in some uncooked quinoa, just take into account that it will absorb about one and a half times it’s volume in water and takes about 12 minutes to cook.

Add cooked quinoa to burgers and meatloaf to cut down on meat in your diet.

Number 5 is Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Until I read One Green Planet’s article I didn’t know that all sea salt isn’t created equally! Himalayan pink sea salt contains high doses of calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium and iron. What I did know is that I use much less salt because it tastes so good. It adds a clean flavor to your food that is hard to describe until you try it.

Now I know I don’t have to tell you how to use salt. Just pick up a grinder of Himalayan pink sea salt and use a bit less than you would when using normal table salt.

Number 6 – Bananas

Bananas are rich in potassium and a natural sweetener.When adding them to green or fruit smoothies I find I don’t need to add any other sweetener. I use half a banana per serving.

Mash ripe bananas with applesauce and use in place of maple syrup on your pancakes, waffles and french toast.

Slice green bananas, coat them with chocolate and stash in the freezer for dessert or snack time.

Add mashed ripe bananas to oatmeal and I bet you won’t miss the brown sugar.

Add sliced bananas to sugar-free cereal and see if your kiddos notice it’s not Captain Crunch in their bowls.

Cocoa Banana Pudding

And Number 7 is Sweet Potatoes

Love, love, love sweet potatoes. As with any orange vegetable you can bet that sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene, but they are also heavy on other vitamins and minerals

My absolutely favorite way to have sweet potatoes is to cut them into wedges, like fries. Spray or lightly coat with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast at 400 or 450 degrees until browned.

Sweet potatoes sauteed with onions and seasoned with sea salt  are a great side dish for breakfast or dinner. Serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

I add mashed sweet potatoes to mac ‘n cheese. Shhh, if they don’t know it’s in there they won’t complain.

I use mashed sweet potatoes to thicken boxed soups.

 

Now that you have your list of healthy, easy to make, super cheap, superfoods, go out and get yourself some 🙂

 

High Protein Low Carb Recipes Vegetarian

Cheesy Frittata Dinner Menu

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red-pepper-frittata

I love a good frittata. I’ve given you a specific recipe but really you can add any vegetables or cheese that you have handy.

Since I’ve been working on this series of low carb recipe books I’ve been focusing on low carb, high protein recipes, however if you don’t tell anyone they’ll never know this is a “diet” dinner. It’s not low calorie, but it is low carb or Paleo (if you leave off the cheese).

Cheesy Italian Frittata

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced (2 roasted cloves)
1-1/2 cups egg whites, or 6 whole eggs
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
14-16 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained (save juice to add to salad dressings or a soup)
1/2 cup diced or shredded mozzarella
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes in a little olive oil in 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat:

In bowl stir together eggs, salt, pepper and roasted peppers and pour into the skillet with the onions and garlic.

Cook for 5 minutes without stirring then place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Take frittata out of oven. Turn oven temp to broil. Sprinkle cheese over top of egg mixture. Broil 3 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with chopped tomatoes and parsley.

 

Zucchini & Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups sliced zucchini
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in your hand or 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper
1/2 cup white wine or broth

Instructions

Saute garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper over medium-high heat in a little olive oil for 1 minute.

Add white wine and cook 6-8 minutes longer until veggies are tender-crisp.

 

Pesto Stuffed Celery Sticks

Ingredients

8 ounces softened cream cheese
3 tablespoons storebought or home-made pesto – try basil or sun-dried tomato
celery sticks

Instructions

Mix cream cheese and pesto. Pipe or spoon into celery sticks.

 

Green Salad

Dress your greens with this dressing from my book “14 Days – 14 Pounds – Low Carb Daily Eating Plan Volume 1”.

Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, grated on a fine grater
¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust season if needed.
You could also prepare this dressing a blender by buzzing the first four ingredients, then while leaving the blender on slowly pour in the olive oil.