The Wonderful Laughing Cow--The 17 Day Diet

I started Cycle 3 a couple of days ago and was very excited to see Babybel Lights on the list. I found a huge package for cheap at Costoco.  Right by them were Laughing Cow Wedges the Swisscheese flavor.  I looked at the nutritional content and they are actually even better than the Babybels. 

So I made a sandwhich today with Flatout Multigrain w/Flax, spread with a wedge, lettuce, and lean ham.  It was soooo yummy.  I am excited to see that the wedges come in a variety of flavors too.  Have you tried any of them?



Flooring for the addition

We have been working on the addition for over 2 years now and are so close to finishing I can taste it!!  We were originally going to go with cork in the great room but are so happy with the blue Marmoleum click in the mudroom that we chose this color (Barbados) for the great room.  Just this trim and some touch up work and we will be done!!

Ancient Grains for Breakfast: The 17 Day Diet

I never even thought of having grains besides oatmeal for breakfast.  This was so nutty and yummy. 

I just cooked them all according them all (black quinoa, wheatberries, and amaranth) the amaranth directions and added cinnamon, ground cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, and allspice.  Agave nectar and a little soy milk.

I also poached a pear in the microwave and topped that with plain nonfat sugar free yogurt and drizzled with agave nectar. 

Topped both with blackberries.  I felt like I was at a B&B!

Cold Veggie Pizza and Sundried Tomato Dip/Spread: The 17 Day Diet

We went to a benefit this weekend for a friend that has cancer and I volunteered to make something.  These turned out wonderfully and are very delicious and healthy!!!

1/2 of a sheet of crust

For the crust:
6 cups of riced raw cauliflower
1 1/2 cup of egg whites
1 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast (you might have to go to a health food store for this)
3 cups of Kraft Fat Free Mozzarella
1 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
seasoning of choice I used basil and an Italian herb mix

To "rice" the cauliflower: I did this with my Cuisenart with a grating blade. I have read that you can use the "s" blade or hand grate with a cheese grater.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. On parchment paper lined 18"x26" baking sheet (I recommend this instead of spraying the pan because I tried that and it stuck!), press mixture flat  as thin as you can get it without having holes.  Sprinkle with herbs.

Bake crusts for 20 min and carefully turn over and bake for another 10-15 min


Sundried Tomato Spread/dip

1 32oz container of any brand of greek yogurt strained in cheese cloth overnight to make yogurt cheese
1 cup of oil packed sundried tomatos drained and blotted to get most of oil off
1/4 of basil paste


put all ingrediants into a food processor or blender until it looks like this:



This makes much more than you will need for the size crust I made but it makes an excellent spread for sandwiches or a dip for veggies!  Tastes like a creamcheese spread instead of yogurt.

To assemble the Veggie Pizza

I found cutting the crust with a pizza cutter first to be the easiest way.  I just approximately 2"x2" squares.  Spread each piece with the Sundried Tomato Spread and then top with your favorite toppings.  I did red onions, orange peppers, artichoke hearts and blanched asparagus tips.

Salmon patties and slaw

Ball jars instead of plastic containers.

So over the past couple of years, I have been trying to get rid of the plastic containers we use, for environmental and health reasons (they leach chemicals).  I have a huge set of Pyrex that I like but don't love.  The tops do fit well and when you put liquids in them, they tend to leak when tipped. I have been doing so much prep cooking on the 17 Day Diet that I am running out of containers for refrigerator food storage.  So, I found myself in Meijer last night, looking at the Rubbermaid containers just kicking myself for even thinking of it.  Put them in my cart, walked away, felt so guilty that I went back and put them on the shelf.  As I turned around, the canning supplies caught me eye and I found these 500ml size Ball jars.  I bought these and a pack of ones that are 1/2 this size.  They are perfect!!  I don't know why I didn't think of this before.  I use the  larger ones to store beans, whole grains, flours, etc.

Revised recipe and nutritional information for Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I changed my recipe a little this weekend.  Instead of a mix of regular mozarella and fat free, I went with all fat free.  No change in flavor!!  

Cauliflower Crust Eggplant parm Sandwich

I used my Cauliflower pizza crust recipe.  This is leftover Eggplant Parmesan (from The 17 Day Diet book), baby greens, and roasted chicken breast.  Delicious!

Addicted to Cauliflower? Almost to Cyle 2: The 17 Day Diet!!!

Well I think we have become addicted to cauliflower.  I made more of the pizza crusts and we are using them for sandwiches.  I have made Mushroom Leek "Rice" (recipe below)  twice over the past 10 days and Saturday I made this recipe for Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes I used low fat cream cheese and no butter and they were FAB-U-LOUS!!!  I have gone through 6 heads of cauliflower in the past 10 days.    My husband has lost 8lbs so far and I think I have around 6lbs (haven't weighed myself since last week).  This diet is easier than I thought it would be.  Thursday we start Cycle 2 which means even more recipes!!


Mushroom Leek "Rice"


1 12 oz package of fresh baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced.
Slice two leeks up to (where the leaves separate) into 1/4 inche slices, put in a bowl of water and let soaks for a few minutes and then strain in a colender.
1 head of cauliflower grated into "rice"
2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup of chicken, beef or veggie broth

heat oil over medium heat.  Had leeks and saute until they start separating.  Add mushrooms and sautee until they start changing color.  Add cauliflower "rice" and broth.  Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Rice

CHOBANI Berry Cream Pie Recipe ---17 Day Diet

Chobani
I used this recipe and used Stevia In The Raw instead of sugar.  It was so good.  A little bit of a cheat because of the butter and Graham cracker crust but I haven't cheated at all yet and it was sooooo worth.  1/4 fruit and 1 probiotic serving.
Cream Pie Recipe 

Crazy Cauliflower: Things you never thought you could make. 17 Day Diet

So I recently tried a recipe for pizza crust made from cauliflower and I really wasn't that happy with the results.  It stuck to the pan and I thought the it was too many calories with so much mozzarella in it.  Last night I decided to try my own recipe.  I have seen chefs make sculptures out of baked Parmesan cheese so I decide to replace some of the mozzarella with Parmesan, fat free mozzarella and nutritional yeast (used frequently in vegan recipes as a cheese replacement.  I also changed the whole eggs to egg whites only.  I am very very happy with the results.  The texture was perfect.  So bread-like that if you didn't know it didn't have flour in it, you would never have guessed.  I am also going to use these for sandwiches, like you would pita bread.  I am also going to try doing another batch with different flavors, maybe curry.  Here is the recipe.  Enjoy!!



I did a huge batch that made three 9 inch crusts and four garlic breadsticks.



4 cups of riced raw cauliflower (see below)
1 cup of egg whites
1 cup of nutritional yeast (you might have to go to a health food store for this)
1 package of Kraft Fat Free Mozzarella (1 3/4 cup)
1/4 of regular Mozzarella
1 cup of grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
seasoning of choice I used basil and an Italian herb mix


To "rice" the cauliflower:  I did this with my Cuisenart with a grating blade.  I have read that you can use the "s" blade or hand grate with a cheese grater.  It should look like this.




Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Measure out 1 cup for each pizza crust on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (I recommend this instead of spraying the pan because I tried that and it stuck!).  Press mixture into a flat circle as thin as you can get it without having holes.  For the bread sticks, divide the remaining mix into 4 equal portions and make 6 inch logs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with herbs.


Bake crusts for 20 min and carefully turn over and bake for another 10-15 min.  They will look like this when done.  The bread sticks take 30 mins and you do not turn them over.  These browned perfectly.


To make pizza, top crust with sauce, toppings, and fat free cheese.  Place under broiler until cheese is melted. 





Serving size is 1 cup.

Walleye

Italian chicken soup--The 17 Day Diet Cyle 1

Italian Chicken Soup

12 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, trim fat and cut into bite sized pieces,

1 Sweet onion chopped

1 cup of chopped baby bella (crimini) mushrooms

1 clove of garlic, minces

1 24 oz can of crushed tomatoes and one can of water

2 cups of broccoli

2 cups of carrots chopped

2 cups of chopped baby spinach

1 tbsp of EVOO

2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp of Italian Herb mix

In a heavy stock pot, brown chicken and onions in EVOO, then add all other ingredients.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw, Braised Salmon, and Dill Steamed Asparagus

This is probably the best salmon I have ever made.

Braised Salmon
1 whole fresh fillet of salmon
2 springs of dill
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1/4 medium onion chopped
1/2 bulb of fennel chopped


place onions in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 glass baking dish, cut salmon in half and place in dish like photo above, sprinkle olive oil, vinegar, and fennel, place on sprig of dill on each half, squeeze lemon juice over the salmon.  Add water to about 1/2 way up the thickest portion of the salmon, tightly cover with foil.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I am going to use the extra serving cold on the cole slaw with a bed of greens for lunch.

Steamed Asparagus

1 bundle ( about 1lb I think) of Asparagus
2 springs of dill
juice from 1/2 lemon

Snap ends of asparagus and place in steamer basket with dill on top
squeeze lemon juice into water
steam until crisp tender (about 10 min)

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

1/4 head of red cabbage
1/4 bulb of fennel
1 red delicious apple cored and chopped
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of olive oil
(sprinkle of fat free or low fat blue cheese crumbles)

Shred cabbage and fennel (I use a mandolin slicer but you could use a food processor with a thin slicing blade), put in bowl with onion and apple.  In a small separate bowl, mix yogurt, oil, and vinegar and then poor over cabbage mix.  Toss until well coated.

Makes about 4 servings, this will be 1/8 pro-biotic serving and 1 fruit serving.

Chicken Salad The 17 Day Diet Cycle 1

2 boneless skinless chicken breast (I braised mine in water with juice of 1/2 lemon and onion)
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/4 fennel bulb chopped
1 - 2 tbsp chopped fennel leaves
1/4 cup of capers (optional)
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt (fat free)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

cut up chicken into 1/4 inch pieces or shred  and then mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Serve over a bed of greens or use for lettuce wraps.

On days you eat this, remember that it has yogurt in it.  This makes about 4 servings, so you would reduce your pro-biotic by 1/8 of a serving.

Greek Yogurt Tuna salad--The 17 Day Diet

So my Aunt Laura is doing The 17 Day Diet and lost 26 lbs already.  My family is all abuzz about this and my mom, sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law are all doing it.  I jumped on the band-wagon and bought the Kindle version of the book.  It makes a lot of sense.  It is actually 4 cycles of 17days.  The 1st cycle is pretty much a detox to get you off sugar and bad carbs but surprisingly you can eat as much as you want of lean protein (fish and chicken) and veggies and 2 servings of probiotic (yogurts, miso, etc) and 2 serving of lower sugar fruits.  I plan on starting it as soon as I can get rid of the stuff I can't eat.  I decided to start making recipes that I will be able to eat during cycle 1 because I have to have flavor.  This is the first one.


Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
1 7 oz can of tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (I used FAGE)
1/4 cup of peas
1 stalk of celery sliced thin
1 green onion sliced thin
1-2 tbsp of dill weed
dash of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge overnight. 

I had this in lettuce wraps for dinner last night and am having for lunch over a bed of greens today.  Flavor is much better today. 

I think you could also omit the celery, onion, and tuna and use this for a veggie dip. 

Friday Favorites---The Civil Wars (Indy-Folk Duo)

I was listening to a Prarie Home Companion (also a favorite thing to do on Sunday afternoon) a couple of weeks ago and The Civil Wars were on.  I was so impressed with this duo that I purchased and downloaded their albulm the next day.  I can't stop listening to it.  Their harmonies are incredible and their music is passionate and full of emotion.  I am really bummed because they were at Calvin last Friday and I waited too long to get tickets and they sold out.  I will definately catch them next time.  If you are looking for some new mellow music, please check them out.  Click here to watch Poison & Wine.

Larb (Thai chicken salad) and Tom Kah

I used this Larb Recipe but modified slightly.  I didn't have shallots so I used red onion and garlic instead.  I also didn't have Thai chilis so I used Sriracha instead.  This turned out so yummy.  The fresh lemon/lime juice, mint, and cilantro were wonderful together.  I used this Tom Kah recipe but added mushrooms instead of chicken and did not have lime leaves.  Was still wonderful!

My next Thai food to try and make will be Fresh Rolls, I just have to get some Rice Paper Wraps.

Chicken Chili Mac & Cheese

I made this last night and it is sooooo yummy!!!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese has these new Cooking Cremes that I have been experimenting with.  I used the plain one for this recipe but you could also use the Santa Fe one.  I love this pasta too!

I use Sazon whenever I make Mexican or Spanish dishes.

Chicken Chili Mac & Cheese

1 lb boneless chicken (I used thigh meat) cut into bite sized pieces

1 bunch of green onion chopped

1 packet of Sazón

1/4 to 1 tsp of chili powder

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies

1/2 cup of chopped green pepper

1 cup of frozen corn

1/2 of water

1 16oz box of pasta.  I used Campanelle but elbow mac would work. (Cooked and drained)

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk separated into  1/4 cups

1/4 cup of flour

1 container of Philadelphia Cooking Creme-plain or Sante Fe

2 cups of shredded Cheddar or Mexican mixed cheese(Costco)

Brown chicken in olive oil with packet of Sazón

add 3/4 of green onion, all of green pepper, corn, can of tomatoes(including liquid)
add chili powder
heat until boiling and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

While chicken mix is simmering, melt butter over low heat in a non-stick pan, add flour and milk and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, and Philadelphia Cooking Cream and stir, and cheese and 1/4 cup of milk, stir while melting.  It will be really thick.

When chicken is done, had cheese sauce and stir, then add pasta and stir until mixed.  Garnish with the rest of the green onions.

Enjoy!