I have completed my first week and have said farewell to seven pounds! That is a pound a day if you need some help with the math. So far it has worked out well because I actually get to eat, I actually get to eat food! What a novel concept. All those diets that I have tried before, I should have known something wasn't right. This one is working for me.
It hasn't all been sunshine and roses this week though. While I haven't had too many cravings, I have found the hardest part for me is to make sure that I eat often enough. That and that I make sure that I eat enough protein as well.
Today I will touch base on the hits and misses that I have experienced so far this week.
In the last post I have explained some of the misses. One being Faux Mashed Potatoes. I had done quite a bit of research to look for recipes that would hopefully make me feel like I wasn't depriving myself. And by research I mean I spent hours and hours on Pinterest, but you probably guessed that already didn't you?
I stumbled across the recipe for the for the faux mashed potatoes, read the reviews and thought that I had found what would be a staple in my diet for at least the first 17 days. I was mistaken. Now just because it was a miss for me doesn't mean that others will have the same experience. In the reviews that I had read lots of other people actually enjoyed them. For that reason I am including it here:
Faux Mashed Potatoes
(modified from I Breath...I'm Hungry)
1 head cauliflower
2 Tbls heavy cream
1 Tbls butter
2 ounces Dubliner or other sharp cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with 2 Tbl of cream and 1 Tbl of butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for five minutes. Stir to coat cauliflower with cream/butter mixture. Microwave for another 4 minutes on high. Remove from the microwave and put into a high speed blender or food processor along with the cheese. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can adjust the cream and butter to your preference.
The modification that I made to this was that instead of the heavy cream and the butter I replaced both with Greek yogurt. This most likely accounts for texture of how my attempt turned out. My cauliflower was pretty grainy. I also replaced the Dubliner cheese with about four ounces of reduced fat cheddar cheese.
I also experienced two hits. One came from the 17 Day Diet book and the other came from my own creation.
Eggplant Parmesan
(from The 17 Day Diet)
1 lg eggplant (peeled)
4 egg whites
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
Spaghetti sauce (or low-carb marinara)
Pre-heat oven to 400F. Cut eggplant into 1/4" slices. Beat egg whites and 4 tablespoons of water until foamy. Dip eggplant in egg mixture, then into FF parmesan cheese, pressing cheese into eggplant. Place eggplant on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with minced garlic. Spray vegetable spray over the top. Bake 30 minutes, then turn and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Cover with sauce, bake another 20 minutes and serve.
Leafy Tacos
1 pound ground turkey
1 pkg low sodium taco seasoning
Bell pepper, sliced
Red onion, slicedRomaine leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Fat free sour cream
Fresh salsa
Fat free shredded cheese
Prepare turkey meat according to the directions on taco seasoning package. Remove meat from pan. In seasoning left behind from the meat add about a tablespoon water and saute bell pepper and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use romaine leaves as 'taco shells' and add meat, sauteed vegetables, sour cream, salsa and cheese.