Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 16

Today I had an amazing dinner of yummy peanut butter stir fry. My hubby always loves it when I make this for him and my kids gobble up every last veggie on their plate. We used to eat a lot of stir fry before I started the Hcg diet, but with a big serving of white rice under those yummy veggies. My kids would pick through their veggies, eating all the rice and chicken with a FEW of the vegetables mixed in there somewhere. Now, we don't make rice, I don't add sugars to the sauce and my kids eat every last single vegetable on their plate. Even the broccoli. Being on this diet has changed my family's eating habits drastically. I can now feel confident that my children are getting the proper nutrition they need, without most of the added sugars and complex carbs that they really don't need to thrive.

Peanut Butter Stir Fry

2-4 chicken breasts, depending on size, sliced into thin pieces
1 head broccoli, cut into thin pieces
1 large red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1 small/med. onion, sliced thin
6-8 cups shredded cabbage(or more, or less)
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
3-4 tbsp natural peanut butter(no sugar added)
3 packets stevia
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
Coconut oil

Heat wok, cook chicken breast in oil, until slightly browned over med to high heat. Add onions, crushed garlic, broccoli and red pepper. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes, or until almost done. Add peanut butter, stevia and soy sauce. Mix until the peanut butter is melted and everything is evenly coated with the sauce. Add cabbage and stir fry until all cabbage has been combined and covered in sauce. Cook for about one minute. Makes 3-4 portions.

This is what I have been drinking here and there. Zevia pop, with stevia instead of sugar. So it is zero calories and perfect for P3 on the hcg diet. Or for people who are trying to stay away from sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. I've also heard of some people drinking this on P2, but I didn't. It's pretty good. Some of the flavours, you can taste the after-taste more than others. My favorite would have to be the cola one, but the ginger root beer is pretty good also. I didn't like the after-taste of the cream soda flavour and neither did my hubby, so I think we will stick with the two kinds we did like.

Aside from what I ate for dinner, I really didn't eat very great today. I was down almost 4 pounds this morning(obviously the frappuccino I drank yesterday didn't do anything) and I've been having a hard time eating MORE food when I've been down too much, so I figured I would try cheating a little. For breakfast I had a mixture of no sugar added muesli with some pumpkin flax granola with milk. For lunch I had french fries and an apple. I nibbled on a few almonds and had my stir fry for dinner. I'm really hoping I am up tomorrow. It kind of feels silly to say that, but I just want stick with the rule of not going up or down more than two pounds from the last day of drops. I'm sure I will be up at least SOME weight tomorrow. If not though, I'm not really going to worry about it too much. I plan on doing another round of the drops anyways, so I think it SHOULD be okay, right? Ha ha, anyways, I'll find out in the morning.

~Jenn

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 15

Today I had my first cheat. Hubby and I took the kids to White Rock. We walked along the beach and were having a great time, until meltdown city happened. Baby wanted to eat, but is teething and was having a hard time drinking her bottle. Meanwhile my two year old ONLY wanted to go to the restaurant with the giraffe on the front. So I finished feeding the baby and we started heading back to figure out where we wanted to go for lunch. It was hot and the kids were hungry and didn't have a nap. Never a good combination. Long story short, we ended up skipping the restaurant and the ice cream we had promised the kids(if they were good) and had to walk the ten minutes back to the car with all three kids screaming and/or crying beside us. Boo! ALSO I woke up this morning, a pound less than I'm supposed to be so I figure this would be the PERFECT time to cheat. It was, oh boy it was. I had a light mocha coconut frappuccino without whip. I couldn't really tell it was light and I didn't really care. It was good and hopefully the scale will be up tomorrow. But not too much.

~Jenn

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 13

It's been a great few days for my diet. I am ALMOST down 2 more pounds(I know I'm not supposed to lose more than 2 pounds, and I won't) and most days I feel quite full. Isn't that crazy? I mean I must be doing something right. So much has changed since I started P1. My eating habits for one, have drastically changed. I eat pancakes(my adapted recipe) almost everyday, lots of fruits and veggies, as much meat and oil as I want and I almost always feel full and satisfied! I don't eat before bed anymore.

I haven't really eaten much of the 'caution' foods yet. I mean, I ate a few bites of corn on the cob yesterday with dinner. I've also had carrots in my salads a few times, especially if I've gone out to eat. Other than that I've pretty much stayed away from the starchy, more sugary fruits and veggies. The only thing I've found to be a problem(I'm not sure if it's really a problem) is that I can't really eat lunch. When I eat my pancakes for breakfast, with berries or an apple, I just don't feel that hungry when it comes time for lunch. I usually end up snacking here and there before it comes time for dinner. I'll eat an apple and a few almonds, or some veggies with my homemade dip, and that's about it. Sometimes I'm hungry a few hours after dinner and I will eat an apple or something, but wow do I eat less! Often I wonder if I'm getting enough fruits and veggies in throughout the day. I'm sure I'm eating WAY more than I used to, but honestly I don't think I'd want to try to eat any more than I already am.

I love this new me so much. I love how I feel, how I have energy. I'm honestly a little scared of P4. I'm almost not looking forward to adding sugars and carbs back into my diet. Ok who am I kidding, I've been dreaming and counting down the days until I can have a sweet, creamy Starbucks frappuccino. THAT I've missed dearly. I am definitely going to have to limit those to only a few a month though...sigh.

So I've figured out a great way to eat as much dip with fruits and veggies as I want. I'm going to work on the fruit dip this weekend and will blog it then, but for now I've figured out(I'm sure I wasn't the first one) a really great way to allow myself and my family to slather their veggies with as much dip as they want. Guilt free! Here's how...

Guilt free veggie dip

1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt (and mix in whatever herbs and spices as you like)

let sit for at least an hour, or overnight.

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

or

1 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

or

1- 1 1/2 tsp roasted garlic and red pepper seasoning

or

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
salt to taste

or

think up your own variations! This is super easy and healthy. Just remember that the flavours will become stronger in your dip the longer you let it sit, so use a bit less.

Enjoy your creation!

~Jenn

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 10

So I've been MIA for a few days. I've been enjoying the sun and spending time with friends and family. Things have been going pretty good! I've been REALLY enjoying this phase of the diet. I hardly feel deprived at all(except for the occasional...OK around 2PM every day when I crave a Starbucks frappuccino). I've loved all of my lettuce wrapped burgers, cream cheese pancakes(who knew I'd be able to eat pancakes whenever I want) and all of the great new ways I've learned to cook veggies. Today For dinner we barbequed some chicken. To go along with it I made a ceasar salad and I fried up some bok choy. I found a simple recipe and changed it just a little to make it a bit more P3 friendly. The bok choy was super tasty.

Quick and Easy Bok Choy
 
Serves 2-4

6-8 baby bok choy - washed, leaves separated(you will add them later) and stalks cut into whatever sized pieces you like
2 cloves crushed/ chopped garlic
1 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 tsp soy sauce
1 packet stevia
2-3 tbsp veg. stalk or water

Heat pan or wok to med-high heat.  Add oil and garlic. Saute for 30 sec. then add your stalks of bok choy. Saute for 2 minutes, then add soy sauce, stevia packet and bok choy leaves. Saute for a minute more. Add vegetable stock or water and cover with a lid and let steam for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 4 & 5

Today is my 5th day on P3. It feels as though I have been on this phase for a lot longer though. It feels so much better to be here. It's like my world has been opened up to a whole new menu of food choices. Oh right, that's because it has! I've been eating great. Most mornings I've made(and I believe perfected) pancakes with apples or strawberries. These are super yummy and easy to make. I feel so full after I eat them, and most of the time it takes me a while to get hungry for lunch. Today I was still full at lunch time, so I just ate an apple and a few almonds. I'm not sure if this is because the pancakes are filling, or because I'm just not used to eating breakfast. It's probably a bit of both.

My weight has been different everyday since the last day I took my drops. Up or down within less than a pound. I'm glad about this, because I was a little worried that I was eating too much of the things that I should be careful with( nuts, peanut butter, cream, etc.). I guess I'm doing okay for now though. The only problem I am having with P3, is not feeling hungry for lunch. I think I've been eating too little during the day, and then I begin feeling hungry in the evening before bed. Normally I would have a snack, but since you aren't supposed to eat within a few hours of going to bed, I've chosen not to. I'm going to try things a little differently tomorrow and see how I feel tomorrow evening.

Here is my pancakes that I had for breakfast! I can't wait until tomorrow morning when I get to make them again. They are that yummy.

For Dinner I made BBQ ribs(with my homemade bbq sauce), Cesar salad, and homemade creamy tomato basil soup. I found the recipe here. It was very good. my husband said it was tomatoey... I told him it was tomato soup, lol. I did agree though. I mean I liked it the way it was(So did my 2 and 4 year old) but next time I might add a little more vegetable broth.

To make this I used;

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes(no extra sugar added)
1 med onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
about a tbsp dried basil(fresh would have been better, but I didn't have any on hand)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 packet of powdered stevia
500g of plain fat free Greek yogurt
Grated cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

I sauteed the onion, dried basil and garlic over medium heat for about 5 min. Then I added the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, stevia and salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil and simmer for about 5-10 min. Turn the heat off. Add the Greek yogurt and puree with an immersion blender. I then added about 1/2 cup of grated cheddar and mixed it in. I also put a little bowl of extra cheese on the table to garnish the tops of the soup and add a bit more cheese flavour.

I will definitely make this again, probably with a whole carton of vegetable stock(or chicken would work also) and some fresh basil instead of dried.

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 2 & 3

I went out for dinner with the family this evening. We went to Red Robin. I LOVE Red Robin burgers, and now that they have lettuce wrapped burgers, it is a perfect restaurant for phase 3! I had a Teriyaki Chicken Burger with a side salad. On the burger I had Swiss cheese, pineapple and mustard. I held off on the teriyaki sauce, even though it's my favourite, because I'm sure it's loaded with sugar! It was so yum! I wish I had taken a picture of my meal, oh well, maybe if I go again.

This morning I woke up late, so I ended up not eating much for breakfast, then at lunch also. I was really hungry for dinner, then of course I was hungry in the evening! I ended up eating another lettuce wrapped burger(leftovers from last nights dinner) because I was too hungry not to eat something. Tomorrow I will DEFINITELY eat a bigger breakfast. It's funny though, because I was just standing there in the kitchen wondering what on earth I could eat. Normally I would have gone for crackers or cereal. Oh the dilemma! Ha ha...I guess I will just have to make up some baggies of healthy things I can snack on if I'm really hungry.

Yesterday I found this recipe for P3 friendly pancakes. Of course I had to try them! They were super good. They kind of remind me more of a crepe, but better. I found the batter to be a tad thin and a bit hard to flip. I got better towards the end of my batches(I made enough for my whole family). Everyone loved them! I plan to make them again tomorrow, with a bit of coconut flower in them to make them a bit thicker. I used some E.D Smith, sugar free(it had a bit of sucralose) maple syrup for a little extra sweetness on top, served with fresh strawberries.

Pancakes
makes 4-5 pancakes (one serving)

2 eggs
2 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1-2 packets powdered stevia
cinnamon to taste

*UPDATE* I tried making these again with a tbsp of coconut flour. They were a bit thicker and easier to work with. Absolutely delicious!

Blend everything in a blender or magic bullet. Pour some of the batter onto a hot pan(med heat) slowly, in whatever sized portion you want to end up with. Wait until the top looks almost cooked before you flip. This won't take long as they are fairly thin. The other side will then only take about 30 sec. to finish cooking(or at least mine did). Top with fresh fruit and enjoy!

Hcg Diet Phase 3 - Day 1

I'm here! I'm in Phase 3 and I'm loving it so far! I'm super happy to be able to have more variety in my meals. Even though I can't have complex carbs and sugars just yet, I am thrilled with the new things I am able to make. I tried to do a little research on how exactly you should start introducing new foods. Some I found were just lists(which I've found helpful) and others were way strict plans on introducing certain foods back into your diet slowly. I plan to just go with the list of foods that I am able to eat now and introduce them at my OWN pace. I think I will go with what the scale says in the morning and see how things go!

At breakfast I felt extremely guilty while making my food. I made Red pepper and cheddar cheese mini frittatas. The reason I felt guilty was because I used oil to spray the muffin tins before I baked them and I sprinkled cheese on top. I know this is so silly and I knew it would feel weird to change the way I have been preparing my meals. I'll get used to it of course. Especially since my breakfast was so delish! Here's what I ate today;

Red pepper and cheese mini frittatas, with strawberries. These were pretty amazing. I'm pretty sure I think they are amazing though, because I haven't eaten cheese in what seems like forever. Either way, they were yummy!

Red Pepper & Cheese Mini Frittatas

Makes 4 servings of 3 frittatas each

7 extra large eggs(or 8 large)
1 large red pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup skim milk
Roughly 3/4 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat eggs, milk, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Pour egg mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups. Spoon red pepper evenly into the egg mixture. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are slightly browned and egg is fully cooked. Enjoy with some fruit.

For lunch I enjoyed a blueberry vanilla protein shake. My protein powder has no added sugar and is very low on carbs(2g). I used 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup water. Blended it all together and poured it in a glass to enjoy. It was tasty, yet a bit sweet for me! I'm going to try it again with a few frozen cranberries to add a bit of tartness to it.

For dinner I started off by making some barbeque sauce. Since tomorrow is Canada Day and I knew we would be making burgers for dinner, I decided to make some home made BBQ sauce to go along with it. I also used it on my dinner tonight. It was very tasty. Not like the barbeque sauce I usually buy, which is much sweeter and has less of a tomato taste to it, but since I couldn't add sugar, molasses etc. That is just how it turned out. I enjoyed it all the same. You can find my complete recipe HERE(Hickory Apple Barbeque Sauce)! Here are a few pictures anyways.

I made Pork chops for dinner. Topped with my barbeque sauce and some sauteed apples & onions. It was delicious. Alongside it I had some fake "mashed potatoes". It was actually steamed cauliflower with roasted garlic. You can find the recipe on my sister-in-law's blog. The only thing I did differently was added a tablespoon of cream cheese and I used my immersion blender to blend them. They were really good and my kids even fell for it! They didn't quite think they were the same as real mashed potatoes, but they gobbled them up all the same! Hooray for healthy mash!

That's it for day one. I'm kind of nervous to see what the scale says in the morning. Until tomorrow!

~Jenn