Almond Crusted Chicken-pseudo fried

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken pieces (I used cutlets-see below.)
3/4 cup almond meal
1,5 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne
1,5 tsp dry mustard
4 tbsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Combine almond meal with seasonings.
Rub each piece of chicken with a little olive oil, then roll in seasoned almond meal.

Arrange in a roasting pan. Roast for an hour or so, until juices run clear, and the coating is crunchy. If you use a thermometer, your chicken needs to reach 165 degrees. If you don't want crunchy, you can put it in a baker where it holds onto the juices. I used the Pampered Chef baker shown on the right.

 This is how it looked when I pulled it out of the oven.

I put it with green/wax beans and pan-fried squash (which was super delish and my first time to do this).

Non-Ice Cream Ice Cream-Strawberry

If you're trying to do without the typical "sweets", this is a nice, refreshing option.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb frozen strawberry (non-sweetened)
• 14 oz coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup coconut palm (or to taste)

Instructions:

Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and liquefy/blend. You can expect to have to stop and get some strawberries off of the blades. You can try this with other types of fruits. It can be frozen, but it freezes pretty solid so be sure to let it sit out for about 30 minutes before expecting to eat it.

Enjoy!

Fajita Wraps

Kudos to Lori Leopard who shared a recipe with me for Crockpot Chicken Fajitas. I had to change a couple of things because of my new way of eating; however, it's pretty much the same.

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast (I used chicken tenders.)
• 3 peppers (green, red, yellow)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Homemade taco seasoning
• Greek yogurt
• Head of lettuce
• Cooked brown rice (about 1 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1. Slice peppers and onions then place them on the bottom of the crock pot
2. Put Chicken on top of peppers and onions
3. Sprinkle taco seasoning on the top
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs (or high for 3-4)
5. The chicken looks burnt but it’s just crispy.

 

 

6. Once it's done, I shredded it (using Pamper Chef's salad chopper-easy) and mixed it all up.

 

7. Normally, you would put this on tortillas, but I can't have that so I opted to create a fajita lettuce wrap. So I took the lettuce leaf, added a scoop of rice, then the fajita mixture. Rather than adding sour cream, I add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

 



 

 

This is absolutely yummy! I had a picky 8 year old eating with me, and she ate it up!

 

Here's a link to the original recipe:

Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Clean Eating Taco Seasoning from The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic  powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

Instructions

1. Blend all spices in a bowl and use to season any taco meat you are cooking. Use approximately 1 tbsp. per pound of meat.
2. The mix has a small amount of "kick" to it, but it's not on "fire".

*Recipe from The Gracious Pantry

Apple Walnut Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 apples, cored and chopped or sliced-your preference
3 tbsp. walnut oil
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. mayo (homemade for me)
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

1. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and cook at 350 for about 8 minutes.
2. While these are roasting, put cabbage and apple in a big mixing bowl.
3. Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
4. When walnuts are done, add them to cabbage, then toss in dressing mixture.

It's best served fresh, but it can sit for a couple of days. The next day, I felt like I would enjoy a little sweeter taste to the salad so I added a couple of tablespoons of coconut palm (since I don't do white sugar). It made it even more delish!

Egg Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 large celery ribs, diced-include any crisp leaves (use pre-cut/diced when in a hurry)
4 scallions-include crisp part of green
2 tbsp parsley
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
6 tbsp mayo (from my mayo recipe)
1 tbsp brown mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut up veggies and eggs and combine them in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir together the mayo and mustard, then add to salad and stir.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste

Eat as is, wrap in lettuce, stuff in tomatoes...sky's the limit

Homemade Mayonnaise in the Jar

I'm giving you the version I used for my example, and the version I actually made.

Original Recipe I found

Ingredients

2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. wine vinegar or another tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
2 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup olive oil

Instructions:
Put everything but oil in a clean old jar with a good tight lid. Have oil measured and standing by in measuring cup with pouring lip.
Insert stick blender all the way down to the bottom of the jar. Blend egg yolks with the seasonings.
Keep blender running. Now slowly start pouring in oil; you want a stream about the diameter of a pencil lead. Work the blender up and down in the jar as you go. When you can't get any more oil to incorporate, and it's puddling on the surface, stop. You're done. Leftover oil can go back in the bottle. Cap your jar of mayo and stash it in the fridge (lasts about 10 days).

Serves: Makes about a cup. If you use a lot of mayo in a week, double the recipe

My Version

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
3 dashes hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup olive oil

Instructions

I didn't have a stick blender or a jar so I used a regular blender. It worked just fine, although you do have to scrape it out. I would do the jar if I had the right stuff.

I put everything but the oil in the blender and blended well. Then I took the little grip out of the top of the blender and began to pour the oil, with a small, constant stream. It's the craziest thing because it just starts becoming mayo, from the bottom up. When it stops puddling at the top, your done.

As a sidenote, remember that you can have all kinds of may. I added some spicy mustard to it once I was finished and used it for a spread over some fish. You can add it to sandwiches. Try adding horseradish. Any kind of mayo spread you see in the store, you can make at home. Get creative!

Almond Crusted Tilapia

This can be done with salmon also.

 

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets (or 1 1/2 lb salmon)
1 cup almond meal
2 Tbl ground coriander (I use cilantro when I don't have coriander.)
2 Tbl ground cumin
juice of 3 lemons (or 1/2 cup lemon juice)
sea salt and black pepper
coconut oil
(1/2 cup chopped almonds)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine almond meal, coriander, and cumin in small bowl.
3. Pour lemon juice over fish and allow to sit for about 10 min, then season with salt/pepper
4. Coat each fillet with almond meal mixture (both sides)
5. Place the fish on a broiler pan, greased lightly with coconut oil.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until it flakes easily with fork.
7. (For additional texture and flavor, I added the chopped almonds across the top just before I cooked it. I went over it lightly with coconut oil, using a basting brush.)

I check my fish/meat with a thermometer so that it doesn't get dried out. If you do this, your tilapia should reach 145-155 degrees.

Thoughts and 3 Recipes

First of all, starting anything new, and good for you, is a daunting task. BELIEVE me! If I can do it, anyone can! Learn some basics and then explore. For example, I bought some Coconut Palm and raw honey to replace the sugar I missed. Coconut palm usually comes in a bag, and it's a natural sugar. Remember, stay away from processed foods. Every day I have hot green tea and put honey in it. This curbs my caffeine cravings.

 

Second of all, I'm a change-things-up junkie so I have to figure out a way to do different recipes. Figure out what works for you. Let me start you off by giving you a few easy ones. Remember, you can have as much as you want of the low glycemic foods. The list of these is on the first blog entry in the Dr. Oz cheat sheet. With that being said, I try to eat my protein (You're allowed 6-8 oz a day-fish, turkey, chicken.) at night. So during the day I like to go veggie.

 

Cabbage Steaks

 

head of cabbage

olive oil

garlic salt

salt and pepper

 

Slice the cabbage into the same size "pieces" you would have a good ribeye. Lay them on a baking sheet. Take a basting brush and paint olive oil on your slices. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Cook on 350 for about 30 minutes. Take out. Turn over. Repeat. Easy. :)

 

I am not a cabbage fan. I liked this. Try putting it on first and letting it cook while you're getting the rest of your dinner ready. Good filler.

 

Vegetable Stir Fry

 

small onion

2 green tomatoes

2 cups cut okra

3 to 4 medium squash

2 cups veggie/chicken broth

olive oil

salt

pepper

Tony's Creole seasoning (to offset sweet from tomatoes)

 

I dice onion and put it in the skillet with the okra and veggie broth. Then I cover it and let it simmer for a few minutes while I cut the squash and tomatoes. (to assure that the okra isn't hard/undercooked) Add remaining veggie and seasonings-all to taste because it depends on how much you like. (I give them a good, thorough sprinkling of each.). Stir fry until desired consistency. I'm a girl who likes a little burn to mine. It's a personal choice.

 

Easy Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• small onion
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can ranch beans
• 1 can northern beans
•  sea salt, to taste
• 2 Tbl cumin
• Cayenne pepper, dash
• Chili powder, to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (I keep a jar of it to cut back on time.)
• salsa (needs to be organic...no sugar added)
• cooked brown rice

                                                                                                

Directions

Add the beans, and season with sea salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder and garlic. Cook, stirring until tender. You can substitute other beans on list.

 In a separate pan, cook the ground turkey and onion with cayenne pepper, sea salt, cumin, chili powder (I use a good, healthy amount) and garlic cloves.

  Since you are limited on turkey and rice, keep watch on portion size. This is VERY filling. Layer rice, beans, turkey, salsa.

 

Delish.

The basics...

On the "plan", you have to do some basic things. Let me list them, and I'll go ahead and give you the smoothie recipe.

•  Start your morning with a cup of hot water with half a lemon squeezed in it. This is supposed to trigger your metabolism or something like that.
• You only have a 12 hour window to eat. Dr. Oz says 8 AM - 8 PM. That doesn't work for everybody. If you need to adjust that, awesome. The key is the 12 hours, as well as having several hours between your last food and bedtime.
• Start with a breakfast smoothie. (Recipe below)
• Drink as much vegetable broth as you'd like, but have at least one cup. There's a recipe to make it, but who wants to do that all the time. You can substitute it with Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth...store bought.
• Decide what snacks you can/will eat that is reasonable for you. Have that available. I tend to eat carrots and hummus, almonds, some berries. Those are my snacks of choice.
• You can only have water unless you need caffeine. You may have green tea (hot), and I add honey to mine so I can stand it. It's pretty good that way.

Breakfast Smoothie
2 Tbs rice protein (GNC has this. Rodney hates the taste so we compromise and buy a bag of rice protein with a berry flavor and mix them so it's okay.)
2 Tbs flax seed (also at GNC)
1/2 cup frozen berries (so you don't have to use ice)
1/2 banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

A new adventure...

Irony. I see it all around us in this crazy life. One of the biggest moments of irony I have experienced came when I realized that my new married name would be Meeks. Funny. God has a sense of humor, doesn't He?! Another ironic thing about me? I hate to speak in front of people, yet I teach. It bothers me to raise my hand and have everyone look at me, but sometimes I cannot help myself. I MUST speak. I am not arrogant, nor do I believe that I am better than others. It's just that my life has been one adventure after another, and I think that maybe it makes me qualified to share it with you. Take what helps you and leave the rest. Feel free to share with me as well. I love to learn.
 
I'm starting this adventure because I am, for lack of a better term, divergent. I've always known it, but Veronica Roth made it cool! When I was a little girl, my grandmother said I was an enigma. It took me a while to get over it because I wondered what I did for her to say such a thing. After I realized it was not meant to be ugly, I took it as a compliment. I am tough, but I'm a sucker for the sappy story. I am logical, but I go with my gut. I am together, but I am a mess. I am weird. I have learned to accept it. This has now carried over to my health and fitness. As I start a new journey, I thought I'd share. It will help hold me accountable, and I hope that it will help someone else who is going through this.
 
In short, I have always been a fairly fit, well person, minus some respiratory issues in my life. I later learned that I had a mild form of asthma that caused me to have coughing, ear infection-general respiratory junk. In the last six or seven years, I have gotten progressively sicker, albeit mild sickness, it is chronic. In the last nine-month period, I was on antibiotics and steroids for five different periods, each lasting 14-21 days each. I continued to stay sick and gain weight. Although I tried to work out, I could not do it without feeling like I would pass out. I saw quite a few doctors and weight loss gurus, but nothing changed. I cried every time I tried on clothes, and I felt terribly about myself.
 
It's a long story how we got it all figured out, but it was a combo deal. My fabulous ENT realized we needed to get to the bottom of things for my health and tested me for allergies. (I am allergic to EVERY thing.) A random look at a Dr. Oz rerun made me realize that my symptoms might have been triggered by food allergies so I did a week of elimination. What I found out is crazy! That whole wheat/gluten allergy thing is for REAL.  I can "add" potatoes in and my stomach almost immediately swells, and I have trouble walking through the house without losing my breath. So...I have done some research and started a new chapter. I had my first allergy shots today. I began cooking without my favorite ingredients and am surviving! No butter-which is the staple of southern cooks-no Mt. Dew-which is a necessity for me since I don't do coffee-no dairy, no wheat, no white stuff. It sounds awful, but in truth, it's not so bad. It does require thinking ahead, as well as changing the "staples" in your kitchen. Here's a good rule: Get rid of processed stuff.
 
I have not had a caffeine headache. I have not starved. I will also be honest with you and say that it's not always easy. You do have to re-learn. I also made a decision that I'm not going to go without my favorite things for the rest of my life. I will allow myself a Mt. Dew and a steak and potato meal on the weekend. I just won't do it more than that. I'm going to upload the "at-a-glance" sheet I downloaded for my first elimination week. I got it from Dr. Oz as a part of his Rapid Weight Loss two week plan. By the way, before this I was working out and eating 1200-1400 calories a day and gaining weight. After four days on this plan, I lost 3 lbs. I've been on vacation and not keeping it all up (weighing and working out each day) so I started back this week. Hopefully I'll be able to report a greater weight loss soon. I'll add some recipes tomorrow.