A 17 Day Diet Recipe Idea: Apple French Toast without the Toast?



Image courtesy of Cohdra/morguefile.com

 I'm always searching around the net for recipes that will work on this 17 day diet.  I ran across this 'almost french toast' idea and thought I'd share.  It involves apples, eggs, cinnamon and sweetener. Perfect for every 17 Day Diet cycle!



Let's see who tries it out first!



Here's the link:  http://www.weightloss-hq.biz/weight-loss-forum/17-day-diet-recipes/index.php?option=com_fireboard&func=view&catid=26&id=68085&Itemid=46



Update: Today (2/27/11) I made this recipe and it was good!  I would recommend, however that if you make it, use two eggs for a large apple, and only one egg if the apple is smaller.  I'm going to try it next adding a 1/2 slice of whole grain bread torn into chunks to the cooked apple before I pour the egg.  (Of course, wait to add the bread until you've gotten to the activate cycle!) I'll report back how that goes.

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Zucchini and Eggplant Recipes for the 17 Day Diet

If you've read some of my other posts, you know I am now in the third cycle of the 17 Day diet, Achieve.  During the second and third cycles I've experimented with my cooking and come up with a few tasty ideas using both zucchini and eggplant. 

Parmesan Zucchini

(Activate and Achieve)



This Zucchini is easy to fix and so tasty.  I like to eat it with Tilapia or chicken.



2 Servings

• 2 medium sized zucchini squash


• 1 egg white


• Grated Lowfat or fat free Parmesean Cheese


• Nonstick spray Olive Oil plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil


• Salt to taste

1. Slice zucchini squash into 3/4 to 1 inch slices


2. Drop 1 egg white in a zippered baggie


3. Add slice zucchini and shake until evenly coated.


4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup lowfat grated Parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a canister with a shaker)


5. Heat pan that has been sprayed with Olive Oil non-stick spray. Add 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil to pan if you still have your fat to use, if not you can cook using just the spray, but it won't cook as crispy.


6. Cook zucchini on both sides, browning to a golden color and cooking until squash is tender. 


7. Sprinkle with Garlic salt or table salt lightly as it cooks.  Be careful not to salt too much, though, because the cheese is salty!

(I used a generic store brand grated Parmesan cheese that was 20 calories per tablespoon and 1.5 grams of fat.  Could not find fat-free parmesan.)



Per Serving:

Calories: 107

Fat: 7.7 grams

Carbs 4.6 grams

Protein: 6.1 grams



Full nutritional breakdown here: Parmesan Zucchini

Eggplant Stack (Achieve)

(Activate cycle - see note below)

4 Servings

• 1 Large Eggplant


• 1 egg white


• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil


• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese


• 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (1.5g fat)


• 1/4 cup Kikkoman Panko bread crumbs or whole wheat bread crumbs


• Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese


• 1 Large Tomato


• Salt to taste

1. Peel Eggplant and slice into 1 inch thick slices, salt lightly (again, don't get carried way because the Parmesan cheese is salty)


2. Drop egg white into zippered baggie along with a tablespoon of skim milk and shake


3. Mix together cheeses in flat bowl


4. Add sliced eggplant to egg mixture in baggie and shake to coat lightly


5. Dip each eggplant slice into cheese mixture creating a light batter.


6. Spray pan with non-stick spray and add 1 tablespoon Olive Oil.


7. Brown each coated slice of eggplant on both sides, testing with fork to make sure eggplant is cooked through (approx 5 to 10 minutes)


8. While eggplant is cooking, slice tomato

On serving plate:

• Place one slice of cooked eggplant


• Stack one to two slices of tomato and sprinkle a bit of mozarella cheese


• Stack a second slice of eggplant


• Top with grated parmesan cheese

Analyzed on Calorie Count's Database as follows (for full nutritional breakdown, see Eggplant Stack) :



Per serving:

Calories: 135

Fat: 7.3 grams

Carbs: 11 grams

Protein: 7.3 grams



It's that easy!   Since I am cooking for one, I refrigerate the extra slices for quick future meals. 



Note: Both these dishes fit into the achieve cycle of the 17 day diet and if you use fat-free cheeses and eliminate the panko, they work for the Activate as well.



If you try these, let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

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Another pound gone! Review of "Start Walking at Home" with Leslie Sansone

Image courtesy of Alal/morguefile.com

Happy to report that I finally lost another pound, bringing my total weight loss on the 17 Day Diet to 14.5 pounds.  This is day 44, ten days into the achieve cycle.  Just as I was losing faith in the diet's principles the numbers on the scale change!  Yesterday, I walked my pup and exercised inside for a total of 45 minutes, which I plan to continue every day going forward. I am getting very close to the healthy weight I used to be for most of my life....only 17 pounds left. I am the most confident I've felt in years.



Since I've renewed my commitment to exercise as I am losing weight on the 17 Day Diet, I'm sharing an article I wrote about one of my favorite walking workouts with Leslie Sansone.  If you are in need of a workout that isn't complicated, but works, try this one (and you can order it from Amazon....See My Favorites in the sidebar):



Review of "Start Walking at Home" with Leslie Sansone

Stay in Shape with This Easy Walking Exercise Routine!

In my continuing quest to find a variety of workouts that will motivate me to stay on track with my weight loss and fitness routine, I decided to Leslie Sansone's walking workout routines. Leslie Sansone has over 75 in-home walking videos and she owns Studio Fitness in New Castle, Pennsylvania. This workout review is of her 1 and 2 mile workouts featured in her "Start Walking at Home" series, which I tried on exercise TV. I found them both easy to follow and energizing!



The simple act of walking has inherent health benefits for everyone. The American Heart Association (AHA) endorses a regular walking routine to prevent heart disease and claim that brisk walking for 30 minutes can reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. If you like the idea of a walking routine to get or stay in shape, check out AHA's "My Start" walking site, where you can sign up for newsletters, connect with "sole mates" that share your quest, plan a routine and track your miles from walking, as well as enter your daily food intake. Additionally, if you don't have one, purchase a pedometer to track your steps during a walking program. You'll find yourself taking the longer route when you have that step counter clipped to your waistband!



Exercise Video Reviewed:Start Walking at Home



Instructor: Leslie Sansone

Exercise Level: Beginner to Mid-level

Total Workout time: 20 minutes for the 1 mile, 30 minutes for the 2 mile

(5 minutes warm up and cool down included)

Equipment needed: Just your athletic shoes!

Estimated calories burned (using Calorie Count's Database): 130 - 1 mile / 185 - 2 mile



Continue reading review: Start Walking at Home

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Day 43 on the 17 Day Diet

Image courtesy of xenia/morguefile.com

I'm on the ninth day of the third cycle, achieve.  It's nice to be able to eat more, but boy....the weight loss is crawling now. I'm not drinking alcohol and trying to stick with starchy carbs before 2, but that doesn't seem to be helping much.   I'm stuck at a 13.5 pound loss and would really love to make that fifteen pound loss statement to friends and family.  I think I'll try a few changes:

1. Weigh myself every 3 days instead of daily

2. Every third day resort back to the accelerate cycle guidelines

3. Do 30 minutes of exercise daily (I admit, I've been slacking here)



I've still got almost twenty pounds of extra junk in my trunk, so I will definitely be returning to the accelerate cycle when this one is over. I feel good on this diet and have incorporated healthy alternatives into my diet.....but I want that last twenty gone before I resort to pure mantenance.



How are you doing?? I'd love to hear some comments from others!

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Turkey Salad Recipe





Turkey Salad with Wasa 7 Grain Crackerbread







  

Since I cooked my turkey yesterday, today I chopped up some of the white meat to make turkey salad.  Here's my recipe which would work for any cycle of the 17 Day Diet.  Once you've reached the 3rd cycle, Achieve, you can eat it with whole grain bread or if you are dying for a cracker, try Wasa brand Crisp'n'Light 7 grain crackerbread. 20 calories per slice, 0 g fat, 15 g carbs, 2 g protein.

Turkey Salad

 Recipe



Light and slightly sweet salad made with home cooked turkey.  Substitute canned or poached chicken if preferred.

2 cups turkey

1/3 cup craisins (use halved red grapes for cycles 1 and 2)

1/4 medium apple

1 stalk celery

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 green onion

1 Teaspoon Orange Zest (optional)

Directions: Chop baked turkey and apple into bite sized chunks. Dice celery and slice green onion. Mix all ingredients together and add salt to taste. Chill for 1 hour. 

Serving size: 1 cup (I only ate 1/2 cup for lunch today)

Calories: 188

Fat: 6.1 grams (1.3 g saturated fat)

Carbs: 11.8 grams

Protein: 21.2

For the full breakdown, visit the recipe I entered into Calorie Count: Turkey Salad

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The Achieve Cycle of the 17 Day Diet Feels Like a Feast!

Image Courtesy of Seemann/morguefile.com

Today I started the third cycle of the 17 Day Diet. Yay!  I'm stuck right now at 13 pounds lost, and was feeling a little disappointed until I said it in a different way which was, "In only 34 days I've lost 13 pounds!"  Those pounds were coming off so quickly at first that I wanted it to go on forever,but really, I should be excited about losing 13 pounds as long as I don't gain them back, right?



To be honest, I'm a little scared of this third cycle because it seems like I'll be eating quite a bit! Today I cooked a turkey I'd bought during the Christmas holidays when turkeys were cheap.  (I was almost salivating as that 13-pound bird was cooking!)  I had a serving with veggies, and a baked potato topped with a tablespoon of fat-free sour cream. It really felt like a feast!  I'll remove all the turkey from the bone and store it in my fridge (maybe freeze half), which I will turn into turkey salad, sliced on sandwiches and in soups over the next few days. I also baked 3 Idaho potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes while the turkey baked, which I can warm up quickly in the microwave for lunches and dinners.



It's 6:25 right now and, after finishing my yummy turkey dinner, I have to say that I didn't even feel like I was on a diet today!  I ate some of the same things I have grown to like over the past 34 days but was happy I could add in a piece of bread at lunch and a potatoe tonight. I'm having a hard time fitting in all the fruit before 2 PM, so I only ate my frozen grapes today.  I need my probiotic so I may cheat and mix some frozen blueberries into a yogurt shake tonight.  Hopefully, that won't throw a kink in the works!



It's great to have reached this point.  If I can lose a few more pounds over the next 17 days eating like this, I'll be thrilled!  To be continued........

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Chicken Pot Pie Soup



Image courtesy of Gina's Skinny Recipes Blog

 I just tried another Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes that fits into the Activate cycle of the 17 Day Diet. 



Today was one of the coldest days this year and soup sounded good, so I made the "Chicken Pot Pie Soup" from the many recipes on this awesome blog.  It is filled with chicken chucks, portabello mushrooms, celery, potatoes and other veggies.



I used cornstarch as the thickener and made two changes to the recipe: 1) I only used 4 ounces of the mushrooms and I added one idaho potatoe and one sweet potatoe. 



This recipe is delicious! 250 calories, 1.8 grams fat and 31 grams carbs.  Too bad we can only eat this soup every other day on this cycle! :)

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