Green Apple Smoothie

I created today's smoothie of the day in honor of an event in which I am partaking on my other blog called #AppleWeek.  If you, like me, love all things apple you are going to want to check out all the great recipes we are sharing.

I have found that smoothies are a great thing when you are trying to stick to a healthy, whole foods and fast metabolism eating plan.  They take minutes, they give you a full meals supply of vegetables and/or fruit, they are delicious and they are portable.  They are perfect for breakfast or a snack.  I did not use green apples in this smoothie but could have had I had any on hand.  

No, this is why I call it a Green Apple Smoothie.  Look at that perfect green color and icy goodness. I was able to give Frank breakfast in bed this morning. Enjoy.

Green Apple Smoothie

1 c. apple cider

2 c. dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, chard, etc.

2 small or 1 large apple, cored and cut into chunks

1 c. ice cubes

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.  Print Recipe

Fast Metabolism Friendly Chopped Apple Salad

I wanted to stop by to say Hi and to share with you a great recipe that is perfect for this time of the year when apples are in such abundance.  This recipe is filled with dark leafy greens and crisp sweet apples.  I topped it with a vinaigrette made of pomegranate juice and olive oil.  It is gorgeous to look at and better to eat.

I served blue cheese on the side so the salad remained FMD friendly.  I meant to add some toasted nuts to the salad but forgot when I was putting it together as a side for my Soup Swap that I hosted. This salad was a huge hit at that party and I will be serving it again and again.  I am sharing it during #AppleWeek.  You can learn all about #AppleWeek and get tons of delicious apple recipes by checking out my this page on my Day in the Life on the Farm blog.

Chopped Apple Salad

1 lg. handful of dark leafy greens per person

1 apple for every 2 persons, try to use several different varieties

Blue Cheese to taste

1/2 c. pomegranate juice

1/4 c. olive oil

1 T. agave syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Place the greens and apples in a large bowl.  Place the juice, olive oil, agave, salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid.  Shake until well combined.  Pour desired amount over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Blue Cheese or serve Blue Cheese on the side.  Serve with any remaining dressing, allowing people to add more if desired.  Print Recipe

Another wasted Weigh in Wednesday....

The scale remained the same this morning.  I don't want anyone to think that it is the fault of the eating plan which I am (supposed to be) on.  When I was true to the eating plan the scale went down faithfully.  I have been untrue to the plan so the scale is stagnant.  I am pretty happy that I haven't gained any weight.

I did pretty good Monday and was doing okay yesterday until dinner when I had pasta (which is fine for Phase1) with smoked salmon which isn't...but still would've been okay for Phase 3...if not for the butter and heavy cream....I did use brown rice pasta though so that should count for something.  Then I decided to have a glass of wine with dinner which led into 2 more glasses during the evening.

Today I did great for breakfast, my morning snack and lunch.I prepared dinner and put it in the crockpot. Then I went to work the Food Pantry. I went in, set up appointments and did the shopping. Then I got hungry and wasn't prepared.  Phase 2 is difficult for me snack wise.  The other Phases you can grab fruit or veggies or nuts and have them in your car or purse for when snack time hits.  Phase 2 requires a snack of meat.  It is hard to carry around meat in your purse or car.  The book recommends jerky....can I just say I HATE jerky.  All of this whining to try to justify that stop at McDonalds and a Big Mac Attack.  Even this delicious, Phase 2 soup that we had for dinner isn't going to make up for a Big Mac....sigh.....

And now I got an email that says I have to report to a courtroom tomorrow for jury duty.  I almost got away scott free and now on the second to last day I have to report.  I'm not taking meat in my purse for a snack so there goes Phase 2 again.....but I will take fruit and nuts so that at least I don't break down and have McDonalds!!

This soup recipe that I am sharing is adapted from The Fast Metabolism Cookbook and is supposed to be a stew but I didn't have  any arrowroot so hence instead of gravy I have broth.  It also called for stew  meat but when I went into the freezer I came across some beef shanks and so used those instead.  The beef shanks, while lean, still contain more fat than trimmed stew meat so keep that in mind if you are trying to be true blue.

Crockpot Beef Vegetable Soup

inspired by The Fast Metabolism Cookbook

2 c. napa cabbage, shredded

1/2 c. onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 c. green beans, cut into thirds

1 sprig thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 (32 oz) box beef broth

2 beef shanks or 2 lbs. beef stew meat

Place the cabbage, onion, celery, green beans and thyme into the crock of a slow cooker. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a large skillet over med high heat until browned.  Place on top of the vegetables in the crock.  Pour 1 c. of the broth into the skillet and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the skillet.  Pour this and the remaining broth from the box over the ingredients in the crock and cook on low for 7-8 hrs.  Remove the thyme stem and the shanks, if using.  Discard the stem and cut the shanks into bite size pieces, discarding any fat, gristle and bones. Return the meat to the crock and stir to combine.  Print Recipe

Working with Leftovers

I hadn't planned on making dinner last night.  We had spent Friday night out of town and didn't expect to get home until late last night so I had planned on grabbing dinner out.  The weather didn't cooperate and we got done at our outing sooner than anticipated.  We got back in town early enough to stop at a couple of stores to look at flooring for the new house before coming home.

When dinner time came, I opened the refrigerator and found the leftover Turkey Loaf that I shared with you on Thursday.  I pulled it out and looked around for what else I had.  There were some mushrooms and a couple of tomatoes.  I always have onions and carrots on hand and when I was last at the Farmer's Market, I had picked up some pasta that is made locally and made from chickpeas.

While this dish may not be Phase friendly, I think we can call it #FMD friendly as there is nothing in this dish that is not on at least one of the lists for each phase.  The leftover turkey loaf is Phase 2 friendly.  The pasta, while not listed is made of  chickpeas and water, both of which are allowable and of course the more veggies the better.

I sauteed the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil.  I placed the tomatoes, carrot, onion, garlic and tomato paste in my vitamix and set it on puree.  I added that to the mushrooms and seasoned with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  I cut up the remaining turkey loaf and added it to the sauce, turned the heat to simmer and allowed it to cook for about half an hour to meld the flavors and thicken the sauce.

When the sauce had simmered for 20 minutes, I cooked the pasta per package directions.  I combined it all together in the same pot and let it simmer a couple more minutes while I threw together a salad.

Turkey Loaf Pasta

Leftover Turkey Loaf, (find recipe here) crumbled

4 oz. mushrooms

1 t. olive oil

2 lg. tomatoes, quartered

1 carrot, washed and cut into thirds

1/2 small onion, cut in half

2 cloves garlic

1 T. tomato paste

Italian Herb paste to taste

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. chickpea pasta, cooked per package directions

Place tomatoes, carrot, onion, garlic and tomato paste in a food processor or blender and puree to desired consistency.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med high heat, add the mushrooms and cook until liquid is released and mushrooms are tender.  Add the tomato mixture to the skillet, season with herbs, salt and pepper.  Bring to a gentle boil, add the turkey loaf and reduce heat to low.  Simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes until thickened and flavors are melded.  Add the pasta, combine, taste and add more seasoning as needed. Print Recipe

Turkey Loaf

Last night, for dinner, we enjoyed a Turkey Meatloaf made with a recipe taken from The Fast Metabolism Diet Cookbook.  You would think that Phase 2 would be the easiest phase.  Meat and veggies, how hard is that?  But you are very limited on any other igredients.  No healthy fats and no grains.  Your fruits are very limited and many of our favorite veggies are not included on the list.  So I find myself turning to the cookbook most often during Phase 2 so I am not eating grilled meat with a side of veggies every Wednesday and Thursday.

This meatloaf was pretty tasty and I would enjoy it even more during the other phases when I could enjoy it with a Sweet Potato on the side.  I love having Sweet Potatoes with my Meatloaf.  It is an easy meal to throw together and leaves plenty of leftovers for lunch during the week as it can be eaten in every phase of the Fast Metabolism Diet.

Turkey Loaf

slightly adapted from The Fast Metabolism Cookbook

2 lbs. ground turkey

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

2 egg whites

2 T. coconut aminos

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and combine using clean hands.  Press into an 8x8 baking pan. Bake in a preheated 375* oven for an hour.  Print Recipe

One at a time is good fishin'

Here it is Wednesday again. Last Sunday I told you I was going to be more faithful this week.  That went out the door nearly immediately.  We got home from Mass and were getting ready to host a #SoupSwapParty.  I was busy getting my Pumpkin Dinner Rolls in the oven  and starting on my Escarole and White Bean Soup.  At least the soup was Phase 3 Friendly....see I WAS trying.

Then Frank heated up some leftover pizza.....and it smelled good.....and I hadn't eaten on schedule as I should.....and BLAH BLAH BLAH.  Bottom line...I ate pizza for lunch.  Then the guests arrived, all bringing their wonderful soups.  Boy there were some great soups!!

But they were not all #FMD friendly and then there were those delicious rolls that I had to have.  Oh, and let's not forget the apple pie that I made for dinner.  Not at all #FMD friendly.

Monday though....Monday I was pretty good....except for lunch.  Lunch was Sushi with my friend, Cathy.  Not too unfriendly except for the white rice.

Then comes yesterday.  I was so good all day yesterday.  I cheated just a smidge with some cookies that I made for dessert but even those were pretty #FMD friendly....and super delicious.....I will be sharing that recipe later.  No, I did pretty good yesterday with the food.  Kim and Kurt joined us for dinner.  I served fish and lots of veggies, steamed acorn squash, steamed green beans, cucumber and tomato salad all served up with LOTS of wine.....yep....it would have been a great day if not for the 2 bottles of wine that Kim and I shared.

That brings us to today.  Wednesday.  Weigh in day.  Another week gone and 1 more pound gone from the scale.  It's not the eating plan folks....it is all me.  I am certainly not going to complain over a pound lost.  Heck, before this eating plan I was ecstatic to lose a pound a week and that was without cheating!!  I am going to get back on track and I am not going to beat myself up for living life.  Each day is a fresh start and I am going to start it off with a smile and a prayer.

Sunday Sermon.....

I'm not going to preach too much today but I did want you to know that cheating comes with a price. I was down 1 pound on Wednesday this week and today....I am still down one pound.  I was excited that I lost that pound while still cheating on the diet, so I continued to be lax.  Friday especially was a bad day.....five glasses of wine, lots of cheese, some chocolate and 2 pieces of pizza bad!!  Yesterday, I did pretty well and then they broke out the birthday cake....I had a couple of bites of Frank's piece. And there was candy at every table....so I had a couple.  Oh, and there were chips and dip.....so I had some.  It's a wonder I didn't gain that pound back!!

So, today, I am going to start fresh.  I'm going to stop beating myself up because, as Haylie preaches, that causes stress and stress causes fat.  I'm going to focus not on the meals that I didn't eat properly but at the meals that were in the eating plan and congratulate myself on being true to it 70% of the time.  My goal for this next week is to stay true 90% of the time.  That is when I have the best results.

I started my morning with an oatmeal smoothie that I am sharing with you today.  It has all the components required for a Phase 3 breakfast and it is pretty tasty. This makes 2 smoothies so you can share.  Enjoy.

Oatmeal Smoothie

1 c. almond milk

1 c. mixed berries

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

4-5 cherry tomatoes

1 c. ice

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.  Print Recipe

Wednesday Weigh in....

I started back up on this plan on Monday.  Yesterday I cheated when having company for dinner and indulged in a Mango Madness Margarita and an Orange Shortbread Cookie.  I will be sharing both of those recipes over at A Day in the Life on the Farm later this week.  Let me just suffice it to say....they were both worth the cheat.

Speaking of my other blog....today I am sharing the Phase 1 friendly Buckwheat Pancakes that I told you about yesterday.  They make you feel like you are cheating when you're not!!  Can't ask for more than that from an eating plan.

Suffice it to say, I was not expecting much when I stepped on the scale today.  Imagine my delight when it had gone down another pound.  Woohooo....171.  21 more pounds to goal weight and I am confident that this eating plan will get me there.

This morning started Phase 2.  Lots of lean meats and vegetables.  I have found that my idea of meals has changed during this eating plan.  Breakfast= Break Fast.  Just eat....eat within a 1/2 hour of awakening.  Eat something other than sugary cereal or pastry washed down with coffee.  Drink a large glass of water while preparing your breakfast that might consist, as mine did today, of non traditional foods.  I enjoyed smoked salmon and cucumbers this morning.  It was not only my breakfast but I am making Salmon Topped Cucumber Slices to serve as an appetizer tonight when I have guests over for dinner.

Yep, that's right...guests for dinner 2 nights in a row in the middle of the week while trying to maintain a diet.  That, my friends, is why I very rarely refer to this as a diet because I need it to be an eating plan that I can live with each and every day and it does.  My life does not stop because I decide to take care of myself.  In fact, the more I take care of myself, the better I feel and the more I want to entertain.  

I am finding that this is not about will power at all.  It is about disciplining yourself to eat.  Eat early, eat frequently, eat healthily and then if you have done all of that for most of the day or for several days and you want to indulge then do so joyfully and without guilt of any kind.

This is what Haylie Pomroy teaches in her book and it is what I am proclaiming on this blog.  Have an absolutely Wonderful Wednesday everyone!

A Smooth(ie) Transition

Yesterday found me back in the saddle again with my eating plan.  I am excited because I know that this eating plan works but I'm even more thrilled that it does exactly what author, Haylie Pomroy, promises.  I spent 3 weeks off of the plan.  I vacationed, eating out nearly every meal, drinking alcohol and eating desserts.  When I came home I attended parties, hosted dinners and went to weddings.  When I weighed myself yesterday morning.  My weight was exactly the same as when I stopped the eating plan.  That, my friends, is better than losing weight in my book!!

Now, I did not completely go off the eating plan for 3 weeks.  There are some habits I kept.  I still ate breakfast within a half hour of awakening.  I continurd to have a snack every few hours and I didn't drink coffee.  I had intended to drink coffee.  In fact, the very first day that I was off diet and we left for our road trip we stopped at Panera for breakfast and I ordered a large coffee.  I couldn't wait.  I took a sip....it was bitter.  I asked Frank if his coffee was bitter and he said his was fine.  Both cups came from the same pot.  I took another sip and still thought it was yucky....Frank finished my coffee and I haven't had the desire for another sip since.

I started my morning off with these lovely Buckwheat Pancakes, smothered in Fresh Peach Puree and topped with Slices of Peach.  This recipe will be available at A Day in the Life on the Farm tomorrow morning.

I grabbed a clementine for a snack and then headed out the door with Frank for a 2 mile walk before stopping in to visit at our friend's, the Bendas, to say goodbye to their son and his family who were heading back to Virginia.  We then went out for lunch.  I had a salad topped with chicken.  We ran some errands and when we got home I used the leftover peach puree from breakfast and some blueberries to make a smoothie for my afternoon snack.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet.  We were tired from attending a wedding Sunday where we may have had just a drink or two more than was optimal LOL....

Dinner was this juicy, mouthwatering Phase 1 Burger that is perfect for feeding the whole family and any guests you may have over.  I ate mine sans bun to stay within the eating plan but Frank had his on a bun.  It was just the two of us so we will be enjoying these for lunch today as the recipe made 4 burgers.

Have a Terrific Tuesday.  Talk to you soon.

Round 2 Starts with a Solid Right Hook

Today starts the second of my Fast Metabolism Diet cycles.  Each cycle is 28 days with the intent of boosting your metabolism to where it should be and stopping the cycle of counting and restricting calories to the point that your body refuses to use up it's stored fat.

I completed my first 28 day session on August 14th and told you all about it in my post "I Made It".  I lost a total of 12 lbs but more importantly I felt good and gave up a lot of bad habits.  I took a break for a few weeks to go on vacation....what happened.....my metabolism must have stayed high because I didn't gain any weight but I did not sleep as well, I came down with a ear/nose/throat thing and I lacked the energy I had previously enjoyed.

I was actually anxious to start this program again because I feel so good when following it.  I started out this morning, as I often do with Phase 1, with a bowl of Puffed Brown Rice and fruit.  Today I used blueberries.  My morning snack was a fruit smoothie.  Then came lunch and lunch is why I am posting here today.

I started out by making the Herbed White Bean Spread that can be found in the Fast Metabolism Diet Cookbook.  I adapted it slightly using Gourmet Garden herbs that I had on hand instead of fresh.

It turned out creamy and delicious.  A hummus with no tahini or olive oil.  Perfect for eating with veggies or rice crackers as a snack.

I decided to add some cucumbers and tomatoes and wrap it all up in a sprouted grain tortilla.

Oh my, but this was a satisfying lunch.

Add a piece of fruit on the side for a perfect Phase 1 lunch.

For dinner tonight we are having Hawaiian Burgers.  You can see my entire weeks worth of dinners at my Weekly Menu.

Herbed White Bean Spread

adapted from The Fast Metabolism Diet

1 (15 oz) can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

juice from 1 lemon

2 t. garlic paste or 2 cloves fresh garlic

2 T. coconut aminos

1 t. parsley paste or chopped fresh parsley

1/4 t. dill paste or fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Print Recipe

White Bean and Veggie Wrap

1 sprouted grain tortilla

2-3 T. of Herbed White Bean Spread

1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

3 thin slices of tomato

Spread white bean mixture onto the tortilla leaving a 1" border.  Layer the tomatoes and cucumbers over the bean mixture.  Fold two end of the tortilla over the filling and then roll the tortilla up enfolding the mixture and veggies within.  Cut on the diagonal and serve with fresh fruit. Print Recipe