transition

i'm happy to announce my weigh in today was 135. YAY! so i am officially starting phase two aka "transition" ... basically that means i can now eat salad dressing, lean meats and until 8pm instead of 6pm. i now only have two dairy days a week instead of the 2day cycle. still no sugar. no carbs. no oil. no butter or yogurt or cheese. or eggs. or peanut butter. or legumes. oh well. SOON ENOUGH! 

 

for my last unofficial veggie dinner, we made a warm taco-inspired salad. it was delicious! this is one of the better salads we've made considering i need to eat them sans dressing. 

ingredients

• 16oz bibb lettuce (we used a red/green mix) 
• 1 beefsteak tomato 
• 1 avocado 
• 1 medium sized white onion
• 1 medium sized yellow pepper
• bunch green onion/scallions 
• cilantro - to taste
• cayenne pepper OR packet of taco seasoning
• frank's hot sauce - to taste
• salt and pepper
• lime juice
• cooking spray (we use PAM)

directions 

• clean and chop lettuce; place in large bowl
• chop onions and yellow pepper; heat saute pan over medium heat and spray with PAM; cook onion and pepper 
• while onion and pepper are cooking: chop tomato, green onion, cilantro and cube the avocado; add to lettuce mixture
• once the onion and pepper are tender add cayenne pepper (or taco seasoning); mix in 
• finish sauteing onion and pepper; once done add to prepared salad 
• mix fully then add frank's hot sauce, lime juice + salt and pepper to taste 

serves 2 as dinner or serve on the side. ps. the mixture of the warm ingredients, avocado, hot sauce and lime made the perfect combination in lieu of adding dressing ... 

current weight: 135 pounds-to-go: 0 

stuffed portabello mushroom

summertime is all about grillin' and while i would normally look forward to some chicken, burgers or even an ear of corn; i've had to be more creative with my grilled dinners. one night last week we bought some portabello mushroom caps. knowing i'd want something more than that, i had the idea to make a diet friendly, filling dinner by adding some other veggies.

ingredients 

• portabello mushroom caps (package of 2)
• 10-12 ounces of spinach 
• 1 medium sized onion 
• 1 medium sized tomato 

directions 

• heat grill (we have a gas grill); place aluminum foil-wrapped onion on grill 
• while onion is on the grill, prepare mushroom caps, tomatoes and spinach: chop tomato into small pieces and set aside; clean and rinse spinach; wash and clean mushroom caps gently with a paper towel
• then spray pan with PAM and start cooking spinach on low adding salt and pepper to taste; keep warm until mushroom and onion are done on the grill 
• while the spinach is cooking: add mushroom caps directly onto grill; continue grilling mushroom caps and onion for 20minutes or until the mushroom caps stop welling up with water and get some nice char marks. 
• take the onion and mushroom off the grill, carefully remove the onion from the foil. place foil over mushrooms to keep warm. place onion back onto the grill to get some caramelization for a few minutes.
• remove onion from grill; chop onion into small pieces (CAUTION: onion will be very hot!) 
• stuff cooked spinach, grilled onion and raw tomato into mushroom cap 
• serve immediately and ENJOY! 

note: this yields two servings. make it as a meal or serve as a side dish! 

this was by far one of my favorite dinners since starting my diet. i've fallen into the habit of eating guacamole and plantain chips almost every fruit/veggie day so i was happy to mix it up. this is really the perfect summer dish! it's filling and earthy. it was also super easy to make and a great vegetarian friendly way to use the grill! 

meet my lunch: homemade plantain chips with guacamole

guacamole was one of my faves before i even started this diet. so. i've basically been surviving on lunches consisting of homemade plantain chips with guacamole.

plantain chips

• 1 medium/large sized plantain
• PAM 
• sea salt (and other spices to taste) 

directions

• preheat oven to 350degrees
• peel plantain; keep whole 
• starting at the bottom, cut even slices on an angle 
• line baking sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper. spray with PAM
• place slices of plantains onto baking sheet; lightly spray with PAM again

• bake for 20mins or until golden brown (timing with depend on thickness of chips); turning midway
• remove from oven; sprinkle with sea salt – or other spices 

guacamole 

i've spent ALOT of time perfecting my recipe. it's pretty much the most delicious guacamole. ever. 

• 1 ripe medium sized avocado (you'll know it's ripe if it's soft when you hold it)
• 1 small/medium sized tomato
• 1 small onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• tbs chopped cilantro 
• lime and lemon juice (approximately 1tbs each or to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• ground pepper (to taste)

directions

• mince garlic; chop tomato and onion into small pieces: set aside
• scoop the inside of the avocado out into a small mixing bowl. mash until smooth (i like it slightly chunky) 
• squeeze lemon and lime juice; mix
• add minced garlic, tomato, onion and cilantro; mix into mashed avocado until fully incorporated 
• add salt and pepper to taste 

serve immediately with cooled plantain chips or refridgerate and eat the next day!