[Cheri T]

I'll cook you some sometime and you can try one bite...pretty please?

[Sara Arell]

tiza126, on 27 August 2011 - 07:43 PM, said:

I had a bad experience with tofu back in college and haven't tried it again since.

I have never tried tofu myself - I've seen it in the store - I'd need alotttaaa convincing to try it. People tell me that it can be made to taste like almost anything?

[Sara Arell]

We are having healthy spaghetti tonight - it really is very healthy - I made my own sauce with fresh tomatoes, loaded it with green, red, and yellow peppers in big chunks and lots of onion and garlic too. The unhealthy part will be the spaghetti cause we like the regular angel hair spaghetti and not the wheat kind - just one of those once in awhile sacrifices I have to make for dh - I made it at his request - no meat - just veggies - and it smells heavenly good on the stove. Cooking for about 3 hours now.


My pizza turned out awesome! It was all veggie on one side and pepperoni on the other for dh - I thought it turned out very nicely to have been a home made pizza - and although there's really nothing good for us about it, it did have veggies on it! That was just a special treat though - won' t happen often.

Tomorrow starts my salad days again for the week - something different salad/wise every day - adding a little chicken, a little tuna, some chick peas, maybe some hummus.........beans, maybe. And eggs, of course.

What's your plan for the week?

[tiza126]

Cheri T, on 27 August 2011 - 09:41 PM, said:

I'll cook you some sometime and you can try one bite...pretty please?

One bite.

[tiza126]

Starting to get my kitchen ready for tomorrow. Finished all the fruit, put some bread and other items in the freezer, and threw a few products in the trash. I think I might go through my fridge/pantry and mark the off-limits items with a big "NO" written in black sharpie on purple duct tape. So when I reach for a box of pasta, I'll see the "NO" and put it back.

Tomorrow after work I'll go grocery shopping and stock up on good foods.

I can do this!

[Bride]

tiza126, on 28 August 2011 - 06:16 PM, said:

Starting to get my kitchen ready for tomorrow. Finished all the fruit, put some bread and other items in the freezer, and threw a few products in the trash. I think I might go through my fridge/pantry and mark the off-limits items with a big "NO" written in black sharpie on purple duct tape. So when I reach for a box of pasta, I'll see the "NO" and put it back.

Tomorrow after work I'll go grocery shopping and stock up on good foods.

I can do this!

YES, YOU CAN, TIZA!! I have faith in you!!

[teecee]

I just had a craving for something yummy and I resisted the temptation of the cookies and swiss rolls and goldfish crackers. I had a single serving of sugar free jello instead. I'm just so proud of myself!

[SodScrap]

teecee, on 28 August 2011 - 10:31 PM, said:

I just had a craving for something yummy and I resisted the temptation of the cookies and swiss rolls and goldfish crackers. I had a single serving of sugar free jello instead. I'm just so proud of myself!

That's awesome Theresa!! You can do it!!

Cheri-I'll pass...but thanks for the offer!

Tiza-you can do this!


Great tips and recipes ladies. Keep it up!

[Sara Arell]

tiza126, on 28 August 2011 - 06:16 PM, said:

Starting to get my kitchen ready for tomorrow. Finished all the fruit, put some bread and other items in the freezer, and threw a few products in the trash. I think I might go through my fridge/pantry and mark the off-limits items with a big "NO" written in black sharpie on purple duct tape. So when I reach for a box of pasta, I'll see the "NO" and put it back.

Tomorrow after work I'll go grocery shopping and stock up on good foods.

I can do this!

YES, YES, YOU CAN!

[Sara Arell]

teecee, on 28 August 2011 - 10:31 PM, said:

I just had a craving for something yummy and I resisted the temptation of the cookies and swiss rolls and goldfish crackers. I had a single serving of sugar free jello instead. I'm just so proud of myself!

WTG, Theresa!

[tiza126]

Excuse me for a minute while I complain and moan....


I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hungry!!!!

I had my high protein breakfast (eggs with ham & peppers). I had my morning cup of coffee (limited myself to 1 mug of coffee with only 2 Splenda packs). I had my morning snack (about a dozen mixed nuts). And I've had lots of water. Ughhh and my stomach is GROWLING!! 20 more minutes until lunch (a large salad with lots of veggies and a little deli turkey).

These first few days are going to be rough until I can retrain my body that it isn't allowed to eat all the time.



I brought my South Beach cookbook with me to the office, so I can pick out a few recipes to try. I'll use the copy machine here to make photocopies so I can use them as my shopping list tonight after work. Need to restock the fridge!

[Smiles]

that's what happens with no carbs. Protein only lasts so long.
can you have cheese as a snack? that lasts me a little better than nuts.

[SodScrap]

tiza126, on 29 August 2011 - 11:46 AM, said:

Excuse me for a minute while I complain and moan....


I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hungry!!!!

I had my high protein breakfast (eggs with ham & peppers). I had my morning cup of coffee (limited myself to 1 mug of coffee with only 2 Splenda packs). I had my morning snack (about a dozen mixed nuts). And I've had lots of water. Ughhh and my stomach is GROWLING!! 20 more minutes until lunch (a large salad with lots of veggies and a little deli turkey).

These first few days are going to be rough until I can retrain my body that it isn't allowed to eat all the time.



I brought my South Beach cookbook with me to the office, so I can pick out a few recipes to try. I'll use the copy machine here to make photocopies so I can use them as my shopping list tonight after work. Need to restock the fridge!

It's day 2 now...you made it!! It will get easier as the days go by.

Gayle is right, a piece or two of cheese goes a long way! I buy block cheese (a variety) and cut it into cubes so I have it on hand ready to go.

[Bride]

That is exactly what I use when I'm hungry! I find if I pack a cheese stick in with my lunch, I'll save it for around 4:00 - an hour before I leave for home - and it helps me not attack the cupboards when I get home from work while trying to prepare a healthy dinner.

[SodScrap]

Bride, on 30 August 2011 - 08:10 AM, said:

That is exactly what I use when I'm hungry! I find if I pack a cheese stick in with my lunch, I'll save it for around 4:00 - an hour before I leave for home - and it helps me not attack the cupboards when I get home from work while trying to prepare a healthy dinner.

Yep, exactly!!

[tiza126]

Smiles, on 29 August 2011 - 11:49 AM, said:

that's what happens with no carbs. Protein only lasts so long.
can you have cheese as a snack? that lasts me a little better than nuts.

Cheese was my afternoon snack. Plus I had a little cheese on my salad at lunch, and I am supposed to limit the amount of cheese I eat each day because of the fat content.

[tiza126]

Day 2. Breakfast was scrambled eggs seasoned with a little black pepper & chive, and a glass of V-8 vegetable juice.

Right now I am enjoying my morning coffee with a little skim milk instead of sugary coffee creamer. My snack (around 10am) will be Greek yogurt flavored with a little cinnamon & nutmeg, and a serving of almonds. Lunch is a large salad chock full of vegetables & a little deli turkey with a vinegar & oil dressing, and some cheese cubes. And my afternoon snack will be veggie sticks with a roasted red pepper hummus. Dinner will be ground turkey meatballs (without breadcrumbs) and roasted vegetables.

I feel like a rabbit eating all these vegetables


Ooh...and last night's dinner was a tilapia fillet, cooked in a sautee pan with some Rotel tomatoes, served atop a bed of mixed greens sprinkled with a little lime juice, and some black beans on the side. It was very colorful, very healthy, and very delicious

[angleigh]

sounds yummy!

[Bride]

Your dinner sounded yummy!! I can so relate to your rabbit feeling! I was feeling like a rabbit this morning when trying to figure out what to pack for lunch today. I started grabbing the salad fixings and for some reason it just hit me I couldn't stand the thought of another salad. I pretty much eat a salad with every lunch and dinner. Anyway - I grilled lots of chicken breasts (skinless/boneless) with seasoning, so I grabbed 3 oz of that and quickly steamed some fresh aspargus and packed that - so that will be lunch. YUM! LOVE Aspargus!!

I think I'm making a taco salad (minus the chips) for dinner tonight. I do have avocado and I dearly love it - so it will go in my taco salad!

[tiza126]

Even though avocados have a high fat content, I am allowed to eat them on my diet I'll probably make a guacamole dip to eat with veggie sticks for some snacks.

Here are a couple yummy-sounding salad recipes using avocado that I might have to try:
http://www.kalynskit...-red-onion.html
http://www.kalynskit...th-avocado.html

[Bride]

Both of those really look delicious! I am trying to really limit my tomato intake - I could substitute sweet red pepper for them. Tomatoes are a no-no for right now because of their sugar content. I LOVE guacamole but thought, shoot, I shouldn't have the chips right now - never dawned on me to use it as a veggie dip ... duh!! Thanks Tiza!!

[tiza126]

Bride, on 30 August 2011 - 12:49 PM, said:

Both of those really look delicious! I am trying to really limit my tomato intake - I could substitute sweet red pepper for them. Tomatoes are a no-no for right now because of their sugar content. I LOVE guacamole but thought, shoot, I shouldn't have the chips right now - never dawned on me to use it as a veggie dip ... duh!! Thanks Tiza!!

One recipe I have at home calls for blending avocado with light cottage cheese, lime juice, cilantro, and black pepper to make a creamy veggie dip (which would also be good with whole grain pita chips instead of regular tortilla chips).

[tiza126]

Mmmm I found a new favorite morning snack! One food that I'm allowed to eat is plain Greek yogurt. However, since I can't eat fruit, I needed to find someway of "dressing up" my yogurt. I've started mixing in a little vanilla extract and some cinnamon/nutmeg. It's delicious!!! I'll eat a 1/2 cup of this spiced yogurt and about a dozen almonds with my cup of coffee. Very satisfying (both taste-wise and appetite-wise) for my mid-morning snack


Try it!

[Bride]

That sounds yummy, Tiza!!

[Sheri Johnson]

Hi girls, can I join in? I'm 5 weeks into a health & fitness program (P90X) and I could use some suggestions for healthy foods to mix it up a little.
I've been eating mostly: "Egg white" omelette (1 egg + 3 whites) with 1/4 cup salsa for breakfast, Shakeology (healthy protein-type shake) for lunch, 1/2 chicken breast and a piece of fruit for a snack and another 1/2 (or whole if I'm really hngry) chicken breast with steamed veggies or a salad (+ sometimes a piece of whole-wheat bread) for dinner. Sometimes I crave dessert so I eat some fruit or mix up 1/2 a packet of chocolate Shakeology with a lot of ice and very little almond milk to make a thick, healthy ice cream-type thing.
This is about what I eat every day. I love Tiza's idea for avocado/cottage cheese dip with baked pita chips (just made baked pita chips last saturday, YUM!!!) I am hoping to find more ideas. I'll look back at the thread but has anyone found anything they just can't live without?

[tiza126]

My breakfast are usually eggs - sometimes an omelet with diced peppers, onions, ham, egg, and a small bit of shredded cheddar cheese. Other times I make scrambled eggs with ham & cheese. And usually a small cup of vegetable juice to get those extra nutrients.

For snacks, I usually have cinnamon Greek yogurt with almonds in the morning, and then veggies with hummus plus a cheese stick for the afternoon. Those help me survive between meals.

My lunches are either salads, or leftovers from the night before.

Now that we are heading into the cold months, soup is always great. The easiest soup to make is dump soup: V-8 vegetable juice plus lots of cans - canned diced tomatoes, canned green beans, canned corn, canned beans, canned chickpeas, or whatever your favorite canned vegetables might be. (Frozen veggies work great too, just make sure you cook the soup long enough that they thaw out). If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can shred/dice it and add it into your soup for extra protein.
A bowl of soup with a small garden salad makes a great meal!


My go-to dessert right now is 1/4 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese blended with a splash of vanilla extract (or any flavor extract would work), with a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans mixed in. It's high in protein (the ricotta alone has 6g) and relatively low in fat/calories/sugar compared to other desserts. Plus that little bit is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.



Once I start getting further into Phase 2 of South Beach, I'll be able to incorporate fruits and whole grains into my diet. As long as I don't go overboard. I think Shakeology will be safe in Phase 2, so I can start having that for morning snack instead of the Greek yogurt.

[Sheri Johnson]

That sounds excellent Tiza! I didn't know anybody else was using Shakeology, how do you like it? I've found it really helps me have more energy, stay full until my next meal and is really helping with some health issues (IBS-related as well as clear up my acne.) I'm sure all the exercise and clean(er) diet is really helping those things too but I noticed a big improvement when I started Shakeology. Also sometimes I really feel like having a cheat meal or dessert in the night so I make that Shakeology "ice cream" with 1/2 packet and it gives me just the thing I was craving. I LOVE Ricotta but I have pretty much cut out dairy because I think it may be one of the things contributing to my health issues. Your ricotta dessert sounds really fab! Like a Cannoli minus the sugar & shell. And I adore Greek yogurt but again, no dairy.

I have the South Beach diet cook book, I should look in there for inspiration. I never thought of it! I have some healthy cookbooks, maybe I'll post some good recipes as I find them. Your soup idea is excellent!!! This is the second time I've heard of adding V8 as a soup base. Brilliant. Pretty soon it will be crock pot weather and I might pull it out and start making all kinds of veggie soups - I never remember about soup.

[tiza126]

Yeah I drink Shakeology occasionally. But I don't notice any increased energy, it doesn't really fill me up for long, and I haven't noticed any health benefits. But I still drink it, knowing I'm getting more vitamins and nutrients than I probably would otherwise. (I've tried taking multivitamins, but they upset my stomach, so Shakeology replaces those). I might have to try your Shakeology "ice cream" sometime. I really like the combination of the chocolate Shakeology with coconut milk. mmmmmmmm yummy!


My mom used to add V-8 as a base for soups. I think it was a trick we learned years ago on WW. I actually added some of it to my pot of chili last night. It just adds a stronger tomato flavor, but really bumps up the vegetable content!

[Sheri Johnson]

tiza126, on 15 September 2011 - 09:56 AM, said:

Yeah I drink Shakeology occasionally. But I don't notice any increased energy, it doesn't really fill me up for long, and I haven't noticed any health benefits. But I still drink it, knowing I'm getting more vitamins and nutrients than I probably would otherwise. (I've tried taking multivitamins, but they upset my stomach, so Shakeology replaces those). I might have to try your Shakeology "ice cream" sometime. I really like the combination of the chocolate Shakeology with coconut milk. mmmmmmmm yummy!


My mom used to add V-8 as a base for soups. I think it was a trick we learned years ago on WW. I actually added some of it to my pot of chili last night. It just adds a stronger tomato flavor, but really bumps up the vegetable content!

Interesting! I also add almond milk instead of water and usually a scoop of peanut or almond butter so that might be why it keeps me full longer. Yesterday I added a spoon of Tropical Traditions coconut cream (basically it's just ground up coconut, very thick, compact stuff) and added it to my shake. I LOVE coconut too, it really made it creamy and good. I used greenberry though, I'll have to try it with chocolate. Coconut and chocolate sounds like an almond joy, yum! Let me know what you think about the ice cream! I am lucky to have access to a Vitamix so blending is painless and I can make really thick stuff with the "pusher stick" thing.

I'm going to try that V8 trick. Another thing I learned is you can thicken soups by pureeing some of the vegetables when it is done cooking. Onions and corn make it especially good and creamy, although I'm still on the fence whether corn is really good for you or not. I have a good corn chowder recipe in which they use the pureed corn instead of cream.

[tiza126]

Paperdoll Scraps, on 15 September 2011 - 10:54 AM, said:

I'm going to try that V8 trick. Another thing I learned is you can thicken soups by pureeing some of the vegetables when it is done cooking. Onions and corn make it especially good and creamy, although I'm still on the fence whether corn is really good for you or not. I have a good corn chowder recipe in which they use the pureed corn instead of cream.

The last few times I made corn chowder, I added pureed sweet potato. It made it a little thicker and healthier