Recipe: Mushroom and Steak Stroganoff

This recipe was an absolute hit with the family and is being posted by special request of a family friend. It isn't precisely a phase one recipe but it is close enough that I use it as one.

Mushroom and Steak Stroganoff

(from Slow Cooker Recipe Cards, Taste of Home December 2010)

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1-3/4 lbs round steak, cut into 1-1/2 inch strips
• 1 can, 10-3/4 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup onion soup mix
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 TBSP minced fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Add the meat and shake to coat.

Transfer the meat to the crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, water, and soup mix. Pour over the meat. Cook on low for six or seven hours.

Stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and parsley. Cook for fifteen minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Serve with whole wheat noodles, for phase two.

Recipe: Thai Chicken for the Crockpot

Time for another nice crockpot recipe that results in nice tender chicken with a wonderfully flavored sauce! Also known as tonight's dinner.

Thai Chicken for the Crockpot

4 (4-oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.

Mix the remaining ingredients except the cilantro together in a small bowl and then pour over the chicken.

Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. Remove chicken with slotted spoon. If sauce is very thin, mix with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve hot.

Weekly Check In #2

I've gained a little bit this week. Despite not sticking really closely to my chosen diet and getting distracted by french fries and Christmas Cookies, I don't feel bad about this. If I manage to maintain fairly well during the holiday season, I'll count it as a success and I feel confident that I can eat well and lose the weight. I found some new and really awesome recipes this week that are very diet friendly.

Starting Weight: 207.4

Current Weight: 208.2

Highest Point: 208.2

Lowest Point: 207.0

Recipe: Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

This recipe is a family favorite! The meat is tender when it comes out that we never need to use a knife on it!

Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

•1 pork tenderloin, 1.5 to 2 pounds

•1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies

•2 cups Chipotle salsa

•1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions:

Place pork in crockpot; sprinkle with onions, add canned tomatoes and chiles, and top with the chipotle salsa. Cook on Low 8 hours. Meat will be extremely tender!

Optional:

Serve with refried beans.

Recipe: Chicken Capri

This is a quick favorite recipe that with the tomatoes and mozzarella brings to mind the flavors of Italy. It is one of the family's favorite phase one recipes which makes it extra special given how much certain members of the family complain about starch free dinners.

Recipe: Chicken Capri

Adapted from the South Beach Diet Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 14.5 oz can of petite cut diced tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes per side. Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish (I like to use a 9 X 13 glass pan).

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt and pepper until blended. Spoon 1/4 of the cheese mixture onto each chicken breast and 1/4 of the tomatoes on top of the cheese mix. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top generously. Bake for 20 minutes or until the largest breast can be cut in half and have no pink in the center.

Weekly Check In #1

It's my first weekly check-in.

I've been fairly bad about sticking to the diet. My biggest downfall was the Christmas sugar cookies that we frosted and decorated on Wednesday. Along with the M&M Chocolate Chip cookies that were made on Wednesday Night. For main meals, I actually did quite well. All of the main meals, except for one night where we had pizza, were phase one friendly meals. We even got to try some new recipes: Eggplant and Chicken and Eggplant Casserole, Savory Beef and Cheese Soup, and Stuffed Mushrooms.

I also made it out dancing twice this week. Once for the regular Thursday night swing dance and on Saturday was an advanced Workshop on a variety of dances in the swing family. I'll get some more dancing in tonight at my regular Sunday night Swing Dance.

Week One-

Starting Weight: 207.4

Current Weight: 207.0

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is one of the original low carb diets. It isn't so much about eliminating carbs completely as changing your eating habits to good carbs. South Beach Diet has three very different phases.

Phase One

Phase One is the initial step of the diet and eliminates all carbs, starches and sugars from your eating habits. The literature explaining the diet suggests that you do phase one for at least two weeks to detoxify your body from the sugars and starches in your diet which should eliminate the cravings for the sugars and starches. Phase One is supposed to be the phase where you lose the most weight quickest. My household generally does phase one for a month or two. The weight loss isn't as high as the books predict but it is pretty consistent. Generally, we end Phase One when we are tired of the limited foods or start cheating more often than not.

Phase Two

Phase Two allows you to add back in whole wheat breads, brown rices, and all fruits. This step is supposed to be a period of slower but maintainable weight loss. My experience has been that I add in the breads and sugars in too quickly and with too much enthusiam and that I lose track of the careful meal planning that I use for Phase One and get entirely too relaxed.

Phase Three

Phase three is basically just maintaining your weight. There are no diet restrictions and you are free to move back to phase one or two at any time. Essentially, in the past I've gone quickly to Phase Three with a very short Phase Two.

Getting Started

I've been trying to lose weight on and off for a few years. I've had some moderate success with the South Beach Diet but gained back all of the weight when I added all of the carbs back into my diet all at once. Plus, I started baking sweet confections that aren't on any diet I've ever heard of. Baking is terrible for diets!

I've decided to give losing weight another go but this time with some accountability for myself. Even if I'm the only one that ever sees this blog, just putting the process and the numbers out there will give me the accountability to keep up with the diet.

I often have problems with dieting because I have three weaknesses: bread, potatoes and chocolate. The diet breaking trifecta.

Key Posts to follow:

• On the South Beach Diet
• Exercise: Swing Dancing

Starting Weight (12/5/10): 207.4 pounds