Day Nineteen - Test New Vegetable

Yesterday I lost 1.7lbs bring my weight loss to 12.2lbs. 

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights of the day's plan:

• For breakfast (one of the below - not both)
• Flax granola and an approved fruit.
• Cereal with sunflower, chia seeds and fruit (1 cup cereal, 1/2 fruit for women, 1 1/2 cup cereal, whole fruit for men)
• For lunch (one of the below - not both)
• Vegetable Timbale, raw spinach and pumpkin seeds (1 cup timbale woman, 2 cups timbale men)
• Approved salad with a minimum of 15 grams of vegetarian protein and an approved soup
• Snack is (one of the below - not both)
• Rye crackers and 1-2 Tablespoons almond butter (1 cracker woman, 2 crackers men)
• Chocolate covered pear slice with a small handful of almonds
• Diner is any approved protein, add a new vegetable to vegetable saute, arugla with diced pear
• Dessert is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax granola with 1/2 apple

Lunch

• Mixed green salad with 1/2 cup sodium free chickpeas, 1/4 an avacado, sunflower seeds

Dinner

• Steak
• Snow peas, zucchini, winter squash, onions, and basil
• Arugula with diced pear
• Half a baked potato

Snack

• Rye cracker with 1 tablespoon of raw butter

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Eighteen: Test a New Restaurant

Yesterday I gained 3.3lbs bring my weight loss to 10.5lbs. I was expecting to gain weight but not that much. I've read that it takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose a pound, if that's true then I would of had to of consumed over 12,000 calories yesterday.  That didn't happen.  Most likely I had a reaction to one of the foods I had for dinner.  No worries, I'll lose the weight I gained by Wednesday.

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights of what I was suppose to have had:

• For breakfast one of the following:
• flax granola with approved fruit
• flax granola with approved cereal and approved fruit
• smoothie with chia seeds and rye cracker with nut butter (1 cracker women, 2 cracker men)
• For lunch spicy chickpea spinach salad and butternut squash soup.
• Snack is salt free potato chips and guacamole (1oz & 1/8 cup women, 1.5oz & 1/4 cup men)
• Diner is one of the following:
• Test a restaurant
• Any approved protein, any salad, test a new cooked vegetable
• Dessert is creme brulee, chocolate deserts, biscotti, or fruit with whipped cream shared with a dining companion.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Brown rice cereal with almonds, cranberries, and agave

Dinner 

• Two pieces of bread
• Veal Parmesan (half) and1/2 cup rigatoni noodles with meat sauce
• Arugula salad 

Snack

• 4 ounce of salt-free potato chips

Dessert

• Tiramisu (shared with three others)
  

Day Seventeen - No Test

Yesterday I lost 1.3lbs bring my weight loss to 13.8lbs.  I didn't finish all my water until midnight so the loss could be higher.

I ate dinner at my grandmothers and didn't follow the plan to the letter but I didn't eat any foods that I hadn't already tested and found no reaction to. 

In case you are wondering, the plan dinner is any approved protein on a bed of mixed green and Vegetable Timbale.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax Granola with 1/2 an apple

Lunch

• Spicy Chickpea Spinach Salad
• Butternut Squash Soup

Dinner

• Roasted chicken with garlic, lemon, and rosemary
• Boiled Carrots
• Half a potato

Snack

• Rye cracker with raw almond butter

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Sixteen - Two Proteins in One Day

Yesterday gained 1 lb bring my weight loss to 12.5lbs.  Looks like I can't eat animal protein for lunch and dinner and lose weight.  I'm curious what would happen if I had the protein for breakfast and dinner so I'll test that in Phase Three.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Rice Cereal with Blueberries and Pears

Lunch

• Sauteed kale and shitaki mushrooms
• 2 ounces of leftover grilled chicken from the night before
• Rye cracker with Manchego cheese

Dinner

• Roasted chicken 
• Baby romaine salad
• Steamed broccoli.

Snack

• Apple with a small handful of raw almonds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Avocado, Blueberry, and Pear Smoothie

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Avocado, Blueberry, and Pear Smoothie  (serves 1)

This is how I make my Plan smoothie and it's delicious.  When you don't have a pear double the blueberries and add 2 cups of spinach.  If you like very thick smoothie start with 1/2 cup coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup blueberries
1 ripe Pear
1-2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 of an avocado
1 teaspoons agave or honey
1/2 cup of ice

Method:

Combine blueberries, 1 cup coconut milk, pear, avocado, agave, ice in a blender and process until well-blended.  Add coconut milk 1/4 C at a time and blend again until it is the consistency you like.

Day Fifteen - No Test

Yesterday I lost 1.6 lb, bring my weight loss to 13.5lbs.

I woke up sick so after I weighed myself I went back to bed.  I woke up again at 3:30pm feeling great.  I drank a liter of water and then waited 30 minutes to eat something.  I had the plan breakfast, skipped lunch and ate a late dinner of plan approved ingredients.  I was so hungry at dinner so I had second piece of chicken.  I was out of chocolate so I walked to A&P and got a bag of Assorted Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles.  I had one of each flavor (dark, extra dark, and cafe.). YUM!

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights.

• For breakfast (one of the below - not both)
• Smoothie with chia seeds, rye cracker, and nut butter
• Flax granola and an approved fruit.
• For lunch (one of the below - not both)
• Slice of white bread with leftover zucchini, cheese, and sun flower seeds.  Mixed greens and an approved soup
• Approved salad with a minimum of 15 grams of vegetarian protein and an approved soup
• Carrots with 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter
• Diner is chicken with Indian spice rub, sauteed kale with vegetables, and steamed broccoli with lemon and lemon oil.
• Dessert as always is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Smoothie with  rye crackers, and roasted almond butter

Dinner

• 2 pan roasted chicken thighs
• Roasted Carrots
• Sauteed winter Squash, Zucchini, onions, garlic, and fresh basil

Dessert

• 1.3 ounces of Lindt dark chocolate truffles (3 balls)

Day Fourteen: Test New Breakfast Addition (or Milk)

Yesterday I lost .2 lb bring my weight loss to 12.1lbs.  The plan says anything less than half a pound is a reactivity, however, I not positive my reaction was to the egg or if it was due to one of the following:
- Eating eggs
- I have a cold
- I didn't eat enough calories yesterday, I'm sick and didn't feel well enough to eat or cook
- near a "set point", I'm a few pounds away from a weight I was for a long period of time

I'll put eggs on my test again list for Phase 3.  Next time I will test a single egg instead of two like I did yesterday.  Eggs are a hard thing for me to give up because they are included in so many recipes as a binder.  I choose an egg to test because its something I enjoy eating for breakfast or dinner and it was a way for me to test a breakfast item but also an animal protein. 

I veered away from the book yesterday so here are the highlights.

• For breakfast test a new breakfast item or whole or lactose-free milk.  
• For lunch Roasted Italian Winter Vegetables (1 cup women, 2-3 men) on a bed of spinach with goat cheese.  Rye cracker with Homemade Hummus (1 cracker for women and two for me).
• Snack is an approved fruit (1/2 for women and a whole for men) and a small hand full of raw almonds. 
• Diner is any approved protein,  leftover salad from dinner on Day 13, and sauteed zucchini with basil, lemon oil, 1 Tablespoon grated Manchego.  
• Dessert as always is 1 ounce of dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit with whipping cream.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast

• Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote

Lunch

• Butternut squash soup with pumpkin seeds

Dinner

• Mixed green salad with cranberries, avocado and pumpkin seeds
• Two egg omelet with sauteed garlic, spinach, shitaki mushrooms, shallots, and Manchago cheese

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote

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Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Blueberry Pear Compote (serves 4)

I used black chia seeds because that's what I had on hand so the mixture came out look gray.  Next time I will use white chia seeds.  The full fat coconut milk makes this decadent and dessert worthy.  If you want to have this for breakfast use 1 1/2 cup of So Delicious Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
with Blueberry Pear Compote

Pudding:
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar  
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup Chia Seeds


Compote: 
1 cup blueberries
1 pear, peeled and diced
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon sugar
Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon juice or zest

Method:

On medium heat bring the coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a boil.  Lower the heat, add the chia seeds to the pot and stir constantly for 1 minute.  Let  mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup blueberries with the pear, sugar, water and lemon juice in a heavy small saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat until berries burst, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup berries. Cook until compote coats spoon, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

Serve warm  or cold

Day Thirteen: No Test

Yesterday I lost another 1.2 lbs bring my weight loss to 11.9lbs. On Day Thirteen of The Plan you are suppose to have a smoothie but I didn't have one of the main ingredients, blueberries, so I will try it in a few days.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• Flax granola with half an apple

Lunch

• Mixed green salad with goat cheese and sunflower seeds
• Butternut squash soup

Dinner

• Grilled Chicken breast on Arugula
• Roasted vegetables with 1/2 a potato

Snack

• 1/2 a pear

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut Squash Soup (Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 zucchini, chopped, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon raw ginger, grated or chopped
4 cups water
Seasoning: cinnamon, black pepper, and onion powder to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in ginger, squash, zucchini, seasoning and remaining water and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In batches, carefully puree in a blender.  Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Carrot Ginger Soup

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Carrot Ginger Soup (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon raw ginger, grated or chopped
4 cups water
Seasoning: cumin, cinnamon, and onion powder to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in ginger, carrots, zucchini, seasoning and remaining water and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In batches, carefully puree in a blender.  Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Chicken Parmesan

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Chicken Parmesan (serves 2)

In the book, "The Plan" by Lyn-Genet Recitas, a recipe like this is recommended to test tomatoes.

Ingredients:

2 Plum tomatoes, diced
3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil
4 Garlic cloves (peel and mince 3 clove and smash one)
2 Tablespoons of jullianed or chopped basil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 lb of chicken breast
3 ounces of fresh unsalted mozzarella
1 ounce Parmesan

Method:

Pound the chicken to 1/3 – 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat and add 1-2 Tablespoons of oil. When oil is hot, add smashed garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, until golden brown and softened. Remove the garlic.

Turn up the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until the chicken is brown. Lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes turning once until the chicken is done.

Saute the tomatoes, minced garlic and basil in 2 Tablespoons of oil until the tomatoes are soft.

Spoon the tomato mixture on to the chicken and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Broil for until the cheese has melted.

If you like thicker chicken then bake the chicken in a 350 F oven for 15-20 min.

Lemon Butter Chicken

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Lemon Butter Chicken (serves 2)

 I like a lot of lemon in this sauce.  I don't know if capers or shallots are allowed in Phase One or Two so wait until Phase Three to add them.  Capers have a lot of sodium so the less you use the better. Shallots are probably safe since garlic and onion is allowed but why take a chance.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
1 Teaspoon olive oil, optional
1/2 to 1 whole lemon juiced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 lb of chicken breast
1Tablespoon Manchego cheese grated
Optional: 1 Tablespoon drained capers and 1/4 cup of shallots.

Method:

Pound the chicken to 1/3 – 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the butter and the olive oil.  You're adding the olive oil so the butter wont burn. When butter is close to  is melted raise the heat to medium high.

Once the butter is bubbling, add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until the chicken is brown. Lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes, turning once, until  the chicken is done

If you are adding capers and shallots add them to the pan now and cook them for 30 seconds.  Add lemon juice to the pan and cook for another 30 minutes and then serve with grated cheese over the top.

Italian Herb Chicken with Orange Zest

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Italian Herb Chicken with Orange Zest (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Orange, washed
1 Tablespoons Italian Herbs
3/4 lb of chicken breast

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Remove the orange peel with a grater and set aside.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with Italian Herbs and then top with the orange zest and bake for 20 to 25minutes.

Day Twelve: New Vegetable

Yesterday I lost 1lb bring my weight loss to 10.7lbs.  For today's test you are allowed to try 5 or 6 snow peas, 1/2 cup bok choy, 4 or 5 brussel sprouts,1/2 cup savoy cabbage, 1 plum tomato, 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 potato, 1/3 sweet potato, radiccho, or endive.  I opted for half a baked potato with butter which went perfectly with my rib eye. YUM.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1/2 cup rice cereal 1/2 cup of flax seed granola and 1/2 a apple.

Lunch

• Leftover Vegetable Timbale
• Salad with pumpkin seeds

Dinner

• Steak
• 1/2 baked potato with butter
• Mixed green salad

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Blueberry Pear Chia Compote

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Blueberry Pear Chia Compote (serves 2)

This recipe isn't in the book "The Plan" by Lyn-Genet Recitas, however, I read on the web that it can be used as alternative to the flax granola.

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries
1 ripe pear, diced
1 1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
1 teaspoons agave
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of nutmeg and or cloves
1/2 cup Chia Seeds 

Method:

Add everything except the Chia Seeds to a pan and bring to a boil over a medium heat.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the fruit is soft.  Remove from heat and stir in the Chia seeds. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until.  Refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve warm or cold.

Flax Granola

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Flax Granola 

I like to soak my cranberries in the water before soaking the flax seeds overnight but this step isn't necessary and can be skipped.  If you do skip this step you also don't need to warm the water.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole flax seed
3/4 cup of water
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg or clove (or both)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup almonds raw unsalted almonds (other nuts can be added after they are tested)
1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower or pumpkin or a mix of both

Method:

Warm the water and soak the cranberries in the water for 30 minutes. Remove the cranberries and refrigerate them.

In a large bowl mix together the water the cranberries soaked in, the flax seeds, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or over night.

The next day heat an oven to 275 degrees F.  Spread the flax seed mixture evenly on to a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Using a spatula turn over the flax seeds and break it up into large sections.  Place it back in the oven and let it cook for another 20 minutes.   Turn the granola over again and break it up into smaller pieces. Mix in the soaked cranberries, nuts, and seeds and back for another 10-20 minutes.

Day Eleven: No Test

I lost 1 lb yesterday bringing my total weight loss back down to 9.7lbs.  I was hoping that it was going to be more so that I could blame the weight gain from the previous day on the late night water but it looks like it was the mustard or the lamb.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1 cup of flax granola with ½ a apple and a cup of Rice Dream

Lunch

• Mixed green salad with kale and pumpkin seeds

Dinner

• Lemon Butter Chicken
• Vegetable Timbale
• Spinach Salad

Snack

• Carrots

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Ten: New Protein

I gained 1 lb yesterday bringing me down 9.7lbs.  I "accidentally" had 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard during dinner.  It accidentally got into my mouth but I knew it was mustard and I should of spit it out but it was delicious.  Confused ... well I made rack of lamb for dinner, one with a garlic herb crust and the other with a dijon panko crust and some of the bread crumb crust got on mine and well ... it was too delicious to spit out.

On top of ingesting mustard I also didn't finish my water until 2am so the weight gain could be the mustard, late night water or lamb.  I'm hoping it's the late night water.  I'll retest lamb and mustard (separately) in Phase 3.
protein

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1 cup of hot rice cereal mixed with 1/2 cup of flax granola and a half a apple

Lunch

• Baby romaine salad with zucchini, carrots, avocado and sunflower seeds.
• Butternut squash

Dinner

• Rack of Lamb with a garlic herb crust
• Mixed green salad with avocado and apple

Snack

• Rye cracker with 1 Tablespoon almond butter

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Nine Redux - Rest Day

I wasn't happy with my weight loss for the last two days so I did an extra rest day.  Yesterday I lost  .5 lb bringing my total weight loss to 9.7lbs.   I was so relieved that the scale moved more than it had been.  If it hadn't I was going try to keep doing rest days until it did move.

Although I had bread and still lost the weight I'm going to try to avoid it for the rest of Phase 2.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1 slice of white bread with 2 Tablespoons of raw almond butter and 1/2 an apple.

Lunch

• Baby romaine with goat cheese, avocado and sunflower seeds
• Broccoli soup

Dinner

• Roasted Apricot Chipotle Chicken
• Roasted butternut squash
• Baby romaine salad with zucchini, carrots, avocado and sunflower seeds.

Snack

• Chocolate Covered Pear Slice with pumpkin seeds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Nine - Rest Day

Yesterday I lost  .2lb bringing my total weight loss to 9.2lbs.   Although yesterday was a rest day there were new Breakfast choices and a new snack, chocolate covered pear (YUM).   Dinner was any approved protein that was previously tested.  Unfortunately I had to stick to chicken because I tested beef first (The Plan says you can't have beef more than once a week until Phase Three when you can test having it twice.).

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1 slice of white bread with 2 Tablespoons of raw almond butter and 1/2 an apple.

Lunch

• Baby romaine with goat cheese, avocado and sunflower seeds
• Broccoli soup

Dinner

• Roasted Apricot Chipotle Chicken
• Roasted butternut squash
• Baby romaine salad with zucchini, carrots, avocado and sunflower seeds.

Snack

• Chocolate Covered Pear Slice with pumpkin seeds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Eight on The Plan - Bread Test

Yesterday I lost .2 lb giving me a total loss of 9lbs.   Although yesterday was a rest day there were new Breakfast choices and a new snack, chocolate-covered Pear (YUM).   Dinner was any approved protein that was previously tested.  Unfortunately I had to stick to chicken because I tested beef first (The Plan says you can't have beef more than once a week until Phase Three when you can test having it twice.).

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Breakfast 

• 1 cup of flax granola with ½ a pear and a cup of Rice Dream

Lunch

• Slice of white bread topped with goat cheese and sauteed zucchini and basil
• Mixed greens with avocado, pumpkin seeds, and half a diced apple

Dinner

• Roasted Apricot Chipotle Chicken with Carrots.
• Spinach Salad
• Steamed broccoli

Snack

• Small handful of raw almonds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Day Seven on The Plan - Rest Day

I lost .4 lb from Day 6 New Protein Test (I had skirt steak - YUM!).  I was worried because I love beef and don't want to give it up.  Yesterday I lost .4 lb bringing my total loss to 8.8lbs.

I made minor tweaks to the plan.  I add nuts, seeds and dried berries to the flax granola and skip the milk.  I'm not a big fan of cereal so I typically eat the granola and fruit separate from the milk.  I skipped the milk because I was out of it.  

The plan wants you to have Spicy Veg Soup but I hated the soup the first time I tried it. On the 2013 Day 1 to 3 Food Prep from the Lyn-Genet website the Spicy Veg Soup has been replaced with a Cream of Broccoli so that's what I had instead. I also didn't have the cheese for lunch and instead grated Macheago cheese over the chicken I had for dinner. Nom Nom

For dinner the plan wants you to  have chicken with a lemon garlic sauce and carrots and broccoli in the stir fry.  I made my own chicken and added carrots to my broccoli soup so I skipped them at dinner.

 For the chips I had Kettle brand unsalted and they were delicious.  The back of the bag said 1oz was equal to 13 chips.  I put them on pretty plate and sat on the balcony in the back over looking the river and enjoyed every crunchy yummy bite.

Like every morning I weighed my self and then drank 16oz of water with lemon.

Here is what I ate for the day:

Flax Granola, apple, seeds, and berries

Breakfast 

• 1 cup of flax granola mixed with nuts, seeds, dried berries and ½ a apple 

Lunch

• Roasted butternut squash and sauteed kale topped with pumpkin seeds.
• Cream of broccoli soup

Dinner

• Lemon Butter Chicken with Manchego cheese
• Arugula 
• Sauteed zucchini, onions, shitakes, and garlic

Snack

• 1 ounce of salt free potato chips

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

Chicken Recipes on The Plan

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Chicken with Italian Herbs & Orange Zest (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Orange, washed
1 Tablespoons Italian Herbs
3/4 lb of chicken breast

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Remove the orange peel with a grater and set aside.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with Italian Herbs and then top with the orange zest and bake for 20 to 25minutes.

Chicken Parmesan (serves 2)

In the book, "The Plan" by Lyn-Genet Recitas, a recipe like this is recommended to test tomatoes.

Ingredients:

2 Plum tomatoes, diced
3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil
4 Garlic cloves (peel and mince 3 clove and smash one)
2 Tablespoons of jullianed or chopped basil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 lb of chicken breast
3 ounces of fresh unsalted mozzarella
1 ounce Parmesan

Method:

Pound the chicken to 1/3 – 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat and add 1-2 Tablespoons of oil. When oil is hot, add smashed garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, until golden brown and softened. Remove the garlic.

Turn up the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until the chicken is brown. Lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes turning once until the chicken is done.

Saute the tomatoes, minced garlic and basil in 2 Tablespoons of oil until the tomatoes are soft.

Spoon the tomato mixture on to the chicken and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Broil for until the cheese has melted.

If you like thicker chicken then bake the chicken in a 350 F oven for 15-20 min.

Lemon Butter Chicken (serves 2)

 I like a lot of lemon in this sauce.  I don't know if capers or shallots are allowed in Phase One or Two so wait until Phase Three to add them.  Capers have a lot of sodium so the less you use the better. Shallots are probably safe since garlic and onion is allowed but why take a chance.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
1 Teaspoon olive oil, optional
1/2 to 1 whole lemon juiced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 lb of chicken breast
1Tablespoon Manchego cheese grated
Optional: 1 Tablespoon drained capers and 1/4 cup of shallots.

Method:

Pound the chicken to 1/3 – 1/2 inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the butter and the olive oil.  You're adding the olive oil so the butter wont burn. When butter is close to  is melted raise the heat to medium high.

Once the butter is bubbling, add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until the chicken is brown. Lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for another 2-3 minutes, turning once, until  the chicken is done


If you are adding capers and shallots add them to the pan now and cook them for 30 seconds.  Add lemon juice to the pan and cook for another 30 minutes and then serve with grated cheese over the top.

Day Six on The Plan - Protein Test

Day Six on The Plan - Protein Test

A little over six months ago I started the plan and made it successfully through five days. On the sixth day I didn't follow the plan and instead of doing a reset day like I planned I ended up quitting.  While visiting my family in New Jersey last week my sister suggested we go on "The Lyn-Genet Plan" together. 

The second time around has been so much easier because I knew what to expect and had someone to share the cooking and shopping with.

I'm down 8lbs and feeling great.  I'm going to Costco's to pick up steak for dinner.  I'm planning on doing some tasting at Costco's, like I did at Whole Foods on this day, but this time I am prepared with the proper food to eat the following day if the scale moves in the wrong direction.

After I wake up:

• Weigh myself
• Drink 16oz of water with lemon

Breakfast 

• 1 cup of flax granola with ½ a pear and a cup of Silk Coconut Milk

Lunch

• Baby romaine with leftover zucchini, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds
• 1 rye cracker with 2 tablespoons of homemade hummus

Dinner

• Steak
• Roasted butternut squash and sauteed kale topped with grated Manchego cheese

Snack

• ½ an apple and small handful of raw almonds

Dessert

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate

The approved proteins to test today are beef, lamb, beans, fish and eggs.  You can learn more about testing proteins on my Animal Protein post.

Animal Proteins on The Plan

Animal Proteins on The Plan

Portions should be 4 to 6 ounces for women and 6 to 8 ounces for men.  When you're testing a new protein you should start with half the portion size.

Beef

• You should eat it only once every seven days so don't make this your first protien test unless you really like chicken because you will be eating a lot of that.   At a later date test having beef twice in a week
•  All types of beef are allowed, but stay away from marinated meats because the marinates usually have extra sodium.
• Cook fattier meats to medium-rare.  If you like your meat well done choose leaner cuts like Filet Mignon.

Beans

• Eat only once a day
• If you pass the chickpea test try pink or pinto beans next
• Avoid black beans during Phase two and do a "self test" later on.
• Don't do the following food combinations until you test them later on:
• Beans and rice
• Beans and meat

Duck

• Duck is as low as chicken in reactivity so its a good choice

Eggs

• Only once a day
• Eat every other day, later on do a test to eat them daily
• Don't eat them with bread until you've tested this combination
• Hard boiled eggs are the only method of cooking you should stay away from

Fish

• Don't eat on consecutive days.  At a later date test if you can fish two days in a row.
• Don't eat more than once or twice a week.
• Choice wild white fish and wait until later to test tuna, cod, and swordfish.
• Don't eat farm raised fish or Salmon

Lamb

• Eat two to three times a week

Pork

• Eat fresh pork and test smoked/cured meats (like bacon and deli ham) in Phase three
• Highly reactive

Shellfish

• Test scallops first an wait until phase three to test other types of shellfish.

Venison

• Low reactivity
• Don't over cook it, start with it rare to medium and then test well-done in Phase Three.

Soup Recipes on The Plan

View More Recipes

Soup Recipes

Carrot Ginger Soup
Butternut Squash Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon raw ginger, grated or chopped
4 cups water
Seasoning: cumin, cinnamon, and onion powder to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in ginger, carrots, zucchini, seasoning and remaining water and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In batches, carefully puree in a blender.  Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Butternut Squash Soup (Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 zucchini, chopped, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon raw ginger, grated or chopped
4 cups water
Seasoning: cinnamon, black pepper, and onion powder to taste.

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in ginger, squash, zucchini, seasoning and remaining water and heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In batches, carefully puree in a blender.  Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.

Reset Day

I lost .4lbs.  That's a total of 7.6 in five days. The gas and bloating are gone, however, my lips are swollen and burning.  I went off radar for lunch yesterday so I don't know if the problem was rye or something else I ate.  I am going to hold of doing Day Six, do a reset day, redo Day Five (I explain why below) and then do Day Six in two days.

I didn't have Manchego cheese in the house so I went to Whole Foods in Walnut Creek and walked into a "Raw Food Festival"s.  I walked around and view everything and realized that most items were made from ingredients I had already tested, raw almonds, raw seeds, kelp, coconut milk products, dark chocolate, beets and carrots.  The book says you can stop The Plan at any point and start up again so I took a chance to see what would happen.

The Festival was great for such a tiny store.  They had over ten vendors and I was able to taste something from almost every vendor except two because their products contained ingredients I haven't tested yet.  There were three things I tasted that I shouldn't have.  It was my fault because I didn't read the ingredients first.  The portion size of everything was so tiny and I really enjoyed the event so I decided to not worry about it and just expect to do a reset day tomorrow.

The coolest part of the event was what happened after I tried a kelp chip.   The "alive&radiant foods" vendor had six products for you to try.  Three of them made with kelp, The Kale Krunch, and all of them with safe ingredients, except sodium.  The other three were safe vegetables  however, they were made with seasame seeds so I didn't try them.  The portions were tiny, two teaspoons at most.  The ingredients for the Kale Krunch are Organic Kale, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Himalayan Crystal Salt.  The Nutritional Facts I cared about were Calories 110, Sodium 200mg, and Protien 5g.  It was delicious so I bought a bag.   There were four other items I had tried earlier that I shouldn't have.  Two of them contained cabbage, one of them vinegar, and another had banana.  I was feeling fine when I left the store.  When I got home I popped open the bag of kale, measured out a serving size (half a bag) and started eating.  Near the end of my snack I noticed my lip started to feel like they were burning and getting swollen.  I took another bite and as the food touched my lips it hurt.  It was amazing, I realized something I ate was making me have this reaction.  I'm not sure what it was so I'm going to do tests on each individual item and then narrow it down to one of their ingredients.  I suspect its the sodium, but it could also be one of the other items I ate or that the Kale Krunch is made in a facility that processes tree nuts and soy.

After all that the scale did go down, however, I really want to retest the rye so I will take a day to get the inflamation down and the redo Day Five.

As for yesterdays foods, I loved the almond butter.  Instead of eating it with apple I opted for pear because mine are super ripe and I don't want them going bad.   It was delicious.  The apricot glaze on the chicken is amazing and it was super nice to end the day with a piece of chocolate.

I'm not sure what a reset day consists of.  I'll have to read the book to figure that out.  I'll update at the end of the day.

Day Five on The Plan - Rye Test

I lost 2.2 lbs.  I'm now down 7.4 lbs in four days.  I had more energy yesterday.  I loved my cheese.  I chose a goat cheese from Span called "Cana de cabra Mitica" and enjoyed every bite. For chocolate I ate "Newman's Own Organics"  dark chocolate with 54% cacao.

Since Tuesday, I've been taking probiotics to offset the antibiotics in an attempt to avoid yeast overgrowth.  Yesterday  I opted to have chocolate over wine, however, when I woke up this morning my tongue looked white.  Today I completed my antibiotics so hopefully I'll recover by next week.

Today's Plan

After I wake up:

• Weigh myself
• Drink 16oz of water with lemon
• Take my liver supplement

Breakfast - The book recommends 1 cup of flax granola with ½ cup blueberries, ½ an apple or ½ a pear, however, as I mentioned in my posts I ran out of granola so I am replacing it with the compote.  

• 1 cup of the Berry Pear Compote

Lunch

• Arugula with carrots and 1 ounce of goat cheese
• Spicy vegetarian soup

Dinner

• Chicken with spicy apricot glaze (page 4)
• Sauteed zucchini with onion and basil, orange oil (page 5) and 2 tablespoons grated manchego
• Beet and carrot salad with sunflower seeds 

Snack

• 1 rye cracker with 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter and ½ an apple

Dessert

• 1 ounce dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit (page 50) with whipped cream

Day Four on The Plan - Cheese Test

I lost 1.4 lbs.  Total weight loss 5.2 lbs.  I had no energy yesterday and I was incredibly emotional. I wasn't hungry and I'm very pleased with the results.

Yesterday, I enjoyed breakfast, the chia seeds gave it a tapioca pudding consistency.  I wasn't in the mood for the soup  so I stuck to the salad and added the chick peas to make sure I got enough protein 

I'm not a big fan of chicken, especially white meat, but I enjoyed it even without any salt.  I let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes in the orange zest and Italian herbs.  I've noticed palette is more sensitive to flavors and that I can go with out any salt.

Whole foods, Trader Joes, and Safeway didn't have arugula so I'm going to use baby romaine lettuce instead.

Today is my first day of testing and I am going to drink all my water!

Today's Plan
As of today I can also start having a cup of coffee and a glass of red wine.

After I wake up:

• Weigh myself
• Drink 16oz of water with lemon
• Take my liver supplement

Breakfast - The book recommends 1 cup of flax granola with ½ cup blueberries, ½ an apple or ½ a pear, however, as I mentioned in my posts I ran out of granola so I am replacing it with the compote.

• 1 cup of the Berry Pear Compote

Lunch

• 1 cup roasted italian winter vegetables (page 33) on a bed of spinach with pumpkin seeds and 1 ounce of goat cheese

Dinner

• 4 ounces chicken with mango cucumber salsa (page 9)
• Arugula with carrots and ¼ avacado
• Steamed broccoli with orange oil (see citrus zest oil on page 5)

Snack

• Carrots with 6 tablespoons of homemade hummus or 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter.

Dessert

• 1 ounce dark chocolate or cinnamon poached fruit (page 50) with whipped cream

After each day's menu the book, "The Plan" by Lyn-Genet Recitas, gives you more information on some of the foods you are eating for that day.  These sections are referred to as "The Inside Scoop on Day ..." and have lots of additional information you should read. Day four coverts coffee, wine, cheese, chocolate, and yeast.  I've covered the highlights here.

Coffee

• Only drink it in the morning
• Choose a dark roast
• No decaf
• Sweeten with sugar, agave or honey.
• No artificial sweeter
• Don't use milk until its been tested.  Instead use half and half, coconut milk or rice milk

Wine

Don't drink white because it is more acidic. If its something you really like you can test it later on.  If the only reason you aren't drinking the wine is because you want to lose more weight then don't.  The book suggests that if you love wine then you will lose more with the wine than with out.  Portion size is confusing to me.  The only reference to it was the first sentence that says "A glass of wine is a wonderful way to ....".  No where does it say to only drink one glass of wine.  

Chocolate

• Eat dark chocolate less than 65% cacao
• If you want nuts stick to already tested nuts (as of day four that would be almonds)

Yeast

Test your tongue in the morning and if it looks white start a probiotic along with MSM.  Avoid wine and vinegar OR chocolate, not both.

Day Three on the Plan

I lost 2lbs.  :)  I'm now down a total of 3.8 lbs.  I was fatigued, achy gassy, bloating and miserable yesterday.  The bloating felt more pronounced after i ate lunch.  I'm not sure if this is a reaction to the food, my body cleansing its self, I'm sick or a combination of both.  I think the broccoli is making me gassy and I'll test it in the testing phase.

There are two items I didn't eat yesterday. I didn't add the avocado to my salad and I didn't eat the pear for a snack.  I did eat the almonds because I wanted to make sure I didn't skip that food test.  For a second day I couldn't drink all the water before 7:30.

I have to change up my breakfast for today.  Two weeks ago, I ordered the Fruit & Berry Flax Granola from Columbia Country Bread , however, they are slammed with orders and I wont have it till next week.  Since I didn't think it would take so long I only made two days worth from scratch last weekend.  I thought I was going to have to make a batch yesterday, however, I found a substitute that I had all the ingredients for on Lyn Genet's website under "Tips for Book Readers".  The tips page says that if you want to switch out breakfast to try the Blueberry Pear Compete.   I'm not sure you are suppose to do it during the cleanse phase, however,  I'm too sick to go shopping for whole flax seeds and then come home and cook it.  This recipe was very easy to make, chop up two fruits, add spice, boil in coconut milk, stir in chia seed let chill for 4 hours.  Its easier than pudding from a box.

I really like how each day, or every other day, on The Plan introduces a new food.  The last time I dieted was in 2011.  During that diet I would frequently think about the foods i would eat in the future.  The way "The Plan" is laid out I now look forward to the following day.  On Day One I looked forward to eating rice and on Day Two I found myself excited that there is chicken on Day Three. On Day four there is cheese - nom nom nom.  I love me some cheese.

Today's Plan

After I wake up:

• Weigh myself
• Drink 16oz of water with lemon
• Take my liver supplement

Breakfast

• I cup of the Berry Pear Compote

Lunch

• Baby romaine lettuce with 1/4 avocado, pumpkin seeds and carrots
• Spicy Vegetarian Soup and a half a cup of low salt chick peas

Dinner

• 2-3oz of Chicken with Italian Herbs and Orange Zest
• 1 cup Roasted Italian Winter Vegetables

Snack

• 10-12 raw almonds

Chicken with Italian Herbs and Orange Zest Recipe

Sprinkle chicken breast with dried italian herbs and 1 Tablespoon of grated orange zest and bake in a 350 oven for 20-30 min, depending on the size of the breast (less for 2-3oz portion size).

This recipe wasn't in the online cookbook so I added it here.  The portion sizes are 4-6 for a woman and 6-8 for a man.

Day Two on The Plan

I lost 1.8lbs.  It's nice to see the scale go down.  I hurt all over yesterday.  I ended up getting sick all over myself and my car on the way to work yesterday.  My doctor is amazing.  He squeezed me in between other appointments  diagnosed me with bronchitis, prescribed antibiotics, and told me to stay in bed and away from other people for a week.

I'm glad I followed the plan's advice and did my shopping and cooking  in advanced.  All this water and healthy food will heal me!   While I'm on the subject of water I couldn't drink it all.  There just weren't enough hours in the day.  I'll try again.

Today's food is the same as yesterday except for minor details which I highlighted in green.

After I wake up:

• Weigh myself
• Drink 16oz of water with lemon
• Take my liver supplement

Breakfast:

• 1 cup Flax Granola with ½ cup blueberries and Rice Milk

Lunch:

• Carrot Ginger Soup with sunflower seeds (or chia seeds)
• Steamed Broccoli with orange oil and lemon juice
• Mixed Greens with ½ diced apple and ¼ an avocado

Dinner:

• Shredded carrots & beet and Sunflower Seeds
• Sautéed baby kale with Shitake and Spicy Coco Sauce and 1 cup of brown rice and Pumpkin Seeds

Snack

• ½ pear and a small handful of almonds

Day One of The Plan

After I weighed myself I drank 16oz of water with lemon and took the liver cleanse capsules.  Then I figured out how much water I had to drink.  According to "The Plan", for every two lbs you weigh you drink an ounce of water (there's an example at the end of this post).   Along with that you are not suppose to drink 45 min before or after you eat AND you are suppose to finish all your water by 7:30PM.   

Day One Plan

After I woke up:

• I weighed myself
• Drank 16oz of water with lemon
• Took my liver supplement

Breakfast:

• 1 cup Flax Granola with 1/2 cup blueberries and Rice Milk

Lunch:

• Carrot Ginger Soup with sunflower seeds
• Steamed Broccoli with orange oil (organic orange rind soaked in olive oil) and lemon juice

You're allowed mixed greens with 1/2 a pear and pumpkin seeds, however, I was full so I skipped it.

Dinner:

• Shredded carrots & beet (2 carrots and a third of a small beet)
• 3 cups Sautéed baby kale with Shitake and Spicy Coco Sauce
• Pumpkin Seeds

I added Cayenne pepper, cumin  ginger and cinnamon to the carrots and beets.  I wanted to add lemon juice, honey and golden raisins too, however, since this was the cleanse I didn't stray from the recipe in the book. 

The market didn't have fresh Shitake so i bought dried, soaked them in hot water, drained them and used the water to stir fry the kale.  It came out delicious.  Yes, it could be because the Spicy Coco Sauce is amazing, however, drizzling it with garlic infused oil and lemon juice would also be yummy.

Snack:

• Small Apple

Doubled everything you make for today because tomorrow is the same menu except for some minor changes.  The hardest part of the day was drinking water.  By the time i went to bed I still had 4 glasses of water I hadn't drunk and I drank my last glass at 10:30 pm.   I am not sure if I will see any weight loss.

How Much Water Should You Drink?
For every two lbs you weigh you drink an ounce of water

Weight = 192 lbs
Divided in half = 96 ounces (there are 8 ounces in a cup of water)
Divide by 8 = 12  (12 cups of water)
Total = 12 cups of water a day.

Spicy Coco Sauce (I'm writing this from memory so it might be off)
Combine a chopped onion, 3 cloves of chopped garlic and a can of full fat coconut milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer.  Cook it for 5 minutes and then add a heaping Tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of sea salt and cumin, a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Simmer this for 20 minutes.  Serving size is an ⅛ cup.  Be careful it's addictive.

Prepping for The Plan

A friend of mine told me about a Dr. Oz episode featuring a women who talked about how its the food we eat that is making us fat not the calories. After some googling I found out that it's called "The Lyn-Genet Plan" .

There is a lot of material on the Lyn-Genet Plan website, however, I couldn't figure out where to start so I decided to read the book first.  I bought  "The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising "Healthy" Foods That Are Making You Fat--and Lose Weight Fast" by Lyn-Genet Recitas and I was excited to start, however, I quickly realized that I was going to have to do some tests on myself along with some prep work.

There are two tests you need to do on yourself, Thyroid and Yeast.  The Thyroid test takes a few days while the yeast test you can do in two.

To test your Thyroid you take your temperature under the arm every morning for three days.  If your temperature is consistently 97 degrees or lower then, according to The Plan, your thyroid is under-active.  To test for yeast you eat three specific foods in one day and then when you wake the next morning you can tell if yeast is an issue for you.  The foods are chocolate, balsamic vinegar and a yeasty beer/wine.

I tested positive for an under-active thyroid and yeast. My temperature was 96.5.  The book mentions that for some people this temperature wont inhibit weight loss so I decided to stay on the regular menu, but with a  Kelp supplement.

List Thyroid Recommendations:

• Kelp - specifically Norwegian kelp. 
• Main Coast Sea Seasoing - I didn't find this in either Safeway/Whole Foods by me.
• B12 supplements
• Avoid specific foods
• Keep warm 

I recommend reading  more on the Thyroid on the Lyn-Genet site.

Since I woke up with a white tongue, which was cool to see, I bought a probiotic at Whole Foods. The recommended dosage is between 30-50 billion, taken for 7 days before you start the Plan

There are two pieces of equipment you should get if you don't already have them.  A digital scale to weight yourself and a basal body temp thermometer. Lyn-Genet recommends two scales on the website under Product Recommendations, however, I already have one I LOVE - HealthOMeter 349KLX Digital Medical Scale.  I bought it in 2011 after researching them online and its great. The ones recommended by Lyn-Genet are less expensive and probably work just as well.

There are very few supplement recommendations in the book.  Other than the ones listed above its also recommended that you take a Liver detoxifer/dandelion tea and MSM.  I decided to take both.

So before I started The Plan I had to do seven days of probiotics, buy groceries and cook some items in advanced.  You can find shopping list and food prep on the Lyn-Genet website (look under tips for book readers) and on the links on the side of this blog.

If you don't want to make your own flax granola then you can buy  Fruit & Berry Flax Granola at Columbia Country Bread.  While I am writing about Columbia Country Bread I want to mention that my profile image was inspired by an image they have on their website.