Shrimp provides nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin E, niacin and omega-3 fatty acids. Shrimp is also low in saturated fat making it a great dish to lose weight.

P2 Garlic Shrimp

• 100g shrimp (peeled & deveined)
• 4-6 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbs chicken broth or 2 Tbs MCT oil
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chopped basil

Heat nonstick pan over MED-HI heat. Mix of the broth with pepper, minced garlic, and other spices. Add to pan.
Cook less than a minute. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Add shrimp. Cook 3 minutes. Top with basil and serve.

Grilling instructions:

Preheat the grill to medium.
Grill shrimp for three to five minutes, until pink and curled. Be careful not to overcook. Larger shrimp take longer than smaller ones, of course! While cooking, baste shrimp with mix from above.

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Choose This:

Bun-less / Protein Style Burger

There are a number of restaurants that now serve bun-less burgers, and if you don’t see it on the menu, you can still ask for it. Carl’s Jr. is by far my favorite in the fast food department. It’s their Low Carb Six Dollar Burger. I order it without the cheese and light on the sauce. It’s very yummy! Another fast food favorite is In-N-Out Burger. It’s called “Protein Style” and it is on their “secret” menu, but you can order it at any restaurant. The meat comes wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun and you can get a single or a double patty.

Do Not Choose This:

It goes without saying that white bread is not a healthy choice. However, you need to be aware of restaurants who serve their burgers with wheat buns. Eating whole grains is the wisest choice. So, whether you purchase hamburgers in restaurants or buy buns in the store, make sure it says 100% whole grain. Sometimes you will see “Whole Wheat” which also means the product is a whole grain.

Watch and avoid these phrases:

Wheat Buns/Bread – usually this is just wheat flour, which is just refined white flour. Same with Enriched Wheat Flour or Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour. Enriched flour means that is has been refined. Also, 100% Wheat is not acceptable. Make sure it says “Whole” along with the word wheat.

Multi-Grain – this means that the product contains more than one type of grain. These are not whole grains and usually are refined. Many of this type of bread usually has sugar added as well.

The post Choose Wisely – Dining out (Hamburgers) appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Eat Your Veggies

Today Carol’s VLOG and question of the week addresses the importance of vegetables in our diet.

You need at least 3-4 cups of vegetables a day or more.

Ways to prepare your vegetables:

The best way to eat your vegetables is raw.  This packs the most nutrients and you get the best benefit from them.  Make big salads and cut up veggies to snack on throughout the day.

The second way is to steam or sautee them on low heat.  This will keep you from losing all the nutrients.

Baking or boiling would be the last way to prepare them but in soups and some recipes this is necessary just offset the nutrients lost in your other meals.

Never microwave your vegetables, this will strip out 97% of its nutrients.

The importance of dark green leafy vegetables are well known.  Adding in Romaine lettuce, spinach and others to your diet will have a huge impact on your health and your waistline.

Today Carol Talks about Vegetables and the Case Study she is doing with some in phase 2 and the results they are seeing.

Related Post:

Peppermint Shake: Click Here

Spinach Meatloaf: Click Here

The post Mom Was Right- Eat Your Veggies! appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Chocolate Melba

Phase 2 Recipes for Melba Toast

1 cup whole grain flour (I used Bobs Red Mill) ingredients: Whole grain organic stone ground hard red wheat
3/4 cup water
1 tsp sea salt

Mix it all up, and then plop about a teaspoon portions on parchment paper (round or oblong). Bake at about 380 for 15 to 20 mns. Take them off the parchment paper & cool.
Makes 38 crackers at 12.63 cals a piece, so have 2 twice a day.

Home Made Melba with Chocolate Melba…P2

by: Berenice Marquette Jurgens

½ Cup Bob’s Red mill Whole Wheat Flour (240 cals)
1/3 Cup plus 4 TBSP water
1 ½ TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa powder (about 15 cals)
3 Packets of Sweet Leaf Stevia
½ tspn Stevia Glycerite
Dash of salt (1/2 tsp)

Put the whole wheat into a bowl, add the Stevia powder, cocoa powder, salt & stir until mixed. Then add the water & Stevia Glycerite & mix well. Place spoonfuls on a baking tray covered with parchment paper (like a healthy teaspoon full & swirl it flat like a cookie). This should make about 20.
Bake at 380 for about 20 minutes total BUT flip them half way through (they peel off the parchment paper easy, thats what gave them the rippled look) Bake longer for crispier or about 15 for chewier.
Calories for each is about 12, so have 2 of them twice a day. I figured it was ok to add cocoa to Chocolate Delight, so why not the Melba. You can add some Chocolate Flavored Capella drops if you have them…

Visit the links below for Phase 3 Bread Recipes

Phase 3 Bread Recipes for the Diet

Flaxseed Meal Cinnamon Bread

Click here to Watch Carol’s Video on this recipe

Make sure and “Choose Wisely” for your butter.

Organic butter contains many nutrients, some even protect us from heart disease! It contains Vitamin A, Vitamin E, lecithin and a number of other anti-oxidants which can help strengthen our immune system. It also contains the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil. Butter does not cause diseases, but rather protects against them. Organic butter actually contains many nutrients that protect us from heart and other diseases. It contains vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Organic butter is the wisest choice so you don’t eat hormones and pesticides that get absorbed into cows.

Ingredients: Pasteurized Organic Sweet Cream (Milk), Microbial Culture.

There are a number of good butters on the market so read your ingredients and choose wisely. Don’t get butter with a lot of extra ingredients – most will say cream and salt.

The post Melba Toast Recipe appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Asian marinade recipe

2 T minced ginger
1T. minced garlic
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. white vinegar (also good with coconut vinegar)
1/4 c. Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s
2 pkg. of Stevia or 1/2 tsp. liquid Stevia

Mix together and marinade steak, chicken, shrimp … just about anything! And you really don’t need to marinade long for great flavor.

Recipe by Katie Dambro

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Healthy Loading Options

Loading is key to making phase 2 a success for you! Those who do not load correctly experience hunger during the first three to four days of the 500 calorie diet, while those who load correctly report low-to-no hunger.  

The protocol burns your abnormal fat stores for fuel, but it does not begin working until the third dose, so eating 500 calories without fat loading will cause you problems in terms of losing structural fat and being extremely hungry until it does begin to work. Dr. Simeons’ Protocol states to ‘eat to capacity’ for those first 2-3 days on the diet. If you experience a gain while loading, do not be concerned.  Most users release all of their load weight plus additional weight within the first two VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) days.

If you are on round 2, loading with healthy fats might be a better option, as reintroducing processed sugars can make you really sick.  We should load with healthy fats, our favorite foods, things we miss and things we crave.  It will be quite awhile for cheese, dairy and your favorite Mexican restaurant to now is the time to indulge yourself.   Here is the list of “Good” and “Bad” loading foods.  Using high fat foods on the bad list are completely fine but if you overdo it you may feel sick.  Definitely take this opportunity to eat anything you will miss.

Here is what Dr. Simeons says about eating to capacity to get your fat stores built up before starting the 500 cal diet.

Gain before Loss– from Pounds and Inches
“Patients whose general condition is low, owing to excessive previous dieting, must eat to capacity for about one week before starting treatment, regardless of how much weight they may gain in the process. One cannot keep a patient comfortably on 500 Calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason also that every case, even those that are actually gaining must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had then third injection. It is a fundamental mistake to put a patient on 500 Calories as soon as the injections are started, as it seems to take about three injections before abnormally deposited fat begins to circulate and thus become available.”

“Patients in a satisfactory general condition and those who have not just previously restricted their diet start forced feeding on the day of the first injection. Some patents say that they can no longer overeat because their stomach has shrunk after years of restrictions. While we know that no stomach ever shrinks, we compromise by
insisting that they eat frequently of highly concentrated foods such as milk chocolate, pastries with whipped cream sugar, fried meats particularly pork, eggs and bacon, mayonnaise, bread with thick butter and jam, etc. The time and trouble spent on pressing this point upon incredulous or reluctant patients is always amply rewarded afterward by the complete absence of those difficulties which patients who have disregarded these instructions are liable to experience.”

Carol’s VLOG shares the tips for loading and loading right!

The post Healthy Loading Foods appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Phase 3

2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (optional)
2 cups organic spinach
½ Tbsp. (Coconut Secret) Coconut Aminos or (Braggs) Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook, stirring until garlic softens. Add spinach and cook until leaves soften, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Aminos and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

The post Easy Sauteed Spinach appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Keeping a Food Journal is Essential to your success!

What am I doing wrong?  Carol discusses the need to keep a thorough food journal throughout phase 2 and 3.  This is important because if you experience of gaining or stalling, we can quickly help you identify what changes need to be made in your daily diet.

“If you’ve done all this work of sticking to protocol… you can sabotage the whole thing just by not keeping track of your foods.” -Carol

The post What am I Doing Wrong? appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

The diet is all about Pounds and Inches.  When we are not losing pounds our body is shrinking right before our eyes.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is always focusing and getting discouraged by the scale.  This is where this little handy tools come into play.  When we are in a stall we are usually losing inches and the only way to know that is to measure.  Many skip this very essential part of the diet.  Take before measurements and measure frequently throughout phase2 and you will see how much progress you are making regardless of what the scale says.

Track your body measurements and progress as your unwanted fat goes away! The MyoTape Body Tape Measure is a great tool for all protocol users. We all know Simeons book is titled Pounds and INCHES, so make sure you keep track from the beginning so you can see your inches melt away even if the scale doesn’t reveal a loss in pounds.

Watch your improvement! The MyoTape from AccuFitness is an improvement over the simple tape and it works excellent.

You can download the measuring chart Lisa shows here.

You can purchase the MyoTape here.

The post Pounds and INCHES.. appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is next Thursday and we wanted to share some great recipes for Phase 2 and Phase 3 that will help you not gain during the feast.

Appetizers:

Pumpkin Smoothie

(great to have before company comes or before you begin to spend hours cooking, to fill you up so you are not so tempted)
1 C. Almond Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie spice (recipe below or purchased)
½ c. cooked pumpkin
½ frozen banana (optional)
1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
3 -4 drops liquid stevia

Pumpkin Snack

Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut flakes, and cashews. Use raw/unroasted. Mix and enjoy.

Candied Nuts

3 C. raw nuts
1/4 C. raw honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp sugar substitute (I use Rapadura) Read More

Main Course:

Glazed Ham

1/4 cup Stevia
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup agave
3 tablespoons spicy mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp of water
1/4 cup gold rum (such as Bacardi Gold®) P4 Read More

P3 Stuffing with Ezekiel Bread

5 cups cubed Ezekiel bread
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. Coconut oil
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 apple, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
finely chopped turkey giblets
3/4 cup turkey stock
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large skillet, cook the onions in oil over medium heat, stirring until lightly browned. Add the giblets, celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes at 350, or until lightly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.Pour giblet mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.

Asparagus Delight

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup coconut oil or MCT oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (for Phase 3 or Phase 4)
10 grape tomatoes, halved Read More

Creamed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower — cut into florets
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder Read More

Deviled Eggs

one dozen large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper
chopped fresh cilantro Read More

Mashed Pumpkin

3-4 cups Pumpkin, cooked, mashed
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup green pepper, chopped fine
Butter, Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
Fry the onion in oil until translucent or lightly brown.
Add pumpkin and cook until soft.
Mash it with a mixer and top with butter, salt and pepper

Pumpkin Spice

4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. Ground ginger
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. Nutmeg

Deserts:

Pumpkin Pie

Shell:
1 and 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 Tbsp.s Rapadura (whole cane sugar)
Heat oven to 350 F. mix the ingredients in pie pan and pat into place with your fingertips.
Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust is beginning to brown.

Filling:
½ Cup Rapadura
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Mix well using a hand blender or mixer. Pour into pie pan.
Bake at 425 for the first 15 minutes,then turn the temperature down to 350 and bake another 45 to 60 minutes
until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Phase 3 Cheescakes

We have gathered all these in one post, click the read more for these recipes.

NY Original Cheescake

Fluffy Cheesecake

Vanilla Cheescake

Strawberry Cheescake

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Read More

Baked Apple Pie Phase 2

1 Apple
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1-2 tsp. Apple Pie Spice (mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)
Stevia to taste Read More

Chocolate Delight Candies

For all the Chocolate Delight Recipe variation click here Read More

Chocolate Bites Delight

Chocolate Delight with Nuts

Chocolate Delight with Vanilla

Chocolate Delight with Peanut Butter P3

Peanut Butter Cups

Mint Cups

Almond Joy

The post Thanksgiving Friday appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Cabbage Recipes

All your favorite Phase 2 and Phase 3 cabbage recipes for the diet.

Tangy Coleslaw with Flaxseed for Phase 3

Follow the Tangy Coleslaw Original Recipe and add the following ingredients:
The Flaxseed adds a nice nutty flavor.
Check out the benefits of adding flaxseed to your diet.  Read More

Original Tangy Coleslaw Recipe for Phase 2

1/8 C. MCT oil
1 package Stevia powder ( more or less depends on your taste)
1/8 C. Apple cider vinegar ( more or less depends on your taste)
2 tsp plain vinegar ( if needed) Read More

Turkey Cabbage Phase 3

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 head cabbage, chopped Read More

Cabbage Chicken Soup Phase 2

100 grams chicken
2 C. Cabbage
2 C. Low Sodium Chicken Broth (or 1 C. Water, 1 C. broth)
2 Tbsp Bragg’s amino acids
2 cloves garlic, minced Read More

Carne Asada with Stir-Fry Cabbage Phase 2

3.5 Oz steak, flank or regular, cut it in strips
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 lime, juiced Read More

Roasted Cabbage with Bacon Phase 3

Green cabbage chopped
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Onion Chopped
Bacon, cut into small squares
Liquid Aminos Read More

Chicken Kabob with Roasted Cabbage Phase 2

1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 T MCT oil, or Braggs amino
1/4 cup chicken broth (if desired)
2-3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
Braggs  organic Spices ( or your own choice)
Lemon slices, for serving cabbage (optional) Read More

Cabbage Rolls Phase 2

1- head of Cabbage (if you want to make for the whole family)
2lb- Lean meat of your choice
3c- Diced tomatoes
1c- Onion Flakes
Peppers (Pepper flakes or Mrs. Dash Chipolte seasoning) Read More

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The post Cabbage Friday! appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Women and men may discover that they are having hair loss while losing weight.  Here are a few facts about hair loss and hormones.  While this does not happen with everyone, below are some tips to keep this to a minimum.  Your hair texture should return to normal in Phase 4.

Here are some tips to reduce the side effects while on the diet.  Remember that your hormones and thyroid are going through many changes.  Nurture your hair during your weight loss journey.

1.  Take biotin

2.  Eat more fish, check out the Phase 2 fish recipes.

3.  Add flax seed, especially in Phase 3 as your hypothalamus is resetting.

4.  Try using Nioxin which helps restore the vitamins needed to the scalp to prevent hair loss or stop it.

5.  Make sure you are getting your B vitamins.

6.  Use shampoos and conditioners that contain biotin and silica.

7.  Avoid over-consumption of salt.

8.  Apple-cider vinegar, applied as a rinse.

9.  One great technique many people use to help their hair grow faster is a scalp massage.

10. Regularly trimming your hair.  Also keeping your hair pulled up causes strain on the hair follicles.

The post Hair Loss on Protocol appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.