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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We’ve all heard it…eating white pasta is bad for you! “Traditional” White pasta is made from refined white flour and is a very unhealthy processed food. Refined white flour is so processed, and has all the nutrients stripped out, so much so that our bodies hardly recognize it as a food.

Pasta is something most of us love and miss when doing the hCG diet. If you choose wisely you can introduce pasta into your diet. That is if you choose wisely! There are a few choices such as whole grain, Dreamfields, brown rice pasta, Ezekiel or my favorite – Quinoa (http://www.quinoa.net/) pasta!

Choose this:

Quinoa (pronounced “keen wah”) is a plant-derived protein discovered in South America and is similar to rice. The word Quinoa means “mother grain.” Although it’s commonly thought of as a grain, it’s actually closer to a leafy green vegetables and is very easy to digested. Quinoa is not only a good source of fiber and protein it is packed with amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Quinoa begins as a gluten-free grain-like seed and can be ground into flour to make several types of nutrient-rich pasta. There are numerous varieties on the market, including spaghetti, fettucini, shells and elbows.

Do Not Choose This:

The carbohydrates contained in pasta made from refined white flour will release sugars into the bloodstream quickly. This causes a steep rise in blood sugar which can contribute diabetics and obesity. It also raises your blood’s levels of the LDL (bad) cholesterol which can lead to heart disease and high blood pressure. Our bodies have a hard time digesting such a refined food and as a result it hangs around in our bodies and ends up storing as fat. Most of those fat cells are generally being deposited and store in the mid-section.

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Vegetables are protein too!

Question of the week #4- What are the best choices for protein?

This weeks vlog discusses the importance of protein and what sources are the best choices for your overall health. It’s key to have a high protein intake on P3. Protein foods also help to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream which reduces hunger by reducing insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat. Carol discusses the tier list of how to get your protein starting with veggies, Greek Yogurt, animal sources and then protein drinks. While all vegetables do contain enough protein to register.  Vegetable protein is considered to be incomplete, which means if you eat a diet based in vegetables you are probably not getting all of the essential amino acids your body needs to function.  You can get your protein amounts for vegetable and animal sources:  CLICK HERE.

If a food supplies a sufficient amount of the nine essential amino acids, it is called a complete protein. Virtually all proteins from animal foods are complete. Foods that lack or are short on one or more of the essential amino acids such as some fruits, grains, and vegetables are incomplete proteins. Such plant-derived foods can nonetheless be excellent sources of protein if eaten in combination with animal proteins.  We want you to have balance in your meals for your overall health.

Beans provide nearly as much protein as meat, and are much lower in fat and calories. One cup of cooked beans contains 12 to 25 grams of protein.  Once you are p3 stabilized, try adding 1/2 cup of black beans to your diet daily.

Greek Yogurt is one of our favorite dairy sources packing 20g of protein in the Fage 2%  Read more about Greek Yogurt.  CLICK HERE

Watch Carol’s VLOG, we want you to see there are many protein sources and to not always think about meat when getting in your protein.  Animal sources are important, but so are vegetables, beans and dairy.  Keep your menu interesting adding a nice variety to your plate.

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Chicken Fried Quinoa

Chicken Fried Quinoa
(P3 Stabilized, P4)

Just because you want to eat healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up some good Chinese food.

Ingredients:

2 Cups cooked quinoa
2 Cooked chicken breasts
3 Eggs scrambled
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1/4 Cup chopped green onion
1 Tablespoon Braggs Aminos mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil (or butter)
1 Cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 Cup chopped cabbage

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or pot to medium and melt the coconut oil (or butter, coconut oil does give the dish a slight coconut taste).  Add in the regular onion, cabbage, and quinoa, stir well to coat the food in the coconut oil and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir, cook for another 2-3 minutes making sure not to over-brown.

Makes 4-5 servings.

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by: Berenice Marquette Jurgens

Phase 3 Stabilized, Phase 4

15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained well

1/4 cup carob powder

2 TBSP cocoa powder

1 tsp instant coffee

3 eggs

6 TBSP almond flour

1 tsp Stevia Glycerite

2 Stevia packets

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

3 TBSP cream

1 TBSP melted butter

preheat oven to 350

grease 8×8 pan

In a food processor, blend up the beans, carob, cocoa powder, eggs, coffee, flour, & blend well til smooth, then add the remaing ingredients & blend til smooth (Stevia glycerite, 2 packs of stevia,agave nectar, vanilla, almond extract,cream & butter)

pour in pan and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool, and keep in fridge.

I made whip cream with heavy whipping cream, liquid vanilla creme stevia & few packets stevia & whip.

Click this link to see video Rocco Dispirito on Good Morning America making Black Bean Brownies

The post Brownie Friday appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Phase 3 Staibilized

I used to love granola for breakfast and then I learned how much sugar was in granola and I stopped eating it. And here I thought it was a healthy choice! But now I can have it again! With the right ingredients and the proper preparation, granola is healthy. I purchase all my nuts and seeds raw so I don’t have to consume the horrible canola oil so many manufacturers use when roasting their nuts. (Read more here) This granola recipe is yummy and a lot more healthy than purchased granola.
2 cups rolled oats (not the quick type)
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pepitas (toasted – see below)
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. flax seeds – ground (flax seed meal)
2/3 cup coconut oil (liquid state)
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp. liquid stevia

Mix the pepitas in small bowl with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast at 250 degrees for 30 minutes or until nicely toasted. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and then add the coconut oil, natural sweeteners and stevia.

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How to Take it off and Keep it off in Phase 4!

Entering Phase 4 can be exciting, but it also comes with certain reservations. We have finally met our weight loss goal and do not want to experience the heartache of gaining it all back.  Phase 2 and 3 are significant, but they only take up about three months of a diet that focuses on becoming a healthier person for life.  As we move into this next phase of our lifelong changes, you will notice more posts on exercise and living an organic healthy lifestyle.  The team at LCE has spent uncountable hours learning about eating healthier and removing processed foods from our diets.  You will learn to replace foods that you once ate with new healthier options.  This will be a ‘processed, preservative, hidden sugar, and chemical free zone’ learning center.

“We believe we should be far more concerned with incorporating good foods into our daily diet and focus more on maintaining proper portion sizes of good foods, rather than counting calories or carbs.  We really had to get rid of our old “diet thoughts” and focus instead on eating the right foods daily.

For those reintroducing wheat products, you need to be careful and disciplined to keep the wheat/grains in our food plan to a minimum and eat a variety of other foods.  We believe we need to be consuming far more vegetable portions daily than any other food group.

In the dieting world, it is easy to have the mindset that carbs are treacherous little things sent out with the single purpose of causing us to gain weight.  It is important to realize, though, that certain carbohydrates are vital in a healthy eating plan as they provide most of the energy our bodies require.

Here are the basics of the three types of carbohydrates:

1. Simple carbs digest quickly in our bodies.  Fruit is a simple carb so we can eat more than one serving per day.
2. Complex carbs take longer to digest.  Grains are a complex carb so we should limit our consumption, but we should still include it in our daily eating plan as it is full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are essential to good health.
3. Refined carbs have been altered by machinery to increase its shelf-life.  The refinement process turns a complex carb into a simple carb by removing the original natural elements such as fiber, healthy oils, vitamins, and minerals.  Processed foods have a lot of refined carbs which are found in white sugar, white rice, and white flour. These products are so highly refined that the body doesn’t even recognize them as food and because of that, doesn’t know what to do with them.  As a result, the brain signals the body to send the food directly to the liver to be stored as fat.

How do we move into Phase 4 without regaining our weight? That is the question most of us have. There is one simple method we want everyone to remember – if we want to remain at our goal weight, we must deliberately choose to forgo processed foods. We have blogged about this before and have discussed the dangers of hidden sugars and chemicals in processed foods. When looking at a life-long maintenance plan, we have to always think about the foods we are putting into our bodies.   There will be a time that your weight stays the same over a long period of time and you will be able to see what caloric intake level is right for you.  Visit the calorie control link for suggestions.

Here are specific things for a lifetime of good health and skinny jeans.

1.  Eat clean and increase protein versus correction days.

2.  Eat organic

3.  Read ingredient lists and always look for any hidden sugars or toxic chemicals in products.

4.  Drink detox teas and lemon water daily.

5.  Consume the appropriate supplements daily.

6.  Detox twice a year to remove toxins.

7.  Make sure to stay hydrated.

8.  Implement a healthy exercise regimen.

9.  Keep track of your daily intake. This is a P3 post but contains important information moving from P3 to P4.  Eventually, you will not have to track your daily foods and you will know exactly what makes you gain and stable.

10.  Be careful when eating out; learn what questions to ask and order wisely.

Each of these 10 items is clickable to a blog post that will give you more specific information for that topic.

We want everyone to learn how to ‘take it off and keep it off’ for life!

The post Phase 4 Guide appeared first on Little Choices Everyday.

Sweet Potato Chipolte Soup

2 Large Sweet potatoes, cubed
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 C. chicken broth
2 cans green chilies
3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 tsp. Rosemary (optional)
½ – 1 tsp. (Mrs. Dash) Chipolte seasoning (depending on how spicy you like)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat oil in saucepan and add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often. Add rest of ingredients and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are mush. (or use crock pot and cook for about 6 hours) Puree and enjoy.

For stabilized P3 and P4

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Veggie Wrap

1 C. black beans (drain and rinse canned beans)
1 med. avocado
2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped
1/2 C. cucumber, chopped
1 C. broccoli or alfalfa sprouts
1 C. cabbage, chopped (red or green)
1/4 C. chopped green and red peppers
1/4 C. corn
Shredded white cheese (my favorite is Pepper Jack)
Salsa (sugar free)
Whole wheat tortillas

Mash beans and avocado in a small bowl. Take a warmed tortilla shell and spread the bean and avocado mixture. Top with desired ingredients and roll up. Great with

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Barbecue Cantaloupe

I know it’s not barbecue season for most of you, but here in AZ we do it year round

1 medium cantaloupe, cut into slices

1/4 C. butter
1/2 C. raw honey

Melt butter and stir in honey. Brush over cantaloupe and place on grill for about 2-4 minutes per side

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Grilled Chicken Marinade

1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 C. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp of oregano, basil, thyme
1/2 tsp. liquid Stevia extract

Mix ingredients well and place chicken and marinate in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 3-6 hours. Place chicken on grill until cooked, turning once. Place on serving plate and top with lemon slices, parsley, rosemary and cashew nuts, if desired.

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(Makes 6-8 servings) Phase 3 and Phase 4

Meat, Tomato, and Zucchini Casserole

2-3 med/large zucchini

2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 T finely minced fresh garlic

1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)

12 oz. ground turkey (10% fat or less)

2 C flavorful tomato-basil pasta sauce, sugar free

2 cups mozzarella or other mild cheese

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then saute onion and pepper for 3-4 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute more, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture to a bowl.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground beef and ground turkey, season and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir cooked vegetables and garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat while meat cools, cut zucchini into slices, discarding ends. Place in shallow baking dish. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn’t need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture over zucchini.

Bake zucchini for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous sprinkle of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

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