Round 3 and a Hamburger Stew Recipe

June 17, 2014

Last weekend my husband and I loaded for our third round on the Omni Drops Program. I was so ready to get back on track and start losing weight again. I completed phase 3 over a month ago but had to hold off on starting another round until after our cruise on the Carnival Splendor out of NYC. I wanted to enjoy the cruise, especially the food, and not worry about what’s approved to eat and what isn’t. I’m happy to report that after 10 days of indulgence, I only gained 4 pounds. I can’t even begin to tell you how much ice cream I consumed on the cruise.

Now that we’re home we’re back on track. Time to start losing again. Last week was my first week and I lost 9.2 pounds while my husband lost 11 pounds. Omni Drops are truly a fantastic program. Many people look at the approved food list and feel that there isn’t enough variety. I definitely disagree with that and I hope that my blog is helping some of you out with additional options. One of my favorite recipes is so quick to make and includes one of your fruit servings for the day – Hamburger Stew.

Hamburger Stew

2014-06-17 10:37:11

Serves 1

Phase 2 friendly for the Omni Drops Program

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

4 oz ground beef (hamburg)
3 oz tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned - no sugar added)
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 oz spinach
2 squirts of mustard (spicy brown is okay to use also)
salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a small pot. Add in the tomatoes, apple and mustard. Mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted (about 1 min). Add salt, pepper and cayenne. Serve.

My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/

Chicken Chili

April 11, 2014

Chicken Chili

2014-04-11 04:56:52

Serves 8

Phase 2 Omni Drops Program

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

1 large can diced tomatoes (undrained) - look for organic with no added sugar or
preservatives and low sodium (Can also use fresh tomatoes you stew yourself)
1/2 onion finely chopped
3-4 stalks celery, finely chopped (can use leaves if desired)
1 small can tomato paste - look for organic and no added sugar or preservatives
(All the veggies together should add up to less than 2 pounds because the tomatoes
are cooked)
2 lb ground cooked & drained chicken (phase 2) or turkey (phases 3&4) or even beef
(2 pounds is the pre-cooked weight)
1/3 cup tex-mex spice - look for no added sugar, carbs, or preservatives
Chili powder to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Cook in slow-cooker, stirring occasionally on low for 6- 8 hours.
Cool and then divide into 8 equal portions (approximately 7 ounces each).
or
Throw all ingredients into a pot and cook on the stove for 30 minutes.

Notes

This freezes really well. Make ahead of time and use as a quick dinner or bring to work for your lunch.

My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/

Eating Clean and Feeling Great – A Week of Dinners

January 23, 2014

If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know I started a new diet at the beginning of January, on the 2nd to be exact. I am feeling great. The thought that my body hasn’t had sugar, oil or processed food is wonderful. It’s the journey I have been longing for and it’s even effecting the scale. I’ve lost a total of 17.8 pounds.

One thing that I’ve noticed over my 30 years of trying to lose weight, is how much attention we give to the number that’s on the scale. If it’s not moving downwards then we get discouraged and give up. I’ve been a victim of that. I once exercised for 5 months straight, 5 times a week for one hour and didn’t see any difference in the number on the scale. I decided it wasn’t worth the effort and gave up. When the scale isn’t budging, it’s important to look at the other positive things that are happening within you. For me, although the scale is going down, I do celebrate my “non-scale” victories. For example, I have so much more energy then I had before I started eating clean. Also, last weekend my sister and I went to visit my parents in upstate New York. They live near a casino and we had plans of going to bingo a few times during our stay. We stayed on plan the whole time, no cheating from the two of us. We met my parents at bingo and my mom packed us each a salad with grilled chicken. We both packed some “approved” foods from our eating plan so we were prepared. I brought in my homemade Honey Mustard Dressing and BBQ Sauce to put on our salads. For dinner we went to the restaurant and asked what vegetables they had as a side, none of them were what we could eat. My sister asked if they had access to any asparagus and the waitress replied that the neighboring restaurant had some. She ran next door and picked us up two side orders to go with the 8oz sirloin steak that we split. Unfortunately the asparagus wasn’t very much but my sister had packed a cucumber with her and I had packed my food scale. We weighed out the asparagus and supplemented with the cucumber. It felt so good to be successful by being prepared.

So, two tips for today: Celebrate the Non-Scale Victories and Be Prepared.

Here’s what I ate this week:

Chicken Curry

4oz chicken sliced thinly (easy to do if it’s semi-frozen)

2oz onion, big slices

2oz celery, bite size pieces

curry powder, to your liking

chicken broth

In a medium sized pan, add in your onions and celery and saute with a splash of chicken broth for about 2 minutes. Toss your chicken pieces in the curry powder and add them to the pan. Add additional chicken broth to help cook the vegetables and keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked throughout, about 10 minutes.

Low-Carb Chili

Curried Beef and Spinach

4oz ground beef

4oz spinach

curry powder

Cook the hamburg in a pot with a splash of beef broth. Cook until cooked through. Add 1/2 cup of additional beef broth and add in the spinach and curry powder (to taste). Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.

Curried Chicken and Cabbage

(see a theme going here this week)

4oz chicken

4oz cabbage

curry powder

Cook chicken in a pot with a splash of water or chicken broth. When no longer pink, add in your cabbage and a little more broth to help cook the cabbage down. Toss in the curry powder and mix well. Add sea salt and pepper and serve.

Here’s the meal we got from the restaurant at the casino. We took it to go so we could eat it during our bingo session.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Roasted Radishes

4oz radishes

sea salt and pepper

braggs aminos in a spray bottle

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, place the radishes on the baking sheet and spray with the Braggs Aminos. Dust with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them and check for doneness.

Italian Grilled Chicken with Radishes and Spinach

Which one is your favorite from my menu this week?

Day 5 Omni Drops – Honey Mustard Dressing and Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

January 8, 2014

I woke up this morning, stood on the scale and celebrated another one pound lost for a total of 8.8lbs. It was also my first morning where I woke up with more energy then I knew what to do with. I decided to do a bit of housecleaning before work. I also realized that I haven’t drank coffee in 5 days. Although I’m allowed to drink coffee on the Omni Drops, I can’t have my hazelnut creamer that makes my coffee ohhh sooo delicious.

I really am feeling great and I didn’t even deal with any detox or withdrawal symptoms. I would guess it’s probably because I was already eating a clean diet with very little sugar and carbs, besides whole grains.

So, here’s what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast – Just a big tall glass of water (or two) with lemon
Lunch – Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Dinner – Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Snack – an out from the refrigerator, delicious granny smith apple

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

4oz chicken, chopped
4oz lettuce
salt and pepper
Omni-Approved Honey Mustard Dressing (recipe below)

Cook chicken, place on top of lettuce, pour on some honey mustard dressing and enjoy.

Honey Mustard Dressing

· 1/3 cup of Apple cider vinegar

· 1 cup water with 1 packet of Stevia mixed in

· 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, onion power & garlic powder

· 2 1/2 tablespoons of Spicy Brown Mustard

Whisk all ingredients together. This makes a nice marinade as well.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

4oz. extra lean ground beef

3oz. cabbage, chopped

1oz onions, chopped

garlic clove

Spaghetti Sauce (below)

Cook the onions and garlic in a skillet with 4 oz extra lean ground beef until meat is browned.

Add in 4 oz of shredded cabbage and approx. 1/4 cup of water.

Cover and simmer till liquid reduces and cabbage is tender. Add in 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce and stir to combine. Enjoy.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Dash of sea salt

1 can crushed tomatoes (organic & make sure there are no other ingredients)

1T Italian Seasonings

Cook an onion and garlic in a non-stick pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is clear. (If your onions are sticking, add a little water.)

Add a dash of sea salt to bring out the onion’s sweetness. Turn heat to LOW

Stir in 1 can or jar of crushed tomatoes. Add some Italian Seasoning, Cracked Pepper, and Sea Salt to taste. Remove from heat.

Black Bean Hummus & Chicken Wraps

September 14, 2013

Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and rinse
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Mince garlic (or use 1 T of already minced garlic) and add to the food processor. You can use the food processor to mince it also.
Add black beans, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper; process until smooth. Scrape sides, if needed.

Great served with Baked Pita Chips.

The Hummus also works great as a substitute for mayonnaise on your wraps.

I used a whole grain wrap, spread the black bean hummus on the wrap, layered on lettuce, red onions, cucumbers and chicken. Roll up and enjoy!