Broiled Squash- Phase 3

Well I know it has been a while since my last post, but so much has happened since then. I ended up in the hospital to have an unexpected surgery, then Thanksgiving hit, then I started interviewing for a couple of job, then landed one of the jobs, and finally I moved to Texas for the job.

 Even though all of the chaotic things we going on in my life I still made healthy food a priority, I didn't cave in because of the stressed of life.

3.5 oz Squash: 35 calories

Well this recipe is for all of those squash lovers, I am not one of them. My parents love squash and really enjoy this dish.

1lb Summer Squash, sliced 1/2" thick
1tbsp of Olive Oil
1tbsp chopped fresh Rosemary
1/2tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1tsp Kosher Salt
1/4tsp Ground Pepper

Add all ingredients and toss to combine.
Place squash on top of a metal cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
Place in oven that is set to broil for 8-10 mins or until golden brown.

Phase 2 revision, just substitute the oil with chicken stock.

Greek Style Moroccan Infused Sweet & Spicy Shrimp- Phase 2

I love shrimp and I love finding new ways to eat it. I also love foreign flavors and this happens to be one of my favorite combinations. Now don't be freaked out by all the spices, they are amazing together. Enjoy!

5lbs of Frozen, Veined, Shelled Precooked Shrimp
Chicken Stock
2 tsp Coriander
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Stevia
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Salt to taste

On a large baking sheet evenly coat with Chicken Stock.
Spread frozen shrimp evenly on baking sheet.
In a small mixing bowl, add all spices and mix.
Evenly spread over shrimp.
Cook at 400 for 20 mins.
Add broth on top for additional flavor.

Pomegranate Jello-Phase 2 or 3

If you are looking for another way to have your fruit, try jello. Now you don't have to have it with Pomegranate juice, any none sugar filled juice will work. It taste great with lemon and lime juice as well. In order for it to be a phase 2 food you will need to use grapefruit juice, orange juice, or lemon/lime juice.

2 Sleeves of Unflavored Gelatin
2 Cups of Pomegranate Juice, divided
2 TBSP Stevia

-Keep 1/2 cup of the juice at room temperature.
-Add both sleeves of Gelatin to juice to bloom, about 10 mins.
-In a medium sauce pan add 1 1/2 cup juice and stevia, let boil.
-Add bloomed gelatin to mixture.
-Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until fully gelatinized.

Dijon Dressing or Marinade-Phase 2

My mom likes mustard based dressings and this one I created for her.

2 tsp of Sugar-Free Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of Chicken Stock
1/4 cup freshly chopped Parsley
1 tsp freshly chopped Thyme
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

For a sweet variation add 1 tsp of Stevia or other Sugar Substitute.

Add to a bowl of spaghetti squash with some chopped bacon and chicken and wilted spinach for a delicious dinner while on phase 3 or 4.

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing- Phase 2

It's really hard to have a salad without having salad dressing. I love Italian dressing and decided to create my own.

Ingredients:
1/8 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup of Chicken Stock
1 tsp Stevia
1/8 tsp Marjoram
1/8 tsp Basil
1/8 tsp Oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a bottle with lid, shake and pour.

Keep in refrigerator.

Beanless Chili- Phase 2

Now that the temperatures are starting to drop there is nothing I love more than a big bowl of Chili. My dad makes the worlds best chili! Unfortunately it is loaded with things that we can't have, brown sugar, beans galore, cheese...
Well all that doesn't mean that you can't have a healthy yet delicious version. I began thinking about my marinara recipe and started there. I love hot and spicy food so this was fun to develop.
Well I will not make you wait any further!

3 oz Beef : 117 cal, 3.5 oz Tomato Sauce:  60 cal

Ingredients

4 cloves of Garlic, minced and reserved

3 TBSP of finely chopped Chives

2 TBSP Fresh chopped Marjoram or 1 TBSP dried

2 TBSP Fresh chopped Sage or 1 TBSP dried

1 TBSP Fresh chopped Rosemary or 2 tsp of dried 

1TBSP Fresh chopped Oregano or 2 tsp of dried

1TBSP Dried Oregano

2 tsp Salt, divided

1 tsp Onion Powder, divided

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Sumac Berry, reserved

1/4 tsp Stevia

1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 TBSP Garlic Red Wine Vinegar or just Red Wine Vinegar

1 TBSP Liquid Aminos

1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke

about 3lbs of 96/4 Lean Ground Beef

2 Dried Ancho Chili Peppers, chopped with seeds

1 Large can of Tomato Sauce

1 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce

1 15 oz can of Tomato Puree

1 can of Rotel

1 can diced Tomatoes

1 6oz can of Tomato Paste

1 Large jug of V8 juice, do not use the low sodium it has sugar in it.

Sugar Free Chicken Stock

-In a large skillet brown beef in about 1/4 cup of chicken stock, add just a little salt.

-Once the beef is cooked through drain all fat and rinse under cold water, wipe pan of all grease.

-Place meat back in skillet and return to medium heat, add 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Sumac Berry, 1/4 tsp Onion Powder.

-Let cook for another 5-7mins

-In a crockpot on medium heat add all cans of Tomato Sauce, Puree, Paste, V8, Diced Tomatoes, Rotel.

-Add Chives, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Marjoram, Cayenne, Chili Powder, Pepper, Cinnamon, Stevia, Vinegar, Aminos, and Liquid Smoke. 

-After meat has cooked, add to crockpot

-In the skillet add about 3 tbsp of Chicken Stock, add minced Garlic and Ancho Peppers with seeds. Cook for about 10 mins.

-Add cooked Garlic and Ancho Peppers to crockpot.

-Stir and leave closed on high heat for 2hrs, do not open.

-After 2 hours stir, let cook on high for an additional 2 hours.

-After 4 hours on HIGH, stir chili and turned down on medium for 3 hours, stirring every 1 1/2 hours.

After the 7 long hours in the crockpot grab a ladle and dip out some of this winter-time goodness. 

I like to dip my Grissini Breadstick in my chili.

*If you are on phase 3 sprinkle with a little cheese.*

**For Thicker chili add about 1 1/2 tsp of Guar Gum to thicken it up or subtract about 1/2 cup of V8 juice. 

Pistou Sauce-Phase 2

I love sauces and honestly it's hard to have sauces on phase 2 because most of them have oil. I also love pesto and in doing some research I found a french version of pesto called Pistou (sounds like Pea-stew, kind of looks like it too). If you know how to make pesto you know it has pine nuts and cheese but Pistou is pretty much the same but with out the nuts and cheese.

That being said here is the recipe:

1 cup roughly chopped fresh Basil
2 Cloves chopped Garlic
1/4 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 tsp Lemon Pepper
1/8 tsp Pepper
Salt to taste
a Pinch or two of Guar Gum

In a food processor at everything except the chicken stock and puree. Once everything is finely chopped add the chicken stock a little at a time and pulse. Once you reach the desire consistency your down.

I love this sauce, I put it on chicken, cod, beef, and in my marinara or tomato soup.

Cucumber Kanikama- Phase 2

MMMMMM.... Now my one of my favorite types of food is Japanese sushi and I have a favorite Sushi spot on the northside if town. I like sushi but my biggest draw to this particular sushi place is their Cucumber Kanikama salad. I love it! When I go that is pretty much all I get...okay I lie I get a Spicy Chicken Roll too :)

So I decided that it couldn't be that hard to figure out their recipe for the dish, Cucumber and Crab were a given but what else. I figured that they probably used some soy sauce and maybe rice vinegar but what else. Well a little call to the restaurant and I found out what that other ingredient was, sesame seed oil! Well most of those components are not allowed but luckily they are easily substituted.

3 oz Crab Meat: 61 calories, Cucumber: 45 calories

Onto the components:
-1 Large Cucumber, sliced or diced
-3oz of Crab meat (if you are not using fresh crab find some that is not vacuum sealed in sugar)
-Prepared Kanikama Sauce (see kanikama sauce page: http://hcgfoodrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/08/kanikama-sauce.html)

Mix all together and wallah!
Up next: Pistou Sauce

Lemon Tilapia-Phase 2

I'm not a real tilapia fan but it happens to be my mom's favorite fish. She eats this about 3 nights a week :) It's a great quick and easy dish to make on the fly.

Set your oven to 375 

Grab a baking sheet

I know that during phase 2 the hardest part it food not sticking to your baking pan. There are two way around this challenge, 

1st- squeeze a lemon over your pan and slice a lemon and place fish on top

2nd- Pour about 1/4cup of chicken or fish broth on baking sheet.

For this recipe I am going with the second method.

3oz Tilapia: 82 calories

After placing the fish over the broth season with:

-Dried lemon peel

-Cracked pepper

-Sea Salt

-Oregano

-Marjoram

-Basil

Cook for 15-20mins

I like to squeeze a lemon wedge over the fish once it's done cooking.

Enjoy! Up next Cucumber Kanikama

Beef & Broccoli Stir fry-Phase 2

I know many people love Chinese food, here is another great Chinese dish!

Hope it hits the spot!

3oz Beef: 175 calorie, 3.5oz Broccoli: 33 calories

Here ya go...
-2 cups Broccoli florets
-1/2lb Beef Sirloin steaks, thinly sliced
-2TBSP Liquid Aminos
-2 Cloves Garlic, minced
-1tsp Onion Powder
-1TBSP fresh chopped Parsley
-a few tablespoons of Chicken Broth

>In a large skillet, or wok, put a few tablespoons of chicken stock and saute beef until brown.

> Add garlic, onion powder, broccoli, parsley, and liquid aminos

> Saute until well done

And presto, your dinner is complete :)

If you are not a beef fan, substitute the beef with chicken.

Up next Lemon Tilapia

Romaine Tacos- Phase 2

This just came to me one day. I actually was having it as a cold dish and thought, it would probably be good hot.

3.5oz Salsa: 35 cal, 3oz Beef: 115 cal, 3oz Chicken: 141 cal, 3.5oz Romaine: 17 cal
(Meal does not include guacamole like the picture shows)

Food:
1 Lb Extremely Lean Beef Prepared (See Spaghetti Squash Recipe) or 1 Lb Prepared Chicken (See Chicken Recipe)
3.5 oz Romaine Lettuce (If it is the small heads of lettuce it should be about 5-6 pieces, if it is the large type the 3 outer pieces. Just cut the large ones in half)
1 small tomato or sugar-free salsa (optional, remember it counts as a fruit)

Ingredients for Meat:
3TBSP Tomato Paste (sugar-free)
1TBSP of Chili Powder
2tsp Onion Powder
1tsp Cumin
1tsp powdered Oregano (if you don't have powdered oregano use Ground Sage, works just as good)
1tsp Paprika
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Stevia
3/4tsp salt
1/4tsp Red Pepper
Splash Lemon Juice
Splash of Chicken Broth
3/4 cups of Water

BEEF:
Here is a refresher on how to prepare the beef.
4% Fat Ground Beef Round
In a deep skillet at 1lb of beef. Brown unseasoned. When the meat is thoroughly browned and you don't see anymore grease producing strain and rinse with hot water. Wipe out skillet until all oil is gone. Put meat back into the skillet and follow cooking instructions listed below the chicken prep instructions.

CHICKEN:
A refresher on how to cook the chicken. The one thing that we will be doing differently is we will only be using the chicken broth, no spices or other seasonings.
In a deep skillet fill up to a third with chicken stock. Place chicken in skillet and boil on medium for 20-25 minutes. I like to flip them once within the 20 minutes.
Once you are done cooking the chicken, shred with fork.
Empty skillet of chicken stock (I would save it in another bowl or baggy), and place shredded chicken back in the skillet and follow the cooking instructions below.


Add all spices, mix well
Add Lemon Juice, Chicken Broth, Tomato Pasta, and Water. Mix well.
Let the meat soak in the seasons and sauce for 10-15mins on medium to low heat.

Measure out your allotted portion and evenly distribute between your Romaine pieces.
Optional: Top with a spoonful of salsa and it's ready to go.

This would as be good with Precooked Shrimp that is tailless and shell-free
Just think, in phase 3 you can add some cheese :)
Enjoy!!

Next up, Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry

Frozen Lemonade- Phase 2

This is such an easy, delicious treat to make! I love it!!!

0 Calorie Treat! (Unless you add the Strawberry)

You need to have a blender for this one

1/2 cup of lemon juice (I use lemon juice because it has no calories and is tangier)
12-16oz or 1.5 cups of Ice
1/2 cup of water
1/4 Cup of Stevia ( I know that sounds like a lot but the lemon juice needs a lot of sweetener)

Add all ingredients and blend until the ice is more like and icy texture

To jazz it up, if you are having strawberries that day through in one to the blender and blend with the lemon mixture.

If you want it a little more solid, stick in freezer for an hour or two.

This also makes great and faster Popsicles, just pour mixture into your popsicle holders and stick in the freezer for about 4 hours and your are good to go!

Enjoy!

Next time on the Food Blog: Romaine Tacos

Welcome

Welcome everyone,
I know that finding HCG phase 2 recipes is nearly impossible to find online. After starting the diet, I worked hard to create delicious meals that everyone could enjoy and that most people would never believe is a low calorie meal!

A few notes...
I have a tendency not to measure out my spices, so my measurements are pretty much estimates.

When planning out your meals I recommend having some sort of fish everyday. If you switch up the type of fish it makes it easier. Two reasons why fish is great. First, it is full of Omega-3 which has many great health benefits (helps the heart, natural anti-inflammatory, helps with diabetes, etc...). Second, it's a low calorie meat. You will lose more weight by introducing more fish!

Another recommendation is limit your beef intake to once maybe twice a week. Beef takes longer for your body to breakdown and can stunt your weight loss.

That's all I have for now. Keep your eye on the blog to see more recipes & advice with your phase 2 on the HCG diet!