Last week I received a somewhat disconcerting email from a 17 Day Diet Blog reader that prompted me to write this article. I had received two emails from this dieter in a span of three days.
In the first email she wrote that she was discouraged because she was starving during Cycle 1 and not losing any weight. She admitted that she was only eating her one portion of protein at each meal.
I proceeded to tell her that in Cycle 1, Dr. Moreno tells us to eat as much protein and vegetables as we need to in order to keep us full during this first cycle as we are eliminating toxins from our body by the reduction of sugar and carbohydrates. She responded with “Eat more!?! On a diet!?! I’ve never been told to do that in my lifetime!”
Yes, eat more. In Cycle 1 we are instructed to eat liberal amounts of lean protein and veggies from the approved Cycle 1 Food List. I’ll repeat it one more time: liberal amounts of protein and veggies!
I received the last email from her three days later. She still hadn’t lost any weight (after 12 days on the diet) and she was still hungry. I suspect she wasn’t eating liberal amounts of protein and veggies.
There’s no reason to feel hungry on Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet. If you’re following the diet as Dr. Moreno advises us, then you should feel pretty satiated– and if for some reason you feel hungry or feel like you’re “starving’….guess what? Eat more protein and veggies!!
Ditch the high fructose sugary cranberry sauce and make your own! I appropriately named this recipe Cycle 1 Cranberry Sauce because it’s perfect for Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet. In this recipe, you’re using the natural sweetness of fruit (and their juices). This is a perfect alternative sauce for your healthy holiday meal!
Cycle 1 Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
2 12 oz bags of fresh cranberries
¾ cup orange juice (use juice from orange if you can)
½ cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
½ cup of water
juice and zest of one orange
Stevia to taste (optional)
Directions
Place cranberries, orange juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Keep on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the cranberries are cooked through and start breaking apart (about 10 minutes).
Reduce to a simmer and pour the juice and zest over the cranberry mixture.
Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat.
Cool completely to room temperature and place in air-tight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add more Stevia to taste (when it’s ready to cool off).
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
I’m pretty sure it’s OK to customize the 17 Day Diet to fit your body type and your lifestyle. There’s nobody holding the 17 Day Diet book over your head and making you commit to drinking the hot lemon water every morning when you’d rather sip your tea or coffee.
We all have our own lives, our own likes and dislikes and quirky habits.
As long as you’re committing yourself to a lifetime of treating your body, mind and soul as best as you can, then I think you’ll get an “A” for effort.
So, you now have permission to customize the 17 Day Diet to fit within your lifestyle and your belief system.
Do I Have to Drink the Hot Lemon Water?
I hear from many blog readers that the hot lemon water doesn’t agree with their tummy in the morning. Guess what? You are allowed to skip the hot lemon water. Drink more water throughout the day to help flush those toxins and improve your digestion. Why cause unnecessary stomach pain because some book tells you to drink the hot lemon water? It’s not worth it.
Too Many Choices in Cycle 2 May Cause Me To Fall Off the Wagon
I get it! I really do! When I was on Cycle 2, I was really excited to introduce beef and rice into my diet every other day. However, Cycle 2 also caused me to cheat more on the diet than I should have because having too many choices gave me too many choices!
Hey, these two healthy weight-loss wonders are not on any of the 17 Day Diet Food Lists. However, seeds are on the Cycle 3 food list and are listed as a friendly fat.
I personally enjoy ground flax seed in my yogurt — it helps keep me full and satiated and keeps me away from temptation.
I’ve had many blog readers ask if they can use chia seeds on Cycle 1 because of their wonderful health benefits. Guess how I answered their question?
“It’s not on this approved food list by name, but seeds are allowed in Cycle 3. I personally think they should be allowed on any cycle. If you see that your weight is not coming off, then stop eating them and see if that helps”.
I never had one person come back and say that eating chia or flax seeds prevented them from losing weight.
Transitional Day Fast
Here’s a prime example of how you have the ultimate say in how you live your life on the 17 Day Diet.
Dr. Moreno introduced a few new “breakthroughs” in the diet that resulted in the new 17 Day Diet Breakthrough Edition published in December 2013.
As part of the newly updated diet, you are now allowed to have a Transitional Day Fast in between each cycle or after you have had a few bad days and need to get back on track.
Now, this transitional day fast is OPTIONAL! In the book the doctor explains that only YOU know how your body will react to a fast.
What Does This All Mean?
Here’s the deal. Ultimately, you are in charge of yourself. Nobody else can make a decision for you. You are responsible for what you put into your mouth.
If you feel you need to customize the 17 Day Diet to fit your lifestyle, then by all means, do it!
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
Cut chicken in bite size chunks and fry in the chicken broth. Season the chicken with the salt, peppers and garlic powder.
In a separate pan, fry the cut mushrooms and onions also in broth with some pepper!
When the chicken is cooked, combine everything. I guess you could do everything in one pan, but I like to cook the chicken very hot and short; this way, it stays super tender while I cook mushrooms on lower heat.
After combining chicken, mushrooms and onions, turn up the heat and let the broth evaporate so the bottom of the pan turns a little brown (don't let it burn just brown). When some are brown, set down the bottom of your pan turn down the heat and add 1/2 oz cream cheese and stir it in.
The cheese should turn light brown from the residue in the pan; add a little more broth so you make a little bit of sauce; heat this up once more.
When hot, turn the heat down to low and add plain nonfat yogurt (as much as you need for the amount of sauce you want), make sure you do NOT boil the yogurt.
Keep stiring and heat it slowly try it and if it's to bland add more pepper or some more garlic powder!
Enjoy!
Original article and pictures take 17ddgal.blogspot.ca site
"These are the BEST burgers I've ever had. My mother made a version of these and I changed it a little....instead of Jalapeno peppers you can add ANYTHING or just do the cream cheese...trust me...you're family and/or guests will BEG for the recipe!"
Original article and pictures take allrecipes.com site
This clean eating garlic spinach recipe was served to me in a restaurant. My ex-husband and I had gone out to dinner for our anniversary and I was a bit hard pressed to find a dish without dairy. The waitress suggested the salmon and some spinach. I wasn’t thrilled as I really wasn’t in the mood for fish. But seeing as how I had very few options, I agreed.
Holy moly!!! Forget the salmon, I could have eaten ten plates of that spinach. It was incredible!
So my ex-husband asked what was in the spinach, and the waitress happily listed off the ingredients.
Now, you know me. I just HAD to come home and see if I could duplicate this amazing, spinach phenomenon. I’m happy to say, my duplication process was precise and well rewarded. I don’t think I’ll ever prepare spinach any other way, ever again. Ya, it’s THAT good!
Note: The shallots make this recipe. So don’t substitute or leave them out.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
CLEAN EATING GARLIC SPINACH RECIPE:
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Don't forget the spinach! This delicious recipe will make spinach a regular part of your eating plan!
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Original article and pictures take www.thegraciouspantry.com site
Citrus Zinger Sport – ZingAnything.com Zinganything - Citrus Zinger Sport
Add a new twist to your next yoga class with the Citrus Zinger Sport. The convenient, leak-free bottle includes a flip-up straw for spill-free hydration on-the-go!
Perfect for the outdoor athlete or the trainer on a treadmill, our new tinted bottles are sure to turn some heads at the gym! The Citrus Zinger Sport features a "no-hands" straw - with just a bite you can reposition the straw and sip supercharged water made with fresh lemon, lime, or clementine.
Modeled after the original Citrus Zinger, the Citrus Zinger Sport uses our active infusion technology to infuse water with citrus fruit flavors, vitamins, and nutrients. Now you can amp up your lemon water by adding ingredients like cucumber or ginger to the middle section of the water bottle.
Perfect for indoor and outdoor exercise, the Citrus Zinger Sport will quickly become an essential part of your workout routine. The convenience and portability of this fruit infusion water bottle are sure to help increase your daily water intake. Healthy drinking just got easier!
Original article and pictures take zinganything.com site
Spice up your otherwise dull chicken with a blend of lime, cilantro and the spiciness of jalapeño. A quick note about cilantro. You’ll notice this awesome herb is not on the Cycle 1 food list for the 17 Day Diet. I’m not sure why, but cilantro is a great detoxifying herb and adds such freshness to any dish. If you’re making this dish for Cycle 1, I’d go ahead and use cilantro.
Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts
2 limes, juice and zest or 1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Marinate the chicken in the mixture of the lime juice and zest, oil, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper for 30 minutes to overnight.
Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side.
If you don’t have a grill, consider pan frying with olive oil or roasting in the oven.
Grated cauliflower makes a fantastic low-carb, grain-free stand in for rice when you need a little carb detox. You can season this any way you wish – here I brightened it up with lime and cilantro and served it with a broiled pork loin. It has a couscous-like texture, and is perfect with chicken, pork chops, steak or anything you would normally serve with rice.
Does it taste like cauliflower? Yes, it does so if you’re not a cauliflower fan (I love it!) this may not be for you. But if you’re a fan like me, you’ll love this side dish! And it’s also vegetarian, vegan and Paleo-friendly.
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Did you make this recipe?
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower "Rice"
Grated cauliflower makes a fantastic low-carb, grain-free stand in for rice when you need a little carb detox. You can season this any way you wish – here I brightened it up with lime and cilantro and served it with a broiled pork loin. It has a couscous-like texture, and is perfect with chicken, pork chops, steak or anything you would normally serve with rice.
Ingredients:
1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 scallions, diced
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1-1/2 limes
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Directions:
Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely.
Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don’t over process or it will get mushy.
Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, scallions and garlic and sauté about 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft.
Raise the heat to medium-high.
Add the cauliflower “rice” to the saute pan. Cover and cook approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl; toss with fresh cilantro and lime juice to taste.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 5 servings, Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving:
Smart Points: 1
Points +: 2
Calories: 61
Total Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 37mg
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 2.5g
Original article and pictures take www.skinnytaste.com site
As you can tell from my blog, I love Mexican food and flavors. I was craving chicken so I marinated a couple of breasts in some olive oil, garlic, lime zest and cilantro. The flavor was fantastic. I served the chicken with slices of lime for an extra bit of tang. Both my kids as well as my husband loved this dish. I served it with roasted tomatoes topped with cotija cheese and black beans. This chicken would also be great sliced up on a salad or in a burrito. A simple, healthy and tasty dish.
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
Zest and juice of 1 lime (reserve the juice for the last 15 minutes of marinating)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, minced
Place trimmed chicken breast in a large zip lock bag. Pound the chicken breasts flat with a mallet until 1/2 inch thick. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lime zest, cilantro, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix thoroughly and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken from the refrigerator 15 minutes prior to cooking and add the lime juice to the marinade, mix thoroughly. Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes then flip. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
