The 17 Day Diet (40 page)

14
The 17 Day Diet Recipes

O
ne healthy practice
that will make a big difference in your weight loss is to cook your own food. Now before you start to panic, rest assured that you don’t need to shout and jump and spin knives, make meals that look like a major work of art or get a degree from Cordon Bleu. You need some easy recipes—that’s all. I can help you with that.

This batch of recipes is easy to follow and simple to prepare. There are no long lists of ingredients, complicated cooking methods or hard-to-understand directions. All the recipes are built around the foods you eat on the 17 Day Diet.

They’re are all low in fat and calories, made leaner and healthier by using cooking methods such as broiling, baking or lightly stir-frying. When the recipes do call for oil, it is always a healthy one like olive oil.

Some of the recipes make just one serving. If others in your family are following the 17 Day Diet, you can easily prepare these single-serve recipes in extra quantities. Other recipes feature multiple servings. Any leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen. That way, you can defrost and/or reheat in the microwave for a quick, healthy meal.

Once you get the hang of this way of cooking and eating, expect to lose your taste for greasy, sugary stuff. Why? Because tastes are learned. Just as you learned to like fattening, sugary or salty foods, your taste buds can be retrained to enjoy fresh, delicious and healthy dishes. For example, it’s possible to retrain your taste buds by using herbs and spices. Salt-free seasoning blends are a good way to help yourself get out of the habit of sprinkling salt on everything. Your taste buds do adapt to what you eat.

I encourage you to get creative beyond these recipes. Most of us use the same 10 to 12 recipes most of the time. Why not try tweaking them to fit the 17 Day Diet? Here are some suggestions:

• Dairy Products.
If a recipe calls for dairy products, you can always use low-fat and occasionally fat-free substitutions. For example, if a recipe uses one cup of regular sour cream, you can usually substitute with fat-free plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works great), or blended low-fat cottage cheese. Yogurt or silken tofu can be mixed with low-fat mayonnaise in dishes such as coleslaw, tuna and chicken salads.

• Meats.
When selecting ground meats, look for those 90 percent fat free or higher. These are generally more expensive per pound, but you are getting more meat for your money because less fat is incorporated in the total product. If you cook ground meat, drain excess fat after browning it. Simply place a paper towel in a colander and pour the browned meat in so the towel can absorb the fat. If a recipe calls for a high-fat meat such as bacon, you can reduce the fat by 50 to 60 percent by using bacon bits to impart the flavor. Or try using Canadian bacon instead.

• Bad Fats.
You can reduce or eliminate fats in recipes. For example, when sautéing or frying, simply coat nonstick pans with a spritz of vegetable oil cooking spray (0 calories) rather than using vegetable shortening or butter.

• Spice it up.
Get in the habit of using high-flavor ingredients, like fresh herbs, zesty spices, and seasonal fruit, to invigorate dishes, rather than gobs of fat or oil. Another tip: Buy an oil mister at a kitchen or housewares store (Misto is one popular brand). Simply pour oil, such as flaxseed or olive oil, into the spray bottle and then spray a fine mist of the oil over the pan or the food. This process cuts the amount of oil that you use drastically and cuts calories from fat.

• Desserts.
Fruit makes a great dessert, but by itself may be boring to eat. Try dressing up a bowl of strawberries with a drizzle of sugar-free chocolate syrup. Also, you can easily redesign your favorite dessert recipes to yield less sugar, fat, and calories by switching to lower-fat ingredients and learning how to cook with sweeteners such as Truvia.

• Salt.
Are you watching your sodium intake? If so, start by using half the amount called for in the recipe. Continue to reduce the amount until you find the minimal amount needed to season the recipe. Or replace the salt with lemon or lime juice, flavored vinegar, fresh onion or garlic, onion or garlic powder, pepper, chili powder, ginger or other herb-only seasonings. Use low-sodium soy sauce or hot mustard sauce to replace regular soy sauce. Season food with spices and herbs as an alternative to adding salt.

Now—the 17 Day Diet recipes. Enjoy!

Dr. Mike’s Power Cookie

Ingredients

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cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons almond paste

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

10 packets of Truvia

¼ cup agave nectar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup vanilla whey powder

2 cups oats

1 cup dried cherries

½ cup sliced almonds

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together applesauce, almond paste, flaxseed oil, Truvia and agave nectar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and whey powder. Beat thoroughly. Stir in oats, cherries and almonds. Mix well. Drop the batter by large tablespoons onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Divide dough so that you have 18 cookies. Flatten each cookie with the back of the spoon. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Cool and store in a plastic container. Each cookie supplies 128 calories and can be enjoyed on the Activate, Achieve, and Arrive Cycles for breakfast or as a snack. Each cookie counts as 1 protein and 1 natural starch.

Kefir Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened kefir

1 cup frozen unsweetened berries

1 tablespoon sugar-free fruit jam or 1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 large serving.

Yogurt Fruitshake

Ingredients

½ cup acidophilus milk

½ carton (3 oz.) sugar-free fruit-flavored yogurt

1 cup frozen unsweetened berries

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 large serving.

Egg-White Veggie Frittata

Ingredients

4 egg whites, beaten

1 Roma tomato, chopped

Fresh spinach, handful

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Coat a small frying plan with vegetable cooking spray. Add beaten egg whites. Stir in tomato and spinach. Cook on medium-low heat until egg whites are cooked through. Lift from pan with a spatula, and season lightly as desired. Makes 2 servings

Spanish Omelet

Ingredients

1 egg

2 egg whites

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teaspoon salt

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teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons diced onion

2 tablespoons fat-free shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, salt and black pepper. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and swirl pan to coat bottom and sides. Add beaten eggs and tilt pan to spread mixture across entire pan bottom. Cook for about 30 seconds. With a spatula, gently lift sides of omelet and tilt pan to distribute more uncooked egg to the pan’s surface. Once the egg begins to set, sprinkle ¼ cup diced tomato, 2 tablespoons diced onion, and 2 tablespoons fat-free shredded cheddar cheese over one side of the omelet. Carefully, fold the other side of the omelet over the fillings. Makes 1 serving.

Greek Egg Scramble

Ingredients

4 egg whites

¾ cup chopped red onions

¼ cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons reduced-fat feta cheese

¹
/
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teaspoon salt

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teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Pour into a small frying pan that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray. Cook over medium-low heat until eggs are cooked through. Makes 1 serving.

Nicoise Salad

Ingredients

1 3-oz. can light tuna

Cooked green beans, chilled (½ cup to 1 cup)

2 chopped scallions

1 small tomato, sliced

Lettuce (the darker, the better)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Place cooked green beans, scallions and tomatoes on a liberal bed of lettuce. Top with tuna. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil plus two tablespoons balsamic vinegar and season lightly. Makes 1 serving.

Super Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce, any variety

Cucumbers

Onions

Tomatoes

Any salad vegetable from the 17 Day Diet lists

2 hardboiled eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil or flaxseed oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Combine lettuce with salad veggies and hard-boiled eggs. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil or flaxseed oil and 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Lightly season. Makes 1 serving.

Balsamic Artichoke

Ingredients

4 fresh artichokes

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Fat-free salad dressing

Directions

Place artichokes in a large pot. Cover with water. Pour in balsamic vinegar. Cover and cook for approximately 1 hour on moderate heat, or until artichokes are tender, including the stem. Let cool. Serve with fat-free salad dressing for dipping. Makes 4 servings.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Baby spinach leaves (these taste less bitter than regular spinach leaves)

Assortment of salad veggies (onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.)

2 tablespoons of reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon olive or flaxseed oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Place a large bed of baby spinach leaves on a plate. Top spinach leaves with salad veggies and feta cheese. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive or flaxseed oil, mixed with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Season to taste. Makes 1 serving.