R1P2VLCD#18 - Goosegg, but feeling good.

Have I really been at this 18 days??! Honestly, the tough days are over. I am used to this. I think about oatmeal, pancakes, sushi, french fries... and then I realize I don't really want them. I just miss different textures and flavors, and I am looking forward to incorporating some new things in P3. And to be done eating ground beef and chicken for awhile. :) New meats... that'll be nice. Today I didn't lose or gain - just maintained. Which is just fine, 163 is a really new weight for me and I am weirdly grateful to have a day or two to enjoy that number and wrap my head around it. I haven't seen 163 since 2010.

I'm embarrassed about my post yesterday, but I've been thinking about this a lot. I think it's important to strip down to the emotions. Obviously, the friend situation isn't the reason I'm overweight. But the way I cope is. I'm excited to be finding new ways to cope. And just putting things into perspective over the last couple of weeks - there are so many struggling with much worse and I should be finding ways to be of service to them rather than dwelling on my own really silly issues. That'll be one of my coping mechanisms... service, just giving to others instead of focusing on myself. I think the world needs more of that and it makes me feel good to help someone in need. I'll talk more about it tomorrow... which brings me to...

New Years Resolutions. I have just a couple, I'll probably share them tomorrow. Most dealing with wellness - mental, physical and spiritual. 2012, looking back, has been one of the most difficult I've ever gone through. And it really wasn't that bad, I'm still here and still doing just fine. I'm really optimistic and looking forward with hope and faith that we're being taken care of and that the struggles I'm experiencing right now are temporary. Hoping and praying my husband can find work this year, this MONTH if possible. This has been the biggest struggle of all - financially, supporting a business and a family isn't possible when you're trying to grow the business and keep it from burning out. There hasn't been enough to split between the two, and family has had to come first. So I've been supporting the family 100% and the business is stagnant. Which is never a good place to be. Optimistic for this new year... ready for it. I feel like things are going to get better. They really have to.

Anyway, HCG wise things are great. I don't feel snacky, I don't feel deprived, I'm enjoying new recipes and trying new things and feeling spoiled by a few new teas to drink.

Favorite recent recipe...

Grapefruit Chicken Spinach Salad
It is what it sounds like... 
100 grams sliced/shredded/diced chicken breast
2 cups spinach
Half grapefruit, cut out the sections and pop them onto the top of the salad and chicken. 

Squeeze out the remaining grapefruit juice from that half, sprinkle Stevia and sea salt on top. 

Enjoy! Sweet, salty, sour... delicious. I am craving it right now and knowing it's my dinner has me really looking forward to this evening! :)

Phase 2 Recipe: "Lasagna"

I've always loved meat sauce - never been a big fan of meat, but put it in a sauce or salad and I can enjoy it. This reminded me so much of my mom's lasagna, which we usually don't have any cheese on but if we do it's goat cheese (we're all dairy sensitive! And it's SOOO good without it!).
I just simply omitted the noodles and goat cheese, and it was divine - probably the best and most filling lunch I've had since starting the VLCDs!!

P2 "Lasagna"
1/2 cup Hunts Tomato Sauce (make sure there's no sugar, and that it's all natural - organic if possible)
112 grams extra lean ground beef
Half box frozen chopped spinach
Salt, garlic powder, pepper to taste

Basically, prepare your beef (I always have pre-cooked beef and chicken in my fridge so I can just whip up my lunches!), defrost your spinach, mix the beef and spinach together in a bowl, stir in the tomato sauce and season to taste! Super super easy and SOOOO yummy (especially with a grissini on the side!) No picture because this doesn't LOOK too super appetizing, but the flavor... very good.

Phase 2 Recipe: Spicy Orange Shrimp

Spicy Orange Shrimp 
fast, easy and YUMMY!

4.5 oz shrimp meat (frozen, pre-cooked)
Garlic powder
Curry powder
Ginger powder
Crushed red pepper
2-3 Tablespoons veg. broth, chicken broth, or water
1 clementine
Romaine lettuce

Heat the veg. broth in a frying pan, add shrimp and add a dash of each of the seasonings on top - depending on how strong you like your spicy/sweet ratio! Half a clementine, juice one half. Once the shrimp is heated through and has had time to simmer in the flavors of the spices for 5-8 minutes, plate it on top of a serving of romaine lettuce, add the remaining half of the clementine sections, and drizzle the juice from the other half of the clementine over top. Serve with grissini (I broke half my grissini into the salad for some crunch, it was divine!)

This recipe was adapted from this stir fry recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1297366

HCG Phase 2 Recipe: Radish Chips, yummy snack!

 

These Radish Chips went together pretty quickly and were really yummy.

This is what I did, adapt to your own serving size or change the spices, have fun with them!

Radish Chips
1 bundle of radishes (8-10 radishes)
Sea Salt
Pepper

Oven to 375º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (to eliminate the need for oil, though you COULD use melted coconut oil to grease the pan with). Rinse radishes and trim tops and tails. Thinly slice each radish. I used my Pampered Chef Simple Slicer, honestly I don't know how you'd get such a thin slice otherwise but if you have a madalin or something, that'd be really helpful! Then, I dried off the slices by laying them out on 2 layers of paper towels, just to remove excess moisture. Then, lay out in a single layer (some overlap is okay) on the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle to taste with sea salt, pepper, or your own seasonings! (I bet you could even do these with stevia and cinnamon! yummm) Bake for 10 minutes, then shuffle them around the pan a bit if you can, and flip what you can, too (for more even baking and more crispiness). Mine didn't move around a TON and they still turned out great. Bake for 6-10 more minutes, checking every 2 minutes or so to avoid burning (these suckers go from close to overdone very quickly). Remove from the oven and enjoy warm!

One radish is about 2 calories, so this whole treat was around 16 calories for me and was very satisfying and filling. Perfect for HCG Phase 2!

Happy snacking!
~hcgmom87


PS I am SO not a fan of radishes, raw... but turn them into chips and they are wonderful! If you are in Phase 3 and can have good oils, these would be even better just sprayed with a little oil first - they'd get even crisper and have even fuller flavor.