Friday Flashback-Creamy Mashed Parnips



served with Cashew Chicken and
roasted Brussels sprouts



TGIF!

While you're at the grocery store this weekend, grab several parsnips and make this side dish, you won't be sorry.  This recipe is easily in my personal top 5 P10 recipes.  Click on this link:

Creamy Mashed Parsnips

This is what you'll see at the grocery store....

Servings and Portion Control

I see questions about ‘how to count’ servings/portions/calories on The Perfect 10 Diet.  Some people use a formula of fat/protein/carbs, some use calorie counters.

For those of you who haven’t downloaded it yet – I will be referring to, excerpting from and quoting The Perfect 10 Bonus Chapter.  Click HERE to download this document if you need a copy of it.  

IF YOU ARE NEW to P10 and don’t want to haul around the entire Bonus Chapter, try this – copy and paste the basic info needed into a Word document, print and take with you in your purse or keep in your food journal for a quick reference.  I also loaded the Bonus Chapter onto my iPhone so I could open it and view it if necessary.  The Portion Control info starts on page 28.

I’ll share what I do.  Cyndi H. compared it to the (really) old Weight Watchers exchange program, which was a good way to put it.  And I think it’s a very quick and easy way to keep track without losing your mind.

Daily Servings

The Perfect 10 Diet formula suggests that you break down your caloric intake as follows:

40 percent from carbs, 20 percent from proteins, and 40 percent from fats.  It’s much easier to see it like this:

If you are small framed:

·       6 to 7 servings of vegetables and fruits**

·       1 to 1½ servings of protein

·       2 to 2½ servings of fat per day

·       up to 1 serving of dairy is allowed (milk, yogurt, or cheese)

·       add whole grains as suggested in Stages 2 and 3

If you are medium framed:

·       6 to 8 servings of vegetables and fruits**

·       2½ to 3 servings of protein

·       3 servings of fat per day

·       up to 1 serving of dairy is allowed (milk, yogurt, or cheese)

·       add whole grains as suggested in Stages 2 and 3

If you are large framed:

·       7 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruits**

·       4 servings of protein

·       3 1/2 servings of fat per day

·       up to 1 serving of dairy is allowed (milk, yogurt, or cheese)

·       add whole grains as suggested in Stages 2 and 3

Don’t forget to count fat used in cooking if it is also eaten!

**The ‘Fruit’ Question

What is the maximum number of fruits that I can eat in one day while on the Perfect 10 Diet?

A healthy and balanced diet must contain 5 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruits a day.  You can have as many fruits as you want on the Perfect 10 Diet if you are very active.  (Exercise is encouraged if you are not too overweight.) But here is the caveat: fructose, present in fruits, is only metabolized by the liver and not other body cells. The liver uses up to 15 grams of fructose per day, which is roughly 2 fruits a day. Excess fructose (what is not used by the liver) will be converted into fat. This means that if you are active, you can have more fruits (3 or 4 per day) if you wish. If you are not active, 2 servings of fruit per day should be the max. Note that some fruits actually count as 2 servings, as explained in the book. Low-fat diets do not take this into account and promote drinking lots of fruit juices, which the Perfect 10 Diet knows will negatively affect insulin levels and cause us to gain weight.

Keeping Track

I keep a food journal.  At the bottom of each page I note down the following info:

B         L          D

6V

3P

3F

1D

1Fr

The top row is breakfast, lunch and dinner and the side column are the servings of veggies, protein, fat, dairy and fruit I am aiming for each day (I am cutting back on fruits and not eating whole grains right now, change it to suit your needs).  At each meal I just add up the servings of each item and list it under the B/L/D column.  It helps keep me on track each day.  See if that works for you!

Quick and Easy Household Measurements to Use as Portion-Control Guides

·       3 ounces of meat is about the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards, the palm of your hand (without your fingers) or an iPod.

·       A medium-sized piece of fruit is the size of a tennis ball.

·       A serving of cheese is about the size of 6 stacked dice.

·       ½ cup of cooked veggies is the size of a tennis ball.

·       1 cup of raw veggies is the size of your fist

·       1 ounce of nuts should fit into the palm of your hand.

·       1 teaspoon of butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb

So this is just a brief overview to get you started or to let you know if you’re on the right track.  It’s easy to know what NOT to eat but I found it very helpful to know what size a serving of the ‘right foods’ are.

Please share your comments, questions or ideas.  All we have is each other and let’s face it, I couldn’t do this without all of you!

Spaghetti Squash

I think spaghetti squash is one of those 'love it or hate it' type of foods.  I tried it once a long while back and didn't care for it...but it turns out you have to DO something to it or else it's not so very exciting to eat.  But you can do simple things to it, marinara sauce, Alfredo Sauce, etc.   It can be an entree or a side dish depending on what you decide to do with it.

I don't know what I was thinking but I served with with a side of Lemony Squash and it wasn't until I asked 'how is your squash?' that I realized our plates were ridiculously redundantly repetitive with coordinated vegetation....

I found this recipe that makes a big batch of savory squash and is simply flavored yet delicious.  Microwaving the squash makes this go faster and dinner is on the table much sooner.  The recipe calls for shallot but you could sub onion, it's just that shallot has a much more delicate flavor that really works well with this dish.


Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan and Butter
makes 6 servings

2 lb spaghetti squash
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2-3 tablespoons fresh OR 1 tablespoon dried herbs, parsley, oregano, basil, etc.
    (total, not each)
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shaved, shredded or grated

Take a sharp knife and stab the squash all over.  Put the squash on a paper plate and microwave on high for 6 minutes, turn over and microwave another 8-10 minutes until the squash feels squashy.  Remove from microwave and let stand and cool for about 5 minutes.

While squash is cooling, melt the butter in a pan on medium-low heat then add the shallot and garlic, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the seasonings and remove from the heat.

Slice the squash in half lengthwise and split it open, use a fork to pick out all the seeds.  Then use the fork to scrape the insides, taking care of break up any lumps and create strands of 'spaghetti'. 

Mix the butter and the squash in a serving bowl.  If squash has cooled too fast, zap it again to warm it up.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.  Add extra cheese to taste if desired.

Lemony Squash

This was super quick and I always love to play with my chef's knife, although you could use a mandolin slicer (but I'm afraid of mine).

See how purty it looks in the pan?

I didn't stir or turn my veggies while they were cooking and I think I had the heat up too high because they got nice and brown on the bottom but that was still good and I kinda like them that way.  So, if you're the type that has to flip and stir go right ahead but I didn't think it was necessary.

Lemony Squash

makes 4 servings

with crispy roasted bottoms....

4 small zucchini or yellow squash

1 small lemon, zest and juice

salt

Slice the veggies about 1/4" thick.

Place in a large skillet with a tablespoon of water.

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon lemon zest and a little salt.

Cover and simmer on medium low heat for at least 5 minutes.  Check to see if they are just right or need a couple more minutes to finish cooking.

Squeeze some of the lemon juice onto the squash, taste to see if that's enough or if you'd like more.

Friday Flashback-Ch...Ch...Ch...CHIA!

This picture is embarrassing but
it makes me laugh!

Let's take another Friday Flashback all the way back to the 80s!

Remember chia pets?  Well those little seeds turn out to be extra super duper darn good for you.

However, just buy them at a health food store, no need to be licking them off of a clay sheep or anything....

Ch...Ch...Ch...CHIA!

'PB&J' Snack

Are any of you as crazy about almond butter as I am?  I love it in everything!

How cute is this idea for a quick treat or light snack? 

You could also spread this on a MIM-Muffin in a Minute or stir in into Greek yogurt.

PB&J Snack

makes 1 serving

1/4 cup berries (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons almond butter

Mix together in a bowl and enjoy.

Cheesy Pizza Crust-grain free

This is the best grain free pizza crust I have tried to date AND BEST OF ALL - you can hold it like a regular crust pizza and it tastes like one too.  My family could not tell the difference and for those of us craving pizza, this recipe will make you happy and satisfied.

This recipe is courtesy of Free Coconut Recipes and not only does she post the recipe, she also made a video to show how to make it which was very cool…I’m not quite that cool yet.

Here’s the link to Free Coconut Recipes' Gluten Free Pizza Crust.

http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.cfm/2010/2/1/glutenfree-pizza-crust

I have posted the same recipe below with my little tweaks, one of which is that I took the recipe and used 1 1/2 times the ingredients and that was enough to fill a large square baking sheet, which comes out to about 12 pieces of pizza, which is just right for us. 

But you could make extra dough and make personal sized pizzas if you'd like...



I was in a hurry so I just threw on sauce, cheese, cooked organic ground beef and some fresh chopped ham.  But next time I’m definitely gonna charge this up with some freshly sautéed onions and garlic and veggies.

Also – I’m going to make this crust and then slice it up to use as bread and see how that works…

Cheesy Pizza Crust-grain free

Makes 12 pieces – one large baking sheet

Crust:

3 cups (12 oz) whole milk organic mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 large organic eggs

3 tablespoons flax meal

3 tablespoons coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper out for baking sheet.

Coat hands with olive oil.

Mix cheese, eggs, flax, coconut flour, and baking powder together until a sticky wet dough is formed. Spread with a spatula (or your hands) to 1/4 inch thickness on a baking sheet lined with one piece of parchment paper.

Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Halfway through the baking process, flip crust over by sliding it off the baking sheet with the parchment paper, placing the second piece on the sheet, and turning the crust over unto the new sheet and peeling the old paper off. Return to oven until done baking.

Remove from oven, slide off of parchment paper, and flip over again for cooling. Once crust is cooled, top with sauce, cheese, pre-cooked veggies or meats (see below). Set crust with toppings under the broiler on high for a minute or two until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve.

Toppings:

2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

12 oz pizza sauce

Choice of veggie toppings-cooked: bell peppers, onions, garlic, spinach, olives, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.

Choice of meat toppings-cooked:  ground turkey, diced chicken, diced nitrate free sausage

Fresh or dried basil

Fresh or dried oregano

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Sorry I started slapping on sauce before I remembered to take the picture of the crust!