Sunday, July 31, 2011

Dukan and a Local Style Birthday Party

This weekend we actually gained a pound.  Last week's weight loss went up to 3 pounds!  However, last night we went to a local birthday party and most of the attendees are big eaters who aren't watching their fat intake.

The birthday buffet consisted of white rice, potato salad with a lot of mayonnaise, chow mein noodles, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki spare ribs (very fatty) and Maui hot dogs....yikes.  We avoided the first three dishes, ate a lot of teri chicken, ate around the fat of the ribs and had a hot dog so we wouldn't starve the rest of the evening.

Also had a couple spoonfuls of mint chocolate chip ice cream, one of our favorites and poor, it turned into one pound gained today.  Yikes!  No more cheating!  Today we were good, Dukan meals all the way, salad with our lunch, had our 2 T. of oat bran and Zumba'd for 45 minutes.

Wow, what some fatty meat, sugary teri sauce and a couple of spoons of ice cream can do to you!

Dukan Creamy Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Yum!

Creamy Chipotle Pork Medallions
Last weekend we made a fabulous Dukan Spicy Turkey Taco Casserole and had several leftover chipotle peppers from our can of chipotles in adobo sauce.   So we decided to make a Creamy Chipotle Pork Tenderloin to use up some chipotles.   Mmm.  We're looking forward to having the leftovers over a salad tomorrow.

If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves while working with spicy peppers.  If you don't like hot food but still enjoy the smokey flavor of chipotles, use less and remove as many seeds as you can.

RECIPE:
Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

1 pork tenderloin, remove excess fat and cut into 1/4 inch medallions
2 chipotle in adobo sauce, sliced finely
2 t. adobo sauce from can of chipotles
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
lime zest of one half of a lime
2 t. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. dry white wine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. kosher salt
black pepper
1/8 c. honey or sugar free maple syrup
1/4 c. non-fat half-and-half
1 c. fat free sour cream

Mix chipotle, adobo sauce, lime juice, zest, red wine vinegar, wine, garlic, cumin and kosher salt.  Season pork medallions with salt and pepper and pan fry in little bit of the chipotle sauce.  You don't want to use too much sauce since you want the pork to brown.  Don't overcook the pork, usually around 3 minutes per side should work, be sure the meat isn't pink anymore.  Remove pork medallions from pan and reduce heat.  Once the heat of the pan has dropped, slowly stir in the half-and-half, then the sour cream, then the honey or syrup.

Enjoy!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Dukan Spicy Turkey Taco Casserole

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good and spicy!
SHE SAID: This was very tasty, we're having this again!

Spicy Turkey Taco Casserole
We normally aren't casserole people.  It's too much food for the two of us.  However, since starting Dukan, we've been eating more since we are no longer eating carbs.  Thought we'd give this a try.  It looked and sounded great.  Of course, we got the recipe off Dukanitout.com's site.  Changed it just a little and we're looking forward to trying this again using different veggies, etc.

We're not in the Consolidation Phase yet, so we replaced the zucchini with Japanese mushrooms.  Wish we could have used olives!

RECIPE:
Serves 4 (or two with leftovers)
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 package Japanese mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice)
2-4 chipotle peppers (diced) and 2 t. adobo sauce from the peppers
3/4 c. egg whites
1 packet spicy taco seasoning (for less spice, use the regular taco sauce)
3 T. fat free cream cheese
2 T. fat free greek yogurt
1/2 c. fat free sharp cheddar or Mexican blend, shredded
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Brown bell pepper, jalapeno and onion.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook until done.  Add turkey, taco seasoning and chipotles and cook for approximately 5 more minutes.  Drain meat mixture and stir in adobo sauce, salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into a foil lined pan (9x13 is too large, we recommend something smaller or your pie will be flat).  Spread mixture evenly in pan.  Mix cream cheese until smooth, then whisk in the eggs and yogurt.  Pour egg mixture over meat mixture evenly.  Sprinkle with cheddar.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Garnish with cilantro and fat free sour cream.

There are so many possible variations of this dish!  Cuban style, italian, maybe we'll even try it with our chunky chili recipe!

Enjoy, we sure did!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Our Dukan Diary

Since June of this year we've read several online Dukan Diaries.  Very helpful as far as diet information, recipe ideas and the ups and downs these dieters had.  We read one online diary and felt really bad for the woman since she kept giving up after a couple of days.  We must admit, the Attack Phase is a challenge, especially when you can't cook every night.  The Cruise Phase is also a challenge for the first week or two, but after you get into the swing of things, it's really great!

We are currently on day 31 of our Dukan Diet.  So far we've lost 5 pounds on Dukan...just past our Attack Phase goal and not quite where we'd like to be.  However, we've both definitely lost body fat which is great!  Our body fat is now in the average range...well, the upper end of the average spread.  Eventually we would like to be either at the lower end of average or the upper end of athletic which falls just under average.

As far as weight goes, the female half of this couple set out to lose 20 pounds on Dukan which would bring her to the bottom of the height/weight chart average for her height and weight.  If we can only make it 15 pounds loss and keep it off with a lower body fat percentage, we will be happy.

We are looking forward to our celebration meals which will come mid-September (we're supposed to be on Cruise for 69 days).  If we are not near the 15 pound goal and lower body fat, we will continue Cruise and possible throw in an Attack Phase.

Why haven't we lost more weight?  There have been a few "cheats" when we've eaten out where there weren't any low fat choices.  It's amazing how many restaurants in Hawaii have 90% fatty foods on their menus!  Also, when cooking, we probably aren't being careful enough as far as choosing ingredients.  We try our hardest, but our fat free selection isn't that great in Hawaii and we're watching our spending too.

Will post another update on our weight loss and body fat percentage progress!

Dukan Spaghetti Carbonara

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good.
SHE SAID: Very good!

Spaghetti Carbonara
Came across this recipe on Dukanitout.com's website, it looked and sounded so yummy.  We've never had Spaghetti Carbonara since we both have our favorites as far at Italian food and we tend to stick to our favorites.

This was actually really good.  We would probably crisp the bacon more next time and probably add more non-fat half-and-half - it was still a bit dry for us.  Also, we love garlic-y pasta dishes, so more garlic next time too!

We followed Dukanitout's recipe pretty much to a tee.

RECIPE
Serves 2
Prep Time: less than 10 minutes
Cook Time: about 10 minutes

2 packages House Brand Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti noodles
6 ounces turkey bacon (cut into small pieces, like bacon bits)
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
4 egg yolks
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. non-fat half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste

Boil noodles in water with salt for approximately 5 minutes.  Cook bacon and remove from skillet.  In the meantime, prepare all other ingredients since this cooks really quickly.  Cook onion for about 5 minutes or until soft in a small amount of non-fat non-stick spray.    Add garlic at the last minute.  Deglaze pan with wine (be sure the heat isn't too hot or the wine will evaporate).  Cook wine until reduced by half.  Return bacon to the pan and add noodles.  Add egg yolks and half-and-half and constantly toss over medium heat until egg is cooked.    Remove from heat, add cheese, salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Dukan and our Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)

We miss cooking with our crock pot.  The crock pot makes meats and fish so moist.  Life got busy and we started the Dukan diet, so the crock pot has been stashed away in the cabinet.

Today we decided we should try some of our crock pot posts Dukan'd and some of the "try these recipes" Dukan'd.  So, not sure when we can work this into our schedule, but we are hoping to make our Creamy Tomato and Artichoke pasta as a Dukan recipe.

We loved the recipe as a regular fatty recipe using heavy whipping cream and yummy pasta.  This time we will use non-fat half-and-half and House Brand Tofu Shirataki noodles.  Whether the recipe is a success or a flop, we will post the recipe because you may be able to improve on our recipe!

Dukan Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo for two

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: It's ok, not a fan though.
SHE SAID: Tastes great with the garlic powder, but it's not creamy.

The male half of this couple prefers tomato based sauces, but after a few tomato based sauces he enjoys a change up.  He used to not really want to eat white sauces because they contained too much fat.  Dukanitout.com posted a Fettucine Alfredo recipe and we decided to try it out with our left over Costco Rotisserie chicken.  On your Protein Veggie days, add some mushrooms!

We omitted the parsley since we could only find large bunches in Chinatown and they are too expensive in the regular markets.  Something went wrong, we thought we followed the cooking instructions to a tee, but ours did not come out creamy at all.  It was pretty watery.  We even made an additional small amount of corn starch paste and added it to the sauce, but that did not help.

Since we're not alfredo fans, not sure we will try this again...but you never can tell!

RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: less than 20 minutes

1 c. chicken stock
1 c. non-fat half-and-half
1 t. corn starch (make a paste out of it, then slowly add to your sauce)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4. chopped parsley leaves, optional (for garnish)
2 packages House Brean Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine noodles
salt and pepper or red pepper flakes

Boil noodles for five minutes and drain well (add salt to the water), do not rinse.  Cook chicken stock in medium sized pan and reduce by half over medium heat.  Add half-and-half and simmer for five minutes.  Stir in the corn starch paste slowly and cook for two minutes until thick.  Add Parmesan cheese and blend in well.  Add salt and pepper or red pepper flakes to taste.  Add noodles to pan and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Dukan Diet and Dining Out

We started the Dukan Diet the beginning of July 2011.  It seemed like a good time, no major holidays like Christmas to tempt us, etc.  We did have a couple dining out evenings.  The first one came during our last days of attack...we only had 4 days of attack, but pure proteins four days in a row does take its toll on the body.  We already completed 3 days of attack and didn't want to start again, so we suggested a Japanese restaurant to our friends and shared a sashimi (raw fish) platter and a broiled hamachi kama (the collar part of the hamachi).  It was a delicious but expensive pure protein meal and not the most filling.  Of course, right next door to the restaurant was a frozen yogurt shop....one of our favorites.  We managed to not indulge and made it through our attack phase without any cheating.

The Cruise Phase is a much easier phase to dine out in.  Many restaurants now give you the option of just meat and veggies instead of meat, veggies and a starch.  The challenge is to coordinate enough Pure Protein and Protein Veggie days.  So far this has not been a difficult challenge, it's when the outing is a last minute thing or you're dining out too often.  We've avoided desserts, since once we start, we can't stop.  We did have a small piece of tart (really small) at a dinner buffet with friends...but other than that, we've been good.

This weekend we have a birthday party to go to and it's a local style party which means there will be gravy, macaroni salad loaded with mayonnaise, fatty meats, rice, sushi and desserts galore.  Yikes!  We may need to bulk up on whatever green salad they have and the least fattiest meats, which will probably still be fatty.  It'll be interesting.  

We've read other Dukan diaries where people just let loose and eat a celebration meal even though they are still in Cruise...but not sure we want to do that since we've been doing fairly well on the diet.  It's a challenge, but very doable to dine out even at a local gathering on the Dukan Diet.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Slow Weight Loss

We've been tracking our weight loss...well, the female half of this couple needs to lose weight and body fat, but the male half of this couple really just needed to eat healthy to avoid borderline high cholesterol.  The numbers have been going down REALLY slowly, as a matter of fact, the female half is behind in her goals....however, the clothes are getting baggy, the tummy and lovehandles are shrinking.  The male half of this couple is even thinner than he was before!

The male half of this couple really needs to move on to Consolidation or Stabilization since he didn't need to lose weight and we're sure he is.

So, bottom line is, even if the numbers don't show it, the body and clothes show positive improvements!  We feel great...exercising more (at least 30 minutes of zumba a day) and eating healthier.  It's so nice to eat and not feel sleepy and heavy after the meal!

That's our update for now!

Dukan Key Lime Vanilla Oat Bran Muffins

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good, I'll take two for work (even though he's not a muffin guy).
SHE SAID: Yum!  Needs more lime though.

Key Lime Oat Bran Muffins (they look just like the orange ones, we
should have put a piece of lime on it or something!
We loved Dukanitout.com's Orange Vanilla Oat Bran Muffins and we had a Yoplait Key Lime Pie Non-fat yogurt about to expire and we both love Key Lime Pie.  Mmm.  So, we decided to adjust Dukanitout's recipe to a Key Lime Pie recipe.  We didn't have key lime extract on hand (but have ordered some) so we used fresh squeezed lime juice...we still needed more lime.  You can definitely tell it's lime though.

We have a Yoplait Strawberry and White Chocolate Non-fat yogurt about to expire also, so perhaps we will bake some up with that.  A lot of flavors go well with vanilla.  We are also hoping to make some lavender muffins with the leftover lavender buds we have.  So many possibilities to make breakfast interesting!

We are posting a recipe that actually calls for the key lime extract, but if you prefer your muffins to have a subtle flavor and have limes on hand, use 3-4 t. fresh lime juice instead of the key lime extract.

RECIPE:
Makes 6 muffins.
Prep time: 10 minutes or less
Bake Time: 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

6 T. oat bran
2 T. wheat bran
1 t. baking powder
2 t. natural sweetener
1 heaping T. sugarfree vanilla pudding
5 T. non-fat Key Lime Pie yogurt from Yoplait
1/2 c. egg whites or 2 eggs
1 1/2 t. key lime extract or 3-4 t. fresh key lime juice

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the yogurt and eggs and whisk until smooth.  Add the extract.  Pour batter into muffin pan (we use baking cups for quicker clean up).  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes or until cooked.

Enjoy!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Dukan Parmesan Rosemary Mahimahi

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good and moist.
SHE SAID: Good, need to crisp this up a bit more.

Parmesan Rosemary Mahimahi - will try to shoot a
better photo next time we make this dish.
Today is our Pure Protein day and we had chicken last night,  so we decided to make our own variation of Dukanitout.com's Parmesan Baked Cod recipe.  We loved it!  Cod wasn't on sale and we already had some mahimahi filets on hand.

We don't use onion salt and we love garlic, so we did a garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper seasoning and also added rosemary to the grated parmesan for some added flavor.

We both enjoyed this recipe, it was tasty enough, moist enough and light enough for a late lunch.

RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 8 - 10 mins baked at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and 5-10 mins under the broiler (if needed)

No Fat non-stick spray
1 1/2 lbs. mahimahi filets
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese (bottled)
1 t. dried rosemary
1.5 T. fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder

Slice mahimahi filets at an angle, we cut 3 pieces out of each filet so it would cook faster (keeps it moist).    Season with kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Spray fish with non-stick spray.  Place powdered Parmesan cheese and rosemary in a baggie and place fish in the baggie.  Coat fish.  Place coated fish in a glass baking dish and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.  Baked at 450 degrees Fahrenheit or until fish is cooked.  If you want to really crisp up the cheese, broil them for a few minutes at the end.

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Dukan Orange Creme Vanilla Oat Bran Muffins

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good, just not a muffin guy.
SHE SAID: Yum!  I think I like these better than the chocolate ones and I'm a chocoholic!

Orange Creme Vanilla Oat Bran Muffins
Found this recipe on Dukanitout.com.  Can you tell it's one of our favorite sites?!  We changed it a bit since we had a container of Yoplait Non-fat Orange Creme yogurt expiring soon.  Probably more sugar than we need, but the recipe only uses about 1/2 the container.

These smelled so yummy and orange creamsicle like when mixing and baking.  We also substituted 2 of the oat bran tablespoons for 2 tablespoons of wheat bran.  As mentioned in a previous post, we baked our chocolate oat bran muffins with all oat bran and one batch with oat bran and wheat bran and the wheat bran seems to help it be more "cake like".  Lastly, we increased the orange extract and added vanilla extract to intensify the flavors.

We will be trying the Key Lime Pie yogurt in this recipe also (minus the orange extract).

RECIPE:
Prep Time: less than 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15-18 minutes

6 T. oat bran
2 T. wheat bran
1 t. baking powder
2 t. natural sweetener
1 T. sugarfree vanilla pudding powder
1/2 c. egg whites
5 T. nonfat Orange Creme yogurt (Yoplait)
1 1/2 t. pure orange extract
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add yogurt and eggs and whisk until smooth.  Add orange extract and mix.  Pour batter into muffin pan (we use baking cups for easier clean up).  Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes.  Eat while warm.  For your extras, pop them in the microwave on medium high heat for 20 seconds and they will taste almost fresh out of the oven!  (Hint, if you're in Consolidation or Stabilization and your celebration meal includes chewy type cookies, heat them in the microwave!)

Enjoy!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Dukan Asian Chicken Stir Fry for two

UPDATED ON 3/2/2012 thanks to reader Amy!

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Very good...will make again.

Leftovers - forgot to take a pic of the finished dish.
We LOVE Thai food, so when we saw Dukanitout.com's Thai Chicken Basil Recipe, we had to try it.   We adjusted the recipe to fit what we had in our kitchen and of course, what we could find.  We hardly use oyster sauce or sherry, so we left out the oyster sauce and substituted marsala wine for the sherry.

Since we have a HUGE bottle of Vietnamese fish sauce (since we LOVE Vietnamese food too), we substituted Vietnamese fish sauce for the Thai fish sauce.  We do hope to post some Dukan'd Vietnamese recipes soon.

Regardless of the adjustments, this was still a fantastic dish.  The male half of this couple loves spicy and this dish is definitely spicy.

RECIPE
Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

3/4 lb chicken tenderloins (no skin, we got ours from Costco), cut into thin strips
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Thai chilies, seeds removed, diced small (these are hot, use gloves and use less if you don't like hot food)
2 T. marsala cooking wine (or 1 T. Shaoxing Chinese Cooking Wine, preferred)
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips (you can use more, the male half of this couple doesn't care for them)
1 packed cup Thai basil, sliced thin
1 T. lime juice (fresh)

STIR FRY SAUCE:
2 T. low sodium shoyu (soy sauce)
1 T. water
1 T. Vietnamese fish sauce
1 t. natural sweetener
2 T. lime juice (fresh)

Combine stir fry sauce ingredients and set aside.  Heat wok over medium-high heat.  Add 2 T. olive oil and swirl around.  Stir fry shallot, garlic and chilies for 1-2 minutes.  Add the chicken and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.  Add 2 T. marsala.  Add the red bell pepper (and another T marsala if needed - we didn't need more marsala).  Stir fry for another minute.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add the stir-fry sauce.  Stir and let the dish simmer for a couple minutes.  (If you want more sauce, add 1/4 c. chicken stock).  Reduce heat to low and add the basil, gently fold into the chicken.  Taste test the chicken and sauce, if it's too salty, add the 1 T. lime juice.  If it's not salty enough add a bit more fish sauce.

The male half of this couple has been to Thailand and he said there's spicy and Thai spicy which pretty much makes you sweat as you eat.  If you want your dish Thai spicy, add more Thai chilies.

We forgot to take a pic when this dish was done cooking, so this pic is of the leftovers!

Enjoy!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Dukan Japanese Pork Roll Ups

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good!
SHE SAID: I could eat these every day!

This is a photo of our students pork roll ups, we
don't have a pic of ours yet but ours uses thinner slices or
pork and no carrots or mayo dip
One of our students made these pork roll ups sauteed in a typical Japanese sauce...shoyu (soy sauce), sake and sugar for a potluck they hosted.  You can use mirin too.  You roll up veggies in thin slices of lean pork tenderloin.  After we started the Dukan Diet, we Dukan'd the recipe!  It's very tasty and is a great dinner or snack.  We serve it with more sauteed veggies and silk tofu.

Asparagus, celery, baby bok choy, choi sum and a lot of other veggies can be rolled up in the pork slices.  We use the shabu shabu cut pork tenderloin.  The cuts at Marukai market are very thin, very lean and when on sale, very reasonable.  One tray (just under 1/2 pound) usually has around 16 slices.

If you're in the Attack Phase or want to have these on your Pure Protein day, just roll the pork up and saute them, they are still great this way!

RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes (if you have a small pan, less if you have a larger pan)

1 tray shabu shabu pork tenderloin (if you don't have shabu shabu meat at your market, ask the butcher to cut the meat paper thin)
2-3 T. low sodium shoyu
1 T. water
4 T. white wine
Veggies - thinly sliced (as much as you want to put in the roll ups, we would recommend not more than 2 items and cutting them thinner than carrot sticks to cook quickly)

Place veggie(s) on a slice of meat, at the end nearest to you.  Roll tightly.  Pour liquid ingredients in pan. Turn stove on to medium high heat.  Once pan is hot, start cooking roll ups.  Put your roll ups in the pan with the flap end down.  Once it starts to cook, it'll stick together and not unravel.

The thin pork slices cook quickly but be sure to cook them thoroughly.  The glaze formed in the pan is the best part!

For those not on the Dukan Diet, these are great on a bed of hot Japanese rice!

Enjoy!

Dukan Sample Menus

Prior to starting the Dukan diet we were trying to eat less carbs, it was slowly working, but the eating habits weren't that healthy.  We were still eating too much fat and sugar.  We spent some time reading various Dukan Diary Blogs (there are a lot of them out there) to get some ideas on what people have been eating and how their weight loss progress went, etc.  Great inspiration to see people's successes and even failures and how they corrected their eating.

We thought we would share some of our sample daily menus/exercise.

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with tomato slices and bits of low fat Canadian Bacon
Snack: 1 Dukan Chocolate Oat Bran muffin
Lunch: 3 Dukan Mini Veggie and Canadian Bacon quiches, 4 spears grilled asparagus (grilled with salt, pepper and lemon juice)
Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner: dinner out - Grilled Mahimahi with tossed greens and a tiny bit of French dressing
Fluids: 9 cups of water
Exercise: 40 minutes of Zumba Wii Marathon

Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites and 3 slices low fat Canadian Bacon
Snack: 1 Dukan Chocolate Oat Bran Muffin
Lunch: 3 Dukan Buttermilk Chicken Tenderloins, 1/2 lb ahi wasabi poke
Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner: 2 Dukan Asian Turkey Burgers
Fluids: 8 cups water
Exercise: 30 minutes Zumba Wii

Breakfast: 2 Dukan Cinnamon Pancakes
Snack: 1 Dukan Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffin
Lunch: Jack In the Box Club Salad (no cheese and very little dressing)
Snack: 1 Dukan Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffin
Dinner: Dukan Dijon Ono (fish) with grilled baby bok choy
Fluids: 10 cups water
Exercise: 30 minutes Zumba Wii

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Grilled Asparagus - Dukan Diet

You can't really see them, but the fresh grilled asparagus
are behind the quiches
Last week the female half of this couple's sister read on a gentleman's Dukan Diary Blog that he just loved asparagus for it's diuretic abilities.  We decided to give it a try.

Saw some very nice looking skinny asparagus in Chinatown in Honolulu this past weekend!  (We don't care for the large Costco ones although very inexpensive for what you get, they just aren't as tasty as the skinnier ones).

After we got them home, we realized the way we usually bake these (in butter) is not allowed on the Dukan Diet.  So, we decided to pan fry them with a little bit of salt, pepper and lemon juice for about 3 minutes (until they were bright green) and were they delicious.  Also, the female half of this couple had asparagus for lunch on Monday and Tuesday (had to double up on PV days this week) and she's lost 2 pounds since Sunday!  Coincidence or is she enjoying the diuretic value of asparagus also?  Could also be the 45 minutes of zumba every day?  In any case, the asparagus was delicious, both grilled and in the mini quiches.

If you're looking for some asparagus recipes, check out allrecipes.com.  Dukan the ones that don't fit the Dukan Diet!

House Brand Tofu Shirataki Noodles


UPDATED: Cooking tip - boil your noodles for 5 minutes and add salt to your boiling waters..cuts down on the taste and it seems less rubbery.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Don Quijote here in Honolulu carries all three types of the House Brand Tofu Shirataki Noodles.  We both enjoyed the angel hair pasta shape...it tastes more like somen noodles.
Last night we made some turkey meat sauce to go with the spaghetti shaped noodles and while they did satisfy our pasta needs, the spaghetti shaped ones are really spongy....we could get use to it though.  It's so nice to eat pasta and not feel so heavy after.  

We will be trying the fettucini shaped shirataki noodles this weekend with a Dukan Alfredo recipe!

The funny thing about this shirataki craze, the female half of this couple is part Japanese and grew up on eating Shirataki noodles as part of Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki dishes...but we never thought about using it as a pasta substitute!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Dukan-ing and we didn't even know it!

This morning we went through some of our favorite recipes...wow, we ate a lot of creamy and fatty things! Then I browsed the crock pot recipes we've tried since the beginning of the year and quite a few of them were either Dukan type recipes or pretty close and easily Dukan-able.

Will definitely be working on Dukan-ing more crock pot recipes since we miss our crock pot meals.  Well, the female half of this couple misses the "throw everything in the pot and it's done in 6 hours" thing!

Last night we made some mini veggie quiches - low fat and they tasted great!  We used reduce fat shredded cheese, but found a recipe using non fat cottage cheese, so we'll be trying that soon too.

Will post our mini quiche recipe soon!

Just a couple pounds loss for us this week, but the clothes feeling a bit baggy is nice!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Dukan Buttermilk Chicken Tenderloins

Looks dry, but it was moist.  This was actually
what was leftover.
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID:
SHE SAID: It smelled so good while we were cooking it!

Decided to try another recipe from Dukanitout.com since everything we've tried from this site has been delicious.  Again, we altered the recipe just a tad to use what we had in the kitchen and what we could find in the market.  We fried these up in our stir fry non-stick wok because the Forman grill seems to make everything way too dry.  Also, we live in two separate households and the female half of this couple forgot to bring her grilling pan.

Still, it smelled so yummy while we cooked the chicken up.  We had this chicken with some green salad which was just right.

RECIPE
Serves 4-6 people
Prep Time: 10 mins, plus 4+ hours to marinate chicken
Cook Time: 10-20 minutes, depending on how large your pan or grill is

1 1/2 lb. chicken tenderloins, skinless
1 c. soy milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. dijon
1 T. honey
1 1/2 t. dried rosemary
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

Make buttermilk by combining 1 cup soy milk with 1 T. lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then add all other ingredients except chicken, mix well.  Rinse and pat dry chicken, place in a large baggie and pour marinade in the baggie.  Seal and place baggie in a foil pan (just in case) and refrigerate for 4+ hours, but no longer than over night.  Grill or pan fry chicken until done.

We haven't used any spray or oil in our non-stick stir fry pan and everything fries up nicely without sticking..plus, it's been easy to clean.

Enjoy!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Dukan Chocolate Oat Bran Muffins

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Not bad for healthy muffins, but I'm not a muffin guy
SHE SAID: Yum!

Dukan Chocolate Oat Bran Muffins
A couple weeks ago we came across a couple of recipes for Dukan muffins.  We tried the Vanilla Moist ones which are great, but we are chocolate lovers, so we had to try this recipe.  Oh heaven!  The female half of this couple has been eating them pretty much every day!

We tried adding raw cacao nibs (0 grams of sugar) which are great in smoothies, but seemed a little too bitter in these muffins - perhaps we need to add less nibs.  In smoothies, the nibs taste just like chocolate chips! The cinnamon version is also very delicious.

We've made these with all oat bran and with oat bran with wheat bran and both taste great.  The ones with wheat bran are a little more muffin like.  A great way to get your daily does of oat bran.

RECIPE
Makes 6 regular sized muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15-18 minutes (for our oven it usually takes 20 minutes)

1 t. baking powder
2 1/2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
3-4 T. natural sweetener (REVISED - original recipe called for 6-8 T, but it was too sweet for us)
4 T. oat bran (fine)
2 T. wheat bran
6 T. plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add wet ingredients, stir well.  Pour batter into muffin pan (we use muffin liners for less clean up).   Bake for 15-18 minutes or until done.  Cool and enjoy.

These muffins make a great breakfast or snack.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Dukan Angel Hair "Pasta" with Tofu Sausage and Veggies

RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Pretty good for a low fat meal.
SHE SAID: Wow, loved it!

Angel Hair "Pasta" with Tofurky Sausage and Veggies
We've been trying recipes from a lot of Dukan diaries, but Dukanitout.com is our favorite so far.  Tonight we tried this recipe with a few adjustments.   We didn't use zucchini since the male half of this couple doesn't care for them.  Also used Japanese mushrooms since the male half will eat those but doesn't care for other types of mushrooms.  We added wine because we love cooking with wine and more red peppers because we both love spicy food.

Don Quijote in Hawaii sells the three types of tofu shirataki noodles made by House and they were on sale this week!  We also made ours with Tofurky sausages since we are trying to not eat sausages.  We loved the recipe.  The two bags of pasta made 3 large servings for us.

RECIPE
Serves: 2, plus a little leftovers
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 Tofurky sausages cut into small pieces (or 1 lb. italian sausage casings removed)
2 packages House brand Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Noodles, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 or 1 package Japanese mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice, slice the larger ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 - 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
3/5 c. red wine
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. dried basil
1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. fat free cream cheese (or 1/2 c fat free sour cream)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, brown sausage with onions, bell pepper and garlic.  Add mushrooms and saute for approximately 5 minutes.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, wine, spices and pasta, stir, cover and cook for 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in cream cheese.  Return to heat for approximately 3 minutes or until hot.

We will definitely have this again and we may leave out the cream cheese next time.

A Change In Our Eating Habits

It's been a while, but it's been a hectic couple of months! First of all, a family emergency meant not as much time to cook. Then life just got busy. During all of that we decided to follow some of the Dukan Diet ways...less fat, healthier eating, exercise, etc. We haven't been as successful as others (according to their online diaries), however, we still have some weight loss and feel much healthier.

We've tried several recipes from other Dukan diaries...most have been great. We've changed some of them because we either can't find all the ingredients here, the ingredients are too expensive or just adjusted them to fit our tastes.

We are currently in the second week of the Cruise Phase. The Attack Phase where you intake pure proteins only was difficult, but we planned our meals and snacks which made eating healthy easier. As others mentioned, eating pure proteins all day can get quite expensive, yes, you do get constipated and yes, we got sick of eating chicken and beef! Now that we're in the Cruise Phase, the digestive system is back to normal and we're enjoying a wider variety of foods.

We do miss fruits, but that will come later. It is quite a challenge when eating out. We only ate out once during the Attack Phase and were lucky enough to be at a Japanese restaurant - ordered a sashimi platter and grilled hamachi kama. During the Cruise Phase we've had to entertain guests, etc...which made it a lot more difficult while eating out but we managed to not gain back too much weight.

Since starting the Dukan Diet, the female half of this couple has tracked her weight and she's lost approximately 4 pounds. The goal is 20 pounds. The Attack Phase for us lasted 4 days. The Cruise Phase will end at the beginning of September. We've missed some exercise due to entertaining guests, etc...but for the most part have kept up the Zumba workouts to at least 5 days per week or more. Oh, also, although the female half has only lost 4 pounds, she must have lost fat because her jeans are now baggy, the love handles are shrinking and the tummy is flattening a bit.

We will share some of our favorite Dukan recipes soon! We haven't tried to make any of our Dukan recipes in the crock pot, but we do want to!