Fast metabolism diet: week 1

Hello again!

Well the fam just got back from a week of family time in Virginia and immediately jumped into a new healthy eating project.

If you are interested, it is called the Fast Metabolism Diet. However, I warn you that it requires an insane amount of prep work and really is pretty difficult for a vegetarian unless you are happy to eat egg whites or tofu for 6 meals in a row. I wasn't, and I honestly felt rather sickly for those two days a week.

It divides the week into three phases that each incorporate different types of food. By doing this it supposedly helps heal the metabolism. It's a lot more complicated but that's what I'm gonna leave you with for now. 

Anyways, this week was a whirlwind. It felt like we spent all day either cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, or eating (takes time to eat all these veggies!).

Phase 1 went pretty well. I made a delicious sweet potato with black bean. It had onion, tomato, spices, and crunchy green onion on top. Very filling and satisfying. I would eat this for dinner on a regular basis (and it is good cold too the next day).

http://hayliepomroy.com/loaded-sweet-potatoes-with-black-beans/

Phase 2 was honestly a bit hellish. Mom and I felt rather sluggish, probably due to the lack of carbs. As a vegetarian I found it a bit too difficult to eat egg whites at every meal so I decided to incorporate lox, and soy this week. Who knew I could get tired of lox?!? Anyways we made it through this high protein phase. Eating tons of veggies.

Phase 3 has been lovely. Avocado, raw nuts and seeds, hummus; makes you appreciate the simple pleasures of life. Lots of recipes for this phase. Indian spiced chickpeas were a grand success: my first ever use of garam masala! Also made Kabocha and black bean stew which is an absolutely A+ dish. So filling and the squash is incredible, who knew? A delicious pumpkin relative.

http://hayliepomroy.com/kabocha-squash-and-black-bean-stew/

So I made it through the first week and I will admit that total family weight loss  was 14 pounds between the 3 of us! Gold stars all around. Here's hoping we'll make it through the next three weeks. 

Ps. While this may sound like fun and games, the food prep is seriously hard core. So attempt at your own risk!

Update: In hindsight, I don't think this diet was the best thing for us. It made me feel pretty lousy and our weight loss plateaued quite a bit after the first week. However, it it did result in some tasty new dishes, so lets focus on that. 

Mexican Street Corn

I made a new recipe for dinner tonight: Mexican Street Corn Salad.

Made with:

Charred corn

Red onion

Cilantro

Cotija cheese

Avocado

Lime juice

Jalapeño

Chili powder

Garlic

mayo

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/05/mexican-street-corn-salad-with-avocado/

Some comments: 

-a really nice salad! Very yummy

-only used 2/3 the called for mayo, cause mayo is gross, blech, next time I may not use any

-cotija cheese is interesting! It is aged and is dry and has a sharpness to it

- I recommend adding more lime juice and maybe would double the jalapeño if you're looking for spicy because this  dish was very mild  

All in all a success!!

-Melissa 

Miso Quinoa with grilled cucumber and eggplant

Well folks I've done it again! I've found a perfectly delicious and nutritious veggie filled quinoa dish! 

And it uses one of my new ingredient discoveries...miso!

This dish was so smooth, creamy and sweet. The crisp cucumber paired perfectly with the juicy eggplant and silky quinoa: a match maid in heaven.

I used green onion in place of cilantro, red miso instead of white, and almond milk instead of 2%. So I can't vouch for the flavor of the original recipe but I will yell from the rooftops about my version. 

Seriously addicting 

1. Grill eggplant and cucumber (I used a panini press)

2. Toast quinoa in a little butter till nutty (my dad walked in and said it smelled like popcorn)

3. Mix in milk, water, and whisk in miso

4. Cook the delicious soy balsamic sauce

5. Combine! 

10/10 recommend 

http://food52.com/recipes/18653-miso-quinoa-pilaf-with-grilled-cucumber-eggplant-and-soy-dressing

Update: I made this dish again about 6 months later and found out some things:
1. It is equally good with cilantro, so up to you between that an green onion.
2. Maybe don't use vanilla flavored almond milk.
3. Richer balsamic will contribute a darker color and richer flavor.
4. Yellow miso works great too!

Farmers Market Stuffed Portobellos

This recipe is thanks to a bountiful day at the farmers market. I got there early enough to get portobello mushrooms! Jackpot!

I had been doing some sneaking around on the Internet, looking at different recipes. I found this one, chock-full of veggies. So at the farmers market I also bought zucchini, onion, and eggplant, which wasn't actually in the recipe but turned out to be a lovely addition. 

This recipe involves a lot of dicing. I also ended up roasting my own red pepper in the toaster oven which was a new experience for me.

So basically I sautéed a bunch of veggies together, added some breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and stuffed them into Portabellos, which were baked for a solid hour almost.

They turned out delicious. Filling and bursting with nutritious vegetables and yummy cheese. I think next time I may add some quinoa for more protein and also look into the possibility of freezing them. A grand success!

http://www.tasteloveandnourish.com/2013/04/17/vegetable-stuffed-portabella-mushrooms/