Pork Chops with Green Beans and Peppers

Medifast Lean and Green:  Pork

Serves 4

• 4 bone-in pork chops (5 oz each)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup scallions, whites thinly sliced and green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 jalapeno (optional), thinly slice
• 2 cups roasted yellow or red peppers

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe:  Pork Chops with Green Beans

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Roast pepper for about 15 minutes and set aside to cool.
3. Cut peppers into 1 inch squares.
4. Heat a large skillet over high. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. 
5. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and swirl to coat. Add chops and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side, flipping once. Transfer chops to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.
6. Wipe skillet clean and heat over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons oil, green beans and scallion whites.  Cook, stirring occasionally, scallions are soft and green beans are crisp-tender, 3 minutes. 
7. Season with salt and pepper. Add jalapeno (if using) and scallion greens and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. 
8. Add peppers and cook until warmed through.
9. Serve pork chopse which vegetables on top. 

Do-It-Yourself Medifast

All diets have one thing in common.  From Medifast to Nutrisystem to even the silliest banana diet.  It's simple really.  Eat less.  The less calories, the more weight loss.

The great thing about Medifast is that you know you are still getting your daily nutritional requirements so it saves you research time and effort.  However, I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about people having to stop their Medifast diets due to the economy and job loss.  It's always so sad to me because I'm on the verge of doing that myself.  I suppose one can come up with Medifast subsitutes or Medifast alternatives by simply following the rules.

So, in an effort to help people with their weight loss,  I plan to add a section on my blog for "Do-It-Yourself Medifast" by counting the calories and nutritional information.  It will not be Medifast approved so use your own discretion.  If you have any to contribute, please do so. 

The first step is to share with you the site I use to look at nutritional information based on ingredients:
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php?process=resubmit&count=67

To those interested, please either subscribe to my RSS feeds or Follow me on google as I will not be posting these recipes on my Facebook page. 

Let's help each other stay healthy and lose weight!

Different Ways of Ordering Medifast

So, I've found out there is more than one way to order from Medifast.  I'm a V.I.P. member right now which means I get 2 weeks free for the first two months and 5% discount every month after that. 

Now, I'm finding out more about Take Shape for Life and BeSlim.  Both of which I believe offers 5% discount.  Take Shape For Life also has a FREE health coach.  I'm not sure about BeSlim. 

I'm not sure yet what the merits are to having a health coach FREE or not.  What I'm really interested in is finding out what discount TSFL and BeSlim offers.

Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes

Chicken with Tomatoes, Spinach and Capers

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
Serves 2

7 oz diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1/4 cup tbsp fresh parsley (1 tbsp if dry)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon jarred capers, drained
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 cup fresh spinach

1. In a bowl, stir together tomatoes, parsley, 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, and capers. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper if desired.
2. Split chicken breasts in half horizontally. Cover with plastic wrap and pound lightly with a meat mallet.  If you don't have a meat mallet, use the bottom of the pan.  The goal is to flatten chicken so it would cook evenly
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken about 1-3 minutes per side making sure that it's cooked.  Remove from skillet and set aside.
4. Add spinach to the now empty skillet and; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through (stopping when leaves just about wilted). 
5. Top chicken with tomato mixture and serve with spinach.

Goal Met!!! Thank you Medifast!

I have finally met goal today!  I am moving to transition mode.  Because of this, I have decided to also change domain names to expand my recipes.  I will keep in mind that the bulk of my readers will be Medifasters and most recipes will still try to meet the guidelines.  However, I want to expand it to people who are also trying to lose weight but not in Medifast.

This is a lifestyle change for me.  I want to come up with more recipes that will help me maintain my health and my weight.

Beef Steak Salad

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe

Most of you probably have a favorite bed of greens topped with some lean meat.  Here is a recipe you might want to add to your list. 

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe

Serves 2

1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 lb flank steak
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 tsp Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar
1-2 cups arugula
Medifast Recipe

1. Combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub mixture evenly over flank steak
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add steak; cook until browned on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn; cook until browned on other side, 5 to 8 minutes for medium-rare.  Remove steak from skillet; let rest approximately five minutes before thinly slicing.  Important to slice flank steak thinly.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together salsa and Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
4. Add arugula; toss to coat with dressing.
5. Serve with steak on top.

Chocolate Chip Muffin

Everywhere I read about Medifast recipes these days, there's talk of Chocolate Chip Muffins and how great they are.  So when I got my first shipment of chocolate chip pancakes, I immediately got to work.

Now, I haven't actually used it to make pancakes as it has just been one experiment after the other with the muffins.

The picture on the left is my first attempt. It was also my
first taste.

I don't agree that this Medifast meal tastes good. It's terrible. It does not taste like pancake. Once I got to the chocolate, it got better, I have to admit. But that's just the chocolate. The actual pancake tastes like paper.  This might be better suited as a substitute for bread ... a sandwich maybe ... just a thought...

Here are the instructions for the Chocolate Chip Muffin:  Spray ramekin with butter, mix pancake with recommended amt of water (do not overmix) and pour on ramekin.  Microwave for 90 seconds

When taken out of the ramekin, I noticed the chocolate
chips settled on the bottom.

The chocolate chip was the best part.  Otherwise, this was a complete disaster.

Next I tried to make one on the toaster oven.  Using the same instructions, I baked it at 350 degrees this time for 20 minutes.  This is what happened:

The right one is baked.  The left is microwaved.

Both still got eaten (hey, I don't like wasting food) but neither was satisfying.  Both were tolerable but not as delicious as everybody seems to be raving about.

I decided that I might have overmixed the first one because I used a whisk.  So I decided to try again.  

The one in front is the "not overmixed" muffin.  
It's sitting beside the other two to show how well it
rose.

While the texture was now better, there's still not much to be said about the taste;

Day 2.  More experiments.

This time I had to think more about my muffin.  What makes muffins rise?  What would stop my chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom?  

I decided to use some other condiments to help my muffins.  I used not 1 but TWO bags.  Now, I also used half an egg but if this wasn't an experiment, I would have used the whole egg and used FOUR bags. 

Here it is, the fluffy and soft muffins.  Finally!

Feast your eyes on this!

In the end, I suggest using the ramekins.  It ended up being soft and delicious (the sugar helped but I might switch to honey if it's allowed).  There will be more experiments.  I'll try not to put baking powder next time and try to get the crumbly, flaky texture that I love. 

Here is the recipe:

2 bags of Medifast Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2 bags of Sweet Leaf (or Splenda)

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup milk

1/2 egg (probably best if you use egg beaters)

Preheat toaster 400 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients well.

Add milk and egg

Mix but do not overmix.  If there are clumps, it's okay.

Pour into pans and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I'll keep you posted on other experiments.

Mobile Calorie Tracker

I always find myself wishing there is an iPhone app out for my Medifast journal out there.  Like you, I've seen the poll on the mymedifast.com site asking which Mobile Device I own.  Everytime I see it, I can't help but wish there was one.  It would be really helpful if I can add up my calories while I'm in a restaurant or at a family event or just any get-together.

So, I started researching available options for me out there.

I've looked at a few but the first that has caught my eye is a FREE mobile app called CalorieCounter.  I stress the word FREE because I like free stuff.  Dont you?

They make it so easy that you can text a food name and it'll come back with nutritional information for you.  I think it's the Medifast log "and then some!"  I'm going to give it a try for a few weeks and let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, care to share what you use for your "on-the-go" diet journal?

RBFC9TQ3FDT4

New Medifast Coupon

WDSUM50 gives you $50.00 off purchase of $250.00. Expires 8/31/10.  

This one only requires $250 purchase as opposed to the $275 that AUG31G requires.

Click here to get to the official site. Don't forget to type WDSUM50 when asked for a coupon code at checkout

Zucchini Ribbons (Yet Another Pasta Substitute)

Zucchini Ribbons
(a pasta substitute?)

I love Farmers' Markets.  The vegetables and fruits are delicious.  I love the colors of food..  I love the people just coasting by.  As I was skipping down the street at the Farmer's Market this afternoon (okay, not skipping, probably just walking), a table full of zucchinis caught my eye.  I was reminded of the pasta substitute I've been reading on the boards lately.  So I decided to buy some.

When I got home, I was disappointed to find that two of the zucchinis I brought home were not good so it's probably best to talk first about how to pick the best zucchini.  First of all, bigger is not always better.  Pick a zucchini that is bright green in color, firm and wrinkle-free.  Once you have that down, you can't go wrong.  You can eat it raw and it will still be delicious.

Like I said before, I stole borrowed this recipe from a Medifast Official Site discussion board post.  So, if you want to see the original, just search for Zucchini Ribbons in the discussion boards.  I can't give you a link because you need to be logged in to see it.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe

4 medium sized zucchini or however many to peel 1 cup full (peeled)
1/4 cup chicken broth

1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese (or 2 tbsp Cream Cheese)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Create ribbons by running a peeler from end to end of zucchini.  Keep peeling until you see the seeds.  Do not include seeds.
2. In a medium-high skillet, pour the chicken broth and boil.
3. Once boiling (once hot), add the zucchini ribbons.  Allow to cook until soft.  About 3 minutes
4. Add cheese and mix until melted into the zucchini
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Serve.

Zucchini Ribbons topped with tomato and MorningStar Farms Sausage Patties

Nutrition Facts do not include MorningStar Farms
Sausage which is 160 calories

Don't go thirsty, my friend!

Weighed myself this morning and I'm happy to report that I'm back to my weight before the boat incident.  The 2.2 lbs must've been water retention because I was drinking like crazy yesterday.  So, medifast tip:  Aways drink your 8 glasses a day!

Baked Eggs with Spinach

Baked Eggs and Spinach

This weekend was my wonderful husband's birthday.  To celebrate, I ordered some picnic food and and rented a boat down at Newport Beach.  We invited his parents and siblings and their children.  I prepared quite a lot of food.  I brought some Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Egg rolls, Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches), Noodles with seafood, some snacks for the kids and fruits.  Yep!  Silly me.  I brought non-Medifast-Friendly foods.  To add insult to the injury, I was so busy that morning, I forgot to pack myself food.  Oh and did I mention, I brought chocolate cupcakes as well?

We got on the boat with only 100 calories of cappuccino in me that morning and it was already 12 noon.  I was hungry. You know where this is going, right?  My best efforts at trying to to pick the shrimps and pork off the spring rolls were in vain.  I finally succumbed to the temptation and ate two egg rolls.  Wait.  It didn't end there.  I also had myself some watermelon and noodles.  Oh, the shame!  It was my first non-OP day since I started this program so I figured it'll be okay.  I'm 2.5 lbs away from goal so I thought it would be okay.  I'll just skip some of the Medifast meals.  I thought it would be okay.

For dinner, we had so much left over that I decided to take all the meat out of the food and make myself another small Lean and Green.  I hate to see food go to waste.  I thought it would be okay.

The next day, I weighed myself and I gained 2.2 lbs! What?!?! Really?  Now, I'm racking my brain trying to figure this out.  I didn't eat much, I thought.  Is it the lack of water?  Is it the lack of vegetables?  Is it the two diet cokes?  Is the sugar in the watermelon?  What happened????  My first infraction and I paid dearly since it took me 10 days to lose those 2.2 lbs.

Long story aside, this morning, I wanted to eat my Lean and Green for breakfast so I would have the whole day to burn it.  I prepared myself a classic French breakfast of baked eggs with spinach.  I would recommend possibly adding some tomatoes for an extra serving of vegetable but that's your call.  I didn't add it because I always like eating my tomato serving with my soup which I planned to eat this afternoon.

When you make this, don't be fooled by the orange color of the egg, it's actually well cooked.  If you're in doubt, poke it with a fork to see if your eggs run.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
PAM Cooking Spray
2 cups Spinach1 tsp Unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper2 tsp half and half

Serves 2

1. Boil water  over high heat.  Drop in spinach until it's bright green.  About 2 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water to stop cooking. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (use toaster oven if available)
3. Spray ramekins with PAM Cooking Spray
4. Fix a bed of spinach on the ramekins.  Add 1 tsp of unsalted butter.
5. Add 2 eggs on top.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle Add 2 tsp of half and half
8. Bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes.

Calorie Burn Essentials

I have to say.  This stuff really works.  I was stalled for 10 days and I drank this and my weight moved down almost 2 lbs.  Initially, I figured it was just because it was about time for my weight to go down.

So I use this everytime I stall for a prolonged period of time.  It's worked five time so far so I'm ruling out "coincidence".  I tried drinking Yogi Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life as well to test if it's the caffeine that helped.  I only drank 1 cup a day which I'm not sure is a sufficient test but it didn't make a difference whenever I stalled.

So anyway, I highly recommend it.  If you want to try one but is not due for your next order from Medifast, try to go to ebay.  I purchased a box for less than $8 with shipping.

This also tastes good.  It might be too sweet for me but I seriously don't mind it.

The image above is a property of medifast1.com

Yogi Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life - No No No

This tea has great taste but did nothing for me.  It did curb my appetite but I would sometimes end up not eating for 5 hours because I just wasn't hungry.  This is bad because when you get hungry, your body will store fat to defend itself.  So, I'm going with the Momentum Green Tea Infuser which I would recommend more.

Chocolate Mint Shake

This is an easy one that most of you have probably already tried but here are my preferred measurements.
 
1 packet Medifast Dutch Chocolate shake

1/2 tsp mint extract

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup ice

Pour ingredients in blender and mix!

Chicken Pinwheels

Chicken Pinwheels (or rolls -- I couldn't decide)

The recipe is for one serving but I actually cooked 4 of these for the whole family.  I called it pinwheels because I have kids -- kids like pinwheels. 

Make sure everything is cut thinly to make it easier to roll.  You'll need a sharp knife to cut the tomatoes cleanly .  As far as asparagus, I used 4 spears but the grocery sold this really thin asparagus so if you fee, you need less because you have the thicker kind, please use less.


You actually still have 1 more condiment left so drizzling it with more parmesan cheese halfway to baking it, is acceptable.  I chose to skip it and opted for a Laughing Cow Cheese.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
6 oz Boneless Chicken Breast
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tomato, cut in VERY thin slices.
4 asparagus spears

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees.
2. Cut the chicken across in half so you have a thinner chicken.  Put it between two saran wraps and pound it until you have less than half an inch and flat chicken.  Remember that you will be rolling it so make sure the chicken is not too thick.
3. Heat oil in medium-high heat.  Add garlic.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on skillet to cook for about 2 minutes.  Just enough to lightly brown it.  Cook one side only.
5. Remove from skillet and spread parmesan cheese on top on the uncooked side.
6. Spread tomatoes and asparagus evenly.  Roll and place in baking pan.
7. Bake for about 12 minutes (or chicken is 170 degrees)
8. (optional) Cut crosswise to make pinwheels.

This is how it looks on the baking pan.  Just keep them
packed so they don't unroll.  

Is that a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese I see?  Why yes!
Tip:  Laughing Cow is so yummy inside the chicken.  Try
it if you're okay with the calories.

Morning Star Sausage Patties

I decided to try the MorningStar Sausage Patties that I hear so much about.  I decided 2 patties are enough for one meal tonight.  That would be 160 calories with 6g of carbohydrates.

What beautiful packaging!  I was immediately caught by the delicious looking patties with promises of tasting just like its meat counterpart without all the fat that sausage brings (although, I must admit that I used to think that the fat and sodium was what made sausages good)

Opening it, I was already disappointed.  They were packaged in twos and they looked like cardboard.  They looked nothing like the scrumptious sausage that tickled my fancy.

Regardless, I don't like wasting food and thus, a decision has been made that this will be consumed tonight!

I was in a hurry so I whipped myself a small plate of arugula, spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes to eat with my microwaved sausage patties. 

I have to say.  It wasn't half bad.  It didn't have the texture of sausage.  In fact, it didn't even have the taste you would expect.  But if you let go of your expectations, it's not bad.  It has a "goodness" all of its own and it does deserve to have a home in my freezer.

Sushi Top - Huntington Beach

I found one item in particular that meets our Lean-and-green Medifast requirement.  When I go here, I order the Salmon Skin Salad.  I ask them to remove the carrots and the fish eggs (actually, I usually keep the fish eggs because I like the texture)  There's about one tbsp on the salad which is equal to about 12 calories.

My kids usually order plain, cold tofu which I eat once in awhile.

 Also, look at their seafood appetizers.  You can basically order from any of the selections of grilled fish.  On their specials, I found the Chilean Sea Bass to be the best!  I asked the discussion boards on the Medifast website and they told me that I can have up to 6 oz of Chilean Sea Bass.  I took home one of the sea bass from Sushi Top before and it weighed at 3.5 ozs.

Not Quite Pasta (A Low-carb Pasta Substitute)

Spaghetti Squash (Pasta Substitute)

I've been on this diet for awhile now and I'm starting to miss pasta and rice a lot.  So, I think it's about time to experiment with some substitutes.  So I visited the squash and zucchini section of the produce section yesterday and I thought I'd start with spaghetti squash.

The result was delicious.  It's a bit sweeter than real pasta and in my opinion, more pleasant.  This is a bit different from my typical quick-to-fix meals.  But preparation only involved cutting the squash in half.  The rest is waiting for it to cook.  I topped my "pasta" with grilled chicken.  For sauce, I used whatever I can find that doesnt involve cooking -- lemon, butter and parmesan cheese.  Voila!  What a satisfying meal!  The only bad thing was I ate all of it in less than 15 minutes recommended by Medifast ... oh well ...

The great thing about spaghetti squash is the low calorie.  1 cup is bout 42 calories only.  1 cup is a huge serving (see pic above)

Instructions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Cut Squash in half

Spray pan lightly with oil.  Place 2 halves face down.  Bake for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Just scoop out all the contents to get your "pasta"

Top with your favorite meat or use your favorite
pasta sauce

August Raffle: The Blender Bottle

You might remember that I wrote a review on The Blender Bottle before.  Well, I found out that they now sell this at the Medifast Official Site as an alternative to the shaker jar.  So, this month, I will be raffling off The Blender Bottle.  Simply comment on this post or on the facebook page and I will randomly pick a winner on August 15 (using software -- I still have to find one ... i'm sure there's many available out there .... ).  Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win -- meaning do not post anonymously  on this website.  As for Facebook, I believe I can reach you by FB mail if I click on your name.

Good luck!

Pork Chops with Lemon and Parsley

Pork Chops

It's that time of the week when my refrigerator is empty and I've run out of veggies.  This is the perfect dish for that.  This is a very simple meal that takes about 25 minutes to cook.  The recipe is for two servings. When cutting up lemon zest, try to avoid the bitter white part of the lemon.  I find that using my peeler gives me better control.
 
Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 bone-in loin pork chops, (about 5 ozs each)

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon, parsley, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer gently until pork is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork chops to a platter or serving plates; Sprinkle with lemon-parsley mixture.
4. Serve.  

Lean & Green Requirements
less than 3 condiments
1 healthy fat serving
1 Lean Serving