Wildflower Bread Company Salad Lightened Up

My husband and I made a trip over to the mall to visit our newest obsession Teavana.  I will be telling you all about that in a future entry.  We happened to run across Wildflower Bread Company on our way home from Teavana.  I had never been, and my starving husband said come on lets give it a try.  I figured I would play it safe and get a salad.  One that will hopefully work with my diet.  My eye was drawn to the Chicken Pistachio Pomegranate.  It looked like it had all the right ingredients, low fat, low sugar, etc. so I went with my first instinct and ordered it.

My version of Wildflowers Chicken Pomegranate Salad less than 300 calories

This salad was so good I went back for it everyday the next few days.  I finally decide to  check the stats and didnt like it as much anymore.  See for yourself here nutrition info  I found 360 calories of the total 665 total calories that were unnecessary.  I was able to save 190 calories just by omitting the dressing and I had never heard of Vienna before so I called one of the local Wildflower store managers and asked about the ingredients specifically the Vienna for 160 calories....what is that?  He said he didn't know anything about it and hadn't even heard of it before.  He ran down the ingredients and listed everything but the Vienna.   

Regardless of what Vienna is I don't need the extra calories and I figured I could save myself a ton of money and calories making this myself so I gave it a try and YUM!  I wont be back to Wildflower very soon not that they aren't any good but you know what I mean.

Wildflower Bread Companies Chicken Pistachio Pomegranate salad was very easy to lighten up without losing any taste

adds lots of flavor without calories

• 1/4 c shredded red cabbage
• 1/4 c shredded green cabbage
• 1/4 c diced red onion
• 1/4 c diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 ounce fat free feta
• 2 big handfuls of arugula
• 4 ounces grilled chicken breast
• Pomegranate infused red wine vinegar to taste
•  diced oranges 
• and if you are a rebel a couple teaspoons of crushed up Pistachio nut meat and a couple Kalamata olives (if not rebel save it for P3 because it really makes the salad taste amazing)

 Measurements above are approximate.  Add more or less depending on your tastes.  Just don't be afraid to try it.  I have never eaten raw red or green cabbage before this salad in fact I have never voluntarily eaten a raw red pepper before this either.  When I ordered the salad I had no idea it had all this funny stuff in it.  I have never been into any of these veggies before but this is amazing and you must put down the Mc Nuggets and try it!

Wildflower Bread Company Chicken Pistachio Pomegranate Salad 665 calories 

New Way to Egg Day with HCG Phase 2 Egg Foo Yung

 Egg days are commonly used as a stall breaker on either P2 or P3.  If you are on P2 typically you would get 6 eggs eaten throughout the day prepared anyway you like and if you are P3 its 12 eggs for the day prepared anyway you like.  This P2 egg foo yung recipe is a really great alternative to an otherwise boring egg day.




Ingredients:

1. 1 C Egg Beaters = 4 real eggs
2. 2 C fresh bean sprouts
3. 1/4 C finely sliced celery
4. 1/4 diced water chestnuts
5. 1/2 white onion finely chopped
6. 4 green onions finely chopped
7. 1-2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger depending on how much you like.  I go crazy with it!
8. 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
9. 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
10. 2 Tbsp Braggs amino acids (soy sauce)
11.  optional: add left over chicken, hamburger, crushed red pepper, mushrooms, etc. 

In large Bowl whip together eggs, spices, and liquids.  Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat.  Use a 1 C measuring cup or ladle to scoop out the mix making sure you get lots of egg in your mixture and saute in coconut oil over medium heat about 2-3 minutes max on each side.  Use the green onions as a garnish.  My picky husband thought these were insane.  "He said so good you dont even need the gravy."

What is a Fage Day?

Fage Greek Yogurt (pronounced fa-yeh) is growing in popularity amongst the HCG dieters community daily and thats probably because of its amazing thick creamy/silky consistency.  This Greek yogurt tastes nothing like 0% fat and is even more amazing when you add a little coffee and sweetener to it and maybe a little cocoa powder or your favorite stevia flavor such as English Toffee.  Lots of combinations you could come up with.  Whats your favorite?

Many HCG dieters are doing a Fage day also known as a correction day on either P2 or P3.  If you are P2 most people do approximately 24 ounces of 0% split up throughout the day anyway you like.  They are also adding up to 8 ounces of berries to that along with sweetener usually Stevia.  You can also add your favorite spices to make a dip for veggies or cocoa for a chocolate mousse treat.  P3 would be up to 32 ounces of full fat Fage split up anyway you like throughout the day and the same additions are allowed.  

Where can I find Fage?  I found mine at Costco, my local grocery stores all of them, and Walmart.  If your stores dont carry it you can ask the manager if they would start stocking it for you and usually they will.  In the meantime you can get any plain Greek yogurt and it will taste and work just the same just make sure you look for plain Greek yogurt 0% for P2.

P2 Rosemary Chicken Salad

This easy P2 chicken salad has all the taste of the holidays without all the calories.  Feel free to make your own additions.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts oven roasted in garlic, poultry seasoning, rosemary, & a dash of cayenne
• 1/2 C water chestnuts diced
• 2 green onions diced
• 1/2 green or pink lady apple diced
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 C Celery finely sliced
• 1 5 ounce container of plain Greek yogurt 0%
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt to taste

 Oven roast your chicken breast or tenderloins sprinkled with poultry seasoning, rosemary, garlic, cayenne in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on size.  Set aside to cool

 In large bowl add all diced veggies and fruit.  Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep apples from turning brown.  Once chicken has cooled dice into small pieces and add to bowl.  Add a bit of salt, poultry seasoning, and cayenne if you like it a bit spicy.  Next add your Greek Yogurt (I added the flavored type pictured here for added flavor to my dish), Dijon, salt and mix well.

Serve with your Grissini, Melba toast, stuffed in a tomato or in my case I used mini pitas that were just 30 calories each 5 carbs and no sugars then garnished with alfalfa sprouts.



This will make 2-3 servings

Your Favorite Restaurant Style Enchilada Soup Done Right Low Carb Low Calorie

I love enchilada soup and I used to get it every time I went to Chili's for lunch which was a lot since it was right down the street from where I worked for 5 years.  I had blown up to 300 pounds and I really had no idea why and what I was doing wrong.  I thought I was eating pretty healthy but my outward appearance seemed to contradict that.  I started to pay more attention to what I was putting in my mouth and started Weight Watchers which turned out to be  wonderful educational tool for me to learn more about what I was putting into my body and what I should be putting in it.  When I learned that the bowl of enchilada soup I would add to my meal was an extra 400 calories and 25 grams of fat I just stopped eating it all together and haven't had it since.  It's been about 3 years since that revelation.

Recently someone asked can we have soup on the HCG diet and I said of course you can.  Just make sure it follows all the rules.  The question had me thinking what could I come up with.  I love to take restaurant food, make it low cal, low carb, and taste just as good if not better.  So here it is and this seriously tastes better!

• 1-2 tbsp butter just enough to saute onions, celery, and brown chicken
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 bunches of cilantro chopped
• 1 head of celery finely chopped
• 8 ounces of diced green chili's canned is fine
• 3 cartons chicken stock
• 6 corn tortillas sliced into thin strips
• 3 large chicken breasts chopped into small pieces
• 3 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic or 4-5 fresh chopped garlic added during browning of chicken
• salt to taste

In large soup pot add butter and brown chicken, add onions and celery tossing and cooking til onion translucent.  Add chicken stock, cilantro, green chili's, sliced tortillas, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and salt.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add fat free sour cream, green onions, and fresh cilantro as a garnish.

Rather than Blowing your Diet Go Through the Drive Thru

 I don't always have time or even feel like starting to cook after some of my hectic days.  Luckily Wendy's Restaurants has an easy answer to my dilemma with their tasty Apple Pecan Chicken Salad.  I use the little pkg of nuts and just one of the dressings.  This salad tastes amazing and also helps to aid my weight loss efforts even while injecting HCG.  I have been experimenting with this salad now since it came out probably a little more than a year ago and each time I have tried it while on P2 it has produced optimum results of 1 pound or more lost each time. 

I have had quite a few people tell me lately that they couldn't stick to it because their job took them on the road or they were away from home and not able to make meals.  When I shared this salad idea it seemed to perk them right up and the response was always excitement that they didn't know they could have something like this.  I have been hearing the results come in and they have all been very positive.  So rather than blow your diet next time do a drive by.