Zone Diet Cooking Tips

Fat measurements problem

Karen — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:08:16 GMT

If six peanuts are one block, does that mean the whole peanut with the shell and two pieces inside or one of the little nuts inside the shell. I am not sure if I'm suppose to add extra fat blocks when I am eating low fat protein blocks. So do I add extra or keep the fat blocks the same as the protein blocks. Also, if I have like 98% fat free turkey and 2% cottage cheese as my protein blocks in a meal,does that count as low fat protein blocks?? Thanks for reading...

Baked Oatmeal

Emma — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:48:04 GMT

Hello, I made the baked oatmeal yesterday and it tastes amazing! i poured it into 2 small cake pans and it rose about 2 inches, and then divided the cakes into 8 rectangle bars. On the recipe it says that the baked oatmeal makes 4- 3 block meals. What does this mean? Does it mean that 2 of my rectangle bars contain 3 carb blocks, 3 protein blocks, and 3 fat blocks? or does it mean that they contain 1 carb block, 1 protein block, and 1 fat block? please help me out!

Smoothie recipes please

Julia — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:53:03 GMT

Hey Zone Friends,

It is hot and smoothies hit the spot! I would love it if you'd share your smoothie recipes with forum and me please.

Many thanks ahead

Julia

Less watery?

Nicole — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:31:04 GMT

I'm new to the Zone - I'm a pretty decent cook and my husband and I are very much enjoying the recipies - that said, some of my more recent concocations have been yummy, but a little watery - I'm assuming this is likely due to the water content in the veggies?

I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion on how to solve for this? Should I be salad spinning all my veg prior to baking?

Have any of you experienced this as well? Any tips would be much appreciated!!!

Homemade Protein Bars?

Janice — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:20:43 GMT

I'm on the run a lot, and am all for convenience. That being said, I came across a fitness site with a couple of recipes for homemade protein bars. I have difficulty doing the math re: zone blocks. Not only that, they can be adjusted up or down carb-wise depending on your particular metabolism. Here are 2 recipes, one for a chocolate/peanut butter bar, and another for a lemon one. Help me balance the zone blocks with addition of carbs, etc.

Recipe #1
Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bar (clean eating)
Nutrition Info

Calories: 280.7
Fat: 14.1g
Carbohydrates: 13.5g
Protein: 28.0g

Ingredients
-4 scoops chocolate protein powder

-2/3 cup flax seed meal

-4 tbsp natural peanut butter

-1/4 cup water

-stevia or natural sweetener (optional)

-2 tbspn cocoa powder (optional)
Directions
-makes 4 servings

-mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir. At first it may not seem like it is enough water, but keep stirring and it will eventually become a sticky blob of dough. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time if needed.

-divide mixture into 4 equal portions and place in separate pieces of plastic wrap placing them into bars. It's easier to shape them by lying plastic wrap on one side of a small casserole dish, pressing the dough into the natural shape of the dish.

-store the bars in fridge or freezer. Once solid, enjoy.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe #2

Ingredients
*Oat flour, Arrowhead Mills, 0.5 cup

*Pure Protein Powder - Vanilla Creme - 1 Scoop, 1 serving

Salt, .13 tsp

Baking Powder, .25 tsp

*Crystal Light Natural Lemonade, .5 serving

*Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, 1/4 cup

egg white, fresh, 2 large

Applesauce, unsweetened, .5 cup

*Lemon Juice, 1 lemon yields

Zest 1 lemon

1/4 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oat flour, vanilla whey protein, salt, baking soda and crystal light, in large bowl.

Mix egg whites, Splenda, applesauce and water in a bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.

Spray pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.

Pour ingredients into dish.

Bake 23 minutes.

Serving Size: makes 8 squares-serving 2 squares

Number of Servings: 8

Pine Nuts?

Debi — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:23:07 GMT

I just started on the Zone this week after being off for a few years. I am excited to get back into it since it worked so well for me.

Does anyone know how many pine nuts are in a block? I love them with spinach.

thanks for the help
Debi

post breakfast & pre-dinner snack ideas

Steve — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:40:08 GMT

Looking for some ideas for post morning and pre-dinner snack ideas. I've did the greek yogurt that had 1 BL Protein and 1 BL Carb. And protein bar that had the same. Just trying to mix it up a bit. Thanks!!

ground turkey breast?

Joshua — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 12:39:03 GMT

does any one know how much ground turkey breast makes up protien block

Cauliflower popcorn?

John — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 05:06:47 GMT

Hmmm, interesting. I am going to look for a recipe, try it, then post it.
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Cauliflower pales in color but not in nutrients
Casey Seidenberg washingtonpost.com
12-07-12
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We've all heard that brown rice is more nutritious than white, whole-wheat bread beats plain white and white sugar not only lacks health benefits but also might be toxic. We've heard the darker the green vegetable the better and other encouragements to eat a rainbow of colorful foods. So what's the story with cauliflower? It is not colorful. It is white. Is it really good for us?
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Unlike processed white foods, cauliflower has many health benefits:
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l The antioxidants avert oxidation and damage to our cells, helping to prevent cancer and other diseases.
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l The anti-inflammatory properties of the vegetable help to prevent arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome and other inflammatory diseases.
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l The fiber helps to support digestion and detoxification.
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l Cauliflower is full of B vitamins, potassium and phosphorous, which support the nervous system, muscles and bones, respectively.
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We have been experimenting with the vegetable, because with all of those health benefits, I would like to secure a place for cauliflower in our family's dinner rotation. My favorite is cauliflower soup with chives, but my children's preference is what I call "cauliflower popcorn." They claim it isn't nearly as tasty as real popcorn, but they agree it has a similar flavor and texture. They tend to eat more when I add a little cinnamon to the recipe, and little do they know that cinnamon is beneficial to their blood sugar levels.
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Here are some fun facts about the vegetable:
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l The head, which is called a curd, is a bunch of undeveloped flower buds.
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l The trunks are edible, too.
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l The coarse outer leaves protect cauliflower from sunlight, preventing the chlorophyll from turning it green. Broccoli's outer leaves don't cover its flower buds as extensively, so it has more opportunity to turn green from the sunlight.
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l It is in the same family as broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprout and collards; these are called the cruciferous vegetables.
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l It is easy to overcook and turn into mush, so be careful!
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l When cooking, avoid aluminum and iron pots: Cauliflower incites a chemical reaction with these surfaces, turning the vegetable yellow. Science experiment, anyone?

Substitutions

Joyce — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 07:16:02 GMT

A few recipes use macadamia nuts. Can I use almonds instead? Say, a recipe calls for 3 macadamia nuts how many almonds does that equal? Is there a substitution list?
I went on the zone diet after my last child was born( he is 17!). I lost the needed weight and kept it off for years. However over the last ten years I have had extreme stress and thyroid problems. I have decided to quite giving excuses and go back to the Zone. Just need a little help getting the recipes together.

cranberrycat: your smoothies

Sarah — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:48:54 GMT

hi cranberrycat,

long time no chat! lol ...

i'm trying to make your smoothie, now, and i can't seem to find the recipe for it that you shared one time.

it had greek yogurt in it, and ... cottage cheese? and ... blueberries? (that's what I have anyway ...)

I have a blender now, so I wanna make smoothies ...

Oh! I remember now. It's your breakfast smoothie?

If you could let me know that would be great ... :-)

Alexy

Food labels

Wendy — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:09:38 GMT

Hello i am new to the zone. According to the block calculator i need 10 blocks per day. I am 5'3 196 lbs and 24 y/o female. My lean body mass is 118lbs. Now my question is, this morning i had some almond butter with my apple. The label says there are 16g of fat per 2 tablespoons. I had 1 Which is 8g so would i count that as 3g for 2 and a half blocks of fat or 1.5g which puts me at almost 6 blocks? This was my meal 4 egg whites, Half a cup of salsa (which i just read the label and it says theres 2g of carbs per 2 tbsp) and half a small apple and 1 tbsp of almond butter. I devided my blocks like this. 2 blocks for breakfast, 3 blocks for lunch and 2 blocks for dinner. Plus 3 1 block snacks. Please help me:)

Swedes

Coral — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 18:18:51 GMT

I was wanting to have some swedes into my meals for some variety and am trying to figure out how much is 1 block and whether it's an everyday or sometimes choice. Is anyone able to help with this?

On NUTS

John — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:29:05 GMT

This months Zone newsletter, Sue wrote an article about nuts. A good article; however, i would dispute one thing in the article.
She suggests dry roasted peanuts (in the context of deep-fried shells).
Nuts, like meats, when heated at high temperature (Meats above 300 deg F) also produce harmful products (acrylamide in nuts and AGEs in meats).
So, unless one roasts their own nuts at low temperatures, at home -- you are destroying some of the nutrients and ingesting more harmful ones.
So, I would stay away from any store bought roasted nuts ....
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"Nuts undergo a natural chemical transformation when heated, making them a potentially dangerous addition to a diet plan."
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"Acrylamide
Roasting nuts also has its risks. Acrylamides -- chemicals that form in foods during the roasting process -- have carcinogenic effects in animals and could also have harmful human effects. In a Swiss study reported in the 2005 "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," researchers noted that nuts highest in free asparagine, a type of amino acid, had the highest levels of acrylamides after roasting. In this study, roasted hazelnuts contained low levels of acrylamides, and European almonds contained less than almonds grown in the United States."
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"Scientists have tested for the potentially harmful levels of acrylamide, a potentially threatening byproduct of the amino acid asparagine, in roasted nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts. The research results showed that those nuts containing high levels of asparagine released the cancerous chemical compound more than those lacking the amino acid.
Nuts rich in asparagine, such as almonds, have the potential to harm your health and fitness when roasted. Sticking to raw nuts remains the safest method to avoid such problems."
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"By now, you probably realize that nuts are good for you. Yes, they're high in calories, but they're also loaded with monounsaturated fats which help to improve your lipid profile and decrease your risk of heart disease. You should be getting more nuts; but instead of turning to roasted nuts, as most people do, you may want to consider the health benefits of raw organic nuts.
What advantage do raw organic nuts have over roasted ones? One area of considerable concern with regard to roasted nuts is the issue of acrylamides. Acrylamides are chemicals formed when certain foods containing the amino acid asparagine are heated to a high temperature. The problem with acrylamides is they've been shown to cause cancer in animals and are strongly believed to be carcinogenic in humans. The majority of nuts contain enough asparagine that when roasted to high temperatures they form significant amounts of these cancer causing chemicals.

The way to avoid the formation of dangerous acrylamides is to eat raw organic nuts rather than the roasted variety. This is particularly true of almonds which generally form higher levels of acrylamides than do other roasted nuts. The hazelnut is a nut with lower levels of asparagines so it's least likely to form high levels of acrylamides.

There's also some question as to whether heating nuts to high temperatures alters the healthy fats that make them so beneficial for the heart. Heat has the ability to cause changes in chemical bonds which may affect structures such as fats. High heat can also increase the formation of free radicals which have negative effects on the body by damaging DNA, the genetic material. These free radicals can also cause a reaction called lipid peroxidation which can injure the walls of blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease."
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Valentine's Day Dinner

Sue — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:15:35 GMT

What's everyone planning for dinner tonight?

I have stuffed eggplant in mind because I've got an eggplant and fresh ground turkey breast at home in the fridge. I picked up some lemon thyme at the store last night that might work very with it. I'm thinking about stuffing the eggplant with diced eggplant, onion, garlic, celery, turkey, that lemon thyme, and maybe a bit of ground coriander. Dessert will be a big bowl of OG strawberries.

"enchilada" dinner

janet — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:36:21 GMT

Mmm, my dinner tonite is awesome. Had to share! Leftover crockpot pot roast in broth heated up with a dollop of canned enchilada sauce served over sauteed cubed winter squash (what kind is it?) and thin sliced cooked swiss chard!:laugh:

omega-3 cookiing oil - is this OK

jee — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:19:22 GMT

Hi,
I like to fry some of my cooking and I know that Dr. Sears is against cooking with vegetable oil because of the Omega-6 oils which is bad for you. But I came across this cooking oil by crisco and it says it has omega-3 oils in it. Does this mean it is ok to fry things in them? Also, can a company lie about their oil content? Does any food manufacturer have to pass through FDA testing in order to get their products there on the shelf? And lastly, how can I test any oils for Omega-3 and Omega-6 which they claim to be?

Greek Yogurt

Jennifer — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:57:23 GMT

Can someone tell me if they can stay in the Zone eating greek yogurt? I've tried adding more fat, but that doesn't seem to help. I generally eat the berry or fruit variety (i.e. blueberry, peach, etc).

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

cranberrycat — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:17:13 GMT

Tofu, extra firm 12oz (6P)
Chicken broth, low sodium 8 cups (1C)
chile paste 2 tsp
soy sauce 1/4 cups (1/2C)
mushrooms, chopped raw 2 cups (1/2C)
black pepper 1/2 tsp
white vinegar 1/4 cups
Bamboo shoots, cut into julienne strips 1 cups (1/4C)
water chestnuts, sliced/diced 2/3 cup (or one can drained) (2C)
snow peas, chopped 3/4 cups (1/2C)
cornstarch 3 tsp. (3/4C)
cold water 1/3 cups
2 eggs, whole, beaten (2P, 2F)
sesame oil 4 2/3 tsp. (14F)
green onions, thinly sliced 3/4 cups (1/2C)

Remove tofu from package. Place block of tofu between several layers of paper towels and place a dinner plate on top to press out excess moisture. After 15 minutes, dice tofu into 1/4 inch cubes. Set aside. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add chile paste (optional), soy sauce, and musrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, vinegar, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, and tofu, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Mix cornstarch with cold water until smooth, then stir into soup. Bring up to a simmer. Pour beaten eggs over the simmering surface in a very thin stream. Let stand for 15 seconds, then stir in sesame oil and green onions. Taste and correct seasonings, if necessary.

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A few notes, each ingredient is shown as the number of blocks it represents in parentheses. It is 8 blocks protein, 6 blocks carb, so you can either add more veggies, or add a block of fruit for dessert. I explained the fat below...

The amount for the chicken broth is the amount as shown on the can that I had used for the recipe. You may have to adjust as needed if your brand differs from mine.

I didn't use the chile paste in mine, this is purely for seasoning only. I didn't count it towards block total. Also, I DID count the soy sauce, since I used a significant amount in the recipe. Normally, one would not have to count soy sauce, though.

Also, I found a discrepency between the nutrition information on the labels and the block list for the bamboo shoots and the sesame oil. Again, you may need to look at your food labels and adjust as needed.

Finally, regarding the tofu, I don't use tofu all that often, and I am having a "mental block" as to whether or not tofu is fat free. I counted it as fat free in my calculations, and so therefore, the fat blocks are doubled for the tofu. If you decide to use egg whites instead of whole eggs, then you would double all of the fat.

Anyway, this is a quick compilation from the notes that I scratched into my book, hope this makes sense! I only made it a few times, and it was delicious!

Turkey Day: whats on your menu?

cranberrycat — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:18:54 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

What is on your menu today? How do you plan to stay in the Zone?