Hi Everyone!

I'm starting this thread to share my meals, snacks and recipes. I'll include specifics where it's critical to the integrity of the dish. Otherwise I'll leave it up to you to choose the amounts of the ingredients to suit your block needs and personal balance. I don't often use formal recipes for meals, but when I do, I'll include the recipe.

I'll include lines of asterisks (********) in the posts that contain recipes and meal/snack info, so they can easly be spotted among the other comments and replies in this therad

Cheers!

We love this taco burger salad. It's like the one in TOXIC FAT, but I add my own twist.


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TACO BURGER SALAD


1. Saute minced garlic and a fair amount of chopped onion in olive oil. Add a medium or hot salsa, black beans, a little water and the Tex/Mex seasonings of your choice. Simmer.

2. While the mixture simmers, in another pan saute a burger made of 4 oz ground turkey mixed with 1/4 cup salsa.

3. Plate the meal as follows: Place the burger on a huge bed of shredded iceberg lettuce. Sprinkle with a 3 crushed whole grain corn chips. Top with the bean mixture, a little bit of shredded low fat Mexican blend cheese, a dollop or two of plan yogurt or low fat sour cream, diced tomato, chopped scallions, sliced jalapeno, and a little bit of sliced olives.


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You'd be surprised how many traditional high carb dishes you can make Zone friendly while still retaining the same look and delicious taste! :-)



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ZONED NACHOS


Think of "Nachos Bel Grande" at Taco Bell and then make it this way:


1. Put a thin layer of browned ground turkey flavored with chili spices and taco sauce (use a low carb one) on a small dessert sized plate and top with a sprinkle of a low fat shredded Mexican cheese blend; Sargento is very good. You can keep some prepared ground turkey in the fridge to use for nachos. Zap quickly in the microwave to warm it.

2. Top with a diced tomato, chopped scallions (we simply hold the scallions over the food and snip them with a kitchen scissors), a small dollop of plain yogurt or reduced fat sour cream and another small dollop of guacamole. Drizzle a little taco sauce on if you'd like, as long as it's very low carb type.

3. Crumble 2 to 4 Nature's Promise low fat whole grain corn chips on top.


Eat with a fork.

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It's delicious! You can make it 3 times that size and have a whole meal of it.

Here's a favorite breakfast smoothie at my house. When you make it you'll see why my family refers to it as brownie batter. It's based on a recipe in a Zone book.



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SUE'S BROWNIE BATTER SMOOTHIE

I'll add some specifics about the brands I like best in it for flavor and consistency, but no special brands are needed. It's a 3P, 2C, 5 F meal.

(tweaked to meet my needs of 3P, 2C, 5F, and to include inflammation lowering ingredients)

Ingredients:

1/5 frozen organic (OG) banana

1 generous block frozen OG dark cherries, about 1/3 cup or 12 big cherries (I use Cascadian Farms, Trader Joe's or Columbia River Organic's, because I can't stay in the Zone as well with other other brands of cherries.)

1 huge heaping T raw cacao (chocolate) powder, about 1/8 cup (not dutched, which means not treated with alkali)

3 blocks Zone Protein Powder (3 scoops)

1/2+ tsp. turmeric (refer to info in The Anti-Inflammation Zone)

a very generous amount of cinnamon (cinnamon stimulates the efficiency of insulin)

a scant 1 tsp. alcohol free glycerin based almond flavoring

1/8 to 1/4 cup of chocolate soy milk, just to help it blend better (I use "West Soy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk" because it has barely has 1g insulin stimulating C to each P block)

1T Zone OG olive oil




Directions:


Blend with an immersion blender, or process is a small food processor. Makes one very thick and delicious chocolaty breakfast and keeps me in the Zone very well (I'm carb sensitive). Sometimes I'll also add a tablespoon or two of plain yogurt.

You can also divide it into thirds thirds and freeze to eat for quick snacks (that makes three 1 block snacks with the same drop a carb and add fat adjustment).


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Enjoy!

This is delicious for a bedtime snack.



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COLD RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE SOUP

Slightly mash 1 cup raspberries with a fork. Add 1/2 cup West Soy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk, ½ block protein powder and a few drops lemon juice. Mix well and let stand a minute or two to thicken. Garnish with 1/2 to 1 tsp. peanut butter.

For peach soup, use fresh peaches, vanilla protein powder, vanilla or almond flavored soy milk, and Macadamia nut butter.

Tips:

Fresh or frozen (thawed) fruit thickens it better than canned.


Peanut butter, almond butter, or Macadamia nut butter all work well in both the raspberry and peach soups.


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I prefer West Soy unsweetened soy milks because they don't contain the additional carbs found in some soy milks. West Soy unsweetened is available plain and also in vanilla, chocolate, and almond flavors.

This is one of my favorite lunches to bring on day trips to the beach. It makes a great snack too!


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CHOCOLATE TOFU

In a food processor of blender process 1 tub extra firm tofu (5 P) with a little water (not too much or it will be runny, I prefer it on the thicker side), 1 1/2 to 2 T cocoa powder (fiber accounts for most of the C in cocoa powder), 1 2/3 tsp. olive oil (or 2 1/2 tsp. of either peanut butter or almond butter), and 2 tsp. fructose. Process until is a smooth consistency. Then process longer and the texture will become silky smooth. Makes 5 blocks of 1P, 1F each (contains negligible C). Balance with fruit for the C. If you want to pay the price of these, tart red pie cherries (canned in water) go best with this. Also good with it are fresh blackberries.

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This is a nice lunch when having guests, especially ones who doubt they can be satisfied with a Zone balanced meal!


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COLD SALMON LUNCH

(a 3 block Zone meal)

Handful of torn lettuce

3 ½ oz cooked salmon flaked....a bit over 2P
(salmon was previously baked with minced garlic on top)

dressing for salmon:
1T Lite Canola Mayo (Spectrum brand)....2F
1heaping T yogurt
snipped fresh dill and ground black pepper to taste

scant ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese....a bit under 1P
1T guacamole....1F
4 lower fat whole grain corn chips....½C
1 medium tomato chopped....½C

¼ cup chick peas....1C
(roast chick peas in garlic powder and onion powder on stovetop, if desired)

½ cup grapes....1C

Stir dressing into salmon and place on lettuce. Top cottage cheese with guacamole and tomatoes and use as dip for teh chips. Place chick peas on plate with salmon. Serve grapes for dessert.


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Enjoy!

These are delicious! They're great to use in a snack, and an addition to a salad or just about anything.


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ROASTED CHICK PEAS


Sprinkle chick peas with onion power and cook over low to medium heat in a nonstick pan until slightly browned.


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This is a dish I've brough to our extended family Easter dinner. For an autumn/winter version skip the marinated pineapple and roast fennel, sweet onion, chunks of celery stalk, carrot chunks, and a little bit of yam and apple.



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FENNEL AND SWEET ONION WITH PINEAPPLE



Place canned pineapple chunks (8 to 10 chunks for each fennel bulb used) in a thin layer of fresh squeezed lime juice, and set aside to marinate while the veggies bake.

Cut equal amounts of large sweet onions and fennel bulbs into large, but bite sized wedges. Put in glass baking dish, lightly salt, and drizzle with light olive oil. Cover with foil, and slit to vent. Bake at 375 to 400 till soft (20 to 30 min???), and uncover to “roast” for the last 15-20 min.

When done cooking, remove pineapple from marinade and place on top of veggies.


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This is great for a meal or a snack (divide int thirds for 3 one block snacks).



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SAUSAGE, ASPARAGUS, APPLE SALAD

(one meal, 3P/2C/4F)


Ingredients:

mild Italian chicken sausage, enough to yield about 20g protein, or 1 ½ links “Nature’s Promise” brand from Stop and Shop (cooked, chilled, sliced) 3P

scant 1 ½ cups asparagus (steamed, chilled, cut bite sized) <1.5C

¼ Granny smith apple (sliced thin across width of the apple) 0.5C


for dressing:

1 1/3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 4F

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice minimal C

18 to 1/4 tsp ground coriander

salt and pepper


Directions:

Mix dressing ingredients. Toss with sausage, asparagus, and apple. Season with salt and pepper.

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This was inspired by the cold foods bar at our Whole Foods Market.



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ZONED EASY COLD CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKES

(serves 2; 3P, 2C, 4F each)



Ingredients:

6 oz raw boneless skinless chicken breast that has been cooked (seasoned as you wish during cooking, Italian seasoning is very good with this) and chilled, cut into large bite sized chunks
1 can artichoke hearts (plain, not marinated), drained
1 can heart of palm, drained
2 roasted red peppers (from the jar) cut into large bite size strips
2 small to medium sized tomatoes cut into wedges
Small handful of baby greens (optional)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of gray salt
pinch of pepper

one pear, cut in half

Mix together all but pear, and chill. Split between two plates and serve ½ of the pear with each for dessert.


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Swedes (rutabagas) make a very tasty veggie side. We had them last night with chicken and veggies.

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CHICKEN AND VEGGIES

Place boneless skinless chicken breasts in a baking dish and cover with bite sized chunks of sweet onion, celery, fennel and carrots. Sprinkle with seasonings. My choices of seasonings are usually onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, poultry seasoning and paprika. Pour a little chicken broth over it, enough to cover the bottom of the dish to 1/4 inch deep. Cover with foil, vented, and bake in a 350 oven until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Drizzle with EVOO and serve as is, or for a nice soup cut up the chicken and add along with the veggies to a pot of chicken broth plus more of the same seasonings and some S&P. It's a great comfort food on a cold winter day. A small handful of Zone Fusilli Pasta, or a tablespoon of steel cut oats or barley thrown into the soup pot adds a nice touch.

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SMASHED SWEDES

Peel and cut small tro medium sized swedes into chunks. Boil in water, just until tender. Drain and mash with a little bit of milk and a tiny amount of honey. Stir in a small amount of raisins. Delicious!

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My husband's favorite way to eat leftover smashed swedes (but certainly not my favorite way!) is to heat a bowlful in the microwave and then stir in some cottage cheese.

wow. thank you , Sue! those all look good. Especially the cold chicken and artichokes, which I confess screamed for some cubed mozzarella....I guess sub out some of the chicken for cheese (low fat of course)

You're welcome Janet!

Yes, you could substitute cheese for some of of the chicken. You'll mostly see dairy products being used as comdiments in my meals because I don't eat much dairy.

Good stuff I can't wait to try the BROWNIE BATTER SMOOTHIE and COLD RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE SOUP

Let me know how you like them!

Hi Sue 2 questions, what would be a good sub for Soy-milk? Could you explain( cinnamon stimulates the efficiency of insulin) thanks

Hi hill!

A substitution for soy milk would be cow's milk, I guess. My meals are a drop a carb block balance, so cow's milk would provide the dropped carb. That wouldn't work for snacks like the raspberry soup.

Cinnamon has been found to stimulate the efficiency of insluin so you need less insulin to process sugars in the body. Barry Sears explains it in TOP 100 ZONE FOODS, and I've read and heard the same thing in many diet and nutrition books and lectures.

Hi Everyone!

I've just added more meals to the photo album in my signature, balsamic turkey breast with a veggie salad, portabello pizza and sausage, chicken enchilada salad, and salmon salad with tomatoes. To view the album scroll over the photo in my signature below and click when the link appears.

Hi!

Thought I'd paste this here from another thread where I just posted it:


Today I've had very a hectic day with a strenuous yoga class first thing in the morning, work (I work from home), an afternoon appointment, more work, and next will be an aerobic workout. Tonight I'll be watching the Biggest Loser. :-) Here's what I've been eating today (I have a 13 block day):

Breakfast: 1/2 Cocoa Crisp Dr Sears Zone bar and a Brownie Batter Smoothie

Snack after yoga: 1/2 Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch Zone bar

Lunch: turkey burger (made with almost fat free ground turkey, Tex-Mex spices, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 1/4 cup hot salsa) topped with hot salsa, a little bit of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, a spoonful of yogurt, a couple crumbled corn chips and lots of jalapeno pepper slices (the very HOT kind in vinegar, from a jar); raspberries for dessert

Afternoon snack/pre aerobic workout snack: I just ate 1/2 of a Chocolate Fudge Zone bar (I loooove these!)

Dinner: (will be) stir fry of tofu, bean sprouts, celery, baby bok choi, onions, carrots, oil, garlic, ginger, scallions and Bragg's

Bedtime snack: undecided

I have heard the same thing about cinnamon, but on the other hand, there are no peer-reviewed studies out there that suggest that cinnamon really does what people claim. I read one that stated that a group of type 2 diabetics were studied and the group who used higher amounts of cinnamon did not decrease their insulin needs.

CC, I wonder if it has anything with the type of cinnamon you use ... there are so many different strengths. Personally, my cinnamon is VERY strong and HOT. I think that's why I liked it so much in the chili.

There are studies that have been done with people; please refer to these:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/539016

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=518

Richard Anderson, mentioned in these articles, is the same peron who's earlier work with animals in regard to cinnamon and insulin is discussed by Barry Sears in TOP 100 ZONE FOODS.

Here's an old recipe of mine for a Zone friendly pizza, much like real pizza but without bread, though the crust does contain a bit of flour. I’d consider this a once in a while meal due to the flour and the whole eggs (higher density carb and AA).


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Zucchini Crust Pizza

Makes one pizza (about 12-14 inch). Serves four.

Crust Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini
salt
3 whole eggs lightly beaten
¼ to 1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 to 2 T chopped fresh basil (or a lesser amount of dried basil)
dried oregano to taste

Toppings:

1 cup spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce
ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 chicken or turkey Italian sausages, crumbled and browned
1 green pepper, sliced paper thin
1 onion, sliced paper thin
2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Lightly sprinkle salt on shredded zucchini, mix in, and leave for 15 min. Squeeze out water. Mix all crust ingredients and spread on pizza stone or 12 inch prepared pizza pan. Bake about 20 min or until top is dry to the touch and beginning to brown . Remove from oven and add toppings in the order listed. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted. Serve with fruit for dessert.


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Hi Everyone,

hill has provided us with lots of additional interesting information about cinnnamon in this thread: http://www.zonediet.com/Community/F...fault.aspx

for some reason that link said cannot find matching document....

IDK, it works for me.

Janet, it worked for me. Just an fyi, this is the website Hill referred to us about cinnamon. Good information.

http://www.nutritionalwellness.com/...heller.php

Thanks Karen! I did't think to post the actual address in hill's post. :-)

Sue, I didn't read the links that you supplied, but I did a search of my own.

I was looking specifically for the study that I had seen on it. I didn't find it, but I did find other studies that are in support of cinnamon. So, I officially retract my stand on cinnnamon.

Out of respect for the integrity of this thread, I will not be deleting my post.

BTW, cinnamon is one of my favorite and most commonly used seasonings. Regardless of the fact that cinnamon may or may not have an effect on glucose/insulin, I think it is a very enjoyable seasoning to add to food!

thanks for putting the pics up, one picture's worth a thousand words! Those meals look good.

You're welcome janet! Glad you like them. I'm going to be adding some more soon.

Here's a tip about ground turkey and a few turkey burger ideas.


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Turkey Burgers


You can get ground turkey almost fat free in some stores (ground turkey breast). I usually try to buy that, when available, to cut back on the amount of animal fat found in the typical ground turkey. Before forming it into burgers I add one block of light olive oil per block of protein, and also other ingredients depending on the flavor I want. Here are some of our favorite additions. For Tex-Mex flavor I add the light olive oil, a spicy salsa, onion, garlic, and chili powder. For a good all purpose burger, I add the oil, Worcestershire sauce, a couple good pinches of shredded low fat cheddar cheese per burger, onion powder and garlic powder. Another quick and easy good one is to add the oil, a generous amount of chop house seasoning, and some salt and pepper.


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Sue,
This chocolate Tofu sounds pretty good. I am going to make it later for a sweet treat tonight. I am a huge ice cream lover, so mabe this will be a good replacement. I am not too familiar with cooking with Tofu. Could I use Soft tofu to make it creamier? I have both at home.
Do you have any other good Tofu recipes with Extra firm or Soft?
Thanks<img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

Kristen19, if you use soft tofu, I think that the protein to carb ratio changes. I am not sure, don't have a label. But, if you have both, just take a peek at both labels and compare.

Hi Kristen19!

I don't use soft tofu becasue the ones I find usually have a higer carb count. This recipe is very creamy using either firm or extra firm tofu. The way to get blended tofu silky smooth is to process it in a food processor for much longer than you'd usually process a food. The longer you process it, the silkier smooth it becomes.

A tip about this recipe, it's not sweet, nor is it like ice cream. For an ice cream-like snack, try the Brownie Batter Smoothie recipe in this thread.

Hi Kristen19!

I don't use soft tofu because some of it has a higer carb count. This recipe is very smooth and creamy using either firm or extra firm tofu. The way to get blended tofu silky smooth is to process it in a food processor for much longer than you'd usually process a food. The longer you process it, the silkier smooth it becomes. Adjust the consistency further to your liking with a little bit of water.

A tip about this recipe, it's not sweet, nor is it like ice cream. For an ice cream-like snack, try the Brownie Batter Smoothie recipe in this thread.

Has anyone used 100% pumpkin puree in their muffin recipes?? I love pumpkin and I was going to try it in place of some of the apple sauce in the applespice muffin recipe. The fiber to carb ratio is 9gcarb to 5gfiber per 1/2 cup which i thought was good.
Any advice???

Note that pumpkin is might be unfavorable carb (I'm not sure on that) that you'll be substituting for favorable carb (applesauce).

Thank you, I could not find pumpkin in the block list so I wasn't sure. I am surprised it is unfavorable because it is such a healthy food, with so much fiber. I guess it is in the way that the body metabolizes it, that is unhealthy.
Thank you for the tofu advice as well. For some reason the package I had of the soft tofu (vs. the firm) had the same carbs. the protien was only a gram difference and the fat was also the same. I guess it depends on the brand used. <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

Kristen19,

Yep, the pumpkin is unfavorable, but just remember that you can use unfavorable carb-in moderation. I agree, though, that pumpkin is a really good source of fiber and vitamins!

I just checked the glycemic load, and it really isn't all that high. I wonder what it is that makes pumpkin so unfavorable?

You're welcome Kristin19! I assume pumpkin to be a carb to use in moderation (less favorable) because it's in the winter squash family. On the other hand, spaghetti squash is a hard squash that's similar to winter squashes yet it's Zone friendly, so pumpkin might be also. Regardless, if it's only 1 block spread 12 -16 blocks, it's not going to have great impact.

Something of note, that I have been working on these past few days...

We have had some discussion in these forums on "favorable" vs. "unfavorable", why is it that some things are unfavorable when it just doesn't make sense. Karen and I were working on the bean issue a few weeks ago.

Anyway, I had a few exchanges of email from the Zone Support staff (this was regarding the bean discussion). I basically found out that the basis for the ratings of carbohydrates is based on Sear's work from 1995. Now, obviously there has been some changes made to the block list over the years, but for the most part, things are based on very old data.

She had said that some sources, such as data from Mendosa and from the site that I like to use, are pretty reliable sources for determining glycemic load. When I had asked what the source was that Sears used in 1995 (I was expecting her to cite some source from the bibliography in "Enter the Zone"), she stated that Sears could not remember exactly where this information came from! Now, I don't know if she said this because they prefer not to release the reference, or if it is true that he doesn't remember where it came from.

Anyway, the point is that perhaps some foods are in need of further study and updates need to be made?

I agree with Sue, if you are only using one block's worth, then it really isn't that much to be worrying about. Truthfully, I would be more worried about the rest of it, mainly the oat flour being used for the majority of the carb.

Hi CC, I was wondering that when you look for the Glycemic load what is the minimun in other to know if a certain food (carb) is unfav such as the pumpkin example?

Sue those new pictures of you recipies look yumiiiiii!!!!

It is usually a GL of 10 or less. Depends on the website that you are using, but I generally use www.nutritiondata.com.

One cup of pumpkin from a can has an estimated GL of 6.

Ah that's the same website that I always use! Thanks!!!!!!!

So for example, I looked grees peas, I found them roasted and taste great so I bought them for snack but when I looked them on the zone list and they are under unfav carbs eventhough their GI is 9 (for a cup). What do you think about this?

I think that might be a bit high for a GL, considering that you would probably want to eat more than 1 cup of peas for your carbs in a meal.

But how about for a snack 1/2c? Would you say is ok?

I generally don't track my GL's all that close (after all, that is what the block list is supposed to do for me). You could try them for an occasional snack, to see if they work for you.

Hi everyone!

Here's my menu from yesterday.

I eat 13 blocks a day.

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A Day in The Zone


Breakfast (3 bl): egg white omelet topped with chili (leftover turkey chili made of ground turkey, kidney and black beans, onions, tomato, seasonings and olive oil); nuts and a few strawberries on the side

Mid morning snack (2 bl): 1 Dr Sears Zone bar (Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch flavor)

Lunch (at Whole Foods Market; 3 bl): Baked fish (baked with olive oil, canola oil and lemon slices), a huge serving of spinach sauteed with garlic cloves, fresh raspberries

Afternoon snack (1 bl): egg whites and hummus

Dinner (3 bl): Salmon, sautéed thin sliced nappa cabbage seasoned with vinegar , Bragg’s Liguid Aminos and a pinch of fructose; stir fried veggies with cashews seasoned with Bragg’s ( a purchased pre-cut mix of fresh onion, bok choi, pea pods, bamboo shoots, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and baby corn); a few fresh strawberries for dessert

Bedtime snack (1bl): plain yogurt with vanilla flavoring and Macadamia nut butter mixed in

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Thanks Marie!

I'm planning to add some more new photos this weekend.

Your best bet would be to keep the amount of roasted peas to a minimum. Green peas are included on Barry Sears' list of carb to use in modertaion. 1/2 cup of peas is 1 C block. If those roasted peas are also dried and crunchy (like a snack food) they are even less likely to help maintain lower insulin levels. The more a carb is processed (cooked, dried, powdered, etc.), the less Zone friendly it becomes.

This makes a delicious snack or meal. The slightly heated goat cheese is very creamy. Enjoy!


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Goat Cheese and Tomatoes

(inspired by a recipe by Whole Foods Market)

recipe makes 1P, 1C, 1F



Ingredients:

1 block low fat at goat cheese, crumbled
1 very large, or two medium, tomatoes, stem removed and tomato cut in half from top to bottom
Dried basil, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
Optional: a little extra virgin oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side facing up, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 min or until tender. (They should not cook so long that they begin to fall apart). Remove from oven and top with goat cheese. Sprinkle with basil. Broil for about 2 min or until cheese begins to turn golden and bubble. Drizzle with a little extra virgin oil, if desired. Serve immediately.


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Sue,

All of these recipes look terrific, but the one that caught my eye the most was the roasted tomatoes with goat cheese. I've never used goat cheese other than Feta, could you give me an example maybe of what you used? I'm eager to try it!

Thanks Elizabeth!

It's a cheese made from goat's milk that is simply called goat cheese. It's available in both the regular full fat type and a reduced fat version. It's usually in formed into logs, sometimes wedges, and also comes crumbled. It has a crumbly yet creamy texture and a distinct flavor (a mild, but distinct flavor). It's delicious. It's delicious and is nothing like, neither in texture, appearance nor taste. I'd say it's not appropriate for every day in the Zone because even the reduced fat version is a bit higher in fat than the typical Zone protein source. I've also seen brie made from goat's milk, but that's not what's used in this recipe. Goat cheese is available in all grocery stores where I live (CT). It's also called chevre. I used the crumbled type in the tomato recipe. I'm planning to put a photo of it in my album later today. Let me know how you liked it after you try it!

A delicious and easy recipe for goat cheese and lentils can be found in some of the Zone books. The recipe contains lentils, goat cheese, lime juice, black pepper (I think), and maybe a little olive oil too.

This recipe is quick and easy to make and is a favorite at our house. It's pictured in the photo album in my signature.


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Minestrone Soup

Makes 10 servings of about ¾ cup each, approximately 1 C and 1 F per serving

Ingredients:



1 generous tablespoon light olive oil

1 container of Whole Foods Market Minestrone Soup Produce Starter Mix; the alternative is to prepare this starter mix yourself. It contains a little bit of torn kale, approximately 2 cups of chopped veggies (specifically yellow squash, zucchini, white onions, plum tomatoes, carrots, celery, and green beans), and about 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans (a regular sized can, drained) mixed with a minced fresh garlic. If you’re preparing it yourself, it’s best to mix the kidney beans and garlic first, or even earlier in the day, to season the beans.

1 tablespoon of dry steel cut oats

1 teaspoon sea salt (or an amount to your taste)

1 large can diced organic tomatoes

4 cups of organic fat free chicken stock

Dried thyme to your taste (less is more in this recipe)

Freshly ground black pepper to your taste



Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add kale, cut vegetables, steel cut oats and salt. Sauté for 10 minutes.

3. Add the can of tomatoes, stock, kidney bean mixture and thyme. Bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes.

4. Season with the ground pepper and serve.



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Hi Everyone!

I've just added 14 more photos, some with recipes, to the album in my signature.

Enjoy!

Hi Everyone!

Here's a Zone balanced muffin that comes out very moist. It's inspired by the muffin recipes in Zone books. A few years ago I combined a couple of Zone book muffin recipes, dropped and added ingredients and tweaked it a number of times. This is the final result. The last time made these, a few yrs ago, Zone Labs’ protein powder was not yet available; I’ve never tried it in this recipe. If anyone makes this recipe let me know how you like it!



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Chocolate Blueberry Zucchini Muffins




Makes 12 to 16 muffins



Consider 1 muffin to be a balanced one block snack both for individuals who use an equal P and C balance and for those who use the drop 1 carb balance.



Dry Ingredients:


1 cup oat flour
5 scoops of chocolate egg white protein powder, the type of protein powder used is critical to the texture and moistness of the muffin(15 blocks)
1 tablespoon apple pie spice, or 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, and a little nutmeg
1 tablespoon nonaluminum baking powder
2 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder



Wet Ingredients:


2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites
2 ½ to 3 tablespoons light olive oil (do not use evoo)
1 tablespoon almond extract
scant 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
¼ cup plain yogurt



Add-ins:


1/3 cup broken walnut pieces
½ cup blueberries
1 small to medium sized zucchini grated (grate at last minute to prevent the water from separating out)
(optional) ¼ cup organic chocolate chips or 1 small organic low carb content dark chocolate bar broken into pieces Don’t use regular chocolate chips because it will throw off the C balance.



Instructions:


1. Pre heat the oven to 350°F. Oil the muffin tin, but don’t use any paper liners.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. Combine the wet ingredients, whisking them together until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until evenly mixed, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate the flour and remove lumps. Do not over mix, or muffins will be tough. Gently fold in the walnuts, blueberries, zucchini, and chocolate chips or pieces.
4. Spoon the batter equally into silicone muffin pans that have been oiled with a little olive oil. Do not use muffin cup papers.
5. Bake just until firm to the touch and golden on top and around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, usually about 15 to 18 minutes. Take care not to over bake. If over baked they will be dry and tough. Cool on a wire rack (run a knife around the edges if needed to remove from the muffin tin). Cover and refrigerate. Use the muffins within 1 week, or freeze.



***************************************************************

Here's another 13 block day of meals and snacks (today's).


***********************************************************************


13 Block Day in The Zone


A tip, keep a big bowl of fresh cut up veggies in the fridge for a quick meal or snack anytime; simply saute them in a little olive oil for a few minutes and season as desired.


Breakfast (3 bl): Brownie Batter Smoothie (refer to recipe earlier in this thread)

Mid morning snack (1 bl): smoked mackerel and a bowl of minestrone soup (refer to the recipe earlier in this thread)

Lunch (4 bl): slices of leftover chicken breast, a mixture of fresh veggies (yellow squash, zucchini, grape tomatoes, sweet onion and red pepper) sauteed for 3 to 5 min in olive oil and seasoned with thyme, marjoram, rosemary, S&P; fresh blueberries for dessert.

Afternoon snack (1 bl): 1/2 Dr Sears Zone bar (Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch flavor)

Dinner (3 bl): Tex -Mex hot and spicy turker burger (refer to recipe earlier in this thread) topped with salsa and black beans, 1 crumbled whole grain corn taco chip, a generous pinch of low fat cheddar cheese and a spoonful fo Greek-style yogurt (cook beans and salsa in the same pan with the burger, as the burger cooks)

PM snack (1 bl) will be Zone cereal with West Soy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk


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These are some of my favorite ways to use turkey bacon in the Zone.

Enjoy!


*********************************************************************

4 Turkey Bacon Favorites


1. Wrap a slices of turkey bacon around sea scallops (1/2 to 1 slice per scallop, depending on how large the scallops are) and broil.


2. Crumble a slice or two of cooked turkey bacon on top of a cobb salad (romain lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped cold chicken, chopped eggwhite, chopped avocado, and a Zone friendly creamy dressing of you choice; I like blue cheese or ranch).


3. Include a slice or two of cooked turkey bacon in a lettuce wrap version of a BLT or turkey club (cold chicken or turkey, slices of tomato, slices of turkey bacon and a little canola oil mayo).

4. When making New England Clam Chowder from scratch with fresh clams (I love this!), add a couple slices of chopped turkey bacon together with the onions as you sautee them.


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Tonight's dinner...


*****************************************************************************

Zoned Tacos Without The Shell

(a quick and easy meal)


Place the following on a plate in amounts to meet your usual meal balance and enjoy!



Ground turkey browned in a little olive oil, a bit of water added, and seasoned with taco seasoings of your choice. Our favorite combo is garlic powder, onion powder, a little gray sea salt, a lot of chili powder, and a couple pinches of nutmeg. For this meal I use ground turkey breast that's practically fat free. That way I can add lots of freshly made guacamole.

A small scoop of cottage cheese (a block or so).

Lots of chopped fresh tomatoes.

Freshly made guacamole (avocados slightly mashed with a Bearitos guacamole seasoning packet and lots of fresh lemon juice).

A few whole or crushed corn chips (try to find the ones made with canola oil).

Optional: shredded iceberg lettuce. (It's better without the lettuce!)



Serve fresh strawberries for dessert.



****************************************************************************

Here's my version of Buffalo wings. Enjoy!


*******************************************************

BONELESS BUFFALO CHICKEN



Smother chunks of cooked chicken breast in wing sauce. You can buy regular wing sauce (check the fat content; it's usually not that Zone friendly because it usually contains butter) or mix a good hot sauce with light olive oil (light olive oil has no flavor; tastes more like wings that way).

Serve with 1/2 block of celery sticks per person, and use other foods to make up the rest of the C in the meal.

If you like blue cheese dressing/dip with it, stretch regular blue cheese dressing with plain yogurt to make more dressing with less fat.

************************************************************

This makes a delicious breakfast. It's also great for lunch or dinner too!


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SCRAMBLED TOFU

Ingredients:

Firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled

Light olive oil

Seasoning mix: a lot of onion powder (or granulated onion) mixed with lesser amounts of parsley, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, and gray sea salt





Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add tofu and seasonings and sauté just until it begins to brown.

Serve immediately.



Variation: After heating the oil, sauté chopped sweet onion in the skillet. Then add the tofu and seasonings.



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Hi Sue!

I just looked at ur photobucket! First of all you look great! Second of all- I am drooling from all those fabulous pics. I really want to eat that chicken sasuage pizza and the chicken roll! Looks AMAAAZING. Third of all, when can you come cook for me?!?!

Hi Bethany!

Thanks!

Most are very quick and easy dishes to make. All it takes is a little imagination. When I see something interesting I put it in my Palm and then try to make a Zoned version at home. I also like to pick up unique plates, bowls, cups, etc. here and there. I think they make meals and snacks more fun. Keep checking the album. I have some new ones to upload, a yellow and green squash sesame seed salad and stuffed tofu.

I want someone to cook for me, too! And I'm getting my wish in a few days. My oldest daughter is coming for the weekend and announced she's cooking dinner Saturday night. Maybe I'll add it to my photobucket album. She loves to cook, so I can wait to see what it is!

Almost forgot to say, one of my daughters is named Bethany!

This recipe is a great way to use up leftovers. Following the dairy free version is an optional quick meat free version that uses tofu and dairy cheese.


*************************************************



SUE'S DAIRY FREE LASAGNA

(makes 3 servings about 3P, 2C, 3F each)


Ingredients:

2 medium to large zucchini, slice lengthwise about 3/8 inch thick, steam until soft in a large skillet with a little water, drain

14 oz. tub firm tofu, drain and mash with 1-2T lemon juice, 2T soy “parmesan cheese”, and S&P to taste

2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 -3 cups sliced portabello mushrooms, cook until tender, drain

2 chicken sausages (or an amount to yield 4P), cook and slice into thin rounds

½ to 1 pound of fresh spinach, steam and drain

2 more T soy “Parmesan cheese”

1T extra virgin olive oil



Directions:

Spread 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce in an 8x12 baking pan.

Layer the rest of the ingredients, except for the olive oil in this order:

Layer 1, zucchini
Layer 2, tofu mixture
Layer 3, ½ of the remaining spaghetti sauce
Layer 4, sausage and mushrooms
Layer 5, the remaining spaghetti sauce
Layer 6, spinach
Layer 7, sprinkle with 2T soy cheese

Bake in 350-375 oven, uncovered until heated through. If it begins to dry out too much, cover halfway through the cooking.

Drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil on each serving.



********************************************************


Quicker meat free version with dairy cheese and tofu; makes about 18 P, 12 C, F depends on how much olive oil you drizzle on top (6 3-block meals); use 2 T for 18 F blocks:

Follow the basics of my dairy free lasagna recipe but leave out the meat and mushrooms. Use 8 squash. Use 2 tubs of tofu, lemon juice, a little nutmeg, S&P, 8 oz of soft fresh mozzarella and some parmesan for the tofu cheese mix. Also use large bag of baby spinach and 1 1/2 jars of Classico spaghetti sauce. Layer it in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Put the spinach layer in the middle between two layers of the tofu/cheese mix. After putting the individual servings on plates, I drizzle Zone Organic Olive Oil on top to provide the rest of the fat in the meal.

********************************************************************

Here are two quick and easy omelette breakfasts!


1. 3 egg white omelette cooked in light olive oil with a filling of cheese (either soy or dairy cheese) and turkey bacon; complete the meal with a small bowl of black beans mixed with salsa (zap it in the microwave for 35-40 sec), and some berries.

2. 4 egg white omelette cooked in olive oil filled with red pepper flavored hummus; complete the meal with berries and nuts.

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SPAGHETTI AND RED CLAM SAUCE

Top cooked spaghetti squash with your favorite spaghetti sauce from a jar mixed with canned clams (chopped or baby clams). Drizzle some Zone organic olive oil on top.


*******************************************************

Had a variation of this for lunch (added red bell pepper & decreased apple quantity to maintain balance). Was super good. Thanks!

Hi Jeanine!

Decreased the amount of apple? I'm confused.

Hi Everyone!


The Bed and Breakfast waffle recipe on this site inspired my pancake recipe.
Here it is!

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Sue's Steel Cut Oat Pancakes

(4P, 4C, and 4F)



Ingredients:


For the pancake batter:

the whites of 2 eggs

1/4 cup cottage cheese

2 scoops of Dr. Sears Zone Protein Powder

1 1/3 cups of cooked steel cut oats

1 teaspoon of alcohol free glycerin based vanilla or almond flavoring

1 teaspoon almond oil (light olive oil can be used instead)

water to slightly thin the batter (don't thin it too much!)


For cooking:

1 1/3 teaspoon light olive oil


Directions:


Process the pancake batter ingredients in a food processor until the cottage cheese lumps disappear (there will still be some visible oatmeal grains). Thin with a little water if necessary.

Heat the oil on medium in a well seasoned cast iron skillet or a blue steel crepe pan (the steel crepe pan works best). Turn heat to low and pour batter into the heated pan making 3 to 4 inch sized pancakes. The recipe makes about 8 to 10 pancakes (they're thinner than traditional pancakes made with flour).

We split these between 2 people and add other foods, such as cheese or turkey bacon, and berries, to complete the rest of the meal.



******************************************************************************

Sue, thanks so much for sharing your recipes and pictures of the finished product. Everything looks so amazing! I have made several of them and they are fantastic. I do have a question. I read on one of the other threads that you sometimes use recipes that aren't Zone Friendly and modify them to be Zone Friendly. How do you do this? I love Rachael Ray's recipes but am unsure how to change them up to amount to the right blocks. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

************************************************************************

Easy Kale Recipe

Ingredients:

One bunch lacinato kale (a dark green long thin leafed type of kale), washed with stems removed and discarded, leaves torn into pieces

1/2 apple, chopped

Garam masala to taste

Water



Directions:

Place kale and apples into a large skillet, sprinkle with garam masala and add about 1/2 inch water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, simmer until done (about 5 min). Drain off excess water and serve immediately.



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Today's meals and snacks (13 blocks)...





Breakfast:

Tofu seasoned with “Field Day” spice mix (organic spices from South Africa, available at Whole Foods) and browned in olive oil and topped with a little guacamole. This particular spice mix contains garlic, onion, mustard, sea salt, sugar, fennel seeds, oregano, ginger, rosemary, basil, paprika, lemon verbena, turmeric, and petals (flower petals).

2 halves deviled eggs, yolks discarded and one filled with a teaspoon of hummus, the other with a little guacamole (made with “Simply Organic” guacamole mix)

Fresh tomato wedges topped with guacamole

Cooked steel cut oats topped with a few strawberries and a small splash of chocolate soy milk.



AM Snack:

1 Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch Dr. Sears Zone bar



Lunch:

Plain fat free yogurt mixed with Dr. Sears Zone Protein Powder, almond oil, almond extract and cacao powder, and then topped with a few sliced strawberries.



Afternoon snack (after a walk):
Deviled eggs filled with hummus, a few almonds.



Dinner:
Turkey chili (contains lots of tomato and onion, a little bit of black beans) topped with a spoonful of plain yogurt and some guacamole



Bedtime snack: undecided

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STEAMED VEGGIES



1. Wash and cut your favorite veggies into the desired bite sized pieces. A tip, cut those varieties that take longer to cook into smaller thinner pieces, those that cook faster into larger chunks. Then you don't end up with hard under cooked carrots together with mushy over cooked squash.

2. Place the cut veggies into a steamer basket n a pot containing about 1 inch of water. When it comes to a boil cover the pot, turn heat down to low and cook just until veggies are tender but still firm.

3. Serve immediately with a drizzle of evoo if desired.


Some of my favorite veggies and veggie combinations:

Yellow squash

Yellow squash and zucchini squash

Yellow squash, zucchini squash and carrots

Yellow squash, zucchini squash, broccoli and carrots

Green beans

Red, orange and green peppers

Peppers and broccoli

Broccoli and carrots

Asparagus

Asparagus tips, yellow squash, zucchini squash, red onion, and a variety of colorful peppers (red, orange and yellow)



************************************************************************

Today's meals and snacks (13 blocks)...


Breakfast:

Brownie Batter Smoothie (recipe posted earlier in this thread)



Snack:

1/2 Zone bar



Snack:

The other 1/2 of the Zone bar



Lunch:

Turkey chili topped with a spoonful of yogurt and some guacamole; a few black berries



Snack:

Hummus deviled eggs (egg whites filled with hummus, yolks discarded)


Dinner:

Minestrone soup (recipe posted earlier in this thread), fat free mozzarella flavor soy cheese, raw almonds, a few blackberries



Bedtime Snack will be:

Plain fat free yogurt mixed with almond flavor and Macadamia nut butter

This recipe was inspired by a salad I saw at Whole Foods. It the flavor is truly amazing when made with organic Brussels sprouts, fresh lemon, thyme and chives and finely grated raw milk Parmagiano - Reggiano cheese.



*********************************************************************



Brussels Sprouts Slaw


Ingredients:


slaw:

Fresh brussel sprouts, cut into a thin sliced shred

Slivered Almonds

Thyme leaves

Chives, snipped

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Finely grated Parmesan cheese



dressing:

Lemon juice

Almond oil




Directions:


1. Toss slaw ingredients together.

2. In another bowl, whisk dressing ingredients with a fork until well blended.

3. Pour dressing over the slaw and toss lightly.

It's great to prepare it ahead of time and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Yesterday's meals and snacks (13 blocks):



Breakfast:

Steel cut oats and Zone protein powder topped with a splash of soy milk

blackberries

raw almonds



Snack:

1 Dr. Sears Zone bar



Lunch:

Chicken breast and roasted Brussels sprouts (both seasoned with Thai seasoning**), topped with fat free mozzarella flavored soy cheese and drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon juice

bowl of minestrone soup (recipe posted earlier in this thread)

a couple slices of home made pickled organic golden beets (my daughter's recipe)

raw almonds

a few blackberries



Snack:

Hummus deviled eggs (egg whites filled with roasted red pepper hummus, yolks discarded)


Dinner:

Cold leftover Thai - seasoned chicken

Minestrone soup (recipe posted earlier in this thread)

Burssels sprouts slaw (recipe posted earlier in this thread)



Bedtime Snack:

Plain fat free yogurt mixed with almond flavor and Macadamia nut butter



** "oganic tai chi" by elements of spice (www.elements-of-spice.com). It contains sea salt, garlic, sugar, paprika, onion, pepper, chili, basil, ginger, lemon grass, coriander leaves and lime zest, and comes in a bottle with a spice grinder cap. Whole Foods sells this brand.

I'm enjoying reading through all your recipes and tips, Sue. Thank you.

When you steam a group of veggies together,(or make a salad or soup, etc.) do you measure each of them or if they're all in the favorable group can you just throw them together and know that the overall measurement will make up the number of blocks you need? I've cooked for a lot of years and the thought of measuring vegetables every time I cook makes me grooaaan. I do measure/weigh the protein and fats, esp. until I get used to Zone portions.

What's the simplest way to Zone-ify recipes I've been using, like chicken-vegetable soup, for instance? It doesn't have any unfavorable ingredients, but how do I know what volume I can eat and stay within my 3-3-3 limit? Thanks for your help!

You're welcome Lolly!

No, I don't measure veggies when I steam them. I know how much I want to take by sight. For instance I know that a certain squash is 1/2 block, a pepper is 1/2 block, etc. I loosely think in blocks in my mind as I cut up veggies sometimes, but it's not a deliberate effort. It just comes naturally at this point.

For changing favorite recipes, I begin by choosing the amount of protein I'm going to use, to correspond to the number of servings I'd like. Let's say it's your soup and you'd like 4 3-block meals. Then you'd use 12 blocks of chicken. Next count the amount of C blocks in the recipe. If it include 4 C blocks for example (1 C block per each 3 block bowl), you can either add more carb to the soup, or you can eat 2 C blocks on the side with each bowl of soup, such as fresh cut veggie sticks with hummus dip, or fruit for dessert. For the fat, since you have 12 blocks chicken, you'd simply use 12 blocks of a Zone favorable fat in place of the fat in the recipe. At first it might also be good to label leftovers as to block amounts. Once you've been doing it a while, this won't be needed. You'll know by sight.

Thanks; that makes sense. Labeling leftovers by block amounts is a great idea too.

Here’s another quick and chocolaty favorite shake I made up. I had it for breakfast today. :-)



************************************************************


VANILLA-CACAO ZONE SHAKE


Shake together 1 Zone Vanilla Shake mix packet, 1 heaping tablespoon Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder (raw chocolate powder) and 1 cup of Westsoy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk.

It's so thick it's more like pudding than a shake!


**********************************************************************

What I've eaten so far today:

Breakfast:

a Vanilla Dr. Sears Zone Shake packet mixed with a heaping T raw cacao powder and 1 cup west soy unsweetened soy milk; a few organic non-irradiated (woo hoo!) raw Sicilian almonds

Snack: 1/2 of a Dr. Sears Zone bar (Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch flavor, love these!)

Lunch: spaghetti squash topped with spaghetti sauce and ground lean turkey, drizzled with Dr. Sears Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Snack: plain yogurt mixed with some Dr. Sears Zone Protein Powder, Dr. Sears Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and vanilla flavoring, then topped with a spoonful of mixed berries

Dinner will be ginger lemon salmon, a collards and portobello mushroom side dish that includes olive oil, and thawed frozen peach slices for dessert. Also, I'll have another snack before bed.

**************************************************************

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH MEAT SAUCE, OR WITH LEMON CHICKEN TENDERLOINS

I use spaghetti squash a lot, as a pasta substitute. To cook one, cut it in half, remove seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in a 375 oven for about 35 min, or until the shell gives slightly when you put pressure on it. Cooking time depends on the size of the squash. Take care not to overcook it, or it’ll become a bit mushy, and too much like squash. I'll cook one and remove the strands, keeping them in a bowl in the fridge. That way we have pasta ready to use for the next few days. I just did this again this past weekend. The first day I browned ground turkey, stirred it into our favorite spaghetti sauce and topped the squash with it. The next day I quickly stirred eth cooked squash in a skillet on the stove on the stove top with a little olive oil that I had quickly sautéed fresh minced garlic in, and some fresh basil, just long enough to heat the squash. Then I seasoned it with salt, pepper and a little grated Parmigiano-Regiano cheese. I served it with lemon chicken tenderloins (tenderloins seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with thinly sliced lemon and capers , then baked in lemon juice; drizzle with a little Zone Olive Oil after they're cooked).


*******************************************************************************

Here's what I've been eating today (a 13 block day)...



Breakfast: Same as the one in my post from yesterday ( a vanilla Dr. Sears Zone shake mixed with raw cacao powder and unsweetened chocolate soy milk)


Snack: The other half of the Zone bar from yesterday’s snack


Lunch: (from Whole Foods) Cajun grilled shrimp, one very large balsamic grilled artichoke heart, black bean salad, wild organic blueberries (thawed frozen berries), raw Sicilian almonds


Snack: Cajun grilled shrimp, roasted red pepper flavored hummus , a few fresh strawberries, a few more of those almonds


Dinner: Thai seasoned cod and veggies, and a bowl of sliced fresh strawberries for dessert.


Bedtime snack will be ½ cup plain nonfat yogurt mixed with alcohol free vanilla flavoring and a teaspoonful of Macadamia nut butter

Sue,
I love reading your menus and your recipes.
They always give me ideas.
I don't have alot of the brands and stores that you have there.
I live in WV.
I love squash what does the spagetti squash taste like?
If I like squash will I like it?
Thanks,
Cynthia

************************************************************


THAI SEASONED COD AND VEGGIES


Place a cod fillet and and a 10 oz package of frozen veggies* sprinkled with Thai seasoning in foil, wrap it and bake. Drizzle with a little Zone Olive Oil after baking


*veggies: “Organic Garden Stir Fry” by Columbia River Organics

It contains broccoli, green zucchini, carrots, yellow zucchini, green peppers, and onions.


**************************************************************

************************************************************


YOGURT!


I used to make my own yogurt all the time, in an insulated canister, a quart at a time. Now I buy it to save time, since there are so many good ones to choose from (and because long ago, my kids decided to turn the yogurt making insulator canister into a crayon container!). I buy plain yogurt, usually fat free, and don't sweeten it. I prefer to mix things into it just before eating it, whatever I feel like having at the moment. Here are some of my favorites:


Yogurt, alcohol free vanilla flavor (glycerin based, by Frontier), and crunchy peanut butter

Yogurt, alcohol free almond (glycerin based, by Frontier), and almond butter

Yogurt, alcohol free almond (glycerin based, by Frontier), and Macadamia nut butter (love that one!)

Yogurt, a little fruit (strawberries and peaches are my two favorites), extra virgin olive oil, protein powder (enough to balance the carb in the fruit); almonds on the side

This next one is a tie with the vanilla peanut butter one for my most favorite:

Yogurt, alcohol free vanilla flavor (glycerin based, by Frontier), Zone Olive Oil

I've also added raw cacao powder to all of the above (my favorite brand is Navitas Naturals). Delicious!

Enjoy!


*****************************************************

I want to make the pumpkin muffins however the protein powder I use is soy based & is comprised of 1g=F, 0g=C & 24g P. How can I adjust the recipe without making the muffins to moist or dry?

Hi!

I don't know Kimberly. I don't have a pumkin muffin reciep and I've never tried making one.

This is a great dish for company. I served it on Easter. Cut up the leftovers and toss with a mixture of mayo and plain yogurt for a delicious chicken salad!


***************************************************************

LEMON CHICKEN TENDERS


Ingredients:

Chicken tenders
Salt and pepper
Thinly sliced lemons
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Capers
Extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

1. Season tenders with salt and pepper.

2. Place in a baking dish and pour lemon juice on top.

3. Place lemon slices on the tenders and then sprinkle the capers on top.

4. Bake at 350 (375 if the tenders are frozen) for 20 to 30 minutes just until the pink color is gone from the meat. They’ll be juicier if you cover with foil for the first half of the baking time.

5. Remove from oven, drizzle with the olive oil and serve immediately.

Steamed whole green beans go good with this meal.


********************************************************

This is a family favorite at our house. It's as good as (we think it's better than) any lettuce wedge salad we've ever had in a restaurant!
*********************************************************************

LETTUCE WEDGE SALAD


Ingredients:

A head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 to 6 wedges (number of wedges depends on size of head)
1 packet Simply Organic ranch dip
2 cups plain yogurt
Shredded low fat mild cheddar cheese
Turkey bacon, cooked crisp and chopped/crumbled into small pieces


Directions:

1. At least 30 minutes prior to serving mix the ranch dip mix with the yogurt. If needed at serving time, add little water to achieve the consistency of a very thick creamy salad dressing.

2. Place 1 wedge of plate and top with a generous amount of dressing.

3. Top with the cheese and bacon.


It's delicious!


***************************************************************************

Holy cow! What a gold mine! Recipes! Yipee! I'm rich! Thanks Sue!

You're welcome!

Enjoy!

Count this one as a carbohydrate choice (I make a scant 2 blocks at a time).


************************************************************

CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRY FROZEN TREAT

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of frozen organic wild blueberries (they're sweeter than others), zapped in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds; they should be frozen, but a bit softer then straight out of the freezer.

A generous heaping tablespoon of Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder; you can substitute cocoa powder, but it won't be quite as chocolaty tasting.

Frontier alcohol free almond flavoring, to your taste (I just pour some in!)

A spoonful or two of plain yogurt


Directions:

Blend all ingredients together with an immersion blender. Serve immediately!


*****************************************************************************************

Another day of meals (13 blocks; 3 block meals and 1 block snacks)...




Snack: yogurt mixed with macadamia nut butter and alcohol free almond flavoring



Breakfast: egg white omelet filled with soy cheese and hummus, sliced tomato, blueberries, almond oil and raw almonds


Snack: 1/2 Dr. Sears Zone bar


Lunch: Chicken salad (leftover lemon chicken plus canola oil mayo mixed with yogurt), green bean salad (leftover green beans with a dressing of a block of Zone olive oil, some vinegar, salt & pepper), minestrone soup



Snack: hardboiled egg whites filled with hummus (our Easter eggs!)



Dinner: Salmon, steamed mixed veggies with Zone olive oil, strawberries



Bedtime snack: 1/2 Dr. Sears Zone bar

****************************************************************


BOK CHOI



Cut into large bite sized chunks. Saute in light plive oil ,or sesame oil ,or a combination of both. Season as you like. My favorite way to season is as follows. When it's just beginning to turn opaque, stir in about 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger and a very generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook only about 1 min more until it's very fragrant. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in 1 to 1 1/2 T each of Braggs Liquid Aminos (or substitute a bit less of a low sodium soy sauce) and apple cider vinegar.


**************************************************************************

Collards are inexpensive, very Zone friendly, and delicious!


****************************************************************************************



COLLARDS



1. Wash the collards, lay the wet leaves on top of each other (no need to cut out stems or veins, unless you prefer to eat the leaves only), roll lengthwise into a long roll, and cut across at 1 inch intervals. Then cut through the 1 inch strips in a few places. Set aside.

2. Thinly slice 1/4 of a large onion and sauté in a large skillet over medium heat with a little light olive oil. When it softens a little, add the wet collards and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring to distribute olive oil and onions, and to wilt down the greens enough so the pan can be covered (the volume of greens diminishes greatly as they wilt).

3. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and a little soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (not too much or it's too salty!). Cover and turn heat to low. Simmer about 45 -50 min, being careful to always keep a little liquid in the pan so it doesn't burn. If you have to add more liquid, use plain water. If you keep adding more broth, it'll end up too salty.

That's all there is to it, very easy!



********************************************************************************************

************************************************************


STUFFED EGGPLANT

Makes 2 meals of 3P, 2.5C, 4 to 5 F


Directions:


1 eggplant, inside scooped out and chopped, leaving ¼ to ½ inch shell (2C)
1 T olive oil (9F)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion chopped (1C)
6 blocks chicken sausage; for this recipe, remove meat from casing (6 P)
1 cup fennel, chopped (1C)
1 cup mushrooms, chopped (1/4C)
Scant ½ cup spaghetti sauce (3/4C)
Soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos), salt &pepper, onion powder, basil, and oregano
Small amount of shredded cheese for garnish if desired

While preparing the stuffing, bake the eggplant shells in a baking dish covered with foil at 375 degrees F until they become soft. Do not overcook.

To make the stuffing: In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil. Add sausage. When cooked, add fennel, mushrooms, and chopped eggplant. Continue to sauté until the fennel is tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasonings.

Fill shells and return to oven, uncovered, for 10 - 15 min.

Serve garnished with cheese if desired.



VARIATION:

Eliminate the spaghetti sauce and half (3 blocks) of the sausage; add 3/4 block of chopped apple and 3 blocks of cubed mozzarella. Delicious!



*****************************************************************

Hi Cynthia!

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my recipes! I've just added some more here.

If it's not overcooked, spaghetti squash is very mild. It doesn't have a strong squash-like flavor. I would guess you'd like it.

Let me know if you try it!

Sue, I just shopped and picked up the Navitas Cacao nibs and tried them in a smoothie!! Really good! (It's pretty much your smoothie recipe, with the cherr, banana,etc.) mmmmm....the nibs are like chocolate chips in chocolate chip ice cream....

Hi!

Thanks for the tip! Yes, I’ve heard of nibs referred to as nature's chocolate chip. Be careful with those. As I remember, they have a lot more fat than the chocolate powder. I think they make nibs rolled in sugar, too.


BTW, I looked for 365 turkey bacon at WF today, couldn't find it, asked the meat guy, and he thinks they don't make it anymore. I'll have to look for it on the WF web site.

Another tip for everyone reading here, look close at the package when you buy Navitas Naturals cacao products. The powder, nibs, and other cacao products all have the words Cacao Power on the front of the label in large lettering (Power looks a lot like Powder when you see it on the label!). It's easy to accidentally pick up the nibs and think you've picked up the powder.

hmm, yes. The nibs were the only option at my WF that day,- I looked for the powder- but I didn't note that the fat was pretty high with the nibs.....Oh my. Well, the amount I use (slightly less than a quarter cup-yes, delicious!) has about 9 grms, that being 3 times the fat needed for that meal, but ....oh well, i'll just have to wait till I've used it up.....(no I can just use less!)

oh yeah...I guess just about a T. of the nibs would probably be great for the fat content of your smoothie, folks! the carbs are offset by fiber, so there ya go!

This omelet was inspired by recipes in Zone books. It's a favorite at our house! You can see photos of it in the album in my signature below.

******************************************************************************

INSIDE OUT OMELET

(2 3-block meals)


Sauté 1 block of chopped sweet onion with 1 block of chopped fresh tomato in a generous two teaspoons of light olive oil (refined not extra virgin) until soft.

Add 8 beaten egg whites to pan.

When almost cooked through sprinkle with 1 block of previously cooked and chopped turkey bacon and one or two blocks of shredded low fat mozzarella cheese, fresh snipped chives and S&P.

Fold in half and heat through until cheese begins to melt.

Cut in half to yield two servings.

Serve immediately with fruit and/or hummus to provide the rest of the carb in the meal.


*****************************************************************************

The salad in this meal was inspired by a recipe I saw in a cooking magazine. It's delicious!

This is pictured in the photo album in my signature below.



*************************************************************

RANCH FLAVORED CHICKEN WITH CUCUMBER AND PEPPERONCINI SALAD

Chicken: spread frozen chicken tenders with a mixture of Simply Organic ranch dip mix that has been stirred into plain yogurt; bake covered in 375 oven just until pink color is gone.



Salad: Toss chopped English cucumber, diced pepperoncini, crumbled low fat feta cheese with a dressing of almond oil, pepperoncini liquid (from the jar), and S&P.



**********************************************************

This is quick and esay, and is also included in the photo album in my signature.



*****************************************************

THAI TOFU WITH MANGO SALSA



Ingredients:


Firm or extra firm tofu, cut into slabs
Thai seasoning spice blend
Light olive oil suitable for cooking (refined, not extra virgin)
A purchased freshly made mango salsa
Black beans
Fresh mixed baby salad greens



Directions


1. Sprinkle slabs of tofu with a Thai seasoning spice blend and then brown in oil in a non-stick pan on the stove top.

2. Serve on a bed of baby greens, topped with a purchased freshly made mango salsa (the one pictured is from Whole Foods Market), and some black beans.


********************************************************************************

hey sue, i just had a quick question, when you say OG, what does that mean? Cant wait to try this recipe!

Kelly, OG is and abbreviation for organic.

Enjoy!

Here’s one of my several chocolate tofu recipes. Enjoy!

*************************************************************


Chocolate Tofu Dessert

Chocolate tofu Ingredients:
1 tub extra firm tofu
4 generous Tablespoons (or more if you like) raw chocolate powder (Navitas Naturals is excellent), or cocoa powder
2 teaspoons almond oil or light tasting olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons fructose
1 teaspoon of alcohol free glycerin based almond flavoring

Toppings:
Fresh or frozen (thawed) fruit
Dark sweet cherries are my favorite on this. Blackberries are also good.

Directions:

In a food processor or blender process the chocolate tofu ingredients with a little water (not too much or it will be runny; it’s better on the thicker side). Process until is a smooth consistency. Then process longer and the texture will become silky smooth. Top with the fruit.

The chocolate tofu makes 5 dessert sized servings, about 1P, 1F each (contains negligible C). Top with an appropriate amount of fruit to provide for your carb balance.


******************************************************************

Sue,

I just made your Brownie Batter Smoothie and it is fantastic! I didn't have any frozen cherries so I substituted frozen strawberries. It is so decadent! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. This just made my night.

Decadent, I agree! (that's whey I like it!) I'm eating one right now! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it. :-)

oh! ok thanks!

Hi Sue,

I just tried your Brownie Batter Smoothie recipe for breakfast this morning and just had to post how GOOD it is!!! I have been in the Zone for 6 weeks and check these forums often for guidance and inspiration and have printed out many recipes....but this one was SOOO good that I was inspired to make my first post. Thank you so much for all the recipes and ideas you provide....

Jana

PS....the Smoothie was sooo chocolatey good that I actually felt guilty and had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't cheating! I think I'll use your suggestion of making another batch and freezing it in thirds for snacks...it will be perfect when chocolate cravings hit.....I think it will taste just like chocolate fudge ice cream!

Wow, I feel honored to have inspired your first post!

Glad you liked it jana! I love it! For a change, try making it with 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. The sesame oil gives it a nutty flavor.

Mmmm...I'll try that today. I'm on 3 block meals so I adjusted the recipe to increase the carb to 3 by using 1/3 banana and 16 cherries and decreased the oil from 1 Tbsp to 1 tsp, so today I will just replace the olive oil with sesame. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sue, I wondered if you would mind posting the nutrition info on the West Soy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy milk? I live in Ontario Canada and have been unable to find it....or any unsweetened chocolate soy milk for that matter. I did find plain unsweetened soy but was hoping to find a chocolate that may be close to what you are using if I could compare labels. I did find an unsweetened chocolate 1% cow's milk...that may get me closer to the Zone than the sweetened choc soy that I am using now. I think it may be easiest for me to figure out if I had the West Soy stats and I could compare to the various labels at the store.

Also, while I have your ear....there are many kinds of plain yogurt out there that have varying levels of protein. Should I be aiming for the highest protein content that I can find or should I be aiming for the closest to the 7 grams of protein and 9 grams of carb combo (1P,1C block per 1/2 cup)? This is a question I've had in my mind for awhile...now that I'm posting I thought I might as well ask!!

thanks so much for your help

BTW, your grandson is adorable!

Oh I cant wait to try something anything...LOLmy day has been aweful i have the 5 kids cauing havic and i started my day sick my meals where planned, so i am sticking with lunch and dinner plans, looking for a snack at nap time sue! haha how i love nap time <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

Sue..
You have alot of awesome meals i cant waite to try. However you only had a few snacks. unfortunatly i have to go to the grociery store to purchase some stuff. so i guess i will have to do yogurt ans nuts today<img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/wink.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Wink' align='absmiddle'>

Janet, for your plain yogurt, just aim for one that has a protein/carb ratio of 0.6-1.0.

Many yogurts are 11g protein and 17g carb per 1 cup serving, this is a ratio of 0.65 (11/17), so it is within the Zone ratio.

I have also seen 11g protein and 19g carb per 1 cup serving, this is a ratio of 0.57 (11/19), which is a bit outside (too carb heavy).

Another one I have seen is 15g protein and 19g carb, this ratio is 0.79 (15/19), nearly perfect.

Finally, 12g protein and 18g carb is a ratio of 0.67 (12/18), which is good.

So, just take the grams of protein and divide by the grams of carb to get the ratio.

Sue -
Your Bok Choy reciepe? Looks awesome, I was going to make it friday for dinner. But there is no directions just ingredients. Would you share the directions with me please??? <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'> I love asian food. Oh also Stuffed abbage soup.
I havnt been a zoner long enough to adapt reciepes yet. lol

where is the reciepe for brownie batter smoothie?

Julie,
I have a recipe collection on another thread. Look under the Cooking Tips tab, and scroll down a bit.

Here is a link, if that is helpful!
http://www.zonediet.com/Community/F...fault.aspx

Thanks Julie!


For the bok choi, take a large head of it, cut bite sized (sometimes I also add thin sliced oninon it, or shredded carrots, or both), saute it over medium heat in the oil (use the amount of oil you want for your fat balance) until it's translucent, and add the rest of the ingredients during the last minute of cooking to flavor it. I don't measure it all so I'm not able to give precise amounts.


The smoothie is on the first page of this thread, near the top of the page.


Enjoy!

Thanks Jana! I'm going to be spending the next few weeks with him. :-)

Here's the info for the soy milk I use, including nutrition labeling. Click on the flavor you want in order to view the nutrition label. Note that this soy milk contains only 1 gram of insulin stimulating carb per cup of milk, so the carbs do not need to be considered in your meal count. In my smoothie recipe here any variety is fine or you can substitute another milk, or even water. So little is used in that recipe that there's no need to count it. The address:

http://www.westsoy.biz/products/unsweetened.php



Most plain yogurts will be acceptable for the Zone. If you wish to be more precise, the best ones to use would be those that have a P/C ratio of around .75 (divide the P grams by the C grams. Use an amount per block that will give you about 7 P grams (usually a generously sized 1/2 cup). I your yogurt doesn’t have a ratio of P/C that you’re comfortable with you can add P or C to it (add a little protein powder for P, add some fruit for C, etc.). Greek yogurts are usually higher in protein, and the volume that yields 7 grams of protein (1 P block) will be smaller that with regular yogurt.

Julie, some of my usual snacks:


Dr. Sears Zone bars

Plain yogurt mixed with either vanilla or almond alcohol free flavoring flavoring and nut butters. I like Frontier flavorings best.

Egg whites with Joseph's roasted red pepper hummus

Leftover cold chicken with salads

Leftovers of any meal

Cheese alternative, either TraderJoe's Mozzarella alternative or Lisanatti almond moxxarella style or cheddar style, berries and almonds



I don't really give it a lot of thought. I just grab a balanced amount of anything on hand that is appetizing to me at the moment. All of the food in our house is Zone friendly, so grabbing a quick snack is easy. :-)

Good Morning

Thanks for the yogurt info CC and Sue, much appreciated!!

There are so many types of yogurt at the grocery store but I cannot find Greek which I'm dying to try with hearing so many people raving about it....and none of them seem to have very high protein content without having a lot of sugar added. I did find last night a yogurt that has 13g protein and 8g carb per 3/4 cup. So Sue, based on your post this morning that means that I can have 1/2cup and add approx 1/2 block of fruit and 1 tsp of slivered almonds to make a 1 block snack correct?

Sue - thanks for the Westsoy link for the nutrition info. I should have thought of that myself instead of bothering you!! I know the smoothie doesn't need a lot of it but I'd like to find a similar product for other recipes if I can. So that I'm sure I understand correctly....the WestSoy only counts as a P and not as a combo P/C because of its low insulin stimulating carb?

I made an extra batch of the Brownie Smoothie and froze it in thirds as you suggested. I had it for a snack yesterday afternoon and have to say again how wonderful it is! Chocolate has been my only real 'cheat' that I have not been able to shake while doing the Zone....well I think this recipe will allow me to finally shake my last vice! I haven't been tempted to raid the chocolate chip bag in the baking cupboard or the kids leftover Easter bunnies even once since trying your fabulous recipe. thank you!

Sue- Thank you so much. I cant wait to make it. My house is 90 percent Zone friendly. As things i have had in the cubbards go i replenish with zone friendly foods! Food cost is rising...too much. But i cant waite to make one meal and not 2 lol.
I will look for the reciepe thank you again


CC- you have reciepes also...hmmm FANTASTIC!!! I will look and find some. I will try to find you if i need direction...lol

Janet, you're welcome!

Julie, I see you found them, enjoy!

Glad you're enjoying it Jana! I love chocolate too, and that smoothie definitely works for me!

Yes, that variety of WestSoy soy milk (WestSoy Unsweetened) counts as P and not C. For other WestSoy soy milks go by the nutrition label to determine the P and C.

Go with 1/3 block of fruit with a teaspoon of slivered almonds, as long as 1/2 cup of the yogurt contains at least 1.5 grams of fat. If its got less than 1.5 g fat, use 2 teaspoons of almonds.

Also, I forgot to say, cutting back to 1 teasp. of oil in that smoothie will not give you enough fat for Zone balance. Protein powder is powder is usually fat free . when usaign fat free protein spources you'll need to double the at blocks you add to the meal. Use at least 2 teaspoons of oil to assure you have the minimum fat you need for Zone balance.

Hey Julie, you know whats good that I recently discovered, "Flatbreads"? Someone on here recommended tham and I ordered them online, they do sell they in the store too. I heated them and they are great or I wrapped meat and cheese in them and made a sandwich. They are 1 block P,C and F...so I just add 2 more of each and it worked great this week. <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

A 90 % Zone friendly house, that's great Julie! It’s much easier when the whole family eats the same way. And even better for them if they choose eat in the Zone or close to it. My husband was not on board at first; not against it, but not paying much attention to it either, when it came to how he ate. He loved any meal I'd make, and we only had Zone friendly food in the house, but he paid little attention to how much he needed to eat or how much he actually ate at home, at work, eating out etc. After a few yrs, he decided to, and ended up losing about 67 pounds in less than a year, down to his ideal weight and went down 4 pants sizes. He's kept if off too, and even ran his first marathon 1 1/2 yrs ago.

Chris, ( if i can call you that) That sounds awesome. did you roder them from this site. I looked for the ceral last night and this morning and couldnt find it<img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/sad.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Sad' align='absmiddle'> i will order it online. But i find that the variety of zone bars are diffrent then the store. I love the ones i got at the store and they dont have them on this site. Thanks for the tip.

Sue- Wow that is incrediable! That gives me hope. My husband is very supportive, of my new changes. He loves everything i have cooked and cant believe how much flavor it has. But he is the same. He dosnt pay attention to portion. I will make a 2(4) block serving meal, and i will eat my three, put 1(b) away for a snack the next day Give my husband 4(b). he will eat it love it and then look for something else to eat....lol It drives me crazy. He has read the Zone books, and aggrees with EVERYthing said. However, he wont practice it yet. So now i have hope. Thanks Sue. <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

Hey Julie, I order everything from the site.

Here's the cereal page Julie : http://www.zonediet.com/shop/produc...ereal.aspx

http://www.flatoutbread.com This site is for the flat out bread

******************************************************************************************

ROASTED CHICK PEA, CHERRY TOMATO AND PEPPER SALAD

(Makes about C and 6F)



Ingredients:


1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil or almond oil

4 cups canned chick peas, rinsed

Garlic powder

S&P

2 cups cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

1 whole roasted red pepper (from a jar, but not packed on oil) cut into bite sized strips

1 whole roasted yellow pepper (from a jar, but not packed on oil) cut into bite sized strips

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Fresh snipped chives (an amount to suit your taste)





Directions:

1. Season the chick peas with garlic powder, S&P and pan roast in 1/2 teaspoon oil (reserve the other teaspoon form later in the recipe) over low to medium heat until they just begin to brown; remove from heat.

2. Whisk the remaining teaspoon of oil together with the lemon juice, and set aside to use for the dressing.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix the roasted chick peas with the remaining ingredients; toss with the oil and lemon juice dressing and season with S&P.



************************************************************************************

***************************************************************


QUICK CHUNKY TOMATO SOUP


Ingredients:


Canned diced tomatoes; do not drain. I use Full Circle Organic Diced Tomatoes from Big Y because the juice is less watery than some other brands.

S&P

Guacamole (optional)



Directions:


1. Place tomatoes in a soup bowl and season with S&P.

2. Heat in the microwave.

3. Place a tablespoon or two of guacamole into the heated soup and serve!


****************************************************************************

Thanks again for your guidance Sue. I had missed the fat calculation so I will make sure to have a few almonds with the 2 blocks I have frozen and make sure to make it with 2 tsp of oil next time.

Tried your Stuffed Eggplant recipe the other night and it was great too! I used ground turkey instead of the chicken sausage just because that is what I had on hand but it was still wonderful.

Jana

Glad to hear you liked the eggplant. I'm having it for dinner tonight and using leftover baked chicken tenders in it. Almonds woud go good with that frozen smoothie, or you could try a topping of macadamia nut butter, too.

SUE,
The cold chocolate rasberry soup was fantastic!

These sound wonderful except for one thing. Let me say first that although I'd heard about the Zone plan before, i had no idea what it was until recently. I have to do something but I have two problems having to do with your recipes and the "average" weekly diet that is shown elsewhere on this website. Regarding the latter, although I was looking at the non-vegetarian examples, there were several times soy products wereeused. My body does not tolerate soy at all. Is there any reason I'd have to use it? As far as your recipes -- I don't have the excuse that my body truly can't tolerate ground chicken but my mouth and stomach come pretty darn close to it. I have always thought there was a "twang" to it that I didn't like. Then, I stayed with a family who used it many, many times a week and I don't know if what they bought was cheaper, had been in the freezer too long or what, but the twang was worse. I finally got to where the very thought/look of it makes me kind of nauseous. I know I sound like such a wuss..but I just can't stand the thought of that twang. How bad would it be to use 93% ground beef instead? Cuz your recipes looks great (and so do you, btw).

Thanks Linda. :-)

It's not necessary to eat soy to be in the Zone. Beef and other red meat shoud be used with moderation. You can refer to the Zone Food Blocks tab in QUICK START GUIDE (link at right) for more substitution ideas. Good luck witht the Zone!

Linda, as I read your post, it reminded me of that same "twang" that I felt when I was pregnant, I could not even imagine eating chicken at that time! It totally grossed me out!

You can use ground beef, but get it as lean as possible. You can use turkey, if that is more tolerable for you--although, you want to get the lean cuts, too. The dark meat may have the same problem as beef as far as AA. Also, you can definitely consider fish/seafood!

I was going to suggest ground turkey as well.....I much prefer it to ground chicken and it can easily be inserted into any recipe that calls for ground chicken or ground beef.....and often has a tastier result?

Good luck

Yes, the best would be to use ground turkey breast, which is almost fat free, rather than regular ground turkey which contains dark meat and fat and is not a preferred protein choice for the Zone. Also, I'm pretty sure I remember Barry Sears saying that chicken contains more AA than turkey. You can tell the difference between ground dark turkey meat and ground turkey breast by color and by fat content (ground breast is lighter in color and should be labeled as containing only breast meat). Be sure to add a little extra fat to meals when using ground turkey breast in order to achieve the minimum fat balance in your meal. For a moist burger made from ground turkey breast add water and light olive oil (not extra virgin) to the meat prior to forming it into burgers.

What about using grass-fed beef? It seems that it would be a better option for those who really don't like chicken or can't eat tofu. Also, Sue, I love your recipes. Is there an easier way to access them instead of having to hunt through your postings?

Hi,

They're all in this thread, so this would be the place to hunt for them. :-)

Hi,

They're all in this thread, so this would be the place to hunt for them. :-)

Hi Sue,

I am new to the Zone diet. I haven't started it yet because I'm still trying to figure everything out and there are a few things I am still confused by. I think I know some of the answers, but I am just going to ask you all of my questions because I don't want to start off on a bad foot.

How many grams of fat, protein, and carbs are in each block?
How many grams of fat, protein, and carbs should you have at each meal?
How many blocks of each are good to have eat each meal?
If you have more or less blocks at one meal, should you have more or less at the next meal in order to fill up all 11 blocks?

One last question. I am a HUGE cereal fan and breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I know that with this diet, cereal is not one of the best things to be eating. What are some of the best breakfasts you have made/had?

Thanks so much!!!!!

Hi,

I'm just starting out on the Zone. I really think this is going to work for me because it makes sense about the insulin thing. Anyway, I just got the free smoothie recipe ebook at http://www.freehealthupdates.com and I was wondering about your opinions. Some of the smoothies are kind of weird but some seem like they'd fit in well. I know I have to add protien to stay in "the zone" but is there anything else I should watch out for?

Thanks,

Bob

Welcome Lisa!

The average woman eats 3 balanced blocks at a meal (that's 3P blocks plus 3C plus 3F. One balanced block contains 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carb (subtract total fiber form total carb and use this for counting Zone carb grams), and 3 grams of fat (half the fat is in the low fat protein block and the other half is in the fat blocks; this is why the fat blocks on the list contains only 1.5 grams of fat each).

You should spread your blocks out throughout the whole day always eating balanced amounts. For example, if you ate only 1 carb block at lunch (3P, 1C, 3F) you would not add 2 more C blocks to your next meal to make up for them. That would not work because you would not only be out of the Zone at the first meal when you're missing carb, but also at the next meal where you'd have too much carb. If you choose to eat only two balanced blocks at a meal teh best way would be to eat adn extra 1 block snack.

You'll find the answers to your questions, plus more related info, in Quick Start Guide (link at right).

Also, you don't have measure of follow the block system to succeed in the Zone. I lost 100 pounds without ever measuring or counting blocks. I did the hand-eye method described in Quick Start (the divided plate).

The two cereals I eat are steel cut oats and Zone cereal.

Feel free to ask more questions I'll be heppy to help. Also, I'm on vacation at the moment, and for the next week and a half, so please understand if I don't reply quickly.

Enjoy the Zone! :-)

Hi Bob!

Welcome to the Zone forums!

The tips I've have about smoothies would be to stick with the most Zone friendly fruits, use whole fruit not fruit juice, and don't include too much liquid in the recipe. Liquids work better for some people than others. For instance I wouldn't use 2 cups of milk; stick with a cup or less. You can also substitute yogurt in place of milk in a smoothie.

It would be great if you could share some of your favorite smoothie recipes with us!

Also, as i just mentioedd to Lisa in the previous post, I'm on vacation at the moment, so please understand if I take a while to reply. :-)

Thaks!

Sue,

Thanks for your reply. That's good advice. Maybe even just adding water would be good if I need more liquid (I tend to like them thinner).

Enjoy your vacation! I hope you're having a good one.

Bob

Thanks Bob!

A tip, it's the thinner liquids you will need to be careful about. The larger surface area of thinner liquids means the carbs in those foods reach the blood stream faster than those in solids and thicker liquids. Depending on how sensitive one's body is to carbohydrate, thinner liquids can make it tougher to maintain a stable blood sugar level (they're more likely to spike blood sugar). The only way to know how you'll respond is to experiment and see how it goes. You man handle it just fine. Cheers!

FALAFEL and TZATZIKI

*********************************************************

FALAFEL

(Makes 15 C blocks plus whatever amount of fat you use to cook it in)

Ingredients:

2 cans chick peas, drained
1 medium onion chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 handful of fresh parsley
3 or 4 T. flour (scant 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 T. ground cumin (or to taste)
2 tsp. ground coriander (or to taste)
A little bit of cayenne (to taste)

Oil for cooking. I use "light tasting" olive oil (that's refined olive oil, not extra virgin)


Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the oil into a food processor adn process to a coarse puree. Be careful not to over process it. Form into small patties no larger than about 2 inches across or 1/2 inch thick (I've found smaller and flatter cook better). Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Slightly brown the patties on each side and place on a serving plate. This recipe is large so it will need to be cooked in batches. If you have two nonstick pans, the cooking will go faster. Serve with tzatziki.


*****************************************************


TZATZIKI

(Entire recipe contains about 4P, and 5C; plus F if you use the optional cream cheese)

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber (grate using the larger grate, let sit 30 min and then squeeze out the excess water)
2 cups yogurt
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves finely minced garlic
2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
S & P to taste
Optional: 2T cream cheese

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

For the cream cheese option:
Blend the cream cheese with ½ cup of the yogurt using an immersion blender. Stir into the remaining yogurt. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

****************************************************************************

SPICY BLACK BEANS WITH FRESH PLUMS

(This is taken from the book ALMOST VEGETARIAN by Diana Shaw, and slightly changed to be more Zone friendly.)

The entire recipe contains about 15C and 4F.

Takes about 60 minutes to prepare, start to finish.

This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored well wrapped in the refrigerator, and then served hot or cold (I prefer it cold). To reheat, transfer to a heavy saucepan and warm slowly over medium-low heat.


Ingredients:

4 sweet plums, such as black friars of Santa Rosa
½ tablespoon light tasting olive oil (refined, not extra virgin), or almond oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 whole cloves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp. light honey
2 tsp. lemon juice (adjust to less if plums are tart, or not so ripe)
2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro


Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the plums and boil for 1 minute to loosen the skin. Remove the skin with a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, red and yellow pepper, garlic, cloves, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and optional cilantro. Sautee over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.

Peel the plums, remove the pits and chop the pulp.

Stir the lemon juice, honey, and plum pulp into the onion mixture. Add the beans, stir, and cover. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until peppers are soft, stirring often to prevent sticking, about 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve warm, at room temperature, or well chilled.



******************************************************************************

that bean dish sounds wonderful!!!

Yes, I love it! The type of plums you use and the degree of ripeness can make a huge difference in the taste of the dish.

Sue, thanks for posting these recipes! I'm excited to try them!

You're welcome Jana!

Hi Sue - thank you for the falafel recipe! I have not done my 30-day out of the Zone meal yet (I've been zoning since March) but when I think about it, I want falafel. Can you tell me how much each of those patties would be in blocks? I like to be as precise as I can. Garbanzo beans normally comprise most of my carb blocks, I love them. Thank you. Laura

You're welcome Laura! This recipe won't take you out of the Zone if you eat protein with it. The entire recipe contains 15 C blocks and whatever small amount of fat you use to brown the patties. 1/5 of the recipe is 3 C blocks, 1/10th of the recipe is 1 1/2 C blocks, etc. For example, if you made 20 patties (it makes more than that; 20 is just a number I chose to use as an example), 4 patties would be 3 C blocks and 2 patties would be 1 1/2 C blocks.

Thank you! I should have been able to figure that out! I really try to be as precise as I can with the carbs, as I am so sensitive to them. I can't make a big batch of chili - I have to make individual pots with the beans and meat measured into each one. I don't feel I'll get the right balance by just ladling out a bowl from a large pot. My weight is coming off fast - 55 lbs in 2.5 months. I have been solidly in the Zone with fish oil and have not been hungry, eating 11 blocks a day. I just want to keep it going!! Thanks again - I really didn't think I could have falafel in the Zone.

Hi Laura!

I'm very carb sensitive too. If you know exactly how much P, C and F you put into the pot, each portion will have you appropriate balance, whether you take 1 block or 3 blocks. Since you know the number of P blocks you put into the pot (say 12 for example), then you can eaily figure out what fraction of the pot is a 3 block meal with your appropriate P, C and F balance (1/4 the pot would be a 3 block meal in the example I gave of a 12 P block pot). Hope I'm not confusing you! Then you simply divide the finished pot of food into 4 servings (divide it equally among 4 plates or bowls). You can easily do this with chili or any other dish you make, from salads, to omelets, to fish and veggies, and even home made frozen yogurt (I'm experimenting with recipes for fro yo this weekend!).

Have fun with it!

Sue, I am thinking of making your CHOCOLATE TOFU. So I purchased Tofu - can you please tell how much tofu did you use with your receipe? And how much carbs it contains? Mine (for 100grams) contains 7g protein, 2g carbs and 3 grams fat. Please advise if this tofu is suitable for your receipe. I've never cooked tofu before.

Hi Bozena!

There are 5 P blocks of tofu in my recipe, and they contain an insignificant small amount of carb, same as yours. Yours sounds fine for any or my tofu recipes. Every 100 grams of you tofu would be considered to be 1 Zone protein block (Zone protein blocks have fat "hidden " in them; the fat in your tofu is fine for 1 protein block).

This is my frozen yogurt recipe, inspired by a question asked by Chris in another forum here, and Dave's article about making pudding by mixing Zone Shake mix into yogurt.



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CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT WITH FUDGE CHUNKS

(Makes about a quart and contains about 11P, 11C and 11F)


Ingredients:

2 cups low fat plain yogurt
2 packets Dr. Sears Zone French Vanilla Shake mix
¼ cup cocoa powder (I recommend Navitas Naturals Raw Cacao Powder)
1 cup WestSoy Unsweetened Chocolate Soymilk
1 TBSP alcohol free almond flavoring
1 TBSP Zone Olive Oil
2 blocks of Zone Fudge (recipe following this recipe), or 1 Dr. Sears Zone Chocolate Fudge Zone Bar, cut into small pieces, the size of chocolate chips or a little larger


Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the Zone fudge or Zone bars into a medium to large bowl and mix thoroughly (a whisk works well). Process in an ice cream maker, adding the fudge or the bar pieces at the appropriate time according to the directions for your ice cream maker.

Enjoy!

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ZONE FUDGE (recently posted by Nola in the Zone Tips forum here)



Bring to full boil 6 Tablespoons Fructose and 5-6 Tablespoons water ( I use the microwave)....8C

Add 3 Tablespoons natural smooth or crunchy peanut butter and return to boil...9F (plus the missing F)

Combine in bowl an amount of protein powder containing 60 grams of protein...8 1/2 P
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Add 1 1/2 cups powdered skim milk....4C, and 3 1/2P

Add 1 Tablespoon chopped almonds and 2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts...3F

Mix dry ingredients and add fructose/peanut butter liquid. Mixture will be thick. If too thick add 1 teaspoon water. (Be careful not to add too much.) Mixture thickens as it cools. Put into mini muffin pans and freeze

Makes 12 x 1 Block snacks

Keep frozen




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MAYO EXTENDER TIP

Mixing equal parts of a Zone friendly mayo and plain yogurt make it easy to prepare tuna salads, chicken salads, Zone Pasta salads, etc. Mayo is usually flavored strongly enough to handle an equal portion of yogurt, and even a bit more, without compromising on taste. It can even pass for a creamy dressing base in a pinch, by adding a sprinkle of your favorite seasonings to it. "365 Light Mayonnaise" from Whole Foods works very well mixed with yogurt. 1 TBSP of it contains 3 F blocks (4.5 grams fat; made with canola oil). The addition of 1 TBSP plain yogurt yields plenty of mayo for 3 block chicken salad.


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COWBOY CAVIAR (revised 9.9.09)

(Based on a recipe from Eurofresh Farms found in the book IN THE KITCHEN THE COSTCO WAY)

Ingredients:


Salad:

½ cup corn
1 can (1 ½ cups) black eyed peas(or 3/4 cup black eyed peas and 3/4 cup dark red kidney beans), drained and rinsed
2-3 green onions (scallions), chopped
6 medium to larger plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium avocado, chopped
2/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley (or fresh cilantro)
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery




Dressing:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup wine red vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
2 Tablespoons cumin


Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, beans, green onions, tomatoes, avocado, parsley, green pepper, and celery.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add to the vegetable mixture and toss to coat.

Makes 10 servings, each serving containing about 1C and 4F



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I've found it. (chocolate frozen yogurt) .. I copy and will study how to adapt to ingredients around here,... about the zone vanilla shake mix...
What's in it?? I can not aforth to pay zone products... but I have powder proteing.. maybe I can adapt...

thank you

Oh Sue!!! Looks like I'm going to have to get that ice cream machine....your frozen yogurt recipe looks sooo good!

Bernie, each Zone Shake mix packet contains 2P, 2C and 2F. You can read about the ingredients here:

http://www.zonediet.com/products/pr...nerShakesC

Experiment to see what you can come up with!

Here's a favorite at our house!


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RASPBERRY SORBET

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop of Zone Protein powder
1 teaspoon peanut butter

Directions:

Briefly begin to thaw berries in the microwave (<20 seconds on high in mine, but mine’s very powerful). They must still be frozen, but not rock hard. Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender to the consistency of a sorbet. Serve immediately.


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Here's a simple and delicious little summer salad I found in an emial newsletter I subscribe to. The newsletter is about aprons, but it contains little tidbits about related things. I'm going to include the original recipe and my Zone balanced version, to show how easy it is to turn a regular recipe into a Zone friendly one.


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WATER LILY SALAD



The original recipe as it appears in the newsletter:

"Starting at the top of the orange, cut the rind in long points, so the fruit can be removed without breaking the rind and so the points will form petals. Combine 1 cup diced boneless canned chicken, ½ cup diced celery, 1/2 cup orange pulp, and ¼ cup chopped almonds. Mix in ¼ cup mayonnaise. Fill each prepared orange cup with the mixture. Serve on lettuce. Garnish with finely minced hard cooked egg yolk. April 22, 1931, handwritten recipe book."



For my Zone balanced version, follow same procedure for preparing the orange (make 2 oranges). Make the salad of 6 blocks cubed cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (use about 4 to 4.5 oz of cooked chicken), ½ cup diced celery, ½ of the pulp of one of the oranges cut into chunks, and 1 T. slivered almonds. Mix with a dressing of Whole Food’s 365 brand canola oil mayo mixed with plain yogurt. Use proportions of mayo to yogurt to give your desired fat blocks and also to provide enough dressing for the entire salad. Season the dressing with a little salt and pepper if desired. Serve the rest of the orange segments on the side in a bowl . Makes two 3 block meals, each containing 3P, 2C and the amount of fat you desire.

Enjoy!

I just ordered the Protein powder.

Great! An excellent addition!

Here's my food from yesterday, a 13 block day; no cooking required, except to throw the skewers and apricots on the grill.

Br: Strawberry Zone Shake and ½ Apple Cinnamon Dr. Sears Zone bar (4 bl)

Sn: ½ Apple Cinnamon Dr. Sears Zone bar (1 bl)

L: cold wild caught salmon (pre cooked, Trader Joe’s) with a few squeezes of a fresh lemon, Curry Tofu (premade, from Whole Foods), sea weed salad (premade, Whole foods), almonds, blueberries

Sn: egg white salad with chives (from Trader Joe’s), roasted red pepper hummus (1 bl)

D: TJ’s chipotle lime grilled chicken breast strips (a precooked food), skewers of grilled peppers and a few chunks of pineapple (pre assembled, from Whole Foods), TJ’s” Guacamole Topped with Spicy Pico de Gallo”, grilled fresh apricots for dessert. (3 bl)

Sn: yogurt with almond butter and almond extract (1 bl)

Exercise: 1 hr hike, yoga stretches, strength training, and vestibular PT exercises

We love these! When you use ripe organic apricots they become syrupy when grilled, and sweet with the cinnamon added.



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GRILLED APRICOTS


Ingredients

Fresh apricots halved, stone removed; organic apricots will result in a more flavorful finished product

Extra light olive oil (refined, no taste)

Optional: cinnamon



Directions:

Brush the cut side of each apricot half with a very small amount of olive oil.

Sprinkle lightly with the optional cinnamon if desired.

Place cut side down on grill the grill and grill to desired doneness.

6 halves = 1 C block and a couple of F blocks

Enjoy!



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SUE'S QUICK AND EASY TURKEY CHILI



Brown: 1 large onion, chopped, 12 blocks of ground turkey, minced garlic or garlic powder to taste, about 2T chili powder and 1 1/2 tsp cumin in 1T olive oil. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and a can of black beans (or kidney beans) drained and little Bragg's Liquid or sea salt to taste. Cover and simmer for another 15 min or so. Makes 4 3-block meals (3P, 2C, about 3 F because of the extra F in ground turkey) . You can top it with a little shredded cheese and a spoonful of plain yogurt, or toppings of your choice. If you want, you can also eat some fruit with it for dessert to provide the extra C block, or have a partial block of corn chips that are made with a Zone friendly oil (unfav. C, but should be ok if kept to a minimum, look for Green Mountain Gringo Tortilla Strips made with canola oil).




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Today’s meals and snacks, and activity (I eat 13 blocks each day).

Sn: ½ Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch Dr. Sears Zone bar (1 bl)

Br: Brownie Batter smoothie ; the recipe’s on page 1 of my meal and recipe thread in the Cooking Tips forum here (3 bl)

Sn: Egg White Salad with Chives (a Trader Joe’s brand prepared salad), roasted chick peas with Dr. Sears Zone Olive Oil (1 bl)

L: Roasted turkey, steamed yellow squash, and apricots; almond butter (3 bl)

Sn: ½ Cocoa Crisp Dr. Sears Zone bar (1 bl)

D: Low fat Italian flavored chicken sausage slices cooked on the stove top with chick peas and light (refined) olive oil and seasonings, leftover steamed yellow squash with Trader Joe’s Soy Mozzarella melted on top, blueberries for dessert (3 bl)

Sn: Plain fat free yogurt mixed with almond butter (1 bl)

This was my lunch today. It's quick, easy and very delicious! Great for a cold meal on a hot summer day when you don'twant to heat up the kitchen. Any brand of ingredients can be used, but I recommend those highlighted in the recipe, both for their flavor and because they're a perfect fit when it comes to Zone balance. Enjoy!


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SMOKED APPLE CHARDONNAY SAUSAGE AND COLD LENTILS

(makes 1 meal containing 3P, 2C, 4F)


Ingredients:

1 1/4 links Trader Joe's Smoked, Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage

Generous 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils (found in the refrigerated foods section)

1 tsp. Dr. Sears Zone Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil

1/2 of an organic lemon

Freshly ground pepper (for this I use the rainbow packs containing the mixed varieties of peppercorns)

Optional: 1 block of your favorite berries


Directions:

1. Place the lentils on a plate.

2. Drizzle with the olive oil, and then give it a few grinds of the peppermill and a few squeezes of the lemon.

3. Place the sausage on the plate next to the lentils, and serve.


Optional: For a 3 C block meal eat the berries for dessert.



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APRICOT STRAWBERRY FREEZE

This makes a great breakfast or a refreshing and satisfying lunch or dinner on a hot summer day. For those who love apricots, this is a great way to enjoy them because the tangy fresh apricot flavor really shines through.

(Makes one 3 block meal that’s slightly lower in carb and contains a little extra fat)

Ingredients:
2 fresh apricots, cut into chunks and frozen
Generous ½ cup fresh strawberries, halved and frozen
½ the contents of a Dr. Sears Zone French Vanilla Shake mix packet
2 scoops Dr Sears Zone Protein Powder
A little soy milk to facilitate blending (<1/4 cup)
1T Dr. Sears Olive Oil
½ tsp alcohol free glycerin based vanilla extract
Cinnamon to taste
Optional for garnish: 1 slice of fresh apricot and a sprig of mint

Directions:
Allow the fruit to thaw slightly, just enough to soften it a bit for better blending. Blend all ingredients except for the optional garnish, with an immersion blender, leaving a few small pieces for fruit.* Serve immediately in a bowl and garnish with the apricot slice and mint sprig if desired.
Enjoy!

*Any blender or food processer will work, but an immersion blender gives you more control over the amount of fruit you leave slightly unblended. When it comes to achieving the best insulin control, the more little fruit chunks you leave the better.



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I totally think Sue should write a cookbook!!!! I swear that I would buy it!!

Thank you Tammy! :-)

Hi Zoners!


Yesterday had the feeling of a “day off” for me. Other than a few hours of work (I work from home), I had my whole day free, no rushing between classes and appointments , no driving in traffic to try to get somewhere on time, a rare thing for me! Here’s my food and lifestyle dairy from yesterday, including the day’s activities and how Zone meals and snacks were fit in. I’m including detailed descriptions of the meals, since I’m often asked specifically how my meals are seasoned and put together. You’ll see that they’re very basic and easy to make. You can look at photos of all the following meals and snacks in my photobucket album.
My usual Zone balance is 3P, 2C and extra F and I eat 13 blocks a day.
Got up at 6:30, cleaned the bathrooms, did a load of laundry and then worked for about a couple hours. Also I got caught up with some friends and family in email and took a look at the Zone forums.


Ate a late breakfast around 9 am, outside on the deck (beautiful weather her today!), eaten while reading reviews of this week’s movie releases in the newspaper (can’t wait to see Meryl Streep in “Julia & Julia”!): (3P, 2C, 6F) Omelet of 4 eggwhites cooked in a scant 1 tsp. olive oil and filled with 1 oz Trader Joe’s Marinated Mozzarella (marinated in olive oil and hot pepper flakes) topped with S&P and snipped fresh chives, 2 apricots cut in halves with generous sprig of mint (a delicious special variety of apricot developed by Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva NY), slices of a couple different varieties of heirloom tomatoes seasoned with a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper ; on the side, 1/3 cup of cooked steel cut oatmeal topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a splash of West soy Unsweetened chocolate Soy Milk; also 9 tamari roasted almonds , a 16 oz glass of water , a shot glass (a couple T.) of Sea Health Plus, fish oil and nutritional supplements. The eggs were farm fresh. My primary care doctor raises chickens and gives the eggs to his patients in exchange for donations to help fund his medical missions. To read more info about his mission trips and to see photos of his past mission trips, refer to the following, it’s very interesting: http://minhsmissions.com/default.aspx
After breakfast I worked on this diary, did my 30 min daily home PT exercise plan that includes visual stabilization and various stretches (I have a vestibular problem that began the moment I suffered a neck injury 2 yrs ago). Also did some errands and another 1 ½ hours of work. I’d usually fit a 1 hour walk into my early morning, but not today because I had a skin surgery on my leg yesterday (ouch!).


1st late morning snack about 11:30 am (after the PT exercises): (1P, 1C, 2F) 1/8 cup of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils mixed with 1 sliced fresh apricot ½ tsp. Zone Olive Oil, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a little freshly ground pepper (takes only a minute or 2 to put together) and on the side, a little over an ounce of leftover lemon and herb salmon (prepared by Whole Foods Market). If you haven’t tried Zone olive oil yet, treat yourself to a bottle. It’s the best olive oil I’ve even eaten, even better than those I had in Italy.


2nd late morning snack about 12 pm (need to fit in all of my blocks!): ½ Sweet and Salty Nut Dr. Sears Zone bar.


Late lunch at 1:45 pm: 3 oz chicken breast with ½ cup medium hot salsa and 3/8 cup mixed kidney and black beans, drizzled with 1 1/2 tsp Zone Olive Oil, topped with 1T plain yogurt; a shot glass (a couple T.) of Sea Health Plus, fish oil and nutritional supplements. I cooked a 9” X 13” baking dish of this chicken salsa and bean meal last weekend, enough for 9 meals spread out over the week for several people, so all I had to do for lunch was heat it in the microwave and add the toppings.


During the afternoon I worked for about 2 more hours, prepped the veggies for dinner (took only 5 minutes, and then another 10-15 min to steam them), froze some fresh apricots (cut apricots in half, coat the cut side of the apricots with some fresh lemon juice to prevent browning, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze; when frozen solid, transfer the apricots to a freezer bag), cleaned off my desk (got rid of a lot of stuff!) , did 50 minutes of strength training and then did some stretches after.


Afternoon snack about 5:30, just before strength training: (1 P, 1C, 2F) blueberries and Trader Joe’s Soy cheese Alternative, Mozzarella Flavor


Dinner 7:30 P (about 35 min after strength training): (3P, 2C, 6F) 2 Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage, baked Fennel and celery seasoned with Bragg’s and a little olive oil (a low sodium unfermented soy sauce), bean salad (prepared by Whole Foods Market), one .5 liter bottle of Mandarin Orange Essence Poland Spring Sparkling Natural Spring Water, and nutritional supplements.


Bedtime snack at 9:50pm: (1P, 1C 2F) a generous 1/8 cup of Zone Cereal topped with some blueberries and 1/3 cup of Westsoy Unsweetened Chocolate Soy Milk.


I also drank 7 16 oz glasses of water plus the half liter of sparkling spring water with dinner, for a grand total of about a gallon of water all day.

See the optional portabella pizza version following the main recipe.


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BAKED PORTABELLA CAPS WITH GOAT CHEESE


Makes 1 3 block meal


Place ½ to 3/4 cup of your favorite tomato sauce (pasta sauce, not plain sauce) on an oven proof plate (or use a baking dish if you prefer). Remove the stem(s) from one very large (or several smaller) portabella mushroom caps and discard stem. Place cap(s) on top of tomato sauce "fin" side up. Crumble 3 oz. goat cheese, or an amount of your brand that yields about 20 grams of protein, onto the mushroom cap (s). (I use a very low fat goat cheese). Sprinkle with dried basil. Optional: sprinkle with one tsp. pine nuts. Bake in a 375 oven just until cheese begins to brown (about 15-18 min.).



Optional instructions for PORTABELLA PIZZA:

Use a similar procedure, but place the mushroom caps directly on the plate (or use a cookie sheet) and top with a little tomato sauce and the pizza toppings of your choice. You'll be using less tomato sauce, to be sure to make up by adding a little more carb to the meal, such as a Zone favorable fruit for dessert.


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Sue,
Just found your thread. I am brand new to the Zone and still trying to get a handle on it. Any chance you could put the block numbers down on your great recipes???

Sunshine

Hi!

Many of these recipes are already noted with block amounts. Most of the full meals are about 3P, 2C and 5F (my adjusted zone balance), the snacks about 1P, 1C and a little extra fat.