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.

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

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

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!


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

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.


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

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.


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


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.



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

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!



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



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


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

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.


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

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!


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

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.



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

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.

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


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!

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



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.



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

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