Lunch Time - Italian Chicken and Wild Rice

So I started preparing lunch right after I finished eating breakfast.

ITALIAN CHICKEN & WILD RICE

PHASE 1

SERVES 6 - 8 (PORTION SIZE 1 1/2 TO 2 CUPS)

2 1/2 LBS OF SKINLESS, BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST, CUBED

2 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

1 CUP WILD RICE, RINSED AND DRAINED

1/4 CUP DICED ONION

1/2 TSP MINCED GARLIC

2 CUPS CHOPPED FRESH MUSHROOMS

14.5 OUNCE CAN DICED TOMATOES

1 TSP SEA SALT

1/2 TSP DRIED OREGANO

1/2 TSP DRIED BASIL

1/4 TSP FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

Put chicken breat, broth, wild rice, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker.

Stir in the mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper.

Cover and simmer for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

(I only ended up using the baby bella mushrooms. 2 cups is not as much as I thought it was.)

(I actually used a larger slow cooker because this was too much for my little one.)

(cooking... mmm)

I was planning on cooking all the food organic but after this shopping trip I have realized I can't afford it on my meager wages. I typically spend this much on food for an entire week rather than a meal and a half.

Some things I will have to buy at Whole Foods though because it just isn't sold in normal grocery stores like Barley and Steel Cut Oats.

The most expensive part was probably the chicken. I typically buy chicken when its buy one get one free at Publix or Winn Dixie.

They only had one regular skinless boneless organic chicken breast. The other was air cooled which was significantly more expensive. I have never even heard of that before, so when I got home I looked it up.

"Conventionally raised chickens are typically dunked in iced, chlorinated water to bring down the chicken's temperature after it's been slaughtered. Compare this to air-chilled chicken, which have been eviscerated, sprayed with chlorinated water inside and out, and then rapidly cooled in cold air chambers in an effort to keep bacteria to a minimum.

In the US today, only a handful of smaller plants use the air-chilling process, a production method that is just beginning to catch on in the mainstream. Although air-chilled chickens cost significantly more, producers claim the result is a better-tasting bird that's retained its natural flavors and boasts a crisper skin after roasting." 

source: http://www.yumsugar.com/What-Air-Chilled-Chicken-6882699

I'm sure the air chilled chicken is probably better but I just can't afford it for as often as I will need it for this diet. I hope non organic food won't have much an effect on the experiment.

Snack Time Watermelons

Snack time: 12:30pm (consumed)
Phase 1: Precut Watermelons from Whole Foods (1 cup)
Cost: $4.79 + tax

It was sweet and tasty =) By this point my tummy was already grumbling a bit.

Water intake thus far:
8oz of 70oz

Breakfast - Frozen Mango Fat-Burning Smoothie

Today was my day off so it was a good day to start I think, so I could take my time figuring how to start this. I did wake up late however. It was a nice gloomy rainy day to sleep in and my tummy was hurting a bit from the cold.

Anyways let's get this show on the road.

Weight: 140lbs
Wake time: 9:30am
Breakfast time: 10am (consumed)
Cost: $1.50? (not sure. I already had the mango and stevia around the house)

FROZEN MANGO FAT-BURNING SMOOTHIE

PHASE 1

(1 SERVING)

1/2 CUP FROZEN MANGO (OR STRAWBERRIES OR PINEAPPLE)

1/2 CUP ICE CUBES

1/2 LEMON

1/4 STEVIA

2 MINT LEAVES OR 1/4 TSP PEPPERMINT TEA LEAVES

Add mango and ice to a blender with 3/4 cups water.

Juice the lemon and add stevia.

Sprinkle the mint and mix/puree until smooth.

Enjoy 8 to 10 rice crackers.

Notes:

Relatively easy to make but I forgot to buy rice crackers and mint leaves... so this meal was sort of incomplete.

Week 1 Meal Plan

Below is my own personal meal plan I wrote up in excel based on the sample meal plans and recipes in the book. There are lists of food I can eat in each phase if I cannot cook every meal which is also helpful, but I will do my best to try and cook every meal and photograph and review it here.

I will go grocery shopping later today. This is my approximate shopping list for meals MON to THURS

FRUIT

STRAWBERRY

WATERMELON

MANGOS

APPLE

LEMON

PINEAPPLE

VEGGIES

3 CUPS MUSHROOMS

3 GARLIC

3 ONION

14.5 OZ DICED TOMATO

BAY LEAF

2 CUPS ZUCCHINI

1 CUP BROCCOLI FLORETS

2 SHALLOT

4 CUPS SPINACH

4 PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS

ROMAINE LETTUCE

MISC

STEVIA

MINT

1 CUP WILD RICE

14 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

4 CUPS VEGETABLE BROTH

1 CUP BARLEY

ROSEMARY

CILANTRO

BASIL

OREGANO

THYME

BAY LEAF

MEAT

CHICKEN 5lbs bonesless skinless breast

3 EGG WHITES

TURKEY 2lbs breast steaks

BEEF 3bs lean ground

SALMON smoked 6oz

TURKEY deli slices nitrate free

Diet Information - What is the diet?

Below are some notes about the highlights of this diet.

I do recommend purchasing the book because it provides concise and informative explanations for the various parts of the diet as well as information about how metabolism is supposed to work. It also has recipes you can eat on the diet =)

$15.48 online
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fast-metabolism-diet-haylie-pomroy/1113745604?ean=9780307986276

There is also an app for you iPhone users.

$1.99 app store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fast-metabolism-diet-app-customized/id626362411?mt=8

However the reviewers say it is only partially useful and still needs many updates.

3 PHASES

You go through these phases every week for 4 weeks (28 days)

Phase 1 - Unwind
Stress and Calm the Adrenals
Days 1 and 2


Phase 2 - Unlock
Stored Fat and Build Muscle
Days 3 and 4

Phase 3 - Unleash
The Burn - hormones, heart, and heat
Days 5 and 7

What is happening?

Step 1: Take your food and turn it into energy

Step 2: Release stored fat

Step 3: Turn newly released stored fat into energy

Phase 1 Food

This is the high-glycemic, moderate-protein, low-fat phase.

- three carb-rich, moderate-protein, low-fat meals

- two fruit snacks

Phase 2 Food

This is the very high-protein, high vegetable, low-carbohydrate, and low-fat phase.

- three high-protein, low-carb, low-fat meals

- two protein snacks

Phase 3 Food

This is the high healthy-fat, moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, low glycemic fruit phase.

- three meals

- two healthy-fat snacks

THE RULES

The Do's

1. Eat 5 times a day: 3 meals 2 snacks

2. Eat every 3 to 4 hours unless you are sleeping.

3. Eat within 30 min. of waking. Every day.

4. You must follow the meal plan for 28 days.

5. Stick to the foods allowed for each phase. Religiously.

6. Follow the phases in order.

7. Drink half your body weight in fluid oz. of water every day.

8. Eat organic wherever possible.

9. Meat choices must be nitrate-free.

10. You must exercise 3 times a week, according to the phase.

The Don'ts

1. No wheat. 

(what?!)

2. No corn. 

(aw... that buttery salty goodness)

3. No dairy. 

(no!!! my ice cream and yogurt!)

4. No soy. 

(sauce? but I cook with it all the time!)

5. No refined sugar.

(i saw that coming)

6. No caffeine. 

(NOOO! here comes the coffee withdrawal)

7. No alcohol. 

(this... will be a test... I love my cider)

8. No dried fruit or fruit juices. 

(I will miss my morning OJ)

9. No artificial sweeteners. 

(We can use Stevia still... even if it does taste funny)

10. No fat-free "diet foods" 

28 days later...