Can I be honest?! (Happy Memorial Day!)

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

I want to be perfectly honest . . . I fell off the wagon a little bit. I decided to enjoy a couple adult beverages while sitting on the beach this weekend. I also did a couple other naughty things . . .

I decided to make chicken salad . . . with pecans and grapes {gasp}. BUT I did use nonfat yogurt in place of the mayo, so I don't think I'm too far flung from the wagon, do you?

It's back to pure protein for me tomorrow (Dr. Dukan would be so proud). ;-)   In fact, I already whipped up some heavenly Dukan chicken salad while I was making the naughty chicken salad.

Plus I ran a few times this weekend . . . so that's gotta count for something, right?! ;-)

FREE Stevia Sample!

Grab a FREE sample of Soooo Sweet! It's an all natural stevia supplement. 

It claims "Noooo bitter aftertaste"! 

I can't wait to give it a try!

Lemon Lime Marinated Chicken

 I stumbled upon this recipe at My Coupon Teacher and it can easily be adjusted (by substituting Diet Soda) for Dukan. I haven't tried it yet (let me know if you do & I will let you know when I do!) . . .

Lemon Lime Marinated Chicken

1 cup lemon-lime soda
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp  horseradish
2 T lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2-3 pounds of chicken
In a large mixing bowl combine all the first nine ingredients. Pour 1 cup into a large resealable bag or a flat sealable container. Add the chicken and turn to coat all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but not more than 2 hours.  Pour leftover marinate into a bowl, use this for a sauce if desired.
Drain and discard marinade from the chicken. Grill until cooked through.

Cottage Cheese

Lately cottage cheese is my best friend. Any time I'm hungry, I grab a few bites and it seems to help to satisfy my hunger. 

I've tried every brand out there . . . my favorite is Friendship brand cottage cheese. It's very rare for me to be able to find it though . . . . you can go here to look for it near you.

The next runner up is Kroger brand cottage cheese. It's delicious and easy on the wallet.

Recipe: Dukan Caesar Dressing

I was digging through my spice cabinets, looking for a way to add more flavor to this all protein diet. I came across some anchovy paste that I had never used before. The only thing I have ever heard it was for was Caesar dressing...so after perusing through some different recipes, I came up with this one. I am currently marinating a chicken breast in it. Review: the yogurt I used was a little tangy, I think that Greek would've worked better! Also, if fat free Parmesan exists, it would take this recipe to the next level.

Dukan Caesar Dressing


1/4 cup 0% plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 tsp reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dried mustard
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Directions: Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Voila!

Day 4: I'm not that hungry!

Well, day 3 came and went. I got so caught up eating lean protein that I forgot to make a post yesterday! I'm doing pretty good if I may say so myself! I don't feel too hungry today but my head is a little fuzzy.

I enjoyed a cup of coffee with fat free milk and Splenda (MUCH better than Sun Crystals!) this morning. I also seem to love a bowl of cottage cheese for breakfast. I love it so much I'm on my second container this week!

I have some turkey tenderloin cutlets marinating in a concoction of low sodium soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and one packet of Splenda . . . I'll let you know how it turns out!

I'm also enjoying my Morning Thunder Celestial Seasonings iced tea! Mmmm...good stuff!

IMPROVED Recipe: Dukan Pancake

I wasn't too impressed with my Dukan pancake yesterday, and I thought I'd make good on my promise to tweak the recipe...the result was a little bit fluffier (it broke apart a little bit when flipping, though) and overall, a better taste...

Dukan Pancake II


1 egg (I only use half a yolk, entire white)
1 1/2 Tbsp oat bran
2 Tbsp plain, 0% Greek yogurt
2 1/2 packets of Splenda
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Directions: Beat egg, fold in yogurt, oatbran, 2 packets of Splenda and spices. Place batter in small skillet over medium low heat, about 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle pancake with remaining 1/2 packet Splenda and a little bit of cinnamon.

Recipe: Dukan Pancake

After much hesitation, I decided to finally try this Dukan pancake that everyone has been raving about. I needed a more creative way to get my daily oat bran in to my diet....my review: don't expect a light and fluffy stack, like you might receive at IHOP. This recipe yields 1, semi-dense pancake...I will tweak the recipe, that's a promise.

Dukan Pancake




1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp plain, 0% Greek yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp oat bran
1 packet Splenda (or other sweetener)
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice




Directions: Mix ingredients together well. Place batter on griddle or omelet pan over medium heat and place lid over pan. About 2 minutes on each side worked for me!

Day 2: I never thought I'd say this . . .

I am really really looking forward to eating vegetables! Although I feel full and not hungry at all, eating pure protein is tougher than you'd think.

Today I had cinnamon flavored coffee with fat free milk and sun crystals (sweetener). I would not recommend sun crystals for coffee, although it does taste alright in cold iced tea. I'm seriously considering switching to drinking my coffee black. I also had a nice heap of cottage cheese. Yum.

I munched on a few cold turkey balls and a few strips of chicken.

I found some splenda sweetened non-fat yogurt at Kmart of all places. I haven't tried it yet . . . I don't have high expectations for it, but at least it will be fruity-tasting and have a sweetness to it.

Recipe: Turkey Burgers

Well, it's time to eat again, and I'm getting pretty hungry. I whipped up some turkey burgers the other day and froze them individually. They're quick to defrost and cook up nicely! This is a pretty basic recipe I came up with, but I'm not afraid to add some additional flavors to it after I defrost (ie, splash of soy and grated ginger, perhaps)...here's the basic recipe:

Turkey Burgers

2 lbs ground turkey breast
1/4 cup oat bran
1 green onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp. Badia complete seasoning

Directions: Incorporate ingredients together in bowl using hands. Weigh out burger meat in 4 oz. portions. Flatten meat, round edges and place in small sandwich Ziploc bag. Place all patties in larger, Ziploc bag to be frozen.

When ready to cook, remove patty from freezer. Submerge patty (in bag) in warm water and allow to thaw. When fully thawed, grill or broil.

Servings: 8

Recipe: Krab Salad

No, that isn't a typo. Yes, I meant crab with a "k."  Krab, (aka, "crab delights" or "crab sticks")  isn't exactly a culinary delicacy, but it's a cheap alternative to the real thing and it's jammed pack with protein (be sure to check the label to make sure you're getting a crab alternative that doesn't have a lot of fillers or starch).

Krab isn't for everybody...so if you already don't like it, this recipe isn't going to "win you over"....but, if you are just looking for some variety to your Dukan diet, this is pretty easy!

Krab Salad


4 Krab sticks ("leg style"), roughly torn up by hand
1/2 cup plain, 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning or creole seasoning


Directions: Mix items well in bowl. Chill.

Oat Bran Emergency

**DISCLAIMER: the "recipe" you are about to read may not seem appetizing to you if you are not currently dukanning.**


Leave it to me to forget all about the oat bran yesterday til about 7 pm! I knew I had to get it down the hatch somehow, and I was definitely craving something sweet at that point...I decided to mix something up.

Berry Cobbler Mousse

1/2 cup plain, 0% Greek yogurt

1/2 of a sinlge packet of Crystal Light (any flavor you choose, I used Berry Pomegrante)

1 1/2 Tbsp of oat bran

Directions: Mix well yogurt and Crystal Light well. Fold in oat bran. 

My review: this recipe was made on a whim...I wouldn't call it delicious, but it is definitely sweet and edible. It had the flavor of an oaty-berry cobbler, and the consistency of a yogurty mousse. Use your imagination--it tasted pretty much exactly how you would expect. Would I make it again? Probably in a few minutes. 

Recipe: Chicken Salad & Curried Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

This is a pretty standard chicken salad, and it's a good base to add to (can't wait until I can add celery!). I use nonfat Greek yogurt as a replacement for mayonnaise. This time, I used leftover chicken breasts on the bone that I had grilled the day before to make it. I removed the skin before I diced it.

3 baked/boneless or rotisserie style, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 cup 0% Greek Yogurt (I love Chobani!)
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 green onion, diced
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 gloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: In medium bowl, mix the yogurt, onions, garlic and seasonings. Add cubed chicken. Mix well. Chill.

Curried Chicken Salad

This Indian curry chicken salad is done in 2 parts. It packs a lot of flavor and is well worth the time it takes to make it: marinade is made, the chicken is cooked stove top, and then is diced for the chicken salad. Sorry, no picture (I ate it before I got a chance to find the camera)

**FULL DISCLOSURE: The curry paste used in this marinade recipe adds a TRIVIAL amount of fat, but is needed for full flavor...this is why I added the "patting off" step after cooking**

CURRY MARINADE:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch or so chunks

1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt (not Greek!)
1/2 Tbsp curry paste (I used Kitchens of India paste for Hyderabadi Biryani)
1/2 of a fresh lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Directions: In 1 gallon ziploc bag, mix yogurt, curry paste, lemon juice and garlic gloves. Add chicken chunks and coat in marinade mixture. Place in refrigerator overnight. (This method allows the flavors to penetrate the meat).

CURRY CHICKEN SALAD:

1 cup plain, 0% Greek yogurt
1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp Curry powder
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Place the marinated chicken chunks and marinade in a skillet over medium heat. When sauce begins to bubble, place lid over pan and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook 20 minutes. Remove chicken from stove using slotted spoon, and "pat off" the excess, cooked marinade. When cool enough to handle, dice the chicken up in to bite-sized pieces or shred.

In separate bowl, combine yogurt, spices, and ginger. Add diced or shredded chicken. Chill.

Recipes: Dukan Turkey Meatballs

Here is the final product of the Dukan Turkey Meatballs . . .

I think I ate about 4 of them right off the baking sheet! They're pretty scrumptious! Give 'em a try!

Click here for the recipe.

I'm probably gonna make some dipping sauce (maybe a Greek yogurt/lemon juice/chive blend?).

Dukanning

du·kan·ning [doo-kan-ning]: noun- the act, process, or discipline of adhering to the Dukan Diet.

I woke up this morning after my first day of dukanning (yes, it's a word now) feeling slimmer...or was I just hungry? I headed to the kitchen to find out. After polishing off the tub of cottage cheese I had bought for the week, I came to the conclusion that I probably had not gotten any slimmer over the course of the past 24-hours.

Yesterday was my first official day attacking and I'm planning on doing it for the full 10 days. I don't own a scale, and to be honest, I'm not really in to numbers. I will judge the success of this diet by how well my jeans fit.

My first day attacking went pretty smoothly, but I did some prep work the day before. I made 2 different kinds of chicken salad using baked chicken and greek yogurt as a base (recipes to follow). I am sure I can handle this "protein only" diet, as long as there is some variety! They say variety is the spice of life and I try to remember this when I'm cooking--I just dukan't eat a bland diet!! 

Luckily, there are many ways to spice up your foods when you're dukanning: garlic, fresh or dry herbs, spices, salts, vinegars, mustards, lemon zest, and even a small amount of onion or fresh ginger....I'm not sure about wasabi (but I'll probably use it)...in conclusion, there are plenty of options out there to make your the dukan ATTACK! phase du-able.

Will keep you posted on how day 2 pans out...

KMR

Day One: My Breakfast & Turkey Meatballs Recipe!

I had a bowl of cottage cheese.
One cup of coffee sweetened with one packet of Truvia and fat free milk.
I also enjoyed a few cold strips of the baked chicken breast that I baked yesterday.

I have this turkey meatball recipe in the oven right now:

Dukan Turkey Meatballs

black pepper
1/4 c. cottage cheese
1/2 t. oregano
1 egg
2 garlic cloves
1 onion chopped
1/2 t. parsley
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 t. sage
4 T. oat bran
1 lb. ground turkey breast

preheat oven to 350 F. spray sheet lightly. saute onions & garlic and add to the mix.
make into balls. bake for 40 min, (turn after 20 minutes).

I Forgot to Mention . . .

I totally forgot about the eggs I was boiling for the big day tomorrow (aka D Day)! oops! They've been boiling on the stove for quite some time . . .

Starting Tomorrow . . .

I am officially starting the Dukan Diet tomorrow! I am excited and currently prepping some chicken (yes, as I type up this post!). I thought it would be fun to make this journal to hold myself accountable. Plus, I can't find a lot of info on people here in the U.S. that are giving this diet a try! If you stumble upon this site, please drop us a line! We'd love to hear from you!