Wednesday, January 29, 2014

PQ Diet: Salmon Salad

SALMON SALAD
This delicious recipe can be found directly on the pq diet website about midway down on this link. I chose to use fresh salmon:

https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet/recipes

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet


PQ Diet Herb and Chees Omelet with fresh veggies

PQ DIET HERB AND CHEESE OMELET 
Spray EVOO in a pan, saute sliced zucchini, mushrooms, onions and any other veg you like as long as you follow the rules of veggies on the diet plan. I prefer my veggies to be slightly firm and then add the omelet. Simply follow the instructions on the package for the herb and cheese omelet as normal and add to skillet until fully cooked. The red pepper flavor is a bit too sweet for my liking so I add hot sauce! You can add an egg white to this as well if you are feeling a little extra hungry. 

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Healthy PQ Approved Snack: Zuchinni Chips

ZUCCHINI CHIPS
So easy! Wash and slice zucchini, toss in organic apple cider vinegar, place on dehydrater racks and dehydrate overnight! Add salt if you would like. If you do not like the idea of salt and vinegar try other chip flavors. Try not to overlap the slices when you lay them on the racks as they may stick together when dry. Many people say to rotate racks - I have no issues with sleeping while they "cook!" Sporting places have some really good dehydraters. Mine is from Walmart, about small 5 racks. I also recommend a mandolin slicer - simple, even slicing! I eat these as my 2 cup serving with my pq meals and sometimes I eat them as a snack to get me through to the next meal. It is very easy to eat 3 zucchinis in one sitting.
PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

PQ Vegetable Chili stuffed Mushrooms


PQ VEG CHILI STUFFED MUSHROOMS
This is very easy and makes a great pq diet lunch! Follow the instructions on the pq veggie chili pack. Add tbs balsamic vinegar, dash of worcestershire , desired amount of tabasco, minced garlic, 2 tbs raw red onion. Remove stems and hollow inside (I used a metal half measuring spoon). Stuff caps with chili mix and bake on 450 for about 15/20 mins. Be creative and add things you love! Jalapenos, celery, parsley ...
Hint: I like to preheat a cast iron flat plate, spray with evoo and then add the caps for cooking. It helps brown the caps. 
PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

Fresh Baby Spinach with a balsamic reduction

FRESH BABY SPINACH WITH A BALSAMIC GLAZE
(This image is shown with a topping sprinkle of hemp seeds. While hemp seeds are amazing for us, they are high in calories and fat so, should be enjoyed when you are finished with the pq diet.)
Saute shiitake mushrooms in a pan sprayed with organic EVOO, med high heat. When mushrooms begin to have a slight sear, spray pan with more EVOO and add one bag of baby spinach rotating the leaves to help sweat out moisture. When the leaves cook down, add minced garlic.
BALSAMIC REDUCTION: add one cup of balsamic vinegar to a sauce pan on med to med high heat. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble, turn down to med, med low (depends on your stove). This will reduce by 75%. Remove from heat to allow to thicken.  Drizzle thickened reduction over your cooked spinach. My garnishes are a seaweed and herring roe spread from Ikea. You can add a dab to each bite for extra flavor.
I don't go into great detail so, if you are not used to being in the kitchen may want to check youtube on how to make this reduction.
PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

PQ friendly dinner: Chicken sausage stuffed jalapenos





CHICKEN SAUSAGE STUFF JALAPENOS 
The sausage is all natural, a little higher in fat then it should be (8 grams) so, I took and extra 30 min walk to make up for it. Next time I will use ground chicken and add spices which I recommend doing now so you don't run into a problem with not burning your own bodies fat. 
Here, I simply sauteed mushrooms, then added diced precooked chicken sausage, minced garlic, raw red onion, diced and a tsp of worcestershire. 
Hollow and cup jalapenos, grill or bake on 350. Dont overcook as they have to go back in the oven. My trick is to remove them first sign of smelling them. 
Stuff jalapenos with filling, turn oven up to 450 and bake until tops are slightly crispy! Serve with a PQ approved side salad.

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet


11 lbs in 16 days!

I am so excited! I am 9 lbs away from my goal. I am hoping to accomplish this over the next 2 weeks. The Super Bowl is this Sunday. I have thought about it and decided that I will work out, have some eggs for breakfast and then enjoy some controlled and monitored  tailgating festivities! By no means does this make me feel defeated; this is just the reality of dieting and I am simply adjusting for 24 hours and then right back to work the very next day. If I didn't live in Denver, it would probably be must easier to pass up.

Let me just say, if you ever make this decision (no matter what diet you are on) be content. And by that I mean, no one wants to hear someone beat themselves up moments after they allowed themselves some indulgence room! Enjoy you decision and then pick up where you left off. Keep in mind, I am doing this ONE TIME in 30 days. My Mother (the Dietician) says if we do this weekly our blood sugar will be too confused and will defeat the purpose of trying to reset and stabilize out glucose levels for lasting weight loss success! 

In the meantime, I have been experimenting with the pq food to keep it interesting. Eating foods I really love rather than forcing myself to eat broccoli simply because it is good for me has really helped me to stay successful while on the pq diet. By foods I love I mean, smoked salmon, collards, cucumber salad and homemade lemonade with stevia. Not ice cream, steak and corn! All those things will come in a few weeks.

Remember it's never too late to get the body you have always wanted!

GO BRONCOS!

PQ Oatmeal with cinnamon and cream


PQ OATMEAL WITH CINNAMON & CREAM
In the morning, the pq diet allows a little creamer in our coffee. Some days, I add it to my oatmeal with cinnamon and stevia. This is one of my favorite things to eat on the pq diet.
PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet 

PQ Vegetable Chili on Endives

PQ VEGETABLE CHILI ON ENDIVES
The pq chili while good, is too sweet for my liking so, I add a dash of balsamic vinegar and a decent amount of hot sauce. For this dish, I topped endive pieces with PQ veg chili, pickled jalapenos, red onion and the allowed amount of mashed avocado. Last, I sprinkled a little smoked powdered cheese which you can find here: 
http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/blends/smoky.html

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet





PQ Flat Bread Recipe (with avocado)




PQ FLAT-BREAD:
Add water as directed on the packet. To give extra flavor for this particular meal I added Italian Seasoning, pink salt and white pepper directly into the flat bread mix. Sear on both side in a cast iron skillet spray with organic EVOO on med-high heat. Make sure you add enough water so it is thin enough to distribute to be "flat" but not so much that it's runny. 
Saute red onions and jalapenos. Add garlic to pan last min to avoid burning. Spread allowed amount of mashed avocado, fold and enjoy!  
Serve with PQ compliant side salad. 

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet



Sunday, January 19, 2014

One week and 5 lbs down (workout and FB links)

Wow, what a busy week. The weight on the scale was weird for me. 2 days ago it actually said I was 2 lbs lighter than I am right now and I am not sure why it went back up however, I still lost 5 so, I will take that!

I have decided to post all my meals on Pintrist so you can see the photos. I will be working on that today. For those who are interested I will continue to blog so you can understand the mental or emotional side of this diet.

For the most part I took it easy this week. I went to bed early so I wouldn't be tempted to eat. Seems like what is working best for me is to have my meals at the following times; breakfast at 9:30, lunch around 12:30, dinner at 5 and my pq recovery snack at 7. If I have breakfast any earlier it messes up my entire day.

I have done this diet before so, I know where my energy levels are week to week so, I am going to go ahead and incorporate some exercising starting today. I am going to alternate these videos with a 25 min walk with my dogs. One day I will do arms and butt, the next abs and thighs, then walk. These are old videos that I have been using for years at home and they work great for me. My body type builds muscle quickly so, these are perfect for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNnubazHtz0 - arms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRZT9TTR0e8 - butt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FhGOSFZ-j4 - abs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55BLoQRgbQ - thighs



My recommendation to you is to follow the PQ diet and do not work out for the first 3 weeks. I have only 15 more lbs to lose which means I really want to make sure I lose it over these next 3 weeks. That is why I am working out. But, when you have never done this diet, you don't know what to expect of your body. It also takes a great deal of discipline to be on such a diet so, getting used to the actual diet first ... I highly recommend it and there is nothing wrong with it (I am the one not following the instructions). 

If you have a lot of stress in your life, I would also recommend getting a bottle of DoTerra frankincense. If you scroll through my spa page on FB I recently posted an article on the many benefits of this amazing oil. Also, to understand how stress can keep you from losing weight refer to my "getting started" blog post.  Like my page while you're at it. :)

https://www.facebook.com/LanataAdvancedSkinCare?ref=hl - FB

http://www.mydoterra.com/amiehawks/ - link to the oil

As any new business owner, I have a ton of things to do today. I did my ab workout as soon as I woke up. Breakfast now then taking the dogs for a walk. I will do my booty workout later today!

Have a fantastic day. GO BRONCOS!

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

Monday, January 13, 2014

Day 2 - sugar leaving the body

I wasnt expecting to stay at work so long so, I am almost having dinner too late. Seems like as long as I eat by 5pm Im good and then I can have my pq recovery snack before bed. Thought about cheating on the way home since I was in rush hour traffic and then I reminded myself of how skinny I can be in 30 days if I don't! :)

I am going to make this short because I think photos so you can see what I am doing is more interesting than me talking ...

I will post snacks and a step by step of a typical day for me on the pq diet.

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Time for a fresh start in 2014!


Hi everyone! To kick off 2014, I have started the PQ diet again. I always have a lot of clients asking about this diet which is what originally prompted me to blog. I'd like to take a moment to briefly catch everyone up on my my last year so you understand why I am on the diet again and to encourage you to read last years short entries to give you a complete understanding to what, why and how the #PQDiet works as I am going to just jump right in this time.

Shortly after I stopped blogging last year I went through a (long overdue) separation. I still had about 20 more lbs to lose however, I decided that was not a good time to focus on a diet. I kept the weight off for a while and then as lifes challenges grew, a few bottles of wine a week became an old habit again and I gained about half of the 21 lbs I lost in 30 days while on the PQ. Please, this is not a pity party! I was VERY HAPPY to start a new life, but it was tough the first 6 months; I was a brand new business owner in a brand new city but nothing I couldn't handle .. .without a few glasses of wine! I was a bartender for 10 years so celebrating or relaxing with a few libations comes naturally for me. :)  It is a habit I have since learned to monitor.

It's never really been about the food (other than when I lived in MI). For the most part, I have really healthy food choice habits. For me it has always been about over-consuming those healthy foods (after all it is about calories in and out) and too many calories from drinking. Univeras Level G really helps keep the wine cravings in check so, hopefully that will not be an issue anymore.

https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/metabolic-makeover/level-g

On to day one ...

Breakfast was PQ eggs mixed with sauteed shorroms, zucchini, onions and garlic. I like to sweat all the moisture out of my veggies first and then give them a little crisp sear so, I cook veggies first then add the eggs.

The photo of me adding the eggs came out blurry so, I will post the entire process next time I have eggs. The drinks are Earl Gray with stevia and I am going against the PQ Diet rules and continuing to have my Xperia cell renewal formula. My reason is because it alters my mood, focus and energy levels too much when I do not take it therefore, it is worth the sacrifice to me. If you choose to break ANY of the PQ rules (no matter how small) you have to be willing to accept that you will not lose weight as rapidly as you could otherwise.

Now, I am off to make some delicious snakes that are PQ friendly. Oh ... Im not going to post how much weight I want to lose, too much pressure. But I do have a goal. :)

PQ DIET INFO:https://newunivera.com/en-us/products-for-vitality/protein-quotient-diet