The Frugal Hostess, like most women, is on a diet. Dieting is cheaper than mammoplasty, so that's where she's landed. In an effort to do the least complicated and simultaneously most effective thing, FruHo is following Tim Ferriss's slow carb diet, as outlined in his book, The 4-Hour Body
. Listen, there's a great chance that this diet, like most diets, is a total load of crap. But after consuming the equivalent of the Gulf of Mexico in beer, wine, and candy over the holidays, anything is worth trying.
. Listen, there's a great chance that this diet, like most diets, is a total load of crap. But after consuming the equivalent of the Gulf of Mexico in beer, wine, and candy over the holidays, anything is worth trying.You can find the details through one of those links, but to distill this for you:
meat + beans + vegetables - anything/everything else = fat loss
Purportedly.
So, here are some recipes that have turned out to not be all that gross, so far. They might also be good options for gluten-free diets.
Chicken and Beans in a Bowl: Mexican Edition
Ingredients
One can of pinto beans
1-2 baked chicken breasts(or equivalent amount of thigh meat)
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Tabasco
Directions
1. Bake the chicken breasts. Just put a little olive oil on them and then sprinkle on Everglades seasoning. (Use salt and pepper if you don't have that.) Bake for however long you bake chicken breasts (20 minutes? No idea.).
2. Make refried beans. Open the can of beans and rinse the slime water off. Put in a pot with a small amount (like, maybe 1/4 cup) of water and mash the hell out of them as you would mashed potatoes (or ants). Turn the heat down and let them cook down, adding water if they get too dry. No need to add oil; they will still taste good like this.
3. Cut up vegetables. Try to make your lettuce into thin little strips (chiffonade, anyone?) so you feel like you're eating shredded lettuce at a Mexican restaurant. (A good portion of this recipe is made up of illusion.)
4. Mix up everything in a bowl. Dose with Tabasco. Eat. This will make 2-3 meals.
Variations:
Chicken and Beans in a Bowl: Italian
Use Italian butter beans (Southerners, this is not lima beans, so pay attention!), Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomatoes from Mooney Farms*, green onions or scallions, and broccoli or spinach or another vegetable. Do the same thing cooking-wise, except don't mash up the beans.
Chicken and Beans in a Bowl: Thai
Use black beans, cabbage or bok choy, water chestnuts, and a little bit of natural (i.e., just peanuts and salt) peanut butter. You can either mash or not mash the beans. Special thanks to FruHubs for inventing this recipe; it has quickly become a favorite.
Chicken and Beans in a Bowl: Cajun
Use canary beans, mustard greens or kale, and onions. FruHubs made this with some andouille sausage, which TFH did not eat but gave it some extra flavor.
You can also add sauteed peppers and onions to just about any of the variations above with excellent results.
The hardest part about this diet is that you have to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up, and it can't be something palatable like yogurt or toast. FruHo doesn't really dig breakfast under the most perfect of circumstances, so, you know, eww. It took a bit to figure this out, but she has now arrived at the ideal solution for breakfast. (Long-time readers may remember this from the Eat on 30 challenge.) Make a batch on Sunday for the whole week.
Mini-Frittatas
Ingredients
12 eggs
Can of white beans (cannelini, great northern, etc.), rinsed
Chicken breast, cooked
Broccoli
Onion
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Separate the eggs, reserving yolks for another purpose. (TFH beat in three yolks for 12 eggs, to give the mixture some body and flavor.) You can obviously also use a carton of egg whites for this. Add a splash of water (makes them more fluffy), and beat until well mixed. Set aside, in a measuring cup or other container with a spout.
2. Chop the chicken, onion, and broccoli. Mix together in a bowl with rinsed can of beans, adding salt and pepper to taste. You might also want to add some minced garlic, assuming breath is not a major concern for you in the morning.
3. Grease a 12-muffin tin. Then, cut circles out of parchment paper and drop them in the holes. (TFH realizes this sounds stupid but you have to do it or the frittatas won't come out.) Another option is to take the mini-muffin papers, turn them inside-out, and use those. You don't want the full-size muffin cups because they take up too much space, eliminate the crust, and are just generally a nuisance. To recap, put something down there. You know, in the hole.
4. Fill each hole about two-thirds full of the veggie-bean-chicken mixture.
5. Fill the remaining space in each muffin cup with beaten egg. You'll notice why the spout was suggested.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Separate the eggs, reserving yolks for another purpose. (TFH beat in three yolks for 12 eggs, to give the mixture some body and flavor.) You can obviously also use a carton of egg whites for this. Add a splash of water (makes them more fluffy), and beat until well mixed. Set aside, in a measuring cup or other container with a spout.
2. Chop the chicken, onion, and broccoli. Mix together in a bowl with rinsed can of beans, adding salt and pepper to taste. You might also want to add some minced garlic, assuming breath is not a major concern for you in the morning.
3. Grease a 12-muffin tin. Then, cut circles out of parchment paper and drop them in the holes. (TFH realizes this sounds stupid but you have to do it or the frittatas won't come out.) Another option is to take the mini-muffin papers, turn them inside-out, and use those. You don't want the full-size muffin cups because they take up too much space, eliminate the crust, and are just generally a nuisance. To recap, put something down there. You know, in the hole.
4. Fill each hole about two-thirds full of the veggie-bean-chicken mixture.
5. Fill the remaining space in each muffin cup with beaten egg. You'll notice why the spout was suggested.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Once cool, these can be removed from the tin and refrigerated for at least a week. The Frugal Hostess eats two immediately upon waking, after microwaving them for 30-60 seconds.
8. Variations could include Canadian bacon, mushrooms, black beans, spinach, etc. They really are good.
So far, FruHo has lost seven pounds eating this stuff, and she doesn't feel hungry. However, she CRAVES fruit and cheese. We shall see.
*Mooney Farms sent a GIANT box of their sun-dried tomato varieties for The Frugal Hostess to taste. Wasn't that cool of them? And, get this, they are freaking delicious. Thanks, Mooney Farms!
*Mooney Farms sent a GIANT box of their sun-dried tomato varieties for The Frugal Hostess to taste. Wasn't that cool of them? And, get this, they are freaking delicious. Thanks, Mooney Farms!
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