Yum Diet

Busy Mama Recipes



My aunt and stepmom are doing this diet thing.  I don't know EXACTLY what it is, but I know they are extremely restricted in what they are allowed to eat.  It is pretty close to the paleo diet as far as the types of foods they have (if it didn't have a mother and didn't grow from the Earth, don't eat it).  No sugar, limit fruits, limit salts and oils, eat as many vegetables as possible, and have only lean protein (like chicken or turkey).

Well, unfortunately my family LOVES food.  LOVES it.  It's insanely lucky that we have good genes, otherwise we would all be morbidly obese. Poor Annette has to have dry toast and a piece of fruit for breakfast with ONE cup of black coffee, is allowed 23 almonds (not 24, only 23), brown rice, plain chicken, veggies, etc.  No fun.  Today for a snack she was eating cottage cheese (which, by the way, she has always hated) with tomato slices and pepper.  I asked her why she was eating it, and she explained that it has lots of protein and not many calories.  She said she was tired of eating the same things everyday, but since she is not a super talented chef, she could not think of anything "safe" to make that would get her out of this slump.

And we all know, unless you are totally committed to a diet, it's not going to work.

So, I promised her I would think of some things for her to eat, and I have come up with a few.  I decided to post them on here because even though we aren't all on this diet, it's still yummy, healthy food.

Here is the first one that can be used as a snack:

Put one cup of low fat or fat free cottage cheese in the blender and blend until smooth.  Add 2 tsp each dill, parsley, dried onion, garlic powder, and lemon pepper.  It will be like a ranch dip that you can use as a dip for veggies or on a lettuce wrap.

The second one is more complicated, but still pretty easy:-)  It's a type of lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles.

Slice zucchini until you have enough to cover a 9x13 pan four times.  Slices should be thick.

Blend three cups of cottage cheese like above, and add the juice and zest of one lemon, 3 tsp oregano and parsley, and some black pepper.

Place a layer of zucchini on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  Add layers of canned tomato, sliced onion, mushroom, shredded carrot, spinach leaves, and any other vegetables you want.

Add another layer of zucchini, a layer or canned tomato, and a layer of the cheese mixture.

Add a layer of zucchini and the rest of the cheese mixture.  Top with the last layer of zucchini.

Bake in the oven on 350 for about 45 minutes.  If the top starts to get too brown, cover with tin foil.

You can also substitute eggplant for the zucchini, or use any kind of squash you want, really.  Ground turkey or pieces of chicken would be delicious if added, just be sure to cook the meat first.

And last but not least ( can you tell I'm craving Italian pasta dishes right now?):

Make an organic marinara sauce using tomato, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  You can make it any way you'd like as long as it's mostly vegetables.  Just simmer everything on the stove (add water or tomato juice if needed) and puree with an immersion blender once the vegetable are fully cooked.

Also, to give it some protein, blend some cottage cheese and add it to the marinara.  It will make a creamy tomato sauce- sort of like the vodka sauce you can buy at the store- minus the vodka and additives.

Then, instead of using pasta, put a spaghetti squash- which are in season right now-in the microwave for five minutes (puncture a few times so it wont explode).  Then cut it in half lengthwise and shred with a fork.  "Noodles" will instantly appear.  Perfecto!  PS:  This recipe is also perfect for those on low carb diets or who are gluten free!