Bragg's Products & Books 15% off!

I just got a package in the mail from Bragg that included a coupon, good until October 31, 2009, for 15% off all web orders. If you've not tried them out, this is a good time to!

Use the code 11009 to get the discount from the Bragg website.

Amino Acids, a quick study

I've been getting lots of emails wondering just what good amino acids are and why I use them in my cooking so often. I'll certainly be emailing all those people personally, but I also wanted to address it here on my blog.

Proteins all contain amino acids. Most contain about 9 of the essential amino acids, but there are a full 20 that are essential to the body. Without those 20 aminos, the body starts breaking down lean tissue and muscle. In fact, if you read Nutrition Information's site about aminos, it gets down right scary:

What happens if an essential amino acid is missing from the body? Well, in the beginning the body will break down lean tissue in order to compensate. Eventually, however, the muscles will begin to waste away. While protein deficiencies are rare in the United States, they are more common in countries with poor diets. In addition to muscle wasting, other signs of protein deficiency include mental impairment in children, edema, anemia, decreased immunity, and metabolic abnormalities.

Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids are made from non-GMO soybeans. This is important to me because I figure that our Creator made things just the way we're supposed to be ingesting them. I'm not fond of eating things that have been tampered with because we humans "think" we can out do what's already done in nature. I think that's a terrible folly.

::getting off my soapbox now::

Bragg's FAQ about their amino acids also share with us some further information about aminos and their purpose in our bodies:

Amino Acids are the building blocks of all our organs and tissues. They are also the building blocks from which different food proteins are constructed. When we eat a protein food, such as meat or soybeans, the natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach digests the protein, releasing the Amino Acids. They are the link between the food we eat and assimilation for our body tissue. Lack of adequate Amino Acids may make it impossible for the vitamins and minerals to perform their specific duties.

I took amino acids to alleviate the need for acid reflux medicines before starting this Protocol. If heartburn showed up, I'd pop two amino acid powder pills (it has these two amino acids in it: Arginine and Carnitine) and it would be gone inside of 15 minutes. I also used them to help balance digestive issues when I was detoxing. My Mom uses L-Lysine amino acids to ensure there aren't outbreaks of cold sores.

Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids contains these 16 amino acids in it:

1. Alanine
2. Arginine
3. Aspartic Acid
4. Glutamic Acid
5. Glycine
6. Histidine
7. Isoleucine
8. Leucine
9. Methionine
10. Phenylalanine
11. Proline
12. Serine
13. Threonine
14. Tyrosine
15. Valine
16. Lysine

With the great importance of getting Amino Acids in our bodies, I find that I use it in my cooking quite often. It shouldn't completely take the place of a good quality celtic sea salt, as that's got it's own benefits that I should explore later, but Bragg's should definitely be a part of our every day diet.

I think. :)

You can get a free sample of Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids by visiting their sampling site, too!

Japanese Steak

Yesterday was my planned egg day (6 eggs, btw, is very satisfying!). It went well! I'm now at my 30 pound milestone!! In any event, I was thinking about this recipe yesterday... Probably because I didn't really have to think about what I was cooking. ::grins:: I've not yet tried it, so if you do, please email me some pictures and let me know what you think of it?

Japanese Steak (140 calories)
100g steak (140 calories)
1T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1/2t grated fresh ginger

1 drop stevia

Mix Braggs', garlic, ginger, and stevia in small bowl. Set aside. Slice steak into strips and add each strip to the marinade bowl. Let stand at least one hour in the frig. Remove from frig and cook in oven at 350* for 10 minutes or until steak is done to your liking.

Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

K, here's the lunch recipe for today!

Orange Chicken Stir-Fry (110 calories)

100g chicken, cut up (110 calories)

2T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

2c cabbage

1/4c water

8 drops orange stevia

1t Knox gelatin

1/8t salt

1/4t ground ginger

In medium skillet, sauté chicken in Braggs' over medium high heat for a few minutes until almost done. Add cabbage and fry for another two minutes. Mix all remaining ingredients together well in a glass and be sure to get the knox gelatin well dissolved, without lumps. Reduce heat to medium, add sauce mix, and cover for about 5 minutes. Sauce should be thickened to a nice glaze when done.

Balsamic Roast Beef

Tonight, it's time for something a little heavier than normal. Chicken and fishies are nice most of the time, but they leave me feeling "empty." In the summer, I'm a fruit and veggie person - but as it cools off, I want RED MEAT. Roast, steak, hamburger... (<--Read: Dead cow, ready to consume.) It's kind of morbid, I agree, but it is what it is.

I also wanted something different from the roast recipe I came up with already. Something a little more tangy, cooked slower, so the roast would be tender. Here's what I came up with:

Balsamic Roast Beef (150 calories)

100g roast beef (150 calories)

sprig of fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, cut into slices

2t Braggs' Liquid Aminos

2T Balsamic Vinegar

pinch nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Marinate roast in Braggs' and Balsamic for two hours in the frig. Then, in 8" square of foil, center roast and add pinch nutmeg, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Cover and close tightly in the foil, then pop in toaster oven (or conventional oven) at 300* for at least an hour. Serve with your choice of veggie! Seriously yummy.

I wanted to pair this up with a veggie that was low in calories so I could have a large amount of it. The fishies are, on average, 50 calories less than beef. That translates to a whole cup less of some sort of veggie. So, I chose cabbage. You get the sharesies on how I steamed it up below:

Dilled Cabbage

Allowed amount of cabbage

3t dill seed

3t salt

Add dill seed and salt to the water. Steam the cabbage up and add a little Braggs' Liquid Aminos to taste and serve up.

Up Town Chicken Soup

This afternoon, before we leave, I decided to do chicken soup, but with a twist. I need to think about getting out of here, so this post will be a short one. Here's the sharesies:

Chicken Broccoli Soup (110 calories)

100g chicken (110 calories)

1/4t onion powder

1/4t chicken boullion

1 1/2c water

5 cloves garlic

fresh basil

Braggs' Liquid Aminos

Allowed amount of broccoli

Add water, buollion, chicken, onion, garlic, basil, boullion. Allow chicken to cook fully. Add broccoli and allow to cook. "Salt" with Braggs' - but be careful not to add too much or it'll be too salty.

Gotta jet!

Going out today

So, we're planning to head out this afternoon for some yard saling and the Hood River Fly-In, which is an event where antique airplanes are displayed. It means that we won't be home this evening for dinner, though, so I've got to do a little planning.

I thought I could just go to SubWay and order a "salad" of all tomatoes or cucumbers along with one of their broiled chicken breasts, but I've not yet done my research and want to make sure that I'd be staying on the protocol. I also considered just going to the store and purchasing some cottage cheese & veggies, take a little flavoring, a pocket knife and eat on the fly. Not so great for getting that "meal" feeling, though. Of course, that's also how I used to eat - just on the fly and what ever I could grab.

In the end I decided to do shrimp. They're easy to transport and taste good hot or cold. And shrimp, regardless of the surroundings you eat them in, are considered on some level a decadent meal. :) Obviously, that's a psychological thing. Hehehehe.

So, here's the sharesies on the recipe for the shrimp:

Dilly Garlic Shrimps (90 calories)

100g shrimp (90 calories)

1/4t butter flavor (see my store if you don't have any!)

1/4t garlic powder

1/2t Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1/4t dill weed

a shake or two of pepper

Place shrimp in center of 8" foil. Lay them out so they're not touching, then sprinkle butter flavor evenly over them. Then sprinkle garlic powder evenly. Then add Braggs', trying to cover each shrimp (but don't worry about it if you don't). Over all that, spread dill weed then top with pepper. Close the foil over the shrimp, forming a little pocket and toss in the toaster oven at 350* for about 10 minutes.

I'll be sure to take pictures when we're out and about to add later, but for now, it just looks like a little foil pocket. You can't even see the shrimp yet. ::grins:: I'm putting it into a glass pyrex container and into an insulated lunch bag to keep warm. Hopefully, they'll stay warmish.

Zippy Shrimp

This afternoon, we're doing some zippy little shrimps. I think I'll pair it with some fresh cucumber to cool my mouth off because I plan to add more red pepper flakes and paprika to mine, but I like-a tings SPICY! In mine, I doubled a few of the ingredients, which I noted in the recipe. I tried to cool the recipe off for all you who aren't up for a spicy meal, below in my sharesies:

Zippy Shrimp (90 calories)

100g jumbo shrimp (90 calories)

2T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1/4c water

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/4t red pepper flakes (I doubled this at least for mine)

1/2t paprika (I doubled this one, too)

2T lemon juice

1 t chopped fresh basil

1/8t cinnamon

1/4t tobasco sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Heat the water and Braggs' in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the garlic in until the garlic is nearly translucent. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes, paprika, cinnamon, tobasco sauce, and basil. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Pour the lemon juice over the shrimp; allow to cook until the shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 1 or 2 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium-low; add the basil and toss lightly. Add your salt and pepper then serve.

Lunch time ZINNNGG!

This morning, outside, it's sort of a chill day in Oregon. It's overcast and has been raining for the last two days. A soup sounds like the perfect antidote to the outside weather, but I just don't want soup today. I want something spicy with some ZING that's going to make the top of my head tingle as I eat it. :) If you aren't interested in that sort of meal, I don't suggest this next recipe to you.

Some days, though, you just need a ZINNNGGer!

Shrimp ZINNNGG (90 calories)

100g shrimp

1T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1t wasabi powder, split in half

2T water

1/2t Furikake

MORE wasabi, if you really want a zinnger (we added a whole tablespoon for a serious zinnngg!)

In the middle of an 8" foil, lay the shrimp out and set aside for a moment. In very small bowl, mix Braggs' and 1/2t wasabi together. Add water. Now spread the wasabi mixture over the shrimp, trying to coat them evenly. (If you don't get them all, though, don't fret - the oven will do it for you, too.) Sprinkle Furikake over the shrimp next. Close the foil into a small packet and place the toaster (or conventional) oven for 15-20 minutes. Place on your plate and either dust with more wasabi powder or mix the wasabi up into the traditional paste and dip your shrimp in it. YUM!

I used an unusual spice for most kitchens today, Furikake. Basically, it's a seaweed seasoning. Sometimes there's sesame seeds, sometimes pieces of dried fish, but always it's a seaweed base. You should be able to find it in the oriental section of Safeway or some other store, but we buy it at the Oriental stores in the city closest to us. We buy quite a bit of oriental foods, really. Years ago, we invited some Japanese exchange students into our home and they, of course, brought all kinds of new and different sorts of food with them. They'd eat, straight from the can, sheets of nori (seaweed), and their candies weren't sweet sweet like in the US. It was a nice change, even for me when I was still in high school. They shared some of the delights of sushi with us (though the raw shark just didn't set well in my stomach at 17). But, more importantly, we all shared a little of who we all are and what we enjoyed. It was a great experience that I recommend to everyone.

We decided to pair this ZINNNGGer with a veggie to cool it down a little; steamed zucchini. It makes for a really inexpensive calorie meal, since the zucchini has only 20 calories per cup. So, we decided that it was the perfect day to enjoy two cups of veggies with our breadstick and shrimp. It brings us to a total calorie intake of just 150, leaving LOTS of calories for dinner and our fruits. :)

If you tried this recipe and liked it, please let me know in the comments! If you have some experience with Oriental cooking and found something worked better, please let me know that, too!

Sushi for lunch!

You know how you have little rituals during the week, like Friday is "Sushi Day?" Well, we have one of those for when we go to Portland for music lesson. Yesterday, we didn't go to Portland, simply because it's Labor Day weekend and not a smart time to travel. But Mom and I still found ourselves craving sushi. A bad thing, considering it's not something allowed on the hCG Protocol.

Instead of just figuring we were doomed to have that craving, Mom designed a great little wanna be sushi for us. We chose to use shrimp in ours, but crab could just as easily become the main protien here.

So, for all you sushi lovers, here's the sharesies:

Wanna-be Sushi (you'll have to add up the calories)

100g shrimp (90 calories) OR crab (55 calories)

1 T Plochman's stone ground mustard

1/2-1 t wasabi powder

1/2 t ground ginger

1 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

Onion powder to taste

Garlic powder to taste

1/2-1 t more wasabi powder

2 c Zucchini (58 calories) - you can use the allowed amount, if you like

In pan, stem zucchini until nearly done. While that's steaming, combine Plochman's, 1/2 to 1 t wasabi powder, and ginger in a small dish and set aside. Dry fry shrimp, Braggs', onion, and garlic powders on the stove until shrimp is hot and cooked. Place shrimp in dish with mustard mixture and coat. Remove zucchini from steamer and place on plate. Place shrimp over the zucchini then, in the dish that held the mustard mixture, mix another 1/2-1 teaspoon wasabi and add 2 t water to it to make it sort of soupy, then drizzle the soupy wasabi over all of it. Tah-dah! Sushi! You can even eat it with chop sticks for the full effect. :)

Today, we've got a new recipe for you. Mom is brilliant with food and can make just about anything taste gourmet - she certainly did with this one! We hope you enjoy the sharesies:

Broccoli Fish Soup (150ish calories)

100g Halibut (100 calories)

broccoli (allowed amount) (50 calories per cup)

1 T chicken tomatoe bullion (find this in the mexican section of your store)

3 c water

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion granuals

1/2 t dried basil

2 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1/4 t paprika

salt & pepper to taste (we didn't use any salt, though)

Bring garlic, onion, basil, & water almost to a boil. Add broccoli & cook about 5 minutes with lid on. Set halibut on top of broccoli, pour Braggs over fish and sprinkle with paprika. Replace lid & cook about another 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper to taste and enjoy! We added a sea salt grissini as a side and found it complimented this dish very well.

Lunch

Today is an interesting day. I was not hungry *at all* until I put the first morsel of halibut in my mouth, at which point, I suddenly was very hungry. I got about half way through the meal and then was just as suddenly full. Odd, that. Never happened before like that.

Lunch menu:

Browned Braggs' Halibut (100 calories)

100g halibut

3 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

pepper to taste

The whole process shoud take about 5 minutes...

In a warm frying pan, add halibut, add Braggs', turn heat down, and cover so the fish steams until flakey. Just before serving, take the lid off, turn the heat up, brown the fish on both sides and serve immediately.

Braggs' Steamed & Broiled Asparagus (62 calories)

2 c asparagus

1 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

pepper to taste

In steamer, first steam the asparagus until tender (or to your preference here). Remove from steamer, place on broiler pan and mist with Braggs'. Put under the broiler for just a few minutes until the Braggs' starts to crisp up and serve immediately.

Simple Steamed Zucchini (20 calories)

2 c zucchini

Celtic Sea Salt & pepper to taste

In steamer, steam zucchini until tender, place on plate. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Supper Menu

Well, we decided we wanted to have some soup tonight - cabbage soup. I looked through all the recipes available to us and there's just not a recipe! So, we're making one up. Here's what we came up with:

Cabbage Soup (180 calories)

100g chicken (110 calories)

4 cups cabbage (70 calories) <--that's about 1/2 a head of a medium cabbage

4-5 cups water, depending on how soupy you want it

1/2 t celery seed

1/2 t Tony's Creole seasoning

1 T chicken boullion

3-4 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

salt and pepper to taste

In pot, add all ingredients, put the lid on and turn on medium heat. Cook until cabbage is done to your preference and enjoy!

This, by far, is the most filling meal we've come up with so far. In fact, neither Mom nor myself could finish what we had. Of course, we added the breadstick to the meal (20 calories) and plan to have cantalope to top the meal off... :)

....

Update: Mom was still too full to bother with the fruit. I shared mine with my pup, Molly. She was thrilled to have the whole rind! Hahahaha! I love my dog.

Supper Menu

Tonight, we're having Roast. I've decided to go for the cucumber thing again (I seriously love cucumbers), while Mom is doing steamed broccoli. Normally, a roast dinner includes baked potatoes, onions, cooked carrots, and some sort of sweet jelly stuff Mom makes and cans.

Roast (150 calories)

100g roast

salt and pepper to taste

1 T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

1/2 t rosemary

1/2 t garlic (or more if you like)

sprig of fresh basil

Create a rub with rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper. In an 8" (or so) square of foil, rub the seasonings onto the roast. Pour Braggs' over the meat, lay basil on top and fold foil closed. Put in toaster oven at 350* until the meat is as you prefer.

3 cups Cucumbers ( 45 calories)

Grissini Breadstick (20 calories) <--found at Safeway in both Sea Salt and Parmeasean flavors!

1/2 orange (30 calories)

That puts me precisely at 500 calories for the day.

Everyone who's done a 500 calorie diet before kept telling me this was going to be so hard. I just don't agree. This is, especially after the very prominent memory of those loading days, wonderful!!

Phase 2: First Meal

Well. We had a pretty simple first meal. Even though I found all those recipes, we were unprepared because we didn't even want to think about food for the last couple days. Here's the lunch menu:

Balsamic Vinegar Cucumber (45 calories)

3 cups cucumber

balsamic vinegar over it to taste

Braggs' Shrimp (90 calories)

100g shrimp (about 16)

1T Braggs' Liquid Aminos

In semi-heated dry pan, add shrimp and pour Braggs' over shrimp; "fry" in Braggs' until shrimp are cooked.

It was all delicious and so wonderfully light after all that nasty fat. We had *a* melba toast with the lunch - it was sort of a pitiful silly thing next to the heap of cucumber. I wondered why we needed to eat it, but I'm not going to question the process, just follow it. It leaves 95 calories for the fruit that I plan to eat as a snack. No clue what the fruit will be yet, but that's saved for it, regardless.

So far, I'm at 155 calories for the day and it's 2 in the afternoon. Nice.

This is the easy part, isn't it? This phase 2 thing isn't hard at all so far. Phase one was much more difficult.