Tasty Tuesday- Cinnamon Xylitol Apple Chips

These Cinnamon Sugar Xylitol Apple Chips are so yummy!  I love apples, especially right now in the Fall.  All the best kinds are at the store right now.  My favorites are the Honey Crisp and Pink Lady.  Mmmm.  On The Fast Metabolism Diet, these apple chips are a great way diversify texture and create a yummy on the go snack (that's almost like a dessert).

Cinnamon Xylitol Apple Chips

• 1 or more apples (depending on how much you want to make)
• xylitol
• cinnamon
• parchment paper (optional, but makes clean up super easy)

The directions are pretty simple.  The biggest thing is how thick you slice your apple.  If you want crispier chips, slice them pretty thin.  For more of a dried fruit type of apple that still has a little bend, you want to slice them a little thicker. I just try to get them as thin as I can without cutting my fingers off.  Then, lay them on parchment paper flat on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and xylitol (or stevia).  Bake at 250 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes. If your apples are super thin, they might be done at this point.  If they are a little thicker, bake them for 10-15 minutes longer.  Just make sure to check them so they don't burn.  Take them out and let them cool before you enjoy the goodness.

Tasty Tuesday- My Fast Metabolism Diet Review

*Follow my FMD journey on INSTAGRAM @soupontherocks
I did it!  I survived the 28 day Fast Metabolism Diet program, and guess what?  It wasn't that bad.  In fact, even though I am technically done, I am still eating most of the same foods (just not in the specific phase order).  I feel good inside.  The biggest difference I have felt is ENERGY.  Ahhhh, sweet energy.  As a mom raising two young boys, that word is usually nonexistent in my vocabulary, but on The Fast Metabolism Diet program I have felt physically energized the whole time.  Mental energy...that's a whole other story.  My hair isn't falling out as much, I sleep a lot better, and my digestive system is stellar.  (Yeah, I said it.)  But the biggest difference from my journey on The Fast Metabolism Diet has been WEIGHT LOSS.  Oh, sweet weight loss.  I have missed you so much.  So, here are my totals by week from my first month on The Fast Metabolism Diet.

Week 1:   -4 lbs

Week 2:   -3 lbs

Week 3:   -5 lbs

Week 4:   -2 lbs

Total Weight Loss:  -14 lbs

I couldn't be happier!  That's 1/2 lb loss per day.  This week I am taking a one week break-ish.  I am pretty much following the diet still, but I am mixing up the phases and allowing myself a couple treats that are still within the FMD guidelines.  The last thing I want to do this week is blow all my hard work away, so I am being extra careful to pay attention to everything I eat.

I love this diet.  I actually don't like calling it a diet.  It is more of a lifestyle change.  I know, everyone says that, but it is so true.  I also love that the FMD food is pretty basic and I don't even feel like I am dieting.  Seriously though, what other diet allows pasta, fruit, and french toast?  Well, this one does.  The hardest adjustment for me was cheese.  I didn't expect cheese to be hard to give up, but there are so many things that cheese goes in to make a meal complete.  But, I survived and so will you if you're planning to start The Fast Metabolism Diet.

Getting started can be a little overwhelming to say the least.  I remember thinking, "Where do I begin?"  So, I am going to show you some of the things I did that really helped keep me on track.

First, I printed off the FMD rules, blank diet sheets, serving sizes, and phase specific foods, and put them on my fridge.  It is important to be as organized as possible.  

 

Next, I made a shopping list of all the soups I wanted to make and what ingredients I needed.  I also added any other things I would need for week 1 of the diet.  Then, I went out and loaded up on groceries.  We usually eat semi-healthy, but our kitchen was lacking on a lot of the supplies I needed to make the soups I wanted to.  I ended up buying a lot of fresh fruit, organic meat, veggies, sprouted grain bread, barley, and other grains we didn't usually use.  I went to Sprout's for my first shopping trip, but later I realized Smith's has pretty much everything that Sprout's does in their organic/gluten free section for a lot cheaper, so now I just go there.  The only things I still have to go to Good Earth or Sprouts for is xylitol, Ezekiel sprouted bread, and sprouted tortillas.

The first thing I did when I got home was portion out the perishable foods.  Since each phase is only 2-3 days, you are switching things up a lot and the last thing you want is for your food to go bad before you get to eat it the next week when the phase comes around again.  I decided to portion out the nitrate-free deli meat, bread, turkey bacon, and I even cooked some ground beef and portioned it out too for easy access.  This step was critical to my success on the diet.  It made things so simple, and the food I bought lasted a lot longer than if I were to just put it all in the fridge.  Every night, I would look at my meal plan for the next day and take out what I would need out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.  Then in the morning, it would be thawed and ready to go for my day. 

In these pics I bought sprouted bread on the shelf since I couldn't find the freezer kind.  Since then, I have been buying the Ezekiel sprouted bread found in the freezer.  Even though it is frozen, I still like to portion it out into bags.  It just makes it easier to take a bag out the night before and have it thawed the next morning to make french toast or whatever you are using it for.

Next, I started cooking.  I spent the next two days cooking away.  I ended up making the Phase 1 Chili, Phase 1 Chicken and Barley Soup, Phase 1 Turkey, Bean, and Kale Soup, and the Phase 1 Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.  (In week 2 I also made the Phase 2 Chicken and Veggie Soup, which I talked about last week.)  I scooped the correct portion sizes of each soup into a quart size ziplock bag, labeled them, and froze them flat in my freezer.  I highly recommend doing this if you have a busy lifestyle and are going to start this diet.  It was so easy for me to grab a soup and go when I was in a hurry.  These soups saved me.  Most of the recipes I cut in half and they still made a ton of soup.  I have a few of them in my freezer still, and I will just use them when I start the diet again next week.  My favorite is the Chicken and Barley.  It reminds me of chicken noodle soup, but with barley instead of noodles.  It was delish!

And there you have it folks.  That is how I prepared to begin The Fast Metabolism Diet.  Week 1 was still a little hard getting used to the food, when to eat, and what to eat, but it was a lot easier being prepared and having everything I needed ready to go.  By week 2, you know the drill and it just gets easier from there.  

My favorite phase is Phase 1.  I love fruit and carbs grains, so this phase makes my stomach happy.  My least favorite phase is no surprise- Phase 2.  I will admit that I struggle a lot in Phase 2.  I don't like seafood and I am a picky veggie eater, so that gives me limited options on what I can eat for Phase 2.  Yes, there were times I had to literally gag down chicken and broccoli for the fifth time in a row, but it is only 2 days.  You can do anything for 2 days.  The lifesaver for me in Phase 2 is making lemon sorbet.  I will be posting the recipe for that and a few of my other favorite sweets and treats from the diet next week, so stay tuned.

Overall, I love The Fast Metabolism Diet and it has genuinely changed my life.  My outlook on food is totally different, and I feel so good inside.  Who knew that a simple visit to a clinic to get my hormones checked would lead to me reading this book and finally losing the weight I have been carrying for far too long?  I am sure the hormones have a lot to do with it too, but the diet is still awesome regardless.  I have recommended this book to my friends and family, and it is so exciting seeing them become healthier too.  My mom has lost 12 lbs, my dad lost 15 lbs, and my friend (who did it for health reasons besides weight loss) still lost 8 lbs and it made her insomnia she has had for years go away. Amazing!

Even though 14 lbs is something to be proud of, I still have a lot more to go until I hit my goal.  For once, I have hope and feel like losing weight is possible.  My clothes are fitting better, but it is the inside changes that have made the bigger difference.  I smile more, and I am a better mom to my kids and wife to my husband.  If you are struggling with weight or just want to get a little healthier, I seriously recommend reading The Fast Metabolism Diet.  I am not getting paid to review this book or tell you how awesome it is.  I promise you it works.  If nothing else, you will learn so much about the science in your body.  I don't even like to read, but I really enjoyed the book.  I promise you will not regret it.  I didn't.  

Friday Favorites- FMD favorites

Since this weekend is my last week of The Fast Metabolism Diet, that is until I start up another 28 day cycle, I wanted to share some of my favorite products that I have discovered and fallen in love with.

Sweet Potato Chips

I have tried making my own sweet potato chips, and although they are really good, I can't ever seem to get the crispy crunch that I want.  I bought a few bags of these Terra Sweet Potato Chips at the store, and I am hooked.  They are super yummy and the perfect snack for Phase 3, especially with some cookie dough hummus (my review on that is coming soon).


Xylitol

On The Fast Metabolism Diet, Stevia and Xylitol are pretty much the only okay sweeteners you can have.  In the first week I was using Stevia in my oatmeal and smoothies, but I could not stomach the aftertaste of it and I started dreading my morning oatmeal because of it.  It's not unbearable, but it definitely has a flavor to it you can taste.  So, I went out on a search for xylitol.  Man, that stuff is hard to find!  I finally found some at Good Earth, and it is so good!  It tastes just like sugar, and it is way better for you.  Did you know that xylitol won't cause cavities?  How awesome is that!  I put it on everything now, and I plan to go back and buy a giant bag to cook with in the future for all my sweet needs.  I really like this Xyla brand.


Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread

This is my favorite bread for the FMD.  I have always been a wheat bread fan, so this wasn't a huge change for me to eat.  It tastes a lot like the normal wheat bread I eat.  You get this Ezekiel bread in the freezer section, and I love that it is frozen since I only take out a few pieces at a time.  It lasts forever that way and doesn't get all moldy half way though.  I love using this bread to make french toast with strawberries in the morning. Mmmmm...


Justin's Almond Butter

I was slightly hesitant to switch from peanut butter to almond butter.  I was pleasantly surprised with the taste, and I really like the Justin's brand.  Sure, it's not the creamy Jif I love, but it is edible and tastes good.  I really like this almond butter with celery or on toast.  Another reason I love the Justin's brand, is because they sell individual serving packets which are great to keep in a bag on the go for a healthy snack. 

Tasty Tuesday- The Fast Metabolism Diet: Phase 2 Chicken and Veggie Soup

If you are doing the Fast Metabolism Diet program, it is no secret that Phase 2 is KILLER.  Eating nothing but protein and veggies can leave you gagging at the words chicken and broccoli at the end of 4 weeks.  I am kind of picky about the veggies I like, and I am not a fan of sea food.  This leaves me with very little options for what I can make for my Phase 2 meals.  Luckily, the book has a recipe for a chicken and veggie soup that is really good and gives a little diversity to your meals if you're in a chicken and broccoli rut like I was.

Chicken and Veggie Soup (from The Fast Metabolism Diet book)
Phase 2
Serves 6-8 people

• 1 whole chicken or chicken parts, skin removed (I just used 4 big boneless skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 8 cups chopped fresh or frozen veggies (Anything can go into this soup. I used kale, spinach, celery, chives, mushrooms, squash, and zucchini.  Broccoli, cabbage, leeks, and asparagus would be good too.) 
• 1 Tbs parsley or cilantro
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken in a large soup pot with broth and 8 cups of water.  Add the vegetables and herbs.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Let cool, then remove the chicken and debone (I skipped this step since I just cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts and cubed it up before I started making the soup).  Add your chicken meat back to the soup if you deboned the chicken, reheat, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

I ended up making half of this recipe, and it was enough for me to make 2 bags of soup to freeze for future meals.  I used a serving and a half since I have more than 20 lbs I am wanting to lose.  It was a LOT of soup.  Make sure to label your soups with what phase it is for, so you don't get confused if you have multiple soups in your freezer.

This isn't my favorite every day soup, but in the midst of Phase 2, it was amazing.  It tasted like chicken noodle soup, but instead of noodles there were a lot of veggies.  I made sure to chop my veggies very small so it all kind of blended in with the broth. 

Next week I plan to do an overall review of The Fast Metabolism Diet since I will have completed all 28 days.  I will show what worked for me, and what I am going to change for the next time around (that's right, I am going to do another 28 days). 

*If you are doing the FMD and have any tips for Phase 2, I would love to hear them.  Don't be shy and comment below.  I love hearing from my readers.

Tasty Tuesday- Fast Metabolism Diet Chili

I mentioned last week that my Tasty Tuesday recipes are going to from The Fast Metabolism Diet for the next little while.  Today I am showing how to make the yummy Phase 1 Buffalo or Turkey Chili in the book.

The recipe says you can use the Pacific or Imagine brand tomato soup for the base of the chili, but when I bought the Pacific brand it was milk based.  The book also specifically says to not use milk based soup since dairy is not allowed, so I went back to the store and bought the Imagine soup which is not milk based.

Turkey or Buffalo Chili

Serves 6 (a single portion is 1.5 cups)
Prep time: 25 minutes. Cook time: 5 to 8 hours, depending on slow-cooker setting

Ingredients

(I used organic beef instead of turkey or buffalo, and I took out the white beans since I couldn't find them at the store.)

• 1 to 1½ pounds organic lean ground beef

• ½ cup diced red onion, or more if desired

• 2 Tbls. fresh parsley

• 1 heaping Tbls. chili powder

• 1 Tbls. minced garlic

• 15-ounce can kidney beans (no sugar added)

• 15-ounce can black beans

• 15-ounce can pinto beans

• 15-ounce can lentils

• 4 cups chopped zucchini

• 4 cups (32 ounces) organic tomato soup (Imagine brand)

• 1 heaping tsp. sea salt

Brown the turkey or buffalo meat in a skillet and drain.
Turn a slow cooker to high setting. Add the meat, onion, parsley, chili powder, and garlic to the pot. Stir, cover and set aside.
Open and drain all 5 cans of beans. Add the beans, zucchini, and soup to the cooker. Stir well.  Keep the cooker set on high for 4 to 5 hours or adjust heat to low and simmer for 6 to 8 hours.
Stir and taste occasionally, adjusting seasonings as needed. Add the salt just before serving to best preserve its nutrients.

*Note for the Fast Metabolism Diet: This meal is appropriate for Phase One. Because this chili contains such a large amount of starchy legumes, it counts as a Grain as well as Protein and Veggie servings. No need to add an additional grain to the meal, even if the meal map specifies a grain.


Here is what my chili looked like in the crock pot.  I am not a huge fan of onions or zucchini, so I made sure to cut them up really tiny in my chili.

When I was done cooking everything, I let it cool and placed 2 cups of chili into quart sized bags.  The normal serving size is 1 1/2 cups, but I have more than 20 lbs to lose, so I added a little bit more like the book says.  Don't forget to label your bags too!  It's also a good idea to write "Phase 1' on the bag, so you know what phase to eat it in if you are making other soups too.  This chili is also okay to eat in Phase 3 as long as you add a healthy fat, like avocado.  

I was able to make 5 bags of chili, and I laid them all flat in my freezer.  When it is time to eat the chili, you can put it in the fridge the night before to defrost, or you can defrost it in the microwave for a few minutes.  I am only on day 2 of the FMD diet, but so far I have really enjoyed the chili.  It didn't even taste like diet food.  Also, don't forget to eat a fruit with it if you're in Phase 1.

Friday Favorites-The Fast Metabolism Diet

Let's be honest, losing weight is hard work.  I'm not talking about losing the 5 pounds you gained from eating too many bread rolls after Thanksgiving.  I'm talking about real weight that you put on over the years, only to wake up and look in the mirror 20 plus pounds heavier thinking "How did I become this person?".  It's never a good feeling having extra weight attached to your hips.  A lot of people will argue loosing weight is easy by simply eating healthy and working out.  Sure that works, but "healthy" can be a lot of things to a lot of people.  If it was that easy, millions of Americans would not be obese.  It's not so black and white.

Thanks to a slow metabolism and horrible genes, I have struggled with the scale most of my adult life.  I go up and down and up again, and I have tried almost every weightloss program out there.  Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. After having 2 kids, my old weight loss methods just have not seemed to be effective.  It's as if every child I have has sucked something out of me, and it is harder and harder to get back to my normal feel good self.  I always thought nursing would magically take the fat away, but I learned that I am one of the lucky few moms that gain weight when nursing since their body hangs on to food to provide for the baby.  Awesome.  So, when I stopped nursing I decided to do a strict no carb, no sugar diet.  I was determined to get back in shape.  For two straight months, I didn't even allow myself one M&M.  I was so excited when I weight myself and saw I was down 8 lbs!  I decided to reward myself by eating like a normal person for one day.  I didn't binge on anything crazy.  I just allowed myself to have some bread with dinner and a cookie for dessert.  What happened next shocked me.  One day, one SINGLE day of eating normal food caused me to gain 9 lbs!  I was speechless.  In that moment, I realized my strict two month no carb, no sugar diet was not helping lose fat.  I had lost water.  A lot of water.  It is physically impossible to gain 9 lbs of fat overnight, but it is easy to gain water, and water weighs a lot.  I was devastated.

After consulting with my good friends Ben and Jerry (which is probably the LAST thing I should have been doing), I decided to man up and figure out why my body was not responding like it should to healthy eating and exercise.  I made an appointment at a clinic for women that had really good reviews dealing with hormone issues.  Making that appointment was the best thing I have ever done.  During my one hour consultation, I learned so much about myself.  Basically, my hormones are so jacked up that I could eat lettuce every day and STILL gain weight.  I didn't even know that was possible.  My blood was drawn and sent to a lab to be tested for specific hormone indicator levels, and I get the results back next week.  In the meantime, I was instructed to read a book.  And that's where the Friday Favorites comes in.

The book is called The Fast Metabolism Diet, by Haylie Pomroy (There's an app too!).  Here is a little about the book from the website:


"On The Fast Metabolism Diet you’re going to eat a lot, and still lose weight. What you’re not going to do is count a single calorie or fat gram. Instead, you’re going to rotate what you’re eating throughout each week according to a simple and proven plan carefully designed to induce precise physiological changes that will set your metabolism on fire.

• PHASE ONE (Monday-Tuesday): Lots of carbs and fruits
• PHASE TWO (Wednesday-Thursday): Lots of proteins and veggies
• PHASE THREE (Friday-Saturday-Sunday): All of the above, plus healthy fats and oils
• Repeat for four weeks!

Each Phase focuses on different whole, healthy foods to calm your adrenal glands, reduce stress on your liver, and feed your thyroid so it can produce the hormones T3 and T4, the superstars of a fast metabolism. You’ll reduce stress, too—and as a result, put the damper on the belly-fat hormone, cortisol. By keeping your metabolism guessing, you’ll get it working faster. This isn’t just a theory; it’s the results-based product of Haylie Pomroy’s successful programs. It’s worked for celebrities, for athletes and for people with chronic illnesses who need to lose weight, doctor’s orders. Now it’s going to work for you!"


I hate reading and I will admit, I was a little hesitant to buy the book.  I mean, there are probably a million weight loss books out there, so what makes this one so special?  And if it works, why does the whole world not know about it?  I had so many hesitations in my head, but I decided to take a leap of faith and just read it.  What's the worst that can happen, right?  Well, I am so SO SOOOOO glad I read it.  For the first time ever, I feel like someone gets me.  I have hope and I am excited.  I don't even feel like Haylie's program is a diet.  It's more of a combination of eating certain foods that makes sense and causes your body to react by burning fat.  Just like cross fit exercises confuse your muscles and cause your body to get fit, The Fast Metabolism Diet confuses your metabolism and causes it to speed up and burn, burn, burn away fat.  It's not a fad diet, it is science.

I spent this whole week preparing to start the diet on Monday.  I made a grocery list, shopped for all the things I needed, cooked recipes from the book for 2 straight days, and stocked my freezer full of soups and chili that will help me follow the diet with my busy schedule.

I've never been so excited to start a diet than I am to start The Fast Metabolism Diet.  Today I made chocolate chip cookies to get it out of my system before committing myself to a new lifestyle, but I really don't have a desire to eat them.  Just reading the book has changed my outlook on food completely.  If nothing else, I am so grateful for the knowledge I have gained about the things I put in to my body.  I am excited to find out the results from my hormones, get them fixed, and start my Fast Metabolism Diet journey.  So, for at least the next 28 days I will be posting recipes and results from my Fast Metabolism Diet experience.  If weight is something you are struggling with and have yet to find an answer, I would 100% recommend getting this book.  I have my mom and sister reading it right now, and they are starting the program with me too.  I haven't even started the plan yet, but I am that confident that amazing things are going to happen.  So, stay tuned for my results and as Haylie says, I hope you look forward to seeing less of me.