Day 33: I lied again!

I declared that I was too lazy to do any cooking besides adding different seasonings to chicken tenderloins or slices of beef, but I broke out the pressure cooker last night and made some tasty shredded beef.  It finally gave us an excuse to pull out the Boar's Head Horseradish that's been in the fridge for the past five weeks, and HS loved it so much he was eating it WITHOUT the beef.  I made two roasts last night, and I'm fairly certain that if we weren't being strictly portion-controlled right now, most of the beef would be gone already.  I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing more of that stuff after Phase 3 begins and we increase our protein portions!  It was so good, I was honestly worried that I wouldn't lose anything today, but I managed to drop 0.7 pounds.  


We had another delicious (and new!) meal for dinner tonight when my beautiful Mama brought us over bowls of HCG-approved chili.  The only thing that would have made the chili better is some CHEESE, but I'm not obsessed or anything.  I'm really hoping I can continue to put up big numbers for the next week and a half!


The first thing people ask about when they hear that we're doing HCG is, of course, the food.  While the food choices are limited, I think we've been able to inject enough variety into the diet to keep it from getting tedious.  I look at it this way: I was on the NutriSystem program before and had to eat the same crap all the time because their food choices didn't match well with my tastes.  At least with HCG, I get to prepare foods that I actually enjoy.  Sure, I don't get to eat everything I enjoy, but (besides the nasty Digestive Supplement I take twice a day) I don't have to eat anything that I don't like.  And, I've happily discovered some new ways to cook and ingredients to use that I'll incorporate into our post-HCG diet.  Some absolute essentials:


Vegetable Broth: Chicken or beef broth also work, but I've been surprised at how versatile (and tasty) the Pacific Natural Foods Vegetable Broth has been.  I use broth in place of oil to saute onion and garlic and to poach chicken.  I also love to reduce it down to a flavorful sauce for the meat. 


Bragg's Liquid Aminos: A wheat-free Soy Sauce substitute that has been instrumental in giving some of our dishes an Asian flair.  I've also mixed it with some Horseradish Mustard to thin it to a sauce suitable for topping chicken, and I've added a dash here or there to vinaigrettes, cooking liquid, and marinades.  


Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar: Another product that I use daily.  This is the only vinegar I've ever tasted that I would gladly take a shot of.  It's dark and full of sediment....and surprisingly smooth.  I pour a capful over my sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, and I add some to my salsa to give it some zing.  (If you check out the Bragg website, be sure to register for free samples of their products.)


Hefty One-Zip Fresh Extend Bags: I threw away far too many tomatoes before I wised up and tried these bags.  They work beautifully to keep the tomatoes looking as good as the day I brought them home.  They are supposed to work well for all manner of fruits and vegetables, but I've only used them with the tomatoes and onions so far.  They are well worth the money!


SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Flavors: Instrumental in making sure I meet my daily water-consumption requirements.  I use the naturally-sweetened drops to sweet plain water and mineral water...and sometimes even iced tea.  I have even added Valencia Orange drops to add a hint of sweetness to soy-ginger chicken.  


An arsenal of herbs and spices: HS and I both enjoy spicy food, so we use a lot of cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  HS is a fan of Frank's Hot Sauce (as he pretends to get his hot wing fix), and I'll occasionally swipe a bit of hot pepper sauce or chili-garlic sauce.  My go-to blend for all-purpose seasoning has been Spice Hunter Grill Shakers Hamburger seasoning, which is one of the few blends I've been able to find that doesn't have any added sugar or oil.  Check the labels in your spice cabinet!  You'd be surprised how many of them have added garbage.  I also have a fresh basil plant on my windowsill and use fresh cilantro whenever I get the chance.  When I pre-cook several days worth of food, I try for variety by using different seasonings; I'll do a batch of cajun seasoning, a batch with garlic, onion, and aminos, and a batch with jerk seasoning to keep it interesting.


Of course, there are other important items on the HCG Diet, but these products see daily use in my house.