The Maker's Diet Awards

Here are our top favorites from this past 40 days of doing the Maker's Diet. And the award goes to.....

 

The Cal Ripkin Award: Omelettes!

Like, Cal Ripkin, Jr., omelettes got the most consistent and consecutive play time during this diet. They were always good, very versatile, and never let us down.

The J-Lo award:  Trader Joe's Limeade

Trader Joe's Limeade is good for just about anything. A little bit of a cheater, but you still find yourself coming back to it to help you out. It was good in everything from water to salsa to marinades. A true triple threat.

The Selena Gomez Award: Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash gets the rookie of the year award. A bit of a newcomer, but certainly a great addition to our meals this time. A little scary to try, but a very pleasant surprise. Doesn't taste the way you'd expect from the way it looks.

The David Hasselhoff Award: Corn tortillas

Corn tortillas were a real lifesaver. Wrap 'em around anything and you've got tacos! Also made eating out much easier--you can get them anywhere you go.

The Sandra Bullock Meal Award: Maui Short Ribs and Broccoli

I've been told Sandra Bullock is low-maintenance. So are Maui Short Ribs and Broccoli from Trader Joe's. Quick, easy and low clean-up.

The Tim Tebow Award: Trader Joe's

Of course Trader Joe's gets the MVP award. With products that are clean, natural and pure; and no matter how much you want to go somewhere else, you just keep coming back to Trader Joe's because it's so great. The only haters don't even know Trader Joe's.

Days 38,39 and 40: Ummmm....so.....

We ran into a bit of a problem on Day 38.

Uriah and I both woke up with a pretty nasty cold. Scrambled eggs for breakfast; but Andy brought this home for us for lunch:

Not too awful, right? And definitely needed it.

Dinner was Trader Joe's Maui Short Ribs and broccoli. Still doing pretty good. And felt like we were both getting a good bit better by the time we went to bed Thursday night.

Then came Friday. Not only did I have Floyd, the three-year-old I watch a few times a week, but we had promised him we would take him to Downtown Disney. Oh, and I forgot to mention that his older brother Clark (9 years old) showed up at the door with him, too. He didn't have school, so he decided he wanted to come along with us. AND Uriah and I definitely were still sick. Awesome.

Breakfast was a good smoothie, but lunch was a caesar salad at Disney and dinner was a piece of pizza. It was a LONG day.

So we have definitely NOT finished strong. Still sick today. Uriah actually, surprisingly slept pretty well last night; but he did cough all night long.  Andy was determined to help Uriah feel better, so he brought him this home for breakfast:

Ha. All to himself. He is in heaven.

So I think at this point, we're gonna call it good. We made it 38 days. Ugh. So close.

So.....now what?

Our goal is to keep eating within the parameters of the Maker's Diet, for the most part. Most of the cooking at home will be within the diet (with a few special exceptions), and when we eat out, we want to try to make smart choices about where and what we're eating.

I'd like to to try doing a week-long version of Phase I during the first week of every month, starting in December.

And I'm going to keep blogging. Just not every day. The past 40 days have been mostly about survival. Without the pressure to HAVE TO eat within the diet for EVERY meal, I can focus on finding new, delicious recipes that meet the standards of each phase. I'll be posting the best versions of each. My goal is to post at least once a week.  My guess is that this will actually be more helpful and interesting than the meals over the past 40 days; however I'm hoping those of you who have been reading this have enjoyed seeing what it's like to make this diet work while actually living a real life in the real world.

 Final numbers? Andy lost almost 25 pounds. I lost a little more than 15. But more importantly, we both feel great. Our skin is healthier, we're sleeping better and we have much more energy.

Now back to watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my sick kid and his smoothie.

Day 37: Finishing Strong

Breakfast: Whole wheat blueberry pecan pancakes

I used the same recipe as last time, straight out of the Maker's Diet book.  Both times, I've needed to add a little extra water. Also, I tend to have a problem with patience whenever I cook pancakes, but these ones seem to take even LONGER than normal to cook all the way through. Quite good though.

Lunch: left-over spaghetti squash with meat sauce

Oh the joys of eating last night's dinner for lunch. Actually there is quite a bit of joy in it when you can convince a 3-year-old that he likes it.

Dinner: Um, it's Halloween. I plead the fifth. 

This child is currently running laps around our living room in his tights....I have no idea why....  ;)

Only 3 day left. Getting less and less motivated. I think I need to give myself a pep talk about finishing strong and all that.

Day 36: One last plug for spaghetti squash

Breakfast: Nothing

Yep, that's super healthy, right? We were in a rush today to get off to library storytime in our costumes and all, so breakfast for mommy went down the drain.

Lunch: Chicken salad sandwich and some grapes

Good ole' Trader Joe's. I used their white meat chicken salad on Ezekiel bread. I would eat this even if I wasn't on a strict diet.

Dinner: Spaghetti squash with meat sauce

Spaghetti squash really just doesn't photograph well. Sorry.

Spaghetti squash is by far one of Uriah's favorite foods. He literally gets giddy when we have it. Tonight, after I took his (empty) plate away he was scraping up the little pieces left on his tray and shoving them in his mouth.

If that doesn't convince you to try spaghetti squash, I'm not sure what will.


Tomorrow is Halloween. I'm guessing we'll probably eat at least one thing we shouldn't. We shall see.

Day 35: easy is the name of the game

Breakfast: smoothie

(In case you hadn't noticed, breakfasts are minimal around here.....Andy works at 4AM, so I have a hard time wanting to do any amount of work for just myself and Uriah.)

Lunch: Chicken tacos

Pretty simple--just chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and guacamole all in a corn tortilla.
It's a real good thing we aren't tired of tacos yet. They are quick and easy and good every time.

Dinner: Chicken and squash

Another quick and easy meal. I sliced up the squash, tossed it in olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and roasted it in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes. I stirred them around about avery 5-8 minutes or so. 

The chicken was just quickly grilled in a pan over MedHi heat with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Low mess, low work. 

And of course, how could I leave you without a preview of what's coming this week?

Days 33 and 34: Only one week to go!

Missed a day of posting...lucky for all of you, I haven't been all that exciting the past two days, so you didn't miss much.

Day 33 Breakfast: smoothie

Day 33 Lunch: Grilled Cheese

A few days ago, we got Uriah a grilled cheese sandwich at the Farmer's Market, and I took a small bite of it. I have been craving one ever since. This one, with raw organic cheese and Ezekiel bread, wasn't quite the same as the greasy, white bread and American cheese version I was hoping for; but it was a pretty good substitute.

Day 33 Dinner: Peruvian food

I have no idea how to pronounce, spell or even barely explain what we ate for dinner at the little Peruvian place a friend took us to. I know it was beef, tomatoes and some onions. They were great. There also might have been some potatoes and rice. In my defense, I gave most of those to Uriah.

Day 34 Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and fresh-squeezed Orange Juice

Day 34 Lunch: Steak tacos

Day 34 Dinner: The Melting Pot!

Tonight was our (official) cheat dinner. I think the thing I have liked most about our cheat dinners is that they have also turned themselves into date nights lately.

Spinach and Artichoke Cheese Fondue 

Us being our classy selves.

Buffalo Chicken, Teriyaki Steak, Mushroom Scallopinis, Old Bay Shrimp, Marinated Pork and veggies

If you haven't heard of The Melting Pot before, it's one of those places where you pay way too much money to have to cook your own food. But it's fun. And I can't say it's not delicious. All this food came to our table raw (the platter in the middle), then we cooked it in the broth and added whichever sauces we liked.

And of course there was dessert. A mix of dark and white chocolate fondue. 

Can you tell we had a great time?

Day 32: Dear Jordan Rubin....

Dear Jordan Rubin,

When you titled the recipe in the back of your book "Easy Waffles," had you yet tried them? Let me explain to you why they were not, in fact, easy. We can start with the whole soaking the flour for at least 7 hours thing. I don't really understand it. Perhaps it's explained somewhere in your book, but I don't remember it. I'm sure it has to do with something fermenting, but anything I have to start making more than 7 hours in advance annoys me. And can't we just say overnight? Let's be real here, waffles are a morning food. I ate them at 8AM this morning. And I did not get up at 1AM just to soak the whole wheat flour in water AND yogurt. But I'll let that one be, and tell you why else these waffles were NOT easy. Have you ever tried to measure out exactly two tablespoons of honey? Without getting any on you, the counter and anything else within a three-foot radius of it? And, oh yes, your recipe lists coconut oil in the ingredients. You never say when to add it. You do say when to add butter; but that, of course, is not in the list of ingredients. Which left me wondering which I was actually supposed to use. Neither? Both?

And, Jordan Rubin, none of this actually matters. Because, although they tasted pretty good, these waffles had the texture and rigidity of a tortilla. No matter how many different temps and cook times I tried. I managed to eat one (thank God for syrup), but both my one-year-old son and the three-year-old I care for refused to take even one whole bite. And if two kids that are less picky than goats are asking if they can have oatmeal instead, then I can assure you the waffles where less than stellar. Much less.

They were not easy. And they were only barely waffles. I feel I've been duped here.

Sincerely,

The Mom Who Made A Big Deal About A Waffle Party And Had To Feed The Kids Eggos Instead.

Whew....glad I got that one off my chest.

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich

Photo cred goes to my husband. I don't need to write him a letter--he knows this photo is bad.


Turkey, pesto, lettuce, tomato, pickles and raw cheddar cheese on Ezekiel bread.

Dinner: Steak tacos with chips and guacamole

I used the left-over tri-tip from dinner last night, chopped it up and heated it in a pan. Added tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and lime. The guacamole was simply avocados, lime juice, salt and pepper.


Only 8 days left.

And in case you were wondering, our pumpkins are now ready for Halloween.