JUDDD: Down Day Menus and Recipes

[RealFoodLiving]

Originally Posted by Pugmama

I felt good yesterday---hungry, but good! I did not workout at the gym yesterday as I want to let my body get used to the DD.

Hi Liz!

Just so you know, in the book, Dr. Johnson discourages exercising on DDs.

I tried it several times and it made my hungrier AND it made me weak. So, I don't do much on DDs except stretching. Then I exercise on UP and MDs.

[Pugmama]

Thanks, RFL! My book has been mailed, but I have not received it yet. I got out my Callanetics DVD and SAT and watched the whole thing last night. I will be way modifying that tape for sure! I appreciate the info on not working out...I usually do 30 min. on the elliptical and I knew there was NO way I could do that yesterday.
Bye for now!
Liz

[Blonde with a Rose]

Hey Liz! Try your local pharmacy (Walrmart, CVS, Walgreens, Etc) for Atkins bars. You can also order them from the source.

Hi RFL~ I work as a server very often on my DD's. I find that the busier I am, the better the day goes...however I wouldn't recommend strenuous exercise on DD's. A nice walk or an easy swim would be good I think, if one feels up to it.

I avoid sugar like the plague on DD's. It triggers cravings and intense hunger for me.

Edens~ Glad you like the miracle noodles! They sure do help on DD's.

Blonde~

[edens]

Liz, I found them at HEB. It said 'new' and it was the first time I had seen them. I also have some pb2 and pb2 chocolate, but I like to use them in shakes and sundaes lol They don't taste just right to me to eat with celery or the likes.

I work out on DD's when I can get to the gym. I did yesterday but I do better in group classes than on my own, so I don't think I burned very much. lol But if I have zumba or kick boxing I know I can eat a liiittle more on my DDs. :P

Blonde, yeah, miracle noodles ftw! I was hungry after the gym and I had also included in my order a little instant soup kit, it was abalone flavored. lol The whole thing was all of 12 calories. I felt kinda like I was eating cup ramen. I frikkin love ramen noodles. lol So, it made me happy.

Today's an up day, so I'm going to enjoy it!!! Not counting my calories today. :P

[Pugmama]

O.K., I will look at CVS and Walgreens...we don't have HEB out here. I so appreciate all the tips! I am thinking about logging my UD food count for calories 'cuz I have NO idea how many I eat in a day!

Enjoying my up day (but not too much!)...no goin' hog wild for sure!

[annieS]

hello there ...
I went to my favourite vietnamese restaurant tonight (although it's my DD) but i can't find out how many calories was in my soup !
There were : 5 shrimps, 1/2 tomato, couple okra and about 2 inches of celery... I'd say 200cal, would you agree ??! It's was lemony/sour clear soup...

[Blonde with a Rose]

Annie~ I don't know any french ladies, so when I read your posts I think of the girl in Pulp Fiction...the one with Bruce Willis, who likes blueberry pancakes...she has a lovely little voice, and now she speaks your words...

I think 200 for the soup may be high. Shrimp is very low cal, but to err on the side of caution....150?

[annieS]

I must tell you my nose is way smaller than her's... and that this actress is actually spanish !!!

I'm glad to know my soup is under 200 ! it means I kept my DD under 500 then

[Pugmama]

I tried fried egg whites today with one LC cheese (lite). It actually seemed as if I was having something really filling. Maybe it was. Up day tomorrow. Friday's DD turned ugly really quick when my hubby wanted to go out to eat on Friday night. No, I did not do good, but it's o.k. I am back in the saddle today and ready for an UP day tomorrow.

[Pugmama]

It is strange...I am having an UP day, but I don't feel that hungery this morning.
Hope it lasts! Everyone have a great day!

[RealFoodLiving]

Morning Y'all!

I had an EXCELLENT UP day yesterday and ate several mini-meals of slow-cooked pot roast over raw organic mixed greens. WOW, I sure felt great!!

Today is a DD and it's EGGS for me!

Hard-boiled, free range eggs, sometimes with a drip of spicy mustard.
I'm drinking a LOT of water and stevia as well.

What are y'all eating today?

[penguinpower]

I made this today for my DD for a dual purpose--I wanted to try a different soup, and I also wanted to see if I could salvage something out of a huge bunch of celery that got frozen in the refrigerator. This soup is not for everyone since it does use tofu, but if you don't mind eating tofu once in a while it's a low-cal yet satisfying bowl of warm nutrition (32 cals per serving according to the recipe). The recipe says it makes 10 servings -- all I can say is these must be huge honkin' servings, because I had two bowls and DH had two bowls and there's still an enormous Pyrex bowl full.

CREAMLESS CREAM OF CELERY SOUP (from the food website)

1 package lite silken firm tofu
2 medium onions, chopped (10 ounces)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb celery, leaves and ribs, chopped (about 8 cups)
8 -10 cups fat-free vegetable broth (thickness to your liking)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
parmesan cheese, for serving (I did not use)
(I also added two packages of cut-up miracle noodles to the pot)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

DIRECTIONS:
1 Treat a large non-stick stockpot with cooking spray (I just used a little broth). Heat the garlic and onions over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until onions begin to soften.
2 Add celery, broth (reserving 1/4 cup), and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, puree the tofu in a food processor (I used a blender) along with reserved broth. Ensure that the tofu is totally smooth!
4 Once the celery is softened, remove the bay leaves from the soup, and use an immersion blender (or perform batches to the food processor) to puree the celery and onions.
5 With the soup on the stovetop over medium low heat, add the smooth tofu, white pepper, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Heat gently before serving. (I waited to add the hot sauce, glad I did)
6 Top with parmesan cheese and additional hot sauce as you like (I did not use the parm)

I liked it better before I added hot sauce to my bowl, YMMV. But I used Frank's and it tasted a little vinegary to me since the flavors in the soup are kind of light--so I am glad I did not add the Franks to the whole pot. It would be good with a bit of a kick though, so I'll try another bowl with either some cayenne or sriracha or maybe some garlic chili paste later tonight.

Nutrition info
Serving Size: 1 (108 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 10

The following items or measurements
are not included below:

fat-free vegetable broth
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 32.3

Calories from Fat 3
Total Fat 0.3 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 73.2 mg
Potassium 183.1 mg
Magnesium 11.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
Sugars 2.0 g
Protein 2.8 g

[ravenrose]

Originally Posted by penguinpower

Years ago I got into the habit of splitting my bread slices and now I don't really like a "full" slice of bread--tastes so heavy to me, even the low-cal ones!

So what I do with all bread, is toast it, let it cool for a moment, and then with a very sharp knife split it down the middle making two full-size slices of bread out of one. Don't toast it too hard or it will break on you, and don't toast it too lightly or it will be too soft to split. I find that it works best for me to start at the top on a rounded edge--with a little practice it becomes second nature and you can have a full-size sandwich using only one slice of bread. Plus, with it being toasted, it gives you a nice "crunch" for your sandwich.

this is a great idea, but it can be tricky. I have found the easiest way to split something thin without ending up all wrong by the far end is to cut about an inch in from each side. you can see that clearly and control the knife easily. then when you've cut all the way around like that, just draw the knife through the middle and you will have two really even slices.

I wish I had known this 30 years ago! LOL

[magnamater]

I don't know measurements, and it has specialty ingredients, and I'm guessing at calories, but here is my salad dressing guide--kind of a "honey" mustard:


1 part (1/3 cup?) mustard--brown grainy mustard
1 part no fat sour cream
1 part z trim liquid (chia gel might work--fat replacement)

splash of vinegar--balsamic or ACV

sweetener to taste--I've used Splenda quick pack--this can get too sweet quickly

spices if you want--garlic, Italian herbs, onion
1 tablespoon prepared spinach artichoke dip

I make it in the food processor.

The calories are basically the no fat sour cream--20 cals for 2 tablespoons--divide that by 3, so less than 10 cal per tablespoonful--loosy goosy math).

So not as low as some, but still low cal, and very tasty!!

Janie

[magnamater]

In reading on the z-trim websight, I see it is made from oat fiber and resistant corn starch. I might try gelling that on the weekend and see if that works the same.

Anyone have those ingredients, willing to test drive them before the weekend?

[Mommie22boys]

Hi all!

I'm on a DD today and things are going well. I wanted to post a recipe for what I had for dinner. It was tasty and very filling. I had a hard time finishing all of it!

Shrimp Scampi

18 small (71-90ct) shrimp (this was 3 oz according to my scale)
1 clove crushed garlic
about 3/4 cup water
1 tsp powdered chicken bouillion
1/8 tsp gluc powder
1/2 bag shiratake noodles
1 Tbls parmesan cheese

Spray a pan generously with Pam. Saute garlic (I also added some spinach herb spices for some color and added flavor). Add shrimp. In a shaker glass I mixed the water, chicken powder and gluc and shook like crazy, then I added a little at a time to make the sauce for the scampi (I did not end up using all the liquid. . .maybe about 1/2 cup total). Once it thickened up a little I added my rinsed/drained/nuked-for-a-minute shiratake noodles and cooked it all together for a few minutes to let the noodles soak up the flavor. I tossed it into a pasta bowl and added the cheese. Super easy and Deeeee-lish!! AND, my calorie counter says the whole bowl was 126 calories. Woot!

Have a great night!

[magnamater]

Andrea the shrimp scampi does sound yummy.

Hey, I was out of almond milk for my protein shake/protein pudding.

I tried buttermilk and water with Jay Robb Dreamsicle and some koolaid stuff.

Really refreshing.

of course you have to like yogurt and/or buttermilk.

Calories are higher than almond milk. But using just 1/2 c not too bad.

Anyone else find buttermilk to be useful?

Janie

p.s. I don't think it is possible for buttermilk to go bad--what is it, soured milk? LOL

[penguinpower]

Shrimp scampi sounds yummy! That might be my next DD dinner.

Buttermilk - I love the stuff and couldn't trust myself having it in the house lol.

I love flavored coffee and especially love it with a splash of Coffee-Mate Coconut Creme creamer. NOT a DD friendly drink! On my DDs I typically drink plain black coffee (don't like flavored coffee black) and it's okay but I miss my "good" coffee. Well, I ordered some of the 0 cal 0 carb Baja Bob's Mudslide singles packets in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Cancun, and had the bright idea of trying some mudslide mix in my black coffee....yum! Not as decadent as my flavored/coconut coffee but much better to my palate than black plain coffee. And with 0 cals 0 carbs- VERY DD friendly!

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by penguinpower

I love flavored coffee and especially love it with a splash of Coffee-Mate Coconut Creme creamer. NOT a DD friendly drink! On my DDs I typically drink plain black coffee (don't like flavored coffee black) and it's okay but I miss my "good" coffee. Well, I ordered some of the 0 cal 0 carb Baja Bob's Mudslide singles packets in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Cancun, and had the bright idea of trying some mudslide mix in my black coffee....yum! Not as decadent as my flavored/coconut coffee but much better to my palate than black plain coffee. And with 0 cals 0 carbs- VERY DD friendly!

Do you know if these can be found in grocery stores? ..Or must they be ordered online..

I'm the same as you are in that UDs get to have more of the luscious foods and beverages in exchange for the tightening up we do on the DDs.

I'm still finding this calorie cycling plan the most wonderful way of eating I've ever embraced in these later years of my life. My early years were easy. I could eat anything and everything and still remain slim and trim. Great metabolism. I didn't go overboard too much, but I certainly didn't have to eliminate anything from my diet.. that's for sure! Later middle age and older age really changed that young metabolism.

So if I need to practice more control these days, this way of doing it brings me so much pleasure. Guess I'm just a spoiled brat, but I do still enjoy most of those foods of my earlier life, and love being able to still include them in my diet some. Knowing that there are absolutely no ***Forbidden Foods*** on this plan helps my sanity a lot. Not that I eat poorer choices, the less nutritious choices, very often. But sometimes I absolutely love a Bruggers raisin bagel with honey walnut cream cheese.. ya' know what I mean? LOL

Maybe I should get up now and go do something. Maybe I'll go play with gluc powder!

[Blonde with a Rose]

Morning JUDDD'ers! I posted this on the Glucomannan recipes board, thought I'd share with my alternate calorie pals. For those not using the glu powder, thickening could be chia seeds (?) or xanthan gum?

1 cup French onion soup (30)
2 tbsp wheat free soy sauce (15)
1/2 cup water
1 pkg tofu shiritaki noodles (40)
red pepper flakes
1/2 pkg sf ornange drink powder (made for bottled water) (5)
stevia
2 scant tsps glucomannan powder
broccoli slaw (5)

Combine liquids and glu powder, whisk and cook until well blended, add remaining ingredients...boil gently for three or four minutes. Divide recipe in half (half now, half later). Pretty darn good. Sweet and savory. The consistency is like chinese food in a sauce made w/cornstarch. Aprox 45-50 cals per serving. Very filling! I like mine spicy so the red pepper flakes make it really good.

I know what you ladies mean about the "luxury" coffee on UD's. I have a hard time with black coffee and use my creamer on DD in half portions. I'm spoiled as well So Happy! I love my glu powder and highly recommend it! Anything that you can thicken with flour or cornstarch, can be thickened with glucomannan powder at zero calories and fiber and carbs zero each other out.

Calorie cycling is perfect for me at this point in my life. I don't think I could have done it before I was ready. It came along at a point when I had almost given up on the idea of ever losing weight. I rarely talk about it outside of these boards unless someone asks me specifically what I'm doing to lose weight. I always preface it by saying "it's not for everyone"....The problem is, I then have to endure the buh-zillion excuses as to why they "could never to that"...okay, so...what does that have to with me? I'm not going to defend it or try to convince someone else it's a great WOE. So I listen politely and repeat myself..."well, you know...it's not for everyone". Anyone else have to defend their woe?

[penguinpower]

I've never had a good metabolism - I have been overweight all my life. And it has always been excruciatingly difficult for me to lose weight. I share your delight with this plan, since I am still in shock that I have lost this much weight in such a short (for me) amount of time. What you say about forbidden foods is so true -- all my life, something or other has been forbidden to me. Not anymore! Woot!

Looking forward to hearing about your gluc experiments!

[penguinpower]

Oh -- I don't know about buying the Baja Bob's in stores, SoHappy. I live in Pennsylvania, which is the land of "our citizens are too stupid and childish to be able to purchase alcohol unless it is controlled by the government." All liquors must be purchased at "state stores" and since they have a monopoly they don't bother stocking many mixes, etc. Also, since grocery stores and the like can't sell liquors they don't devote much shelf space to alcohol-related items. I've never seen this on the shelves anywhere (but must confess I haven't been looking).

I haven't yet tried the mix with actual alcohol.

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by penguinpower

Oh -- I don't know about buying the Baja Bob's in stores, SoHappy. I live in Pennsylvania, which is the land of "our citizens are too stupid and childish to be able to purchase alcohol unless it is controlled by the government." All liquors must be purchased at "state stores" and since they have a monopoly they don't bother stocking many mixes, etc. Also, since grocery stores and the like can't sell liquors they don't devote much shelf space to alcohol-related items. I've never seen this on the shelves anywhere (but must confess I haven't been looking).

I haven't yet tried the mix with actual alcohol.

Good Land, Girl!!! That is probably the most fun part!

Well, most of our groceries here have an aisle of liquor, wine, beer, and related mixes, so I'll look for it. Thanks for mentioning it.

[SoHappy]

My DH is just laughing at me! And I have to admit, I'm cracking up myself.

OK, I started with 2-1/2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of Walden Chocolate Syrup Topping (0 calories) and 6 tablespoons of Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup (45 calories) and 3 teaspoons of Hershey's Cocoa Powder (20 calories). Then I tried to mix in about 3+ teaspoons of the gluc powder, but it wasn't blending in smoothly with my little hand-held mixer, so I dumped it all into my old blender.

I was able to blend it all pretty smooth, but the taste wasn't quite as 'normal' as I wanted it to taste, so I decided to add in a batch of instant sugar free chocolate pudding, but made with only a single cup of 2% milk (which is all I have on hand right now) and a cup of water instead of all milk. And then I decided that the pudding flavor blended with the original concoction could be extended out to cover the addition of another cup of the milk/water blend. (And the instant sugar free chocolate pudding doesn't taste quite 'normal' either, but close enough..)

Well, anyway... after a bit of this and a bit more water and a bit more gluc powder, and....

I've ended up with a HUGE mixing bowl of AT LEAST TWO QUARTS of ***chocolate pudding***!!! I haven't actually measured it out, but it may well be even more than just two quarts. And it's not quite as thick as real pudding, but pretty close. And it tastes reasonably close to sugar free chocolate pudding too, which was my goal to begin with, but with the very, very much lower calories.

Well... it's OK. It will fill the bill of something to eat as an evening treat on Down Days. Not great. Not like real rich and smooth and creamy chocolate pudding, but "Down Day OK" if you know what I mean.

So, even if I only have two quarts of this stuff, the calories are in the vicinity of only 20 calories for a 1/2 cup serving, instead of the 80 or more calories of even a sugar free version of chocolate pudding, made with skim milk.

[magnamater]

SoHappy, wish I was close so I could share your pudding!!!

I'm out of ingredients (almond milk, eggs), feel yucky with a cold, and don't much care if I eat or not.

And it's a DD.

I think it'll all work out!!

Janie

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by magnamater

SoHappy, wish I was close so I could share your pudding!!!

I'm out of ingredients (almond milk, eggs), feel yucky with a cold, and don't much care if I eat or not.

And it's a DD.

I think it'll all work out!!

Janie

Aw... Janie. If you were close I'd fix you some good DD chicken soup and bring it to you. And some of the chocolate 'pudding' too. LOL

Well, if you aren't feeling all that good and no appetite, you can just have a really good DD and benefit from the easy low calorie day. Gotta' claim some good from it. Hope you feel better soon!

[magnamater]

Thanks, SoHappy,

Today, I do feel better, and I did have a good DD, and the scales showed that whoosh that I've been waiting for. (I lose that way, then plateau, and so forth)

I'll restock for tomorrow's DD!!!! and next weeks.

Thanks!

Janie

[RealFoodLiving]

Hi everyone!

Today is an UP day, but I am cooking and preparing for my DDs this week.

What things do you prepare in advance?

I went shopping this morning and got my GREENS! YAY! Love my organic baby salad greens.

I hard-boiled 12 free-range eggs. I eat mostly eggs and greens on my DDs.

[Mommie22boys]

Originally Posted by RealFoodLiving

Hi everyone!

Today is an UP day, but I am cooking and preparing for my DDs this week.

What things do you prepare in advance?

I went shopping this morning and got my GREENS! YAY! Love my organic baby salad greens.

I hard-boiled 12 free-range eggs. I eat mostly eggs and greens on my DDs.

I have been making soup on the weekends to have on my DDs. I have some eggs boiled mostly out of habit, but I haven't found myself eating them too much. Mostly I just make sure I have enough of my DD staples on-hand (FF hot dogs, lite bread, SF jello, diet cocoa, almond milk, egg beaters, ham, grape tomatoes, shiratake, chicken, and the like.)

[penguinpower]

Andrea - my DD stockpile sounds like yours! I tried the hard boiled eggs, and I love them, but they just don't do the trick for me - I get hungry if that's all I have. We are all so different.

I too rely on soups for my DD mainstay. Tonight, though, I had some thawed shrimp to use up so I made a very yummy stir-fry with the shrimp, shiratake noodles, baby bok choi, napa and mushrooms with a little bit of gluc-thickened sauce. I've been eating a lot of oriental-veggie stir fries on my DDs in addition to the soup.

I'm going to make a gluc pudding for later - not sure yet which "flavor" I want. But I ate very very lightly today, and may even have a little more of the leftover stir-fry, as well as the pudding. I'll play it by ear...er, I guess by stomach.

SoHappy - your pudding adventure has me cracking up!