The Spinach Mocha Latte
 

How could I let this thread go on so long without my most favoritest blender recipe of ALL TIME...I have this every morning and I will continue to have it for life!

IP Chocolate/Vanilla/Cappucino Drink Mix/RTD/Pudding (tasters choice)
1-2c Spinach, loose leaf
1c Lettuce (optional) <--if you need more 'bulk', I prefer it with just Spinach
2c Coffee, chilled (decaf, half-caf, fully leaded, your choice)
Extracts or Sweetener (optional)

1. Put the Spinach, optional Lettuce & Sweetener/Extracts, and 2 cups chilled coffee in a blender ~2 minutes on High to pulverize/liquefy the greens.
2. Add in your IP product of choice and blend ~10 seconds on Low to mix thoroughly. Adding the IP product in last to blend helps keep down the "froth", hence why you preblend the spinach first.
3. Check consistency & taste - adjust accordingly (more sweetener? more coffee?).
4. Serve over ice and enjoy! You can also blend in the ice for a 'milkshake' (pudding gives a great thick texture for this).

*My 'personal recipe' is: IP Chocolate RTD + 2c Half-Caf Coffee, chilled + 2c Spinach + 1 tbsp SF Torani Vanilla.
*I had it just about EVERY morning in Phase 1 and have moved to decaf coffee as my occasional afternoon snack in Phase 3 with all Lettuce (since I have my 2cups veggies at lunch now).
*You can substitute water or flavored herbal teas in place of coffee
*You can substitute WB Yogurt or any other Drink Mix in place of the Chocolate/Vanilla/Cappuccino - I just listed those since they go with coffee - which is my liquid of choice!

Cauliflower IP Pizza #1 - 8oz protein + 2 cups Veggies
 

Ingredients:
Cauliflower, crumbled
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 eggs whites
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4430615-post5.html
Pizza Toppings: Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey, Fresh Basil Leaves, Tomato Slices, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, etc.
Optional: Veggie Cheese, sparingly (talk with your coach first)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
1. Combine cauliflower with garlic in a food processor and pulse until crumbly, being careful not to overmix (you don’t want it to become a paste). You can also use a box grater to shred the cauliflower.
2. Microwave cauliflower ~8-10 minutes, allow to cool slightly and squeeze out excess water.
3. Stir this mixture together with eggs whites and Italian Seasoning.
4. Form into pizza crusts and bake them alone for ~15-20 minutes (or until golden).
5. Meanwhile, prepare any toppings you want: brown meat, sautee veggies, etc.
6. Remove pizza crusts, add Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce, pizza toppings, and optional veggie cheese
7. Bake for another 10 minutes.

*You can use your puree as a pizza sauce!
*TWO pizza options available - either using your 2c veggies (for the crust and toppings combined), or alternatively below you can use an IP packet.
*Cauliflower Crust Inspiration Recipe: http://www.ahappyhippymom.com/2012/0...rb-recipe.html
*1 medium-sized head of cauliflower (~4 cups chopped) yielded me two large pizza crusts.
*The crispy edges of the crust were the best part, next time will try making little mini-pizzas to maximize that part!

Flatbread IP Pizza #2 - IP + 2 cups veggies
 

Ingredients:
Tomato Basil Soup Mix
2 Egg Whites
1 tsp EVOO
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
Pizza Toppings:Fresh Basil Leaves, Tomato Slices, Bell Pepper Slices, Mushrooms, etc.
Optional: Veggie Cheese, sparingly (talk with your coach first)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Mix together Tomato Basil Soup Mix, Egg Whites, 1 tsp EVOO and 1/4 tsp Baking Powder.
2. Spray Pam and spread as thin as possible on a baking sheet
3. Bake for 10 min flip over and bake for another 5 minutes until crisp.
4. Meanwhile, prepare any toppings you want: chop & sautee veggies, etc.
5. Remove pizza crust, add Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce, pizza toppings, and optional veggie cheese.
6. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

*Who says you can't have PIZZA!
*Any soup packet can be turned into 'flatbread', but Tomato Basil works best with 'pizza'
*Rainbowsmiles has a fabulous Pizza Crust option using Miracle Noodles + IP SW Cheese Curls: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4446776-post166.html

is this crunchy pizza??? i have a tomato basil i have no idea what to do with hahaha

I made the Braised Celery, Mushroom, & Garlic puree today and mixed with cream of mushroom soup, YUM! I also made the roasted Cauliflower, Celery & Garlic puree and have the containers in the frig ready to go. I printed your puree's for my coach today and she was thrilled. Thank You Liz!

Not sure if it would get 'crunchy' - it is dependent on how thin you lay it out as well, and if you have a pizza stone I think that helps. I've also made 'savory waffles' with the soups and they turned out crispy (as another "bread option").

thanks love :)
i did buy and make the proti-diet pizza...yum!!!
but was wanting to use up a tomato basil packet for something creative haha

Just had to let you know that I made the zucchini lasagna recipe, with the Roasted Red Pepper tomato sauce - absolutely delicious! The only things I'd do differently next time would be to skip the Poblano peppers in the sauce (I'm a big wimp for spicy food but my husband LOVED it with 1 roasted poblano) and make it in an 8X8 deep pan so I could layer it up a little more! Will be making this one regularly!!

Spinach Mocha Latte
 

Hi Liz.tried this a few times and I must be missing something..it's not that great and yet I love spinach and coffee. I tried it with the Dark Chocolate pudding and the Vanilla pudding as well. Added cinamon. What "legal" flavorings have you used? I'm in my 9th week, and our coach advised staying away from artificial sweetners due to their affect on the pancreas (Ideal Protein talked about this in their may newletter). Did it take you awhile to get used to the taste?

I use Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Butterscotch did not work for me flavor-wise. As for sweetener, usually a tbsp of WF Caramel Sauce and sometimes Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia. My coach advised me to limit all extras to 6 or less a day due to hidden carbs and calories, and to avoid all Aspartame due to the affect on the pancreas - the Sweetleaf is the only 'truly zero' sweetener that I know of.

Copy and Paste. Now that's a great idea!!

Stevia vs truvia
 

Have you heard anything about truvia? Do you use a vita mixer or has a conventional blender ground up the spinach fine enough?

Truvia is an approved sweetener, FinnSteven has commented on it in his thread and his Facebook page in more detail if you want more details as to the science of why. But I still assume all packet sweeteners and extras (Splenda, Truvia, stevia in the raw, WF, Mio, etc) have 4.9999999 calories from 0.9999999g carbs, as that is what the FDA allows them to have and retain 0/0/0 labels, and hence why you should exercise moderation. Like I mentioned, the liquid Sweetleaf is the only 'truly 0' sweetener I know of if you find you are sensitive to them. But as long as you use moderation using any of the approved 0/0/0 extras should be fine, I do limit them to 6 servings or less a day per my coach's advice.

I have a full size cuisinart blender that has 2 speeds, Low and High. Cost me about $50 8 years ago and I love it! I think the key is preblending the spinach with chilled liquid on high for 2 minutes before putting in your IP to get it fully pulverized then just mixing up your IP for 15 seconds on low at the end.

Truvia actually has 3 carbs per serving - and while it's naturally derived it's still a sugar carb. I have been told no Truvia while on Phase 1.


I didn't have the IP tomato basil soup on hand but I did have an alternative soup - thought I'd try the IP pizza idea....Oh My Word...it totally worked with the alternative product, tasted great, and now I have a go-to for pizza cravings! I may use the IP mushroom soup to make flatbread for an egg white omelet wrap for breakfast this week!!!

I found Finns post, copied & linked below. I still prefer liquid sweet leaf.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4369722-post389.html

I saw someone post that we shouldnt use Truvia as a sweetener. According to my coaches and many other resources, thats not true. Here's the story and the science why its ok...(but still only use in moderation! I have never used more than 3 packets MAX per day, with 1 packet being average.)

When I looked on the Truvia box, it said that it contained 3 carbs. So why is that allowed? Here is the why...

One of the most frequently asked questions by carb conscious consumers is whether they should count the 3 grams of carbohydrate on the label. The answer is NO. Here's why…

The carbohydrate in Truvia® natural sweetener comes from erythritol – a natural sugar alcohol that is also found in grapes and pears – that also has zero calories. Erythritol passes through the body without being broken down for calories. As a result, it has no effect on blood sugar. Erythritol is used in Truvia® natural sweetener to evenly disperse rebiana to achieve uniform sweetness, similar to how dextrose and other suitable ingredients are used by other high intensity sweeteners to evenly disperse the sweetener.

Erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol that is different from other sugar alcohols in two ways.

1. Erythritol is not broken down by the body, so it cannot provide calories or affect blood sugar. Other sugar alcohols can be broken down by the body to varying degrees. This means that the body can use them for calories. Erythritol is different, it provides zero calories.

2. Erythritol has excellent gastrointestinal tolerance. This is because most of the erythritol that is consumed (up to 90%) is absorbed from the small intestine. Once it is absorbed, it is no longer available to cause problems in the gut.

"At www.TRUVIA.com our recipes include total calories, grams carbohydrate, grams erythritol, grams fiber, grams sugar. This practice allows you to subtract the grams of erythritol from the grams of total carbohydrate when you are count ing your grams of carbohydrate."