I love this thread! I don't have anything to offer yet but keep them coming! I needed this!

Modified from an older post of mine..not all crock pot ideas..but many found some of this helpful a while back.

Have not done any packet hacking. I made a conscious decision to change my involvement in the kitchen along with my relationship to food when beginning this lifestyle change.

Also wanted recipes that I could just make that were "family-company-IP perfect" all in one effort.

Stuffed peppers is an easy recipe to adjust. Add chopped zuchinni and mushrooms for volume instead of rice
Sautee small pieces of your dinner animal protein using a little cooking spray olive oil and lemon juice and garlic powder...This works for chicken breast tenders and fish really well. Also works with pork medallions. Add sliced mushrooms and some water if needed to make a little "sauce". Serve with/on big salad! Use olive oil and lemon juice dressed salad with fresh ground black pepper.

Pork roast or turkey thighs in the crock pot...(they roast just fine)...till it falls/pulls apart. You could add barbecue sauce for the family after pulling yours out and using walden farms...if you like it..( I do not like it..prefer mine plain) ..or just season plain meat with seasonings you like and serve over salad or cauli mash.

Brown ground meat of your choice using some 0/0/0 tabasco or hot sauce instead of tacco seasonings, (which is full of too much processed stuff and sodium for my taste now).Use some red pepper flakes...garlic etc...be creative. Can keep it warm in the crockpot. Then top a salad with cukes, bell peppers and chopped celery with this meat. I have found the best flavor is acheived when you add chopped pickles, both sweet no sugar added and dill low sodium...and...HOT PEPPERS!


Mustard Dressing:
(Basic- tweak the proportions + add H2Oif you need to)
2 parts any hot mustard that is (0/0/0)
1 part O Oil
1part plain wite rice vinegar
dash of Truvia/Stevia or some approved sweetener it if is blowing the roof off your palate. Some of the mustard brands are stronger than others!!
*My husband has now completely given up basalmic and red vinegar...and uses mine all the time. This is also good on plain roasted meats as a bit if a mustard sauce. Prefer it to barbecue in our house.

*Can also be used as a dip for veggies...delish with bell peppers and celery sticks!!

Another salad dressing is squeezing fresh lemon and or lime juice instead of cider vinegar and olive oil. Make a half cup or so..it keeps. Is also good if you do this in a nutri-bullet and add fresh herbs..cilantro is really great!


...it is really nice keeping things simple. I got real used to it, and love the found time to do new things. Even in maintenance..I still cook like this most of the time.

Recently read that refocusing on activities outside the kitchen is often a good idea for those with a weight problem. Or in maintenance. We are recovering from being overweight...would/should an alcoholic work in a bar or ....get a job as a wine sommelier?

Keeping things simple will give you time to develop or get better at a hobby that is not food related. Music, art, photography, quilting, knitting, gardening, animal rescue...hospice or other volunteer agency. No shortage of things to do in this world...and a lot of them are weight- less pursuits!
This simple philosophy may not appeal to some...if you find yourself in the kitchen a lot though, your demons will most likely be worse. You will need to manage that. I prefer not to add that one to the already life long challenge I face. A year in from goal....it's still working well for me.
Best of luck!

65x65! You're back! We have missed you. Thanks for the helpful tips. I totally agree with your philosophy on staying out of the kitchen. I have baked in the past, with the aim of taking the baking to work to share. Always well received but looking back, there was a fair amount of the baking that stayed with me, plus a lot of licking of spoons and taste testing along the way. I've shelved my baking for others and now I only cook for me. And I measure everything and ensure that it is the correct amounts being used. I'm also in the middle of reading The Beck Diet Solution (ok, I'm not in the middle, I've just started!), but one thing recommended in there is to NEVER eat standing up. This will eliminate all of those indiscreet licks, taste tests and left over nibbles. Sounds easier than it is in practice but I'm working on it.

I've only used my slow cooker once so far, to make the pulled pork but I'm planning on doing a chicken dish over the weekend. I'm keen to try your stuffed peppers. They sound delicious.

Also, I read your post in the over fifty thread. I didn't want to comment there as I'm not in the right age bracket, however, I just wanted to say that it was a fabulous post. I love your realism and your straight talking. No beating around the bush. Sometimes, it is just what we all need to hear.

So I currently have in the slow cooker now:

2 chicken breasts, 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 cup of water, 1 packet of chick soup on low.

Plan to make cauliflower rice. Will see what happens! (I've never used a slow cooker so I have nooooo idea what i'm doing. *dumps in all the things! *

New Edit - Found that it needed more flavor - Added a packet of seasoning and apple cider vinegar which gave it a much needed kick.

This might be a stupid question but, I see a lot of pork recipes. I pretty much stick to chicken because in my head it is the most lean protein. I lose slow so I don't want in any way slow my losses. Anyway, has anyone seen slower losses from eating pork?

Hi Rosie ...watching your progress with loud clapping!!!
Hope the recipes work out for you.

Also used to be quite the baker...cake decorating and Christmas cookies...esp intricately decorated sugar cookies. It was a creative outlet for my inner frustrated artist.

Now, do more creative sewing..but more a newly developed interest, do paper crafts. Handmade cards ...no scrapbooking. All our old pics were before digital cameras and weight issues aside...should have mostly been trashed! That delete button on cameras is a world changing innovation for us old timers. Am actually selling my cards now...and it is keeping me busy. And LOL....one does not mix food with paper crafting! Plus...although it does not generate a LOT of money...it is nice to think someone would pay for my work! I have a friend at the gym I use who has been marketing me...she is funny and is responsible for getting sales going by buying my cards..then showing them to everyone she knows! SOO..I now also need fast easy IP dinners ....since I'm busy making cards!

Good luck as you continue your journey...you have a great attitude and experience to share.

Actually, many people have reported higher losses when mixing it up a bit & not always sticking with the lowest fat choices. Pork tenderloin is clearly OP. So is a nice steak & lean ground beef.

Agree with Lisa. I had a couple of super hectic weeks in the middle of my IP journey (who am I kidding, it was the 6 month busy season from ****) but during this time I ended up eating only chicken as my protein for two weeks. It was the only stuff left in my freezer. My losses actually slowed and when I introduced some beef and pork into the mix, I had a lovely big whoosh! Variety is the spice of life, and all that.

I am new to this but I have been paying attention to how different meats/veggies affect my progress and I saw my losses slow when I stuck to just chicken breast for the week. I added steak to my rotation and lost more weight than I had in the previous couple of weeks. I think mixing things up keeps your body losing. I have only had pork tenderloin on this diet so far...it is less fatty than other types of porks obviously.

I was eating beef quite often and when I stopped eating it so much my losses were better. I guess there's a balance.

I have red meat a few times a week (including a strip loin steak), pork at least once, eggs once along with low fat ham and chicken a couple times. My overall average is 3 pounds a week. I'm not sure if it would have been higher if I ate more chicken or if I chose fish but sticking to the diet is important too and varying my protein helps me stay OP.

bump

SarahBee was interested in some ideas for pork roast, so I gathered and shared via private message the following that I had found recently while searching the IP forum for crockpot ideas.

I am starting this thread, as I'd like to see if we can get more crockpot recipes that are helpful to those of us on P1, so I am sharing what I found and hoping others will weigh in. And then maybe Lisa can include links to the crockpot/slowcooker thread along with the other recipe threads.


scorbett1103:
Pork Roast & Rutabaga crockpot

Peel & slice a large rutabaga in big chunks.
Spray crockpot with EVOO spray
Rub a 3lb pork roast with a mix of 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp parsley, 2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper.

Heat a skillet to high. Sear the pork roast on all sides (about 2 minutes per side).

Arrange the rutabaga on the bottom of the crockpot. Place pork roast on top of the rutabaga. Add 1 cup fat free veggie/chicken broth, or plain water if you prefer. Cover and cook on low for 6 hrs.

Voila, meat and potatoes dinner! You can do the same with a beef roast, just adjust this way:

Rub beef with a mix of 2tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp sea salt. Sear on all sides to seal in the juices. Instead of chicken/veggie broth, add 1/2 cup water or beef broth, and 1/2 cup black coffee (preferably yesterday's coffee!). Cook on low 6 hours.
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IP43: I put turnip or rutabega in overnight with WF maplesyrup. The next morning they were still hard so I added my meat and by the time I got home from work, all was cooked and delish. The "potatoes" tasted sweet, like sweet potatoes, and definitely not "turnip"
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If you want more crockpot ideas, here is the link to the IP Friendly Crockpot Recipes thread...
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...t-recipes.html

I am finding some Paleo recipes that fit our Ideal Protein protocol and look yummy to me, so I'll share them here.

This one is from a blogger Kathleen - Life with 4 Boys, where she likes to minimize prep. Put all the ingredients together and freeze them. Then pull out the ziplock and let it defrost when you are ready to put it in the crockpot.

Kathleen says:
This cinnamon chicken recipe was adapted from one found on iVillage and it is not sweet tasting like you might think, it is actually pretty savory.

Ingredients:

2 lb. chicken breasts (you can use legs or thighs if you prefer.)
2 Bell Peppers sliced. (I used one green and one orange.)
1 Onion diced
2 tsp. Paprika
4 Cloves garlic minced
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. Chicken broth
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a gallon Ziplock freezer bag. Make sure all the air is out before sealing shut. Freeze.

Step 2: Remove the meal from the freezer the night before serving and defrost in the fridge.

Step 3: Pour contents of the bag into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.

Hi there! I don't have anything to add right now but I sure hope you get some action here. I sure could use some simple family friendly crockpot recipes!