A great way to have Unlimited Diet Solution Recipes
Just yesterday I did a great tele-call with my friend Craig Ballantyne, author of Turbulence Training. He is going to be sharing this call with his own readers and clients, but he asked me such an awesome question yesterday, I had to share the answer with you.
“Isabel, how can someone take any recipe out of a regular cookbook and make it Diet Solution friendly?”
I thought this was an awesome question because it is something I do on a regular basis and is how I am able to keep all of my meal plans new, interesting and most importantly….delicious!
Here are my step by step, do-it-yourself, DSP recipe creator rules (ok, that’s a mouthful but you know what I mean):
First, I search the internet or one of my many cookbooks for exactly what I want to make. We’re going to use shepherd’s pie as our example. When I Google shepherd’s pie, I click on the first link that comes up and here is what came up (I have inserted all of my substitutions in italics):
Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (taken from simplyrecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef (I might use buffalo or even turkey for a little leaner option depending on your metabolic type)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1-2 cups vegetables – chopped carrots, corn, peas
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones) (I would use cauliflower instead or do ½ potato, ½ cauliflower)
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup beef broth (use low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice (use unrefined sea salt)
Method
1. Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). (Steam cauliflower so you can mash it or put it in the blender so they resemble mashed potatoes.)
2. While the potatoes are cooking (or cauliflower), melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
3. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
4. Add ground beef (or buffalo or turkey) and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
5. Mash potatoes (or put cauliflower in the blender until they resemble mash potatoes) in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.
6. Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes (or cauliflower) on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
7. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown. (Watch this carefully, as your cooking time will be less because you are using cauliflower)
Yummy! Is anyone ready for dinner?
Just as a side note, there is nothing wrong with having white potatoes if your metabolic type can handle it, but I find with sheperd’s pie you end up eating too much potato, well beyond what one serving should be and there are many people who cannot eat white potatoes because it effects their blood sugar too much (me being one of them).
The recipe above was an easy one (but I just love it and wanted to share it.)
Let me give you some possible substitutions to many other recipes.
1. When a recipe calls for vegetable oil such as canola oil, which we know we should be avoiding, replace it with coconut oil or butter. This can be done in 90% of most recipes. If you can’t use either of those, use olive oil and cook on low heat (below 350F). If the recipe is for a cake or other baked goods, you can use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce instead of the oil.
2. When a recipe calls for bread crumbs, I either make my own from sprouted grain bread or I purchase gluten free bread crumbs that are made from rice. You can make your own breadcrumbs by drying bread in the oven at 250F for 15 minutes and then putting it in your food processor or blender. Add Italian spices like oregano, parsley and basil to make Italian bread crumbs.
3. If a recipe calls for pasta, many times you can replace it with spaghetti squash.
4. If a recipe calls for sugar, you can use a Stevia blend instead. 1 cup of Stevia Blend (from http://www.stevivasweetener.com) is equal to 2 cups of sugar.
5. Replace all the ingredients listed with organic ingredients instead. Ok, ok, you don’t have to replace all of them, but I just had to throw that in there…hehe.
I highly recommend you give this a try yourself and look for one of your most favorite dishes and see what you can do to serve it “DSP Style”.
Happy Cooking!
Isabel,
Great advise. For the bread crumbs I use Quinoa flakes. It works great!
I have been gluten and dairy free for 3 weeks now. I had a nasty vires when I started my quest with you. I did loose 11 lbs. but as I said I was very ill. My problem is I am doing the right things BUT I have gained 3lbs. I am NOT a happy camper at this point in time. I want to thank you for the information on Omega 3, my Doctor was VERY PLEASEED and told me to also take CO-Q10, so Thak You for that again. I can’t seem to make my self eat 3 meals a day, I have never been able to do that, so maybe thats part of my problem. A friend of mine tells me that when I don’t eat the PROPER WAY my body goes into starvation mode. Well I’ve done this all my life, I would think my BODY would know by now (65yrs.)it not so. Im glad that I have started this walk with you. Thank you for all so far and looking forward to more. Judi
Good info. I hope this all works for you because it could do a lot of good for people. Maybe when people see others losing weight effortlessly, they will begin to look into what they\’ve been putting into their bodies.
I\’ve one caveat. Wheat!There is no way this should be in any diet. It\’s implicated in autoimmune problems that help elevate blood sugar and insulin.
Keep up the good work.
Mike
is skim milk ok in or after the 14 days?
Isabele, first I want to thank you for your DSP and the subsequent emails. I started this diet 3 weeks ago with my wife and brother. I share your newsletter with them to keep \\"The Team\\" motiviated. However, at this point I want to share one major motivating factors in choosing your program. After listening to your introductory webinar I purchased and downloaded your manuals. Once I brought up the cover of the DSP Manual and saw the absolutely strikingly beautiful womem on the cover, I knew that you know what you are talking about.
Now I do have question about the diet. My wife is violately alergic to nuts (peasnuts especially) and all seafoods. She is not much of a meat eater. So what can you recommend as other sources of proteins to provide variety in her diet?
Hey Isabelle,
Just finishing up day one of the 14 day challenge. I’ve tried (for years infact) to make various components of your program, that I have learned about from other sources, a regular part of my lifestyle. Now trying to really commit to all the components you talk about and even just getting a handle on all the information is comepletely overwhelming. I don’t want to chalk it up to “it’s just impossible” again. I need a realistic strategy for running my household this way and still sending my kids in to the real world and be ok with them eating school lunches.
My first specific question is about butter. We are kosher and when eating or cooking meat we can’t use butter. I have come to learn that smart balance is not the healthy option I thought it was (unless i am not judging the ingredients properly, which would be a welcome discovery.) What can I use to substite butter in your recipes? I won’t post on facebook b/c I see it posts on my regular page and i don’t want all of my friends to see my DS posts. so what is the best way to keep the lines of communication open with you and other DS members?
thank you for your help.
Pia
This was a great post, but how do we replace other common ingredients like milk and flour? I\’m looking at making sweet potato pancakes (or pancakes in general), and I have no idea what to do with them. Thanks!
Anthony, check out the FAQs in the manual – there is an entire section on vegetarians. It provides information about what vegetarian protein choices can be, as well as meal ideas.
Sonja, I recommend avoiding dairy altogether, but if you’re going to drink milk it should be raw (unpasteurized) and certified organic. Also, whole-fat milk is a better choice than skim milk.
Instead of breadcrumbs for the top of a gratin my sister-in-law, a doctor, came up with using ground hazelnuts instead. She’d done mixed small pieces of cauliflower & peas with some butter, then sprinkled the nuts on top and put under the grill, really yummy!
Replacing fat in baked goods with applesauce can sometimes leave more apple flavor than you may want, use pear sauce instead. I’ve been using it as my secret ingredient for years and no one can ever guess.
Anthony Taylor:
I read your post about your wife’s allergies. Beans are a fantastic source of protein. They are actually called ‘poor man’s steak’ because they have so much protein in them. Eggs also are protein (though I realize that some vegetarians won’t eat eggs either). There are a lot of grains that actually have protein in them, like barley, whole wheat berry, and quinoa. For vegetables with protein, there are artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, chives, collards, kale, and peas. (note: I am NOT a nutritionist. I just googled it is all.)
I can’t even remember how I came across your website but I’m so thrilled I did. I didn’t purchase it right away but followed your suggestions and I lost 5 lbs. Wow was I surprised. Yeah I purchased it after that. One week later 2 more pounds gone. Thank you for setting the matter straight on acceptable carbs and fats. I have a long road ahead but without the torture. If you don’t mind I’ll probably have some recipes of my on to share later on. Thanks again.
Pia, you can always cook with coconut oil instead of butter – it may taste a little different, but I love that!
Hi Isabel,
You may not know who i am, since you probably have so many clients but i just started your DSP program not long ago and i just wanted to say thank you and that i really loved your motivation audio series. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear your voice. It’s like we’re really connected to each other as if you were here with me in my home. Anyhow, my question may be a lttle awkward but i actually live in canada, and i have been trying to find this coconut oil that you’ve been talking about so much. but i couldn’t find it anywhere here in Edmonton, Alberta. Is that only available in the US?
Hi Isabel,
I have been following your diet program for 2 weeks now. I have a question about exercise. I have Multiple Sclerosis (17 years now) and cannot do much exercising. I have no balance and can\’t get down and up from the floor. I need to know what exercises you have that would be good for me sitting down. Walking is impossible as an exercise and the fatigue is unbearable.
Thank you so much.
Linda
Hi Isabel
My husband and I are doing the diet solution and are determined. My husband has a “sludgy” kidney and can not have purines which means no cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, hummus, nuts, etc. I’m substituting squash for our vegetable, broccoli is ok for him to eat. We are only on our first week. Does it hurt to substitue the squash, are there other things I can substitute?
Thanks Dianna
Linda, have you ever seen the “bicycles” that are just wheels with pedals attached so that you can workout your arms or your legs? This might be a great thing for you to try out – you can work these parts while sitting then. Also, light dumbbells might be a good investment for you to make. They are inexpensive, but they will help strengthen your arms.
I have heard of an exercise machine that is used lying down which moves your legs in a gentle motion to increase circulation in a passive way. Another alternative for Linda, maybe?