Recipes from French Women Don't Get Fat

photo by www.bestdietsforme.com

I just finished reading "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano and I thoroughly enjoyed every last page!  I had heard great things about the book and was actually pleasantly surprised to read that many of her insights as to how French women view eating or dining rather, is very similar to my personal views. Food is more than eating to me, hence the idea to start my blog about recipes I come up, trips to the Farmer's Market on Sundays and how much I love making my food look pretty enough to eat!

The book also shared a couple recipes that I can't wait to try!  Here's one of her famous Magical Leek Soup that's sure to help you jump start your recasting if you need weight loss.  But the French women method is never about dieting.  It's about balance, enjoyment and pleasures.  One of the many things I learned and will start putting into practice, is having my meals with a glass of champagne!



Magical Leek Soup Recipe from French Women Don't Get Fat

Ingredients
2 lbs leeks

Directions
Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil.  Cut off the ends of the dark green parts, leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of pale greens.  (Reserver extra greens for soup stock)

Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes.  Pour off the liquid and reserve.  Place leeks in a bowl.

The juice is to be drunk every 2 to 3 hours.  1 cup at a time.  When you're hungry eat 1/2 a cup of the leeks itself.

The book says to do this for 72 hours to kick off your re-casting and I can't wait to see it's miracles work.  I'll post more recipes from the book soon and can't wait to grab the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook!

Meal Plan: Week of June 26

A sample of my menu for this week's meals.  I'm the type that can eat the same lunches and dinners every day but I do need to switch it up every so often.


Breakfast
1 cup Fage greek yogurt
1 cup Grapefruit juice


Mid-moring snack
1 medium peach or apple


Lunch
Grilled corn, spinach salad
1 veggie patty or hard-boiled egg


Snack
12 almonds or 1 cup red peppers


Dinner
Sole with steamed asparagus (cooked in parchment paper) or cooked spinach


Under 1200 calories

Recipe: Mini Breakfast Pizza

I've been dying to make a breakfast pizza with an over easy egg on top.  I had some whole wheat flat bread (from Trader Joe's) and decided to make the perfect individual pie.  This recipe was super easy and I used a lot of the ingredients I had bought to make my greek salad earlier in the week.  Can't wait to make this more often, or make for friends for brunch!

Mini Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat flat bread (try Middle Eastern Flatbread from Trader Joe's)

Sliced sugar plum tomatoes (add as many as you wish)

1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsely

1 tbsp sliced shallots (or red onions)

1 tbsp olive oil (I used Garlic flavored olive oil)

2 tbsps shaved parmesan cheese (I don't feel guilty for adding more since parmesan is pretty low cal!)

1 egg

Spread olive oil on flatbread.  Add shallots, sliced tomatoes, parsely and parmesan cheese.  Crack egg in center of flatbread.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in a baking sheet on 450 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until egg is cooked.  (I cooked the egg over easy so it runs when you slice into it)

Recipe: Strawberry & Almond Butter Sandwich (200 calories and under)

I always crave something sweet after every meal and this little concoction tricks my brain into thinking I'm having some kind of strawberry cake! This recipe would actually make a really good breakfast since it covers your protein (almond butter), serving of fruit and a little bit of carbs to make your meal feel complete.

Strawberry & Almond Butter Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 slice whole wheat sandwich thin (about 50 calories for 1 slice)

3-4 strawberries, sliced (about 20 calories)

1 tbsp Almond Butter (about 100 calories of good for you fats)

Toast sandwich thin and spread almond butter so it melts evenly.  Top with sliced strawberries. 

What's in my fridge? : Week of 6/20

I tend to do my food shop on the weekends and plan out my meals for the week.  Actually, I'm pretty obsessed about writing down my menu for the week and have a couple of standard items I re-stock each week. Here's a peak at some of my fridge must-haves:

1. Mango Butter (Trader Joe's)

2. Blue Diamond Almond Butter

3. Fage Fat Free Greek yogurt 

(goes perfectly with a tbsp of mango butter!)

4. Bowl of fresh fruit with mint (top on yogurt or eat as dessert)

5. Eggs (usually hard-boiled or use for fritattas

6. Organic cherry tomatoes (Trader Joe's)

7. Frozen Dover Sole (Trader Joe's) defrosting in the fridge for dinner

8. Individually portioned Greek salads I made for lunch during the week

9. Middle Eastern whole wheat flatbread (Trader Joe's) goes great with hummus or a quick almond butter and mango butter dessert sandwich! yum!

Recipe: Bathing Suit-Friendly Greek Salad

Happy official first day of summer!  I always crave Greek Salads during this time of year a) because it's cool and refreshing and b) it's easy on the calories and bathing suit-friendly!  I added some mint and flat-leaf parsley to brighten up the flavors! Enjoy!

Bathing Suit-Friendly Greek Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup Organic mini cherry tomatoes (sliced in halves)

1 cup cucumber (diced)

1/2 cup red onion (sliced thick or to your liking)

2 tbsps Fat Free Feta

2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use the good kind)

chopped mint leaves (to taste)

chopped flat leaf parsley (to taste)

Squeeze half a lemon

Salt and pepper to tast

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Sprinkle feta on top and serve.  *Make a big batch early in the week and portion out for a healthy lunch all week long.  Serve with 1/2 a whole wheat pita.

Fort Mason Farmer's Market (Marina)

My Sunday ritual equals a trip to this quaint little farmer's market where I can load up on just the vegetables, fruits and flowers I need without feeling too overwhelmed. It's a great place to get organic produce for so much less and support local farmers.

Each Sunday at Fort Mason from 9:30-1PM.  

Recipe: Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Salad

Note: Corn doesn't look roasted from the photo but I promise you can
taste the char on each kernel as if you just roasted it from the grill!

Already made roasted corn salsa from the grocery aisle at Safeway

Summer is almost here and there's nothing I crave more than roasted corn on the grill!  I wanted to make a freshly roasted corn salad, but let's be real, I didn't have a charcoal grill nor the patience to make my own.  Luckily, I found an already made roasted corn salsa at Safeway that came complete with red onions, peppers, and packed with flavor!  It was the perfect topping for a bed of spinach with a sprinkle of goat cheese.  And, it literally took 5 seconds to make!

What to buy:

1) Already made corn salsa (like this Spicy Corn Salsa from Fresh Party Favorites)

2) Bag of spinach salad

3) Goat cheese crumbles

Add in your own protein (tofu, salmon, chicken, etc)