Basic Vinaigrette II

This recipe is great for a veggie dip, and you can add different herbs and spices to change the flavor.  Recipe is found in the Dukan Diet book.

Basic Vinaigrette II

1 t. vegetable oil

1 T. mineral water

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs and spices to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Makes approximately 1/4 cup.

Basic Vinaigrette

Here is a great recipe I got from the Dukan Diet book.  A great replacement for salad dressings.

Basic Vinaigrette

1 T. mustard (Dijon, or French whole grain)

5 T. balsamic vinegar

1 t. vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional:

1 large garlic clove

7-8 basil leaves

In a clean jar, add the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.  Add a large clove of garlic and/or basil leaves to marinate if desired.  Cover the jar and shake well.  Keep refrigerated.

Consolidation Phase

The Consolidation Phase is actually the third phase of the "diet", but we are starting with this because it is recommended for children who are needing to eat healthy.  Below are the basic tenets the Consolidation Phase, as found starting on page 87 of The Dukan Diet.

Proteins and Vegetables - unlimited from 100 Healthy Foods list, adding lamb and pork
Water - 1 1/2 quarts a day
Fruits - 1 serving per day, excluding bananas, grapes, cherries, dried fruits, and nuts
Breads - 2 slices of 100% whole grain bread per day
Cheese - 1 serving per day
"Starchy" Foods - 1 serving per week (1st half) and 2 servings per week (2nd half)
Celebration Meals - 2 a week, just not in the same day
Pure Proteins - one day a week, only proteins
Oat Bran - 2 tablespoons a day (cookie or Galette)

Exercise: 25 minutes of walking a day, EVERY DAY

Wish us luck!

The Dukan Diet vs. Weston A Price Foundation

After doing research on several different diets and eating plans, we have narrowed our choices down to two.  The Dukan Diet, which comes highly recommended, and the practices of the Weston A. Price Foundation.  Both seem to emphasize the healthy components of "clean eating", and we are excited to try them out.  I will be blogging about our experiences, and let you know what we think!  I am excited to have found two eating plans that could be helpful in managing Rese's autoimmune disorder, so I will let you know how it all goes.

Happy 2011, people! :)

We ushered in 2011 with our favorite people, at our favorite hangout, Stratos Greek Taverna.  We were lucky enough to snag a last minute babysitter and so we headed out with the Paradas, the Wares and Rachelle to get our Greek on!  The prices on the food and drinks were severely inflated, one of the waitresses made a fool of herself, but we had friends and fun and it was definitely a great night.

With the new year comes the traditional making of new resolutions, but I tried to keep my list short and sweet in hopes of actually accomplishing something on it.  For those of you interested, here are a few of my favorites so far:

* To blog more often:  I set a goal to blog once a week on this blog and 3 times a week on my The Timer Went Off blog.  If you aren't following me, you should be!  I plan of having a few giveaways and really trying to expand my blog into something epic.

* To run the United States Marine Corps Marathon on October 30, 2011.  This is a lofty goal for me, considering my present physical shape, but I have said I wanted to run a marathon before I die, so I figured this is the year to do it!  And in case you are like my dear husband, NO, I am not dying next year, but thanks for asking! :)

* To take an amazing vacation: I want to go somewhere great this summer, and preferably somewhere I get a great deal to go there!  I sure wish I had a summer job as a hotel tryer-outer, that would be awesome!

* To do one thing, every day, for a year.  Granted, I already shower, brush my teeth, check email, post a status on Facebook every day, but I want to do something meaningful daily.  So far it is Day #3 and I have accomplished the task, only 362 days to go!

So as you can see, I have a few good goals for myself this year, and a lot of ambition to accomplish them!  Hope that 2011 is turning out to be a great year for you and yours so far, it hasn't been too shabby for the Smith household!

Keep it classy, Vanesssa