Special Order Recipes

Cheers!

It’s been over three years since Dukan It Out by Special Order Recipes was launched and I want to say a big “Thank you!” to my existing readers and a friendly “Hello!” to my new readers!

I followed the Dukan Diet beginning in March of 2011 and reached my goal weight in June, right on target.  I couldn’t say enough good things about this diet because it worked for me so well!

I love cooking and I love being healthy, so I decided to combine these two passions and launch this blog.  Dukan It Out  is filled with recipes inspired to keep people on track with the diet.  I highly recommend you read all about how I started and how I interpreted the diet HERE.

My goals at Special Order Recipes are still the same but I’ve made some major changes in my lifestyle that I want to share with everyone that is interested in living a healthy life through food, exercise and mental stimulation:

To explain to you how and why I decided to make all the changes I talk about and what my experiences were doing so.To help you understand how you can help yourself by following my experiences and hopefully doing some of the same things for yourself.To show that every good recipe has many variations that can adapt to anyone’s personal tastes, needs, and preferences.Help people understand that food doesn’t have to taste bad to be healthy.And of course, to share my happiness of cooking and eating really good food!

I am now 48 years old and all sorts of things have changed.  My mind is in a different place, my body is in a different place and the world around me is different.  I will share with you the different ways i challenge my mind and body.

Taking care of your body should always be your main concern.  Followed by…eating really good food!  Alas, food is the battle of good and evil.  I hope my recipes can help you win your “battle” between eating tasty, wholesome, and nutritional foods vs. high-calorie, high-fat, and simple-carb laden foods.

To your health,

Janice

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What I’ve Been Up To These Past Few Months

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO THESE PAST FEW MONTHS

I guess I have to start with more than the last few months…about 7 years ago I had a hysterectomy.  I had quite a few fibroids wreaking havoc on my body so it became time for me to do something about it.

All was well for the couple years following that, I gained a bit of weight, started the Dukan Diet, and was feeling great.  Then a few more years passed and all that dieting wasn’t giving me the results I wanted anymore.  That’s when I decided, about a year ago, to start seeing Dr. David Allen, an MD that practices alternative medicine, in Santa Monica, CA.  I also started taking private Pilates classes from my dear friend Claire at the Body Wellness Center in Santa Monica, CA.  I had hurt my knee running all these years and knew if I didn’t strengthen it, I was looking at surgery.  So these changes were crucial to my going forward, living a healthier lifestyle.

I was hopeful that finding a new doctor, one that would do more things for me than just prescribe drugs, would help me with some of the symptoms my body was feeling lately.  First, my body temperature.  It was always hot, not necessarily hot flashes, but just hot.  And if I drank a glass of wine, it was that much worse.  A friend suggested I go to her doctor but he was way out in the Valley and had a 6-month waiting list.  Ugh!

Dr. Allen first checked my blood.  Amazingly, (sarcastically), there were quite a few things going on inside me.  First, my cholesterol was high.  Now, just over 200 doesn’t seem high, especially when my good cholesterol (HDL) was 96, which is awesome.  But he told me that doesn’t outweigh the fact that my bad cholesterol was still 125–NOT GOOD.  I figured I only had my diet to blame for that.  I was eating mucho protein, including a good amount of red meat and dark meat chicken and turkey.  For, you see, I really didn’t like the super-lean white stuff anyway.

He then went on to tell me that my Vitamin D was low, 30, which should’ve been between 30 and 90 and preferably much closer to 60, rather than the lowest possible.

My liver enzymes were super high too and even after not drinking the entire holiday season they actually were all higher!

Then, to explain lots that was happening, my hormone levels were almost obsolete.

I couldn’t even deal with the issues that I was experiencing because we had to level off these things before moving on.  So, he prescribed some plant-based supplements to get myself up to more “normal” levels.  These included a multi-vitamin, bio-identical hormones, Vitamin D and multiple supplements for my liver, inflammation and my lack of good nutrition absorption.

Back-and-forth to Dr. Allen and my liver enzymes were just not going down.  Further testing for liver diseases, including hepatitis, all came back negative.  Ultrasound didn’t show any irregularities.

About the beginning of May I read Alicia Silverstone’s “The Kind Diet“.  I’ve already read many books on vegetarianism and veganism and seen almost every movie on how bad animals are treated for human consumption and just how unhealthy it is to consume them.  How bad our treatment of the earth is, how much disease is caused by our environment.  It was overnight that I decided to start following a vegan lifestyle.  I’ve been a vegetarian many times in my life but not until now have I also given up eggs and dairy.

I immediately started to feel better.  My skin looked great, I was FINALLY  losing weight, although be it slow, and I went back to Dr. Allen for another blood check.  YAY!  My liver enzymes were finally back to normal.

Stay tuned for my next steps…

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Hot and Sour Japanese Eggplant

Appetizer, Consolidation Phase, Cruise Phase, Dukan Diet Recipe, Entree, Protein Vegetable, PV, Stabilization Phase, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Protein Hot and Sour Japanese Eggplant

You can use any kind of eggplants you can find, I just happened to have Japanese ones (the smaller variety) so that is what I called the dish!  They seem a bit more tender and cook a little bit faster too!  Anyway, a bit of chicken breast chopped up and added to the dish would be great for those of you looking for a true Dukan Diet Recipe.  This could also just be a great side dish for a nice chicken breast or  piece of whitefish.

I’ve been using a lot of eggplant in place of the meat that I’m not eating anymore.  It’s super filling and satisfying.  You could also toss in some cubed tofu near the end of the cooking process to add your protein.  Just be careful and use firm tofu or it’ll break apart in the pan.

Mini Japanese Eggplant

HOT AND SOUR JAPANESE EGGPLANT

1 very large eggplant, 2 longer Chinese style, or about 6-7 smaller Japanese ones, cut in 2-inch strips
1 1/2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T agave syrup, honey or 1 t sweetener
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 t cornstarch
1/2 t garlic chili paste (or more or less depending on how hot you want it!)
1 t salt
2 T oil

In a large bowl combine the eggplant and salt, cover with water and let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse well and dry on paper towels.  In a small bowl combine soy, vinegar, sweetener, pepper, cornstarch and chili paste.  Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the eggplant until it begins to brown.  (This is when you would add your chicken pieces.)  Pour in the sauce (and tofu, if using) and cook another few minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the eggplant is coated well.  Serve with brown rice if diet allows.

Select Category Diet Journeys  (14)    Janice’s Journey  (9) Home  (425) Meal Categories  (516)    Appetizers/Side Dishes  (191)    Breakfast  (63)    Desserts  (38)    Entrees  (416)    Lunch  (134) Oat Bran Recipes  (120) Protein Recipes  (483)    Beef  (110)    Chicken  (168)    Eggs/Dairy  (177)    Pork  (71)    Seafood  (59)    Turkey  (111)    Vegetable Protein  (7)    Vegetarian  (4) Recipe Index  (3) Tips  (10)    Tips  (8)    UK Diet Rules  (1) Vegetable and Vegan Recipes  (301) Whole Grain Recipes  (18) Dana Sue Feldman

Welcome to my great friend's website. Dana has been writing for Reuters for the last few years and now is venturing out to write fictional literature. I wish her success and hope to be selling her book in this widget instead of introducing you all to her! Good luck Dana!! And Like her on Facebook!!

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Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak

A great Dukan Diet recipe for the Attack Phase.  Which is basically what I’m on.  I’m going to do 4 days at least this time.  And I’m not going to stop!!  I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.  Let me know how you’re doing on the diet and look at the Facebook page for others doing the same thing!!

SALISBURY STEAK

1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1/4 cup oat bran
1 T tomato paste
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg white substitute
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups water
3 T tomato paste
2 T sherry or Madeira wine
1 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 package dry onion soup mix
1 T corn starch mixed with 1 T water

Combine turkey, beef, oat bran, tomato paste, egg and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Divide meat into 6 portions and form patties.  Brown patties in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook 5-6 minutes, turning on the half.  Remove and keep warm on a plate covered with foil.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.  Add the water and the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil.  Add patties back into the skillet.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Uncover and cook until liquid reduces, about 10 more minutes.

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23andme.com And My Quest For Genetic Knowledge

23andme.com

23andme.com AND MY QUEST FOR GENETIC KNOWLEDGE

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m delving into all sorts of new medical knowledge about myself.  Today’s conversation is going to discuss my next step, taking a geneology test. (I’m currently in step 2-Waiting!!)

First step: Go to 23andme.com and order your test.

Second step:  Have patience while you wait the 3-4 weeks it takes to get all your geneology and raw data back from them.

Third step:  Upload your raw data

Fourth step:  Take your results to your doctor and have them read them for you.

In my case, I ordered my test and had it back in the mail that afternoon.  I knew that this first step was only going to tell me about my genealogy and where I came from.  Since I’m adopted, that was cool with me.  I really wanted to know that stuff anyway.

But more importantly, what kind of genes did I have and which ones were not performing as they should?  Which ones were mutated, and knowing this could I possibly reverse some of the negative impacts on my body by taking plant-based supplements or changing my environment, stress-level or diet?  I’ll explain more as the process continues, I promise.

My first email from 23andme.com came yesterday.  My first set of results were in.  It wasn’t a lot of data yet but enough that I wanted to share with you.  Basically my maternal lineage came in.  I’m proudly a T2a1a, a subgroup of T2.  This basically means that my mother comes from Europe or the Near East, highly concentrated in the Baltic Sea area.  Her lineage most likely is not from the African Region as T2s are uncommon in that area.  Upon reading further, almost all groups that have shared on 23andme have maternal lineage from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland or Belgium.  My father’s lineage is not available due to basic math–we get 23 chromosomes from each of our mother and father.  The 23rd pair from our mother is XX, of which we get the X.  The 23rd pair from our father is XY, of which we get the X, making us female.  Only the Y chromosome traces the lineage from our father.  All other 22 chromosomes are treated the same from both our mother and father.  So, once I get my health results back I’ll be getting results from both sides.  Kind of a bummer, I didn’t know that!!  So, I won’t know where my father’s lineage traces me back to.  Only if one of them did an analysis with 23andme.com would I know more about my father.  But then I would know a lot more, right?

Stay with me while I wait and I’ll share my entire experience with you all.

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