This LEAN AND GREEN COOKBOOK provides you with delicious, healthy recipes easy to prepare using minimal or no oil. Leisure and physical activities were once considered necessary, but we hardly take time to exercise these days, and it isn't easy to find the time to organize fun activities. When we overeat, we often feel stressed and over-tired because we haven't rested in a while. This can also lead to serious health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. So why would you need another cookbook that promotes healthy eating? The answer is simple: You never know when you might need it... when you just want to say 'Stop!' and give yourself a break... when you don't want to hit the ice cream and the cookies and the pizza again... when you feel like giving up. when you feel like giving up.
This cookbook can be your secret weapon in making your life healthy, fun, and full of things that make you happy. It is not about eating an extremely low-fat diet (although it is possible to do so if you wish). Although some fantastic cookbooks provide meals that use virtually no oil or butter at all, this LEAN AND GREEN COOKBOOK takes a different approach: It provides recipes that use 1 to 3 tablespoons of fat per serving--not much at all (remember: 1 tbsp. = 15 ml). The recipes provide a delicious and decadent experience while still allowing you to feel great about what you're eating. After so many years of eating whatever you wanted, eating healthy has become a chore.
For some people, food is their best friend, and for others, it's one of their worst enemies. But after trying the recipes in this book, I guarantee you will be feeling happy and relaxed about your food... not defeated and stressed out! And if nothing else, this cookbook can be used as a guide to inspire your own creations. It's meant to be an interactive guide that encourages you to try out different ingredients. Once you have a collection of recipes at your disposal, it is simply a matter of combining them to create new meals. Remember, if you don't like something from one recipe, try another recipe from this book.
If that doesn't work, try a different ingredient! And if you find any of the recipes too intense for you, simply use less intense ingredients and/or lower your fat intake per serving. If you think it takes more than 1 tablespoon of oil or butter per serving to make it taste amazing, think again! You don't have to eat as much as you think you should because there are so many ways to add flavor without using so much fat. Remember: One tablespoon of oil is only 15 ml. If this sounds like an easy diet, don't be fooled! I have been a vegetarian for over ten years, and I do not feel satisfied after eating very little. This is because everything has been processed, and our taste buds have been trained to want more. For me, eating a perfectly balanced meal is a challenge.
The recipes in this book are a joy to prepare and will help you feel more energized after eating! Once you get the hang of the various ingredients, I am sure you will find new techniques for preparing your favorite dishes!
CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS A LEAN AND GREEN DIET?
I n short, the Lean and Green diet basis is a reduced carb program that combine processed, packaged calorie-counted foods with homemade meals which encourage weight loss. You can choose from several options. All include products called fuelings as well as homemade meals, which follow the Lean and Green carb-fat ratio. The fuelings comprise over sixty items low in carbs, but high in protein and probiotic cultures. These friendly bacteria can boost your gut health and they include snack bars, cookies, shakes, puddings, cereals, soups, and pasta.
All super-convenient and nutritious, while designed to help you feel satisfied.
What Do You Eat on a Lean and Green Diet?
Its the first question that people always ask about a new diet: What will I be eating? Because food is important to us all. It is not only essential to our life, but it is also pleasurable and sociable. Most of us are used to eating a range of foods from all the essential groups, but we all have to confess that we have our favorites, and our pet hates! So, firstly, let me reassure you, by telling you what you wont be eating: there is nothing in the Lean and Green diet that is weird, unusual or just boring and unappetizing! You will be eating a huge selection of natural, nourishing foods; foods that you are already used to preparing and eating. The weight-loss secret lies in the planning, support, and execution of the program that you will be choosing to suit your needs and preferences. The Lean and Green diet plan includes two weight loss programs, in addition to a carefully balanced weight maintenance plan.
To answer this question: what you eat, how frequently you eat it, and how much of it you will be eating, depends totally on the plans you choose, and at which stage of the plan you are on at any given time. A lot of diets on the market are successful only because they radically limit the types of food that you are allowed to eat, and how you are able to cook or combine them. Lean and Green doesnt do this, because we think that this way to eat can become rather boring eventually. Now you dont have to worry about that; there are no unpleasant surprises in store when you choose to eat Lean and Green! The wide variety and the numerous styles of food that you will be enjoying will keep you feeling nourished and happy to continue. This specialized cookbook will help you to prepare and include all of the readily available, low-cost, popular foods which should always appear in any healthy diet. Whats more, using Lean and Green, you will be eating a lot of familiar, nourishing, scrummy foods at selected intervals throughout the day, which will help you to enrich your body while you are losing excess unhealthy weight.
You will still be able to eat those lovely lean cuts of your favorite meats, like chicken, pork and beef. No limits on the amounts of greens and non-starchy vegetables that you consume either. You can tuck into the cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, and zucchini. You are not limited to fat-free food either. On this diet, you will be eating tasty foods which contain healthy fats. Fats like olive and nut oil for cooking and salad dressing are good.
If you are not vegan, you will be able to eat lots of low-fat dairy foods. Yummy yogurts and tasty cheeses are not off-limits! Fresh eggs, low-fat milk and frozen desserts are OK too. Lots of lovely fresh fruits are OK. Thumbs up to crisp apples, juicy oranges, sweet, grapes, zesty pineapples, and energizing bananas! Finally, to keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day, the Lean and Green diet naturally includes those comforting, life-giving, delicious essential whole grains and seeds. Its all well-balanced, convenient, and it tastes good!
What is Fueling?
Fueling is a measured, calorie-controlled way of snacking, and it helps you to maintain your energy levels, as well as feeling full throughout the day. More specifically, regular fuelings ensure that you are correctly nourished for your activity levels, whether you are working at your job, or working out.
Correctly consumed fuelings provide you with the assurance that you won't be losing essential muscle mass while you are on the Lean and Green diet, because with carefully prepared fueling products, you'll be eating lots of protein, fiber and key nutrients, which are essential to sustaining muscle mass.
Foods to Avoid
When you eat more healthily, there are foods that you need to cut out. Its the usual suspects: fats should be the healthy kind; so, butter, vegetable shortening and coconut oil are not recommended. You should also limit the amounts of starchy vegetables you eat: corn, potatoes and peas, etc. Those with a sweet tooth: sugary drinks, desserts, cookies and chocolate are all out.