Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Salsa and Feta

Scrambled eggs with baby spinach, topped with salsa and fat-free feta cheese.

This is my favorite cycle 1 breakfast.

This is how I make it

Spray a pan with olive oil spray (or coat with a few drops of olive oil)

Throw in a handful of baby spinach, and stir it around until it starts to wilt. 

Add 2 beaten eggs, and stir it around scraping up the bottom, until they are set.

That's it! 

Put it on a plate and top it with salsa and fat-free cheese.

Cycle 1 Food List

Proteins

Eggs

Chicken

Turkey

Salmon

Sole

Flounder

Tilapia

Probiotics

Plain yogurt 6oz.

Sugar-free flavored yogurt 6 oz.

Kefir 1 cup

Live-active cottage cheese 1/2 cup

Fruits

All berries

Apples

Red grapes

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Prunes

Grapefruit

 Vegetables

All leafy greens

Onions

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Carrots

Artichoke hearts

Asparagus

Peppers

Spinach

Celery

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Garlic

Green beans

Leeks

Mushrooms

Okra

Parsley

Scallions

Tomatoes (yes, it's really a fruit)

Watercress

Broccoli raab

Bamboo shoots

Bok choy

Pea pods

Most vegetables are really okay. This list is obviously not comprehensive. I think the only notable exclusion is corn, which a a grain but considered a vegetable by many veggie-hating children and adults, if only to get Mom off their backs. There are no grains included in cycle 1.

Other

Fat-free cheese 

Fat-free sour cream

Low-carb marinara sauce (check label for sugar content)

Broccoli Chicken Dijon

Here is a link to a delicious Chicken Broccoli Dijon recipe from Food.com.

http://www.food.com/recipe/broccoli-chicken-dijon-south-beach-diet-120351

My approach to the 17 Day Diet is to follow the first cycle to the letter when I want to lose some weight, then easing up a bit to maintain my weight. I did cycle 1 before the holidays and lost 6 pounds. Yea! During the holidays, I ate some treats, cooked a nice Christmas dinner, etc, etc. I didn't go crazy trying to stick to cycle 2 while all the parties were going on. And I was stunned to find that my weight stayed the same! So my goal after the holiday break is to do cycle 1 again for the 17 days and see what I can lose this time!

So this blog is intended to gather some more ideas and some more interesting meals that follow cycle 1.

My standby meal for lunch and dinner is a turkey patty with salsa on top and fat free feta cheese, when I have it around. Quick and easy and surprisingly good. I cook up a four-pack all at once and just reheat them  in the microwave.

For breakfast I have scramble eggs with salsa (yes, i love salsa), and sometimes just plain yogurt with a little Truvia sprinkled in.

Having these standby foods on hand keeps me from getting hungry or lazy about fixing food. I do get tired of building salads.