Time Savor Gourmet

At this site you will find delicious spice and
herb mixes plus recipes for the Lean
and Green Meals you need to make when
on the Medifast Diet! 

To Buy this Book at Amazon Click Here

Every Recipe I Tried Was a Winner!, September 17, 2010

Stacey Hawkins is a creative force for good in the kitchen. Not only are her recipes absolutely delicious, they are healthy too. If you have been looking for "Lean & Green" recipe ideas (the required meals you eat while on the Medifast program) you will want to own this gourmet cookbook. Since I'm also cooking for my husband I needed meals he would also enjoy. This cookbook was the perfect solution to all my current needs. I was also pleased to see that this cookbook contains 43 main dishes which was exactly what I was looking for.

Do you get tired of cooking the same meals all the time? Are you ready to literally spice up your life? The Time Savor seasonings and herb blends are absolutely magical. This book comes with four seasoning samples. The herb blends are superior to anything I've ever tried before!

My favorite herb blend was the Rockin' Ranch Seasoning. I especially enjoyed the complex flavors of this blend. This tarragon and lemon pepper seasoning was perfect with pork loin. I rubbed the mixture over the pork the day before so the meat would be extra flavorful. The "Pan Seared Pork Loin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce" was perfect with a side of spaghetti squash. I simply cut a spaghetti squash in half and removed the seeds. Then I microwaved it for twenty minutes on high.

The second recipe I tried was "Filet & Mushrooms with Red Wine Reduction." It is perfect with a side of summer squash. I had made a similar recipe before but always made the sauce with butter and Cabernet Sauvignon. This recipe doesn't have any fat in it and is just as good. Imagine the savory scent of mushrooms cooking in a wine sauce. While this recipe calls for a seasoning called "Garlic Gusto" I substituted one crushed garlic clove and it was perfect. Most of the recipes call for a specific seasoning but in the front of the book there is a list of substitutions. I'd however highly recommend that you get the seasoning blends.

Now the recipe I loved the most is called "Roasted Garlic & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken." The seasoning used is called Tuscan Fantasy. It contains garlic, pepper, sea salt, parsley, red bell pepper and other secret spices. You place chicken (I used thin sliced chicken breast fillets) in a baking dish (line with foil for easy cleanup) and spread a mixture of the Tuscan Fantasy seasoning, oil and sun dried tomatoes over the chicken. In just thirty minutes you will have created an amazing gourmet meal.

There are also a few excellent salads. I made the "Romaine Salad with Classic Grilled Chicken" and "Southwest Seafood Salad." For the seafood salad you can use surimi or real crab. I found some Dungeness crab that I really loved. The salad is made with a variety of bell peppers, tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro. It would be perfect for a fancy dinner party as an appetizer.

Cooking from the "Lean, Green Low-Carb Cookbook" will make you feel like a chef. I am never happier than when I'm trying new recipes, especially when they turn out so well and are so simple to make. Cooking from this cookbook was a real delight! I can't wait to try more recipes. If you love this cookbook, visit Stacey's website to order an entire Lean & Green System that includes intoxicating oils and spices. I can highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who is looking for ways to get meals on the table fast. I think you will be extremely impressed with the recipes and products.

~The Rebecca Review

 

 

 

The Secret Is Out

A Good Introduction to Medifast - Read before ordering the products!, August 23, 2010 If you are thinking about trying the Medifast diet this is a good starting point. Because of reading this book I have decided to try the four-week program to lose a few pounds that have not come off from walking alone. I think I'm basically eating too many carbohydrates and the foods you eat while on Medifast seem to be mostly soy protein. The basic chapters include: What are we up against? Why Medifast? Why Other Diets Don't Work: Debunking the Myths The Doctor's Best Kept Secret: Why Medifast Works Personal Journey: Getting into the Medifast Mindset The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan Transition and Maintenance Get Moving on Medifast Medifast for Women's Health Medifast for Men's Health Nutritionally Enhanced Food for Health Weight Loss Medications and Obesity Surgery On Your Way! Recipes and Meal Plans What I really enjoyed about this book was the success stories that are spread out throughout the book. The before and after pictures are very convincing! Some of the helpful things in this book include discussions of the products offered and their benefits. Like if you want something with appetite control you may go for the shakes with Super Citrimax. "Medifast Plus for Appetite Suppression is most appropriate for people who struggle with hunger and prefer the benefits of a natural appetite suppressant." ~ pg. 116 There is also a special shake for women experiencing the symptoms of menopause/perimenopause. This book seems mostly written for women but there is a chapter on men. The topics range from facts about men who are overweight being more susceptible to prostate cancer to male-pattern balding. This book also discusses three nutritionally enhanced shakes for Diabetics, those worried about Coronary Health and those with joint issues. This is all good information to read before you head to the site to order their products. There is also a package for those who want to live gluten-free. Some of the foods this program offers includes, shakes, bars, brownies, soft serve, pudding, oatmeal, soups, drinks, pancakes, scrambled eggs, pretzels and cheese puffs. The way this program works is that you eat 5 Medifast meals during the day and at night you make what they call a "lean and green" meal. This is mostly protein and vegetables. Like you could have a chicken salad or a lobster tail with steamed vegetables. While I can't imagine getting bored with all the different flavors of shakes and bars this book does include recipes and meal plans to make your life a little more entertaining. Like there are recipes for Balsamic Glazed Chicken, Grilled Halibut with Lemon Vinaigrette, Taco Salad, and Grilled Cajun Turkey Tenderloins. The drink recipes include: Banana Float, Hot Cocoa Viennese, Lemon Meringue Cooler and Chocolate Raspberry Shake. What is quite helpful is the 5 & 1 Meal plans. You may want to make your main meal of the day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The plans show you how to make that possible. There are also options for vegetarians. The only thing you will wish for after reading this book is perhaps another book filled with "lean and green" meal options. However I have found many websites offering free recipes. Just look up Medifast Lean and Green Meals and you will find many sites offering information. "The Secret is Out" is an essential book for anyone on the Medifast Program! I'm very glad I read it before I went to the Medifast1 dot com website. Once you go to the website you can read about what forms of protein to eat, what types of vegetables to consume and what vegetables to avoid. You may also notice that on this program you avoid fruit, dairy products and starches. Most of the products are mixed with water and it is recommended that you drink 64 ounces of water a day. There is no aspartame in Medifast products! Please consult with your physician before beginning this program! ~ The Rebecca Review P.S. Look for "Medifast Coupon Codes" online to save up to $50 on your first order! Current coupons I found include: AUG31G - $50 off, AUG31G25 - $25 off, and GETTWO - for two weeks free. Also try SEP30G.

 

 

 

 

To Order Medifast Products: 

Medifast1

 

 

 

 

Medifast Four-Week Program

 

 

Medifast Four Week Program

 

 

If Amazon is out, try www.Medifast1.com

 

Medifast Four-Week Program, September 2, 2010

I was flipping through one of my Women’s magazines when I noticed an ad for the Medifast Diet. What really caught my attention, more than the before and after pictures, was the statement: “This year, find your True Passion and lose up to 2 to 5 pounds per week.” Since I had recently gained ten pounds without thinking about it and without changing my eating habits drastically I was really worried. How much weight would I continue to gain if I didn’t get this diet and fast? I knew I was eating too many carbs but I felt helpless to change since I knew that a diet like Atkins (which I tried for one day) made me absolutely ravenous.

It took a few weeks to convince my husband that this was going to work for me. He made me promise that I would follow the diet perfectly and wouldn’t lose interest halfway into the four weeks. He has seen me try other things like Acai pills and I even tried drinking two protein shakes a day for breakfast and lunch. However I never lost any weight. I was even walking daily at one point and saw no changes besides getting a bit more fit. So I really had never tried a “real” doctor-approved diet before. I don’t consider trying Atkins for a day to be a real diet.

Well I will say I was very excited about the possibilities and even before the diet products arrived I was already trying out some of the lean and green meals. I ended up losing two pounds that week even without the products. Just by changing what I had for dinner seemed to make a real difference. I also took all the junk food in the house and put it in a suitcase and locked it away in the bedroom closet. If I wanted to snack I’d really have to think about it. However, on the first day of the diet I really didn’t feel hungry and had no desire to snack. I took two Garcinia tablets with my tea at breakfast. This seemed to really help so I didn’t feel hungry between the Medifast meals. I took the Garcinia because it is actually in some of the shakes you can order separately. Just I wanted the four-week plan and those were not included in the variety package I chose.

Here is what I think about the food:

Banana Pudding: If you have a whisk and a bowl the banana pudding is easy to make. It sets up instantly but you may want to make it ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator. If you don’t have extra time just use cold water and wait a few minutes for it to set.  

Scrambled Eggs: These taste fine. You could take them to the next level by adding in chopped spinach or basil.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal: You only need ½ a cup water to make the oatmeal. And it only needs to be in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. Before you put it in the microwave add some sweetener like a packet of stevia. I also think it needs an extra sprinkling of cinnamon.

Banana Crème Shake/Strawberry Crème/Dutch Chocolate/French Vanilla/Orange Crème: What delicious shakes. I loved them. Nothing to add and the powder dissolves perfectly. It only needs ¾ - 1 cup cold water and is ready to drink in an instant. You can mix this up with a fork in a glass - no shaker required. 

Chicken Soup with Wild Rice: I’d recommend you start making this about an hour before you intend to make it. I add the cup of water and leave the bowl sitting in the microwave. I set the timer for one hour and then cook it later for 2 ½ minutes. This allows the dried vegetables and dehydrated chicken to absorb the liquid. Otherwise you will end up with a very crunchy soup. To make the soup even more delicious I add in a sprinkling of Emeril’s original essence seasoning and ½ - 1 teaspoon of chicken stock base. You can find the base at your grocery store. This soup has peas and carrots in it which are actually forbidden in the diet as vegetables to eat with the lean and green meal. I guess they are OK in the soup.

Cream of Broccoli Soup: This needs about 1 teaspoon vegetable base (paste stock) added to it for flavor.

Chicken Noodle Soup: This is the best soup I’ve tried so far. It needs about 1 teaspoon chicken base (paste stock) to make it absolutely delicious. I start soaking the noodles about half an hour before I heat it in the microwave.

Chocolate Mint Bars: These are really delicious and crunchy with a dark chocolate coating. You will have to resist temptation and not eat these more than once a day. I ordered these as an extra - they don't come with the four-week program. You can only eat ONE of these a day. My husband ended up eating a lot of my bars! Hide these they are really good. lol

Cappuccino: I added this mix to my regular coffee and it was quite delicious. This counts as a meal.

Oatmeal Raisin Crunch bar and all other bars including Lemon Meringue Crunch, Chocolate Mint Crunch and Peanut Butter Crunch: Sweet and crunchy - very delicious!

Chocolate Pudding: Seems to need a bit more chocolate flavor, which is possible if you add in a packet of stevia and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.

Some things you might want to do that will help you stay on track.

1. Get a timer or use your kitchen timer so you eat every 2-3 hours.

2. Put water bottles in the refrigerator the night before so you have cold
water for shakes and puddings.

3. Make up a chart that tells you exactly what to eat and when. This chart
should also include when you drink your water and when you plan to exercise.

See chart below for an idea of how to do this (I tried walking twice
a day but sometimes only walked once). 

4. Wake up at the same time each day and work your plan.

5. Buy every book of lean and green recipes you can get your
hands on. There are two cookbooks at the Medifast site and another
one by Stacey Hawkins (see this page) who creates gourmet
meals you will love. I also created some meals here: 

LEAN & GREEN RECIPES - click here to see recipes

6. Buy the official Medifast Diet Book – See review this page.

7. Get some motivational CDs like Tony Robbins Personal Power CDs.
You can order them at amazon or get them from your library.

8. Plan out your meals for each week so you have everything you
need and so you don’t run out of healthy meal options.

9. Keep your plan/chart next to your waters. Set out four bottles of water
each night.

10. If you haven’t already joined Netflix – join so you can try out all the cool exercise workouts they have. Also get shows so you can watch them while on your treadmill, if you have one. Or just watch TV. But I found looking forward to a favorite show motivated me each day.

One of the things I did notice while on this diet was that I became hungry right before bed so I'd munch on the celery option then. You can have three sticks of celery.

Overall my experience with Medifast has been extremely positive. I feel like I have more energy, I sleep less and I felt especially happy. The only thing I’d recommend you do if you order a four-week package of food is to also order two more boxes of soup. Otherwise you run out of lunches after two weeks. You may also want to order other items to give you a bit more variety.  

On this diet I lost 5 lbs the first week. Then I went four days without losing anything and
then suddenly dropped two pounds. I will report back with total weight loss for four weeks.

~The Rebecca Review