You can find week 1 of the Fuel Cycle week HERE
This second week was a bit of a challenge as I had a few meetings where snacks were a temptation and a conference where meals were provided. However, I decided to take the challenge upon myself to stay on plan as best I could. I was not ungrateful for the food that was provided and I wouldn’t normally be this nit picky, but I wanted to do this as a challenge to myself and to see how well I could stick to the fuel cycle over the busy weekend. I came out realizing that you can plan and pack for a weekend away. Though I found myself sick of boiled eggs by the end of the weekend it worked and I stayed on plan. I even resisted temptations (ie. cookies, pies, pizza, chips, etc.)
A meal sample of this week…..YUM!
Day 1 – Deep S
Breakfast 6:30 am
Breakfast was quick
and easy to prepare as we had a 3 hour drive to Toronto. I made a vanilla shake of Unsweetened Almond Milk, vanilla, sweetener, ice and a tbsp of MCT oil to make it a deep S and a side of the wonderful Trimmiccino. I figured if I ate just before I left I would be ready for my snack before I got to TO. Sometimes it feels like you need to 
snack in the car, a mental physiological thing though don’t let it get the best of you. Bring some sippers along to help with the urge if you have to. I went prepared…cooler and all! I took my stash of necessities, though it appears to be a big cooler it was not completely full. I wasn’t sure what meals would be served at the conference so I brought some options along which you will be see along the way.
Snack 9:30 am
I ate half of my brownie muffin in a mug recipe (BMIM) because I knew lunch was served two hours later and didn’t want to fill my system before the next meal. I’m not sure what the hard and fast rule is to this 3 hour eating but I try to stick to it as best I can. I figured this was a better option than waiting 5-6 hours before eating again….I apologize for all the iPhone pictures but I didn’t bring my big camera along…hope these do the trick.
Lunch 12/12:30 pm
We waited in a long line for lunch so I’m not sure the exact time I ate. The meal was cold cuts on a bun. This was a great and easy meal to make into an S even if it wasn’t a perfect Deep S. I took lettuce, meat and mustard for a dressing. I skipped taking the bun, tomatoes,chips and cheese as that is not particularly Deep S. Please notice the cookies in the back ground 😉 I resisted!! I did grab a coffee though…again, notice the cookies. I was still a bit hungry so I went to m handy dandy cooler and pulled out a boiled egg with salt and pepper (just mixed spices in a small container) and polished off the other half of the BMIM.
Dinner 5/5:30 pm
Dinner was served, ham with a glaze (likely sugar loaded), peas with a glaze and a salad ladened with dressing. To be on the safe side and to continue this challenge to myself, though the food looked and i’m sure tasted amazing, out to the cooler I went. Beef, and boiled eggs!! I had brought the beef frozen, there was enough thawed that it made enough for a lunch. For those of you balking at cool beef, I’m not a picky eater so I was able to do it no problem! I also took a couple bites of dessert – BMIM.
Snack- 9:30 pm
There was a get together for the young people at the conference, a wonderful time of singing Praises to God. The snack to follow was wonderful smelling pizza, with chips and drinks. I resisted the tempation and once I returned to the car I finished off the BMIM from Dinner. The thought of snacking on a boiled egg was NOT appealing. I think by Sunday I will be sick of them….
Day 2 -Deep S
Breakfast 9:00 am
Eggs! I did have a nice picture taken but somehow I deleted it so here is just a shot of the eggs still to be eaten by someone. Along with a coffee this made for a great breakfast.
Lunch 12:30 pm
The conference menu was pasta, Caesar salad and meatballs. Had I not been so determined to stay on the Deep S I would have enjoyed the Cesar salad with the meatballs. But out the the car I went for Cabbage and beef, seasoned well, a swig of Unsweetened Almond milk and a bit of the BMIM. Yum!!
Snack 3:00 pm
The timing is a bit awkward to coordinate so I’m doing the best I can. I had a small snack of Unsweetened Almond milk and BMIM. I didn’t take a picture but you’ve seen it before 🙂
Dinner 5:30 pm
I decided I would check out this dinner.
I took salad that had a dressing (not sure what type…some vinegar maybe) and chicken that had a sauce….a nice change from eggs and beef! It was good and as close to Deep S without it being super Deep S.
Snack 10:45 pm
No picture but I drank some tea and finished the previous BMIM.
Day 3 – Deep S
Breakfast 8:00 am
What a wonderful breakfast!! I love poached eggs. I had a bit of sausage on the side which again was great.
Lunch 12:50 pm
I didn’t feel like eating boiled eggs 
again so I did the best I could. I took some ham (glaze, tried to eat the least amount of sauce possible) and a salad. Still a bit hungry I had some beef and cabbage 🙂 I turned down the amazing looking angel cake and strawberries….fyi
Snack 5:00 pm
Odd time for a snack but we were driving. The last BMIM I had brought got devoured with a good ‘ol coffee.
Dinner 8:15 pm
A little late but I was hungry. An amazing wonderful delightful crispy salmon with a salad. I figured i’d use the rest of the boiled eggs too. It was a welcome change!
Day 4 – Fuel Pull
Breakfast 9:00 am
Cookie bowl Oatmeal for breakfast this morning to kick off the next two days of FP.
Lunch 12:10 pm
A delicious helping of FP shortcake with Greek Yogurt and strawberry mix to top it off. To drink I had small vanilla shake with protein to fill me up. Not too bad for a lunch!!
Snack 3:10 pm
So, I was out running errands and trying to decide what I would whip together quickly when I got home…in my mind I was searching through my fridge. I thought about the amazing Meringues in the THM book and thought, hmmm what if I whip up egg whites with vanilla and THM sweetener and fry it instead of using the oven….I give you, the cloud puff!
Cloud puff
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 2-3 doonks stevia, vanilla
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum mix until stiff peaks.
- Heat frying pan on med-low heat…a smidgen of butter (you don’t want this to be S) fry on one side until golden brown, flip and let cook for another min or two. This made about four round cloud puffs.
Top with Greek Yogurt/strawberries/vanilla/sweetener mixed together. The texture may take some getting used to but what a great FP treat! I enjoyed it.
Dinner 6:15 pm
My Fuel Cycle friend, Michelle, is always showing me her perfect egg white omelets. I have tried and tried but to no avail….they always end up scrambled! I think my non-stick pan is loosing it’s ‘non-stick’. However, the scrambled was fantastic!! Topped with a mix of cabbage, radish cut small in food processor, peppers and green chilies, topped with Greek yogurt, and broccoli on the side. I also had half of a Fat Stripping Frappe on the side (page 240 in the THM Book)
Snack 9:30 pm
Okay, I think my late night snacks need to be reduced. I’m afraid i’m eating them too late and just before heading to bead. Time to share the Cloud Puff with my husband. Another cloud puff in my day but this time with chocolate and vanilla pudding (page 366 from THM book). I suppose you could call it a layered cloud puff ‘cake’…but it’s not cake texture.
Day 5 – Fuel Pull
Breakfast 9:00 am
The BIG BOY (page…in the THM book). I love this smoothie, so delightful and now that summer weather is nearly hear I’m excited for more! Of course I couldn’t resist this shortcake so I added it to my breakfast.
Lunch 12:00 pm
Today was leftovers for me. I didn’t mind though, egg white scramble with leftover veggies added.
Snack 3:30 pm
Okay, today I tried an experiment. I enjoy things savory sometimes, and I used to enjoy a nice toasted bagel or piece of toast so I thought what if I turned the sweet shortcake recipe savory and toasted it….well…lets just say I ate it because I had made it and didn’t want to waste the precious ingredients. Would I make it again? mmmm probably not. Keep the shortcake recipe sweet not savory!
I tried adding spices instead of the sweetener but I think the oat fiber messed up my plan…maybe someone can help me but I think oat fiber needs to be mixed with sweeteners not savory spices. I added some Greek yogurt which was the saving grace to my snack today. I also sprinkled some cinnamon/sweetener on the second piece which helped.
Trial and Error – Keep that cake sweet!
Dinner 6:30 pm
My friend Michelle sent a recipe for crepes and it worked!! Wahooo, and they were super delicious! Filled with Greek Yogurt and a strawberry sauce (but not too too much of each because you don’t want to go into E territory). And a bit of unsweetened almond milk to drink.
Snack 9:30 pm
I tried Brianna Thomas’ FP hot chocolate it was 
super delicious!! Though, as I did a bit of calculating it seemed to be over the 5g of fat count. I’m not normally a counter and maybe this is nit-picky but I was curious, especially for the FP meals/snacks. Maybe it depends on your products….(4.6g fat from Coconut Oil, .5g from cocoa, a tad from low-fat cottage cheese and then you have 1.25g fat from the almond milk, over 5g of fat). That was my quick calculation, maybe someone can clarify that for me…
Day 6 – E Refuel
Breakfast 9:00 am
I absolutely love when E day’s roll around! It makes me happy! Oatmeal for me today with mango and blue berries mixed in, Greek yogurt on the side and a coffee to guzzle. I just find great satisfaction in this breakfast. God is good!!
BTW I had a dream last night that I had been in a restaurant and a some meal that had a bun and the whole time I was thinking of how it was messing with the Fuel Cycle I was on. I woke up trying to think if I had actually eaten one haha. You know you’re a THMer when….
Lunch 12:00 pm
I really enjoy tuna, today’s lunch was a good day for tuna! So I had my lettuce, peppers, onion, tomato, balsamic vinegar and red pepper sauce, last but not least one of my favorite things Sweet Potato!!! I just love a good cooked sweet potato, it makes me smile and makes me thankful. A side of coffee.
Snack 3:00 pm
I had to run to work so I grabbed what I could, Stevia Sweetened Greek Yogurt with a bit of protein powder added, a touch of peanut flour and half of an apple. It was very delightful!
Dinner 6:00 pm
Rice, the first time I’ve eaten rice since being on THM and I thoroughly enjoyed it! So, here we have rice, some beans, veggies (this recipe, veggies I cooked in water). Chicken to finish it off! So amazing! Highly recommended. Can’t forget the lemonade 🙂
Snack 9:00 pm
I was out at a friends place watching a movie and to avoid the wonderful looking, sugary treats that would be provided I brought along so roasted garbanzo beans (RGBs). And, if you have ever eaten these you will know why someone said, “sounds like there’s a rock cruncher in here” clearly my being discrete was not very successful. I love to do my RGB’s sweet with THM sweetener and cinnamon. a favorite snack of mine.
Day 7 – E Refuel
Breakfast 9:00 am
I decided on a coffee and vanilla shake for breakfast this morning. It is more of a Fuel Pull meal than an E but sometimes I feel heavy with carbs so doing one Fuel Pull snack/meal helps. I blended a bit of protein in with my coffee this morning.
Lunch 12:00 pm
Such a delicious, simple lunch. 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, side of sweetened Greek Yogurt and a peach cream sauce for the toast. It was like peach jam! So amazing!!
For the peach spread:
- simmer a 2 tbsp of water
- add a couple diced peach slices
- sweetener
- glucomannan
- blend!
Snack 3:00 pm
I tried another experiment today. I took the FP shortcake recipe and turned it into a fruit cake. I added a few blueberries, mango and strawberries with a side of Sweetened Greek Yogurt.
Talk about delicious!!! Just before my snack time I had turned down some cookies that were offered to me in the office and I’m glad I did because this THM treat was a great substitute!
Fruit cake along with some roasted garbanzo beans (a favorite snack of mine as well) made a marvelous snack.
Dinner 6:30 pm
This was a fantastic meal. Pinto beans are a delight! I usually soak mine over night, in the morning I add chopped onion, jalapenos and mushrooms and season it well with salt and pepper. I let the beans cook on low all day. I had some in the freezer and decided to take them out for tonight’s dinner. I’m glad I did too.
I made a butternut squash soup as well and had a small dish of it (peel the squash, cut and scooped seeds, diced it, boiled it in water with some fat free chicken broth, spices and pureed it.). And a salad topped with all the goods! Delicious!
Snack 9:30 pm
My friend had sent me a picture of her little peach trifle, it looked so amazing that I had to make one! She got the idea from the blog A Home With Purpose I was not fully convinced that the cake recipe on her blog was E or FP (with both the 1 tsp CO and coconut flour) so I decided just to use the amazing Shortcake recipe that you have seen numerous times. I know for sure it is FP and I love it! So lets make it an E!
My friend and I decided that for our 3rd FC week we would try dairy free, well for me that basically meant no more Greek yogurt because a few times the only thing I had on hand was cottage cheese, so I wasn’t completely dairy free.
Anyway, this being the last time I was going to eat this precious Greek Yogurt for the rest of the next week I thought I would fill up!! Don’t these look delightful? Let me just tell you, THEY WERE and you want to go make one right now!
Peaches, blueberries, shortcake and Greek Yogurt, my taste buds are dancing!
What a great end to an great week! God is so good!
tuna before placing it on your Wasa cracker, you can add it to your salad, Ezekiel bread sandwich, pita wrap, whatever it is you so desire carb-wise if it’s for an E setting. But remember this can be used in S, E or FP. Has a great creaminess from adding the laughing cow cheese. If seasoned well this is a great sauce/’mayo’ to use on anything. You could even use it as a salad dressing if you water it down a bit and maybe add some other things.
sure you will enjoy this shortcake just as much as I have enjoyed it. I don’t even know if I could count how many times I have made and eaten this shortcake since my first discovery. It made it’s appearance quite often. Of course I had to share the delight with my husband too.
sprinkle of peanut flour on the top. Goodness, the options that are flowing through my mind right now. Imagine the vanilla pudding with a swirl of peanut flour, or sweetened Greek Yogurt with Peanut Flour, or the amazing caramel sauce from Carolyn’s blog, 
