Last fall I was carrying a 20 pound bag of chicken treats up to the coop when a light bulb went off in my head. The 20 pound bag of treats I was hauling was equivalent to the extra weight I had gained over the past few years. That’s a lot of extra weight to carry around all the time! You may know how it goes—five pounds here, a few more there, and then it seems like too much to lose so you just sort of settle. Well, I’m not one to settle — or diet — so I started to do something about it by starting my not-a-diet on January 4th.
New year, new me.
Blah, blah, blah.
My not-a-diet has been going great and I’ve lost most of the weight I wanted to lose mostly by eating all the good for me stuff that I normally eat while enjoying some of the other stuff in moderation.
Another reason I think the weight has come off so effortlessly for me is the powerful probiotic I’ve been taking called Perfect Biotics from Probiotic America. Once a day, I take a little pill that contains 15 different and unique strains of 30 billion colony forming units (or CFUs) that go to work to aid in my digestive health and immune support. As an added bonus, I feel lighter and more energetic — everything just seems to be working in harmony and more efficiently! By the way, I’ve received no compensation for mentioning this awesome product but why should I keep this little secret all to myself? The products from Probiotic America come with a 90-day money back guarantee so if it’s something of interest to you check it out since there’s nothing to lose!
My not-a-diet evolved from from one of Dr. Oz’s plans:
- A fruit smoothie for breakfast (1 cup raspberries, 1 cup fresh spinach, 1/2 small banana, 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons ground flax seed, and 1 1/2 cups almond milk or water)
- 6-ounces lean meat (I’ve been eating mostly albacore tuna)
- 1/2 cup of brown rice
- All the low-glycemic vegetables I can eat.
- And, my favorite: SNACKS! Hummus, dill pickles, and almonds.
The best part is, I haven’t been hungry. And to keep on track, I’ve been substituting the carbs I crave with things like this Cauliflower Couscous with Lime and Cilantro. The texture is similar to a traditional couscous and the flavor is off the charts delicious!
Cauliflower has to be one of the most versatile vegetables around.
Whether you sauté it, roast it, boil it, or steam it, you’re guaranteed low calorie deliciousness. Mark Twain once wrote “…cauliflower is nothing more than cabbage with a college education…” and I think he was right because this is one smart vegetable. Part of the family of vegetables that includes Brussels sprouts, kale, and broccoli, it contains only 30 calories per cup! Brilliant, huh?
The prep for this Cauliflower Couscous with Lime and Cilantro is super easy. Separate the head of cauliflower into florets and place into a food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower resembles couscous.
This is what you’ll end up with.
Now, at this point you could add it to a salad raw or blanch it and serve warm. But I call that b-o-r-i-n-g! Yawn… Instead, let’s take it up a notch and sauté it with a bit of olive oil until it darkens in color and smells deliciously nutty. Then, add about 1/4 cup of cilantro and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Give it a taste. OMG! Add salt and freshly ground black pepper if you think it needs it.
That’s it. Enjoy!
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- zest and juice of 1 medium lime
- sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorns, to taste
- Divide the cauliflower into florets and place into the bowl of food processor fitted with a metal blade.
- Pulse until the cauliflower resembles couscous. About 15 1-second pulses.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the "couscous" and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Add the cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice and stir. Add the salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm.
Over the top delicious !! Thank you ! Always looking for a new way to use our favorite veggie cauliflower. BTW Mark Twain quote fits beautifully , love it , will be using that at the dinner table tonight.
Thank you Joanne! I’m loving cauliflower too and this is definitely my new favorite!
I love using cauliflower in place of grains, it does wonders! This “couscous” looks amazing, especially with the lime and cilantro flavor!
Thanks so much Bethany! I have a few more cauliflower recipes coming up so stay tuned!
Unfortunately, in week two, I stayed the same, in week three, I only lost 0.4 lbs, and this last week only saw another pound off, so
my total weight loss so far is 6lbs 8oz.