Ah, the excitement. My first feedback post on my Atkins journey. I’m happy (read : thrilled) to report it’s going rather wonderfully. Starting this journey meant we had to buy our first scale.
This already struck terror and fear into my heart – the scale and I haven’t had the best relationship. We arrived home with the offending object, steadied ourselves and climbed on. This is now my new favourite hobby – in this past week, every time I have ‘stepped on’ the number gets lower. How?
Honestly, I’m not sure. This week seems to have been too easy to have lost 2.1kg. 18kg to go, but I’m heading in the right direction. The first few times I thought there may be something wrong with the scale, but I’m learning to trust the process (and the experts). Eating has been surprisingly easy – I’ve fallen into a bit of a routine, thanks to the Atkins meal plan, which has also made lunches easier – simply leftover protein from dinner, with salad and a little added deliciousness (you know you’re onto a good way of eating when you can add avocado, mayonnaise, bacon or blue cheese to your salad).
Dinner is protein, vegetables and fat – as I’m on Phase 1 (Induction phase) my carbohydrates are limited to around 20g a day – but I’ve quickly realised, you don’t need more to eat well. My husband, Luke, is eating with me – and literally licked the bowl after dinner. This chicken dish is a winner – cost effective, healthy and delicious – it’s almost impossible to believe it’s ‘diet food’. If your guests or family are ravenous, you can increase the quantity of vegetables, or serve it over a cauliflower mash.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts, on the bone
1tsp oil
1 spring onion, finely sliced2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
125g button mushrooms, finely sliced
750ml – 1L water (enough to cover the chicken)
1 tbsp fresh thyme
125ml cream
1 cup frozen peas
3 large handfuls baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Place a large pot on a medium-high heat. Add the oil. Cut the chicken breasts in half (keeping the skin on), add to the pot with the mushrooms and brown in the oil. Add the spring onion and garlic, stir for 30 seconds and add the water and thyme – making sure the chicken is just covered. Reduce the heat to low and allow to gently poach until cooked through. There should be small bubbles on the surface of the water. After approximately 40 minutes, check if the chicken is cooked – pierce with a knife and ensure all juices run clean and the meat isn’t pink.
Remove all but 500ml water from the pot, turn the heat to high, then add the cream and peas. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and stir through the spinach.
This post is sponsored by Atkins SA. You can find them on Facebook here.
What do you think?