A Delicious Week

Today marks the end of my first week of calorie reduction on the Vtrim program and it has been an awesome first week. I lost 4 – YES, FOUR – pounds! And I ate great stuff all week. Since I am such a foodie, it’s important to me to eat real food, good food, and not sacrifice taste simply to lose weight. I know that I would never be willing to stick with something that asked me to give up the joys of eating so there’s no point going on a diet that would deny me those pleasures. No, for me it’s about figuring out how to eat delicious food AND lose weight. And I’m here to tell you that it can be done.

One of the things I am learning is to adapt recipes to reduce calories while still maintaining flavor. For instance, this week I realized that I can sauté my favorite fresh asparagus (‘tis the season!) with a couple of cloves of garlic in 2 teaspoons of olive oil instead of the usual 2 tablespoons without sacrificing taste. Who knew?

I also found a recipe for Chicken with Green Olives and Prunes (one of my favorite dishes) in The Eating Well Diet (a collaborative effort between Vtrim and Eating Well Magazine) which has almost half the calories of my usual recipe and is still delicious! Of course, being me, I had to make some additions, but they were not high calorie additions (garlic and lemon peel) and they added even more flavor to a great dish. I hope you enjoy my adaptation. I’m expecting rave reviews!

Chicken with Green Olives and Prunes (adapted from The Eating Well Diet)

1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped, pitted green olives (I like Picholine)
¼ cup chopped pitted prunes (dried plums)
4 strips of lemon zest (2 x ½ inch)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd the chicken or it will not brown properly. Remove chicken from pan. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and stir for one minute until fragrant. Return chicken to pan and add broth and vinegar; stir while bringing to a simmer. Add olives, prunes, lemon zest, and pepper; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center, 12-15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plates, spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: approximately 224 calories; 8 g fat; 29 g protein; 1 g fiber.