Attack Phase - Dukan Diet

Have you guys heard of this Dukan Diet? It's pretty much the same as Atkin's but originates from France. I decided to give it a try since I've also started working out again (after a 9-month hiatus). All part of my 8-week weight loss program prior to my Eastern Caribbean cruise. Yes, vanity is evil, I know. 
So, I had always thought that eating lots and lots of veggies would be the key to weight loss (Cabbage Soup Diet, anyone?) so last night, I made a huge list of the veggies that I was going to shop for today. Items included: 

• Bean Sprouts, Romaine Lettuce, Multi-coloured Peppers, Broccoli
• Cauliflower, Zucchini, Carrots, Tomatoes, Celery

Boy, this list was boring me as I was writing it out! Years ago, I used to count my calories using the WW points program, and thought of redoing it seemed a bit boring. So, I asked my friend who used to doing the points program with me what she is doing now, and she turned me onto Dukan. 

This isn't a diet that you can just decide to do and "go". You need to shop and plan. One of the key ingredients is Oat Bran, and it's not something most people have in their pantry, at least, not me. And because it is similar to Atkins (no carbs), most of the bread, crackers and pastas that you have in your pantry are off limits too. There are about 100 food that you are allowed to have throughout the whole diet. See the full list now.

The first stage is called Attack . You only eat proteins, no veggies or fruits and definitely no carbs. You don't do this for long, it all depends on how much weight you want to lose. I'm going to try for 5-7 days of Attack.    Less than 10 lbs. to lose: 1 or 2 days  From 15 to 30 lbs. to lose: 3 to 5 days  More than 40 lbs. to lose: after consulting with your physician, this phase can last up to 7 days.

So what you are allowed to eat during the Attack Phase are the following: Lean Meat Poultry Fish Shellfish Veggie Proteins Fat-free dairy items Eggs Oat Bran

This is a diet I could get with! Unlimited steak and eggs, prawn cocktail, sashimi, roast chicken and more! Off I went to Save On Foods for the following Chicken Breast Fat Free Kolbassa Fat Free Smoked Ham Fresh Trout Lean Ground Beef Top Sirloin Steak Prawns Steelhead Salmon Fat Free Greek Yogurt Sugar Free Jelly Powder Eggs Herbs

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Day One Zero:

Weight: Z

Okay, after all the grocery shopping, it was time to eat. So since I skipped breakfast, I jumped right into lunch. Too tired to cook, I ripped open the deli meats and went to town. 

Lunch: 75g of fat-free ham and about 30g of fat-free kolbassa. 

Snack: 50g of the ham. 

Dinner: Steamed whole trout (260g) - Method: Microwave with a sprinkling of cilantro, green onions and ginger. It takes about 5 minutes in the microwave and is super tasty. You shouldn't use too much sauce (anything with lots of sodium) so to make the fish a bit tastier, I lined the plate with two slices of the fat-free ham. Tasty and prevents the fish from sticking to the plate.
I was too hungry to take a picture, but don't worry, this was so tasty and will be a repeat for sure.

Midnight Snack: Oat Bran Galette. It's actually like a pancake. Simple to make, albeit a bit bland. Mix 1.5tbsp oat bran, 2tbsp egg white and 1tbsp of fat free yogurt. It actually looked pretty good. 

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Day Two One:

Weight: Z+1=Y Z
So I wake up this morning for my morning weigh-in and I've GAINED a pound. I know this is shocking considering I started this diet yesterday and people rave about losing 2+ lbs overnight. However, you have to take into account that I didn't eat for the two days prior. Oh wait, that's a lie, I had a quarter of a Starbucks Turkey Bacon and Egg White sandwich. Given that I fasted for two days and then ate an entire trout, a 1 pound bump was not shocking. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
Breakfast: 75g fat-free ham

Lunch: Oat Bran Galette, with fat free Kolbassa and egg white omelette. If you toast the galette first, it almost feels like day-old bread. 

 

Dinner: 300g Top Sirloin - Method: Garlic Powder and Black Pepper to season the steak. (I did this last night). Put onto a screaming hot cast iron pan and sear to keep the juices in. After three minutes, flip and remove from the heat. After two minutes, transfer onto a plate and tent with tin foil. For additional spice, I made a paste of Frank's Red Hot with some mustard and Lea & Perrins. The above shows two full servings.

 

Late Night Snack: Dry Ribs from Earls (baked versus deep fried). Yes, they can do this, but it takes a bit longer (about 30 minutes) and is way healthier for you.

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Day Three Two:

Weight: Z-1.4
Weigh in was more positive today. I'm 1.4lbs lighter than yesterday, but because I gained weight yesterday, I'm actually only 0.4lbs lighter over the two days.
Last night was awful, I woke up and had to pee (Dukan diet side effect). I also forgot that I had the baby gate up to prevent Charlie from wandering around. So I ended up chin down past the baby gate at 3am. Ugh, now I have a Jay Leno chin...complete with bruising.
Breakfast: Earl Grey Tea X 2

Lunch: After eating some of the steak from last night, I ended up dicing them up into small pieces, and added green onion and cilantro to make a Thai-style salad. For the dressing, I used some lemon juice and Lea & Perrins and munched on this throughout the day. 

Dinner: Same as lunch yesterday, an Oat Bran Galette. This time, I made them thinner, so I ended up with three of them. I like it that way better. Plenty of pepper and some hot sauce helps too. I ate this around 8:15, a little too late for my liking, making a mental note to try to eat earlier, especially the oat bran. Supposedly, you should eat your oat bran in the morning and all in one sitting so as to ward off hunger pains throughout the day. Fortunately for me, I haven't had any problems with hunger so far

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Day Four Three:

Weight: Z-1.2
I only intended being on the Attack Phase for three days, but this morning, I woke up and the scale had inched up again, so now I'm just 1.2lbs down after three full days. Reading back onto Day 1, I realized it's was a bit excessive in terms of food consumed, so I'm resetting it to Day Zero. So really, it's 1.2lbs after two whole days. Let's see if tomorrow will being some good news.
Breakfast: I was attending a breakfast speaker series from Ipsos Reid this morning, held at Coast Coal Harbour Hotel. I figured breakfast would likely be all breads and fruit and I resigned myself to tea, and lots of it. Well, to my surprise, they had a few things I could actually eat!  

Okay, truth be told, this isn't is really Dukan approved. The eggs MAYBE, and that's if they didn't use a ton of butter or oil in the preparation. I'm pretty sure that bacon wasn't made from turkey, and the sausages were surely not fat-free kolbassa. Oh well, I took a knife and fork to the bacon and managed to eat only the meatier (non-fatty) parts. As for the sausage, I had to blot the grease off it, and let's just say that I was very glad that we had a cloth napkin. It would have easily been a three napkin endeavor.
Lunch: Are you kidding me? Of course Is skipped lunch, after that pile of bacon and sausages? Well, I did actually have a Blackberry Fat Free Yogurt, more like a snack, not really lunch. I'm going to be a little tired for the gym today. But looking forward to a yummy dinner, maybe sashimi?

Dinner: Yes, sashimi it is. No to the Tako Sunomono, can't even use the lettuce and daikon to fill my tummy up! Oh well, there was a bit of dry ribs leftover from a few nights ago, it'll have to do. Oh, and yes, I did make another galette, have to get that oat bran in! Last bite of food went down around 9:30pm, very bad. Will try to eat earlier tomorrow.

Day Four:

Weight: Z-1.4
Breakfast/Lunch: With a little thinking ahead last night, I decided to make a few extra galettes so that I could have it during the day. Below is the little breakfast sandwich I made last night, with the usual egg white and kolbassa omelette. (Wow, I really need to change this up. Thinking I'll use a piece of grilled salmon tomorrow.

Surprisingly, I didn't eat this until about 12:30 - wasn't really hungry at all!

Dinner: Definitely getting a bit sick of Kolbassa, so for dinner tonight, I decided to make meatballs. I had a pound or so of extra lean ground beef to work with. No flour or breadcrumbs allowed though. I used about a teaspoon of garlic powder (not garlic salt), generous grinding of black pepper, some Lea & Perrins and chili flakes too. Mix to combine and then add about a quarter cup of egg whites to it and gently roll into balls. They can be a bit "loose" but a light-handed touch is key here. It turned out okay after sitting in a 425 degree oven, 30 minutes total, flipping after 15 minutes.

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Day Five:

Weight: Z-2!
Breakfast: After the hassle of making meatballs the night before, I was too lazy to make another Oat Bran Galette. I took the easy way out. 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran, 3 tablespoons of hot water and a splash of milk was my breakfast. I ate it in a white styrofoam cup with a white plastic spoon. There will not be any photographic proof as the whole meal was white (milk) on white (cup) on white (spoon).
Lunch: Meatballs! I only had three of these last night (I made 17), I divided the remaining 14 into two portions, so I have 7 available to eat at lunch time!

Dinner: I've had a piece of fish in the fridge for a few days now, and rather than risking food poisoning, I decided tonight was the night to make this for dinner. I also had a few prawns that I thawed, and added that to the mix. There wan't much seasoning, just good old salt and pepper. Hooray for Crispy Skin!
Dessert: Yes, you read it right, dessert is allowed on this diet. I found a recipe for Oat Bran Chocolate Cupcakes and decided that that it would be a new way to work the oat bran into my diet. I made 9 of these, using 9 tablespoons of oat bran and 3 teaspoons of splenda, along with egg whites, fat free yogurt, baking powder and cocoa powder. They didn't rise much but had a nice cake-like texture. Note to self, spray the muffin paper liners with PAM because the muffins stick to the paper like crazy! It's a delicious way to work the oat bran into your diet, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Next try, I'm going to add some vanilla.

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Day Six:

Weight: Z-2.6
Breakfast: Muffins, just one  
Lunch: Yogurt
Dinner: Roast Pork and BBQ Duck

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Day Seven:

Weight: Z-2
Breakfast: Roast Pork and BBQ Duck
Lunch: More Roast Pork and BBQ Duck
Dinner: Chicken Breast Nuggets - just chopped, dipped into a bit of egg whites. Batter is panko based with loads of pepper and chili flakes. Bake in oven until crispy.

Thai's Saigon Bistro - Pho in North Burnaby

There used to be a scary-ish place on Hastings called Gilmore Restaurant. Scary because they were advertising a steak for $8.95. I'm sure it was good value, but I could never bring myself to actually go try it. Well, alas, it's gone and replaced with Thai's Saigon Bistro. I was a little confused by the Thai reference with Vietnamese food, but gave it a shot anyways. 

Craving Vietnamese more than Thai, we were relieved to see that they didn't have any Thai dishes. Instead, they feature items such as Bun Bo Hue, Lemongrass Chicken, Banh Xeo, Pho and more. Yes, they do have Chicken Wings too! I'm not a huge Spring Roll fan, but I was in the mood for one (preferred over a salad roll on a coolish evening. The presentation is a bit messy and seemed more of an afterthought. The pickled veggies were good, but the greens were completely unnecessary. The Spring Roll itself was great. Good crunch, not greasy and filled with minced pork, vermicelli and some shredded carrots for crunch. I would order these again. This is the Pho Tai Sach, a Rice Noodle Soup with Rare Beef and Tripe. It's my go-to unless I'm in the mood for Bun Bo Hue. The broth was nice and clear, not at all fatty. I liked the slight pink in the beef (though I should have remembered to ask for it on the side). It could have been a bit hotter (temperature-wise), but in terms of flavour, I had no complaints.  The noodles were a good al dente with a bit of chew left in them. There were lots of beef as well and the tripe was nice and tender. This is their version of a Dry Mix Noodle (Mi Dac Biet) for those of you who don't like a hot bowl of soup. There is a blend of sliced and minced pork, as well as some prawns, fake crab meat and some fried fish balls. Lots of toppings and the fried garlic garnish is a great touch.  So I mentioned they had Chicken Wings earlier, right? Well, I couldn't' resist ordering them. Good thing you can order a half order, which is what you see above. The wings were all wings! My favourite. They were a bit greasy, but not overly so, it didn't pool on the plate or anything. The skin was crispy and look, more fried garlic bits! And yes, that is a lemon juice dipping sauce off to the side, hmm, who else does that? For days when I don't want to hike down to Chinatown or spend hours waiting for a table, I'd definitely come here.

Take note:

• Great service and fresh clean decor.
• Friendly attentive service
• Closed on Tuesdays 

Brunch at Lift

On a nice summer morning, we decided to head to Coal Harbour for a leisurely brunch. My last experience at Lift was not pleasant, but we had a gift card to use up so we went back for a return visit. 

 

This is the complimentary Crisp Bread along with some butter. I don't normally butter my crisps, but I guess some people do? I did love the abundance of sesame though, a nutty and crunchy starter.   For a change of pace from my last Eggs Benny at Heidi's, I went for their Crab Eggs Benny. There was lots of crab meat and I appreciated that they toasted the English muffin. The eggs were soft poached, and the yolk bursted out in bright orange ooey goodness. The hollandaise was a bit thick but when blended with the yolk, it was just perfect. The hash browns were super crispy and reminded me of latkes, like the ones from Phat.   Another brunch item is the Lift Burger. It's a decent size, with a 6oz beef patty. It sits atop a brioche bun instead of a plain old hamburger bun.  Toppings include the traditional lettuce, tomato and pickles, but they kick it up a notch with some crispy bacon, melted white cheddar cheese and some sweet caramelized onions. It's a big burger so I could only finish the top bun, sacrificing the bottom layer. 

Take Note:

• Brunch served weekends 11am-3pm
• Dinner and Game packages for Canucks games
• Gorgeous rooftop patio with fireplace

Peaceful Cafe on East 5th

I first visited Peaceful Cafe about two years ago at their original location on Broadway, before their debut on Diners, Drive-ins an Dives. That time, someone stole my food but this time, I had strength in numbers on my side. There were five of us so we were vigilant making sure we got our food, and no one was going to take it away from us!  

Our experience at the original location featured some of the same dishes as well as some new ones. The first common one is their Peaceful Beef Rolls. It's a multi-layered pancake rolled with some sliced beef shank, as well as some green onions and hoi sin sauce. Again, these were delicious, a good balance of pancake and filling, and I really liked the sear they got on the pancake. It had a good crisp, but the inside was tender. And there was a lot of filling, giving the rolls a great toothsome feel.

Again, another item that we ordered before, the Xiao Long Bao (XLB) - Steamed Buns. The buns explode with a lovely soup when you bite into them, so beware. The pork filling is a bit savory while the soup gives it a nice umami touch. Key to a good XLB is the skin and these didn't disappoint, the skin was unctuous with just the slightest hint of chewiness, but not so much as to be doughy.  Another dish that strayed from our original visit is the Xi'an Cold Steamed Noodles. Okay, if you don't like "cold" noodles, stay away. But if you're a fan, then be sure to give this refreshing dish a try. The cucumber and bean sprouts add a much needed  crunch. The noodles are well sauced but could be a bit spicier (personal preference). I'd vouch for this as a great summer dish.   This is another of our first new items, the Sian-Xi Spicy & Tangy Soup Noodles. These handmade noodles were definitely toothsome and cooked to perfection, al dente but still very slippery. There were some diced pork and tofu, along with a smattering of frozen veggies...those veggies ruined the dish for me. Mind you, the noodles and the broth were good, but frozen veggies were a true disappointment.   Thankfully, the next dish we got was the Chinese Rice Cakes (funny cuz I thought we were having Chinese food so far) and that totally redeemed them in my eyes. No frozen veggies here! Slivers of pork and fresh Asian greens complement the traditional rice cakes to that and you have one of my all-time comfort foods. These are way better than any "rice cakes" you'd find in a Western grocery store. These are like extra wide noodles, served in an ergonomic shape. Give it a try, even people without chopsticks skill can make this work!  And our last repeat dish from the Broadway location, this is the Mandarin Mu-Shu Shredded Pork. There are a ton of veggies here, as well as egg, but at $10+, I didn't think this was wrth it. The dish was lacking flavour, needing some hot sauce to salvage it. The ingredients were good, with lots of veggies rounding out the shredded pork. 
If you like playing with your food, then pay the extra few bucks and add the Steamed Crepe. Six really is enough for the serving of Mu Shu, just be sure to load up each wrap with all the pork.

Take note:

• Service needs work.
• Their XLBs are a "must eat".
• Prepare for lineups. 

Mamalee! Hainanese Chicken Deliciousness

I've heard a lot about Cafe D'lite, but never actually made the trek to their location in Kits. One day this past summer, I decided to change that and went over there for a late lunch, after they rebranded as Mamalee. 

There are a few staples that are "must-eats" in a malaysian restaurant, namely, Roti Canai and Hainanese Chicken Rice. My favourite to date in Vancouver has been Banana Leaf with Kaya coming in at a close second. Let's see if this blows those out of the water.
This is their Roti Canai with a bit of mild Curry dipping sauce. The roti was really good, with lots of thin layers that just begs to be shredded apart. They are a bit oily, but then again, it's not something you eat every day, so just enjoy it for what it is and work out extra hard the next day. 

The layers are really impressive and it's clear to see that the dough had been folded numerous times before being placed on the griddle. The outer edges has a nicely browned crust, but the inside was soft, chewy and had a great mouth feel. But is it better than this (Scroll down)? You decide!  
And this is the crowning glory of this restaurant, the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice. Now I know this dish isn't really visually appealing, since the chicken looks like it's just been boiled or blanched. The whiteness of the skin also freaks some people out. But trust me, it's worth a try. The chicken skin is easily removable if it really makes you squeamish. The chicken isn't exactly hot, but not cold either, more of a room temperature. 

The light sprinkling of soy is tasty, but what really makes the dish are the sauces on the side. The Chili Sauce is a bit spicy but has a sweetness to it too. The Green Onion and Ginger Sauce is my favourite and I could easily eat a bowl of rice with just this sauce alone. The rice is cooked in the broth that the chicken was slow-cooked in, and is very fragrant. I thought the presentation was cute too. 
We wanted one more item and couldn't decide between a Laksa or a rice noodle roll dish called Choo Cheung Fun. In the end, the latter won us over, simply because we knew we'd have to pack leftovers home and laska would be too messy. 

We were pleasantly delighted by this dish, the noodle rolls were very fresh, and steamed just enough to be warm throughout, but not at all mushy. I could actually unroll these very easily. The abundance of fish balls and fish tofu was a delight too...and made the dish much heartier than we anticipated. Clearly a win! 

Take note:

• Closed on Sundays
• Extra charge for extra sauce
• Lots of takeout action, call ahead if you don't want to wait.

Heidi's Brunch

One weekend morning, we decided to forego the usual brunch buffet options (Black and Blue, Flying Pig and James St Cafe) and headed to Fraser Street to check out Heidi's Cafe. Honestly, it's not much from the outside, and not that much more on the inside. It's reminiscent of a cafeteria, where you order your food and pay, and they bring it to you when ready. Reminds me of Pho at Joyeaux Cafe. I don't like this sort of setup because I prefer someone coming to my table to take the order. But let's give this place a chance, shall we, after all, if I pay you before the food comes (a la McDonalds), I shouldn't have to tip, right, or do I? They are social media aware, which really surprised me!

 

They have a huge selection of loose leaf teas at the counter, and each tea is prepared to order. You still have to go and do your sugar and milk (not brought to the table), so it felt like a weird mix of restaurant and Starbucks.   So their Full Breakfast is pretty comprehensive. You get your choice of Two Eggs, Bacon and Sausages, as well as Two Slices of Toast and some Home Fries. If you have a small appetite, this is enough for two people. The eggs aren't extra large eggs and the sausages are a bit fatty, but the bacon is solid. Without even asking it to be extra crispy (unlike the turkey bacon from Denny's ), it comes the way you expect. Nothing is overly greasy and it's a solid meal.    On weekends, they also offer Eggs Benedict. They actually offer two, one is the Classic with Ham, but for a healthier option, they also have the Florentine and Spinach version. As you can see, I'm a traditionalist. I asked for the Hollandaise on the side, so my eggs are a little naked looking. The eggs were soft poached to perfection and the yolk oozes out quickly, easily soaking the ham and English muffin, you barely need the extra sauce. The hash browns were nice and crispy on the outside, give them a douse of HP sauce and ketchup and you're off to the races.

Take Note:

• Order at the counter and grab a seat.
• Give their loose leaf teas a try, lots of variety.
• Very casual atmosphere, kid-friendly too. 

Oodles of Noodles at Deer Garden!

The concept is simple. Choose your soup, noodle and toppings plus a hot drink, all for $8.50. The original Fish Soup is pretty mild, alright, it's bland so it's a good thing that they have a wide selection of soup bases. The soups come with cabbage, bean curd skin and mushrooms as a standard, and then you can add two toppings of your choice.   This one here has some Fish Tofu and Enoki Mushrooms with Flat Rice Noodles in a Spicy Szechuan Soup. I like my food spicy and this really hit the spot. I love the loads of cilantro as well. The noodles were not overcooked or soggy and the fish tofu tasted fresh and had a good bounce. For a complete opposite, this is their Original Fish Soup with Fish Balls and Fish Tofu, with Instant Noodles as the base. If you like your food on the mild side, this is probably the epitome of that concept. The instant noodles are fun,and again, cooked just right, though it's pretty hard to screw up this university staple.
I think this is the Tomato Pumpkin Fish Soup, with Rice Noodles and some Fish Tofu and extra Bean Curd Skin. This is more middle of the road, not too spicy and not too mild. The broth is delicious and and as you can see, the bowl is packed to the rim! This was a weird one for me, probably because I don't really like cooked peanuts, but this is their Peanut Sauce and Chili Soup. Add some Chicken Slices and Fish Balls to your Vermicelli Noodles, and you're set. But the peanut flavour is fairly mild, and you can see the chili's contribution at 12 o'clock. Other than that, there isn't any heat in the soup. This is a the Original Soup again, with some Fish Balls, Fish Tofu and Korean Sweet Potato Crystal Noodles (the ones in Jap Chae). The noodles were really good, but does get quite heavy pretty darn quick. There's no way I could finish this in one sitting. Did I mention that you can add some Sides (maximum of two per noodle ordered)? We decided on some Deep Fried Fish Puffs (4 to an order for just $1.95) . These had a good bounce, nice fishy flavour and a good sear on the outside.   We also tried the Pan Fried Pork Chop in Maggi Sauce, simply because I LOVE MAGGI! For $1.75, this was a good addition for the table. And I like that it wasn't overly breaded and pan frying versus deep frying just seems a bit healthier (a bit). pFor our last side dish, we got two orders of their Deep Fried Chicken Wings. You really can't miss with these unless they came out super oily and soggy. Fortunately, this was neither and actually had a nice crispy skin. 
For $1.75 for three wings, it's not a great deal (compared to some places serving up $0.25 wings) but I appreciated the lack of breading on these, so that the skin remained flavourful and had a nice natural crunch. 

Take Note:

• Long waits during peak hours.
• Go for the food, not for the service.
• As for your hot drink to come at the end of meal so it doesn't cool off while you eat.