9:34 pm - 06/27/2012
Lower Fat: Paula Deen shows off 30 lb weight loss
Paula Deen shows off 30 pound weight loss on the cover of People, 7 months after revealing Type 2 diabetes diagnosis
The Southern-fried chef admits she had to make big changes to her diet in order to get healthy, moving mashed potatoes off the table and welcoming more baked fish and Greek salad
Introducing the lower-fat version of Paula Deen. The Southern-fried chef is on the cover of People magazine, showing off her 30-pound weight loss following her recent revelation that she’d been suffering from Type 2 diabetes. She’s had to make big changes to her diet in order to get healthy. “I do think differently now" about food,” Deen said. "I'm more aware."
She’s moved mashed potatoes and bread off the table and made room for baked fish and Greek salad. She makes fruit smoothies for breakfast and buys sweet pototoes and broccoli. Fried foods are for special occasions only. "Instead of fried chicken once a week, I have it once a month," she said. "I have baked chicken now." She said she tries to walk 30 minutes every every day. Deen said that she's thrilled with the changes to her body. "Let me show you something I haven't been able to do in years," she said. "Cross my legs."
She said she doesn't have any desire to be model-thin -- just healthy for her age. "To be able to polish my own toenails is a be-yoo-ti-ful thing," she said. Still, there are two vices she hasn't kicked yet -- real butter and cigarettes. "I'm a product of the South in the 1960's but I think about quitting everyday," she said. "Maybe one day I'll be ready. I pray I will."
The 65 year-old Savannah restauranteur and celebrity cook said that her biggest challenge was not to feel hungry.
“I’m arranging my plate differently,” she told Prevention magazine back in May. "(Before) I would have had a lot of ham and just a little bit of squash. But the night before last, I had lots of squash, a little slice of ham, a nice serving of green beans and a tablespoon of fresh peas.”
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“I’m arranging my plate differently,” she told Prevention magazine back in May. "(Before) I would have had a lot of ham and just a little bit of squash. But the night before last, I had lots of squash, a little slice of ham, a nice serving of green beans and a tablespoon of fresh peas.”
She’s been creating more diabetes-friendly recipes for fans who are also watching their weight and insulin.
In January, she told the “Today” show that she’d been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years prior -- but kept it under wraps.
Deen came under fire for keeping it a secret, all while cooking and serving up fatty fried cheesecake and bacon burgers served on doughnuts.
Television personality and chef Anthony Bourdain called Deen “greedy” and “cynical” for creating a brand based around “excess without guilt” and then turning around and becoming the spokesperson for the diabetes drug Victoza.
Chicken Divan in a new light
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 (10-oz.) packages frozen chopped broccoli
6 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 (8-oz) package sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp dried thyme
1 (10¾-oz) can condensed fat-free low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup light mayonnaise
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
½ cup + 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
1 tsp curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 2-quart casserole or 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open one end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain and put into the prepared baking dish. Top with the chicken.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they release their juices and thoroughly brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme during the last minute of cooking time. Add to the baking dish with the chicken and broccoli.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soup, broth, mayonnaise, yogurt, ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the curry powder, and pepper. Pour over the broccoli-chicken mixture and mix well with a spatula.
Grate the bread over the large holes of a box grater to make coarse soft crumbs. Combine the bread crumbs, melted butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese in a small bowl until blended; sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly around the edges and the topping is lightly browned, 30-40 minutes.
Per serving (1 cup): 340 calories, 14 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 105 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 39 g protein.
Note her old Chicken Divan's stats: Per serving (1 cup): 555 calories, 33.5 g fat (13.4 g saturated, 0 g trans), 128 mg cholesterol, 1035 mg sodium, 20.7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 40.7 g protein.
Chicken Divan in a new light
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 (10-oz.) packages frozen chopped broccoli
6 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 (8-oz) package sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp dried thyme
1 (10¾-oz) can condensed fat-free low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup light mayonnaise
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
½ cup + 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
1 tsp curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 2-quart casserole or 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open one end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain and put into the prepared baking dish. Top with the chicken.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they release their juices and thoroughly brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme during the last minute of cooking time. Add to the baking dish with the chicken and broccoli.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soup, broth, mayonnaise, yogurt, ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the curry powder, and pepper. Pour over the broccoli-chicken mixture and mix well with a spatula.
Grate the bread over the large holes of a box grater to make coarse soft crumbs. Combine the bread crumbs, melted butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese in a small bowl until blended; sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly around the edges and the topping is lightly browned, 30-40 minutes.
Per serving (1 cup): 340 calories, 14 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 105 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 39 g protein.
Note her old Chicken Divan's stats: Per serving (1 cup): 555 calories, 33.5 g fat (13.4 g saturated, 0 g trans), 128 mg cholesterol, 1035 mg sodium, 20.7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 40.7 g protein.
(source)(othersource)
hftp
Aw it can definitely be tricky to plan meals if you're not used to it. I know it was hard for me at first. I probably sounded a bit judgemental in my previous comment but I didn't mean to be :/ Which part of it do you struggle with?
Haha and no you were fine I just wanted to stick up for those of us who are total fail at all things kitchen-related. I mostly find it hard to think ahead because I'm planning for me and my husband and he is... difficult. Picky eater who doesn't like most veggies (no squash, tomatoes, peppers, onions, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrats, etc) tho he will pick at asparagus and broccoli. D: Plus he gets like... moods and just has to have whatever he is craaaaving right then and my weekly meal plan will get thrown on its head and I'm weird and once the meal plan is deviated I get annoyed and toss it out like "well we're off course so IT IS ALL FOR NOTHING WOE IS MEEEE!"
So I'm trying to learn 'flexible meal planning' and I have a feeling I'll figure it out somewhere around our tenth anniversary. :/
My partner is pretty picky too. I hide a lot of veggies he doesn't like by chopping them up super fine (food processors are great for that) and then mixing them through whatever I'm making. And I'm pretty mean about bending to him whims, lol. Like when he whinges about what we're having, I tell him he can either eat it, make something for himself, or starve. Pretty harsh, I know, but it just makes more hassle otherwise.
Idk girl, I think maybe the solution for you is to have the ingredients for several different meals that you both like and can easily make always in your fridge/pantry, then you're not locked into a certain meal if you don't feel like it. You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure! :)
I've thought about hiding the veggies. I may try that when I get a bit more confident at cooking- which I've resolved to do because letting him cook ends up with everyone getting instant mashed potatoes and no veggies. le sigh.
I think you're correct about the solution. Now to just work out meals and dishes we'll both enjoy lol. I swear the hardest thing about living together is the food. No one warns you about that part!!