Atkins Diet Recipes: Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance

Phase 3 of the Atkins diet is liberal with carbohydrate intake, although there are restrictions. To enter this phase, you need to lose just five to ten more pounds to reach your final goal weight.

Importance

It is critical, according to Atkins, that pre-maintenance be followed slowly so that a lifetime of good eating habits can develop during this time. You want to increase carbohydrate intake in order to lose one pound or less each week. As with Phase 2, you will have a specific Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL). It is important that you discover this number and maintain it for continued weight loss of one pound or less per week.

The recipes below contain 20 grams of carbohydrate or less. Adjust each recipe according to your specific CCLL.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs

1 tbs. granulated sugar

3 tbs. butter, melted

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

1-½ lbs. Neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature

½ c. packed brown sugar

2 c. pumpkin puree

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. sour cream

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 10” round pan with cooking spray. Line with a circle of wax paper.

Combine cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium size bowl. Mix well. Add melted butter and 1 tbs. of beaten egg. Mix well and press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove crust from oven and cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and brown sugar on medium speed of mixer until very smooth. Add pumpkin, spices and salt; beat 3 minutes. Add sour cream and beat 3 minutes longer. Add remaining egg whites and whole egg; beat 2 more minutes. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. Pour over crust.

Bake until center of cheesecake is set, about 1 hour. Cool completely in pan. Chill at least 8 hours before removing from pan and serving.

Servings and Nutrition Information:

Makes 24 servings.

Per serving: 14 g Carbohydrate, 115 Calories, 4 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 20 mg Cholesterol, 160 mg Sodium, 1 g Fiber, 4 g Protein

Pork and Squash Stew

Ingredients

2 tbs. olive oil

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1” cubes

½ large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 c. vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, drained

½ tsp. black pepper

1 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs.), peeled, seeded and cut into 1” cubes

1 small zucchini, peeled and cut into ½” slices

1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

¼ c. whole blanched almonds, ground

Directions:

Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add pork, onion, garlic, cumin and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until pork is lightly browned.

Add broth, tomatoes, chiles and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in squash, zucchini and bell pepper; cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until squash is soft. Stir in ground almonds. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes and until thickened slightly.

Servings and Nutrition Information:

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 19 g Carbohydrate, 248 Calories, 24 g Protein, 10 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 45 mg Cholesterol, 4 g Fiber, 590 mg Sodium