The French Polynesian Diet - a.k.a If You Were Stranded on a Deserted Island Diet: Week 1

 

It's time to be stranded on a deserted island. A French Polynesian one to be most specific. This first week went surprisingly well, and while it was a tiny bit boring eating plainer dishes, I felt a lot healthier for it, and my clothes are fitting all the better too.

Cravings, from 3 months ago when I started this diet kick of trying a new "diet" each month have all but ceased, and I'm feeling a lot better in general, but also about myself.

The French Polynesian Diet is no exception to that rule, and may even offer some creative recipes that you would least expect from such a limited list of ingredients. The exciting thing for me is coconut. I love coconuts! So, to get to play with coconut in practically every dish I come up with, is usually a pleasure for me.

There were some things I will never make again, and I'm not even going to bother writing the recipes here because they are a waste of time, but suffice it to say, the majority of what I have been cooking and eating has been very healthy, very nourishing and sometimes even, very tasty!

The first day of the diet started off with a banana-coconut milk smoothie. Absolutely delicious, and because it was so filling, I couldn't even finish it.

Instructions:

1. Place two bananas, peeled obviously, in a blender. Add a full can (13.5 oz) of full-fat organic coconut milk, some ice, and start blending.

2. Enjoy!

I must confess, I brought my lunch with me, but because I was having a very stressful day at work, I did not eat. Therefore, I'm skipping what I'd prepared...

Dinner was simply grouper.   I patted it dry before spreading coconut flour all over it and then cooking it on the stove with coconut oil. Yes, lots of coconut...yum. I don't recall eating anything with it, but it's possible I did make some plain white rice on the side.

The next day I had more of an appetite, which is no surprise considering how little I ate the day before.

Breakfast was delicious. I made it the night before to be safe that I would not be late for work in the morning, and then heated it up in the oven before I left home.

Coconut Banana Bread

Now, I will confess that the majority of this recipe I stole off of the app "Tasty", but I substituted many of the ingredients for my own, and honestly - it was delicious. I even brought some to work with me the next day and my staff seemed to really like it. Which of course, always makes me happy.

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil 

1/2 cup pure organic cane sugar

2 cups coconut flour

2 bananas, sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork.  Add the eggs, oil, and sugar, mixing until evenly incorporated. 

3. Add the flour and mix until the batter has no large pockets of flour.

4. In a meatloaf baking pan, pour in the mixture, spreading evenly. 

5. Slice up the two extra bananas and place on top.

6. Bake 40-50 minutes. 

7. Set aside and let cool until the bottom is barely warm and use a knife to slice the bread into pieces.

Two nights before, I had started preparations for my lunch on Tuesday. I took three full legs of chicken (100% grass-fed of course), and soaked them in a bowl overnight with fresh squeezed orange juice (2 oranges) and lemon juice (1 lemon).  The following evening, I baked them in the juice in a baking pan for 45 minutes at 425 degrees F. Boom. Lunch. With some plain white sushi rice.

That evening I had a meeting, and didn't get home until after 9 pm. It was too late to start cooking elaborate meal, which is what I had previously planned to do. Therefore, I whipped up some leftover chicken breast (one slice) which I had baked two nights before in lemon juice and added a little salt. To heat it up, I placed it in a cast iron skillet with some coconut oil, chopped it up and added some pre-cooked sushi rice. Boom. Dinner. Super light, tasty enough and just enough for that late in the evening.

The next morning, I had the leftover banana bread for breakfast.  Lunch was leftover chicken breast with rice.

While dinner was magnificent. I attempted to make crab cakes...and failed miserably, and decided to cut my losses and just stir up the mixture I'd prepared and make scrambled eggs. Oh my gosh...it was like a burst of flavor popping in my mouth. My taste buds highly enjoyed what I was eating...

Ingredients:

3 eggs (organic, free-range) 

less than 4 oz. of fresh wild-caught lump crab meat 

coconut oil 

1 sweet potato

salt to taste 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degress F. Clean 1 sweet potato thoroughly. Once oven is ready, place inside, having poked holes in the potato throughout it's skin. Bake for 40-50 minutes 

2. Approximately 5 minutes before potato is ready, in a small-medium size bowl, add eggs, crab meat and salt to taste; whisk together with a fork 

3. In a heated cast iron skillet, add some coconut oil, followed by the egg mixture soon after pan has had time to heat

4. Scramble the eggs.

5. Serve with baked potato and add salt to the potato if desired.

Breakfast the next morning was a banana, followed by an orange. Lunch was another piece of the orange and lemon chicken leg with some leftover rice. And dinner...

The same as the night before, except this time I sliced up a sweet potato, placed it in a square glass baking dish with some coconut oil and salt, and baked it at the same temperature for the same length of time. While it was alright, I am deeply not a fan of sweet potatoes and therefore, if I have to eat them, I will take them simply baked with a little salt. No oil necessary.

The next morning I decided to stick with my theme of eggs and have 2 scrambled eggs with some sliced up cucumber.

I did have part of a banana later as a snack, and for lunch...while it was nothing super spectacular it kept me satiated until dinner.

Leftover sushi rice, combined with some of the leftover sweet potato slices from the night before. The coconut oil that remained from the sweet potatoes added a nice flavor to the dish, and while I wasn't crazy about it, it did allow me to be fed....which is the whole point of this "exercise" let's say.

Dinner was fine, though the rice could have been better...

Another piece of fresh grouper, patted in coconut flour and cooked on the stove with coconut oil and salt... on the side some sushi rice with sliced cucumber...

Saturday's breakfast was a banana-coconut water smoothie, and oh dear was it good. I think I prefer it to the coconut milk smoothie.

Lunch was simple as well, 3 scrambled eggs and an orange.

Dinner was not that appetizing, and while I did eat it...I would not recommend making this, unless our tastes are totally different. That's why I will explain what I did, but again, to each his own on this one...

I cooked up some sushi rice. Once it was completely done, as the instructions on the bag indicated, I tossed in 4 oz. of crab meat. Added 1 can of coconut milk and some salt to taste. Cooked for about 5-10 minutes until the liquid began to die down. Sliced up some cucumber on the side, and bam. I had myself a healthy, albeit not terribly tasty, dinner.

Sunday was a busy day of cooking and prepping for the week ahead of me. Breakfast was delightful, if I do say so myself. I'm quite pleased with the way a recipe I followed online (but naturally had to alter slightly) turned out.

Orange-Coconut Cake

 

This was by far the best thing I made throughout the entire week (next to the scrambled crab eggs). You must try this recipe, and I'm positive I will be making this again before The French Polynesian Diet is complete.

Ingredients:

2-3 oranges 

1 cup full-fat organic coconut milk 

1/4 organic coconut oil 

3 eggs 

1 cup organic pure cane sugar 

1 cup coconut flour 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Slice up one orange 

3. Place the orange slices in a blender, adding coconut milk and coconut oil

4. Set to a higher setting and continue to blend until completely smooth (yes, leave the peel of the orange on)

5. Transfer mixture to a medium size bowl; adding 3 eggs + 1 cup cane sugar

6. Using a hand-held electric mixer, mix the ingredients together until creamy and smooth 

7. Add the coconut flour in and continue to mix with the hand mixer. Mix until smooth

8. Open a cake pan to unlock the bottom, and place parchment paper; then lock the cake in place

 

9. Grease the inner sides of the cake pan with coconut oil 

10. Add the mixture to the cake pan

11. Slice 1-2 oranges and place diagonally semi-inside the cake mixture, but on top where they're visible

12. Bake 45 minutes

13. Remove from cake pan and serve!

 

 

 

For lunch that day, I made something a little more "Indian" in flavor, though not traditional (as far as I know).  It was tasty, but I think my days of grouper are coming to an end here...

 

 

 

Coconut-Ginger Grouper with Sushi Rice

Now, I can't take all the credit for this recipe, as I did find it online, I just removed a few of other ingredients and substituted my own.

Ingredients:

1 TBSP fresh minced ginger 

1 TSP dried turmeric 

salt to taste 

Fresh wild-caught Grouper fillet (skin removed)

1 can full-fat organic coconut milk 

Sushi Rice 

Coconut Oil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees F

2. Remove skin from grouper, pat down to remove moisture; season with salt

3. In a cast iron skillet, add coconut oil and heat 

4. Add grouper fillet and cook on both sides until browned (approximately 4-5 minutes on each side) 

5. Transfer fish to a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm 

6. Add 2 tsp oil to the same cast iron skillet.

7. Add ginger and turmeric, stir until the ginger is sufficiently cooked 

8. Add the coconut milk; bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low-medium and whisk until liquid is reduced by about 1/3. Approximately 6 minutes 

9. Add fish; spoon sauce on top

10. Prepare sushi rice ahead of time, and add to the sauce

11. Serve rice, with fish on top

Dinner was quite the experiment. I tried two different vegetables which I will not be making again. Possibly ever. I would trust a more seasoned chef to create something with Daikon Radish or Chinese Eggplant to convince me that you can indeed create something delicious with these items, but the way I made them - uh-uh. No way that's happening ever again. I took one bite of each and that was enough pour moi.

Therefore, my dinner was plain chicken breast with half a baked sweet potato and chopped up endive lettuce.

The rest, you will just have to stay tuned for, as they bleed into the second week of the diet.  I appreciate everyone's support here, and I look forward to bringing you more creative and delicious recipes in the second week!

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in to barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" - Matthew 6:25-26