My plan to begin the year by cutting out carbohydrates, sugars, most fats and dairy products has really paid off. Since beginning, I have lost almost half to an entire pound each day. I will reach my target weight soon and then I’ll need to be careful not to let the pounds slowly creep back.

I can’t believe I haven’t had cheese in 11 days. I do miss it, but I have found creative ways to reduce the carbohydrates. Fajitas on cabbage-leaf shells and spaghetti made from zucchini were pretty good.

My boys tried the spaghetti but passed on the cabbage shells, opting instead for tortillas. What really works about this plan is that I can eat light and they don’t have to.

Chicken Fajitas
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 lemon, juiced
2 limes, juiced
1 pinch salt, pepper, chili powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Toss all ingredients together in a sealable plastic bag and let marinate a few hours. Then grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, just long enough to show grill marks. Then finish covered in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes. The chicken will be cooked perfectly and have smoky flavor from the grill.

The key to the plan is lean protein, vegetables and some healthy fat. I made a quick salad with black beans, avocado, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. I dressed it with red wine vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then I carefully peeled away two leaves from a head of cabbage.

Using the cabbage like a tortilla, I layered on fresh spinach, a small amount of the black bean salad, a few pieces of sliced chicken and topped it with chopped jalapeño, black olives and picanté sauce.

I’m sure my boys topped theirs with cheese and sour cream too, but I tried not to look. Nevertheless, they were delicious. I made extra and had leftovers for lunches and another dinner.

Zucchini Spaghetti
I have heard of zucchini spaghetti, but I always assumed the zucchini was puréed and worked into the usual flour dough. My version uses the zucchini as the spaghetti.

Thinly slice a peeled zucchini on a mandoline slicer. Then make a pile of slices and slice very thinly through those, making strands that look like noodles. Toss the noodles in a colander with a pinch of salt to pull out some of the moisture. Let it sit and drain.

While the noodles drained, I heated up left- over savory pumpkin sauce and browned lean Italian sausage links. Then I squeezed the noodles until they were as dry as possible and heated them in the microwave for two minutes.

Serve by placing a few slices of sausage on the noodles and half a cup of sauce on top. I made a simple side salad of romaine lettuce and tomatoes and dressed it with equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil. To that I added 1 tsp. dijon mustard and a pinch of oregano, salt and pepper. I believe the zucchini noodles were an adequate replacement for starchy flour noodles.

The recipe for savory pumpkin cream sauce can be found on this blog. Just search with the word “pumpkin” to find it. I’ve added an update to that recipe using fat-free Greek yogurt instead of Half & Half.