DAY 20 & 21
Wrapping it all up!! It's been a great journey & the best part was of course hearing how great everyone is feeling.
Post Purification to follow!!
DAY 19
This crazy weather has kept us in all day but it's been great!! Sitting out on the couch watching food network gives me great joy. I'm figuring out how to convert the recipes into "cleanse approved" recipes!! With it being so cold there's nothing like a big bowl of warm vegetable soup!! Yum!! Follow it with a cup of green chai tea & I'm a happy person!!
So here's one of the simplest recipes that lends itself well to conversion.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roast-loin-of-pork-with-fennel-recipe/index.html
Omit the potatoes, and replace the pork (yuck!) with chicken. Adjust times as needed according to the size or pieces of chicken you use.
This makes ALOT of food so it can easily be used when guest stop by....obviously not today!
DAY 18
Getting close to the end of the 21 days...but not to be mistaken...not the end of living well & eating healthy. By now I know everyone has learned so much and has a greater handle on how to incorporate good nutrition on a daily basis.
I'm proud of all my patients & the accomplishments they have made. I can't wait to see everyone this week & hear the testimonials! I know there will be many!!
DAY 17
Favorite day of the week! I decided we would stay home & watch church online b/c my baby isn't feeling so well. I didn't want her out around all the bugs going around. Not right now when her immune system is down.
Of course anytime immunity starts declining in any of my family members I immediately jump all over it. Glad she loves smoothies b/c that's always first. I can always mix in a ton of good nutrition in one drink and can often hide the supplements - to a certain degree!
So of course another good comfort to colds is good ol fashion chicken soup. Of course I had all the ingredients on hand so we were good to go!
DAY 16
We went to the Fort Worth Stock Show & rodeo today. I knew it'd be best to have an early lunch so I wasn't starving while I was there - of course they wouldn't have anything good!
Since the Kale Slaw made SOO much I had plenty left over. I decided to use the red lettuce leaves I have, some of the leftover chicken, and kale slaw in "tacos". Topped with a small amount of diced avocado & it was fabulous!
For dinner we ate at Riscky's Steakhouse. They had plenty to choose from that was approved. However, I must admit, I REALLY wanted to be at Riscky's BBQ instead!! BBQ is one of my all time favorites & since being in Van Alstyne I have fell in LOVE LOVE LOVE with smokey G's! Soon....very soon.... :0)
DAY 15
Did some grocery shopping at Whole Foods today. While I was there I picked up a recipe that caught my eye - Kale Rainbow Slaw. PERFECT!! I already had all the ingredients for this in the fridge & I knew it'd be a great way to get in the red cabbage that is in season now.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2886
Leave out the seeds during the purification.
THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!! I covered 3/4 of my plate with it AND went back for seconds. I paired it with a simple baked chicken - little bit of water, little bit of Bragg's ACV & Sprinkle Seasoning, plus some black pepper. Super simple, super delicous, super good for you!!
DAY 14
WHY IN THE WORLD......did I wait so long to get a Mandalin? Those things are awesome!! A patient told me about a recipe for eggplant chips. Now let me say, I hate eggplant. I have never tasted anything good made with eggplant and I let her know it but she promised I would like it.
She was so right!
I sliced the eggplant super thin, tossed with some olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper. Baked in the oven at 375 for ~10 minutes. The first few pans I burned as I experimented wtih avocado oil & grapessed oil. It takes some practicing to get the right amount of oil & right amount of time for crispy - not soggy or burnt - chips.
But I tell ya they are so worth it!! I could eat those everyday!!
DAY 13
I have NEVER liked fish tacos. EVER. But I thought today I might try to make it myself and see how it goes. Since I'm in control of everything, I should be able to make something flavorful & to my liking.
So I asked the fishman at whole foods to cut 1 lb. of cod into chunks for me. I put some avocado oil & butter into the pan and cooked the fish until it was flaky. I love lots of seasoning so I added in quite a few of my favorites, including cumin & tumeric.
I used large red lettuce leaves as my "shell". Then I decided to use the same ingredients my friend suggested on day 8 for the veggie tacos. I put that on top of the fish, added guacamole & took the taste test....DELICIOUS!! I was impressed. But the ultimate test would come from my 9 year old son. He is so particular about his food that I have to get the taste just right or he will never try something again.
Well, let me just say, he had seconds!
DAY 12
Today I had a nutritional education course in Dallas at 7 pm. It's taught by my mentor who is extremely intelligent & who happens to be a big reason why I have aquired the knowledge I have. Fortunately his mother always cooks for the class & she always makes cleanse approved foods. Her food is amazingly delicious!!
We had a huge salad with tons of veggies, curried tuna, and roasted chicken.
This is her salad "recipe" - she's like me - no measurements!
Mixed greens
Tomatoes
Snap peas
Red bell peppers
Green bell peppers
Yellow bell peppers
Cauliflower
Brocolli
Onions
Kalamata Olives
all topped with a simple oil & vinegar dressing.
I guess there's just something about having someone else make the food for you. I can make this salad but it never taste as good as hers!
DAY 11
People all across the DFW metroplex are rejoicing today!! The carnivores might even be salivating. Today is the day we get to add back in that good animal protein!!
I have to admit, I can't fathom ever being a vegeterian. For more than one reason. Sure it's good for you short term, but it is NOT I repeat, NOT a human sustaining lifestyle. In traditional chinese medicine vegeterianism always leads to blood disorders. It's extremely hard to pull off & very often most people aren't vegeterians so much as they are pastaterians. Everyone has a right to their own opinion on what they chose to eat, but as a Dr. I've seen the reprecussions, and they aren't pretty.
So to celebrate I've got a great recipe from my favorite gluten free blog! Some modifications by me, of course.
DAY 10
My favorite day of the week - SUNDAY. Sunday's are 99 % of the time always good days for me b/c it always reminds of what the most important things in life are. What my next meal is going to be just isn't one of those things. This becomes increasinly easier as time goes by. Sure I'm still human and would love to have a number of things, but I can do that any other time. Today I'm doing something more important.
DAY 9
Went to a friends birthday party this evening. It was at Dick's Last Resort. I've never been there so was not familiar with their menu selections. I decided it would be not only more cost effective, but also easier to stay away from the no - no's if I ate before hand. She knew I was on the cleanse and since she's done it before she completly understood. Yes other people at the table were probably wondering why I wasn't eating but I'm the type of person that I don't really care. I know what I'm doing, and that's all that matters.
DAY 8
I'm almost surprised by my lack of desire for foods that are not on this program. Somehow I am able to go without these foods & I was concerned about my LOVE, hear me when I say LOVE of sweets. But I've been totally fine so I'm living proof it's possible. If you need help with sugar or carb cravings make sure you get some Gymnema!!
Today I realized my salad had frozen in the fridge at work so no lunch for me :(
As I drove home starving I was thinking what should I do?? I can hear my stomach talking to me!! It takes me 30 minutes to get home so of course I passed a TON of possibilities. But I didn't really want any of them. Got home and ate the salad I had here. Plus more fruit salad!
Tonight I might try the veggie tacos a good friend called to tell me about last night.
Saute garlic, onion, and bell peppers in olive oil until tender. Put in romaine leaves & top with guacamole. YUM!!
DAY 7
Woke up late today so again I'm thankful that breakfast is such an easy shake!
For lunch I used the prepped brown rice, & sauteed fresh asparagus in a little coconut oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper. About 2 min before it was done I added a little more oil and tossed in the rice to "fry". Asparagus Lemon Fried Rice - DELICIOUS!!
Spaghetti Squash was for dinner. If you haven't tried this it's a must. I will say I make LOTS of sauce b/c the kids seem to like it better if ALL of it is covered in sauce. I made a homemade marinara and in the end added in a grated beet - experimenting with new flavors - that's what this is about!! It was good...good.....good.....
DAY 6
Today was a good day but first time I felt pressed to eat quickly. We took pictures at work & I had to get my hair curled while I was supposed to be eating lunch. Thank goodness for the shakes. I had a shake while sitting in the chair - never would have been able to do that with a fast food meal!
Dinner was baked carrotts, kale chips, and a fruit salad. I prepped some brown rice for lunch the next day & it smelled absolutely fantastic!!
Here's the recipe
DAY 5
We had a playdate today & I had no issues staying away from foods that I knew I didn't need. I've been this obedient no need to mess things up now. I really want to see all the effects by sticking to the program fully. Ironically the venue was a place that makes "nutricious" meal replacement shakes for weight loss. I asked to see the label & chuckled on the inside as I read it. Crazy.
For lunch I had lentil soup (yum!) with kale chips. I realize that isn't the most beneficial way to eat kale but we all LOVE it like that.
For dinner I made a butternut squash soup that wasn't as good as I remember it being the first time I made it. Not sure if I altered the recipe back then but tonight I left out the agave. I should have diced all the veggies into smaller pieces so I didn't have to cut everything again for my little ones. They didn't care too much for it either, though.
Fortunately I bought an extra large squash so that I could have plenty leftover for butternut squash "fries". Those were delicious. So instead of soup we ate "fries", guacamole with veggies, had a shake, and more kale chips. :)
Happy to see my face is clearing up nicely!
DAY 4
I just finished off the most delicous veggie soup that I made on day 1. See the purification support page of this blog for the recipe.
***Extra tip - for even better toxin removal & weight loss - wash your produce with Veggie Wash. It's great stuff!! Available at Whole Foods. And it has to be that brand. I have tried others but nothing comes close to that one.
Today was a great day for me. I feel good, things are progressing along as they should, and I'm loving the food!!
DAY 3
I wasn't sure what to expect with today. Before I went to bed last night I took some Cramplex for my headache & said a prayer. Thank God it was gone this morning.
I also had to take some Min Chex b/c I couldn't fall asleep right away & as I reflected on the day I thought I had been very irritable. My kids prob would have appreciated me taking the Min Chex sooner than bedtime!!
Glad it's finally Sunday! My absolute favorite thing to do is go to church. I can't say enough good things about that church. It's amazing.
Overall today was a good day. Still slightly bloated & no woman enjoys that. I'm also remebering now that cleansing is not just a physical thing, but an emotional and mental one as well. So today I set some personal goals & am determined to keep them.
Did some prep work for the week ahead - making menus, prepping dishes, pulled some lentil soup out of the freezrer, etc.
I tried this wonderful recipe today & everybody loved it! I didn't have enough to go around for 3rds so next time I'll make more.
Antioxidant Fruit Salad
1 large pomegranate
1 granny smith apple
1 large orange
fresh squeezed lime juice
Combine all in bowl, stir & serve.
I find the easiest way to cut a pomegranante is on wax paper. Cut off the top & bottom to keep it balanced, then cut it into quarters. Pop out the individual seeds (no white parts needed) with your fingers & be prepared for juice to squirt everywhere!! Once your done the wax paper makes for easy cleanup!
Looking forward for what's to come!!
DAY 2
Well today wasn't too terrible. Glad I finally got some good rest last night! I will say I'm more bloated today than I ever have been (or that I can recall), my face is slightly breaking out, and this headache is rather annoying. But these are all signs that things are going as they should!
On a great note! I got a fantastic coupon in the mail today from Souper!Salad. $4.99 for the buffet & it can be used for as many people & as often as desired for the next 30 days! RIGHT ON TIME!
So tonight I had a great salad (amazing how you can't even taste those diced beets), soup (minus a few ingredients that I picked out) & a sweet potato. Who said eating healthy had to be expensive??
DAY 1
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp (unsalted) butter
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup short-grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, room temperature (i would decrease this slightly - it's quite potent!)
- 1 tsp grated lime or lemon zest
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups asparagus in 1" pieces
Heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat in a skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook about 3 minutes until browned. Add garlic and onion powder to mushrooms then cook 1 minute. Add brown rice to mushroom and garlic mixture; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. To rice mixture, carefully pour in lemon juice; add lime zest and ginger. Cook until most of lemon juice evaporates, about 2 minutes. Carefully add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes. I stopped at this point.
Meanwhile, place asparagus in a steamer basket and steam for 5-8 minutes. (Asparagus should be bright green.) Remove rice from heat, and add asparagus until asparagus is incorporated.
Radish Supreme
- 2 lbs radishes, washed & trimmed
- 1 lb small shallots, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon stevia
- Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Method
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat cook the radishes and shallots in the oil and butter for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Stevia; stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon juice, & zest. Sprinkle with parsley.
Notes:
This can be served hot or cold.