3 Day Cleanse

So I decided to challenge myself and do my very first cleanse. I have always wanted to try one out, but a lot of the ones I saw were mainly liquids only and that is not for me. I love food and I need to EAT not just drink or it wouldn't work for me and in all honesty it's not healthy.

The one I chose to do is mainly a raw diet, plant based, no dairy, no meat, no bread, NO COFFEE. I was inspired by a friend and kind of winged it and went with what I wanted to challenge myself with and what I could handle at the same time.

Not having coffee originally I thought was going to be my biggest challenge, but as much as I missed it, it wasn't the hardest part. (or the taste at least) After all I didn't drink coffee for my whole pregnancy with my son. For me the hardest was feeling really tired, which I guess could be connected to the coffee. Day 1 was a breeze for the most part because I was so excited about starting the cleanse, had everything prepped and a plan in place. When nighttime hit Day 1 I noticed I was slightly weak so I made sure I grabbed some nuts and grapes. At this time I didn't think I was consuming enough calories, but the snacks helped and I made sure to add more calories to Day 2. To make matters worse BAM I got my period which partly explained how I was feeling too. I went to bed at 9pm and got a little over 8 hours of sleep, plenty you would think right? Nope.

Day 2 I woke up to losing 2 pounds within 24 hours, I was happy! I also felt like I haven't slept in days haha. I had my more energized moments, playing with my son, walking around Target, prepping dinner...but the down times I felt like a zombie. Staring at the computer screen at work was rough. At any moment I thought I would fall asleep. Day 2 I knew I needed more food of substance and protein so that's why I packed a good portion of quinoa with my lunch.

Day 3 I woke up losing about 3 more pounds. This is really working I thought. I was super motivated to finish this personal challenge.

Day 4 - In a total of 3 days I lost a total of 6.8 pounds! It was so worth it, not extremely hard and I felt great after. This was such an accomplishment for me and showing myself that I do have will power that sometimes I think I lack. After this cleanse I felt like I was on top of the world. I got a well deserved large coffee in the morning haha.

I would 100% do this again and WILL be.


My Food Plan

Day 1:

Breakfast - Banana Smoothie w/ unsweetened Almond Milk
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Salad w/ mixed lettuce, baby spinach, raw cashews, quinoa, tomatoes, avocado
Snack - Apple
Dinner - Lettuce boat tacos w/ mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers
Snack - Unsalted Peanuts
Snack - Grapes
Water Intake - 60oz lemon water, 32oz regular water

Day 2:

Breakfast - Banana Smoothie w/ unsweetened Almond Milk
Snack - Grapes
Snack - Raw cashews
Lunch - Quinoa, baby spinach, mixed veggies, avocado, splash of avocado oil
Dinner - Zucchini noodles w/avocado sauce & a side of roasted veggies (brussel sprouts, sweet potato)
Snack - Strawberries
Water Intake - 30oz lemon water, 64oz regular water

Day 3:

Breakfast - Banana Smoothie w/ unsweetened Almond Milk
Snack - Grapes
Lunch - Quinoa & roasted veggies (brussel sprouts & sweet potato)
Snack - Raw cashews
Snack - Strawberries
Dinner - Avocado & tomato mash, corn on the cob & a baked potato w/ a splash of avocado oil & a little garlic
Water Intake - 90oz lemon water

 

 

 

Positive vibes,

 

Jenn

Baked Chickpeas

Chickpeas are a high protein and fiber food that is healthy while also filling at the same time. Great for vegans and vegetarians or just not huge meat eaters like myself. They are easy to incorporate into your meals, like in different salads and casseroles. These baked chickpeas are great just on their own as a snack too.

 

Yesterday I baked some in the oven with paprika, garlic powders and parsley sprinkled on them. Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes. Simple, easy, quick and something different than I normally eat.

 

 

I decided to put them into a whole wheat pita and added some lettuce, tomato and greek yogurt sauce. I had the yogurt sauce leftover from falafel I made a week or so ago. I love using what I have on hand instead of food going to waste, saves money and cleans out the fridge/cabinets at the same time.

 

This really was so simple yet satifiying. I had one for dinner last night with a lettuce wedge salad and brought another one for lunch today to work. A can of chickpeas is really cheap too so a bargain meal as well.

Quinoa Cakes

 

You know me and quinoa, I love it and it's a great source of protein and a healthy food that fills you up. I ate these for dinner last week and really enjoyed them.

 

The recipe calls for:

 

2 cups quinoa, cooked

2/3 cup fontina cheese, grated

3 tbs flour

1 egg

2 tbs olive oil

2-3 chives

salt & pepper to taste

 

-- Add the olive oil to a pan and heat on medium.

-- Mix the remaining ingredients. Form patties, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup.

-- Add the patties to the heated pan. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes.

 

I made an aioli to dip them in which came out great and paired well with the patties. I used minced garlic, a little mayo (light if you have it), a couple drops of lemon juice and a chipotle spice we had on hand. You can use any spice you prefer and can also substitute a different cheese if you wanted.

 

 

Enjoy!



Flo's Chicken & Spaghetti

This is such a nostalgic dish for me. I haven't eaten this for MANY years and I have never cooked it before myself. It's a meal my grandma would make a lot. I always remember as a child, the chicken and sauce simmering in a pan, it would smell up her house and we would always have this meal with buttered bread. My grandpa loved buttered bread. I would often have dinner there or breakfast before school depending on my parents work schedule. They were such great times and I cherish them.

My mother gave me the most information on the recipe she could remember and it's not many ingredients, but the flavor is there. It's a simple dish, but so good. The chicken cooking in the sauce brings this significant taste I remember from many years ago. The recipe may not be exact but the moment I tasted the sauce on the spoon while cooking, I knew my grandma was there helping me make this meal.

The recipe calls for:

chicken thighs or breasts (I used breasts, but my grandma used thighs)
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
variety spices: garlic powder, oregano, chicken seasoning
salt/pepper
1 tbs olive oil
whole grain spaghetti (My grandma would use regular spaghetti)

-- Heat the olive oil in a large pot/pan. Once heated, add the chicken. Add salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and chicken seasonings to both sides of the chicken and cook the chicken.
-- Add the tomato sauce and paste to the pot/pan. Let this simmer for an hour.
-- Cook the pasta and add it to the pot/pan once the hour of simmering is finished. Stir and serve.

Enjoy this special recipe!

Clean Eating Baked Ziti

 

This dinner was a hit with this kid. :)  It's a 21 day fix approved recipe, Baked Ziti with ground turkey. YUM!

The recipe calls for:
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
1 medium size part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cups organic/natural pasta sauce
1 tbs honey
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
1tbs of each of these spices: garlic powder, italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, basil, black pepper

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-- Cook the pasta al-dente.  While cooking, brown up the ground turkey in a pan. Drain any fat from the pan.
-- Mix in a large bowl all ingredients except the pasta and mozzarella cheese.  Combine the mixture with the pasta and put in a baking dish.
-- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, a little more italian seasoning and parsley on top of the ziti.
-- Bake for 20 minutes.

Product of the Week

 

This is so good even my husband liked it and he likes nothing healthy! This is a must try!

Cucumber Salad

 

The recipe calls for:

4 cucumbers

4 tbs plain fat-free greek yogurt

1 tbs fresh dill, chopped

1 tbs white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 

-- Peel, seed and slice the cucumbers as seen in the photo.

-- In a bowl mix all the ingredients, minus the cucumber.  Once the sauce is mixed good, add the cucumbers and toss.

-- When eating as leftovers just be sure to mix it up again.

 

Enjoy this refreshing side dish on a hot day!

Baked Potato On The Grill

HAPPY MONDAY!

Did you start grilling yet?  I have!  Here is a smiple recipe for making a baked potato on the grill...

The recipe calls for:
potato
olive oil
spray butter
fat-free greek yogurt

-- Clean the potato and poke a few holes in it.  Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes, more if it's a bigger potato.
-- Spread some olive oil on the potato and wrap in foil.  If you want more of a grill taste skip the foil.
-- Grill the potato away from the fire while cooking everything else on the grill.
-- Slice it open, spray a little butter and a dabble of greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is the perfect substitute for sour cream. It's way more healthy, has zero fat and is a great source of protein. I really don't taste much of a difference surprisingly. I bet you could even fool the kids or your husband by just telling them it's sour cream.



Simple 3 Ingredient Recipe

Just three ingredients makes Coconut Rice & Beans...

The recipe calls for:
1 can black beans
1 cup jasmine rice
1 can light coconut milk

-- Bring the can of coconut milk and rice to a boil in a medium pot.  Once to a boil, cover the pot and put it on low for 10 minutes.
-- Rinse the black beans.
-- When the rice is down, add the beans and mix.
--  You can season it with some salt and pepper if you want too.

The beans is a great source of protein!  Enjoy!

Recipe Review

"It was really good.

The nuts were what did it for me."

-- Blog Reader

 

This was the arugula walnut pesto spaghetti squash recipe.  Check it out here!

Arugula Walnut Pesto

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

This isn't an irish recipe, but it's GREEN and delicious!

The recipes calls for:
1/4 cup walnuts
1 garlic cloves
1 1/3 cup arugula, packed
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs water
2 tbs parmesan cheese
dash of lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


-- Toast walnuts in a small pan on medium heat.  Make sure to keep stirring them so they don't burn.  Toast for about 5 minutes.  Let them cool.
-- Add the walnuts, garlic, arugula, olive oil, water, cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor or chopper.  Use what you have in your home.  I had a mason jar leftover from our wedding favors that were perfect to hold the pesto.


I used the pesto for a spaghetti squash meal.  Yum!

For this recipe just add a few more steps:

-- Cook a medium spaghetti squash.  See link.  Let the squash cool.
-- Scrape out the squash with a fork.
-- Mix the spaghetti squash and the pesto mixture in a bowl.
-- I heated up the spaghetti squash in the oven for about 5 minutes on 350 degrees and sprinkled a little extra parmesan cheese on top before putting it in the oven.  You could also just pop it in the microwave for a little.


Basil is one of my favorite flavors ever, but I must say this recipe and arugula substitute was really good and different.  The toasted walnuts gave it such flavor.

Simple Salad

Thanks to Shoprite and their awesome coupons I got free romaine lettuce this weekend.  I usually always get iceberg lettuce, but who can say no to free food?  Not me!  This salad was easy and delicious.  I used some left over tomato, left over gorgonzala cheese, romaine lettuce and avocado slices.

Top it with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Tip: I saved the other half of the avocado by keeping the pit in it and sprinkling some lemon juice on it. I sealed it in a plastic container and stored it in the fridge.

Grilling Burgers In The Winter

Who says you can't grill a good burger during the cold months?  Not me!  Instead of freezing outside in the snow, use a grilling pan.  We have a cast iron grill pan that works great for this.

I try to stay away from beef and red meat so grilling chicken burgers is usually my go to.  Simply by adding a great spice to the chicken patty makes it more enjoyable and not bland.  Just add some to each side of the patty and grill it.  Here are some of the favorite spices used in my house:

 Healthier Options:  Skip the bun or the cheese, or both! :)

Cupcake Lasagna's

Great snack to make the kids instead of the processed frozen food like pizza bagels.  Pop them in the oven when they get home from school.  This is also a great party appetizer.

 

I kept the recipe simple because my husband doesn't like a lot of things, but it would be great with added ingredients.  Ground turkey meat to add some protein is a good option, then it's an easy dinner.  Also you could add chopped basil to the ricotta cheese mixture or your favorite spice/herb.

 

 

The recipe calls for:

wonton wrappers

marinara sauce

part skim ricotta cheese

part skim mozzarella cheese

garlic powder

 

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-- Spray two cupcake pans with cooking oil.

-- Place two wonton wrappers in each cupcake hole, opposite of each other.

-- In a bowl, mix garlic powder and the ricotta cheese.

-- Add a little marinara sauce, a dabble of ricotta cheese, a little more sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

-- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the wrappers become crispy.



Baked Eggplant

The recipe calls for:
5 eggplant slices
1 can petite diced tomatoes, 14oz
1 can tomato sauce, 8oz
1 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
3/4 whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/2 egg substitute
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs garlic, minced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
a dash of salt & pepper
cooking spray


-- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, olive oil, minced garlic, chopped basil, red pepper flakes and salt/ pepper to a small pot. Heat on the stove on medium for awhile so all the flavors are brought out in the sauce. Let it simmer.
-- While the sauce is simmering, dip the eggplant slices into the egg substitute then dip them into the bread crumbs.
-- Mix the ricotta cheese and garlic powder.
-- Spray a baking dish with cooking oil and place the breaded eggplant slices into the dish.
-- Top the eggplant with the homemade marinara sauce then spoon a little ricotta cheese mixture on top of each slice.
-- Bake the eggplant in the oven for about 35 minutes.

YUM!

Stuffed Tomato

The recipe calls for:

8 plump tomatoes

2 eggs

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tbs + 4 tsp grated parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup corn

1 cup zucchini, diced + 24 thin slices

-- Preheat over to 350 degrees.

-- Cut the tops off the tomatoes, scoop pulp out of the centers, set aside. Discard half of the pulp and remove seeds from the remaining, finely chop.

-- Whisk the eggs and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Stir in onion, basil, 2 tbs parmesan and garlic. Add the corn, diced zucchini and chopped tomato pulp. Stir well.

-- Fill the tomatoes with the mixture to the top of the tomato. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the mixture, add zucchini slices and then the tomato top.

-- Bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Delicious Baked Sweet Potato

 

The recipe calls for:

1 sweet potato

cooking oil

salt/pepper

garlic powder

spray "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"

olive oil

 

-- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-- Spray cooking oil on a baking dish.

-- Thinly slice the potato, but not all the way through.

-- Place the potato into the baking dish and drizzle it with some olive oil.  Spray some butter on the potato as well and then add as much garlic powder as you like and a little salt/pepper.

-- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.  The top of the potato will be a little crispy.

 

Let it cool for a little and enjoy!  It will melt in your mouth. :)

 

Other options could be like I made the sweet potato slices on the grill, instead of garlic powder, salt and pepper use some sugar substitute and cinnamon.  I wouldn't add the brown sugar until the last ten minutes in the oven to prevent it from burning.

Healthy Food Myth

A lot of people think that eating healthy is so expensive, but really it's not.  You go to a fast food restaurant and it's over $6 for a combo meal and that is just ONE meal.  So fast food being unhealthy isn't the only negative.

In this picture there is a bran/multi-gran muffin, apples, a bag of lettuce/veggies and a sweet potato.  

All this was only $4.85 and it makes up:

1 breakfast

2 snacks

a few lunches or dinner sides (salad)

1 side for dinner

Summer Deliciousness

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

The recipe calls for:

sweet potato

cooking spray

sugar substitute

cinnamon

brown sugar

-- Peel the sweet potato and and slice it into circles or wedges, whichever you prefer.

-- Spray each side of the potato slice with cooking spray then sprinkle them with the sugar substitute and cinnamon.

-- Place the potato slices on a grill pan, top with a little bit of brown sugar and grill.

-- Keep the potatoes on the grill until they look caramelized and they have softened.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

The recipe calls for:

1 bag of broccoli slaw

3 tbs light mayo

6 tbs cider vinegar

raisins

1/2 tbs sugar substitute

salt/pepper

-- Whisk the mayo, vinegar and sugar substitute.  Mix the sauce with the slaw.  Add the raisins then salt and pepper to taste.

Coconut Almond Bread

The recipe calls for:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup stevia

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded coconut

sugar to sprinkle

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-- In a large bowl mix together the butter and sugar until it is creamy.  Beat in the egg and extracts.

-- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the mixed ingredients and milk slowly to the creamy mixture.  Mix well.

-- Fold in the shredded coconut.

-- Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Sprinkle with sugar.

-- Bake for 50 minutes.

I used some lighter alternatives to make this recipe a little healthier.  Instead of butter I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and I used 1% milk.  You could also use fat-free milk, but I just used what I had.  I used Stevia in the mixture, but I prefer regular sugar for sprinkling.  I liked it warmed up a little, but it's just as good served at room temperature.