Salt on My Wounds

Days 3 & 4: Still on track.

Breakfasts have continued to be green monsters.  I’m kind of in love with them.  

Lunches have been black bean and avocado salad.  Are you catching the pattern? Consistency.  Also, I’m trying really hard not to be wasteful and eat what I have already in front of me and readily accessible.  

I’ve switched things up for dinners though.  Last night was Salmon, with a Honey Truffle glaze.  I used this recipe, but modified it for one serving, which didn’t really pan out.  It was okay, but not great.  Too sweet.  Next time I will cut back the sugar, and increase the truffle oil.  I served it on a bed of cous cous and spinach and with steamed broccoli on the side.  

Tonight was a really long day.  Storms last night kept me up from 2am-5am and then meetings kept me running till 8pm tonight.  So, I went for a tried and true favorite of mine that’s easy and yummy: Cashew Curry.  Again, I modified to fit within the things I had on hand: Cauliflower, peas, shredded carrots, red onion and garlic, sauted in a coconut curry sauce, served on a bed of brown rice and topped with toasted cashews.

Still feeling good, but the temptations are getting stronger.  I was able to fight off a the red velvet cookie at lunch, but man I was jonesin’ for some Cheezits come 3pm.    

Tomorrow I’ll try to post about some of the snacks I’ve put together to help with my cravings.  

Day 2.

Breakfast - Green Monster

Lunch - Out.  This was on the calendar already and I think I did a pretty good job choosing wisely.  Greens and grains salad and a cup of Beef and Barley Stew.  And I didn’t eat the cheddar chive biscuit.  Which was will power, let me tell ya.  

Dinner - Black Bean and Avacado salad with sesame crackers.  I served the black bean salad over the top of what was left of the rice noodles from last night.  

AND, I did not get a drink at the concert tonight.  Which, considering I don’t even have to work tomorrow, was hard not to do, but I made it and I’m pretty proud of myself.  No money spent, and no breaking of the rules.  Pretty darn good.  

Day 1: Dinner - a change of plans.

The plan was to go out to eat tonight with a friend, for a little Vietnamese food.  I figured this was safe and I could find plenty of things that would still fit within my little cleanse.  But, a last minute cancellation left trying to figure out dinner on the fly.  I was really tempted to go out to eat anyway, but took a quick look in the fridge and realized I could whip up something pretty easy that would be like I was eating Vietnamese out (or more like thai). 

Tonight’s dinner: Rice Noodles with Broccoli, and a couple pork dumplings on the side.  YUM.  

I used the fresh broccoli and carrots, and stir fried in peanut oil with shallots, garlic and ground ginger.  Tossed in the rice noodles, added a little soy sauce, fish sauce, Tobasco for kick and topped with black sesame seeds, because they’re just so festive.  

I had the dumplings in the freezer and decided I probably would of eaten them had I gone out tonight, so a couple would be okay.  They’re small.  

Day one is coming to a close and I’m feeling good.  

Day 1: Post-work lunch. Black bean, avocado and lime salad

After I came home from the workout, I was famished!  I snacked on a few pumpkin seeds drank and some water while I prepared lunch.    

This is another OhSheGlows recipe, and one that Stephanie always raves about.  It’s quick, simple, requires no cooking and has a lot of flavor.  My plan is for this to be my lunch throughout the week.  I paired it with a couple sesame crackers and a glass of water.  

Black bean, Avocado and Lime Salad: 

Two 15-ounce can black beans
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 small shallots, diced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large avocado, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions: Drain the beans thoroughly and rinse. In a large bowl add the beans and toss with lime juice, cilantro leaves, diced shallot, and ground cumin. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Peel and slice an avocado, and serve the beans at room temperature, with chopped avocado on top or mixed throughout the salad. 

And at the moment, I’m feeling a little sluggish/tired but for the most part pretty good.  

Day 1: Giving the Green Monster a try

I decided to give the green monster smoothie fad a try (hence why I bought all the spinach).  I figured I should go right to the source, the person behind making green monsters a fad - Ms. OhSheGlows for my first one.  

I went with the more basic of versions - start out simple right?  And I have to say, it was quite tasty.  

The Blueberry-Banana Green Monster
2-3 cups spinach
1/2 cup blueberries (I went with the mixed berries)
1 Tbps Flax
1 banana
1 c Almond Milk

Put everything in the blender and you’re done.  I honestly, really liked it.  

I had that at about 8am this morning.  And then left for my very first class at The Dailey Method.  Um, this class kicked my butt.  I struggled A LOT.  My feet kept cramping up, my wrist popped several times (which has never happened before) and my legs were convulsively shaking - non stop.  It was a really good workout, but man it made me realize just how much I’ve let myself get out of shape.  I’m also wondering if the green monster wasn’t enough energy before such an intense workout.  My body just didn’t want to do anything I was asking it to.  

I bought the 3 class beginner sampler, and intend to go back two more times this week.  Here’s to hoping it gets a little better!  I hate being the weakest link in the class!       

Cleansing my soul.

…and hopefully my stomach.

After doing a little research I decided against doing a full on juice cleanse, and instead decided to clean out my fridge and pantry (which were both practically dry anyway) and start over new with all fresh fruits, veggies, and non-processed foods.  No starches, no dairy, and very little bread.  Basically, I looked up “superfoods” and created my list for shopping.  I spent $100 and I’m hoping that will get me through two weeks.  I plan to record my recipes, the way I am feeling, etc… here so I can keep a record of what might be irritating the ‘ole tum tum, but also, just so I can remember what exactly I did.  This might be a boring follow.  You are welcome to unfollow.  

Here’s the breakdown. 

What I already had that got to stay:

2 cans black beans
1 can pumpkin 
1 can coconut milk
1/2 bag pecans
1 bag pine nuts
1/2 bag dry chick peas
organic crunchy peanut butter
brown rice
rice noodles and spring roll wrappers
1 box whole Wheat Cous Cous
1 bag frozen peas
1 lb ground Turkey
a few lemons and limes
a small amount of green romaine lettuce
rosemary and Thyme
popcorn
Flax Seeds 

What I can home with:

bananas
2 avocados
2 bags of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
Broccoli 
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Baby Bella Mushrooms
2 Red Bell Pepper
1 bag whole carrots
4 Shallots
2  bags Spinach
1 bag Kale
3 Lemons
Cilantro
Almond Milk
Pumpkin Seeds (shell on, unsalted)
Raw whole Cashews
Sesame Seed Crackers
Rolled Oats
1 bar dark chocolate
2 wild sockeye salmon filet

I’ve got some recipes picked out, I’ve got chickpeas and cashews soaking in water, and so far the first day has started out fairly well.  I’m actually really excited to focus on my eating for a few weeks.  Here goes nothing!

Creamy Fennel and Potato Soup

I woke up this morning in the mood to cook.  More specifically, cook some soup.  Shocker.  Looking through the fridge I currently had an abundance of potatos due to my CSA (Neighborgood Foods - look ‘em up!), so potato soup seemed like the best use of what I had.  

I’ve also been trying to get myself to cook with new foods, meaning foods I’ve never cooked with before.  Fennel falls into that category.  It always kind of intimidated me, and I only recently learned what it looked like (it and bok choy are always next to each other in the produce stand and I never knew which was which).

I found this recipe on epicurious, and all I really had to pick up at the store was fennel.  

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups coarsly chopped cored fresh fennel bulbs (from about 4 large), fronds reserved
2 medium onions
8 onces white-skinned potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups (or more) low salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, finely crushed
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon 

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel bulbs, onions, and potatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Add 4 cups broth and 2 teaspoons lemon juice; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, bring cream, fennel seeds, and tarragon to boil in heavy small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes so that flavors blend.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream mixture. Simmer until flavors blend, thinning with more broth if desired, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)

Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds and serve.

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My variations:

I added a turnip and 2 gloves of garlic with the fennel, onions and potatoes.  I also then added another cup of chicken broth to make up for the extra ingredients, and I substituted whipping cream for half and half.  

I also browned up some sage sausage and tossed on top to make the soup a little heartier, but I kept the sausage on the side.  This way I can throw the sausage on for a dinner entree, or keep it sausage free for a lighter lunch.

Topped with some Toscano cheese and paired with a crusty whole grain roll and a slab of Irish Butter, this dinner was really quite yummy and I’m looking forward to some variations throughout the week.  

And if you’re worried about the amount of fennel that this recipe calls for and the end result being too “anise” for your liking, rest assured, I was worried about the same thing but it’s very subtle in flavor.  

Look how pretty the cream with the fennel seeds and dried tarragon is:

The final product, which doesn’t look quite as lovely as the photo above from epicurious’s site, but still good in taste:

For Dessert: I’ve got a Hot Toddy waiting for me.