Monday, February 21, 2011
Join us for Yoga with the crew from Lululemon!!!
Join the crew from Lululemon www.lululemon.com/richmond/richmond at Richmond Balance on Tuesday, Feb 22nd for Yoga. Class starts at 7pm! $10 drop in fee. We are located at 1806 East Main Street. Hope to see you there!!!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 24 (Final Blog)
DAY 24: the final entry
Today was the day of reckoning: my check-in with the nutritionist. It did not go as I had hoped. When I explained to her that I was still not feeling better, she recommended that I continue my detox. For 4 to 6 weeks. Oh. Dear. Lord. Apparently, some people have to do it for 6 months before feeling better, but because I’m young (31) and relatively new to this issue (4 years), she doesn’t think it’ll take that long. I had my eyes set on some delicious treats on Friday, though. Guess that plan is out the window.
Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with the next month and a half of detox adventures. My diet has gotten pretty boring – lots of repetition, you’ll notice, as I tend to stick with what works, -- so I feel like this blog has run its course. Some final observations:
• The hardest part of detoxing is being around food you can’t eat. Eat at home if at all possible.
• You can eat great food on detox, provided you cook at home. Many detox recipes are worth incorporating into your regular diet.
• One glass of wine won’t hurt you. Three will decimate you.
• You may surprise yourself with your willpower. I generally have no self-control but once committed to the detox diet, I was able to stick with it pretty well. Even with free cupcakes at work.
Hope I’ve provided some helpful insight and/or good recipes over the last few weeks. So long. My journey continues…
Today was the day of reckoning: my check-in with the nutritionist. It did not go as I had hoped. When I explained to her that I was still not feeling better, she recommended that I continue my detox. For 4 to 6 weeks. Oh. Dear. Lord. Apparently, some people have to do it for 6 months before feeling better, but because I’m young (31) and relatively new to this issue (4 years), she doesn’t think it’ll take that long. I had my eyes set on some delicious treats on Friday, though. Guess that plan is out the window.
Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with the next month and a half of detox adventures. My diet has gotten pretty boring – lots of repetition, you’ll notice, as I tend to stick with what works, -- so I feel like this blog has run its course. Some final observations:
• The hardest part of detoxing is being around food you can’t eat. Eat at home if at all possible.
• You can eat great food on detox, provided you cook at home. Many detox recipes are worth incorporating into your regular diet.
• One glass of wine won’t hurt you. Three will decimate you.
• You may surprise yourself with your willpower. I generally have no self-control but once committed to the detox diet, I was able to stick with it pretty well. Even with free cupcakes at work.
Hope I’ve provided some helpful insight and/or good recipes over the last few weeks. So long. My journey continues…
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 23
DAY 23
I’m eschewing Super Bowl parties so as to avoid all those tempting snacks. Though I did go to the grocery store hungry today and bought a handful of those fruity straw snacks. They’re processed, I know, but I’m not going to worry about it. Could be much, much worse. As I near the end of detox, I find myself tempted by all sorts of things – ice cream, Snickers bars, frozen pizza. So if I splurge on a fruity, twisty thing (okay, five fruity, twisty things), I figure I’m doing okay.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Lunch
Salad greens, rice, beans, chicken, guacamole
Snack
All-natural fruit snacks
Dinner
Lentil soup
I’m eschewing Super Bowl parties so as to avoid all those tempting snacks. Though I did go to the grocery store hungry today and bought a handful of those fruity straw snacks. They’re processed, I know, but I’m not going to worry about it. Could be much, much worse. As I near the end of detox, I find myself tempted by all sorts of things – ice cream, Snickers bars, frozen pizza. So if I splurge on a fruity, twisty thing (okay, five fruity, twisty things), I figure I’m doing okay.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Lunch
Salad greens, rice, beans, chicken, guacamole
Snack
All-natural fruit snacks
Dinner
Lentil soup
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 22
DAY 22
I’ve eaten out a lot this week (particularly considering I’m on detox) and I’ve learned some interesting things. One, I can usually safely eat only about 1 or 2 items on the menu, so it’s very, very limited. Two, I’m usually happy with what I get anyways. Yesterday, I had dinner at Stronghill Dining Co. and though it was tough to pass on the bread (and the wine), I was perfectly happy with my roasted chicken and sides. Tonight, I had dinner at Aziza’s on Main (a neighborhood joint that is quickly becoming one of my favorites) and it, too, was really delicious. In both cases, I had to ask them to leave off the butter sauce, and in both cases, I didn’t miss the butter sauce one bit. When you think about all the calories and fat you’re saving without that sauce…I think I’ll be making a habit of this.
Another observation: in my “real”, aka non-detox, life, I am the first one to go for fried chicken, grilled cheese, chicken pot pie – all those delicious comfort foods that warm you up on a cold winter night. But since I have to pass on all those things nowadays, I’ve realized that I’m rarely as uncomfortably full as my dinner companions at the end of a meal – even though I eat plenty and feel perfectly satisfied with my meal. And I rarely wake up with that still-full feeling where it takes you half a day to get hungry again. I don’t have the willpower to resist temptations all the time in my “real” life – but I should really try to do it more often if it means feeling like this. Which feels pretty great, actually.
Oh, also, I cheated and had a glass of red wine. Just one. It was divine.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with banana and peanut butter (2 slices)
Lunch
White bean tuna salad
Rice crackers
Apple
Snack
Apple cider
Dinner
Green salad
Pan-fried haddock
Root veggies
Glass of red wine
I’ve eaten out a lot this week (particularly considering I’m on detox) and I’ve learned some interesting things. One, I can usually safely eat only about 1 or 2 items on the menu, so it’s very, very limited. Two, I’m usually happy with what I get anyways. Yesterday, I had dinner at Stronghill Dining Co. and though it was tough to pass on the bread (and the wine), I was perfectly happy with my roasted chicken and sides. Tonight, I had dinner at Aziza’s on Main (a neighborhood joint that is quickly becoming one of my favorites) and it, too, was really delicious. In both cases, I had to ask them to leave off the butter sauce, and in both cases, I didn’t miss the butter sauce one bit. When you think about all the calories and fat you’re saving without that sauce…I think I’ll be making a habit of this.
Another observation: in my “real”, aka non-detox, life, I am the first one to go for fried chicken, grilled cheese, chicken pot pie – all those delicious comfort foods that warm you up on a cold winter night. But since I have to pass on all those things nowadays, I’ve realized that I’m rarely as uncomfortably full as my dinner companions at the end of a meal – even though I eat plenty and feel perfectly satisfied with my meal. And I rarely wake up with that still-full feeling where it takes you half a day to get hungry again. I don’t have the willpower to resist temptations all the time in my “real” life – but I should really try to do it more often if it means feeling like this. Which feels pretty great, actually.
Oh, also, I cheated and had a glass of red wine. Just one. It was divine.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with banana and peanut butter (2 slices)
Lunch
White bean tuna salad
Rice crackers
Apple
Snack
Apple cider
Dinner
Green salad
Pan-fried haddock
Root veggies
Glass of red wine
Monday, February 14, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 21
DAY 21
I’m obviously a creature of habit as I’ve had white bean and tuna salad for about half of my total detox meals, but it’s delicious and I’m not sick of it, so I’m going with it. Not sure if I should be eating so much tuna (mercury – more guilt) so I may have to substitute a different fish in the future.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad greens with white bean tuna salad
Rice crackers
Dinner
Roasted chicken breast
Green beans
Red beans and rice
Snack
Apple
I’m obviously a creature of habit as I’ve had white bean and tuna salad for about half of my total detox meals, but it’s delicious and I’m not sick of it, so I’m going with it. Not sure if I should be eating so much tuna (mercury – more guilt) so I may have to substitute a different fish in the future.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad greens with white bean tuna salad
Rice crackers
Dinner
Roasted chicken breast
Green beans
Red beans and rice
Snack
Apple
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 19 & 20
DAY 19
Ate at Couscous tonight and it wasn’t as good as I’d remembered. Bummer. I was also really limited in what I could eat because a lot of Middle Eastern food is made with tomatoes. The tomato thing is actually really limiting. Frustrating.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Half millet-flax spinach pie
Baby greens with white bean tuna salad
Coconut water
Dinner
Curried cauliflower
Baked white fish
Jasmine rice
DAY 20
Made a super-delicious dinner tonight. Most of my super-delicious dinners involve roasted sweet potatoes and I tend to eat about half the tray immediately after I take it out of the oven, so I’m almost too stuffed to eat anything else. This is a common occurrence. This time, I made room for the main course – baked orange roughy – because it was simple and yummy.
During recipe Googling, I found out that orange roughy is overfished, so I probably won’t make this again, but will use the same technique for tilapia and other more sustainable white fish. (I hate finding out that favorite fish are in danger of extinction, but I have a terrible guilt complex about eating them once I know they are. Makes it hard to enjoy them, so what’s the point?)
You can find out more here: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=14
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with banana and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Half millet-flax spinach pie
Salad greens with white bean tuna salad
Dinner
Roasted sweet potato
Baked orange roughy (olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika – bake at 375 for 15 min. Done.)
Ate at Couscous tonight and it wasn’t as good as I’d remembered. Bummer. I was also really limited in what I could eat because a lot of Middle Eastern food is made with tomatoes. The tomato thing is actually really limiting. Frustrating.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Half millet-flax spinach pie
Baby greens with white bean tuna salad
Coconut water
Dinner
Curried cauliflower
Baked white fish
Jasmine rice
DAY 20
Made a super-delicious dinner tonight. Most of my super-delicious dinners involve roasted sweet potatoes and I tend to eat about half the tray immediately after I take it out of the oven, so I’m almost too stuffed to eat anything else. This is a common occurrence. This time, I made room for the main course – baked orange roughy – because it was simple and yummy.
During recipe Googling, I found out that orange roughy is overfished, so I probably won’t make this again, but will use the same technique for tilapia and other more sustainable white fish. (I hate finding out that favorite fish are in danger of extinction, but I have a terrible guilt complex about eating them once I know they are. Makes it hard to enjoy them, so what’s the point?)
You can find out more here: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=14
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with banana and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Half millet-flax spinach pie
Salad greens with white bean tuna salad
Dinner
Roasted sweet potato
Baked orange roughy (olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika – bake at 375 for 15 min. Done.)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 18
DAY 18
Sushi again tonight. Had the realization that gluten-free tamari sauce is still a soy product, so had to give that up. Also ginger salad has soy, so that had to go. Too. I ended up trying a delicious cucumber salad that was basically cucumbers, onions, rice vinegar. I’m going to try to replicate that at home.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
White bean and tuna salad (I’m obsessed)
Snack
Banana
Apple
Dinner
Cucumber salad
Sushi
Sushi again tonight. Had the realization that gluten-free tamari sauce is still a soy product, so had to give that up. Also ginger salad has soy, so that had to go. Too. I ended up trying a delicious cucumber salad that was basically cucumbers, onions, rice vinegar. I’m going to try to replicate that at home.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
White bean and tuna salad (I’m obsessed)
Snack
Banana
Apple
Dinner
Cucumber salad
Sushi
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 17
DAY 17
Tonight’s dinner had potential, but didn’t really work out. I was trying millet for the first time – it’s a protein-packed grain like quinoa with a similar texture – and I figured it would make for a good Meatless Monday meal. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the necessary herbs or veggies and it ended up tasting kind of bland. I like the idea of millet, though; I’ll try it again in the future. Just with a recipe instead of winging it.
I feel like I should have mentioned this before, but there are a few good websites I turn to for allergen-free cooking. The first is Gluten-Free Goddess. She has great recipes, although some of them can be more involved than you want them to be. But she often makes suggestions for dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, etc., which is nice.
The second (don’t laugh) is Gwyneth Paltrow’s website, Goop. In December, she included links to a couple detox websites (she was semi-hawking her detox guru’s program, which you pay for, but the recipes are free, so I took advantage). There are some great, easy recipes that I’ll be incorporating into my regular diet in the future. I highly recommend both.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with red onions, capers, salmon
Garlic chipc
Dinner
Millet with mushrooms and onions
Tonight’s dinner had potential, but didn’t really work out. I was trying millet for the first time – it’s a protein-packed grain like quinoa with a similar texture – and I figured it would make for a good Meatless Monday meal. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the necessary herbs or veggies and it ended up tasting kind of bland. I like the idea of millet, though; I’ll try it again in the future. Just with a recipe instead of winging it.
I feel like I should have mentioned this before, but there are a few good websites I turn to for allergen-free cooking. The first is Gluten-Free Goddess. She has great recipes, although some of them can be more involved than you want them to be. But she often makes suggestions for dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, etc., which is nice.
The second (don’t laugh) is Gwyneth Paltrow’s website, Goop. In December, she included links to a couple detox websites (she was semi-hawking her detox guru’s program, which you pay for, but the recipes are free, so I took advantage). There are some great, easy recipes that I’ll be incorporating into my regular diet in the future. I highly recommend both.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with red onions, capers, salmon
Garlic chipc
Dinner
Millet with mushrooms and onions
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 16
DAY 16
My nutritionist warned me that drinking on detox is a bad idea because the hangover is intense. She was right. Drinking on detox is a BAD IDEA. I had 3 1/3 drinks at the show and I woke up feeling like I drank 3 1/3 bottles of wine. It was horrendous.
After languishing in bed ‘til noon, I finally got up, but only for the promise of food. We went to Lulu’s for lunch and, let me tell you, that brunch menu is amazing. I can’t wait to go back and try huevos rancheros, tamales with fried eggs, Mexican frittatas…yum. In the meantime, they were very amenable and made me the salmon bagel plate without the bagel or the cream cheese. I also treated myself to fried plantains. I know it’s not in the spirit of things to be eating fried food, but it’s a fried fruit. Could be worse. And I needed a pick-me-up today. They were delish.
MENU
Morning
Coconut water (super hydrating and refreshing, particularly if you don’t like drinking water like me)
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
Watercress, red onion, capers, asparagus, smoke salmon
Fried plantains
Snack
Apple cider
Dinner
Salad with grapes, apples
My nutritionist warned me that drinking on detox is a bad idea because the hangover is intense. She was right. Drinking on detox is a BAD IDEA. I had 3 1/3 drinks at the show and I woke up feeling like I drank 3 1/3 bottles of wine. It was horrendous.
After languishing in bed ‘til noon, I finally got up, but only for the promise of food. We went to Lulu’s for lunch and, let me tell you, that brunch menu is amazing. I can’t wait to go back and try huevos rancheros, tamales with fried eggs, Mexican frittatas…yum. In the meantime, they were very amenable and made me the salmon bagel plate without the bagel or the cream cheese. I also treated myself to fried plantains. I know it’s not in the spirit of things to be eating fried food, but it’s a fried fruit. Could be worse. And I needed a pick-me-up today. They were delish.
MENU
Morning
Coconut water (super hydrating and refreshing, particularly if you don’t like drinking water like me)
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
Watercress, red onion, capers, asparagus, smoke salmon
Fried plantains
Snack
Apple cider
Dinner
Salad with grapes, apples
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 15
DAY 15
So, today was the day I knew I’d be cheating from the very beginning. I went to Girl Talk at the National (awesome) and I decided in advance that I was going to allow myself three drinks. I had two glasses of wine at dinner and then ordered two beers at the show. The first one I consumed safely, the majority of the second wound up down my shirt when an overeager fan backed up into me. I guess it serves me right for going over my predetermined limit.
We ate at Belvidere on Broad, which is super friendly to gluten-free folks, vegetarians and vegans. Unfortunately, all of my limitations made it somewhat difficult so I ended up with a white-bean turkey burger on gluten-free bread with avocado. It was very sad looking compared to my friends’ entrees. But, hey, at least I could eat.
Before that, I had a late lunch at Café Gutenberg. Not so gluten-friendly but I worked my way around the menu. If you go there, you must get the sweet potato fries. You must.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
Sweet potato fries
Beet and spinach salad
Dinner
Turkey white bean burger with GF bun and avocado
Wine/beer
So, today was the day I knew I’d be cheating from the very beginning. I went to Girl Talk at the National (awesome) and I decided in advance that I was going to allow myself three drinks. I had two glasses of wine at dinner and then ordered two beers at the show. The first one I consumed safely, the majority of the second wound up down my shirt when an overeager fan backed up into me. I guess it serves me right for going over my predetermined limit.
We ate at Belvidere on Broad, which is super friendly to gluten-free folks, vegetarians and vegans. Unfortunately, all of my limitations made it somewhat difficult so I ended up with a white-bean turkey burger on gluten-free bread with avocado. It was very sad looking compared to my friends’ entrees. But, hey, at least I could eat.
Before that, I had a late lunch at Café Gutenberg. Not so gluten-friendly but I worked my way around the menu. If you go there, you must get the sweet potato fries. You must.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Lunch
Sweet potato fries
Beet and spinach salad
Dinner
Turkey white bean burger with GF bun and avocado
Wine/beer
Monday, February 7, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 14
DAY 14
At the very beginning of this blog, I mentioned (I think) how important it is to think ahead so you’re not caught in a pinch with nothing to eat. If I forgot to mention, it is. Important, that is. This week caught me unprepared and I ended up having the weirdest eating day today, which made for a weird day in general.
I didn’t have any lunch items in my fridge – I was out of good protein, my greens were wilty and I was down to my last apple. So, since I was running late for work (again), I just grabbed the apple, some crackers and to-go packet of peanut butter. I was starving by the time I left work. I swung by Fresca on Addison and was delighted to find they had curried veggies with brown rice. It was pretty tasty. They didn’t mention that they put potatoes in the mix, but I just ate around them. I’m excited to go back and eat there when my diet isn’t so limited.
Anyways, I ended eating lunch at 3 p.m. so wasn’t really hungry for dinner so had plain ol’ black beans and rice. Not much of a dinner at all.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free oatmeal with nuts
Snack
Apple
Gluten-free crackers with peanut butter
Lunch
Brown rice with curried veggies
Dinner
Black beans and rice
At the very beginning of this blog, I mentioned (I think) how important it is to think ahead so you’re not caught in a pinch with nothing to eat. If I forgot to mention, it is. Important, that is. This week caught me unprepared and I ended up having the weirdest eating day today, which made for a weird day in general.
I didn’t have any lunch items in my fridge – I was out of good protein, my greens were wilty and I was down to my last apple. So, since I was running late for work (again), I just grabbed the apple, some crackers and to-go packet of peanut butter. I was starving by the time I left work. I swung by Fresca on Addison and was delighted to find they had curried veggies with brown rice. It was pretty tasty. They didn’t mention that they put potatoes in the mix, but I just ate around them. I’m excited to go back and eat there when my diet isn’t so limited.
Anyways, I ended eating lunch at 3 p.m. so wasn’t really hungry for dinner so had plain ol’ black beans and rice. Not much of a dinner at all.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free oatmeal with nuts
Snack
Apple
Gluten-free crackers with peanut butter
Lunch
Brown rice with curried veggies
Dinner
Black beans and rice
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 13
DAY 13
Got takeout from Thai Diner II because I happened to be in Carytown. Turns out they have a gluten-free menu! Love that.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Brown rice tortilla with salmon and veggies
Snack
Gluten-free garlic crackers
Dinner
Chicken, ginger, veggies and jasmine rice
Got takeout from Thai Diner II because I happened to be in Carytown. Turns out they have a gluten-free menu! Love that.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free bread with peanut butter and banana
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Brown rice tortilla with salmon and veggies
Snack
Gluten-free garlic crackers
Dinner
Chicken, ginger, veggies and jasmine rice
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 11 & 12
DAY 11
Today’s dinner was just about the best one I’ve had in awhile and everything was super simple. I made my two favorite veggies – roasted sweet potatoes and pan-cooked brussel sprouts. So easy and SO good. The interesting thing is that I discovered these two veggies in the last couple of years – we never had them growing up. I think I’ve been making up for lost time. I eat them all the time now.
Took a look at the “good” list tonight and realized that it doesn’t say I can eat dried apricots, only fresh ones. They’ve become my go-to snack and I have a feeling I’m not supposed to be eating the. Just a feeling. Damn.
MENU
Monday
Gluten free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with chicken
Snack
Dried apricots
Almonds
Dinner
Salmon
Roasted sweet potatoes (cut them into half-inch chunks, stir them up with olive oil, salt, pepper and Tony’s creole seasoning. Pop them in the oven at 375 for about 30 or 40 minutes – you need to watch them to make sure they don’t dry up or burn.)
Pan-cooked brussel sprouts (cut them in half, stir them up with olive oil and salt, place them cut-side down in a covered pan until they are golden brown and you can easily cut them with a knife – about 12 min – flip them over, remove cover and let them cook for about 8 more min. The caramelized bits are the best part.)
DAY 12
You’ll notice I eat gluten-free cereal just about every day. Thought I’d share my favorite preparation. First of all, my go-to cereal is Eco-planet Organics Gluten-free Hot Cereal. It’s made with a combination of grains – buckwheat, amaranth, millet, brown rice, etc. – and you can find it at Whole Foods and Martins. Ellwoods sometimes carries it but not regularly, which frustrates me to no end. My usual is the Maple and Brown Sugar – it’s just sweet enough.
Since I’m off sugar, I’ve been making do with the Original flavor, but it needs some sprucing up to be palatable. I use banana – it softens when you add hot water and becomes almost dessert-like – and nuts, either walnuts or almonds. I also doctor it up with A LOT of spice – cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, which includes nutmeg and other spices. It needs it. You could also cook up some spiced apples to add to the oatmeal but I never have that much time in the morning.
Overall, it’s pretty tasty and it’ll keep you full for a long time. That’s the best part.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with teriyaki chicken
Gluten-free garlic chips
Snack
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter
Dinner
Millet/flax spinach pie with artichoke spread
Dried apricots
Today’s dinner was just about the best one I’ve had in awhile and everything was super simple. I made my two favorite veggies – roasted sweet potatoes and pan-cooked brussel sprouts. So easy and SO good. The interesting thing is that I discovered these two veggies in the last couple of years – we never had them growing up. I think I’ve been making up for lost time. I eat them all the time now.
Took a look at the “good” list tonight and realized that it doesn’t say I can eat dried apricots, only fresh ones. They’ve become my go-to snack and I have a feeling I’m not supposed to be eating the. Just a feeling. Damn.
MENU
Monday
Gluten free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with chicken
Snack
Dried apricots
Almonds
Dinner
Salmon
Roasted sweet potatoes (cut them into half-inch chunks, stir them up with olive oil, salt, pepper and Tony’s creole seasoning. Pop them in the oven at 375 for about 30 or 40 minutes – you need to watch them to make sure they don’t dry up or burn.)
Pan-cooked brussel sprouts (cut them in half, stir them up with olive oil and salt, place them cut-side down in a covered pan until they are golden brown and you can easily cut them with a knife – about 12 min – flip them over, remove cover and let them cook for about 8 more min. The caramelized bits are the best part.)
DAY 12
You’ll notice I eat gluten-free cereal just about every day. Thought I’d share my favorite preparation. First of all, my go-to cereal is Eco-planet Organics Gluten-free Hot Cereal. It’s made with a combination of grains – buckwheat, amaranth, millet, brown rice, etc. – and you can find it at Whole Foods and Martins. Ellwoods sometimes carries it but not regularly, which frustrates me to no end. My usual is the Maple and Brown Sugar – it’s just sweet enough.
Since I’m off sugar, I’ve been making do with the Original flavor, but it needs some sprucing up to be palatable. I use banana – it softens when you add hot water and becomes almost dessert-like – and nuts, either walnuts or almonds. I also doctor it up with A LOT of spice – cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, which includes nutmeg and other spices. It needs it. You could also cook up some spiced apples to add to the oatmeal but I never have that much time in the morning.
Overall, it’s pretty tasty and it’ll keep you full for a long time. That’s the best part.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free cereal with bananas and walnuts
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Salad with teriyaki chicken
Gluten-free garlic chips
Snack
Gluten-free banana bread with peanut butter
Dinner
Millet/flax spinach pie with artichoke spread
Dried apricots
Thursday, February 3, 2011
I Challenge You
I'm not sure about you guys but my workout resolution is going quite well. I'm in the gym at least 5 days a week, devoting a minimum of one hour each time. I'm using more free weights and experimenting with new exercises. I even bust my butt on the elliptical today. I do have one problem though....my diet. I love a good workout, a two hour sweat session where my hair is soaked, my clothes are soaked and I can barely stand up straight in the shower afterwards. I also love a two hour food fest. And there goes my workout. Here's the problem though. It's the quality of the food I eat that is the biggest problem. I am addicted to these pudge free all natural brownies. Somehow all natural made me think it was OK. I also am addicted to these all natural jumbo low calorie muffins. Bread. I love it. I could subsist on bread alone. So this week I am cutting out bread. I am not cutting out carbs, just bread. I will still eat some pasta, but I'll be putting my peanut butter on a banana or apple instead of toast. I am hoping that I will be toting around a less puffy, Pillsbury dough boyish version of myself next week.
Is your workout resolution going well but the diet not so much? Remember baby steps. Challenge yourself to cut out bread for just a week and see how you feel. Don't tell yourself you can never eat bread again, just do a week trial. Maybe at the end of the week you will go forward by refusing the bread basket at a restaurant but allowing whole wheat toast at breakfast. This is what I am hoping will happen to me. I'll learn the difference between good and bad and choose accordingly. I will slip up at some point, everyone does. Then we try again.
Is your workout resolution going well but the diet not so much? Remember baby steps. Challenge yourself to cut out bread for just a week and see how you feel. Don't tell yourself you can never eat bread again, just do a week trial. Maybe at the end of the week you will go forward by refusing the bread basket at a restaurant but allowing whole wheat toast at breakfast. This is what I am hoping will happen to me. I'll learn the difference between good and bad and choose accordingly. I will slip up at some point, everyone does. Then we try again.
Member Detox Blog- Day 10
DAY 10
My other treat to myself is Starbucks apple cider, ordered sans spices or caramel. It’s basically steamed apple juice but it’s oh-so-good on a cold winter’s day when you’re missing your steaming caramel latte. Things have really changed when apple juice is the biggest treat of your day.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free hot cereal with bananas, walnuts and spices
Snack
Starbucks apple cider
Lunch
Mixed greens with white bean salad
Snack
Dried apricots
Almonds
Dinner
Brown rice
Chicken
Mixed greens
My other treat to myself is Starbucks apple cider, ordered sans spices or caramel. It’s basically steamed apple juice but it’s oh-so-good on a cold winter’s day when you’re missing your steaming caramel latte. Things have really changed when apple juice is the biggest treat of your day.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free hot cereal with bananas, walnuts and spices
Snack
Starbucks apple cider
Lunch
Mixed greens with white bean salad
Snack
Dried apricots
Almonds
Dinner
Brown rice
Chicken
Mixed greens
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 9
DAY 9
Had dinner at the in-laws tonight and I was excited because it seemed like everything was safe. Got home and had very upset stomach. Not sure what that was about, but it was a bummer.
MENU
Morning
Puffed rice cereal with banana and almond milk
Lunch
Brown rice tortilla with hummus and veggies
Snack
Dried apricots
Dinner
Rice pilaf
Roasted chicken
Spinach salad
Fruit salad
Had dinner at the in-laws tonight and I was excited because it seemed like everything was safe. Got home and had very upset stomach. Not sure what that was about, but it was a bummer.
MENU
Morning
Puffed rice cereal with banana and almond milk
Lunch
Brown rice tortilla with hummus and veggies
Snack
Dried apricots
Dinner
Rice pilaf
Roasted chicken
Spinach salad
Fruit salad
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Member Detox Blog- Day 8
DAY 8
Ate out twice today and think I successfully avoided all bad things at at least one of them. Didn’t realize miso soup was made from soybeans until I got home and did some research. Oops.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free hot cereal with bananas and almonds
Lunch
Curried vegetables with chickpeas (Mosaic)
Dinner
Miso soup
Ginger salad
Sushi with gluten-free soy sauce
Ate out twice today and think I successfully avoided all bad things at at least one of them. Didn’t realize miso soup was made from soybeans until I got home and did some research. Oops.
MENU
Morning
Gluten-free hot cereal with bananas and almonds
Lunch
Curried vegetables with chickpeas (Mosaic)
Dinner
Miso soup
Ginger salad
Sushi with gluten-free soy sauce
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