Healthy Eating for Discriminating Palates
I was very excited to try making yogurt-covered blueberries . . .
So how did they go from this . . .
. . . to this?!
Easily. Nondairy yogurt just doesn’t set up like regular yogurt. Either that, or there’s more to the ingredient list than just yogurt and blueberries that companies use to make them turn out like this . . .
Has anyone had luck making these with nondairy yogurt? Do share!
Anyway, they certainly made great smoothies.
Me and my hegans ventured downtown recently and as I was going through a local coupon book, I came a across Luscious Nectar coupon for a free smoothie. We had never been there, so we really had no idea what to expect. Turns out, it’s a bar/nightclub specializing in boozed up smoothies. They also have a list of non-alcoholic concoctions as well—which is what we were after that day. It’s located at 253 Linden Street here in Fort Collins. We went around lunchtime and it was pretty dead except for some people at the bar.
There is some pretty crazy photography/artwork on the walls, much of it very unkid-friendly. We had to find a table where the Seventh Grader didn’t have a clear view of womens’ breasts or horror movie-like images. Anyway, there was only one guy working this afternoon—apparently, an employee didn’t show up, so our order took quite a while.
We started out with three smoothies: The Acai Chill, Amazon Jungle, and Luscious Peach.
Acai Chill: acai berry, strawberry, banana, and apple. Amazon Jungle: Organic Amazon cherry, blueberry, and pineapple. Luscious Peach: Peach, banana, apple, and Madhava agave. We each thought our smoothies were delicious.
Since the wait on the food was going to be a while due to lack of kitchen help, the server/bartender brought us some tortilla chips and salsa to munch on.
The guys ordered vegetarian pizzas and I went with the Garden Spring Rolls with quinoa, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, and sprouts wrapped in rice paper with a wasabi-peanut sauce.
Even though it took 45 minutes (plus, we were the only ones eating food in the place) it was well-worth the wait. I was really impressed with them. I enjoyed the quinoa and cabbage—a change from rice noodles. The guys loved their pizzas, too.
And since The Husband forgot to use the coupon when he paid, it’ll be a good excuse to head over there again for a mid-day smoothie the next time we’re downtown.
So I did about 6.5 days of the reboot and I feel GREAT! I won’t lie . . . it wasn’t easy, but it was well-worth it. I’ve lost about 6 pounds, too. This reboot is a great way to jump start you into healthier eating habits. As much as I loved my vino, I actually didn’t miss it since there were so many other things I couldn’t eat. I discovered new foods and learned to love those green smoothies every morning. I also really loved this mango-strawberry-pineapple-avocado smoothie:
This morning, we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants, The Rainbow.
Restaurant breakfasts can be tough since most items have egg, milk and meat in them. But The Rainbow offers some great vegan items.
As you can see . . . about 98% of the vegan items on the breakfast menu are under “Light & Healthy.” Hmmm . . . what does that tell you? đŸ˜‰ Anyway, I usually get Dan’s Groatmeal. It’s amazing! It’s a bowl full of oatmeal, granola, fruit and you can order soy milk to go with it. I highly recommend it! Oh—and they also make a vegan coffeecake that is to die for!!
One thing this reboot taught me, was that I needed a new blender. Mine sucked. I had an old Hamilton Beach and the only good thing about it, was the pitcher was glass. That’s how old it was. Anyway, I went shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond and after talking with the electronics guy who went through all the specs of all the blenders, I settled on the Ninja.
This thing is amazing and highly satisfying to use. For $80 (I used one of their 20% off coupons), it comes with a 1000 watts and features a vertical 3-blade system. It crushes ice like nobody’s business. When I fired it up to make smoothies for a picnic this afternoon, The Husband remarked that it sounded like a jet plane taking off. The Seventh Grader joked, “I thought ninjas were supposed to be quiet.”
Mango-Strawberry-Cherry smoothies
For the picnic, I also made some hummus and crock cheez and instead of eating them with bread or crackers, we brought cucumber slices, celery, and yellow & red bell peppers with us.
We also picked up some noodles with sesame oil, cucumber, and cilantro from Whole Foods.
It’s been a delicious day . . . and Moe enjoyed the picnic, too.
It’s the morning of day 5 of my Reboot and I feel great, especially since I’m even down 5 pounds! I definitely don’t feel as weak and tired as the last few days, not as hungry either. Mentally, I feel clearer and less foggy–able to concentrate longer. Last night we went and saw Harry Potter and we usually go for some popcorn . . . I know, terrible (btw, did you know (according to the latest VegNews mag) that a large movie popcorn–without butter–is 1,050 calories?!) Anyway, the boys finished a vat of popcorn before the movie even started, but I wasn’t tempted to eat any. Wow. That never happens! I’m determined to continue this reboot through Sunday and after that, I plan on making a lot of changes, such as no alcohol, little oil, little gluten, and very little processed foods. That’s the goal at least.
Yesterday, I had a class at the NCW and then worked in the studio for the afternoon, so I needed to come prepared. With salty snacks and soda in the fridge just ten feet from me, I had to arm myself with good food. I made a salad, packed some jicama, yellow bell peppers, and mushrooms and dipped them in dressing. The dressing recipes are from the JointheReboot site. Having both dressings changes things up—it’s great so that you don’t get sick of one.
Ginger-Honey (Agave)-Soy Dressing and Agave-Mustard Dressing
Ginger-Agave-Soy Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Ginger
2 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Garlic
2 Tbsp. Raw Honey (I used agave)
4 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu or Tamari
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Combine all ingredients in a shaker.
Mustard-Agave Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp. Honey (I used agave)
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 Tbsp. Sea or Celtic salt
1/8 Tbsp. coarsely Ground Black Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a shaker.
For dinner, I made sweet potato “fries” also from the Reboot site. They were delicious!
INGREDIENTS:
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into sticks or crescents
1 tsp olive oil
A couple pinches of sea salt
A couple pinches of black pepper
A couple pinches of cumin
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425. Combine the sweet potatoes with the rest of the ingredients and coat well.
Layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
I also made lettuce wraps:
INGREDIENTS:
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
5-6 mushrooms, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 a large tomato, diced
2 Tbs diced green chilies
3 scallions, sliced
Large lettuce leaves
Ginger-Agave-Soy Dressing
Optional: fresh mint, basil, or cilantro
Combine all the veggies and top the lettuce leaves with a couple of spoonfuls of them. Drizzle with the Ginger dressing. So good!
So this morning . . . I find that fruit smoothies are the easiest way to start the day. I blended up a mango, 1/2 a cup of fresh cherries (I removed the pits first) and about a cup of water. Awesome.
So, I’ll keep going and continue to try different recipes. I’ll keep you posted on my progress—thanks for traveling along with me!
So the first three days of a reboot are usually the worst. You’re hungry, tired, and usually suffering from headaches. You may even feel like biting someone’s head off. Just remember, feeling lousy is actually a good thing when detoxing—it means your body is expelling toxins (just try to refrain from murdering anyone).
Today’s been a good day. Yesterday . . . not so much. The Husband was ready to force feed me a burrito or two, but I mashed up an avocado with some lime juice and ate it with a handful of jicama. I admire folks who can do the all-juicing fast—I think I’d keel over after two days of it. Luckily, the reboot I’m doing allows me to eat fruits and veggies in addition to the juicing. I am also allowed to use small amounts of oils and spices. My mid-section is noticeably smaller and I’ve dropped two pounds already. No complaints there!
I started the day off with a kale-strawberry-mango smoothie. The reboot does not include nuts, so when I’m fully rebooted, I think some chia seeds would be ideal in this.
Ok, it may not look appetizing, but it is truly my favorite smoothie! Give it a whirl: 5-6 kale leaves, 5 strawberries, 1 mango, and 3/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth. đŸ™‚
After munching on salad mid-morning, for lunch, I needed something with some girth. A warm meal sounded great, too. I remembered my Potato-Leek Soup recipe, but it’s not quite acceptable for the reboot as it is . . . so I gave it a reboot of my own.
The original recipe calls for Earth Balance margarine and milk, so I needed to get creative. I added mushrooms to give it that thick and creamy texture and I also threw in some spinach. I incorporated a sweet potato and used a tablespoon of coconut oil instead of butter. LOVED it! It was exactly was I was needing to fill me up and satisfy my comfort food cravings—all with staying within the reboot guidelines!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 large sweet potato
1 tsp garlic, minced
3 medium russet potatoes or 6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 large leeks, sliced thin, then halved
2 cups mushrooms, quartered
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
5 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
salt and white pepper, to taste
fresh chives
DIRECTIONS:
In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil and add the garlic. Saute for a minute. Add the leeks and saute 5-7 minutes, or until they soften.
Add the potatoes and broth/water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes soften.
Working in batches, ladle into a food processor and add some mushrooms and spinach. Puree until smooth-ish. Transfer to a large bowl. Continue to puree the rest of the soup, adding mushrooms and spinach. Season with salt and white pepper and top with some freshly chopped chives. This was out outstanding and I didn’t miss the milk, cheese, or sour cream that the original recipe uses.
Layer, I threw together another tasty smoothie: 4 kale leaves, 1/2 a small cantaloupe, 1 pear (peeled and chopped), and 3/4 C of water.
I snacked on some salad, munched on some jicama and cherries, and for dinner, I had some more of the leftover potato-spinach soup and decaf herbal tea. I have several more recipes geared up for the next few days, so I’ll be bringing those to you soon. All in all, I feel pretty good and its get easier as I go. The key is planning. Be armed with recipes and ingredients. I recommend planning your meals in advance and spending some time chopping vegetables up ahead of time so that it’s a matter of just grabbing them when you need them. Lack of planning can easily derail you from the reboot!
