28 Day Diet Challenge - Day 21

(Sponsored by Whole Foods Market)

Trust What Your Body is Telling You

My recent heart surgery began with the day I went to the emergency room. I went to the emergency room because I knew that something wasn’t right in my body. That something turned out to be a quadruple blockage resulting in quadruple bypass surgery in order to save my life. If I had not listened to what my body was telling me, the doctors said that I would have had a ‘major event’ within a few weeks that probably would have killed me. I had been feeling symptoms for three weeks before I finally took action to face whatever it was that was causing what I was feeling. Lesson learned: Listen to your body!

It’s a medical fact that the body can change its eating habits in as little as fourteen days. As you consume larger and larger portions of health-promoting foods, your appetite for low-nutrient foods decreases and you gradually lose your addiction to fats, salt and sugar.

At this point, you’ve been at this diet for 21 days…so congratulations, you have kicked the habit of bad eating already!

Your Action Plan: Celebrate the progress and commitment you have made to the program and know that this is not a diet. Once you start eating this way, it will become a way of life and your body’s cravings and food preferences will change naturally. Your body is here to serve you – feed it right and it will take care of you!

Breakfast

• Sprouted grain bread, toasted with raw peanut butter
• Juice

Lunch

• Greens and Berries Salad with Cashew Currant Dressing
• Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup (Leftover from Day Twenty dinner)

Greens and Berries Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette 

 Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients – Blackberry Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoon blackberry preserves
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Ingredients - Salad

• 1 head (about 6 cups) romaine lettuce
• 5 ounces (about 5 cups) organic baby spinach
• 1 12-ounce bag frozen strawberries, defrosted and sliced in half

Directions

1. Boil vinegar and blackberry preserves in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar into large bowl.
2. Combine water with no salt seasoning. Whisk into vinegar, along with mustard, marjoram and garlic.
3. Pile the lettuce and spinach leaves on a plate and lay the strawberries and blueberries on top. Pour the juice from the strawberries over the greens.
4. Drizzle dressing over the greens and berries.

Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

(Leftover from Day 20 Dinner)

Dinner

• Crazy-About-Carrot Salad
• Pasta with Shrimp and Artichokes (Vegetarian substitute—Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie)
• Healthy Chocolate Pudding (or fresh fruit)

Carrot and Radish Salad

 Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 8 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup medium carrots, shredded
• 1 cup radish, julienned
• 2-3 green onion, chopped fine
• 1 shallot, diced
• Italian Dressing

Directions

1. Combine carrots, radish onion and shallot in a bowl.
2. Add a little Italian dressing, toss and let marinade for 10-15 minutes before serving, tossing every couple of minutes.

Linguine with Shrimp and Artichokes

 Serves: 4 — Prep Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 pound whole grain spaghetti
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. Heat oil/water in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, dried red pepper, and garlic powder and stir 1 minute.
2. Add canned and fresh diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts and lemon juice and simmer until sauce thickens slightly and artichokes are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
4. Meanwhile, bring sauce to a simmer. Stir in shrimp and simmer until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Add spaghetti to sauce and toss to coat. Add reserved cooking liquid as necessary if pasta is too dry.

Vegetable Shepherd's Pie 

 Serves: 6 — Prep Time: 35 minutes 

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 medium leek, chopped
• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" squares
• 1 15 oz. can of sweet green peas, low or no salt (Lesueur is great) 
• 8 oz Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon herb de Provence (dried French herbs)
• 4 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or no salt veggie soup base
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and almonds, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Bake sweet potatoes until soft, about 45 minutes. When potatoes are tender, remove to a bowl and mash.
3. Add broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, carrots, bell pepper, herb de Provence, and Mrs. Dash to a large sauté pan along with 2 cups of water.
4. Simmer until almost tender (about 10 minutes). Add spinach and toss.
5. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil
6. Add mushroom, onion and garlic to pot of veggies and drain , reserving liquid in pot.
7. Whisk cornstarch into carrot juice and whisk into boiling vegetable liquid until it thickens.
8. Add vegetables to sauce and toss to combine.
9. Divide mixture into two 8-inch pie pans. If desired, top with 1/2 cup nuts.
10. Spread sweet potatoes over the top and if desired, sprinkle with remaining nuts.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until hot and hazelnuts are light brown. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

Healthy Chocolate Pudding 

 Serves: 6 — Prep Time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1/2 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 small beet, peeled and quartered
• 2 ounces spinach
• 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 15 dates, pitted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk or low-fat milk
• 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)

Directions

1. In a covered large pot, simmer the kale, beet, Mrs. Dash, raisins and dates with 4 cups water for about 45 minutes until vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Separate beets and place in separate bowl.
3. With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the cooked vegetables. Place in high powered blender and blend until very smooth. Add remaining ingredients (except the beets) and blend to a smooth and creamy pudding consistency.
4. Add beets 1/4 at a time and blend until mixture reaches desired "chocolate" color.
5. Pour into custard cups and chill.

Note: Chocolate Pudding needs to be made ahead of time and chilled.