28 Day Diet Challenge - Day 1

(Sponsored by Whole Foods Market)

Greens are truly nature’s “superfood”, but ironically is the food most missing from our modern diets. Some of the benefits from eating dark leafy greens are:

• Prevents cancer, heart disease, diabetes
• Boosts the immune system
• Increases energy
• Helps body get rid of toxins

Your Action Plan: From this point on, have a salad every day! Start off with a large salad before dinner every night and chew all of it thoroughly.

• At first, have a salad before a meal (dinner). Later, make the salad the main dish.
• For now, it’s not about removing foods you like, so if you like chicken, have it on a bed of steamed greens as well as a nice raw salad.
• Keep it creative and fun – change the greens, change the toppings. Experiment and see what you like best.

One easy salad you can make is lettuce and tomatoes with a vinaigrette dressing and some highly nutritious beans. Beans promote fat loss and keep you very satisfied.

Breakfast

• Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal* (G)
• Orange juice

Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal

 

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup blueberries
2 apples, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine water with the vanilla and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the oats.
2. When the mixture starts to simmer, add the blueberries. Remove from heat when berries are heated through.
3. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes until thick and creamy.
4. Mix in apples, nuts, flax seeds, and raisins (if desired).

Lunch

• Whole-wheat pita stuffed with shredded romaine, sliced tomato, chopped cucumber, and avocado slices with homemade Italian Dressing

Dinner

• Tossed Green Salad with Italian Dressing
• Chunky Sweet Potato Stew*
• Braised Bok Choy*
• Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce* or fresh fruit

 

Sweet Potato Stew

Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients

1 onion, thickly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice (low or no salt)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas) or white kidney beans (low or no salt), drained
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds, or cut into bite-sized pieces
black pepper, to taste
Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning, to taste

Directions

1. Heat water in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until slightly softened, separating slices into rings. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
2. Mix in stewed tomatoes with juice, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Season to taste with pepper and/or Mrs. Dash or another no-salt seasoning.

Braised Bok Choy 

 

Serves: 4 — Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients

8 baby bok choy or 3 regular bok choy
2 cups coarsely chopped shiitake mushrooms, optional
2 large cloves garlic, chopped, optional
1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*
*Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently.

Directions

1. Cover bottom of large skillet with 1/2 inch water. Add bok choy (cut baby bok choy in half lengthwise or cut regular bok choy into chunks).
2. Drizzle with liquid aminos. Cover and cook on high heat until bok choy is tender, about 6 minutes.
3. Remove bok choy and if desired, add mushrooms and garlic to the liquid.
4. Simmer liquid until reduced to a glaze. Pour over bok choy. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce

Serves: 2 — Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients

2 pears
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2/3 cup frozen red raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon date sugar or 1 medjool date, pitted

Directions

1. Peel the pears and leave the stems attached. Drizzle with lemon juice.
2. Microwave for 4 minutes. Do not drain.
3. Blend raspberries and date sugar or dates in a high powered blender until smooth. Mix with cooking liquid.
4. Top pears with raspberry sauce.

28 Day Diet Challenge - Day 0 - Prep Day (Sponsored by Whole Foods Market)

Ahhh you thought you'd be reading recipes and jumping straight in huh? Nope. One of the most important things you can do before starting any program is to spend a day or two to “Get Ready”. Getting ready means:

• Find your motivation: You must get very clear with yourself why you want do the program. Ask yourself TWO important questions: 

• What are your weight and health goals? Be specific! Do you want to lose weight, have more energy, better skin, sleep better, reverse diabetes, etc.? Get clear on what you want to achieve for yourself and WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN! I mean physically write them down with a pencil and paper...the power of action starts here!
• Why do you want to achieve these goals? Go deep! Are you trying to be a better role model for your kids, feel better about yourself, have more energy to enjoy life, get into a bathing suit and look amazing, etc.? Knowing your true reason for doing the program will help you stay on track.

• Find a Buddy: Find someone in your life that will support you in your goals, celebrate your success and hold you accountable. This is a very important step! You're going to need someone to lean on when you are craving that Snickers bar!
• Clean out your pantry and go shopping: A healthy lifestyle starts with what you have access to, on a day-to-day basis, so go shopping and get ready to cook and eat healthy!

Your Action Plan: Clean out your pantry: Get rid of the bad foods in your pantry that will even temp you to go astray from this program...do it now!

• Remove foods that have more than 200 mg sodium per serving If you need a kick in the butt, read my article on Salt here
• Remove foods that have flour or sweeteners (e.g. sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) in the first five ingredients listed.
• Remove foods that have words you cannot pronounce in the first five ingredients listed.

 Your General Nutritarian Shopping List (Print this portion and take it with you)

• Bulk Beans, soak and dehydrate – use a variety
• Fresh greens – great as a bed for salad
• Frozen Vegetables – peas, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, etc.
• Frozen Fruits – blueberries, strawberries, etc.
• Lots of low-sugar fruits – strawberries, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits, melons, apples, lemons.
• Vinegars of your choice -- will enhance the flavors of many different foods. (Red wine, Balsamic)
• Fresh vegetables to be eaten raw – carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, snow pea pods, avocado. Pre-washed vegetables are an easy snack.
• Lots of fresh vegetables for cooking – eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, string beans, kale, spinach, onions, garlic cloves.
• Ingredients for homemade soup – celery, dill, parsley, carrots, leeks, zucchini, dried beans.
• Dehydrated vegetables and mild (salt-free) seasonings that taste great sprinkled on salad or added to soups or vegetable dishes.
• Make your own dressing – lemon, vinegars, sliced fruit, frozen fruit - nothing store bought!
• Raw nuts and seeds such as walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds – on salads or blended to make nut dressings for salads.