Smoky Black Bean Layer dip

I have followed the detox mostly today except I got coffee this morning :)))) The detox worked very well for Ambra and I! She went down a whole pant size and I lost 4 lbs. We were both starving around 2pm each day so I am going to do another detox menu mostly the same as the one this week but with more protein and afternoon snacks. We are starting back Tuesday so I will have the new menu & grocery list up by Sunday.  Thank you everyone for all the support and interest!!

In the spirit of the weekend I am going to give the recipe for Layer dip I made at Nic's bday party.

Smoky Black Bean Layer Dip
Hummus-bottom layer
2 cans black beans, 3 cloves garlic,  juice of 2 limes, 1/2 bunch cilantro, 3 TB sesame tahini, 4 TB olive oil, 2 TB flax oil
put all in a food processor and blend until smooth
guacamole-2nd layer
3 avocados, juice of 2 limes, 3 cloves garlic
layer 3
shredded low fat cheddar and aged cheddar
layer 4
romaine lettuce
Layer 5
tomatoes, 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro(chopped)

put in a clear 9x12 dish so everyone can see the layers
enjoy with chips or fresh veggies

Day 5-Final day of detox

Today is the final day of the detox. I am not going back to empty calories and packaged foods. When I started the week I felt a cold coming on but with all the hot lemon water, herbal teas, soups and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I feel great!
Issac had brought rainy, windy weather good day for herbal tea with lemon

Also, a great day for a good hearty quinoa and kale soup. The kids being out of school due to the hurricane can be a good thing.

Quinoa, Kale and Leek Soup

1 TB olive oil or grapeseed oil

4 garlic cloves

1/2 onion

4 stalks of celery chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

1 ts chopped ginger

handful baby carrots

1 leek chopped

cayenne pepper

water

1/2 strip kelp or kombu

2 sweet potatoes pealed and diced

2 potatoes pealed and diced

1 cup uncooked quinoa

package of frozen corn or fresh

big handful of kale

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion until clear. About 5 mins on medium heat. Add the garlic, celery and bell pepper cook for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, carrots, leeks and cayenne pepper. Saute for about 2 mins so the spice absorbs into the vegetables.

Add the remainder of the ingredients except the kale and corn. Cook on low heat for 20 mins

Add corn and kale cook for another 10 mins.

Make sure to wash the quinoa or it will have a soapy taste. Soak the leeks and kale so there is no dirt.

You can also add other root veggies, parsnips, turnip root or fennel(this is a strong liquorice taste which I LOVE, it also helps lose fat cells

Day 4-Addition of proteins & starches back into the diet

Today we are adding more lean proteins such as eggs, baked chicken or turkey & FISH! No fried foods, no packaged foods and no red meat. Other than that your options are endless. Well don't eat endless amounts. Keep your servings minimal about 3 oz of chicken, turkey OR fish twice a day. If you decide you are enjoying going meat free there are lots of other options such as beans, hummus, quinoa, almond butter or natural peanut butter.
We are also adding more starches, whole grain bread and sweet potatoes. Remember to check the ingredients to be sure it says "whole" wheat as the first ingredient
You can now add my favorite avocado to  your salads. They are rich in fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid.
As your are getting back into a world out of the detox be aware of what you eat. I use a calorie counting app on my phone it helps me not to eat another handful of nuts or a bite of my kids sandwich. If I have to write it down I am much less likely to eat something that isn't nutritious.
Keep up with your hot lemon tea in the mornings, green tea all day and lots of water

Ambra's Quinoa Salad

 Ambra's Super Quinoa Salad

Mix organic greens

kale

chopped tomato

cucumbers
fresh corn

 shredded carrots

sesame seeds

cilantro

all topped with the super gain QUINOA!
topped with fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Day 3 of Detox-missing my coffee

I love my coffee all morning long. It does have some beneficial properties. But with this detox I have eliminated all caffeine and replaced it with green tea. The water needs to be hot not boiling. If the water is too hot not only does it make your tea bitter it kills some of the good stuff. Green tea speeds up your metabolism which will help you lose weight I don't know many people that wouldn't love that. It also has antioxidant properties that will help protect you against disease. It taste great with 1/2 lemon which aids in the detoxification. If you need a little sweetener I suggest honey, molasses or pure maple syrup.  I love yogi tea, not only does it taste the best to me but it has nice sayings in it. Mine this morning says-"Live in your strength"
I hope everyone is enjoying the detox! I sure am I feel lighter, more energy and sleeping better.
Tomorrow if you want to take a break from breakfast fruit smoothie good alternatives are grapefruit, kiwi, cantaloupe, honey dew melon, an apple or a pear. 30 mins to an  hour later you can eat a boiled egg for protein, a bowl of oatmeal(watch the sugars that are added to instant) I like steel cut oats with a little pure maple syrup, whole wheat toast with 1 TB of peanut butter.
When buying bread make sure to look on the ingredients list. The first ingredient should "whole" grain such as whole wheat, white whole wheat or whole oats.

I was thinking my salad for lunch was looking pretty good then I spotted Ambra's colorful mix of veggies and got inspired.
 Ambra's Super Salad
Mix organic greens
kale
chopped tomato
cucumbers
carrots
sesame seeds
cilantro
all topped with the super gain QUINOA!



Believe in yourself!!!

Day 2 of Detox

It is so important to have a good support system while making any big change. I am very lucky to have great friends that want to see me be successful in this goal I have set. I am very proud of my friends that have joined me in this journey.
I have 2 suggestions to do this week. Get outside breath in the fresh air. The boys and I walked the dogs around our neighborhood lake today and yesterday. It is a good 45 min walk I feel so much better after getting out and enjoying life with the people I love most of all.
Suggestion number 2 start a compost if you don't already have one. All the fruit and veggie scraps used this week will make some mighty fine dirt in time for your spring garden. Every summer our vegetables are bigger and tastier I owe a lot of that to all the nutrients our dirt has from years of composting.  You can compost almost all fruit and veggie scraps but don't put potato peals or onion in there unless you want to have plants in your dirt.
I added hummus to a snack yesterday. I was feeling like some people might need more and it's a good vegetarian source of protein.

Original Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1 handful parsley
2 garlic cloves
2 TB olive oil
1 TB flax oil
3 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB sesame tahini
blend all in a food processor.
a serving is 2 TB are about 60 calories
enjoy with fresh carrots, celery, whole grain crackers, oat cakes...

Black Bean Hummus
use original ingredients but replace garbanzo beans with black beans
parsley with cilantro
lemon juice with lime juice

for the smoky black bean hummus add 1-2 chipotle peppers

Live your dreams today!! 

200 views!! WOW thank you for taking the time to read and take interested in my passion!!

Day 1 of Detox :)

I woke up so excited to start the detox and have 2 of my favorite people following along with me. Thank you Summer and Ambra! Good luck this week!!
Apparently I have forgotten how overwhelming protein powder taste. I thought 1/2 scoop would be ok but not with just pineapple and mango, hard for me to stomach.  If you like the taste of it rock on, but I decided to add some stronger tasting fruits. Bananas have a strong taste so I added 1/2 a banana and a handful of blueberries and strawberries frozen. Now I am enjoying it. I don't want anyone, including myself, to put anything into their bodies they don't love. If you don't like chai seeds in your drink you can get almost the same benefits with flax oil with your salad dressing. If you need any help figuring out how to replace something or want to leave the protein powder out all together I will help you find good alternatives. Such as a boiled egg or peanut butteror almond butter in your smoothie.
A really good smoothie I love is
handful parsley, 1 apple, 1/4 scoop protein powder, 2 bananas and 1 TB natural peanut butter or almond butter

after dinner edit
Today went great. I rarely make time or even think of making quinoa in the several years since the buying club ended. Well we had it for dinner tonight and might have it for dinner almost every night this week.  We had quinoa, steamed carrots and cauliflower, garbanzo beans, sauted onions, shitake mushrooms and spinach in coconut oil.  Sorry I had those in the fridge and I know I didn't include it in the detox. You can on the other 4 days if you like:) Shitake mushrooms contain all the 8 essential amino acids so it's a complete protein and very tasty.
Lunch was a romaine lettuce salad with carrots and toasted sunflower seeds
snacked on celery and carrots through out the day

Detox Menu

I have struggled in making this as simple to follow as possible with multiple options for different tastes. If this is hard to follow or understand please let me know. I am shocked how many followers we have. I am loving all the feedback! This is what I have down so far.  This is my first trial in making my personal detox so trial and error.  We may have to add a few things or take away as we see what works best for us. Lunch and dinner can be switched if you like your heaviest meal for lunch rather than dinner.
Good snacks are celery, carrots, green veggies you can add hummus or natural peanut butter but only 1-2 TB(servings are very important with nuts and seeds and so easy to eat more than one serving),
apples or oat cakes with natural peanut butter, smartpop popcorn, grapes or 1/2 grapefruit

Breakfast-
drink a hot glass of water with a lemon upon rising
fresh fruit smoothie with 1/2 scoop protein powder

mid-morning snack


Lunch-
Green salad or vegetable juice

Afternoon snack

Dinner-
soup or brown rice, quinoa or millet with steamed veggies

Ideas for fruit drinks
plain greek yogurt
milk(rice, soy or coconut)
fresh pineapple or strawberries
frozen mangos, berries 7/OR banana
1/2 scoop protein powder(we use Spiru-Tein or Jillian Michael's)

clear skin
Juice-
2 slices Pineapple, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 apple, 1/4 inch slice Ginger root

congestion apple cleanse
juice 2 large apples, 1/2 ts grated horseradish


Ideas for vegetable juice
 (from Linda Page)
Personal Best V-8
makes 6 glasses
Juice 6-8 tomatoes(or 4 cups tomato juice) 3-4 green onions with tops, 1/2 green pepper, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1/2 bunch spinach, 1/2 bunch parsley, 2 lemons, 1 TB snipped sea greens(any kind)

add 2 ts Bragg's Liquid Aminos and 1/2 ts celery seed

Overweight Detox
juice 1 large handful dark greens like spinach, kale or parsley, 1 stalk celery with leaves, 1 carrot, 1 bell pepper 1 tomato, and 1 broccoli floweret , 1 ts dry sea greens( any kind)

Skin Cleanser
Juice 1 cucumber with skin, 1/2 bunch parsley or 1 ts snipped dry sea greens(any kind) one 4 oz tub alfalfa sprouts, 3-4 springs mint

Ideas for Salad-
dark leafy greens-kale, cabbage, romaine, or spinach
grated carrot, beets, bell peppers, green onions, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds(be mindful of how much seeds you eat, it is the hardest thing for me I always want 4 servings)
beans-garbanzo, black beans, kidney beans,
lemon juice,  Bragg's Liquid Aminos, flax oil and olive oil mixed for the dressing
or miso dressing-3 cloves garlic, 3/4 balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup filtered water, 6 oz miso, 2 ts prepared mustard, 1/8 cup olive oil(makes 2 cups will last in the fridge for 2 weeks)

Ideas for Soup
Hearty Soup(barley and kale)

Garlic soup
1 1/2 qt water
4 sweet potatoes
2 stalks celery
2 large bulbs garlic
1/2 ts thyme
dash oregano, cayenne, and salt to taste

Millet, squash and bean soup
1 cup aduki or black beans
1 1/2 cups millet(roast in skillet first)
4 cups water
1 piece kombu seaweed

place beans, millet, water and seaweed in a pot bring to a boil simmer covered for 30 mins

you can drink green or herbal tea, cucumber water, coconut water anytime throughout the day

good spices to add are ginger, cayenne, garlic

Hearty Soup

Day 6-Day Before the detox

Tomorrow starts the 5 day detox plan. It couldn't be coming at a better time because I feel a cold coming on as the weather is changing. The great thing about the detox is there are very few congesting/acid forming foods. 
Today I started with a hot glass of lemon water, an apple and bowl of oatmeal about an hour later.  I already started feeling better. Ethan(my master chef 12 yr old) and I made a good healthy soup for lunch.
Recipe for Hearty Soup:
saute 1/2 onion in 2 TB of coconut oil, olive oil or grapeseed oil
add 4 cloves minced garlic
5 chopped stalks of celery
4 chopped carrots
1 TB cayenne pepper(add more or less depending on how hot you like it)
add water
1/2 cup uncooked barley or quinoa
1 chopped sweet potato
handful chopped kale, cabbage or another green
bring to a boil 
simmer for about 30-45 mins 

makes 6-8 servings

All my boys loved all of it but one didn't want kale in his after he tried it he said it was good but still didn't want it in his soup so I got his.  Reminded me of when I was a kid my sister hated raisins so I got all her raisins out of the Raisin Bran, the best part to me. 

We made it up off the top of our heads adding stuff. I am not sure how much water we added  at least 3 cups. We might have to buy some measuring cups and spoons if we continue blogging.

I have almost completed the menu plan for the detox that will begin for Ambra and myself tomorrow. Wish us luck!!! The menu will be posted later on this afternoon if you want to join us in our Fall Detox.  We have a couple beginning next week. When you begin isn't important Sunday was good for us.
The shopping list was posted yesterday if you missed it.

Grocery list for the detox

The grocery list for the detox is as follows:
produce-garlic, onions, scallions, celery, carrots, fennel, parsley, a big bag of lemons, potatoes
green leafy veggies of your choice-spinach, kale, watercress, cabbage, romaine lettuce
veggies for steaming(pick at least 2) broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, squash, zucchini
fruit-canalope, berries, pineapple, mango, grapefruit, apples, pears, watermelon

grains-brown rice, quinoa, millet, wild rice(pick all or your favorite)

Greek yogurt, rice, coconut, almond or soy milk(pick your favorite)


healthy fats- flax oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sesame tahini, natural peanut butter or almond butter
Bragg's Liquid Aminos, maple syrup or molassas, coconut water

beans for lean protein in soups-garbanzo, black beans, kidney, (fish, chicken or turkey for day 4-5)

seeds-chai seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower

spices-cayenne, ginger
teas-green, ginger, peppermint, spearmint or chamomile

If there is a fruit, veggie, grain that you do not like or you know doesn't agree with you please subsitute it. If you need any help I will be glad to give you assistance. Above all listen to your body. If your body is used to the traditional American diet you may have headaches as you detox. Go at your own pace. Green tea has some caffeine in it drinking it will help with the coffee cravings. Which is going to be the hardest for me. I love my coffee.
If you need help finding an item just let me know.

A few days before the starting the detox start reducing your meats, eggs, cheese, alcohol, soft drinks. A detox isn't something you jump into and right out of. You need to prepare for it as well as slowly get out. And go to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

For those of you that would like to add chlorophyll rich froods that will be great I left that out because I am trying my best to keep it simple. But spirulina, chlorella, and barley grass are great to help stabillize and maintain the acid/alkaline balance of food. Sea greens are also great but it's hard to find in this small town. Another of many many reasons why I need to open a store :)

I found this great chart online that helps explain the acid and alkaline foods. Try to stay away from the acid foods during this detox.

Day 4-Reducing the bad increasing the good

Today is the actual fourth day. Guess I was sleepy or 3 boys talking to me at the same time last night made me think I had gone a day longer than I had. I have done very well increasing my veggies but not as well with eliminating the processed foods. Those Nilla Wafers were SO good.  The ultimate goal of all this is to get back into a healthier way of eating and a better connection with our foods by focusing on whole grains, lean proteins, FRESH fruit and veggies.
I worked up the grocery list today but forgot it at the office. Ooops I'll upload the final list for grocery shopping by lunch tomorrow. Some people have requested starting this Sunday rather than next so I am going to put the menu plan up for the detox and a few days after. In the spirit of getting ready for the fast I'll tell you what our favorite breakfast is. It's quick, easy, all the kids love it and it's good for us. Our smoothies change depending on what we have. We are always wanting to try something new.

Pineapple/Berry Smoothie
1/4 fresh pineapple
1 cup of strawberries &/or  blueberries
plain or vanilla greek yogurt
coconut water to soak chai seeds
coconut milk
1 TB chai seeds
Mix all in a blender or juicer
enjoy

-we use frozen strawberries and just add enough liquid(coconut water and milk so it will blend. The boys like to eat it with a spoon more than drink their smoothies)
-Use fresh pineapple because it contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps the body digest vegetable protein int he gastrointestinal tract and it has mild anti-inflammatory properties, is destroyed in the heating process of canning and possibly in freezing(this is unknown) I would pick freezing over canned if there was just a choice of the 2.
-soak chai seeds in coconut water for 5 mins

Day 3-research for the fall detox

Today I have been working on a fall detox plan which will cover a 2 week period.  Only 5 days of which will be a detoxing.  The other days will be preparing for the detox and breaking the detox slowing introducing more. A few of my great supportive friends will be joining me on this if anyone else wants to just follow along. We will begin next week with the actual detox starting Sunday, September 2nd. I am making a meal plan for all the days of the fast and a few days after to transitioning into a healthier more holistic diet.
I do not agree with a lot of detox plans the work the same way a crash diet works.  The person gains the weight right back plus more. I am making a custom plan that includes protein, the daily requirement of calories, and lots of vitamins and minerals from fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
We live in a small town without a good health food store or even Publix so a lot of good ancient grains even some vegetables are not easy to come by. I am keeping that in mind along with a lot of people may not have a juicer for vegetable juices but a good blender will be needed.
Next week we will begin reducing acid foods from the diet(meat, eggs, milk, peanuts, cashews, pastachios, butter, margarine....And eliminating refined foods, sugar and fried foods. This will make the detox easier.

I will have the menu up by next sunday so you will have a week to shop for all the ingredients needed for the week.
An example of a day will be as follows:
upon rising a hot cup of water with juice of one lemon, 1/2 ts cayenne, up to 1 TB pure maple syrup to taste
breakfast-fresh fruit or vegetable juice
lunch-green salad, grated carrot with homemade dressing(lemon juice, balsamic vinegar mixture of flax and olive oil
dinner-detox soup-potatoes, garlic cloves, parsley, carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and fennel
or
brown rice, mixed steamed veggies, 1 TB flax oil or olive oil and 1 TB Bragg's

drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. As much green or ginger tea as wanted sweetened with honey
use as many fat burning spices as wanted-ginger, cinnamon, garlic, mustard and cayenne as wanted

Chalkboard wall

Day 2

Day 2 is going great!
My oldest son is in Cross Country they train so much I wanted to make sure he was getting all the nutrients he needed to perform his very best. I dusted off my nutrition books, man have I missed it. I spent the greater part of my day and night yesterday reading, underlining and taking notes. My 2 main passions nutrition and photography have been put on the back burner while my main purpose in life is taken care of and that is my boys. All 3 go hand and hand. I was mad at myself yesterday morning that I have allowed myself not to take time out for preparing meals like I used to. I can say Ethan misses my gourmet meals most of all. He is very excited I am getting back into it such a great little encourager I have.
Our day started off with a good antioxidant rich smoothie to ward off any germs wanting to take a ride home with the boys from school. Berries, greek yogurt, coconut water and a banana
I have make a list on the chalkboard wall i will try and post from my blogger app if that doesn't work I'll get out my actual camera :)

I have a degree in Holistic Nutrition but you wouldn't know it by looking at me. I have let the hussle and bussle of single mom of 3 boys make me a snackaholic which has made me obese. I hate that word and I can't believe it is used to describe me.  Makes me feel so insecure, embarassed and disappointed in myself because of my weight.  I have said I'll start tomorrow or start a good plan then go back into the old ways. Don't get me wrong I do eat very healthy too much very healthy. I admit to eating way too much junk and processed foods. Mostly I think I do this as a punishment to myself and to hold myself back to living.It's my comfort not letting other people in.
 I can tell anyone else what to eat, make meal plans all day long but since I don't follow my own advise I feel like a joke. . NO more excuses NO more I'll start tomorrow!!! I am starting today and anyone else that would like to follow for their own health, encouragement or knowledge of nutrition I would love the encouragement and having to be held accountable. I got my nutrition degree 10 yrs ago with hopes of opening a health food store/consulting business. Hoping writing down a little everyday will help me get my grove back.
To start off I have made myself a lifestyle plan NOT A DIET!! Tell me what not to eat and that will be the first thing I want to eat. So I am focusing on the many many good foods I can eat.

Eat between 1200 and 1600 calories a day. Avoid all processed and fried foods

Breakfast-
80-100 calories whole grain
60 calories fruit
150 calories of protein

Lunch & Dinner
Whole grain-80 calories
vegetable-25 calories
protein 160-90 calories
fruit-60 calories

snacks are always my weakness I'll start today with good healthy options and portions my biggest challenge
Healthy Snack ideas
1 cup fat free or greek yogurt, 1/2 cup berries
1/4 cup hummus 1/2 whole grain pita
100 calorie guacamole pack 1 cup raw veggies
1 peach or 2 small plums, 20 pistachios
1/2 cup edamame
1 slice whole-grain toast, 2 tb almond butter or natural peanut butter
1 slice toast w 1ts flax oil or almond oil
1/2 cup smoothie/veggie juice
1 oz low fat cheese
7 almonds
1 cup warm milk with protein poweder and cinnamon
1/2 oz dark chocolate
1 small baked sweet potato
boiled egg 1/2 cup dried fruit
apple with nut butter
handful of almonds