30 Day Health Challenge: Day 17

I'm still alive!! I've made it through 2.5 days eating nothing but raw foods. And not just any raw foods like nuts and seeds, but JUST fruits and veggies. Tonight I shall have some nuts or seeds. I must. I must. I need.....

My dins last night. Plus 4 mandarin oranges. I actually didn't finish the green smoothie. I was not interested. I'd already had like 4. The smoothie contained: half a banana, apple, veggie pulp (kale, carrots and cucumber), a fresh lime, 1 tsp spirulina and lots of water. I'm not into eating my smoothies, I like to drink them, so I add water until its drinkable. 

I felt REALLY good yesterday and had so much energy. My mood was crazy good too. I feel like when I first went vegan. SO when I'm done with this whole cleanse thing, I'm def going to incorporate A LOT more raw foods into my diet. I feel so light and energetic. It must be right if it feels good, right? LOL Right. 

I'm REALLY excited to go to Organic Lives. Its a raw vegan restaurant. Which means they don't cook anything over 118 degrees and there's no wheat, dairy, meat, or any other animal product, obvs. I've been there twice before and have looked at the menu about 6 times in the last 2 days trying to figure out what I want. Mostly because I'm stoked to eat something other than salad and smoothies. LOL I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Pad Thai and hopefully Steve will want to share the Tapas Platter cuz it sounds Phe-Nom. 

So after today, I'm going to start eating 1 hot meal a day for the remaining 4 days of the cleanse. Then its done! Monday is the last day. Woot woot! I don't think it should be so difficult. I have some meals planned that are out, but I can just use those as my hot meal and make my smoothies and salads for the other times.

After I'm done, I might try to continue on with this whole green smoothie/salad thing. Have the smoothie for breaky and salad for lunch. But add things like nuts/beans/tofu to it to bulk it up and add protein and fat. I find when I don't eat enough fat that I'm SOOOO cold. Like crazy cold. 

I wanna make my meals a bit more simple. Cut back on salt. I don't use much at all, but being Japanese and all I use a lot of soy sauce. I've been checking out this guy on Facebook these days, and he has this album called "My simple recipes". Very easy, simple and nutritious meals. I should give one a try.....

Now doesn't that look good?
2 bean Mexican Delight

- 2 Large Bags Success Instant Rice
- 1 Can Eden Foods Pinto Beans
- 1 Can Eden Foods Black Beans
- 2 lb Bag Frozen Peppers and Onions
(I just found a great version of this as BJ's)
- 1 lb Bag Mixed Veggies (corn, peas, carrots, string beans)
- Salsa (Home made)

Instead of using the "boil in the bag" method today, I opened the bags of rice and put them in a pot with water. Brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes. I rinsed the beans and added them to the rice after about 5 minutes. While this was cooking, I steamed the veggies in another pot. When the rice was done, so was the veggies. I drained any extra water from both and then I served it up as above.

(I had two bowls!!) :)

I would not use instant rice, NEVER. Blasphemy. But I'm gonna eat the shit outta my first hot meal. LOL

Have a loverly day folks

Peace

xoxo

K

30 Day Health Challenge: Day 16

Well.....yesterdays all raw day was successful. With any cleanse or detox, there can be an emotional element as well as the physical detox symptoms. It has not been bad at all for me, mainly because I'm already so healthy but also because when I was feeling snippy and emotional I just put my head down and worked away. The morning was the worst. I was feeling VERY hungry for solid food. Not hungry because I was full but the need for solid food was great. The menu I ate/drank on Tuesday was:

1 cup hot lemon water

3 16-20 ounce smoothies (mixed berries, banana, apple, pear, lime, fresh veggie juice....)

1 apple

1 small salad with lemon dressing (fruit and veg)

1 LARGE salad with lemon dressing (fruit and veg)

4 mandarin oranges

NOTE: when I say lemon dressing, I mean just fresh lemon juice.

Seriously, that was all I ate. AND I got in an hour workout. 50 minutes cardio and 10 minutes abs and stretching.

The point of this cleanse is to remove built up toxins in my body, clear out waste (EW) and to cleanse my palate of sugar and salt. It also helps reduce cravings, detoxifies your liver and colon and reduces weight (if that's what you want). I'm def more of a savory eater. I love salty foods but am totally addicted to sugar. Its crack. I swear. 

Today, I'm gonna try for another raw day again. We'll see how it goes. I'm a little mucusy and a very slight headache (signs of detox) but that is so minimal that I barely can feel it. 

My liquid breaky, smoothie, herbal tea, hot lemon water and water!

Now, I'm not gonna lie here and tell you this is easy. Its really not at all. The first 5 hours of day one was rough. I barely talked at all. My coworkers noticed how quiet I was. If you know me at all, I'm one chatty Cathy over here. After my workout as I was prepping my salad, I was a bit somber. Not because the salad wasn't tasty but because it wasn't hot food.

Dinner is my FAVE meal of the day fo sho. So making some tasty and delish is one of my fave things to do, whether its just for me or if I cook for someone else. SO FUN! My somber attitude towards my salad was def uncalled for, and it was enjoyable and on any other day I wouldn't have felt that way, but a whole day raw is hard. 

The principals of what I wanna do are:

- consume 2-3 16-20 oz smoothies per day

- eat raw for 2 meals a day

- Cook with no added fats, oils, sugar or salt

- last 7 days!

That being said, I never let my diet slow me down. Tomorrow I will be dining out tomorrow night before I see a movie....haven't chosen the restaurant. He's pretty flexible in his eats and is training for a fight this month so eating clean is where he's at so maybe we'll go to a raw vegan place. We usually go to Gorilla Food but it closes at 7pm so Organic Lives is our option. OR I'm thinking Calabash Bistro as a back up plan. I haven't been there since the summer.

Here's the salad I had last night:

Now wish me luck for day 2!!! EEEeeek, and I got some new moves for the gym that I'm stoked to try out.

Peace

xoxo

K

30 Day Health Challenge update

Well, as you can imagine, doing a health challenge in Vegas, is well, challenging. Being the vegan gal that I am, it was to bad, but def not what I had wanted. I indulged a little in foods I wouldn't normally eat. And I did have to eat bread but that's cuz I was drinking and we all know what happens when you don't eat enough when out drinking. 

That all being said, I'm back on track here. I started this morning off with a green smoothie cleanse. Today is a test day, seeing what I can handle. If you know me at all, I love to eat. What I wanted to do is a green smoothie cleanse for 3 days. That's only consuming green smoothies for 3 days straight......not likely. Lol. SO my back up plan is one of 2 options: Option 1: Replace 2 meals a day with green smoothies and eat one cooked meal a day  for 7 days OR Option 2: Eat a raw food diet for 7 days. This doesn't count nuts, seeds, or any oils of any kind and no avocado.

Now that its lunch time, and I'm dying, almost literally. I'm a food fanatic. I'm not sure how people can starve themselves, honestly. Its effin hard. I'm drinking my meals right now and I'm disoriented and down right irritable. Its only been like 5.5 hours. HAHA SOOOO that shows me a bit about what I can handle. So I've decided to modify it a bit. 

Breaky: Hot lemon water, obvs lots of water and one 16ish ounce green smoothie

"Snack": green tea (wahoo!)

Lunch: 20 ounce green smoothie and salad (no dressing, might squeeze a lemon on it)

Snack: Apple

Dinner: BIG ass salad

Snack: 16 ounce Green smoothie

So far I've done breaky, "snack" and lunch minus the salad, haven't eaten it yet. 

Cleanses are controversial. I'm all for them. I've always done the Wild Rose Cleanse but this time I'm making up my own. Doing juice or smoothie cleanses, or any cleanse really is good to release toxins from the body, clean out your system and colon. Its good if you have really bad habits and wanna jump start a healthy eating pattern. But they are hard. Wild Rose is good because you can eat a lot, but nothing is processed in any way, so no soy sauce, no flours, no prepared dressings or sauces of any kind. You have to make everything from scratch. Chili was my savior when I did that one. 

Now they don't look good or green but that's because I use mixed berries that mess with the green colour. They are actually quite tasty. But VERY vegerific. 

I made veggie juice the night before which consisted of carrots, kale, a pear and cucumber (I think that's it) and then blended that with lime juice, mixed berries, banana, apple, spinach and 2 tsp's a spirulina powder. 

For most sedentary people a cleanse works great because they don't do much physical activity. But me, well I work out a lot. Luckily I did a pretty hefty weight workout last night so tonight I have to go ahead to just do cardio. I'm hoping to bust out an hour like usge but we'll see how my energy level plays out. Go me!

The first 3 days of any change like this is always the toughest. If anyone has quit coffee or cigs then you know what I'm talking about. The detox and cravings are hard to handle. I hope I make it through this day. I apologize in advance if I snap at anyone. LOL for reals.

I've always been so fascinated by a raw foods diet, so I hope I can at least do 2 days raw, even 1 day would be great, 3 would be phe-nom. 7 is not gonna happen but I can do the last 4 days with 1 cooked meal a day or however I modify it. 

Good luck me! Join me if you dare! If you're trying to lose weight, this will def do it! Even just replacing the 2 meals a day with green smoothies will do it.

Peace

xoxo

K

Stuffed Delicata Squash Mexican Styles

Its the official Day 1 of my 30 day health challenge but I'm calling it Day 2. I partially started yesterday but as I said, I had vegan junk food leftovers to eat. Which was glorious. I followed the plan I outlined yesterday so far for today except for one deviation. As my mid morning snack I had half a cup of my homemade granola with a splash of almond milk and fresh raspberries. You can get my granola recipe here.

I made a lovely dinner last night. SO delish. I have tons of the stuffing leftover for a great carb free lunch. 

Stuffed Delicata Squash Mexican Styles

Ingredients

1 delicata squash, seeds removed and cut length wise in half

1 can chickpeas (wanted to use black beans but didn't have any)

1 cup corn

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp chili powder

1 fresh lemon, juiced

1 handful cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup salsa

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 avocado

Directions:

1.  Roast squash for 30-45 minutes. Until soft.

2. Saute onions and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil until fragrant. Add the 1/4 cup water, corn, tomatoes and jalapeno. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook until chickpeas are soft. 

4. Stuff the squash and top with avocado.

Note: Daiya would be good on top too, or crushed cashews. 

That's the handful of cilantro I used

Salivating at this point

Nice little dinner for two

I served mine with quinoa. The squash and stuffing can be filling so a nice light side dish would go great. Or none at all if you don't have a big appetite.

Kale Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa

4 kale, stalks removed

1 tsp vegeta

1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package.

2. Finely chop kale or process in food processor.

3. Near the end of the quinoa cooking time add in the kale and vegeta. Use another 1/4 cup of water if needed. 

So far Day 2 is going good. No crazy sugar cravings yet. But that being said, I've had fruit so maybe later. lol The first 3 days getting off anything is tough. I always have a tough few days when I quit coffee. Which I've been off of since August I think. Sugar is worse though. Its like crack. 

Tonight's meal will be rather simple. I'm just cooking for myself so I'll just do a big pot of greens, whatever kinds I have in my fridge. I did my 1 hour run last night as well as a leg workout. Today will strictly be cardio. I did weights 2 days in a row. Well I'll probs do some abs and push ups. 

Did you start ridding your cupboards/fridge of processed foods yet? Ditch the processed crap and start making your food from scratch. Its not really all that more time consuming once you get the hang of it. And your palate will change too. You'll really start to taste all the flavours. DO it!

Peace!

xoxo

K

30 Day Vegan Health Challenge

Alrighty peeps, time to buckle down. Its full on fall now. Its chilly and we're sad summer is over and now Christmas is coming. You might already have packed on 5 lbs from cozying up on the couch with your hunny and carbo loading. BUT fear not, this challenge will WHIP you into shape. And make you beam with healthiness. Today when I went to my local Vitamin store, the lady said I looked like the picture of health.LOL Try this and you too could be the picture of health!

30 Day Vegan Health Challenge:

§  This is a whole foods health challenge. The trick is to eat little to no processed foods.

§  Start the day with hot water with a freshly squeezed lemon

§  Eat/drink at least 32 oz of green smoothies a day. Can be a meal replacement, snack or part of a meal

§  No white flours, sugars, or potatoes

§  Avoid all caffeinated beverages other than green tea (no pop or juice!)

§  Consume as much of fresh produce as possible, trying to eat 50-60% of your daily diet in a raw form. (try eating a salad with every meal or having a salad AS your meal once a day, snack on raw fruits and veggies, smoothies, etc)

§  Eat WHOLE grains instead of bread, pasta, or noodles. (Brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, rolled oats, etc)

§  Eat beans and other legumes daily, tofu 1-2 times per week

§  You will eat every 2-3 hrs

§  The key here is to eat WHOLE foods. Obviously I am vegan, and this is a vegan challenge BUT if you aren’t going to do it veganlly then eat meat. But NO dairy. And NO processed meats. Stick to actual chicken, fish eggs or whatever meat you eat.

§  Try to avoid premade sauces and dressings. It’s very easy to make your own. I make my own with fresh lemon or lime juice, mirin, soy, apple cider vinegar, and spices.

Exercise

§  I commit to exercising 5-6 times a week: 3 days of weight training and 5-6 days of cardio training. (I already do this, just not that many days of weights)

Other

I am not bold enough to post before/after pictures or my weight. BUT I will do it for myself and let you know the progress I have made (if any!)

I will post recipes and the menu plans of the foods I eat throughout the day so that you can get some ideas on what you should eat.

I will weigh myself only once a week and take measurements to see if I took off any inches or gained some muscle.

The Plan

Day 1: As I am starting this challenge after having made a load of vegan junk food. I am going to give myself this day to half ass it. Lol. I finished my vegan mac and chreese for lunch along with a salad, so not all that bad. Plus I have some coconut yogurt left to finish.

Breakfast: ½ serving VEGA Whole Food Health Optimizer (Berry Flavour) mixed with water, I cup homemade granola, ½ pint fresh raspberries, 3 tbsp’s strawberry coconut yogurt and a sprinkling of hemp seeds

Snack: 1 bosc pear

Lunch: 2 cups leftover vegan mac and chreese, I bowl salad with broccoli slaw, radishes and carrots. Topped with a soy sesame lime dressing

Dressing: 1 fresh lime, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 5 tbsp mirin, splash sesame oil, sprinkling sesame seeds and garlic powder

Snack: Green apple or more salad

Dinner: Roasted Delicata squash (no oil) stuffed with black beans, corn, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, lemon, cilantro and chili powder.

(I haven’t made it yet, so it might vary slightly, but that’s the plan; recipe in tomorrow’s post)

Snack: 8 oz Green smoothie: mixed berries, 1 cup water, 1 tsp spirulina powder, ¼ avocado, 1 cup freshly made veggie juice

EXERCISE PLAN: Run on treadmill for 1 hour, 15 leg work out (squats, lunges, etc)

Day 2:

Breakfast: ½ serving VEGA Whole Food Health Optimizer (Berry Flavour) mixed with water, 16 oz green smoothie: 1 banana, 1 bosc pear (peeled and cored), 1 cup mixed berries, 1 tsp spirulina powder, 1 cup water, 1 cup freshly made veggie juice (previous night).

Snack: roasted delicata squash

Lunch: Salad with broccoli slaw, radishes and carrots topped with sesame soy dressing and a bowl of chickpea veggie chili.

Dressing: 1 fresh lime, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 5 tbsp mirin, splash sesame oil, sprinkling sesame seeds and garlic powder

Snack: roasted delicata squash

Dinner: Steamed greens: baby bok choy, kale, broccoli with fresh lemon, garlic and vegeta. Put on top of brown rice or quinoa

Snack: 1 cup mixed berries, 1 tsp spirulina powder, ¼ avocado,1 bosc pear (peeled and cored), 1 cup water

EXERCISE PLAN: Run on treadmill for 1 hour or 45 minutes treadmill, 15 step machine (sigh)

So there you have it. My plan for the next 30 days, and a meal plan for today and tomorrow. I will continue to update you with meal plans that I'm following. And with my exercise routine. I did a 45 minute run last night and about a 45 minute weight training sesh too. I'm going to do the weigh in and measurements tomorrow. 

Now hopefully, because I've made this public this means I will stick to it. Eeekbestie's wedding with my other bestie. We're both health nuts so it shouldnt' be a problem. As you will notice, there isn't a "no alcohol" clause in my plan. I like alcohol and will continue to drink it throughout just in moderation. There will be no moderation for Vegas BUT before and after there will be. I'm going to bring all my protein powders and spirulina and chlorella to keep detoxed and healthified BUT I'm gonna party!!! You can still have fun and be healthy, I swear. 

Till tomorrow!

Peace

xoxo

K