So, what does that look like?
Well, it's kind of a mess at first, and extremely difficult and expensive, but then, after about 5 months, it started becoming second nature, and cheap! Now, I just whip things up from my pantry and I'm always satisfied. The best part is that I actually enjoy what I eat.
An even better part is that I have not been sick in any way, shape, or form since I started this lifestyle change one year ago. Yes, I mean no colds, no respiratory infections, no coughs, no sinusitis, no upset stomachs, no indigestion, no acid reflux, and my usual migraines of every other week have reduced to once every 3 months! I used to have some form of cough, cold, or respiratory problem every winter since high school.
I mean, what is going on? Am I really controlling my health just by controlling my diet? That is a miracle! And yes! My gallbladder still has permanent residence in my body, and it's pretty comfortable and pain free!
The food...
As a reminder, I only drink water as a beverage. No caffeine. I have a cup of hot decaffeinated organic tea with honey on cold days.
BREAKFAST (around 7 am.)
ONE of the following:
- Fresh fruit of some kind (as much as I want)
- Organic peanut or almond butter on a slice of brown rice toast
- A serving of my Vegan Protein Shake
- A shake made with almond milk, almond butter, and enjoy life chocolate chips
- A shake made with frozen raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, spinach, and coconut water
** A special weekend breakfast treat every other weekend:
- sweet potato pancakes with sauteed apples (recipe on bottom of post)
- 2 slices of gluten free, vegan cornbread (from Fiction Kitchen)
SNACK (around 10 am.)
ONE of the following:
- raw veggies dipped in hummus
- handful of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
- handful of either almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, or walnuts (raw and unsalted!)
- Any snack listed in my first blog post
- half a Hail Merry Miracle Tart (found at The Fresh Market or Nature's Own Market)
LUNCH (around 12 noon)
- SALAD! Greens containing a mixture of kale, spinach, iceberg, romaine, spring mix, anything green...
I don't eat meat, but feel free to top your salad with any grilled meat!
I top my salad with combinations of anything from this list:
- mushrooms
- onions
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- carrots
- avocado
- strawberries
- sun-dried tomatoes
- regular tomatoes
- olives
- bell peppers
- nuts (almond slivers, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamia (raw and unsalted and unsweetened!)
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
Dressings?
Anything without dairy and gluten and I only eat dressings with 5 ingredients or less. No high fructose corn syrup or any dyes.
I often make my own dressing by mixing regular organic yellow mustard and organic honey
I love the Brianna's Homestyle Dressings too!
OTHER LUNCH IDEAS:
- baked sweet potato
- black bean soup
- Around 10 of my "Nature Pats" featured in previous post
- A veggie burger on a gluten free bun (yes, I eat the bun that contains egg) On the side, I have a small salad and I put Vegenaise or barbecue mayo on my burger
- vegan chili (just kidney beans, pinto beans, onions, organic catsup, and chili powder) I scoop up the chili with some homemade flax chips.
Homemade Flax Chips:
In a food processor, blend one large zucchini, a cup of ground flax meal, a quarter cup of coconut nectar, and a little water if it is too chunky.
Spread onto dehydrator tray sheets (very thin) and dehydrate overnight.
Break apart into chip sizes and enjoy!
Refrigerate leftovers.
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- Sun-dried tomatoes and olives from the olive bar at Harris Teeter with vegan cream cheese on brown rice toast (if I didn't have toast already for breakfast)
- An avocado, tomato, sprout sandwich (brown rice toast) with vegan, soy free mayo and flax chips on the side with sweet, all natural relish to dip the chips
SNACK ( around 3:30 pm)
Any snack listed on the first blog post or snacks listed above.
- the other half of my Hail Merry Tart
Many times, I am just not hungry for this snack.
DINNER ( around 6 pm)
Any ONE of the following:
- Paleo Gluten free pizza (from first post - Julian Bakery)
Topped with natural tomato sauce, vegan Daiya cheese, veggies
- Around 10 of my "Nature Pats" with a side salad
- Black bean soup
- Any kind of sushi dish with BROWN not white rice!
I love California rolls, smoked salmon with vegan cream cheese, sweet potato rolls, shrimp and avocado, etc...
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls with any natural filling and dip in all natural Hoisin Sauce or homemade peanut dipping sauce (tons of recipes on the internet)
Moisten the wrap with warm water, fill, and roll like a burrito.
Dipping sauce
(at Whole Foods)
More dinner ideas:
- Brown rice pasta with tomato sauce and vegan parmesan cheese
- A big salad topped with your choice of protein (grilled meat)
- The traditional healthy dinner: Grilled chicken, steak, or fish, with a side of steamed veggies and baked sweet potato. (I don't do the meat thing.)
- Spaghetti squash topped with grilled shrimp and fresh garlic. (just spray pad with olive or coconut oil spray).
DESSERT:
- Fruit
- Any snack listed above or from my first blog
- Serving of coconut milk or almond milk ice cream
~ Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe ~
Sweet potato flour - available on Amazon.com
- Mix about a half a cup of flour with enough unsweetened, organic apple sauce to make into a pancake batter consistency
- Spray a pan with organic coconut oil cooking spray
- BEFORE turning on the heat, wet your hands and pat the mixture down into the pan. Trust me, a spatula will not work!
Now, turn the heat on medium and cook until crispy on one side. You have to overcook a little or pancake will break when you flip.
It takes practice to get it to look this good. ;)
Then, spray some more coconut oil into your pan and sauté some organic apple slices.
Now, put it all together and top with some all natural maple syrup and some Ceylon Cinnamon. Not cinnamon sugar silly!
Oh yea baby! This is NO diet!
This is living!
Updated pics...
