Detox - Day 1

I have been looking forward to, and dreading this day all at once if that's possible!  LOL  21 days of no coffee, alcohol, sugars and grains as part of this spring "Detox".  And let me tell you, I will miss all four of those components, in that exact order.  Can't imagine how I'm going to get through St. Patrick's Day without my "Cheers to the Irish" pint of Guinness :-(  But, it should all be worth it in the end.....a healthier me and a cleaner me!  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm a "Detox Newbie"...I've never done this before!  Feel free to check in on my progress if you're a newbie too and afraid to try a Detox!  I will be writing my honest feedback on how I'm feeling and all that jazz!!

I ran around like a crazy woman at the Whole Foods yesterday trying to gather up my produce for the week.  I think everyone else is either 1.) Detoxing at the same time or 2.)  preparing for the blizzard and buying up food like it's armageddon!  The place was packed with people and all the produce was picked over/gone!! Crazy!

So far, Day 1 is going pretty well.  I had a jam-packed smoothie for breakfast that included everything but the kitchen sink in it!  I would say it kept me feeling pretty full for a few hours.  I'm not normally a "breakfast person", with oatmeal being the only choice if I do have it at all.  I'm used to smoothies so it's not too much of what I'd consider a loss.  Now, If you're the eggs and bacon type breakfast eater, this may be a struggle from day 1...(just sayin') ;-)

I was supposed to have made a special Vegan Artichoke Dip for snacking with veggies, but forgot the artichokes!  So, no mid morning snack :-(.  Made a Yogi Tea with the recommended "coconut manna" rather than my usual honey, and that was a tough one.  I really am going to miss my raw honey...not sure if I'm loving the floating oil in my tea, honestly.  It's definitely something I'll have to get used to.

The lunch for the day was chicken salad lettuce wraps-- the one big hardship I'm noticing is the amount of cooking/prep that is required.  I will probably look ahead and try to prep and get most of these recipes ready because I feel like I spent all morning slicing and dicing just for lunch!

It's now mid day and I'm not feeling starved.  I'm on my 2nd large bottle of water with lemon.  So far, so good.  Granted, by this time tomorrow, I may be ready to rip someones face off, but that remains to be seen!  LOL  I'd say this Detox newbie is doing pretty well!!  Until tomorrow....

ta ta,

Callily

Gluten free, Vegan Apple Crisp!

Yesterday, my family and I picked more apples than I care to admit.  Today, I'm baking the family favorite.....Apple Crisp.  My original/usual recipe is a bit unconventional from other apple crisp's out there.  One, there are no oats (hubby hates them) and two, I enjoy less topping and more of the apple goodness underneath.  If you prefer this type of crisp, than this is the recipe for you!  If you do not want a GF / Vegan option, just replace the flour with regular all purpose, and use 1 stick of soft butter for the Earth Balance---easy peasy!!

I used my stoneware baking pan as you can see pictured here.  The following recipe filled this pan nicely (heaping, it boils down as you bake it)-- If you wish to half it, just use a smaller baking pan.

For bottom:
14 apples (peeled, cored and cut into pieces) - mix and match as you wish.  I used a combo of Macs and Golden Delicious

1 cup of organic sugar

1 tsp. organic cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

Mix together the sugar and spices and coat the apples with it in a large bowl, set aside.

For topping:

3/4 Cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 Cup of Trader Joe's Ground Almond Meal (you can omit this and just use 1 c. flour if you wish--I wanted to add some more texture)
1/2 cup of packed organic brown sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup of Earth Balance butter

Mix together the above ingredients, will be a crumbly mixture.  Place cut apples into baking dish, top with the crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 60 mins or until bubbling on sides and texture of apples are soft.

Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili Recipe!! (No wings needed!!)

Yesterday I was craving buffalo wings in a major way!  I guess it partially had to do with the fact that I was preparing my family's favorite dinner (Rachel Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili).  I just love wing sauce, so spicy....so out of my league on a vegetarian diet!!

So, as I was preparing their chili, I asked myself:  "What if I could make a vegetarian/vegan version of this"?  And, you know what?  I did!!

It actually came out amazingly well!  It is a thick, hearty stew-like chili that has TONS of possibilities!  I topped mine with with organic nacho chips, but I thought about serving it over some polenta or seasoned millet!

Heres the recipe:

Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili recipe

I used all organic ingredients for this recipe with the exception of the buffalo wing sauce (couldn’t find an organic version anywhere!!)

2 Tbl. Oil of choice for sautéing (I used sesame)

2 small (or 1 large) summer squash cut into cubes

2 small (or 1 large) zucchini squash cut into cubes

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion

3 carrots finely chopped

4 ribs celery finely chopped

1 Tbl. Paprika

1 bay leaf

1 can diced tomatoes with juice--next time I'm using fire roasted tomatoes!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

1 can white or red beans, rinsed and drained.

½ cup water or veggie stock

½ cup buffalo wing sauce

2 Tbl. Chia seeds (optional)--they help to "thicken" the sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, sauté squashes, onion, carrots, garlic, celery for approx. 7-8 minutes.  Add water, spices, bay leaf, chia seeds, tomatoes, beans and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to boil and let simmer for at least 10 minutes to bring flavor together. 

(I let it simmer on low for quite a while and got a really nice flavor--).

Top with your favorite organic nacho chips, organic bleu cheese (for non-vegans) or avocado…be creative!! Enjoy!

Cholesterol results & Apple Pectin Powder........

For anyone that is following my journey to lower cholesterol:

I made it through the six weeks of vegan/vegetarian eating and had my numbers checked last week.  And, after eating every type of birdseed under the sun (along with supplements of apple pectin powder, which has been raved about all over the internet for it's cholesterol lowering ability), apple cider vinegar, and many other supplements....the results are:  My cholesterol went UP. :-(

Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed in the results, although not at all surprised.  On the flip side, I lost a good 8 pounds or so, and feel really great.  But, unfortunately, my blood doesn't really care what I do.......  

Here is the comparison to where I was:

Jan. 13 Total:  264, Tri 72, HDL 74, LDL 176 (on meds)
Feb. 24 Total:  267, Tri 75, HDL 64, LDL 188 (no meds)

So, as you can see, I really got nowhere eating healthy, exercising regularly, and supplementing with the pectin powder.  Obviously, my numbers put the doctor into a panic and she instantly told me to begin my Lipitor once again.  The fact that my LDL went up didn't please her at all and she was/is considering upping my dosage.  I declined and told her I would take the minimum dose until May and see where my numbers are.

It's really deflating to think that the only way to manage my lipids is through medication, but I'm really getting discouraged!!

I would love to hear from others who have this type of condition (genetically high lipids, not dietary type) and how they manage.  As for the apple pectin powder:  I am proof that is DOES NOT help people like me (genetically high lipids), but cannot speak for those with dietary type.  I will be tossing the rest of the supplement away, the pills were HUGE and hard to swallow anyways ;-)

On a good note:  I got to spend a wonderful day with my mom yesterday for her 64th birthday!  We went to a foot spa/tea house and had a wonderful foot & leg massage with some great organic tea!  It was a much needed boost for the soul!  Spring is right around the corner!  Cannot wait to see the daffodils peeking up in my (still) snow covered beds!!

Have a great weekend!!