21-Day Sugar Detox cookbook!

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of the 21DSD cookbook. Than the holidays came and everything got so busy that I haven't had a chance to write anything about it. 

The first thing I made from the cookbook was actually the first recipe!

I used coconut milk that I bought on amazon...

This "oatmeal" is such a treat to have for breakfast. I've made it twice already and have t had a chance to make anything else. I plan to sample more recipes when another round of the detox starts on Jan. 6th!

Indian spiced pork tenderloin

I cooked a variety of dishes before but I've never really tried to cook Indian. I had to buy different spices like garam masala and turmeric. I used the recipe from "Against All Grain" cookbook. This is my second time making it and is probably the best pork tenderloin recipe I've made. The cookbook called for 3 lbs but I had 4.5 lbs so I just added extra spices. 

This recipe is so simple! Rub the pork w/salt and garam masala, sear for 5 minutes and than roast in oven until internal temperature is 150 degrees F.   The 4.5 lbs ended up taking 50 minutes. 

The pork is so juicy and tender. 

I paired it w/cumin- curry asparagus (instead of carrots) and parsnip purée. 

This dish was a hit w/everyone in my household!

Parsnip purée

The parsnip purée is so easy to make. You peel the parsnip, boil until soft, throw it in the vitamix w/some salt and pepper, roasted garlic olive oil, ghee and a little bit of almond milk. Then you just blend in a vitamix and the parsnip purée comes out smooth and creamy.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins

I've been wanting to try a different egg muffin recipe since I always eat my bacon, egg muffin for breakfast when I'm at work. I decided to try the Buffalo chicken egg muffin recipe from the 21-Day Sugar Detox Book. Here's a link to the recipe. 

http://balancedbites.com/2013/02/easy-recipe-buffalo-chicken-egg-muffins.html

I didn't quite follow the recipe. I roasted a whole chicken a few days ago so I shredded it and used that. I also didn't have parchment lined muffin cups so I decided to use my silicone muffin pan. I think these cups are smaller than a regular muffin pan so my eggs were over flowing. Next time I would use 10 eggs instead of 12. I didn't add the green onions because I don't like onions. 

The muffins came out of the silicone pan so easy. I'm glad I used it instead of muffin liners. Here's what they look like...

These muffins were pretty good and I might try to freeze some so I'll always have some on hand. 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup and Shrimp Pad Thai

I finally had a chance to try out some recipes from The 21 Day Sugar Detox book that will be released at the end of the month. After crossfit, Lowes, Ikea and a trip to Whole Foods, I was starving and wanted to make something easy and quick and with ingredients that I had in my fridge. I was in a soup mode so I decided to make the Roasted Cauliflower Soup. I made a few modifications since I didn't have any carrots. Luckily I had some bone broth stored in the freezer. 

I marinated the cauliflower in a rosted garlic olive oil. I also didn't want to wait 30-40 minutes at 375 so I did 20-25 mins at 425. 

Overall, the soup was delicious and it was fast and easy to make. 

Shrimp Pad Thai satisfied my Thai craving. Instead of steaming the zucchini noodles, I "sweated" them out in the oven for 25 mins at 200 degrees (I did this earlier in the day so I didn't have to worry about it come dinner time. 

I ran out of almond butter so I whipped up a batch in the vitamix to use in the sauce. The sauce was good but it probably didn't need the whole 1/2 cup of coconut aminos. I ended up using less than 1/2 c and it tastes great. 

My non-paleo dinner guests enjoyed the meal greatly!

I'm excited for this new book and can't wait to do another round of the sugar detox using the recipes from the book. 

Hello Again!

It's been awhile since I've been on here.   A lot has happened...let's see I almost

sliced my finger off using a mandolin slicer while trying to cut a sweet potato. I ended up getting 9 stitches and had to be off work for 2 weeks. I'm not gonna post any pictures because it was pretty gruesome. I completed a 4 mile race the next day after my finger injury.  That's pretty much what happened in August. 

In September, I completed an Olympic distance triathlon. 

I have a half marathon coming up in a week and training hasn't been that great. I just plan to finish. It'll be my first half marathon since May 2012. 

I had a chance to meet the author of "Against All Grain" Danielle Walker. She came to San Diego for a talk and book signing. She was awesome! Very inspiring.  Can't wait for the next book!

Day 22! Reflections

I finally completed one full round of the 21 Day Sugar Detox, level 3. I lost 8 lbs total with moderate exercise. My clothes fits me better and I feel great. I can't believe how much energy I had. I've learned a lot about food and how diet can affect you. 

I look at these past 3 weeks as a steeping stone to the way I eat everyday. I know I'm not perfect and there will be days where I'll have "bad" foods but overall I'm more aware of what I'm putting into my body. 

I plan to introduce fruit back into my diet and also raw honey. 

Today's lunch was good and still part of the detox criteria...

Kale, tomatoes, bell peppers and chicken salad

I went to a heated yoga session and it was awesome! Good to be back at yoga. 

My first recipe from my new cookbook "Against All Grain" by Danielle Walker was the slow cooker orange chicken. I had it w/cauliflower rice (also from the cookbook) and green beans

It was really good. My non-paleo boyfriend ate te chicken too (but w/real rice). 

What a nice day to start my vacation!

Day 21- Lots of working!

So I ended up working a total of 17 hours so I wasn't prepared. At my 4am breakfast, I had chicken salad w/chia seeds in coconut milk. 

At 8am, I had 2 hard boiled eggs (that I purchased from the cafeteria) and my green veggie juice. I also munched on almonds and radishes. 

When I got home, I had some pistachios and then I took a "nap".

When I woke up, I didn't feel like eating anything so I made a hemp protein shake and pistachios. 

Day 20- Feeling strong

One more day to go! 

My 4am breakfast was the usual...eggs, bacon, avocado & chia seeds. 

When I got home, I had some pistachios :)

When I woke up from my day sleeping, I had my green veggie juice and a chicken salad (chicken breast mixed w/homemade mayo). 

I somehow convinced myself to go on a 2 mile run before going back to work. After my run, I made a hemp protein shake (hemp protein powder, frozen banana, almond milk, almond butter, avocado, spinach, coffee beans and flax seed oil)

For dinner, I had some leftovers 

Pork chop, asparagus, and roasted brussel sprouts. 

Day 19- Almost there!

I actually feel good at 4am. I don't feel tired like I normally would be when I wasn't on the detox. 

Breakfast was the usual. 

They were short staffed at work so I stayed an extra 4 (that's 16 hours total!). Luckily, I brought enough food but I'm surprised I wasn't that hungry. When I got home, I had a green veggie juice and pistachios and went to bed to do it all again later. It was nice to see some sun light...and beautiful flowers :)

After only sleep 5 hours, I woke up and made a hemp protein powder shake. 

Before heading in to work I had a pork chop, cauliflower mash and asparagus

Day 18- And the work week starts again

I can't believe I made it to day 18! I would've never imagined that. 

For breakfast, I had eggs, bacon, avocado and a coconut flour biscuit. 

I wanted to make some sriracha but the store I went to only had green jalapeños so I improvised. 

I have enough to last me awhile but it's only suppose to be good for a week in the fridge. Maybe I can freeze some?

I also needed some beef stock for a recipe I was going to make so I decided to make some w/the crockpot. I'm gonna let it cook for about 20 hours...

For lunch, I went to a baby shower and they had a taco cart so I just had chicken, guacamole and radishes 

For dinner, I grilled some pork chops marinated w/coconut aminos, garlic, rosemary, s&p and my green sriracha sauce. I had it w/roasted brussel sprouts and roasted garlic cauliflower mash

Day 17- Feeling strong

Since I haven't taken a picture of my work breakfast in awhile, I thought I'd take one. I also had some chia seeds w/coconut milk

I woke up around 1230 from my day sleeping and couldn't go back to sleep so I met up w/a good friend who is in town for a triathlon. We met at a dinner so I had steak and eggs w/avocado and salsa. I was hungry so I forgot to take a picture. 

I went to an engagement party and luckily there was chicken kabobs and beef and roasted bell peppers. 

Day 16- Back to night shift

Today for breakfast I made some asparagus w/eggs and a coconut flour biscuit. 

I swam 1500 yards in the pool. It was kinda boring. I prefer swimming outdoors but I didn't feel like driving to the bay to swim. 

After my swim, I had a spinach salad w/steak and veggies (I took a picture, but I think I deleted it by accident).

I made a hemp protein shake before I went to work. 

I'm only working one night than I'm off for  one and then back for 3 more.

For dinner, I had leftovers from dinner yesterday...stir fry w/zucchini noodles. 

Day 15- Less than a week to go!

I decided to work an extra shift today so I had my usual breakfast. 

For lunch, I had kale salad with my leftover chicken salad from yesterday...

I didn't bring enough food to work today so I was starving by the end of the day! This is where all the cravings started kicking in but I made sure to eat my almonds and pistachios and I also remembered to hydrate myself. It's always hard to do that when you've had a busy day. 

When I got home for dinner, my boyfriend made a beef stir fry w/veggies (adparagus, bell peppers and arichokes) using coconut aminos and random spices. I had it w/my zucchini noodles. It was delicious!

I finally topped my day off w/a chocolate almond butter cup!

Good night.

Day 14- 2 weeks down!

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks already. I feel good so far and my energy level is great! I'm not having major cravings and I don't feel hungry because I can eat as much as I want...I'm not on a diet and thank god I don't have to keep a journal and log my calories!

My breakfast today was very green... 

Eggs, coconut flour biscuit, artichokes, asparagus and green tomatoes. 

Lunch was also very green...

Spinach, kale, almond milk, green apple, almond butter, flax seed, and hemp protein powder. (I didn't want to eat too much before going to Pilates)

After Pilates, I decided to make some mayo so I could have a chicken salad. This was my 1st time making mayo. 

I'm surprised how easy it is to make this...egg yolks, lemon, avocado oil and s&p. That's it!

I added a little of the mayo to chicken along with rosemary, cayenne pepper, and purple cabbage. I threw it on top of some spinach and bell peppers. Yum!

I went for a 4 mile run and it wasn't the best run I've had. I walked a lot. My legs felt tight so I need to foam roll a bit more. 

For dinner, I grilled some bison burgers and put it in a lettuce wrapped. It was topped w/avocado and sundried tomatoes 

Day 13- I'm not use to the night shift schedule yet

Breakfast was the usual. I didn't really have any lunch. When I woke up (at 5pm) I just had some crackers and baba ghanoush. 

For dinner, we went to a Mexican restaurant. I had a tilapia salad...

I've been going out to eat a lot urging this round of the detox and I'm surprised that I've been true to the detox :)

Day 12- How did I ever work night shift before?

Coming back to night shift after working days for 3 months takes a little bit out of you. 

I ate breakfast at 0530 (which I guess is my dinner since its the last meal before I go to sleep), I had my bacon, egg muffin thing w/chia seeds and coconut milk. 

I had to go to the dentist after work and I was pretty tired. I think I feel asleep in the waiting room. 

When I woke up from day sleeping, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to eat so I just had a hodge podge of items from the fridge. 

I don't know what got in to me but I felt like going for a run. I felt good and strong. I intentionally ran up the hills. I went a total of 3.1 miles and then rushed to get ready for work. 

My dinner for tonight has been the same for the last couple nights. Guess I'm not sick of it yet. 

Working nights, I'm always confused what day it is so I may be off when I write my entries for these last few days. 

Day 11- Back to vampire status

We are more than half way through and so far I feel good. I forgot to mention that I had a dream the other night that I was cheating by eating rice and I was freaking out...

I go back to night shift tonight so I tried to sleep in. 

Today for breakfast, I had some wild salmon in the fridge so I just pan fried it and had it w/some eggs, avocado and biscuits. 

For lunch, I made a green hemp protein shake. I also had some cucumbers, bell peppers and baba ghanoush w/crackers. 

At some point, I took a 2 hour nap to prepare myself for staying awake all night. 

For dinner, I had left overs- turkey meatloaf, cauliflower mash and brussel sprouts. Boring. I know. But that's what I had in the fridge. 

Day 10- Nothing exciting

I wanted to make something for breakfast so I decided to make coconut flour biscuits. They were pretty good w/my eggs, avocado and bacon.

For lunch, I had some crackers w/baba ghanoush, bell peppers and shredded chicken. 

I tried out a different type of Pilates class today and it was...different. Not sure how I feel about this new studio. After class, I chugged my green veggie juice and a chocolate almond butter cup. 

And for dinner... 

Turkey meatloaf, cauliflower mash, brussel sprouts and I added cherry tomatoes for a little color to my meal :)

Day 9- Busy day in the kitchen

I woke up this morning and decided to make almond flour pancakes w/roasted red pepper and spinach sausage. I don't recall taking a picture. 

I went to Pilates again and it was a good workout!

I went to the gym for a strength workout (haven't been all week!) I did some back squats and push press. I don't know what came over me but I decided to run home. 2 miles-the most that I've ran outside since knee surgery in Feb. 

After my workout and run, I made a green protein smoothie. 

Today was the day to spend in the kitchen. I sat down and made a list of everything that I wanted to make today in order of the oven temperatures. 

1. Zucchini noodles

2. Flax and chia seed crackers

3. Turkey and basil meatloaf

4. Baba ghanoush

5. Roasted brussel sprouts

6. Roasted garlic cauliflower mash

7. Chocolate almond butter cups

For dinner, I had some leftovers and some of the items I made today

Shredded chicken, pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower mash.

I'm glad today is over! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today but I'll be prepared for the next few days!

Day 8- We survived!

We survived our 1st week of the 21DSD! I'm feeling good. I've had a few cravings but nothing major. I got plenty of sleep last night so I feel rested today. 

For breakfast, I had 2 eggs, some leftover steak and an espresso. 

I'm trying out a new Pilates studio so that's always a good workout. After I spent all my money at Costco, I was hungry and decided to make a green smoothie...

Green tipped banana, coconut milk, spinach, hemp protein powder, almond butter and ice cubes. 

The shake actually kept me full for a few hours. I played my 1st round of 18 hole golf today. I brought carrots, almonds and pistachios to munch on during the long game. I was starving by the end. 

For dinner, we went to a restaurant. I ordered a crab and avocado gazpacho...

And a Greek salad w/blackened ahi tuna

The lighting wasn't that great but the salad had tomatoes, artichokes and olives (which I didn't eat). 

I can honestly say that I'm tired of eating salads when I got out to eat but I promised everyone that I will make it to day 21!

Day 7- Daily grind

I didn't realize how tired I was until my alarm went off this morning! I didn't feel like going to work today, but oh well. 

I was so tired in the morning (from lack of sleep) that I got a pakig citation at work b/c I marked my parking permit but put it back in the glove compartment (instead of the dashboard). Doh! I'm an idiot. 

Anyways, for breakfast I had the usual work day breakfasts but I had to bum half an avocado off one of my co workers b/c I ran out. 

Lunch was leftovers from dinner last night. 

For dinner, my boyfriend grilled me a steak w/a side of sautéed veggies

Day 6- Fun in the Sun!

I officiat registered for the Olympic distance triathlon...so it's on now!

I'm trying to get more creative w/breakfast but that requires planning. So I just use whatever I have in my fridge

English "muffin" w/almond butter, fried eggs, kale and fried green tomatoes 

I'm reliving my childhood days at the water park today so food choices are limited. 

For lunch, I decided to go with a lettuce wrapped burger w/tomatoes and pickles. 

I actually had 2 of these throughout the day at the water park. 

 I also munched on almonds and cucumbers.

For dinner, I went out for a friend's birthday. I ordered a salad w/portobella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, asparagus, butternut squash and grilled chicken on a bed of spring mix. I was so excited about it that I almost forgot to take a picture!

I didn't eat the garlic bread though. 

Today was a good day even though I wasn't at home. I was able to find good food to eat!

Days 4&5- Work keeps me busy!

Work can get a bit crazy sometimes and it's always easier to shove something quick in your mouth (like candy or chips) but I choose to shove almonds, pistachios, cucumbers and radishes :)

Days 4&5 were similar because I worked 2 days in a row and I tend to make enough food to cover me for the amount of shifts that I'm working. Breakfast was the same as day 1.  Lunch was my leftover kale, brussel sprout salad and I was so busy yesterday that I didn't really have time to cook a protein so I threw some frozen chicken breasts into the crockpot w/rosemary, garlic, s&p and cooked it on low for 6 hours. In the morning I had chicken breasts ready that I shred and mixed it w/my almond "cream" sauce. 

This was my pathetic dinner on day 4...

Spinach, cherry tomatoes, artichokes w/basil vinaigrette and sausage (I always make leftovers). 

Day 5's dinner was the same that I had for breakfast. What can I say? I love eggs and I could eat it for every meal if I could. 

My friend Angela is doing great. I'm proud of her and the progress she is making with her family. I was also excited when she sent me a recipe she tried that I haven't made yet. I plan to make it soon!

1 c almond flour, 3/4 flax meal, 1/4 cup combination poppy, sesame, & chia seeds, 1 tb coconut oil, I egg, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/8 tsp ea onion & garlic powder. 

Mix well, roll out about 1/8" thin, cut in sq's & bake 325 for 15 mins :)

I'm also happy to say that I've recruited another person to join us to eat real food!

Day 3- 138

Today I decided to be somewhat creative for breakfast...

I made an English "muffin" (almond flour, ghee, egg, baking power, s&p) w/poached eggs, the almond "cream" sauce, avocado and sausage. And to top it off, my daily espresso :)

I don't feel tired today. Went to the driving range to embarrass myself and then I put in a strong workout at the gym:

Back squats 

1x5 135#

2x5 140#

2x5 145#

Dead lifts 

1x5 105#

2x5 110#

2x5 115#

And finished off with a 1 mile run. I'm only allowed to have 8oz coconut water so this was refreshing after the workout!

Family parties are always fun to go...except when you're on a sugar detox. This was my contribution to the party

Roasted brussel sprouts, kale, shredded cabbage, carrots, bell peppers with a basil vinaigrette (basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon, Dijon mustard and olive oil)

Temptations all around me! My aunt said "it's only one day, you can eat sugar..."  Here were a few things I could eat including my salad

Here are some things that are not included on this detox...

For dinner, I went out to a Mexican restaurant for a going away party. I wasn't quite hungry so I just ordered a shrimp ceviche w/avocado and lettuce. 

Today was a true test of my discipline and will power! If I can make it thru a family party and dinner with friends then I'll definitely make it to day 21! I've been eating out a lot these past few days so I need to stop and start cooking again!

Day 2- 142

Breakfast was nothing exciting (eggs, turkey meatballs and avocado) so I won't bore you with my pictures. It was a nice day out so I went for a 3/4 mile swim in the bay (I plan to sign up for a triathlon in September). 

Today was not a good day for cooking my own meals. I guess this is the real test when I have to be in the "real" world. 

I met my sister for lunch at True Food Kitchen and you should've seen the look on the waitress's face when I read her my order...

Grass fed bison burger in a lettuce wrap w/kale (no bun, no mayo, no cheese, no bread crumbs. I also asked for no mushrooms or onions but those were included- oh well. 

Dinner was actually my best meal today. I ordered a taco bowl w/pollo asado, avocado, lettuce and salsa. 

What better way to spend day 2 than at a baseball game...

Go Padres!