Food Challenge Menu Day 10-12

Hope everything is going well thus far! I just realized that I haven't been planning any seafood or international meals. The horror! We don't eat a lot of seafood, because Steve isn't a big fan. I personally LOVE it, but making two different meat dishes...yeah, not going to happen.

Here ya go!

Day 10
Breakfast: Sweet potato latkes w/ egg and bacon
Lunch: Left over chicken - chicken lettuce wraps OR chicken salad w/ THIS mayo
Dinner:  Out! Be careful!!!

Day 11
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/ kale, sausage, and grapefruit
Lunch: Kale salad  (skip the honey in the recipe)
Dinner: Meatloaf w/ ground lamb, asparagus, and butternut squash
*Can't use ketchup with your meatloaf, unless you make your own sugar free version

Day 12
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with salsa, banana (or your choice of fruit), and bacon/sausage
Lunch: Fridge clean out - use any leftover, fruits, veggies that will be coming bad soon
Dinner: Pakistani Kima

As always, the grocery list assumes that you have nothing in your kitchen

Groceries
Meat:
ground beef
ground meat of choice for Day 12 dinner
pork sausage (sugar free!)
bacon (sugar free)
ground lamb

Produce:
carrot
4 sweet potatoes
celery
grapes
2 avocado
2 apples
1 lemon
kale
asparagus
lettuce
2 roma tomatoes or a box of cherry/grape tomatoes
grapefruit
3 or 4 radishes
dried cranberries or cherries (sugar free)
onion
fresh or frozen green beans
butternut squash

Spices:
cumin
chili powder
onion powder
garlic powder
oregano
paprika
curry powder
cinnamon
ginger
turmeric
thyme

Etc:
dried cranberries (or fresh) read ingredients! Most dried have sugar added!
walnuts
eggs
mustard
lemon juice
olive oil
coconut oil
coconut flour
lime juice
baking powder
pecans
small container goat cheese
apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)
dijon mustard
jar/can of diced tomatoes (sugar free)
butter
salsa (Pace is ok, it doesn't have junk)
*Breadcrumbs - If you have coconut flour, you don't need breadcrumbs
1 can tomato paste

Food Challenge Menu Days 7-9

Moving right along!

Day 7
Breakfast: Caprese omelet
Lunch: BLT wrapped in lettuce or a Pure Wrap
Dinner: Apple and pork burgers w/ broccoli

Day 8
Breakfast: Eggs with avocado, salsa, and bacon
Lunch: Baked salmon (or buy a salmon burger) with sautéed eggplant and rainbow chard
Dinner: Pizza stir-fry

Day 9 (If you're following along, today is Saturday)
Breakfast: Green smoothie (if you're feeding a babe too, just make an egg for them and give him some of your smoothie too)
Lunch: Enjoy lunch out! Read the ingredients/nutritionally info and order carefully
Dinner: Roasted chicken and veggies Here's another recipe for roasted chicken (this sits up tomorrow's lunch!)

Snacks:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Grape tomatoes
Grapefruit
Bananas

As always, the grocery list assumes that you have NOTHING in your pantry/kitchen
Groceries
Meat:
bacon
4lb WHOLE chicken
salmon or salmon burger
nitrate free pepperoni
ground nitrate free italian sausage
ground pork

Produce:
2 tomatoes
lettuce
spinach
celery
pear
2-3 apples
orange
kiwi
banana
3 rutabagas
avocado
eggplant
rainbow chard
2 sweet potatoes
1 onion
carrots (not baby)
mushrooms
2 yellow squash OR zucchini or 1 of each
broccoli
Optional: Blueberries, strawberries, grape tomatoes, grapefruit, bananas

Herbs:
basil
olive oil
garlic (get a few actual cloves)
coriander
parsley
a few sprigs of thyme
rosemary
cinnamon
allspice
nutmeg
oregano
thyme
garlic powder

Etc:
eggs
butter
mozzarella
apple cider vinegar
salsa
coconut oil
pecans
full fat canned coconut milk

Food Challenge Menu Days 4-6

Here's the menu for day 4, 5, and 6 - along with the grocery list. As always, the grocery list assumes that you have nothing in your kitchen. I can't go back every time and see what items were used in the previous week to adjust accordingly. I've got a screaming kid to take care of.

Day 4
Breakfast: Egg omelet (3 eggs, spinach, bacon, & feta)
Lunch: Cucumber Caprese Salad
Dinner: Tacos

Day 5
*Put dinner in the crock pot!
Breakfast: Leftover taco omelet (scramble taco meat into 2 or 3 eggs, top with sour cream/salsa)
Lunch: Turkey/avocado wrap using Pure Wraps or lettuce leaves
Dinner: Creamy country chicken w/ veggies using THIS recipe for gravy

*Make bacon mashed sweet potatoes tonight for the morning!
Day 6
Breakfast: Bacon mashed sweet potatoes and scrambled eggs
Lunch: Leftovers from last night's dinner
Dinner: Shepherd's pie using sweet potatoes instead

Snack:
Squash fries (not included in grocery list)

Grocery List
Meat:
bone in (or in my case out) chicken breast
2 packages ground beef
bacon
turkey (preferably Applegate brand - no sugar added!)

Produce:
2 cucumbers
cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tomato
2 avocado
6 or 7 sweet potatoes
package of WHOLE carrots, NOT baby.
3 onions
garlic
spinach
2-3 parsnips
fresh ginger

Seasonings:
basil
garlic powder
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (read the ingredients!)
thyme
sage
Italian seasoning (or just blend it yourself)
cumin
chili powder
oregano
paprika

Etc:
fresh mozzarella (the little balls. Haha!)
sour cream
chicken broth
coconut amnios
butter
eggs
lime juice
coconut flour
baking powder
feta
Optional: Salsa (read ingredients! No sugar or junk!)

Food Challenge Menu Days 1-3

I'm posting days 1-3 a little early, so that you can have time to go out and grocery shop. Also, so you can get an idea of the way you'll be eating and the staples you'll need on hand.

I'll also post a little blurp every three days about how the day went for me personally with food and all that jazz. I'll throw up a before pic, but I'm not really anticipating a great change in my appearance. I've already lost all of my baby weight plus some by eating this way majority of the time. I aiming for more of an internal change.

*Read the recipes before grocery shopping. There may be items that you don't need, because you don't like them. It also helps to see what you'll be making. A lot of the recipes have little tips about certain ingredients - like mandarin oranges can be purchased packages, but with no sugar/corn syrup/etc.

Day before day 1:
Season your pork tenderloin
Make your mayo

Day 1
Breakfast: Zucchini and sweet potato frittata
Lunch: Pulled pork lettuce wraps (Prepare the pork the night before!! Bonus points for ease!)
Dinner: Chicken with creamy sun-dried tomato sauce

Day 2
Breakfast: Leftover frittata from yesterday (I'll be having brussels sprouts with it)
Lunch: Asian chicken salad wrap
Dinner: Jerk chicken (I like to also sauté in green beans and whatever other veggie I have laying around that could possibly go bad soon. Skip the sugar required in the recipe!)

Day 3
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/ spinach, bacon, and cinnamon cooked apples
Lunch: Any leftovers, a salad, or go out...but be careful with what you order. Look at the nutrition guides of wherever you go! Hint: Salad dressing at most restaurants are a definite no-go.
Dinner: Beef Stew

Snack:
Fruit 'N Nut Bars (Not a part of the grocery list!!!)
LARABARS can be found in any grocery story on the supplement aisle, but stay away from peanuts
Blueberries
Bananas
Apples

*If you have leftovers from any meals, feel free to skip the suggested meal and eat your leftovers instead. Don't waste food. Smiley face.

This grocery list assumes that you have NOTHING in your kitchen in the way of food. Just copy/paste this into a word doc and delete the things that you already have.
Get some of THESE if you want to eat wraps for lunches.

Produce                                 Meat
Onion                                    Stewing Beef
Carrots                                  Pork tenderloin
Spinach                                Chicken breast
1 or 2 Sweet potatoes           Bacon (sugar free, nitrite free, read ingredients!)
2 zucchini
3 red (or color of choice) bell peppers
Lettuce of choice (romaine/bibb)
Sun dried tomatoes (possible canned, read ingredients!)
Mandarin oranges (can buy in a package)
Scallions
Celery
Pineapple
Optional: Brussels sprouts, blueberries, apples, bananas (these are snack items)

Herbs/Spices                     
Parsley
Salt/Pepper
Cinnamon
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Dried mustard
Paprika
Cumin
Mint
Allspice
Cloves
Nutmeg
Optional: Red pepper flakes

Etc.
Canned diced tomatoes (read ingredients!)
Olive oil
Beef stock (read ingredients!)
Chicken stock (read ingredients!)
Eggs
Lemon juice (100% lemon juice or buy a few lemons to squeeze)
Coconut oil (will use regularly!)
Butter/ghee
Pure wraps (have to buy online more than likely, but worth it!)

30 Day Challenge

Inspired by the Whole30 challenge, I decided to do my own challenge. Getting Big Benson on board is proving to be somewhat of a challenge in and of itself, but that's a whole different ball game - his biggest issue what the entire thing is giving up beer for 30 days. Go figure.

While I think that cleansing and giving up of sugar, grains, etc. for a small amount of time and reintroducing slowly is a great idea, it can be a bit of a process. I think that by simply allowing a small window of eliminating crap foods, better habits can be created for a lifetime of change. Woah...did all of that just come out of my mouth? Am I drunk? NO. High on coffee? YES. 

I'm on board with the entire Whole30 challenge with two concessions: I'm not giving up diary. I personally have zero problems with dairy. It doesn't make me gassy or bloated or any of these ugly symptoms. And I love butter. Like way too much. If you think that diary could be the culprit of some of your intestinal woes, I would suggest cutting it out for the first week of so of the 30 days and reintroducing it back very slowly. The other "allowance" is beer. For poor Steve's sake, I've decided to allow one beer. Every other night. Muhahaha! This is partially for me too - Woodchucks are so good. Redick. 

So. Here are the guidelines. I don't want to call them rules. Rules are too easy to break. Guidelines sounds far less intimidating. 

1. No sugar or sweeteners of any kind. This means honey, maple syrup, and agave. Eliminating sweeteners helps to cleanse the palate and hopefully at the end of this, sugar cravings will be gone or at least significantly diminished. If you aren't eating canned/boxed food, then you have no worries. If you're eating out, try to find the nutrition guide and be on the lookout for sugar in other forms. See this list of the many forms of sugar. 

2. No alcohol. If you must (and Steve Benson must), limit it to one beer/wine every other night. Most beer has grains (duh!) and part of this is eliminating grains. 

3. No grains. This includes wheat, barley, millet, quinoa, corn, cous cous, oats, you get the point. Here's a handy-dandy list of grains, just FYI.

4. No legumes. Beans, peas, SOY, peanut butter, etc. Green beans and sugar snap peas are ok, as these are more pod than pea. Here's a list of legumes.

5. No carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites. This is per the Whole30 plan and for obvious reasons additives/preservatives are harmful.  Be on the lookout for MSG to be labeled in it's full name: Monosodium glutamate. 

6. No white potatoes. This is per the Whole30 diet. 

7. No processed foods, which means nothing boxed or canned. Exceptions: coconut milk, apple sauce, tomato sauce, broths. However, READ THE LABELS! Many things will include sugar or the three additives listed above. 

8. Consume quality dairy. Believe it or not, ultra pasteurized is NOT healthy. If possible, check out your local health market (Whole Foods and the like) and see if they have low heat pasteurized/non-homogenized milk. It taste SO much better and it's not void of all nutrients. If you're up for the challenge, you can see if you can find raw milk (which is what I prefer), but some people aren't comfortable with this. Not a problem. As far as butter/cheese is concerned, look for KerryGold and quality cheese. I like Applegate farm cheeses. Above all, regardless of what type of milk/butter/cheese you eat, GET FULL FAT. Here's a mainstream article about full fat, just so you guys don't think it's another one of my crazy hippy things. And another article. 

Overall, this challenge isn't about organic or grass-fed, blah, blah, blah. If you can afford it and have access to it, then by all means, go for the best of the best. I would say to get quality meat over fruit/veggies first, because you can rinse off some of the crap on the veggies...you can't take away the junk the animals are fed to fatten them up and keep them alive in inhumane conditions. It's about eating REAL food. That's all. 

And that's all folks! Seem hard? I'm sure you THINK it's hard, but if you start anything thinking it's hard, you've already set yourself up for failure. I'm personally a little nervous, but if I know that I have people watching me, it helps. Having Steve do it with me is a maaaaaaaaaaaaajor bonus. So, find a partner. Convince your partner. Anything. After the 30 days, slowly reintroduce grains/legumes/etc. I would still be weary of sugar, but obviously it wouldn't be the end of the world to have a delicious treat or two occasionally. 

I'll post three days worth of recipes/grocery lists at a time. So, I'll always be three days ahead of anyone  who wishes to join me - although I've already conceded to the fact that I'll probably be alone in this journey. And that's ok too. This will be a nice little journal for me.

START DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2013 

Meal Plan 3

After talking with a friend (Shandall! :-)) I've decided to put lunch in here too. Lunch is always difficult for me, since I'm typically running all over the place during lunch hours. However, now that Chase is eating a lot more, I need to figure something out.

Now that I'm finally starting on a Monday, I can be a little more scheduled. As always, I will probably deviated from the plan a few times and I'll probably eat at a restaurant more than just the two days in the plan. The important thing to take out of this, is to just have a plan. Any ingredient that you buy can be used somewhere else, so that you don't waste anything if you skip a particular meal.

Day 1 - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ fruit and pork sausage

Lunch: Crockpot pie

Dinner: Spaghetti bites w/ asparagus

Day 2 - Tuesday
Breakfast: Pancakes w/ bacon and fruit

Lunch: Breakfast lasagna w/ a green added into the lasagna

Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas w/ sprouted rice and broccoli

Day 3 - Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ fruit and breakfast sausage

Lunch: OUT (Probably Panera or something of the like)

Dinner: Sausage spaghetti squash bake

Day 4 - Thursday
Breakfast: Spinach scrambled eggs, bacon, and available fruit

Lunch: Left over spaghetti squash bake

Dinner: Spiced chicken breast w/ asparagus and sweet potato
            (Chicken recipe is from Nourishing Traditions cookbook)

Day 5 - Friday
Breakfast: French toast, sausage, available fruit

Lunch: Sweet and creamy sweet potato (Recipe below)

Dinner: Jerk chicken w/ green beans

Day 6 - Saturday
Breakfast: OUT

Lunch: OUT (Breakfast and lunch are out, because I will be visiting a friend in Destin!)

Dinner: Burgers, sautéed rainbow chard, butternut squash fries

Snacks
Cheese and Broccoli Muffins

Sweet and Creamy Sweet Potatoes (this is more for Chase, but sounds good in general too)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled

2 tbsp cottage cheese
1 tbsp crushed pineapple, drained
pinch cinnamon (optional)
Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake for around 1 hour, until tender
Cool completely.
Cut crosswise into 1 1/2 inch wedges, then turn them so they sit flat on the cut sides.
Scoop a hollow into the centre of each piece (you can mash the scooped out pieces together and use them for something else).
Mix the cottage cheese with the pineapple and spoon into each hollow.
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve as dessert... mmm!

Nag of the week: BUTTER. Use real butter! :-) Not Country Crock (they are a load of crock) or Smart Balance. I prefer KerryGold, because it's real and it's from grass-fed, pastured cows. But who cares about that. It's f'in delicious. I cook everything in butter. And cinnamon. But we're not talking about that, we're talking about butter. Get it! This you will not regret! I could literally eat this butter out of the container. I may or may not have done this before. Judge not!