Tag Archives: lunch

Candida Diet Day 1

Breakfast

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Scramble
1/2 cup red onions, chopped
1 cup curly kale, chopped
2 eggs, scrambled
Decaf coffee with 1 tbsp coconut cream (not creamer, it’s in a can on the Asian Foods aisle)

Sauté the red onions in 1/2 tbsp of butter until soft. Add the kale and sauté until wilted. Scramble the eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper then add to the pan once the kale is wilted. Stir to integrate everything together and serve immediately once eggs are cooked.

Lunch

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Salad
1 cup mixed baby greens
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup thin sliced radishes
1 small avocado, chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3 oz wild caught tuna in spring water
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice
drizzle of sunflower oil
salt & pepper

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy your salad!

Dinner

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Salmon & Veggies
6 oz lemon-dill salmon
1/2 cup roasted purple cauliflower
1/2 cup sautéed asparagus with lemon, garlic and ginger
1/2 cup roasted Brussel sprouts

Preheat oven to 425.

Cut cauliflower into 1 inch florets and half or quarter Brussel sprouts, mince 2 cloves of garlic. Toss all ingredients in a bowl with a little oil of your choice and salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

Rub sunflower oil on the bottom of a baking dish and place salmon filet in dish. Squeeze some lemon juice over the salmon then sprinkle lemon zest and tear some fresh dill to sprinkle over the salmon as well. Add sea salt and a little freshly cracked pepper. Put in the oven for the last 12-15 minutes that the veggies are cooking.

While everything is in the oven, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Trim the ends off of about 8 asparagus spears and mince 1 clove of garlic and a little fresh ginger root. Once the oil is hot, add asparagus, garlic, ginger, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to the pan.  After a few minutes, add a splash of organic chicken broth to the pan. Sauté until everything is tender, about 8 minutes.

Whole 30 – A Realistic Meal Plan – Week 4

I forgot to post this when I actually finished but I did the entire Whole 30! By the end of it I felt really good, lost 8 pounds, and changed my relationship with food. I was SO tired of cooking that I honestly didn’t eat as much just because the thought of cooking yet another meal was enough to keep me from eating. I will definitely keep a lot of these habits moving forward though. Following the whole 30 shopping guidelines and meal plans at home for the most part but being able to eat out occasionally would be sustainable for a long time. Overall, I would recommend this plan, definitely one of the best cleanses or detoxes that I have done over the years!

Day 22:
Breakfast – Pork Hash and blueberries
Lunch – Red Curry with Chicken (leftover)
Dinner – Tarragon Cream Chicken with sautéed broccolini

Day 23:
Breakfast – Apple with Almond Butter
Lunch – Tarragon Cream Chicken (leftover)
Dinner – Chili over a baked yukon gold potato

Day 24:
Breakfast –Pork Hash
Lunch – Italian Chicken Stew (made night before)
Dinner – Chili over a baked yukon gold potato

Day 25:
Breakfast – Pork Hash
Lunch –Italian Chicken Stew (leftover)
Dinner – Steak with Roasted Purple Potatoes and sautéed broccolini

Day 26:
Breakfast – BLAT “Benedict”… without the egg
Lunch – Italian Chicken Stew (leftover)
Dinner – Ate out – side salad with grilled chicken, no dressing

Day 27:
Breakfast – BLAT “Benedict”… without the egg
Lunch – Apple with Almond Butter
Dinner – Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Roasted Broccolini

Day 28:
Breakfast – Banana
Lunch – Ate out at a Paleo Bistro
Dinner – Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Purple Potatoes

Day 29:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with mushrooms
Lunch – Apple with Almond Butter
Dinner – Pot Roast Stew

Day 30:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with mushrooms
Lunch – Pot Roast Stew
Dinner – Steak with Roasted Purple Potatoes and sautéed broccolini

Whole 30 – A Realistic Meal Plan – Week 3

Cold-pressed black coffee may be my new favorite thing on earth…which means my taste buds are seriously changing doing this program! Also, I would say that while I don’t have crazy “tiger blood” energy, I DO have energy that last all day. After work I run errands, cook, do chores around the house, work on our Spain to-do list, and never notice my energy draining during the day, even when I’m ready go to bed. The hardest thing about the Whole30 is just cooking every single meal. That is the only real struggle that I’ve had – the only convenience I can find is if I planned ahead and worked for it. I’m 22 days in now though, there’s no turning back from here!!

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Day 15:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with Mushrooms
Lunch – Green Curry with Chicken (leftover)
Dinner – Italian Chicken Stew

Day 16:
Breakfast – Smoked Salmon with sliced tomatoes and blueberries (Gil had 2 boiled eggs)
Lunch – Italian Chicken Stew (leftover) and a nectarine
Dinner – Pot Roast

Day 17:
Breakfast –Smoked Salmon with sliced tomatoes and blueberries (Gil had 2 boiled eggs)
Lunch – Pot Roast Stew (leftover)
Dinner – Naked Chile Rellenos (omit cheese from original recipe) with tomato and avocado

Day 18:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with Mushrooms
Lunch – Pot Roast Stew (leftover)
Dinner – Tarragon Cream Chicken

Day 19:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with Mushrooms
Lunch – Tarragon Cream Chicken (leftover)
Dinner – Naked Chile Rellenos (omit cheese from recipe) (leftover) with tomato and avocado

Day 20:
Breakfast – Apple with Almond Butter
Lunch – side salad with shredded chicken, no dressing (out at an Italian restaurant)
Dinner – prime rib with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus (family dinner at a Steakhouse)

Day 21:
Breakfast – Apple with Almond Butter
Lunch – Peach & almonds (we were moving so I went by a grocery store for lunch)
Dinner –Red Curry with Chicken

Whole 30 – A Realistic Meal Plan – Week 2

Week 2 was a crazy week at work for me, so you’ll see a lot of the same things over and over. Not very creative, and Gil has now vetoed roasted broccoli for at least a week, but this is real life. We’re crazy busy but still making it work with the Whole 30.

Side note: Week 3 is already shaping up much better, my menu plan is a lot more creative and it was actually even cheaper than last week despite me buying everything at Whole Foods because I didn’t have time for 2 separate grocery trips.

To give you an idea of approximately what this meal plan costs, for all meals for Week 2 combined I spent $66 on organic produce, spices, coconut milk, etc. at Sprouts Farmers Market (I choose which veggies and fruits we will eat for the week based on what is on sale in the circular since, for the most part, all of my fruits and veggies are interchangeable in my recipes) and $78 at Whole Foods on grass-fed, organic meat and wild-caught fish. I bought some higher end proteins like swordfish steaks so it is possible to spend even less if you choose less expensive fish and cuts of meat. So I spent a total of $144 on groceries for 21 meals for 2 people which comes to $3.43 per person per meal. So not only is this meal plan really healthy but, even with high-end organic meats from Whole Foods, it is literally cheaper than eating at McDonalds.

I still need to write up some of these recipes, I’ll get them posted as soon as I can.

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Day 8:
Breakfast – I felt too bad to eat (migraine) but I had planned to eat Pork Hash with Mushrooms
Lunch – Mexican Chicken (leftover) with a peach
Dinner – Swordfish Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli, Green Beans, and Mushrooms

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Day 9:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with a peach
Lunch – Spinach Salad with Guacamole and Burger Patties
Dinner – Tarragon Cream Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Green Beans and Mixed Potatoes

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Day 10:

Breakfast – Pork Hash with a slice of tomato (Gil also had 2 boiled eggs)
Lunch – Spinach Salad with Guacamole with Tarragon Cream Chicken (leftover)
Dinner – First attempt at eating out – Sea Bass with Spinach and Mushrooms at True Food Kitchen

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Day 11:
Breakfast – Smoked Salmon with Blueberries
Lunch – London Broil with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
Dinner – Chicken Sausage with Roasted Broccolini and Sliced Tomatoes

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Day 12:
Breakfast – Peach and almonds before working out
Lunch – Chili on a bed of spinach
Dinner – Apple with Almond Butter (we went to a dinner party and didn’t eat and were starving when we got home but it was too late for a meal)

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Day 13:
Breakfast – Smoked Salmon with Blueberries (and Scrambled Eggs for Gil)
Lunch – Chicken Sausage (leftover)
Dinner – Chili (leftover)

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Day 14:
Breakfast – Pork Hash with a slice of tomato (Gil also had 2 boiled eggs)
Lunch – Green Curry with Chicken (my own recipe and it’s delicious! post coming soon)
Dinner – Chilean Sea Bass with Sautéed Broccolini and Roasted Purple Potatoes

Spinach Salad with Guacamole

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This is easily my favorite lunch to take to work with me. It is super healthy and Whole 30 compliant but it will also keep you full and fueled for the entire afternoon.

Ingredients (1 serving):
1 small tomato, diced
a handful of baby carrots, cut in half
1/4 of an English Cucumber, deseeded and sliced
1/4 of a green onion (green part), chopped
1 large handful of baby spinach
Approx. 10-15 dry roasted almonds
1/4 of a lime
2 tbsp. guacamole, homemade or Wholly Guacamole Minis are perfect for work lunches

Put the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and then when you are ready to eat, squeeze the lime juice all over it and put the guacamole on top of the salad. Toss the ingredients to coat everything in lime and guacamole (they are your dressing) and enjoy!

Variations: Add Grilled Chicken, Salmon, or Burger Patties to add more protein to the meal.

Spinach Salad with Hummus

I work from home several days each week so I’m always experimenting with quick, easy, healthy lunches.  This is one of my favorites, it’s basically a salad I created using the items I always have on hand and it literally takes about 5 minutes to put together.

ImageFresh Baby Spinach
Tomato, diced
Goat Cheese Crumbles
Roasted Almonds
Hummus
Cindy’s Kitchen Fresh Avocado 
Vinaigrette

A few notes:

The salad dressing is from Whole Foods and it’s a little pricy, but I just use a little so it lasts awhile (it has a little spice to it so you don’t need much) and it completely makes the salad.  Absolutely worth the cost.

I use whatever flavor of hummus I have on hand, artichoke & garlic or black bean & lime are my 2 favorite hummus flavors in this salad.

The ingredients listed here are the staples but for variety I toss in whatever other fruits and veggies I have lying around, depending on what sounds good that day, carrots, cucumber, avocado, even cranberries.

For a little extra protein, this salad is great with tuna or grilled chicken as well.

Just combine everything on a plate and enjoy!

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Chicken Salad

While I avoid a lot of food because of my allergies, there are 3 foods that I won’t include in recipes because I hate them.  I’m not a picky eater at all but I absolutely will not eat: 1) olives, 2) celery, or 3) raisins.  Ants on a log snack day at school when I was young was especially awful!

I avoided chicken salad most of my life because it almost always contains at least one, if not 2, of my hated foods.  I’m also not much of a fan of mayo.  So I set out to create a chicken salad recipe several years ago that I actually liked and I have to tell you, it’s one of my favorites.  It’s not only allergy friendly, it’s very healthy too.  A perfect lunch on lettuce or sandwiches!

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1 large chicken breast
1/4 cup roasted almonds
1 apple (fuji, gala, whatever is on sale that isn’t too sweet or tart)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp vegan mayo
3-5 stalks green onion
olive oil
splash of lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

First, you’ll need to roast your chicken.  Preheat your oven to 375 and pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel.  Coat with a thin layer of olive oil and salt and pepper on both sides.  Roast on a baking sheet for 35-40 minutes then let cool while you chop the rest of your ingredients.

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Chop the apple into cubes then place in a bowl and coat with a splash of lime juice to prevent browning. Chop the green onions into slivers (mainly green parts) and roughly chop the almonds.

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Slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise then cut into cubes.  Combine all chopped ingredients in bowl.

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Add the mustard, vegan mayo, and salt and pepper and mix well.

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Serve on a sandwich or on a salad, I like to add tomatoes and avocado to the salad as well.  This keeps really well for several days in the fridge so you can make a big batch and have it for a few days.

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Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad

I spent the summer of 2011 living in Tulsa with my brother Thomas and it was regularly 110-120 degrees, truly unbearable.  We ate a lot of this salad that summer, and even took a huge batch with us to Bonnaroo, the cucumber is so refreshing.  My brothers call this the “keenest wa” when they request it.  It has become one of my year round go-to recipes for lunches, I make a big batch and have it for lunch a few days throughout the week.  I will confess that I don’t measure when I make this meal so the amounts on the ingredients list are estimates and can be tweaked to your own taste.

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 hothouse cucumber, seeded and sliced
3-4 stalks green onions, minced (both green and white parts)
1/3 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup goat milk feta (optional)

Prepare the quinoa according to directions on the package.  Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and some salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the hot quinoa in a large bowl and stir well.  Let the quinoa cool while you chop your veggies.  Split the cucumber down the middle and scoop out the seeds then slice.

Chop the dill and green onions and, once everything is ready, add it all to the quinoa at the same time and add a little more salt and pepper.  Toss well.  Give the salad a taste and feel free to play around with the ingredients, you may like it with more olive oil, more or less dill or green onions.  This salad ends up a little different every time I make it.

If you can eat goat milk and are not trying to prepare a vegan meal, put in some small chunks of feta to taste and stir carefully.  Let the mixture sit for an hour and come to room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.  I personally think this salad is better the next day after the flavors have really blended.  If you do refrigerate, let it come back to room temperature to serve and taste to be sure the seasonings are balanced.

I hope you enjoy the salad as much as Thomas and I do!