It's January and so it's time to clean up our eating act. After eating lots of rich food over the holidays it will be a nice change to lots of veges, baked chicken and fish.
I made a simple pot of cabbage and carrots, cooked with a tiny amount of salt and about 2 cups of chicken broth. Also, baking boneless skinless chicken thighs with gold potatoes quartered and carrots was very satisfying. The trick to making this dish turn out was placing the chicken thighs in the dish first, putting about a cup of water, some broth and about half a cup of lemon juice over, then spice with salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. {the water, broth and juice keep the meat tender while it bakes which is super important so that it does not get tough and dry} I then placed the potatoes, cut into thick slices, and the carrots, simply peeled and cut into large chunks, on top of the chicken; basically covering the chicken with the veges completely. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes on 375. Take the foil off for the last 15 minutes.
These dishes were simple and after eating too much rich food, the simplicity of basic homemade meals is nice.
I found a 5 day plan of clean eating on GOOP and will probably end up modifying it a bit but this is basically what I'm going to attempt this week. We'll see how it works out... good luck everybody!
I will say this, there's NO way I'm giving up coffee soooo.... yea, I do plan to add the warm lemony water though. Follow the link to GOOP for recipes. I'm really looking forward to trying the Kale Ceaser with Chicken and Crispy Chickpeas.
The 5 Day Detox Plan
SUNDAY:
- Do your big shop for the week.
- Make the Grain-Free Granola, Borscht, and Toum (a creamy, vegan garlic spread).
MONDAY:
- First thing: Warm water with lemon
- Breakfast: Grain-Free Granola {I may substitute plain oatmeal for granola}
- Lunch: Borscht {recipe below}
- Snack: Brown rice cake with avocado and everything bagel spice mix
- Dinner: Salmon Patties with Turmeric Cauliflower Rice {I probably will just bake either salmon or some white fish instead of making patties}
TUESDAY:
- First thing: Warm water with lemon
- Breakfast: Blueberry Coconut Chia Smoothie {could heat the coconut milk to make chai tea and have a bowl of blueberries on the side}
- Lunch: Leftover Salmon Patties and Toum over arugula with lemon and olive oil
- Snack: Apple and almond butter
- Dinner: Beans and Greens Soup with Harissa and Saffron
WEDNESDAY:
- Note: Soak your cashews tonight for tomorrow’s Caesar dressing!
- First thing: Warm water with lemon
- Breakfast: Grain-Free Granola
- Lunch: Leftover Beans and Greens Soup
- Snack: Date Balls
- Dinner: Roasted Chicken and Cauliflower with Herb Salad
THURSDAY:
- Note: Use the extra chicken from last night’s dinner for today’s salad!
- First thing: Warm water with lemon
- Breakfast: Cauliflower Black Bean Scramble
- Lunch: Kale Caesar with Chicken and Crispy Chickpeas
- Snack: Toum with crudités
- Dinner: Tom Yum Soup
FRIDAY:
- Note: Buy your trout the day before or the day of so it’s really fresh for dinner.
- First thing: Warm water with lemon
- Breakfast: Blueberry Coconut Chia Smoothie
- Lunch: Detox Bun Salad
- Snack: Date Balls
- Dinner: Blackened Trout with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Arugula Salad
Borscht ... a Russian beet soup
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound beets, boiled and diced
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable stock
juice of 1½ lemons
1. Over medium-high heat, sizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan, add onions, and saute for 5 to 8 minutes until onions start to sweat and lightly brown. Turn off the heat and divide the onions, placing half in a blender and leaving the other half in the pan.
2. In the blender, combine beets, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and vegetable stock with the sauteed onions and blend until everything is well combined and smooth.
3. Add the blended mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the sauteed onions and stir until well combined. Then heat until the soup comes to a low boil, adding more vegetable stock if it’s too thick. Finish with lemon juice, dill, and/or parsley.
best wishes for eating well.
xoxo, ande