Sorry
everyone! I forgot an important piece of
information regarding The Plan. As you
have probably noticed, we’re ramping up on good-for-you fats – seeds, nuts and
avocado. We’re also using olive oil in a
number of applications, such as what follows.
The
benefits of citrus oils have long been recognized. In fact, for generations Latin Americans have
recommended squeezing the juice from citrus with your hands rather than using
reams or other mechanical devices, as
they believe it allows more of the citrus zest oils to fall into the extracted
juices and thus, into the foods to be consumed. Some research has found that consuming just a
tablespoon of citrus zest (which contains the all-important oils) can decrease
the chance of getting skin cancer by 50%. That is HUGE, in my opinion!! So I’ve started adding zest of any sort to a
good portion of my recipes. It really
enhances flavor, and by using a rasp zester, it’s easy to do. So, as a flavor enhancer to the steamed
broccoli and salads, drizzle on some citrus oil.
Remove
strips of zest from an orange or lemon and allow to soak in 1 cup of olive oil
for a couple of days… I just leave the
zest in as I use the oil which gets the “best” of the zest into the olive oil
while you’re using it. Drizzle as
needed. I often squeeze in a bit of the
corresponding juice for more flavor. I
should have included this bit of information in my last post to allow for its
use on Day 1.
Following
is my diary of what I consume on The Plan.
Day 1 has
been exceptional, where timing is concerned, since on many days I don’t get a
chance to fit in Lunch, much less a snack. This day I managed to fit in lunch,
but no snack. The timing of my meals
depends a great deal on the schedules of others… I have care staff visiting me. I do, however, encourage you to attempt to eat
the menus as listed, so as to give yourself the best chance for success
possible!
My Plan
Diary, continued…
Day 1 – Start weight 178.0 lbs
Breakfast: 1 cup flax granola, Silk
almond-flavored beverage over the granola, a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, ground
flax seed, vanilla, sliced strawberries, small handful of raspberries. 2 large
glasses lemon water
Lunch: 1 lg. Mug Carrot-ginger soup,
sprinkled with small handful pumpkin seeds
2 Lg
glasses water. 1 cup Dandelion Tea
Supper: Sautéed Kale with Vegetables, with
a couple of tablespoons Spicy Coco sauce
Day 2 – 178.6 lbs
OK, day two,
disaster strikes for me… I’ve become ill
and have no energy and no appetite. So, I make do the best I can. My analysis of my overnight weight gain is not
enough water on day one. Although 0,6
lbs is not huge, it's enough to signal something's not quite right, and if you
compound that each day, suddenly you have weight gain that you don't notice so
much and don't know where it came from, hence, the scale becomes your data-gathering
tool. I detest being sick, everything
gets thrown off kilter. I’m not able to
eat breakfast or lunch (Ms Recitas stresses on this plan, it is absolutely
necessary to eat according to the menu plan with little, or no variation.
But, I’ve decided to do my best with what I’ve learned from my first time
on The Plan.
So, I have
½ an apple for an afternoon snack and Carrot-Ginger soup, sprinkled with
sunflower seeds for supper and up my intake of water and dandelion Tea.
Darned if
I’m not hungry in the evening! I’m no
longer accustomed to eating in the evening, I ditched that bad habit years
ago. I indulge in a toasted cheese sandwich with butter!! That did
the trick, but leaves me dreading the morning’s weigh-in, and vowing, if I feel
better, to plug in Day 2 Menu and continue on.
Day 3 dawns with me feeling no better,
Weight --
176.6 lbs (surprise!!!) Down two pounds!!
I skip
breakfast, against my better judgment and plan to follow yesterday’s route, the
best I can. Having no appetite again, I
load up on water and Dandelion Tea, but, eat no lunch and have ½ an apple and a
small handful of almonds for an afternoon snack. If I’m feeling better tomorrow I’ll plug in
day 2’s menu. But, here’s the Menus and recipes for Days 3 & 4.
Day 3 is the last on the detox portion of
The Plan, and Day 4 we will test cheese, chocolate and wine. Since you’ve cleansed your body of unwanted
toxins, your system will more readily “sensitize” to unfriendly foods.
If chocolate and wine were part of your everyday life before this test
and you were suspicious of them causing weight gain and feelings of unwellness,
this test will “tell the tale”. But, remember, you won’t have to cut them
out of your life completely!
Breakfast: 1 cup flax granola topped with Silk
or other acceptable beverage, 1 cup blueberries and other suggested toppings.
You can also replace the blueberries with1/2 diced pear (men can use a full
pear)
Lunch: chopped baby Romaine (often
referred to as Little Gem) topped with pumpkin seeds, ¼ avocado and
shredded or jullienned carrots. Drizzle with citrus oil
Snack: (for women) 10-12 raw almonds (only
if you weren’t reactive to them in Day 2) OR use ½ pear or apple
Day 4
Continue
your morning routine as on the cleanse, so you can be alerted to changes in
your body.
Breakfast: Same as previous day
Lunch: leftover Roasted Italian
winter vegetables
Snack: carrot sticks with up to 6
Tablespoons made Hummus
CHICKEN WITH ITALIAN HERBS AND ORANGE ZEST
1 orange
dried
Italian herbs
2 portions
boneless, skinless chicken breast (one portion is 4-6 oz for women and 6-8 oz
for men)
Wash the orange thoroughly and zest,
try not to get any of the white pith, as it is quite bitter. You should have
about 2 Tablespoons. Sprinkle chicken breasts liberally with Italian herb
seasoning and then orange zest. Bake in350 F oven 20 to 30 minutes, depending
of thickness of the breasts.
Makes 2
servings
ROASTED ITALIAN WINTER VEGETABLES
If you’ve
never roasted veggies before, I’m sure you’re going to appreciate the flavor
and simplicity. This recipe is similar to one I make regularly, that I’ve
credited to Pete Luckett, from his first cookbook. So, you see, this Plan isn’t so far removed
from the everyday!! You can introduce
this recipe to your family feeling like a chef, and add another yummy side dish
to your repertoire. These veggies are a perfect complement to any roast meat
dinner. Try to cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook
evenly. According to Ms Recitas, “there is something about the combination of
these vegetables that offsets the potential problems (weight gain) and Brussels
sprouts (higher reactivity and gas).” The
roasting concentrates the natural sugars in the vegetables, resulting in an
incomparable sweetness!
3 lg. Carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 lg. (but, not over-sized) zucchini
1 med. Onion
4-5 fresh garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Italian herbs (I use the same dried Italian herb Seasoning
used in the above chicken recipe).
While oven preheats to 375F, toss with herbs and olive oil
and let stand 30 minutes. Roast for 30
minutes. I let them stand a bit and
serve while still warm. You’ll need to save some for Day 4 lunch (Good Luck
with that!).
Makes 4 yummy servings
HOMEMADE HUMMUS
2 cups drained, well-cooked or low sodium or canned
chickpeas, liquid reserved
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, peeled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste, plus more for
garnish
juice of 1 lemon
chopped fresh parsley, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Put everything, except parsley in a food processor and begin
to process, adding chickpea liquid as needed to produce a smooth purée.
Taste and adjust seasonings (you may want to add more lemon
juice). Serve drizzled with olive oil
and sprinkled with more cumin and some chopped parsley.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Stay
healthy and safe!
Sandra
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