After buckwheat groat's assault on my taste buds yesterday, I was reluctant to try today's proposed breakfast. Fortunately, in redemptive fashion, the mashed banana and cinnamon that simmered with the grains in soy milk helped to make them more palatable. I even added some lemon juice to enhance the banana-cinnamon flavor.
Snack 1: Cocoa Nibs & Fresh Coconut, 300C
I had to switch snacks 1 and 2 around. I replaced the dark chocolate because I finally got a hold of cacao nibs. (Cacao nibs are the same as cocoa nibs, right?) They seem more healthful than the dark chocolate anyway, with tons of fiber (6g/oz) and no added sugar. Also, according to the package, raw cacao beans are superior to other forms of chocolate because "processing, cooking and roasting corrupt the complex nutrition of the cacao bean." Furthermore, raw chocolate is a great source of Mg, Fe, Vitamin C, and has 20 times more antioxidants than red wine, and 30 times more than green tea. The nibs complemented the fresh coconut quite well, though I must admit that I do miss the slight sweetness of the dark chocolate from Day 3's snack.
I had to switch snacks 1 and 2 around. I replaced the dark chocolate because I finally got a hold of cacao nibs. (Cacao nibs are the same as cocoa nibs, right?) They seem more healthful than the dark chocolate anyway, with tons of fiber (6g/oz) and no added sugar. Also, according to the package, raw cacao beans are superior to other forms of chocolate because "processing, cooking and roasting corrupt the complex nutrition of the cacao bean." Furthermore, raw chocolate is a great source of Mg, Fe, Vitamin C, and has 20 times more antioxidants than red wine, and 30 times more than green tea. The nibs complemented the fresh coconut quite well, though I must admit that I do miss the slight sweetness of the dark chocolate from Day 3's snack.
Lunch: Roast Turkey Breast and Avocado Cream on a Pile of Greens, 375C
The avocado cream was so decadent. I wanted to slurp it all up like a smoothie. But instead, just several tablespoons were drizzled over some baby greens, slivered red onion, English cucumber, chopped green olives, and cubed turkey meat. Yum. I couldn't get a hold of the recommended sliced roast turkey beast, so I substituted with half a patty of Costco's Kirkland Signature extra lean turkey burger instead. With only 5g of fat (1.5g saturated), a single patty packs a whopping 35g of protein for only 200C! The burgers are "minimally processed" and contain no preservatives, so I'm fairly hopeful that this was a good substitution.
Snack 2: Apple & Hazelnuts, 220C
The first thing that comes to mind when I think about hazelnuts is hazelnut chocolate (Nutella, anyone?). Mmmm. It's lovely spread over crepes, drizzled warm over ice cream, or even just simply eaten with fingers straight from the--umm, back to the healthful snack. Whole, raw hazelnuts taste great by themselves!
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The first thing that comes to mind when I think about hazelnuts is hazelnut chocolate (Nutella, anyone?). Mmmm. It's lovely spread over crepes, drizzled warm over ice cream, or even just simply eaten with fingers straight from the--umm, back to the healthful snack. Whole, raw hazelnuts taste great by themselves!
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Dinner: Chicken & Vegetable Curry with Steamed Brown Rice, 415C
The original recipe actually called for lamb, but that's one meat I've never enjoyed, so I substituted with chicken breast. Red curry paste, garlic, onion, ginger, red bell pepper, and the chicken were sauteed with a little sesame oil and then simmered with cauliflower in some low Na+ organic vegetable broth, lite coconut milk, and a little lime juice and gluten-free, low Na+ soy sauce. Brown rice made for a nice accompaniment.
The original recipe actually called for lamb, but that's one meat I've never enjoyed, so I substituted with chicken breast. Red curry paste, garlic, onion, ginger, red bell pepper, and the chicken were sauteed with a little sesame oil and then simmered with cauliflower in some low Na+ organic vegetable broth, lite coconut milk, and a little lime juice and gluten-free, low Na+ soy sauce. Brown rice made for a nice accompaniment.
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Today's workout: 1-mile jog, Power Yoga with Rodney Yee: Flexibility
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I wanted to try out UMD's recommended 7-day menu nearly as exactly prescribed, and I'm happy to have done just that. My original goal was to do this during Phase I for three weeks straight, but I'm realizing that it's just too time-consuming to prepare 3-5 new dishes everyday. So I'll just tailor the menus and be a little more flexible, though of course still within Phase I parameters (i.e., enjoying whole foods but excluding dairy, eggs, gluten, caffeine, HFCS, hydrogenated oils, etc.) I very much look forward to having leftovers now, and the first one I shall indulge in will be some more of that chicken and vegetable curry from tonight. :)
My favorite UMD Recipes:
-Wild Salmon with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes & Lemon Asparagus (Day 1)
-Tarragon Chicken Salad (Day 2)
-Avocado & Bean Burrito, Moroccan Chicken with Cauliflower and Cashews (Day 3)
-Coconut Dal with Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice (Day 4)
-Curried Waldorf Salad (Day 5)
-Cashew-Shrimp Lettuce Wraps (Day 6)
-Chicken (lamb-substitute) & Vegetable Curry with Steamed Brown Rice (Day 7)
Cream of the Crop:
-Coconut Dal with Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice (Day 4)
-Cashew-Shrimp Lettuce Wraps (Day 6)
-Chicken (lamb-substitute) & Vegetable Curry with Steamed Brown Rice (Day 7)
Pièce de résistance:
-Cashew-Shrimp Lettuce Wraps (Day 6)
Yeah, perhaps I had a little too much fun rating those. It made for a pretty challenging mental exercise. :)
I shall probably ease up on the commentaries the next couple weeks unless I make dramatic recipe changes or try out new ones. I'm still waiting for my copy of the UltraMetabolism Cookbook to arrive. So to those of you interested in seeing recipes from that book, stay tuned! =] I'll try some out. And thank you for all the kind messages and words of encouragement! It's been a fun seven days so far.
2 comments:
Well, you have done *much* better than I have on your first week. I had to make a lot of substitutions because I hate going grocery shopping for hours (literally) to try to find obscure ingredients. I also don't have so much $$$ to drop down at the health food store. I have stuck to a lot of the easier recipes to make and eating a lot of leftovers the day after so I don't have to cook so often. But I can't tell you how much I loved and appreciated being able to glean from your prior experiences with these foods!
Yes, many of the ingredients are quite exotic. Fortunately, I've always been fond of ethnic cuisines and so luckily had a lot of them already at hand. Also, I've experienced that if you can find ethnic grocers around, they'll probably sell you those ingredients at a much cheaper price compared to health food stores. Anyhow, I'm glad you've enjoyed perusing the blog, and thanks for all the comments! :D
Mark
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