CSD Day 1

Today was my first day of the Crazy Sexy Diet challenge and so far it is going great!

I began my morning off with a glass of warm water, juice of 1/2 a lemon and a pinch of cayenne immediately upon waking up.

After chugging my lemon water I brushed my teeth, jumped in the car, and  headed off to class. Although I usually drink lemon/water/cayenne first thing in the morning about once a week my goal is to do it every day during this cleanse as this drink has so many incredible health benefits to start your day off right.

Just to name a few:

Lemons are antiseptic

Lemon water has excellent digestive properties and can ease heartburn, bloating and other digestion problems

It water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys

Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium

Warm lemon water offers relief from cold and flu symptoms while providing some much needed Vitamin C

Lemon juice is a great skin cleanser/detoxifier

Cayenne pepper helps in speeding up metabolism as well as promotes cleansing

Capsaicin also helps to regulate blood sugar

About an hour later (9am) I ate drank breakfast which was the rest of my  green smoothie from yesterday.

I also ate a coconut cream pie  lara bar around noon to hold me over until the end of class.

By the time I got back home around two I was starving so I heated up some leftover chickpea curry over brown rice, fixed some fire roasted hummus with Marys Crackers , and a huge mixed greens salad with olive oil, balsamic, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and nutritional yeast! So delicious and filling, by the way this was my first time trying Mary’s crackers and i’m completely obsessed, I love their crunch!  I am definitely going to have to figure out how to make them though, at $4 a box they’re not quite in my budget on a regular basis.

Dessert was a clementine, piece of dark chocolate, and some herbal tea. This meal kept me full and gave me so much energy for the next few hours. Around 6 I was hungry again so I got to work on dinner and snacked on a cucumber while I cooked.

Walnut Lentil Loaf

adapted from Oh She Glows

gluten free and vegan

Ingredients:

1 cup dry green lentils

3 cups water plus 1 bullion cube or veg stock

3 TBS ground flax seed

1/2 cup warm water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 small granny smith apple grated

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tsp sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ c fresh parsley

1/2 cup gluten free oats, ground into a flour (I processed the oats in the vitamix)

3/4 cup brown rice bread crumbs (brown rice blended in the vitamix)

½ c Annie’s organic sweet and spicy bbq sauce

Directions: In a medium sized pot, add 3 cups of water and a vegetable bouillon cube and boil water until cube is dissolved. Alternatively, you can also use already prepared veggie stock. Rinse lentils and pick over being sure to remove any small pebbles that may be in the mix. Add lentils, bring to boil, and reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender (about 40 minutes). Be sure to stir the lentils frequently so they do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the lentils are cooked, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a loaf pan grease one large loaf pan or four small ones. Toast 3/4 cup of walnuts in a dry skillet over medium low heat until fragrant. Mix 3 tbsp of ground flax with 1/2 cup warm water and stir well. Set aside for at least 5-10 minutes so it can gel up. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and minced garlic for about 5 minutes on medium heat in 1 T olive oil, being careful not to burn. After the onions are tender, add carrot and sauté for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Add grated apple, and chopped walnuts and sauté another minute or two.  Add salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside. Grind brown rice and oats in a food processor, set aside. Once the lentils are cooled, take 75% of the lentils and place into food processor. Process until mostly smooth (some small lentils will remain!). Now take the processed lentils and scoop into a large bowl. Add in the remaining 25% of non-processed lentils and place into bowl. Add the oil, breadcrumbs, flax egg, veggie mixture, oat flour, parsley, and ground flax seed. Stir well with a spoon and then remove the spoon and mix well with your hands, press mixture into loaf pan (I used minis) with your fingers. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Spread bbq sauce evenly over loaf and bake, uncovered 35 minutes at 350F. Let cool a few minutes and serve!

Saute onions and garlic in one tbsp oil until softened, stir in carrots and cook another few minutes.

Once carrots begin to soften add in apples and then walnuts. Remove from heat and set aside.

Process about 75% of your lentils in a food processor until smooth, stir into veggie mixture. Add flax egg, oat flour, parsley, and brown rice bread crumbs, mix until combined.

Press mixture into a greased loaf pan, top with bbq sauce, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

I also threw some broccoli and asparagus coated with 1 T coconut oil, salt, and pepper into the oven to roast alongside the loaves.

Once cooked through remove your loaves from the oven and let cool a few minutes before serving.

With my walnut lentil loaf and roasted veggies I also prepared some delicious Quinoa and Cheeze.

Quinoa and Cheeze

adapted from Love Veggies and Yoga

vegan and gluten free

Ingredients:

1 c quinoa

2 c water

¾ cup almond milk

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp mustard powder

1 t sesame seeds

2 T parsley

Directions: In small saucepan over high heat bring the water to a boil. Once boiling and quinoa and return to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove quinoa from the pan and set aside. In the same pot add almond milk and tahini, whisk until incorporated. Stir in the rest of the ingredients bring to a simmer and cook until reduced. Add the sauce over quinoa and toss to coat. Fold in parsley sprinkle with sesame seeds and paprika and serve!

Dinner was amazing, I loved every last bite and Dutch was even quite satisfied with his vegan &  gluten free meal

Recap on day 1: I felt great, had tons of energy, don’t miss anything at all, yet

Day 2 Prep:

Focus: Tomorrow I will focus on embracing my health.

Prayer: I will pray to know that I am precious and worthy.

Affirmation: I will embrace and love my body, it is powerful.

Exercise: I want to focus on 5 minutes of meditation first thing in the morning followed by kickboxing, muscle madness, and yoga.

I also want to plan another delicious healthy dinner for tomorrow night that will help my body to grow stronger, become more energized, and overall healthier.

Questions:

Plans for the weekend? working, cooking, relaxing…. I’m on spring break!!

Favorite thing about yourself? I love my big heart, compassion for others, and smile.

Best thing you did or cooked this week? Hummus and the lentil loaf!

Have a wonderful night i’ll see you all tomorrow.