Thursday, March 10, 2011

Day 2: The Cleanse

     When I decided to go vegetarian for 40 days, it was something that I really thought long and hard about. I absolutely love seafood, and I definitely enjoy my steaks and chicken breasts, so for me, this is something I consider life changing. While eating meat is not, in my opinion, necessarily bad for you, it’s often good to cleanse yourself every once in a while. I’m not saying for 40 days, or even for a week, but take a day or two out of the month and try to just eat fresh fruits and vegetables. You really won’t be able to see that many changes in such a short time, but it may give you the incentive to try to do it for 3 to 4 days the next time, and it’s good for you none-the-less.
     In purging my body from all the meat and seafood that I usually eat, I’m essentially purging myself from all the added hormones that unfortunately are in the majority of the meats we eat. I decided to look at other habits in my eating world that I could gradually purge as well. One that I have completely gotten rid of is my 3 cup-a-day coffee habit. I am now an herbal tea drinker, and an obsessed one at that. I love the way it makes me feel and I love that there is such a variety of teas out there. My favorite tea brands are Tazo (www.tazo.com/default.asp?hasFlash=1) and Yogi (http://www.yogiproducts.com/).
     Every morning when I get to work the first thing I do is brew a cup of Awake tea by Tazo. It’s a blend of black teas and has half the caffeine as a cup of coffee. Many of the teas out there have up to 2/3 less the amount of caffeine as coffee has, which is a very positive benefit. Yogi brands have about 30 different teas, and each of them is brewed to provide a certain “boost” in your day, whether it is their Skin Detox tea (claiming to refresh and renew your skins appearance), their Green Tea Kombucha (aiding in digestive health) or their Seven Berry Antioxidant Tea (claiming to help rid free radicals). Whether these teas actually have the power to do what they say is up to the drinker in my opinion. I like to believe what they say is true, especially when you look back at ancient civilizations who used teas and herbs for medicinal purposes more than anything else. Another note about Yogi Tea is something that I discovered about a week after I began to drink them: on the tip of the tea bag, where the tab is attached to the string, there are little quotes written. They are usually little pick-me-ups that put a smile or your face or a thought in your head.
     Since last Monday, I have not had anything to drink besides brewed hot tea, water, Syngery Kombucha drink (another blog day in itself), and red wine…because Red Wine is a necessity in our household :) I have never been a big soda drinker, but getting away from coffee and Red Bull has been a bit of a challenge, but I am glad to be doing it. Something else to bring me closer to the natural earth, and therefore, closer to God.
     Now it’s only been 11 days since my tea obsession begin, but I have to say I can tell that my skin seems to glow a bit more and I feel like my daily water retention is cut in half. I just feel, I don’t know, fresh if that makes sense.
     I am going to try and post at least one recipe a day, and because I am eating Tabbouleh for lunch again today (homemade this time) and then eating out for dinner tonight, I thought I would post a new favorite recipe of mine that I came across when researching Vegetarian Meals last week. I have added a few ingredients to the original recipe, just to give it some oomph, and my like of the recipes I will be posting, you and add or take away whatever ingredients you see fit. It’s fun to be creative with recipes; especially if you are insecure cook…it gives you a great sense of satisfaction when you have created something that is a little bit of your own.
     This recipes fat content may seem high to a few of you at first because it’s all veggies, but it’s the good kind you get from Avocados and Olive oils, so don’t be scared! It’s also a beautiful dish full of color and great for spring and summer.
Bon Appetite!
Guacamole Salad
Ingredients
1 Pt Grape Tomato, halved
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and ½-inch diced
½  Red Bell Pepper, seeded and ½-in diced
1 (15-ounce) can Black Beans (low sodium), rinsed and drained
½ C small diced red onion
3  Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp freshly grated lime zest
1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp kosher salt or TT
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper  or TT
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
4 Ripe Hass Avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced
½ C Sliced Black Olives
½ Bunch of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Directions
Place the tomatoes, yellow and red pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.
Just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.
*Nutrition Facts*
Per 6 oz Serving: Calories – 200, Fat- 14g, Sat Fat – 2.5g, Trans Fat – 0g, Cholesterol – 0mg, Sodium – 410mg, Carbs – 16g, Fiber – 6g, Sugars – 3g, Protein – 4g, Vit A – 4%, Vit C – 100%, Ca – 4%, Fe – 4%
 *Goodness should become human nature, because it is real in nature*

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