Today was a rough one because my system crashed. I thought I lost all of the photos that I took for 4 recipes today (would have been a complete disaster). Luckily, my husband recovered my documents and photos, and I’ve been working frantically to get everything back on schedule.
Week One Results
First things first. Last week I lost 2.5 pounds following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program very strictly. (When I first did the ETL program last year, I lost 5.5 pounds the first week. See this post for a recap.) While 2.5 pounds might not sound like much given all the work I put in, I was recovering from a cold last week and did absolutely no exercise, so I’m happy with the result. And once that is added to the 10 pounds I’ve already lost, I’m pretty pleased.
As this week goes on, I’ll let you know what I did on the exercise front. Then we’ll see how that impacts my results at the end of the week.
Helpful Hints
Sorry, but due to my equipment crash, I didn’t have any time to prepare any helpful hints for today.
Today’s Recipes
Breakfast: Banana Mango Orange & Hemp Seed Smoothie
In case you can’t tell, smoothies are my “go to” breakfast. They are quick and easy to make, filling and delicious. Today, I used 1 banana, 1 cup frozen mango, 1 orange, 1 tablespoon of hemp seed, ½ cup soy milk and ½ cup of water.
Lunch: Black Bean & Chickpea Salad with Mango Avocado & Red Peppers
You can adjust these ingredients to include more of what you like and less of what you don’t. There really aren’t any rules when it comes to this salad. I used 2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained), 1 fresh mango (diced), 1 large red bell pepper (diced), 3 green onions (thinly sliced), ¼ to ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro (depending on your taste), and ½ cup fresh lime juice. To serve, top with ¼ of an avocado diced. I paired this with a Basic Salad.
Dinner: Tex-Mex Tempeh Tacos
If you haven’t used it before, tempeh is a soybean product. It basically has no fat, cholesterol or sodium, and is has a lot of potassium, fiber and protein (16 grams per 3-ounce serving). The first time I used it, I didn’t like it, but that’s because I didn’t know how to season it. It basically picks up whatever flavor it’s paired with and the longer it cooks, the better IMHO. The texture is very similar to ground beef after you pulse it in a food processor. I call these tacos Tex-Mex because I used a little Liquid Smoke! I paired this with a Basic Salad.
Ingredients (serves 6)
6 whole wheat tortillas
1 8-ounce package original unflavored tempeh (pulsed in a food processor until texture is like ground beef)
1 large onion (small dice)
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ to ¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of broth. Cook for about 10 minutes until completely cooked.
2. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas and salt) to the skillet and stir to mix well. It will be a bit soupy at this point, but the broth helps evenly distribute the spices, which get sucked into the tempeh and onions as the liquid cooks out.
3. Cook over medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt, as desired.
4. Serve with tortillas and Pico de Gallo (see recipe below).
Pico de Gallo
I like to keep a batch of this in the fridge because it can be used as a salad dressing or seasoning for just about anything. It happens to go really well with the Tex-Mex Tacos!
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup fresh lime juice, ¼ cup sliced green onions, 1 pint diced cherry tomatoes, 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper (seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped), and ¼ to ½ cup chopped cilantro, depending on your taste.
Check back tomorrow night for a recap of Week Two Day Two!
Leave a Reply