T20 BP Day 1

 Day one of Dr. Furman's Transformation 20

Breakfast

Banana Walnut Breakfast

1serving

1 banana
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Slice banana into a cereal bowl. Stir in flax seeds, blueberries, walnut pieces, and non-dairy milk.

Thoughts:

This was good! The frozen blueberries made the almond milk turn a beautiful color of purple. It was tasty and filling.

5/5

Dinner

Creamy zucchini and corn soup

3 servings

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic,
2 lb zucchini (about five medium), chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups no salt added vegetable broth
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons unhulled hemp seeds
4 cups spinach
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 tsp. Black pepper or to taste

Add onion, garlic, zucchini, basil, time, oregano and vegetable broth to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Pour into a high powered blender (in batches, if necessary), add the cashews and hemp seeds and blend until smooth and creamy.

Return soup to the pot, add corn and spinach, bring to a simmer and cook until spinach is wilted. Add water if needed to adjust consistency. Season with black pepper.

Thoughts:

I made this wrong. First, I sauteed the onion and garlic with about a Tbsp of avocado oil. I used fresh basil. I misread the recipe, and blended about half of the zucchini mixture with the cashews... Oh, and I used homemade chicken stock I had on hand. Also forgot the hemp seeds!

It was alright. Not the worst Dr fuhrman soup I've had. My alterations probably improved it a bit :)

3.75/5

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Steel-Cut Oats with Bananas, Strawberries and Brown Sugar

Steel-Cut Banana and Strawberry Oats with Brown Sugar

I love oatmeal for breakfast. This morning we were out of rolled oats, which left the steel-cut ones I leave in the refrigerator and usually use for overnight oats. After a quick online search, I came across a recipe on Food Network's website for banana and strawberry steal cut oats. They were really good.

My mom is in town for a visit and this made way too much for the two of us so we put the rest in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. I guess steel-cut oats reheat well. We'll try it out and let you know. This recipe could be used with any kind of fruit, so it will be fun to try it again with different combinations. In the comments someone mentioned using lemon curd and raspberries in place of the the strawberries... now that sounds divine!

Here's the recipe:

Steel-Cut Oats with Bananas and Strawberries

Recipe courtesy of Jamie Deen. Total Time: 50 min, Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 cups strawberries

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats and toast, while stirring, until they smell nice and nutty, about 3 minutes.

Add 3 cups water, the milk, brown sugar and salt. Turn up the heat, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the lid and stir in the banana. Cover again and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring on occasion, until the oats are soft and creamy. Stir in the berries right before serving.

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Day 12 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars, Mexican Salad, Easy Vegetable Pizza Margherita Style

Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars Close Up

Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

Breakfast: Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

6 servings

1 medium ripe banana
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
¼ cup raisins
1∕8 cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped dates
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons ground flax seed

Mash banana in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan that has been lightly wiped with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.

Refrigerate or freeze leftover bars and use them as an alternate breakfast. Limit -1 per day

Score: 8/10

Okay, so I actually just had some fruit for breakfast, but I tried the breakfast bars when I was visiting my mom. Since they are technically on day 12 I put the picture and recipe up. These bars were alright. They didn't stay together in a bar shape even after letting them cool for a while. The flavor, however was good. The serving size is also very small. Not a super filling breakfast. Definitely felt the need to supplement with some extra fruit. We also had them after coming home from the gym, so we were extra hungry :)

Mexican Salad (this time with the Avocado)

Lunch: Mexican Salad

Repeat from Day 1 (click here to see day 1 with recipe)

I really like this salad. Something about the salsa as a dressing just makes it. I actually had a ripe avocado this time (last time I had to use nuts instead). The avocado added some creaminess. Very good.

Score: 9.5/10

Easy Vegetable Pizza Margherita Style

First, I would like to apologize for the picture. It turned out blurry, so I tried to sharpen it up a bit and it looks terrible! Just know that the actual pizza was very pretty and very tasty.

Dinner: Easy Vegetable Pizza 

Repeat from Day 1 (click here to see day 1 with recipe). I also made this pizza on Day 6 instead of a salad. That time I added leftover artichoke hearts (click here for a link to that). This time I made it using a whole wheat pita a jar of marinara sauce from the pantry, sliced beefsteak tomato, fresh mozzarella, red onion and fresh basil.   

Ingredients all laid out, ready to go on pizza

Pizza before it went in the oven

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Day 10 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler,

Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler after it's mixed

Breakfast: Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler

½ banana, sliced
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon raisins or currants
2 tablespoons chopped raw almonds
1 tablespoon unsweetened, shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Combine banana, berries, oats and raisins in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes. Top with almonds, cinnamon and coconut and microwave for 1 minute. Serve warm.

Score: 9.5/10

Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler right out of the microwave

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Day 5 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Apple Pie Oatmeal, Creamy Kale and Mushroom Casserole

Breakfast: Apple Pie Oatmeal

¼ cup old fashioned or steel cut oats 

½ cup water 

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced 

dash cinnamon 

1-2 tablespoons raisins or currants 

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 

Combine oats and water in a small pot, bring to a boil, then  reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Note: If using steel cut oats, double the amount of water and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. 

Score: 9.5/10

Well, since I love to cheat a bit, I used almond milk in place of the water. This was very satisfying. Liked it a lot.

Lunch was supposed to be black bean lettuce bundles, but I missed it. I ate breakfast, dropped Avery off at preschool, and hiked up near the Y in Provo with my exercise buddies. It was beautiful. On the way there I drank a protein shake. By the time I got home with Avery it was 2:45 pm. Our friends came over and stayed until 5 pm. So, I just ate dinner.

Dinner: Creamy Kale and Mushroom Casserole 

4 servings 

½ cup raw cashews or ¼ cup raw cashew butter 

1 cup unsweetened, unflavored soy, hemp or almond milk 

2 cups small fresh or frozen broccoli florets 

1 cup chopped mushrooms 

1 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped (see note)

2 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed 

1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning blend such as Mrs. Dash 

1 teaspoon onion powder 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend the cashews and non-dairy milk until creamy. Add to a 9x13 inch oven-proof baking dish along with broccoli, mushrooms, artichokes, kale, and seasonings. Bake for 40 minutes. 

Note: Frozen Brussels sprouts may be substituted for the  artichoke hearts

Score: 9/10

This was better than I thought it would be. The cashew cream stuff added a lot to the casserole. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast might be good on this. The only complaint I had was the serving size. As you can see in the photo above, there's not a ton in my bowl. This is probably due to the cashew and almond milk mixture. I should've had a salad in addition. Instead, I just ate some strawberries and called it a night.

Casserole before it went into the oven

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Day 4 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Chia Breakfast Pudding and Chickpea Curry in a Hurry

Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding( after sitting 15 minutes for the chia seeds to congeal the almond milk)

 Breakfast: Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding

½ cup unsweetened, unflavored or vanilla soy, hemp or  almond milk
2 tablespoons whole chia seeds
2 tablespoons uncooked old fashioned or steel cut oats
½ banana, sliced
½ cup fresh blueberries or frozen, thawed

In a bowl, mix together non-dairy milk, chia seeds and oats. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes or for an on-the-run breakfast, make the night before and refrigerate. Stir in banana and blueberries.

This was good. I've really liked all the breakfasts so far on the 10 in 20 program. It reminded me of the chia pudding mom and I made about 5 years ago... wow, has it been that long?

Score: 8/10

Hummus Wrap with Avocado

Luch: Hummus Wrap (repeat from yesterday, should've been a portobello salad with walnut vinaigrette)

I was short on time, so I just repeated yesterdays lunch and added some avocado. The avocado made this even better. The creaminess seemed to cut the onions. I didn't add the vinegar, but didn't really miss it.

Chickpea Curry in a Hurry

Dinner: Chickpea Curry in a Hurry

2 servings

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chickpeas, drained
½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 ½ cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
1∕3 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 10-ounce box or bag frozen chopped spinach*

Combine all ingredients except spinach in a large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes, then add spinach. Cover and continue cooking until spinach is thawed and curry is warm, about 5 more minutes.

Score: 8.5/10

*Instead of frozen spinach, I used fresh. A 10 oz package of frozen spinach is about 1 1/2 cups. After cooking down fresh spinach with a bit of water, that's how much you should be left with.  (many places online say to saute spinach with a tablespoon of oil, but I used a few tablespoons of water and it worked out fine. So, 1 lb fresh spinach = 1.5 cups cooked and drained = 10 ounce frozen package.

Right before we started the 10 in 20 program I made a vegan Indian chickpea dish called Chana Masala. The flavor was awesome. The naan might have also helped with how much I enjoyed it ;) This was a bit different. The sweet coconut (I did't have unsweetened in my pantry, so the stuff i used had too much sweet flavor) was okay, but I found it a bit distracting. The texture may have been the culprit there, really. The smell and flavor of this dish was pretty good.

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Day 1 of Dr. Fuhman 10 in 20: Soaked Oats, Mexican Salad, and Easy Vegetable Pizza

Soaked Oats and Peaches (Overnight Oats)

Breakfast: Soaked Oats and Blueberries (or peaches?)

½ cup uncooked old fashioned or steel cut oats
½ cup unsweetened, unflavored or vanilla soy, hemp or  almond milk
½ cup blueberries
1 small apple, chopped
½ tablespoon ground flax seeds

Combine oats and non-dairy milk. Soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Mix in remaining ingredients.

I didn't go shopping last night, so I  used peaches in my overnight oats instead of blueberries. I happened to have a ton of peaches from our peach tree in our freezer. They added a much needed sweetness to the oats. 

After eating breakfast I looked at the Day 1 recipes and realized I forgot the apple, so I just ate it afterward.

When I've had overnight oats in the past, I've added a pinch of salt, cinnamon or vanilla, and honey to them. Along with frozen fruit I usually have a banana, nuts and chia seeds. This 10 in 20 recipe wasn't bad. I just missed the stuff I usually put in. Especially the salt and honey!

Score: 9/10

Soaked oats (overnight Oats) with peaches instead of berries

Mexican Salad before I mixed it up

Lunch: Mexican Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ cup cooked black beans
1∕3 cup frozen, thawed corn kernels
¼ cup low sodium salsa
½ avocado, peeled and chopped

Toss lettuce with beans, corn and salsa. Top your salad with the chopped avocado.

 So, this was a very simple salad. I didn't have an avocado, so I used some chopped almonds.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed salsa as a salad dressing! So, after getting this salad ready, I didn't have time to eat it before I had to rush my child to preschool and make it to the gym to meet my workout partners. I'm not sure if having a 6 hour gap between breakfast and lunch made it taste better or not (9:30 am to 3:30 pm). Surprisingly I wasn't very hungry until about 30 minutes before I had my salad. I also ate a clementine and a few strawberries. Needed to get the berry portion of my GBOMBS in :)

Score: 9/10

Salsa did a decent job coating lettuce and acting as a dressing

Dinner: Easy Vegetable Pizza

1 large (100% whole grain) tortilla or pita
½ cup low sodium pasta sauce
¼ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 cup frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped
1 tablespoon shredded non-dairy mozzarella-type cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place tortilla on a baking sheet and warm for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes.

After watching a vlog about day 1 of this plan by Cheri over at the watering mouth (video link here) I expected not to like this pizza. So, confession time - I was a cheater cheater, pumpkin eater. Instead of buying vegan cheese, which is usually just oils and chemicals (who needs artificial chemical flavor in any of their food), I opted for regular dairy. I know! Not even CLOSE to being on plan. Now If I'd had the time I'd break out the nut milk and agar powder to make my own. As a side note, Kite Hill's vegan ricotta and Parma's vegan Parmesan actually look pretty good if I ever need to buy vegan cheese.

Okay, the whole wheat pitta was pretty much cardboard when compared to regular pizza crust, but overall I liked it. Okay, My tomato sauce wasn't no or low-sodium or oil free, and having real mozzarella really upped the flavor too. Also, I didn't have dinner until 9 pm, so I was pretty hungry.

Score: 8.5 (if this were really Dr. Fuhrman approved, I probably wouldn't have liked it so much)

Yes, I used dairy cheese and the Organic Kirkland tomato sauce I had on hand

My pizza topping station! 

 I decided to have the broccoli on the side, steamed with some Ms. Dash 

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Super Immunity 2

Yesterday morning we ate the leftover Forbidden Rice Breakfast. The rest of the day was crazy and we didn't stay with the program.

This morning we started with the breakfast from day 2, Super Seed Oatmeal. I loved it. It was sweet and creamy and the apple and seeds gave it an interesting crunch. Definitely one to repeat.

The surprise for me is how much Mark liked it. He usually isn't a big oatmeal fan.

There wasn't a review for this recipe on Dr Fuhrman's site.

Super Seed Oatmeal
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla soy, hemp or almond milk
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup frozen blueberries or mixed berries, thawed
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp ground hemp seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions
Cook oats according to package directions, using soy milk instead of water. Mix remaining ingredients together and stir into oats.

M 5   J 5

For dinner I prepared the recipes from day one's dinner. We started with Island Black Bean Dip.

I didn't have Dr Fuhrman's Mato Zest or Blood Orange Vinegar so I substituted the Mrs Dash tomato seasoning and red wine vinegar as suggested in the recipe.

I served it with mini carrots and cucumbers and half a whole wheat pit.

The veggies and pita were great. The bean dip was awful. Dr Fuhrman's site raved about it. The only thing I can imagine is that the substitutions made a big difference.

DF 5   M 3   J 2-3

Next was the Braised Kale and Squash with Pumpkin Seeds. I didn't have the Veggie Zest or the Black Fig Vinegar that it suggested so I substituted basalmic vinegar and 2 pinches of Celtic Sea Salt. I also used acorn squash rather than butternut and baby kale rather than full leaf kale. With all that being said, we still really liked this dish.

I probably should order some of the seasoning and vinegars from Dr Fuhrman's site if I'm going to give these dishes a full chance.

DF 4.5   M 4.5   J 4.5






The Black Cherry Sorbet was great. Dr Fuhrman's site gave it a 4.5. When I looked at the reviews they were all 5's except a one. That person must have got the the rating system turned upside down because their comment was "I loved this recipe! Thank you!" Because of this I'm going to allow it a full 5.

BTW, I concur with the one star commenter. I loved this recipe!

DF 5   M 5   J 5

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Holiday Challenge Second Week+

Here is what I ate this week. Well, I guess it's technically a week plus two days... but who's counting (obviously me). Didn't do well with the Holiday Challenge Do's, but I did avoid white flour, sugar and excess oils.

Thoughts for the week: I'm addicted to cheese! I need to cut it out and maybe cut out dairy all together.  There were a lot of nights that I couldn't sleep. Luckily I'm not prone to late night binges. Went to the gym three times. Went out to eat three times, once with Andrew (made a good choice - healthy salad with lots of veggies), and twice with Kendra (not so healthy Kneaders breakfast and lunch, and a semi-healthy salad at Carraba's). Non-food related news: Got our Christmas shopping done, yea!

(BTW an * means that an ingredient list is located at the bottom of the post)

Monday, Nov. 28th

Wheat Thins (reduced fat variety) with pepper jack and aged provolone cheese (no picture).

Hot Pink Smoothie*

Black Bean Soup*

Tuesday, Nov. 29th

Berry Smoothie*

Kashi Roasted Vegetable Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Chipolte Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

Romaine & Boston Lettuce with Italian Caesar

Wednesday, Nov. 30th

Half a banana (do you really need a picture?)

Cheese quesadilla (no picture)

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter "cookie" Shake *

Added Banana to Shake - better without i

Salsa Verde Fajitas - added garlic, soy sauce, and fajita seasoning to rest of salsa verde, then marinated chicken in jar

Thursday, Dec 1st

Three whole wheat tortillas with leftover vegetable fajita mix, lime, cilantro, and Valentinas (see above).

Art City Trolley restaurant: Spring veggie salad (no picture).

Friday, Dec 2nd

Kneader's bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese breakfast on whole wheat bread (no picture).

Kneader's loaded baked potato soup (no picture) and 1 1/2 clementines.

Ate a ton of original sweet potato fries
with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Saturday, Dec 3rd

Leftover black bean soup (see Nov 28th) and orange juice (yes, soup for breakfast).

Strawberry Honey Smoothie*

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Pasta Sauce
and grated Parmesan Cheese

Sunday, Dec 4th

Black Bean Tacos

Green Smoothie (no picture)*.

Quesadilla (no picture).

Monday, Dec 5th

Quesadilla (no picture) and a banana.

Plain Greek Yogurt with Frozen Blueberries

Roasted pineapple, sweet onions, red and yellow peppers with
 Aidells chicken meatballs and teriyaki sauce made with honey
on Jasmine rice

Tuesday, Dec 6th

Multi-Grain and Flax Wheat Toast with
Homemade Peanut Butter (peanuts blended in Vitamix)

Carrabba's Insalata Fiorucci - Romaine, spinach,
artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, grilled eggplant,
Parmesan, and a hazelnut goat cheese medallion

Mixed Berry Smoothie*

Whole wheat thin spaghetti with marinara sauce and some shredded cheese (no picture).

 *Ingredient lists:

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Holiday Challenge Day The First (of many)

Yesterday was the first day of the challenge and I actually did it! Here is what I ate (Reduced Fat Wheat Thins not shown):

Cinnamon, Vanilla Oatmeal with Cranberries

Sauteed Vidalia Onion and Bell Pepper Salad with Black Beans

Green Beans with Salt and Pepper

Cashew Vegetable Korma

I love this 3 Month Food Tracker by Weight Watchers
I've never done weight watchers, but this thing is great!

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