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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Best-Ever Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad Sandwich with Fruit, Kettle Chips, and Key Lime Soda

I'm not sure if it's because I'm pregnant or just love chicken salad, but I've been craving it for a while.

After a late night fall down the rabbit hole of the internet, I randomly came across a video on Youtube with two very entertaining guys making chicken salad. A serendipitous moment where preggo cravings and late night insomnia converged. I bought the few items (like fresh dill) that I didn't have on hand the next day.

Chicken Salad with homemade Mayo before being mixed in

I made mayo and that made a huge difference. Store bought would have been fine, but I was able to make the amount I needed and not have a ton leftover to gross out Andrew in the fridge. Also, making mayo with an immersion blender was so easy and I already had the all the ingredients. Win-win!

Best-Ever Chicken Salad all mixed and ready to eat

Best-Ever Chicken Salad
Recipe from How to Feed a Loon
Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients
3 - 4 lbs of chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts work
well) (you'll need about 3 to 4 cups of cooked chicken)
2 tablespoons quality olive oil
1 cup of seedless grapes, sliced in half (red and green varieties are great)
1 cup almonds, thinly sliced (optional)
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (start with ½ teaspoon, then add more, to taste)
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Rub oil all over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (internal temp should reach 165 F).
4. Remove the chicken, let cool, then pull the meat from the bones and roughly chop.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, scallions, dill & parsley
6. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper.
7. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture, and gently stir until will mixed.
8. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
9. Serve on a bed of green leaves with sliced tomatoes and avocado. Or, serve on bread with green leaf lettuce. Add more toppings to your taste!
10. Enjoy!

Classic Homemade Mayonnaise
Recipe from How to Feed a Loon
Serves: 10

Ingredients
1 large egg*
1 large egg yolk*
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup of avocado oil, or olive oil, or combo of both
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Immersion Blender
*Although the risk of contracting illness from raw eggs is minimal, children, the elderly, and those with a
compromised immune system should avoid consuming them.

Instructions
1. Place all the ingredients in a vessel just large enough to fit the immersion blender.
2. Place blender all the way in, so the blades are touching the bottom of the vessel.
3. Turn on blender, and gently move it up, so the eggs are incorporating, and the oil and the egg begin to emulsify.
4. Continue, gently moving up and down, until thick.
5. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
6. Enjoy!

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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.

recipe

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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 11 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Berry Bowl, Sweet Kale Salad, Easy Vegetable Pizza

Fresh Berry Bowl with Flax, Walnuts, and  Almond Milk

Back home from my trip to Oregon, and back on plan :)

Breakfast: Berry Bowl

1 ½ cups blueberries, strawberries, blackberries  and/or raspberries
1 banana, sliced
¼ cup unsweetened, unflavored or vanilla soy, hemp or almond milk
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds

Top berries and banana with non-dairy milk and sprinkle with the walnuts and flax or chia seeds.

Score: 9.5/10

This is a repeat from Day 2 (click here to see it). This time I made it slightly different. I had chopped walnuts, so I used those instead of substituting pecans (like last time).  I had fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries... so good! Last time I had fresh strawberries and frozen blueberries. Both ways were tasty. I know I've said this before, but I'm saying it again. I love fruit.

Yum!

Here's the salad unmixed with most of the ingredients off to the side. The apple got cropped out, just know that it was there in all its pink lady glory ;)

Lunch: Sweet Kale
5 cups chopped kale, tough stems and center ribs removed 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 small apple, cored and sliced 

1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds 

1 tablespoon raisins 

½ avocado, peeled and chopped 

Balsamic or fig-flavored vinegar 

Toss together all ingredients except vinegar. Finish with a splash  of vinegar.  Salad

Score: 6.5/10

This salad was alright. Good, but not great. I am not a huge fan of straight up kale salads anyway. The Sweet Kale Salad Mix by Eat Smart (we usually get it at Costco) is an exception. That salad does have a creamy poppy seed dressing going for it. This salad had a nice mix of sweet and sour. The acid from the lemon and vinegar balanced out the sweet apple and raisins. It could've used some more avocado. I didn't even know it was there most of the time. Also, 5 cups is a lot of kale. I got a bit burned out and wasn't able to finish the last bit of salad.

Another Veggie Pizza with Multigrain Flatbread Crust

Dinner: Easy Vegetable Pizza  (supposed to be Lazy Lentils)

1 large (100% whole grain) tortilla or pita 

½ cup low sodium pasta sauce 

¼ cup chopped mushrooms 

¼ cup chopped red onion 

½ of a medium tomato, chopped 

1-2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, cubed 

1 Tablespoon dried basil

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.

Score: 9/10

So, I keep making different variations of this pizza, because I keep craving pizza! This time I used Flatout brand flatbread (the Multigrain with Flax). It's only 100 calories, has 9 g of protien, 8 g of fiber and only 1 g of sugar. Not too shabby. It was crispy everywhere except the middle when I took it out of the oven. I put a lot of sauce and fresh tomatoes on top. I think that's what made it soggy. The sauce I used, Classico Riserva Roasted Garlic, had big chunks of delicious roasted garlic in it. The ingredient list on the sauce is pretty short. There's no added sugar, just tomatoes, roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, spices and sea salt. 

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Okonomiyaki at Mom's

Mom's Okonomiyaki (Osaka Style)

My daughter Avery and I are up visiting my parents for a bit. The plan was to continue Dr. Fuhrman's 10 in 20. However, best laid plans, and all that...

So, we made okonomiyaki for dinner. It was yummy. There are several ways to make these Japanese cabbage pancakes. In fact, I believe okonomiyaki means "how you like it". Talk about adaptable. We talked about trying them two ways, chopped (Kansai or Osaka style) and layered (Hiroshima style). This didn't happen. My mom usually makes them with a whole bunch of veggies chopped up in a batter (Osaka style), so that's what we did. I tried to snap a quick picture of them cooking away on the skillet, but failed miserably and got this blurry mess of a picture:

My parents have been to Japan and enjoyed the okonomiyaki there. My little bro lived in Tokyo for a few years (as a missionary) and he loves these as well. I don't think my mom put bacon in these, and I know she didn't use any bacon grease, but that's in the recipe she gave me when I asked for it. Either way they were good.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups dashi or low-sodium chicken stock

4 eggs, beaten

8 cups finely chopped cabbage

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

1 medium zucchini, grated

8 scallions, sliced, divided (sliced tops saved for garnish)

Kosher salt, to taste

4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (reserve grease)

Olive oil

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Okonomi sauce

Pickled ginger

Directions:

Combine first set of ingredients.  Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or reserved bacon grease) in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add some of the batter, gently pushing the batter down with a spatula until flattened. Cook until underside is browned, about 4 minutes, Gently flip the pancake and cook about 5 more minutes, or until the cooked through. Serve immediately with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, pickled ginger, and scallion greens. Repeat with remaining pancakes.

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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 9 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Chocolate Cherry Smoothie, Salad Stuffed Pita with Russian Dressing, and Buenas Noches Black Bean Soup

Breakfast: Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

3 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed
1∕3 cup unsweetened, unflavored or vanilla soy, hemp or  almond milk
1∕3 cup pomegranate juice or ½ cup pomegranate kernels
1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder
1 cup frozen cherries
½ ripe banana

Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender.

Score: 8/10

First things first, the color isn't very appealing. The cocoa powder was an interesting flavor, but I wish there was some honey or something to make it a little less bitter. Overall, a good green smoothie. I do love dark cherries :)

Lunch: Salad Stuffed Pita

1 (100% whole grain) pita
4 avocado slices
2 tomato slices
1 cup shredded lettuce or spinach
2 onion slices
Russian Dressing (see other recipe)

Lightly toast the pita*. Cut pita in half to form a pocket. Stuff with Russian Dressing and other ingredients.

*I chose not to toast my pita because last time I did, it turned into a cracker.

Score: 8.5/10

Eh. It was good. Tasted like a pita and veggies. The Russian dressing was a nice change of pace, but very strong on the balsamic flavor. Not sure I'd want it on a salad.

A serving size of the Russian Dressing

Russian Dressing

2 servings

4 tablespoons low sodium pasta sauce
3 tablespoons raw almond butter or 1∕3 cup raw almonds
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Blend together with a fork or whisk if using almond butter. If using raw almonds, blend in a high-powered blender.

Dinner: Buenas Noches Black Bean Soup

4 servings

1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups water
2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium black beans, drained, divided
1 cup low sodium salsa
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup diced tomatoes

In a large soup pot, combine onion, celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, water, and 2 cups of the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Place remaining black beans and the salsa in a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until smooth. Stir into soup mixture along with the corn and tomatoes. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Score: 7/10

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Day 8 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Tofu Scramble

Egg and Veggie Scramble

Breakfast: Tofu Scramble (with optional egg)
2 scallions, diced
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
7 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled (reduce to 3½  ounces if using an egg)
1 egg, beaten, optional
½ teaspoon no-salt seasoning blend such as Mrs. Dash
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
3 cups coarsely chopped spinach

Sauté scallions, red pepper, tomato, and garlic in ¼ cup water for 5 minutes. Add tofu, egg if desired, no-salt seasoning blend, nutritional yeast and spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. May be served with low sodium ketchup or salsa. For some heat, add some hot pepper flakes.

Score: 6.5/10

Not sure why I missed the Tofu on the shopping list. Since I didn't have tofu, I just used the egg. The dish really needed salt. Also, I should've added the egg last. I added it in with the spinach and the spinach didn't wilt enough.

I had some leftovers for lunch and went off plan for Dinner. A friend invited us out to dinner and I just went a bit crazy.

recipe

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Day 7 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Banana Cashew Lettuce Wraps and Cheesy Kale Soup

Romaine Lettuce, Homemade Almond-Cashew Butter, and Sliced Bananas

Breakfast: Banana Cashew Lettuce Wraps

2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
6 Boston lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves
1 banana, thinly sliced

Spread about 1 teaspoon cashew butter on each lettuce leaf. Lay a few banana slices on the butter and roll up like a burrito.

Score: 9/10

I was actually surprised that I enjoyed this breakfast. When I imagined fruit and nut butter with lettuce, it didn't sound appetizing at all! Not bad. I would try these again

Lunch: Leftover Chickpea Curry... Not very exciting. Also, I keep skipping the salads, which is not good. Dr. Fuhrman stresses that you should have at least one big salad a day and that should be the main dish when you do have it. Gotta work on that

Cheesy Kale Soup

Dinner: Cheesy Kale Soup 

4 servings 

½ cup dry yellow split peas 

1 onion, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced 

2 cups carrot juice or low sodium vegetable broth 

1 ½ cups low sodium tomato sauce 

5 cups chopped kale 

1∕3 cup raw cashew butter or 2∕3 cup raw cashews 

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the split peas and simmer until tender, about 35-40 minutes. Add onion, mushrooms, carrot juice or broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then add kale. Cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes, adding a little water if you want to adjust the consistency. Stir in cashew butter and nutritional yeast. If using whole cashews, place in a blender and blend with ½ cup of the soup liquid, then return to the pot. 

Score: 9.5/10

The texture was slightly grainy. Probably due to my use of cashews instead of cashew butter (or because I didn't blend it long enough). It didn't affect the taste. When I started chopping the veggies for the soup I started thinking about how much I've disliked Dr. Fuhrman's soups in the past. Anticancer soup, anyone? I eventually had to toss all my frozen portions of that soup. Blech. This one was good. The split peas could've been cooked a bit more and the cashews blended better, but that was all on me.

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Day 6 of Dr. Fuhrman 10 in 20: Blended Mango Salad, Turkey Burgers with Black Beans and Mushrooms, Banana Walnut Ice Cream

Mango, Spinach, and Romaine Smoothie

Breakfast: Blended Mango Salad

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped or 1 ½ cups frozen mango chunks
2 cups spinach
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
¼ cup unsweetened, unflavored or vanilla non-dairy milk or coconut water
½ tablespoon ground flax seeds

Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor.

This was a decent smoothie. I put about 2 cups romaine and between that and the spinach, the greens took over the flavor. With less lettuce I might have enjoyed this more.

Score: 7/10

Quick and Easy Vegetable Pizza

Lunch: Easy Veggie Pizza (should have been a Mixed Greens Salad with Pears, Apples and Walnut Vinaigrette)

I wasn't feeling a salad and I've been craving pizza

1 large (100% whole grain) tortilla or pita
½ cup low sodium pasta sauce
¼ cup chopped red onion
½ cup artichoke hearts
½ cup fresh tomato, chopped (I used a yellow heirloom tomato)
 1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

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.

I broiled it at the end. I let it get a bit burned. The pita wasn't very good (just like Day 1's veggie pizza)


Rest coming soon...

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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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Quick and Easy Chana Masala (Chole)

Chana Masala - chickpea dish cooked in a spicy tomato gravy served with grilled zucchini, fresh campari tomatoes and naan 

Friday night, feeling lazy and uninspired. I look in the fridge...time to go grocery shopping. I look in the pantry and see a can of chickpeas that's been sitting there for months. I really should make something with that. Cue the internet search! I'd actually come across this recipe while searching for reviews on the best family camping tents and falling down the rabbit hole of related post clicking. After retracing those clicks I was able to find this recipe for Chana Masala here.

Since my spice drawer didn't produce any asafetida (Hing) and I didn't really know what it was or how to find an appropriate substitute, I googled it and found out that it adds a garlic and onion flavor. I just added some onion powder and garlic powder for that. Ground cumin was what I used in place of cumin seeds. And since I also don't keep besan (gram flour) on hand, I used the regular white flour that is in my pantry. Also, I wasn't sure if it mattered if the green chilies were fresh or not. I happened to have a can of chopped green chilies in the pantry. Boom. Problem solved. Remember what I said about feeling lazy?

The original recipe is probably far superior, but even with all my substitutions this came out great! My husband was a bit skeptical at first. When he walked in the kitchen he said "What smells like sweat?" Don't worry, that smell quickly turned into something delicious and non-sweat like.

 Chana Masala

Serves 2 to 4. Recipe adapted from ManjulaIngredients

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin (or cumin seeds if you have them)

1 tablespoon flour

1 large tomato chopped

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon chopped green chilies

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (I used freeze dried just for color since I didn't have fresh on hand)

Thinly sliced tomatoes for garnish

1. Drain chickpeas and wash well.
2. Blend the tomatoes, green chilies and ginger to make a puree.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan. (If you are using cumin seeds: Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil ; if seed cracks right away, oil is ready.) Add the onion and garlic powder (or a pinch of asafetida) and cumin. When fragrant (quickly so spices don't burn) add the flour and stir-fry for a minute.
4. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, and red chili powder. Cook about four minutes on medium heat. The tomato mixture will separate from the oil and reduce to about half in quantity.
5. Add chickpeas, salt, and one cup of water. Cook, covered, for seven to eight minutes on medium heat.
6. Press a few of the chickpeas with a spatula to soften. Add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook on low heat a few more minutes.
7. Add the garam masala and cilantro. Let it cook for another minute.
8. Garnish with thin tomato slices.

Serving Suggestions:

Chana Masala goes well with any Indian flat bread or over plain rice.

I blended up the tomato, chilies, and ginger in our little magic bullet because I was too lazy to take out the vitamix!      

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So Nice Cauliflower Rice

Peanut Curry Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Tonight I wanted something quick, flavorful, and heavy on the protein in order to hit my macros. I saw a video on you tube where a guy made a simple peanut curry chicken using curry powder and peanut butter. I though it would be good with rice, but I'd eaten most of my allotted carbs for the day.

Enter cauliflower rice. I've seen this around the internet and never actually thought about making it. After reading several reviews of the best way to cook cauliflower rice (like the one here from Epicurious, the one here from One Good Thing, or the one here from BBC's Good Food, or here), and  many other blogs (like here at the Minimalist Baker, here at Damn Delicious, or this curried cauliflower rice from Martha Stewart or here) and watching videos (like this one, or this one) I wasn't sure If I wanted to roast it in the oven or cook it in a pan on the stove top.

I decided to roast the cauliflower in the oven. It still had a bit of that funky cauliflower smell when cooking, but it was tasty. I made two batches, because I had a very large head of cauliflower, but I left one of the pans in too long and it started to burn. The "rice" still tasted good. I sprinkled the  cauliflower rice with garlic powder during cooking and sprinkled some parsley on for color after it was done. Did it taste like rice? Nope. It tasted like roasted cauliflower. Definitely made a good rice substitute, though. I've seen people add their "rice" to a wok straight from the freezer in order to make fried rice, so I might try that with the rice that I froze.

Peanut Curry Chicken
Recipe adapted from The Diet Kitchen (link is to a video)

1 Tbs Coconut oil
2 Chicken breast, cubed
Curry Powder, to taste
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 - 1 Tbs peanut butter

Step 1: In a medium frying pan, heat coconut oil over medium high heat until liquefied. Add chicken to pan.

Step 2: When chicken has just started to cook (turning white), add curry powder until covering the chicken pieces, pepper, and salt. Stir until seasoning evenly coats all pieces of chicken. Let it cook 1-2 minutes.

Step 2: Add peanut butter. Mix in with chicken as it starts to melt. At this point, you can add a bit of water and stir in order to make a more saucy chicken. Cook chicken for about 5 more minutes.


Roasted Cauliflower Rice

1 Head cauliflower

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a  rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash and dry cauliflower. Remove all greens and core. Cut into 4 even sections.

Step 2: If cauliflower is not completely dry, let it sit out for about 5 minutes. At this point the cauliflower can be grated with a hand/box grater, or placed into a food processor and pulsed a few times until it's about size of rice granules. Can place 2 cup portions in freezer baggies and freeze at this point.

Step 3: Place cauliflower onto a dish towel or paper towels and gently press to remove any excess moisture. Spread onto foil lined pan and place in oven. Stir after about 5 minutes. Check at about 8-12 minutes. Rice should start getting a nice golden color, but not burnt.

Step 4: Season as desired

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Summer Vegetable Tian

Vegetable Tian

Ahhh, the end of the summer produce is upon us. I will miss the flavorful tomatoes from friend's and family's gardens (we have not planted one yet in our new home, but hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later). I will miss the zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, cucumbers, green beans and corn that are local and often grown by people I know. Sure, I will buy them and eat them throughout the rest of the year, but nothing beats a homegrown tomato! Of course, I am getting ahead of myself, there is probably another month or so for some of these vegetables and then of course all the fall and winter produce is great too...it just doesn't seem as plentiful. I do love me some vegetables. My husband doesn't understand what he is missing out on by being so picky.

So, what to do with tomatoes from our neighbors and squash (yellow crookneck/summer and zucchini) from my mother and father-in-law? I decided to make ratatouille's better looking cousin, a tian. Now, this is really just a fancy looking vegetable casserole/gratin type dish. Did you know that in the movie Ratatouille they actually made a tian at the end, not ratatouille? I'd never realized it until now. On a side note, It's been forever since we made ratatouille. In fact, as a trip down memory lane, click here to see my ratatouille and click here to see my mom's (Jane's).

A traditional Provençal tian is made with tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and eggplant, I believe. I did not have an eggplant on hand. I also looked up some recipes online and saw that many people made a riff on this dish with potatoes. I had a potato. My tian is not as pretty as all those pictures online. I used my mandolin to slice the veggies to an even 1/4 inch thickness, but the potato was huge in comparison to my other vegetables. So much so, that I even stacked some slices of squash on top of one another to to be about as high as the potato slices. Also, I had varying sizes of tomatoes. This meant that I had to slice more tomatoes than I thought (3 in total) and they were all inconsistent in diameter. Oh the frustrations of perfectionism!

Those beautiful overlapping rows of artfully arranged and thinly sliced vegetables may have proved elusive, but oven roasting them into a slightly caramelized state proved successful. I used fresh rosemary because I had it, but the rosemary flavor was strong. I used about 1 to 1 and 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary. Next time I might just stick with dried herbs for this, either rosemary and thyme, or just Italian seasoning. A few other notes, I chose to slice my veggies into 1/4" rounds, but the potato took a long time to cook. I checked it afer 45 minutes, then 50, then and hour. I had to recover it with foil since the cheese had already started browning, but it wasn't until around the 65 minute mark that the potatoes were really fork tender. I've enjoyed eating this. Too bad nobody else in the house will touch it.

Vegetable Tian

1 Tbs Olive oil
1 medium yellow or sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow summer squash
1 medium potato, yukon gold or russet
1-3 medium tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 - 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend or a few ounces of Gruyere, grated

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté onions in a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil until softened and transparent (roughly 5 minutes) then add the garlic until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

Step 2: While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables. Try to slice them into the same shape, a 1/8" or 1/4" thick coin. A mandolin works well, but you could also use a food processor or cut them by hand if you can maintain a consistent thickness.

Step 3: Spray the inside of an 8×8" square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.

Step 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake (uncovered) for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

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Best Chicken Parmesan

Best Chicken Parmesan

I've been craving spaghetti. I thought about making meatballs, but that required going to the store. Bleh. So often leaving the house just sounds exhausting. Wow, I sound so lazy right now! Well, we had everything to make Chicken Parmesan, so that's what we had. As I always do, I looked online to see if I could get any tips or tricks from the good folks over at America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country.... They actually had a few different recipes. I decided to use the one with 'best' in the title. It was very good. Not low cal, but who cares when it tastes good. That's what moderation and portion control are for.

As a side note, I called this Chicken Parm when talking to Andrew and he said, "You are not on such familiar terms with this dish that you can start calling it 'Parm'. Please use the full name." So, until I develop Italian-American roots, it's Chicken Parmesan for us.

Baked Parmesan Chicken

I used chicken tenderloins, so the portions were smaller. Andrew had 2 or three and I just had one. Salting the raw chicken and letting it sit for 20 minutes really kept the chicken tender, and the ratio of cheese to panko made a very crispy and flavorful crust. Since, as stated above, I was feeling lazy, I just used jarred pasta sauce (gasp!). The cheese we had on hand was aged white cheddar, so I used that.

Best Chicken Parmesan (from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta

Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves , minced

Kosher salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch red pepper flakes

1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

Chicken:

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed, halved horizontally, and pounded 1/2 inch thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese , shredded (1/2 cup)

2 ounces fontina cheese , shredded (1/2 cup)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese , grated (3/4 cup)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup torn fresh basil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.

FOR THE SAUCE:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant (I find this happens very, very quickly, about 15 seconds). Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm. You will want to reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce to spoon over cutlets in the end; the rest will sauce the pasta.

FOR THE CHICKEN:

2. Sprinkle each side of each cutlet with 1/8 teaspoon salt and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Combine mozzarella and fontina in bowl; set aside.

3. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element (this is the top rack in my oven) and heat broiler. Whisk egg and flour together in shallow dish or pie plate until smooth. Toss together Parmesan, panko, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper in second shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge cutlets, one at a time, in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides in Parmesan mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere. Transfer cutlet to large plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.

4. Add 2 tablespoons salt to boiling pasta water, cook, and drain pasta.

Heat vegetable oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place 2 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until bottoms are crispy and deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip cutlets and cook on second side until deep golden brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to paper towel–lined plate and repeat with remaining cutlets.

Place cutlets on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over cutlets, covering as much surface area as possible. Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes, rotating baking sheet as necessary for even browning. Transfer chicken to serving platter and top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately with sauced pasta.

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Quick Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Teriyaki Sauce

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Teriyaki Sauce

For dinner we made a quick stir fry. I had leftover teriyaki sauce in the fridge from some teriyaki chicken we'd made last week, so I  decided to use that as the sauce. First, I defrosted some frozen chicken tenderloins and cut them into bite sized chunks. I put those in a bowl with some of the teriyaki sauce and a dash of fish sauce; covered it and put it in the fridge right before I went to pick Andrew up from work. By the time we got back, it had marinaded about 20-30 minutes. I took out our wok, put in some coconut oil and when it was shimmering I threw in the chicken. When it was cooked through, I put the chicken in a bowl and threw in a package of frozen stir fry vegetables. As those cooked, I put a bit of reserved teriyaki on them and added the chicken back in at the end. We had leftover rice in the fridge, so dinner was on the table fast!

I remember reading that teriyaki sauce is very simple to remember because it's three "S's" and two "G's": soy, sherry, sugar, garlic, ginger. I don't have sherry on hand, so I used some apple cider that we had in the fridge.

Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs apple juice/white grape juice*
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Place ingredients in a sauce pan over medium to medium high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let it sit a few minutes for the flavors to blend.

*This would normally be sherry in a recipe. I know people often use mirin, marsala, sake or dry white wine in place of sherry. Since I don't often cook with alcohol, I've used apple juice, white
grape juice, or in place of 2 Tbs Sherry/Mirin, 2 Tbsp. water + 3/4 tsp. sugar. Maybe pinapple juice would be good...

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Snap Peas and Tofu

Today I tried another recipe from The Blood Sugar Solution. I didn't expect much from this recipe, but it was surprisingly flavorful. I ate it with a side of  butternut squash. I prepared brown rice to go with it, but there was almost no sauce and it was just fine on its own.

Asian Tofu Snap Pea Stir-Fry with Sesame Peanut Sauce
Mark Hyman, MD
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs firm tofu
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine or rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
pinch of chili pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
4 scallions, sliced
4 cups snap peas

Rinse the tofu and pat dry. Cut into medium cubes and set aside. To make the sauce, combine the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce chili pepper flakes and sesame seeds in a small bowl, and mix until smooth.

In a wok or large saute pan, heat the sesame oil, add the ginger, garlic and scallions, and stir-fry for a minute, being careful not to burn. Add the tofu and saute until the sides begin to brown. Add the snap peas and saute 1 minute until tender. Add the sauce and cook for another minute. Serve immediately with brown rice (if desired).

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