Have a great day - eat something healthy.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

From Starving to Satisfied in a Hurry!

I'm recycling this post from our recent 1-week mini-cleanse during December. For any newbies, this will show you how easy it is to get healthy, tasty food on the table in a hurry. No processed foods required!

...Last night I got home from an 8-day trip to Chicago. And even though yesterday was a travel day, I was able to observe Day 1 of our cleanse by eating a couple of apples and munching on carrots, broccoli and celery throughout the day. But when I got home at 6:00 p.m. I was ravenous! So I dropped my luggage at the door, headed straight for the kitchen, and within a few minutes I was eating a delicious appetizer and dinner was in the oven. Here's how I went from starving to satisfied in a few minutes...

1.) I turned on the oven to 350F and pulled a couple of blocks of extra firm tofu from the fridge (always check the expiration date and buy the furthest one out), wrapped them in towels, and put a weight on them to drain the excess fluid.

2.) While the tofu was draining, I tossed a can of garbanzo beans, a handful of fresh spinach, some lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and a few cloves of garlic into my food processor and whirled up a fabulous spinach hummus.

3.) I pulled a container of Spicy Coconut and Black Bean Soup I'd made during the last cleanse from the freezer and thawed it in the microwave.

4.) I grabbed some carrots that I'd peeled and cut before my trip (they were still good because I stored them in water), some celery (stored the same way), and some Mary's Gone Crackers from the pantry and set them out with the hummus.

5.) I sliced the tofu into steaks, drizzled them with Bragg's Amino Acids, and popped them into the oven for 15 minutes a side (I like mine a little well-done but you can cook them for just 7-8 minutes a side if you wish).

While the tofu was baking I snacked on the veggies, crackers and hummus. When I flipped the tofu, I enjoyed a bowl of one my all-time favorite soups. And by the time I finished the soup, the tofu was ready. So dinner was ready in half an hour, I stayed true to the cleanse, and I felt great after eating a healthy meal. On top of that, now I have extra tofu steaks left over that I can eat today and tomorrow.

The lesson learned - always keep a few go-to items on hand for those panic moments when you're famished or don't have much time to spend in the kitchen. Keep fresh veggies prepped and ready to eat at all times so you can turn to them first whenever you feel a hunger pang. If you have certain items you whip up on a regular basis, buy extra ingredients to keep on hand (mine are garbanzos, tofu, jalapenos and ciltantro). And when you have some time in the kitchen, make double batches of your favorite dishes so you can freeze one to pull out in emergencies.

Simply being prepared goes a long way toward keeping a healthy diet on track and staying one step ahead of the hunger. Here's to staying ahead of the game!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Everyone,
    Am I the only one with questions??? I'd love to hear from other cleansers! I had a rough week, every afternoon I'd get a horrible headache and such tight muscles in my neck--and I KNEW a cup of coffee would ease the pain, but I made it and didn't break down.

    Today is my first day with no headache and I am feeling great! My daughters are cleansing with me and we all love what the cleanse is doing as far as awareness and food choices and enjoying such healthy food. I didn’t think I liked tofu, but I do now and I LOVE Whole Foods, love their salad bar and some of their vegan, gluten free deli items. I used to be so much more rigid in my food choices and although I feel I eat healthy I had strayed—and fortunately managed to feel good too, but I like this feeling much better, I am actually feeling great--and it has only been one week!

    Thank you Ivy for leading the way--I know this is something that has already changed the way I eat now and in the future.

    By the way, is it okay to have brown rice syrup and agave in small amounts if they are in something?

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  2. Hi, Sue - You and I have already discussed this, but for the sake of everyone else, here's what I've found... Agave is great - I use it whenever I need a sugar substitute for cooking or baking. And as for brown rice syrup, you do need to look for wheat-free or gluten-free products because gluten can be an ingredient in certain syrups. I'm so glad you're feeling better and getting into the cleanse - your enthusiasm is infectious! Thanks for being here!

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