OMG, We just went to Longhorn Steakhouse!

So yesterday was an experiment in Flexitarianism both inside and outside the house. We battled meetings, children/ family, home construction and hunger. Here is a break down of everything we ate:

MEAL ONE:

Egg Cups 

(Logan calls these Origami Eggs)

We were out of toast, but we were flexible, so we made these:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, rub a cupcake tin down with organic butter and line with nitrate free turkey bacon, crack an egg into each cup and bake until whites are firm and cooked though - Top with  basil, fresh pepper and sea salt

I cooked mine until the yokes were completely cooked through, similar to hard boiled, as we currently  have to be careful of bacteria 

Still Wonderful!

(Coffee with Organic 1% Milk and Stevia)

MEAL 2

Green Juice with Coconut water

MEAL 3

Big Salad with Chickpeas, Pistachios  and AVC Dressing

MEAL 4

(this is where things get crazy)

No Sugar Frozen Yogurt 

(no toppings for mom/ topped with berries for me)

MEAL 5

(OMG We are Longhorn Steakhouse)

Mom's Choice

Salmon (cooked well done) Green Beans and Salad with oil and vinegar (the vinegar selection was Balsamic - which we are avoiding due to high sugar, but we had it last night)

My Choice:

Flank Steak (Cooked medium well), Broccoli and Salad with oil and vinegar

I don't want to develop a ridged plan, I want there to be room to wiggle but still make good choices. We were too hungry (and that is a principle of this, learning to listen to your body and understand when it needs fuel) to wait to eat until we were home and for me make polenta (which was the original plan) and Mom knew that Longhorn Steakhouse had a good choice for her, so off we went! #winning

And so far today she and I have had Toast with Avocado and Tomato/ Tomato Basil Salsa:

MEAL 1

Toast With Avocado and Homemade Tomato Basil Salsa 

and coffee

Roma Tomato Basil Salsa 

("I Quit Sugar" By Sarah Wilson Recipe)

Mix 1 pound chopped roma tomatos, 1 tbs minced garlic,1/2 cup chopped basil. 1/2 olive oil, 

1/4 cup ACV, 1 tsb fresh ground pepper and 1 tsp Salt

We could not find Ezekiel Bread at the store yesterday so we used whole grain bread

(http://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49)

MEAL 2

(this would usually be green juice but due to construction had to be flexible)

One Origami Egg

MEAL 3

Green Juice mixed with Coconut Water

MEAL 4 

Same Salad as yesterday

MEAL 5

Polenta Patties with Sautéed greens and Roma Tomato Basil Salsa

(From "I Quit Sugar" Sarah Wilson)

Be a Flexitarian – try to be flexible when it comes to eating.
Eat healthy, but enjoy the occasional indulgence and meals in the
company of friends without scrutinizing ingredients or feeling guilty.

- Darina Stoyanova

Let's All Quit Sugar! (Sort of) and Let's all be Flexitarians

I saw Kris Carr's (http://kriscarr.com) documentary "Crazy Sexy Cancer" before my mom got cancer the first time.  And though this was years before I would, as an adult, buy her books and start to really think about the path I wanted my lifestyle habits to follow, it struck a cord with me. Here was this really cool person (I was a teenager, so cool was important) that had this terrible disease but was doing all these super neat alternative things about it. Drinking wheatgrass?! Totally gross! But totally cool.... so cool was this woman. I instantly loved her. And I know she wanted me to love her. She was banking on the fact that I, an american teenage girl, would be seduced by her ballsy attitude and raucous vernacular. But even now, as a responsible adult who hardly ever uses raucous vernacular, I am confident she is more concerned with saving my life (or at the very least insuring that I have a fulfilled one) then selling me a program. And so even now as I try desperately to bridge the worlds of the like of Kris Carr and Sarah Wilson (http://www.sarahwilson.com) I know I will keep the basis of me, the raw foodie at heart. I can't turn back on that. I know my inner being feels at peace when my diet is light to heavy through out the day and when I limit dairy and heavy animal proteins. I know that, especially now as my mother battles cancer for the second time (caused by the treatment that saved her life the first time) (dramatic twist!!) , she and I have more than just wanting to be less bloated or thin, we need to save our lives. Heavy stuff. We were talking in the kitchen yesterday (we are spending a lot of time there now, as I am usually found chopping or shoving things in a blender more on that later) about how this eating plan has not been hard for her to stick with. She does not crave the sugar and she feels really good. I must inject here, because many of you do not know my mother personally, she and my father both work intense, life engulfing jobs, that pay really well, but take over your whole existence. So needless to say, they both have been living off of packaged foods and take out for a long, long time. As you can guess, no Starbucks lattés and no Sonic is a big big deal. But this is real life and yesterday (with all the construction going on in her house and two roommates under the age of 11) we ended up at Yogurt Mountain and Longhorn Steakhouse (in that order).  About three ounces of sugar free yogurt, salmon with green beans and salad later, we counted the night a success. Essentially my mother and I are solidifying our commitment to a Flexitarian (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/flexitarian/bgp-20056276)  diet. In a broad sense begin a Flexitarian means that the largest part of your daily nutritional intake comes from a vegan or vegetarian philosophy and but you would not turn your nose at the flank steak dinner your girlfriend painstakingly prepared for you to celebrate your two and half month anniversary. You live in a world of give and take (with the compass always pointing more often to veggie island). Meat and dairy choices are organic and sustainable whenever available. In a more strict sense Flexitarian diets are vegan/vegetarian until dinner. Yet, again, I know I need more flex in my Flexitarianism. I may have a vegan day, followed by a ovo lacto day that was capped by a t-rex kind of dinner. Who knows, I am a bit of a wild card. But as my mother stated in her kitchen yesterday, "It really does make sense, and really is the way everyone should be eating!" We are experiencing a collective AH HA moment. And yes, it did take cancer to get everyone on the same page. But that's ok. Because right now, despite the chemo and the doctors appointments, I get to share green juice with my mom and give her praise every day she marks off her calendar that she stuck to her commitment to controlling our sugar intake. Not only that, but our two roommates under 11 (who are still allowed cookies, more on that later) are watching us. And just as I adored the coolness of Kris Carr and still feel that admiration and inspiration even now, I hope they look back at this time and don't remember that Mema was sick, I hope instead that they remember us drinking green juice and laughing.

There is little success where there is little laughter.

-Andrew Carnegie

Let's All Quit Sugar ! (sort of) a day or so in Pictures

So we are more than half way through Day 2 of my "Let's All Quit Sugar! (sort of)" journey. And maybe for me, because I have done 21 day Cleanses before, it's not too bad. The ability to have animal protein like eggs, definitely help and make this feel more lifestyle-esq than my cleanses ever have. My mom seems to be doing well with it, which is the major victory and makes this feel slightly like a Thelma and Louis style road trip we are having in her kitchen. She and I can't control much that is going on in her life right now, but we can control what we put in her body and that's saying something. Today was a little crazy due to her having an early morning doctor appointment but we were still able to get avocado toast in her before she had to head into the clinic. Today there has been 1 green juice (mixed with coconut water), leftover salad from yesterday with some pistachios and ACV dressing, 1 cheese stick for her (and one more glass of coconut water, trying to give those platelets a boost!), an egg scrambled for me and yes some coffee with 1% Organic Cow's Milk. I will be making some quinoa stuffed spring rolls tonight for dinner and we will probably have some berries and herbal tea before bed. All together we have not had any sugar outside of the fruit infused coconut water, the apples, the toast and the milk. But all in all feeling good and don't want a cookie! #winning

I have been having simple toast with 2 TBS mashed avocado and some sliced tomato and red onion, BUT this would be a great option if you are looking for more HEFT! Sprouted Toast topped with:

Mashed avocado, Spinach, Nitrate Free Turkey Bacon and a Beautiful Fried Egg

GREEN JUICE: 1 green apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 lemon, 5 large kale leaves,1 cucumber, 1 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of cilantro (optional) 1 handful of parsley (optional)

Serves Two about 8 grams of Sugar per Serving

Salad: any combo of dark leafy greens and vegetables of your choice (I used baby kale, spinach, carrot, tomato, sliced cucumber, green onion, yellow pepper and red onion) and a tablespoon of nuts (I used pecans) and 1 TBS homemade ACV DRESSING : 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, juice from one lemon (or Lime) dash of sea salt and fresh pepper

Quinoa Bowl which included : 2 cups cooked Quinoa (sub Millet for Quinoa), one can rinsed black beans, shredded carrots, 2 cloves minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped pepper, green and red onion, baby kale and spinach. And to give a little more crunch, I tossed in a couple of pecans again! I added 1 tsp of low sodium soy sauce and the juice of one lime to ACV dressing and mixed about 3 tbs of sauce to mix. Each serving of quinoa mix was topped with three chopped chicken tenders I cooked in olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Fruit Infused Coconut Water: Add any sliced fruit (We are sticking to low to medium fructose fruits) to organic unflavored coconut water and let stick in a closed jar or container over night. This is not a staple by any means in the "Let's All Quit Sugar! (sort of)" Plan, But as my mom has MDS- we are including it in our dietary intake. It does have 9 grams of sugar per 8 oz. 

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/myelodysplastic/Patient/page1)

Cancer is messy and scary. You throw everything at it, but don't forget to throw love at it. It turns out that might be the best weapon of all.

-Regina Brett

I Quit Sugar (Sort of) Plan and My Day One

Week ONE:

We are choosing our own path here, so you are going to see multiple options:

Upon waking you are going to have one of the following:

• Hot Water with Lemon
• Coffee with/without Milk of Choice and/or Stevia
• Herbal Tea with/without Milk of Choice and/or Stevia 

Meal 1: Toast With Avocado, Tomato, Red Onion and Sea Salt

Meal 2: GREEN JUICE: 1 green apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 lemon, 5 large kale leaves,1 cucumber, 1 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of cilantro (optional) 1 handful of parsley (optional)

OR if not juicing, blend above ingredients for a (just squeeze the juice out of the lemon) smoothie OR no smoothies? Have homemade salsa an veggie sticks and/or crackers (The I Quit Sugar Lady has a great recipe for homemade super crackers)

Meal 3: Salad: any combo of dark leafy greens and vegetables of your choice (I used baby kale, spinach, carrot, tomato, sliced cucumber, green onion, yellow pepper and red onion) and a tablespoon of nuts (I used pecans) and 1 TBS homemade ACV DRESSING : 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, juice from one lemon (or Lime) dash of sea salt and fresh pepper

Meal 4: More Green Juice or a small piece of fruit (preferably low fructose) and a protein source (almond butter)

Meal 5: Needs to include protein source (Animal or Soy your choice), Grain and Vegetable: I have a quinoa bowl which included : 2 cups cooked Quinoa (sub Millet for Quinoa), one can rinsed black beans, shredded carrots, 2 cloves minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped pepper, green onion, baby kale and spinach. I added 1 tsp of low sodium soy sauce and the juice of one lime to ACV dressing and mixed about 3 tbs of sauce to mix. Each serving of quinoa mix was topped with three chopped chicken tenders I cooked in olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Meal 6: Could be berries, I had one piece of toast with a little butter and melted cheese

For week one you keep the basic outline the same. Making simple changes within the outline to keep it interesting. You could have toast with spinach and egg for meal one. You could eat Avocado toast every morning. Its up to you.  Change up the veggies in Meal 3 or try different nuts. Play with herbs in the AVC Dressing. It's up to you. Here are a list of books that I am getting meals from, I suggest you check them out:

• "It's All Good"
• "Reboot with Joe"
• "Crazy Sexy Diet"
• "I Quit Sugar"
• "Beauty Detox Foods"
• Natural Health Magazine
• Yoga Journal

and some websites:

• http://iquitsugar.com
• http://www.rebootwithjoe.com
• http://kriscarr.com/blog/crazy-sexy-diet/
• http://kimberlysnyder.net
• http://nomnompaleo.com

Week Two we will add more animal protein in, unless you dig a Wilber Free diet, then its up to you!

If you are weight training during week one, I suggest you add more calorie dense foods as needed. Think eggs or Protein Powder Smoothies! 

Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.

-Rick Warren

Let's All Quit Sugar The Rules

The Rules are as follow:

No store bought treats, but you can make your own! 

Stevia is great!

When in doubt, have a glass of juice or eat an egg.

Avocados are a do

Coffee is ok! But limit to one a day

Dairy is a do, but 1% or higher...  the % goes up an so does the protein. 

Organic Organic Organic

Butter is cool, so is Earth Balance spread

If you eat Mayo... and believe me I won't be, NO LOW FAT-- it has a ton of sugar

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise is a go! No sugar

Green Apples are a go! This is how we will be sweetening our green juices!

Our Salad dressing base is:

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar 

Juice of one Lemon

pinch of sea salt

dash of fresh pepper

Your go to grains are Quinoa and Millet!

Sprouted breads are best, but whole grain are a go

Almond milk is a go, look for unsweetened 

Creativity is a go! 

Let's All Quit Sugar! (Sort of)

As some of you know, I have been a real fan of raw diets and juicing for almost four years now.  My gurus have been Kris Carr, Kimberly Synder and Joe Cross. However, these diets ( and all of the beautiful colorful juices peppered through my instagram feed) are pretty super high in fructose. And suddenly with all these peeps eating Paleo and "Quitting Sugar" it left me wondering if I could find a middle of the road. One of the biggest catalysts for this journey is pretty personal. My mom is sick... again. Ten years ago my mom kicked breast cancer to the curb with some pretty serious chemo. Come to find out this chemo from her past is pretty much causing her blood to act pretty funky today. And though, some argue it, many claim that cancer loves to live off of sugar, so my theory is to starve that jerk. But to be fair I should write that many dietitians do state that getting rid of fruit from our diets does more harm than good, especially when it comes to the cancer patient. For example:

"As Julie Baker, Clinical Oncology Dietitian at our hospital outside Atlanta, explains it: “Our bodies use glucose, the simplest unit of carbohydrate, as their primary fuel. Without adequate carbohydrate intake, our bodies will obtain glucose, or fuel, from another source. Possibilities include the breakdown of proteins we eat or proteins stored in our body, which may ultimately lead to muscle loss and malnutrition.”  

All in all though, as a collective, we ingest way too much sugar.  The American Heart Association recommends 6 teaspoons of sugar (100 calories) per day for women and  9 teaspoons (or 150 calories) per day for men. Most of us... if not almost ALL of us blow that daily intake out of the water, easily digesting two or three times that amount.  It is with that in mind that I launch this journey. Taking cues from many wellness sources I am going to devise a plan that marries the principles of both raw and paleo-esq diets into something that I hope some of us wanting to maintain that low to no sugar lifestyle can adhere to. One thing we have have to be cautious of if you are eating pre made foods (like sauces and dressings) this is where the hidden sugar lies in wait. This plan revolves around food that we make ourselves. By leaving out most pre made sauces and dressings we can almost eliminate excess sugar from our diet. 

And cutting out the sugar we attempt to fight off all the bad things we are finding come with over-consumption. We are talking about modern diseases. What makes it a modern disease? What does that even mean!? It means, we are tackling problems now that are ancestors did not have to worry about. Diseases like heart disease, type-2 diabetes and cancer. EPIC.AMOUNTS.OFCANCER. And of course, obesity.  

As a hybrid plan we will not be counting green apples, lemons, limes, blueberries and raspberries  against us. We will be allowing coffee, dairy and animal products. As a general rule of thumb when it comes to fruit will be as follows: The best fruits to choose from are Kiwi, Blueberries, Raspberries, Grapefruit and Honeydew Melon. The High-Fructose fruits and ones we should avoid are: 

Grapes, Red Apples, Pears, Mangos, Cherries and Bananas. (But even on my plan we will allow these... just not as much) The Plan will be based as a high vegetable intake diet. Basically, I tend to lean on fruits more then veggies... and I am going to up the veggies. 

I am excited and scared out of my mind by this journey. But deep in my heart I know it is time to clean out the excess sugar from my life. I am knee deep in family cancer, my own battles with hormone based disease (PCOS) and I know that there is no other choice than to find a maintainable limited sugar lifestyle. Balance is key and from all the low sugar plans I have studied, none of them seems to fit just right. So I am going to attempt to make one, juicer and all. 

Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.
- Drake