- 1 large bag or 1-2 large bundles of kale, de-stemmed and broken into pieces
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp agave
- Himalayan salt
- cayenne pepper
- 1-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Kale! This powerful leafy green superfood is quickly finding it's way into the homes of many people who are trying to get healthy. And for good reason! It's packed with vitamins K, A and C, has more calcium than milk, more iron than beef, is loaded with antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory. If you haven't tried kale yet, what are you waiting for!? :) Scott and I both put a big handful of kale in our green smoothies every morning, but there are a few other ways to eat this super charged plant. One of those ways is kale chips! Kale chips are great for people like me, who like to have food to pick at. I can get stuck mindlessly eating a bag of chips, but kale chips help erase the guilt! And they're super easy to make. You can use either your oven or a dehydrator. I like to use my dehydrator because I can control the temperature better, and keep the temp low enough so that they're still considered a raw food. By keeping them raw, more of the enzymes and nutrients are still intact. You can play around with the different spices as you go, but this recipe for kale chips is one of my favorites so far. Today I started with a BIG bag of kale that I got from BJ's Wholesale. I know, not organic, but the convenience factor won me over because they were already broken into small pieces. If you do decide to use fresh kale, you'll want to make sure you wash it really well, remove the stems, and break it into small pieces. If you're using kale from a bag, be sure to go through and remove the stems.
Once you've washed your kale, removed the stems and broken it into pieces, put it in a large bowl and add the oil and agave. I usually use olive oil, but today the only oil I had in my house was coconut oil and it worked just as well, I just had to warm it a bit first so it was a softer consistency. Mix together one Tbsp oil to one to two Tbsp's agave, depending on how sweet you want them. Massage the kale with the oil and agave in a large bowl, making sure the mixture is coating all the kale. (Massaging kale is also great when using kale for salads, too!) Sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne. Be careful with the cayenne, the kale will shrink when it dehydrates, the cayenne will NOT!
Once you have all the kale coated it's ready to go into the dehydrator. Spread out the kale evenly, then adjust your temperature so it's below 118 F. This will ensure that they're still raw. I put my temperature gauge somewhere between the first two settings. It will take a few hours for them to dry out. You'll be able to tell when they're ready because they will be crispy and won't be flexible. I just use a cheap dehydrator that I got years ago. It works well enough. Sometimes the food on the top shelves gets done a bit sooner than the bottom shelves, so I just remove the top shelves once they're done and keep the bottom ones on until they're ready. Once they're done they're ready to eat! Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Just before I eat them I sprinkle them with nutritional yeast.
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Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't, but did you know you can make your own seitan at home for WAY less than buying it pre-packaged?
If you haven't heard of it, seitan is a high protein, low carb, low fat meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten. It can be found in the refrigerated section of health food stores. A typical 8 oz. package of seitan costs around $5, but you can easily make your own for a fraction of that. Today we're using Bob's Red Mill vital wheat gluten flour. One 22 oz. package costs around $5 and will make the equivalent of over $40 of store bought seitan. That's a HUGE savings! And it's so easy to make. To make your own seitan all you need to do is mix some spices in with the vital wheat gluten flour (today we used garlic powder and onion powder), add water, mix, cut into small pieces and boil. That's it! It really is that simple! The back of the bag will give you the exact measurements for water and flour. Enjoy! :) Tomorrow is Day 1 of Body Beast for Scott & I and I can't wait!!! Body Beast is a new program that just came out this spring and is like no other Beachbody program on the market. It's main goal is to put ON weight in the form of muscle. It is completely geared towards men, but the more people I talk to I am finding more and more women doing it.
Scott is going to do the Huge Beast schedule and I'm going to do the Lean Beast schedule. From what I can tell so far our schedules should be about the same with the exception of about 1 workout each week. Scott's looking forward to putting on some size. He has been running a lot this summer, and while he is still very muscular, he's leaned out a bit more than he'd like. I have a few goals...
We're planning on following the meal plan perfectly... which, as you can imagine, can be tough for two vegans. A majority of the meal plan is made up of meat and eggs, and it discourages the use of soy because of it's effects on estrogen, testosterone and metabolism, so tofu is out. We're also planning on taking the Body Beast supplements... with a few tweaks and replacements to the non-vegan ones (I'll post the supplements in a future blog once I see how they work). So far it looks like it's going to be doable with some prep work and planning ahead, but if we get into it and find we're living off of protein powders then we may rethink things as we go. According to the meal plan, I'm supposed to have 9 proteins a day and Scott is supposed to have 13. Thankfully, each serving of Shakeology counts as 2 proteins and a fruit, so we'll each be having 2 servings of Shakeology a day to count as 4 proteins each. I can't wait to get this started and share my results with everyone! Beast up! Q: Are you eating real food?
A: Yes! This is not a cleanse where you are only drinking cayenne pepper and maple syrup and it's not a juice fast. You will be eating a whole-food, mostly plant-based, clean eating diet. The recipes in the Ultimate Reset are simple, yet delicious! Don't believe me? Just check out these actual pictures I took of the food I ate when I did the Reset! Q: Will I be hungry while doing the Reset? A: The portions are surprisingly larger than than you would expect for a cleanse, but you are not leaving each meal feeling full or stuffed. This may be a new feeling to you if you're used to eating to maximum capacity. For me, it made me realize what true hunger felt like. It also made me realize how often I eat without thought and how much I ate when I was bored, tired and "just because". I physically had enough food, but mentally it took some getting used to. Q: Is the food expensive? A: Yes and No. The first week a good portion of the shopping list is made up of staples; olive, sesame and coconut oils, Bragg's liquid amino acids, miso, three different vinegars, quinoa, millet, rice cereal, spices, nuts, seeds, etc. These are things that you need for the Reset, but that will also last you much longer than the 21 days and become staples in your cupboard. I was fortunate enough to have a few of them on hand already, but if you don't have any to start they can quickly add up. After the first week, the shopping lists are mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, so it's not as bad. Don't forget, during the Reset you're also not going to be going out to dinner, picking up fast food for lunch, stopping for happy hour drinks, or buying your usual coffee or latte in the mornings. Those are things that add up quickly so you may find you are actually saving money doing the Reset. But seriously, even if it is more expensive, it's for your HEALTH so it's TOTALLY worth it! Q: What kind of results can I expect? A: Everyone's results are going to be different, but common results of the Ultimate Reset are weight loss, increased energy, decreased cholesterol and blood pressure, decrease in cellulite, better digestion, improved sleep patterns, improved allergies, clearer skin, better mental clarity, more stable blood sugar levels, stronger immune system and decreased inflammation and arthritis. The Ultimate Reset will soon be cited in a peer-reviewed medical journal for it's efficacy in addressing cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. Here are my personal results from the Ultimate Reset. Q: Can I have caffeine or smoke while doing the Ultimate Reset? A: No. The point of the Reset is to rid your body of toxins, so ingesting toxins while doing the Reset would be counterproductive. During the Reset you are aiming to bring your body back to an alkaline state and coffee is very acidic. You may experience a headache for the first few days if you are used to drinking coffee, but by the end of the 21 days you will find that you no longer need the caffeine boost and that your energy levels are actually higher without it. Q: Can I workout while on the Reset? A: No. While on the Reset you want to give your body a break to let it rest and repair itself from the inside out. Exercise causes a break down of muscles and a build up of lactic acid. If you workout while on the Reset your body will be spending it's time repairing tissue and flushing out lactic acid instead of healing and repairing itself. Q: I'm already vegan, but I see the first week of the Reset has meat and dairy. Can I make substitutions? A: Yes! Once you purchase the Ultimate Reset you can log on to www.ultimatereset.com and there you will find the vegan meal plan for week 1 of the Reset. Weeks 2 and 3 are already vegan so there is no need to adjust either of those weeks. Click here for the updated vegan shopping list for week 1. I was vegan prior to doing the Reset so I can personally help you make the necessary adjustments during the first week. Q: Can I make my meals in advance? A: Yes. I made most of my meals the night before. That way when I woke up in the morning I just had to grab my food and head to work. This planning ahead was the key to my success with the Ultimate Reset. Q: What are in the supplements? A: During the Reset you will be taking 6 supplements; Mineralize, Oxygenize, Optimize, Alkalinize, Detox and Revitalize. Some you will be taking for the entire 21 days, some for just one phase of the Reset.
Q: Do I continue taking supplements after the Reset? A: Whether you decide to continue with the supplements after the Reset is up to you. You may decide to continue taking just one supplement, all six, or any combo of them. Each supplement has dosage instructions for both during the Reset and for maintenance. Q: Does the Ultimate Reset come with support? A: Yes! I will be there to guide you along the way and answer any questions. I will also add you to a facebook group with other people who are also doing the Reset. You will not be doing this alone! Q: What do I do before and after the Reset? A: Before the Reset you should start cutting back on your use of coffee, alcohol and processed foods. This will make the transition into the Reset easier. After the Reset you will want to slowly start reintroducing foods back into your diet over the course of the next few weeks, starting with grains the first week, beans the second week, and animal products the third and fourth weeks, if you decide to add them back in at all. Q: Can I drink Shakeology while on the Reset? A: Only vegan Shakeology can be used while on the Reset and only using these approved recipes.
Q: It's Day 12 and I just ate the Mediterranean Roasted Beets. Is my pee supposed to be this color? A: Yes! I grew up eating canned beets, but I remember the first time I ever ate them fresh. The first thing I did was run to the computer and Google "beet pee". And just wait till Day 14. Beet poo. Goals during and after the Ultimate Reset:
If you're like me you've probably never heard of jicama before, or if you have, you've probably walked past it in the grocery store thinking, "what is that?", "who eats that?" and "what do they do with it?" When it turned up on the Ultimate Reset shopping list for not one, not two, but all three weeks I knew I was about to find out! Surprisingly, it was easy to find and available at both of my local grocery stores so someone out there must be eating it! So what is jicama? First off, it's pronounced HEE-kah-mah... but I didn't find this out until after I was calling it Ji-kah-mah, so now the real pronunciation sounds funny to me. It's also called a "yam bean" or "Mexican turnip". Originating from Mexico and South America, jicama is a root vegetable with a papery brown cover and a crisp, white inside like a potato or apple. It is from the legume family and grows on vines that can reach up to 20' in length. Only the root should be eaten as the rest of the plant is very poisonous, and they must be peeled before eating. Jicama is made up of 85-90% water, is high in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and has only trace amounts of fat and protein. It's rich in vitamins A, C and B, calcium and phosphorus. One cup of cubed jicama contains only 45 calories. It has a mellow, sweet flavor and is usually eaten raw and paired with lemon or lime juice, chili powder, cilantro, ginger or red onion. It is also common in Asian dishes. It gets it's sweet flavor from a prebiotic called oligofructose inulin. Jicama can be stored dry for 1-2 months at 53°- 60°F and will last for a few days in the refrigerator after being peeled. When choosing jicama, select roots that are roughly 3-4 lbs as larger roots can be woody. During the Ultimate Reset, jicama turned up in almost all of the salad recipes as a diced vegetable, and also in one of my favorite recipes, the Jicama Avocado Salad from Day 20's lunch. However you decide to pronounce it, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Jicama Avocado Salad 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt 1 Tbsp agave nectar juice of 1 lime 1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 avocado, ripe but firm, cut into chunks 1/2 medium jicama root, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks (I cubed it instead) 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro Mix all ingredients and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve over 3 cups of salad greens. Serves 1. Everyone's heard of the Master Cleanse where you drink nothing but water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup, or the Cabbage Soup Diet or the juice fast or all the others on the market so it's not surprising that the #1 question I was getting asked while doing the Ultimate Reset was, "So what are you eating?" Well, here's the answer! Just a quickie here to talk about the importance of planning ahead when it comes to sticking to your meal plan and fitness goals. It's Day 20 of the Ultimate Reset and I can't stress enough how important prepping my meals ahead of time has been. I'd say I made about 75% of my lunches the night before instead of making them in the morning before work. This would save me a ton of time in the morning, I'd just have to grab and go. Here's my lunch on Day 17, Moroccan Carrot Salad over mixed greens. I made the carrot salad the night before and put it in one container, cut up the veggies for my salad and put them in another container and the next morning all I had to do was stop on the way to work to pick up a bag of salad. This was also my only day on the Reset that I screwed up with the meal plan. The carrot salad was supposed to be eaten over mixed greens, but I put it over the microgreen salad. No biggy, but it means I ended up eating 1/3 cup of nuts/seeds that I shouldn't have. I figure though since I haven't been doing all of the optional snacks and I cut down the oil used for dinner this day that it will all work out in the end. I'm more upset only because I really wanted to do this 100%. Either way, I couldn't be happier with my results and how far I've come in just a short 20 days! "If you fail to plan you plan to fail". Day 19! First off I just want to say how big of a deal this is. You see, two February's ago Scott and I did a 21-day cleanse. It was similar to the Ultimate Reset in that it focused on clean eating, whole foods and no or limited gluten, dairy and meat. It also recommended the use of probiotics and digestive enzymes. Unlike the Ultimate Reset, it didn't come with any of the supplements (which ended up costing over one hundred dollars more) and it only had meal "suggestions" and no detailed meal plan, which let to poor portion control.
One of the key things it also lacked was the support. I'm not going to lie, there are days I didn't feel like doing the cleanse anymore. I felt great, I just didn't feel like prepping the meals and it really put a damper on my weekend plans. Knowing that I had an online support group there for me with people all over the country going through the same things I was really helped keep me on track. I also have been posting my photos and updates on my personal facebook page and my Henderson Fitness fan page. Knowing that others were watching what I was doing and commenting on my posts has made a big difference, too. So to all my online followers, "Thank you! You've helped keep me motivated and you didn't even know it!" My results were another big difference. So far with the Ultimate Reset I have lost 6.4 lbs and 2.5% body fat after the first 2 weeks. My first cleanse? I lost maybe 2 or 3 lbs and only made it to Day 18 before Scott and I went to Pizza Plant for vegan pizza and beer. So ya, Day 19 (and all the support!) is a big deal! I'm happy to say that this weekend went smoother than last. I surprised Scott with LL Cool J tickets Saturday night (his first rap concert!) and we went to the annual Clarence Labor Day fair Sunday night. Between all the smoke at the concert and the dust at the fair I have done nothing but sneeze these last 2 days. This is by far the worst I have felt on the Ultimate Reset and ironically it has nothing to do with the cleanse at all. We also had a few people come out for a group run on Sunday morning, including a first time runner! Since I can't workout while on the cleanse I followed behind everyone on roller blades. I can't believe I only have 2 more days of the cleanse left! I'm excited to add Shakeology back into my diet. I could have had vegan Shakeology for some of the snacks during the Reset, but I tried to eat as few snacks as possible. I'm also looking forward to working out again. In fact, we just ordered our new program tonight and we're planning on starting it in about 3 weeks.... Body Beast! There's also still time to join our new Challenge Group starting September 10th. You'll be added to a private facebook group with about 10 others to help keep you motivated (support rocks!). After 90 days the person with the best transformation will win $100! The only requirement is that you're using a Beachbody program. Shakeology is not required, but will help with your results. If you already have a fitness program, great! If not, you can purchase a Challenge Pack which comes with one month of Shakeology and will save you a bunch of money. Send us a message if you want in! If you're not ready for this Challenge, we have an ongoing group we can add you to at any time for the support. You know how you always have that one body part you're never going to be happy with no matter what you do? Mine is my belly. I'm constantly poking, prodding and playing with it, just ask Scott. Well, two weeks into this crazy thing called the Ultimate Reset and it's vanishing! So far I have lost a total of 6.4 lbs and 2.5 % body fat! But what's even more amazing are the side by side pictures (which I'm not sharing until the very end). In fact, when I texted Scott the side by side's on Thursday after I took them his reply was, "Does this mean no more cuppies or brewski?" (btw, cuppies = cupcakes)
I'm loving my results so much that I almost wish this wasn't my last week. I would love to see just what I could accomplish and how I would feel after 4 weeks, and not just 3. At the same time I also feel like I have been doing this For. Ever. and I'm ready to get some sort of normalcy back to my weekends. This weekend is going to be especially hard because it's Labor Day weekend. Every year we go to the Clarence Labor Day Fair. They have a huge beer tent and live bands and it's a lot of fun. This year I'll be there, but with my distilled water in hand. I also have something special planned for Scott for Saturday night, but I don't want to give away the secret. ;) Since this is my final week, my supplements have changed again. I'm no longer taking the Detox supplement three times a day. Instead I have added in Revitalize, a probiotic, three times a day. The food has continued to be AMAZING while the prep time... and portion sizes... continue to diminish. Five more days then my final round of pictures and a second set of blood work. Oh ya, and then I can get back to Les Mills Pump and training for the Rochester 1/2 Marathon again! Today is Day 12 of the Ultimate Reset and I have made it over the hump! Only 9 more days to go! It honestly has been flying by. The only thing that has been making it seem to go slow is that I'm only weighing myself once a week during this. I'm usually an every day or at least every other day weigher so waiting a full 7 days has made the end of the week drag.
Today I have a case of the 'Reverse Mondays'. I was actually really looking forward to today. You see, weekends on the cleanse kind of suck. Especially when you live in Buffalo, NY and your summers are short enough already and it's 90 degrees and sunny out and it's the Elmwood Art Festival and you walk past Sole and can't get a margarita and guacamole and you walk past Dolci and can't get a vegan tirimisu cupcake and you're tired and super cranky! *sigh* This was the first time I was sick of doing the cleanse. So was Scott. First, he has renamed himself "Dish Dog". Seriously, your kitchen will NEVER be clean the first week on this so give up trying! Second, he's almost doing a semi-cleanse because of this. He eats super clean to begin with, but he's now lost his person to go grab a margarita and some guac with and that person to sit around the chiminea and have a beer with in the evening. I feel like I'm a really boring weekend partner. The weekdays are so much easier (which I knew they would be) because I'm on a set schedule and routine. I just have to make all my food in the morning or the night before, bring it to work with me, and eat when I supposed to. The weekends are when you realize just how much of your activities revolve around food and alcohol. And Scott said he wants whatever, beer, cupcakes, etc, just because he can't (but I keep telling him he can, I don't mind!) Saturday was by far the worst. It was beautiful out, and as I mentioned we went down to the Elmwood Arts Festival. I was really tired for the first time during the cleanse and I was also super cranky. I had a bad headache that evening, too, but we went for a 3 mile walk and it seemed to help. BUT, I am happy to say that I didn't waiver and stuck to the plan 100% this weekend! I also came home with a new silver glitter sweaty band from Fleet Feet which cheered me up a bit, too. :) Yesterday we went on a walk around Dann Lake and came home to watch Forks Over Knives, again. I don't think it's possible to watch that movie too many times! If you haven't seen it yet I HIGHLY recommend it and it is available on NetFlix. Well, today's a new day and my head is back in the game! I started off the morning with a fresh fruit plate including watermelon from our crop share. Now I just need to get through these next few days so I can weigh myself again on Thursday! I also want to put together an FAQ section about the Reset so if you have any questions please post them below and I'll be sure to answer them! |
JulieFormer esthetician & LMT turned #GIRLBOSS, vegan food & fitness, travel, beauty, FUN!! Veg-curious friendly ☀️👙🌴✌🏻️ Archives
September 2015
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