A Warm Up

So... week one down. Two more to go. It's strange to me that this time through the 21-day Sugar Detox seems different to me. I feel different and have different symptoms than when I went through the plan last year. Last year, I didn't feel very well day 3 and 4. This time, it was only day 1 that I felt tired and had a headache. And I'm not really sure if that had anything to do with the detox or not. But I've been SO hungry this whole week. Like all the time. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat, two hours later, I'm hungry again. While this sugar detox isn't about limiting how much you eat, just what you eat, I don't want or need to consume 2,000 calories everyday! I don't think I need that many calories in my day! I'm not athletic (just stating facts!) and I'd like to continue losing weight! 

Last year, I also just felt better after the first 5 or 6 days. I slept better, was more energized, and my body just seemed to like the eating plan better. I can't describe it really, but my body seems to be rebelling this time. It's not something I can really put my finger on though. I still sleep fine, for the most part. It's summer and I have plenty of time to sleep in if need be :) Ah, the sleep of a student on summer break. It's heavenly. And rapidly coming to an end. But I digress. 

I don't know. It's just not the same. But I'll continue. Maybe next week will be better. I have lost 6.8 pounds so far. So there's that :) 

Here's a new recipe for you all. I had this dish for the first time from a food truck in Manhattan a few years ago. It's now my mom's absolute favorite! I don't think it tastes exactly like the one I had in NYC but it's still super yummy. I made it with cauliflower rice for myself but everyone else ate it with regular white rice. 

P.S. The Harissa red sauce can be found at Briarmart on Academy and Woodman if you're wondering. It comes in a bright yellow (very expensive!) can. Or buy it online at Amazon. I'm not sure if it's available anywhere else in town. Maybe Whole Foods? 

Halal Chicken and Rice (recipe pieced together from Serious Eats, Huffington Post, and my own tweaks) 

Chicken Marinade

• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T chopped (or dried) oregano
• 1/2 t ground coriander
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 c plain greek yogurt
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• Kosher salt

• Directions:
• Mix spices, lemon juice, yogurt, and 2 T olive oil together in large bowl. Add chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Preheat grill and grill chicken until fully cooked inside. Roughly chop and set aside. 

White Sauce

8 oz Greek Yogurt

1/2 c mayonaise (I use Spectrum because it doesn't have sugar in it)

1 T salt

1 T vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves

2 tsp dill (dried or fresh is fine)
1 T horseradish (not that horseradish mayo stuff. The real stuff!) 

1 T water

• Directions: Blend all ingredients together (I used an immersion blender) and chill for a couple hours. 

Other Ingredients

Lettuce, shredded

Roma tomato, diced

Harissa red sauce, for drizzling

Layer chicken over rice. Top with lettuce, tomato, white and red sauce. Serve warm. 

Round and Round We Go

I've decided to start the 21 day Sugar Detox again. Yesterday was my first day and I had a terrible headache all day! I'm not sure if it was because of the detox, or if I would have developed it anyway. I don't usually experience symptoms the first day on any diet. Usually it's 2-3 days in.

My mom has been doing the detox as well for about a month now. She felt terrible for about 2 full weeks! Although, she went with the Ketogenic plan instead of Paleo. Keto is much lower in carbs than Paleo is. They try to stay under 25 grams of Carbohydrates per day! To put that into perspective, a roma tomato (something we've been eating A LOT of lately) has 7 grams of carbs in a single tomato. Man, oh man! That is difficult to adhere to! I applaud my mom :)

I made some Indian food for dinner. While it was a recipe I had made many times before, I didn't love the way it came out. I'm not sure why. The only thing different I did was use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. I didn't have any paste in the house at the moment. But normally, it's one of our family's favorite meals. I also made Against All Grain's Saffron Cauliflower Rice to go along with it. You can find the recipe HERE. We usually eat it with regular rice, when not sugar detoxing!

Originally, this recipe I found online somewhere. However, over the years, I've adapted it substantially to suit our tastes. I don't know what the original recipe was like anymore! LOL

Indian Butter Chicken 

Ingredients 

1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken (either breasts or thighs), cleaned and cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Salt - to taste
1/3 C Almond Meal or Flour (I usually use Trader Joe's Almond Meal- this is your thickener)
Fresh Ginger & garlic – 1 t. each, grated
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 Large Onion – diced          
2 T Oil 

1/4 c Tomato paste
1/4 c plain yogurt or coconut milk

2 T butter 

Directions

• Fry onions in oil till transparent.
• Add cinnamon and let it fry for 5 minutes
• Then add ginger & garlic along with a little water
• Stir continuously.
• Add turmeric, chili & coriander powder with salt and mix well.
• Pour in tomato puree and almond meal.  Mix well with a little more water. It will be thick!
• When it starts to boil, add the chicken.   Add additional water so that the chicken is barely covered. 
• The gravy should get thick or according to your requirement. Before switching off add butter and yogurt or coconut milk.  Serve over rice.

Veggies Galore!

It's smack-dab in the middle of summer and gorgeous vegetables and fruits are available at my local farmers market. I love it so much! I found some beautiful looking brussel sprouts and decided to try a new recipe that I had seen a picture of on Pinterest. There wasn't a recipe included with the picture, but it was only two ingredients, Brussel Sprouts and Bacon. We grilled them on the grill and they were pretty good! I think next time I'll brush them with something sweet like maple syrup or something. Or maybe just use maple bacon?

Brussel-Bacon Skewers

A bunch of large brussel sprouts
Bacon
Olive Oil (for brushing)
Coarse Salt

-Wash and trim brussel sprouts
-Parboil sprouts in water on stove for 10 minutes or so. The bacon will burn before the sprouts are done if you don't do this step!
-Thread a piece of bacon onto the skewer. Add brussel sprouts so that the bacon threads around the sprouts
-Brush with Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt
-Grill for 15 minutes until soft
-Enjoy!