I've tried to keep it simple, while at the same time feeding my own big appetite. I have been eating a lot of salad, eggs, tilapia, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, turkey, sardines, and of course let's not forget the lovely rutabaga. Pretty much everything gets seasoned with garlic and sea salt, and cooked in olive oil. I have been starting each day with a glass of water with lemon and ginger; and, I've been ending each day with a hot cup of green tea. Snacks have been almonds and smaller salads.
For the coming week, I have prepared salad with baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, kale, celery, broccoli and just a bit of those forbidden carrots. Dressing is lemon juice and olive oil, with sea salt, oregano and parsley.
I also made almond milk and almond cheese yesterday, which led to the most delicious supper, you would never think it was actually good for you. I promised to share, so here are some different things I do with almonds, as well as my recipe for stuffed spaghetti squash...
First, an easy way to use almonds is by making almond meal. Simply put your almonds in a blender and grind into meal.
There are lots of things you can do with almond meal; I made almond crusted tilapia...
Next, you can make almond milk. Please be aware, it isn't going to taste a thing like the milk you're used to - it doesn't even taste like store bought almond milk! But, it doesn't have any sweeteners or extra junk, either.
The first thing you want to do is soak your almonds in water over night. This was the first time I soaked my almonds, and I was very happy with the results. This step is not necessary, however, soaking the almonds has some health benefits, so if you are not pressed for time, I would recommend soaking. For a quart of almond milk, simply soak one cup of almonds, in enough water to cover them, over night.
The next day, you will be ready to make your almond milk. Another step I have always skipped before is peeling the skins from the almonds. Once I tried it, I realized this is much easier than I had thought. It is just a bit time consuming. This step is also completely unnecessary, so if you tire easily or if you have pain in your hands, you will want to skip it.
Next, put your almonds in the blender with 4 cups of water. Blend on high for about 4 minutes...
And then, strain. This is where the magic begins to happen. Press the milk out of the pulp with a spoon, and save the pulp in a separate bowl for making the "cheese"...
From 1 cup of almonds and 4 cups of water, you should get about 4 cups of almond "milk".
To make the almond "cheese", simply add 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt to taste. I added half a teaspoon each of sea salt, parsley and oregano to mine. The result is something very similar in texture to ricotta cheese, and if you find you have troubles with dairy, you will still be able to eat lasagna - trust me, you could use this instead of ricotta in your grandmother's famous lasagna recipe, and nobody will ever know.
Which brings us to how I enjoyed this lovely little concoction this week...
Roasted, stuffed spaghetti squash!
The simplest way I have found to roast a spaghetti squash is right here.
When removing the seeds, do yourself a big favor and don't throw them away! Instead, put them on a baking sheet with a little salt. Once your squash is out of the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, and pop in the seeds for about 7 - 10 minutes; watch them closely so they don't burn. This is great for when you're craving a "salty snack".
While your squash is in the oven, brown some ground turkey on the stove, with some garlic and whatever herbs you like. (I used about a quarter pound of ground turkey for half the squash.) Once your squash is nicely roasted, use a fork to pull the spaghetti-like strands away from the skin. Now, mix the ground turkey and a great big dollop of the almond cheese in with the squash. To finish it, I sprinkled a little of my almond meal on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
If you want something to make you forget all that you're missing, this is it!
I fixed half the spaghetti squash this way, and the other half I ate for lunch today, with a little of the almond cheese mixed in...
Who ever knew real food could be so good?
Now you have a list of allowed foods for the first 28 days, and a few ideas of how good it really can be; if you haven't already made the decision to join me on this little journey to eating well, I hope you will now. You will never know what kinds of health benefits await you until you try.
Your body will thank you!
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