Menu Day 8 Happy Easter to All

Breakfast:  coffee, multigrain toast with peanut butter               

Lunch:  2 oz chicken salad over mixed greens, peppers and tomatoes, oil and vinegar  (light lunch and early dinner)

Easter dinner:  Red wine, goat cheese stuffed Portobello cap, 4 oz of chargrilled tuna with warm blueberry ginger sauce and arugula, ½ cup of whole grain angel hair pasta with meat sauce,  4 oz baked ham with peppered raisins sauce, garlic sautéed escarole and mixed green salad with sour creamy raspberry vinaigrette,  4 oz chocolate pot de crème with fresh strawberries.  Whew, that’s a lot of food, but still heavy on the alkaline side!  Thank goodness there are no more holiday meals before my deadline!

Buon Appetito, Angela B

Forgot today is Good Friday when I created the menu for today, day 6.  I am substituting tuna salad, made with lots of celery, scallions, horseradish and black pepper to substitute for  the chicken, topped off with the cucumber salsa and mixed greens and tomato salad.  Yum!  Tried half of one chocolate pot de crème for lunch dessert today.  Mouthwateringly delicious with just enough heat from the chilis.  Definitely a recipe to keep.

Menu for Day 7

Breakfast:  coffee with cream, brown sugar and cinnamon,  scrambled egg with tomato salsa and whole grain toast

Lunch:  chargrilled chicken breast, pickled red onion, on mixed greens and tomatoes,  oil and vinegar

Dinner:  Glass of red wine, sweet potato,  and sausage stuffed poblano (roasted),  ancho chili aioli, sage fried corn, salt and vinegar kale, side of arugula, black olive and scallions with lemon and oil

Buon Appetito, Angela B

No cocktails or wine today.  I am working on a new recipe for chocolate crème brulee (without the brulee, so I guess it would be a chocolate pot de crème) using cayenne, cinnamon, and dark chocolate (cocoa).   It kind of reminds me of a mole sauce.  A 4 oz serving is comparable to one egg yolk and 2 oz of heavy cream.  If that is the only dairy for the day, that’s not bad!  And since crème brulee is not something one would eat every day, even better.  Would like to know what you think?

Menu for Day 6

Breakfast:  Coffee black with cinnamon, scrambled eggs and whole grain toast  (boring, but traditional breakfast foods are all taboo).

Lunch:  chargrilled chicken breast, pickled red onion, on mixed greens and tomatoes,  oil and vinegar

Dinner:  Spinach stuffed flounder, cucumber salsa, brown rice, wedge of iceberg lettuce with basil green goddess dressing

Buon Appetito, Angela B

P.S.  Will let you know tomorrow how the brulee came out!

Menu for Day 5

Breakfast:  Coffee black with cinnamon, peanut butter on whole grain bread

Lunch:  chicken breast on mixed greens, tomatoes, olives and goat cheese crumbles, brown rice, oil and vinegar

Dinner:  Pork sirloin roast, peppery raisin sauce, steamed broccoli,  brussel sprout and red pepper salad

Day 3 Tuesday

As I suspected would happen, my husband is to blame for my falling off the wagon so to speak so soon!  We went on a day trip, yesterday, to explore the Hartwell Dam area.  Since we are new to this area, we try to get out every now and then and discover new sights.  Yesterday it was the recreation areas on the Savannah Basin around the dam and Lake Hartwell.  By the time we returned, it was past my usual dinner time, I had skipped an afternoon snack, and was famished.  It didn’t take much encouragement from my husband to join him in a couple of cocktails.  That, on top of the late hour, was my downfall.  I stuck to my diet plan, almost.  I think the portions were just a little too…large!  Well, today is back on the wagon day and so far so good.

Menu for Day 4

Breakfast:   Coffee black with cinnamon, peanut butter on whole grain toast

Lunch:  Avocado, tomato and sprouts sandwich on whole grain toast, side dish of pickled onion, cold roasted brussel sprouts and roasted red pepper slices

Dinner:  Skipping the wine tomorrow night!  Grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, fresh tomato salsa, garlic spinach and grilled Romaine with Basil Green Goddess dressing

Buon Appetito,  Angela B

 Menu for day 3

Breakfast:  coffee with cinnamon, 4 oz cinnamon crème brulee (extra cinnamon on top),  made with one egg,  2 oz heavy cream, .4 oz sugar, fresh ground cinnamon  

Lunch:  4 oz whole pieces of chicken breast (leftover from night before),  over spinach salad with thin sliced onion and black olives, lemon and canola oil

Dinner:  6 oz crispy baked haddock fillet (frozen breaded ), fresh lemon, fresh cucumber salsa,  roasted brussel sprouts, tomato, basil,  arugula salad with oil and vinegar

Crème brulee is a custard that includes white refined sugar and dairy (cream), both highly inflammatory.  It is like having ice cream for breakfast (yum!).  But, eaten early in the day and offset by cinnamon, and more vegetables and fruits throughout the day, well, let’s just see what happens!

The breading on the fillet can be removed, but I am going to eat it as it is the only starchy carb at dinner.

Remember, my goal is a minimum of 60% alkaline so if I need to include some acid producing no nos for variety, texture, and familiarity, I will offset them with more alkaline producing foods.

Day 2 Monday                                      Weight loss 0.5 lbs.

Breakfast:   coffee with cinnamon, 2 eggs scrambled dry, 1 slice of whole grain toast with real unsalted butter

Lunch:  steak salad (leftovers from night before), arugula, clover sprouts and raw sunflower seeds, canola oil, fresh squeezed lemon, cracked black pepper, garlic granules, fresh cucumber salsa

Dinner:  2-4oz glasses of red wine with lemon, fresh steamed string beans, crispy split chicken breast with whole sage (under skin), roasted with carrots, celery and onions,  mixed salad greens, black olives and shredded red cabbage, balsamic vinegar and canola oil

Reminder:  everyday, water 6 16 oz per day, one before each meal, 2 snacks of dried fruit, nuts, grapefruit,  night time if necessary is popcorn (my favorite lately is sprinkled with cider vinegar and cracked black pepper). 

One more day of planning before I begin my challenge on Sunday, April 1.  I am working on the menu for Sunday and Monday, and the shopping lists to buy proteins and fresh greens tomorrow.  Breakfasts are simple, always a 16 oz glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon, coffee (black), sometimes I treat myself to real cream and a half teaspoon of dark brown sugar or molasses, but not every day.   Coffee with fresh ground cinnamon is nice.  I follow that with a small portion of protein and a starchy carbohydrate, peanut butter on one slice of toasted whole grain bread is my favorite.  I will alternate the peanut butter with some other protein like an egg, but the single slice of whole grain bread remains the same.  Mid morning is a snack of fruit either fresh or dry. My favorites are dried apricots and dried figs.  Apples are great as well.  Oranges are very high in sugar so I stay away from them, but grapefruit slices are refreshing especially on a hot day. And it has been very hot in SC lately!

Lunch is generally leftover protein from the evening before with lots of fresh, raw vegetables, a variety, not just lettuce and tomato.  I vary that with hard boiled eggs, egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad.  I seldom have a starchy carb with lunch, because I find if I have a small portion at dinner, it keeps me from foraging later in the evening.  So having one at lunch as well is too many grains which are all on the acid side.    Mid afternoon snack is again a fruit, tomato, or some other veggie.  Sometimes I’ll have a handful of seeds or nuts. 

Dinner will be the most interesting and fulfilling including a small amount of starchy carbs such as brown rice, basmati rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa, or legumes  (all on the acid side) and root vegetables with skin on, such as carrots, potato, sweet potato.  Avoiding dairy except goat cheese, I have a separate fresh raw vegetable salad.  My entrée plate is covered with at least 50% side vegetable, 25% protein and carbs and 25% a blank canvas.  That gets me to the desired minimum 60% alkaline with the separate salad included.  All sauces, condiments, salad dressings are prepared by me, nothing from a bottle!

Throughout the day I will drink at least 6 16 oz glasses of water with lemon, before or with meals and in between.  If I snack it will be on dried, fresh fruit or nuts so I am not going to include snacks in the daily menus.  Wine (mildly acidic) with dinner will include a fresh squeeze of lemon (highly alkaline) as well.  And, no snack at night!    If I can consume all the foods before 7pm and retire at 10pm, I have no craving or hunger.  If I have to stay up past 10pm, it may be necessary to have a snack.  I will limit it to a 100 calorie snack, avoiding highly acidic foods such as chips, crackers, etc.  Popcorn is not bad, but best to retire at 10pm and avoid the dilemma all together.

Here is the first day menu.

Day 1 Sunday

Breakfast:   water with lemon, one slice of toasted whole wheat bread with peanut butter and some grapefruit wedges

Lunch:  water with lemon, chicken salad (boiled chicken breast, celery, spices, canola oil, cider vinegar and a dollop of Duke's mayonnaise) on mixed green salad of field greens, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, and clover sprouts,

Dinner:  water with lemon, one glass of red wine with lemon, 4 oz of thin sliced London Broil steak (seasoned with black pepper and garlic granules and either chargrilled or roasted rare), caramelized onions, peppery raisin cinnamon sauce, steamed broccoli with lemon,  half cup of brown rice with scallions, tomato, basil and goat cheese salad with balsamic vinegar and canola oil

Just a note about beef.  It is the most acid forming of all the proteins and should be avoided.  However, I happen to love steak so when I have it, it is no more than 4 oz and I will eat extra alkaline producing foods as well as limit the number of beef servings to two per week.  So, I chose beef to celebrate!

Buon Appetito,  Angela B.

Today I am going to start recording aches and pains as well as any other health issues I may have in preparation for comparison as I progress on the diet and weight loss.  As I have stated in an earlier post, one of my goals is to be pain free by day 57.  I am going to use a scale of 1 to 10 for pain level, 0 being none and 10 incapacitating.  I awoke this morning with pain 5 at the base of my right thumb, warm and redness.    My upper right arm and left knee feel very tight, not swollen or painful, but as I imagine a balloon would feel if it were stretched to capacity.   Both are sites of past injuries which were pronounced completely healed by physicians, except for the fact that my left knee at its straightest is bent 7 degrees.  I am wondering if more weight loss will help with that as well.  I have a nagging pain 6 in several places in my back, soft tissue between ribs on both sides and top left below neck, worse with movement.  I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen and stretched before starting my day.  Digger joined me as he does every morning while I perform various leg lifts, knee raises, ankle, shoulder, lower abdominal and hip exercises.  But unlike me, he takes his favorite yoga position throughout the entire routine.  It’s called dog napping!

My refrigerator is full of sauces I made using ingredients which are known to be alkaline producing and therefore, anti inflammatory.  The sauces are full of fresh berries, cinnamon, lemon, natural cider vinegar, ground pepper, fresh ground ginger, lime, cucumbers, pineapple, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil and chili peppers…all fresh, all unprocessed.  I am especially fond of salsas, from tomatoes (tomato salsa fresca), cucumber salsa, green herbs (salsa verde) and fruits (pineapple salsa).  The most difficult thing about these sauces is that you are very limited when it comes to sweet and salty.  I rely on small amounts of sea salt because without it, many flavors are too subtle, and for sweet I rely on methods more than anything.  For example, roasting pineapple first before using it, caramelizes the natural sugars and makes it taste sweeter without adding sugar, same with peppers and onions.  Since all processed foods are on the avoid acid producing side, no refined sugar is used for sweetening.  Sometimes I use a small amount of dark brown sugar with real molasses or just the molasses.  It is always offset by high alkaline producing ingredients in abundance.   For anyone joining me in this challenge, if you want the recipes, just ask!

Although this blog is focused on food, as I am most of the day, remember that inflammation is also caused by life’s stresses including lack of sleep.  So, with 3 days before I start, I say

Buon Sonno e Buon Appetito!  Angela B.

For most people, how one approaches food is a very important part of their lives.  I know of only one person who eats because she has to.  She sometimes forgets to eat until long past mealtimes, often makes a meal of yogurt and cereal and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about the family preparation of food and gathering for holiday celebrations at the dining room table.  The rest of my community is like me, using food as a community organizer, for family celebrations and an emotional stabilizer.   In my house when growing up, pasta, cheese and meatballs were the go to foods that made you feel happy when sad, calm when agitated and at peace when all around you was mayhem.   The best food ever, was the fresh made Italian loaf dunked in the bubbling pot of tomato sauce.   One can see how it is a daunting challenge to change that behavior. 

But, I am absolutely certain that those are foods that are responsible for all adult onset chronic disease, joint pain and swelling, heart disease, muscle aches and pain and the fastest growing one of all, adult onset diabetes.  And, by the way, I think it is time to change the name as it is turning up more and more in teens. 

I am fortunate to have a loving husband and loyal companion (that’s Digger, my Rottie mix, not my husband, although he is very loyal as well) in my life, but this lifestyle change would be far easier if I were a hermit.  Because my husband and Digger aren’t participating in this change of diet, it means there will be temptations surrounding me at all times.  I opened the refrigerator this morning and my eyes immediately settled on two crème brulees left from the weekend, a bowl of fettucini alfredo and bacon.   Kickoff to this challenge is in 4 days.  Wow, this is going to be tougher than I thought!    Buon Appetito, Angela B