A Few Food Ideas

I mentioned in my previous post that I've chosen to go on a very restricted diet for a few weeks in order to purge my body of all the junk I put into it over the Holidays. I'm trying to get the New Year off to a good start. Basically, I've eliminated meat, dairy, sugars and all processed foods & chemicals. I'll admit, the first few days were tough! But, after getting through detox shock, I'm really adapting well. I feel good. The hardest part was figuring out what I can actually eat. But, I've found a few easy and good things that work well for this eating plan. If this is something you're interested in doing, here are a few recipes & meal ideas, which also work for the "Daniel Fast":

Breakfast:

• Soy Milk (check the label...no sugar)
• Grape Nuts Cereal
• Post Shredded Wheat (Original or Spoon Size)
• Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs Cereal
• Protien Shake made with soy milk and powdered soy protien.

Lunch & Dinner:

• Organic or Homemade vegetable soup (make sure the base ingredient is vegetable broth, not beef or chicken-recipe below)
• Plain or lightly salted rice cakes w/Smuckers All-Natural Peanut Butter and Polaner All-Fruit Spread
• Celery sticks with all-natural peanut butter
• Salad w/ Olive Oil and Lemon Juice
• Home-made polenta (recipe below) topped with all natural or homemade spaghetti sauce or salsa (again, beware of sugar or preservatives in the ingredients
• 100% Whole Grain Pasta w/ all-natural tomato sauce
• White beans w/ crushed tomatoes

Recipes: There are many more out there, just Google "Daniel Fast Recipes". Here's a link to one great resource I found: http://www.therockofwilmington.com/downloads/rockdanielfast.pdf

Angela's veggie soup
1 28oz. can diced or crushed tomatos

1 6oz. can tomato paste

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can (drained)of corn, green beans, potatoes, english peas, carrots

salt and pepper to taste

2 medium onions diced

1 tsp garlic

4-5 bay leaves

Add water to cover items cook in slow cooker for 3-4 hrs or on stove top. Could also add mushrooms or other veggies you enjoy-just be creative.

Hot Water Cornbread (or Fried Polenta)

2 c. Cornmeal (yellow or white)

Kosher Salt

Pour cornmeal in 2 cups of boiling water. This produces a firm mound of dough. Set the dough aside and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes.

After the dough is cool, pinch off a piece of dough and pat into small round cakes. You may either fry the cakes immediately or refrigerate on wax paper for later cooking.

Pan fry in 3-4 Tbsp of Olive Oil (not extra virgin) until cornbread has a crisp crust on the outside, yet is soft on the inside. Sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Serve warm--great with tomato sauce or salsa.

White Beans and Veggies

1 Can Organic Tomato Soup

1 Can White Beans

1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (Frozen)

Add your favorite spices and heat everything in a pan until vegetables are at a consistancy you like (5-10 minutes).