Challenge Day #3

Are you guys taking the challenge?  Please share your favorite recipes! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake

[1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp protein powder, 1 banana & 5 cherries (all frozen), slice of melon, 1/4 tsp pure vanilla, collard greens, and ice].

Snack: Sweet Potato Hash

[Cooked sweet potato cubes in coconut oil, sprinkled with cinnamon - love this stuff!]

Lunch: Salad
[Forgot to get organic chicken so my lunch was very dull lol. Lettuce, cucumbers, dried cranberries and olive oil.  Definitely not a satiating meal].

Snack: Brisket

Dinner: Meatballs & Roasted Veggies
[Dr. Myers' meatball recipe with pesto sauce. Roasted some carrots and yellow squash with a little seasoning].


"Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
John 6:35

Challenge Day #2

My husband says that I find something I like and I can have it everyday lol... actually, I'm a lazy cook.  The kitchen has never been my favorite place so I l-o-v-e leftovers!!!

Breakfast: Protein Shake
[1/2 cup water, 1  tbsp protein powder, 1 banana, 5 cherries, 3 strawberries (all frozen), 1/4 tsp pure vanilla, 1 large leaf of collared greens, and ice.]

Snack: Sweet Breakfast Sausage, Turkey
[Dr. Myers recipe, pg 256]

Lunch: Pseudo Waldorf Chicken Salad & Roasted Veggies
[So, the 'pseudo' part is without the raisins or nuts... otherwise, my Waldorf salad!

Veggies:  zucchini squash, yellow squash, carrots and butternut squash]

Snack: Cinnamon Apple Crisp
[Dr. Myers recipe pg 265]

Dinner: Beef
[Yes... basically, just some cooked ground beef! We had to run an errand after work and got caught in traffic so we stopped for a bite to eat.  That's all I could find on the menu.]

Snack:  Banana

Challenge Day #1

Today marks the first day of my 30-day Myers Way challenge!! Since I have already given up my comfort foods (dark chocolate, nuts, red wine), it wasn't bad at all.  Here's what I ate:

Breakfast:  Sweet Potato Hash
[Started with an upset stomach from eating-out over the weekend; no protein shake this morning.  I decided to just cook sweet potato cubes in coconut oil & sprinkled them with cinnamon.]

Snack: Cinnamon Apple Crisp
[This is one of Dr. Myers' recipes; page 265. It's delicious -- I feel guilty eating it!]

Lunch: Sweet Apple Breakfast Sausage, Turkey
[This is one of Dr. Myers' recipes; page 256. Make it the night before; eat it cold or hot]

Snack: Leftover Roasted Vegetables

Dinner:  Gluten-Free Turkey Sausage, 1/2 Sweet Potato & Protein Shake
[This is weird, right?! It's an easy meal night.  And yes - Dr. Myers does allow sausage on this diet as long as it's gluten-free. I bought it at the whole food store and my husband grilled it.  

Sweet potato dressed with 1 tsp coconut oil & cinnamon.  

Protein shake made of 1/2 cup water, 1 banana, 5 cherries, 3 strawberries (all frozen), 1 tbsp protein powder, 1/4 tsp pure vanilla, 1/2 cup ice and some spinach; super delicious!]

The name of the book is called, 'The Autoimmune Solution' by Amy Myers, MD.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27

What Are YOU Eating??!

I've been testing out some recipes before I start my 30-day challenge... I've actually been pleasantly surprised how much I like them! Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Smoothie
One of my favorites... 1/2 cup water, dash of protein powder, 1 frozen banana, 4 frozen cherries, a small slice of melon, spinach, 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla and some ice. (This smoothie is usually shared with 2 other people).

Snack: Sweet Potato Crinkles
I buy these in small bags from a local grocery store.  They're organic and pre-sliced.  It takes 5 minutes to cook them over the stove.  Use 1 tablespoon coconut oil, flip them occasionally, sprinkle with cinnamon right before you take them out.  

Lunch: Tuna Salad with Avocado
I know, I know... mercury.  I'm trying to get away from it but it's so easy and convenient. There's no need to prep the night before.  It takes about 5 minutes before I leave the house.

Snack: Baked Apples
This is easy, delicious and it satisfies my sweet tooth! Just peel a few apples, cut them in small pieces, add a little olive oil and cinnamon.  Put them in the microwave for 8-10 minutes with a little water in the bottom of the bowl.  Drain.

Dinner: Brisket & Acorn Squash
The brisket was leftover; I just heated it up. The acorn squash was from Dr. Myer's book.  I think I'll cook it a little longer next time and allow it to cook longer with the coconut oil and cinnamon.

I can definitely feel a difference since I gave up so many inflammatory foods & drinks!


"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Hebrews 13:8

Tropical Smoothie

Tropical Smoothie... it even sounds good, doesn't it?!  It stirs up images of sunny skies, sandy beaches and tiny umbrella drinks.  Okay, so this doesn't look like one of those drinks but it tastes just like a pina colada.  Not only that, it's super simple to make!  Place the following ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth:

Ingredients:

1-2 cups water
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 cups greens 
1/4 cup pineapple
1/4 cup mango
1 banana, frozen
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup ice
1 tablespoon protein powder, optional

Use your favorite leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, etc) for the '2 cups greens.'  They're chock-full of protein so the protein powder is an optional ingredient. If you're new to green smoothies, I recommend spinach for your first shake; it has very little flavor.

The chia seeds and frozen banana are what makes the smoothie thicker.  I usually start out with 1 1/2 cups of water and add more as it's blending if it's too thick.  

You're gonna love this smoothie!

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

Almondless Joy Bar

Do you like Almond Joy bars??  These bars taste just like the famous candy bar except without the almonds.  This is good and bad... they're delicious but my family has discovered my yummy hashi treat now, too!  So we make a bigger batch :-)

These are super simple to make.  You just throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend them together.  Here are the ingredients:

3 cups large coconut flakes
1 tsp protein powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 medjool dates
2 tbsp maple syrup
3-4 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp dark chocolate powder
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 packs stevia

Spray a mini-loaf baking pan with extra virgin olive oil.  Add 2 tablespoons of the mix to each well; press mixture to fit mold.  Refrigerate for one hour before serving.  Keep unused bars in refrigerator until ready to be served.

Like always, use organic products.  If you're new to eating organic, these ingredients can all be found at your local whole foods store.  The maple syrup is pure -- not the kind in the cereal aisle next to the pancake mix!  The label should indicate 'maple syrup' as the sole ingredient.  Choose a dark chocolate that is 85-90% dark chocolate as well as soy and dairy-free.  The maple syrup and dates will sweeten the bars.

By the way, I would add the almonds but nuts are on my inflammatory foods list.  

"My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste."  Proverbs 24:13

Hummus

Do you miss ranch dressing on your veggies?!  If you're dairy and soy-free like me, you probably miss that creamy dip that usually accompanies the veggie platter, right?  Raw vegetables just don't seem to have quite the same level of appeal without it.  But I'm on a quest to eat more vegetables. So when the veggie platter is passed around the table, having a hashi-friendly dip makes them much more palatable for me.  So I decided to try some hummus.



So what exactly is hummus, you ask?

Here's how Wikipedia defines it:  "Hummus or houmous is a Levantine food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic."  One tablespoon contains about 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber; and one serving is only 25 calories.  
Tonight, I tried the product pictured above:  Tribe.  And guess what?  I ate some vegetables!  Check out the product descriptions on their website; they are gluten, soy and dairy free.  Plus, they have an organic product line and 17 different flavors.  Let me know which one is your favorite.

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
Proverbs 16:24

A Full Day of Meals

Veggies, veggies, veggies… are you getting enough in your diet?!!  I struggle with it every day.  For me, the most difficult part of eating healthy isn't giving up bread or dessert; it’s eating my vegetables.  I'm making progress though.  I'm guessing I'm not the only one with Hashimoto’s disease that’s having trouble inviting leafy green things to dinner.  So I thought I would share a full day of meals with you and hopefully give you some new ideas.

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs and ham.  Simple, high in protein and keeps my sugar level steady.  And yes, bacon too if you like it!

Lunch:

Smoothie: Blend 2 cups of greens, ¼ of a medium cucumber, 2 tablespoons of pure protein, and 2 cups of water.  After that is blended, add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1 frozen banana, 2 frozen cherries, and 6 frozen strawberries (I've been perfecting this recipe for a while and I can tell you that it’s a bit sour without the 2 cherries).  This recipe makes two 16 ounce drinks or four 8 ounce drinks.

Tuna Salad:  Mix sliced celery and pickles, one avocado.  Drain a can of soy-free tuna in water; add it to the veggie mix and pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over it.  Then add some organic honey mustard and blend it all together.

Dinner:

Quinoa:  cook quinoa in a rice cooker; substitute one cup of water with 8 ounces of organic chicken broth.  Season to taste.

Squash and Zucchini:  grill or sauté these veggies in some extra virgin olive oil; chop up in bite-sized pieces.  Season to taste.

Chicken:  organic rotisserie chicken chopped up, heated and mixed with quinoa and veggies.

I hope this helps you add at least one thing to your meals that you enjoy. 

Eat well Hashi’s!

“The Lord’s name is a strong tower; the righteous run to him, and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10

Marinara Chicken & Quinoa

OK... so, I have to confess that I didn't actually cook the chicken in this recipe!  I bought an organic rotisserie chicken from the whole food store.  But you could grill some chicken and flavor it up the way you like.  My husband usually cooks on the grill but the weather hasn't been bbq friendly lately.  If you're pressed for time or don't own a grill, the rotisserie choice is the best option anyway.

Ingredients:

Small rotisserie chicken, plain

1 jar marinara sauce, organic

1 cup quinoa

1 oz chicken broth, organic

1 tsp italian seasoning

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Optional:

vegetables (peas, carrots, zucchini)

Directions:  

1. Prepare quinoa as directed on the package; however, replace 1 oz of water with 1 oz of organic chicken broth.  Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  

2. Dice the boneless, skinless chicken into bite size pieces.  Place in a large casserole dish.

3. Add the cooked quinoa to the casserole dish.

4. Pour in the marinara sauce and the italian seasoning.

5. Add vegetables as desired.

6. Cook in covered dish for 25 minutes at 350*.

This really turned out good; my husband thinks the kids would even like it with a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  

Remember, quinoa is a seed that's high in protein -- it's not a grain.  It cooks up just like rice; the box I bought even has directions to cook it in a rice cooker.  During the warm months, we'll set it outside in a rice cooker and cook the chicken on the grill!  

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1