Day 175:Make your own Vol 5– Homemade pesto

This is one of the simplest things to make. You can add it on lots of food e.g. pasta, egg, as pizza topping. I use this on everything and like to make lots to last me a while.

all you need; basil, garlic, pine-nuts,olive oil. Source: Womansday

 Makes 2 cups

½ cup pine nuts or almonds

3 cups firmly-packed basil leaves or parsley

1 cup finely grated Parmesan

1-cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

2 Easy steps

• Heat a small frying pan on medium. Toss nuts over heat for 1-2 minutes until golden. Transfer to a food processor.
• Add all remaining ingredients. Process until well combined and a coarse paste is formed. Season to taste with pepper.

store in tiny leftover jars.

All the ways you can have this.

With pasta

Source: simplyrecipes.com

On eggs

Pesto on deviled eggs

pesto on scrambled eggs

Pesto and pizza

incase you still had any doubts about making this

The uses are endless so why not go make your self a HUGE batch 🙂

 

For more make your own Here

Day 174: Low carb-Recipe Stuffed Zucchini “Manicotti”

I am making these today.

Zucchini

– 1 zucchini

– 1/8 cup olive oil

– Salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the ends of zucchini. Using a mandolin, slice zucchini into long thin strips. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.

Ricotta Mix

– 1 cup ricotta cheese

– 1/8 cup basil (chopped)

– 1/8 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

Mix everything together, set aside.

Assembly

– 4 zucchini strips

– 1.5 oz. sauteed Italian chicken sausage

– 1 oz. ricotta cheese mixture

– 2 oz. marinara sauce

– 1 oz. mozzarella cheese

Lightly cover the bottom of a parchment lined sheet tray with marinara sauce. On a different clean surface, lay down zucchini strips. Add chicken sausage, top with ricotta cheese. Add 1 oz. marinara sauce, roll up and place onto sheet tray. Top with the rest of the marinara sauce and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake in oven until cheese is melted.

Source: http://www.sself.com

Day 168: Low carb recipes- cauliflower pizza crust

Every low-carber must have this recipe. The cravings for pizza can hit at any moment and when you have to watch your carbs, this is a great arsenal to have.

It’s quick and simple to make and marvelously delicious.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Olive oil

 

 

• Chop cauliflower into chunks and place in food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower is riced. You can also use a cheese grater and you will get the same results
• Place the riced cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl, add 1/4 cup water, and microwave for 6-8 minutes, stirring half-way through.
  
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with some oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, mozzarella cheese and egg together and stir until well incorporated. Add the oregano, garlic, and garlic salt. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and shape into a 9-inch circle. Brush the crust with olive oil to help it brown in the oven.
• Baked for 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and cooked through the middle.
  
• Remove from oven and add your topping. Do not overload your pizza. Place in oven until the cheese is melted.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 166 part deux: Carb cycling – low carb day 3: WIAW version

Remembered to do a “what I ate Wednesday”. My low carb version

Breakfast same thing as yesterday. I’ll have to make my protein pancakes soon to change it up.

Cals 430, 3g net carbs,20g protein

Lunch:coconut cauliflower stew and tofu

cals 299, 12g carbs,14 g protein

 

Afternoon Snack:Thai egg and Zucchini curry with avocado

Calories 288, protein 13g, carbs 2g

Dinner
Butternut squash curry soup with chunks of tofu

calories 180, carbs 18, protein 13.5

 

Todays totals

Calories: 1197
carbs: 37g
protein 60g (I am working on getting this to at least 100g)

 

 

 

Day 141:Julia Child’s eggplant pizza

Cold weather and stuck indoors screams order in a pizza and curl on the couch watching old episodes of Dr. Who. But maybe just turning on the oven and baking something is even better.

Anyone with any kitchen proficiency must at one point in time try a Julia child recipe.  She is know for her elaborate French cuisine and I was glad to stumble upon a recipe by her that vegetarian (could be made vegan with cheese substitution), low carb and extremely easy to make without ingredients that you cannot pronounce.

 

I made these today and they were delightful and you wont feel guilty about wolfing down the whole thing.
You will need:

• Large eggplant
• Tomatoes finely chopped
• Green peppers, olives and onion (not included in the original recipe)
• Basil leaves, large about 10
• Dried oregano
• Italian seasoning blend
• Garlic 3 cloves
• Red pepper flakes
• EVOO
• Mozzarella blend- low fat

 

Steps:

• Wash eggplant and cut into round slices about an inch thick. Place on a paper towel and salt generously to remove any excess moisture. Takes about 30 minutes to release the moisture
  
• Add the EVOO to a pan and sauté the chopped garlic and then add in the tomatoes and your dried spices. Oregano and Italian seasoning. And let it cook down to form a thick sauce. Add the other chopped veggies.
  
• Once the eggplant has lost its moisture, brush with evoo, sprinkle some dried spices on top and let it bake for about 25 minutes at 375
•  Remove and add the topping. Fresh chopped basil, the tomatoes sauce you just prepared and cheese.
  
• Put under broiler until the cheese melts. 

 

In Exercise news, I have completely lost any motivation to wake up and run. I wake up alright, but getting up to go out in this abysmal weather is tough.I am pretty sure that I will not meet my goal for 100mi/month and that annoys me. But apparently not enough to go out. My eating hasn’t been too bad, not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
I am a bit terrified of getting on the scale. I moved my weigh-ins to monday to curb my naughtiness over the weekend. I realized that I am pretty good during the week and all the progress is negated after I weigh-in saturday morning.
The good news is that I finally finished level 1 30-DS. I had to restart after not finishing it over the holidays. It is so monotonous that I have to force myself to go through it. I start level 2 tomorrow and hope the change will reduce the boredom.
have a great weekend everyone 😉

 

Day 140: Make your own Vol.4- Homemade yoghurt

Why make your own yoghurt you might ask. Well

• It tastes better
• It’s better for you (no preservatives, sugar or chemicals added)
• It’s less expensive

• You control what goes into it.

 

Your will need

1. 4 liters/ a gallon of milk (1 gallon of milk=1 gallon of yoghurt. You can change this depending on how much yoghurt you want to make)
2. 1 heaped tablespoon fresh yogurt, (check the label to make sure it has live, active culture — most yoghurt at the store does.
3. 2 large pots (one has to be bigger than the other to make a type of double boiler. The larger pot should have a lid)
4. I plastic or metal spoon
5. A candy thermometer

Steps:

 

–       Make a double boiler by putting the smaller pot into the larger on and add water half way up the bigger pot

–       Put the milk into the smaller pot and put the thermometer at the rim of the pot.  Boil the milk to 185⁰ but if you do not have one, your milk will have reached the desired when it forms a film at the top and begins to froth like a late. Stir frequently

–        Cool the milk down to 110⁰  . You can let it cool at room temperature or put the put in a sink of water

–       Once it gets to 110, add your 3-4 tbsp. spoons of the yoghurt.  Stir well to ensure the live yoghurt is well mixed and place in a warm are. You can use a heating pad. Or I just place mine in a warm oven switched OFF and leave it for about 6-7 hrs.

–       After 7 hrs. Stir your yoghurt well. Note- there will be a cheesy smell and a greenish liquid on top. Have no fear.

–       Portion out your yoghurt into containers with lids. Cover them and chill overnight. Refrigerating will thicken the yoghurt and this can keep for up to 10 days.

Yum.

–       Enjoy.

Is it worth going through all the trouble. absolutely. This is great for breakfast or a snack.

 

 

 

Day 131: coconut cauliflower stew

I am travelling tomorrow to go back to school after spending the holidays with my mum and so I decided to throw together everything I had left in the pantry to make something delicious.

I had a can of coconut milk and a head of cauliflower and decided to use that s my base. I then rummaged the fridge for left over veggies I had and decided to make a stew. I wasn’t really in the mood for a soup.

Coconut cauliflower stew

I medium zucchini

1 cup chopped French beans

2 chopped tomatoes

Crushed garlic

I purple onion

I can coconut milk

Mixed spice

Curry powder
cayenne pepper

–       Heat up oil in a pan and sauté onions and garlic until softened. Add mixed spice, curry powder and cayenne pepper and continue to sauté for about a minute

–       Add chopped tomatoes and zucchini and stew for a minute

–       And the coconut milk and a half cup of water with the cauliflower and French beans

add coconut milk and a half cup of water or broth

add the cauliflower

–       Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.

let it simmer until the cauliflower is soft. 15 mins

–       Remove form heat and you have the option of adding in chopped cilantro.

–       Enjoy

Nutrition

3 servings

Calories: 214, carbs net- 12,fat 16, protein 4g, sodium 39, fiber 5g

make your own Vol. 3: Marinara sauce

Make your own marinara sauce

The great thing about marinara sauce is that you don’t only have to use it for pasta. It can be used to add falvor to various dishes you make.

The stuff you buy in the store is so full of sugar that you miss the benefits of tomatoes and spices and great olive oil.

This can be made in bulk and stored for use. Ideally you can make it once a month and freeze.

You will need

(Makes 6 cups)

2 cans crushed tomatoes ( you can use fresh tomatoes about 50oz)

I can tomato paste

I large onion

I clove garlic

2 whole bay leaves

1Tbs basil

I Tbsp. oregano

I Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Mushrooms, bell peppers (optional)

How to make it

1. Dice up onions and garlic and sauté them in olive oil
   
2. Add in the tomatoes, spices and tomato paste. Salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Add the mushrooms and peppers
4. Simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes
   
5. Add vinegar and let simmer for another 15 minutes ( tir occasionally so sauce does not stick to bottom)
6. Once sauce is done, remove the lay leaves and let it cool to room temperature
   
7. Pour in jar and refrigerate

For more make your own https://veggiereader.wordpress.com/make-your-own/

 

Day 120: Day5 & 6 Whole food Detox: Make your own Vol.2- Hummus

Yesterday was day five of my detox and nothing exciting happened. I did however weigh-in and was down 4 pounds in the four days I have been on the eating plan. That was great news even though my weight is not where I want it to be.

My I have been eating pretty much the same thing daily. If you have ready day 1-4 then you know what I have been eating.

 

Today I went to the grocery store to get staples for the whole month. Spices, different types of beans and legumes and more containers so I can prep more food in advance. I think I can almost plan a whole menu if I had the patience. The only shopping I need to do now is my weekly fresh food.

My detox was to be for ten days but I think I am going to push it for at least a month. I’m going to try to be as strict as possible with what I eat but will include some extras that have been off limit in these ten days. E.g eggs.

I wanted to weigh in on the 31^st so that I can see exactly how much I lost this year. The only problem is that TOM is here and that means my monthly bloating and weight gain of up to 6lbs (yup! My bloating and water retention is that bad.) is here.

This is how I feel about once a month

 

This will totally throw off my detox results, which really pisses me off. I worked so hard these past few days to eat on plan and I won’t even know how well it worked. Being a woman sucks.

I will push on though.

 Make your Own

I decided to do my second installment of make your own (my quest to rely less on processed food) and since I have been making my own hummus after years of buying it, here is my recipe. Its pretty simple and quick

 

I cup Dry chickpeas

I medium onion

I large red/green bell pepper

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

¼ teaspoon cumin (I always add cumin to legumes)

olive oil

 

Procedure

1. Soak your chickpeas overnight and boil the following day
   

   Soak over night and they should double

2. Sautee your onions, chopped garlic and bell peppers in olive oil for about a minute. (I do this to reduce the taste of raw garlic and onion in my hummus. However if you do not mind it, go ahead and use them raw.
   

   Sautee for about a minute or two

3. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend to desired taste. (you can add some of the water you used to boil the chickpeas if you want a smoother consistency or you can add a quarter cup of olive oil to make it smoother.)
   

   Blend. add lemon juice and olive oil

4. Store in the refrigerator and you have  delicious chickpea that is cheaper and tastier than store bought.

New Series:Make your own- SOYMILK

I have decided to start a recurring feature. In an attempt to get to a healthier lifestyle with less processed food, I will be attempting to make my own food from scratch as much as I possible can. There are so many things that we buy at the store already made but with a bit of time and patience, we can make them ourselves. This will save us from all the unknown and unpronounceable ingredients that they add.  I will endeavor to share all these in a new tab at the top of my blog.

 

1.     Make your own Soymilk.

As I was planning my detox menu and knew that I would be making my own green monster smoothie, the first thing on my shopping list was tons of soymilk. I have been playing with the idea of making soymilk for a while and even once soaked the beans but ended up cooking them. This is so quick (as in hands on time) and makes lots of milk at a very cheap price. Saves money and is healthy too.

You will need

Mature soybean

Water

Blender

Large pot

Cheesecloth or kitchen cloth

 

• Soak 2 cups of white /yellow mature soybeans for at least 8 hrs. I would do it over night so it gets really big and soft. I had mine soaked for 24 hrs.
  
• This will produce about 4/5 cups of beans.
• You will make your milk in batches. For every cup of soybeans, you will need 3 cups of water. (You can make it two if you want your milk to be thicker)
• Blend this in a blender for about 2 minutes.
  
• Sieve this in the cheese cloth to separate the milk and pulp
  
• Put the separated milk in the pot and repeat the cycle.
• After you have all the milk ready, boil the soymilk for about 20-30 minutes. Do not leave it unattended and stir frequently.
  
• At this point, you can add a cinnamon stick, or vanilla extract or some sugar to sweeten it. I left my plain.
  

The milk has a beany taste, which might take sometime to get used to. I personally don’t think I can drink this plain. I know some people who swear by it and would never drink the commercial soymilk. But it is absolutely perfect for the green monster or any smoothie you might make. It also works as a great substitute for any recipe that calls for milk

I read on some blogs that you could boil the milk in a tablespoon of baking soda to get rid of the beany taste. I don’t mind it so I didn’t do it. I might try at a later date and share whether there was a great difference in taste.

Enjoy and let me know what you do differently.