Good morning everyone...Happy Friday!! For those of you that started this challenge on Day 1, you have almost reached your goal of eating healthy for 21 days. Even if you made small changes, congratulations...you are on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Don't stop now!!
I would like to give you some other recipe options that don't require a lot of time preparing and are very good! The following recipes are sauces you can use on vegetables, pasta, over rice or whole-grains. They are really easy to make and I think you and your family will love them.
The first sauce is called Chinese Brown Sauce. Think of the sauce that Chinese food comes in....it really does taste the same, but is a much healthier version. My husband loves this, and believe me, he is my worst critic! Both of these recipes are from the book, Forks Over Knives.
CHINESE BROWN SAUCE (makes about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup low -sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup of vegetable stock
1/4 cup date molasses or brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch)
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
I like to "stir-fry" vegetables with this. Remember, no oil, just put your vegetables in a skillet or wok, start with a tiny amount of water, then start adding this sauce to continue cooking.
Another favorite sauce of mine is the No-Cheese Sauce. This is a low-fat sauce that makes great Mac and Cheese...Best of all it only takes 5 minutes to put together. Putting this in a blender makes it creamy and delicious!
NO-CHEESE SAUCE (makes about 2 1/2 cups)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped, (about 2 cups)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped, (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tablespoons cashews, toasted (put n a dry skillet and "toast"...when you smell the aroma of the nut, they are done)
1 Tablespoon tahini, (optional)
1 cup of nutritional yeast
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender in the order given and puree until smooth and creamy, adding up to 1/2 cup of water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
Note: Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds. It can be found in many grocery stores with the other Middle Eastern products. This is optional in this recipe, so if you don't have it, don't worry about it.
Nutritional yeast: This is a deactivated yeast that comes in flaked or powdered form. It gives foods a "cheesy" flavor and has a strong nutritional profile. I find it in the bulk section in health food stores...I love this stuff...I make this cheese sauce with it, sprinkle the flakes over hot vegetable for a cheese flavor, sprinkle it on air popped popcorn...Try it!
OK, so Day 18 menu looks like this:
Breakfast: Steel cut oats
Lunch: Leftover tofu palak paneer or a veggie burger with whole wheat bread or roll, lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard
Snack: Frozen grapes
Dinner: Red curry chickpea and sweet potato soup with steamed spinach
Don't like what's on the menu today, (remember, you don't know if you don't like it if you have never tried it!), find other recipes to try instead, or, just make a veggie wrap for lunch with some store-bought hummus, (watch the amount of oil) and lots of vegetables. For dinner make a huge salad and top it off with chickpeas, black beans, white beans, or any other kind of bean, or use them all! Pay attention to the dressing you are putting on your salad...watch the fat content.
So, get your 30 minutes of exercise in today, you will be happy you did, and drink that water! Choke it down if you have to...just keep telling yourself you will burn 25% more calories at rest drinking that extra water, not to mention the "glow" it will give your skin.
Email with any questions or concerns...I look forward to hearing from you!
I would like to give you some other recipe options that don't require a lot of time preparing and are very good! The following recipes are sauces you can use on vegetables, pasta, over rice or whole-grains. They are really easy to make and I think you and your family will love them.
The first sauce is called Chinese Brown Sauce. Think of the sauce that Chinese food comes in....it really does taste the same, but is a much healthier version. My husband loves this, and believe me, he is my worst critic! Both of these recipes are from the book, Forks Over Knives.
CHINESE BROWN SAUCE (makes about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup low -sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup of vegetable stock
1/4 cup date molasses or brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch)
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
I like to "stir-fry" vegetables with this. Remember, no oil, just put your vegetables in a skillet or wok, start with a tiny amount of water, then start adding this sauce to continue cooking.
Another favorite sauce of mine is the No-Cheese Sauce. This is a low-fat sauce that makes great Mac and Cheese...Best of all it only takes 5 minutes to put together. Putting this in a blender makes it creamy and delicious!
NO-CHEESE SAUCE (makes about 2 1/2 cups)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped, (about 2 cups)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped, (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tablespoons cashews, toasted (put n a dry skillet and "toast"...when you smell the aroma of the nut, they are done)
1 Tablespoon tahini, (optional)
1 cup of nutritional yeast
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender in the order given and puree until smooth and creamy, adding up to 1/2 cup of water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
Note: Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds. It can be found in many grocery stores with the other Middle Eastern products. This is optional in this recipe, so if you don't have it, don't worry about it.
Nutritional yeast: This is a deactivated yeast that comes in flaked or powdered form. It gives foods a "cheesy" flavor and has a strong nutritional profile. I find it in the bulk section in health food stores...I love this stuff...I make this cheese sauce with it, sprinkle the flakes over hot vegetable for a cheese flavor, sprinkle it on air popped popcorn...Try it!
OK, so Day 18 menu looks like this:
Breakfast: Steel cut oats
Lunch: Leftover tofu palak paneer or a veggie burger with whole wheat bread or roll, lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard
Snack: Frozen grapes
Dinner: Red curry chickpea and sweet potato soup with steamed spinach
Don't like what's on the menu today, (remember, you don't know if you don't like it if you have never tried it!), find other recipes to try instead, or, just make a veggie wrap for lunch with some store-bought hummus, (watch the amount of oil) and lots of vegetables. For dinner make a huge salad and top it off with chickpeas, black beans, white beans, or any other kind of bean, or use them all! Pay attention to the dressing you are putting on your salad...watch the fat content.
So, get your 30 minutes of exercise in today, you will be happy you did, and drink that water! Choke it down if you have to...just keep telling yourself you will burn 25% more calories at rest drinking that extra water, not to mention the "glow" it will give your skin.
Email with any questions or concerns...I look forward to hearing from you!
RSS Feed
