7 Day Detox

As mentioned in previous posts, my husband and I are on a big health kick lately.  We not only hope to lose weight, but we also want to develop a healthier lifestyle.  We were doing well on our way to weight loss, but recently we had hit a plateau and needed something to jump start the weight loss again.  We decided that we would detox for 10 days to get a fresh start.  We decided that we would detox together, but in different ways.  This all started with my husband's decision to juice it for 10 days.  He had watched some documentary where the guy drinks only juice for 90 days and is able to rid himself not only of any excess weight, but also any health problems he was facing.  My husband decided that he wanted to try it.  He made a promise that if I got my new job, he would drink nothing but juice for 10 days. I decided that while he was juicing it, I would go ahead and detox during those 10 days.  I will get into my husband's juice detox another day.  Today let's focus on my detox. 

Basically, the detox contains a list of foods that you can and cannot eat.  I did a lot of research and consulted my sister who is a certified health coach, and found this to be the best fit for me.  It is a 7 Day Detox Plan designed by Dietitian, Juliette Kellow.  The difference between this detox plan and others is that it is a safer and more sensible way to detox.  I decided to extend it to 10 days since my husband would be juicing for 10 days.  Below is a list of foods to include in the plan:

• Fruit – your plan can include any fruit including fresh, frozen, dried or canned in natural fruit juice. This includes apples, bananas, pears, oranges, grapefruit, satsumas, sultanas, raisins, pineapple, mango, kiwi fruit, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, nectarines, peaches, melons, star fruit etc 
• Fruit juice – either make homemade fruit juices or smoothies from fresh fruit, or drink ready-made juices. Make sure ready-made juices are labelled as being ‘pure’ or ‘unsweetened’.
• Vegetables – eat any vegetables including fresh, frozen or canned in water (without salt added). This includes carrots, onions, turnip, swede, sprouts, cabbage, peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peppers, leeks, courgettes, broccoli, cauliflower, salad, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions etc
• Beans and lentils – eat any beans, including those that have been dried or canned in water. This includes red kidney, haricot, cannellini, butter, black eye, pinto, red lentils, green lentils and brown lentils 
• Tofu and Quorn 
• Oats – sprinkle oats over fresh fruit or use to make porridge, sweetened with honey and fresh fruit
• Potatoes – all types
• Brown rice and rice noodles
• Rye crackers, rice cakes and oatcakes
• Fresh fish – eat any fresh fish including cod, plaice, mackerel, salmon, lobster, crab, trout, haddock, tuna, prawns, Dover sole, red mullet, halibut, lemon sole, monkfish, swordfish etc. Canned fish in water is suitable too eg salmon or tuna
• Unsalted nuts – eat any including Brazil, peanuts, almonds, cashew, hazel nuts, macadamia, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio, walnuts etc
• Unsalted seeds – eat any including sunflower and pumpkin
• Plain popcorn – without sugar or salt
• Live natural yoghurt
• Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Garlic, ginger and fresh herbs
• Ground black pepper
• Honey
• Water – at least 2 litres a day. Tap or mineral water is fine.
• Herbal or fruit teas

 Below is a list of foods to avoid during the detox:

• Red meat, chicken, turkey and any meat products like sausages, burgers, and pate
• Milk, cheese, eggs, cream
• Butter and margarine
• Any food that contains wheat including bread, croissants, cereals, cakes, biscuits, pies, pastry, quiche, battered or breadcrumbed foods, etc
• Crisps and savoury snacks including salted nuts
• Chocolate, sweets, jam and sugar
• Processed foods, ready meals, ready-made sauces and takeaways
• Alcohol
• Coffee and tea
• Sauces, pickles, shop bought salad dressing, mayonnaise
• Salt
• Fizzy drinks and squashes, including diet versions

I have been on this detox for 5 days now and it has been more difficult than I thought it would be, but I've already lost 2.5 pounds!  Every morning I make a fruit smoothie with frozen fruit, yogurt, spinach and honey.  I eat plenty of fruits throughout the day as snacks and I have lunch and dinner normally.  For meals I've had rice and beans, tuna, mashed potatoes, blackbean salad and split pea soup.  The hardest part for me has been not adding salt to my meals.  I try and substitute the flavor for fresh herbs or other spices such as black pepper or cumin.  The first few days were the most difficult, but I am getting used to it now and I have to admit, I absolutely love the results!  If you are stuck in a weight loss rut and need a pick-me-up, this could do the trick! 

Good luck,

Eliza

I Love New York!

I absolutely LOVE New York City!  I try and plan a trip up there every chance I get.  Last week, my sister, my husband and I took a random trip up to New York for one night.  My sister got tickets to a taping of The Chew on ABC and wanted my husband and I to go along with her.  We left Wednesday night after work and came back Thursday evening.  It's only a 3.5-4 hourdrive for us, so it wasn't too bad at all.  We stayed at my aunt's house in New Jersey and woke up bright and early on Thursday to drive into the city for the taping of The Chew. 

We met up with my godmother, who was also coming with us to the taping.  We got there so early that they ended up letting us in for the second half of the first taping.  I had never been on a TV set before, and let me tell you, it's super cool!  I was fascinated!  We were able to sit through the second half of the first taping, which aired the next day and sit through our original taping, which will air on February 17, 2012.  The first taping was all about appetizers and the Superbowl (Go Giants)!  The show that will air on the 17th is about cooking with the family and each cast member cooked a meal with their family member who was also on the show.  If you've never watched The Chew, it's a pretty cool talk show on ABC and it's all about food!  They give health tips, cooking recipes and inivative ways to be healthy. I don't watch it regularly since I work during the day, but ocassionally I'll catch an episode or two online.  Check out some picutres while on set:

Look at all those cameras!

After spending the morning at the ABC studio and watching the hosts of The Chew cooking all those delicious meals, it was safe to say that we were pretty hungry.  My husband and I often watch the Food Network and the Travel Channel and they constantly have shows that highlight great restuarants in different cities.  Since we were in New York City and going to be on a TV show, I decided that it would be a good idea to have lunch at one of these places we had seen on TV.  My husband decided that he wanted to go to Carnegie Deli (located on the corner of 55th St. and 7th Ave.) to have their famous Reuben sandwich. We had seen this deli on the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods episode in New York City. Just so you know, these sandwiches are not your normal sandwiches.  These sandwiches are famous because they are MASSIVE!  Let's just say that I couldn't only finish half of my turkey club and I was struggling to even finish that.  These sandwiches are layered with mounds of meat!  They were incredibly delicious, but enourmously large for one person.  I think the four of us could have definitely eated comfortably from one sandwich alone.  My husband's reuben was huge!  He did manage to eat about 3/4 of his plate and I honestly don't know how he did it. Also be aware, that a sandwich costs about $25, which is understandable once you see the size. We were told that their cheesecake is amazing and that's what people go there for, but after our sandwiches, there was definitely no room for dessert!  Below is a picture of my turkey club, followed by a picture of my godmother's turkey sandwich:

For some reason, the picture won't rotate, but you get the idea!  And yes, this is HALF of a sandwich!

Sandwiches come with pickles as an appetizer too!

If you are in New York City, hungry and in the mood for a great sandwich, head to Carnegie Deli!  Just a little bit of warning, make sure you are really hungry and don't expect to finish the whole sandwich!   

Go visit New York!

Eliza

Heart Made of Frames

At our wedding, I decided to decorate some of the tables during the cocktail hour with picutres of my husband and I when we were children.  I was able to collect various pictures of each of us and frame them to display on tables throughout the cocktail hour.  Our colors were red and gold so I found gold frames and framed each picture.  We had a total of about 20 pictures framed.  After the wedding, I had no idea what I was going to do with these framed pictures.  I wanted to display them in our home somehow, but wasn't sure how.  I came across this idea on pinterest and decided to alter it a bit to fit a wall in our home.  I took most of the frames and layed them out in the shape of a heart on the floor.  One by one, my husband and I nailed them to the wall in our home.  It took quite a bit of time, but the result was spectacular!  We may eventually fill in the heart, as it is shown on pinterest, but for now we like the outline design.  The outline idea came about mainly because we didn't have enough frames to fill in the heart.  We thought about putting wedding pictures on the inside, but until we decide, we will leave it as is.  I think it's a unique way to display family photos and we were able to make the shape using different sized frames.

Check out our design:

Give it a try and see what shape you come up with!  Let us know how it comes out!


Happy decorating,

Eliza

Squash Soup

As mentioned in the guacamole post, my husband and I have been on quite a health kick lately.  We are currently in the process of gearing up for Lent and preparing meals that will be suitable.  I have also been trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diets.  More so the vegetables, as they tend to be more difficult for the two of us. We have altered our eating habits quite a bit and we have started to have our big meals at lunchtime and have something lighter for dinner.  My squash soup recipe is great for these cold, winter nights.  It fills us up and is a light enough dinner that we won't be super stuffed afterwards.  I would definitely recommend this soup for anyone who is looking for a simple, quick meal. 

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 cup carrots (optional)
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 small onion
4 or 5 Strips of turkey bacon
1/3 cup of skim milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, fry bacon until crispy.  Once bacon is done, remove from pot and set aside.

2.  In same pot, add 4 cups of chicken stock.  You want all of the bacon fat still in the pot.  It will give the soup great flavor.

3.  Cut squash in half and remove the seeds and grime from the middle.  I cook the squash with the skin and remove it once it's soft.  Cut the squash into chunks and toss into the pot. 

4.  Cut onion in half and throw it into the pot.

5.  I also add carrots into the soup for extra veggies.

6.  Let all of these ingredients boil.

7.  Once all the ingredients have come to a boil and the squash has softened, put all ingredients into the blender and liquify.  Add bacon to the blender and liquify with the soup.

8.  Once all the ingredients have liquified, pour back into the pot.

9.  Add milk to the soup and mix well.

10.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

11. Once all ingredients are blended and the milk is mixed in, it's ready to be served!

It's best to serve the soup at once, while it's still hot.

Enjoy!

Eliza