Budget Detox: The Simple Answer

Oh, Veggies, if you could see my computer. I've been sitting here for over an hour (hmmm…more like 3 days) trying to write your Budget Detox.  After starting eight different versions, three separate shopping lists and procrastinating on Facebook** twice (maybe more than twice...) I have come to the conclusion that this topic is much larger than one post.  Therefore I have decided that I'm going to write you a bunch of posts.  Yippee!!!  Yay for posts!!!  So, where should we start???

You want to detox.  You want to do it on the cheap.  Well, then let's start with the principle of Occam's Razor that generally recommends when selecting among competing hypotheses the one that makes the fewest new assumptions is correct.  In other words…the simplest answer is the right answer.  Let's keep it simple...

Sample Menu: For My Friends

I made this food plan for a couple of friends who were looking to start eating healthier.  Since I haven't posted a Sample Menu in a while thought I'd share.  This menu is not a detox and doesn't take personal food allergies into account.  However, I think it is a good place to start if you are easing your way into a healthier lifestyle. Remember every body is special and unique so always check with a medical professional before starting a nutrition program.  

-♥ J :)

P.S. Even though I am a vegan, my friends who I made this plan for are meat eaters so meat options are included.

• The goal of this plan is to eat 4 times a day.  One fruit meal (breakfast), one carb meal, one protein meal and one snack.  Meals should be eaten about 4 hours apart.  I've included times, but they are just guidelines.  Simply space your meals four hours apart according to the time you eat your first meal.
• Lunch meals and dinner meals can be interchanged as long as one of those meals is a carb meal and the other one is a protein meal.
• Breakfast is always fruit.
• And NO Dairy...

Want to peek in my journal???

I don't normally keep a food journal.  

While it's true that food journals can be useful in the beginning of a nutrition program to help a person become more mindful, the ultimate goal should be to find a sense of balance and calm when it comes to food.  You want to learn how to listen to your body's subtle cues and respond accordingly.  You do not want to spend the rest of your life making a PowerPoint presentation for the great calorie counter in the sky.

However, for those of you playing the Detox home game, I thought it might be helpful to see specifically what I've been eating.  Here is my food journal from this past weekend.  Recipes are included at the bottom.  Feel free to email me, tweet me, post on the Happy Healthy Belly Facebook Page or comment below with any and all questions.

-♥ J :) 

P.S. You will notice there is nary a margarita or vodka smoothie in sight.  That thump you hear is the sound of me patting myself on the back.

SATURDAY
11am: 16oz. Green Lemonade

12:30pm: Almond Butter Smoothie

5pm: Pure Bar

6pm: 16oz. Green Lemonade

8pm: Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad w/ dijon vinaigrette

9pm: Trader Joe's Fruit Frenzy Bar

SUNDAY
11am: Almond Butter Smoothie

12:30pm: 16oz. Green Lemonade

3pm: Pure Bar

5pm: 20oz. Green Lemonade and 1 cup (approx) breakfast potatoes (left over from John's brunch)

8pm: Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad w/ dijon vinaigrette

9pm: 1 Trader Joe's Dairy-Free Mango Mochi

RECIPES
Green Lemonade 
I just can not stress enough how energizing (and filling!) green juice is.  This weekend I used 1/2 Organic Mixed Greens and 1/2 Apple, Lemon, Ginger Juice from Beverly Hills Juice and mixed them together.  To make your own, juice the following in a juicer:
-2 large Cucumbers 
-Big fist-full of Kale
-Big fist-full of Romaine
-3 stalks of Celery
-1 Pear or Green Apple
-1-2 big Broccoli stems
-1 lemon
-1/2 inch of Ginger
Experiment to taste.
Makes about 32 oz. Make more and save in Mason jars up to 24 hours.

Almond Butter Smoothie
(a version of THIS smoothie)
-1 ripe banana
-1 hefty scoop of almond butter
-1 handful Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao 
-1 scoop Naturade Soy-Free Veg Protein Booster
-Half a packet of Nu Naturals Stevia 
Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Add enough almond milk to almost cover the banana.
Blend. Drink.

Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad 
(serves 2)
-1 package of pre-washed raw spinach
-Trader Joe's frozen artichokes (cook according to package instructions)
-handful of dried cranberries
-handful of cashews
-handful of almonds
-1 and1/2 cup of lentils
-1 large avocado
-1 cup peas
Put ingredients in a bowl and toss with...

Jen's (other) Stupidly Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing 
-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-1 tablespoon mustard
-2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Organic Garlic Flavored Olive Oil
-1/2 packet stevia
Whisk together.  Drizzle on salad.

Some days you feel like a detox….

And some days you feel like drinking Vodka Smoothies** out of champagne glasses with brightly colored straws at 3 in the afternoon with one of your best friends because you got off work early and it's Oprah's last show and you didn't have the ingredients for the Banana Chocolate Chip Smoothie in the house.  And sure you could have left the vodka out of the smoothie, but it was Oprah's last show(!) and that calls for champagne…but you didn't have any champagne so you improvised.  And on those days maybe you'll decide that all you want for dinner is tortilla chips, hummus and chocolate.  So many tortilla chips.  So much hummus.  So. Much. Chocolate.  And on those days...those days...you will go to sleep, belly full of chips and good times, and resolve to begin again tomorrow.
Welcome to tomorrow.
Here's a Post Party Menu to help you (ahem..me) get back on track:

Breakfast
-16 to 20oz. Green Juice
Make your own (recipe here) or buy from your local fresh juice place.
Some of my LA favorites include:
-Beverly Hills Juice
-Liquid New Theme
-Mcafe
-Real Food Daily

Lunch
-More Green Juice
That's right.  You did the crime, now give your body time.  Drinking green juice* gives your digestion a rest while still giving your body the nutrients that it craves.  Drink up to 40 oz. of Green Juice throughout the day.

Snack (around 2pm)
-1/2 cup quinoa
-1/2 cup black beans
-add chopped tomato, onion, cucumber and parsley to taste
-juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

Dinner
Natalia Rose's Guacamole Salad
(recipe from The Raw Food Detox Diet)

makes 2 to 4 servings

-3 Hass avocados, finely chopped
-4 ripe Holland tomatoes, diced, or 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
-1/2 garlic, minced
-1 bunch cilantro, chopped
-1/4 to 1/2 pound baby romaine, mesclun, or regular romaine lettuce, chopped
-Juice of 1 lime
-2 tablespoons agave nectar (or 1 stevia packet)
-Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

"Dessert"
-caffiene free herbal tea
I like Yogi Ginger Tea.  It's sweet, spicy and tames an angry belly.

-♥ J :)

*If you don't have a juicer and don't have access to store that makes fresh juice, substitute two low sugar fruits for breakfast (e.g. apple, pear, 1 cup of berries or grapefruit) and a salad of mixed greens with lemon and olive oil for lunch.
**For the Vodka Smoothie I doubled the Pineapple Berry Lemonade recipe and added 2 shots of Vodka.  Goes best with a great friend, a lazy afternoon and an empty "To Do" list.  Drink slowly.

Sample Menu: Food Combining

In the beginning, the easiest way to get into the habit of food combining is to divide your meals into categories.  Later on, when it is second nature to you, it is not necessary to be so structured.  Right now, for the sake of simplicity, try to think of your meals like this:

Breakfast = Fruit

Lunch = Protein + Veggies

Dinner = Starch + Veggies

Depending on the day that you are having, it is totally fine to swap your lunch and dinner meals.  However, always keep fruit in the morning and by itself.  If you are a coffee drinker, have your coffee first thing (like I needed to tell you that…) and on a empty stomach.  And for my sandwich lovers, while you are transitioning to a sandwich-free existence, here are two Food Combining friendly options that can be used as your Starch Meal:

1. Almond Butter and Honey on sprouted grain bread
2. Veggie Sandwich (lettuce, tomato, avocado, grilled veggies, etc.) with hummus on sprouted grain bread  (I like this brand.)


Happy Combining!!
-♥ J :)


VEGAN MENU
Breakfast
Pineapple Berry Lemonade:
-3/4 cup frozen organic berries 
-3/4 cup frozen pineapple
-1/1/4 cup of water
-juice of one whole lemon
-Half a packet of Nu Naturals Stevia.
Makes 1 serving.
Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Blend and drink.
Agave or (a touch of) maple syrup can be substituted for Stevia.

Lunch
Salad topped with:
-1/2 cup (Trader Joe's pre-cooked) lentils
-2 (Trader Joe's pre-cooked) beets
-1/4 cup walnuts
Jen's Stupidly Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe here)

Snack
sliced cucumbers and 1/4 cup hummus

Dinner
sauteed broccoli with garlic
sweet potato
1/2 an avocado (If you are very hungry, go ahead and eat one whole avocado.)

Dessert
1/4 bar of dark chocolate (About the size of your thumb...)
I like Trader Joe's Organic %73 Cacao Super Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds.


NON-VEGAN MENU
Breakfast
Orange Blueberry Banana Smoothie:
-1 1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
-1 banana
-1 cup orange juice
-1/4 cup water
Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Blend and drink.

Lunch
Salad topped with:
-1or 2 hardboiled eggs
-1/2 avocado
-tomato
-cucumber
Jen's Stupidly Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe here)

Snack
1/2 cup nuts (I like Trader Joe's individual packs of cashew, almond, cranberry trail mix because they are the perfect potion size.)

Dinner
John's Favorite Stupidly Easy Black Beans and Rice with a side of broccoli (recipe here)

Dessert
1/4 bar of dark chocolate

Sample Menu: Detox

Sophie took my Cinco de Detox post way too seriously, Matt is shopping for coconut ice cream and Erin texted to say that her juicer attacked her.

Spring Detox 2011 is off to a rip-roaring start.

I figured I should post a sample detox menu, so that we can all get on the same page.  Matt, you will notice coconut ice cream is not on that page.


Breakfast
Blueberry Lemonade Smoothie (recipe here)


Lunch
Salad topped with:
-sunflower seeds
-cucumber
-tomato
-avocado

Jen's Stupidly Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1. In a small bowl, whisk ingredients together (a plain 'ole fork works just fine…).
2. Add lemon pepper and garlic powder to taste.


Snack
Carrots and Celery with 1/4 cup Hummus
OR
Celery with Almond Butter
OR
1 handful of nuts
**Sophie notice the "or"…that is  not an "and."**


Dinner
1 whole sweet potato with veggie of choice
OR
Jen's Stupidly Easy Stir Fry (recipe here)
OR
1/2 cup of beans or lentils with veggies of choice



A word about drinks….
alcohol= NO
soda= NO
energy drinks= NO
water=YES
herbal and green tea=YES
coffee= should be a NO, but (for now) we've all agreed that one cup in the morning is OK.
The definition of "cup" is still up for debate...

-♥ J :)