on the second night...

Last night, we had a more traditional Hanukkah celebration.  I made my favorite latke recipe to-date...what I affectionately call "White House Latkes".  These apple and potato latkes were made at the White House Hanukkah dinner on the first night.  I figured, if they're good enough for the Obamas, they must be pretty darn good.  Wow - were they!

They boys are enjoying the choose-your-own-adventure approach to gifts this year.  Tonight, Jake opened Apples to Apples...best. game. ever.  We spent at least two hours playing and eating latkes.  What a great night!

strawberries.

We went strawberry picking at Butler's Orchard this past weekend.  Hubby and I in our mid-30s and this was the first time for both of us!

And for the boy as well...

And look what I found at the market...

Rhubarb!  So cool!  I can't harvest ours until next year, but I've been itching to make strawberry rhubarb pie.  So we grabbed some and tried it out...

Oh. My. Gosh.  It was SO good.  This will definitely become a springtime tradition in our household!

banana oatmeal muffins.

Looking at my bunch of bananas and canister of oatmeal, I was craving muffins.  But all the recipes I found online (including on Weight Watchers) were just too junky.  So I did what I never do...I put together my own recipe from several that I found online.

Success.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
3 bananas
1 c. old fashioned oats
6 tsp. unsweetened applesauce
3 1/2 Tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add eggs and mix.  Smash bananas with a fork, add to mixture with oats and applesauce.  Combine.  Spoon mixture into lined cupcake tins and sprinkle top with chocolate chips.  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 16 cupcakes.  Each cupcake is 3 PointsPlus values.

They were gooood.

sweet potato hummus.

I found this recipe at Whole Living and it is just to die for!

Sweet Potato Hummus

Makes 4 cups

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 can (19.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 garlic clove, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Whole-wheat pita and crudites such as red pepper and broccoli

1.Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.

2.Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic in the food processor. Puree, about 1 minute; thin with water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and let cool; refrigerate, in an airtight container, up to 1 week. Serve with pita and crudites.

I had it with brown rice crackers, avocado and grape tomatoes...so amazingly good and a good healthy lunch.  Enjoy!

week two begins.

I'm on my second week of the Whole Living 28-Day Challenge and I feel stupendous!  I am happy and proud to say that I have not cheated once.  The only thing I did (after much research) is eat oatmeal.  Oatmeal, by itself, does not contain any gluten...but it is processed in a plant that does.  So it is not recommended that people with celiac disease consume oatmeal.  Whole Living recommends that you abstain from this grain during week one if you have a gluten allergy, but said that it's okay if you know you do not.  I definitely do not have celiac disease, so I decided to go for it on Saturday morning.  I made some raw oatmeal, added a banana, a tablespoon of walnuts, and 1/2 a tablespoon of agave nectar and went to town.  It was good.  And very filling.  Yum.

The second week now allows me to start adding things back in to my diet.  Today I can reintroduce wheat and gluten, Thursday I can reintroduce dairy, Saturday is soy, and Sunday I can start consuming caffeine again.  I still need to steer clear of added sugar, processed foods/beverages, alcohol, and fruit juices.  This, to me, seems like a much better list. 

Here's to Week Two!

smoothie heaven.

LOVING all the smoothies this week.  The recipes I've been following make 2 servings, so the little one is love them as well. :)

After the first day or so we just starting throwing stuff in a blender and seeing how it came out.  Almond butter...not good in a smoothie, by the way. But yesterday morning I believe we reached smoothie perfection. 

2 c. frozen mango chunks
1 banana
1/2 c. coconut milk
1 Tbsp. agave nectar

Oh my goodnes - this was just divine!  I could drink it every day.  And it was only 4 Weight Watchers Points.  Not bad for breakfast.  Not bad at all.

We picked up some frozen pineapple last night and plan on adding that to the mix.  Can't wait to see what we come up with next.

Everything else is going well.  I feel good.  A bit tired, but it's hard to say if that's from the diet or from being back at work after winter break.  Just a few more days, and I'll be able to add back some wheat and dairy next week. 

Happy weekend!!

ahhhhhh.

MUCH better day yesterday.  I did have a bit of a headache during the day, but by the time I got home I was feeling okay.  I cooked a yummy tilapia dinner for the family and then snuggled in to watch some TV and actually enjoy my evening.

The best part?

I found a cure for my ice cream craving.



Oh, yeah...this stuff has just saved me this week.  Creamy goodness that actually fits into my detox diet.

Somewhere, angels are singing.  Just for me.

the headache persists.

Day two is done...and that dang headache is back.  Not nearly as bad as the day before, but still there. Hubby is worried that it's from lack of caffeine, but a) I have been weaning myself off of caffeine for the past week or so, so that doesn't make sense, and b) even if it was from lack of caffeine, I've got to kick this habit, right?

I really think it's work related.  I went from two weeks of lazing about to 8 hour days of fluorescent lights, computer screens, and overhead projectors.  Ouch.

Food-wise I'm doing great!  I love the wholesome choices I've been forced to make.  Last night I made brown rice pasta with steamed vegetables, and the little one even decided to omit the jarred tomato sauce for my healthier toppings.  Nice!

And can I just say that I think I'm in danger of leaving hubby for avocados?  Yum-a-licious.

one down.

Well, the first day wasn't too bad.  Not too bad at all.  I was satisfied and happy most of the day.  I did end up with a really bad migraine in the afternoon, but I believe that was completely unrelated.  First day back at work under fluorescent lighting will do that.  Grr.

No workout yesterday, even though I was supposed to do a bit of yoga and a 10 minute walk/elliptical.  I felt so crummy from the headache I literally came home and took a nice long nap.  When I woke up I was better, but still groggy and disoriented, so I just had a bite to eat and lazed around for the evening.  I considered pushing myself, but I didn't want to make the headache worse.

Good things to come today - I can feel it!

Antioxidant Smoothie (adapted from Whole Living)
2 cups frozen berries
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 cup water

Serves 2.  Yum!

menus.

So, I've been a little concerned about the detox plans.  Is there enough food that is NOT on the taboo list for me to eat? 

I spent some time going through recipes to plan ahead for next week.  Here's what I found that looks good...

From Whole Living (host of the 28 Day Challenge):
Fresh fruit with applesauce sweetened tahini
Millet bowl with black beans and vegetables
Lots and lots of smoothies!

From The Vegan Table:
Butternut squash soup
Stuffed bell peppers
Masoor dal (red lentils)
Arborio rice with roasted red peppers, pine nuts, and basil
Tuscan white beans with sun dried tomatoes

From Color Me Vegan:
Grapefruit, yellow pepper, and avocado salad
Ginger-roasted parsnips
Summer squash with cherry tomatoes and pine nuts
Edamame soup
Winter white soup
Jicama slaw
Couscous and veggie medley
Carrot and avocado salad
Farrot fresh vegetable medley

Translation: I have nothing to worry about.

And I drooled a bit on my keyboard.