Entering the new eating plan.

So I made it through Day 1 of the New Eating Plan I told you about last week.  I drank 96 oz of water but no coffee or alcohol.  I ate tons of fruit, veggies and  whole grains and a little bit of protein as is required for Phase 1.  Yesterday and today are the Unwind Days.  By eating in this manner for 2 days at the beginning of the week, your body is supposed to relax the adrenals and allow your hormones to shift back to normal function.

It is hard for me to eat so much fruit.  I am required to eat 1 1/2 c. of fruit, 5 times a day on this phase.  I made steel cut oats for breakfast. letting it cook overnight in the crockpot.  For lunch I had a large spinach salad topped with tuna fish and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and for dinner we had.......

this absolutely delicious Chicken Broccoli Bowl that I slightly adapted from a recipe in the book The Fast Metabolism Diet.  I liked that the entire group of us could eat and enjoy the same thing for dinner.  I think that one of the benefits of this eating plan is that it is easily adaptable to eating with others which is always important to me.

Before I share the recipe with you I want to talk a bit about how I am feeling after 2 complete days on this eating plan.  I felt pretty good yesterday, however I awoke twice during the night with a headache probably from caffeine withdrawal.  It was gone when I got out of bed but I am feeling a little shaky, weepy and have a touch of nauseau today.  I am sure this is part of the detox process and will, hopefully, soon pass.

I ate a sprouted grain English muffin and berries for breakfast.  My out of town guests and I went out shopping.  I snacked on cherries in the car. We went to The Little Mustard Seed for lunch where I had a black bean quinoa salad and a pear.  My headache was back and I was still feeling yucky so when we got home I took a nap.  I felt much better when I got up, snacked on raspberries while I prepared dinner.  Dinner was like a normal dinner for me, grilled pork loin, sweet potato, salad and green beans. I had to add a grain so I ate some brown rice crackers for dessert as we drove to choir practice. Snacked on an apple and now get to relax before bedtime. 

I will update you occasionally during this venture I am undertaking and sharing the meals that I make for us during this 28 day period.  I adapted this recipe by changing up some of the veggies and making enough to serve 6 people instead 4.  I also cooked the brown rice much longer than suggested in the book, following the instructions on the package

Chicken Broccoli Bowl

slightly adapted from The Fast Metabolism Diet

4 c. chicken broth

1 c. water

3/4 c. vidalia onions, diced

3/4 c .carrots, diced

3/4 c. celery, diced

2 T. parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. brown rice

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks

4 c. broccoli crowns

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 lime, juiced

sea salt

pepper

2 T. parsley, minced

Place broth and water in a stock pot or dutch oven.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, parsley and garlic. Bring to a rolling boil, add rice, reduce heat and gently boil, covered, for 40-50 minutes until liquid i absorbed and rice is tender.

While rice is cooking, toss the chicken, broccoli and red pepper with the lime juice, salt, pepper and parsley.  Spread onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 35-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked and broccoli is tender.

Place a scoop of rice into each bowl and top with the chicken and vegetables. Print Recipe