Winter Minestrone and The Looneyspoons Collection (my new fav!!!)

I've got a pot of Minestrone on the stove.  It fits perfectly into the cancer fighting menu I was following as part of the "Detox/Reset" menu I was using to get back on track.  Beans, greens, veggies of colour and some whole grain pasta! Superbly balanced and super healthy.  Here's the recipe (it's under Day 4). I used Turnip instead of squash because I had a turnip that needed to be used.  The leftovers will be lunches over the weekend (and maybe into next week!).   Mmmm, soup is going to be awesome since it's cold, rainy and miserable here.  The idea of a "reset" has been great.  It's been great to refocus my eating habits just to be sure I'm getting a good balance and a pre-set menu made it so easy. 

Last week I got a late Christmas gift - The Looneyspoons Collection cookbook.  It's fantastic!  It includes updates on my favs from the Looneyspoons cookbook back when we thought low fat was the only way to go and disregarded good fats and carbs.  Plus it has the recipes the ladies had developed for Readers Digest.  There were some real gems in that mag.  The nutritional info is up to date and complete.  The book is well indexed which is a real treat, not just by recipes but the nutritional tips and info too.  If you have any bridal showers, baby showers, graduations or weddings coming up this year I highly recommend this as the perfect gift for everyone who should be cooking!

Detox/Reset Menu Week 2 - Day 2

One thing I'm noticing with this menu I'm following is that there are a lot of beans as well as whole grains.  I've always prided myself at how much fiber I get on a daily basis but this menu really had it covered!  One thing I've learned is that adding a tbsp of beans to a salad is an easy was to up the daily intake and that's a good thing.  I love it when I pick up a new and easy healthy habit!

Week 2 - Day 2

Breakfast
English Muffin with Natural Peanut Butter, Clementine, 1 cup Skim Milk

Lunch
Leftover Turkey Rice Soup

Dinner
Grilled Salmon, Braised Red and Green Cabbage, Polenta and Garden Salad
Braised Red and Green Cabbage

• Slice up about 1- 1 1/2 cups of cabbage per person, both red and green
• Heat 1 tsp per serving of butter and olive oil in a saucepan
• Toss in a few fennel seeds and 1/4 tsp dried thyme per serving
• Once the butter is melted add in some sliced red onion and saute until soft
• Add in the cabbage and about 1/4 cup veggie or chicken broth per serving
• Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes
• Add a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar per serving, turn heat up to medium high, leave lid off and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the cabbage is tender and sweet. About 10 minutes

• Grill salmon on bbq or in grill pan on the stove (crispy skin is really tasty - give it a try!)
• Follow the directions for the polenta
• Mix a salad with romaine, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, red onion, peppers, white kidney beans. Top with light balsamic vinaigrette.

Last night I had popcorn from my air popper (I love my air popper!) Tonight I'll probably have some edamame in the shell, microwaved for 3 minutes then tossed with a little salt. Tasty!

Detox/Reset Menu - Week 2

I didn't blog about my weekend because everyone needs a break.... And all I made was Turkey Soup which consisted of just about everything, carrots, onions, celery, can tomatoes, jasmine rice, chickpeas, a bit of leftover turkey, my homemade broth and a package of frozen chopped spinach. It's lunch for the rest of the week.  I put in some curry powder, a bit of Thai spice mix I had on hand and a couple of drops of coconut extract.  Nice taste.  Not really Indian or Thai but just enough to be different.

Okay, on to day.  I noticed the overall menu from last week had a lot of greens, whole grains and beans.  So I'm using some meals from the original menu and some of my own for this week.

Week 2-Day 1

Breakfast:
Egg with Spinach and Provolone. Whole Wheat English Menu

• Heat a non-stick pan over medium high. Break egg into pan, top with spinach and cheese. Sprinkle with Garlic powder and onion powder if you want.

Lunch:
Leftover Turkey Rice soup

Dinner:
Pork Sandwiches with Avocado Spread, Refried Bean topped with Cheddar and a Southwest Salad

• Marinate pork sirloin or boneless chops in lime juice and apple cider vinegar for 6 - 8 hours.
• Mash 1/2 an avocado with 2 tbsp salsa and a squeeze of lime juice. set aside
• Heat a pan over medium high heat.  Cook the pork until no longer pink inside.  Shred with a fork.
• Spread 1 tbsp of the avocado mixture on half of a whole grain flat bun.
• Top with 3-4 ounces of the pork.
• Heat the refried beans until warm. Top each serving with a tbsp of shredded cheddar
• For the salad take 1 cup of romaine greens shredded and toss with 1 tbsp corn, diced cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and roasted red pepper (or fresh). Top with 1 tbsp reduced fat/lite ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

Detox/Reset Menu Day 5

Tonight I'm heading out for dinner.  McKelvie's is an old Halifax Seafood institution.  I'm looking forward to getting my seafood feed on! Now, how to balance the rest of the day.... 

Day 5
Breakfast
English Muffin Bacon Sandwich and an Orange
On a toasted english muffin, layer one slice of bacon, a slice of your favorite cheese and some lettuce.

Lunch
Tomato Soup with Salad and Breadsticks
Salad - Toss some greens with peppers, mushrooms, red onions, white kidney beans.  Drizzle with some light balsamic or Italian vinaigrette. 

Dinner
Seafood ( or you're favorite meal out - we're not into denying ourselves here!)

Tomorrow I'm home all day, watching football and doing laundry.  I've got some turkey broth and turkey bits from yesterday's carcass boiling - I see a turkey curry soup coming tomorrow!

Detox/Reset Menu Day 4

We're waiting for snow around here.  It's been a pretty wimpy winter thus far and the dogs are keen for some snow.  Emily believes each snowflake as the potential to be a snowball and in her world all balls are a good thing.  I've discovered I have 4 Turkey carcasses in the freezer so I think a pot of turkey soup is in order.  I'm going to put the bones on to boil today but first let's talk about today's detox/reset menu.

Day 4
Breakfast
Cereal (I picked up a new bag of cereal yesterday at CostCo and was keen to try it out this morning - Wild Roots Triple Berry Morning Bliss - it was yummy!)

Lunch
Curry Egg Salad Sandwich with an Orange

• Mash hard boiled eggs with a little mayo and either some hummus or some mashed white beans.  Sprinkle in some curry powder, a little or a lot, depending on your taste.
• Spread the egg mix on whole grain bread
• Top with spinach and sliced tomatoes.

Dinner
Steak Salad

• Grill or pan sear lean steaks, no more than 4 ounces per person.
• For the dressing mix 2 -3 diced green onions, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard.  Set aside
• Place 1 1/2 cup of torn romaine on each plate.
• Top with 1/2 cup each tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and corn
• Slice the steak and place on top.
• Add 1/4 chopped avocado.
• Drizzle 1 tbsp dressing over each plate.
• Serve with a whole grain roll

Snacks
1 container of fruit yogurt.
1 ounce pretzel sticks with herb garlic dip (mix 1tsp herb and garlic cream cheese with 1 tbsp light sour cream.