Meatless March!!

I have officially been meat free for 5 days!! I've been really surprised at how different I feel, and so quickly.

Many times, after my normal high protein, high fat, and little to no carb meals I would feel bloated and almost uncomfortably full, even though my portion sizes were normal.  I have had zero, and I mean ZERO bloating since going meatless. I am very satisfied after my meals and have been experiencing that perfect feeling of fullness.

I also used to crave something sweet after my meals, even in the mornings. Those cravings have gone down significantly. I still indulge in my dark chocolate, but instead of eating three squares, I will only have one or two. Three out of the last five days, I've been satisfied with drinking just my Bedtime Tea from Yogi Teas or making an evening elixir (recipes below). 

My skin is more radiant,  and my under eye circles and puffiness have gone down.

These next two sections might be T.M.I., but it ALL matters, doesn't it? I use natural deodorant, which I have not loved, but I have been putting up with for a couple months now. I've never had a problem with sweating, but miss the fresh scent that comes from the deodorants that contain aluminum and are considered not good for you. With this natural one, I've never been, how you say... stinky. But, it just does not give you that fresh smell I'm used to. By the end of the day, I was ready to take a shower because I felt like I smelled, not a stinky smell, just a smell. I swear to you, after going meatless, my underarms have completely changed! There is almost no smell at all! Even after sweating and riding horses all day on Saturday, my underarms were almost scentless.... amazing!

I know a lot of you have read about how my bathroom experiences have been unpleasant most of my life... well, my experiences are immeasurably improving... enough said :-)

Here are a couple of the recipes I had last week. I made the Qi'a Breakfast Jar every day, adding a few things each day to find the perfect combination and the following was it. I'm going to tweek this recipes and make it on my own so I don't have to keep buying the Qi'a, it's amazing but expensive. So stay tuned for my updated version.

Check out my Instagram for more pictures of the products and recipes! I'll also be posting more to my Recipes tab later in the week. Be healthy, fit, and fabulous!

Qi'a Breakfast Jar

3 TBS Quia

1 TBS Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

1 TBS Garden Of Life Organic Plant Protein -vanilla

1 packet Sambazon Acai Supergreens (this is frozen, just run it under hot water for about 1 minute)

6 oz Hemp or Coconut milk (unsweetened)

1 Banana sliced

In a 16 oz mason jar, mix Qi'a and coconut in the evening (this allows the chia seeds to plump up and absorb some of the milk, but you can always do it in the am or mix everything all at once). In the morning, add all other ingredients, except banana, and mix well with a spoon. After well mixed, add banana slices and enjoy! *if you want this to be more filling, try adding sliced almonds or pecans.

Brown Rice Wrap

1 - 2 Enjoy Life Brown Rice Wraps (or whatever non-GMO brand you can find) 

Cucumber

Carrot

Avocado

Sprouts

Dijon Mustard

I didn't give measurements because you can play around with this recipes as much as you want! I liked a lot of bean sprouts and avocado on mine, with less carrot. You could also add zucchini, tomato, sun dried tomato, vegan pesto, Kite Hill Almond Cream Cheese, spinach, romaine, and the list goes on! Just fill that wrap up to your hears desire and devour!  

I adopted this recipe from this link: http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2017/02/07/gluten-free-zucchini-veggie-wrap-recipe/

Spinach, Veggie, and Red Lentil Stew

I stinking love this recipe! It's already under my Recipe tab because I have already made it before. It is very satisfying, filling, and easy to make. Enjoy!

http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2017/01/17/spinach-veggie-and-red-lentil-stew-recipe/

Mexican Lentil Sweet Potato

1 Sweet Potato - cooked*

1 TBS Coconut Oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 c chopped broccoli florets

2 TBS Red Lentils

Cumin

Paprika

Chili Powder

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder 

Pepper

Vegetable Broth

In a small pot, melt coconut oil on medium. Once melted, add carrots and broccoli. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add Lentil and pour a couple dash of every spice, being sparing with the spicy ones, unless you like it spicy! Stir until spices coat all vegetables and lentils. Add enough vegetable broth to cover everything and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the oven down to a low simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of the liquid has been soaked up. It should look more gooey then a soup. Remove from heat and let the rest of the liquid soak up. If your sweet potato needs to be heated up, now is the time. Remove skin from sweet potato, cut in half, pour vegetable and lentil mixture into center and enjoy!

*How I cook my sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400. First, I wash and scrub the outside with Fit Organic Vegetable and Fruit spray. Dry them off, and coat the outside with coconut oil. Place the oiled potato on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Place them in oven for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how big they are. They will start to smell sweet, outsides get very brown, and usually one or two will start oozing. This is when they are done! Remove from oven and let cool before putting them in the refrigerator. I like to make at least 5 at one time, allowing me endless possibilities with them during the week! 

Turmeric Elixir aka Golden Milk

6 - 8 oz Hemp Milk

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Dash Nutmeg or Cinnamon or both!

1/2 tsp honey or to taste (optional)

Heat milk in a small pot on the stove, once heated, add all other ingredients and mix well. Enjoy!