BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 12

So, today was my last full day of this, so this will be my last post on the subject. Tomorrow I'm off to New York, so I'll do breakfast, lunch, and the afternoon snack. I guess this little experiment worked, in that I lost the weight I wanted to lose, but it's definitely not sustainable, as I've been super-hungry. I'm glad to end early and eat some pizza and bagels! I'll get to today's recipes, and then wrap up at the end.

Breakfast: Blackberry Yogurt Parfait. A repeat from earlier in the week, and still good.

Lunch: Black Bean Chili with Carrots. Leftover chili from last week, along with the smokey paprika yogurt, which I used half of in the chili and half as a dip for the carrots. I felt really full after eating this, but then got hungry very soon after.

Afternoon Snack: Unsalted Peanuts with A Pear. I feel like some of the snacks were just random things put together to meet a caloric goal. My pear was overripe.

Dinner: Asian-Style Cod in Parchment with Bok Choy. This had so much potential, and failed so utterly. I don't know how big they think a bok choy head is, but 6 was way too much. I used three and they barely fit. I had to use more parchment. The sauce was too lime-y, and I ended up giving the veggies to Carl and eating a handful of pecans.

Evening Snack: Almond milk with dark chocolate. Again, a repeat.

Overall, there were some good recipes, but I think I need more fat and carbohydrates in my diet otherwise I get hungry and cranky. It was also a bit meat-heavy, and I prefer to minimize the meat I eat, both because of the environmental impacts and the fact that I don't like handling raw meat. I want to try and continue eating fewer cookies, and this was a good way to sort of quickly reset. I would also like to minimize the carbohydrates, but we'll see. It was also a lot of work, in terms of prepping and cooking and cleaning for so little food. I hate washing pots and pans, so I like to make things that will last me a few days for dinner. It's also a bit limiting in terms of eating out with friends. I'm hoping I can maintain the weight loss and come up with fun, filling meals in the future.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 11

Overall today was far better than yesterday, but I'm getting really antsy to get back to eating things that aren't just veggies and small amounts of protein. Recipes here.

Breakfast: Kale and Banana Smoothie. A repeat from earlier in the challenge, but I added cinnamon to it this time and it made the smoothie far more flavorful.

Lunch: No Mayo Tuna Salad in Romaine Cups. I used Napa cabbage, since I wasn't buying a head of romaine for four leaves, and there was so much cabbage left over. I also used a 7 oz can of tuna, since that's what we had, and it seemed silly to save two ounces. Plus, the caloric intake for the day was on the low side.

Snack: Banana Avocado Pudding. I was very wary about this, given my last foray into avocado based puddings. This turned out to be not so bad, though. I also added cinnamon, which I think might be key to everything. I would have preferred a more chocolatey pudding, but overall I was pleasantly surprised. Probably wouldn't make this by choice, but it was fine. It was, however, more of a smoothie by 3:30 PM, since I made it in the blender at 9:30 AM. Speaking of the blender, I remembered to clean it the fancy Vitamix way (even though it's not a Vitamix). Put a few drops of soap in, fill it up halfway with water, and then turn the blender on a low setting. It cleans out a lot of the gunk, and then all it needs is a quick wipedown on the sides and lid.

Dinner: Snap Pea Salad with Radish, Feta, and Hard-boiled Egg. No radish for me. All of the dinner salads just seem so small for dinner. I'd rather eat a smaller breakfast portion (closer to 200 calories) and then have larger lunches and dinners. None of this breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper crap. I think because I generally eat a fairly late breakfast.

Evening Snack: 1 oz dark chocolate. I used my 70% dark chocolate chips. I ate them slowly to savor them, rather than just popping the whole serving in my mouth at once. I guess it sort of helped.

I also ate a few rogue strawberries and some potato chip crumbs, as I continue to experience low-level hunger all day. As I near the end, I've been trying to figure out how to make this more sustainable in the long-term. Most of my breakfasts actually fit in, but I need lunches and dinners that will work, and that I can eat with Carl, because I'm tired of cleaning so many dishes.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 10

Today I hit the wall. I wasn't excited about any of it, and the lunch debacle really set the tone. I've been hungry all day, despite it being one of the higher calorie days. Recipes here.

Breakfast: Cauliflower Hash with Fried Eggs. Fine. Again, it was a pretty good way to use up leftover roasted cauliflower. In a unique turn of events, I actually undercooked the eggs.

Lunch: Arugula Salad with Eggplant, Avocado, Feta and Chickpeas. I took two bites and gave up. What a waste of fancy feta cheese. I can only eat eggplant under very specific circumstances, and cold, mushy leftover roasted eggplant is not once of them. I went across the street to the coffee shop and ordered the kale-chickpea salad. It also had quinoa and carrots, with a yogurt dressing in a very small container, so presumably of similar calorie content. It was not very satisfying. At least it was baby kale.

Afternoon Snack: Bell Pepper with Hummus. I don't like bell peppers, so I had leftover carrots from Friday.

Dinner: Kale and Shrimp Bowl with Mushroom and Avocado. Fine. Similar to the spinach and shrimp I make, but I usually pair it with some sort of carbs, so it's more satisfying. This was a really low-calorie dinner.

Evening Snack: Blackberries. Blackberries, still delicious.

This really was not enough food to sustain me for the day, especially because I exercised. I know all these veggies are supposed to be filling, but they're really not. I ate a few potato chips to tide me over, but it wasn't enough. I need more carbs.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 9

The combo of prepping breakfast, lunch, and my snack this morning took way too long, although I guess I did kind of dawdle this morning, too. Recipes here.

Breakfast: Sweet and Savory Apple Omelet. I'm not sure what part made this savory. Maybe the olive oil? I liked this, but the olive oil was kind of weird. It was too strong a flavor. I'd use butter or coconut oil if I made this again. Also, I felt like it really needed brie. Again, omelets are pretty time consuming to make. My flip got messed up, too.

Lunch: Raw Collard Wraps with Turkey Meatballs, Dijon, and Avocado. I didn't use a whole tomato here, just a a few slices. I couldn't really get mine to roll. The collard green didn't really add a lot, so by the last one I just took it off and threw it out. I still really like the meatballs. I should do more wraps for lunch once this is over.

Afternoon Snack: Blackberries and Yogurt. I eat fruit and yogurt a lot normally, but not blackberries. They are delicious and I should eat them more, but they tend to be on the expensive side. Lunch was surprisingly filling, and I didn't end up eating my snack until 5 PM.

Dinner: Fried Quinoa with Snap Peas, Mushrooms, and Scrambled Eggs. I rushed home because I thought this would take FOREVER to make, but it only took 30 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. They did want me to use way more pans than necessary, though. I liked this way more than I thought, since I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, but they don't really have a strong flavor when cooked that long.

Evening Snack: Pear with Almond Butter. I ate this in a restaurant while everyone else ate real food and it was kind of awkward. I'm still kind of hungry, though.

Overall, I feel like I have way more energy and I'm a lot less tired. This may be in part because I might have mild anemia, and I've been eating way more meat than usual. It might also be the joy that the semi-warm weather and the late sunset brings to me.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 8

I think the hardest part of this is the emotional aspect. I alluded to this earlier, but I oftentimes use food (specifically sweets) to make myself feel better. It's been a particularly stressful time for me, which has been exacerbated by trying to plan around specific meals. I didn't get home from my office today until almost six (yes, I am aware it's Sunday) so didn't get to eat until nearly 8, since it took two hours to do all that roasting. It's why I generally like to make meals that last for a few days, so I can just reheat. Anyhoodle, recipes for today can be found here.

Breakfast: Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie. This was kind of tart, and boy did it make a lot. I probably should have cut the yogurt, since again, I'm using low-fat instead of non-fat. It was hard to drink the whole thing in 10 minutes, but I didn't want to be late to yoga.

Lunch: Shakshuka. This used leftover sauce from last night, so was actually pretty quick to make. I overcooked my eggs, though (notice a theme?). They were still translucent, I went to change clothes, and when I came back, BAM! Overcooked. Still good, though. We've eaten this before, and while I think it's often served with challah, it was fine without. This will probably get made during Passover (well, not this version, specifically).

Afternoon Snack: Strawberries with Almond Butter. Again, my almond butter is super-dry, so it didn't really drizzle. Also, the strawberries weren't that great.

Dinner: Roasted Eggplant with Chickpeas, Cauliflower, and Lemon-Parsley Yogurt. Eggplant is best covered with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, but this was fine. Lots of roasted veggie goodness.

Evening Snack: Two Dates Stuffed with One Almond Each. Meh. I'm not a fan of dates.

One thing I've noticed is that I think I've been eating too quickly in the past. I'll wolf down dinner, and then still be hungry, so I'll get seconds. This past week I've been eating more slowly, and I haven't still felt hungry after eating. Also, next week is spring break, which is part of why I picked these two weeks to do this, but I'll still be in my office, so I guess it won't be that different.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 7

I've reached the half-way point! Actually, since I'm going to New York next Friday, I'm not doing the last day and a half (although I might work the recipes in to the next week), I'm actually over half-way done. Today was pretty good. I also went shopping for the rest of the week. The total bill was ~$91, although I was overcharged for my mushrooms, since the cashier rung them up as Shiitake, when they were Crimini, which were $7/lb cheaper. I found this out when I was already at home, and the extra $6 wasn't worth going back to fix. I also included some of Carl's lemons/limes in this total, and the new bottle of olive oil, which should last six months. Averaging over the two weeks, it was about $110/week, which is a little pricey, but I also think that I will have so much food left over. I actually didn't buy any romaine this week, since it was just supposed to be used solely for lettuce cups, so I'm going to use leftover Napa cabbage. I also didn't buy the arugula, since I had so much left over, along with blackberries. Anyway, today's recipes can be found here.

Breakfast: Asparagus with Poached Eggs. I hate asparagus, so I used broccolini. I wasn't paying attention, so I overcooked my eggs, which was probably for the best, anyway, because broccolini isn't great for sopping up runny egg yolks. This would have been significantly better with bread to sop up the yolk. In fact, I've made this with challah rolls, and the sweetness of the challah really makes it delicious.

Lunch: Kale Salad with Tomato, Feta, and Black Beans. Too much kale and tomato. All of these salads with tomatoes have included a whole tomato along with a citrus vinaigrette, which is a lot of acid. Also, the salads have been made with bitter greens, and I really can only do spinach or romaine in salads.

Afternoon Snack: Almonds and a Clementine. Pretty straightforward.

Dinner: Turkey-Basil Meatballs with Collard Greens. I added parmesan to this, since it was in the picture but not in the recipe. The meatballs were really good, although I may have slightly overcooked them. The greens were a little bitter, though, and I had to really coat them with the tomato sauce.

Evening Snack: One Ounce Dark Chocolate. Again, pretty straightforward. I just ate the fancy chocolate chips that were in my cabinet.

On to week 2!

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 6

Today had challenges. I strayed from the menu, once on purpose and once on accident. Recipes here.

Breakfast: As I mentioned, I switched today's and yesterday's breakfast, so today was the Cauliflower Omelet. This was a much quicker omelet than the scallion one from the other day, and a good way to use up limp roasted vegetables. For some reason the two teaspoons of olive oil today was able to lubricate the pan more, and I was able to flip the omelet, although in a cheat-y way (I slide it on a plate and then turned the plate over).

Lunch: Arugula Salad with Green Beans, Salmon, and Dijon Vinaigrette. Things fell apart around lunch. I had to go to this stupid seminar thing that I really didn't want to go to, and it was from 12-2, i.e. in the middle of lunch. I felt weird being the only person eating lunch, and I didn't want to have everything smell like salmon. Also, this seminar was so awful, and to make myself feel better I ate three small cookies and some extra fruit. Then I ate lunch at two. I dressed the salad at noon, though, which in some ways was better, because all the arugula got coated and so it wasn't as bitter.

Afternoon Snack: Carrots and Cucumber with Hummus. I didn't eat all of this, because see above re. cookies.

Dinner: Black Bean Chili with Greek Yogurt and Zucchini Ribbons. More mistakes were made here. It was late when I got home, so I skimmed the recipe and put the whole can of black beans in when the recipe only called for half. More fiber, I guess. I liked the paprika in the greek yogurt, because it's super-smokey. I also added the green onions to the yogurt. The zucchini ribbons reminded me that I have a spiralizer that I bought on a whim that I've never used, and now I kind of want to do so.

Evening Snack: Blackberries with Pistachios. Didn't actually eat this, because of the cookies, the extra beans, and the late dinner.

I feel a little sad that I cheated, but not that sad. Sometimes life gets in the way of healthy eating, and that's ok. And at least now I know I don't have a gluten problem, since I have had no adverse effects from eating those cookies.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 4

Today started off pretty well, but ended poorly. Recipes here.

Breakfast: Scallion and Feta Omelet. A little onion-y, but I got to use my fancy fresh, local, sheep's-milk feta, which was very tasty and creamy. Omelets are kind of time-consuming, and maybe not the best weekday morning breakfast item. Also, two teaspoons of olive oil is not enough oil to be able to flip the omelet, which is a skill that I am not great at under the best of circumstances, so this turned out to be a little more like scrambled eggs, but still fine.

Lunch: Greek Salad with Lentils and Lime Vinaigrette. I misread the directions and used up all the lime vinaigrette yesterday, so I just used oil and balsamic. I also don't like bell peppers, so I left those out, but overall a pretty good salad.

Afternoon Snack: Mango-Banana Smoothie with Chia Seeds. I think my banana or mango was underripe, because this was kind of bland. I was surprised at how well it held up in my thermos in the refrigerator, though. Unfortunately, my office is really cold so it was hard to drink a smoothie today.

Dinner: Roasted Chicken Breast with Fennel and Spinach. I tried to choke this down, but it triggered my gag reflex, so I basically just ate the chicken. Fennel is kind of a strong flavor, and the spinach was just really dry.

Evening Snack: 2 dates stuffed with one almond each. Eh.

Because I knew that dinner was going to be iffy, I ate the random left-over half of a banana, as well as the half of the orange left-over from the other day. It helped soothe my desire for sweets.

BuzzFeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 3

Today's food was pretty good, and filling. Except for before dinner (which I'll get to later), I was satiated all day. Recipes can be found here.

Breakfast: Blackberry Yogurt Parfait. Since I used low-fat yogurt and not non-fat, I reduced the amount of yogurt from one cup to 3/4 of a cup. I should have also reduced the flax, since it was a little bit dry, but not too bad. I liked this, but I also eat something similar for a snack many days. I really liked the blackberries, but they're usually expensive so I don't normally get them. I should eat them more. A good, filling breakfast.

Lunch: Asian Chicken Salad with Tamari-Lime Dressing. Again, I don't think these people have any idea how big certain foods are. This called for half a head of Napa cabbage, which would feed about four people. I just chopped up leaves until my container was full. Pretty good lunch. The "tamari" (I actually used regular soy sauce) cut down the lime in the vinaigrette and made it way less citrus-y. I liked this.

Afternoon Snack: Lemony Avocado. This was supposed to be 3/4 of an avocado with lemon juice, but I used an extra bit for dinner last night. I have texture issues with avocados, so I mashed it up with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and then used it as a dip for carrots. I didn't have enough carrots to eat it all.

Dinner: Cauliflower Steaks with Lentils. I really liked this. I probably undercooked the lentils, but I was super-hungry. I will definitely add paprika to my lentils in the future, and maybe soy sauce. It was a little on the sweet side, so I'd probably reduce the honey.

Evening Snack: Almond Milk Heated with Dark Chocolate. All my chocolate sunk to the bottom, which was fine. This isn't a very filling snack, but I also had it basically an hour after dinner.

I was very satisfied with today. Tuesday is my exercise day, and I was able to do my three miles on the treadmill, although I did feel a little tired by the end. That might have been tired muscles from yoga, though. Unfortunately, I didn't read the recipe and found out the lentils take an hour to cook at 7:30 PM. Thus, by the time everything was done I was very hungry and then wolfed it down.

Buzzfeed Clean Eating Challenge: Day 2

In the interest of full disclosure, I forgot to mention yesterday that I ate the skin off the chicken instead of disposing of it. I did the same today when I got my second chicken breast. #Sorrynotsorry. Now, on to today. Recipes can be found here.

Breakfast: Overnight oats with Blueberries and Chia seeds. Pretty standard. I used blueberries that we had frozen from when we went blueberry picking in August. I also used low-fat yogurt, since that's what I had. When I usually make this I use only a teaspoon of chia seeds, and a higher almond milk:yogurt ratio, which makes it a little more liquid-y. I think I prefer that, but overall a good start to the day.

Lunch: Kale, Chickpea, and Fennel Salad with Orange Vinaigrette. I was surprised at how few chickpeas were supposed to go in this. A quarter of a cup is half a serving of chickpeas. Also, after shaving some of the fennel, tasting it, and realizing it sucked, I skipped the fennel. This was not very filling.

Afternoon Snack: Sliced tomato with Basil and Feta. This was a lot of tomato, and then there was even more tomato for dinner. Too much tomato, and I like tomato.

Dinner: Napa Cabbage Wraps with Tomato, Chicken, Mango, and Avocado. I made this into a salad. Again, the vinaigrette was too citrus-y. I think the people that wrote this recipe have no idea how much juice is in a citrus, because I felt like the salad was drowning. I also used half the avocado, because I was so hungry, and there is no way I can eat 3/4 of an avocado plain as a snack tomorrow (I have texture issues with avocado). I couldn't finish this due to the high acid content, and I was starting to get really full.

Evening Snack: Two clementines. Not a lot to say, other than I only ate one.

Today was hard. Lunch/afternoon snack were not very filling, and I was so hungry by the time dinner came. I ate some pineapple while getting it ready, but since I only ate one clementine, I'm fine with it. I also had to skip cookie time/pub with the speaker, because I knew I would crack. Trivia wasn't as bad, because I don't always get food, but I did feel weird eating my clementine.

Pickles

One of the farmers at the BU Farmer's Market does a CSA. I don't get a season share, since I live alone, but I'll do the week-by-week. A while back, I got a bunch of pickling cucumbers. I also have pickling spices, because I'm a weird impulse shopper and I bought them back when I lived in Irvine. I had six cucumbers, which I quartered to make 24 pickles.

I made a sort of dill-half sour combo, which turned out pretty well. This is what I did for the six cucumbers.

6 pickling cucumbers
5 cups water
1/8 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup salt--many recipes call for pickling salt, but regular salt will do. I used salt with no iodine or caking agents, as that can make the brine cloudy.
1/2 tsp pickling spice
4-5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Couple sprigs of dill


Boil water, salt, and vinegar. Quarter cucumbers, place in a jar. I used a storage jar that I had lying around. Pour mixture in jar, add spices, garlic, and dill sprigs. Put in refrigerator and let sit overnight. Eat delicious pickles.

Seriously, this was so easy and they turned out really well. I had no idea it would be this easy.

A Passover Feast!

For Passover, I try and keep Kosher. As someone of Ashkenazi descent, this means no grains, no rice, no corn, no legumes, and no string beans. Given that everything these days is made with soybean oil and corn syrup, this gets difficult. Why do I do this, since I'm not technically Jewish nor am I ver religious one way or the other? I don't know; I take it as a personal challenge. Luckily, quinoa is not a grain. It is actually a grass, just like wild rice. The first night of Passover, things went really well in my quest to keep Kosher. I made a nice salmon with quinoa and broccoli, so here it is!



Start by cooking the quinoa. This can be done over the stove or in a rice cooker. I used a rice cooker, and then towards the end, I put the broccoli florets in the steamer basket. Make sure you use fresh broccoli, not the old stuff in the back of your vegetable crisper. That's what I did, and it brought the dish down. After the quinoa and broccoli were done, I mixed them together and added some red wine vinegar. Don't forget salt! I sometimes do, and this could have used it.

Now for the salmon. This was the highlight of the meal. I tried a little experiment, and made an impromptu grill on my stove. I have a tortilla warmer, which I heated over a burner and then wrapped the fish in tinfoil and put it on the warmer. You could also do this in the broiler. It should take about 15-20 min for the fish to cook through, depending. I like my salmon a little on the rare side, so I think I had it cooking about 7 min on a side.



I used tinfoil for easy clean up, but it's not necessary. First, I rubbed some olive oil into the fish, and then sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I also sliced up some onion, and sprinkled some minced garlic on, as well as some dried Italian herbs. If you have fresh herbs, those would be better. Since I had some parsley, I also tossed some springs in the package. If you have a lemon, that adds a tangy flavor to the salmon. You can get creative with what you put on the fish. Once I had it seasoned to my liking, I wrapped it up and tossed it on the "grill."

While I was waiting for the fish to cook, I assembled the quinoa and broccoli.

After this meal, my attempts at keeping Kosher became less than successful. Oh, well. There's always next year!

Improvisation

As I've become more experienced in the kitchen, I've been more willing to experiment with cooking sans recipe. Generally I keep it pretty simple, combining flavors that I already know will work. This usually means some sort of stir-fry, or as is the case here, pasta with vegetables.

This is a simple spaghetti dish, made with shrimp, tomatoes, and spinach, which were sautéed in olive oil. I think there were also some fresh english peas in there, but it's hard to tell in the picture and I made it so long ago. They would be a natural addition, though, and frozen english peas are just as good. The finished product is sprinkled with parmesan cheese. I think it was a little heavy on the oil, frankly. I'm really looking for an easy, light cream sauce or white sauce to go with it. Similar to an alfredo, but not necessarily as heavy. I haven't been able to find one yet, but if you know of any let me know!