What to Eat

The answer to my dad's question "what can you eat?" is actually simple. Simple yes, but not EASY.  You can eat anything you can make yourself, and don't add refined flour and sugar.
It probably sounds like you are still limited. Are you still asking "No really what can I eat?"  Let me answer your question with a question.  Have you ever made your own mayonnaise? How about pickled your own cucumbers? Do you own a wheat grinder?  Ever considered owning chickens?  If you answered no, that may be why you are wondering what to eat.  How do I have mexican food if I can't buy tortillas and chips and enchilada sauce?  How do I grab a snack without granola bars and trail mix?
 In the 21 day detox Diane gives you a whole recipe book of foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sauces, dressings, seasonings, and condiments, that have no sugar added, contain no white flour or pasta of any kind, and taste quite good. But you have to work for it.  I was exhausted at the end of every day when I cooked a healthy detox meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I felt reverence and awe for my female ancestors who made everything from scratch. But I also felt the best digestively and strength wise than I ever have in my life.
It's about going back to basics.  Our "land of plenty" has bombarded us with an abundance of fast, easy, affordable, great tasting food, and in our entitled state of mind of "if I want it I deserve/need it" we have gone along with it without thinking about what we were giving up. If not entitled, then the stress of modern living will drive us to the fast and good-tasting foods that help us feel a sense of well being and comfort.
The Lord never intended it to be this way in this life. "By the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread all the days of thy life."  We were giving up nutrient dense, omega and fiber rich foods with naturally occurring vitamins with no chemical additives, antibiotics, and hormones, and replacing it with sugar dense, chemical dense, nutrition deficient foods that store well. 100 years ago the average intake of sugar was 5 pounds per person per year.  Today it is 150 plus pounds of sugar per person per year.  If you make your own food you can control the sugar content, go ahead and have sweet food now and then, just make it yourself and use naturally occurring sugars! If you don't work for it, there will be consequences, that may come in the form of obesity, disease, mental illness, and death.

Here is a Standard American Diet (SAD) 1-day meal plan:
Breakfast (if any): cereal or pancackes/syrup and juice or fruit
Lunch: sandwich and chips
Snack: candy from school/work or the recent holiday
Dinner: spaghetti and meatballs
Dessert: ice cream
Easy right? and all the fast preparation, comfort food you need to get through the stress of modern life. Easy but not simple. Complicated with all sorts of negative sad health effects.

Here is an example of a home-made, sugar free, recovered-sugar-addict meal plan, with recipes:

Breakfast:

Tomato Basil Quiche   

10 slices of bacon                   2 cloves garlic, minced                       2 TBSP fresh chives

10-12 eggs                              ¼ cup fresh basil leaves                      ½ tsp salt         1 tsp black pepper

2 cups chopped spinach          2 TBSP bacon fat                                12 cherry tomatoes halved

Preheat oven to 375.  Slice bacon into ¼ inch strips. Cook bacon in skillet and reserve the fat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, garlic, chives, basil, salt, and pepper until well combined. Stir in the spinach.  Grease a 9X11 inch baking dish with bacon fat, then pour the egg mixture into the pan. Top with bacon pieces and cherry tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs puff up and become golden brown on edges.

Snack:

Grain free banola

2 cups whole or halved nuts of choice           1 cup slivered almonds                       ½ cup seeds of choice

½ cup almond meal*                                      2 green tipped bananas pureed                     1 egg

2 tsp vanilla powder                           2 tsp cinnamon                       ½ tsp nutmeg              ¼ sp salt         

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, pulse the whole or halved nuts until they’re partially ground and partially still in small chunks. Pour the nuts into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the slivered almonds, seeds, and almond meal. Place the bananas, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in the food processor and process about 20 seconds or until all ingredients are pureed. Pour the banana mixture into the nut mixture and stir until the nuts are well coated. Pour the mixture onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, checking every 10 minutes and turning the chunks of granola with a large spoon to break up large pieces. This allows it to dry out and lightly brown on all sides. Remove from the oven and let cool uncovered. Store in fridge for up to 1 week. 

Lunch: soup with home made broth, or green salad with no dressing/homemade dressing/guacamole

Smoky chicken tortilla-less soup 

2 TBSP coconut oil or bacon fat            1 small onion, diced             red bell pepper, diced

2 carrots                                                  2 celery stalks, diced            1 poblano pepper, optional

Salt and pepper to taste                           2 tsp cumin                          2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp chipotle powder                             7 ounces tomato paste          1 quart bone broth

½ pound boneless, skinless, chicken, cooked and shredded

Garnishes: ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves                 1 avocado sliced

In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Put the onion in the pot and cook until it becomes translucent and the edges begin to brown. Add the bell pepper, carrots, celery, roasted poblano pepper, salt and pepper. Add the cumin, coriander, and chipotle powder and stir until well combined. Cook for a few more minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the tomato paste and bone broth and season with salt and pepper again if needed. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the flavors are well combined. When the soup is nearly done, add the cooked chicken to the pot just to heat it all the way through. Taste once more and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve garnished with the cilantro and avocado slices, if desired.

BONE BROTH

2 pounds meat bones, any kind          1 TBSP apple cider vinegar                 4 quarts water

1 TBSP salt                  1 clove garlic, smashed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high 1 hour and low for 8 – 24 hours

Basic 4 Guacamole      

4 avocados            juice of 2 limes      1 medium shallot, minced                  

 ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves      Salt and pepper to taste           ½ jalapeno pepper, minced

Slice each avocado in half lengthwise around the pit, remove the pit, then scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in the lime juice, add the shallot, cilantro, salt, and pepper and stir until well combined. If you like spicy guacamole, add the jalapeno and stir to combine. Serve chilled or at room temp.

Snack: beef jerky, grapefruit, yogurt, apple, almonds

Simple beef jerky

1/3 cup cocoanut aminos                   1 tsp granulated garlic        1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp sea salt                                      ¼ tsp black pepper             1 pound lean beef (London broil or roast)

In a large bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Taste it and adjust the seasonings as desired, it should taste stronger than you want the jerky to taste. Cutting against the grain of the meat, slice the meat in to approximately 1/8 inch slices using a very sharp knife or meat slicer. Place the sliced meat in the marinade and allow it to sit for up to 1 hour. Arrange the meat on trays in a food dehydrator and heat at 145 until the meat reaches desired dryness, 3-5 hours. In oven, set it to 200 degrees and bake for 2-4 hours until reaches desired level of dryness.

Dinner:

Pesto Spaghetti Squash       

1 spaghetti squash (4 -5 pounds)       salt and pepper to taste

½ cup shelled pistachios, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts              

1 clove garlic              ½ cup extra virgin olive oil                 1 bunch fresh basil                  

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and inner membranes, then sprinkle  liberally with salt and pepper. Place the squash halves face down on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes or until skin gives when you press on it and the noodles inside release easily from the skin. Combine the nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the basil and continue to blend until mixed in. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or basil if needed. While squash is warm, use a fork to remove the noodles, then toss with the pesto. [I found with one spaghetti squash you need to double the pesto sauce recipe!]

Before bed

Baked Potato with skin on or plain oatmeal with blueberries

 

Simply delicious, every recipe contains whole foods, some protein, some carbs, lots of veggies, and there are hundreds more delicious non-addictive, energizing and healthy recipes out there. We don't need excessive amounts of sugar, we need real food. To eat real food I have found that I have to work for it.