Category Archives: Recipe

Day 18 Food Reboot

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“Uniqueness” of the Day:  Moving materials up to Venice, Florida (will be here for a few months) delayed things and had to grab a salad at Panera Bread.  Other than that, I followed the diet plan.  I’m also happy to report that between the ballroom dancing, the 4 hours of cleaning up / fixing the house, driving, and setup in Venice, I report continuous great levels of energy and reduced inflammation.  The food reboot is showing real results that others are even seeing too.  God, this is amazing!

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:30 and got up at 6:30am to some body aches and right hip inflammation + some shooting pains – nothing too severe & is much better than previous mornings after ballroom dancing.

Breakfast:  Green Raspberry Smoothie
  • 3 bananas, peeled (subbed 1 kiwi, 1 apple, 1 banana)
  • 2 cups raspberries (used frozen)
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (subbed 1/2 – 3/4)
  • 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes
  • 4 to 6 ounces filtered water
  • 1 tablespoon bee pollen

Directions:  Blend the water, bananas, and raspberries. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Synopsis of Breakfast: The smoothie makes 38 fl. oz. and was quite thick due to the frozen raspberries.  It’s also crunch due to the seeds from the raspberries & kiwi.  Overall the taste is good, but the raspberries do overwhelm the taste.

Lunch Menu: Green Smoothie Classic Salad + Fruit Cup (Panera Bread)
Since I had no time today to make my lunch, Panera Bread will just have to do (and I still stayed raw – yea!)  The salad was made of cucumbers, red onion, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, apple on the side, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I also got a fruit cup but I won’t get it again.  Whatever nutrition value it had went out the window (old & mushy).
For those interested, here’s what I was supposed to make a Green Smoothie:
  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 2 cups pineapple, peeled
  • 3 cups kale, chopped
  • 1 Brazil nut
  • 4 to 6 ounces filtered water

Directions:  Blend the water, bananas, and pineapple. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Synopsis of Lunch:  Your standard salad, but the balsamic was good.  I’m just glad it kept me in a raw diet today.

“Snack”:  Kale Salad w/ Tomatoes
  • 3 cups kale, chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, chopped
  • 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 slices red onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup dried currants (subbed raisins)

Directions:  Massage the avocado into the kale; add the currants, onion and tomato. Mix well.

Synopsis of Meal: Let’s face it, kale is tough to eat raw.  The tomatoes and avocado make a sort of dressing in it which is nice.  In the future, I would substitute kale for swiss chard and/or spinach.

Dinner Menu:  Fruit Salad

  • 2 bananas, peeled (subbed 1)
  • 2 cups whole strawberries
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 orange, peeled and deseeded (subbed OJ – didn’t have an Orange)
Directions:  Slice the banana and strawberries into a bowl. Add the blueberries.  Squeeze orange juice over salad, and add remaining orange pulp.

Synopsis of Dinner: I had no issue finishing off this meal.  Tasted well and a good meal to eat while watching some TV.  The OJ gives a nice kick to everything.  Next time subbing papaya or mango to replace the banana.

Evening inflammation check:  Right hip has subtle inflammation but it’s going well.  My next issue is getting a shooting pain while squatting or bending down.

Gas / Bloating Check:  In check, but would get some surprise bathroom breaks.  Some of that issue might have happened due to having the fiber supplement after the snack (which I had around 5:30pm).

Day 17 Food Reboot

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“Uniqueness” of the Day:  From my experience, I learned that red mangoes are the best ones to find due to their peak in ripeness.  They are at their peak ripeness.  Today was quite the liquid day as 3 out of the 4 meals were completely liquid.  I’m definitely getting more energy and others are starting to notice.  I went ballroom dancing tonight (look at the bottom) & hit a rough patch.  However, while I cannot see myself living a life like this, I recognize this lifestyle of eating the right foods is setting me up for the rest of my healthy life.  Knowing the goal & seeing results keeps me going, no matter what mountain I face in life.

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 10:15, woke up and went back to bed quickly at 1:30, 3:30 and got up at 5:30am.  What keeps me up is the body aches and stiffness all along my back.  Went back to bed at 6:30am & then got up around 7:45am.  Listening to 2Cellos, feeling focused & ready to work.

Breakfast:  Green Smoothie
  • 2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
  • 2 cups spinach, chopped
  • 4 bananas, peeled (subbing 1/4 papaya & 2 mangoes)
  • 3 cups strawberries (1/2 frozen, 1/2 unfrozen)
  • 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes
  • 6 to 8 ounces filtered water
  • 1 tablespoon bee pollen

Directions:  Pour the water into the blender. Add strawberries and bananas and
blend for 20 second. Then, add remaining ingredients. Blend on high
for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Synopsis of Breakfast: Well this is a new record – 46oz.  Surprisingly creamy without the use of any bananas and tastes great.  Good energy boost too.

Lunch Menu:  3 Collard Wraps
  • 1 cup red grapes, chopped
  • ½ avocado, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 4 to 5 slices red onion, chopped
  • 3 springs fresh cilantro, chopped
  • juice from ½ lime
  • ½ clove garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup sprouts
  • 2 large collard leaves

Directions: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the collard leaves.  Divide the mixture into two and place half on each collard leaf.

Synopsis of Lunch:  The filling can make 4-5 collard green wraps; so expect some leftovers.  After having 3 wraps, I found the taste to be good but not as good as Day 15’s collard green wrap.  Adding salt & pepper didn’t change the taste of this dish too much.  So I suggest you not add that in (at least the salt).  Lastly, when you mix it in a bowl, use a utensil & not your hands.  The avocado is quite sticky.

“Snack”:  Soup Smoothie
  • 2 large cucumbers, chopped (used 1 1/2)
  • 3 cups pineapple, chopped (used 1 to 1 1/2)
  • 1 teaspoon whole flax seeds
  • 6 fresh basil leaves
  • 6 fresh mint leaves
  • After meal, (1) Brasil nut & small handful of pumpkin seeds

Directions:  In your blender, add cucumber and blend for about 20 seconds. Next, add the pineapple, basil, flax seed, and mint. Blend for about 60 second or until smooth.

Synopsis of Meal: I’d call this a smoothie as I cannot wrap my head around a soup that’s cold.  The taste is different and not all that exciting to me.  If you want to stick exactly to this plan, make this.  Otherwise, skip it & find something else.

Dinner Menu:  OJ / Green Smoothie

  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 2 mangos, peeled and pitted
  • 1 banana, peeled
  • 4 medium oranges, peeled and deseeded
  • 3 to 4 ounces filtered water

Synopsis of Dinner: Tastes just like a creamier version of orange juice.  Makes 36 fl. oz. or 3 glassfuls.

Evening inflammation check:  Most of the day with slight inflammation in the right hip.  Went ballroom dancing tonight and during the Rumba lesson I could start to feel shooting pains & heavier inflammation.  It became worse as the night went on, especially doing the Cha Cha.  No pain in ballroom dancing is one of my mountains I will cross soon.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Today was lighter on the food than yesterday.  Gas & bloating issues were rare (rare issues where I could feel the food just moving down the intestines).

Day 16 Food Reboot

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Unique Events for the Day:  My 1st breakfast without it being a smoothie, getting 9:15 hours of sleep, a change in my “end product” (read under gas / bloating at your discretion), and a massive amount of food – seriously, my “snack” consisted of 1 head of romaine lettuce!

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 9:00 & got up at 2:30am with moderate shooting pains getting out of bed, right hip area slightly inflamed, and my entire chest / back area is inflamed & stiff.  Laying on my stomach on my bed, walking around, doing bends / stretches & drinking water from 2:30 – 3:30.  Slept from 3:30 – 7:15am.  This is the 1st time in over two weeks I got 9:15 of total sleep.  At 7:15am I woke up with a stiff lower back, no shooting pains, & my right hip / buttock area with moderate inflammation.  8am took a walk for 15 minutes and noticed pain in my right hip / lower buttock area throughout most of the walk & afterwards.

Breakfast:  Fruit Salad
  • 3 bananas, peeled (Subbed 1/2 Papaya + 1 Banana)
  • 2 cups pineapple, cubed
  • 2 cups blueberries (1 pint)

Synopsis of Breakfast:  As I’m sure the picture above will tell you, that’s a lot of fruit.   I could barely finish all of it.  I hope I don’t go into insulin shock!

Lunch Menu:  Green Smoothie
  • 2 mango, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup whole strawberries
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon whole flax seeds, freshly ground
  • 6 to 8 ounces filtered water
  • 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes
  • 1 tablespoon of bee pollen

Directions: Blend the mangos and water together. Add remaining ingredients and blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Synopsis of Lunch: 40oz!  Geez, that’s a lot of smoothie.  The taste was ok, but nothing spectacular.  My suggestion is to take some of the filling from the collard green recipe in day 15 and eat some of that between each glassful.  BTW, this smoothie is 3 glassfuls of healthy goodness.

“Snack”:  Salad with Strawberry Dressing
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (only used 1/2)
  • 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ avocado, chopped
  • 5 medium mushrooms, chopped (didn’t use b/c I don’t like them)
  • 3 to 5 slices of red onion, chopped (future sug. – 1-2)
  • 2 small carrots, slices

Dressing:

  • ½ cup whole strawberries, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped

Directions:  Add water as needed to reach desired consistency
To make the dressing, blend the strawberries in your blender for about
30 seconds. Next add the parsley. Add water to make it a thinner
consistency.

Synopsis of Meal: I’m starting to wonder if I’m living in the land of the giants because these meals are a lot of food.  This “snack” alone is what I used to have for dinner.  The meal was was overall OK, but I didn’t get to eat until 4:30pm.  I didn’t like all the red onion.  I suggest using 1-2 THIN slices in the future.  Also, there was no way I could eat more romaine lettuce + have dinner 2 hours later.  So I cut that portion in 1/2.  The dressing was not easy to blend and had to shake the strawberries to make it all work.  Eventually it pureed enough to get it to the dressing form (kept adding little bit of water each time to make happen).  The taste was fine & again the meal was overall good.  I just don’t see how someone can sustain eating this way due to a typical American busy schedule.

Dinner Menu:  Fruit Salad

 

  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 1 cup pineapple, cubed
  • 1 cup papaya, cubed
  • 1 orange

Synopsis of Dinner: This meal complimented the “snack”.  Not nearly as filling (whew!) and the bananas taste excellent with the orange juice & a good mix when you add the pineapple.  The papaya was fine, but I feel it tastes better on it’s own.

Evening inflammation check:  After lunch, the inflammation was quite manageable.  However, it did come back (started with a shooting pain & then subsided to a moderate pain in the right hip area) after my dinner and it could be the excess in bananas.  My limit is usually 2, but today I had 4.  Going to go to bed early again (9:30 probably) & see if I can make two great nights of sleep in a row.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Take a truckload of healthy food & feed yourself to the limits.  What happens to it?  Well “the stuff” compacts and you get very little bloating / gas & a big end “product” – twice.  Hey, I don’t like writing about bowel movements as much as you don’t like reading it.  But this is what we’re looking for when we know our body is healing itself.  The lack of inflammation & end “product” delivered in a way I haven’t seen in awhile tells me this food reboot is working.  What a day…