Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 14

in

By now you’re probably thinking, “How can she eat the same food over and over again?” Well, the answer is … convenience. On my first sugar detox, I was really ambitious about cooking new recipes almost every day. My boyfriend and I would joke about how our entire detox was spent in the kitchen. When we weren’t at work or asleep, we were cooking. The important thing is that you do what you need to do to successfully complete the detox. You’re bound to run into days/nights when you just don’t feel like cooking. And since you can’t just order takeout or buy a pre-packaged meal, you resort to some form of convenience. For me, that’s quinoa and whatever food I have in the fridge or pantry.

Breakfast: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Green apple and almond butter with cinnamon 

Green apple and almond butter with cinnamon 

Lunch and Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

Black bean quinoa zucchini twist

Black bean quinoa zucchini twist

Side Dish for Dinner: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

Spaghetti-like cucumber with lemon and tomatoes

Spaghetti-like cucumber with lemon and tomatoes

I used the same spaghetti-like spiralizer blade that I used to make the shoestring sweet potato fries. I think I actually prefer this cut over the flat noodle-like blade for this particular salad. It gave it more of a crunch. I also added an organic thai seasoning from Whole Foods, garlic powder and onion powder to give it a flavor kick. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 13

in

Whenever I’m home all day, my eating schedule gets thrown off because I’m not very good about sticking to my usual workday routine. Such was the case for Day 13 on the sugar detox, which is why my first two meals weren’t very substantial. 

Brunch: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

This dish has seriously renewed my love for cucumbers. It is so crisp and refreshing, and makes for a perfect snack or meal. There are so many ways to modify the recipe so you don’t get tired of it. Aside from tomatoes, you can add bell peppers for extra crunch, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil), garlic, onions, etc. 

Spiralized cucumber salad with lemon and tomatoes

Spiralized cucumber salad with lemon and tomatoes

Snack: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Guilt-free dessert for brunch: green apple with almond butter and cinnamon

Guilt-free dessert for brunch: green apple with almond butter and cinnamon

Appetizer: Shoestring Sweet Potato Fries

I’ve been on a fries craze lately. Can you tell? It’s my most sinful snack on this detox. I have to have something, right? I decided to spiralize the sweet potatoes and fry them up in a pan. The only bad thing about them was that there wasn’t enough! They shrink once they’re fried; so what seems like a mound of fries turns out to be a small bowl-full. I guess it makes me feel less guilty about eating them. 

First, spiralize raw sweet potatoes (after washing them). I used the thinner of the two spaghetti-like blades. Put a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan, and bring to a smoking point. Then put a small batch of spiralized sweet potatoes and continuously toss them in the pan until they get crispy. You’ll know once they’re almost done because they’ll shrivel up. Repeat this process in small batches. Season immediately with Himalayan salt and whatever other seasonings you want. 

Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

I know I’ve made this dish quite a few times now on this detox, but it’s so easy to make and oh so good! This time I threw in some leftover spiralized zucchini from the zucchini pasta dish. The texture and color enhanced the dish, even if it didn’t really change the taste. 

Ingredients:

  • Bowl of spiralized zucchini
  • 2 cans of organic black beans
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • Cooked quinoa, seasoned
  • Himalayan salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Cayenne pepper

Heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan on light-medium heat. Add crushed garlic and diced bell peppers and sauté until brown. Add spiralized zucchini and keep tossing it in the pan until it starts to soften up. Then add black beans and keep mixing it around. Once the beans are hot, add the tomatoes at the end to long enough to warm them up. Serve over quinoa, top off with guacamole and salsa, dig in and enjoy!

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 8

in

Well, it's the start of the second week on the detox. It has surprisingly gone by pretty fast so far. I don't know if it's because of the food I ate last night, but I woke up with a raging headache. Thankfully it went away about an hour after taking Excedrin.

Breakfast: Vegetable Coconut Milk Curry with Quinoa

Once again, I was too hungry to remember to take a picture of my meal before chowing down. I'm sure this dish will be a regular on this detox so I will take a picture of it next time. 

Lunch: Black Beans in Veggie Quinoa Soup

This wasn't so much a soup as it was a vegetable quinoa dish. Since I still had a tupperware of cooked black beans, I added it to the quinoa. I topped it off with salsa and guacamole since the two take anything to the next level of yum. 

Snack: Sweet Potato Fries

This was prepared similarly to the Japanese sweet potato fries. The only difference is that these can get too mushy to cut with a mandolin slicer so you have to be careful not to over-boil it. Start out with 10 minutes but check frequently to see if it's soft enough to use on the mandolin. Fry small batches in a wok for even frying and less mess. Put the fries onto a plate lined with paper towel. Season with Himalayan salt and anything else you want for a punch of flavor. 

Dinner: "Not Your Momma's Black Eyed Peas Soup"

For once, the two hearty meals I had today along with the sweet potato fries kept me pretty full well into the night. Even though I wasn't really hungry, I ate a small serving of the leftover "Not Your Momma's Black Eyed Peas Soup". I added my go-to condiments on this sugar detox: salsa and guacamole! So far I've shown no signs of getting sick of them. I could practically eat them by themselves. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 6

in

Excuse the delay in posting. I fell asleep really early last night (Friday) because I haven't had much sleep all week and I've been feeling drained since the detox started. I've lost about 2 lbs so far, but I'm really not concerned about my weight; I care more about how my clothes fit ... and yesterday it was a lot easier to slip into my skinny jeans--not as constricting as they have been.

Breakfast: Black Bean & Veggie Fiesta with Quinoa

I finished the remaining leftovers with salsa and guacamole. I've realized that a black bean and quinoa combo is the easiest way to have a hearty meal. Not too surprising since they're loaded with protein and fiber that keep you full longer:

  • 1 cup of black beans (cooked, unsalted)  has 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber
  • 1 cup of quinoa (cooked) has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber

Snack: Sunflower-Flax Seeds and Almond Mix

I still can't get over how good this seed and nut mix is! This will definitely become my snack and dessert staple. It's truly cookie butter meets graham cracker crust meets granola. Ah-mazing! 

*Important Note: To achieve the near-exact taste of cookie butter, it's crucial that you use the ingredients below instead of any variations of them. My boyfriend made another batch and used a different brand of sunflower seeds that were salted as well as some hemp seeds and it totally changed the taste. 

  • Trader Joe's Roasted Sunflower Seeds (Unsalted)
  • Trader Joe's Golden Roasted Flax Seed Whole Seeds (Unsalted)
  • Trader Joe's Sliced Raw Almonds

Lunch: Cauliflower Apple Pecan Salad

Snack: Sunflower, Pumpkin and Hemp Seed Mix

Seasoned with Himalayan salt, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme

Dinner: Japanese Sweet Potato Fries

Fried Japanese sweet potatoes in a wok

Fried Japanese sweet potatoes in a wok

This is only listed as my dinner since I accidentally fell asleep before eating my actual dinner. This was more of an appetizer--one that kicked off the weekend right ... because who doesn't like fried food on a Friday?! It puts the "fried" in "Friday"!

Ingredients:

  • 3 Japanese sweet potatoes (of course, the more fries, the merrier)
  • Himalayan salt
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder

Boil the sweet potatoes for 7 minutes to soften them. Then use a mandolin to slice them into fries. (I have the blue Kitchenaid Mandolin Slicer Set.) This recipe used the wider of the two julienne cutters, but if you like shoestring fries, use the thinner of the two but be careful when frying because they burn extra easily. The best way to fry them is in a wok in small batches; it's easier to clean up and there's less chance of burning them. Fry them until golden brown and transfer them onto a plate lined with a couple paper towels. Season immediately to let the flavors really set in. Feel free to season them with herbs and spices. I'll probably play around with different seasonings next time. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 4

in

Every day is a countdown on this sugar detox. Only 17 days to go until I can go back to eating normal foods! And by normal I mean tempeh, vegan sausage, a variety of fruits … and, of course, some sweets.

Breakfast: Black Bean & Fajita Veggies

I ate my leftovers without quinoa this time since I forgot to cook some last night. I ate it with the usual salsa and guacamole. By the way, there are very few sauces, dips and salsas that are allowed on the detox. Trader Joe’s Double Roasted Salsa is one of them … and it’s delicious. As someone with a low tolerance for spicy foods, it has just enough of a kick to get my taste buds dancing—not burning. It takes any dish on the detox to the next level. I also love that my favorite guacamole also happens to be allowed on the detox: Trader Joe’s Avocado’s Number Guacamole has no sugar! Yay!

I thought today’s breakfast was actually more filling. Maybe it’s because I ate more beans instead of quinoa.

Snack: Green Apple

Thank goodness for green apples! They’re great as a snack (and dessert when dipped in almond butter). Today I ate it on its own, thinly sliced so it was more like chips.

Lunch: Queen of Quinoa’s Detox Salad

I drizzled some extra rice vinegar to give it a punch of extra flavor since I’ve been eating it for a few days now. It was still delish but I’m getting preeeetty tired of it. I have one more serving left!

Snack: Almond Butter with Cinnamon

I don’t know what I’d do without almond butter on this detox. Combined with cinnamon, which tricks your taste buds into thinking you’re eating something sweet, it makes for one tasty snack! It’s almost like a melted peanut butter cup—without the chocolate.

Dinner: Black Bean Veggie Fiesta with Quinoa

This dish is pretty similar to the last Black Bean and Fajita Veggie dish except I added spinach, tomatoes and tofu. I know tofu isn't allowed on the detox, but I needed something a little more substantial. 

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of spinach
  • 1 serving of tofu
  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 2-3 cups of black beans
  • 1 tbsp of garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup of garlic and onions
  • Himalayan salt to taste
Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa, guacamole and salsa

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa, guacamole and salsa

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 3

in

Today was definitely better than Day 2 of the detox. The only issue I had today was my insatiable hunger. Even though I was pretty much grazing all day, the hunger pangs never really disappeared, they just decreased in intensity. I was still having sudden cravings for something sweet, but not as intense as yesterday.

Breakfast: Black Beans, Fajita Veggies & Quinoa 

I decided to switch things up and start off with a hearty breakfast instead of a smoothie. I ate the leftovers from my dinner last night for breakfast today. 

Snack: Raw Hemp, Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed Mix

It wasn't long after I got to work that I already needed a snack. Surprisingly, this seed mix is remarkably more filling than it seems. It at least kept the hunger pangs down until I had lunch, which was a lot earlier than I usually eat. 

Lunch: Queen of Quinoa's Detox Salad

I'm still not tired of this salad even though I had it for the third time. I also thought it was a little tastier, probably because the ingredients marinated in lemon juice and rice vinegar longer. 

Snack: Green Apple & Almond Butter

Almond butter is a great source of protein at 7 grams per 2 tbsp. I helped myself to about 3 tbsp, just enough to enjoy with every bite of apple.

Dinner: Black Beans, Fajita Veggies & Quinoa

If there's one thing I learned from the past sugar detoxes, it's to cook enough food to last several days--even if it means having to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Luckily I wasn't tired of this dish even though it was my third time eating it.