Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 8

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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

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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.