Day 7--Mental Clarity Day

As I was driving home from a new baby visit, I realized that my mental clarity was really good. I felt good driving and not "foggy" as I sometimes feel when I'm tired. It was glorious! I also have a lot more energy today and noticed that my cheek bones were coming back into sight. :)

I FINALLY made it to the gym this morning for the first time since I started this cleanse. The workout was right up my alley with rowing, box jumps, and burpees.  I attempted to do this workout "prescribed" (Crossfit's way of doing a workout without any modifications). My rowing was ridiculously slow and I biffed it once on the box jumps, but I completed the workout and tried to keep as steady of a pace as I could. It felt good to move again, even if it was much slower. 

Our meals for the day were pretty standard, except I invented another NEW recipe! So exciting! 

Here's what we ate:

Breakfast: cottage cheese, "real" oatmeal, egg whites, veggies

Lunch: Cottage cheese, salad, left over chili, green beans, tomatoes

Dinner: Shredded Chicken, squash, green beans, fruit

Snacks & Supplements: Fresh Fruit blended with UltraClear, AdvaClear, UltraFlora, Green Tea, Pomegranate Juice + Colon Cleanse

NEW Recipe! Buffalo Chicken Salad

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

3T Plain Greek Yogurt

1tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Buffalo Sauce

1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! I cannot believe how good this tasted. I've never used plain yogurt in place of mayo before and I will certainly keep trying new creations with the yogurt. If you are eating grains, some Gluten Free Sweet Potato chips would be a great dipping tool with this salad. Or you could roll it up in a piece of Romaine lettuce with veggies for a healthy wrap. 

If you are interested in doing a Metagencis cleanse through our office, talk to Dr. Wes or Dr. Jason at your next appointment and they will get you going! Waukee Wellness: (515) 978-6661

Weekly Meal Prepping

One of our favorite routines in the Nyberg household is preparing as much food on Sundays as possible. This has been one of the BEST changes in our home for our health and sanity throughout the week. Here's what happens after I come home from getting the groceries on Sundays...

Breakfasts

1) Cook a dozen cage-free organic scrambled eggs. Mix one dozen eggs with a little coconut milk and add to a large skillet that has some hot coconut oil in it. (Sometimes I make hard boiled eggs too)

2) Cook breakfast meats like sausage and/or bacon according to packages. We like the precooked sausages found in the Hy-Vee Health Market Freezer. We throw them on the contact grill and brown them. Bacon--bake on broiling pan at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Be sure all meat is nitrite free! We also cook bacon on the contact grill too. 

3) Wash and prep any fruit that can be prepared ahead of time--grapes, blueberries, strawberries, etc. 

4) Sometimes I'll make a batch of Paleo Pumpkin Muffins or a treat like too. 

Dinners

1) Decide on recipes. I like to marinate meat before grilling or cooking it, so I will typically make the marinades on Sundays and put the sauce into a gallon ziplock baggie (or dish). Then on the day of the meal, I throw the meat in the baggie in the morning or sometime in the afternoon so it's ready to go. 

2) Prepare the meats--slice up chicken, make hamburger patties, shape homemade chicken nuggets, put a roast in the crockpot with veggies and set into the fridge, etc. Tonight I made a marinade in a large baggie;  wrapped chicken in bacon and put the sauce on it; put green beans, chicken, and sweet potatoes in a 9x13 pan with butter & Mrs. Dash; started thawing beef. 

A little fuzzy, but you get the idea! Chop those veggies!

3) Prepare the veggies--dice up zucchini & squash; slice carrots/tomatoes/peppers/onions; snap green beans; etc. Having veggies already cleaned and ready to cook makes it easier. I typically just use a little butter in a pan or throw them in a steam-pot to cook them for dinner. 

Lunches

PACK ON SUNDAY! Start with a meat (we like DiLusso Nitrite free deli meat at HyVee or leftovers) and add veggies. Raw veggies are great! Remember those veggies you just cleaned and cut for dinners? Use some of those! Salads can be pre-made--just don't use the dressing yet. 

While cooking at home definitely takes time, we've found that prepping our food on Sundays really helps. Maybe Sunday isn't your day--but find a time and make a commitment to clean, healthy eating. You'll love the results!

9x13 Pan; Green Beans, Carrots, Chicken, Sweet
Potatoes; Mrs. Dash; Butter squares.

Recipes We Used This Week

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Honey Mustard Chicken

Budget Friendly Balsamic Mustard Chicken

Chipotle Lime Rubbed Steak

Adventures of New Veggies

I thought I would try two different vegetables last night. I made three different things, and thought they were all pretty good. 

1) Delicata Squash: My new favorite! This long winter squash is SOOO easy to cook. I sliced it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, and cut them into 1/2" "moon" shapes. I tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled on some salt.  I baked them at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, and flipped them with a spatula every 10 minutes. The goal is to get them nice and browned on the edges. They tasted almost like sweet potato fries. I even got the boys to eat the MOON FRIES too! 

Since my oven was still hot...

2) Chard Chips: I made these just like I do with Kale Chips, and while these were quite good, I liked Kale Chips better. Just look how bright green these veggies are!!!

3) Chard Stems with Parmesan: Everything is better with cheese. Since I eat a paleo diet, I really don't each much cheese or dairy of any kind. However, I did try these last night and I thought they were good. First, I sliced the stems of the chard into sticks and par-cooked them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then I put them into a pan, added a little EVOO, and some Parmesan. I baked them for about 15 minutes or until the cheese was nice a brown.