Day 11 - Cleansing - Snow Day # 2 (No School Again!)

I have loved almost all of the new breakfast ideas I've tried.

And I just crave this simple one.

Whole wheat bagel thins (nothing on it) and a fresh, crisp grapefruit is just so refreshing and light.

I love broiling my little Thomas Bagel halves until they're pretty crunchy.

Today I seemed to be hungry more often than I would have preferred,

but if your body calls...feed it.

So I ate an apple and chomped on dry roasted, unsalted peanuts in between bites. Now that is satisfying! (and most importantly - filling)

Soon enough Lunch came around...

Today I made a new discovery for sandwich complimentaries...

I realized that cucumbers are the perfect compliment to spicy Pepper Jack cheese! I love spicy things, and the cucumber was naturally cooling,

like Aloe in my mouth.

This sandwich includes:

• Deli turkey meat (Boars Head Ovengold)
• Jack Daniels honey mustard
• Pepper Jack cheese
• Cucumber strips
• Roma tomatoes
• And yeah, that's mayonnaise on the right half
• Obviously tons of pepper, and some salt

We walked outside for a bit to explore the winter storm that Athens is still overcoming...

For Dinner: Herb & Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken

I have officially decided to buy sun-dried tomatoes often.

I've always liked them, but decided they were more of a luxury than a necessity.

However, eating differently, healthier, this is a great thing to treat myself with.

I found the recipe via www.myrecipes.com.

(I left out the feta cheese and replaced it with low-fat white sharp chedder cheese)

On the left: Oregano, fresh basil, garlic, and pepper

On the right: Sun-dried tomatoes

You can cut a slit on the side of the chicken to create a pocket for the stuffing, or you can just roll your chicken. My chicken wasn't that thick,

so I resorted to rolling it and that worked just fine.

(Season with salt and pepper.)

I couldn't help but eat the leftover "stuffing". I love the flavor of Oregano.

This is basically a foil wrap. Sprinkle olive oil on both sides of the foil before setting the chicken in it. Seal the edges by folding them over, so the chicken cooks inside at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Super quick and easy.

Now pop it in the oven and you're good to go!

Meanwhile:

I sauteed half of a green bell pepper and half of a red bell pepper in olive oil, with a little garlic. I couldn't help but add diced tomato...I just can't get enough.

Yet another diverse meal! I haven't had chicken in like a week!

I'll definitely put more stuffing in the chick next time.

There can never be too many sun-dried tomatoes.

Day 9 - Cleansing - Sunday

Breakfast:

This one is straight from my Daddy. He always recommends (more like guilts me into it) having tomatoes on my egg sandwiches. But, it really does enhance the flavor.

I used Roma tomatoes (I would suggest using a different breed).

I'm still learning portions, because I used to eat much bigger portions in all the wrong ratios.

I usually double up my egg sandwich (2 fried eggs) to ensure that I wouldn't be hungry once at work. Well, that did not work as well this morning. I couldn't even finish my second half before I was stuffed. So just one egg next time.

Also, I resisted the temptation to add cheese, but I felt like it would be okay to smear just a tiny bit of mayonnaise on one slice of bread.

Lunch:

A salad with some fruit in it wasn't going to cut it today.

I was hungry for something a little heavier...black beans did the trick.

I just used my leftover sauteed green peppers and onions (with garlic) and some chedder cheese to combine with the black beans and it was delicious. I used a wonderful spinach and herb wrap as well. Here I resisted the urge to incorporate sour cream (darn).

Dinner:

This was the easiest recipe ever. Really quick, except for the 1 hr. it takes to bake.

It's turkey meatloaf!

It's Ellie Krieger's recipe on Food Network.

I have saved a dozen recipies by her...so prepare for some Ellie Krieger to hit the fan!

This is not my photo, I was too lazy to take my own. In her recipe it takes to make patties (about 6) so it's good to help regulate portions.

To make this even better (because I thought it could use a little more tomato-something) I sauteed spinach leaves with garlic, and tomatoes in olive oil, then placed on top. It was MUCH better that way.

This meal was great because it provided something Warm to eat. Finally. I've noticed with all this healthy eating that you can eat so many cold-based meals, so this was a nice change.

Also, good for leftovers!