Alright, its been a while. So here we go:
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​Breakfast - detox smoothie made of parsley, cucumber, ginger, and pineapple, its so yummy and refreshing! I also had a large cup of water and a few almonds.

Lunch - leftover taco salad from last night: spinach, guacamole, chicken, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, cilantro, purple onion, cucumber, and hemp seeds.

​Snack - grapes and cherries.

My afternoon pick me up was something I had never made before, an iced matcha green tea latte.
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For my milk base I used 1 cup unsweetened toasted coconut almond milk, 1 tsp maple syrup, and 1/4 tsp vanilla.

For the tea part I used 2 tsp matcha powder, and 2 tbsp hot water.

To prevent it from clumping I mixed the matcha with the water using a frother from ikea, and then used the frother to froth the milk as well (duh). I poured the tea over ice and poured the milk on top.

The verdict?

It was alright. There were a few things that were off. First, it had a very chalky taste. Second, the coconut milk was too over powering, next time I will try using cashew milk. And third, it needed to be a little bit more sweeter.

I also wanted to add that I started a new job not too long ago, and I looked like a total kook making this drink and taking pictures in the lunch room.

I was STARVING when I got home from work!!! So I prepared a little snack.  Lettuce with guacamole and hemp seeds sprinkled on top, rolled into a taquito. SO GOOD!!!!!!

For dinner I just grabbed a bunch of stuff out of the fridge and mixed it together in a skillet.

Dinner - Ground bison, 1/2 onion diced, 8 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 kombucha squash diced, 1/2 red bell pepper diced, a pack of sliced mushrooms, 1 zuchinni sliced, balsamic vinegar,  and garden gems seasoning, and masa de malageta (chili pepper paste). Served with olives, jalapeños, and diced avocado and a drizzle of avocado.

Snacks - A few macadamia nuts. I also tried eating a papaya... Let me explain, I don't like papaya but a lot of the youtube people I watch seem to love the stuff, so I decided to give it another try. AND I still think its gross, it smells weird and leaves this nasty after taste of stinky feet in my mouth. Bleh!

We hopped onto the juicing bandwagon back when Fat Sick and Nearly Dead had come out. Ruben had just been diagnosed with MS a few months back, and after watching the documentary we felt so inspired that we decided to give it a try. And so we purchased our first juicer as a married couple, and Ruben began his juice fast. The juice fast lasted for 3 weeks and he lost about 20 pounds in the process. The first few days he said were the hardest, but after his body had adapted he did fine. I however need to eat food, so I would drink juice in the morning for breakfast with him and had an occasional juice for dinner. Eventually though, like all fads, the juicing came to a halt and we retired our juicer to where all unused appliances go, to our pantry. It sat there for quite some time, but recently my coworker began bringing in juice for me in the morning, and that urged me to whip our juicer out and see what good stuff I could come up with. I don’t know what it is, but there is something so satisfying about going to the farmers market and bringing home fresh produce at the peak of its season to make freshly pressed juice with.

I have been juicing in the morning, but Ruben does not partake in consuming these juices with me. I believe it has to do with the fact that while he was doing his juice fast, he tried to juice a red bell pepper. He said the taste was so awful that he can still taste it until this day. I don’t blame him, but hopefully he comes around soon and we can be juicing buddies again. In the meantime though I have been splitting my juice with my coworker, even the most potent juices she has guzzled down with me (while simultaneously eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich to mask the awful taste. Haha) She is such a good friend. 

This juice is not potent at all, it’s actually a bit on the sweet side because of the watermelon. So if sweet is not your thing, I suggest adding another kale leaf to counter balance it.  

Beet Juice

Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 a large beet
• 1/2 an apple
• 1/2 an orange
• 3 beet leaves or 3 kale leaves
• 2 cups diced watermelon
• Optional: 5 mint leaves

1. Juice all your ingredients.
2. Strain juice. (If you don’t mind the pulp you can skip this step)
3. Toss the mint leaves into a cup and pour your juice over the top.
4. Enjoy!

I prefer my juice cold, so I toss in a few ice cubes. To change up the recipe I may add some fresh ginger next time.

On a side not, I really love our juicer. It is an Omega Juicer, and I love it for 3 reasons:

1.  It’s not loud like most juicers because it’s whats called a masticating juicer. Instead of pulverizing your ingredients, it slowly squeezes them to make juice.
2. Because it slowly squeezes out your juice, it will not heat it up like most juicers, and in turn preserves the enzymes and vitamins in the juice.
3. I think it’s fairly easy to clean (compared to other juicers that are so big and seem to have a lot going on) 
   

What kind of juicer do you use? 

This recipe is very simple to make, but packs a lot of flavor. You can serve the halibut over spaghetti squash, or zoodles.

Pesto Halibut

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 halibut filets
• 4 tbsp. pesto
• Olive oil
• 1 tomato thinly sliced
• Salt & pepper
• 1 lemon cut into wedges – for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Rinse the halibut and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and olive oil. 
3. Add 1 tbsp. of pesto to each filet and spread the pesto onto the filet using a frosting knife. (If you don’t have a frosting knife, a regular butter knife should work just fine)
4. Add 2-3 tomatoes slices onto each filet. Sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper, and drizzle a bit more little olive oil over the top of all the filets.
5. Bake the halibut on a foil lined baking sheet for 10 minutes.
6. Serve the halibut over spaghetti squash with a lemon wedge on the side.

I made a side salad of tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, red wine vinegar, dill, salt and pepper and it paired very nicely with this meal.

Breakfast

• Freshly pressed juice - apple, pear, carrots, beet, kale, and ginger.
• Baked egg cups - eggs, mushrooms, onion, spinach, garlic and balsamic vinegar.
• 1/2 an avocado

I have been on a serious juice kick this week. I forgot how satisfying a cold fresh cup of freshly pressed juice could be.

Lunch

• Bruschetta chicken
• Blueberries and blackberries

Dinner

• Leftover lettuce wraps - ground chicken, chestnuts, green bell pepper, coconut aminos, rice vinegar. Topped with jalapenos, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, and sriracha. 

In the morning we leave for Mexico! I know I should be sleeping right now but the thought of traveling + the plane ride makes me very anxious. So I rather not sleep but instead keep myself awake and make myself very delirious, so that tomorrow when I go to get on the plane I am so exhausted and I could care less that I am boarding a plane that I will be stuck on for 4 1/2 hours. 

Since I leave to Mexico in the morning how very appropriate it is that I leave you with a taco recipe before I go. Tacos have got to be one of the greatest meals. This recipe is simple, just swap out your tortilla for a piece of lettuce and you got yourself a paleo taco.

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Taco Seasoning

• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. warm water
• 1 tsp. olive oil

1. Combine all of these ingredients in a small bowl, whisk and set aside.

Chicken Tacos

• 4 chicken breast thinly sliced
• Taco seasoning
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 head of butter lettuce

1. Pour the taco marinade over the chicken along with salt, pepper and lemon juice. 
2. Mix well and let the chicken marinade for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp. coconut oil. Place the chicken in the pan in a single layer. (I had to do 2 batches)
4. Cook chicken for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes of cooking, flip the chicken over using a spatula.
5. Once the chicken is cooked remove from heat and store in dish covered with foil to keep warm.

Optional toppings

• Avocado or guacamole
• Pico de gallo
• Finely diced onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Sautéed bell peppers and onion (so you turn it into a fajita)
• A wedge of lime to squeeze on top of your tacos

Well I guess its time to go to bed. See you in a week!