Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 Cups Veggie or Chicken Broth, plus 1 cup for cooking the chicken

2 tbsp. southwest taco seasoning or carne asada seasoning

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes

1 large (16oz) can crushed tomatoes 

1 avocado
juice of 1-2 limes

1/2 cup shredded Mexican 4-Cheese Blend

3 tbsp. Chopped Cilantro

1 cup shredded chicken

Tortilla Chips, your preference of amount

1 half small onion

5 gloves garlic

1 Anaheim chile (or spicier peppers, if you prefer)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. green onions
Salt & pepper to taste. 

Preparation:

1. Boil chicken breast in broth,or water with extra seasoning. Boil until cooked through and shred.

2. Dice garlic, onion and chile into very small pieces. Simmer in large pot with olive oil until soft.

3. Add the seasoning, water, broth, lime juice and crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

4. Add the corn, diced tomatoes and beans, and let it simmer for ten minutes.

5. Add the shredded chicken, salt, pepper and cilantro and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Pour potions into separate bowls for serving.

7. Crumble tortilla chips over soup, then layer shredded cheese, sliced avocado and green onions. The tortilla chips should start absorbing the broth, so it become less like a soup, and more like a hearty salsa or chile. The cheese will melt and it will be delicious. 

This recipe is a base- it is very adaptable to what you already have in the kitchen. I have made it without chicken, with pinto beans instead of black beans, used oregano and cumin instead of southwest seasoning, Chad always leaves the green onions out. You can add spicier peppers, or top with salsa, and I imagine sour cream, but I think it is just fine without. I have even added rice once, instead of tortilla chips. I would just be careful to make sure you season enough that the tomato flavor doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. It is better to over-season this recipe, rather than under-season. I find that if instead of chopping the garlic, onion and Anaheim chile, I use the food processor, they become stronger flavors.

Homemade Honey Marshmallows

Honey Marshmallows

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup honey (not whipped variety)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin (almost 2 1/2 packets)

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

Food coloring, optional

1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray, and press a layer of cling wrap into the bottom and up the sides, making sure that it extends beyond the sides of the pan. Spray the cling wrap inside the pan with cooking spray. 

2. Place 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl, and whisk the gelatin into the water. Let it sit for a few minutes. 

3. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, the honey, and the salt over medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts, then brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization. 

4. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the thermometer reaches 260 degrees F (126 C). 

5. While you wait for the sugar syrup to heat up, place the room temperature egg whites in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. When the syrup reaches 250 F, start to beat the egg whites on medium speed. The egg whites should be at firm peaks when the sugar syrup reaches 260 F. If the whites are ready before the syrup, stop the mixer—do not overbeat them! Also during this time, microwave the bowl with gelatin in it for 20 seconds, until it liquefies. 

6. Once the sugar syrup is at 260 F, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the liquid gelatin mixture. Be sure to stir until the gelatin completely dissolves. Slowly and carefully stream the hot sugar syrup into the egg white as the mixer is running. Once all of the syrup is in, turn the mixer to high speed and beat it until the marshmallow is opaque and glossy and thick, about 10 minutes. When you lift the beater from the mixer, it should slowly drip back into the bowl in a thick ribbon. 

7. If you want your marshmallows to have color, add a few drops of food coloring, and mix just until the color is even. Scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan and smooth it even. 

8. Let the marshmallow rest at room temperature for at least 6 hours. Once set, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Dust your work surface with powdered sugar as well. Remove them from the pan using the cling wrap as handles, and invert them onto the work surface. Peel away the cling wrap and dust the top with powdered sugar.

9. Cut the marshmallow into small squares using a large chef's knife. It's easiest if you wash the knife frequently with hot water and spray it with nonstick spray. Roll the cut sides of the marshmallows in powdered sugar. Store Honey Marshmallows in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They will keep longer than this, but they start to taste stale within a few days, depending on the humidity levels of your house. 

Days 17-21

Day 17
I was careful this morning to make sure I was drinking enough water, but the dizziness never came back, thank goodness. I had an apple and string cheese, and after a couple meetings at work, it was lunch time already. I ate some almonds and some deli slices of low-sodium turkey from Sprouts, and the work day was over.

At home I went for a run, trying a new route of about 3 1/2 miles. I never felt super out of breath or exhausted, but my leg muscles just felt weak. About 2 3/4 miles in, my quads seized up and were so uncomfortable. Robyn wasn't done with the run, and kept dragging me on, but I definitely walked the last half mile. It was strange, being unable to finish a run, but not due to being completely out fo breath. I don't think I ate enough today to feed that run, so I made sure my dinner portion of green beans was huge. I think that was the biggest pile of green beans I had ever seen on anyone's plate ever. I also used our apartment complex's bbq for the first time. I made a garlic, bacon and parprika steak, and it was so good! I missed that smokey bbq flavor. It was a little awkward to have to leave my house with a plate of raw meat and sit outside the laundry room, waiting for it to cook, but that's fine. It was a nice quiet evening for watching the sky.

I am definitely wanting to cheat on the detox. I am so close! Just today, tomorrow, and Saturday. It is getting more difficult to say no to the chocolate chips. But it is easier, much easier, to walk past all the holiday candy at the grocery store and not even be tempted. Just out of curiosity, I picked up a box of candy that I used to eat often, and in one box there were 90 grams of sugar. 90! I definitely don't think I could apply the full out detox rules to my whole life after the 21 days are over (well, 20 for me), but I know that I am going to be a lot more educated in portions and choosing better desserts and snacks.

Day 18
This morning, I was running late, and even though I had planned to make fried eggs for breakfast, I really wanted to just make it easy and have some of Chad's Cheerios. Or a blueberry muffin. They had those at work yesterday, the giant Costco kind, and I did want to try one, until I read the label, and after flour, sugar is the next main ingredient. It's no wonder America is having such health problems and people having difficulty with obesity. Everything is unhealthy, and everything is loaded with sugar. I tried to think about how I want to keep making healthy choices, that way I am able to run, and not be wiped out after 3 miles, like I was yesterday. I made bad choices by not eating enough, and my run suffered. If I ate that muffin, even though I wasn't hungry, I just wanted the taste, I would have felt terrible! Today I wanted to make sure I ate well and ate enough so I could re-try yesterday's run.

I redid the run, and felt great! I took it a little easy, going a bit slower than normal, but I didn't feel any muscle weakness. When I got home, I was ready to cook some chicken and spinach, but Chad was really in the mood for Pick Up Sticks, and I knew it was against the diet, and I knew I only have a couple days left, but I also knew my husband was asking me to go out to dinner with him. I didn't want to disappoint him or me,  and I really, really struggled. I eventually decided to get Chinese food with him, and I am paying the price now. My stomach feels bloated, my digestion is upset, I feel overly stuffed, and after eating I feel a desperate need for vegetables. I had some carrots, but it was so strange. It was like my body was revolting and was demanding better nutrients.

This worries me for the future. I don't want to continue the detox forever, just socially it is hard to keep up, but I don't like feeling this way. The food did not taste magical and wonderful, like I had been missing sugary food all this time. It tasted like proceeded fast Chinese food. And it was 60 grams of sugar. And so not worth it. I feel guilty, but I don't want to make other people feel guilty when eating with me. How am I ever going to rejoin the sugar eating world?

Day 19
This is my last day of the detox. Tomorrow is Easter, and I decided to spend Easter with my family without diet restriction. I woke up late and had a scrambled egg brunch, and snacked throughout the day. I had really terrible dreams, and didn't feel rested for the rest of the day. I did cheat a little, as I was made Easter-themed homemade honey marshmallows for my family, and "needed" to taste them to make sure they were okay. They were.

Day 20/21
Easter- my first day off the detox! I definitely agree with the reports that sugar is related to sleep quality. I woke up again, twice last night, with truly terrible dreams. They were so bad that when I woke up, I was actually crying, and couldn't shake that awful feeling for about an hour after getting out of bed. I already miss restful sleep!

My first post-detox treat was hot chocolate. Oh, how I missed hot cocoa! Then we went to church, and then to my mom's for Easter Brunch. I didn't feel up to eating all the sugary foods, but I did have a (21dsd-safe) omlette, a mini cinnamon bun, a mixed fruit salad, and some orange juice. That was a whole lot of sugar and carbs, and I felt it. My hands got shakey and I definitely felt a sugar rush and crash, and then I craved more sugar! I really went crazy, and then had a rice krispies treat, but then I knew I had to cool it. I was so full, I had no room for dinner, I got sleepy at 8:30 at night, and had nightmares again. I woke up still tired, still stuffed and bloated, and not all that excited about rejoining sugar-world.

Today is Monday, the 21, and I am at work. I think that I am going to continue to follow the 21dsd rules for weekdays, and use the freedom of the weekend to have a cheat day here or there. I have to grocery shop tonight, and I know I won't go completely back to before the detox. I am looking at this experience as mostly educational, that way I know how to make better nutritional choices in the future.

Days 15 & 16

Day 15
The detox gets easier every day!I am getting into routines, and I am realizing that if I explain my reasons for doing the detox, people have been super supportive. They have understood and a lot of them even say that they would be interested in doing the detox themselves! I said that before, but I didn't think I would ever really get through it.

I had a lettuce-wrapped burger at The Habit. I had never eaten there before, but it was a good treat! I didn't even miss the bun like a regular burger, and I wasn't overly stuffed feeling, either. For dinner we went to Nettie and Jacob's and had Asian wraps. Everyone used rice paper and rice and chicken cooked with soyaki. I just made my own garlic chicken, and ate it with cucumber, bell pepper and carrot strips. Delicious! I am so thankful for family time.

Day 16
I woke up super dizzy, and it stayed all morning. I felt like all my muscles in my my arms and legs are warm and heavy, like when you drink alcohol, and my brain was fuzzy. Climbing the stairs to my building really felt like I was going to faint. I had to rest at the top. I slept just fine, and I wasn't craving any sugars or carbs, but I felt like I should have a granola bar.  I ended up drinking a lot of water and tea, and eating some almonds, and eventually it passed. It was strange, and I hope it doesn't happen again. I had it pretty easy with no headaches or anything early on in the detox, so I was not prepared for a reaction this late in the game.

I had lunch at my desk, and for dinner I made coconut garlic shrimp and green beans. I am feeling really good, and can talk more easily about the detox with people. I am getting nervous about going back to "normal" eating. I am worried it's going to upset my tummy. I now taste apples and bananas like candy, and even though the brownies and cheesecakes on pinterest look amazing, and I do want to bake them, I am afraid I won't be able to eat more than a bite. I guess that isn't a problem, after all!