Carb Cycling

I've been looking for a way to get past this plateau in my weight loss and, after some research, I'm going to try carb cycling. For the most part, I do not eat many carbs in my daily diet just as a general rule. From what I read, after experiencing a low carb diet for an extended period of time, your body gets used to it and your metabolism slows as a result. So adding one day of carb loading after every two days of low carbs should jump start that metabolism again. It is important to keep the same amounts of protein everyday and add more healthy fats on low carb days. Here's what I'm trying for the next two weeks. Stay tuned for the results!

*Drink 1 gallon of water every day*

LOW CARB DAYS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday:

Breakfast 7am - 2 egg whites with peppers and onions

Snack 10am - 1 apple and 1/4 cup almonds

Lunch 1pm - 4 oz grilled chicken, spinach salad with peppers, onions, 1/4 avocado and olive oil for dressing

Snack 4pm - 1 cucumber OR 1 tomato

Dinner 7pm - 4 oz grilled chicken OR 3 oz fish, carrots OR asparagus

HIGH CARB DAYS: Wednesday, Saturday

Breakfast 7am - 1 cup oatmeal with cinnamon, 1 cup strawberries

Snack 10am - 1 apple

Lunch 1pm - 1 cup brown rice, 4 oz grilled chicken, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/4 cup corn

Snack 4pm - 1 sweet potato

Dinner 7pm - 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti, 3 oz ground turkey, 1 cup traditional Ragu spaghetti sauce

Watermelon Cake

A great alternative to the traditional birthday cake with all the calories!

Ingredients:

Watermelon

Blackberries

Strawberries

Kiwis

1 1/2 cup sliced Almonds

2 cans coconut milk

1 tablespoon pure honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*The cans of coconut milk must go in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours for the cream to separate from the milk. You'll use the cream for this recipe.*

To cut the watermelon, cut the ends off and discard. Set the watermelon on one side and cut just around the inside of the rind. Cut rind in smaller pieces and remove from watermelon. Shave off any rind left on the watermelon and shape into a cake. You can cut the watermelon into wedges at this point if you want, but there will be cracks in the cake. So if you want it to look perfect, I suggest leaving it whole. 

Toast the almonds in a small skillet. Use medium heat and flip almonds. They will be toasted when they begin to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 

To make the "icing", poke holes in the bottom of the cans of coconut milk (the cream will be on the top) and drain the milk into a container. Once drained, cut open the cans and put the cream, honey, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer on high for 5 mins. Put on sides and top of watermelon. 

Apply the almond slices around the sides and top with fruit. 

Sweet Potato Fries

SPOILER ALERT: Sweet Potato Fries do not taste like french fries...just sayin'. I didn't like these when they first became popular, but I have acquired the taste and knowing how to cook them properly without deep-frying them makes a huge difference. Plus, they have great health benefits!

To prepare, wash sweet potatoes (we usually do 4) then place them in the microwave for 1 min to soften them just enough to cut easily. You don't want to cook them at this point. If you have a fry cutter, I suggest using that to cut the fries perfectly instead of cutting them by hand.

After cutting them, put some EVOO in a wok - you could use a skillet but 4 sweet potatoes take up a lot of room. Add the sweet potatoes and cook over medium heat. Continue to flip and stir until all the sweet potatoes are cooked and start to get crisp on the outside. This takes around 15-20 mins. Add sea salt to taste.

There are several sweet potato fry recipes out there on the internet that ask you to bake the fries. I've never baked them before but wouldn't be opposed to trying it. Let me know if you've ever baked sweet potato fries and how they turned out. Comment below!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Mango 

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1/4 Cup Red Onion

1/2 Avocado

1 Tablespoon Cilantro

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Cut the mango, bell pepper, onion and avocado into small pieces. Put everything in a bowl and stir. Refrigerate 15 mins to allow flavors to mix together. Put on fish, shrimp, chicken or just brown rice when you're having a meatless day! 

Salmon Dishes

Salmon is one of my favorites!!!

Of course, fresh salmon is always the best but getting frozen salmon from the grocery store is always a good idea so you always have it in your freezer at home. It's my go-to dinner!

You can flavor salmon with all kinds of seasonings. In this picture, I used a lemon-pepper seasoning. It was great. If you like a kick to your food, use Old Bay. There are all kinds of seasonings to use. Experiment and let me know what kinds become your favorite in the comments below!

To prepare salmon, properly thaw and place in a skillet with extra virgin olive oil. Apply seasonings of your choice and cook thoroughly on medium heat.

The brown rice in the picture is a boil-n-bag brown rice that takes 10 mins to cook in a pot of water - super easy! And the asparagus was put in a steamer bag with one tablespoon of water for 2 mins 30 secs. After the salmon thaws, this meal takes 15-20 mins tops!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie (Non Dairy)

I usually make this for breakfast, but you could have it for a snack in between meals as well!

Ingredients:
1 Banana
10 oz. Almond Milk
1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter
5-6 Ice Cubes

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth - maybe 10 - 15 seconds. Quick and easy!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Bag Med/Lg Raw Shrimp (thawed)
Cilantro (fresh is best or dried works too)
1/2 Lime

Swirl some EVOO in a skillet and put in all the thawed shrimp. Use medium heat. Once the shrimp begin to cook, add the cilantro and lime. Flip the shrimp to ensure they are cooked thoroughly.

You can eat these shrimp over a bed of brown rice or make shrimp tacos! Any other healthy suggestions? Comment below!