Team Athena Challenge Blog: Sweet Potatoes~ Are you eating them?

Team Athena Challenge Blog: Sweet Potatoes~ Are you eating them?: Hi everyone, it's Pam again and I want to talk Sweet Potatoes! As many of you who follow me, know that I have chosen to eat Vegan ( n...

Ultimate Reset Day 12 I want a BEER!

As our journey through The Ultimate Reset continues, we have learned how to eat better, how to plan meals and how to remember to take supplements everyday. Together, we have consumed approximately 24 gallons of water.  ( Yes we now have a drinking problem along with a peeing problem)

Our weight is down and our clothes are looser .  We are starting to feel good.  It's amazing how food can effect the way you feel.  By only eating "clean whole " foods and no meat or dairy, we have had a sense of "well being"  and happiness.  There were times it got a little rough and the daily stresses made us long for a nice cold beer but we didn't cave in!  We stuck to our guns even while bowling again this week.

We have learned that just fruit for breakfast isn't quite enough for Jim most days,so I added 1 cup of oatmeal  and that seems to keep him satisfied until lunch

 I have enjoyed chickpeas and avocado with kale for breakfast and found I Love it!  Very satisfying and yummy.

You should really try it !!! You can even mash the chickpeas and mix it with the avocado.



I have been able to use my Ninja Blender for meal preps and have discovered how easy it is to make soups and bisque

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The Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque was very good and satisfying. Served it with sauteed apparatus with almonds. We will definitely have this again!

We will start back with our run training this weekend ( have to still go easy for a week or so as our bodies are still getting used to the new changes)  . We are hoping with this new way of eating and the weight loss, that we will gain more strength and endurance and who knows.. maybe some new PR's will come out of it!

More to come as the days continue.. and yes...a cold Corona is still on my mind...


Pam

Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

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Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato (aka garnet yam)
• ¼ red bell pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger root
• 1½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. miso paste, diluted in 1 tsp. hot water
• Tamari or Bragg^® Liquid Aminos, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning (to taste)

Directions

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, roast a whole red bell pepper on gas stovetop or grill, turning frequently until evenly charred on the outside OR in your oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or until skin is charred.

Put pepper in bowl and cover with towel for 10 minutes to steam. Clean off skin and seeds by running under cool water. Remove seeds, cut in quarters, and chop one quarter into ½-inch cubes. (Set remainder of pepper aside for another use.)

Place sweet potato, pepper, broth or water, ginger, oil, and miso in blender. (If you want chunky soup, set aside some chunks of pepper.) Blend thoroughly, adding more liquid to achieve desired soup consistency. Transfer to a pot and gently heat on low until hot. Add tamari or aminos, salt, and seasoning as desired. Serves 1.

Nutrition

• 220 calories
• 7 g fat
• 1 g saturated fat
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 530 mg sodium
• 35 g carbohydrate
• 6 g fiber
• 3 g protein
• 509 mg potassium

Ultimate Reset Phase 1 ~ I can go without meat!

Today was our last day of Phase 1 of the Ultimate Reset -Reclaim.  We have changed the way we eat and have eliminated meat in this stage. There have been several new vegetables on our plates and we have really enjoyed trying them.  My kitchen looked a war zone at times, but I have really enjoyed preparing and serving our meals. We have eaten breakfast together all week, ( something we didn't use to do) and I love it!

Overall, the week went pretty good. Only had a couple of days that were somewhat rough, but nothing bad. Just a feeling of tiredness and achey and was cold a lot.  Day 5 brought a feeling of euphoria and renewed energy.

I am down 5 lbs and Jim is down 7. We feel really good and looking forward to the next 2 weeks. I am so glad we are doing this together and supporting each other. We even made it through bowling night and Karaoke night without a Corona!  GO US!

I want to share my favorite recipes from our 1st week. These are for 1-2 servings so you can adjust them as needed. We will continue to make these after we have completed  our program.


Enjoy!

Stay tuned for Phase 2 !

Roasted Root Medley

Ingredients

• ¼ medium-sized yam, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• ½ large carrot, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• ½ large beet, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• ¼ yellow onion, peeled and cut into large wedges
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Himalayan salt (to taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, toss all ingredients together. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender, turning once or twice to prevent burning. Serves 1.

Lentil-Lime Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked green lentils
• ½ cup grated raw carrot
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1½ tsp. sesame oil (or more, to taste)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (or more, to taste)
• Bragg® Liquid Aminos or Himalayan salt (to taste)
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin (or more, to taste)
• Herbal seasoning (to taste; optional)

Directions
Cook lentils until tender, but don't overcook. (Or use low-sodium canned lentils.) Add carrots and stir. Stir oil, lime juice, salt, and spices together in a small bowl, then gently stir into the lentil mixture. Let sit, covered, in refrigerator for 2 hours. Adjust seasonings if needed. Even better the next day! Serves 1.

Nutrition

• 320 calories
• 8 g fat
• 1 g saturated fat
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 50 mg sodium
• 48 g carbohydrate
• 17 g fiber
• 19 g protein
• 944 mg potassium

Zucchini Cashew Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into chunks and steamed
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• Himalayan salt or Bragg^® Liquid Aminos (to taste)
• Herbal seasoning or fresh herbs, like basil or dill (optional; to taste)
• Steamed vegetables (optional; for chunky soup)

Directions

Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 1 hour; drain. Combine cashews, zucchini, salt or aminos, and seasonings in blender and mix until smooth, adding water as needed for desired consistency. Pour into saucepan and reheat gently, but do not boil. For chunky soup, add steamed chopped vegetables of your choice. Can also be served cold. Serves 1.

Nutrition

• 250 calories
• 17 g fat
• 3.5 g saturated fat
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 30 mg sodium
• 21 g carbohydrate
• 4 g fiber
• 9 g protein
• 1,036 mg potassium