Day Seventeen through Twenty One

Hello Everyone :)!
Just wanted to recap the last couple days of the sugar detox for Ryan and I. The last couple of days were not the easiest, it definitely took both of us to stay diligent! We were so close and had accomplished so much that we both just wanted to have our treat meals. I do,  however, have some great recipes from the last few days that I would like to share:

Sweet Potato Pancakes from Cindy's Table.

They are NOT beautiful, but they were tasty :). They are supposed to be waffles and I think they would turn out more attractive that way but we do not own a waffle maker. We did not add the maple syrup that the recipe called for. These could be made savory or sweet by switching up the spices. Next time I make them I think I will do them savory, and  make a creme sauce with peas to go over them.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole from  Plaid and Paleo

I loved this, and it was extremely filling. As most people know, I do not eat pork or beef. For the sausage I used chicken sausages with very few ingredients that we buy at Sam's Club and I sliced them into small pieces. For the power greens I used kale. This is definitely a meal for the men in your life: potato's, eggs, sausage? What guy wouldn't love this? They don't have to know it's healthy ;).

Hot & Sweet Ginger-Garlic Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower Soup from the 21-Day Sugar Detox Book

For the cauliflower soup we used our homemade bone broth from the thanksgiving turkey carcass. It seriously adds so much flavor to do it this way. I am hoping to get our hands on some fresh chicken frames this spring to make more bone broth out of. It is time consuming to make, but I really think it is worth it.

SALADS, SALADS, SALADS :)

We ate so many salads the last few days, simply because they are cheap and we didn't want to cook. At Sam's Club you can get a giant container of organic mixed greens for roughly $3.69. The container is packed with greens and lasts us a long time. We always have one of these around along with some of our favorite salad toppings which include: frozen peas, pickled beets, pumpkin seeds, chopped carrots, and boiled eggs.

On the detox you pretty much have to make your own salad dressings to avoid added sugar, but off of the detox we love Brianna's salad dressings and Private Selection salad dressings from Smith's. I particularly have a guilty pleasure for Brianna's poppy seed dressing :).

Coming Off of the Detox

We broke the detox on Day 21 because we were attending a farewell talk and dinner for Ryan's cousin. The dinner was a pot luck and we took a chocolate tres leches cake which was the best thing ever! The author of the book highly recommends only adding back in one off detox food per day as you come off of it. Boy, do I wish we would have taken that advice! The pot luck contained pretty much NO approved foods and I enjoyed every freaking bite of it.....until holy grail of bad digestion. We came home, Ryan complained he was bloated and I had the worst heartburn of my life which is something I rarely have. It definitely was motivation to get back on plan today. I have eaten really healthy today, adding back in oatmeal and honey, and I feel great. Definitely planning on staying away from breads and processed sugar.

I hope these posts have encouraged you to try the detox, or even just improve your eating habits. The food you consume is so important in determining how you feel. Start with small steps!

Best Wishes!!