Life after the Fast

After focusing on slowly starting to wake up my digestive track all weekend; I am still ingesting green juice and eating only fruits and veggies.  I started with watermelon like I had planned.  The first bites of food were absolutely delicious!  I nearly lost my mind over red seedless grapes on Thursday! They were so juicy they made my eyes water.

Everyone in the juice fast world warns that you may gain a little weight when you return to eating. Of course, purely given the amount of food your digestive track can hold!  It was completely empty until now. I have yet to experience weight gain since beginning to eat again.  In fact, I lost 1.6 pounds since I started eating.  I also returned to calorie counting to ensure my new eating plan is focused on a caloric intake that will continue to support weight loss.  In the beginning it has been more tough to take in enough calories rather than too many.  The green juice has helped here as well.

 

I made a huge pot of vegetable soup that has been amazing to eat whenever I desire all weekend.  It is basically a minestrone soup minus the beans and pasta.  In 1 teaspoon of olive oil I sauteed onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic.  Then I added a 28 ounce can of Trader Joe's Toscano Marinara Sauce and a 32 ounce carton of their Low Sodium, Organic Vegetable broth and fresh Rosemary and Basil and simmered for about 30 minutes.  This soup has sustained me for days.  There are about 58 calories per cup.

I am planning on avoiding meats, seafood, and dairy as long as possible since my system is so clean and happy now.  So I came up with a DELICIOUS vegetarian stuffed zucchini recipe that you must try!
 

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini with Cashew "Parmesan" Topping

1 Zucchini

1/2 cup mushroom chopped fine

1/2 cup onion chopped fine

2 tbsp. fresh chopped basil

2 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 Sausage Trader Joe's Italian Sausageless

Sausage

1 tbsp. tahini

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 tsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and halve (long ways) zucchini.  With a spoon dig out seeds to make a hollow shell to stuff.  Rub with a few drops of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  In the meantime in a skillet saute mushroom, onions, "sausage", garlic, and 1/2 the fresh herbs.  Saute until they begin to caramelize.  In a food processor blend the cashews and the other 1/2 of fresh herbs until it resembles Parmesan cheese. In a separate mixing bowl mix sauteed vegetable/ "Sausage" mixture with tahini and 1/2 of the cashew herb "Parmesan".  Gently stuff zucchini shells with the mixture and top with the remaining cashew/herb "Parmesan" mixture.  Return to a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

 

Try the new healthy recipes and let me know what you think! Where are you at in your Juice Fasts?  How is it going?