Day 7- 21 Day Sugar Detox

Today is day seven and can I say, I feel great!  Besides the fact that I stepped on the scale this morning and I am down 6 pounds (which is a bonus), I just feel better.  My knee is not hurting, I feel like I am sleeping better and I actually have energy and want to do things.  The new year is a great time to make positive changes that will allow you to live better; what are you waiting for? 

I must apologize because I don't have any pictures but the other night I decided to make some bone/chicken broth with the remnants of the chicken I made.  There are several ways that you can make broth: on the stove, crock pot or...  PRESSURE COOKER!!!  I have never used a pressure cooker before but it was so easy!!!  It only took 45 minutes on the stove and I had some healthy, vitamin rich broth.  (FYI, broth on the stove or crock pot can take anywhere from 12-24 hours...  Who has the patience for that?)

Chicken Broth (pressure cooker style)

 THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! Read the directions of your pressure cooker before you begin.

Place the remnants of your chicken in the pressure cooker.  If you can break the smaller bones, do it-  this will add a lot of healthy stuff to your broth.

1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
1/2 onion (no need to cut this)
2-3 leaves of kale
pepper to taste

(It is not necessary to add the veggies to the broth. I did so to add some flavor and include the benefits of the veggies.)

Add water and make sure to cover the contents of the pot.  Make sure to cover the contents...  Cover the contents completely...  Do I need to say it again? 

Lock it down and..... go!  45 minutes later I had this wonderful, steaming chicken broth.  And the bonus?  The carrots..  I love soft carrots.  After it has cooled, strain the broth from the solids.  If you would like to use some of the chicken meat (include it in soup), go for it.  I pulled out what was available but my broth was mostly from bones.  However, the kale was not very good, so I just tossed it with the bones.

I must say, it was very tasty and is very healthy.  There are no additives like with the store bought broth and I really have this strange sense of accomplishment...  I will be making this again.  Now I just need to learn to can so I can make and store it to cook with later.  No more processed broth!

And let me say it one more time...  THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! Read the directions of your pressure cooker before you begin.

Day 3: 21 day Sugar Detox

Day three has almost come to a close and, I must say, was a success!  I spent the afternoon getting food ready for work tomorrow and ho-ly-cow- I will forever be changing the way I make whole chickens. 



 This was another great recipe from the NomNomPaleo app, so if you haven't bought it yet- what are you waiting for?!?

To prep the chicken I rinsed it, cut out the spine and pressed it flat.  Seasoned the inside with (a little) salt and (more) pepper.  I then turned it over, rubbed the skin with my "fat of choice" which was bacon grease (I knew I started saving that for a reason) and seasoned the outside with salt and pepper and an organic all-purpose seasoning.  Then I let it sit and assume room temperature (ART) for an hour.  I baked it about 40 minutes at around 400 degrees, checking it with an meat thermometer. 

The skin was crispy and the chicken very moist.  This may be the best whole chicken I have ever made!

For dinner tonight we had a pork roast that I put in the crock pot this morning with asparagus.  Very good.

Tonight I am really craving something sweet.  I find this very tough but have found that when the sweet craving hits if I cut a green apple and sprinkle with cinnamon, my craving is usually satisfied.  But I am going to stick with it; I already fell better.  My knee is not as swollen and is not hurting nearly as bad as it has these last few weeks.  I am a Paleo believer...  I just wish I could get my hubby on board!

Day 1 and 2 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox

In an attempt to begin the 21 DSD challenge on the right foot, I made Egg Cakes last night with some leftover sausage from Christmas Eve dinner and some veggies I had in the fridge.  These are very easy and are great for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.  Plus it's a great way to use up leftovers.

Egg Cakes

I use my food processor to grate my sausage and veggies (onion, green and red peppers) and then eggs.  Grease a cupcake pan with coconut oil and pour about 1/3 -1/2 cup of the mixture into the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Cool on a rack and refrigerate. 


For dinner I decided to try two new recipes from the NomNomPaleo iPad app- and they were very good (I recommend downloading the app if you are able.  She has a lot of great recipes that I am very excited to try).  The chicken and salsa were both new to me.  I have made salsa before but this called for roasted tomatoes, jalapenos and garlic.  It was a little spicy but very good- they both made the 'make again' list.  When I "fried" the chicken the recipe recommends using ghee but I used coconut oil instead.  Next time I will either make the ghee or just try butter and see if it has a different flavor. 

And yes... Those are my favorite bacon, onion, jalapeno green beans...  So yummy!

Day 2 has gone well.  I have a headache but that could be because I have been trying to cough up a lung.  It seems I have the latest cold going around so as soon as I feel better I hope to start working out.

21 Day Sugar Detox Challenge

I'm sure it's no surprise that I fell off the Paleo wagon... again...  It happens.  I can't beat myself up about the food choices I have made.  However, I am going to pick myself up, brush off and start again.  Today I am going to begin the 21 Day Sugar Detox, a strict version of Paleo to get me back on track. 

A few days ago one of the guys at work asked if I wanted to join him in the 21 DSD and my first thought was "heck no!  I can't do that!"  "You can do anything for 21 days," he said.  And he's right....  It's only 21 days- 3 weeks.  It will be tough but I CAN DO THIS.  Most importantly, it will be worth it when the 21 days are up.

I created a group on Facebook and asked my friends if they were interested and there are 10 other people beginning the new year in the right direction with their food choices.  I am really excited!  I have needed a push to get me back to the best lifestyle for me.  So I am going to try to update daily on my progress. Wish me luck!