Naturally Lindsay

February Healthy Challenge Recap

February 10, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

Over the past 10 days I have challenged my self to cut out all refined sugars, soy, wheat, gluten, caffeine and alcohol. Let me tell you I am not sorry for this cleanse finally to be over. I miss tempeh and beer.

Although I am happy for this cleanse to be over I am so glad that I did it. Let me first off tell you that this was a bigger challenge than I thought it was going to be. I was like 10 days without the above, no big deal but then it came time to grocery shop and plan meals and most of my normal favorites seem to include one of the banned items above. However, this cleanse was totally worth the sacrifices.

Cleanse Successes:

I reduced my sugar cravings. Since Edith arrived my sweet tooth has been out of control and the moving and the holidays came around and I became addicted. The funny thing is before I was pregnant I would rather gorge on salty foods and then I got pregnant and started craving sweets which I kept in check until Edith was born. My first night of the cleanse was HORRIBLE. I had the worst migraine, so bad that I couldn’t even drive <– sugar withdrawal. I am happy to say no more cravings. Does this mean no more sugar? No it just means I can go back to my occasional small piece of chocolate or occasional (like every few weeks) dessert.
I feel better. My body overall feels much better. I feel lighter and no longer feel bloated. I also feel more energetic, or at least as energetic as I possibly can with a now crawling baby who doesn’t want to nap.
I (may) have lost weight? I don’t have a scale so I didn’t weigh myself before or after but my clothes are fitting better and I feel like I look better. This alone is motivation to keep up with what I have been doing.

Other Thoughts:

I plan on keeping highly processed soy products to a minimum but will be enjoying tamari, shoyu, tempeh and miso. I am going to continue to limit my gluten and wheat intake because I feel better when I don’t eat too much. I will not be giving it up completely because my brewer/baker husband brews amazing beer and bakes amazing bread. Although I will be enjoying beer and bread I will be limiting both to just enjoy occasionally. Lastly, I am going to switch to decaf and limit my coffee intake to no more than 12 ounces per day.

If you participated in challenge round 1 tell me about your experience. If you haven’t participated yet you can still sign up! Email me for more details.

Cleanse Days 4, 5 & 6

February 6, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Happy Hump Day! We are almost through the week AND this cleanse is now more than half over!! Don’t worry I haven’t jumped ship I just have been busy at home with a busy busy baby who is crawling around and getting into everything.

So lets recap tasks four through six…

Day 4. Try a new fruit today. Take a photo to share!–> I tried an heirloom naval orange but failed to take a photo of my fruit in it’s entirety but here it is all juiced up.

Sunrise Juice // 1 heirloom naval orange, 1 ruby red grapefruit, 2 handfuls of baby carrots and 1 orange bell pepper.

Day 5. Try a new workout routine, class, video or piece of workout equipment.

Day 6. Try a new vegetable or enjoy an old favorite a new way.

Steamed Bok Choy with Tahini Sauce and Chili Oil // Sauce (makes a ton and is great on everything except for maybe cereal): 1 cup tahini, 1/2 cup olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 1 cup of water, 3 minced cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste –> place in a blender and blend until smooth. For the bok choy I just steamed it which only took a few minutes and I cooked up some red quinoa according to the package directions. I topped everything off with a little drizzle of chili oil: 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced, 1 heaping tablespoon chili flakes–> add everything to a cold pan, turn the heat on to medium and cook until fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Drizzle just about a teaspoon over the dish to add a little extra flavor and heat.

How is cleansing going for you?
Don’t forget that you can still sign up for sessions 2-4 right now and be entered to win a box of whole food goodies.

Recipe: Creamy Curry Butternut Squash Vegan Mac & Cheese

February 5, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

While I am cleansing I am dreaming of making this recipe….

Ooey, Gooey, Creamy. When I am craving something comforting it better be all three and most of all it better be vegan mac and cheese. The problem with most mac and cheese is that they are high in calories and cholesterol, usually aren’t vegan and aren’t so healthy for you.

In an effort to change all of that I decided to make an ooey, gooey, creamy, non-dairy mac and cheese with an added twist- butternut squash! The pureed squash is a sneaky way to add a vegetable to your mac and cheese and help provides that bright orange color of the mac and cheese of your childhood but in a healthy way.

Additionally, Silk PureAlmond unsweetened original makes this mac and cheese nice and creamy without all the added calories and cholesterol of dairy products. The curry adds a nice little twist to this mac and cheese and goes so well with the sweet butternut squash. This recipe is so delicious your family won’t even realize that it’s vegan (or healthy).

Creamy Curry Butternut Squash Vegan Mac & Cheese

Serves 8
Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, seeded, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon coconut or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1 cup Silk PureAlmond Unsweetened Original
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 lb cooked small pasta (penne, macaroni, goblietti, fusilli)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Toss butternut squash with the coconut oil, salt and pepper and pour into a roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender. While the squash is baking cook the pasta.
In a blender or food processor combine the vegetable broth, almond milk, curry powder, nutritional yeast, and the roasted squash. Toss the squash “cheese” sauce with the pasta and return to the roasting. Toss the panko with the olive oil and sprinkle over the pasta. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Tip: Rather than serving family style, portion out into individual oven safe dishes, top with a little of the panko breadcrumbs, bake and serve.

*Nutrition (per serving): 336 calories. 8.2g fat. 41mg cholesterol. 342mg sodium. 54.2 carbohydrates. 4.9g dietary fiber. 2.5g sugar. 14.1g protein.

Calories saved per serving by using Silk PureAlmond Unsweetened Original instead of skim milk: 9 calories

*From Calorie Count Recipe Analysis (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php)

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

Healthy Challnege Days #2 & #3

February 4, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Hello there! Did you think I fell of the wagon with this cleanse? I assure you I haven’t I have just been having a busy weekend with my husband and baby. So lets first recap Day 2:

I started my morning off with a bowl of oats topped with Nuttzo and a mug of roobios chai with coconut milk.

For lunch we enjoyed a yummy bowl of curried veggies over quinoa and Edith gobbled up some quinoa and roasted pears with apricot.
After lunch we went for a walk and picked up a raw treat from Whole Foods and for an afternoon snack Neil and I shared an orange. Dinner was chickpea and couscous patty over sauteed zucchini and tomatoes and topped with mushrooms and onions.

Also task #2 to was to take some time to do a little yoga and here I am:

Sunday we started our morning off with millet toast and chickpea scramble (basically tofu scramble with chickpeas instead of tofu.) After breakfast we headed into town for Neil to attend a (failed) dad’s meet up and we picked up green smoothies for three to enjoy. We then had a late lunch at Blossoming Lotus where I had the live fruit and cheese plate and Neil had the gluten free, soy free buckwheat and oatmeal pancakes. Neil’s lunch falls into a cleanse grey area but as he says he is only along for the ride this whole cleanse thing is my thing. I have to admit I did steal a few bites of his delicious pancakes and Edith stole some bites of pear from my plate.

Dinner was task #3 a big giant salad. I made veggie taco salad with lots of romaine, mushrooms, onions, green beans, tomatoes, avocado, brown rice, refried black beans and cashew nacho cheeze sauce.

Five Healthy Goals for 2013

February 4, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls

This cleanse has really got me thinking about what I need to do be healthier this year. I am working on cutting back on coffee and sugar. I am also making time to workout but there are five other goals I have for the new year which include:

1.Drink More Water. I have been awful about this lately. Water is essential for living a healthy life and feeling good. It is especially important for a nursing mom like myself. I am making sure to have a glass or bottle of water with me at all times and am drinking to thirst.

2. Eat more Veggies (and less carbs). If you know me you know I am a carb-o-holic. I could eat an entire loaf of bread in a day and pasta at every meal. My goal this year is to eat more veggies (and green smoothies) and less carbs.

3. Choose Better Snacks. I love crackers. Instead of eating crackers as a snack I am going to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. When I am feeling a craving for crackers I’ll try to choose something a little healthier like Quaker Popped Rice Snacks.

4. Run. It’s time to really get down to work I have a quarter marathon in May and I need to get back to running. I have a training plan ready to go starting this week and I am ready to run!

5. Relax More. I spend so much time working, being a mom and keeping house. I can’t tell you the last time I did something relaxing and for myself. I need to slow down and recharge my batteries.

What are you going to do to be healthier this year?

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Healthy Challenge Day #1

February 1, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Today marked the first day of my 10 Day Cleanse (if you want to take the challenge yourself you learn about it here). As part of the cleanse I am asking participants to do a task each day, the first of which is to write down what your intentions are for this cleanse and what you hope to accomplish.
For me I decided to do this cleanse not to lose weight but to get myself back on a healthier path. I have veered of course a bit the past 8 weeks but I know I need to and want to get back to my healthier self. I hope to kick my sugar cravings and re-gain my energy. If I do lose a little weight that wouldn’t be too bad either but as I said not my first priority especially since I am breastfeeding.

I am going to attempt to photograph most of my meals over the next 10 days although most days you will see between 60-75% in photographs but I will share in writing what I am eating as well. Also in addition to eating better this cleanse for me is also about spending more time being mindful, relaxing and staying fit. Today I went for a walk in the beautiful sun (yes it gets sunny in Portland) and spent some electronic free family time with my husband and baby.

So lets get down to the food…

I started my morning off with a big mug of Numi Decaf Green Tea, Vigilant Eats Superfood Cereal and a big glass of water.

A little while later I had a bowl of grapefruit segments.

Then I had some roasted Brussels Sprouts. // (serves 2.) 4 cups of Brussels Sprouts, halved; toss with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Then toss on a sheet pan and place in a 425F oven for 20 minutes.

For lunch I had a big Avocado Kale Salad. // (serves 2.) 1 bunch of kale, destemmed and chopped; 1 avocado; 2-4 teaspoons lemon juice; 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; salt and pepper to taste. Place it all in a bowl and massage it to coat. This is great to make the night before you need it.

I was feeling hungry shortly after my salad so I had some plain Brown Rice.

After our afternoon walk I had some Dates with NuttZo.

I had planned to photograph everything I ate today but the afternoon came and we had family plans to visit the Portland Children’s Museum (Free First Friday!) so I didn’t photograph the kale chips, green juice and big bowl un-fried mega veggie rice I had. I am now trying to settle down for the night and calm this headache with a big mug of decaf green tea.

On the cleanse agenda for tomorrow is to do some much needed yoga!