DAY 9 - Daniel Fast

Okay, so it's not much to boast about, but it's still snow!

Today was supposed to be "burgers and fries" day, but we woke up to snow and it's been snowing all morning...so Jeff isn't about to fire up the grill tonight!  When we lived in Canada, we would grill in the winter when it was much, much colder than it is here right now.  But the snow in Oregon is so wet and heavy...it just soaks you!  When it snows here, we still use umbrellas...it's that wet.  So grilling is a no-go at our house tonight.  But we'll still do "burgers and fries" tomorrow night!  ; )





BREAKFAST:  ABB sandwich

You know what to do now!  You can also add a dash of cinnamon or mix in a little coconut butter for a new taste.


LUNCH:  Asian Salad

Use up some of the ingredients from last night in this fresh and tasty salad.

In a bowl mix:  mandarin orange segments (if using canned oranges buy them packed in their own juice, not syrup), snow peas, cucumber, cilantro, mango, green onion, mushrooms, shredded broccoli (and tofu, if you like it)

In another bowl mix:  1/8 c. rice vinegar, 1/4 c. sesame oil, couple dashes  of soy sauce, fresh grated ginger (or ginger powder) and 1/8 c. oj

Pour dressing over fruits and veggies and then toss in chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro and mix well, then serve over a bed of lettuce (i.e., romaine, spring greens, spinach...just not iceberg)

Left-overs never looked so good!

DINNER:  Rice and Bean Bowl

Last year when I made this for my husband I was a little afraid he would totally say, "No, way."  He was on a long phone call when I brought him his bowl.  I whispered, "Try this.  If you don't like it I'll make something different."  He was distracted enough by the phone call to not really look at what was in his bowl and analyze the elements, he just took a bite.  Then he looked up, nodded vigorously, and gave me a thumbs up.  Score 1 for the rice and beans!

1.  Steam some sprouted brown rice.
2.  Saute some finely diced onions and sweet peppers, add some cumin, a touch of garlic and a dash of salt
3.  Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to the pan.
5.  Add the rice to the pan and stir until everything is combined and heated through.

6.  Fill your bowl and then top with fresh diced tomato, avocado, cilantro, black olives and jalepeno (if you like the heat).  Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Warm, filling, and just a bit spicy...perfect for a cold winter's night!

Here are a few more items for your grocery list :
(I'm trying to stay ahead of you so you don't have to go to the store too often!)

Bulgar wheat (easy to find...it's in a bin in the bulk section of your grocery store)
parsley (buy fresh, in the produce dept., not dried, in the spice section)
lemon juice (if you don't already have it on hand)
tomato, cucumber, onion (if you need to replenish)
store-bought sushi (brown rice and veggie, usually cucumber, carrot and avocado)
any other staples you need to replenish ("milk," olive oil, nuts, dried fruit, oats, sprouted bread, sprouted rice, whole-grain pita, black beans, lettuce, fresh fruit, etc.)

For your fresh fruit, pick up some oranges and grapefruit, which are in season right now.  Jeff and I tried kumquaterines (kumquat crossed with a tangerine).  Wow!  What a vibrant, juicy, kick of citrus that was!  Made my whole mouth come alive.  Also, kale and cauliflower are in season, as are all the root vegetables.  We'll be having a couple dishes based on those veggies, so if you want to buy some now go ahead because they store well (parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potato, yam, carrots, beets, potatoes).