The Mexico Diet: Week 1
Welcome to week 1 of The Mexico Diet! It was a successful first week, and when I say successful, I mean, delicious. It's funny because when we think of Mexican food, we think of pretty much all of the things I've been eating this week, except the most important part - the chips and tortillas.
That's not to say that the foods I've been eating haven't been delicious, because they have been, it's just that that filler isn't there - the chips and the tortillas. But that's also not to say that beans aren't filling...because they really are.
So let me break down for you what I ate during week 1 of this diet, and let you in on all the creative recipes, and some not-so-creative recipes I came up with.
Day 1:
Because the foods that are native to Mexico are so limited, and because the fruits that grow native on that land are primarily ones I've never heard of, let alone can get at Whole Foods, I'm super duper limited as to what I can eat for breakfast in the morning. Let's not forget too, chickens aren't native to Mexico, therefore I can't eat eggs. I can't eat sausage, because pigs aren't native to Mexico, and I also can't eat bananas, oranges, grapefruit, etc. because none of those things are native to Mexico either.
No nuts either. Yes, pecans. But as I suspected, I do not like them. I bought just a few to try and had them on the first day of the diet, tried two of them and then gifted the rest to my front staff - I really dislike them.
So no nuts. Well, what is there?
Plums, papayas and dragon fruit. Now, when I hear papaya there is only one thing I can think of, and probably will only think of for the rest of my life. Years ago, 2012 to be exact, I went to Zurich with my ex-boyfriend for new year's eve and we stayed with some friends of his. A German guy in the group showed us a video on YouTube, and it has been forever etched in my brain...
I picked out a dragon fruit at Whole Foods, and wanted to try it before buying more. When I took it up to the register, my heart nearly stopped.
"How...much...is the dragon fruit?" My eyes half way out of my skull.
"$11.34," she responded. Telling me that it was $6.99 per pound and that the one I'd picked out was a pound and a quarter.
"I think we're going to have to wait with that one," I smiled, and she understood. "That's a bit of a luxury item...when a piece of fruit costs more than a pound of meat."
So now I was one less fruit down.
Luckily papayas were available at Aldi, and at a fair price, while the plums I picked up at Whole Foods may not be the exact type that grow in Mexico, they'll do.
So for breakfast the first morning, I had a plum. The papaya I'd sliced up and taken to work with me was rotten ... so that meant I literally had a plum for breakfast.
Lunch was something I'd been looking forward to. A classic lunch of mine that I've been making for years, but haven't had in months because of the different diets I've been on. Very healthy and very low cal. I started making this when I lived in Italy, and the only difference to how I normally make it, is instead of olive oil, I used avocado oil. It's simply one bell pepper (I'm partial to yellow) and two roma tomatoes with a little salt and oil. Boom. You have lunch.
Since nuts are no longer an option, what I can eat are pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (in this case sunflower kernels - not really sure what the difference is). And since tuna is on my list of acceptable fish, I happened to have a can of Albacore tuna in water...
Dinner didn't happen until much later that evening after I got home. I did however get to drink a beer while I was at the salon because...it's on the diet. But before I get to dinner, first, let's acknowledge the splendor which is my hair.
After I told everyone on Instagram about how happy I was with my new hair style and with the new diet I was on, I decided it was important to eat something a little more substantial than what I'd had all day. After all. Let's recap. All I'd had was a plum, 1 bell pepper and two tomatoes, a few seeds and 2/3 of a can of tuna in water. Not exactly running a marathon material...but then again I'm just sitting in a chair all day.
My dinner was quite good, although I would normally not have baked the tuna I think. This is a dish I've been making for quite some time, and I absolutely love it. It's super easy to make, it's delicious and there are different variations on how I make it.
Ingredients:
2 medium sized avocados
1/3 can organic corn (or cooked corn on the cob, shaved)
salt to taste
2 cloves garlic
(normally I would never use green onion, but instead red onion, but because I'm only allowed the green, I will force myself to be happy with this)
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Slice avocados right down the center, and be careful not to damage the skin
4. mix together thoroughly
5. Scoop the mixture back into the avocado skins
6. On a baking sheet, place tin foil, and place the avocado boats neatly on top
Well, day 2 was just as exciting let's say as the first day but with something a little bit different by the end. Breakfast was some sliced papaya which I didn't finish. They are okay...but not my favorite. They remind me a lot of cantaloupe, which I am not a fan of.
Lunch was the same as the day before, minus the tuna, which was just a bell pepper and two Roma tomatoes with some salt and oil.
If I get hungry in the middle of the day and I'm desperate for a snack, I force myself to nibble on the pumpkin seeds and the sunflower kernels. I know it doesn't sound like much but...that's because it's not.
Dinner, though. Yum. I was kind of in heaven with dinner. It was nice to have some carbs and yes, I had beans.
This was seriously delicious. You must try it.
1 can organic kidney beans (it's better to make them from scratch but I was in a hurry that evening)
1 pound organic ground turkey
6 cloves garlic
generous amount of 100% organic avocado oil
1 Roma tomato (or any kind of tomato you prefer)
salt to taste
3 limes
1 lemon (optional)
Instructions:
1. Heat a pan with avocado oil and add 5 green onions (including scallions) and 4 cloves diced garlic
2. Continue to stir frequently until sauteed thoroughly
3. Add kidney beans, corn and 1 tomato
4. Continue to cook until the beans are fairly soft; add cayenne pepper, paprika and salt
5. Once you see that the color has shifted to a deep red and all the ingredients are sufficiently soft, remove from pan
6. Using the same pan, add more avocado oil and add the ground turkey
7. Once you've cooked the turkey to a medium level, turn the heat down and cook slowly
8. While the turkey is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the remaining garlic (diced), and the remaining green onions (diced), with the juice from 1 lime, the avocados and salt to taste
9. Mush together, creating guacamole
10. Continue to stir the turkey until it is cooked thoroughly at a nice medium brown color, and add the bean mixture to the turkey (if you are like me and can't handle spice - and this was quite spicy for me - you will need to cut the heat with some citrus, so take the juice of the limes and possibly lemon to help with that heat)
11. Cook on low for approximately 5 minutes until all ingredients are cooked together nicely.
12. Serve the bean mixture with a couple of dollops of guacamole on top and a dash of paprika for color; drink a beer with it, because you are allowed. ;) Enjoy.
So let me begin by saying that last week I started lifting weights in my office during my down time. A little bit at a time, and I only did it once a day, every other day. My colleague who is apparently a licensed certified trainer, showed me a couple of exercises I could do. What I like is that I can do it at my pace. It might not be very much, but something is better than nothing.
That having been said, Tuesday, the exercise mat that I'd ordered online arrived, and I brought it to work with me on Wednesday to elevate my level of movement even more. So, instead of just lifting weights, I can do push-ups, sit-ups and some stretches. I think it was worth the investment. And with the start of the new diet, I also began doing my exercises every day. Which, I'm very pleased with myself for having done.
A lot of people might not be able to notice a difference - but I already see it. And I'm excited. Which makes me want to do those exercises all the more.
But getting back to the food.
Breakfast: 2 plums
Lunch: The standard bell pepper and tomato salad with pumpkin seeds and sunflower kernels
Dinner: Leftovers from the night before without the guacamole...instead some chopped up Romaine lettuce
Day 4:
Breakfast: 2 plums
Lunch: The night before I prepared everything. I actually soaked pinto beans
overnight on Monday, and then cooked them on Tuesday evening after
worked. To cook them, all I did was add the necessary amount of water
and couple of cloves of garlic. I then turned them into refried beans
by first draining the water, then putting them back on the stove, adding
some avocado oil, and turning the heat up on high as I stirred. It
seemed to work well!
Even still they went with the beans for lunch.
Ingredients:
2 bell peppers (preferably one yellow, 1 orange)
1 stalk of corn on the cob, boiled, shaved
salt to taste
2 Mexican green onions
3-4 tbsp avocado oil
2 Roma tomatoes (firm)
Instructions:
Dice up everything, make sure it's washed and mix it together. It's seriously that easy. I also made some popcorn on the stove with sunflower seed oil for popping and I was in heaven! I would say that I should have remembered that I do not like tomatoes and fish together, and so the tuna was a big mistake on my part. Otherwise the salad was delicious and I would definitely recommend it as a healthy alternative to beans.
Before I begin on Day 5, let me tell you about what I stumbled upon next door to where I work: an authentic Mexican store! So, after talking to the owner on Monday, he offered to order me some dragon fruit (at a much lower cost than Whole Foods, though still not cheap), and I also snagged some Mexican green onion while I was there. That's what I will be using from now on...
Day 5:
Breakfast: dragon fruit and a plum
Nope. Never having dragon fruit again. I did not care for it. And shared the remaining pieces with my colleagues, as I was good. It's not that dragon fruit is bad...it's just not very flavorful. Pretty bland... It's basically like if kiwi had no sweetness to it. That's what it would taste like. Including the texture.
So I guess it's plums from here on out for my breakfasts...
Lunch: Wanna guess? I'll let you guess....
That's right...more pepper and tomato salad... mmmmm....
Dinner:
Refried Bean & Turkey Fry-Up
Ingredients:
Left over refried beans
Avocado oil
1 lb. ground turkey
2 Mexican green onions
1 can black beans (you should make them yourself, but I was in a hurry)
1 can organic corn
1 Roma tomato (or any kind you like)
salt to taste
2 tsp paprika
1 heart of Romaine lettuce
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, add the leftover refried beans and start reheating them
2. In a cast iron skillet add avocado oil, diced Mexican green onions and diced garlic; stir altogether until sufficiently satueed
3. Add ground turkey
4. Stir altogether until completely cooked
5. Transfer turkey mixture to the pot with the refried beans
6. Add black beans, corn, tomato (diced), salt and paprika
7. Stir and keep on high- medium heat until completely cooked and the beans are soft
8. Serve with green onions and diced head lettuce on top
It was a beautiful start to my day...I slept until noon, which I haven't done in probably more than 10 years. I sort of skipped breakfast, and went straight to the pool to soak up the rays.
After I came home, I ate a plum, and worked on some other things until I whipped up some lunch a little bit later in the afternoon.
Bell Pepper Tomato Salad with avocado, a little salt and a little avocado oil and it was super filling.
Dinner was leftovers from the night before
Day 7:
Surprisingly, the last day of the first week was remarkably light. I had my black coffee first thing (which I forgot to mention, yes, I drink black coffee each morning - no milk, it's sad) and then went to church. After church I came home and had a plum on the go, followed by some more pool time.
Lunch was a new adventure: Swordfish. Now, I have to admit, the guys at the seafood department at Whole Foods were correct - it does have a texture similar to chicken. And even tastes similar to chicken. This was a first for me, so I tried to follow a YouTube tutorial on how to make it. While it turned out fine, and it was light and tasty, it's not something I'm inclined to make again in the future.
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
5 tomatillos
5 green onions (or Mexican green onions)
2 beefsteak tomatoes
salt to taste
1 lime
Instructions:
1. Dice all ingredients after washing
2. Place everything into a food processor including juice from 1 lime
3. Pulse about a dozen times before changing setting to "low" then pulse again until chunky but still just smooth enough.
It's delicious, I can't say that enough times
1 lime
1. Devein the shrimp, and wash before cooking
2. Heat the stove and place the shrimp in a pan with avocado oil; cook until one side starts to turn pink
3. add the garlic and juice from lime, then flip the shrimp
4. add the tequila then add the paprika and salt
5. With a spiralizer, turn zucchini into noodles
6. Once the shrimp looks to be almost cooked completely, add the zucchini noodles to the pan, and stir until they are soft and the shrimp is completely cooked
7. Serve with some of the salsa verde on top!
The next day would be the start of Week 2, and I already had new items on the menu. Make sure to stay tuned to see what creations I will be coming up with the second week of The Mexico Diet - I can't wait!
"Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God." - Romans 14:6
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