The Mexico Diet: Week 4 - Adios!

 

The final week of The Mexico Diet has finally come, and I must say, it was a splendid last week. There were a lot of avocados - but that was to be expected. My dishes were excellent, and I did outdo myself more in my last week of this diet than I had in the previous weeks. I believe that's because I was going to miss, well, the avocados, and wanted to make the most of them while I still could. Knowing ahead of time what my future month's worth of food was going to consist of, I didn't feel too guilty in eating a few extra of my favorite fruit while I still could.

So let's get into all the yummy creations I had this last week.

Throughout the week I teetered on either having 1 plum for breakfast, or 2, or none. Generally I didn't eat any, and if I did, not until later in the morning. One late morning I actually incorporated a heavy cardio workout which I managed to get 8 and a half minutes into - though it was 20 total. I thought I might die from breathing so heavily.

Lunches were fairly simple, nothing too exciting, but the dinners were delicious.

No more plums after this week...and as much as I do like plums, I'm kinda ready to say "adios" to them.

One afternoon I spoiled myself with quite the fiesta of a lunch. Some pre-made home cooked turkey patties, with raw minced garlic on top, a Roma tomato and yellow bell pepper salad, with some homemade salsa as a topping... 

Zucchini Tomato Turkey Pasta

Tuesday evening, my dinner was fabulous and though it may seem complicated, it was actually ready within about 15 minutes or so...very simple and straight forward.


Ingredients:

4 cocktail tomatoes

2 zucchini 

3-4 cloves garlic

avocado oil 

1 beefsteak tomato

1 lb. 100% organic ground turkey 

salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Boil a pot of water

2. In a separate pan, heat avocado oil and add the garlic 

3. Stir until sauteed, add the turkey and stir 

4. Once water in pot has come to a boil, remove the stems of the cocktail tomatoes and add to the water 

5. In the pan with the turkey, add chopped up beefsteak tomato

 

6. Once the cocktail tomatoes are soft to the touch of a fork, turn burner off and drain the water

7. Take a potato masher and instantly mash the tomatoes, creating a sauce, adding salt to taste*

*this is a really cool trick I learned when I lived in Calabria! A little secret of mine, but highly useful and much healthier than canned tomato sauce

8. With a spilarizer machine, put the zucchini through, winding the motion to create spiral noodles 

9. Add the zucchini to the turkey mixture, and the tomato sauce as well - enjoy!

Lunch on another day was 1 Roma tomato, with 1 yellow bell pepper, a can of Albacore tuna in water and some pumpkin seeds with sunflower kernels...

Turkey Bites with Beans & Salsa

Sometimes, the most delicious things are truly by accident

Ingredients:

1/2 pound 100% organic ground turkey
1 can organic black beans 

1 can organic corn 

homemade salsa 

2 beefsteak tomatoes 

avocado oil 

salt to taste 

1 tbsp cayenne pepper 

1 tbsp paprika

3 cloves garlic, diced

4 Mexican green onions

Instructions:

1. Chop up the garlic and onion, and add it to a cast iron skillet with avocado oil 

2. Once they are sauteed, add the turkey meat which has been previously round up into ball shapes 

3. Add salt to taste 

4. Cook on each side for approximately 5 minutes each, and then turn the heat down 

5. Add chopped tomatoes to the mixture, and the beans and corn 

9. Cook until  the tomatoes have evaporated, and you're satisfied with the internal temperature of the meat 

10. Serve with homemade green salsa on top.

My cheat day was pretty impressive. Though it started out basic, it did not end that way. I had intended on making my cheat this week to be sort of fly by the seat of my pants. Whatever I felt like I would have, but I wasn't going to organize it as I usually do. Now that I've done that, I'm never doing it again. I prefer having a plan and sticking to it because usually when I don't, then I'm scrambling to figure out what to do.

Before heading into work, I had coffee...with cream. And it was heaven. Always the best part of my day I must say. It makes the coffee taste worlds better. And I long for the diet I will be on in just over a month from now, when I can have milk in my coffee every day - as there are cows involved in that diet!

For breakfast, I had half a chocolate croissant and half of a large chocolate chip cookie. Followed by a small snack size bag of chips... it was a lovely start to my day.

Lunch was not really anything. I had a very bad day at work and I had lost my appetite early on, so I wasn't hungry until about 4 o'clock, at which point I finished the croissant and cookie when I became famished.

After work, I stopped to get some ice cream for later, but couldn't resist snagging a polish dog with mustard and pickles...and oh my gosh. That so hit the spot.

I ran a ton of errands that evening and didn't get home until about 9 pm, and brought myself and my friend who lives upstairs in my apartment complex, some pizza. It was also quite heavenly...

This pizza place in town that I discovered several weeks ago is like the best ever, and I love to throw them my business. Not only are the pizzas amazing, but so is the staff and the service.

Dessert was the ice cream I'd mentioned earlier...with a chocolate brownie thrown in for good measure. It was an amazing end, to my very satisfying cheat day...

The end of the day is always the hardest, because I know I won't be allowed to indulge for another 2 weeks. But it's okay. Honestly, eating healthy 2 weeks in a row is so much better. I feel better, I look better and I am better for it.

The weekend was the finale of the show for Mexico. I went all out and created a few new recipes which were amazing, if I do say so myself.

Zucchini Meatballs with Avocado Dip and Salsa

Okay, I'm just going to say it. If you have not tried any of my other recipes yet, this is the one you need to make. Honestly, this is most likely the best thing I've made, at least on this diet. This dish was absolutely incredible, and I'm so pleased with myself for having come up with it. The dip is out of this world phenomenal, and who cares if it's fattening? It's amazingly delicious, and you will love every bite of this.

Ingredients:

4-5 large rip avocados 

Homemade salsa 

4 heads of garlic (unpeeled) 

salt to taste 

avocado oil 

1/2 lb. 100% organic ground turkey 

2 zucchini
4-5 cocktail tomatoes

1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Line a pan with tin foil and place the heads of garlic on top, adding a generous amount of avocado oil

2. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes (or until the garlic becomes golden)

3. Remove the pan from the oven and let the garlic cool (approximately 30-40 minutes) 

4. In a cast iron skillet add avocado oil and heat 

5. Round the turkey into the tiniest balls, place in the cast iron skillet 

 

 

6. Peel the zucchini into thin strips

7. Once the turkey is finished cooking, place two strips of zucchini next to each other, and one of the balls of turkey in the center; gradually roll the zucchini 

8. In a pot, boil water

9. Once boiled, add cocktail tomatoes without the stems

10. Once the cocktail tomatoes are soft to the touch with a fork, drain the water and smash them with a potato masher

11. Add salt to taste

12. In a baking dish (similar to what you would use to make brownies in), add the tomato sauce

13. Add the zucchini balls on top of the sauce 

 

14. Place in oven at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes 

15. While the zucchini is baking, in a food processor add the garlic, after you've removed all of it from it's skin 

16. Slice up all the avocados, removing the seeds and add them to the food processor as well 

17. Add the juice from 1 lemon and salt to taste 

18. Press the "pulse" button several times until chunks form, then set to "low"

Behold the most delicious dip ever created... 

19. Once the zucchini meatballs are finished, on a plate place the avocado dip, followed by the zucchini meatballs and add some homemade salsa on top.

Seriously, no joke, I deserve a round of applause for this one... 

For dinner Saturday night, I made grouper again, because well, I love it.

And Sunday, the last day of The Mexico Diet... 

I had neglected to buy anything for breakfast, so I ended up having a few pumpkin seeds and sunflower kernels before I raced out the door for church.

Lunch was leftover from the day before...the avocado dip with zucchini meatballs. But dinner was another delicious affair. Not that I hadn't had this before, but it was nice to have it as a send off...

It may not look like much, but oh man, is it delicious. A can of Albacore tuna in water, mixed together with the remaining avocado dip from the day before, 1 yellow bell pepper, some salt, 4 green onions, 3 cloves of diced garlic, a squeeze of lemon, 1 can of organic corn and that is it! Perfection!

I ended my evening with a little bit of popcorn and a beer. As, I'm not going to be having any of that on my next diet.

I have enjoyed The Mexico Diet very much, but will not be missing the fattiness of it. I can't wait to start tomorrow's adventure, and I hope you will all join me in finding out what and "where" in the world I will be eating next...


“The end of something is better than its beginning. Patience is better than pride.” - Ecclesiastes 7:8