Quinoa Salad & a 3 Day Cleanse

Somewhat symbolically, with the beginning of the new year, the Hubs & I decided to try a cleanse.  I say “somewhat” symbolic, because it was really more about trying to get our systems back in check after consuming massive amounts of holiday food.  The sis-in-law told us about the 10 Day Water Cleanse, but she also mentioned that her brother in law broke down crying after being on it for 7 days.  Umm… no thanks.

Instead, we opted to go with the 3-Day Jumpstart Cleanse, because, well…it’s only 3 days.  I am far less likely to give up something that’s only 3 days.  And it seemed pretty simple too: protein shake in the morning,  some probiotics & vitamins throughout the day, and you only have to give up caffeine, gluten, dairy, processed sugar, and booze.  I can live without those for 3 days.

Prebiotic protein shake: blueberries, almond milk, banana, kale, protein powder, & apple cider vinegar.

However, the tricky thing about eating is what you’re allowed to eat together.  Fruits & veggies you can have any time, but you’re not allowed to have animal protein, grains, or legumes together.  That may sound like no biggee at first, but it poses a big challenge when you’re planning a meal…especially when you throw those other rules in there. 

“Glazed chicken wings with peas! Wait…are peas legumes?  And wait, we can’t glaze wings, because of the sugar… Okay, side of corn w/dry rub wings? Wait…is corn a grain?  What does it say about starches?  Does it count potatoes as a veggie?  How about tuna salad…wait, no, there’s sugar in the mayo…”

“I’m craving sweets…how about a microwave oatmeal muffin?  Wait…no…can’t have the brown sugar, and can’t combine egg (animal protein) and oats (grains)…. are oats even gluten free?  UGHHH…”

My first day of the cleanse, I was completely ill-prepared.  I ended up taking a hard boiled egg, some edamame, and raw veggies for lunch.  For dinner, we did grilled chicken & steamed broccoli…and were then pretty well worthless all day because of how few carbs we’d taken in during the day.

Now, on Day 3, here’s what I threw together for lunch, so we could make up for some missing carbs.

This is a twist on my salsa rice recipe, but I used quinoa to get more protein & be more filling, since I couldn’t use beans & grains together.

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1/4 onion, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

14 oz can tomatoes & green chilis

1 handful cilantro, chopped

Corn, removed from 1 ear

1/2 avocado, chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

chili powder, cumin & paprika to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the water & quinoa in a pot & bring it to a boil.  Add the diced onion and the garlic powder, cover, and reduce the temperature to simmer & let cook for 15-20 minutes.

When the quinoa is fully cooked, add the remaining ingredients & mix well to combine. 

Then, voila, you’re done!  Healthy, delicious, and super easy!  I love all the colors!

 

NutriFacts: (makes 4 servings)

Calories: 350

Fat: 8.3 g

Fiber: 8.4 g

Carbs: 60.3 g

Sodium: 358 mg

Protein: 11.7 g