Last Day

Today is the last day of the Daniel Fast. As I sort-of told you before, this is a spiritually-driven fast that models after Daniel (of the Old Testament, chapter 1 and 10). Basically it's an opportunity to deny yourself of indulgences like sweets, breads, animal products, artificial ingredients (yes, they are indulgences only when you realize how many good foods have them), and preservatives...and fill those voids with prayer and discipline.

It's been a good journey; spiritually, physically, and mentally. I have some more clarity on the future, lost a couple pounds, and have had my eyes opened to the ridiculousness of the food industry (particularly the degree of removal regarding Where Our Food Comes From). I made every breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the past 21 days from scratch. I learned I have more discipline than I thought, and can actually overcome hunger pangs without eating. And after slowly decreasing my intake over the span of the fast, *gasp* I gave up coffee for 10 days.

Tomorrow I will be getting up early, purchasing a cup of coffee from Starbucks, getting work done in lightning speed (thank you, caffeine), teaching a quick class at 8AM then meeting my hubby for a Breakfast of Gargantuan Proportions at our favorite local diner. mmm...

Highlights

White bean, kale, and turnip soup

100% Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce
Sauteed mushrooms and spinach (sauce is balsamic vinegar and Bragg's liquid aminos)
Fresh tropical fruit salsa
Curried squash and apple soup with corn-bran muffins
Date honey. Tastes like the inside of a cinnamon roll.
Flour-free cookies sweetened with date honey and applesauce

Chili with corn "muffins" (In quotation marks because they fell apart)

Balsamic roasted veggies (Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, red onion)
Our fast ends tomorrow. I am absolutely dying to have coffee, but overall it's been a great experience. Would definitely recommend this to friends.

Mango Ice Cream

Get your blender out. Blend frozen mango chunks till smooth. Enjoy.

Day 5

In a moment of indecisiveness last night I whipped a quick dinner together of completely opposing tastes: Vegetable Fried Rice and Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The rice was flavored with Bragg's Liquid Aminos. This stuff tastes almost exactly like soy sauce, but does not contain the added salt and preservatives that soy sauce has. And like soy sauce, if you add too much then it will be really salty-tasting. Oops.

And then. The Brussels Sprouts. THE brussels sprouts. They were amazing. Roasted with salt, pepper, olive oil and quality balsamic vinegar (made at the Olive Mill in Geneva, IL), these babies were like eating candy. And who can say this about brussels sprouts? We can. Go. Try them. Now.

Today I had more than my fill of refried beans and pistachios (eaten separately) so I wasn't too hungry for dinner.

I made this delicious Salad.

And I am making Lentil Stew to freeze and eat leftover.

Day 4

Day 2 dinner: Potato Curry. One of the best curries I've made.

Day 3 was eventful, what with a blizzard that dropped ~15 inches of snow on our property. Dinner was Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers. Not bad! We ate pistachios for a night time snack. I had wrongfully thought I was allergic to them, and was delighted to find I was not!

Day 4 has already included a snack of Baked Yam Fries w/side of Balsamic Vinegar, and will undoubtedly also include a lunch Salad.

Our buddies are coming over for dinner, so I'm making a Black Bean Chili Bake. I'll be changing the recipe slightly, and adding a bunch of taco-like toppings to have on the side. And, because we love our friends and don't expect them to adhere to this extremism, I will be sure to offer them some cheese :-)

And I really crave chocolate, chinese food, and cheese.

Day 2

Good afternoon.

Today is a bit harder regarding the Daniel Fast. By "harder" I simply mean that I don't feel swell, and when you don't feel swell it's hard to want to make healthy choices. I ended up having an allergic reaction to my granola (I'm allergic to certain raw nuts and fruit). So last night I took Benadryl, and woke up this morning feeling extremely groggy, fatigued and slightly grumpy. I don't think this is a by-product of the fast, but rather of the medicine. I'm a bit bummed because now I've felt weak and tired all day. I was so looking forward to feeling amazing due to eating such healthy food. :-)

Ah well. Move on.

I had the same oats and fruit for breakfast. For a snack, I ate a fresh tropical fruit salsa from Whole Foods with Whole Foods' version of triscuits (which has only two ingredients: whole wheat and salt). And thus, I bought 3 boxes of said triscuits, because we can eat them with hommus, guacamole, salsa, put in soups and eat by themselves. A piece of heaven for my carb-loving-self.

And for lunch, leftover barley vegetable stew from last night.

See you again soon.

Baked Apples and Granola

To continue my documentation of how culture-saturated, cheese-bread-and-meat-loving, on-the-go-foodies can manage the Daniel Fast, I will share with you the scrumptious dessert we just enjoyed. Mine is still hot on the plate beside me. Well, it was.

Baked Apples and Granola

1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup water
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 T fresh apple juice
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

(You may add raisins, coconut, and anything else that sounds tasty)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

In saucepan, heat liquids, cherries, and spices. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Bake on cookie sheet with oven at 375, stirring in 3 minute increments until dry.

*Apples*

Two Apples(+), cored and sliced

3/4 cup fresh apple juice

2 t cinnamon

Combine the cinnamon and juice, pour over arranged apples in baking dish. Bake 375 degrees for approx. 20-25 minutes.

If desired, sprinkle granola atop apples, bake a few extra minutes.

Daniel Fast Day 1

Today is day 1 of a special fast my husband and I are doing. It's called the Daniel Fast, and it's basically a vegan diet with other restrictions (i.e. no sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients, beverages other than water).

Yes. You can call us crazy. I think we are.

We have chosen to do this on our own free will, but the reasons are out of spiritual obedience. It's an opportunity to allow God's creation to sustain us the way it was originally intended to, and also a time for us to seek His will, be challenged in discipline and self-denial, and who knows what else.

Therefore, I will be doing the bulk of my reflecting on my own aside from this blog, but for those who are interested, I will periodically post some of the recipes we've tried.

For breakfast I had steel-cut oats with strawberries and blueberries. I added the fruit at the end of the cooking when the oats were still in the pot, making the flavor of the whole quite sweet.

Here's what we had for lunch:

Southwest Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Leafy Greens

Tomatoes, sliced

Red Peppers, chopped

1 can corn, rinsed

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 avocado, sliced

1/8 cup onion, sliced

*Dressing*

1 lime, juiced and zested

3 T fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T brown mustard

Dash of pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, chili powder (I just threw in whatever sounded good)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

We also made a huge batch of apple sauce, using a whole bag of red delicious apples. And the new potato masher my mother-in-law gave for Christmas.

My husband is dying of hunger. I, on the other hand, am quite content. We'll see how the tables turn as the days go on!