Day 20 - It's All a Blur

DAY TWENTY

• Pre/Post Workout snack: Purple Yam
• Workout: Teach Turbo Kick (1 hour)
• Lunch: Black Tofu salad with stir fry Cauli Mushroom
• Dinner: Quinoa with stir fry veggie
• Snack: Purple Yam

Recap

Weekend was another whirlwind of a day. Ran off to teach Turbo Kick in the morning, had my workout snack/breakfast, lunch, then off to the airport. I was prepared though, I packed up dinner and snack. I wasn't about to loose it just when it's so close to the finish line. I noticed that I could eat a lot of quinoa. Not in a sitting, but if I do eat slowly, between me and Andy, we could finish 1 cup of uncooked quinoa that was made into a meal.  At the airport, Andy bought Orange Chicken and Veggie Chow Mein from Panda Express. Yes there is tons of oil in the chow mein but I was curious nonetheless. I took a tiny bite of the noodles.... and WOW!! Whoa!! Salty, oily, strong taste! It's amazing how my palate becomes even more sensitive over 21 days of eating very lean and clean. Kewl! :)

Starting the day

Breakfast was none existence today. I skipped it to pre and post workout snack. I had a really good strong, high energy class and that pumped me up! Adrenaline still rushing, endorphin flowing, and I felt good.  For lunch, I was finishing the black tofu with my salad, just adding more substance into it i.e. mushrooms and cauliflower.

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Not long after lunch it was time to prepare dinner. Since we were packing it to the airport while waiting for Andy's flight to Singapore that night, I chose to make quinoa.  The way I have been preparing quinoa is as one-pot meal. Very simple and practical. Perfect for "picnic" food. So Quinoa with stir fry veggie and mushrooms, which then Andy could eat as main dish, while he indulge with Orange Chicken on the side (not pictured!).

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We also had purple yam as snack. You know how it is waiting at the airport. Having that and coffee, satisfy our habitual needs to buy snacks.

On to day 21. Told you it was fast....

Day 19 - TGI Last Friday of Ultimate Reset!!

DAY NINETEEN

• Breakfast: Cinnapple Berry Quinoa (with kiwi)
• Lunch: Lunch was Cilantro Garlic Quinoa with sides of Veggie Stir Fry
• Snack: Green Juice
• Workout: Teach Turbo Kick (1.5 hour) + 15 min Body Combat practice
  
• Snack: Purple Yam
• Dinner: Sprouted Organic Black Soybean tofu over bed of Spinach + Garlic Lemon dressing (homemade) & Black Beans

Recap

Friday! I decided to take a break from my friends TurboKray class considering I was supposed to "take it easy" with my workout. Plus my back was still bothering me a little so I took all the rest I could. Breakfast was delish. I totally can go on with quinoa and berries as breakfast (that and soft boiled egg whites that is) after this Reset. Nothing much going on except chillin' out with Andy at home the whole afternoon, until time to teach at 6:30p. My back was all right by then, I had plenty of energy, in fact I could not wait to exercise. At the end of the day, all I felt like eating was something small and refreshing. I wasn't that hungry thanks to the post workout snack. My last of the day ended up not being so small after all (packing lots of spinach on my plate), but it was something different and refreshing.

Starting the day...

Excited. It's Friday and I was nearing the end of the Reset. Not that I didn't enjoy the ride, which I do, a lot, it is the sense of accomplishment that's waiting on Sunday. Well, for now, concentrate on the day. Breakfast was sweet success. Adding more soymilk to the breakfast quinoa and using the finally ripened kiwis and strawberries.

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The nice thing about waking up late is lunch time came by fast. Time to do fridge clean up. I thought about doing soup, but the day progressively getting warmer, so I decided on making Veggie Stir Fry and cooked my quinoa with cilantro and garlic. 

I made green juice again to sip throughout the day and prepared Purple Yam for post workout snack. The combination has been working well for me the past 3 weeks now.

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You would think that I need a big dinner after workout so hard these past few days, but on the contrary, I was only feeling something refreshing for meal. May be it's the warm evening, but a simple salad of black tofu and black bean over spinach, drizzled with homemade Lemon Garlic dressings (just half a teaspoon, really) was more than enough. I ate so much spinach that night I could feel them on my teeth.

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Time to hit the sack. On to day 20!.....

Day 18 - Sweet Quinoa for Breakfast

DAY EIGHTEEN

• Breakfast: Cinnaple Berry Quinoa
• Snack: Green Juice
• Lunch: Mediterranean Veggie Stir Fry + Green Cauli soup leftover
• Workout: Teach Turbo Kick (1 hour)
• Post Snack: Purple Yam
• Dinner: Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup

Recap

Back was much better as the day progressed. Still taking it easy although that didn't mean I was about to let the class hanging. Changing the menu of the day, inspired by a recipe on SparkPeople website for quinoa. Yes, still curious about quinoa.
Three more days to the end of the Ultimate Reset, my weight looks stable after losing 6 pounds. Body fat still at the same percentage, but relative to the weight loss, I know I'm losing fat too. I can see it in the mirror.  But I'm holding back and still waiting until the last day of the reset to try on that pair of jeans that has been stored waaaaay back in my closet.

Starting the day...

So excited to try something new in the kitchen. Savory, spicy, now sweet! Quinoa for breakfast, cooked somewhat like we do oatmeal. Enjoying the result.

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I don't want to overkill posting the green juice on the blog. Yep, that's the same green color liquid in a shaker cup. Ooooh, different angle... Uh uh. Suffice to say by now you should know what it looks like just by reading the description. Oh and know that's it is healthy and good for you as it is tasty (as green juice goes).

So lunch time came, and no, I don't want to serve quinoa again, and hold off on making soup until I finished this green soup. What I haven't served so far is highlight a stir fry on its own. No sides, no quinoa. Just on its own.Rummaging through the pantry for spices I decided on cumin. Other than adding salt and pepper, something about cumin in this stir fry just didn't need other additional spices. May be a dash of cayenne just for a little heat.

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Dinner. Stocked up with new supply of unsweetened soymilk, I happily made my favorite: mushroom soup! Only this time I ran out of Shitake mushrooms... oh for sheez...  I settled with white mushrooms. Humble white mushrooms don't have the strong earthy flavor of Shitake. So this called for companions in the pot. I figured it was time to start cleaning out the fridge anyway with three more days to the end of the Reset. In all kinds of veggies, except carrots and tomato.

I wish I had more room in my stomach for another bowl, unfortunately I think the reset has shrunk my belly and ability to eat a lot at once.  Andy loved it! Of course, I added chunks of rotisserie chicken to his bowl. Still without the chicken, it's creamy and tasty already. All those vegetables and fibers would make you full and satisfied.

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It was our fault to stay up later than we should. Dinner was more than enough, and we should have been in bed 3 hours ago. Had we not started feeling hungry again we would probably still be up. On to day 19....

Day 17 - Nothing like an Owie to Keep the Appetite Away

DAY SEVENTEEN

• Breakfast: Veggie Juice
• Workout: Teaching Turbo Kick (1 hour)
• Post Workout Snack: Purple Yam
• Lunch: Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
• Snack: Veggie Juice
• Dinner: Berry Spinach Salad

Recap

The day started bright with my favorite class of the week, then BOOM! I felt intense soreness on my lower right back. It could be from several things. First, I might be overusing my body - but I had done worse with no adverse effect. Two, and most likely was from squatting and lifting heavy planter pots the day before - I was doing some mobile gardening and was replanting some herbs and orchids. Third, in a remote possibility of an accumulation of misalignment of my body from compensating during my exercises.

Whatever it is, I normally would hold it and rest. But considering my current routine, I could not let this slide and went for a massage immediately. It was oooooooohhhh.... so good!

By evening, the kinks were almost gone spare for little stiffness. I made quick toss of a salad and just sat back relax in the couch, lifting my legs enjoying dinner over some old flix.

Starting the day...

Like I mentioned, green juice and packed a small purple yam for the road. You see how much we live this groovy colored yam (or sweet potato - I decided to give in and called it "yam" even if it's a misnomer). It's compact, more dense than its cousins, and has that earthy sweetness that just hit the spot!

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I added grated coconut in the juice. If you like having little tease bites in your juice, try it.

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Not really experimenting with lunch, but with my lower back screaming, I simply blended some saved cauliflower stalks with soymilk and made a quick mushroom soup with spinach. This is just a variation of the green cauli soup, only with different type of mushrooms.

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I wanted something refreshing for dinner. Something I could eat slowly and enjoying each bite. If you don't realize yet, I eat my salad with chopsticks. So that works grandly. Chop chop and toss, and I sat deep in the couch picking into the salad mix bowl with chopsticks.

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On to day 18...

Vegan Mushroom Soup

Soy-based Soup
The first time I heard about using soymilk as soup base, I was not convinced. I grew up accustomed to the taste of soymilk cold and a bit sweet or as dessert (i.e. hot soft tofu pudding at dim sum). So to imagine it as ingredients for savory dish is rather hard. Until I tried it then it made sense.

Using unsweetened soymilk, the result was a light creamy soup, flavorful even without the addition of extra spices. For people who are used to eat tofu, the soup would be rich enough and this would be a pleasant experience. Even for others who are more used to a heavier taste, they should still be able to taste the soy undertone in the soup.

For this recipe, I'm using regular white mushroom, and a mix of vegetable - what ever I currently have in the fridge (except carrots - it would make the soup too sweet). You can do the same too.  Veggie soup - in all kinds of ways - is always the best fridge clean-out.

Vegan Mushroom Soup

Serve 2
Total time: under 30 minutes

• *4 cups unsweetened soymilk
• 5 large white mushrooms - chopped
• 1 cup cauliflower - small florets
• 1/2 cup onion - diced
• 1 stalks celery - diced or sliced long at diagonal
• 1 cup zuchini - chopped
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• a handful of spinach - rough chopped
• a few sprigs of cilantro - rough chopped or just use the leaves
• 1 tsp Italian herb
• Himalayan salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp EVOO or olive oil spray

1. On medium-high heat, sweat the onions along with cauliflower and mushrooms. Toss around until the mushrooms and cauliflower is semi cooked.
2. Add celery, zucchini, corn and toss them all for a couple more minutes then pour in soymilk.
3. Add Italian herb, salt and pepper.
   *Since the amount of salt and pepper is to taste, you can add water or more soymilk if the liquid is not enough.
4. Bring to boil, then immediately lower the heat to medium low. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
5. When it starts to boil again, add in spinach. Stir until spinach is cooked the turn off heat.
6. Serve immediately, garnish with cilantro.