You made it through the first three days! Great job, you should be so proud of yourself!! The next few days we will begin incorporating exercise.

Journaling: I think journaling is so incredibly important. It gives us a perspective where we can be vulnerable and honest about how we are feeling on the inside. Make sure to log each day what you are eating, how you are feeling and if you are noticing any changes. I also recommend logging how much water you are drinking each day and whatever exercise you are doing.

Pictures and measurements: Make sure to do an updated picture and measurements on days 4 and 7. Do a side-by-side comparison to see if there are any differences or changes. I would love for you to share them on the Facebook group. If you are not part of the Facebook Group for this event, email me at [email protected] or find me on Facebook and I will get you added.

Remember to try to stick as close to the plan and recipes as possible.

Morning Beverage

You can now start using heavy cream or half n half if you choose. Stay away from store bought creamers. You can make your own creamers if you would prefer creamer over milk and sugar. Try using unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk or oatmilk.

Feel free to drink any coffee, tea, any no sugar added protein shakes, or smoothie.

If you are taking Lean, make sure to take your two before breakfast.

Water: Reminder to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. If you are using hydrate, energized or fit, that counts as part of your water intake.

Breakfast

Try eating breakfast between 6-9am.

Choose one of the following each day for 4 days.

• Veggie omelet:
  • Start by sauteing whichever veggies you want to add to your omelet. My favorites are bell pepper, onion, spinach and jalapeno. Cook them in avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.
    • If you scored the highest in category A on the Hormone Quiz (your primary hormone symptom is weight gain), make sure to add onions (either yellow, white or sweet onion) and cayenne seasoning. These aid with burning visceral fat and reduce appetite. You can also add onion powder to produce the same effect.
    • If you scored the highest in category B (primary hormone symptom is fatigue), try beets, arugula, spinach and parsley. These are high in nitrates which increase energy production. Garlic contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, immunomodulators and neuroprotectants. Needless to say, garlic is so powerful and also produces a boost in energy.
    • If you scored highest on category C (primary hormone symptoms is hot flashes), try adding cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc. I encourage you to google cruciferous veggies for an entire list. A squeeze of lemon is also a recommendation, as citrus fruits help with hot flashes and any menopausal or pre-menopausal symptoms. Turmeric is beneficial because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
    • If you scored highest on category D (brain fog), add basil and leafy greens
    • If you scored highest on category E (insomnia), try some chopped pistachios on top of your omelet. Pistachios are higher in melatonin than any other food, fungi, herb or spice.
  • In a bowl. whisk two eggs. Add them to your cooked veggies and cook for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat
  • Flip your omelet over and cook for 2 minutes. Fold the omelet in half and add from fresh mozzarella if you are wanting some cheese.
  • Top with sliced avocado and whichever seasonings you prefer. I personally love cayenne, salt and pepper
• Build your own smoothie:
  • 1/2-1 cup of your base – cold water, coconut water, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened hemp milk
  • 1/2-1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit
  • 1/2-1 cup of greens/veggies: spinach, kale or beets are my favorites
  • Add ins: protein powder, ashwagandha powder, sliced ginger, ground ginger, cacao powder, plain greek yogurt, raw honey, monk fruit, stevia leaf, carob powder, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond or cashew butter, natural no sugar added peanut butter, cayenne, turmeric, flax seed, chia
• Basic Oatmeal:
  • Ingredients:
    • 1/2 cup of gluten free old-fashioned oats
    • 1 cup of water
    • toppings of choice
  • Recipe:
    • Put water and oats in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it simmers. Make sure to stir so the oats don’t stick to the bottom. Turn to low, cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to continue to stir.
    • Top and enjoy!
• Carob Fig Balls: This recipe comes from the Hormone Healing Cookbook. This recipe is really good for those whose primary hormone symptoms are fatigue, hot flashes and insomnia.
  • Ingredients:
    • 1.5 cups of dried figs, stems removed
    • 1/2 cup of whole almonds
    • 1/3 cup of carob powder
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • optional – flour of choice for dusting
  • Recipe:
    • Place figs in a medium bowl, cover with hot water, and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.
    • Pulse the almonds in the food processor until they form a coarse meal. Add in the carob powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
    • Drain the figs, then add to the food processor along with the almond mixture. Process all ingredients together until a dough forms.
    • Roll out balls, each using 1-2 TBSP of dough. Use a light dusting of flour if needed to keep them separated.
    • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Blueberry Muffins: This recipe comes from the Hormone Healing Cookbook. This recipe is recommended for those whose primary hormone symptoms are brain fog, insomnia and weight gain.
  • Ingredients:
    • 1 cup of flour – I recommend using Cassava flour (it is a gluten free flour that is closely related to all-purpose flour), gluten free flour, or Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 cup of oat flour (you can make your own by blending 3/4 cups of gluten free oats until it reaches a flour consistency)
    • 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
    • 2 TBSP of ground flaxseed
    • 2 TBSP of sugar alternative – sucanat, truvia, swerve, monkfruit. date sugar or stevia are my recommendations.
    • 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
    • 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
    • 1.2 cup of unsweetened flax milk, hemp milk or almond milk
    • 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
  • Recipe:
    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with parchment paper liners
    • Whisk together the flours, baking powder, flaxseed and sugar in a medium bowl.
    • In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, egg whites, and milk. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid ingredients, leaving a few streaks of flour. Carefully fold in the blueberries.
    • Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the muffins are a light tan on top. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Cream of Buckwheat topped with craisins, cinnamon, swerve brown sugar and unsweetened almond milk

Lunch

Lunch should be eaten between 11-1

• Any of the recipes from days 1-3
• Any left overs from dinner
• Meat, rice and veggies:
  • 3 oz of chicken, salmon or turkey with 1/4 cup cauliflower, brown or basmati rice and 1/2 cup of whichever grilled vegetables you would like.
• Turmeric chicken lettuce wraps
  • Ingredients: This recipe comes from The Adrenal Reset Diet book from Alan Christianson
    • 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cooked
    • 2 TBSP soy-free vegan mayo
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 pinch of pepper
    • juice of half a lime
    • 1 cup of canned cannellini beans, rinsed
    • 8 Butter lettuce leaves
  • Recipe: Mix all the ingredients, except the lettuce leaves, in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Put in fridge for at least two hours or overnight. Divide evenly into all the lettuce leaves
• Grilled chicken with Moroccan seasoning, potato salad and steamed broccoli
  • Ingredients: Potato salad is from the Hormone Healing Cookbook
    • 1/2 cup of broccoli florettes
    • 2 pounds of Red or yellow yukon potatoes
    • salt and pepper
    • Extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
    • juice of one lemon
    • 2 tsp of dijon mustard
    • 2 medium shallots, finely diced
    • 2 tsp of finely chopped fresh dill
    • 1 pickle slice, chopped
    • 3-4 oz chicken
    • moroccan seasoning
  • Recipe:
    • Start by putting 1/2 cup of broccoli into boiling water, cover and let cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
    • Next, make your potato salad: Place the potatoes in a separate large pot with boiling water and salt. Cook potatoes for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse the potatoes under cold water. Whisk the dressing with using the oil, salt and pepper, lemon, dijon mustard, shallots and dill. Mix well. Chop or mash your potatoes and add them to your dressing. Mix in the dill pickle slices.
    • Now, cook up your chicken in avocado oil. Top with 1 tsp of the lemon juice and the Moroccan seasoning
• Lean French Onion Soup
  • Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp of neutral oil
    • 1 finely sliced yellow onion
    • 2 TBSP of gluten free flour, or flour of choice
    • 3oz of dry white wine
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 10 cup of beef broth
    • salt and pepper to taste
  • Recipe:
    • Heat the oil in a large stockpot on medium until it starts to shimmer
    • Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onions. Stir frequently and sauté for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly caramelized. Add 1/2 tsp of beef broth if they begin to stick.
    • Add the flour to the onions. Mix well and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the wine and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
    • Add the beef broth and the salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mid-day Snack

Mid-day snack should be eaten about 2 hours after lunch, between 1-3pm

• 1 cup of any fruit or vegetable
• 1/2 cup of fruit of choice with 1 TBSP of almond butter, natural peanut butter or plain non-fat greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup of non-fat greek yogurt topped with homemade granola, cinnamon and fruit of choice
• Plain rice cake topped with 1 TBSP of almond butter or natural peanut butter with dark chocolate chips. OR, Chocolate rice cake topped with 1 TBSP greek yogurt and berries
• Veggie sticks with Greek goddess or greek yogurt dip
• Bag of Wild, Quest or any protein chips
• Snack pack: 2 hardboiled eggs, 3 mini sweet peppers with seeds removed, filled with whipped cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning, 1/4 cup of raw nuts of choice.

Dinner

Try to keep dinner around 5-630 ideally.

• Any of the dinner or lunch options from Days 1-3
• Any of the lunch options listed above
• Spaghetti squash with basil pesto and grilled shrimp
  • Ingredients:
    • Basil pesto – Want to make homemade pesto? You need pine nuts, basil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
    • Raw shrimp
    • Spaghetti squash
    • garlic
    • 1 lemon
    • EVO oil or avocado oil
    • Fresh parmesan cheese – grated
    • salt and pepper
  • Recipe:
    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
    • Cut you spaghetti squash in half, remove all the seeds and the gut, and put the cut side down on a sheet pain. Drizzle a small amount of oil over it and cook for 20 minutes.
    • Next, clean and prepare your shrimp, including soaking it in cool water and then rinsing it off to get off any gunk on your shrimp.
    • After 20 minutes, flip the two spaghetti squash halves over and drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Put back in the oven for another 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is softened.
    • When your squash is down to its last 10 minutes, add 1 TBSP of oil to a pan and let it sit on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the oil glistens. Turn the heat down to a medium-low and add your garlic. Saute your garlic about 1-2 minutes, or until it is fragrant. Now add your shrimp and cook about 5-7 minutes
    • Once your squash is done, remove it and top it with a little more salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you prefer. Add 2 TBSP of your pesto sauce and top it with shrimp and freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Arugula or Spinach and Cucumber Salad with prosciutto and parmesan: this recipe comes from a different book called Real Food Heals by Seamus Mullen
  • Ingredients:
    • Pesto
    • Pistachios
    • 1/4 cup of EVOO or avocado oil
    • 2 TBSP of sherry vinegar
    • 5 ounces of baby arugula or spinach
    • 1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
    • sea salt and pepper
    • 1oz of thinly sliced prosciutto
    • 1 oz freshly grated parmesan
  • Recipe:
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, oil, and vinegar. Add the arugula or spinach, pistachios and cucumber and lightly season with salt and pepper. Gently toss until evenly coated. Put on plate, add prosciutto and parmesan.
• Salmon with sliced peaches, feta, pistachios and honey: This recipe also comes from Real Food Heals
  • Ingredients:
    • 3-4oz salmon – I personally like skinless, boneless salmon
    • lemon
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 TBSP of pistachios out of the shell, unsalted
    • 2 yellow peaches, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
    • 2 TBSP of crumbled sheep’s milk feta cheese or goat cheese
    • EVOO or avocado oil
    • raw honey
    • fresh basil leaves
  • Recipe:
    • Start by cooking the salmon in a pan over medium heat with oil. Season with salt and pepper, or any other seasonings you would prefer (I love Moroccan seasoning and cayenne)
    • Slice the lemon into four slices and put to the side
    • Add the peaches to a plate and top with the pistachios and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil and honey. Tear the basil leaves and scatter them over the peaches. Add your salmon on top of the peaches and squeeze one or two of the lemon slices over the salmon.

Workout

Day 4 is when we begin adding exercise and workouts to our routine. I encourage everyone to commit to a minimum of 7 minutes per day to work out. I will add the workout of the day to the Facebook post.