I’m not gonna lie, I’m excited to go back to posting non-health-food recipes here. I’ve been enjoying a lot of delicious, good-for-you food, with a handful of not-so-good-for-you indulgences, and I plan to keep eating well, but writing solely about salads and soups etc. is getting a little boring. But before we jump ahead to brownie sundaes and boozy milkshakes (can you tell what I’m craving?), I have the plan for the second week of this year’s winter cleanse to share with you.

You can read a bunch more about the idea behind this cleanse, why I even call it a cleanse, and find the plan for week one over on last week’s post. I should also note that this second week plan relies heavily on leftovers from week one, so if you’re going to play along, you’ll probably want to start there anyways. In the link below, you’ll find the daily menu, grocery list, and prep tips for week two, and at the bottom of this post links to all the new breakfast/lunch/dinner recipes for this week. And if you’re one of the stalwart few who plans to continue your diet resolution into February, you can find four more weeks of meal plans in these cleanse posts from 2012 and 2013 (also, good for you!).

Happy eating!

Winter Cleanse 2014: Week Two – Grocery List, Meal Plan, and Prep Tips

New Recipes for Week Two

Baked Herb and Pistachio Falafel

Roasted Broccoli and Kale Caesar Salad

Bulghur with Butter-Roasted Almonds and Cinnamon Chicken

Roasted Carrot and Tahini Soup with Chickpeas

Greek Egg and Lemon Soup with Brown Rice and Chickpeas

Quinoa Puttanesca

Kale and Pecorino Salad

Strawberry Balsamic Salad with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

Whole Wheat Fruit and Nut Pancakes

Apple Pie Oatmeal

The post Winter Cleanse 2014: Week Two appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Tah-dah! I have the menu/grocery-list/pictures for the second week of my 2013 winter cleanse! I have some wrap-up thoughts on how this went for me this year, but before I get into that, I want to direct everyone over to the week one post for more info on the reason behind the cleanse, why I even call it a cleanse, how it’s set-up, and more. The only new logistical thing I’ll mention is that the beginning of week two makes use of leftovers from the end of week one, so keep in mind that there will be a little bit more cooking if you do this week as a stand-alone menu.

Now for the wrap-up: overall, I feel better about the cleanse this year than I did last year. I wasn’t as stressed out by all the cooking, in large part due to better planning, and I stuck to the plan more closely than last year. I think having snacks built-in helped, as did writing out by hand each night what was on the plan for the next day, and checking off each thing that I ate (plus writing down any mistakes in an “oops” section – I’ll admit to one fresh chocolate-chip cookie, and a couple days where a little piece of chocolate may have found its way into my belly after dinner). I also think setting aside one night “off” to attend a party I’d known about in advance was crucial – it gave me a special meal to look forward to, and extra dedication to eating well that day and the day before. Having that meal out also gave me perspective on how this might work if I stuck with it all year – knowing that you’re going to indulge ahead of time and treating it as an indulgence that should be balanced with healthful habits before and after is a good way to approach eating in general!

One thing that I didn’t anticipate was the sheer volume of leftovers I ended up with. At first, this was kind of stressing me out – I like to be able to eat all the food that I make/buy, and typically, I only make three or four dinners in a week, so making seven different things meant almost twice as much food, even with most recipes scaled down. I also only have one shelf in a fridge shared with four people, and even less space in the freezer, so between more fresh ingredients than usual and more leftovers than usual, to say I was squeezed for space is an understatement (every time I took anything out of the fridge it was like doing a jigsaw puzzle). Eventually, I snapped out of it and turned on the extra freezer in the basement (sometimes it’s the littlest things that you procrastinate doing…) and stored all the leftovers, neatly labeled, in there. The added benefit of this is that I actually have a ton of “cleanse” food to keep me eating healthy through the next two weeks or so, so I’m planning on continuing with the general plan for the most part.

The last thing that I want to mention is that this time around, not only did I lose 4 pounds, but I really felt like doing this cleanse gave me a ton of energy (and also protected me somewhat from the flu that’s going around… knock on wood). It’s nice to find that sort of balance, and I hope I can continue to maintain it!

With all that said, here are the logistics for this week:

Weekend prep activities (i.e. things to do when you have extra time that will make the rest of the week a little easier):

• Make granola
• Roast broccoli
• Roast beets
• Cook hard-boiled eggs
• Wash and dry spinach, arugula, and kale
• Make the almond salad dressing for the spinach salad
• Remove pomegranate seeds and prepare pomegranate gremolata (for pear and pomegranate salad)
• Make the pomegranate salad dressing
• Soak chickpeas (for beet and fried chickpea salad)

Menu Attachment
Grocery List Attachment

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian, nutritionist, doctor, or medical professional of any sort.  I simply wanted to share my personal menu and goals for healthy eating, so please realize that I have tapered this plan to what I feel my own nutritional needs are, and carefully consider your own health needs/consult your doctor before following any diet, cleanse, or detox plan! 

Winter Cleanse Menu 2013 – Week Two

Day Eight, Sunday:

• Brunch: Homemade Granola, Greek Yogurt, and Fresh Fruit Parfait; Small Latte
  
• Snack: Leftover Quinoa Puttanesca (from week one)
• Dinner: Mushroom and Olive Veggie Burgers; Kale and Avocado Salad with Almonds, Apples, and Nori
  

Day Nine, Monday:

• Breakfast: Leftover Shakshuka (Eggs and Potatoes in Spicy Tomato Sauce, from week one)
  
• Snack: 2 Clementines
• Lunch: Leftover Bulghur with Butter-Roasted Almonds and Chicken (from week one)
  
• Snack: 1 c. Roast Broccoli
• Dinner: White Bean, Kale, and Pesto Soup; Pomegranate, Pear, and Arugula Salad
  

Day Ten, Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Leftover Apple Quinoa Cake (from week one)
• Snack: Small Latte
• Lunch: Leftover Mushroom and Olive Veggie Burgers, Leftover Pomegranate, Pear, and Arugula Salad
• Snack: 1 6-oz. Greek Yogurt
• Dinner: Roasted Beet and Fried Chickpea Salad
  

Day Eleven, Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Granola, Greek Yogurt, and Fresh Fruit Parfait
  
• Snack: 2 Clementines
• Lunch: Leftover White Bean, Kale, and Pesto Soup
• Snack: Snack Bag – 1/4 c. Pecans, 1/4 c. Dried Fruit, 2 TBS Chocolate Chips
• Dinner: Chickpea Dumplings in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce, Kale and Avocado Salad with Almonds, Apples, and Nori
  

Day Twelve, Thursday:

• Breakfast: Leftover Apple Quinoa Cake
• Snack: Fruit Smoothie – 1 c. orange juice, 1 c. frozen mixed berries, 1 6-oz container greek yogurt, 1 TBS maple syrup
• Lunch: Leftover Chickpea Dumplings in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce
• Snack: 1 c. Roast Broccoli
• Dinner: Roast Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Pomegranate, and Eggs
  

Day Thirteen, Friday:

• Breakfast: Raspberry-Maple Breakfast Quinoa
  
• Snack: Small Latte
• Lunch: Leftover Roast Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Pomegranate, and Eggs
• Snack: Snack Bag – 1/4 c. Pecans, 1/4 c. Dried Fruit, 2 TBS Chocolate Chips
• Dinner: Greek Egg and Lemon Soup with Chicken, Brown Rice, and Chickpeas
  

Day Fourteen, Saturday:

• Brunch: Whole Wheat Fruit and Nut Pancakes with Maple Syrup
  
• Snack: Leftover Roast Beet and Chickpea Salad
  
• Dinner: Quinoa Salad with Broccoli-Avocado Pesto
  

The post Winter Cleanse 2013: Week Two appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Alright, guys – one more salad recipe, then I’ll post the week two menu and groceries tomorrow, and then I’ll shut up about cleansing for a good long while. In fact, I have two decidedly non-cleanse-friendly recipes coming up in the next week – think comforting Italian, then think Valentine’s Day planning. I’m excited already. Not that I’m going to give up all my cleanse habits – on the contrary, I plan to continue eating a lot of salads and veggie-based dishes for at least the near future. It’s just that I’m sneaking some indulgences back in there too.

But first thing’s first – salad. This salad is from the November issue of Food and Wine, and was actually developed by chef/blogger/recent-cookbook-author Aida Mollenkamp (check out her new book, Keys to the Kitchen, if you haven’t already). It’s very simple and refreshing and sweet, with juicy pomegranate seeds and fresh pears, just the thing for when you’re not feeling too much like eating a traditional salad but want to get your greens in. Making the dressing, which uses pomegranate molasses, honey, and mustard, is a must. The only thing I changed was the ratios of the pomegranate gremolata to the greens and of the greens to the dressing – the original recipe was made to serve 10, and I certainly can’t eat 10 servings worth of the same salad before it goes bad. I also like my salads a little bit fruit-heavy, so that’s reflected below.

Arugula Salad with Pears and Pomegranate Gremolata

Recipe adapted slightly from Food and Wine magazine. Serves 4.

• 1/2 c. pomegranate arils
• 2 TBS fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 small shallot, peeled and finely minced
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS pomegranate molasses
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard
• 5 oz. arugula, washed and dried
• 1-2 ripe Bosc pears, thinly sliced

1. To make the gremolata, combine the pomegranate, parsley, shallot, and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing by vigorously whisking together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, honey, and mustard. Season to taste with salt. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss to coat. Divide the greens among 4 plates, and top each plate with a few slices of pear and 2 heaping TBS of the pomegranate gremolata. Serve immediately.

The post Pomegranate & Pear Salad appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

For the last cleanse brunch meal, I decided it was OK to push the boundaries of my rules and let pancakes onto the menu. In part, I think it makes sense to ease your way back into normal eating habits by creating healthy versions of your favorite foods. If you can eat the foods you crave without all the negative health effects, it’s that much more likely that the benefits of “cleansing” will stick! These pancakes, adapted from SELF Magazine, not only have no sugar and use whole-wheat flour, they also have berries, bananas, and crushed pecans to up their healthfulness.

I was surprised by these pancakes – I was expecting them to be decent, but not particularly good. I just haven’t had that much luck with whole wheat baking in the past, and I also have really high standards for pancakes, having grown up in a house where mixes were sneered upon and a fresh batch of dad’s blueberry-buttermilk pancakes was a weekend staple. However, these healthy little guys ticked off all my pancake check-boxes – they were tender, moist, flavorful, and thick. The fact that I could eat two with a generous drizzle of maple syrup and not feel guilty about it was just an added bonus. I will definitely be making these again!

Whole Wheat Fruit and Nut Pancakes

Adapted from SELF Magazine. Makes 8 pancakes / Serves 4.

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. crushed or roughly chopped pecans
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 c. frozen or fresh mixed berries
• cooking spray or a small pat of butter

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to combine. In another medium bowl, mash the banana into a paste, then beat in the egg, buttermilk, and almond extract to combine. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly mixed.
2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat, or melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Make pancakes using 1/3 c. batter each. Top each pancake with a few berries. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the batter is bubbling on the top of the pancake and the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side. Repeat until batter is gone. Serve warm with extra berries and maple syrup. Place any extra cooked pancakes in plastic bags and refrigerate to store.

The post Whole Wheat Fruit and Nut Pancakes appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m taking tonight off from my cleanse to go out and celebrate my friend’s birthday. We’re going to Masa, and I’m so excited to a) drink margaritas, and b) eat cheesy, meaty, gluten-y things that are decidedly un-cleanse-worthy. I promise I won’t go too crazy – I don’t want to undo all my hard work thus far! – but I am looking forward to the meal.

To make up for tonight’s planned splurge, I made my other main meal today a super satisfying and healthy salad. With loads of spinach, roasted beets, hard-boiled eggs, pomegranate seeds, oranges, goat cheese, and a delicious honey-almond vinaigrette, it’s fresh-tasting and filling enough that it doesn’t need any accompaniments. I made extra hard-boiled eggs and roasted beets so that I can easily make it again throughout the week. I’ll probably bring some to work Monday… having a lunch that I’m looking forward to always makes Monday morning a little easier!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a healthy and delicious brunch recipe (got to ease back into healthy eating after a night out, right?). I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Eggs, Pomegranate, Orange, and Almond-Vinaigrette

Adapted from Serious Eats. Serves 2 as a main.

• 2 medium beets, greens removed
• 4 TBS olive oil, divided
• sea salt
• 1/4 c. blanched whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 TBS honey
• 1 TBS sherry vinegar
• 1 TBS minced shallot
• 1 navel orange
• 1 blood orange
• 4 large handfuls of clean baby spinach
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils
• 2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scrub the un-peeled beets and place in the center of a large sheet of tinfoil. Drizzle with 1 TBS of the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Fold the edges of the tinfoil up to make a sealed packet. Place the packet on a baking sheet, and roast for 1 hour, or until a toothpick can easily penetrate the center of the beets. Let cool for ten minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle comfortable. Slip the beets out of their skins, then thinly slice them and set aside.
2. Whisk the toasted and chopped almonds, honey, sherry vinegar, shallot, and remaining 3 TBS of olive oil together to form the dressing. Season to taste with sea salt.
3. Cut the peel and pith from the oranges. Supreme/segment the oranges to remove the membranes. Set the orange segments aside.
4. Divide the spinach between two plates and drizzle each generously with dressing. Top each plate with orange segments, one and a half hard-boiled eggs, roasted beets, pomegranate arils, and fresh goat cheese.

The post Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Eggs, Pomegranate, Orange, and Almond-Vinaigrette appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

So I know I’ve been talking about it for a while now, but I finally have the first week of this year’s winter cleanse menu ready to go. I struggle a lot with what to call this “cleanse” – I flip-flop between “cleanse,” “detox,” “diet,” and other typical health-food plan words. At it’s core, it’s really just a healthy eating plan focused on whole foods and vegetables. While I do tend to lose weight while doing it, not every recipe is low calorie, and some even include typical diet no-no’s like cheese, and chorizo. Still, the goal for me is to get a lot of the holiday junk out of my system and fill up on wholesome, nutrient-packed foods that will be kind to my body, so “cleanse” always ends up winning the word-choice battle.

Last year I was a little too ambitious with my cleanse “rules,” and I ended up having a really tough time sticking to them. This year, I’m being a bit more generous with myself in the plan, but stricter about sticking to it. Basically, I try to limit sugar, dairy, meat, and gluten (although I have some whole wheat foods), and replace those foods with lots and lots of vegetables, whole grains, and beans. I have to have a green salad every day, and drinks are mainly water and tea, with an occasional latte built-in as a snack/treat. No booze. It’s not a super strict plan, but I find having everything mapped out and the rules firmly in my mind really helps with my motivation – and so far I feel great (and have lost 4 pounds in as many days)!

Another difficult part for me last year was the sheer amount of cooking that doing this required. There were definitely nights when I just ran out of energy – in particular, the night I stopped at a cafe and wolfed down a cheesy sandwich because I was too exhausted to think about getting more groceries comes to mind. This year, I put a lot more time into planning and prep so that this wouldn’t be a problem. I got all the groceries for the whole week in one go, and I’ve attached a grocery list (enough for 1-2 people doing the cleanse) for you as well (as well as a menu print-out to hang on your fridge). I also identified all the activities that could easily be done on the first day, Sunday, or any other time that you have a little extra free time, so that making meals the rest of the week would be quicker. I didn’t do all of these in one day, but spread them out over my free time:

• Making the ginger-cassis dressing
• Making the Caesar dressing
• Making the tzatziki
• Soaking and cooking the chickpeas (if not using canned)
• Toasting and grinding breadcrumbs and croutons (if not using store-bought)
• Roasting the broccoli
• Roasting and peeling the chestnuts
• Roasting the sweet potato
• Washing, drying, and cutting the kale leaves
• Peeling and segmenting the grapefruit
• Prepping “snack bags” for the week
• Peeling and cutting onions, carrots, and garlic for various meals (store in snack bags in fridge)

A few last notes – the attached shopping list is written for one person to have enough to make all the meals in the first week, plus a little extra (you can’t buy half an onion!). For the most part, I scaled the ingredient amounts down to be enough to serve 2 – one serving for dinner, and one serving of leftovers for lunch the next day. There are some recipes, though, that just don’t scale as easily, and I did end up with a lot of leftovers. I froze all of the leftovers and encourage you to do the same, if you have them – it will just help you to continue eating healthily after the cleanse is over! You’ll notice that the weekends are structured a bit differently, with larger brunch and dinner meals and one substantial snack – this reflects the way I eat during the weekends, but feel free to bulk up these days with more healthy fruit and vegetable snacks (or leftovers from other meals). In general, mixing and matching recipes you like and don’t like is fine – I only have them in the order I do so that meals don’t overlap too much within a day (aka you don’t end up having eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and so that leftovers get used up. Last, if you miss a day or give in to something not on the plan, don’t beat yourself up over it – just start again with fresh focus the next day!

Menu Attachment
Grocery List Attachment

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian, nutritionist, doctor, or medical professional of any sort.  I simply wanted to share my personal menu and goals for healthy eating, so please realize that I have tapered this plan to what I feel my own nutritional needs are, and carefully consider your own health needs/consult your doctor before following any diet, cleanse, or detox plan! 

Winter Cleanse Menu 2013 – Week One

Day One, Sunday:

• Brunch: Brussels Sprout and Sweet Potato Hash with a Fried Egg
• Snack: Avocado Tartine – 1 Piece Whole Wheat Toast with 1/2 an Avocado
• Dinner: Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pie, Kale and Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad

Day Two, Monday:

• Breakfast: Mushroom and Roast Broccoli Scramble
• Snack: 2 Clementines
• Lunch: Grapefruit and Avocado Salad, Leftover Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pie
• Snack: Snack Bag – 1/4 c. Pecans, 1/4 c. Dried Fruit, 2 TBS Chocolate Chips
• Dinner: Baked Chickpea Burger with Tabbouleh and Tzatziki

Day Three, Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Leftover Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Hash
• Snack: Small Latte
• Lunch: Leftover Chickpea Burger with Tabbouleh and Tzatziki
• Snack: Green Grapes
• Dinner: Chestnut and Potato Soup, Kale and Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad

Day Four, Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Raspberry-Maple Breakfast Quinoa
• Snack: 2 Clementines
• Lunch: Leftover Chestnut and Potato Soup, Kale and Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad
• Snack: Snack Bag – 1/4 c. Pecans, 1/4 c. Dried Fruit, 2 TBS Chocolate Chips
• Dinner: Vegetarian Chili with Brown Rice

Day Five, Thursday:

• Breakfast: 1 Piece Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut-Butter, Chocolate-Blueberry Smoothie
• Snack: Small Latte
• Lunch: Leftover Vegetarian Chili with Brown Rice
• Snack: Green Grapes
• Dinner: Fried Chickpeas with Yogurt Sauce, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Day Six, Friday:

• Breakfast: Raspberry-Maple Breakfast Quinoa
• Snack: 2 Clementines
• Lunch: Leftover Fried Chickpeas with Yogurt Sauce, Hard-Boiled Egg
• Snack: Snack Bag – 1/4 c. Pecans, 1/4 c. Dried Fruit, 2 TBS Chocolate Chips
• Dinner: Quinoa Puttanesca, Raw Kale and Pecorino Salad

Day Seven, Saturday:

• Brunch: Shakshuka (Eggs and Potatoes in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
• Snack: Apple Quinoa Cake
• Dinner: Bulghur with Butter-Roasted Almonds and Chicken, Salad with Ginger-Cassis Dressing

Update: Week Two Menu is now available!

The post Winter Cleanse 2013: Week One appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.