Soup N Crackers and a Detox Update

Guess what?! I've surpassed my two week sugar detox. I did 17 days without any sugar/stimulants, and am feeling great! I'm surprised at how satisfied I feel. I haven't experienced any cravings, or headaches, or anything other than a more balanced me over the the past 16 days. From my past experiences I already know that I respond well to this plan and now it's just a case of reigning in my sweet intake (yesterday I broke the cleanse with a carob treat sweetened with stevia and a sampling of chocolate) on a regular basis because it's just too easy for me to get caught up in it. In the past I have all too easily disregarded a proper meal in favor of eating raw dessert or snacking on raw chocolate all afternoon.

During my cleanse I've seen my body/mind shift back to where it should be. My metabolism has gone up and my food digests so much better without the excess sweet stuff and cacao - despite the fact that I'm eating more than I normally do! There's no calorie counting. Just eating real food every several hours throughout the day. A shift happens very quickly on this sugar free plan. Within only a few days I feel a positive difference. At this point my body feels leaner and while I don't weigh myself, I'd estimate that I've lost about 4 lbs.

Here's why I would recommend a sugar free plan to you (for at least 5 days):

- Reset your metabolism
- Reset the part of your body and mind that craves sugar
- Begin to clean sugar and other toxins from your body
- You can eat ample amounts and never feel deprived (unlike diets/juice fasts that limit calories and can cause binge eating afterward)
- It's a great time to be creative with healthy savory recipes
- Sleep better
- Think more clearly
- Less depression/irritability if you're prone to that from too much sugar (I am)
- Feel more calm overall

A few other things to keep in mind (from what I've learned):

- You may feel tired as your body adjusts to no stimulants/sugar (I take this as a time to rest more than usual and don't do any workout for the first few days except some yoga.)
- You may possibly have withdrawl symptoms like headaches if you're used to drinking lots of coffee, sugar, etc. (Fortunately I don't experience this)
- Drinks heaps of water to flush your body out
- Even though this is a "detox", don't drop your calories too low. In my experience, this is one of the things than can cause cravings. So eat up plenty of the good stuff. Hungry? Eat!
- Eat enough protein and fat to stay satisfied. This makes a huge difference.

Onto some food! Remember the creamy cauliflower soup I made recently? I loved it so much that I also made it with broccoli and it was absolutely delicious. The recipe is the perfect creamy soup base. I want to try it with zucchini and mushrooms too one of these days. I find it so warm and nourishing on these cold snowy days. 

Creamy Broccoli Soup

This delicious creamy soup is actually dairy free. It's so smooth and rich that you'd never guess it's actually healthy and its beyond easy to make. I made it using my homemade chicken stock but you can easily use a veggie stock if you prefer a vegan option.

1 medium broccoli (florets only) roughly chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

Chicken or veggie stock

1/2 can coconut milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Add the broccoli, onion, and garlic to a big pot.

Pour enough stock over to cover with a bit extra liquid.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through.

Carefully transfer (because it will be so hot) to a blender and puree until completely smooth.

Stir or blend in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Add more stalk to thin to desired thickness.

I've made so many crackers in the past two weeks. I find them to be such a great snack with avocado herb dip, or just mashed avocado, or crunched up into a salad like croutons. They also seem to compliment many meals. I plan on sharing some new recipes with you as soon as I do a little teaking on them. 

I made these delicious Nacho Cheese Chips from the Comfort Belly (although I prefer to call them crackers). I love the simplicity of these crackers and they provide the perfect flavorful crunch - all while being gluten free and grain free. 

Nacho Cheese Chip Crackers

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Use raw cheddar cheese. Its white, not dyed orange like regular cheddar!)
1 cup almond meal or almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
2-3 tablespoons water (enough to roll into a ball of dough)

Preheat oven to 350F. 
Blend the cheese and dry ingredients together in a food processor or bowl then add the water. 
Press the mixture together to shape it into a ball of dough. 
Place the dough on a non-stick surface that you can transfer to a cookie sheet. 
Flatten the dough with your hand and then place a piece of parchment paper on top (or other non-stick surface).
Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough until very thin.
Use a pizza cutter or knife to score the dough into triangles. I create squares and then I cut them diagonally across the square to create triangles.  
Sprinle some more chili powder lightly across the chips. 
Place the chips on the parchment paper onto the cookie sheet. 
Bake for 15 minutes or until they start to turn darker. 
Cool the chips for a few minutes and then flip over and bake on the other side for another 5 minutes. Cool. 
If they're not as crispy as you would like place them in the oven at 200F for 10 minutes. 

I made dehydrated raw ranch flax crackers, and raw mexican crackers that both turned out great and would love to share them with you but I need make them again and write down the measurements. I've also made some great baked vegan crackers that we've decided are out favorite so far but I need to make again and get measurements for those too. 

These were made with sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chili powder, chilpotle, himalayan salt, onion powder, and apple cider vinegar. Thin and crispy.

Bread was another dehydrated item I made last week. Raw vegan veggie bread is always a hit and J especially loves to make sammies out of it, or have a piece with his breaky. I like it slathered with avocado and slices of tomato. Everyone needs this bread in their life!

Onion Veggie Bread

1 medium zucchini, shredded

1 large carrot, shredded

2 large onions, shredded in a food processor

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tbs nama shoyu (or tamari)

1/2 cup water

1 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup ground sunflower seeds

1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt (added by me)

Mix together the veggies, olive oil, water, and shoyu in a bowl.

Add the seeds and mix to combine.

Spread a thick layer of the mixture evenly on teflex sheets. Score into desired sizes.

Dehydrate at 145F for 1 hour and then turn the temperature down to 115F and continue dehydrating for 6-8 hours, flipping over to the mesh screen halfway through.

I hope you're inspired to make some healthy crackers and soup! 

Shared at Allergy Free Wednesdays