28-day Challenge: Day 15

Today we had our 3rd weekly meeting at Whole Foods for the 28-day challenge.  I am really excited to see that so many people have been sticking to the diet for the first two weeks!  A big congrats to all of you out there :). Our awesome group leader made a Mirliton and White Bean Stew (if you don't live in Louisiana and you don't know what a mirliton is {it is also called a chayote}...check it out here.  They are funny looking!) and a Tofu Jambalaya, which was amazing!  Who says Cajun food has to be fatty and bad for you???

The real treat of the evening was a Banana Nice Cream.  So simple and so amazingly wonderful.  All it takes is frozen bananas, almond butter, and almond milk.  Throw it in a blender and, I kid you not, you will have what is exactly like (and even better, in my opinion) frozen yogurt.  It was silky and creamy, almost like a mousse.  And completely dairy-free!  Yum.  I think a small bit of cocoa powder would be a sweet addition, too.

(Hint for freezing bananas: the riper they are the sweeter they are, so this is a good use for those browning bananas that are on their last leg.  Peel them and wrap them in ziploc bags or plastic wrap and toss in the freezer. Now you have a readily available ingredient for not only Banana Nice Cream, but smoothies, but banana muffins, banana bread, banana cake...you get the idea.  All things banana.)

Also, here's a tip:  anything in Whole Foods that is labeled as "Health Starts Here" is Engine 2 approved.

Anyway, here's a quick rundown of my meals today:

Breakfast:  banana and an iced coffee with soy milk.

Lunch:  big kale salad (see recipe page) with the addition of green leaf lettuce and cucumbers.

Snack:  satsuma and a veggie wrap on the Lavash bread with some oil-free hummus, avocado slices, cucumber slices, and fresh cilantro.

Dinner:  homemade lentil soup.  It was not my most complete soup (I make a lot of soups!) so I won't post a specific recipe here until I make it for real.  Tonight's was just a hodge podge of some random ingredients I had laying around the house:  low sodium veggie bouillon, brown lentils, diced onion, tomatoes, lacinato kale, and tempeh.  I sprinkled nutritional yeast on top to get my B vitamin fix, and I may or may not have added a little sriracha....ok, maybe a lot.  But it ended up being delicious, I must admit :)