Forty Plants Challenge: Week Five

Sunday

Sunday started with Jeff leaving town for a business conference. Trey made a puff oven pancake with blueberries for us to eat while watching our church service online. He used Better Batter for the flour and almond milk for the milk and then before pouring it into the pan, he stirred in a cup of frozen blueberries. I also drank a cup of hot chocolate. That gave me coconut, cocoa, blueberries, white rice and brown rice.

For lunch, I had a big taco salad with mixed greens. I bought a large container of salad mix, and I set a goal of eating the whole thing by the end of the week so that I can have multiple servings of lettuce this week.

For dinner, We had hashbrowns. An unusual dinner choice for a Sunday, but we tend to eat late (for us) on Sundays, so we wanted something quick.

For snack, I had some ginger about about a tablespoon of peanuts. I also had a bottle of chocolate coconut water mid-afternoon when I felt like I needed electrolytes, and a Lara Bar. That gave me ginger, peanut, dates, cocoa and coconut.

Monday

I started off with insomnia, so I didn’t eat breakfast until 11:30. I made my first Buddah Bowl after discovering them due to a friend’s Facebook post the day before. I got on Pinterest and discovered the possibilities, then started plotting and planning.

I made a base of plain, cooked quinoa. On top, I have a drinkable almond yogurt mixed with white chia seeds. I mixed it up last night and let it sit in the fridge overnight to soak.

Some slivered almonds and walnuts, and then a fruit compote of cherries, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, red apple, green apple, dates, and prunes. Put the fruit and a half-cup of water into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until tender. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt.

I topped it off with finely shredded coconut and peanut butter thinned with almond milk.

For lunch, I kinda skipped it and ate a Lara bar instead, since I had such a large, filling breakfast. That gave me cashews.

For a snack, I had ginger slices and some peanuts.

For dinner we had Easy Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, roasted broccoli and rice. That gave me broccoli.

Tuesday

For breakfast, I had leftover pancakes.

For lunch, I had a turkey sandwich. I was alone and working on decluttering, so I didn’t want to stop and spend time working on food.

For dinner, I had a huge grilled chicken salad with maple vinaigrette. It was the same salad mix I used on Sunday, plus hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, red apple, craisins, carrots, walnuts, almonds, and black olives.

For snack, I had peanuts.

Wednesday

Breakfast was peanut butter toast on the way out the door due to an unexpected schedule change.

Lunch also got affected by that unexpected schedule change, so I had a repeat of last night’s salad.

Dinner was chili from the freezer. This gave me tomato, kidney beans, onion, carrot and some spices.

For a snack I had some peanuts and a few 4505 Chicharrones in their chili and salt flavor. I had a few tortilla chips to get down my bedtime supplements, and a package of natural fruit gummies as a treat.

Thursday

We began the morning with another Buddha bowl. On a bed of cooked buckwheat groats, we have, left to right, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, finely shredded coconut, fruit compote, and a mixture of almond yogurt and black chia seeds. Topped with chopped crystallized ginger and grated cacao paste.

The fruit compote contains elderberry, cherry, cranberry, red apple, green apple, strawberry, blueberry, plums, and dates.

That’s 17 plant foods in one bowl. And I had it with a cup of cinnamon vanilla tea.

I snacked all afternoon, tortilla chips, peanuts, and even potato chips.

Dinner was a hamburger patty, roasted broccoli and raw carrots.

For snack after dinner, I had some hummus and raw carrots. That gave me garbanzo beans and tahini (sesame seed).

Friday

Friday was a hard day for me. It was the twelfth anniversary of the death of two of my children, so my inflammation was horrible all day.

I had leftover Buddha bowl goodies for breakfast. Lunch and dinner didn’t really happen for me.

Saturday

Saturday morning I felt a little better. After a breakfast of pancakes, I was sitting at my desk and I had a three-pound object fall from a top shelf and hit me directly in the head.

I was down for the count. Glass was everywhere, but thankfully I wasn’t bleeding.

It was a bad day. I didn’t eat again until dinner, and it was a small amount of scrambled eggs.

Final Tally

1. Brown rice
2. White rice
3. Blueberries
4. Spinach
5. Green leaf lettuce
6. Mizuna
7. Tango lettuce
8. Green oak lettuce
9. Red leaf lettuce
10. Chard greens
11. Green chilies
12. Cilantro
13. Corn
14. Green bell pepper
15. Onion
16. Pinto beans
17. Black olive
18. Tomato
19. Coconut
20. Cocoa
21. Ginger
22. Peanut
23. Dates
24. Cranberry
25. Cherry
26. Strawberry
27. Red apple
28. Green apple
29. Prune (plum)
30. Almond
31. White chia
32. Quinoa
33. Walnut
34. Cashew
35. Broccoli
36. Hearts of palm
37. Artichoke hearts
38. Tomato
39. Kidney beans
40. Black chia seed
41. Elderberry
42. Pomegranate
43. Pistachio
44. Buckwheat
45. Cinnamon
46. Garbanzo beans
47. Sesame seed

And a partial serving of

1. Jalapeno
2. Red bell pepper
3. Chili peppers

Photo credits- wsilver,  Robert Couse-Baker, Damian Gadal, and John Morgan on Flicker.