Veterans Day Diet

Veterans Day Diet

Well, not literally, except that, this is what I happened to prepare and consume, AND film, on Veterans Day

I shot it, spontaneously, after my AM workout at Gold’s Gym, Venice.

AS I routinely prep my food right before work, I decided to give a little spiel for my IG stories.

Prior to even getting ready to go to the gym, I decided to throw together a quick marinade for my boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, because I dislike plain food. However, even I was surprised at how quickly my chicken absorbed the marinade, enough to fully impact the flavor.

I’ll throw in a marinade recipe, but suffice it to say:

2 cloves peeled and rough chopped garlic

1 sprig of rosemary, just the green parts and only because I happen to have to have it in my fridge

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Blended in a blender. Poured atop the chicken thighs which should be in a container just big enough to hold ‘em so that they can be fully emerged, or submerged, or encompassed by the marinade… I like to put a romantic implication in my recipe instructions.

When I returned from the gym, I was fully ENERGIZED and ready to throw together some nourishment to help me face and get through my day! To me, most often, FOOD is FUEL, or REFUEL, to help me recover from my workouts, but truly to help me be ready / prepared for my next workout; my favorite part of most days.

This was not always the case though. Like, many, I spent my entire youth and even up until just a few years ago, as an emotional eater; eating when things didn’t go my way. A gluten intolerance discovered about 9 years ago, after severe skin reactions, certainly helped me to put a halt to most of my emotional eating. Eventually I turned to shopping.

But now, since turning 50 nearly a year ago, I feel much more in balance with both my eating and shopping.

I have always theorized that a mineral rich diet, minerals from foods vs supplements, can go a long way towards curbing stress eating, and even help curtail emotionally driven coping mechanisms overall.

At this moment, I’m reading a book about Alzheimer’s prevention, and although I’ve just started the book, the author / researcher / MD, has already alluded to minerals playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease prevention.

So, although my diet / meal plan, which I happen to create on Veterans Day, was designed to be simple (I only had 10 minutes to prep), portable, nutrient rich, and by default, cost effective; this diet may also be just what the Doctor ordered in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.

It consists of:

4 ounces of marinated grilled chicken thighs,(although the marinade does add calories, it’s very difficult to determine how much. I truly find that I spill away A LOT of marinade even after I’ve cooked a entire pack of chicken, so I just don’t count it)

1 medium sized sweet potato

1 grapefruit (which I eat every morning to ensure I get my vitamin C)

1/2 cup lentils, cooked

1/2 cup wild rice blend, cooked

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 pats butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, used to your discretion

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

The sweet potato can be cut into “fries” and tossed with salt and pepper and baked on a cookie sheet in an oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Or it can simply be baked or steamed per your liking.

I use the butter and some of the salt and pepper for sautéeing the red onion and reheating the lentils and rice.

Make a big pot of combined lentils and rice over the weekend. I’ll have to do that demo next weekend. But it’s so simple, you can literally put both lentils and rice in a pot. Cover by water plus one inch. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the stove while you do whatever chores, or workout, or cathartic writing you need to accomplish. Check back 2, 4, or even 6 hours later.

Portion your lentils & rice combo into containers to store in the fridge for consumption throughout the week, OR label and date and freeze to be used up to 3 months later.

Next we have the smoothie:

Simply throw together…

2 cups of soy milk, or milk from grass-fed cows, or almond milk (but subtract 20g of protein from my analysis)

2 cups leafy greens

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon molasses

1 Brazil nut, which you can also just eat

1 banana if you choose, not in the analysis, but its ok to include

4 scoops protein powder

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (for which I am THE FIRST reference on Wikipedia. So you know I KNOW)

It’s time for me to hit the hey, because, Hey, sleep deprivatioIn is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Until I get my cooking / fitness / lifestyle show, I work in nursing homes as a consultant dietitian. I see MANY, MANY, many patients with Dementia.

I have the UTMOST compassion for them and their family members, but let me tell you, it’s something to be avoided at ALL COSTS.

Diet, exercise, sleep, ALL play a huge role in the prevention of EVERY disease, especially Alzheimer’s. I’m doing my part by sharing some quick, nutritious recipes and workouts and knowledge.

YOU do your part by trying to follow my advice.

See images for complete nutrient analysis.

Less than $10 per day!