Intermittent Fasting

So a while ago someone posted a recipe by Dr. Sara Solomon and it showed up in my Facebook feed. It was for a clean protein chocolate bar so I watched the video & immediately loved her style & persona. I followed her on FB & started watching some of her videos on YouTube. She recommends intermittent fasting, which I'd heard about briefly when I was doing Paleo long ago & also my husband mentioned it to me, but Classic Kellie, I paid no real attention at the time.

I have tried LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE.  I had been eating a Vegan diet & have comfortably settled in on a Vegetarian diet. But I realize from reading & watching videos that yo-yo dieting/calorie restricting & then binging/eating crap food, etc for years has made my metabolism very inflexible. I really like what I've read about intermittent fasting & I feel like it could work out for me since I'm usually so busy during the day that it's really annoying to take the time to make meals.

Since I've started IF I've noticed I have been hungry, but nothing that can't be dealt with by drinking lemon or lime water/green juice. And I guess that will peter out as my body (gherlin production) gets used to the new fasting/feeding schedule. I'm going to shoot for a feeding window of about 5-10pm & fast from 10-5 or 6pm the next day. It's worked well so far & I look forward to seeing the benefits!

Here are some helpful infographics & links:
Dr. Sara Solomon FAQ's 
Ultimate Guide to IF

Monochrome Breakfast Bowl & Dressing Recipe

Last night when I was thinking about what I could make for breakfast today - as it's been getting a little colder & I've been on a green smoothie kick for a while now) I thought I'd try to mix it up a little. I knew I had half of a purple yam (purple skin, white flesh) that I needed to use, and some fresh mushrooms that are on their way to becoming slimy. And of course I have a ton of other veggies, so I thought, ok - breakfast bowl.

I threw a few things in - a little coconut oil, chopped red onion, lightly chopped caulifower, the mushrooms & then the yams (which I grated so they'd cook up pretty quick). For seasoning I used 3 cloves of garlic (through a garlic press), some Himalayan seas salt & some Flavor God's Garlic Lovers. (I LOVE his stuff)  & garlic, apparently.

I thought it needed to be a little "saucier" - I didn't want to eat it & have it be too dry & regret my seasoning choices, so I threw in a little of the dressing/marinade that I'd made for the roasted vegetables I'd had last night. I would classify it as a seasoned/garlicky balsamic reduction - I'll post the recipe. (Although as you will come to find out, I kind of fly by the seat of my pants rather than follow any kind of recipe - I mix things in until I like what's going on)

I threw some hemp hearts on top for protein, and all in all, it was really good, & filling. But when I first looked at it in the bowl, I was like, "Wow, that is really monocromatic!" - not like my usual dishes, which are usually bursting with color.

So yes, I would definitely make this again, and experiment with other veggies, to add some color.

Balsamic Dressing

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP coconut oil (you can use liquid, but my apartment is still warm enough that the solid coconut oil mixed very well)
1/4-1/3 C Balsamic Vinegar
1-2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
4 garlic gloves (minced)
1 tsp Sea Salt (or to taste)
1 tsp Flavor God's Dynamite (this is definitely my go-to seasoning - gives everything kick)

Mix & keep in glass dressing bottle (I use Epicure's Cruet)
Feel free to adjust seasonings to suit your taste.

Enjoy!!