30-Day NEURO Plan, Days 7-8

Here's a recap of my first weekend on the 30-Day NEURO plan from The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution book. This plan is all about unprocessed, whole plant foods, no sugar, limited booze, restorative sleep, meditation and yoga, and brain challenges.

On Saturday morning, I had a 10-mile run on the training plan, so I woke up and had coffee and a bowl of white rice with Bragg's and sesame seeds. They Sherzais, the authors of the plan, don't recommend white rice (they prefer whole, intact grains like brown rice). But I'm making exceptions for pre- and post-run fuel. Simple carbs, like white rice, offer quick energy and are easier to digest before hitting the road. 

During my run, I fueled with Plant Bites, which are made with just fruit! So that was plan-friendly. And after my run, I had this Berry Amaranth Smoothie Bowl from the book. The base has cooked amaranth, mixed berries, almond milk, chia, orange zest, and cacao, plus I added some Complement Protein. It's topped with puffed amaranth (which I popped myself!), sunflower seeds, and fresh strawberries.

That smoothie bowl was my lunch, so I didn't eat again until dinner, when I heated up some of the leftover Creamy Mushroom & Radicchio Pasta Bake with some steamed kale. Sorry for the crappy pic! These are the kind of pics food bloggers don't want you to see. But real talk ... this is just what the plate looks like sometimes. 

Although I'm allowed a little red wine on this plan (they don't recommend drinking but say you can have some red wine if you must), I'm attempting to avoid booze as long as I can. If a social situation calls for it, I may have a glass. But for now, I'm experimenting with n/a craft beers. I found a good selection of them at Joe's Liquors. This Well-Being Sports Brew was really good! N/A beers have come a long way!

On Sunday morning, I got my one-mile run in for my run streak on the treadmill because it was rainy. I don't mind running in the rain, but I didn't want to shower right after. So I stayed dry by running inside. Afterward, I had some Zucchini Chickpea Pancakes from the book. These were like pudla! Made with chickpea flour, shredded zucchini, and chopped jalapenos. I served them with Spicy Green Hummus and avocado.

I had a late breakfast, and Paul wanted to go see the new Spider-Man movie in the theater. So for "lunch," I made a big bowl of popcorn and snuck it into the theater! I popped it with olive oil because the plan doesn't allow for coconut oil (due to the saturated fat).

When we got home, I whipped up a big bot of Spicy Yellow Split Pea Soup with Pomegranate and Spinach from the book. This was as tasty as it looks!! It was a beautiful dish, and it tasted that way too!