I have the added incentive to get back into fighting shape this year for my upcoming wedding. Add that to the fact that I recently found out that my cholesterol is a little too high (221!!), and I have all the motivation I need to get to the gym and maybe cut back on the eggs and butter (I refuse to give up my very moderate intake of cheese just yet!).
The way I like to "detox" is to avoid eating processed foods. This means using "whole" foods, like vegetables, fruits, rice, beans, etc. (things that haven't had anything added to them) to make my meals. Sometimes it's hard to dispense with convenience for the sake of eating well, but I do try. Take the following situation, for example:
I had just gotten back to my apartment from working out and I was hungry! I wanted food right then and there. I opened the fridge and surveyed: I had about 3/4 of a roasted eggplant, chopped (left over from a small dinner party I threw last week, so I chopped it up and roasted it in a 400˚F oven for about 25 minutes), leftover roasted butternut squash, as well as a package of tortillas and a can of refried black beans with lime juice my sister couldn't fit into a certain someone's oversea Christmas package. I also spotted some cherry tomatoes and Greek yogurt. "Eureka!" I thought.
I decided I could delay eating long enough to heat up the innards of the burrito, so I tossed everything except the beans and yogurt into an olive-oil-lined skillet over medium heat for a few minutes before assembling the burrito. It was quite tasty, and took about only about 10 minutes to prepare. Yum.Sure, it would have been easier, and faster, to heat up a Hot Pocket or a Lean Cuisine...but it certainly wouldn't have been as tasty or as filling. Next time you're hungry, see if you can't build something from the building blocks that may be lurking in your refrigerator. Also, when you're cooking vegetables, or anything really, consider making more than you'll need so you'll have something waiting for you after those regular post-New-Year workouts you promised you'd be doing by now!
Roasted Eggplant & Butternut Squash Burrito
1 large tortilla, (optional: toast your tortilla in a skillet or under the broiler)
3 TBSP refried black beans with lime juice
2 TBSP chopped roasted eggplant
3 or 4 cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup cubed roasted butternut squash
olive oil
1 TBSP 2% Greek yogurt
Spread the refried black beans on the tortilla, mostly in the center. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, until they start to "pop" (the skin will deflate and wrinkle a little). Add the butternut squash and the eggplant, and continue to sauté for 2 more minutes. Just before taking the veggies out of the pan, gently mash the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Spoon the veggie mixture into the tortilla, then add the yogurt on top. Roll up and enjoy!
