“7-Day No-Added-Sugar Meal Plan That’s Actually Doable” : Day Two
Cooking

“7-Day No-Added-Sugar Meal Plan That’s Actually Doable” : Day Two

This is a continuation of my My Experience with a “7-Day No-Added-Sugar Meal Plan That’s Actually Doable.” Today’s post shall focus on Day Two, with my commentary of course. (Want to catch up? Here’s the introduction, shopping and meal prep, and Day One.)

Day Two ended up being much simpler than Day One as most of the prep was out of the way. The menu for today involved the following items, which I shall explain in further detail below:

  1. Almond Milk Oatmeal With Peanut Butter, Banana & Strawberries
  2. Roasted Veggie Pita With Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
  3. Thai-Style Turkey Over Rice

Breakfast: Almond Milk Oatmeal With Peanut Butter, Banana & Strawberries

No Added Sugar Oatmeal with Peanut Butter, Banana, and Strawberries
Almond Milk Oatmeal With Peanut Butter, Banana & Strawberries

This breakfast brought back many memories of eating gluten free. Old fashion rolled gluten free oats were a staple at my house, and I always cooked them with almond milk. Once again, this was another habit I just fell out of. I swapped nutrient dense, fiber rich oatmeal on a stove for quick high sugar cereal. Why?

I enjoyed revisiting what was once a daily meal. As this used to be something I made daily for several years, I definitely modified their suggested recipe. Below is my modified recipe.

Yields one portion. Requires a pot on the stove. Took about 15 minutes to make.

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (I used pink Himalayan salt)
  • 1/4 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP peanut butter
  • 1 banana, sliced (I used 3/4 of a banana because I dropped 1/4 of it on the floor…)
  • 1 strawberry, sliced
  • 1 TBSP chopped peanuts (I did not chop them)

I added the following spices:

  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Allspice
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Almond Extract
  1. In a medium sauce pot, heat oats, almond milk, half of the sliced banana, and salt over low heat and let cook for 7-8 minutes until thick and creamy. (I add in the peanut butter and the spices at this step.)
  2. Remove from heat, add in the lemon juice and stir.
  3. Transfer to a bowl and top with peanut butter, sliced banana, sliced strawberry, and peanuts.

Why they would recommend oatmeal without spicing it up baffles me. I absolutely love adding cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a dash of both vanilla and almond extract into every oatmeal I make. This was the first time I threw in a dash of lemon juice. Apparently the acid is supposed to do something? I am not sure.

I enjoyed revisiting a staple recipe of mine that I have neglected for the past five years. I also forgot how incredibly filling oatmeal with peanut butter is. My blood sugar appeared stable for hours afterwards, and I did not require my mid-morning snack.

Lunch: Roasted Veggie Pita With Greek Yogurt Tzatziki

No added sugar Roasted Veggie Pita With Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
Roasted Veggie Pita With Greek Yogurt Tzatziki before assembly.

I was able to eat my amazing Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce! Confession: I totally ate a spoonful of it before I placed the rest on my pita. If you wanted to make this meal gluten free, just sub out the pita.

Yields one portion. I reheated everything up on the stove because it was easier. It came together very quickly.

  • 1 pita
  • 1 cup sheet pan vegetables (previously prepared)
  • 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas (previously prepared)
  • 1/4 cup tzatziki (previously prepared)
  1. Reheat everything (except the tzatziki sauce).
  2. Assemble everything (including the tzatziki sauce) onto the pita.
  3. Enjoy.

I am not a fan of the reheated chickpeas. Their texture was off. Perhaps this was because I did not let them cool completely before placing them in an airtight container. They just seemed soggy. Thankfully, the flavor was still there and their texture was masked by the rest of the meal.

Overall, the meal tasted good. But I cannot and do not recommend those chickpeas.

Dinner: Thai-Style Turkey Over Rice

No added sugar thai-style turkey over rice
Thai-Style Turkey Over Rice

The more I think about this, the more I question what makes this meal “Thai.” In my opinion, Thai food is known for two things. It is either incredibly sweet or incredibly spicy. This was neither. Now the meal did taste good, but I do not understand the labeling of Thai. Perhaps it earned the label due to the peanuts and the lime? I don’t know. Buzzfeed, you confuse me.

Yields one portion in a little over twenty minutes. Requires the use of a microwave and a skillet on the stove.

  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (I actually left this out)
  • 5 oz turkey larb mixture, previously prepared (I had WAY more than 5 oz)
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice, previously prepared
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions (I left this out, I didn’t want to chop onions before dinner)
  • 2 TBSP sliced green onions
  • 1 TBSP roasted peanuts, chopped (I did not chop them)
  • 2 TBSP Thai peanut sauce, previously prepared
  • 1 lime wedge
  1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. (I left this step out.)
  2. Add turkey larb mixture and cook, stirring continuously until done, about 5 minutes. (I cooked mine longer, partly because I was shredding a carrot).
  3. Place brown rice, shredded carrots, and baby spinach in a bowl (plate) and top with cooked meat.
  4. Garnish with red onion, green onion, peanuts, peanut sauce, and a lime wedge.

I feel like the rice was unnecessary for this meal. It would have worked very well as just a salad. And I am sure the flavor would have been even better with those red onions, but I really did not want to slice an onion before eating. I hate cutting onions.

All things considered, this was an excellent dinner. I plan on making that Cilantro-Lime Turkey again.

Concluding Thoughts for Day Two

Day two is done! I was able to enjoy Oatmeal, Roasted Veggie Pita With Greek Yogurt Tzatziki, and Thai-Style Turkey Over Rice. While the chickpeas were a loss, the Cilantro-Lime Turkey was a knock out win. I also believe that my sugar cravings are reducing. This is exciting, as it was the entire point of completing this experiment.

Again, I do not view this as a diet. I want to create for myself a healthy, sustainable life-style. I want to remain Clearly Alive.

This is part of a continuing series. Here are the other Parts: Introduction, Shopping / Meal Prep, Day One

Amber Nicole is Clearly Alive