Others eat #Unprocessed, too! -- Clean Eating/Paleo Style

Introduction 

Hello! You just walked in for the second half of the October #unprocessed challenge, in which I join over 6,000 people to eat only whole, unprocessed foods for one month!

I've been eating very delicious, unprocessed foods lately, but of course I'm not perfect -- I have some deliberate exceptions that I have partaken in. It has been challenging, but it's totally doable!

"Autumn Cakes": Sweet potato, shrimp + fresh-squeeze orange juice, chard stems, garlic, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper

Garnished with chard leaves!

Deliberate Exception: Anything my mom cooks, like her specialty pancit (Filipino, stir-fry noodles). Processed foods include the noodles, soy sauce, & fish cakes. Other than that, my mom makes everything from scratch! Go mom!

You can join too, either by finishing up the rest October, or starting your 30 days today!

Scroll through this textbook to read the full introduction.

If you're on your mobile device, flip it on its side for easier viewing! :)

I can tell you that since I started eating unprocessed foods, I feel much healthier and I've seen a noticeable difference in my body figure! Let me know if you're joining me and we can be #unprocessed buddies. I might even send you fun texts like this one from the other day:

If you're in San Diego, I'm happy to share #unprocessed goodies with you! Take the pledge!

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If you're like most people in my life, you won't take my word for it and will probably ignore me.  :''(

So, I invited some guests over to help me convince you!

A Gym-Owner,  A Manufacturing Engineer, A Newlywed, A Master of Food, A Fitspirational Friend, & An Aspiring Personal Trainer.

In America, there is a dangerous dichotomy in which people are very body image-obsessed but at the same time, our country has become increasingly overweight. Because of this, many fad "diets" pop up here and there, with varying levels of effectiveness, health benefits, and sometimes even safety.

First of all, I don't like the term "diet." It connotes eating naked salads for lunch, and being very miserable. And I don't very much like having naked people or misery at Tiffany's. ;)

 

So, I wanted to invite people to the table that don't necessary "diet," but stick to choices and eating styles that involve nourishing themselves with good food!

Now, I'm on Instagram ALL the time, and like me, I notice that Instragram users often post pictures of their most glorious meals. Some hashtags that keep popping up under the most vibrant of these photos are #eatclean or #cleaneating and #paleo.

So, I took some time to investigate of the Eat Clean/Clean Eating and Paleo styles of dining.

Here are my findings: both of these eating styles involve choosing to eat whole, natural, and -- you guessed it -- unprocessed foods! Who knew?

I'm starting to believe in this more and more each day, especially since eating #unprocessed is found across many styles of healthy dining, like Paleo/Clean Eating, that are recommended by many fitness-lovin' people:

Meet Raquel, A Gym-Owner

Tumbl'n and Slippin' into October #Unprocessed

Hi! First, two announcements!

1. I made mayonnaise! From scratch! It was wild! (We'll come back to this shortly).

2. I have a tumblr now! Follow me @diningattiffs!

Now I know it seems overkill to start a second blog, but that's the thing.. I realize that in my enthusiasm for each topic and post, I DO tend to get a bit overkill, writing very, VERY long posts on this website. Eventually, I will turn some of my more popular posts (like resume and cover letter writing) into downloadable PDFs, but for now, just expect to find lengthy posts on diningattiffanys.com. I put a lot of time and planning into each of these posts -- I truly want to be a helpful resource for my readers, so I keep it nice and thorough, letting all the flavors and textures develop into something I'm confident you can enjoy.

My tumblr will be the "microwaved" version of this website, with quick fixes of the Dining at Tiffany's experience! Check it out!

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So that was the Tumbl'n, let's talk about the Slippin'!

When I was in high school (roughly 6 years ago, wow!), this is pretty much what my lunch would consist of everyday:

1. A bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Often doused in lemon juice and salsa. We all walked around with red fingers back then.

Unprocessed: Sweet Potato Rosemary Sauce recipe (vegan!)

I really must stop procrastinating, but I created this recipe for my pledge to October #unprocessed 2011 with Eating Rules! Or maybe I'm just doing this late to encourage everyone to choose unprocessed foods beyond October! :) 

Pasta w/ Sweet Potato Rosemary Sauce 

A cozy, comforting meal to ring in the autumn weather and use in-season produce! 

INGREDIENTS

- 2 Sweet potatoes (washed)
- 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

- 1/4 cup coconut milk (your new, vegan best friend! refrigerate it in an airtight container to use as a milk substitute for other sauces) 1 tbsp of olive oil 

- 1/4 cup water

- dash of cinnamon

- dash of coriander (can also use cumin or any spicy crushed herb like curry powder) 

- dash of cayenne pepper

- garlic salt (or a 1/2 a clove of finely minced and sauteed garlic. prep the garlic beforehand!)

salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

i. Boil water if you're making pasta! 

1. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork 4-5 times to vent. Place sweet potatoes on top of a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate (place a paper towel on top as well if you're paranoid of potato explosions).

2. Microwave for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes over (be careful, they're hot!), and microwave for another 5 minutes.

3. Remove from microwave. Cut a slit in each potato, scoop out the sweet potato (discard the skin). 

4. Use a blender or food processor to mix together the sweet potato and coconut milk/water. Alternate to ensure that the mixture is moist enough to blend. Add olive oil whenever you feel like it (or omit it, I don't know if this really made a difference)

5. Once you've blended about half of it, add rosemary gradually (Also, add sauteed garlic now if you're using it). Add more water or coconut milk if the mixture becomes too dry. 

6. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth (and beautifully glistening! okay, maybe that's what the olive oil is for!) 

7. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat on medium. Stir in spices gradually (including garlic salt if you didn't use sauteed garlic). Stir for about 5 minutes or until you feel the flavors are well-incorporated.

8. Salt and pepper to taste and mix with pasta. 

I would recommend whole wheat fusilli, or any other pasta that grabs on to sauce well! Also, the rosemary is raw, which can be a little bitter, so make sure to blend the mixture until the rosemary only appears as little, green specks. Enjoy!

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With love,

Tiffany

Dining at Tiffany's