My Go-To Salsa and Guacamole

I've posted a recipe of each before, however, this salsa and guacamole are the recipes that I make very regularly.  They are perfect food for serving when entertaining or bring along when going to watch the game at a friend's house.   It's also great to have this in the fridge for your daily chips and dip snacks!

These can also be integrated in other recipes: one of my favourites, a bowl of brown rice with black beans, topped with this fresh salsa.  I love a brown rice cake topped with salsa and guacamole!  Perfect for candida cleanse and Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox.  For Paleo, use these as the toppings for your lettuce wrap tacos and fajitas!

fresh salsa
3 cups roma tomatoes, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
large handful cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

• Put all ingredients except salt in a food processor and pulse until everything comes together to your preferred consistency.  Pour in a medium bowl and add salt to taste.

fresh guacamole
3 soft avocados
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped finely
small handful cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl, mash avocados with potato masher.
2. Add tomato and garlic and mash so tomatoes get crushed.
3. Add red onion, cilantro and lime juice, mix well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox Day 12 (Last Day)!!!

Well I've finished the 12 day detox a few days ago.  I've been crazy busy so haven't posted.  I feel wonderful and would encourage anyone who doesn't eat a super clean diet to do this detox at least twice a year.  I like to do it 3-4 times per year.  It's a true reminder of how great we can feel if we fuel our bodies with the healthy foods mother earth provides for us. 

I've just made changes to my "Comments" setting and hoping that anyone is now able to add a comment.  I would appreciate any feedback,or questions that my readers may have.  If you find that the comments don't work, please try my e-mail link on top of the page to let me know,  or you can e-mail me at inmoskitchen@gmail.com.

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox - Day 9

I have to start by saying how much energy I have now.  Before I started the detox, I would start to get quite tired at around 1PM.  Most nights, I would fall asleep at 8PM, while putting my kids to bed.  A few nights, I even went to bed before them at 7:30!  I wasn't getting the most out of my days or time with my kids as I was just too tired.

A couple days ago while I was at work, it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon and I had so much energy that it was difficult for me to sit at my desk to work.  When I put my kids to bed, not one ounce of me feels like going to sleep.  I feel 10 years younger, and that's an awesome feeling for a lady who will turn 38 next week!

You are what you eat...how true it is!  It's so easy in today's society to eat on the run.  If we don't take the time to prepare our food from scratch, we're doing ourselves a disservice.  I don't want to be preachy, but when you feel the transformation firsthand, you just want to shout it out to the world.  There's no secret to it, no magic pill, we just have to make the effort to buy whole foods and create meals with them.

brunch
oatmeal w/blueberries and roasted pecans
1/2 cup steel cut oats, cooked as directed
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup roasted pecans (bake at 350 deg for 13 minutes on baking sheet)

dinner
cod chowder
This recipe is from the Herbal D-Tox Cookbook for Cleansing.  I'm not going to copy it on this blog as I fear copyright infringement but would highly recommend this book if you're detoxing or not.  It offers many great recipes.

pub night with the girls
Oh yes, these times are some of the difficult ones.  Going out with the girls, where a large part of the fun relates to perusing the menu and discussing which appetizers we're going to share.  And drinks, oh the drinks!  
I went in feeling strong and full of willpower.  I didn't crumble!  I had a coffee and some sweet potato fries.  Lucky for me, the fries were simply sweet potatoes, slighly deep fried.  The oil they were fried in was probably not a type allowed on the detox, but all in all, I'm pretty proud of myself!  The platter on the table had nachos, potato skins, chicken wings, etc.  
I felt so good about my choices that I came home and tried on a pair of jeans I haven't been able to wear in months.  Yes, I attempted this at 10:30PM at night and guess what, they fit!  Now that's a great way to end the day.   I only have one more pair of jeans that aren't quite making it yet.  Hopefully I can stay on the right track and get there soon :)

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox - Day 8

Day # 8

I thought by this day I would be not craving any of the restricted items on the eating plan, but I was wrong.  In the afternoon, I got hungry, and ran out of food at my desk.  Yes, even after that large salad.  I saw chocolates and it took every ounce of my willpower to not just start eating them like crazy!  I know it'll be worth it at the end, but a strong craving can be almost unbearable, as this one was!  Then, I walk into the lunch room and there are these awesome flatbread sandwiches that look just amazing, just there waiting for someone to declare it their lunch.  Being super sensitive to anything made with any type of flour, I would never eat one of these fluffy, doughy delights, but it doesn't make it any easier to pass them by.  I did grow up on a large bread diet as most of us did, it's a comfort food that comforts me no more :)

As I write this, I would do almost anything for a plate of corn chips with melted Daiya cheese and hot salsa!  This is all part of detoxing and being able to stick with the program.  It's important in order to get the full benefits that the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox has to offer.

OK, I just have to mention I just had my first blog viewer from Tunisia today!  Now that is amazing!  The Sahara Desert covers large parts of this country!  This is just awesome.


breakfast
2 eggs, over easy
roasted potatoes

I didn't bring my breakfast at work today, my bad, but I was able to find this in a food court.  Sure, the eggs aren't organic and neither are the potatoes, I'm sure, but it'll have to do for today!

lunch
salad
4 cups spring salad mix
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 avocado, chopped
1 apple, chopped
3/4 cup roasted almonds

dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Yes, this is a large salad, but it filled me up!  I was asked again today: "Do you eat ALL THAT?" Oh yes I do!! lol


snack
Jugo Juice snack-size The Big Beet (beet, apple, spinach, blueberries and ginger through a juicer).
- I had to have something this afternoon, I was just losing it, funny it's the first real hard time I've had since I started.  This juice really helped me get through the rest of my time at work.

dinner
leftover curried rice salad

snack
2 rice cakes
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 pear

Thick slices of pear served on top of almond buttered rice cake really hit the spot!

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox - Day 7

breakfast

strawberry-oat pancakes (serves 2 to 3)
1 cup slow cooking oats
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
coconut oil, for frying

1. Mix oats, eggs and cinnamon in blender to a smooth batter.
2. Pour in a bowl and fold in strawberries.
3. Drop by large spoonfuls onto hot, oiled frying pan.  
4. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
5. Serve with butter or almond butter.

lunch

roasted vegetables
I just went to a buffet-type eatery close to my work and bought some roasted potatoes, zucchini and green beans. 
Ever have one of those days that you feel unusually hungry?  Well that is me today!  About a half hour after eating a good amount of vegetables, I had a few more pancakes with almond butter ;)

dinner

curried rice salad 
for recipe, click here

snack

rice cake w/almond butter 
apple

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox - Day 6

Half of the detox done!  I feel great, my energy level has greatly improved already, in only 6 days.  Before starting the detox, I had a constant stomach pain for 2 weeks.  Following my first day on the detox, the stomach pains were gone and haven't been back!  I'm very encouraged to keep going strong for the second half :)

breakfast

veggie scramble (serves 1)
1 cup chopped vegetables (peppers, onions, zucchini and garlic)
2 eggs
salt and pepper

1. In frying pan, cook vegetables until desired doneness,
2. Add eggs and scramble.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

lunch

Leftover Moroccan soup from yesterday.  For recipe, click here.

snack

roasted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet.
4. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Sometimes a handful of these really does the trick!

dinner

brown rice curry with steak (serves 1)
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 cup cooked vegetables (I used frozen peas, corn and green beans mix)
2 oz cooked steak (leftovers from the other day)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons green curry paste (I found a curry paste in the Asian section at Superstore that is allowed on this detox,  just look at the ingredients carefully.)

1. Heat coconut milk and curry paste.
2. Serve rice in a bowl, topped with vegetables, steak and pour curry sauce.

The information leaflet which comes with the detox doesn't mention coconut milk, but I searched and found out on Dr. Willard's blog that it's considered a nut and is acceptable: see the blog entry here.  

Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox - Day 5

I haven't mentioned yet that it is important to eat as much organic as you can on the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox.  That being said, following the D-Tox while following the meal plan will still give you great benefits if you don't eat organic.  Most of the ingredients I use are organic, but I won't write it down every time as it really is a personal choice.  But if you can buy organic, even just some of your produce, you'll be better off in the long run.  And for meats, I don't buy much organic meat as it is so expensive, however, I go to the Farmers' Market as well as a local butcher shop and I buy meat that is from animals who were all ethically treated, fed no hormones, no antibiotics and were free range.  All their sausages, deli meats, etc. have no chemicals and no fillers.  Now that's something you can feel good about!

breakfast

apple cinnamon steel-cut oats
Oats is my go-to breakfast on workdays.  Easy to cook at home in the morning, I pour it in a small thermos container and have hot cereal at work!  Click here for the recipe, except this morning I used chopped apples instead of berries.

lunch

chickpea salad with strawberry vinaigrette
4 cups spring salad mix
1 cup chickpeas
1/4 red pepper
10 grape tomatoes
red onion (a few slices)

I used the leftover vinaigrette I made a couple days ago.  For that recipe, check out this post.

snack

fresh veggies
1 cup sliced celery (click here if you'd like a tip on how to keep your celery fresher, longer!)
1 cup baby carrots

dinner
Moroccan Chickpea and Quinoa Soup (serves 4)
***recipe from the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox Cookbook for Cleansing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup yam, diced
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup raw quinoa (the recipe calls for the same amount of millet, but I prefer to use quinoa)
1 whole star anise or 3 whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon nutmed
3 lemon slices
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper
2 tablepoons cilantro, chopped

1. Saute onion, garlic and celery in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion is soft.
2. Add yams, chickpeas, quinoa, star anise or cloves, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, lemon slices, water, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until yams are cooked.
3. Add cilantro and serve.

I like to prep my ingredients before starting to cook this soup.  It takes about 20 minutes to prep.  This is a delicious soup!

snack

I got hungry in the evening and had another bowl of the soup I made for dinner.