With these Fab Five Food Rules as our foundation, here’s what we eat every day.
MORNING
I drink a glass of water first thing in the morning around 7:00 a.m. Then I blend dandelion greens with water and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a high-speed blender and drink 2 cups. This drink is not only nutrient-rich, it makes me feel calm and mellow, and helps my skin maintain its healthy glow.
After I exercise, around 8:00 a.m., I drink a green smoothie made with water; a cup of fresh or frozen dark leafy greens (usually dandelion greens, spinach, collards, or kale); a cup of fresh or frozen berries (I switch up between blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and others); a banana or avocado for creaminess; fresh ginger; and hemp seeds. Sometimes I’ll swap out the hemp seeds for half a cup of nuts or 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal. (See part 2 for the Liquid Sunshine Dandelion Lemon Drink and Tracye’s Daily Green Smoothie recipes.)
MID-MORNING
I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal by 11:00 a.m., using rolled oats, a chopped apple, a handful of walnuts, and a dash of cinnamon. I might also swap a teaspoon or two of chia seeds (which are high in omega-3 fatty acids) for the walnuts.
For lunch, I may have a sprouted whole-grain wrap with either black beans, lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas, or other beans, along with multicolored bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, avocados, shredded purple cabbage and carrots, chopped kale, garlic, and red onions. Or I may have a bowl of bean soup or oven-grilled tofu or tempeh with a kale salad. (See part 2 for the Pinto Bean Wrap, Crispy Tofu Bites, and All Hail the Kale Salad Remix recipes.)
MID-AFTERNOON
A few hours after lunch, I may have red bell pepper hummus with nori sheets or whole-grain crackers and one or two pieces of fruit, like an orange, mango, peach, or persimmon (depending on the season). I’ll also have green tea or chamomile tea.
EVENING
Dinner is often a lightly sautéed dish. This could be sautéed collards with pine nuts, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic over whole-grain pasta, black rice, or curry quinoa. Or it could be string beans or broccoli, multicolored bell peppers, mushrooms, corn, and nuts with a creamy sauce over one of the whole grains above. (See part 2 for the Collards and Quinoa, String Beans with Shiitake Mushrooms and Almonds, and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Black Rice and Almond Butter Sauce recipes.)
WATER
Along with my morning water, dandelion greens drink, green smoothie, and tea, I typically drink four to five more glasses of water throughout the day. The raw fruit and vegetables I eat also have a high water content.
MORNING AND MID-MORNING
The first thing I do in the morning is drink one glass of plain water and then one glass of water with juice from half of a large lemon and one-fourth teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If I have an 8:00 a.m. exercise class, before I go I’ll have a smoothie made with water, a half-cup of blueberries, an apple, two cups of chopped fresh kale, freshly squeezed lemon juice, two tablespoons of flax seeds, and I may add in three tablespoons of hemp protein powder. This makes about one-and-a-half cups. (See part 2 for Mary’s Daily Green Smoothie recipe.)
Then after class, around 10:00 a.m., I’ll eat a bowl of oatmeal made with rolled oats, a half-cup of walnuts, and a half-cup of raisins or one date.
Or on mornings that I have a 9:00 a.m. exercise class, I’ll eat a bowl of oatmeal instead of having a smoothie. With the oatmeal, I’ll have nutritional yeast, almonds, chia seeds, turmeric, and cumin. Sometimes I’ll add chopped raw kale, as well. This makes a filling breakfast that will leave me feeling satisfied for a few hours.
Then after that, I’ll make one-and-a-half cups of green drink. I blend dark leafy greens, like kale, spinach, collards, beet greens, or dandelion greens with water in a blender.
AFTERNOON
For lunch, I may have black bean soup or three-bean soup with carrots, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and celery. I’ll also have a dandelion greens salad with chopped avocado, onion, and garlic. I usually don’t put salad dressing on it. I may just place the hot beans on top, which softens the greens. Sometimes I’ll eat whole-grain crackers with the soup and salad or I’ll have a baked sweet potato instead of the crackers. (See part 2 for the Three-Bean Chili and Citrusy Dandelion Greens Salad recipes.)
Or instead of soup, I may have a black bean burger and use kale or collards instead of lettuce. I usually eat sprouted whole-grain bread with the burger, but sometimes I’ll use collard leaves and eat it like a pita.
MID-AFTERNOON
I usually have fresh fruit, like an apple, banana, peach, grapes, cherries, or cantaloupe (depending on the season) or I’ll have apricots, figs, or dates.
EVENING
For dinner, I may have a stir-fry with tempeh or tofu, broccoli, onions, and garlic. I’ll have that with quinoa and a kale salad with avocado, a little olive oil, and garlic.
Or I may have a curried chickpea salad along with brown rice or millet and roasted red and yellow peppers. With that, I may have roasted Brussels sprouts or roasted cauliflower. (See part 2 for the Curried Chickpeas in Warm Pita Pocket, Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted Curried Cauliflower recipes.)
WATER
I try to drink at least six cups of water daily, which includes the two glasses I drink in the early morning, as well as two cups of herbal tea, particularly green tea. The other two are plain glasses of water I drink during the day. During the summer, I usually drink more water, especially with my daily exercises.
Overall, we keep our meals light, nutritious, and delicious. With the Fab Five Food Rules, you can easily put this into practice in your own life based on your own tastes, preferences, and circumstances.