I got a great email from Toni asking about the recipe below.

She wanted to know what I thought about the recipe. check it out below:

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein.

When you’re in the mood for lo mein, you can always get takeout,

but here’s a supereasy recipe that actually takes less time to prepare than you’d spend waiting for your order. For the beef, sirloin tips are idea, but you can also make this dish with flank steak.

• 8 ounces thin whole wheat spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces sirloin tips, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons beef broth
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

Step 1
Stir the spaghetti into a pot of lightly salted boiling water and cook it according to the package directions. Drain the noodles well, then return them to the pot and toss them with the sesame oil.

Step 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue stirring while the mixture cooks for another 30 seconds. Add the sirloin and cook it, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink.

Step 3
In a small bowl, mix the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and oyster sauce. Add the soy sauce mixture and the pasta to the skillet and continue cooking, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve the lo mein hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

What Do I think?

First off, I want to get one thing clear. Short of twinkies and hydrogenated anything…there is no bad food. I think this is an important point to make while we’re talking about weather or not I think a particular dish is “good” or “bad”. I hate labeling food like this. Is it true that certain foods will bring more health and vitality to your life than others? Yes. But sometimes what you might consider a “bad food” could serve a purpose in your life.

I couldn’t imagine not having my grandmothers famous Monkey Bread on Christmas morning. It’s so “Texas”. Canned biscuits, sugar, and INSANE amounts of butter.

With that said…

What I like about the recipe above is it’s made with real food. Beef, broccoli, etc. If you are going to eat pasta, which is a processed carb, you’re better off eating the whole wheat (or rice, or quinoa) pasta, rather than the typical white stuff. When we eat pasta in our home (which is a rarity) I serve whole grain, usually quinoa pasta.

What about when I’m detoxing or eating super-clean?

In this case, you would want to hold off from eating any processed carbs. So when I’m running a 21-day challenge, or a detox program, even the quinoa pasta would be off limits (because it’s processed). Instead, I choose complex carbs that are whole. Here’s a short list:

• Brown Rice (remember…white rice has been processed and striped of most fiber, vitamins, and minerals)
• Quinoa (actually a seed, but it acts like a grain. Plus, it’s gluten free AND a complete protein!
• Wild Rice
• Steel cut oats (not the quick cooking kind)
• Root veggies like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, etc
• Wheat berries
• Bulgar
• Buckwheat (you can cook the 3 above the same way you cook rice or oatmeal…very easy!)

But you can be sure that when I’m finished with my 21-day eating clean challenge that I will definitely give this recipe a go! You should too!

Committed to your success,

Audra : )

Tilapia with pesto and veggies in parchment paper.

In a piece of foil or parchment paper:

• place tilapia down and add a little (1tsp-1/2Tbl) homemade or store bought pesto sauce
• add a hand full of: squash, zucchini, carrot, cabbage
• drizzle with 1tsp of olive oil.
• add salt and pepper.
• close the foil or parchment paper.

Bake at 450 for about 15 min.

In the video below, I also cooked beets and chard. The beets aren’t really a part of the 21-day challenge, but you can definitely do the chard!

I also show you how I cook a ton of different foods to prepare me for the week while making my Sunday dinner.

Enjoy!