Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox (23 page)

I didn't specifically address this issue in previous
Wheat Belly
books, and readers have told me that they did a fair amount of searching for alternatives to conventional lunches. I therefore provide some easy, healthy lunch solutions here. As with all other recipes in your Secret Weapon arsenal, all the lunches provided here are consistent with the Wheat Belly detox, as well as a long-term Wheat Belly lifestyle, and can therefore be used to replace any of the lunches (or other meals, though not your Detox Shakes) in the Menu Plan. You can therefore use any of these recipes to create your own portable lunches during your detox experience, and you can also use them to pack lunches for the family.

Any sandwich can, of course, be re-created using the Wheat Belly Herbed Focaccia Bread (see
here
). That alone opens up a world of possibilities, such as Reuben sandwiches, BLT sandwiches, ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches, and egg salad sandwiches. To save on time and effort, you can make a double batch of Focaccia Bread on the weekend; if you store it in the refrigerator, it will last for several days. Some of the recipes provided in your 10-Day Menu Plan can be used as packed lunches,
such
as the “Potato” Salad, Apricot Ginger “Granola,” Cream of Broccoli Soup, leftover Italian Sausage and Bell Pepper Pizza, Mediterranean “Pasta” Salad, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Ham Skillet. The Detox Snack Balls are also perfect to pack for lunch. Always consider any breakfast or dinner leftovers as a lunch possibility, also.

Here are a number of other possibilities for quick, easy-to-prepare, and tasty alternatives for lunch that will help keep your kids and spouse—as well as you—on track.

TURKEY-WRAPPED PICKLES AND OLIVES.
Slice a pickle in half lengthwise, wrap it in a slice of turkey meat, place an olive on top, and fix the entire stack with a wooden pick. Pack several for each lunch.

HARD-COOKED EGGS OR DEVILED EGGS.
Hard-cooked or deviled eggs are perfect to pack for lunch. Also consider other egg-based dishes for lunch. For example, whenever you prepare a frittata, save the leftovers for lunches.

CHEESE.
Cheeses, cut up into squares or as string cheese, are perfect finger foods to pack. Always look for organic
full
-fat, not skim, reduced, or low-fat.

SLICED FRUIT AND RAW VEGGIES.
Kids have more leeway in their tolerance to the sugars from fruit, so sliced apples, pears, peaches, orange wedges, and other fruit easily fit into their diets. (If packing your own lunch, however, stick with berries. If you pack other fruits, such as an apple or peach, don't forget to adhere to our 15 gram net carb cutoff in order not to booby-trap your detox program.) Pack some into one of their lunch container compartments. Likewise, sliced celery, green peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli are among the choices for portable veggies. If you pack sliced fruit, consider adding a dab of peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butter for dipping. For veggies, consider including some hummus, guacamole, ranch dressing, or salsa.

NUTS
AND SEEDS.
Nuts and seeds figure fairly prominently in the Wheat Belly lifestyle, and fortunately, they easily fit into packable lunches (provided that nuts are not prohibited at your child's school). Some raw or dry-roasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, or hazelnuts in one of the lunch box compartments can be an easy and filling finger food.

HEALTHY BEVERAGES.
You can find stainless steel water bottles decorated for kids in most department and big-box stores. (Avoid plastic bottles.) Fill them with a healthy drink such as homemade chocolate milk (sweetened with stevia drops), fruit-infused water, or almond or coconut milk.

SOME
ADDITIONAL KID-FRIENDLY LUNCH RECIPES

CHICKEN NUGGETS

Pack these Chicken Nuggets plain or with some ketchup, honey mustard, or your child's favorite salad dressing (the least sugary option!) for dipping.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 eggs

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup ground golden flaxseeds

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and butter. In a shallow bowl, combine the flaxseeds, cheese, and onion powder. Mix well.

Coat each chicken piece in the egg mixture, then roll in the flaxseed mixture and transfer to the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, turning once, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Per serving: 451 calories, 32 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 34 g total fat, 17 g saturated fat, 4 g fiber, 446 mg sodium

FRANKS
'N' BEANS

I've loosened the carbohydrate limit just a bit for the kids once again, since they tolerate carbs better than us big kids. Still, these Franks 'n' Beans will be heavier on the franks, lighter on the beans, but still tasty—certainly tastier than something out of a can or a frozen dinner.

Makes 4 servings

2 teaspoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 strips bacon, chopped into ½'' pieces

1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans with pork

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 package (16 ounces) nitrate- and preservative-free frankfurters, sliced into 1'' pieces

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter or olive oil. Cook the onion and bacon for 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the bacon is cooked through. Stir in the pinto beans, molasses, mustard, tomato paste, and frankfurters. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until heated through.

Per serving: 446 calories, 22 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 27 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 7 g fiber, 609 mg sodium

“
MAC” 'N' CHEESE

This “Mac” 'n' Cheese will need to be reheated when served. You can pack it in a microwaveable container (provided your child is reliable enough to bring it back home) or just save it for a weekend lunch.

Makes 4 servings

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets and cut into 1'' pieces

¼ cup butter

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Place a steamer basket in a large pot with 2'' of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the cauliflower in the basket, cover, and steam for 15 to 20 minutes, or until soft.

Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet over low heat, heat the butter, cheese, cream, and mustard, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Transfer the cauliflower to the cheese mixture and mix well. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Per serving: 586 calories, 25 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 51 g total fat, 32 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 683 mg sodium

PIZZA
ROLL-UPS

These little Pizza Roll-Ups are deceptively filling, even if only 1 or 2 fit into your child's lunch container. For a more pronounced tomato flavor, add more sun-dried tomatoes. Those soaked in olive oil work best (rather than dried).

Makes 4 servings

2 cups almond meal/flour

1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 eggs

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal/flour, 1 cup of the cheese, and the sun-dried tomatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the almond meal/flour mixture and mix thoroughly until a thick dough forms.

Spread the dough out on the baking sheet to form an approximately 10'' × 10'' square no more than ½'' thick. (Dip your hands in oil or water to make spreading the dough easier.) Sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Arrange the pepperoni and then the remaining ½ cup cheese over the top.

Carefully roll the dough, lifting the parchment paper from 1 end to start. Repair any tears by hand. Bake for 22 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 1''-thick slices.

Per serving: 728 calories, 30 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 62 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 7 g fiber, 557 mg sodium

TRAVEL
AND ENTERTAINING

As we've discussed, you ideally conduct the 10 days of your detox while at home and not traveling, or at least limit travel to short day trips so that you maintain access to your own kitchen. However, should you need to travel during your detox, or desire some additional dishes after the detox period is over, maintaining a healthy wheat- and grain-free lifestyle is entirely doable. Here are some additional ideas for foods to take along with you while traveling, as well as dishes that can be useful for entertaining, even if those you are entertaining are not following this lifestyle.

Staying true to this lifestyle means ordering carefully at restaurants by choosing simple dishes such as a steak or baked fish rather than complex dishes with breading, sauces, and reductions. Even though most “gluten-free” ingredients are incompatible with the Wheat Belly lifestyle, be aware that a growing number of restaurants are serving (or at least trying to serve) gluten-free choices, and it can be helpful to play this gluten-free game. Be careful here, though: Avoid gluten-free breads, rolls, pizza, and sandwiches, as the quantity of gluten-free cornstarch, potato flour, tapioca starch, and rice flour required to create these foods will reverse many of the benefits you've obtained with this lifestyle. But if, say, you request a salad or baked fish that is gluten-free (without croutons or breading), then you are likely safe, as any quantity of gluten-free ingredient is likely to be very small or negligible.

The Apricot Ginger “Granola” from the Menu Plan makes a perfect travel snack packed in resealable plastic bags or plastic containers. The Snack Balls and portable versions of the Fat Blasters in
Chapter 6
also make easy-to-take-along snacks for traveling, as do many of the dishes provided as the Great Persuaders, such as the Strawberries 'n' Cream Mini Cheesecakes, Peanut Butter Cookies, Key Lime or Amaretto Truffles, and Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters. Simply pack them in a resealable plastic
container
or carefully pack them in plastic wrap and keep them chilled in a cooler. The Jumbo Gingerbread Nut Muffins from the recipe in the Menu Plan are also great for travel, if packed carefully. The recipe can be altered by using conventional, rather than jumbo, muffin pans to make standard-size muffins that are easier to carry in, say, your purse or carry-on luggage.

You will also find that most of the Great Persuaders can double as useful dishes for entertaining. Your grain-consuming friends are unlikely to notice that your Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pepperoni Pizza, Strawberries 'n' Cream Mini Cheesecakes, or Amaretto Truffles are free of all problem ingredients (though they may notice that your dishes are unusually filling and, unlike eating elsewhere, do not result in weight gain). Likewise, many of the dishes provided in the 10-Day Menu Plan can easily be served as meals for entertaining, such as the Chorizo, Pepper, and Avocado Skillet served for brunch, or Bacon-Topped Meat Loaf with Mushrooms and Gravy or the Pork Thai Stir-Fry for dinner.

You can also convert many of your own favorite recipes to safe versions by adhering to the Wheat Belly Detox guidelines of using no wheat or other grains, with each serving providing no more than 15 grams net carbohydrates, and including no other problem ingredients such as added sugar, excessive use of sweeteners like honey, or unhealthy oils such as corn oil. Almond meal or flour, for example, can be substituted for conventional flour; a mixture of ground golden flaxseeds and grated Parmesan cheese can be used as “breading” on meats; and stevia or monk fruit can be used in place of sugar. A bit of trial and error may be involved, however, to get the proportions and cooking times right, as most recipes cannot be re-created with an ingredient-for-ingredient, cup-for-cup swap but instead require some adjustments. Nonetheless, very few dishes cannot be converted to healthier versions. (Also, see the
Wheat Belly Cookbook
and
Wheat
Belly
30-Minute (or Less!) Cookbook
for oodles of recipes that are useful for entertaining, as well as additional kid-friendly recipes, in which proportions and cooking times have already been worked out.)

In a world of unsafe, unhealthy processed foods, finding snack foods that are safe is a perennial challenge for us. Here are fun and tasty snacks that are easily portable to take with you while traveling. While plain raw or dry-roasted nuts can be carried as is, after that habit gets old, here are some new alternatives to carry with you when you are in an airport or during long car rides. These recipes can also be served anytime that you and your family want a snack that you can eat without worrying about negative health implications or going off your detox program.

Some safe snacks include:

•
Nut butters: These can be purchased in single-serve packets. Avoid purchasing those with added sugars or other unhealthy ingredients.

•
Jerky: Look for the brands with the least sugar and no wheat or cornstarch, of course.