BuzzFeed Life's Clean Eating Challenge is a two-week plan that's all about eating real food in order to feel great and have more energy. The food is low-carb and gluten-free with an emphasis on lean protein, healthy fats, and lots of fresh produce. There's no processed food allowed; every meal is homemade.
It's important that you follow the meal plan in order starting with Day 1 since most of the recipes call for leftover ingredients from previous days. But you can start any time and find full instructions here. Aim to eat every 3-4 hours and try not to eat within two hours of bedtime.
Today you need to go grocery shopping using the grocery list for week two. Here's a printable pdf of the grocery list.
Coconut, Pineapple, and Avocado Smoothie
Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
1 cup pineapple chunks
¼ avocado, peeled, cut in rough 1-inch cubes, frozen (from yesterday)
½ bunch kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves roughly chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 cup coconut water
1 tablespoon natural, unsalted almond butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon shredded coconut, for garnish
PREPARATION
Combine pineapple chunks, avocado, kale, coconut water, almond butter, and vanilla extract in a blender and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a glass and top with shredded coconut, to serve.
322 calories, 19.3 g fat (4.3 g saturated fat), 37 g carbohydrate (5.6 g dietary fiber, 26.7 g sugars), 6.4 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 27.7 mg sodium
Soft-Boiled Eggs with Sweet Potato Soldiers, Roasted Tomatoes, and Kale Salad
Makes 1 serving plus leftover sweet potatoes
You'll eat half of the sweet potatoes you roast for lunch today and save half for breakfast tomorrow.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium sweet potato, washed and cut into wedges ½-inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
¾ large beefsteak tomato, cut in slices ½-inch thick
2 large eggs*
juice of ½ lemon
½ bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, thinly sliced into ribbons
½ ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
*Men, use 3 eggs
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the sweet potato matchsticks to the lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat and combine.
Roast in the preheated oven until the undersides of the sweet potato wedges are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven, flip the sweet potatoes, and add the tomato slices. Bake until the sweet potato wedges are soft and cooked through and the tomato slices are soft and warm, 10-15 minutes more. Meanwhile, make the soft-boiled eggs.
For the soft-boiled eggs: Bring 5 inches of water to a boil in a small pot over high heat. When the water is boiling, carefully drop the eggs in one at a time, using a spoon. Turn the heat all the way down to low, cover the pot, and cook the eggs for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, lift the eggs out of the boiling water and put them in a small bowl. Cover the eggs with room temperature water and let them sit until you're ready to eat.
For the kale salad: squeeze lemon juice into a medium mixing bowl, then slowly add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, whisking constantly until the vinaigrette is fully combined. Add the sliced kale ribbons and massage the dressing into the kale until the kale starts to soften, about 30 seconds. Add the grated Parmesan and toss to combine. Serve kale salad on the side of the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and eggs.
Serve the eggs in egg cups or shot glasses, with the tops cut off, then dip the half of the sweet potato wedges into the runny yolks and scoop out of the rest of the egg white with a spoon.
Let the remaining half of the sweet potato wedges cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
415 calories, 22.9 g fat (6.9 g saturated fat), 31 g carbohydrate (6.3 g dietary fiber, 12 g sugars), 23 g protein, 312 mg cholesterol, 586 mg sodium
Cut the sweet potato into wedges, then spread them out over a lined baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast the sweet potatoes in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes, then take the sheet out of the oven, flip the sweet potatoes, and add the sliced tomatoes.
Roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft and browned and the tomatoes are soft.
Serve all of the tomato slices and half of the sweet potatoes for lunch. Let the leftover sweet potatoes cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Meanwhile, bring 5 inches of water to a boil in a small sauce pot. When the water is boiling, carefully drop the eggs in.
Turn the heat down to very low.
Cover the pot and set a timer for 6 minutes.
When the timer goes off, use a spoon to lift the eggs out of the water and put them into an empty bowl.
Cover with room temperature water and let the eggs sit until you're ready to eat.
Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry with Cauliflower "Rice"
To make this dinner, you'll combine:
½ recipe Cauliflower "Rice" (recipe below)
Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry (recipe below)
First cook the cauliflower rice, then cook the stir-fry.
338 calories, 16.2 g fat (2.3 g saturated fat), 21 g carbohydrate (7.9 g dietary fiber, 3.7 g sugars), 31 g protein, 172 mg cholesterol, 738 mg sodium
Cauliflower “Rice”
Makes 2 servings
You'll eat half of this "rice" tonight and save the other half for lunch Tuesday.
INGREDIENTS
1 large head cauliflower (about 1 ½ pounds), cored and cut into florets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tamari
¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
PREPARATION
Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they're they consistency of rice. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the florets with a knife until they're the consistency of rice. Note that this will take much longer and will be messy.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallot starts to soften, about 30 seconds. Add the minced garlic, stir quickly, then add the cauliflower, stir, and let it cook for about a minute. Add tamari and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the cauliflower is tender but still crunchy, about 6 minutes.
Eat half of the cauliflower rice for dinner tonight, then cool the leftover half completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
First, mince you garlic and shallots, and cut the cauliflower into small florets. You can discard the cauliflower core.
Pulse cauliflower in a food processor, just until it's the consistency of rice.
Don't pulse it too much, or it'll turn to mush when you cook it. If there are some big florets left, you can just pick them out.
Cook the shallots over medium heat until they start to soften, then add the garlic and stir everything again.
Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry
Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced, greens and whites separated
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
4 ounces shrimp*, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups snow peas, stems trimmed, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon tamari
2 tablespoons chicken stock
*Men, use 8 ounces
PREPARATION
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the sliced scallion whites (reserve the greens for garnish) and sliced shallot. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and start to turn translucent, about a minute. Add the shrimp and cook without stirring for one minute. Flip the shrimp, then cook for one minute more. Add the garlic and ginger and cook everything, stirring often, just until the garlic starts to soften, about 30 seconds. Add the snow peas, tamari, and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, the snow peas are still very crunchy but not raw, and the shrimp is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Eat the stir fry with half of the cauliflower rice.
Add the cauliflower, tamari, and chicken stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender.
Eat half of the cauliflower "rice" for dinner tonight. Let the leftover cauliflower "rice" cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
For the stir fry, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the shallots and scallion greens and cook until they're soft.
Add the shrimp.
After a minute, flip the shrimp. They should be completely opaque on one side.
Cook the shrimp for another minute, then add the garlic and ginger, stir, and cook until the garlic starts to soften.
Add the snow peas, tamari, and chicken stock, and cook, stirring occasionally.
After 2 minutes, the snow peas should be bright green and the liquid should be evaporated. Add the scallion greens, toss together, and serve.
DAY 7 (SATURDAY) TOTAL NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
1,423 calories, 74.8 g fat (14.1 g saturated fat), 139 g carbohydrate (33.3 g dietary fiber, 72.3 g sugars), 65.3 g protein, 553.9 mg cholesterol, 1355 mg sodium
WHOA, we're half way there!
So, you’re taking the Clean Eating Challenge? We’d love to see how it goes! Post your photos to Instagram or Twitter and tag them #BuzzFeedCleanEating
BuzzFeed Food editors tested the entire Clean Eating Challenge and can vouch for the validity and deliciousness of every recipe. If you have questions about the challenge or any of the dishes, you can email Christine Byrne.