Holiday Detox In 3 Easy Steps!

If you are looking for ways to detox after the holidays and eating healthy for the new year is one of your goals, then start now by using these three simple steps including making this yummy fiber-rich dish!  These are very basic steps, but they are of great importance to me because without these three being in the fore front of my daily routine, my days are just not the same. 

Step One:  Get More Sleep

​Getting quality sleep at night is better for your overall physical and mental well-being.  A good nights rest can help you to be more productive during the day, gives you that added energy when trying to keep up with your kiddos, and having enough energy to exercise, which in turn helps you to lose weight, and you will eat better too! 

Step Two: Drink Water

​Drink more water. So simple, and so easy to overlook. I suggest getting a 24 oz tumbler or larger and make a goal to refill it at least once a day and finish the bottle by the end of each day. I normally drink plenty of water in the summer, but the winter, not so much. The winter months, especially here in North Georgia, are always interesting (not too much snow...just ice), and the cold weather and low humidity levels result in dry air that steals away moisture from our body. Drinking more water is going to help you feel full, and satiated throughout the day and it also helps increase your metabolism. So simple!  

Step Three:  Eat Healthy

I love to cook!  It is my own personal therapy and my favorite way of showing my family how much I love them.  A few years ago during our famous "Georgia Snowmageddon", I cooked one of my favorite southern meals: Black Eyed Pea and Collard Soup.  It just so happens to be my own personal prize winner (at least to my family it is). It is the perfect dish to warm you up in cold weather, and considering how many meals we can get out of this recipe, makes it super convenient and econcomical too!  I know that not everyone has the southern cravings that I have, but if you like a spicy, wholesome nutritious meal that will feed an army then keep reading. 

First, the pictures below do NOT give it justice.  I have made this dish numerous times throughout the years and it keeps getting better, I just forget to take pictures. I make this dish in a crockpot, however using a dutch oven or Instapot  would work just as well.  

Here are some quick healthy facts about what is included in this recipe:

1. Black-eyed peas and collard greens are packed with nutrients.  They are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and all kinds of yummy flavors. 
2. Collard greens are one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. They are rich in Vitamin K, high in calcium an essential nutrient that promotes healthy blood clotting. 1/2 cup of black eyed peas contains 25% of your daily value of folate! 
3. Bloated? Celery will help your body get rid of excess fluid and sodium. 

Black Eye Pea Collard Soup

Black Eye Pea Collard Soup

​Ingredients
serves 6-8

2 packages of black-eyed peas, (I use the dried peas...then soak and cook them myself)
1-2 27oz cans of Glory Southern Style Collard Greens 
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 large organic celery ribs, finely minced
6 large organic carrots, peeled and cut into a 1/4-inch dice
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 organic leek sliced
2-3 cups homemade organic chicken broth (homemade is healthier)
1 smoked ham hock
2 tbs Italian dressing (odd I know)
1 tbs hot sauce
(optional) 1/2 pound ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

1. Cook or soak the black eyed peas according to directions. (To skip the soaking simply cook your black eyed peas in an electric pressure cooker, according to instructions included in your model for dry beans).
2. Turn your crockpot on to Low.  Place the shallot, celery, leek and carrot in first (cover with lid).
3. Get the rest of your ingredients out and ready. 
4. Give the veggies a quick stir, then add the rest of the ingredients. Note: I put the hamhock in first. 

Let it cook for 6-8 hours. Prepare for the goodness! 

Accompaniment and Substitutes
Tabasco or hot sauce
Buttermilk Corn Bread/Muffins
Use a packet of Goya pork flavorings instead of hamhock. 

All these fad diets come and go, but which tried and true habit remains constant? Simply creating healthy sleep habits, eating fresh whole foods, staying hydrated help you get create better daily habits and you become more active too! Pretty simple! Happy New Year's y'all! 

​© aquaBelly Lake Lanier 2014-2018