Cleanse Recap

As of this past weekend, our cleanse has officially ended.

My first meal post-cleanse! Two things I couldn't have & was seriously missing!

It was a nice, successful, but long 3 weeks!

It was a great accomplishment, but I am happy it is over.

We had and created some great meals, but for the time being... I am so over smoothies!

I think that pretty much summarizes it. :)

But I will go into it in a little bit more detail. I won't go overboard because I know I have provided updates, recipes & highs and low along the way. And if there is anything I haven't mentioned that you are curious about, either regarding the cleanse or my experiences with it... as always, feel free to contact me. You can leave a comment or email me. Either way, I will definitely get back to you.

I definitely learned a lot about my body during the cleanse. With that being said, I think every metabolism is not created equal. What works for some doesn't necessarily work for all. And what works now, won't necessarily work always.

I think I struggled most with how much to eat and how often. I love snacking, I love making new recipes & trying out new foods. I also enjoy eating healthy and finding new ways to incorporate fiber enriched and nutritious foods into my diet. But I realized that even if I'm eating healthy, I can't have as much as I want. My eyes were bigger than my tummy... or bigger than I want my tummy to be.

I think having a healthy outlook on eating, definitely helped going into this cleanse. It wasn't such a shocker for my body to transition. The foods were fairly similar to what I was eating before- only a lot more smoothies and smaller portion sizes.

Although I haven't eaten a hamburger in over 15 years, I thought this was an interesting article I found on Pinterest about portion size.

I wasn't necessarily eating full burgers and a half a plate of french fries, with cheese, toppings & ketchup. But I realized I was snacking too often and possibly too big of snacks for my body. I think that is one thing I will definitely change post-cleanse.

Gluten-Free & Vegan have also been on my mind through this cleanse. I already removed milk from my diet about 5+ years ago. It wasn't jiving with my stomach. Dairy seems to do that to me. Although I love cottage cheese and frozen yogurt. I think I will just start testing foods out & introducing them little by little to see what does & doesn't work.

All in all, I felt great for the past 3 weeks. My stomach didn't hurt at all, I felt great about myself, lost a few unneeded lbs, and feel healthier than ever. If no one else has made it to the end of this lengthly post, at least I have that go to back to and remind myself of. :)

Happy Tuesday and cheers to a short week. I hope all of you lovely bloggies had a great weekend!

fashion + foodies

It's Friday lovelies! And its a 3-day weekend!

1* Today I am joining {long distance loving}'s friday fancies for the first time. I put together two sweet outfits for Memorial weekend.

I am loving teal & honeysuckle! And this dress is so gorgeous!

You can get the line up at Polyvore.

2* I also wanted to thank you for all the support & encouragement on my run! That will seriously keep me going until August! And this would be a good time to mention, I am officially accepting all advice & tips you may have for my upcoming run. :) I will need it.

3* Lastly, here is the recipe I promised from yesterday. I found a delicious recipe that I thought would be perfect for the cleanse. And it was. SO delicious! The recipe came from Cara's Cravings. She has an amazing site with so many delicious & healthy recipes. You will definitely want to visit her site and puruse her recipe page if you haven't yet.

Here is the link to her Thai Peanut Turkey Burger recipe.

The only change I made to the recipe was substituting almond butter for peanut butter (because of the no pb clause in the Clean Cleanse).

I layered ours with fresh spinach, broccoli & a touch of Annie's Lite Gingerly Dressing.

Let me just say... these were AMAZING! They were so moist & flavorful. I will definitely be making them again soon!

Happy Friday & Memorial Weekend!

Its Official...

I just signed up for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Chicago!

My mom is going out for her first full marathon in San Diego in a couple weeks! It will be very exciting to go down to San Diego to support her.

But this will be my first marathon of any kind. The half marathon will be in Chicago in August! I am equal parts excited & super nervous. But mostly excited to take a trip to Chicago & to have a little mother/daughter time.

Anyone else going to be there?

Aside from that, I have a great turkey burger recipe to share. I am working on the pics and will post it soon!

"Dessert"

We had a bit of a celebration last night for this guy:

Remember him for the studly baseball picture? Well it was his 17th birthday last night! Very exciting!

The only downfall was the yummy festivities fell in the middle of our cleanse. Boo! But we modified our meals yesterday by having a smoothie for breakfast & a soup for lunch. It was the same soup we had the other day: Butternut Squash & Kale Soup. This way we were able to have a real, solid meal with the family for dinner. This consisted of grilled salmon, quinoa, and cucumbers & celery with our homemade hummus. Very tasty!

And because it's hard to watch everyone eat a delicious homemade cake from mom...

I whipped up a couple cleanse-worthy desserts for me & the bird. I searched long and hard for ingredients that would mesh with the cleanse.

Both recipes were adapted from Love, Veggies & Yoga. Averie has a wonderful site with so many great recipes & overall well-being tips. If nothing else, she is currently in Aruba and has posted some AMAZING pictures for your visual interest.

Back to our desserts. Below are the links to the 2 recipes we made.

No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
In order to cleansify this recipe, I used only agave and substituted almond butter for peanut butter. I also used Hershey's unsweetened chocolate.
I cut the recipe in half and it made 4 good sized dough balls, about 1" in diameter.

Averie's Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies

This recipe made about 8 large dough balls, over 1" in diameter.

After mixing up the ingredients, I placed them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. I then placed them in the refrigerator until serving.

I also made a frosting that I thought would help to sweeten our dessert.
Cashew Vanilla Frosting
Recipe courtesy of Gone Raw
1 1/2c Cashews
1/3c Water
1/4-1/2c Agave (depending on sweetness desired)
1/2 vanilla bean or vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This was not necessarily that sweet, in terms of 'frosting,' but it did offer a different flavor & texture to dip the dough balls into.

There was so much birthday excitement, I forgot to take a picture of them before serving. So my apologies for the presentation!

I had one of each. They were very tasty and the bird also approved. Once off the cleanse, I would like to try others that include oats & bananas. Can't wait!

More favs to add to the list

First off, thank you for all the sweet comments & emails yesterday! I was very honored to receive that award & pass it on to some of my favs. That made my week!

I have a couple recipes to share with you from this weekend.

We made a modified version of Clean Teen Kelsey's Carrot Cake Batter Shake. Because a couple of the ingredients were just out of our reach in terms of the cleanse, we had to make a couple substitutions.

Carrot Cake Shake

1/2c Almond Milk (unsweetened vanilla)

1/4c Coconut Milk

1/2c steamed Carrots

2-3T Buckwheat flour

2-3T Coconut butter

1T unsweetened Coconut

1/2T Chia seeds

1/2t Cinnamon

pinch ginger, salt, vanilla extract

small handful of ice cubes

Topped with shaved coconut butter & cinnamon. Very tasty!

For dinner, we tried another delicious sounding soup. Again, we had to make some cleanse modifications, but it was still so good!

Butternut Squash & Kale Soup

(Recipe adapted from Kath Eats Real Food)

1 medium butternut squash

2 carrots (or a small handful of baby carrots)

2 celery stalks

1 apple

1 big handful of kale

1 box Pacific brand Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup

1t olive oil

dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, red chili flakes

First we nuked the squash in the microwave for a couple minutes. Then we removed the skins. Next we sauteed the squash, carrots & celery together. After they were fairly soft, we added the base, the Cashew Carrot Ginger soup. We added all the seasonings & simmered that for several minutes. Once in the blender (we had to divide it into 2 batches to fit in our blender), we added the apple & kale. After mixing it all together, we placed it back on the heat and simmered for a few more minutes.

New Bowls! + Topped with Chopped Almonds 

For us being on the cleanse, this made well over 2 batches. For leftovers, we had it again the next day. We just added 1/2 large butternut squash & 1/3c of pumpkin puree to the mix to make 2 more complete meals.

Lastly, I have to include the smoothie I conjured up on the fly last night. Can I just say, we are so over blending & smoothing?! It has been hard coming up with recipes that fit within the guidelines that we can actually enjoy. A frozen or raw banana would go so great in so many of them. Sigh.

But last night I just used a few ingredients we had off hand & it was surprisingly delicious! Actually one of my favorites so far. This and the Berry Almondy are at the top.

Cashew Kale Smoothie

4 kiwis

1/2c Almond Milk

1T unsweetened Coconut

1 heaping T Cashew butter

1/4c Cashews

1/2 scoop Amazing Meal-vanilla chai

1T Flaxseed meal

2-3 ice cubes

This recipe made 2 small smoothies, but can easily be used for 1 full sized smoothie. The flavor was fantastic & the consistency was so creamy. Yummy!

Versatile Blogger Award!

I am so honored! Today I received the Versatile Blogger award from Jenna at a la mode. Thank you Jenna for my first award! You truly made my day!

Award Rules: 

1. Thank the person who gave you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!

4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

{7} Things about me:

{one} I just recently revamped my world. I put a lot of effort and devotion into a job that wasn't right for me. After 4 years, I realized it wasn't for me, moved back to my hometown, and started going back to school. Here I am now, 6 months later, trying to work out the details.

{two} I am in love with typography. I love all things type & love the art in which letters & words fit together to create beautiful designs. Swoon!

{three} I am on my first cleanse. I am very into health & fitness, but I also have a sweet tooth that can certainly get the best of me.

{four} Which leads me to #4... I love to bake!

{five} Pinterest makes me so happy, everyday. It's such a great source of inspiration for all things foodie, fashion & design.

{six} I'm a sucker for romance. Hence the dreamy proposal I posted last week. I love weddings and all the gooey details put into them.

{seven} I love spending time with family: my parents, four brothers & of course, the bird. xo

My fav {15}:

Here is a list of blogs I absolutely love to follow. I know you will love them too!

{1} Edible Perspective
{2} Fit Foodie Finds
{3} Paiges of Style
{4} Heather Eats Almond Butter
{5} Oh She glows
{6} How Sweet it is
{7} Peanut Butter and Jenny
{8} Magnolia Rouge
{9} Kath Eats Real Food
{10} Love Veggies and Yoga
{11} Choosing Raw
{12} Stylish, Stealthy & Healthy
{13} Carrots N Cake
{14} The Late Afternoon
{15} Fresh Out of Lemons

Happy Friday + more greenery

Its Friday!!! I have a couple recipes from this past week.

Green Machine

(adapted from Cookie and Kate)

1 mango

2 cups kale

1 lime

1 small handful of cilantro

3/4 cups almond milk

2t ginger

Green Spice Protein Shake

(adapted from Clean Teen Kelsey)

1/2c pumpkin puree

1 cup almond milk

1t cinnamon

1t ginger

1t nutmeg

dash of sea salt

1t agave

2 big handfuls of spinach

Topped with blueberries & shredded coconut... YUM

Lastly, lunch yesterday (and today!) It was so good. Fresh ingredients & very healthy and filling!

Colorful Cumin Quinoa Salad

(adapted from Healthy Food for Living)

2 servings

1/2c quinoa

1/2 chicken breast (or 1 small breast)

1 mango

1c black beans

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup cilantro

"Dressing"

1T lime juice

1T extra virgin olive oil

1t cumin

pinch of sea salt

Today... we substituted cucumber for avocado, added about 2T of mint and a small handful of spinach.

Underneath this lovely array are black beans & spinach.
Pardon my Tupperware, its 'to-go.' :)

Have a lovely weekend! xo

So dreamy!

I just read the most ridiculous, disgustingly beautiful, absolutely dreamy, most swoon worthy story ever!

It is an actual fairytale... and should replace Cinderella. Ok, you get the point. But it was so amazing I had to share.

Surprise Proposal

(that title really doesn't do it justice!)
Courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Here is all the beautiful stationary, designed by Wiley Valentine.

I love the shimmery Pink & Gray used! And the font is breathtakingly perfect!

Does it get anymore ridiculously fairytale like than this?! An absolutely dreamy day!

cravings...

I could spend all day catching up on blogs; reading all my favorite fashion, fitness, & foodie blogs. But the downside to that has been the fabulous eats I've come across that are so off limits to me while on this cleanse. Sweets... which I mentioned before, probably cut the deepest. My favorite being frozen yogurt!

Next up, in a close race for second, is oats... in all its lovely forms. I am especially craving a breakfast bake... with bananas!

Cherry Almond Vanilla Buckwheat Bake

From the edible perspective

Which leads me to yet another craving. Peanut Butter! I do ok with almond butter, but I can have the big glob of it I want. Just little teasers in my smoothies.

 Blueberry Peanut Butter

From Keep it Sweet

I can definitely substitute almonds for peanuts... and I just might. :)

Wee Bit Wednesday

Today is my first link up... :) How exciting! Leigh Ashley has a Wee Bit Wednesday link up and here are my answers to her lovely questions:

{1} do you watch the history channel? if so, what’s your favorite program?
I watch it only occasionally when the bird gets to chose the channel. His fav is Pawn Stars. 

{2} what is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? 

Cuddle up on the couch with a big blanket, with the windows open. {3} what does your dream house look like? Hmmm... I can tell you what my dream kitchen looks like: Rustic/Vintage/Chic. White cupboard, mixed with glass casing. Dark hardwood floors with a large island in the middle.  {4} what state were you born in? California. {5} do you have a change jar? if so, what do you use it for when it gets full? Yes, for loose change. There is no real goal... but it might be a good idea to have one.  {6} what’s the first website you look at when you get on the computer?

Rue la la, Pinterest, the many many blogs I follow. Oh, and my email. 

{7} what is your favorite breakfast?

Precleanse: Oats! Mixed with nuts, fruit, nut butter, etc. Or cottage cheese, granola & fruit.During the cleanse: my Berry Almondy Smoothie. {8} what’s the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken? My first cruise with the bird. We went to the Caribbean. {9} do you prefer your coffee black or with cream/milk/sugar?I usually drink it black (again precleanse). But I also like it with a little almond milk. {10} have you ever done a professional photo shoot?Um. No, unless you count senior photos...? ;)
Thank you Leigh Ashely!

Best 'clean' recipes yet!

Its pouring where I am... SF bay area. I thought it was May flowers! Dont get me wrong, I love the rain. But when its the kick off day for playoffs for my brother's Varsity Baseball league... its very disappointing!

Ok, pretty sure I have embarrassed him enough. That was just my proud big sis rant.

I have a couple great recipes to share with you! I was really excited about these and they both taste amazing. Which really says a lot coming from a cleanse standpoint.

The first is our morning smoothie. Although we have been trying to come up with tasty newbies, they really all taste the same. But today, we made on that taste TOTALLY different. The flavor I was looking for.

Berry Almondy

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup almond milk (unsweetened vanilla)

1/3 cup almonds (I used dry roasted, unsalted)

1T flaxseed meal

1t vanilla

ice

You can definitely taste the vanilla, which goes great with the blended almonds. We did add a little more almond milk while blending because it was pretty thick, but you can chose your own consistency.

Next up, last night's dinner. This cleanse allows either a smoothie, fresh juice, or soup for breakfast & lunch. {Basically anything blended} This was our first attempt at one of the soup recipes. It was a success!

Green Pea Soup

10 oz fresh or frozen peas

1 medium avocado

1 cup water

2T fresh lime juice

pinch sea salt

1/2t of cayenne powder

Drizzle with olive oil & black pepper.

I think this recipe calls for the soup to be cold, but after blending it, we heated it up. We added a little more cayenne pepper for our spicy palettes & also added 1 clove of garlic. This soup was delish!

Lastly, I made my first homemade hummus this weekend. I dont know why I havent done this before. I love hummus. And this was the real deal. It tasted so good!

Garlic Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed & drained)

2 cloves of garlic

1 juiced lemon

3T of tahini

1t sea salt

1t cumin

1t paprika

1T extra virgin olive oil

We didn't have any paprika in the spice cupboard, so we did without. We substituted a little cayenne pepper instead. If you're like me, you have never even said the word tahini before. I didn't even know where to look for it. A little embarrassing, I know. But its near the nut butter products. All it is is ground sesame seeds. Sesame seed butter. Know we know. And we also know its great in hummus!

1 week down

Yipee!!! 1 down, 2 to go.

We experimented with some great recipes this weekend. And boy did we need it!

Swiss, Green, Coconut

1 cup Swiss Chard

1 Mango

2 Kiwis

1 cup Almond Milk

1T Coconut

1T Chia seeds

1 scoop Amazing meal

pinch of cinnamon

Most of our smoothies turn out very green because of the Amazing Meal protein power. But we were able to over power the color with frozen blueberries & blackberries.

Purple Power

1 cup Blackberries

1 cup Blueberries

1T Almond butter

1 cup Almond milk

1T Chia seeds

1 scoop Amazing Meal

1t cinnamon

1t vanilla

Both of these were original recipes we came up with. We were really looking to branch out from the provided list this weekend. They were both very good & definitely different. 

For lunch, we used a great recipe from the Clean Cleanse recipe book.

Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice

(2 servings)

2 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups cooked wild rice, made with a vegetable stock
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours (we substituted pine nuts)

1. Heat oven to 425º F.
2. In a small saucepan reduce the balsamic vinegar by simmering and stirring occasionally until it
becomes the consistency of a syrup.
3. Add the garlic and rosemary and simmer for 2 minutes more. Set aside.
4. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and salt.
5. Place on a baking tray and roast in oven for 10 minutes.
6. Brush with generous amounts of balsamic mixture.
7. Turn the oven down to 375º F and roast for a further 10 minutes.
8. Brush again with balsamic mixture and cook 2 minutes more.
9. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, and remove the skins.
10. To make the pilaf, place chicken, rice, scallions, cilantro, mint, and sunflower seeds in a bowl.
11. Mix together and season with salt and pepper.

First of all, this was DELICIOUS! Secondly, sorry for the picture. We were so excited to eat, I completely forgot to take a picture until the pretty display had vanished. But you get the idea and can see all the yummy ingredients.

It was the best meal we had all week. It ended up being wayyy too much food. We ended up setting aside 1/2 the rice. It was perfect... because that meant, we were able to have the other 1/2 for lunch today! Cant wait. The chicken with the balsamic was delicious & moist. The substitution of pine nuts was amazing! I am a huge fan of those nuts. But sunflower seeds would probably be delicious too.

I also made homemade hummus this weekend... a first for me. It is so yummy. It will be incorporated in a meal to be. :)

Lastly, I am sad to say Blogger never recovered my lost post or my lovely comments from all you! So sad and disappointed. Just know, I love hearing from all of you and visiting all your sites as well. XoXo

Happy Friday!

I have been so discouraged with Blogger all day! I dont know how many of my readers have blogger... but its has been down for like a day and a half. By down I mean, my post from yesterday was deleted! AND... my lovely comments were deleted from yesterday too! :( I am hoping they will all be back up soon. I love my comments from all of you!

On another note, Happy Friday! I love my weekends. I usually get so caught up on school & house work and love having time with my family & the bird! I'm a happy camper when Friday rolls around.

This weekend my goal is to pick up some yummy ingredients to recreate some of the delicious looking recipes that are outline in the Clean Cleanse. Its going to be a long 21 days if we don't start spicing things up a bit. We are also headed to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning! So glad it has started again! Wish me some good finds. :)

Have a great weekend! XoXo

green goodness

Hello, Day 3!

This morning's shake was very good- my favorite so far. We also had it last night for dinner. We decided to create our own concoction this time. We stayed within the portion size and ingredients available to us.

Apple Pear Butter

1 medium apple

1 pear

2t almond butter

1 cup almond milk

1 scoop Amazing meal (vanilla chai)

1T flaxseed meal

1t vanilla

pinch of cinnamon

handful of ice

*I keep forgetting to mention in the other posts that the portion size used in the smoothies is for 2 servings.

The green coloring can be attributed to the color of Amazing meal powder. You can see the sprinkles of cinnamon and flax meal.

I dont think my body has quite adapted yet to the new eating habits. I have been feeling a little more tired and definitely pretty hungry at times. Particularly between lunch and dinner. But its only day 3 and I know the cleanse takes an adjusting period. But after about a week, you are acutally suppose to have an increase in energy. This is because your body is using less energy to digest foods that are described as 'hard to digest.' It makes sense... but I will let you know how that works for me. :)

And just for some general encouragement, I created a board today at Polyvore.

Tasha Tulayla flower clip $28

Open Weave fedora hat $95

Indie Sarong $35

Gauze tunic $95

Calypso Love Lurex scarves $95

Ocean Gisele Top $75

Ocean Kate bottom $75

Triangle Top $75

String bottom $75

Calypso fold over shorts $69

Valencia tote $95

Zanzibar sandal $95 

Wisteria copper colored glass vases (Set of 3) $119

Amazing shakes

First of all... THANK YOU for all of your kind and encouraging comments! I can't tell you how much it means to me to read all of your posts.

Today is Day 2.

Today's Morning Shake:
Becky's Morning Shake
8 ounces of water
3-4 ounces unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 of an avocado
2 teaspoons organic almond butter
a pinch of sea salt
1 scoop Amazing Meal (vanilla chai)
1T flaxseed meal
1t agave nectar
Teence of nutmeg for taste

This shake is very different. We added the nutmeg to the recipe... which I can really taste this morning. The consistency is great; very smooth and creamy.

Last night's dinner shake:
Mango Cardamom Blast

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into pieces
1 cup coconut water
2 tablespoons dried and unsweetened shredded coconut

Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Handful of ice cubes
Garnish with lime zest and freshly ground black pepper

1 scoop Amazing Meal (vanilla chai)

1T flaxseed meal

A little note about the Amazing Meal I have been referring to. I wish I could remember where I first saw Amazing Meal and how I came about their website... but either way, I found it. It's a whole new take on Protein Powder, which can be so grainy and full of chemicals & fillers. Here are the stats for the Vanilla Chai:

We also ordered the Original flavor from their website. We are just awaiting the shipment. In the meantime, we bought a small container at Whole Foods (aka my mecca). I like this product because they use Organic ingredients and a mix of greens and veggies. It's also high in fiber & nutrients and low in fat & sugar.

I realize with all these wordy posts, I am really going to have to start working on some pictures. I will aim for that tomorrow.

Day 1

Good Morning! Thank you for the sweet comments and encouragement from yesterday's post.

Today is Day 1 (of 21).
Last night, we prepped our shakes and food for today. This morning I am enjoying the Berry Protein Shake, which is one of the listed recipes on the Clean Cleanse. For lunch, grilled chicken breast, quinoa and broccoli. Dinner is yet to be determined.

Today's Morning Shake:

Berry Protein Shake:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1.5 cup frozen blackberries
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 scoop of Amazing Meal (vanilla chai)

There are lots of recipes listed that you can use for lunch. We need to lock down a couple to try each week and stock up on all the recipes. But you can also chose from listed foods on the Include/Exclude food list... what I call the Eat/Don't Eat list: (Please excuse the long list, I just want to get you all the info in case you're interested.)

                               Eat:                                                                         Don't Eat:

Fruits:    Whole fruits, unsweetened, frozen or                 Oranges, orange juice, grapefruit,
                water-packed, diluted freshly-made juices         strawberries, grapes, banana     
            
"Dairy":  Nut milks such as almond, rice, brazil               Dairy and eggs, milk, cheese, cottage
                  nut, hemp seed                                                   cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, 
                                                                                             non-dairy creamers

Grains &  Brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth,               Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye,
  Starch:    buckwheat                                                         couscous, oats :(

Protein:    Cold water fish: salmon & trout, wild               Raw fish, pork, beef, veal, sausage,
                  game, lean lamb, duck, chicken, turkey            cold cuts, canned meats, hot dogs, shellfish

Veggie       Split peas, lentils, legumes, and beans              Soybean products (soybean oil,
Protein:                                                                               tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt)
            
Nuts &      Walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower,              Peanuts, peanut butter, pistachios,
Seeds:       hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews,              macadamia nuts
                  nut and seed butters

Veggies:    Preferably fresh, raw, steamed, sauteed,           Corn, creamed vegetables, tomatoes, white
                   juiced, roasted                                                    potatoes, eggplants, peppers

Oils:         Cold pressed olive, flax, sesame, almond,          Butter, margarine, shortening, processed
                 sunflower, pumpkin, walnut, coconut                  oils, canola oil, salad dressings,
                                                                                             mayonnaise, spreads

Drinks:     Filtered water, green tea, herbal teas,                Alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages, soda
                  seltzer or mineral water, yerba mate,                 soft drinks
                  coconut water

Sweets:    Brown rice syrup, agave nectar, stevia               Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, honey
                                                                                             maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup,
                                                                                             evaporated cane juice, Splenda®, Equal®,
                                                                                             Sweet’N Low®, juice concentrate

Sauces:   Vinegar, all spices, sea salt, dried pepper,          Chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy
                 basil, carob, raw cacao, cinnamon, cumin,         sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, other
                 dill, garlic, ginger, mustard, oregano,                  condiments
                 parsley, rosemary, turmeric, thyme, wheat-
                 free tamari, nama shoyu (live fermented
                 soy sauce), miso

Well now that we got that out of the way... I won't have to list that all out again.

goodbye oats, hello smoothies

The decision has been made... The bird & I are starting the Clean cleanse on Monday. I am sick with nerves. and hungry already. and really going to miss my oats.

Let me start of by mentioning, I am a fairly healthy eater. I haven't touched red meat in over 15 years. I can stay away from fast food and usually don't cave in at the sight of potato chips. Sweets, on the other hand, are the ultimate weakness for me. It's safe to say I have a couple sweet teeth. But all in all, I try to pack my lunches everyday, eat salads, and consume plenty o' fiber, especially for breakfast. But nonetheless, I am diving head first into this cleanse.

Here is my reasoning behind this decision:

• to clean out the tracks & restart with a clean slate
• eliminate all foods that are labeled as 'hard to digest'
• rebalance and realign my eating habits
• increase my energy levels
• light weight loss & stabilization 

Even though I claim to eat 'healthy,' there are certainly things I would change about my diet. Such as the sweets. I am also looking forward to cleansing out any bad toxins from foods I currently eat that may not necessarily work for me. I am also looking forward to structuring my eating. I am such a snacker. And feel like I generally eat more than I need to... healthy or not.

The cleanse lasts for 21 days. I am not promising anything... just hoping to get through the next 3 weeks. Each day will consist of two shakes, juices, or soups as liquid meals for breakfast and dinner. Lunch will be a prepared meal, but will have certain food limitations. The cleanse does allow for light snacks, if needed, between breakfast & lunch or lunch & dinner. However, after dinner, you're done... No dessert! & No froyo! :( Not only that, but it requires a 12-hour window between your liquid dinner and liquid breakfast. Hence, the cleansing part of this cleanse.

I will keep a log of my cleanse experience throughout the 3 weeks/21-days. And I will post about the recipes and how I feel overall. I will try to keep the cleanse posts to a minimum... as I'm sure they will get a little boring to read. But this blog also serves as my personal journal to myself, so I hope to post tidbits about my days in the next few weeks. If anyone reading my blog has gone through this, or other cleanses, I would love to hear from you too. Good, bad, helpful tips, and what to expect.

Pretty sure this post is wordy enough so far. I will write again about the eat & eat-nots and the cleanse prep we've been working on (or not) over here.

Wish me luck.

have i told you lately...

that I love Pinterest. Seriously... OBSESSED! Even more exciting news than that? Their iPhone app is coming out in 3 days!!! Pretty sure it will become by far the most used app I have. Words with friends just got the boot. Ok just the back burner.

Here is a sneak peak at my boards:

Typography

 For the home

Eats

Fashion sense

 Wedding Bliss

Follow me on Pinterest. I would love to take a peek at your boards too!

Happy Friday!
And Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mothers in the world.