“Inner Mean Girl” Cleanse

So you know I just did a 3 day detox cleansing my body. Now I’m onto my mind!

I am doing a 40 day cleanse to give my “Inner Mean Girl” the boot!

If you’re like me, you’re tired of the self-depricating thoughts that play over and over in your head. Let’s replace them with Lady Gaga anthems, instead! (Alejandro, ale-ale-ale-alejandrooooo!)

During these 40 days, you’ll learn how to dump the 6 most toxic habits that contribute to your “inner mean girl.” You’ll receive weekly emails, support, and teleclasses, and videos.  Sounds amazing, right?

The cleanse begins on August 25th. Click here to register.

Oh, PS: It’s FREE!

Day 3: Joulebody Kickstart Cleanse (Last day!)

I woke up at 9am (Yes!!!) feeling quite refreshed. After a massage and epsom salt bath last night, who wouldn’t? I woke up clear-headed, in a positive mood, ready to take on the day…and that Chisel class I’ve been talking about. Right now I have tons of energy. It’s SO nice not to wake up bloated like I often do.

9am: Berry Chia Smoothie Same as the other days, still just as good. I was hungry for breakfast after I took the dog on a short walk, but I wasn’t starving. I think I’m starting to make peace with my hunger pangs. I just had a thought that I’m sad this is the last day!

12pm: Watermelon Gazpacho watermelon, cider vinegar, potassium broth, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, parsley, herbs Well, I made it through my Chisel class with tons of energy. I did notice that I wasn’t as focused in the class, but that could be attributed to other things. I meandered home, stopping to do some errands, and even though I was hungry, I didn’t have the feeling like “I must eat NOW otherwise I’m gonna kill someone.” It was a gentler, kinder hunger.  The soup was good, and I loved the sweet watermelon. I added some brown rice and avocado to it. And guess what? I didn’t finish it! I was like 3/4 of the way through and I just didn’t want to eat any more. I took a break from eating, took my dog on a walk, and when I came back, took another bite just to make sure. Nope, still didn’t want anything else to eat. WEIRD. Seems as though my blood sugar and body is settling into this!

3pm: Green Joule Drink You’re not gonna believe this, but I was so busy that I forgot to have this until I glanced at my watch and saw it was 3:30. What a big difference from Day 1 and 2! I still have not had any cravings during my 3 days, which I am pleasantly surprised about.

5pm: Citrus Cleanser I find I am liking this drink more and more, and I look forward to the spicy afterkick. It’s really refreshing, cooling, and just the right amount of sweetness. I’m sad that this is the last one! I’ve been snacking on some carrot sticks to curb some of the uncomfortable hunger. I think I need a major break from carrot sticks this week!

7pm: Detox Pitta: potassium broth, fennel, celery, carrots, ginger, flax, parsley, celtic sea salt (also some bean–I think mung beans?) This was a chunky soup that grew on me as I ate.  I really liked having to CHEW the beans…something other than carrot sticks. I added avocado and brown rice. I ate the entire bowl and was very satisfied afterwards. Not hungry, not full…just perfect. I can’t believe I have my dessert left and then I’m done. I wish I could do this 5 days!!

I just got an email from Yvette about the end of my cleanse. Booo. The email gave some “rules” on how to maintain the cleanse, such as how to incorporate protein back into my diet. She also gave me a menu if I wanted to continue the cleanse on my own, which I will definitely do.

8pm: Cookies That’s all folks!

I’m done! I’m done! Wow…I think back to how crappy I felt on Friday to how AMAZING I feel today. I was apprehensive about doing this cleanse, not eating as much food, but there was definitely no cause for concern. I do feel it was a bit easier for me because I have a very healthy diet (mostly vegetarian, whole foods) and I don’t drink coffee. I do, however, eat chocolate and having intense sugar cravings was something I was afraid of. But as you’ve seen, I never had one craving.

I completely understand why this is titled the “Kickstart” diet because after 3 days of feeling my body nothing but the finest, purest ingredients, it’s almost impossible to eat anything but. Any bloating or GI issues are gone, and I am going to try hard to find the causes and eliminate them from my diet.

I’m sure you’ve noticed how I haven’t mentioned weight loss yet. Truth is, I don’t weigh myself so there’s no way for me to tell. However, I do notice that my stomach is flatter and I FEEL lighter. Who cares about the pounds…I just feel fantastic.

These 3 days were a wake-up call for me, to remind me to pay attention to how I feed my body. I learned that hunger is not a bad thing and that it’s nothing to fear. I learned that I don’t need as much food as I was eating before. And I learned that when fed well and rested, my body works like a perfect machine.

So, would I recommend Joulebody Kickstart for someone who wants to push the “reset” button on their diet and get in touch with their body? Yes, yes, yes.

I will definitely be doing this again…only 5 days next time!

Day 2: Joulebody Kickstart Cleanse

7am: Wakeup I woke up this morning (sans alarm–yes, I’m one of those annoying morning people) feeling….strangely GREAT. I went to bed hungry so I was curious (and yes, a bit apprehensive) as to what this new day would bring, but I’m feeling GOOD! Took a long walk with the dog this morning and had some hot water with lemon before my morning smoothie.

9am: Raw Smoothie Same as yesterday’s. Love it, very hearty. I wasn’t even hungry for breakfast, strangely enough. Let’s re-assess in a few hours before lunch.

10:45am: I am starting to feel a little..well, woozy. I haven’t moved from the sofa since breakfast (catching up on Project Runway) so it’s not like I’ve been active. I think I’m just hungry. Going to snack on some carrot sticks to tide me over till lunch.

12pm: Root Ginger Soup carrots, lentiles, ginger, herbs, potassium broth, salt, garlic, parsley, collard, flax OMG this soup was amazing! Creamy, thick, tasty, warm. JUST what I needed. I added some brown rice and 1/4 avocado to the soup (OK per my personalized modifications) and after eating I am completely satisfied.

Delicious, hearty lunch!

Another reason why I think this lunch was so satisfying is because I know that Yvette, the founder of Joulebody, made this herself, in her kitchen. It doesn’t come from a big facility and I can actually taste that this cleanse was made specifically for me.  Makes me feel special.

I also noticed that I haven’t had any cravings yet. I figured I’d be yearning for chocolate or something sweet but in all honesty, I haven’t.  I’m very sensitive to when there’s no sugar in my diet but yet I haven’t felt those intense cravings. Score!

3pm: Green Joule Drink Same as yesterday, just as good! Very refreshing, and love the chia seeds to give it some texture.

3:45pm: I went for a 90 minute walk with my dog and for me, that’s about all I could muster for exercise today. Even though I’m feeling good and clear headed, I’m still a bit tired and I don’t want to push myself. I’m hoping tmw I will make it to chisel class.  I’ve been snacking on some carrots to tide me over because I’m slightly hungry.  This cleanse is also answering the question: When food isn’t part of your day, how do you fill your time? I’m so accustomed to always cooking, preparing, and thinking of where and what I’m going to eat. If I’m sad, bored, tired, etc., my first reaction is to turn to food. Now, during this detox, I don’t have that option. It’s quite eye opening for me to see how much I turn to food in my life.

5pm: Citrus Cleanser Same “master cleanse” as yesterday. Love the spicy aftertaste kick. I am definitely more hungry today, perhaps from the long walk I took. I was getting a manicure just before drinking this juice and I was grumpy and cranky and had NO patience for the manicurist who was too slow. I quickly walked home to be in the comfort of my own home. Cannot wait for dinner!

7pm: Protein: Dandelion and Lentil onion, celery, parsley, garlic, fennel, potassium broth, cayenne, collard, dandelion, tumeric, cider vinegar, lentil Now this is what I call a good dinner! See pic and video below:

I was amazed that I was satisfied by a small portion of food. This makes me realize that I’m normally eating too  much!

8pm: Fiber Cookies Same as yesterday, a welcome sweetness to the day. I enjoyed them after my massage.

Hooray, day 2 completed!

Recap: Today was WAY better than yesterday. My energy and mental clarity increased. I did experience some moments of crankiness, but nothing like yesterday.  I still do not have any cravings for sweets. I experienced more hunger pains, but was satisfied with the juices and the meals. The carrots, brown rice, and avocado really helped me get through the day.

What’s becoming clear: I’m beginning to understand why this is called the Kickstart…it’s like pushing the reset button on your diet. I’m hyper aware of what I put into my body and how I feel afterwards. Eating fresh, unprocessed, wholesome foods just makes me feel good (ie. no bloating, etc). I’m realizing that I can be satisfied with less food on my plate. And, I’m re-familiarizing myself with the sensation of being hungry. Somewhere along the way I started believing that hunger was something bad, a sensation to fear. I realized today that I haven’t been truly hungry in a while, and I love feeling how my body is checking in with me, telling me what it wants.

Day 2 done….one more day to go!

Day 1 of Joulebody Kickstart Cleanse

Today I woke up to 2 things:

1. Hunger!

2.  an email from Yvette from Joulebody introducing me to the cleanse.Which then brought about an “Oh crap, am I really going to do this?!” reaction.

The Kickstart email contained my menu of the day, complete with ingredients and nutritional breakdown (more on that later) and instructions on how to make my most of the cleanse. For example, tongue brushing/scraping is recommended (which I love and already do!), in addition exfoliating showers, drinking herbal tea, exercising, and….duh duh duh…a colonic, enema, or Epsom salt and water in order to clean the bowels (While I’ve done colonics multiple times, there is no way I’m stepping near an enema, so…we’ll see what happens)

The menu described what exactly I’m eating/drinking and what time I should eat it. Also, each bottle is labeled accordingly so there is no doubt as to what I should eat.

While I am glad that I have these documents to help me along, I wish I would’ve gotten them earlier in the week instead of today. That way I could have prepared better, acquired the supplemental ingredients, and felt more prepared mentally.

But here we go!

9am: Raw Chia Berry Smoothie: Ayurvedic tea, aloe, seeds, berries, chia, hemp, flax. I was STARVING by the time I drank my very first smoothie, and what I really wanted was a big bowl of oatmeal instead. But this was a thickened drink (from the chia and flax, I’m guessing) that was quite delicious and refreshing. I slowly sipped the drink, as suggested, and was surprisingly pleased that when I finished, I felt satisfied. I made sure to drank a lot of water, too. You know, this might be very doable after all!

Morning smoothie in all of its glory!

12:00pm: Replenish Creamless Cleanse: greens, seaweed, carrots, celery, potassium broth, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, herbs, chickpea. Watch my first reaction (Pardon the light in the background, I recorded this at the office):

Ok, so I loved that the soup was warm. Heck, I just loved that I was EATING food. But there was an overpowering taste like fennel that for me, a non-fennel lover, was a bit overpowering. I won’t lie and say I’m not missing my lunch of brown rice and veggies. Immediately after finishing, I just want to keep eating. Fifteen minutes later, however, I’m oddly satisfied.

2pm Update: No food, just feeling…vapid. Unable to concentrate. I feel like an air-head, basically. I’m tired. I also just got an email from Joulebody saying that I CAN eat some brown rice, certain veggies, avocado. I really, really, really wished I had gotten this email NOT today so I could’ve brought that to eat, too. I think a little serving of brown rice would’ve done me a lot of good!

3pm: Green Joule juice: collard, apple, aloe, flax, cucumber, dandelion, chlorophyll This drink couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m tired and dragging, and I just want to go home. I had lofty ideas of going to the gym but instead I’m going to take a nice leisurely walk with my dog. The thought of even getting out of my clothes right now seems exhausting. Enter the Green Joule. Hot damn, this tastes good! A perfect amount of sweetness from the apple, and the deep green color from the chlorophyll makes me feel healthy just looking at it! One issue: jar was too difficult to open on my own (and I certainly ain’t feeling strong right now) Luckily I have a strong coworker who opened for me. The best part is that I have another drink in 2 hours! I can do 2 hours.

Ahhhhhh, refreshing sweet health in a jar

4:45pm Update: Ugh, I am really, really dragging now. I’ve hardly had anything to eat and I’m at work. The most I could muster was stapling some papers together and trolling through Perez Hilton. I have 15 minutes until my Citrus Cleanse but I really just want to be teleported to my bed. With ice cream. I know some people have some spiritual rebirths during fasting, but I am definitely not there yet. It’s not a tummy rumbling kinda hungry. I just feel…empty.

5pm Citrus Cleanse: Lemon, water, maple syrup, cayenne Ahh, so THIS is what it’s like to do the Master Cleanse. The drink is super refreshing, lightly sweetened with a kick of cayenne as an aftertaste. In a weird way reminds me of the “bug juice” I drank at sleep away camp. The label says: “A pure citrus drink to lessen sugar cravings and clean tastebuds.” Hmmm. Well, actually, yes, my tastebuds feel clean. It’s a palate cleanser–how fancy! After this, I’m heading home on the subway back to Brooklyn (wish me luck on that) where I will bide my time until I can eat dinner at 7pm. You best believe I’m heading to the supermarket first to pick up brown rice, carrot, and celery sticks!

7pm: Protein Cleanse Wrap: Chick pea, edamame, parsley, garlic, hemp, potassium broth, cayenne, collard, seaweed, tumeric, cider vinegar This is what I’ve been waiting for ALL day. REAL food! And this food is GOOD! Like, really good. Portion is super small. That’s an appetizer plate, FYI .I seriously could’ve eaten 40 of those babies. Check out pic and video:

Dinner!

After dinner I went on a 45 minute walk with my dog. I can’t believe I had visions of doing anything more than a long walk for exercise. I definitely had enough energy for the walk, and it felt good to get my blood pumping a bit, but I came home and was exhausted. On a positive note, I noticed that my stomach has NO BLOATING at all–it’s totally flat, which is quite wonderful. And none of the meals created any gas, either.

8pm: Flavor & Fiber Cookies These 2 small cookies came wrapped in foil, and I had visions of chocolate dancing in my head. Silly me, of course. These were 2 small granola/oat like cookies with dried fruit for flavor. I love that there was dessert more than I liked the dessert itself, but it did the trick.

Dessert bars.

So, that’s all for the food, folks! I am done with Day #1!!

I’m not gonna pretend and say it was a cinch. Truthfully, there were points in the day where I was very unhappy and felt as though my head was going to detach from my body (that air-headed feeling). But those sensations came and went, and I was able to function throughout the day. And come to think of it, I only had real hunger pains once today, right before lunch. Otherwise, it was a feeling of emptiness and weariness. Oh yeah, and crankiness. Definitely crankiness. Luckily Matt is away this weekend!

I’ll be ending the evening with a hot Epsom Salt bath and a cup of Smooth Move tea to get everything, well, moving.

Day 1 Recap:

What I Loved: The 9am morning smoothie, the green drink, and the cleanse wrap. Those were my favorites. I adore the labels on each of the jars…so cute! I also love that I made it through day 1.

What I would improve: I wish I received the documents about the cleanse BEFORE I started. It would have made the transition MUCH easier. I was bummed that I didn’t know about the rice and carrot/celery sticks until today as I would have brought those snacks with me today.

Feelings/Sensation: One bout of hunger pains. The rest of the day a bit cranky, weak,  and definitely weary. Tired. Unable to focus much. BUT–able to function throughout the day.

Watch as I get cleansed!

Before your mind starts to go places it shouldn’t, I’m doing a food cleanse (or detox, however you prefer to call it) for 3 days starting today, Friday.

I’ve selected the Kickstart Program from Joulebody, designed by wellness coach (and super sweet) Yvette Rose. My interest was peaked when I saw the cleanse reviewed by Vital Juice and I thought I would give it a go. You see, I’ve never done a juice-only cleanse before because I don’t believe that your stomach and intestines need a break from processing food (Actually, that doesn’t make sense to me AT ALL.)

That being said, I’ve always been curious about doing a juice cleanse, especially one from those fancy delivery services. I’ve been so close multiple times to signing up, but at the last minute chickened out. What’s attracted me to  Joulebody is that there is FOOD. Yes, FOOD! Each day there are juices, an electrolyte rich soup, a vegan protein dinner, and a little dessert (Yes, dessert!).

Joulebody offers shipping in Manhattan, so my 3-days worth of goodies were dropped off in pretty glass bottles (although my physical therapist is going to kill me for lugging the package all the way back to Brooklyn).

Let’s see what the food looks like, shall we?

This is what I'm eating until 5pm (Dinner/Dessert not pictured)

So, for the next three days I will be blogging, videoing, and tweeting my experiences of this cleanse, so please check back for updates often! Although I am a healthy eater, I have no doubt that I am going to be humbled by this experience. I’m thinking of this as a science experiment, with me as the human guinea pig!

Check out video #1:

Already I’m nervous because it doesn’t look like much food or protein, but we’ll see how I fare. I promise to give you the honest truth. And in full disclosure, I paid full price for Kickstart, so reset assured that I will be straight forward with you!

Relief at the end of a very, very, very long day

I am a fortunate New Yorker because I have a bath tub. Actually, it’s a pretty amazing bathtub. It was the ONE thing (OK, one of many) that I demanded when Matt and I renovated our bathroom in our apartment. 

The best thing I’ve found to help me wind down at the end of the day is a bath. Most New York apartments have bathtubs but they can be a bit grody. People, it’s worth the money to invest in eco-friendly cleaning products and scrub that thing clean so you can use it!

Lately I’ve taken to detox baths which are THE greatest gift to yourself at the end of a long day. Run the bath with hot water–as hot as you can stand it. Add 2 cups of epsom salts (you can find at drug store or even supermarket) and 1 cup of baking soda. Add about 10 drops of Lavendar oil (or your favorite essential oil) and you have one heck of a detoxifying, relaxing bath. You’re muscles will be soothed by the epsom salts, and your body will sweat out its toxins.

For an added bonus, after you dry off from the bath head right into bed, get under the covers, and continue to sweat for 10 minutes. Don’t be grossed out..it’s not a gross sweat like after you work out. I swear like your own personal steamroom.

I cannot tell you how friggin good this feels. Try it and report back!

Looking back through the Detox Glass-Matt’s recap

Weak title, I know, but I wanted to come up with something since I’m now a few days out of the detox reflecting back on the experience.

A funny thing happened on the way to the detox. I lost 6.5 pounds. (This was me weighing myself AFTER breaking the fast for the holidays and coming home in the afternoon the next day and then weighing myself). That’s pretty crazy. I know a lot of this is water weight, but overall, i notice a huge change in myself.

Going through the detox was no picnic, and I found it very limiting in that I “felt” very constrained in what and when I could eat. Foods felt forbidden which is something never good to feel, but one of the things I realized along the way was how addicted to sugar I had become over the course of a few weeks. Having hurt my knees set me on a path to eating poorly, which made me unhappy, which caused a cycle that was eventually broken by the detox. Interestingly, Amanda asked me if I still craved my m&m’s (weapon of choice), and even 5 days into the detox I told her yes. That made me realize that I wasn’t just detoxing from the chemical dependency on the sugar, but on the behavioral aspect as well. It’s like when I used to smoke and after eating I would have a Pavlovian need to smoke a cigarette. And then when i quit, and i got over the nicotine addiction, I missed the physical action of having the cigarette stick. It’s the same with the m&m’s. I don’t miss them because they make me feel like crap, but I do miss eating them. Needless to say since coming off the detox I’ve stayed away.

It was definitely tough to come off the detox and go straight to breaking the fast. I had wanted to come off slowly, incorporating just one of the items I had taken off my list (sugar, dairy, gluten, alcohol), but of course I gave myself all three. I was surprised to see that I was actually ok, although it all wreaked havoc on my digestive tract.

All in all, I’m very glad I did the detox. It’s challenging, and I realize the value of keeping yourself busy during the process. I didn’t think I could do a week, but in the end it wasn’t bad and it made a huge impact. Since some of this weight was water I know that to keep it off I have to keep eating well and exercising, but it’s a great way to center yourself and get back on track.

Diary of Detoxers-Day 1 & 2

 

Matt and I have decided to go on a 15 day detox to help us get our eating and relationship with food back on track (and yes, to lose some poundage in the process). I usually do some sort of cleanse twice a year, and this time I’m lucky enough to have Matt join me.  The two of us had regressed to eating patterns that were just not serving our higher good. Translation: my struggle with cravings of sugar and “quickie” carbs has gotten out of hand, and Matt…well, Matt was eating too many of his favorite foods too often. So with that, we decided to trim down our diet for the next 2 weeks.

There are many types of detoxes out there, from the infamous master cleanse to a gentler allergy elimination diet. Ours is the latter. A juice cleanse has never appealed to me, and honestly, I love food WAY too much. I have much respect to those who can do a juice fast for a week, but it’s not for me. Plus, I kinda feel that after a week of only liquids, once you start eating food again you will gain back all the weight you lost.

Before moving on, let’s cover some basics, shall we?  First, a detox (detoxification) is the body’s natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. During detoxification, these toxins are transformed to less harmful substances and excreted (lots of pooping and peeing in detoxing!) 

Generally speaking, a detox diet can:

*minimize the amount of chemicals ingested (eating organics, not eating packaged foods, etc)

*Emphasize foods that provide vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that the body needs for detoxification

*Contain foods (high in fiber and LOTS of water) that draw out and eliminate toxins (again, by lots of pooping and peeing)

So, why do people choose to detox? Research suggests that many of the chemicals and pollutants we ingest daily can become deposited in fat cells in our bodies.  This is thought to lead to illness and has been linked to hormonal imbalance, imparied immune function, nutritional deficiency, and inefficient metabolism.  And the benefits? It feels awesome when you’re past the first few painful days.  As someone who has experienced a detox, I can truly say you’ll notice improved energy, clearer skin, regular bowel movements, improved digestion, and increased clarity (I can see all my clinical nutritionist friends rolling their eyes here!)

People ask me if there are any side effects. One of the most common, which I am experiencing as I write this, is a headache and some irritability during the first days. Much of this is due to caffeine or sugar withdrawl.   If you want to partake in a detox diet, I suggest tapering off your coffee/tea consumption over a few days or a week before you start the diet.  Another side effect is constipation, since most people consume excess fiber from vegetables but are not drinking enough water.  Make sure to drink lots of water and herbal tea, and try adding psyllium husks to a smoothie or Smooth Move tea to get things going!  Lastly, you may experience some fatigue, tiredness, irritability, weightloss, acne, and hunger. This is all quite normal, so just take it easy, curtail your excercising, and get lots of sleep.  If you experience any extreme symptoms (or worsening of symptoms) seek medical assistance immediately! If you’ve never done a detox diet, it might help to be guided by a professional.

So given that, what Matt and I are doing is what I call an “anti-inflammatory” detox diet, which is a hodgepodge of a bunch of cleanses I’ve done in the past. The goal: to get back on track, clean up our diet, feel better, and yes, lose weight.  Here’s how it goes:

Morning: Warm water with lemon first thing upon waking. Fruit smoothie (no bananas) with flax, raw cacao, protein powder, almond milk (and/or coconut milk), and greens (today I put in swiss chard)

 **Meal should be eaten 12 hours after dinner. So if I eat dinner at 8, I drink my smoothie at 8**

Lunch: Biggest meal of the day. Greens, quinoa or non-gluten grain, protein (chicken, fish, etc). I can see myself eating lots of sushi with brown rice. I’ve been adding some homemade walnut pesto to it, and also drizzling with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Snacks: Nuts, seeds, fruit (hello apple with almond butter!)

Dinner: a liquid meal of soup, smoothie, or green juice. I made a huge container of carrot ginger soup (see recipe below).

2 tablespoons of olive oil before bed to ease digestion and elimination.

What NOT to eat: sugar, sugar alternatives, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, red meat, dairy, citrus fruits, bananas, soy and soy products.  What’s left? Wholesome, good, real food. LOTS of veggies. LOTS of water.

So, friends, we’ll see how this goes! Matt will be posting (see below for day 1) how he’s doing each day, as will I.  Let me just say that today I’m feeling a bit lightheaded, but drinking herbal detox tea has been helping. I have plans to go to spin class tonight but will skip it if I’m not feeling up to it. The first few days are always the hardest!

Before we get to the recipe, here’s Matt’s take on day 1 of the detox:

Day 1:

Current weight: 173 pounds.

Current mind-frame: apprehensive, but with resolve to get through this.

 

10:am

Ok…today is the day we are starting. for the past month i’ve been indulging, and quite frankly, eating poorly. I’ve been very cavalier about my diet and the results have shown in a newly formed paunch belly. Now, to most people, I may seem like i’m still a prime example of health, and the extra weight that I feel may not be so visible. But it’s visible to me, and I just feel gross. And I think that’s why i wanted to give a ‘detox’ a chance. 1) Because I think it’s a quick way perhaps to drop some weight, but 2), I’d like to give my body a chance to cleanse itself and now’s as good a time as any. I’m a little freaked out because over the past few weeks i’ve let myself get completely addicted to sugar. And I KNOW that i’m going to go through withdrawal. Hopefully i’ll be able to distract myself.

 

 

The only thing that kind of stinks for me, is that they say it’s really great to exercise while you are doing this, as it helps to flush out all the toxins. I of course, hurt my knees on the Appalachian Trail a few weeks ago, so I can’t really get all that much in. It’s going to be an adventure to say the least. 

 

1:30pm Update: 

What the hell is this sluggish feeling? (Sugar withdrawal?) I just walked by the freezer and saw a bag of chocolate chips. I want them. Just one, right? 

Ok, i threw them out. I feel like just the fact that I can’t have sugar makes me want to have it. But it’s early in this thing and I need to just move on. Gave myself a handful of walnuts as a snack. Amanda and I had printed out the rules for the detox, listed below, and it makes it easier 

 

2:30. Lunch time: 

 

spinach

1/2 cup of quinoa (Amanda made a whole bunch of stuff in preperation)

chicken (that we made last night and almost burnt the apartment down doing)

1/2 TB of pesto

olive oil and balsamic

 

Dinner. 745 pm. 

 

Butternut squash soup.

Ok, i’m still hungry, but it’s not too bad. I’ve been drinking this berry detox tea which is pretty good and hits the sweet spot for me which i’m clearly craving right now. Interestingly enough, I find that by not having any sugar, I’m actually paying attention to the taste of things which I haven’t in a long time. 

 

 

And now here’s the carrot ginger soup recipe. It’s super easy to make, and it’s rich and filling. Enjoy!

Carrot, Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

• 1 ½ cups of butternut squash peeled and diced
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Handful of fresh thyme.
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf

Sautee onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil for a few minutes. Add celery, carrots and butternut squash. Add broth and bay leaf and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes or until carrots and squash are tender. Add fresh thyme to broth and puree with hand held blender or in regular blender. Be careful of adding hot liquids to the blender.

This week’s nibbles

This week’s links are coming to you a day early since I will be away Fri-Monday (so new post on Tuesday) Lucky me, I’ll be hiking in New Hampshire on the Appalachian Trail. Pictures will definitely be posted after the weekend.  Unfortunately, the forcast calls for rain every day (requiring another trip to the store to buy gear that I will probably never use again) so that should make the hiking interesting. But a weekend away, banning the buzz (cell phones, computers, etc) is MUCH needed.

A few more notes:

As you know, I am the nutrition blogger for Naked Apartments. The site is finally LIVE–so all you New Yorkers who are looking to rent an apartment, please check it out. It’s a fabulous site.

Second, I’m now a twitter-head (Check out my twitter feed on the right side of the blog). Find @cakeandcarrots at Twitter and follow me! I post and discuss nutrition issues that I don’t talk about on the blog. Plus you can learn a little bit more about my daily activities!

The Cake and Carrots blog is currently undergoing a renovation. I hope to unveil a new website by early next month. I can’t wait to show you.

And lastly, many of you know that I’ve been using this week to rest, relax, and restore (aka create some new brain cells)  between my crazy Phish roadtrip last weekend and my upcoming hiking trip. Hence the shorter posts and recipes. Next week, however, I’ll be back with some NEW content.

Have a great weekend….and without further ado, your links of the week:

*Think twice before putting your bag on the counter. Microbes abound!

*Love avocado so much you want to take a bath in it? (Or is that just me) Whether you like it a lot or a little, it’s a wonderful food to incorporate into your diet.

*Detox your body without the master cleanse

*Want to live a long, wonderful, happy life? Just do four simple things.

*A candlelit dinner is so cliche. Try yoga for a unique first date! Written by one of my most favorite divas ever!

*Try this for a morning boost. Matt and I love it!