what i've learned from week 1: all in moderation

So my summer edition of the Whole Living Detox has not been quite has hard core as my winter edition.  Not to say I didn't stick to it for *most* of week 1.  But, a girl's gotta live and when you go to a restaurant and instead of ordering cheese fries (sorry Deirdre) and some fried whatever, instead you order a salad with grilled chicken, i say its A-OK to eat the blue cheese that comes on it.

Or, when you've had a particularly exhausting day with 4 boys ages 8, 7, and 6 at MI Adventure (think roller coasters AND water park) with 7 hours full of rides, an injury requiring EMT, with only a Gatorade and LARA bar and a handful of almonds in the belly, an Oberon with dinner is perfect acceptable.

All in moderation my friends.  As far as I am concerned, Week 1 really reset my eating habits for the better.  

So with week 2 of the detox among us,  I am ready to start adding back in my friends wheat, dairy and caffeine!  and maybe another cocktail or two.  in moderation... ;)

ps. have you tried that zucchini or quinoa recipe from last post yet?  super yummy!

CHEATER!

Yes.  Hang head low.  Me.  Hang head lower.
I am a detox cheater.
So Lisa, Michelle and I went beaching on Friday and man did we do it up.  We munched on raw veggies, watermelon, and seltzer water.
Crazy kids!
We also had that quinoa salad and a fabulous zucchini ribbon salad that michelle made.  And we made it past McDonald's without stopping for a big Diet Coke on the way home.  That's dedication.
But then came the neighborhood driveway party.  And a frozen, frothy margarita staring me in the face.  I was hot.  I was thirsty.  How could I say no?  So, i did what any girl in my position would do, knocked over my vitamin water (whoopppps!) and guzzled that margarita right down.  Yum.

Tomorrow is another day, right?
And it was.  Besides *accidentally* leaving the blue cheese in my salad for lunch (and perhaps slipping in a piece of bread with the salad), I was good all day.
For the record, ZERO caffeine in 6 days.  That, my friends, is a feat of greatness for me.

I wonder how this 10 mile run is going to go tomorrow...sans carbs...

tell me why am i doing this again?

the good news is that the caffeine headache has finally subsided.
the bad news is that if it weren't nailed down, i'd eat it.
in fact, i think the loaves of french bread were actually taunting me at Sam's Club today.

friends, i am hungry.  hungry like i could throw down 2 (that's TWO) peanut butter and honey (jelly sucks) sandwiches and a big tall glass of milk.  and i don't even really like to drink milk.  and to have a ice cold can of diet pepsi in my hand right now?  heaven!

but i have to say, i am feeling a bit better about myself than i was last week.  i am feeling a little bit *lighter*.  and i am super happy that instead of eating a handful of cheese its (how gross are those anyway? ewwww...) or scarfing the last spoonfuls of the kids' mac and cheese out of the pan (c'mon, i know you've done that too...), I am actually snacking on bowls of fresh fruit.

oh, what i wouldn't give to be drinking up one of these:

instead of whipping up this:

Detox Day 2:

among snacking on fruit and almonds (yawn) I made a yummy smoothie and a great quinoa salad recipe, both on Whole Living.  Made the smoothie as is and made a couple of modifications to the quinoa:

Mango and Coconut Water smoothie

quinoa salad with toasted almonds

(for the salad i didn't have the zucchini so i added some spinach when i was sauteing the veggies).

Detox Day 3:

more almonds and fruit!  yipee! 

i also made my standby smoothie recipe (spinach, banana, blueberries, strawberries, water and protein powder).  

tonight i will probably throw down a big old spinach salad.  and wish i had a hunk of bread to go with it.

Also, I am thinking LARABARs would be approved for our detox.  There are only 2 ingredients in the cashew cookie bar (dates and cashews) and the peanut butter cookie one has peanuts, dates and salt (for when we add peanuts).  They are kind of high in fat, but who cares!  You gotta live a little, right?

my head, it pounds

Detox Day #1.  This is usually the day that starts out optimistic "I CAN DO THIS!"

Just like sista here, I roll up my sleeves and turn on my blender and get it moving.  I drink my hot water with lemon like no one's business. I don't need no coffee. I embrace the detox.

Come noon.  I am sipping on seltzer, holding my head in my hands with the biggest lack of caffeine headache known to man.  I am grouchy woman.  Anything anyone says to me makes me snarl.  Grrrr.

Fast forward to evening.  I fear my eyeballs are going to pop out of my head as my headache ensues. It takes every ounce of willpower I have to not eat the Hungry Howie pizza crust off of my kids' plates.  I admit, my dinner may have been just a littttle bit bigger than it's supposed to be.  I was just a hungry girl!

detox day 1:

banana with almond butter

antioxidant smoothie

a small handful of roasted almonds (roasted those myself.  couldn't wait to gnaw on them)

sweet potato soup (i will post the recipe above) and small handful of cherries

more almonds.  perhaps i need to find another snack

salmon, grilled sweet potato, spinach salad with strawberries, red onion and sunflower seeds

To the big guy upstairs:  give me the strength to not eat any processed cookies in the cabinet in the next 2 hours before I go to bed.  Thank you and Amen.

Detox Week 1 must haves

DETOX T minus 12 hours!

As I roamed the aisles in Meijer today, listening to a lightened version of Lady Gaga (I swear it was) and deftly avoiding the wine aisle, and the bakery section, and any and all cheese, I wondered what in the heck I was going to eat for the next 7 days.  I suppose perhaps you are thinking the same thing.  Here is a list of the essentials for week 1 that were in my cart:

1. Seltzer water.  I need carbonation, even if it can't be caffeinated and full of saccharin. 

2.  POM juice, to flavor above

3. Frozen berries (smoothies)

4. Spinach (industrial size)

5.  Fruit! Fruit! Fruit!

6. Veggies!  Veggies!  Veggies!

7.  Sweet potatoes

8.  Quinoa.  The "un-grain"

9.  Soba noodles.  The "un-noodle" (as in no-flour, gluten free)

10. Almonds

11.  Almond butter

12.  Decaf Green Tea and herbal tea

Reading this list makes me want to YAWN.  And then it makes me want to eat a gigantic chocolate chip cookie dipped in peanut butter and wash it down with a huge mug of coffee and a Diet Coke chaser.  

Hey, some of you have been telling me you can't comment on the blog.  ARGH.  Try this way:  Click on the bottom to comment and make your comment and sign your name.  And where it gives you a drop down box if you don't have a google profile just select "anonymous".  That should allow you to comment!  

Going out with a bang

The weekend before the 'tox and I have left nothing to shame.  Coffee, donut holes, chocolate chip cookies, beer tent, loaded pizza, big fat diet coke...I am going out with a BANG!  And the day's not done! But I DID pass on the big fat elephant ear (aka powdered sugared fried dough) at our town fair today.  I do have some dignity.  And I feel that I did counteract some of that gluttony with a pep-in-my-step 5K run this morning.  Right?  I thought so.

Enjoy the good life this weekend my friends because it is DETOX time on Monday.  

So the gist of this detox is to pare down, purify and develop good habits along the way.  The first week is a bit more intense than the following weeks since you are giving up any foods that are processed and are known allergens.  Just so you know what you are getting yourself into here is a cute little overview of the plan:

4 week detox plan summery

Check out what little things you should be doing this weekend to get prepared:

Weekend Detox Prep

I find it is helpful to figure out what I am going to eat ahead of time and hit the grocery the day before the detox begins. But I wind up going a few more times as I realize most of the food in the cabinets I can't eat!!  As you grocery shop for yourself next week (sidebar:  I eat separately from the family during most of this week.  Sorry, my kids aren't into eating quinoa...) here is a handy list of the things we should be steering clear of all week:

Foods to Avoid

+ Added sugar
+ Processed foods or beverages
+ Alcohol (DARN)
+ Caffeine (DOUBLE DARN)
+ Wheat/gluten
+ Eggs
+ Dairy
+ Peanut products (includes peanut butter. Almond butter is a good substitute here)
+ Fruit juices (very high in sugar)
+ Soy, including soy sauce
+ Corn

So what in the heck WILL I be eating you ask?

You will be eating 5-6 small meals per day.  I usually do a smoothie for breakfast, a snack (almonds, banana with almond butter, 1/2 avocado with lime juice etc.), a smoothie for lunch or a big salad, another snack, and then a protein (small portion), sweet potato or brown rice, and more salad for dinner. I will also make a sweet potato or butternut squash soup and eat on that too. The whole living website has some great week 1 recipes and smoothie recipes too!  I don't get so fancy. 

Week 1 recipes

Smoothies

Make sure if you plan to join the detox (either now or in the future) to enter your email address in the "subscribe" to on the right hand side of my blog.  This way, when I post, you can see what I have to say and you can comment about what you are doing too.  We are in this together my friends.

Right?

crickets.  crickets. crickets.

Detox time...who's with me?

Dust off your blenders.  Hit Sam's Club for the oh-my-gosh-who-really-eats-that-much-spinach? sized spinach.  Sadly smooch your coffee makers goodbye for a little while.  It's The End of The Summer detox.

Here's the deal:  My liver is angry with me because of mass quantities of mojitos, Summer Shandys, Oberon and the like that have been consumed in mass quantities over the past few months.  My love handles are growing love handles.  I go from coffee to diet pepsi to wine, rarely drinking water.  I am always tired, which I find amusing because I should be jacked up on caffeine, and if my skin isn't breaking out into zits, it's looking like i have two big old bags under my eyes.  Heck, there are bags under my bags.  My skinny jeans are giving me a dirty look every time I pass them in the closet, as if to say "I DARE you to try me on right now...".

This situation needs to be addressed and this body cleaned OUT.

Anyone feeling the same?

So what are we going to do about it?  We are going to detox.  Do you remember when I did this back in January?  It's all about cutting out alcohol (i know...i know), caffeine, dairy, wheat and other common allergens.  But don't worry, it's only hard core for a week and then we start to add stuff back (yes, I add back a little alcohol.  A girl's gotta live you know.  Did I also mention "exception days?").

So I am posting a link to Whole Living.  Read up about the plan and let's get this thing started.  I love this detox because it is nothing funky...just whole foods. If you'd like to detox along with me, be sure to click to "follow" my blog and you'll get updates.  I am going to do the "prep work" Saturday and Sunday and then start the old Detox on Monday August 22nd.

Can't quite part with the margaritas and chips and salsa yet?  I can't blame you.  Follow the blog anyway and maybe you'll be inspired to join in at a later date...
At the very least you'll get some good laughs at all the random stuff I will be eating...
click here to see the Whole Living detox plan

lesson learned

So last Saturday I ran in the Mint City 10 miler.  Yes, you may remember this ill-fated run from a few years  ago.  I think there was a monsoon hitting St. Johns, MI at the very time the horn sounded for us to run.  For most of the Diva gals, it was our longest run to date.   Sara and I were donned in Hefty's finest wicking garbage bags as we dodged hail, wind and pelting rain.  Somehow we survived that sloppy, wet run and we still talk about it amongst our group, or anyone who will listen, today.  It's quite legendary! (click here:  http://justanotherrunningdiva.blogspot.com/2010/03/deja-vu.html for more details if you are dying to know more.  it's worth a good chuckle).

for my good form running friends:  notice the thumbs up!  ha!

This year I ran it again;  no rain and a little bit more running experience.  Except for the fact that I decided an appropriate pre-run meal would be a large Mexican feast.  I'm talking chips, spicy (eek) salsa, guacamole, refried beans, fajitas, cheese and more cheese.   Topped off with a large Reese's Peanut Butter cup. Yes, they make them big.

Although I ran a good race (shaved 10 minutes off my time!), I did not feel well AT ALL.  I could hear the strange noises my stomach was making through my blaring iPod.  At one point I wasn't sure if I was going to lose said Mexican feast by way of my mouth or by way of...well...the other end.  And let's just say I felt really sorry for the people running directly behind...well...my behind.  The dairy farm may have smelled better.  Phew.

Thank goodness I was smart enough to forgo the tequila and coronas.  Then it would have been reallllly ugly.

Lesson learned for this weekend's race in Chicago:  Skip any restaurant the night before the run with the name "El", "Dos", or "Ole" in it.

the sounds of silence...

I find myself without my two little boys today. In fact, I will be without them and my husband for the next week or so.  The boys are on a road trip with their grandparents to surprise their Aunt Natalie and Zach travels this week for week.  So what things can I find myself doing this week in their absence??

1.  Sleeping in.  Although this morning I woke up at 5:45 am.  Figures. But, I laid in bed and read a few chapters in a book I started about a month ago.  Because I could.

2. Watching the Today Show and having to shut it off to appease little boys wanting to watch the antics of Patrick and a sea sponge with square pants.  Is Meredith V. finally off the show and Ann Curry finally co-host?  And my Matt Lauer...it's been way too long...

3.  Drinking an entire HOT cup of coffee uninterrupted.  The norm would be taking a sip of said hot coffee and then grabbing a glass of milk for Tyler, ice water for Sam, taking another sip and then getting the boys cereal, feeding the dog, making sure the kids are getting dressed, finding Sam's toothbrush, taking another sip of coffee, discovering it to be lukewarm, microwaving it, forgetting about it in the microwave, heading to the gym, and then finding the coffee in the microwave as I am making lunch hours later...

4.  Leaving the house clean and coming home to it clean.  And it staying clean.  And leaving dishes in the sink and not really caring.

5.  Hitting IKEA on a whim.  This could start to get expensive.

6.  Spending time in the kitchen making some of my favorite treats for great friends who will help me eat and drink them.  More on that in a later post.  Because, really, I have time to post all about this.  Boy, you are really going to get sick of me this week.

7.  Talking a lot to the dog.  A whole lot...

8.  Wishing those sweaty little faces (that includes my husband) would just pop in for a minute to say hello and give a quick smooch and a squeeze.

But then they can be off again...