Green Smoothie Cleanse Day #2

My GSC is going well so far. I haven't really been hungry but I have wanted to chew on something crunchy. This morning I came this close to munching on some pretzels, but I refrained.

 Last night was the hardest. At dinnertime my husband had us watching a food competition show on TV and I kept thinking of all the things I could be cooking and eating. I ended up just going right to bed. I think we'll just have to lay off the food shows for awhile.



For my cleanse I'm drinking a green smoothie every 2 hours until I've had 6. I'm keeping to about 1,500 calories. Each smoothie I'm mixing it up a bit by adding different fruits and veggies. My favorite one so far is spinach, a banana, a nectarine and some water (pictured above). 


"What the mind can conceive, it can achieve" - Napoleon Hill

Green Smoothie Cleanse

I am 100% meat and dairy free now! It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I decided to give a plant based diet another go. I've started to feel better and I've even lost some weight. As of this morning I'm 271.8 That's a loss of 2.8 pounds. It's nice to know that such small changes over time really do add up.

 As a kick off to my new plant-based life I wanted to give myself a challenge. I've decided to do a green smoothie cleanse. I've been hearing a lot about green smoothies as well as juicing and I've been really inspired. I recently watched the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead'. Once it was over I knew I had to do something. I didn't want to go out and buy a juicer and I have a perfectly good blender at home, so I determined that green smoothies were the way to go.

In 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' Joe Cross spends 60 days on a juice fast. I think I'll set my first goal at 30 days. I'll see how I feel after that and go from there. Today was day #1. So far I'm doing good but I am having some cravings. I really want some salty tortilla chips. I know the first couple of days will be the hardest. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't give in.





 “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
- Albert Schweitzer

Exercise

Growing up I was active. I loved to swim, ice skate, run, ride bicycles and Rollerblade. I played softball and took dance classes. As an adult I have slowly stopped doing all those active things I once loved. I miss the days when I didn't feel trapped in my body, when I didn't feel broken.

Awhile ago I sprained my achilles tendon. It was getting better but I was too impatient and did too much too fast and re-injured it. It is improving again and I'm not going to make the same mistake again. For now I plan on just getting up and doing more around the house everyday. My husband loves this because the house is cleaner. (not that it was so bad before)


Soon I will add things that don't involve my ankle - crunches, light weight work for the arms- that sort of thing. Eventually I'll add walking and yoga back in. After that we'll see.


Right now I'm really depending on my plant-based diet to help me out with the weight loss. I'm starting to feel better already! Yesterday I was excited to find I had so much more energy. And the last 3 nights I've slept better. I can't wait for more results!!

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
-Thomas Jefferson

   

Leftovers

When I cook I tend to make big batches of whatever it is I'm making. I think this stems from my childhood. Both my parents worked and a lot of the time I would make dinner to help out. It took me a long time to learn how to cook for just 1 or 2 as apposed to cooking for 5 especially when 2 of those 5 are teenage boys. I remember making double batches of cookies and half would be gone before I was finished baking. One time I made a cake and my younger brother asked if he and his friend  could have some before I frosted it. I had no problem with that because I too prefer my cake without frosting. When I went to frost it it was 90% gone. I laughed and baked another. I still smile remembering that :)

While I still haven't completely mastered cooking for just 2 our leftovers never go to waste. Having leftovers can be a huge time saver as well....Grab.Heat.Eat. Half the time the meal or dish is better the 2nd time. Especially with salsa!

One of my favorite things to do with leftovers is to make a "wrap". I say "wrap" because I always over fill mine and end up having to eat it with a fork.

Today's was a whole wheat tortilla, half an avocado, red beans and rice, roasted veggies, salsa, and lettuce.

"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."
-Charles Dickens

Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms

Baby Bella Mushrooms

I love reading vegan food blogs. Last night I came across one I hadn't seen yet.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com


While looking through her recipes I saw this one, brussels sprouts and mushrooms .


I just happened to have everything needed.

 Guess what I made for lunch today.


The only thing I changed was I used a whole large onion instead of a small one because I LOVE onions :)
It turned out great! Definitely one I'll make again.

As a kid I never liked Brussels Sprouts. So when I moved out on my own I had no intention of ever eating them again. That was until one Thanksgiving my roommate invited me to her parents house for Thanksgiving Dinner. Her father is English and Brussels Sprouts were on the menu at nearly every big family dinner. When they were offered to me, not wanting to be rude, I took some. Praying they didn't taste like I remembered, I took a bite. I was pleasantly surprised! They were delicious. I have been eating, loving and experimenting with them ever since. I've even tried to get my husband to like them but I have not succeeded. He doesn't share my enthusiasm about Brussels sprouts. But that's okay, more for me. :)     

"Change is inevitable. Progress is optional" – Tony Robbins

Salad, Salsa, and Leftovers

While at the grocery store today, my husband and I came across some gorgeous tomatoes. My husband is a huge fan of homemade salsa and he asked if I was in the mood to make some. My husband doesn't ask me to make things for him often so I jumped at the chance to make something special for him. 

We loaded up with big beautiful tomatoes, fresh cilantro, garlic, onions, and chiles. At home, after all the groceries were put away, I got to work chopping. 2 hours later we had a huge batch of fresh salsa! We always make a ton because it never lasts long :)

I had planned to have a salad for dinner. I tore up some iceberg and romaine lettuce. I topped that with some of yesterday's leftover roasted veggies, half an avocado, and chopped raw almonds. On the side I had some chips and salsa and a small serving of  red beans and rice.

Tomatoes and Cilantro

Salsa ready to eat!

I had planned to have salad dressing on my salad but with the creaminess of the avocado I ended up not needing it. Definitely a filling dinner!  

 "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
-Henry David Thoreau

   

Fun in The Kitchen

I really enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen. My love of the kitchen started at a really young age. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of me helping my mother prepare dinner or bake some delightful treats. I love kitchens so much they are usually my favorite room in any house. When house hunting that's the first room I want to see. 

Even with all this love I still have periods of time where I get lazy and rely too much on eating out or on packaged food. One of my goals is to reduce the frequency of my laziness.

Cooking today reminded me of how much fun I have when working with whole, fresh foods. I was smiling from ear to ear and I had to stop and think about why.   Spending the time chopping, stirring, cooking, adding, and tasting for every single step of the dish connects you to the food so much more than opening a box and adding water.

On today's menu was Red Beans and Rice, and Oven Roasted Veggies

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
-Harriet Van Horne

Kale Chips

I don't know how long ago or where I first heard about Kale Chips. Today it seem like no matter where I turn someone is talking about them. So today I gave in and tried to make my first batch.  Notice I said tried.  My first problem happened when I opened my crisper. I had first planned to make Kale Chips a few days ago so that is when I had purchased my Kale. When I pulled it out today the leaves had started to turn yellow. Sad :(   I shrugged and decided to proceed as planned. I had no problem washing and drying the leaves. Nor did I have a problem drizzling them with olive oil and sprinkling them with salt. I did however overcook them. I did not realize this right away.  At first taste they were pretty good but as I was eating thru them they were more and more brunt. To the point that they were leaving a very bitter taste in my mouth. I tried to remedy this by using some spray salad dressing on them but it did nothing to mask the flavor. Now they're just a soggy mess. ...Epic.....Fail.

I will be trying Kale Chips again. Hopefully I've learned something from this and I'll do better next time!

 "Success in life is a matter not so much of talent or opportunity as of concentration and perseverance."
-C. W. Wendte