Detox Day 4... Are We There Yet?

*SIGH*... *REALLY BIG SIGH*... All I want is a taco... But seriously, after day 4 the detox seems to be routine.  I feel great and I do not really mind the fruits and veggies all that much.  I am just getting bored with the same things!  I ALMOST cracked today, I'll admit it... Working at a convenience store around junk food will make you want everything!  Today was not that difficult until I got to work, then I suddenly became a recovering junk-aholic...
Today's food items as scheduled were milk and bananas.  Because I am slightly lactose intolerant I opted out of the real milk and went for soy... Little did I know (until after I drank it) that it has added sugar in it! What the!? So... Supposedly it's "healthier" for you than regular milk, it doesn't have lactose (which is why I chose it) and it supposedly doesn't have as much fat... I guess you just have to decide which bad is worse (fat or sugar).  I also kept eating fruits and veggies today since I could not drink real milk.
I am soooooo excited for tomorrow!! PROTEIN!! I was never a huge meat eater, but I can definitely tell that I am craving some protein (I feel like a carnivorous beast right now).  I have noticed that I will fill up on veggies and fruits, but I am not really "satisfied."  It's hard to explain... You'll just have to try it to know what I'm talking about! lol.  So tomorrow I will get proteins (lean proteins only!) and hopefully they will reduce the cravings for other foods.
Well... That's about all for now... Oh AND I did add my rice for the week today!! That was the best tasting rice I have ever had in my life!! It has been really the only solid carbohydrate I have had in 4 days, so as a bread/carb lover... It was the highlight of my day!
Tres mas dias!!

P.S. I found this cute picture of two rice guys on the internet... This is pretty much how I felt today eating it:)

Detox Day 3... It gets easier!

Day 3 of the detox has definitely been the easiest day so far.  Because it is a combination of days 1 and 2, there is a larger variety of food to choose from; veggies and fruit! YUM!  Although it is getting easier, I cannot wait till I get to have a diet soda or cheese and crackers (weird cravings I know...).
Anyways, tomorrow is Day 4, and as the schedule says, Day 4 is only milk and bananas.  I am slightly lactose intolerant so I will be drinking soy milk instead.  I am a little nervous that this won't agree with my system... If it doesn't, I will resort to veggies and fruits for Day 4 instead.  Btw, that "wonder soup" is no longer wonderful... I think i'd rather starve... Just sayin'.  Whose bright idea was it anyways to name a doll after cabbage anyways??

Day 2 Detox Down!

I'm STILL alive!! Day 2 of the detox was definitely easier than day 1... Probably because all the sugars, processed foods and what-not is all out by now (not that I'm a huge junkie or anything, but I do enjoy the seasonal candy aisle, that's for sure: Vanilla Cream Russell Stover eggs are the best just FYI)....

Anyways, after day 1 yesterday I was extremely tired! Bedtime was at 10 pm and I slept like a rock till 6 am this morning!  Now I am fully awake and feel very rested!  I think all the "hidden sugars" that we eat everyday takes a big toll on our sleep (even though we don't think so).  I call them "hidden sugars" because I never realized just how much junk we put into our foods.  

Even trying to find dried fruit, which the typical person would consider healthy, contains sugars or preservatives that are really bad for you.  Another thing I have noticed is just how much salt is added to EVERYTHING!  Once again, as I was looking at canned vegetables for this detox it was much harder for me to find unsalted or no salt added items than the salted. I decided to do a little research on salt-intake and this is what I found: According to Colorado University, "The ideal salt intake for the day is 1,500 mg of sodium... That's less than one teaspoon!!  The maximum intake should be no greater than 2,300 mg.  On average men consume about 3,100 to 4,700 mg per day and women consume about 2,300 to 4,100 mg."  I'm not saying that you should not add salt to anything, but I will definitely be more aware of how much I eat everyday.

Overall these first two days haven't been bad at all... The first day was challenging just because I was craving  my foods that I usually eat everyday; But day 2 has definitely been easier. 

If you would like to join me on this detox feel free to check out the full schedule on my "detox diet" page!

Good luck!

Sources:

  

http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uh5347

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09354.html

I'm Alive!

Detox Day 1: Fruits Only
Okay, So... I have to admit... Last night as I was eating I was thinking of how hard this was going to be... I thought I would be in starvation mode.  Crawling to the fridge, barely alive and unable to walk I would press on! I WILL survive! (I was anticipating the worst)  But, to my surprise, day 1 of the detox hasn't been all that horrendous.  It was difficult when lunch rolled around and all I had to eat was fruit, but I learned that if you eat enough of it you'll eventually get full. *Key word: EVENTUALLY.

You have NO idea how much fruit I ate for breakfast this morning... Let's just say I ate my body weight in blueberries, bananas and peaches.
For lunch I had a large container of my "Wonder Soup," an apple and more peaches...
Dinner: Grapes, a banana, strawberries and dried apples (which taste like potato chips if you have some intense imagination skills). Ha.

All in all, the day went pretty fast and I'm feeling pretty good... I would not say that I have the most energy in the world, but enough to knock out some math homework (which takes quite a bit).  I have also realized that it is humanly possible to eat an entire fruit tree in one day... Just sayin'.

Btw, check out my detox page if you want to learn more about the 7 day plan!
                   

Salsa Love

Homemade Salsa

So... As some of you may know, I LOVE Mexican food.  Actually, the word "love" doesn't even explain just how much I ENJOY it!  One of my missions this past summer was to find and create a salsa recipe that not only had some kick to it (spicy food is bomb!) but also encompassed all the fresh and vibrant flavors of some Mexican food.  Here is my favorite salsa that I like to make; I originally found the base for the recipe in a Rick Bayless book but have tweaked it a alot! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium Tomatillos
1/2 White Onion
1 T./ pinch of Fresh Cilantro
2 Jalapenos
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Anaheim Pepper
1/4 T. Ancho Chile Powder (this may be a little difficult to find)
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Red Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1 15oz. can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Small squirt of Lime Juice or 1 Freshly squeezed Lime

Directions:1. Roast all fresh ingredients until soft and brown.  I like to roast them on an iron skillet (you may score your really nice "non stick" pans if you use those) *hint hint*.  You will know when the Tomatillos are done because they will begin to caramelize, turn brown and be extremely soft and limp.

2. Once all of the ingredients are roasted, place all of the roasted ingredients and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency.

3.  Allow to chill in fridge about 2 hours before serving.  I will say that salsa always tastes better after it has been allowed to sit for about 24 hours in the fridge; that way all the fresh flavors have time to mix!

Special Notes:

- If you are not using an iron skillet or would just like to keep your pans clean while roasting the fresh ingredients, you can place them on tinfoil and place on the skillet.  That way you have less mess and an easier  clean-up time!

- This recipe is a little spicy!! For a tamer version you could substitute the Jalapenos for more Serrano Peppers, or add an extra Anaheim pepper.
- If you would like to kick it up a notch on the "Scoville Scale" (the heat scale for peppers), add a Habanero pepper or two!!

The Blog is Back!

Well, as you all know, I used to have a blog where I rated restaurants.... Because of time and money I could not keep up on the ratings; So it disappeared!  *Poof*
I have thought about ways to improve the blog by adding more categories and ideas about food other than restaurants.  I will not be rating just restaurants, but will be writing about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that deals with food (past experiences, disaster recipes, restaurants... etc.)! If you have comments, suggestions or ideas let me know and I will happily read them and may even reply back!
First topic on the agenda: Detox/Cleanse Diet (aka 7 days of "what was I thinking!?")