Clean: Days Ten through Sixteen

Hi guys,

   Sorry I kind of just stopped posting- I had one kid get sick, then I got sick, now another kid is sick... you know how it goes.

   I've kept up with the Clean guidelines as best I can, I did have one night where I went to a music concert with some friends and we went out to eat at Laughing Planet Cafe. I had the Thai Rice Bowl (which was DELICIOUS) for dinner. It did have peanut sauce and tofu which are not necessarily on the plan, but I decided for one night forgoing the soup and having a good time were just what the doctor ordered.

   I jumped right back into the program the next meal and It's been fine. I'm ten pounds down, I'd like to say that I feel GREAT, but I don't. I blame all the yucky bugs floating around- my ears are still plugged and I'm just sore and tired from whatever it is my system is fighting. That being said, I sleep a lot better at night. I fall asleep easier than I ever have, and I'm staying asleep through the night which has been an issue for me for a few years now. I still don't wake feeling rested though, so I guess I'd better finish reading Spent by Dr. Frank Lipman. I really had wanted to get my body moving a lot more than I actually did. This is still a goal of mine. I want to restart my Kundalini Yoga practice and get to the gym at least 2-3 days a week for cardio, work in some hikes with friends.

   There are some things that I will take with me through this experience and integrate into my everyday life. I will keep the smoothies and shakes for breakfast. This worked really well with our hectic morning routine, and I can take it with me in the car if I can't finish it while I'm getting kids ready for school. I will not eat after 7 pm except for special occasions like outings with girlfriends. I will maintain a 12 hour rest period between dinner and breakfast the next morning. My thoughts of rounded meals have changed. I'd much rather focus on veggies and a small midday portion of protein rather than having animal protein at every meal along with a starch. I realized that the protein and starch feels very heavy in my stomach and I feel sluggish after eating it.

   After cutting out sugar and getting over the cravings and withdrawals, I realize how MUCH of it I eat even when I think I'm being conscientious and reading labels. I realize how much it affects emotions and anxiety as well. I feel much more on an even keel when I'm not eating the sweet stuff, so a lot of that is going to have to go as well. A once in a while indulgence I think will be fine, but certainly not every day like I have in the past.

   I do have a few final pictures and things to share with you- it may take me a little while to get them loaded. I wanted to do a helpful hints entry as well as a junk you CAN eat entry.

  I'd like to end by saying that I do not intend to jump back into my pre-Clean lifestyle. I can tell you from being on cleanses and elimination diets that if you do want to go back to "the old ways", do so slowly. Introduce one thing in moderation at a time and see how you feel. If I went out and had a sixteen ounce mocha choca lotaa ya-ya right now, I would be bouncing off the walls, heart pounding, and sweating for DAYS. Don't do it. Go slowly, see if you have any reactions that you don't care for. Maybe you decide to put a mental "caution" sign around that food. I've got a few things that I really really love, but feel better when I don't eat them. So I choose not to. I'm getting better at it as time goes by. Sometimes I try it out again and think "Nope! Still can't do that."

CLEAN: Day Nine and Wok 101

    Well hi-de-ho, there, folks! My breakfast this morning was that leftover Cinnamon Roll Shake from yesterday. I still didn't finish it, but will call it good enough and make something new to share tomorrow. I did go to the gym again today which for me is a huge accomplishment. Maybe more so was the fact I actually WANTED to go. That never happens. Normally I'm so tired and achy that I just really can't be bothered to think about it. So- big deal for me to go and do 50 minutes on the elliptical and not really be too drained at the end. YAY! I also found one of the keys for someone who may be like me and not really care for loud noises, flashing lights, etc. Today instead of trying to opt for the foot-stomping head-thumping git 'er goin' music, I put on some instrumental music that I would possibly use for meditation and brought a book that I've recently gotten into. Fifty minutes later I thought "Gee, wonder how long I've been on here for!" Time flew and before I knew it I was schweaty and my workout was done. Sweet! Looking forward to lifting weights again in a few days. 

   Lunch was leftovers from last night- yes, I am a huge leftover fan. They make life easier. 

Five Spice Chicken and Brown Rice Noodles

   
   Again, my cutting board, big-ass knife, and all the veggies I'm using. The two hard to identifies are minced garlic and grated ginger. I don't peel the ginger, just grate it whole. I tried to keep it super simple for the peeps out there who might not be familiar with stir-frying. I'll give a little 101.

   
   These are my sauce and marinade ingredients along with the brown rice pasta I'm using. We have here Tamari, Tapioca starch instead of corn starch, black pepper, Chinese five spice, and Shao hsing rice wine. I was going to use the rice wine until I looked at the label and saw it contained wheat. So I broke out a really old, really cheap bottle of cream sherry and used that instead. I really prefer the flavor of the rice wine- I will try and search out a GF option and let you know.

   Sorry about the raw chicken picture, but here is the marinade; about 1T sherry or rice wine, a cap full of tamari, generous pinch of black pepper, a cereal spoon of five spice, and two heaping cereal spoons of tapioca starch. I've got three chicken breasts here (mind you this is for a family of five!) that I halved length wise then cut into about 1/4" thick pieces. Stir well. *Five spice might be a strong flavor for some people- you can leave it out and add in garlic and ginger at this stage if you like.* 

   You've seen My Precious before. I use a carbon steel wok that I got from my local Asian Market. I seasoned this wok myself in a very specific way by scrubbing off the factory residue and then heating it over high heat with lots of oil and stir frying garlic chives until blackened. Please don't get a teflon non-stick wok. The high heat can cause chemical leeching into your food. I would much rather teach a class on how to use a carbon steel wok than have people buy 'that other kind'. 

   My wok here has been heating on high, I put in about two teaspoons of an organic sunflower oil since it behaves itself in high heat. I put in a little garlic and ginger, then put half of my marinated chicken on top in a single layer. The key here is to Let. It. Sit. You want to get a nice golden brown sear on the meat. 

   See the sear? That there's flavor. So once you've let your chicken brown in the wok, you can flip it over and let the other side cook for a minute or two. I'll stir it around a bit at this point once I know I've got some goodness going on. I have a bowl set aside on the counter, so when this batch is done, I scoop it out and let it rest in the bowl usually with my wok lid on top to keep some heat in. I go again with the other half of my chicken. I scoop the second batch into the bowl, then take my screamin' hot wok over to the sink for a wash. Only use water- you don't want to damage that lovely patina on your pan. I have a long handled brush I use to whisk away any stuck-on stuff before returning the wok to the stove to re-heat. 

   Now we are ready to get our veggie on. Another teaspoon or two of oil, and in goes my broccoli along with the rest of my ginger and garlic, some sea salt, and black pepper- generous pinches of each. Stir for a bit, letting some of the edges of the broccoli get golden brown. Add in carrots and celery. You want some texture and crunch to your veggies, we are not cooking mush here! :) Two things: if you over crowd your wok, you will get soup. If your wok isn't hot enough, you will not get flayvah (i.e. wok hay), you will get watered down weirdness. Wok Hay is 'the breath of the wok' or the flavor the wok imparts in your food. I have a great book for you to read if you're interested. More on that later. 

   So- meat is done, veggies are cooking, your noodles should be boiling by now even though I have mentioned absolutely NOTHING about it. Here's the sauce: A generous tablespoon of tapioca starch, about 1/4 cup cold water even though tapioca starch isn't as temperamental as cornstarch. A good tablespoon or two of tamari, and stir. You could add a little five spice here if you wanted to try out the flavor for the first time- it wouldn't be as strong as coating your meat with it. 

   Veggies are tender crisp, add your chicken back in and stir. Drain noodles and add into the wok. Pour your sauce in a circular motion on top and toss to coat. 

   You will hopefully wind up with this beautiful mess. Okay, the lighting is weird, and it's not styled at all. But this is real home cooking, and sometimes it looks like this. 

   I'm pretty much self-taught here. I read a lot of books and watch a lot of cooking shows- but I'm a home cook with a sense of adventure and really have no special training beyond what my parents taught me. My thinking is that if I can do it, anybody can. I think I love cooking with my wok especially because it brings back good memories of a friend I had growing up- she and her family were from Hong Kong and had come over to the US before China took over. Her mom used to make the most amazing food. I got to roll spring rolls with her family (her grandmother didn't speak any english, and I'd try to practice writing Chinese characters with her little brother- but I failed miserably). To this day I have not been able to find a restaurant that measures up with the wonderful foods that I got to taste in their kitchen. Oh, memories. 

   The book! It's called The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young. I love this book. Not only does it have great recipes inside, but she goes through in detail how to choose a wok, some accessories you may want to consider, and how to properly season your new wok which is SUPER important. If you find yourself a tad wok-curious, consider seeing if your library has this book. It really is worth the purchase as well (the Oyster Chicken is a family favorite!). I'm reading her next book Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge- I just sit in bed and drool as I turn the pages. 

CLEAN: Day Eight

   I have few to zero pictures for you today- the past two days I just really haven't had much appetite. I made the Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast Shake again, drank part of it, then put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow. I did finally have some lunch at Whole Foods (which my cousin calls Whole Paycheck and I think it's hilarious) I picked out a red onion and cucumber salad, a quinoa pilaf that did contain red peppers, but I was hungry enough by then to just pick them out and carry on. Also got some tandoori chicken that was really tasty.

   For dinner I made a really good smelling stir-fry for the rest of the family, and that will be my lunch for tomorrow. I had some of my leftover Cauliflower and Leek Soup- it was still good, and surprisingly creamy for not having any sort of dairy or pureed nuts to lend that texture.

   I did have a craving for a glass of wine while making dinner. I was just feeling stressed out and frazzled and really for about a good half hour went back and forth in my mind over whether or not I really wanted one, how it would make me feel if I did have one, the reasons for the craving, and ultimately decided that I didn't want to undo the positive effects I've had so far from this cleanse. I'm almost 10 pounds lighter than I used to be!

   I had some special tea for stress, and took some Chinese herbs to help with the tension and anxiety- and that helped tremendously. I'm looking to write another entry on helpful tips and tricks during a cleanse, so I will include a little more info about that later.

   Eight days in, and I can tell you I have not felt like I'm suffering through hunger in order to maintain the cleanse. I feel nourished and satisfied, I sleep better, and can notice more energy coming on. I've also been doing some things to help with the detox process like making sure I get my water and super-fiber in. Chia is my best friend.

   I've also done a castor oil pack two nights in a row. I noticed things moved quite a bit more smoothly and regularly in the morning if you catch my drift. I will look to repeat this process for a couple more weeks and see how it feels. If you're not familiar with castor oil packs, basically you saturate a swatch of wool flannel or cotton (I use an old unbleached cotton cloth diaper folded in half) in castor oil. You can gently warm your pack on a heating pad, then place it over your liver or other trouble spot. Plan on keeping it on for about an hour or so covered with your heating pad and possibly a light barrier between the pack and the pad so it doesn't get all oily. You'll need to lie down and just relax (bummer, right?). Don't wear your favorite clothes or lie on your great granny's antique sofa because the oil can get messy and stain. When some time has passed, you can remove the pack and wash with some baking soda water or plain soap and water. I have to admit I fell asleep with mine on. Twice. There's a YouTube video you can watch here that is a good demonstration. I did not know about not putting electricity on your abdomen, it kind of makes sense. I think I'll need to get a hot water bottle!

CLEAN: Day Seven

Mother's Day!! 

Found this fragrant beauty this morning on my back patio- I just love peonies. 

Made the Coconut Chai Smoothie for myself, and I really didn't care for it very much. I wonder if I did something wrong or if it's just my taster. I wasn't feeling like my ornery self now I that I think of it. Sure looks pretty though! 

Lunch was a left over stir fry with the buckwheat noodles, and then for dinner I made the Cauliflower and Leek Soup. This was really quite tasty. Instead of adding thyme, I added dill- I thought it would go better with the lemon and, well I was just plain craving it. So. :) 

I also whipped up a batch of these beauties- you can find the recipe here. This is a healthy no-bake fudge, and it is DELICIOUS. Honestly I've eaten more of it than I meant to. Sorry for some of the crazy pictures- I'm working on it. 

CLEAN: Day Six

   This morning was another crazy one- trying to figure out what needed to be done before who needs to be where... you know. I mixed up the Peaches and Cream shake, and it was good. I forgot to take pictures though. Sorry.


   BUT....

Mmm. Lunch. Guess what it is? Guess!! 

Here's a hint... my precious. 

Awww.... yeah. I love me some stir-fry! 

I was really proud of myself for this one. Buckwheat soba noodles tossed in toasted sesame oil, then topped with all my lovely veggies and cashews. I sprinkled some dried (unsweetened) coconut and un-hulled (is that a word?) sesame seeds on top. 

That was the highlight of my day today. It felt nourishing, and was delicious. For dinner I had the Grasshopper Shake, and it was good, but not my absolute favorite. 

Peppermint tea, coconut oil, greens, cacao, stevia, chocolate protein powder, chia. 

Fin! 

CLEAN: Day Five

Good Morning! 

   Today I went off on my own and created my own Franken-shake. It was okay- a bit tart! I used a chocolate hemp protein by Nutiva, some organic hazelnut milk, chia seed, frozen raspberries, coconut butter, and some Perfect Food which is a mixture of all kinds of greens like spirulina, chorella, grass juices, seeds, etc. 

  I am not the greatest pill-taker, so I try and get around it wherever I can. This is my beloved probiotic- it was given to me by my doctor, and I love it. I've taken all kinds, but this and the ones by Metagenics are my favorite. My kids even take a powdered form by Metagenics (also doc recommended), you can check it out here. ANYWAY, I break one of these open and add it to my morning smoothie. One less gulp to take. 

                                    

      My poor lunch doesn't LOOK very fabulous, but it really hit the spot. A lovely artichoke, some leftover grilled chicken, and a little dipping sauce made by combining my cashew cream and some vegan pesto. I added some extra lemon juice to thin it out, and added some s&p.

 
   Dinner was that leftover Pumpkin Coconut Stew I made the other night- I warmed it on the stove, then gave it a quick whiz in the blender. It was SO GOOD. The texture was velvety and creamy, the flavor was amazing. Kids had the house mac n cheese, which these days means: whole wheat pasta tossed with olive oil (soon to change) or butter and sea salt- last night I mixed in some broccoli sautéd with garlic, and topped with our favorite Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese that I shredded. Bowls were cleaned, and seconds were requested.

CLEAN: Day Four

  

 Mmm. Pumpkin Pie. All it was missing was the whipped cream. Also from the Clean Recipes Manual- page 21 to be precise. I'm not posting recipes because these kids have a lot of things copyrighted, and I just really don't want to get sued and stuff. Better to be safe than sorry! 

   Lunch was my own creation: a cod "quesadilla". 

About 1/2 filet cooked cod, seasoned to your liking. (Check Day One for my seasonings!) 

1 teff tortilla

avocado

cilantro

lime

Heidi Ho vegan smoked gouda, shredded

olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a pan, add tortilla and fry a bit till both sides are golden brown. Add in your vegan gouda and cod, and cook till warm through. 

Garnish with avocado, cilantro, lime, I would have added some chili sauce, but didn't have any on hand. Enjoy! 

   To drink: I've been a huge fan of iced teas lately. This is an iced chai tea sweetened with liquid Stevia- just a few drops will do since it's so strong. I just brew a mug of decaffeinated tea, let it sit for a bit, then pour it into a cup filled with ice. A few drips of stevia, stir. Lovely. 

   I like to have some kind of snack on hand for when I'm on the go- today I mixed up another batch of... well... it's not GORP, but it IS kind of like Squirrel Food. Every time I make it, it's different. I use what I have on hand, and my dried fruit is unsweetened. Today I had: 

Raw Brazil Nuts (don't seem to be as 'earthy' as the roasted) 

Pecans

Coconut Flakes (unsulphered) 

Raw Sunflower Seeds

Goji Berries

Dried Mulberries (my new flavorite) 

Dried Blueberries

Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Dried Currants

   Mix it all up, and you will LOVE it. See how it's shaped like a little heart?!? 

   Dinner today needed to be quick and cool. I was rummaging around for juicing ideas in my crisper, but some things had been neglected and needed to be thrown out. That's always so sad to me. BUT, I had pears, lemons, cilantro, and ginger, so that's what I used. I also added in a tablespoon of chia seed- since it's so good for you and your tummy. The kids even had some and liked it. Always a plus. 

 

CLEAN: Day Three

   

This morning I felt a treat was in order, so I opted for the Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast smoothie out of the Clean recipes download. It was So. GOOD!!! You really wouldn't think that out of some nuts, seeds, coconut water, cinnamon, and protein powder that you could get something that actually tasted like a cinnamon roll. Three thumbs up on this one. To see the recipes, go here, click on Clean Manuals, then click Recipes. 

   Lunch wasn't worth spending too much time talking about- I was watching my friend's children over at her house, so I slapped together a soup made out of leftovers. But for DINNER...

   This is the Pumpkin Coconut Stew from the Clean Recipes (Download? Manual?) Manual. The flavors in this were awesome- I would puree it though just because I didn't happen to chop my lemongrass finely enough and wound up having some very flavorful  chewing to do. AND I forgot the lime juice. Shame. 

CLEAN: Day Two

 

   Okay, I forgot about the smoothie again. But I did take a picture of this morning's ingredients. I made a Mango Peach Lassi, and it was really good. I'd make this one again. I added in some chia seed and a little flax oil for fun. Next time I'll add some cumin or cardamom for spice.
    

   The rest of my food day looks just like yesterday- which is nice because I don't have to do too much cooking at all, leaving more room for a few ridiculous projects I've started around here. :) 

CLEAN: Day One

   This morning I had a raspberry and green tea matcha smoothie from the Clean recipes. It was really tasty. I probably should have taken pictures of the smoothies too, but I usually forget. I am not a morning person! I'll try and remember tomorrow morning! 

   Went to the gym and did a good schweaty 30 minutes on the elliptical today which actually felt really good. I notice once I go on a cleanse and really get good and clean about what foods I'm eating, knock off the sugar, gluten, dairy, etc. I start feeling a lot better. Energy returns that I hadn't been experiencing, thought processes are a lot clearer, I sleep better (especially after a guided meditation!) that stuff is like super strength Nytol for me. Once these pieces start falling into place, I notice I can go bigger, faster, stronger- where normally just getting out of bed is painful and should earn applause. I'm looking forward to bumping up my workout another couple of notches next time! 

   So my super schweaty self ran into Fred's and got a bunch of produce for soups this week. I noticed they had wild cod on sale and got some. A lot of the time when I'm cooking, I just let ideas come to me and this was one of those days. I wound up with a sauté of cremini, zucchini, onion, and garlic. On top of that I put my cod that I had pan fried in some olive oil. I seasoned both sides well with sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and some smoked paprika. I topped that with some vegan pesto I had made and frozen a few weeks ago, and the cashew cream from last night. I had meant to cook my rainbow chard from the garden along with the zucchini, but I forgot! So did that separately with some garlic and put that on top. I brewed some herbal blueberry superfood tea, poured it over ice, and added a few drops of liquid stevia for a treat. 

   

Green Pea Soup

   This recipe is from the Clean website as well. I changed it slightly since there were some ingredients I didn't have, and others I did. I used some left over chicken broth I had stashed from a few nights ago, and the cashew cream again. It was really nice, and I didn't feel hungry or deprived at all after having a blended soup for dinner. This particular soup was really easy and fairly quick to make. I decided not to boil my peas for 10 minutes like the recipe said. I think I simmered mine for maybe five before blending.

2nd Day Pre-Clean: !Cinco de Mayo!

   Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! Going with the theme for today, I had the mocha smoothie from off the Clean website, then for lunch I used some left over brown rice from last night, topped it with some of my chicken from last night, then made a fresh guacamole. Sliced some cukes, sprinkled with s&p and cumin. 

    My Guac

sea salt- a generous 3 finger pinch

lime juice from 1-2 limes

1 clove garlic, minced

pepper to taste

small handful cilantro, chopped

avocado, 2-3

In your bowl, add the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Allow it to sit while you get the rest

of your ingredients ready. A lot of this is to taste- you can tailor it to your liking.

Usually I pit, score, and scoop my avocados next- tossing them in the salted lime

juice. Add in the minced garlic and cilantro, and stir. 

You are ready to eat. 

You can add in green onion, chili, whatever suits your fancy. 

   I also made a fresh lemon-lime aid. Several slices of lemon and lime in a cup, I squeeze them a bit first so the juices run into the glass. Top with filtered water and a few drops of liquid stevia. Yum. 

   Dinner time! And what do you have on the Cinco? Tacos of course! The rest of the fam had regular tortillas, but I had a lettuce wrap with a lot of the same fixin's. The guac from earlier makes a reappearance. This is just ground turkey cooked with some onion, garlic, and my home made taco seasoning. It has some smoked paprika in it which is really nice. Also made a cashew (sour) cream to have on top. That really was a must-have! 

   I think this is the taco seasoning recipe I used. I omitted the red chili flake since we have littles in the house, and used smoked paprika instead of regular. I make several batches at once and store it for later.

   This is the Cashew Cream recipe I used as a guideline. I did not add the curry or other herbs, but made a very plain version to start with. I think I did use some dried parsley.

1st Day Pre-Clean: Salad Nicoise, Asian-Style Chicken Soup

   So the pre-clean is eating 3 meals a day using the Clean formula. This was a birthday party day for us, so I had a shake for breakfast, put my favorite chicken soup in the crock pot (I'm sure the recipe is on the blog here somewhere!) and scrounged around in the fridge till I came up with the idea for this salad.

     This was really simple and pretty self explanatory- I went out to our spring garden and picked a bunch of romaine and red leaf lettuce. Topped it with cukes, garbanzo beans, carrot, green beans, marinated artichoke hearts, and some tuna that I had flavored with lemon juice, dill, onion powder, s&p. Some dijon would have been good, but I didn't think of it at the time. Topped it all with some hemp hearts and a drizzle of ume plum vinegar. Voila! 

  

   Mmm. This soup is so good. Really it's the chicken and broth that is so good- then you can go wild adding in different things each time. Today I had some brown rice, and a small stir fry of gai lan and carrot. Sprinkled some red chili and cilantro over the top. No fuss goodness. 

Night of Naughty

Sounds way better than it actually was.

   So- you know when you're diagnosed with a food allergy or intolerance? Maybe not. But if you are, it's really hard at first to put away your old ways and adopt a new way of thinking and eating. After you  (I) DO that, the changes are great! But every once in a while you really just want to be 'like everybody else'. So you (I) try a few bites of something that 'everybody else' eats, or maybe you just gorge your weasely little guts out like I just did. And for Five. Whole. Minutes. You FEEL 'just like everybody else'.

Tick... tick... tick... KABOOM!

   And the "yaaayyyyy!" turns into "huuuuuhhhhhgggh..." throw in some "WHY did I DO that?!?" and that's about where I find myself tonight. Coupled with the fact that the no-more-caffeine-headaches have started from my pre-pre-cleanse that I just slapped half a cheeseburger on top of. Can't fit in mah pants, itching out, and contemplating trepanning. The 'You Can't EAT That, Dumb-Ass!!' sign is flashing in my brain. Again.

   Anyway, good news is the three day pre-cleanse starts tomorrow- and for the most part I'm dragging the family with me. I'll find some time to post pictures of what I've got in the cupboards, as well as what I'm making as far as meals are concerned. I've been having a green smoothie for breakfast, usually a stir-fry for lunch, and then some kind of chicken/veggie/starch combo for dinner. I'll be getting strict on nightshades, and paring down my sugar even more than usual. No more wine, soy, or corn. Really watching the gluten factor.

   After three days of really clean low allergy eating, I'll start taking my solid (still low allergy) meal at midday and then also working in a blended soup, smoothie, or juice for my dinner. I'll stick with my morning smoothie/shake just because it's the easiest thing for me to whip up so early in the morning! I will try some different variations though. I'm in a delicious green smoothie rut.

   Also on that list of goals are getting my body moving at least 3 times a week doing whatever sounds good for a minimum of 20 minutes. My ultimate goal would be to do an hour of a pre determined workout- either kundalini yoga, weights, cardio, or a combination. Meditating whenever possible is also high on that list. I can't tell you how much even just a guided meditation can help with falling asleep at night, and creating a sense of calm and stillness.

   Speaking of which... g'night!

 

Meal Planning

"Fail to plan, plan to fail".

One of the things I have discovered in doing elimination diets and on my own daily meals is that you have to focus on what you CAN have. I often make lists and post them on the fridge of options that will help nourish my body. Do I slip sometimes? Yes I do, but the trick is to make better choices the next time. Just because I was out with the girls and had a dessert doesn't mean I'm awful and horrible and may as well give the whole thing up. These are hard things to remember since a lot of us just loooove to beat ourselves up.

I do try to be as puritanical as possible while on an elimination diet or cleanse since that's kind of the point: to give your body a break from the common stressors. A lot of us have allergies or sensitivities to foods and don't even know it- this is a great way to figure that out. Give yourself a break and pack in the compound nutrients!

So, here I am, pen in hand, mapping out my plan to making it through the next couple of weeks successfully. I've set a goal for being on the juicing part of the plan for two weeks, and the pre-cleanse diet for about three to five days. I feel that's reasonable for my lifestyle and then if I decide to keep going, that's an option too. The thing I'm really enjoying is looking through the Clean-approved menus and recipes. Makes this process a lot easier for sure. Fish tacos, anyone?