Happy to report that I am finally back on track with the weight loss/healthy lifestyle remodeling. I just finished a 5-day raw food cleanse. My intentions for the cleanse were not at all weight-related. I needed to prove to myself that I am capable of willpower and am able to say no to things that I shouldn't be eating (or that I am eating in portions above what is normal). I also desperately needed to break my physical/psychological/emotional dependencies on caffeine and sugar. So far, I can say that I am 7 days off coffee and have not craved candy at all. Now I am not in any way saying that I will not be drinking coffee or eating candy anymore, because, lets be honest, who can actually do that? I just wanted to get myself to a point where I can have these things when I want them, and also not have them and still be okay. I'll let you all know how it goes.
The cleanse itself was not that bad. It consisted of only raw fruits and vegetables (and some raw almonds thrown in for the last 2 days because my body was screaming for protein). So obviously, my diet consisted of 2-3 green smoothies per day, lots of salad, and lots and lots of fruit.
I created a new green smoothie recipe that is now my staple and it's just delicious every time: kale, spinach, cucumber, broccoli, celery, banana, green pear, green grapes, mango and pineapple chunks. I know this probably sounds like a disgusting combo, but it truly is epic (just ask my co-workers).
Now that the cleanse is over, my only regret is that I chose to do it in the midst of a very cold and snowy winter season when all I wanted was something hot. So today, to quiet my craving for hot food, I decided to make a vegetable soup in the crock pot. You'd think by now I would be sick of vegetables, but my taste and desire for them has only grown stronger after this week. I didn't follow a recipe for this soup, so bear with me on quantities as I literally just threw a bunch of stuff in the crock pot, added water and hoped for the best. It did turn out quite delicious though!
- Baby Carrots - about 2 handfuls, sliced into chunks
- Grape Tomatoes - about 2 handfuls, sliced in half
- Baby Spinach Leaves - 3 handfuls
- Celery - about 10 stalks, diced
- Sugar Snap Peas - 3 handfuls, cut in half
- Broccoli - 5 florets broken into pieces (this was all I had left, or I would have used more)
- Green Pepper - 1 whole, diced
- Zucchini - 1 large, sliced and cut into chunks
- Yellow Squash - 1 medium, sliced and cut into chunks
- Parsley - a handful, shredded
- Russet Potatoes - 2 large, sliced and cut into chunks
- Vidalia Onion - 1 large, diced
- Fresh Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Quinoa - 1/2 cup
- Olive Oil - 1 tsp.
- Black pepper - to taste
- Celtic sea salt - to taste
- Garlic powder - to taste
In a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5-6 minutes to release the flavors. Throw all prepped vegetables and quinoa into the crock pot along with the sauteed onions and garlic. Fill the crock pot with water and add seasonings to taste. Cook on high for 4 hours making sure to achieve a full boil. Switch to low setting and cook for another 1-2 hours so that vegetables fully soften.
Hoping for another good week!!
