COMPLETED: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013

I finished the Whole Living {detox} plan* over the weekend, but I essentially ended it two days short of the full 21-Days. I threw my husband and surprise birthday party on Saturday night [he'll be a sexy 50 years old on Wednesday!] and while I did have detox-friendly food included in the spread, I just couldn't resist the more sinful party food! I ordered some hot food from a local restaurant--paella, chicken delicato (chicken breasts in a cream sauce with mushrooms, peas and pieces of ham), fried calamari and penne vodka. I had some wine to go with it. Then I served a fabulous fruit tart and tiramisu for dessert. I had some coffee to go with it. Perhaps a stronger person could have muddled through the party and completed the 21-Day cleanse on track, but I was not that person this time.

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish the full 21 days, but what bothers me more is that I broke too many rules all at once--dairy, chicken, shellfish, gluten, sugar, alcohol. I pretty much hit all the items on the taboo list in one night! Ugh!!! BUT it was my husband's birthday party, so if there was a time to cheat, it was an appropriate occasion. At this point, I'm finding solace in three things. One is that I only cut the plan short by two days. Better at day 19 than at day 9, right? Two is that I actually had fairly small portions of all the food. As the host, I was pretty busy making sure everyone had everything they needed and so on, so I didn't linger by the food for very long. Third, I'm back on track for healthy, mindful eating today.

So what do I do now?

My plan now is to continue with the healthy eating patterns that I employed during the cleanse, specifically along the lines of the Week 3 guidelines, but including lean chicken, beef and shellfish and also allowing myself occasional servings of gluten foods (wheat, barley and rye), low fat dairy (such as fat free, unsweetened Greek yogurt), wine, coffee and an occasional treat. In order to help stay on track with this mindful eating, I'm using the LoseIt app again to log the food I eat. I'll also be logging calories burned in my workouts in the app, which will help me stay within a caloric budget that will promote weight loss, too. I hope! I want this year to finally be the year I reach my target weight once and for all. Wish me luck and send me any extra discipline you might have lying around, would you?

This wraps up my experience with the 2013 Whole Living detox Action Plan. Thanks for reading!

What's your favorite go-to healthy snack?


*For more information about the 2013 detox plan and how I coped, visit these posts HERE and HERE.

UPDATE: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013 +RECIPES!

Drinking my greens!
{kale, carrots, celery, pear} 

Hello everyone! Last weekend I posted about a 21-Day clean eating detox plan I'm currently following and I thought I'd give an update. But first, in case you missed what this detox is all about, it's basically a 21 day food based plan of sparse and simple clean eating that is designed to give your digestive system--especially your liver, a much needed break from working so hard to clean your body of impurities. By sparse and simple clean eating, I mean eating small amounts of highly nutritious, easy to digest foods. All meals are made from whole food ingredients, organic as much as possible and absolutely no processed foods or beverages, no sugar, alcohol, dairy or gluten (wheat, barley, rye) for the duration of the plan. Through this clean eating plan, your body gets a chance to catch up on cleaning out your system and you essentially gets a clean slate for a healthier you. For more information and source links, visit last week's post, Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013.

Salad with Orange and Sardines

In week one, I ate ONLY vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and plant-based oils. It was tough, but I made it. Today is Day 14 for me, marking the end of the second week and I'm still going strong. Meals were more satisfying and easier to plan this week since I was allowed to add fish, beans, legumes and gluten-free grains to my diet. The foods I added this week were quinoa, oats, brown rice, cannellini (white) beans, tuna, salmon and sardines. Yes, sardines! This was a first time for me--am I the only one who's never had sardines before? Well, I'm glad I finally did because they were a lot better than I expected! Did you know sardines are super good for you, too? They're also a very affordable and sustainable choice. I bought a 3.75 oz can of boneless, skinless sardines in olive oil (the only ingredients being sardines and olive oil) from Trader Joe's for under $3. Okay, so if you're feeding a hungry family of 5, maybe it's not the cheapest protein source, but since they're so healthy, I'm going to make them a regular choice in my salads in the future. I had them in a green salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Have you ever had sardines? If so, how do you like to prepare them?

The toughest part of Week 2 continues to be preparing "regular" meals for my family--they're still eating meat, dairy and gluten-foods such as pasta or bread--and making something completely different for myself. It was a bit easier this week, however, because we all could eat rice and fish a couple of nights, but I couldn't make them eat that every night! The key was to make sure my meal was planned and even ready before starting their dinner. This way I could have a few bites as I got hungry or started wanting a bite of their pasta or chicken. I stayed strong, though!

But.. I have a confession. I ate an oreo one night last week. Gah! For some reason I bought my kids a pack of Birthday Cake Oreos last week. I usually bake homemade snacks or treats for my family, but I thought that would be too tempting for me during the detox, so I bought them the Oreos instead. Well.. I was going mad not having one, so I did. Ugh. What a mistake. Not that I'm riddled with guilt or anything.. but it tasted SO sugary sweet and fake! Ick! I hope this means I'm on my way to un-conditioning myself to want sugar. I hope!

So what new recipes did I try this week? 
Two of them were hits and will make regular appearances in my diet long after this detox is over. One is quinoa porridge for breakfast. It takes a little while to cook the quinoa, but I'm learning to start my day with a mug of hot water and lemon and then waiting 30 to 60 minutes before eating, so I don't mind the time it takes to prepare the quinoa. It can also be made ahead and reheated. The other is Dried Fruit and Oat Bars--a great afternoon snack or workout snack. I'll be making these in the spring to take along on those long bike rides. I adapted both of these recipes to my own preferences and have posted them separately from this post so that I can link them with my other recipe posts more easily.

In the meantime, here's a quick and easy recipe for homemade pear sauce that I made when the mood for something apple-pie-like struck me last week. It's a delicious sweet snack with no added sugar--it's nice warm or cold--and a whole lot healthier than a piece of pie! I've decided this is my favorite way to eat pears. I'm just not crazy eating them out of hand or in a salad.

Unsweetened Pear Sauce 
6-8 pears, peeled and diced (I used a combination of Bosc and D'Anjou or Bartlett pears)
1 small cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/4 lemon)
water

Combine pears, cinnamon stick, lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover the pears halfway, about 1 - 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer pears until they are soft and about half of the water remains, stirring frequently, mashing a bit towards the end with a spoon. Remove cinnamon stick and let cool. Delicious served warm or chilled. Can be used in the recipes for Quinoa Porridge with Blueberries and Dried Fruit & Oat Bars [both vegan].

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013

This time last year I did my first ever detox diet, following the food-based body cleanse featured in the 2012 January-February Whole Living magazine. Since then, I've done a 24 hour green juice cleanse but that's about as extreme as I'd go. The detox diets presented by Whole Living magazine are food-based plans that restrict your diet to simple, whole foods in spare quantities that are gentle on your digestive system. This gives our detoxifying organ, our liver, a break from being overworked, allowing it to focus on cleansing our body of impurities. The diet is sparse, yet nutrient dense to supply our body what it needs most for a much needed tune up.

The beginning of my first detox last year was challenging, but I muddled through those first really tough days and managed to stick it out for the full 3 weeks. I lost a few pounds, which was great, but the best part was that I broke my addiction to caffeine*, discovered the awesomeness of green juicing and found out I felt lighter, more comfortable and less bloated when not eating gluten foods. It's not even that I thought I felt bloated before, but rather that I could feel the difference when I wasn't eating those foods compared to how I normally felt. I don't otherwise have difficulty with gluten foods, but it did make me mindful of how much wheat is in my diet practically at every meal. I think we, as Americans, unnecessarily consume far too much wheat--a dietary trend that is actually considered harmful in some nutritional circles [See Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD and Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr among others].

[*since breaking my coffee addiction, I no longer get frequent migraines. Whereas I used to get 2-3 per month, I only had 2-3 in all of 2012! Something to think about if you suffer from migraines.]

In any case, my mindfulness of wheat foods in my diet didn't stick the entire year. Eventually I went back to eating at least one wheat-based food per meal whether it be breakfast cereal, bread, power bars, pasta, crackers, cookies and other baked goods. Not the direction I had hoped to take.

Sometime amidst the holiday season of plentiful and delicious foods and treats, I began to look forward to a return to some serious healthy eating, including a jump start to a healthy year by revisiting the Whole Living detox plan. I heard rumors that Whole Living magazine was going to be discontinued, which at this point I think is accurate news. I'm quite sad about this, since I only discovered this magazine a year and a half ago and I thoroughly enjoy it. In any case, I received the January-February 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine in my mailbox last weekend and instantly jumped on this year's detox plan.

The 2013 Whole Living Action Plan is very similar to last year's, so I was already familiar with the strategy and even have a repertoire of recipes to which to turn. This latest issue is also chock full of new recipes to help participants have a successful and enjoyable detox. I've already prepared most of the Week 1 recipes, which were all very good.

Blueberry Mint Smoothie and
The Jan-Feb 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine

I started my 2013 21-Day detox on Monday, January 14 and after a few rough days of hunger, bloating and crankiness, I think the worst is behind me and I'm now feeling good about the detox and how my body is responding.

Here are this year's guidelines:

NO caffeine, alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten, processed foods or beverages.

All of these tax our liver and digestive systems.

Start every morning with a mug of hot water with a squeeze of lemon. 
There are many benefits to this morning ritual, including the fact that it aids in digestion and detoxification of the body by stimulating the digestive system and helps loosen the toxins in the digestive tract. I love this part of the detox. I know so many people rely on coffee to jump start their day, but why not consider having hot water with lemon upon rising and waiting an hour before reaching for caffeine. I continued this ritual last year for several months, but fell out of habit when the warmer months approached. I hope to make hot water with lemon first thing in the morning a permanent part of my daily ritual starting now.

Why You Should Drink Warm Water & Lemon from MindBodyGreen
Drinking Hot Water & Lemon in the Morning from Livestrong.com

Drink plenty of water. 
We hear this all the time, right? Drinking plenty of water--aim for 64 oz. a day--to keep hydrated and facilitate your body in flushing out impurities.

Week 1: Eat ONLY vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, lentils, plant-based oils and seasonings.

Week 2: Introduce fish [not shellfish], legumes, beans and gluten-free grains such as brown rice, quinoa and oats.

Week 3: Introduce eggs and organic, non-GMO soy 
[specifically, tofu and edamame as these are the most natural, unprocessed forms of soy].

So what do I want to get out of this detox action plan?
First and foremost, I want to jump start my year to healthy eating and I think this cleanse can get me to a great starting point--a cleaner body and some new eating habits. Like hot water and lemon in the morning, more green juices and green smoothies, and eating mostly vegetables throughout the day and fewer daily servings of wheat. I'm not quite in the school of thought that wheat needs to be completely eliminated from our diets, but I would like to generally eat less wheat and wheat products.

If I'm honest, I also hope to jump start some weight loss with this detox. I lost 30+ lbs. in 2010 and have kept it off, but would love to lose another 20+ lbs. Or at least lose inches in certain areas of my body. Whether that's 15, 20 or 25 lbs. from where I am now, I know when I'll get there.

How am I doing with Week 1?
Today is Day 5 and I'm feeling pretty good. The first three days were the roughest. I was hungry and cranky.. craving carbohydrates and sugar. I felt bloated and uncomfortable and quite fatigued by the end of the day, but at least I slept well! I maintained some low to moderate workouts throughout the week, which I think my digestive system welcomed as did my mental health! As many of you know, I exercise almost every day, so I needed to get out there and move for my personal sanity. By the middle of the week, I found some relief from the bloating (I'll spare you the details) and I felt as though I put the worst behind me. My body is now comfortable, although I do still fell hungry several times a day. Although.. maybe I'm not hungry but rather just craving sugar in the form of a cookie, muffin or even a bite of good bread! Those habits die hard! But after five straight days of this, I'm not wasting all that hard effort and sacrifice on a cheat so I'm sticking it out. On Monday I'll start Week 2 and be able to eat fish, legumes, and gluten free grains. The addition of protein will provide the liver with amino acids it needs to flush out more toxins.

My favorite recipes from Week 1: All of the green juices are very good, but I think I like the Cucumber-Pear Juice best. For the entrees, it's a toss up between the Creamy Broccoli Soup and the Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew. The latter tastes even better the next day!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
[see recipe link in paragraph above]

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew
[see recipe link in paragraph above]

For recipes and more information about how the cleanse works, check out the January-February 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine on newsstands or the Whole Living website at http://www.wholeliving.com/216880/2013-whole-living-action-plan.

I also highly, highly recommend you visit Sarah Britton at her website My New Roots for tons of information on detoxing your body and living and eating clean and healthy. She offers sound advice and so many wonderful mouthwatering recipes that are super good for you. Here are some links to get you started:

Simple Detox For All from Sarah Britton at My New Roots

A New Year, A New You! Sarah B's Whole Living Detox Plan 2013

A New Year, A New You! Sarah B's Whole Living Detox Plan 2012

Have you ever treated your body to a detox before?

Have you ever given up a food or foods that you absolutely loved for an extended period of time? How did you do?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

My March Adventures

Time sure does fly, doesn't it? March was a good month, busy as usual, but aren't we all? The biggest adventure around here last month was having my baby turn 13 years old! A teenager! Now husband and I are the parents of two teenage girls. Wow. Talk about adventures! :D

In health & fitness: 
Have you noticed the Crazy Sexy Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! Diet book by Kris Carr on my sidebar that I've been reading for the last couple of weeks? I read most of it last month and just finished this morning. It's a fabulously inspirational and instructional book on revamping your lifestyle choices for optimal health, happiness and overall vitality.  I have to admit that my focus on healthy eating has slipped in the past several weeks after having completed that WholeLiving action plan back in February. Crazy Sexy Diet has helped (re-)inspire me to get back on track. Today I did a 24 green juice fast as prescribed by Kris Carr in her book and starting tomorrow I am back to 'Crazy Sexy - Whole Living' eating. I'm not doing the 21 Adventure Day Cleanse in Kris' book. I'm just not ready for another cleanse after having done the WholeLiving one in January. But I am going to use it as a guide to keep myself in check. I know I've said this often, but this time I mean it. :o)

March was a good workout month for me. I stepped up the running quite a bit and was kept extra motivated by my husband who has been joining me once or twice a week. We came up with a 5 km loop from our house, so that's the minimum distance we do now. I'm still biking and can't believe that I biked all winter long. I'm looking forward to the earlier sunrises so we can get out on the road nice and early on the weekends, ride 40-50 miles [64-80 km] and be home by lunchtime. Here's a rundown of what I did in March to keep my body moving:

Bike 80.78 miles | 22 fitness miles | 5.5 hours
Run 30.57 miles | 30.57 fitness miles | ~5.5 hours
Kickbox . . . . . . . . 14 fitness miles | 3.5 hours
Spin . . . . . . . . . . .  16 fitness miles | 4 hours
Powercuts . . . . . . . 16 fitness miles | 4 hours
Cardio Interval . . . . 4 fitness miles | 1 hour

Total fitness challenge 'miles'* = 102.57 miles

Which is approximately 23.5 hours of biking running kicking spinning lifting and cardio blasting. Yeah, baby!

*[My monthly goal is 100 miles where 1 fitness challenge mile = 15 min of cardio or strength training = 1 mile run.]

What did you do in March to keep moving?

In reading adventures: 
I read 13 books in March! Hooray! This puts me on schedule to reach my goal of 101 books this year. Assuming I keep this pace, of course. And the year is young, so really.. it doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. Of the 13 books, 3 were novellas and 4 were graphic novels.. but the other 6 books were full length novels, including the 500+ page book Eona by Alison Goodman which is the second book I vowed to read for this year's Big Book Challenge. Which means... ta da!!! I completed my 2012 Big Book Challenge! One down ... um.. a lot more to go?

Here's a look at which books I read last month:

1. Capturing the Silken Thief by Jeannie Lin  
2. Eona by Alison Goodman
3. Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione
4. Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione
5. Sin Undone by Larissa Ione 
6. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
7. A Lot Like Love by Julie James
8. Where She Went by Gayle Forman 
9. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones 
10. The Good Neighbors Book One: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
[RE-READ]
11. The Good Neighbors Book Two: Kith by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
12. The Good Neighbors Book Three: Kind by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
13. Eternity in Death by J.D. Robb

My favorite books this month are: Eona by Alison Goodman, Sin Undone by Larissa Ione, Where She Went by Gayle Forman and Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones.

I couldn't narrow down to just one! Interestingly, they're all SO different. I like that.

What great books did you read in March? 

Other projects and adventures: 


Behind the lens:
I'm still plugging along with my iPhone instagram Project 366. Well sort of. I had a Project 366 fail when I forgot to take a photo on March 16. Ugh. I'm really bummed about this. I decided to give myself a get out of jail free card just this once because it's leap year. Lame excuse, I know, but if I still take a picture every day until the end of the year I will have completed a Project 365. I know it's not the same as going 365 days STRAIGHT but it is what it is. :/ The following is my favorite photo from March..

The view at the park on one of my March runs.
Camera: iPhone 4S

In the garden: 
I'm still hoping to finally re-establish a vegetable garden this year before it's too late. I had a backyard vegetable garden for years but our home addition a few years ago took over where the garden was. I don't really get enough sunlight anywhere else in the yard except my flower garden between the house and the driveway, which is kind of a weird place for a vegetable garden since it would be visible from the street. I think I can still make it pretty. Well, until I have to put netting around it all to keep the deer out. Hopefully I'll carve some time this week and next to start transplanting the flowers to other areas of the yard to make room for neat rows of vegetables. I can't wait! :)

Do you have a vegetable garden?

So that's about it for my March adventures. Thanks for reading all about it and I wish you an Amazing April! xo

My February Adventures

Happy Leap Day!

There's just something really special and fun about February 29, don't you think? For most of us it's like a freebie day, but for some... it's the birthday that only comes around once every four years! Can you imagine? I remember a few leap years ago, an elderly woman with whom I was acquainted was so excited to be throwing a Sweet 16 party for one of her girlfriends [64th] birthday? How cute is that? Sixty four years old and your true birthday only came around 16 times! That's special all right! :)

German Chocolate Ganache Cake 

Speaking of birthdays ... my husband celebrated another one earlier this month and for the third year in a row, I made him his favorite cake ever... the amazing German Chocolate Ganache Cake pictured above. Fortunately for me, his birthday was on the first day after I was liberated from the cleanse diet I was following. Very serendipitous, don't you think?

Health & fitness adventures :
I finished the Whole Living Action Plan detox cleanse diet thing earlier this month. Yay!!! I learned so much doing that cleanse and felt so good in the last week or two, but it was hard work. A couple of weeks later, I have to confess that I haven't been as good at sticking to the healthy eating since then as I had hoped. I did develop some new habits that I've been very good at keeping up, such as no caffeine [can you believe it?], hot water with lemon first thing every morning, drinking more water, eating more vegetables and nuts, but I also resorted to some of the old not so good habits. In the form of cookies. :-/ It's not that I'm eating whole sleeves of girl scout cookies or anything. Honest! They haven't come in yet. But a cookie here and a cookie there every day.. it adds up. :/

This week my 16 year old and I started a "healthy eating diet" to help us get on track with healthy eating. We're going [mostly*] vegan and gluten free for two weeks, eating lots of fruit, vegetables, beans, soy, nuts and seeds, with moderate servings of oats and rice. We're starting every morning with a mug of warm water with fresh squeezed lemon to stimulate our liver followed by a fruit and soy smoothie for breakfast. I haven't made us a green smoothie yet.. wonder how that will go over. No processed foods and no refined sugars. My daughter's looking to simply eat healthier, more vegetables and fewer chips and snacks, and also hoping eating better will boost her moods. Yes, please. Minefields. Seriously. I'm looking to improve how I feel digestively again--I really did feel SO much better when I wasn't eating as many gluten foods on the cleanse. I wouldn't be disappointed I got back on track losing some extra pounds, too!

[*My daughter is being strict about the vegan part, but I'm allowing some Greek yogurt, fish and lean chicken or beef because I feel I need it to fuel or refuel my workouts.]

I'm finally working out every day-ish again after a bad head cold took me out of the gym and landed me on the sofa for a almost a week! Needless to say, my fitness hours reflect some of that downtime, but at least I still got my body moving when I could! Here's a look at what I did in February:

Bike . . . . . . . . . 2.5 hours [34.3 miles]
Run . . . . . . . . .  2.5 hours [14.34 miles]
TRX. . . . . . . . . 4.0 hours
Kickbox . . . .  . 3.75 hours
Spin . . . . . . . . .  2.5 hours
Powercuts . . . . . 2.0 hours

Total fitness challenge 'miles' . . . 72.34 miles

[My monthly goal is 100 miles where 1 fitness challenge mile = 15 min of cardio or strength training = 1 mile run.]

That's 17.25 hours biking running kicking spinning lifting TRX-ing.

All of a sudden it doesn't seem like a whole heck of a lot of activity...

What did you do in February to keep moving?

Adventures in reading :
After a very slow start in January, February proved to be quite productive with 14 books read! Possibly a new record for me, but in truth, some books were pretty short--three graphic novels and two novellas, so it's not that crazy. I did read a long one, though--Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman, which is one of the books I chose for The Big Book Challenge [500+ pages]. I loved it and am going to start the sequel Eona tonight! Here's a list of the books I read in February:

1. Born in Death by J.D. Robb C+
2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, graphic novel B
3. Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb A
4. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt B+
5. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison [re-read] A
6. The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Thanks, Brie! :) B
7. King Lear by Gareth Hinds, Shakespeare graphic novel, original text B+
8. Eon Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman A
9. Conor's Way by Laura Lee Guhrke A
10. "Thicker Than Blood" by Meljean Brook, novella A
11. Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh B+
12. Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh A
13. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brogsol, graphic novel B
14. Forever Mine by Delilah Marvelle, novella C-

Unfortunately, I was horrible at writing reviews or even mini reviews on goodreads for most of these books. I really need to get into the habit of writing at least a few lines, but once I move on to the next book, I lose reviewing momentum rather rapidly.

Are there any books listed above that you'd like to hear about?
Maybe I'll try to write up a few.

What great books did you read in February?

Other projects and adventures :
Guess what? I've been keeping up with the Project 366 [leap year ;)] photogrpahy project to take a photo every day of the year. I think I'm finally going to pull this project off after three prior failed attempts! Wahoo!! *knock on wood!*

I'm still thinking of a way to make a monthly collage to post here, but in the meantime, to see my photos click on My Project 366. All photos are taken with my iPhone 4S. Lots of pictures of cats and food.

Traveling adventures :
I met up with blogging friends Hilcia, Mariana and Natalie on Saturday afternoon. We met at a cool fondue restaurant in Hoboken called The Melting Pot where we ate fondue of course! Cheese fondue [with bread, apples and vegetables], Seasoned broth fondue [with meat, fish and vegetables] and of course.... chocolate fondue! We had a milk chocolate and white chocolate yin yang fondue with fresh strawberries, marshmallows, red velvet cake, brownies, cheesecake and rice krispie treats. Wow. Pictures of fondue on my Project 366 link above! And while the food was delicious and fun. .. the best part was hanging out with these lovely ladies chatting about books, jobs, family and life. Hilcia came with a generous bag of books to share with us [Thank you, Hils! xo] and we had the loveliest of afternoons. I can't wait to do it again soon.

Do you ever meet blogging friends you've met online in person?


That's about it for my February adventures. Thanks for reading all about it and I wish you a marvelous March! xo

Final Reflections: 2012 Whole Living Action Plan

Last Sunday was my last day of Week 4 of the Whole Living Action Plan I had been following in order to cleanse my body of impurities and establish healthier and cleaner eating habits. So Yay! I am officially finished with the cleanse. Phew! Looking back.. it wasn't so bad. Okay, that's not true. The first 3-5 days were SUPER hard. I was plagued by caffeine withdrawal headaches, detox headaches, a little nausea from the detoxification. Actually, the entire first week [or two.. ] was REALLY hard. I was often hungry, tired and cranky.

How was Week 4?
I'll start right out and confess that I cheated a few times in this last week. I had ice cream. Twice. I also had a cookie one day, too. [sugar and dairy were still on the forbidden list]. I don't think it is horrible to eat these foods, but once you do, it's that much harder to say no to it the next time.

The addition of animal protein back in my diet made meal preparations so much easier and I definitely felt better fueled for my day. However, I think adding gluten products back into my diet brought back the feeling of fullness that wasn't there during the weeks I was gluten free. I've been thinking a lot about gluten vs. gluten free lately and while I don't necessarily believe gluten is inherently bad for everyone--in fact, whole grain wheat, barley, rye and other grains with gluten are not only good sources of fiber, but also valuable nutrients, I do think that most of the food products that contain gluten in the American diet are the processed foods that contain refined ingredients such as wheat and white flours and sugars, that are actually unhealthful. Truly whole grain bread products are actually difficult to find in the average supermarket! What does this mean for my diet? I think I really need to be cognizant of the gluten foods I eat every day and keep them at a minimum number of servings per day in order to feel my best. I think I'll need to rethink some of my typical meals and make some permanent changes. I also read that proteins and carbohydrates should be eaten separately throughout the day. If that's true, there goes my turkey sandwich on multi grain bread! I'm still thinking about this aspect.. it's kind of a work in progress.

How do I feel about the cleanse?
The cleanse was difficult, but it felt good mentally and physically to do something so positive for my body. I would do it again sometime. Next January if not sooner.

I learned how comfortable it felt to eat until I'm no longer hungry as opposed to eating until I'm full. If you eat just until you are no longer hungry, you're content. If you eat until you're full... chances are you ate too much! The key is to stay aware of this difference at every meal!

I am no longer addicted to caffeine. I had my first cup of coffee today, actually, after having been caffeine free for 32 days. You know what? It was just okay. I thought I'd slip into heaven with that mug of java... but it turned out to be very anticlimactic. I'll still indulge in a cup now and then, but for the most part I'll stick with hot water with lemon, herbal, green and black teas.

I ate SO many fruits, vegetables and nuts during the cleanse and discovered so many delicious and healthful recipes and eating strategies that I will continue to follow in the months and years to come.

Now that the cleanse is over, what happens?
Do my best to adhere to the healthful, clean eating habits and steer clear of processed foods, keeping caffeine, alcohol, sugars and dairy to a minimum. Still debating on level of gluten products to allow myself. They're SO hard to avoid.

Try to get my family to eat cleaner, too. I think that we already eat very healthfully, but let's face it... must of us have room for improvement in our eating habits.

I had fun documenting my adventure with the Whole Living Action Plan over the last month and I made a few new friends, too, just by using the #WLActionPlan hashtag on twitter and instagram. It's really amazing how the social media brings people together from around the world with just one common interest. Then voila! Friendships are forged.

I also discovered a two wonderful new-to-me websites that I just LOVE. Both of these websites instantly became favorites.

MyNewRoots.com Sarah B is the holistic nutritionist who designed the first week of the cleanse--methodology and recipes-- and she has so many fresh, delicious and nutritious recipes and other inspirations for healthy eating and living on her website.

GreenLemonade.com is hosted by Noëlle, where she shares information and recipes on daily detoxing and healthful eating. More great stuff!

Finally, the cleanse got me to visit and explore the WholeLiving.com website which is just loaded with ideas, advice and inspiration on healthy, green living for both mind and body. SO many amazing recipes, exercises and mediations!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my weekly reflections throughout the month and leaving such supportive comments, as always. I hope you enjoyed my posts and maybe found a little inspiration to make some healthy changes in your life, too.

Here's to healthy, whole living! xo 

Reflections on Week 3: Whole Living Action Plan

For the last three weeks I've been following the body cleanse plan outlined by Whole Living magazine in their January-February 2012 issue and on their website at wholeliving.com. The 28 Day Whole Living Action Plan is designed to cleanse your body of impurities that have built up in your body {primarily in your liver which gets taxed by the impurities in the food and beverages we consume} and establish healthier and cleaner ways of eating and living. Today is the last day of Week 3 for me... so only one more week to go!

To learn more about the cleanse, visit the link in the paragraph above for the wholeliving.com website.

How was Week 3?
This week was very similar to Week 2 a lot of ways, but I did feel as though I had more breakfast choices--and especially welcomed eggs and oats to fuel my morning workouts. I had a few small servings of brown rice during the week as well--1/4 cup one night with dinner and about the same in a homemade veggie burger two other days.

I thought I would have pounced on the opportunity to have grains back on my plate, but I actually preferred filling up on flavorful vegetables and salmon instead of the rice. That's a good sign to some newer habits setting in.. I hope! Here's a look at what I ate in Week 3:

• hot water with fresh squeezed lemon at start of day.
• green juice {I went to a friend's house and used her juicer!}
• Toasted Coconut Muesli
• egg and spinach omelet
• fresh fruit & vegetables
• steamed or roasted vegetables with olive oil
• Baked Sweet Potato with Citrus
• nuts & dried fruit mix {homemade}
• popcorn! {air-popped or popped on the stove top with olive oil}
• cinnamon poached pears
• mixed green salads with cilantro, radish, apple, and pecans, dressed with homemade pomegranate vinaigrette
• Chickpea-Brown Rice Veggie Burger
• Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
• oven roasted salmon
• Curry Vegetables {my own recipe}
• sushi {a treat! the only cheat was that the sushi was made with short grain white rice, not brown rice--but still gluten-free so it's technically okay}

What did I learn this week?
It's still really hard to deprive yourself of your favorite foods for so many weeks in a row. For example, my family had Thai take out one night this week and it was pretty torturous to eat sit at the table and sip my bowl of plain vegetable soup with all of that delicious smelling hot food laid out in front of me. I actually had to leave the room. But I chose to do this and it's only for several more days, so I'll stick it out.

How do I feel?
I'm feeling pretty good about the foods I've been eating over the last three weeks. Lots of different flavors, colors, textures and all so healthy! It's a good feeling knowing I'm doing something good for my body. I feel more tired at the end of the day than I did before doing this cleanse so I'm falling asleep earlier and sleeping more soundly, too. I don't know if this is part of the cleanse or the lack of my usual caffeine or if it's because I'm not eating enough calories to sustain my energy for my usual 18 waking hours. I used to get by on 6+ hours of sleep... now I feel I need at least 7 hours, if not more.

I've lost a total of 7 lbs. on the detox in the last three weeks so far.

What do I miss?
I still miss coffee, although interestingly, not necessarily first thing in the morning. I tend to look for a cup either mid morning or mid afternoon. And a cookie. Just one cookie. That's what I'm going to try to do when this plan is over.

As I forge ahead into Week 4:
This week is the bonus week of the cleanse. I can add lean chicken and beef and grains with gluten in moderation. Looking forward to having meat back in my diet, but I'm going to do my best to keep the number of servings of carbohydrates low this week--especially grains with gluten. I definitely feel sluggish and bloated when I eat the smallest amount above one serving of these foods.

Here's to healthier, whole living!

For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at wholeliving.com.

Reflections on Week 2 : Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

I've just finished Week 2 of the Whole Living Action Plan that I've been following to cleanse my body of impurities, get control over sugar and carb cravings and establish better habits of eating clean {i.e. eating foods as close to their natural state as possible; no packaged or processed foods}.

Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie

How was Week 2? 
Although still challenging to avoid all grains, this week was significantly easier than Week 1. After having eaten ONLY fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil for a week, I welcomed the addition of seafood, legumes and organic soy in Week 2! These protein and fiber rich foods were more filling and I felt much more satiated after each meal. Here's a list of what I ate in Week 2:

• hot water with fresh squeezed lemon at start of every day.
• detox smoothies for breakfast {Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie is my favorite so far} 
• fresh fruit & vegetables
• steamed or roasted vegetables with olive oil
• nuts & dried fruit trail mix {also Dried Fruit and Nut Bites}
• mixed green salads with black beans and avocado, dressed with lemon or lime juice and olive oil
• red lentil soup
• tofu with red curry coconut sauce
• oven roasted salmon

What have I learned so far?
Be prepared! If you have a few plan-approved snacks prepared in advance, you'll reach for the right foods instead of being tempted by the foods you should be avoiding during the detox. The same goes for the meals. Have a big bowl of greens ready for salads so you can just assemble your salad and eat! Make a big pot of soup in advance and store individual portions in glass jars or microwavable safe containers--ready to heat up when you are.

How do I feel?
I felt really good this week. I have more energy again so I've increased the intensity of my workouts this week almost back to my normal levels. I also feel 'lighter' than I did before starting the detox--which is a good feeling. Not that I thought I felt 'full' or 'bloated' before, but I guess I'm just aware of it now that I feel so much better.

I've lost a total of 6 lbs. on the detox plan so far. This is keeping me motivated to stay on track, although I know this will probably taper off to a rate of 1-2 lbs. a week once I add grains back into my diet.

What do I miss?
Coffee, oh how I miss thee. One afternoon last week I really, really wanted a cookie and a cup of coffee. I survived.

As I forge ahead into Week 3:
In Week 3, eggs and gluten-free grains are re-introduced. I am already planning an omelet with spinach and tomatoes for breakfast tomorrow. I can't wait! I'll also be able to have oats again--I've missed them. FYI, oats are an essentially gluten-free grain, but many popular brands are not able to tout the gluten-free label because they are grown, stored and shipped in ways that may contaminate them with traces of wheat, barely or rye. Since I'm not gluten intolerant, I'm not going to worry about those trace amounts and I'll be digging into my store brand oats this week!

I think the return of eggs and oats in my diet this week will allow me to have a breakfast that will better fuel me for my regular full speed ahead workouts. We shall see..

I already have a few dinners planned this week with brown rice, rice noodles and the superpower grain quinoa. I've only had quinoa a few times in the past, so I'm looking forward to getting to know this grain again.


Here's to healthier, whole living!



For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com.

Reflections on Week 1: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

Wow. It's been a week since I last posted. I have so much to share. One of the reasons it was so quiet here is because we went on getaway over the holiday weekend and even though I brought my laptop with me, I barely had any time to blog. But I'll tell more about our trip later. Tonight I want to take the opportunity to share some of my reflections on the detox plan I've been following. I think self-reflection is very important in our every day lives, but even more so when we're being challenged--whether that challenge be chosen or forced upon us. For me, putting my self-reflection to words helps even more. In the case of the detox plan, sharing my experience reinforces its purpose and my goals, which will then help me stay inspired and focused in the next week. Sharing it with you just makes it that much more fun!

If you missed my post last week about the detox plan, you can read about it in my previous post, Whole Living {detox} Action Plan. Basically, this detox plan is a food based plan that is designed to sort of reboot your digestive system by eating only pure, whole plant based foods, allowing your body to cleanse itself of impurities. At first this sounded far fetched. Detox your body? By eating vegetables, fruit and nuts? ... But the more I read about the plan, what to do, how it worked and why it's good for you, the more it made sense and the more I wanted to do it. And now here I am already nine days into the plan!

What do I want to get out of the detox plan?
First and foremost, I want to get rid of the cravings for simple carbs such as sugar and wheat based carbs. Foods like bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, cookies and other baked treats. If all goes according to plan, if I'm not reaching for those foods anymore, I'll be able to lose weight more readily. Another goal, which I've come to appreciate more as I've learned more about the chemistry of a body cleanse, is to clear toxins from my system and give me a clean start to healthier living.

How did Week 1 go?
It was tough! I had a miserable headache the first day from just after lunch until I went to bed. I'm sure this was due to caffeine withdrawal. I had lingering, mild headaches on and off for the next couple of days, but by the fourth and fifth days, I started to feel better--and different! Even though I was definitely tired in the late afternoon, I wasn't feeling sluggish or bloated anymore. Just wholesomely tired.

What have I learned so far?
I don't eat until I'm full ... I eat until I'm not hungry. Yes, there is a difference.

I start my morning with a mug of hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sounds terribly boring, but it is actually quite soothing. The lemon juice triggers your liver to release cleansing digestive enzymes

The detox plan is a restful, healing process. I thought I could do my regular workouts during the detox, but after not feeling so great a couple of hours after a tough workout on Day 3, I finally dug up some information on the plan that said Week 1 is a restful, healing week and vigorous exercise should be avoided. Stretching, walking and strength training is okay, but not heavy duty cardio. Oops.

You actually can stick to this detox plan while you travel. It was exceptionally difficult to do, but I did it with only a few minor infringements. I ordered edamame at a Japanese restaurant on Day 5 and only remembered that I wasn't supposed to have soy until Day 7 after I'd eaten most of the beans. Then on Day 6 I was famished and the only food available to eat were these absolutely delicious Indian snacks made with spinach and chickpea flour, which I ate. Again, I wasn't supposed to have chickpeas or other legumes until Day 7. I also had some sips of regular, unsweetened iced tea, which does have some caffeine. Again, it was what was available and I was thirsty! All in all, not such bad cheats while away from home for the long weekend. I forgive myself.

What do I miss?
Coffee!!! Is it the remnants of caffeine addiction or is it just something I really enjoy? The ritual, the smell, the taste?

Any surprises?
I can't believe that I ate ONLY vegetables, fruit, nuts and olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for a week. No added sugar, no grains, no dairy, no meat, no alcohol and no caffeine for the last nine days. Except for a few sips of unsweetened iced tea.

I lost about 3 pounds in Week 1.

What happens in Week 2?
I can't believe today is the end of Week 2 Day 2 already, but it's true! Having come this far, I feel like I've sealed the deal and I'm sticking through to the end. In Week 2, seafood, legumes and organic soy are re-introduced. I'm hoping the addition of these protein sources will give me what I need to pick up the level of my workouts again. I miss running around, jumping, kicking and pedaling!

Here's to healthier, whole living!



For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action .

Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2012

Beet Carrot Smoothie 

All my talk last week about getting back on board with calorie counting on the Lose It app?

That's going on hold.

I decided to do something different to jump start my way to healthier eating this month. On Monday, I started the 21 day detox plan that's featured in the January-February 2012 issue of Whole Living magazine. and can also be found online at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action. It's called the Whole Living Action Plan 2012 and is basically a detox plan that's designed to give your liver and entire digestive system, really, a break from the stresses of the foods so typical in our diets. I'm looking at as a way to give my mind and body a clean slate for the New Year and hopefully eliminate cravings for sugar and simple carbs that seem to be the pitfall of healthy eating and living.

Foods that are completely off limits for the entire 21 days [28 days if you do the bonus week] are processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine and alcohol. No coffee... :(

Week 1: Eat ONLY fruits, vegetables and plant-based fats such as nuts, seeds and oils.

Week 2: Reintroduce seafood, legumes, beans and organic soy.

Week 3: Reintroduce eggs and gluten-free grains.

Week 4 [the Bonus week]: Reintroduce lean proteins such as chicken and beef, dairy and grains with gluten [wheat, barley, rye..] in moderation. Maybe a sip or two of coffee? 

I started this plan on Monday, so I've survived the first two days! Although I am about to go to bed a little hungry, at least today I didn't have that awful caffeine withdrawal headache I had yesterday.

Have you ever followed a detox or cleansing plan before? Survived coffee withdrawal? 


Interested in joining me? 

If you're interested in learning more about the plan, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action.You can also follow Whole Living magazine on twitter at @WholeLiving and or follow participants like me [@ChristineA] on the plan with the hashtag #WLActionPlan.

Wish me luck! :)