Feeling a bit lighter!

Today has been the most encouraging day of our detox yet. Carl and I met fellow yogi, Julia at The Market Common this morning for a 7am class beneath the blue sky and on the dewey grass. While detoxing you are connecting with your own body more and being outside feels more alive than normal. My work keeps me at my desk, behind a computer most of the time and if anyone knows of a cleanse that will help a stiff neck... I am all about it!

My breakfast and lunch have been repeats of previous days.

Dinner:

We enjoyed rice and black beans, which we have taken a liking to.

I was craving greens so we sauteed some spinach with red onion, garlic, olive oil, himalayan sea salt and pepper.

Fresh steamed sweet corn

Tomato, avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper salad as a cold side.

I have some bananas and blueberries in the freezer.. not sure what I am going to do with them yet, but I am sure we will think of something.

Day Five!! I am so proud of us!!

Detox = Mood Swings = Perspective!

Crabbiness, irritability, fatigue and frusteration. That is how I can sum up most of this day. It was not until I went to Kelly Parr's blog, Fresh Encounter and read her post about Detoxing - One Meal at a Time, that I was able to at least have some perspective. All these feelings and physical aches and pains are totally normal. Even that really crazy sound coming from Carl's stomach today, is just our bodies responding to "not getting what is wants..." Maybe our bodies are having a temper tantrum?

Tomorrow I am going to revisit my meditation practice for the rest of the detox. I am looking forward to reaping the spiritual benefits of this process.

Now, for todays menu... (I promise to spice things up soon....)

Breakfast:

I juiced 6 carrots, 1/2 lemon, banana and ginger root for Carl and I.

1 Cup Detox Tea

1 tblsp Fish Oil/Omega 3's

LOTS OF WATER. I pee'd about 25 times today. TMI!

Lunch:

Toasted Almond Butter and Rasberry Jam sandwich on Ezekial Sprouted Bread

Snack: Wasabi Peas

Dinner (this was a new creation for sure)

I bought gluten and wheat free pasta. I am Italian and my favorite comfort food in the world is my nana's sauce, wheat free brown rice pasta was a little hard to swallow. Aside from me cooking them a little too long, it was really good!

Sauce:

I sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil, then added about 4 Roma Tomatos, sliced.

I let the tomatos simmer for 15 minutes, then added mushrooms and fresh basil.

3 minutes before the pasta was ready I added 3 cups of Spinach.

Pour Sauce on Pasta and serve!

Dessert:

Fresh Rasberries and Blueberries!!

Day 3 - A little R & R

Ahh, yes. The Martix Trilogy was calling us to the couch for a day of rest, rasberries and Neo. If any of you know Carl and I, we tend to move at sort of a "human light speed" all the time. We enjoy it. Our energy level support it, usually. But often times, we forget that taking an afternoon OFF to laze around drifting in and out of consciousness does a body good!
So, instead of heading south to the art show and dinner we opted to clean out our closets and take to the couch to enjoy the afternoon storms and some good flicks. Here is how we treated our bellies...

Breakfast:
2 slices of Ezekial Sprouted Bread with Almond butter
1 banana
1 shot apple cider vinegar
1 tblsp fish oil
1 cup detox tea

water-water-water-water

Lunch (soooo yummy)
Carl and I split:
Avocado, tomato & red onion salad with lime juice and Himalayan Sea Salt
1 Cup Rasberries
1 Cup Blueberries
1 Cup Watermelon
1 Large Pita Toasted
Hummus
1 cup detox tea

water-water-water-water

Snack: Spirulina & Carob Squares

Dinner:
Thai Coconut Rice-
1 Cup Jasmine Rice
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 tblsp sliced ginger

Stir Fried Veggies
1 Cup Detox Tea

AND,
1 nap
3 movies
2 Epsiodes of Fawlty Towers (a hilarious English sitcom)
2 dozen white roses (Happy 3 year anniversary Carl!!!)

Great day.

Day 2- Carl has a headache

Day 2 of our 21 day cleanse was a long day. Carl's head began bothering him around the time that we went to our friends house for a bbq. Thank goodness Carl made some blackbeans and rice before we left because there was nothing, absolutely nothing to eat at the bbq. It was interesting to see what kind of impact it makes on other people when you are not drinking or eating like everyone else. I found that by the end of the night, I was exhausted and ready to come home and crash. Here is my menu:

Breakfast:
Detox Tea
Granola
Banana
Soymilk

water-water-water-water

Lunch:
Indian! Yum!
Jasmine Rice
Chick Peas
Spinach
(the owner of the restaurant came out with a piece of "unbuttered" naan for me, so I just HAD to eat it!)

detox tea-water-water-water-water

Dinner
Black Beans & Rice

Water-bedtime tea

End of Day 1

Today's meals:

Breakfast: granola and banana with soy milk. One cup of detox tea and one cup of St. Johns Wort Tea.

water, water, water, water

Lunch at New Life Cafe: Meatless Chicken Sandwich with tomato, red onion, sprouts and vegan mayonnaise, 1/2 Salad with Green Goddess Dressing and a Passion Fruit Kombacha.

water, water, water, water... detox tea, water, water, water

Snack: Carob Spirulina treats from New Life (yummy!) and one piece dried mango

Dinner: Cucumber, avocado and tomato salad with oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt.
Pan Sauteed portabella mushroom (with about a tsp of olive oil, salt & pepper) and sauteed veggies (sprouts, onion, carrot and zucchini).

First meal, together

Even though we are officially calling "Day 1" tomorrow... Hiren, Carl and I met up this evening at New Life Natural Foods to do our shopping and got together to enjoy our first meal together. Carl threw together a simple stir fry of fresh veggies, sesame oil, garlic, cooking soy sauce and rice noodles. Happy Cleansing Boys!

Getting Ready

Carl and I are sharing a bottle of champagne this evening to celebrate life in general, but also to honor ourselves as we venture into the next 21 days of experimentation with food and self discovery. (umm, or maybe that is a really lame excuse for the fact that we wanted to catch a buzz before our cleanse begins tomorrow.... ) Either way, let's have a "toast to life in general" shall we? 'clink'
So, the players for this cleanse are myself, Carl Kerridge and our good friend Hiren. We are meeting tomorrow evening at New Life Natural Foods in Myrtle Beach, SC to plan out the next 21 days. Replacing staples, exchanging recipies and creating a support system for one another.
The Players:








Carl
Giving up: alcohol, caffeine, red meat, dairy











Jess
Giving up: Alcohol, caffeine, all meat, fish, dairy and some other things I will let you know once I figure out what book I am going to buy...









Hiren
Giving up: Alcohol, caffeine, smoking, all meat, fish and dairy

Websites and blogs of reference:
Fresh Encounter - http://kellyparr.org/
The Feel Good Guru - http://www.feelgoodguru.com/

These two blogs have been created by two women who are obviously passionate about health. I am excited to benefit from their committment to sharing their outlook and perspectives on cleansing and overall health with the world! Thank you Kelly and Moira!

I also think it is important to note that all three of us are choosing to customize our cleanses to our own needs. We are still creating defined individual guidelines and supporting one another, but what works for one, may not work for another.
Alright, wish us luck! Grocery shopping tomorrow!!