The test is almost over. The fun almost done. Finito. That’s right, I’m nearing the end of my original 21 cleanse days. I haven’t updated in a week due to some unforeseen technological issues of my own; however, I am happy (or disappointed?) to reveal that in that there were few significant changes. My total weight loss has halted at 5 pounds, which is where I have been for about a week. Perhaps I jinxed my weight loss by not updating CwB for a good long time…

My energy level has increased, which is awesome. Renee said that I look much more “peppy” than last week. Great success! Additionally, the skin on my face and lips is as soft and supple as ever, save for a few stubborn red blemishes. I’ve gotten accustomed to not wearing any makeup at all, which goes just fine with my sleepy yet hectic morning routine. I have also found that my hair does not get as greasy between washings.

Gina Stats, Day 20:

Weight Loss: 5 lbs

Headaches: Very rare
Skin: Improvement!
Diet cheat: See below

Dylan Stats, Day 20:
Weight Loss: He’s dropped a few pant sizes…I’ll have an exact number for you tomorrow.
Joint Pain: Rare
Cigarettes, past 3 days: Two. He’s had a sore throat, which has decreased his cigarette cravings.
Diet cheat: Definitely see below
                                       

                                       Do you see the heart in the melted cheese? Total accident!      

                           
Valentine’s Day
As per usual, I was both dreading and looking forward to V-Day. It’s such a confusing holiday because there are polar forces working against one another; for example, the positives: Chocolate; candy; presents; delicious food; ‘love in the air’; those fun anti-Valentine’s parties…

The negatives: Sugar; sugar; fat; spending money; mushy couples; Facebook statuses.

D and I went to Mill on the Floss in New Ashford. I hadn’t been there in about five years but I completed my high school senior project with Chef Suzanne in gourmet French cooking. Awesome, awesome place! In terms of the cleanse this had to be my number one most challenging meal. I will admit that I am a self-professed foodie and culinary addict and, more than anything, love a new dish. I have had the chance to try a lot of new meals and flavors in the last twenty days, but even so I face limitations. So when I saw there was a special on sweetbreads (a dish for which MotF is well known) I had to stop myself. The dish contains three big no-nos: dairy (milk and butter), gluten (flour), and red meat (the thymus gland of a cow). Instead I ordered haddock and scallops with a tomato, basil, and garlic sauce. Still French cuisine, still acceptable under the cleanse diet. I also had a small piece of cheese from our complimentary cheese plate (but no crackers!) and a caramel cream.

Renee, this is when you should look away…
Dylan took it upon himself to eat everything that I was trying so very hard not to eat. Cheese, crackers, bread, butter, French onion soup, and rack of lamb. We were literally drunk with happiness over having such rich foods after almost three weeks without. ‘Drunk’ is a truly appropriate term to describe the night because, the next morning, we had a legit food hangover. I’ve carried food babies, even food triplets, from time to time, but never had this much of a food hangover. That piece of cheese and caramel cream caused my sinuses to fill up and the tone of my voice changed because my throat was feeling the effects of the dairy.

Dylan became full-on sick. Sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, fatigue. He stayed this way throughout the entire weekend. Who knows if it was caused by what we ate or just happenstance—either way, it’s an interesting coincidence!


New Recipes: Roasting and more!

Roasted Cruciferous Vegetables:
Yikes, what a scary name. It weirds me out every time I say the word “cruciferous.” The truth is, these veggies are so good for you! Google them for a complete list, but several of the most well known ones are kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. The reason that I roasted the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli together is because they all cook in approximately the same amount of time. If you like your Brussels sprouts more well done and broccoli and cauliflower crunchy, you can do the Brussels for about ten minutes by themselves and then add the other veggies. It is most important to keep an eye on the oven and make sure that you are tossing or moving the mixture around with a spatula every once in awhile to avoid burnt areas. Otherwise, all I did was coat the vegetables in garlic, olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and ground pepper. Bake at 400 or 350 degrees until desired doneness--keep checking them with a fork. I believe I left them in for about 40 minutes but, again, don’t forget to stir em up every few minutes!

Roasted Root Vegetables and Squash:
Similar deal, same amount of delicious! I cut up turnip, carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potato and coated them with olive oil, turmeric, and little fresh rosemary. Roast at 350 or 400 degrees, depending on your oven, and flip with a spatula every ten minutes or so. You can also experiment with different spices—I used what I had and it happened to be a good combo!

Chicken Piccata:
I’ve actually been using this recipe for many years and, surprisingly, only had to make minimal ingredient alterations. I dipped the organic chicken in rice milk and rice flour seasoned with garlic, sea salt, and ground pepper, and cooked it almost completely through in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. After the pieces were nice and brown I added mushrooms and a teaspoon more oil. Once a few more minutes had passed I added the juice of a fresh lemon, a little bit of water, and a pinch of rice flour. How thick you like your sauces will decide how much flour you want to add—remember to add it in small increments and stir it in with a spatula or spoon. I then topped off the meal with some organic artichoke hearts and just a few capers.

*The great thing about making this much chicken at once is that it will honestly last for days; I am only eating very small portions of meat which supplement my larger portions of brown rice and vegetables. And a little bit of the lemon sauce will make everything taste great; you won’t even want to go back for more chicken.

Did you know this is what a Brussels sprout stalk looks like? What the heck. Maybe I’ve just been a little oblivious. I felt like Gandalf marching out of the grocery store with this thing in my hand…

Gina Stats, Days 6 and 7:

Weight Loss: 4 lbs
Headaches: Improvement! I only get a tiny headache by late afternoon when I crave caffeine the most.
Skin and lips: Super soft and smooth! I use about ¼ the amount of chapstick I usually do in this weather.  
Semi diet cheat: I had some Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce last night. More on that later—not a good tale…

Dylan Stats, Days 6 and 7:
Weight Loss: probably between 5 and 6 lbs
Joint Pain: none!
Concentration: Dylan stated that it is “top notch”
Number of Cigarettes, past 3 days: One
Semi diet Cheat: Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

Ok, ok, I’m a day behind…sue me! My excuses are valid: the computer in the MCLA library wasn’t working last night while Dylan was in class, I did not feel like blogging from my phone, and, most of all, I got ridiculously distracted by some great blogs about a vegan and gluten-free lifestyle:

Clean Eating Chelsey
Manifest Vegan

And lastly, an overall health and fitness blog I’ve been following for awhile:
Peanut Butter Fingers

These guys have all mastered a system that I have not, as of yet; retain full-time jobs, plan dinner, get to the gym, go grocery shopping, cook enough dinner to have leftovers, shower, and get to bed at a decent hour. I’ll admit that though I have pulled this off a few days of my cleanse so far, the past three days I’ve failed.

And thus the theme of today’s post will be the following: multitasking, planning ahead, and simplifying.

Mysterious and daunting as it is, I’m going to have to enforce myself to multitask when necessary. For example, right now as I’m typing this I’m planning tonight’s dinner in my head: some sort of cabbage lentil soup with sweet potato fries on the side. Later, while I’m working out, I will plan out what I’m going to buy at the grocery store and (safely) write out a list while warming up on the treadmill. And, while my fries are baking and soup stewing, I’ll take a shower.
It sounds so easy when I type it out like that—let’s see how it works!

Planning ahead. I am either absolutely terrible at this or a pro, depending on the day. It all relies on how much I set myself up at night for the next morning. I think that by this point everyone I’ve come in contact with can sense that I am by no means a morning person! Luckily I know how to snap out of my sleepy haze by the time I have to get in my car to drive, but this just means that my trouble lies in the first forty-five minutes of each day. Alright, twenty-five.  If I have some leftover food for lunch the next day I have to pack it at night. Otherwise I can guarantee that three times out of four I will either 1. Accidentally forget it altogether or 2. Try to hastily pack it on the way out the door and spill it all over myself like a freak.

Even if you are a self-professed early bird, planning ahead and preparing enough food to have leftovers will make your life simpler. I find it least stressful to cook in ‘bulk’ when you are using a family favorite or tried-and-true recipe in which you are confident. It is not a great feeling to eat a huge batch of a failed experimental recipe for the rest of the week! And an even worse feeling to throw it away if it is completely unpalatable. If you are in the mood to experiment with a new recipe take it slow and try out a normal sized portion the first time. Once you have perfected it and feel comfortable, go ahead and make a monster batch!

Lastly, when it comes to my new style of cooking, I can’t stress enough how important it is to simplify, simplify, simplify. I’m going to make a confession: when I decided to commit to this cleanse I told myself that I was excited to try these new, plant-based flavors. But I think there was a smaller subconscious part of me that thought I could get away with masking the natural flavors by using an abundance of other ingredients and condiments; garlic, chili powder, balsamic vinegar, vegetable stock, etc. If you use too much of anything you will ruin a dish! This coming from a garlic lover to the highest extent. 

This is about to get corny and preachy: it is absolutely vital that you embrace the natural flavors and textures of the products you are using. If you rely on “disguising” your veggies under other, more pungent flavors, or cooking the heck out of them, you will end up disappointed. I just confirmed this theory, which I was thinking about last night, when I got lunch at Eat to Total Health today. I felt like my body needed greens and the employees kindly offered to make me a Kale and Avocado salad on the spot. It was simple, with six uncooked ingredients, but honestly one of the best meals I’ve had all week. I even ate the raw onions, which I usually would have picked out and discarded. The minimal amount of lime and ground pepper, which was not overwhelming, balanced out the meal but did not dominate.

This goes for Dylan as well. Yesterday I asked him what he is craving the most and he quickly replied “Buffalo wings, burgers, Chinese food, sushi…” among a long list of other prohibited items. ‘Alright, Buffalo sauce, I can do that,’ I thought to myself. ‘Maybe burgers too.’ I found an interesting recipe on PETA.com for Buffalo Cauliflower that is completely cleanse-friendly. The ingredients are flour (any kind), water, garlic, olive oil, and Franks Red Hot, which is gluten and dairy-free but obviously processed to some extent. I figured we could stretch it a little bit and ‘celebrate’ reaching Day 7 of the cleanse.  

                                            
WRONG. We both felt so sick after we ate that it was not worth the temporary satisfaction of that Buffalo flavor on the cauliflower, which was actually pretty tasty. And both of us can usually eat super spicy food without hesitation. I get the feeling that it was our body's automatic response to eating processed food after a long break. I think, and correct me if I’m wrong, Dylan, but we would have been just fine eating some roasted cauliflower with garlic, olive oil, and pepper. Lesson of that meal: don’t overdo it. It’s not worth it. We felt like crap for the rest of the night.
The point of my rambling is that it is necessary to get the “vegetable stigma” out of your mind. Don’t view them as more of a challenge than they are. Find a way to eat them that works for you and roll with it. Dylan actually enjoys a bowl of raw spinach with a splash of balsamic and some ground pepper, whereas a couple months ago he hated spinach. Next secret plan: get him to try kale, which, during our consultation with Renee, he drew “stink lines” next to the word on our instructional package. It’s going to be a challenge.

                                             

A New Recipe:

Spaghetti Squash, Two Ways
Spaghetti squash! It is a really interesting vegetable that, in my opinion, works well when paired with either savory or sweet flavors. Find out how to cook a spaghetti squash here: How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash.  

In the first dish I treated the squash as though it was actually spaghetti. The most noticeable difference between pasta and squash is that squash will not absorb liquid in the same manner as pasta, which was my biggest mistake—I added too much vegetable stock and water to the pan. All of the moisture automatically went into my crisp asparagus and sundried tomatoes and the rest of the liquid sat at the bottom of the pan. Besides this mishap, the other flavors were nice together: garlic, onion, mushrooms, asparagus, half a can of Trader Joe’s artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes from Peace Valley Farm, and a little bit of turmeric, ground pepper, and sea salt. 

When I make this again I will most likely exclude the turmeric and asparagus and, instead, of vegetable stock, I will use some Ooma Tesoro’s Marinara, (which tastes just like Italy, I swear)! This night was a good test of self control, as you can see in the picture above; we were cooking in Dylan's father's house while he was frying up sausages. I had to put my blinders on.

                                         
The second way I prepared the spaghetti squash was with a bit of organic maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Delish breakfast! Simple as that.

I’m going to try to post again tonight after I finish the soup and while Dylan is surrounding himself with deliciously tempting gourmet food at work. Ciao!
 

                                                            I'm craving sushi today...

Days 4 and 5: Let’s catch up from the weekend!

This weekend, one of my best friends from school came into town to visit. Poor Liz had to put up with my constant, unrelenting headache and epic exhaustion. Luckily she comes from an exciting and hectic life in NYC and was just fine with watching reality TV and doing some experimental cooking with me all weekend (one of our experiments wasn't a success…more on that later…)
 
I am totally exhausted today. I’m thinking that it might be a combination of Monday Madness and my body still going through the detoxifying process. I asked Renee if this is normal and she said that some people do not experience the “switch” to higher levels of mood and energy until Day 8 or 9. So freaking close. I also need to pay attention to my intake of quinoa, rice, and protein shakes, and make sure that I’m getting enough and not depriving myself.  This lack in energy has definitely hindered my desire to go to the gym but I do some cardio and weights yesterday (thanks to Liz!)  as well a snowy hike on Saturday. I would definitely say that my cravings, especially for coffee and cheese, reached an all time high yesterday and today. And now I need to think about something else.
                                                                                                       

Gina Stats, Days 4 and 5:
Weight Loss: 2 lbs
Headaches: Still pretty intense; also, I’ve been experiencing neck aches
No diet cheats as of yet! Fingers crossed.

Dylan fell off the bandwagon a bit this weekend but is returning with a vengeance. We have pinpointed that one of the triggers that causes his cigarette cravings is the moment when he is hungry but does not have a “cleanse friendly” meal readily available (this happens especially at his work, where he is sometimes surrounded by other smokers). Fortunately, he says that he “feels great!” and would definitely consider altering his diet even after the 21 days are up in order to experience the increased energy.  He feels as though he has lost a few pounds and is concerned that he is also losing muscle mass.
We are definitely visiting the gym tonight…

Dylan Stats, Days 4 and 5:
Cigarettes since Day 1: 6
Joint pain: Improving!
Diet cheats: An order of beer pretzels from Water Street Grill, 3 Kentucky Bourbon beers (Guys night…)

                                                              New Recipes!

Rice Noodles with a Garlic Bean and Cauliflower Sauce

I wanted to experiment with foods that might replace the flavors and textures I’m craving so badly. I also needed to be a good host to Liz, who wanted to go vegan and gluten-free for the weekend with Dylan and I (That's Liz on the right, a fellow redhead)! I couldn't just feed her vegetables all weekend and I wouldn't be able to survive off of that anyway. The first dish we tried on Saturday was Rice Noodles with Mushrooms and Broccoli in a Garlic Bean Cauliflower Sauce. I was desperately hoping that the smooth texture of the whipped cannelloni beans and cauliflower (with some rice milk) might be a passable alternative for an Alfredo sauce.  This premonition was partially correct; while the consistency was perfect, it was clear to both Liz and I that it was calling for salt. We added a pinch of sea salt, which definitely helped, and should have continued to experiment with seasonings and fresh herbs. We were famished, however, and ate it as it was. It definitely helped to throw some sautéed garlic mushrooms into the sauce mixture and then hit it with the immersion blender, which is my new best friend! What a cool piece of kitchen equipment. The broccoli was cooked to perfection and we ate a lot of it on the side.

Because this recipe was not perfect, but definitely has a lot of potential, I’ll just give you the basics: soak dried cannelloni beans overnight and then let them simmer in a covered saucepan for about an hour (or until soft). Steam cauliflower on stovetop until soft as well. I would highly recommend using about a 3-1 ratio of cauliflower to beans; the beans have a surprisingly strong flavor and you do not need too many to reach that creamy texture. And, personally, I love the taste of cauliflower without too many additions. Sautee garlic and sliced mushrooms in pan. I then added the garlic and half of the mushrooms right into the sauce and blended with the immersion blender. Add rice milk or unsalted organic vegetable stock until you reach a sauce-like consistency. Fresh herbs or caramelized onions would almost definitely be a nice touch! Please let me know if you try this out and find the perfect combination...


Kale with Lemon and Garlic:
This is a secret obsession that both Liz and I developed our senior year of college when we were roommates on a budget. Kale with Lemon and Garlic is Obsession #1; you’ll find Obsession #2 below. Liz was taking a class on Food Sustainability Literature and read somewhere that kale and lemon, when combined, form some sort of “supergroup” and supplement each other nutritionally. I took a recipe for Mediterranean Kale from my mother and simplified it (basically, I just throw all the ingredients into one pan instead of mixing a dressing). It’s so good, no lie.

Hellooooo headache! Well, folks, last night and today were a little bit harder than the first two days were. I’m suffering through this strange headache that comes and goes as it pleases and some pains in the back of my neck. I also feel very sluggish and it was hard to get out of bed this morning. Fortunately, I am having bursts of energy and clear-headedness where I can focus on work.    

Gina Stats, Day 3:

Weight loss to date: 0 lbs—we’ll see what the next few days bring.

Headaches: No improvement

Dylan feels similarly loopy and tired today. He is having some muscle aches and pains and says that he generally feels weird. However, after trying rice milk for the first time, he announced that it is “better than regular milk!” Who would have thought?

Dylan Stats, Day 3:

Cigarettes since Day 1: One

Joint pain: The same pains as always in jaw and hand, but new aches and pains as well
 

New Recipes!
I set aside some time last night to engage in a cooking frenzy. It actually helped out my mood, which was pretty irritable by dinnertime last night. On the menu:

Balsamic Zucchini Sauté:  I’ve actually made this many times before and love how easy it is. I grate the zucchini with a hand grater, squeeze out excess water with a towel, and sauté with balsamic and olive oil. Yum! Dylan really liked this part of the meal.

Made it to the second day! Luckily, I have a partner-in-crime who will be participating in the cleanse with me, Dylan. Though we differ slightly in our eating and exercise habits, we have one main thing in common: we are most definitely not the “earthy-crunchy” type! Sure, we both enjoy hikes in the woods, the occasional fruit and veggie smoothie with chia or flax seeds, and some good old roasted veggies; however, I will admit that the night before we started the cleanse, we went to Desperados for ‘All You Can Eat’ tacos and burritos. Need I say more?

                                                                               
Let me reveal some stats about the two main players in this game:

Gina: Italian/Irish/European
Age: 22
Weight: Average, but have gained a few lbs that I would like to lose since starting office job 
BMI: Average
Exercise: Cardio and weights 1-3 times/week
Foods I eat often, (pre-cleanse): cereal, 1-2 cups of coffee per day, soup, fish, spinach, veggies, pasta,  macaroni and cheese, nachos, pizza, fruit and veggie smoothies   
Health issues: Headaches (both migraines and caffeine-withdrawal), dry skin, anxiety, fatigue, weight gain
Additional notes: I am very cranky when I skip my morning cup of coffee!
 

Dylan: Filipino/IrishAge: 22
Weight: Average

BMI: Low

Exercise: Cardio and weights 2-4 times/week

Foods he eats often: Steak, nachos, chicken, pasta, asparagus, rice, chicken wings, salad, fish

               *I feel like I need to include Dylan’s legendary “Breakfast of Champions” from Cumberland Farms: Beef Jerky, a granola bar, cheese stick, hummus with tortilla chips, and an apple. Because it “covers all of the bases…”

Health Issues: Smokes 1-3 cigarettes a day, fatigue, trouble concentrating, joint aches from injuries in jaw and hand
Additional notes: Dylan is a former Texan and would probably eat a whole cow if no one was watching. He is trying to quit smoking after cutting back to about 1 cigarette a day in the past few weeks.  

Eat to Total Health Consultation
On Tuesday, Jan. 29, Dylan and I met with Renee from Eat to Total Health. (Check out her website here: http://eattototalhealth.com/). She outlined a plan for each of us for the next 21 days, which is, in summary:

-Lots of fruit and veggies
-Approved condiments
-Protein: allowed on Day 11; however, many people don’t desire meat or fish by that time.
-Minimum of 8 glasses of water a day
-Protein Shakes with organic hemp protein (there are several different types of protein powder; Renee gives you a series of tests to find out which kind is compatible with your body. We both resulted in  hemp powder, which gave us the innapropriate and slightly immature giggles.)
Some various other foods, including legumes and green smoothies.

Renee also told us to avoid specific fruits and vegetables based on our individual health issues (for example, I should stay away from corn and potatoes, which would inhibit weight loss, and Dylan should avoid tomatoes and eggplant, which could aggravate his joint pain). Renee expressed concern about some of my health issues, which are symptoms of a gluten allergy, so this next week it will be important to note how I feel.

*Again, I cannot stress how important it is to NOT begin a diet like this without consulting a professional! The guidelines above were created specifically for Dylan and I and our health concerns. Please do not mirror.

Check in later for an update! Feeling pretty good right now—I cheated and had a few sips of black coffee this morning, but other than that, I’m feeling determined! See ya later with, hopefully, an excellent recipe for sweet potato fries…


                                                                   

This morning I was faced with pure temptation. This is the view from my desk--here, we observe organic coffee and...wait for it...a box of muffins from Luma's Muffin and Mug. The ultimate test.