The Juice is Loose - BluePrint Juice Cleanse - Pre-Work

It's been a long time since I've posted anything because...well...I've been pretty busy living my life. And I haven't been getting much joy from food. Ever since I got food poisoning months ago, pretty much every time I eat, I get sick. Or bloated. Or a number of not so awesome things happen. It's no bueno. Especially for a girl who loves food. I went to my doctor seeking some sort of remedy, but after being tested for lupus, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disorders, gallstones, cysts, and many other ailments, I was diagnosed as being healthy as a horse. Despite the fact that some days, I could barely get out of bed because I felt so weak.

I recently decided that I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, so I decided to come off of my happy pills AKA Prozac. My life is in a pretty good place now, and I feel like they got me over the "hump" of moving, starting my life over, etc. But I'm not sure I need them anymore. I thought weaning myself off of them would help. Not so much.

Feeling desperate, I started researching cleanses. I'm sort of hippie dippie-ish. I get down with veganism, and juicing, and sorts of other things most folks would never consider incorporating into their own lives. I could eat my weight in kale chips. I frequently snack on raw fruits and veggies. But as of late, I've fallen into some bad habits. Too much wine. Too much dairy. Being exhausted all the time doesn't help in the exercise department, either. So when I happened to stumble upon an article about the BluePrint Cleanse, I figured it might not hurt to give it a try. What it boils down to is a 6 juice a day program (for a specified number of days) designed to get toxins out of your body and basically reboot your insides. Everything in the little juice bottles is organic, vegan, and super fresh. (also super expensive, but after what I've paid in doctor's bills, I'd be willing to lose a limb if it would make me feel better)

So in the morning, I'll start on day 1 (of three) of my cleanse. There are different levels - from a level for a beginning juicer to someone who wants to give their insides a good cleaning out. I've never done a juice cleanse before, but I'm going for the gusto and going for the most intense level. I'll have 4 "green" juices a day, a spicy lemonade, and a cashew milk drink. They're essentially idiot-proof since the juices arrive with big numbers on them, with instructions on what to drink when. I ordered the juices right from BluePrint Cleanse, so I'm looking forward to tackling the FedEx driver whenever he or she arrives in the am. I could have purchased the juices at Whole Foods for a little less cash money, but...they just started stocking the BluePrint products, and it can be hit or miss when you head to the juice section. (especially after overly ambitious people like me come in the week before their cleanse and buy out the juice section because they want to give juicing a dry run)

In order to prepare for this cleanse, I've been trying to take it easy on my body. I haven't had a drink since last week. (but that's not all that difficult for me) I've been drinking the green juice that I'll be drinking 4X a day once a day. I've pretty much avoided all dairy and have eaten more vegetables than any one person probably should. I haven't had coffee in days. I thought all of these changes would be earth shattering, but so far, so good. I did have a sad moment tonight when I realized Melt was serving up my favorite side dish - Brussels sprouts - and I couldn't order up some sprouts and tofu wings for dinner. And I did miss having a glass of wine while watching The Voice, but overall, I'm feeling good. I'm ready to go food free for the next 3 days. I know a lot of people do cleanses to lose weight, etc., but honestly? All I want is to be able to reboot my digestive system and focus on eating better once I can eat food again. (which is a week from today - there's a 4-5 day period where you're supposed to reintroduce food into your system - I might turn into an avocado by next week since that's one of the few post cleanse "allowed" foods I enjoy) My body has been SO unhappy with me lately, and I really want to start enjoying food and exercise again.

Stay tuned for my results later in the week...

Have you tried to do a cleanse? Share your experience in the comments section.

Strange Snacks - Hearts of Palm

I've been trying to eat better in the new year. I'm back on the calorie tracking bandwagon, and I've been working out. (less than normal because I'm recovering from a run streak, but...) My snack of choice lately hasn't been anything that you'd expect - I've been eating cans of hearts of palm from Whole Foods.



Get in my belly



The first time I had hearts of palm was on a salad at Deagan's. I absolutely loved them. (the second time was in a vegan plate at Dante, and to this day, that might be one of the worst meals I've ever eaten) I just happened to notice that Whole Foods sells cans of hearts of palm one day, and I think I've been eating a couple cans (1 can = 50 calories) each week. I suppose I could be snacking on much worse things, right?

Do you have any favorite healthy snacks?

Another Glenny's 100 calorie snack

Awhile back, I talked about Glenny's 100 calorie peanut butter brownies. And how I thought the little 100 calorie snack was just ok. If I'd tried the 100 calorie chocolate chip brownie, I think I would have been more impressed.

Granted, it's not the prettiest brownie I've ever seen, but what do you expect from a 100 calorie brownie? If you say a slightly healthy taste, you'd be dead on. But it also has a nice, rich, chocolate flavor. Years ago I used to eat Snackwells cookies, and I remember eating a type of chocolate cookie that tasted like this brownie - slightly decadent with an undertone of healthiness.

The next time I stop at Giant Eagle I'll be sure to pick a few more of these babies up. They really do make a good snack when you're craving something sweet. Although I'm not sure that I buy into the Glenny's claim (on the company's website) that these brownies can be used to help you lose weight. Maybe if you sub a 100 calorie brownie for a regular brownie? I dunno.

Kashi knows natural food

There's a right way and a wrong way to make "natural" products. Kashi frozen foods = right way. Healthy Choice = completely wrong. But I've said more than enough about Healthy Choice, so let's focus on the positive, shall we?

Every time I go to the grocery store, it seems like I find new Kashi frozen food product. For what seems like years, the Giant Eagle near my house only stocked Pesto Pasta Primavera - an entree that I'll eat if I have to, but I'd never run out to the store to buy it. I keep it stocked in my freezer as "emergency - I don't feel like cooking anything else and haven't gone shopping in weeks" food. Then they started carrying the Kashi Pocket Bread Sandwiches. I tried the Veggie Medley sandwich and again, thought it was good, but not great. To me, the "pocket" tasted too grainy. But again, I do keep this in my freezer for when I want a quick meal under 300 calories. (280 to be exact)

Then Giant Eagle began stocking the Tuscan Veggie Bake. I like lasagna. I generally like vegetables. I like entrees that are 260 calories. And I also like vegan frozen options, so I bought this meal with lowered expectations.

Surprisingly, this was the best Kashi meal I've ever had. There's a hodge podge of vegetables in between the wheat lasagna noodles, like squash, eggplant, and sweet potatoes, which sound like they'd be horrible together but are actually quite good. The tomato sauce is a little zesty and has a nice tomato flavor. It tastes very fresh - almost like something you'd whip up yourself. If you could cook well. Which I can't.

My friend Christine gave me her review of the Mayan Harvest Bake, another vegan entree. She said it has plantains, sweet potatoes, black beans and a really good sauce. And polenta, which I'm not really a fan of. And apparently she isn't either, but she was able to eat around it and still enjoy her meal. I think I'll have to give that one a try next. I'm all about supporting a company that strives to make great natural products (all of them - not just one line of foods), and even if not every dish is a home run, I still appreciate their efforts.

Glenny's 100 Calorie Brownies

As I've mentioned...oh...a few times, I make a point to work out frequently so I can enjoy what I eat. There's no sense in eating low-calorie, bland foods if you're not going to enjoy them, in my opinion. However, I'm not opposed to eating or trying low calorie foods. I love Lean Cuisine frozen meals. Granted, I wouldn't call that "health food" per say because of the amount of sodium that's used, but they definitely aren't the worst things you could possibly eat.

While wandering around the "organic" section of my local Giant Eagle the other day, I noticed Glenny's 100 Calorie Brownies. They had peanut butter and chocolate varieties. I was still feeling sad about Treehugger's Cafe being out of my favorite peanut butter brownies, so I decided to give one of these brownies a shot. I purchased the peanut butter kind, really not expecting too much. I mean, anything with 100 calories, 7 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein must be awful, right? But I was wrong! I had the brownie for breakfast yesterday with my morning coffee. Was it the best brownie I've ever had? No. Was it overwhelmingly peanut-buttery like the fatty varieties I usually go for? No. But was it a great healthy brownie substitute? Yes! The brownie had a good although slightly "healthy" chocolate taste. I honestly couldn't detect any peanut butter flavor. That seemed a little odd to me - maybe a regular brownie was stuffed into the wrong package? Either way, I'd definitely eat one of these little 100 calorie gems again. According to the Glenny's website, they also have a Blondie variety. I'd really like to try that kind since Blondies are generally like the albinos of the brownie world and are harder to find.