I've done green smoothie challenges through Simple Green Smoothies before but I can't recall the last one so I decided to up my green smoothie game by drinking one 30 days in a row starting October 1st! I was pretty successful in the challenge at having a "green" smoothie or some type of veggie drink for 30 days straight. I traveled a few weekends which made it a little harder but I made due with a few juice/smoothie combos that had veggies in them. I also found an awesome smoothie shop in Pittsburgh called Salud Juicery and now I'm hooked.
0 Comments
Currently... wishing I was at the beach but I guess pools will have to do for now Currently... enjoying wineries and tacos and this guy, have already been to the Winery at Bull Run a few times this year Currently... taking advantage of the fresh produce at all the farmers markets around here (those cherries and cherry tomatoes were amazing!) Currently... finished my personal logo/mark and implemented it on my blog and website Currently... still obsessed with jeni's and love when there are new flavors, this one is one of my faves now (maybe jeni's will be a permanent part of my currently posts based on how much I love it) Currently... working in dc for a few weeks and really enjoying using public transportation and getting to see all the monuments daily My favorite foods lately have been cheese and chocolate (well I always love chocolate) so Kyle and I decided to have a fun fondue night and celebrate a year of dating! We looked up lots of recipes and decided to do a cheese one with a beer base and then just find yummy cheese at a local shop based on suggestions. It turned out really yummy and we dipped some steak, tater tots, and veggies in it. Then we moved on to chocolate fondue next and kept with the alcohol theme mixing dark chocolate with cream and Kahlua. In this one we dipped strawberries, pineapples, and pound cake. We definitely fell into a food coma after all the food. We enjoyed all of it and now want to do more and experiment with different cheeses and chocolate! I tend to get bored/overwhelmed off and on with cooking from all the prep, grocery shopping, meal planning, etc especially with my work schedule right now. So I try to mix things up between making easy go to foods and then finding new ones. This past week I was inspired by some Pinterest finds, magazine clippings, and groceries that needed to be used before they went bad. So here are a few new recipes and I loved all of them, they will definitely be filed to be made again. So I've been reflecting on my sugar detox and just food and health in general and it's pretty crazy the changes I've made in my life. I remember a time not that long ago where I wouldn't touch "green" food except green beans and now I love salads and spinach and even starting to come around on peas (what?! that's crazy). On my sugar detox the yes/no foods were somewhat strict and some of the regular foods that I eat and are pretty healthy were actually not allowed. And the funny thing is I started craving these foods and not all the candy and other sugary treats I couldn't have. Just for an idea here's what I missed: fruit greek yogurt beans quinoa corn hummus It's a pretty random list but years ago I would've laughed at the thought of craving or missing those things from my food options. But I'm much healthier now and happy about that, that's it for now! 21 day sugar detox = DONE!
It was a pretty good week, I ended up making some repeat recipes because I knew I liked them and wasn't feeling super creative in the kitchen or testing many new recipes. So I had more chicken buffalo egg muffins (added broccoli for some veggies) and I made the shepherd's pie again and had that all week. I also explored a little baking and made some carrot banana muffins. They turned out pretty good but didn't keep well after a couple days so I'll have to work on that next time. I think they would be better with a little bit of sweetener but not much and I liked using coconut flour. I found that and unsweetened coconut flakes at a "normal" grocery store and that made my day since it can be hard to find and I love coconut! Near the end of the week I had major cravings for wine (surprise surprise...) it's funny that I wanted that more than chocolate but that might be because I was prepared for no "sugar" but never thought about it including other things like just a glass of wine. I also really really wanted pizza! But I ended up satisfying that by making a cauliflower pizza on day 21 to finish out the challenge. I did this instead of post challenge so I wouldn't order a super carby/unhealthy pizza and binge on it afterwards. Now its time to figure out where to go from here eating wise but first here are a few pics from the final week of the challenge. WEEK TWO DONE! Recipes // Broccoli & herb egg muffins Stuffed peppers Shepherd's pie Smoky chicken tortilla-less soup Snacks // Carrots and tomatoes with guacamole Almonds Cheese Celery sticks with almond butter and cinnamon Drinks // Smoothies for meals Coffee (black) Tea Water Cravings // Still would love some wine! Anything Else // I continued with the crazy amount of cooking, feels like I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen but is worth it when I have food for the week ready and lots of options so I don't get bored. I have however incorporated easier meals like salads, wraps, and smoothies and they all make me happy! I also branched out and had a few meals out to eat so that was interesting picking out food that I thought would fit into the program. I think I did pretty good with, salads, gumbo (minus the rice), and an omelet. Next Week Thoughts // I'm going into the final week really excited but also thinking about what I will do when the "challenge" is over. I'll mull it over and elaborate next week on my thoughts. WEEK ONE DONE! Recipes // Tomato-basil quiche Buffalo chicken egg muffins Parsnip and bacon stuffed chicken thighs Balsamic-braised beef with sweet potato Snacks // Grain-free banola Kale chips Carrots and tomatoes with guacamole Almonds Cheese Drinks // Coffee (black) Tea Water (lots and lots like normal for me though) Cravings // Not too many of these, near the end of the week I really really really wanted to have a glass of wine but I abstained because I want to do as well as possible in this challenge. Anything Else // All of the meal planning became a little overwhelming especially the thought of it for the next week to have to start it all over again. Also cooking has taken up a lot of extra time with how my work schedule is I have to cook everything Monday or Tuesday so I don't starve the rest of the week. By the weekend I was a little tired of everything also out of most meals and kind of sick of eggs. Next Week Thoughts // I want to do some things simpler, like adding back my morning smoothie (I miss them!) and there are a few recipes which I tried one at the end of the week, I just need to buy some green tipped bananas to make them. I also will probably do some easier salads and just throw everything in it together or make some simple "sandwiches" with lettuce, other veggies, and lunch meat. I'm looking forward to week 2 and loving how I'm feeling being off sugar and processed stuff, but also will enjoy some sweets and treats once I'm done! |
Categories
All
Archives
February 2016
|