Day 2= Hunger!

Update: Day 2 of the cleanse

Breakfast
For breakfast I used one of my handy prepacked bags of veggies and juiced up

• 1 cucumber
• 9 stalks of celery
• 3 large stalks of collard greens
• 1 beet
• 1 apple
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger

I also added some of my pre-squeezed lemon juice.
Filled it right to the brim! The collard greens made juice that was super dark green. Adding the apple was really the way to go. It added just the right amount of sweetness to turn this drink from weird to kinda good!

Lunch
For lunch I made the "Back to Greens" Soup. It called for

• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 cup srouts
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. Celtic sea salt

I made my breakfast juice, lunch soup, and coconut shake all at the same time in the morning. I was still undecided about coming home during my little break before opera and work.
I did end up coming home after all and decided to make my dinner soup before I even sat down to eat lunch. That's how to not get caught by the clock! For dinner I made the "Metro Mex Avocado Soup" again with some slight variations. I used grape tomatoes instead of medium sized and added a 1/2 cup purified water.

Lunch was pretty tasty with all my toppings!
I also had half of my sweet coconut shake as a treat.
I'd been feeling pretty good but I think I hit a second day hunger slump because I was HUNGRY! I wanted more of everything and it has been sooo hard not to cheat but I am proud to report that I have not! I'm starting to see that lunch time is one of my weak times. I come home and want to just fill up on everything. I think packed lunches might have to be mandatory for me!

Dinner
Now, I know what you're probably thinking about my dinner soup and that it doesn't look very appetizing but don't judge a book by its cover! This soup was delicious! I didn't blend it completely smooth so there was some crunch to it. While I was eating this soup, it was so good that it made me want to go raw! Kelsey and I have already been discussing logistics for a raw food week. It would be the perfect way for me to come off my cleanse too. If only dehydrators weren't so expensive :(
During my break at work I savored the last of my coconut shake like a 'dessert'.
I like the technique of splitting this shake into two mini snacks. Makes it last longer!
I was wearing a huge ring, by the way, that I got from Kelsey for my birthday. Gotta represent!
During opera I read further in my cleanse book and...not to get too intimate, but it suggested getting a natural laxative like magnesium oxide to take at night. I stopped off at the coop after work and picked up these cleanse capsules. I took two right away and during my cleanse I'm going to try to take four a day.
We'll see what happens! I'm feeling pretty good so far. What I have noticed is that I feel a little weak when I'm singing, like I can't sustain my breath as long. I think I was just tired at opera haha.
Only 3 more days to go!!

The Urban Revitalizer Begins!

Cleanse!
Guess what everyone: I'm doing a cleanse!! I am using "Super Cleanse" by Adina Niemerow as my guide and I'm doing a five day cleanse called "The Urban Revitalizer". It's supposed to be particularly good for stress. It was a no brainer! Here is the meal by meal break down of my cleanse:

On waking: Hot Lemon Water
Breakfast: Coffee-Break Green Healer Juice
Snack: Coffee-Break Green Healer Juice
Lunch: Soup of my choice (I'm also supposed to have a shot of wheatgrass but I haven't been. I should look into it!)
Snack: Rush-Hour Coconut Shake
Dinner: Soup of my choice

I had the bright idea last night that because there's so much juicing and blending to do for the cleanse that I should make bags with exactly what I need ahead of time. It's all about making it convenient for myself!
Breakfast
Here's my morning Hot Lemon Water. It's a tablespoon of lemon juice, hot water, and a small shake of cayenne pepper. Not the tastiest thing in the world but it's growing on me and the warm liquid is comforting and filling.
For 'breakfast' I juiced celery, ginger, a cucumber, and a beet. I also added some lemon juice. (I forgot to all the collard greens! Shoot!)
Beet juice is intense! I was tying to catch a drop falling but my camera isn't savvy enough.
The finished product!
Later on, I came home after class and got to work. It takes a ridiculous amount of limes to make a substantial amount of lime juice sheesh! I decided to juice some lemons and all of the limes in advance so I won't have to deal with it again for a while.
Lemon and lime juice in convenient little jars.

Lunch
For lunch I decided to make the "Metro Mex Avocado Soup". I had to alter it a bit so I will just include what I used here:

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 medium radishes, chopped
  
• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• dash of Cholula hot sauce

First I blended the tomatoes and radishes. That was a lot of tomatoes!
Next the cup of cilantro. I am crazy about this herb!
The book suggests Himalayan or Celtic sea salt. I couldn't find Himalayan so I went for Celtic. Looking back I wish I'd gotten some that was more finely ground but the price difference was dramatic and I'm only using this for a 5 day period. I can make it work!
I put it all in the blender for a whirl!
Cholula is my all time favorite hot sauce!
Not to shabby, huh? I blended it till it was smooth since there were a lot of different things going on in there.
It was sort of like a moose, thick but light. It was pretty tasty too!

Snack
For my "Rush-Hour Coconut Shake" I had to do a little battle with this young coconut. You're supposed to cut off all the outer skin till you reach the brown exterior and cut at a 45 degree angle then pop the top of like the lid of a can... yeah not so much! I ended up whacking the outside with garlic press like it was a hammer just so I could get my knife in.
Eventually I was successful!
I blended all the coconut water and 4 Tbsp. of the meat in the blender till it was smooth and voila: my shake! I made another batch of lemon water and headed to choir.
This was actually really delicious and is quickly become my snack/dessert that I look forward to very much! It's so coconutty and refreshing!

Dinner
For dinner I decided to make the 'Cream-of-Commuting Carrot Soup'. I used:

• 1 cup carrot juice
• 1/2 cup cucumber juice
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup sprouts
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup purified water
• 1 tsp. lime juice

It was a very liquidy soup and could easily be drunk if I was on the go.
Dessert was the rest of my coconut shake.
So far so good! I am feeling a little hungry but for the most part, I am excited to detox and put good things in my body. I feel like I'm making a blank slate for myself! ...I did dream (literally) about making waffles for breakfast... that should pass though haha!
Update on Day Two coming soon!