Lunch!

Now that's a salad!!

Week 1 Detox Recap

So the first week is done!

Honestly the hardest thing for me has been having no coffee. I miss it even more on Sundays. But with 2 weeks left in my detox, I think I still have room to grow. In a way, it's so binding to feel that way about food. Once the craving passes, I will start to feel freedom from something that used to hold me down. I know at times I had though about how coffee was hindering my performance as an athlete. I wasn't eating breakfast as well and went I went out for a run, I felt dehydrated. I would get cramps easier, too. I am so glad I am doing this detox to better my running and also my body.

Last night I made another awesome Mexican Monday recipe. Last week it was tacos using the Boca crumbles. This week, it was roasted POTATO tacos! Not only do I love this recipe but my husband and kids were loving it too! I also happen to think it's great to use something in place of meat that doesn't resemble meat...get me?

This dinner was inspired to me by something my mother ordered at Infusion Tea in Orlando. I made it my own creation by making a corn, black bean, & avocado salsa to top off the Roasted Potato Tacos. I used my brown rice tortilla and filled it with vegan sour cream, roasted potatoes, and my homemade salsa. On the side we had some whole grain brown rice with cumin and black beans and a green salad(that I ended up using to stuff in my taco instead.
The pictures do it NO justice :)

Today is the juice fast. I went to the market and bought some fresh organics to use today. Something different that I bought was daikon, a root vegetable and was told I could juice it and the stems too. I even went crazy this morning and added a small bit of garlic to the green juice I made. I was a little skweemish to think about drinking garlic, but I'm glad I only used a tiny bit and it came out ok-not too strong. I did cucumber, spinach, celery, red apples, ginger & garlic.

So tomorrow is my birthday! I will be following my detox, but for dessert I have my vegan cake! I'm so excited to see what it is. My husband went to the bakery the other day to order it and came up with some creation of his...he said there is two types of fruit in it...but that was all the clues I got...hmmm.

Now to make some more juice!

Week 1 of the Detox and More Pictures

This is a green juice using green apples, cucumber, celery, ginger, kale

 Below is a picture of the "chicken" salad I'm trying to replicate from a nearby heath store that sells this. My mother-in-law and husband are big fans of it so far! Go me :) It's main ingredients are TVP, celery, & carrots.

 My berry smoothie I made yesterday. Strawberries,

 bananas, peaches, blueberries & agave. This one was a

big hit with the kids too.

 For dinner yesterday I made a tofu lasagna. I had enough ingredients leftover to

make two individual dishes for my husband and I for the next day that we

could have for lunch. I used brown rice pasta and almond cheese for the top.

 Below is my regualar lasagna with fresh tomato slices on top(covered by cheese).

It came out really good. Everyone ate it up! I love the brown rice noodles. Have to be careful to overcook them or they fall apart.

In the mornings I've been faithful to having my tea. I only miss coffee sometimes. Mostly when I pass a coffee place. What I'm hoping to get out of this 21 day detox is a healthier body, improve my endometriosis symptoms by eating a lot of anti-inflammatory foods, reduce my risk of injury, and to get leaner in my bodyfat percentage. Being a personal trainer, it is important to me to have a low bodyfat percentage. And I have already lost a couple of pounds. I'm not restricting my calories, but just by following this detox, I have been eating more greens and less bad carbs. I'm not feeling hungry. At night I have not been snacking either which is something I would normally do. If I do get hungry, I would probably have some fruit or tea. My husband is doing really well so far. He likes all the green juices and smoothies I've been making and especially this veggie sandwich I made twice this week on millet garlic & basil bread. WOW, this bread is good! I am going to the health store tomorrow to order some for next week(probably 2 loaves) and while I'm there, maybe grab some millet hamburger buns for my veggie burgers. I am going to try using the veggie pulp from my juicing to make some dip or into burgers...or who knows what I'll come up with! But whatever it is, I will blog it :)

Oh and my birthday is next week!! No cheating for me, EXCEPT for a vegan birthday cake-I'm not giving up my once a year tradition, but it will be vegan.
Til, tomorrow!
See ya then.

Something Exciting

I was going through the manual to my juicer and I was so excited to find out I can make my own almond milk with the juicer! You can also make soy and rice milk too!

Just thought I'd share this because it is beneficial to make your own homemade milk. I may try this down the road when I get more familiar with my machine :)

Staying Motivated-Sign up for a 5k

The hardest part about working out is motivation. And I think that is the case for most people. And of course the busier and more commitments we have, the less time we make for our physical health. We all know it's important and yet, we tend to make excuses. "I'm too tired." ..."I'll start tomorrow." Does this sound familiar? Tomorrow comes, passes and we still haven't made the time to workout. I know I've at times lost motivation. There are a couple tips to keep the fire going though.

One thing that keeps me going is setting goals. It's something I recommend to newbies especially because when you are just starting out from a sedentary lifestyle, there has to be some sort of accountability. Once on a routine, it's not so hard. A goal could be a short term or long term "Where I want to be" in 2 months, 6 months, or even a year. It's good to start short term though to reap the rewards and keep that positive spirit going. Something I usually suggest is to sign up for a 5k. Usually when a person pays for something, they are more likely to put forth the effort for great results. What then happens is then after the goal is completed, you feel good about yourself and will usually want to do another one!

Another way to keep focused on your goals is to do it with someone. Whether it be a personal trainer or a good friend, having someone to keep you accountable is valuable. You will be more than likely to make that workout happen, then to back out; and in the end, you will be happy you didn't. And, if you think you may try to back out, tell your workout partner ahead of time to help you out by not letting you "off the hook" :)

I hope you found this helpful, or maybe even motivating! Have a wonderful week and keep moving!