#21DSD ~ Day 21: "Turning 21 days into a lifetime."

Reader beware, this will be a long one.

I’m writing this on day 22.  While I would have liked to finish this blog last evening, my schedule has been hectic and time did not permit.  However, I think it was a blessing in disguise as I woke up this morning to the very sure realization that I want to implement this form of eating for a lifetime.  Let me preface this with the fact that the sugar detox is also a Paleo diet sans sugar and when I talk about this “form of eating” I’m referring to Paleo.  I dabbled in Paleo before this detox, slowly evolving my eating habits to a less processed format.  I was never fully committed to the plan other than my 30-day challenge which involved some cheating here and there.

At this point, you might be thinking "what’s different now?"  For one, the 21 day detox forced me to be fully committed, by the book, no cheating.  My eyes were finally opened to how much better I feel when I’m eating this way.  Granted, I was detoxing from sugar so I was also experiencing sugar withdrawals, but aside from that my digestion was improved, my skin improved and I just felt better overall.  The second reason for this decision and what I call the icing on the cake was a little indulgence I allowed myself in celebration of the final day on the detox:  crackers and cheese and wine.  So as not to go completely off the rails, I had my homemade, gluten free crackers.  The cheese and wine tasted good last night but it totally wrecked me this morning.  I didn’t even eat that much cheese and my body was feeling it.  On my way to work this morning, I promised myself I will not be doing that again and I recommitted myself to Paleo.  So, how will I be proceeding post-detox?  Here’s my plan:

(1)     Within reason and without stressing, I’m going to move to a more strict Paleo diet.  I now have a total of four great cookbooks with amazing recipes to choose from.  One of my recent faves is Against All Grain by Danielle Walker.  Since I’m a working mom and finding time to cook is incredibly challenging, I will be working over the next couple weeks to develop a list of “go to” recipes that are great for freezing and/or quick and easy to make after a long day’s work.  I’m sure there will be loads of Crockpot recipes on this dinner cheat sheet.

(2)     Next on my list:  water!  Water is the drink for me.  No more soda, diet or otherwise.  It’s easy to understand why 21 days is such a great time frame for this detox.  They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.  Now that I’ve spent three whole weeks without soda, it seems natural to keep saying no to it.  Now let’s not get too crazy here, beer and wine will still be allowed, just not as frequently.  And I’m not ready to kick coffee to the curb, but it is a thought and I’ll continue to let that one simmer in my mind.  Maybe if I keep drinking my herbal tea it will eventually take the place of my coffee. 

(3)    Grass-fed and unpasteurized.  I’ll be looking for these key terms on any meat and dairy products I choose.  Dairy is technically not Paleo, however, soft unpasteurized cheese like goat cheese is easy on my system so I’ll likely keep that as a special treat here and there.

(4)    Liver….some how, some way I would like to sneak liver into my diet.  This food is packed with good nutrients.  Since I can’t stomach eating it straight-up, I’ll be looking for meals to hide it in.

(5)    Take control!  I’m going to take control of my health and do the research.  We’ve been told a lot of myths about food and what’s good for us and what’s not.  Instead of listening to the media, the government, strangers who think they know best and the likes, I will be doing the research myself.  There are a lot of great resources out there and I love to read and learn.  I’ll be starting with this new book.

(6)    Over the next few days, I will slowly introduce sugar back into my diet, but overall, I would like to maintain a fairly low sugar diet.

Now, for those of you who would like to know how the meals went for the day, here goes:

Day 21 (0 days left!)

Breakfast – Leftover oatmeal.  Delicious as always.

Lunch – Portobello mushroom cap with roasted red peppers and a side of vegetables.

Snack – Green apple and baby carrots.

Dinner – Two handfuls of homemade crackers, habanero jack cheese and red wine.  (And I snuck in a few M&M’s from my kids goody bag)

And that’s a wrap!

Thanks to my readers for all of your support through this.

#21DSD ~ Day 20 "I can't believe I just typed 'Day 20'"

I would say I'm usually the type of person to finish what I start, but if you would have asked me over a week ago if I expected to see Day 20 of this detox I might have been a bit skeptical.  All day today I kept thinking "Wow, I'm really on Day 20."  It feels great to have made it this far.  And, overall, I just feel great after getting over the initial hump that is the first week to week and a half of the detox.
My husband and I have likened this point of the detox to mile 22 of a marathon, except on mile 22 I'm usually wondering how in my right mind I decided to run a marathon, but at this point in the detox I'm actually considering doing it again.  Not now and definitely not next month but soon.  Ideally, I would like to complete the detox at least twice a year.

Today was a nice and easy cruise to the finish.  I had leftovers galore today which allowed me to catch up on some much needed R&R.  I really enjoyed the quick dinner clean-up tonight.  No pots and pans were dirtied and it took just seconds to wipe down the counters.  This is a great way to end the detox.  With one more day to go and enough leftovers to carry me home, I'm really enjoying these last couple days.  Now for the meals:

Day 20 (1 day to go!!!)

Breakfast
Vanilla Bean & Banana Oatmeal I've included the link for those of you who might be interested in this delicious, sugarless alternative for breakfast.  I know I'm going to continue with this one well after the detox is over.

Snack
I popped a few homemade crackers before heading out on my run during lunch.

Lunch
Leftover Curry Chicken and Apple salad along with the leftover homemade crackers.

Snack
Green apple and some baby carrots.  I had the green apple earlier in the afternoon.  I noticed I was getting hungry as the day was nearing the end so I munched on some baby carrots during the ride home to stave off any crankiness and the desire to binge on Macadamia nuts while preparing dinner.

Dinner
Leftover (sensing a theme here) Pizza Frittata and Jambalaya.  I actually filled up on this pretty quickly and was unable to finish dinner.

Well....tomorrow is the very last day of the detox.  I've got leftover oatmeal planned for breakfast, eating out for lunch and a special finale detox recipe planned for dinner.  I can't wait to start my last day.

#21DSD ~ Day 19: "The last Sunday."

I love this last Sunday. For one, I know I only have to make it through two more days.  Secondly, my grocery shopping didn't require a full week's worth of menu planning which meant a much shorter grocery list.  I was able to skate through the grocery store picking up items on a whim.  Before you start thinking about all the chocolate, cheese and processed foods I picked up, I'll have you know, my self-control was stellar.  Here's a list of the items I bought that we're not included on the detox:

Hummus (this is one of my faves for snacking)

Clementines 

Flour tortillas and cheese for a celebratory dinner on Day 22

Cheerios for my dear husband

2 Gallons of Skim Milk

Believe me, I considered purchasing a bar of chocolate and then thought better of it.  This lifestyle is truly something I want to continue with.  If I start scarfing down M&Ms and Hershey bars it's totally going to defeat the 21 days I dedicated to this thing.

Here are the days meals:

Day 19!  (2 days to go!)

Breakfast

Eggs and bacon.  I even added a couple handfuls of Spinach to the eggs for a little extra nutrition.

Lunch

Leftover Curry Chicken and Apple Salad.  It was definitely better the second time around

Dinner

Now for my favorite of the day!  Pizza frittata.  Two things impressed me about this meal.  It was extremely flavorful and my little guy couldn't get enough of it.  This one is going down as the first kid-friendly recipe on the detox.

After dinner, I got down to cooking for the week whipping up some oatmeal and homemade crackers.  This was my last cooking hurrah of the detox.  I'm looking forward to a break from slaving away at the stove.

Until tomorrow!

#21DSD ~ Day 18: "The sun is shining and I got to running."

Today I got to run!  If I were to do this whole thing over again, I would still neglect the house but I wouldn't neglect my running.  There's more than one piece to the puzzle and it's not just eating less sugar.  You can't change your nutrition and neglect your physical needs and expect to feel great.  So, I buckled down and laced up my shoes.  Rather than mopping the floors, I opted for a run.  Seeing as how I haven't been out in a while and I'm not eating any sugar (a go to fuel for runners), I took it slow and kept the distance short.  But it was amazing!  With my headphones in and the sun shining, I ran and I promised myself I wouldn't let it go this long again.

Now for the day's events.  I feel like I'm on cruise control.  I'm still cooking a lot, but I'm planning better.  I'm reading the recipes ahead of time and making little things ahead as I have time available.  Here's what was on the menu for today:

Day 18!!!!!!

Breakfast
We went out to eat at our favorite hole in the wall.  I ordered a veggie omelet hold the cheese and lots of coffee.

Lunch
I made Chicken Curry Salad and apples and topped it off with some slices of avocado.  Not my favorite, but
it was light and refreshing.

Dinner
Let me recommend not making a staple item of your pre-detox days.  It will never live up to those recipes.  I made "Jambalaya" for dinner.  It had chicken, pork and shrimp and a bunch of other good things, but nothing could beat the spice and flavor of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix and Keibasa sausage.  This one will be great for leftovers as we finish off our last three days, but after that it's back to our trusty box of Zatarain's.

3 more days and all by the book!

#21DSD ~ Day 17: "Last weekend without wine!"

I know what you’re thinking…”This girl is obsessed with wine.”  It may be hard to believe that there are people out there who can’t go 21 days without their favorite night cap – or at the very least not whine about it all the time.  Count your blessings that my husband gets the brunt of my whining about my wine.  Just four more days until I can open up the pantry and see that beautiful box of red wine sitting there and calling my name.  Oh what a day that will be.  It’s obvious that the first indulgence for me will be wine.  “What about hubby?” you might ask.  Well, he’s already put in his request:  a nice, big, fresh box of Cheerios and not the Honey Nut kind.  Just plain cheerios. 

With four more days, let the dreaming begin. During the day I’ve been dreaming about wine while at night I have dreams about accidentally slipping up and drinking a diet coke.  Half the can is gone by the time I realize what I’ve done and I feel incredibly guilty.  I’ve dreamt about eating cheeseburgers, pizza and fries.  Every morning is the same.  I wake up feeling bummed about my slip-up until I realize it was just a dream.  Phew!  That was a close one.

I’ve been getting a little lazy in the days leading up to the end of the detox.  The only planned out meal for the day was dinner.  Here we go…

Day 17

Breakfast

Almonds.  Yes.  All I ate was almonds.  See what I’m saying about getting lazy?

Lunch

I picked up a scrambled eggs and bacon bowl from Wawa this morning and put it in the fridge for lunch.  It was actually meant to be breakfast, but my morning was packed with meetings and I just didn’t have the time.  So, to the fridge it went and I enjoyed a little breakfast for lunch.

Snack
Some more almonds and a green apple with almond butter.  I couldn't get enough of it.

Dinner

During my lunch break I headed over to the grocery store with a couple recipes in hand.  One was for Paleo Bacon Sea Scallops.  I was looking for a little variety so I went to my 21DSD Pinterest board and found these lovelies.  Man those were delicious.  They were so good, that I was scared I might have not noticed the part of the list that said "No Scallops."  Fortunately, that was not the case.  Any type of seafood is allowed.  This is definitely making my list of faves for menu options post-detox.

Now with just the weekend and two more days after that, I'm feeling a sense of relief that this thing is almost over.  With all the cooking, nearly everything else has been put on the back-burner.  The number one thing that's starting to get on my nerves is the house.  It's a complete and utter mess.  It's so ridiculous that it stresses me out and drives my absolutely insane every time I walk through the door.  Tomorrow I'm going to set my sights on solving this problem.  I refuse to let another day slip by without getting this house back in order.

Until tomorrow....good night y'all.

#21DSD ~ Day 16: "Holy Energy"

Wow!  First off, I really can’t believe it’s day 16.  Second, my energy level is outrageous.  I’ve never gotten so much accomplished in one day at work.  I’m actually beginning to feel the urge to get back into my workout routine.  The first half of this detox was so killer that I thought I would literally implode if I added one more thing to my to do list.  Especially something that requires a lot of energy, some major positive emotion and time.  All three of which were just not happening for me.  At this point in the detox, I figure I’ve got the first two covered.  Now to find the time.  With only five days left, I better get started. 

Just one more thing before I get into the meals for the day, I was looking at my face in the mirror yesterday afternoon and noticed something was different.  My skin tone looked great, my make-up hadn’t caked or grown flaky and my face looked fresh.  Usually by the end of the day, I have to consider a thorough wash and reapply my make-up if I’m planning to go out with friends.  I thought maybe yesterday was a fluke so I monitored myself throughout the day and, sure enough, the afternoon came and my face still looked great.  What can’t this sugar detox accomplish?!

Now on to the day’s meals.  I’m feeling a little guilty because I left hubby to fend for himself.  It’s possible there were enough leftovers in the fridge when he left this morning, but by the time I got up and around there was nothing.  I pulled a couple things out of the freezer, added an apple and a side of guac and called it good.

Day 16

Breakfast

Leftover Spinach and Green Apple Smoothie.  This was surprisingly good after a week in the freezer.  I didn’t have time to let it thaw out completely so I microwaved it and stirred it around a bit until it was completely thawed.  I also added a slice of prosciutto for protein.

Lunch

Prosciutto, baby carrots, almonds and a side of guacamole.  Thank goodness for my emergency kit that I

stocked at the beginning of the week.  The emergency kit was an idea that my lovely mom passed along.  After getting stuck hungry and raving mad at work last week, she called me and very nicely recommended I put one of these together.  I took her advice and created an emergency kit for both myself and my husband.  I’ve snapped a pic for you.  I also added beef jerky to Troy’s kit since he’s into that.

Dinner
We had dinner planned with our community group which meant bringing my own meal and staring longingly at all the pasta and creamy, cheesy goodness that everyone was eating except this time I didn't crave the pasta and I didn't feel like I just had to have a bite of the garlic bread. In fact, I didn't feel deprived at all. I enjoyed the soup I brought from home and was thoroughly satisfied. 

#21DSD ~ Day 15: "I love my food."

I loved my food so much that I just kept on eating today.  Everything I had planned was delicious.  I found that I was full on several occasions.  I was so full, I literally could not eat another bite.  I really enjoyed the fact that I was now feeling completely satisfied after each meal.  I believe there are two really important factors that have led to this change.  One, I've come across some fantastic, mouth-watering, belly-pleasing recipes.  It just goes to show, you should never get stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking.  Try some new things and you just might hit on a recipe that will make Day 15 of your sugar detox a food heaven.  Second, I'm on Day 15 which means I'm a seasoned veteran now, my body can't remember what it was like to have sugar and I'm totally pumped about the 6 remaining days until I can have my glass of red wine.

Now for the meals.  There aren't a lot of pictures on this post because I ate a lot of leftovers.  If your really curious, just reference yesterday's blog.

Day 15 (6 days to go!)

Breakfast - Leftover Oatmeal and coffee.  Like a good little fiscally responsible girl, I brought my coffee from home.  Imagine my delight when I got to the office and there was a huge container of Starbucks coffee on the grab counter.  I'm a store-bought coffee addict.  Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Wawa...it doesn't matter...they are all a treat in my mind.  I was feeling particularly spunky today so I sprinkled in some Cinnamon and got to work.

Snack - My favorite part of the day.  Those home-made crackers I was telling you about were everything I dreamed they would be.  I made my own "cheese" dip which consisted of almonds, garlic, fresh chives and some other things I can't remember.  It was delicious and super filling.

Lunch - I barely finished my left overs of Shrimp Pad Thai.  Not because it wasn't good, but because I was still full from my snack.

Dinner - It's great to have supportive friends.  The plan for the evening was to get together and catch up.  I ate an apple before leaving work.  Enjoyed a hot black tea from Starbucks then proceeded to my friend's house.  She had a wonderful array of sugar-free snacks.  Salami, guacamole and some quinoa chips from Trader Joe's.  Loved it! It was such a treat.

#21DSD ~ Day 14: "Culinary delights"

Whether it was the yummy recipes, less time in the kitchen or simply getting over the lack of sugar...today was awesome!!  Everything was on high alert.  I felt more energized and positive and less hungry.
Today I got it right.  

Even with my late night of cooking, I woke up refreshed and ready to take on the day.  All day I felt like superwoman....now before you start thinking I need to take a dose of humility please reference the last three blog posts.  I worked hard to get to today.  I deserved it and I enjoyed it.

Day 14

Breakfast

Vanilla Bean n Banana Oatmeal.  Of course!  I loved it as always but was bummed that I forgot the nuts.  You know how crazy I am about my nuts.  I was thoroughly disappointed.

Lunch

I can't say enough about lunch.  I cooked this one up last night.  It looked yummy.  It smelled yummy.  It tasted amazing!  I'm so glad I have even more leftovers of this soup waiting in my fridge.  It's called Mexican Chicken Chowder and it's from a new cookbook by Danielle Walker called Against All Grain.  I was so excited when this awesome little book showed up on my front doorstep.  (Love you Amazon Prime)  I just had to pull a recipe from it for this week's menu planning.  

Snacks

I had a Granny Smith apple with almond butter. I wasn't even very hungry for it but figured I should try to stay out in front of my hunger today.  Lesson learned.  Note:  hubby packed away some homemade crackers I made last night.  I was so delighted when he called AND e-mailed to tell me how much he enjoyed them.  Now that's a winner.  Can't wait for my turn with those tomorrow.

Dinner

Another favorite...Shrimp Pad Thai (and chicken).  I love this recipe because I can pull out my nifty little toy.  It's a vegetable noodle maker and it works miracles on zucchinis.  Imagine a pasta made out of zucchinis.  What can be healthier than that?  Even better, it's super easy to put together and turns out noodles in minutes.  I realize I'm beginning to sound like an infomercial, but for just $29.95 +shipping and handling you can change your life.  Just look at those babies steaming up a storm.  And if that doesn't work for you I have another picture of the end product.   And it was delish!

Another day down and getting in the groove.

#21DSD ~ Day 13: "Short and sweet"

Today was a real turning point for me.  The short of it?  today was a good day.  The sweet of it?  No cravings, no temptations, no cheating.  I now feel like I could really finish this thing.

I’m going to keep it short because I’ve spent most of my time grocery shopping and preparing meals for the week ahead.  All I have is my lunch hour to get this thing out so here goes:

Day 13!  I can’t believe I made it this far.

Breakfast

Rather than scarfing down my boys’ donuts and cheating as I seriously contemplated this morning, I settled for a green smoothie and some coffee.  I’m so thankful that I stuck with it.  Once breakfast passed, I no longer felt the urge to cheat.

Lunch

I ordered in a portobello mushroom cap with roasted red peppers, extra spinach and a side of julienne

vegetables.  It was surprisingly delish!

Dinner

I ate dinner at my desk as the plan was to grocery shop over the dinner hour.  Dinner consisted of pistachios, two hard-boiled eggs, carrots and a green apple.  I topped it off with a slice of fresh prosciutto from the deli at the grocery store.  After trying that freshly sliced prosciutto I am never going back to pre-packaged.  It was amazing! 

I was motivated to cook and ready to enjoy myself.  Promptly upon arriving home I set to unpacking the groceries and cooking up some soup, the next day’s breakfast and some home-made crackers.  I took the liberty of sneaking bites periodically.  Boy am I excited to have these meals over the next couple days.

I was so pumped and energized that by the time I went to bed a 11 p.m. I was still not tired.  I think I’m finally reaping the benefits of this whole darn thing.

Thank you to all for your support.  Just 7 days to go!!  And all by the book.

#21DSD ~ Day 10-12: "Can I just quit now?"

I’m pretty sure I've seriously considered quitting about 5 times a day over the last three days.  Most people on these detoxes experience their crash between days three and five.  For me, it hit over the weekend.  I've been somewhat of an emotional basket case.  Hangry would be one way to describe it.  On top of that, I feel like crap.  I’ve been waking up with headaches, feeling down but not knowing why and crying at the drop of a hat.  I really wanted to get on here and tell you all that this detox is easy.  Everyone should do it.  But, to be perfectly honest, it’s way harder than I thought it would be.  It’s one thing to cut carbs, but it’s a whole other matter to cut sugar.  I’m realizing that this “detox” is not just lip service.  You really are detoxing from a major ingredient that your body has become dependent on.

Every time I sit down to eat, I need to muster up my motivation to make it through one more meal.  Every time I wake up, I need to encourage myself to start the day fresh and get through it without cheating.  And thanks to my readers out there.  I won’t cheat.  I can’t let you all down.  Or at least that’s what I tell myself at six in the morning when I want to break down and eat a donut. 

As for my meals, I’ll give you the highlights…

Day 10

I cashed in my leftovers.  I had leftover Oatmeal for breakfast and we enjoyed leftover meatza for dinner.  I was grateful for a lunch meeting at which I could order in a salad with some olive oil for dressing. 

I tried to convince hubby to pick up wine, again, and was denied.  Instead I indulged in some hot tea.  Not exactly wine, but it was enough to satisfy my craving to slowly sip on a beverage before bed.

Day 11

Still no cooking!  It was awesome.  We went out to breakfast where I ordered two fried eggs and a side of bacon.  Lunch was a mish mash of things leftover in the kitchen.  Prosciutto, sliced English cucumbers, baby carrots, guacamole and sliced green apples with almond butter. 

Dinner will get its own paragraph because it was the absolute hardest moment in time for me on this detox.  We showed up to this wonderful restaurant known for gluten free options, fresh seasonal ingredients and low calorie meals.  Perfect!  Except they have this wonderful bar area where a musician is playing and people are cheerily talking and drinking martinis and wine.  Ughh!  I wanted a glass of red wine like it was nobody’s business.  We sat in the lobby for a few minutes feeling miserable.  I finally decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and we walked into the bar and did the unspeakable….we ordered a hot tea and coffee.  It was wonderful.  I could still enjoy the atmosphere and sip on something without cheating on the detox.  When we sat down to our meal the waiter asked San Pellegrino or tap water?  San Pellegrino, of course.  Hubby gave me a weird look and I replied with “if I can’t indulge in wine, I’m going to indulge in water.”  It was fabulous.  The meal was also wonderful.  We ordered chili rellenos for an appetizer which is essentially a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with chicken and chopped bell peppers.  Followed up with a side of lobster and a filet with roasted mushrooms (I really almost typed marshmallows here…you can tell where my head is at) and spinach.  We got to talking and discovered that we’re both really struggling with this. 

Day 12

I whipped up some green smoothies since I had all the ingredients.  I just had to substitute kale for the spinach.  And we enjoyed some leftover quiche that I had frozen from the week before.  Promptly upon entering church, my boys grabbed a donut, took a few bites and handed them over to me for safe keeping.  They have no idea!  I quickly found a spot to set them down and brushed the icing off my fingers before I had a chance to lick them.  We had lunch out which was basically a burger without the bun and a side of veggies.  Again, I ordered a hot beverage to keep myself busy and thoroughly distracted.  This has definitely become my go to strategy for making it through this detox.  We were so hungry mid-afternoon that we snacked on some nuts, more veggies and guacamole and apples with almond butter.  By the time dinner came around, we still felt unsatisfied but not necessarily hungry.  I made some Sesame Salmon with Balsamic Red Cabbage.  I think I was just going through the motions because when we sat down, we were both

barely hungry and unable to completely finish our meals.

Tomorrow is another day and I’m hoping to regain my strength and motivation to finish this out strong.  Wish us luck!

#21DSD ~ Day 9: "I think I'm going to turn into a nut."

I think I might turn into a nut.  Maybe a Macadamia nut or an Almond nut, but definitely some kind of nut.  The winter storm rolled through leaving me stuck in the house which means my snacking radar was on high alert.  And seeing how my quick grab and go options were limited and I didn’t feel like creating a snack from scratch, I ate a lot of nuts.  Handfuls and handfuls.  I completely lost count and by the time dinner rolled around I wasn’t very hungry.  I don’t know what has gotten into me the last couple of days but I really want to go back in time to Days 1-5 when I felt completely satisfied with each meal and I wasn’t on that emotional rollercoaster of hunger.  To make matters worse, my boys have brought home their Valentine’s candy and are constantly waving it around in my face.  Asking me to hold half-eaten lollipops and open mini packages of chocolate.  You’re killing me!

The meals for the day weren’t bad. 

Day 9

Breakfast

I started whipping up some scrambled eggs and remembered I had a zucchini in the fridge that I hadn’t used yet.  So I chopped that up and added it to the eggs.  I decided to bake the bacon rather than fry it and let me tell you, that was the best bacon I have ever cooked.  Yum!

Lunch

We had leftover chicken chili from the night before along with a coconut biscuit and a sliced green apple with almond butter.  Super tasty.

Snack

Macadamia nuts, hard-boiled egg, Macadamia nuts, Almonds, 2 more Macadamia nuts just to tide me over until dinner.  Almonds dipped in guacamole and a slice of prosciutto.  No wonder I wasn’t hungry for dinner.

Dinner

Pulled Pork and roasted turnips and broccoli with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.  Yay for leftovers!  They make life so much easier.

Now, as for Day 10, I want to have words with you.  No more taunting me with my kids’ candy, don’t you dare let me eat gobs and gobs of nuts and please let me go one day without craving endless amounts of food.

#21DSD ~ Day 8: "I'm hungry all the time. All the time I'm hungry."

This was bound to happen.  I was just cruising along until - bam! - things started to get hard.  I mean really hard.  Today I was well prepared so it wasn't an issue of food, I was just plain hungry and nothing I ate felt satisfying.  Between planned meals and snacks I scarfed down handfuls of Macadamia nuts, consumed an apple so quickly I  barely had time to swallow or breathe, and picked at the biscuits I had cooling on the stove wishing I could just pile them all on a plate and go to town.  Prior to leaving work I called Troy with the objective of convincing him to cheat on our diet and pick up some wine on the way home.  When he denied me, I abruptly hung up like a little school girl throwing a temper tantrum.  Today was a hard day!  It was also one of those days that highlights the benefit of not doing this alone.  Without my hubby, I surely would have fallen off the wagon.


Day 8
Breakfast
Now for what I ate.  I was so happy to have this leftover oatmeal.  This is surely going to be a staple of my diet post 21DSD.  I loved the added chopped Hazelnuts and Macadamias.  I don't think I would be able to survive the detox without this recipe.

In between meals I snacked on a handful of almonds I had packed for today.

Lunch
Work has been packed with meetings lately so I needed a quick and easy lunch.  Today it was prosciutto, guacamole and a green apple.

By mid-afternoon I was starved so I ate my very last morsel of food...a hard-boiled egg....and crossed my fingers that this would take me through to dinner.

Dinner
By this time I was a raving mad-woman with two raving mad kids.  We arrived home to discover our furnace was out and as our handy man was not yet home and I wasn't in the mood to sit and wait in a 54 degree house, I called up the husband to have him walk me through it.  I realized almost immediately that there was no way I was going to make it through this ordeal if I didn't eat something quick.  Unfortunately this realization didn't hit until after I had made a fool out of myself on the phone.  I quickly shoved some Macadamia nuts in my mouth and got to work.  Several lost calls, some yelling (by the kids and mommy) and a few trips to the furnace and back our heat was on.  On to the next emergency.  Food!!  My crockpot meal was ready to go but my body was craving more.  I quickly whipped up some biscuits made with coconut flour, rosemary and coconut oil.  These baked up to perfectly scrumptious little rolls.  I scarfed one down pre-dinner.

By the time we finally sat down to eat it was a little past seven, but the meal was worth the wait.  I dished out the chicken chili and topped it with some chopped avocados for the perfect winter storm meal.  And because this was a Crockpot meal, the post dinner clean-up was very manageable and I have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

#21DSD ~ Day 7: "Cutting corners not meals."

I committed the cardinal sin when eating healthy.  I skipped breakfast!  I would say that it slipped my mind as I was leaving the house, but in reality, I was just too darn lazy to open the fridge and throw a few things in a bag for breakfast and snacking.  I was riding on the mentality that I could figure it out as I go.  Big mistake!  By 11:45 a.m. I felt moderately hungry while my body felt completely deprived.  When standing too fast I even felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded.  I called in an order for a grilled chicken salad hoping this would make up for my missed breakfast and snack as well as sustain me for the afternoon.  By 1:30 p.m. I was so hungry I had to make myself a hot tea just to keep myself busy with something.  I walked aimlessly around the office hoping to catch sight of something that would be detox approved ready to swipe, steal and scarf down anything I came upon.  No luck.

Emergency Snack Pack

In between meetings I rushed across the street to Wawa to pick up an emergency snack consisting of carrots, hard-boiled eggs and a green apple.  I ate them all at once and immediately felt better.  Let’s just say I won’t let that happen again.  It was not worth the extra trips out of the office and the extra money spent on food.  It's fine to cut corners but not meals.  Over my lunch break I worked hard to plan out some more simplistic and less time consuming meals and worked in some easy snack ideas.  I will not leave this house this week without my food!

A post-work grocery shopping trip was next on the list.  It just so happens that the timing also makes this a pre-storm stock-up.  The produce section was out of bananas and the aisles were jammed with people.  I got the essentials and got out of there scarfing down some prosciutto and an apple on the way home.  Tonight's meal preparation was pretty simple.  I made a double batch of the Vanilla Bean Banana n Oatmeal with my last two bananas.  I through in some chopped Macadamias and Hazelnuts and put it in the fridge to chill overnight.  

I have to admit, the lack of preparation sent me reeling with sugar cravings today.  To avoid any more temptations I'm just going to take my sorry butt to bed.  Wishing for dreams of creamy chocolate and cheesy bliss.

We are now one week into our sugar detox.  Two more to go!  This week I have crockpot meals planned and some simple dinner options.  Crockpot meals are a great way to cut corners and ease the stress of menu planning and detoxing.  More tomorrow.

#21DSD ~ Day 5 &6: Eat the beef....Filet's, Rib-eyes and hamburgers, oh my!

Days five and six were spent away from home.  I was super excited about this trip as it meant no cooking and cleaning for the next two days.  Hallelujah!  However, I wasn't quite sure yet how hard it would be to stick to this detox when away from home and how tempted I would feel about indulging in a glass of wine. I learned two lessons while away.

Lesson #1  You can always find a meal that fits into your detox plan and, trust me, there are some very tasty options out there.

Lesson #2  If you find yourself with extremely low self control and cannot resist ordering a glass of wine, make it a very dry red.

We started out with a casual eat-in lunch cafeteria style.  I went for sushi and tried to feel satisfied and full while my husband scarfed down this ginormous bun-less hamburger.  It was the first time my mouth has watered at the sight of food in days.  I couldn't resist and swiped a couple bites.  Sometimes a little grease and a big hunk of meat are just the things a husband needs to make it through this detox.

Dinner was Filet Mignon.  The picture says it all.  It was amazing and so encouraging to be enjoying food while on a "diet."

The next morning we stopped for breakfast at another cute restaurant with a mouthwatering menu.  My favorite meal option for breakfast out is an omelet.  This one really spoiled me.  Lobster and bacon.  I think we could get used to this.  Unfortunately, it was time to head home and back to reality.  No more fancy restaurant meals and definitely no more wine.

We stopped for lunch on the way back.  I was feeling a veggie deficit and ordered a salad with no dressing.  I was somewhat skeptical that I would love this salad but the avocado, red onion and bacon bits provided plenty of flavor.  I was pleasantly surprised that I could enjoy a salad without the dressing.  And it looked pretty good too.

My Friday evening labors paid off when I discovered that I could easily reheat the meatloaf and mashed parsnips for a quick and easy meal.  Now I'm off to adjusting this week's menu in the hopes of reducing the time I spend in the kitchen.

#21DSD ~ Day 4 "Pass me a drink."

Today was especially challenging.  I woke up a raving lunatic and went to bed a tranquilized sugar detoxer.  Today was a tough day. I woke up determined to cook my husband enough food to avoid any hunger pangs he could possibly feel.  That resulted in two hours of cooking up Sausage "Biscuits" and a "Crustless Quiche" that could be used for days of leftovers down the road.  The sausage biscuits were to die for.  I scarfed down the biscuits like I hadn't enjoyed a slice of bread in years.  I had to gulp down water just to avoid choking on the "carbs."

Then lunch came.  I was not looking forward to lunch.  So much so that I waited until 2 p.m. to even think about lunch time.  I ended up with leftovers of the meatloaf that I made the previous night.  With the lack of hunger I ended up waiting until snack time when I really got down to enjoying my food.  A slice green apple and almond butter.  This is my favorite.

We had guests over for dinner so I went with an easy Chicken Tortilla-less Soup.  It was something everyone could enjoy while I could basque in the wonderful idea of cooking a meal that did not require the use of several different cooking tools, hours worth of chopping and even more hours worth of cleaning up.  And the meal looked very presentable if I do say so myself.  Now I will also have to admit that I googled sugar'less drinks and discovered the vodka, gin and whiskey all fell into that category so I enjoyed a vodka with water and lime.  I loved it.

#21DSD ~ Day 3 "Drastic times call for drastic measures."

Isn't that just the truth.  I am sorry for what I said when I was hungry.  Sorry to the lady in the grocery store for knocking into your cart and then remarking to you how you should not leave your cart in the middle of the aisle.  Sorry to my kids whom I shushed last night.  When they asked why, I replied with "you're being annoying."  And sorry to those of you who call me just before lunch and want to talk business.  All I can think about is getting to my lunch that is sitting in the fridge and calling my name.  Haven't you figured out by now that 11:45 a.m. is just not the right time?  Anyway, on to more important things.  Like cutting sugar out of your diet and then tempting yourself with the sweet delectable treats that you were stupid enough to stock up on before this detox.

When you find yourself lacking self-control get rid of the temptation.  Throw that leftover Pop Tart out the window.  I know it’s been sitting on the dirty floor of the car but sugar is like a drug addiction.  You don’t care where it came from you just know you want it.  Admit it…you’ve picked up snacks your kid has dropped on the floor and popped them in your mouth.  Only to turn around and find your child with the saddest most pitiful look on his face remarking “Mommy, don’t eat my snack.”  If you’ve never found yourself in this situation then – on second thought – maybe you don’t need to try out this whole sugar detox thing.  Either that or I’m just plain crazy.  This morning when I got back into the car after dropping the kids off, I glanced down to see Taylor’s leftover Pop Tart on the center console.  First thought “One little bite won’t hurt.”  Second thought “I must get this out of the car.”  Emergency ejection commenced.  I rolled down my window and chucked it out.  Problem solved.  Until I was gathering my work gear from the back seat and found a package of mini muffins on the floor.  Plan B.  Stomp on them until they no longer resemble yummy, edible plumps of sweet goodness.  Then throw them in the trash.  Now off to my office which sits no more than 100 feet from a 20 foot shelf of all the carb-loaded snacks a girl could dream of.  Drastic times call for drastic measures. 

Despite the morning temptations, I found myself feeling pretty good today.  I filled up on all my meals without ever fully finishing a meal and felt energized and upbeat the rest of the day.

Here’s the rundown of my menu for the day:

Day 3

Breakfast

Leftover Vanilla Bean Banana n’ Oatmeal.  I think it tasted even better the second day.  I got about halfway through it and felt full.  I actually was about to keep eating when this realization kicked in.  So I just stopped eating.  It was crazy and unbelievable but I really wasn’t hungry anymore.  I’m pretty sure this is the result of cutting out sugar.  I believe the taste of sugar works to encourage more cravings and less satiation.

Lunch
I meant to eat a snack since I had a one o' clock meeting that would delay my lunch until two.  Trust

me...you don't want to be Hangry when going into a meeting with your boss.  Surprisingly, I felt fine!  A couple times during the meeting I thought "Here it comes.  Any minute now I'm going to turn into a snarky bitch" until the meeting was over and I realized it never happened.  And the leftover tuna tasted much better today.  I paired that with my remaining 8 oz. of Kombucha and, again, felt satisfied enough that I didn't even finish my lunch.
Easy shortcut for on the go is Wholly Guacamole's 100 calorie packs.  They also pack way more flavor than avocado slices as they include dried jalapeno, garlic and salt.  I think this really added a lot of flavor to the meal.

Dinner
This is where it all went down hill.  I snacked on some Almonds while preparing a meatloaf and cooking parsnip mashed potatoes.  As the meal was nearing complete (and I had begun to get extremely hungry as the time was nearing eight 'o clock) I removed the meatloaf from the oven only to find it needed 20 more minutes of cook time.  Thankfully I had some hard boiled eggs in the fridge.  I quickly scarfed one down and waited for the timer to go off.  The meatloaf turned out to be great.  The parsnip mash was not my favorite.  It had this overwhelming sweet taste that I just couldn't deal with.

Now as I finish up this blog and look forward to crashing for the evening, I'm reconsidering tomorrow's breakfast.  Spend another 40 minutes in the kitchen cooking up a quiche or fry some eggs and bacon?  Only tomorrow will tell.

#21DSD ~ Day 2 "I did not eat the pizza!"

Oh man!  I needed this quote today.  It’s definitely not going to be easy.  I am straight up exhausted from yesterday and it’s not because of the absence of sugar.  I think that’s how people are so successful with the plan.  They spend the first few days elbow deep in almond meal, ground beef, coconut milk and greens that they have little time to crave even a little teaspoon of something sweet.  On the plus side, I woke up this morning, threw all of my prepared foods in a bag and was ready to go.  That’s got to be worth the trouble, right?

Before I go into details on today’s meals, I just need to send a shout out to my husband who completed Day One AND Two all by the book.  No cheating!  You are awesome!

Here we go!

Day Two

Breakfast

This is my favorite detox breakfast.  It’s called Banana Vanilla Bean n’ Oatmeal.  Of course, there is no oatmeal in this concoction.  It’s coconut milk, eggs, a green-tipped banana and chia seeds.  Chilled overnight it resembles the texture of oatmeal and is a great meal to tame your hunger until lunch.

Lunch

Jalapeno-Dill Tuna Salad.  This is served up with half an avocado.  First bite.  I do not like tuna.  Second bite.  I could get used to this.  Third bite.  I better like this because I have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch and I'm going on a cooking strike tonight.  I will not let cooking control my life.  The pen marks that are still on the wall in our living room, the toys all over the floor and the pile of dishes in the sink might say otherwise.

Snack...this was more like grazing.  I started with 8 oz. of Kombucha (this is a probiotic) and moved on to a green apple later in the afternoon.  That seemed to quell whatever creeping hunger I usually feel around 3 p.m.  My new fave is to enjoy a hot tea in the late afternoon as something to do while I finish out my work day.

Dinner
Leftover Meatza!  What better option to take to a party where pizza is the main dish.  Granted, I was salivating over all the cheese and crust surrounding me.  I even contemplated stealing a bite or two.  I thought better of it.  What could be more embarrassing then bringing this sad excuse for a pizza to a group gathering?  Answer:  being caught scarfing down someone else's pizza like an invalid.

That wraps another day.  My cravings for sugar have been mild.  I've noticed that when I crave something sugary like a bite of my son's Pop Tart or just picking at snacks throughout the day, I'm not actually hungry.  I'm just salivating over the addictive flavors of food that's really not good for you.  It's definitely intriguing to me that I could sit down and eat an entire pizza but when I put a balanced meal on the table, I generally eat until I'm satisfied.  No more and no less.  I guess our bodies really were designed for fresh whole foods over food made with ingredients I can't pronounce.

I'm sure day three will smack me in the face and put me right back in my place.  They say you begin to feel flu like symptoms on day three.  Well, I'll give it a go.

Good night!

#21DSD ~ Day 1. “I didn’t open the Cheez-Its.”

Prior to starting this program I had been dabbling here and there with some sugar detox recipes that are, to be honest, way better than expected.  You could even call them satisfying and delicious.  The real gauge of a good meal is the husband’s reaction and surprisingly – or not so surprising – he enjoys a diet that consists of stir fry beef, meatballs and any other meaty and fatty protein we can conjure up.  We generally ignore the kids because if it’s not chicken nuggets and ketchup it won’t fly in their book.  We’ll work on them a little later.  After the kids initial reactions of “I don’t like this” and my response of “you haven’t even tasted it” we sit down to enjoy a meal that is completely satisfying in that “I don’t feel like secretly scarfing handfuls of Cheez-Its after this” way.

Here we go!

Day 1

Breakfast

The Green Smoothie

Last night while the kids were – unbeknownst to us – drawing on the wall in the family room, I buckled down to make a green smoothie.  Now you might be wondering “What makes it green?”  Answer:  Spinach and avocado.  Of course, the green apple and coconut milk work hard to add flavor and creaminess.  I love smoothies because I can drink them in the car on the way to work.  I also boiled a half dozen eggs last night for snacking and breakfast options.  Today, I chose to eat the hard-boiled egg for breakfast.  And because it’s Day 1, I treated myself to a Dunkin Donuts coffee.  Black, of course.  I sprinkled a little cinnamon in there because it adds a nice flavor but it also has some great health benefits like lowering cholesterol, regulating blood sugar as well as providing some key nutrients like manganese, fiber, iron and calcium.  It’s a great natural remedy.  Just google it.

Lunch

This was a quick and easy lunch solution since I didn't make dinner last night (I was on a crazy grocery trip buying up all the fruits and veggies and meat I could find).  It's prosciutto, Wholly Guacamole's 100 calorie pack of plain Guac and cucumber slices for dipping.  Like chips, except they aren't chips.  Rounding out the meal is a banana that looked green-tipped yesterday but now appears to be ripe.  (You can only eat green-tipped bananas on this diet as they are less sweet)

Snack

I usually break for a snack about mid-afternoon as I don't usually get dinner on the table until 7 p.m.  Without a snack I would definitely be one "Hangry" mama (Hungy +Angry = Hangry) by the time I greet my family in the evening.  Snack consisted of a handful of unsalted Almonds and a cup of my favorite "green juice."  I love Kale juice made with Granny Smith Apples.  It's just the right combo of sweet and tart with a hint of Kale.  I (when I say I, I mean my husband) likes to make Kale juice about twice a month.  That's about as often as I remember to buy the ingredients and my husband is willing to lug out the big juicer.  The kids even get a taster.  It's our very own juice bar.

Dinner

Meatza!  Basically Pizza without the crust.  The crust is just one big hamburger patty.  And let me tell you!  that was one good hamburger patty.  I spent all night cooking because I decided to make extra patties to freeze, plus leftovers for tomorrow's dinner.  I also spent the evening preparing lunch and breakfast for the next day with extra batches of breakfast to freeze for next week.  I'm hoping the late night tonight will pay off in the end.

Now that I'm deliriously tired and second-thinking this whole detox thing, I probably should sign off and go to bed.  More tomorrow.

#21DSD ~ Day 0

There are some people who will read this and think I’ve gone crazy overboard with all this nutrition babble.  And there are some people who will read this and think this sounds interesting and bookmark it as something to do in the future.  While others may think this is just the right time to begin making changes to their diet.  I’m writing this series of blog posts for this last group.  People who have been thinking and dabbling in learning more about nutrition and are looking for ways to jumpstart their path to better health and fitness.

It was June of last year when I began to feel convicted about nutrition and fitness.  I was hearing a lot about Paleo diets and was becoming very intrigued by the philosophy behind it all.  Throughout the summer I embarked on a fitness and nutrition plan that involved eating whole foods and working out 6 days a week (let’s be real, the 6 days was more like 4 or 5, but it still did the job).  If you’re curious, you can find the guide I was using on Amazon called the 30-day Method by Tracy Anderson.  The program kicked my butt.  In other words, it did the job right.

In the fall, I got started on a book called Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  I completed a 30-day program on a Paleo diet and then continued to dabble in it throughout the holidays.  When I look back on all the little menu plans and nutrition philosophies I was experimenting with it seems to be a bit schizophrenic, but I truly feel that all of this is simply helping me to identify the right way to model my nutrition for myself and my family.  I’ve become more skilled at putting together healthy meals and have even grown to enjoy steamed broccoli and mashed parsnips as a side.  I feel completely adept at identifying obscure vegetables and talking about the difference in cooking oils.  My fruit and veggie drawers in my fridge actually contain fruit and veggies rather than a six-pack of beer and extra diet cokes.  My husband continues to roll his eyes at me during my prolonged nutrition rants, but deep down he loves me for it.  Besides, he owes me for all the times I listen to him drone on and on about this car and that car and horsepower and torque and blah, blah, blah. 

So, now to the point of this post.  I’ve been feeling convicted about sugar and its effects on our body.  Sugar can drive the strongest of cravings and send us on an emotional rollercoaster when overdone.  Now before you start thinking this isn’t the plan for you because you don’t crave candy, start reading labels, you’ll discover sugar hiding in most of the foods you eat, from tomato and barbecue sauce to bread and French fries.  And it’s even more amazing how your body craves these foods for the sugar content.  The point of this program is to bring your taste for sugar down to a more healthy level where fruits begin to taste sweeter than before and your satisfied with a smaller portion of these foods.

I’m writing this out for you because it was the blogging of other nutritionists and people on similar journeys that helped me throughout my own journey and I would like to pay it forward.  So, every day for the next 21 days of my detox I will be blogging.  If you are interested in what I’m eating, how I’m feeling and how the program is working, then please follow this blog.  I have found reading blogs to be motivating, inspiring and encouraging for those who are interested in pursuing a similar program.  If you find all of this self-talk to be annoying and you believe that I love to just talk about myself (I do) and I’m too obsessed with nutrition (I am) then feel free to pass on this one.  I completely understand. 

Somehow, I’ve convinced my kind and loving husband to complete this detox with me.  Two is always better than one.  To complete a program like this, you’re going to need the support of others.  The book and recipes I am using are from Diane Sanfilippo.  You can learn more about her program on her website Balanced Bites.