sunday funday

Happy MLK day everyone! I didn’t have school today and I got to sleep in really late! Probably my last time to do that for awhile. I am now sipping on a cup of joe and enjoying this cool- cloudy-auspicious morn. 

Yesterday was a very full and awesome day for me.

It started off with a little church.

Then went to see an amazing movie.

And then off to a wonderful dinner party hosted by my lovely, Lydia Grey.

Food is just one of Lydia’s many passions but it’s certainly a big one. This little lady can cook, ya’ll!

As usual, I was blown away with her menu:

caramelized leeks with black eyed peas,

roasted cauliflower soup with sage butter and walnuts

 kale salad,

oat soda bread

 and chocolate pomegranate tart!

It was all very healthy (notice she didn’t cook any meat due to my recent switch to Vegetarianism.) and very delicious.

And of course I enjoyed fellowshipping with lots of old and new friends.

I hope your Sunday was as good as mine. I just love Sundays. 

at last

Today was a happy day for me.

I broke my fast.

I lasted for 12 days. Actually 11and ¾. But who’s counting;)

I made a very expensive trip to Rainbow Whole Foods after yoga this afternoon and purchased a lot of organic produce. And some other yummy things as well. Including the much dreamt of Almond Butter;)

I then came home and juiced my little heart out. I borrowed my Mother's Champion Juicer, which is what I grew up with, and I absolutely love it!

Carrots, Beets, and Apple.

And then Carrots, Beets, and Celery, and Ginger!

And then my tummy started to growl.

And I gave in.

That Almond butter has been calling my name for days now! I got a little carried away and ended up eating 2 whole apples dipped in Almond butter and then home-made granola I bought at Rainbow. I might have over-done it but boy it tasted good!

Although this cleanse was a little harder than the others I’ve done, it was well worth it. I have glowing skin, am more grounded and aware of my surroundings (boy, are all my senses heightened!) and best yet, my jeans fit again. Hooray!!

On another note, I started my Physics class today. Looks like it’s going to be a doozy. Lots of studying will commence shortly.

And I started up a team for Relay For Life 2011!!! So, If you are interested in being a part of my team or just donating a little of your money, please let me know! Any amount will be appreciated!

Other than that,

Happy Hump Day, Bloggers!

saturday nights

Saturday night.

This is how I use to spend Saturday nights (and all the rest of the nights for that matter)

And now, this is how I choose to spend my Saturday nights.

That’s right, my life today is soooooo much more simple.

And for that, I am internally and eternally grateful. 

Happy Saturday, Friends! I hope you are enjoying a warm, simple evening with your loved ones. Can't wait to see about the blizzard that's supposed to hit us tomorrow! Yikes! We shall see;)

half way there

Half Way There!

Hooray! 

Day 7 of the infamous Master Cleanse is underway.

The past few days have been non-eventful.

Let me elaborate.

Tuesday: Lydia and I went to see Black Swan. My second time seeing it. That film is absolutely riveting. I could even be easily persuaded to go see it again;)  If Natalie Portman doesn’t win the Oscar, I will resume to eating as much sugar as possible.

NOT.

Wednesday: I did absolutely nothing all day.

And then I went to work. From 5-11pm.

I managed to walk away with just this little purchase.

I think it will be perfect for some upcoming engagement parties.

Thursday: Went to the theatre to see True Grit. Absolutely adored this film. And fell in love with the protagonist, Mattie Ross.

If you have NOT seen it yet, hop to it. The Coen Brothers have done it again;)

I plan on seeing Country Strong a.s.a.p.

Probably this evening or tomorrow matinee. And it will receive it’s own blog, I’m sure. Seeing as it has my all-time- favorite actress in the whole-wide-world-GWYNETH PALTROW!

Oh yeah. The Cleanse.

It’s going.

I woke up Wednesday morning having dreamt of nothing but sugar and this little dish……

 (cream cheese and pepper jelly)

I know, I know. Weird.

 I’m fairing pretty well I think.

I’ve managed to get to the gym everyday since Monday. Doing about 40-60 minutes on the Elliptical.

And this evening, after over a month and a half hiatus from yoga, I am returning. Thank. God.

5:30 can’t come soon enough. Nor can seeing one of my favorite instructors and dear friend,  Tara Blumenthal!

Happy Weekend Loyal Followers (all 12 of you that is. hehe;) 

Day 3

I finally feel I’m over the hump.

The first 2 days on the Master Cleanse are rough. Really rough. But usually by day 3, I start to have more energy and don’t feel any hunger pains. And that’s exactly what happened today. Thankfully.

I even went to the gym. I only did the elliptical for 45 minutes but it sure did feel good to move my limbs a bit. I’ve been lying on the couch for the past 2 days trying to make sure I didn’t get a migraine from detoxing all the sugar out of my body. Thank goodness my daddy gave me some migraine medicine on my last trip to Meridian. I used all of them;)

This is what I’ve been thinking about today.

You know, they say you are what you eat?

Well, if that’s the case, for the last 6 months, this is what I’ve been.

Peanut Butter M&M’s

Lifesaver Sour Gummies

Sour Patch Kids

Whoppers!!

Wow! That just made me miss those sugary-sweet goodness a little more than I thought it would. Oh well. Goodbye Junk Foods that want to make my body sick!

This is what I aim to be:

Tofu Stir fry

  

Big Salads

Homemade Almond Butter

Homemade Peanut Butter

Brown Rice

Fresh Veggies

Tofu

Fresh Fruit

as you might have guessed from the above pictures, I'm strongly leaning towards going Vegetarian again!

Most of you that know me know that growing up, all of my family was mostly vegetarian. In fact, I didn't eat meat for about 16 years of my life. I started eating meat again when I was 19. 

The only dilemma I face is that I love fish. 

Which would technically make me a pescetarian.

stay tuned on more thoughts about this possible lifestyle change.

Happy First Monday of 2011! 

The Master Cleanse

Happy New Year! 

I hope everyone has gotten off to a good start in 2011. As tradition would beckon, I have once again begun the Master Cleanse. I think I’ve done this cleanse the past 3 new years in a row. I also did the cleanse in  June 2010 and can’t tell you how many amazing benefits I saw as a result of the cleanse.

To gain a better understanding of what the master cleanse is. Please click on the link and read all about it. The web is full of information on the master cleanse.

In a nutshell, the Master Cleanse is this:

§                         The diet takes at least 10 days (up to 40 days, the period of time that Jesus fasted after his baptism, as Burroughs points out)

§                         The only nourishment that you take is a special lemonade concoction made from the Master Cleanse ingredients: lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water, six to twelve glasses per day, each glass containing about 110 calories in sugar carbohydrates

§                         An herbal laxative tea is drunk at night and a quart of salt water is drunk first thing in the morning, resulting in several liquid bowel movements every day — you need to always be near a toilet when you do this diet, and you need to stock up on toilet paper

§                         You come off the diet by transitioning to solid food over a few days, ideally becoming a raw food vegetarian in Stanley Burroughs’ version of the diet.

Why am I doing the master cleanse?

I’ll tell you.

Over the past year and a half I have cut out the majority of my vices. I quit drinking. I quit using mood altering substances, and I quit smoking. But when I cut everything out, my body began to crave sugar. More sugar than normal. In fact, I have eaten more sugar over the past 6 months than I probably ever have in my life. And I’m not just talking about a sweet tooth, I’m talking about butt- loads of candy.

This, as you may guess, is not a good thing.

My remedy to get off of sugar is the Master Cleanse.

I am vowing to stay away from sugar for all of 2011.

Yes, I realize that it may be pushing the envelope a bit but I have found that once I begin to eat sugar (like most everything else in my life) I can’t stop on my own. I am just as addicted to sugar as I was to alcohol and drugs.

So, the master cleanse isn’t really about losing weight for me (although I am elated to drop a few of the 15 pounds I gained during the months of November and December) it’s more about embracing a new life style …a healthier lifestyle. One that does not include sugar.

I will be cleansing from Jan 1^st (today) to January 14^th. I will gradually transition back to solid food beginning January 15^th. I have never done the cleanse for longer than 10 days but I’m really “feeling” it this time. So, I’m going to stretch my limit.

Am I crazy?

Hell yes.

But if you know me, then you already knew that.

 I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in prayer and meditation for the new year as I cleanse. I'm also excited about reading a book my mother gave me, Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott.

Here’s to a new year, a new me, and a new you.

Happy 2011!