8 out of 21 Days Without Sugar, Dairy and Fruit Completed

I am going to be brutally honest- this sucked (at first)! I can't imagine how miserable one might be if they started this while they were eating a SAD (Standard American Diet). Luckily, I was already primal and was only hooked on natural sugars, fruits and dairy. Here is a little synopsis of my week with no sugar. I promise it is only 2 days that were bad- I am guessing they were my days of full detox.

Day 1: I was on an encouragement high and felt excited to start. I didn't crave sugar, dairy or sweets at all and this was an easy day.

• Breakfast: I got up early and made eggs with chicken, avocado, tomato and peppers.
• I sipped on decaf coffee throughout my morning.
• Lunch: a huge salad with lots of veggies and sunflower seeds
• Snacked on some cashews and almonds
• Dinner: Grilled Chicken and sauteed carrots

Day 2: I was okay until a kid brought me some chocolates- he walked out of the room and I ran to them and threw them in the trash shouting AWAY TEMPTATION AWAY! I wasn't too upset or mad about not eating the junk food. I was actually still feeling pretty good

• Breakfast: Eggs and tomato with my decaf coffee
• Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, Broccoli and a tomato/cucumber salad with balsamic vinegar
• Snacked on some carrots or nuts in the mid afternoon
• Dinner: We had dinner with friends and they cooked us some Korean Beef Lettuce wraps, Salmon, green beans and squash medley. All approved-they were so thoughtful to ask about our eating before they cooked. They even left the seasoning off of our salmon since it had sugar in it.

I brought fruit and dark chocolate for dessert- Brandon and our friends enjoyed that while I sipped my water. I was so stuffed from dinner that I didn't even mind.

Day 3: I knew I was going to have my first real challenge today- Happy Hour with my girls. Today was another fairly easy day but after my crappy dinner I wanted to come home for some Coconut ice cream or chocolate bar.

• Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and a glass of Unsweetened ice tea with lemon
• Lunch: A huge salad with fresh turkey, Egg, Avocado, tomato and green peppers.
• Dinner: We ate at this not so good for paleo on a budget restaurant called "Season 52". It had terrible service and was overpriced. I mis-read the menu and ordered a flat bread (thinking it was a sandwich I could just take the bread off.) I basically paid $20 for 8 bite size chicken pieces some red peppers and onion.

Needless to say I was starving and this started my downhill trek on this detox. Going to bed hungry!! I don't recommend this because I didn't sleep well and my stomach was growling.

Day 4: I was tired and had a headache. I was very low on energy and extremely agitated (SORRY BRANDON!)

• Breakfast: Scrambled egg with chicken. I ran out of decaf coffee and had to just drink water.
• Lunch: Big salad full of veggies and pepperoni.
• Dinner: I was so angry about my previous nights meal that I decided to make my own paleo version. I made a nice flat bread and topped it with chicken, parsley, balsamic red peppers and onions. It was so good and my attitude improved after dinner.

After dinner Brandon cut up this huge yummy pineapple and that made me a little bitter so I just went to bed.

Day 5: The worst of all the days. I was feverish, achy, depressed and just an unpleasant person to be around. I did go to a little happy hour at Dogfish with some friends but I had a glass of water while we vented about our work week and I left before the shots started.

• Breakfast: I had loss of appetite and decided to just nibble on some almonds and cashews and I treated myself to a coffee on my way to school.
• Lunch: Broccoli, chicken breast and a little garden salad
• Dinner: Because I was so grumpy, Brandon surprised me while I laid on the couch miserable with a sweetener free, dairy free dinner. He usedthis recipe minus the cheese and added a seasoned venison and tomato on mine. He called them Mini- Burgers and they were awesome and filling. 

Day 6: Another bad day but not due to sugar. I woke up feeling great, no cravings and ready for my 5k with Brandon. Turns out I should have gone to a physical therapist and I shouldn't have tried to fix my knee myself. This was a hill filled course and my knee got injured even more. I had trouble running and really wanted to quit. Surprisingly my time was still under 30min and Brandon even got 3rd place for his division. The rest of the day I spent icing and elevating my knee. I did a little gardening and yard work but it was hard to move around.

Pre-Race: I had a some nuts and water and a bite of an Thunderbird energy bar (did have dates but no other sweeteners)

• Breakfast: Giant 3 egg omelet with Venison, peppers, onions, tomato and guacamole
• We had a late breakfast so I just had some carrots and veggies in the afternoon when I felt hungry.
• Appetizer: We had an engagement party for my friends Kendayl and Mike. She is gluten free so I knew this would be a somewhat safe party. It was awesome meat on a stick, veggies and lots of water.
• Dinner: After the party Brandon and I were both still a little hungry so we walked over to Sweet Green for a salad and a beautiful evening walk in Reston town center.

I didn't feel tempted by alcohol and actually realized that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by not drinking. I would have downed a few glasses of wine in the past. Besides my knee, I could feel my body getting settled into the no sugar, no dairy and no fruit. I was drinking a lot more water and I noticed I was using the bathroom more- probably not retaining all that water or substituting fruit for my water intake.

Day 7: I woke up feeling refreshed and happy just like Saturday morning. I wasn't starving but knew I needed some energy because I was going to be at church from 8:00-12 without food.

• Breakfast: I made myself a smoothie with some nut butter, coffee and Coconut milk. This did the trick and I was fine without food until about 1:30.
• Lunch: I made a Fajita Salad with venison, chicken, sauteed peppers and onions and fresh salsa and guacamole.

We spent the whole day at the pool and we swam and played and got some wonderful Vitamin D sunshine. I felt pretty good in my swimsuit because all the bloating is starting to go away. We took some water, carrots and macadamia nuts to snack on. After the pool we did a little shopping for clothes and food and realized it was 8:30 and we were finally getting hungry.

• Dinner: BGR joint burgers, asparagus fries (for Brandon) and Sweet potato fries (for me)  

Day 8: I am feeling fantastic! I woke up refreshed and energized. I got up early again and felt so prepared and organized. My thoughts were clear and I was able to make it through my day without craving any sweets. My body feels clean and healthy.

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with Guacamole
• Lunch: Big salad with turkey and lots of veggies- no dressing
• Snack: carrots and nuts
• Dinner: Bacon and Fried Eggs made by my wonderful husband.

While my body feels great and I have energy, my leg is in a lot of pain after working all day. I made my first Physical Therapy appointment for tomorrow at 5:45. I am not looking forward to it but I realize I need to take care of my body so I can continue staying active. I HATE sitting around when my body just wants to go go go.

So it was a hard week but I had tons of encouragement from readers, family, friends and my amazing husband. My body feels great and I am ready to continue another week of a Sugar free, Dairy free and Fruit free diet. Reflecting on my week, I ate a lot of eggs and chicken. This week I am going to incorporate some more smoothies, tuna, fish and venison in my diet. I didn't feel bored with the foods I was eating these 8 days because it was yummy but 21 days of the same and I would give up.
Here are a few photos of some of our yummy meals. Enjoy and if you are addicted to sugar- keep following for the next few days to see what this experience has taught me. I think paleo, primal or SAD- you should try this.
This weeks goal is sleep. Sleep is just as important as the food you are putting in. I am trying for 7 hours a night!

Brandon's cheesy venison omelet- I would have had this but cheese doesn't settle with me.

My veggie filled omelet- so good and I didn't miss the cheese

 

                                  Fresh hebs from my Garden and flat bread chicken triangles

Pasta sauce option

 

                                                        Brandon's mini- burger creations

The "I'm Not a Mom so I made dinner" Mother's Day Meal

   To all the mothers in the world that take care of their children, set good examples, play with them, teach them and Cherish them in hard times and good times- Happy Mother's Day! I don't think just one day does your job justice. I am not a mom but I was lucky to have one of the best moms in the world. Raising 5 girls hasn't been easy and we continue to provide good and bad times for her. I can't imagine having her job but I am thankful for who she is and how she raised us.
    Brandon is especially thankful for my mom because she taught me how to cook. Tonight we made a meal using herbs and several items from our garden. It was delicious and so rewarding eating food that we grew on our own. I don't have any kids and I am very thankful for that at this time. So tonight I made an "I am not a Mom" Mother's day meal. Who knows how many more Mother's Days I will be able to relax, garden and play in the kitchen in peace and quiet.


Garden Herbed Chicken with Arugula and Bacon
Ingredients:


4 Chicken Breasts
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Balm
1 tsp Oregano ( I used spicy oregano)
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Lavender
6-8 stems of Arugula
4-8 strips Bacon
Salt and Pepper to taste


Process:

1. Place 4 chicken breasts on a greased cookie sheet.
2. Combine all fresh herbs (mine came straight from my garden) and dice into small pieces.

3. Place herbs in a bowl of olive oil and mix until all herbs are coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Brush herb mixture over each breast and bake for 35-40min.



Herbed Chicken

6. While Chicken is baking, cook bacon in a skillet until it is crispy. Turn stove burner off and remove and let it cool on a paper towel.
7. Place Arugula in the bacon grease and allow it to soften. Remove from pan when it begins to go limp (about 2 minutes). Watch it and don't let it burn.



Arugula Fresh from my neighbors garden- Thanks Stefani!

8. Plate chicken and pile it with Bacon and Arugula.

Baked Old Bay Parsnips

Ingredients:

Parsnips

Olive Oil

Old Bay

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. On a cookie sheet pour a little oil to grease pan.
3. Peel and slice parsnips with a knife for fries. *If you want chip style- slice into thin strips with a peeler*
4. Place on cookie sheet and brush with oil and sprinkle with old bay (or your seasoning of choice)



Old Bay Parsnip Chips

5. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until it is baked to your liking. The center of parsnips are hard so make sure they are cooked all the way through before you serve. *Chips will be finished first, best to bake on two separate trays.*

Parsnip Chips

Farm Fresh Garden Salad

Ingredients:

1 heart Romaine Lettuce (Fresh from my very own garden)

1 Apple

Garden Fresh

1/2 Cup Raisins

1 Cucumber

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Process:

1. Chop Lettuce
2. Slice Apple and Cucumber into bite size pieces.
3. Put veggies on a tray and top with Raisins and Balsamic.

Fancy Non Mother's Day Meal. I even picked myself a bouquet of flowers from my Rose bushes!

 On a side note- When I was walking around collecting food for dinner from the gardens I noticed some new things in my garden:

Blueberries

Strawberry

Tomato Blossom

First day or Spring Break

After months of teaching a nice week at home with little plans is so appreciated! I took my time today to begin planning out my vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Brandon and I have re-done (at least touched) every room in our house and now we want to take the focus to the outside. We've done a little to it but mostly just maintenance. With our new eating habits, we use a lot of herbs and eat a ton of fruits and veggies so we decided that we have enough space in our back yard, why not build a garden. This is a huge task but one that we both feel we could accomplish. I have been composting since we moved in, we have nurtured several roses, trees and plants back to life in our previous un-kept yard, we feel like we can handle it.
In order to get have a proper garden, I took some pages from my parents and decided to get Brandon to make me a raised garden beds. While the box is easy to build, filling it is a little bit more difficult when you are on your own. So my day looked like this:

my future meals!

1. Clearing weeds and leveling the ground in the garden.
2. Drawing out and researching veggies, herbs and fruits Northern Virginia can grow and the seasons to plant.
3. Getting a truck load of dirt from the local nursery.
4. Shoveling out the truck load of dirt by myself (my poor back)! 
5. Lining the 16ft x 6 ft box with newspaper (on a windy day- eeek)
6. Piling screened top soil  on top of the newspaper.
7. Break time for a pedicure with my friend Margaret
8. Back home to eat some sweet potato chips, drink some water, a couple strawberries and back to work!
9. Finished leveling the dirt and then I added  a layer or leaves. (This acts as a natural compost layer like hay or straw)
10. Started adding a layer of compost from my very own compost pile. I have been composting for 3 years and it  paid off today. I have the most beautiful dark soil full of worms! Big fat worms. It is so healthy and I can't wait to see how my veggies grow in this stuff. I never thought I would be so excited about worms (Gross) but this saves a lot of money and it make me feel good that I was able to make great compost (another wonderful thing my mom and dad taught me!) 
11. My back was getting sore so I decided to stop working on my garden so I didn't get rushed and do it improperly. 
12. I cleaned up all of the supplies in the back yard and finished black paper lining under the maple tree and fixing up the rock barrier. Filled it with dirt and it is finished! 
13. I weeded my current flower beds and chatted with a neighbor about swapping some plants :)                                                                                                           

When we first bought the house

Brandon built a box

Newspaper layer

Dirt layer and then a leaf layer

Look at that compost!! Wish the worms showed up in pictures

While I was working in the yard I was able to meet some new neighbors, chat with some that I had already known, share my work with some of them and hear a great story about paying it forward. So happy to be where I am and I am thrilled with the progress of my first day on spring break. Now it is time for my hot pink toes to take a rest and eat some dinner!