So fresh and so cleansed.

I finished my three day juice fast on Sunday night and was so ready for a big bowl of oatmeal on Monday morning.  It tasted better than I remembered.

Confession, I had some solid food other than juice.  I kept it clean with some snack peppers (if you've never had those, go thee to a store and get some.  They are like baby bell peppers and come in orange, yellow, and red).  I also had an apple.  I forgot about the group run I had to lead on Sunday and thought it was wise to get some more calories in beforehand so I didn't pass out and look like a wimp.  Success, it worked and I felt good during the run other than the incredible heat that made me look like a swamp princess. Really beautiful.

Some tips on fasting that have helped me...

-Remember it is only three days.  That actually helped me.  Knowing there was a day coming when I could chew again helped me regain my composure and get it together. 

-Drink lots of water.  This didn't really make me feel full like many people think, but it gave me something to bring out of the kitchen which is where I found myself many parts of the day wishing I could make something to eat. 

-To give myself something more substantial to drink I blended up 4 stalks of kale and a banana.  To that I added lots of ice and water and a packet of Stevia.  Granted, one object of a juice cleanse is to give your digestive system a break from digesting solid food but I feel like to blend it means it doesn't have to break it down alone?  Hungry girl wisdom. 

I feel great though and am so glad for the re-boot I feel the cleanse gave me.  I think I may try to do this once a month or maybe just when I'm feeling zapped of energy.  The food we eat impacts the way we feel in such a great way and it's amazing how three measly days of getting tons of nutrients gives us this incredible boost. 

Matt is glad it is over though, last night while we were taking Luke for a walk a Papa John's delivery guy drove by and he said he might order a pizza when he got back (I don't cook for him while I'm fasting because it's too hard to cook food and then not eat it...wife of the year).  That may have been part of the reason I went to bed so early.  I didn't want to be awake when the pizza was delivered. 



















My juice recipes are pretty similar and consist of a green juice and a red juice.  I'll throw different things in if we have it but the recipes are pretty standard.  I try to drink a green juice in the morning and a red juice at night.  No reason except I really like how beets make my teeth look.  Cullens better watch out.  I did go wild and buy a pineapple for my third day and that was my favorite.  I put a quarter of it in a green juice and omitted the pears and doubled the kale.  So good. 

My last fast I drank a  lot of "orange juice" which wasn't made with oranges which is a shame because I may liked it if it has that.  My orange juices had carrots, sweet potatoes, red apples, ginger, and beets.  Sweet potatoes are so my jam.  I can eat more sweet potatoes than anyone I know and I just couldn't drink this.  Most of my recipes come off of Pinterest and random searches on the Internet from the grocery aisles at the Asian market I shop at when I see a crazy looking fruit.  I haven't branched out much but am looking forward to getting more adventurous than beets.  Those are words to live by.......

"She was more adventurous than beets."  Yup.