Almost 2 weeks ago now, I started
that cleanse. I made it through 5 days (better than I expected) and I lost 5 lbs!
The first day started out well; a bowl of fruit for breakfast was no big deal. I went to church feeling great. And then the afternoon hit and I was feeling really tired and weak so I ate another bowl of fruit and then an hour later, hunger pains drove me to eat an apple, and then the battle began. I started rationalizing with myself and I came so close to caving in. We were invited to have dinner with some friends that evening so I went, toting along my 2 very full containers of fruit. As we sat down for dinner and I saw them digging into their amazing ribs, I looked down at my plate of watermelon and cantaloupe and I thought "this sucks!" I avoided giving in, however, by holding their little newborn and focusing on how cute she is instead of how good those ribs smelled. It was really hard to sleep that night, though, because I was just so dang hungry. I couldn't tell if it was mental hunger or my stomach really was empty.
Day 2 started with a baked potato, which tasted heavenly! The rest of the day I chomped away on some fresh veggies. That night I felt so incredibly weak so I ate half of a chicken breast so that I wouldn't be tempted to binge and give up altogether.
Day 3 was fruits and veggies. I took the girls to the beach with some friends and that ended up being a great distraction from my stomach. I munched away on my fruits and veggies and dreamed of looking incredibly good in a bikini :) I thought I would want to give up on this day, but for some strange reason I felt compelled to go on. There was a pizza at Bible study that night that smelled so good but seeing a 3 lb weight loss on my scale that morning, took away any desire to partake.
Day 4 was milk and bananas and this was the easiest day for me. I ate a banana for breakfast and then made a milk and banana smoothie for lunch and it was so filling that I wasn't even tempted to eat anything else.
Day 5 was beef and tomatoes. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, unless they are chopped up in salsa, but my friend brought me some of her home-grown tomatoes and they tasted really good on top of my beef portions for the day.
Day 6 I decided to stop the cleanse and start eating with my family. This cleanse really helped me with my major sweet tooth. I haven't craved sweets as strongly as before and I have been eating way more fruits and veggies each day. I want to keep the weight off, so I have been focusing on eating well and in moderation.
I think the cleanse is realistic and I plan to do it again next year to help me stay on track and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
I did try 3 new recipes this week; they weren't incredibly healthy but it was fun to try something new.
The first recipe was Grilled BBQ Potato Skins and it was a hit!
Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm
1/2 pound pulled pork
sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it's cooled.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.
Melt butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.
Place potatoes on grill and cook until crispy, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.
I made this as a meal so I mixed the insides of the potatoes in some butter and sour cream and then re-stuffed with potatoes and then added left-over pulled pork from the day before. It was delish! The crunch of the grilled potato skins made it even better! I think these would be a hit at a party!
I know these really don't go along with the cleanse but they are definitely a good dish to make if you want to indulge :)
I also tried a Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup because I wanted to have a special breakfast dish to make but it didn't turn out so I won't bother including the recipe.
The other dish I made was a Four Cheese Baked Penne and it was really good (the girls even liked it):
Ingredients
1 pound whole-wheat penne
1 1/2 cups small-curd low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and parsley in a bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate and set aside. Cook pasta until tender but still firm, a minute or 2 less than the package directs. Drain.
Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, rosemary, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Return pasta to pot with sauce and turn off heat. Add cottage cheese mixture.
Spray a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray then transfer pasta mixture to pan. Top with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and the parmesan. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, 30 minutes.
Josh and I are leaving for New York on Monday morning and we will be gone an entire week! I am so excited because we haven't had an entire week to ourselves in almost 4 years! I am praying the girls are on their best behavior for their grandparents while we are gone. I know I'm going to miss them so bad by the end of the week. It is so crazy how I desperately want a break from them but then I miss them so much while we are apart.
Janelle
