The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 14

Zucchini muffins!

I was so excited to try out this recipe for zucchini muffins today! They turned out pretty good but next time I'll cut back on the salt and add less almond milk (I put like 3 or 4 splashes...it called for one, whoops!) Has anyone else found any good "Clean" baked goods? 

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Ryan went fishing and I got so caught up in painting our front door that we skipped breakfast....
Snacks: Zucchini muffins (I added dried cranberries and a lil coconut sugar, so good), apple, crackers with dill cashew "cheese"
Lunch: Ryan made us a black bean/rice patty topped with "Clean" guacamole. Sounds weird but was delicious
Dinner: Peach, pineapple, coconut flakes, cashews and almond milk smoothie

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 5

It's Friday!! Hooray! Let's break out the pizza, ice cream, popcorn and...oh, wait. BOO!! My optimism from the other day has faded! I think it's because I haven't had my morning smoothie yet and I'm hungry but I could really go for some donuts. I guess this just means I need to find some delicious "Clean" snacks for this weekend! I have been eyeing some recipes for Clean friendly nachos and almond butter cookies all week, I can get cooking tonight. I'm feeling better already :)

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Some smoothie Ryan created this morning because we forgot last night. I think it's raspberry, flax, cocoa powder coconut and coconut milk but I'm not 100% sure. 

Snacks: Apple, chocolate and walnut scones, almonds (light on the snacks today...that's what you get for not preparing!)

Lunch: Same as yesterday. Chickpea/broccoli mixture

Dinner: MYSTERY. Although, I have been digging these "creamy" vegetable soups. I adjusted the leek/asparagus recipe and substituted onion and spinach last night to create the photo pictured above. Very satisfying. **Update** I ended up making creamy broccoli soup :) Ryan keeps asking if we can have a different type of dinner but it's so easy!! Frozen broccoli, onion, garlic, coconut oil, almond milk, salt and pepper, and nutritional yeast. Easy peasy and so good! 

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 4

Gangs all here!

As I sit here, sipping my pear/blueberry smoothie, I'm feeling pretty smug. Look at me, totally rocking this cleanse. It seems to be easier this year. I think it's because we have so many more recipes to choose from and a lot more snacks to keep us occupied! I don't even really want to eat all the junk that somehow worms its way into my life ALL THE TIME. 

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Pear/blueberry/coconut milk/cashew smoothie

Snacks: Pear and avocado (from yesterday), apple, chocolate walnut scone, green tea, lemon water

Lunch: Broccoli/chickpea/brown rice/tahini sauce  Love it

Dinner: MYSTERY. Will update later. Btw, the creamy asparagus/leek soup was much better last night. It helps to follow directions :) 

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 3

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Okay, so it's day 3 and I'm feeling a LOT better. It started last night and I don't know if it was the lack of headache and body aches but I had a bunch of energy last night. So much, in fact, that I made chocolate walnut scones! These scones are labor intensive (see photo below of muddling dates into a paste) but I had energy to make them, roasted chickpeas and the dressing for our salad today (I also danced around while I did it)! You may notice that the scones more closely resemble chocolate lava cakes than scones but that is because I didn't chop the dark chocolate into small enough pieces. Lesson learned. I think they'll be delicious anyhow but they do look pretty funny! Ryan wants to hit a few tennis balls tonight and exercise and I told him that he can't unless he ups his calories (I am very bossy). He takes the cleanse WAY too seriously. Like, more seriously than the people at the Clean Program. I told him he can't be so strict and needs to eat! He made himself a vegetable juice and thinks that will cut it. He's going to be miserable tonight but not me! I refuse to go hungry for any reason. Fasting is just not in my repertoire.

Today's Menu: 

Breakfast: Walnut/Chia/Blueberry/Chocolate Powder/Flax/Almond Milk Smoothie

Snacks: Chocolate Walnut Scones, Roasted Chickpeas, Pear, Kiwi, Carrots, Avocado (I don't think I'll actually eat all of this but I wanted to be prepared after the hunger jungle I found myself in yesterday!)

Lunch: Same as yesterday. Humanely raised chicken sauteed with onion, garlic, sea salt and whatever other spices Ryan decided to add. Mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, and the dressing (pictured) made of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar, a few shakes of mustard powder, sea salt and black pepper.

Dinner: Asparagus and Leek Soup, made with almond milk instead of coconut milk (much better this time around) we were supposed to have that last night but had a smoothie instead..for no reason at all...except WE WERE STARVING!! Soup was not going to cut it. Well, we could have added nuts or something I suppose to beef it up but a filling smoothie was just what we needed.

I am pleased to report that I am not really missing sugar. The smoothies are made without sweetener and I like them just fine. I tried a little of the coconut nectar crystals last night and it's very similar to brown sugar. The smell is INCREDIBLE though. Like a warm, delicious hug from the Caribbean. I'm feeling a lot more confident about the cleanse and the note I wrote to us on Sunday is turning out to be a self fulfilling prophecy :)