The Clean Program: Year 3, Celebration Day!!

Clean chicken fried rice with not Clean red wine..but it was organic

Okay, so not only did we end the cleanse a day early, we ended it a day and an evening early! Our dinner was clean but the wine we had with it (and the german chocolate soft serve after) was definitely not clean friendly. Oh well, we are not perfect (surprise!) but I'm proud of us anyway! This morning, we continued our celebration with chocolate chip (still no sugar/no dairy chocolate) belgian waffles, strawberry/pecan maple syrup, hazelnut coffee and sweet red wine with club soda for a delightful Sunday breakfast. I'm grateful for this yearly reminder to eat mindfully, balance out the junk and processed food  with plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole foods and just take care of ourselves in general. Food is the best medicine, in my opinion, so I will try to eat foods that help and moderate the ones that do not. See you next year Clean Program! 

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 20...Last day for us!!

Yummy!

Last day of the Clean Program!!! Woohoo!! To celebrate I made lemon apricot pistachio bites and they turned out really good even though I didn't have enough apricots (had to add dates to make up the difference) and I couldn't find shelled pistachios so I had to shell 2 cups of pistachios! Totally worth it.

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Blueberry, kiwi, coconut, almond milk smoothie
Snacks: Lemon apricot pistachio bites
Lunch: Blackberry/raspberry "soft serve" with cocoa powder and no dairy/no sugar chocolate bits
Dinner: We have Ryan's sister in town again so we swapped our liquid dinner with lunch and had clean chicken fried rice.

Shelling for 10 years

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 19

I am pleased to announce that tomorrow is our last day on the Clean Program!! WOOHOO! We ended a day early last year too and here's why: who wants to celebrate on a Monday? Sunday is a much better day to break the cleanse. So, even though I want pizza right this second, I'm about to head into the kitchen to make a liquid dinner....but knowing it's the second to last makes it not so bad :) 

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Blueberry, pineapple, coconut, walnut and almond milk smoothie
Snacks: Pear, kiwi, almonds
Lunch: Mixed greens, mango, pineapple, chicken, carrot and zucchini salad
Dinner: Black cherry chocolate "soft serve". Frozen black cherries, no sugar/no dairy chocolate pieces and chocolate powder ran through the juicer with the homogenizing attachment. Life is sweet!

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 18

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! Only a few more days and I'm freeee....it is the best feeling for those first few days after the cleanse. FREEDOM! Usually after a few junky items, I decide that eating healthy tastes and feels better but it's still nice to have the option to pollute my stomach :) 

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Raspberry, walnut, almond milk, coconut and cocoa powder smoothie
Snacks: Zucchini muffin, apple
Lunch: I had a workshop out of town for work today so I had a salad with cucumber, mixed greens, sunflower seeds and zucchini. Ryan had a salad with chicken, mixed greens, zucchini and carrot.
Dinner: Blueberry, mango, pineapple, walnut, coconut and almond milk smoothie

The Clean Program: Year 3, Day 17

Chocolate cherry "ice cream"

I sure hope nobody reads my Clean Program posts hoping for a good cleanse role model. I suck. I just can't be a Gwyneth or a Ryan even. All I can think about is french fries and pizza and COFFEE!!! "Well, Brandy, why do you torture yourself on this journey each year?" is what my imaginary audience says and to that I say "To remind me that eating french fries and pizza should not be my norm."

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Cinnamon, peach, raspberry, almond milk, cashew smoothie
Snacks: Zucchini muffins, apple, almonds
Lunch: Chicken over mixed greens, zucchini, carrot and with Bolthouse farms raspberry vinaigrette. It is pretty close to being Clean friendly but might be a little off. This was a last minute decision when I realized I forgot to make our dressing...better than Ranch?
Dinner: We had a Surfrider meeting tonight at a seafood restaurant and as the platters of fried fish wafted by, I ordered a salad...hold the tomatoes, feta and croutons. I'm over the cleanse. Ryan made some chocolate cherry "ice cream" (frozen cherries mixed with chocolate powder and chocolate in the juicer using the homogenizing thingy) when we got home because he refuses to cheat at all and didn't order anything. He shared because my salad did not cut it and he's a nice man :)