21 Day Purification...How am I doing?

The update.

First off, I apologize about the delay in my update.  Every time I have sat down to write and update it I have been at a loss for words. I am officially at week 1 of the purification and this is how the week has gone. 

The goods.

Days 1-3:  These were by far the hardest.  I was surprised to find I was not craving my daily Dutch B but was more so craving everything my girls were eating:)  They are not afraid to throw down some almonds and popcorn in the afternoon and I was about to attack them but held it together.  Instead I opted for one of my approved protein shakes.  I have seriously grown to love these shakes and have been forced to get creative. 

I eat up to 2-3 shakes a day along with all the fresh vegetables and fruits I want.  I have gotten pretty creative with cooking up new flavors of the above but I also realized I could never be a full blown vegan.  Kudos to those out there but perhaps I say that now so don't hold me to it. 

Side-effects: Frequent trips to the restroom. (sorry for TMI)  I did get a few headaches but my overall energy seemed to be fine although I was happy to go to bed each night. My headaches really only affected me on day two but I woke up with them gone.   I have grown to love tea.  Green tea is the preferred but I am branching out and trying some new ones as well.  Who knew I would be OK with out my daily dose of Dutch Bros.

I do have to take 7 capsules of the required SP Cleanse Capsules 3x a day. These are the hardest part as they often leave an after taste that I would love to chase with a glass of wine but I have refrained:)  (Mara, no worries I have not cheated) 

Day 4-7: Things seemed to have gotten easier.  I am getting the capsules down no problem, the shakes are becoming more flavorful as I put more effort into making them fun and tasty. Dinners have been getting better and my daily salads are getting a ton of variety.  I was saved on day 4 when I came across a pinterest pin that highlighted tons of recipes for this particular Standard Process 21 day Purification. Bless that woman as she has opened a new door for Mark (my HH) and I with recipes.  I was also given a great recipe by one of my athletes (Thanks Debbie) that turned out to be a favorite dinner...you can see the recipe on my recent Food Friday post:)

Thank you Mommypotamus for all the help!  Anyone wanting to do the 21 day purification must remember her blog!  She even breaks it up into daily recipe ideas. Amaze-balls!

Here I sit day 8. I am not only proud I have come this far but I am feeling great.  The HH and I have gone from talking about the food we want to eat after the 21 days to talking about the changes we want to instill post 21 days.  The no alcohol change may hold its ground except on occasions, the increase of vegetables which I once thought I was doing well will stick and I am sure as we continue down the path more things will surface on how we want to stay on board to a healthier eating path. 

Day 11 is the day we are looking forward to. Day 11 is this Wednesday but who is counting:)  We get to add in lean proteins back into our daily meals.  So for now I will leave you with a few more pics of what the week has entailed and an overview of my activity that has surprisingly stayed high along with a few low lying days.  

Thanks for all your support and thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions and I promise I will do my best to update mid-week but for sure you will hear more next week as we complete week 2!

Want to know more of the down and dirty???  e-mail me or post your comments below and I will respond.  Come on..ask away:) 

 Keep moving!!!

Food Friday- Warm your bones

Mexican Inspired Vegetable Soup

 This recipe was passed over by one of my athletes. She is taking part in a challenge we are having where they are adding in extra veggies and healthy fats into their daily snacks.  This soup has been a favorite of hers to add those extra veggies into her day and it sounded so good I decided to give it a try.  It was a hit, even among the littles as I made a couple changes to create a better chance of a win. 

The Recipe

Thank you Debbie and it originated 

via 

Weight Watchers.com 

2 cups uncooked green beans, fresh and cut into bite sized pieces. 

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 small uncooked zucchini, cubed

14 oz canned diced tomatoes, Mexican style (I used no salt fresh diced tomatoes)

1 medium uncooked onion chopped

1 medium green pepper chopped

1 cup chopped tomatillos

1 medium jalapeno pepper (we omitted this and added it as a garnish)

1/2 medium poblano chile, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin (I always add a little more cumin:))

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup roasted red peppers (packed in water)

Garnish: 

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

3/4 tsp sea salt

Put all the vegetables above into a large stock pot except the roasted peppers.  Place those in a food processor and puree them, then add to the rest of the ingredients. Add the veggie broth, cover, boil and heat over high. Reduce to low once it comes to a boil and let it simmer. 

Top with the cilantro, lime juice and sea salt as well as the jalapenos. We also added fresh cubed avocado to this soup.  We added some fun corn tortillas chips to the girls soup and fresh cheese as they needed a little more fun. 

This was amazing and I have to say will be a staple this Fall and winter as it got better the next day! 

Enjoy!