Juice Cleanse

Happy Friday! I mentioned before that I was thinking about starting up another juice cleanse to beat a weight loss plateau and I officially began a 7 day cleanse yesterday and am feeling great so far!

If you haven't seen the documentary or are thinking about starting a juice cleanse but not really sure if it's for you, I suggest watching Joe Cross's documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. You can pick it up for free on Amazon Prime and I know it was on Netflix (not sure if it still is). Joe has inspired thousands of people across America to adopt juicing into their everyday routine and hundreds of other to begin juice fasts. Below is a summary from IMDB:

"100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well- with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health. With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it's at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 lbs; a cheeseburger away from a heart-attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well. What emerges is nothing short of amazing - an inspiring tale of healing and human connection. Part road trip, part self-help manifesto, FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD defies the traditional documentary format to present an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them is themselves." -Jamin Mendelsohn

After watching the documentary, I immediately purchased a juicer from Amazon Prime, the Breville Compact, the same juicer Joe uses in the film and I am absolutely in love with it! It's a great size for someone who lives in a tiny apartment, but uses enough power to maximize the amount of juice you get. The design is so user friendly and really easy to clean; it's literally fool proof! Today is my second day of my 7-day cleanse and so far so good. Most blogs I have read state that the second and third days are the hardest to get through since your body is in full detox mode. Hopefully this comes sooner rather than later for me. I've tried different juices in the past, but have really just stuck to Joe's Mean Green, with a few modifications, but this fast I have made 3 juices total so far and love them all! I have listed them below.

Mean Green Juice (adapted from Joe Cross's Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead)
makes about 24-32oz
1/2 bunch fresh spinach
4 celery sticks
1 cucumber, peeled
2 granny smith apples, cored
1 lemon, peeled
generous nob of ginger, peeled (1-2 inches)

Grapefruit Sunshine Juice
makes about 24-32oz
2 juicing grapefruits, peeled
1 large mango or 2 smaller ones (can sub 2 cored granny smith apples)
2 lemons, peeled
2 packs of Stevia (optional)

Mojito Refresher Juice
makes about 16-24oz
1 cucumber, peeled
2 limes, peeled
1 granny smith apple, cored
handful of mint
handful of basil

I will continue to update my blog once I discover new recipes. I have some beets and carrots in my fridge right now, but I'm a bit hesitant to use them (last time I made carrot juice I was gagging). I think I will disguise the sweet or earthly flavors with some citrus fruits since I seem to prefer citrus juices.

One thing that I'm a little weary of is exercise during the cleanse. Almost everything I have read suggests you continue your gym routine. I was a bit nervous yesterday morning when I went for my morning cardio, but was pleasantly surprised when I had the best workout of my life. When I'm not juicing, I usually eat some granola or a chia smoothie pre-workout and Greek yogurt post-workout, so I know I'm getting the proper nutrients to sustain a workout. Yesterday I made the Grapefruit Juice knowing that I would be loaded up with carbs and energy for the entire workout and I was shocked I wasn't even hungry afterwards. Tonight I will hit the gym again for my strength workout after I get my B-12 injection. Hopefully I will have enough energy to fit in another great workout!

Easter Travels and Banana Ice Cream

This past weekend was Easter so I was home in Boston for the weekend. I always get scared when I travel because it's so easy to pick up something fattening or high in calories in the airport. This time, I decided to take matters into my own hands and pack my food. For my flight home, I packed an apple and Kind granola and for my flight back to Chicago, I packed a Mojo Cliffbar. Since my flight to Boston was in the morning, I really didn't get too hungry and slept through most of my flight. My flight back to Chicago, I caved. It was a noon time flight so I decided to grab lunch at the airport. I ended up getting a Cosi Asian Salmon salad which was spectacular! I was originally just looking for fruit (literally it is non-existent in terminal E at Logan), but couldn't resist when I saw this on the menu. The total calorie count is 445 which I think its great for airport food. I ended up only eating half the salad to save on some calories. It was great that I was able to find something to support my specific diet needs, but I do suggest bringing snacks to the airport especially if you cave easily.

Generally I eat a bunch of food when I'm home. New England has some of the best food in the country, most of it is typically healthy (seafood, anyone?!) but it is easy to fall into a trap of pizza (we have the best sweet sauce pizza, don't care what anyone says), cake (Italian bakeries galore!), and fried food (mostly seafood). When I was home I made sure my parents were well-informed that I did not want to indulge. Just because I am technically on vacation doesn't mean my lifestyle can up and change. We went out to eat, actually it was take-out, once over the 3 day period, to the Cheesecake Factory. I ordered the goat cheese and beet salad because anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for some goat cheese. The whole dish is 270 calories and so rich, creamy, and refreshing. For Easter, my family was eating glazed ham... a big no-no for me. My parents and I headed out to the seafood market and I picked up a half pound of lobster meat and 10 scallops. Lobster has about 100 calories and scallops have about 15 calories. I ended up eating 2 claws and 5 scallops for a total of about 160 calories. Of course I had a salad with lemon vinaigrette and a half of sweet potato for a total of about 300 calories! Not too bad for Easter dinner!

So I've been back for a few days now, back into the habit of making my own food and buying my own groceries. I've been pinning a lot recently and saw a great recipe for banana ice cream using just frozen bananas. Yesterday I was craving ice cream hardcore, chocolate ice cream to be exact, and remembered pinning a recipe for raw ice cream and decided to try it. I modified it just a bit to add my own twist.

Raw Banana Chocolate Almond Ice Cream
Serves 1

1 Banana (frozen)
1 tbsp cocoa (I used Ghirardelli unsweetened powder)
1 pack Stevia
Splash of unsweetened almond milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Use more almond milk to reach desired consistency.

This recipe is perfect for when you feel like cheating. I am really not a fan of bananas and I immediately fell in love with this 'ice cream.' Its so healthy and totals a little over 100 depending on what size banana you use. I know I will definitely be making this more often!