Summer's Here: Two Seasonal Shared Plates + Kombucha Cocktails

Enjoy these two easy to make seasonal dishes that require no fancy skills and let the flavor of the produce speak for itself.  Perfect for entertaining or simply enjoying outdoors with a flute of gingery kombucha topped with fresh berries or a peach fizz kombucha kitten kocktail.

xoxoxo

Seasonal Harvest Shared Plate:

serves 2-4 as light bites

3 sliced radishes with radish greens
1 peeled carrot chopped into small sticks
fresh dill, 1-2 Tbsp
2 tsp Olive Oil
coarse crank sea salt

Arrange the veggies on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, top with a few generous cranks of sea salt

Raw Corn and Mango Pico
serves 5 as a side

3 ears of corn on the cob
1 red bell pepper
1/2 an avocado
1 small mango

2 limes

2 spring onions

3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh

cayenne

optional honey

s/p

Chop the corn off the cob.  Dice the remaining vegetables.  Chop the mango.  Mix into a large bowl and add the juice of 2 limes, cilantro, a dash of cayenne, salt + pepper, and optionally a drizzle of honey.

Peach Fizz Kombucha Kitty Kocktail:
serves 2

1/2 cup coconut water
one small pitted peach

Blend coconut water with peach.  Slice an orange thin.  Drop ice cubes in a glass and line with a few orange slices.  Fill 3/4 way with GT's gingerade komucha.  Top with the blended peach coco water.  Drop in a straw and umbrella, serve, stir, and sip.

It's Getting Juicy Up In Here!

Yo.  It's getting juicy up in here...and i'm not just talking green juices.

There are lots of opportunities that lie on the horizon and i'm feeling ready to pounce.  My schedule has been so jam packed lately (and will be through april and may) that i'm looking forward by june to creating a little space to do my own thang instead of always doing someone else's.  While it looks like I'll be taking a hiatus from writing Beaming weekly newsletters and maintaining their facebook page,  you can expect to see my prose in a few ebooks/DIY cleanses/and education content that i'm working on for them.  I've also recently met this amazing person, Tina Leigh, who is up to some really cool shiz-nit.  Check out her blog/recipe/books and ebooks.  My lips are sealed with the gossip, but it's all good stuff.  Stay tuned, but i think there could be a haute health meets grateful living collaboration on the horizon.  

Being that things are getting juicy now and april and may i'm in full cleanse mode (I'll be leading 2 in the next couple months - see below to join at Y6 Point Loma or Core Power Point Loma), i thought it only appropriate to start the day with my insanely energizing, anti-inflammatory green juice.  This is the juice that revs my engines, gets me going and keeps me in go mode 'til the day be done.

You'll need:

one apple
one lemon
one carrot
1/2 a large cucumber or one small
1/2 a large bunch of celery
1/2 a bunch of lacinato kale
a juicer

all of this

makes this!

If you're using the Omega 8005 or 8006 you'll get about 3 cups of juice.  I always loving sipping my fresh pressed juices from a wine glass.  It makes me savor each sip that much more.

CLEANSE WITH ME:

join me at Y6 for a four week exploration of alkalizing, green foods, raw foods, juicing, ayurveda, and intention setting starting April 11th.  We'll meet Thursday nights from 7pm to 9pm.  Sign up here.

Or a 3 week adventure at Core Power Yoga starting April 26th.  We'll meet Friday the 26th, then the following three wednesday evenings from 6pm to 9pm, as well we have two Sunday morning yoga practices designed exclusively for our cleanse group.  Learn more here or email me at meredith.gnau@corepoweryoga.com.

Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 4

Let me start by saying i'm feeling EXCELLENT!  

I've been drinking two big green smoothies everyday for the past few days, eating big salads of cooked and raw veggies with creamy tahini dressings, and have been eating hard boiled eggs for their sticking power (they seem to really hold me over).  Today I've just made one green smoothie and am layering in some killer juices from my favorite juice & smoothie shop b'Bar in Del Mar.  Stop by and check them out if you haven't already. There are tons of February specials like the raw cacao truffles (i die, these are so good), love brittle with cashews, coconut nectar, and dried cherries, passion producing smoothies (holy libido boost), and sexy elixers.  

Day 4 Green Smoothie:

1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup coconut water
1 scoop Sun Warrior Vanilla Warrior Blend
1 handful of blueberries
1/2 an orange
2 big handfuls (2 cups plus) spinach
1 slice of an avocado for creaminess
2 ice cubes

Blend it up and sip it down.  

*For those of you with less high powered blenders, start by blending your greens with a little liquid first.  Once they are blended well add the chopped fruits and additional liquids.

It's Totally Legal & Deeply Under-rated.

There are two things I can not live without.

1.  green juice

2.  yoga

One without the other is not good enough.  I need both to help me feel balanced.

Perhaps my boyfriend will read this and wonder if he's number 3, or did my pug beat him out too?....ahhh, i'll let you fret my dear...i need you too, but mostly what i need is green juice and yoga, but this i think you already know.

Have you ever shown up on your yoga mat because you want a good work out, to get a good sweat, or clear your mind, de-stress, and open your body, yet inevitably as you practice you find that it's really about something else...something much deeper?  Sometimes for me it ends up being about accepting myself and imperfections, sometimes simply about raising my vibration, often about letting go of judgement, a way to live my truth, and help me get back on track, but every time it's always about connecting deeper into me, and with that peeling back of layers i watch myself blossom and unfold into a better person every time.

The green juice....well, it's my medicine.  It's something that gives me boundless energy, makes me feel pure, helps me sleep well, lessens inflammation, helps me feel balanced, connected to the earth, my local farming community, and shows me that i truly honor and appreciate myself to take the time to create such a blessed drink for my body.  Taking the time to juice makes me realize i need to slow down.  It makes me want to take better care of myself and continue to feed my body pure, clean food, get outdoors, and breathe fresh air.

The combo, well what can i say, it's the best high ever.  What i experience from yoga and green juice outweighs the effects of any mind altering substance.  It escalates my mind and motivation to places i could have never imagined.  And the most incredible thing about yoga and green juice....it's totally legal, and deeply under-rated.

To make a full pitcher of green juice press through your juicer:

3 heads of celery
4 apples
2-3 lemons
one small bunch of parsley
5 oz spinach
2.5 oz chard, kale, or collards

This will provide a large pitcher of green juice.  You can bottle them individually in 16 oz mason jars, ready to pull from the fridge so you have juice on the go.  To save nutrient density consider freezing your juice jars, just make sure not to fill them all the way - when liquid freezes it expands.  Your juice is fresh and most mineral and enzyme rich when you first press it.  If you have juice left after day two, make sure to freeze it.  While keeping green juice for days on end may negate some of the nutrient density, it's far more nutrient rich than no green juice at all!

Agua Fresca Con Limon y Naranja

Here's the absolute best way to rehydrate on a hot, sunny day:  

A little lemon, a little orange, some muddled stevia, and a big jar of cold water and ice.

We all need to drink 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water daily...more if you are active.  The easiest way to get my fill of agua is to jazz it up.  I love lemon water, but sometimes want something a little sweeter.  The addition of stevia leaf and orange is perfect.  If you don't have access to fresh stevia leaf, you could add liquid stevia (though i'm certain you shouldn't confuse this as a 'health' food), or bump up the amount of orange juice you squeeze in.  Muddled mint would be great in here too.

Lemon-Orange Refresher:

Use a hand citrus squeeze/press to maximize your fruit juice extraction.

3-4 lemons
1/2 an orange
handful of stevia leaves
about 26 ounces of water 
lots of ice

Use a 32 ounce mason jar.  Cut and squeeze the juice from 2-3 lemons.  Squeeze the juice from 1/2 and orange.  Bruise the stevia leaves in the jar with the juice.  Add one thinly sliced lemon, optional liquid stevia, water, ice.  Top, shake and enjoy.  

Good Golly Green-Juice Game Changers

I don't ever push my ways on others.  I do what i do, and you do what you do.  I let you live, as you let me live.  I might shoot a little kava, spike my dandelion tea with shilajit, or mix some seaweed into a smoothie, but i'm not telling you that you have to.

Over the years my boyfriend has watched my so called neurotic-crazy ways with food, heard me politely decline lavish dinners while cleansing, and watched me suffer through fasts that weren't so fun, so after 5 years of witnessing my nut ball ways, I was truly surprised to hear these words fall past his lips:

"Let's do a 3 day juice fast."  

Done and Done.  We're juicing.

Inspired by the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Boyfriend wanted to exist on green juice solely for tres dias.  No smoothies, no snacks, no easy feat, just water and fresh pressed green veggies.  And he did.  He went from 6 packs of PBR and multiple cups of jo daily to freshly pressed green juices and pure water.  It wasn't a horribly unpretty sight either, though i do think he slept through most of it - he took something like 12 naps in the course of 48 hours (oh i exaggerate), but by day 3 he had found his stride.  Claiming it was a game changer, he has a new found respect for all these neurotic-crazy things i do from soaking nuts, to making home-made milks, to fortifying my smoothies with superfoods, and infusing herbs into my day, AND he says he'll surely do a cleanse again.

interestingly, i never get him to smile in photos, but during the cleanse he couldn't stop!
AND on day 4 he ate, but continued to press himself green juice as well.

Impressed?

Listen, if he can do it you can too.  To help you out here's a little sampling of some of the green juices we sipped over those three days.  You might find some of these to be a little more 'green' or 'savory' as he would say than you like.  If so just bump up the sweetness with a little bit more apple, pineapple, or carrot or switch kale out for a more mild green like spinach.  Each recipe pressed around 32-40 ounces of juice.

*all of these juices were pressed through an Omega 8005 juicer.

Greens #1:

1 head of celery
1 zucchini
5 carrots
handful of dandelion greens
5 oz bag of Power Greens (spinach, kale, chard)
1 red apple
1/2 a pineapple
3 lemons


Greens #2:

1 head celery
1 cucumber
6 carrots
1 apple
1 orange
1 lemon
1 handful of parsley
and a 5 oz bag of Power greens (blend of spinach, kale, and chard)


Greens #3:

1 head celery
1 cucumber
handful of parsley
half bunch of kale
1/2 a pineapple
lemon


Greens #4:

1 head celery
1 cucumber
handful of parsley
bag of spinach
lemon
1/2 a pineapple
1 apple


Greens #5:

2 heads Celery
2 cucumbers
2 apples
2 lemons
one bag of spinach or other greens


Greens #6:

1 head of celery
1/2 bag of carrots
1 big zucchini
1 bag of spinach
1 apple
1 pear
1 lemon

It's Mocktail Monday!

We've arrived in the thick of summer: long days, warm nights, light skies, and some serious time to sit back and chill. This is my favorite time of year to relax, and enjoy a summer mocktail as the day unwinds.  As evening approaches, the sun is still hot and you can toss your heels up and spend time with those you love most.  So here's my slim girl summer mocktail that will keep you feeling great, trim, and isn't a diet/calorie buzz kill.  Simply pour your drink, put on your favorite record, kick back, relax, sip away, and enjoy.

you'll want a hand citrus press and your favorite cocktail glass

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Juice of 1/2 a medium orange

slices from 1/2 a nectarine

sparkling mineral water

ice

umbrella & straw

Toss a few ice cubes in your glass.  Squeeze in 1/2 a lime & 1/2 an orange. 

Add 1/2 a sliced nectarine, and top it all off with sparkling water.  

And of course, no mocktail is complete without a little garnish.  

Either add a lime wedge at the rim, or serve with umbrella, straw, or stir stick.

Skinny Margy For Your Two-Piece Wearing Days

Red straw, blue umbrella, i think we have ourselves a signature Independence Day Drink!

If that picture doesn't make you want a cocktail, i don't know what will?  Today you're gonna wet your whistle on skinny (aka lower calorie) margaritas.

First off get your tequila.  I recommend hitting up a BevMo.  This place is a partier's paradise, it's like Toys R Us for serious boozers.  So clearly, when discussing this evening's plans we chose to hit this alcoholics oasis to wet our beach dried whistles.

Casing the joint for just the right cocktail, I entertained the thought of buying Bethany Frankel's 'Skinny Margarita' at the store.  The bummer for me was not seeing an ingredient list.  I checked out all the margarita mix ingredients and decided to forego anything pre-made and try my hand at my own lime based skinny margarita.  I suggest you do the same, most mixes are filled with crap preservatives, low grade sugars, un-natural and low qualities products, and Miss Frankel's Skinny Marg is no exception.  Just read about her so called 'natural' skinny margaritas (and the lawsuit she's dealing with for her use of the word 'natural' instead of 'carcinogenic', as it probably should be labeled with a skull and cross bones, along with every other margy mix on the shelves).

Yes it's a skinny margy, but truth be told boozing makes you fat.  That's the real skinny!  And take it from me.  I used to be FAT and i used to BOOOOOZE!  It's never too late to wake up and decide to make positive change or even just practice moderation, in all aspects of living.

So for all you two-piece loving ladies who want a cocktail but don't want it to effect your beached up and pool-side lounging confidence, here's a really great solution!  All you need is a sac of limes, a liter of club soda, some tequila blanco, liquid stevia, and a hand citrus press (it makes this a really quick and painless job).  Ladies, did you know some margaritas come in at around 400-500 calories depending on the mix that's used?  Yeah, that's about 1/4 of your daily calories!  You could eat two bowls of pasta or a 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce for that many calories!!!!  My skinny margaritas are around 85 calories: 1 ounce shot of tequila (70 calories), about 1 lime (15 calories), club soda (0 calories), and stevia (0 calories).

Bust out your hand citrus press.  Hopefully you already have one,  I did not, but don't worry BevMo has these too!  I've eyed them at the stores multiple times, but being the frugal and resourceful individual i like to think i am, i always thought my other hand press was just as quick and efficient.  Not the case.  This hand citrus press will put you out a meesely $10 bux and it's well worth every red cent!

Okay then, let's get on with this margarita maddness!

Press a bunch of limes into a pitcher (i used 9), fill it up with club soda (33 oz, low sodium), add a sweetener (i chose liquid stevia to save calories, 20 drops), and add your favorite tequila blanco as you pour each cocktail over ice.

I don't think liquid stevia is probably the healthiest of all things as clearly it's a highly refined/processed form of stevia, but i'm hoping it's better than the pink, yellow, blue packet alternatives, and thankful that it's zero calories!

These margaritas are fresh, tasty, and boyfriend approved.

don't let the lack of smile throw you off.  As a photographer, i think he believes he has to be stoic in every portrait, ha.

Dress optionally with fresh stevia leaves, mint leaves, lime, and of course an umbrella and straw.  All summer cocktails should don an appropriately festive and tropical umbrella!

Powered By Veggies & Pumped Up Plyo

Next weekend will be my first get-away of 2012.  Packing my 'kini, sunnies, flip flops, and nook and off i go to sayulita, mexico for a yoga retreat at haramara.  You may remember my visit last year where i learned to make birdseed granola and muy caliente chili oil, along with my first zipline expedition, some great sunny rays, yoga classes galore, and great friends.  I'll once again be helping out on the retreat, so my days will be balanced with sunshine, yoga, meditation, great eats, a little teaching, adjusting, and ahhhhh rising and sleeping by sunlight/moonlight in open pallapas with complete disconnection from internet/computer and my phone.  oh-so-peaceful!  The way life should be!

In an attempt to not scare the natives my first time in a bikini this year, this pasty white girl has been working extra hard to melt off any extras.  Unfortunately there isn't much i can do for this white skin until i arrive there, but i'm sure one day in and i'll already have a golden glow!  I've been juicing daily 30 oz of juice, drinking protein green smoothies packed with spinach, chia, and vegan protein powder, and eating mad amounts of raw veggies and lots of parsely and cilantro.  I also started the INSANITY dvd workout series crazy cardio and plyo and busted out my old Turbo Jam dvd's (i love the ones using the swiss ball, which i've once again blown up).  Apparently, the hard work is paying off!  I've lost a few lbs, i'm feeling good with what i'm putting in my body, working out hard, and just yesterday i had a few students comment that i was looking really good.  oh yeah!  i'll take it!  Hard work does pay off!

Here's a glimpse at what this chick-a-dee has been eating:

juicing 1 head celery, 2 cukes, 1 apple, 4 lemons, cilantro, parsley, romaine

vrrrm, vrrrm, grrrr, grrr, grind, squeeze

and i get 30 oz of liquid gold to drink each day

cabbage, celery, shredded steamed yellow beet, cilantro, parsley, tahini, ACV, onion and garlic powder

cabbage, cuke, celery, tahini, ACV, onion & garlic powder, and Living Intentions Ayurvedic chili Blend of sprouted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.  These are delicious salad toppers!

another 30 oz's of juice: 1 head celery, one massive cucmber, 1 large lemon, 1 fuji apple, lots of parsley

I am seriously flushing the system.  I think limiting salt is HUGE for me.  I'm such a salter and tend to use tamari often.

I've been making my protein shakes with:


1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk
the remainder of the 1 cup of liquid is pure water
1 Tbsp chia
2-3 inch piece of frozen banana
a few fistfuls of organic spinach or chard from the garden
some ice
and a scoop of protein powder (i use sun warrior and vega or combine the two since the Vega Endurance Line chocolate i have has a butt-load of sodium i only use a half scoop).

As a little treat this morning i also made home-made protein bars.  Wait for it.......

i'll publish the recipe next friday.  There are 15 grams of protein in each bar, and they are low sugar, low carb, and depending how you cut them (i cut 6 large bars) they'll  have under 11 grams of fat and 250 calories (thats making 6 big bars) or halve that and make 12 smaller bars at 125 calories each and 5 grams fat.

I had to leave you hanging with a little something to hold you over until i get back from me-hi-co!

I hope this inspires you to dust off your juicer, pull out your old workout dvd's, and get off your duff!  I'm telling you....give it a week or two and you'll see AND FEEL the difference....and so will those around you!

Green Juice To Start Your Day & Energize Your Sexy Body

Nothing makes me feel better than starting my day with green juice...NOTHING!  Flushing my cells with green nectar always gives me a special energy that can't be equaled by anything else.  Throw in anything growing in your garden, anything that you've picked up at the farmer's market or co-op, or anything that needs to get used up.  Celery or cucumber make a great base, and you can sweeten it up with green apple (lower sugar) or a little red apple (gives it more sweetness).  Add sprouts to give it more living ezymatic quality and proteins, and if you need to stretch your juice add coconut water.

Cucumbers are rich in silica and promote great skin, nails, and hair, and recently I realized that the little persian cucumbers fit perfectly in my juicer shoot (so no need to spend time chopping them).  Celery is rich in potassium and sodium, the two most important minerals for regulating fluid balance, therefore it acts as a diuretic helping to flush out your cells and releases excess water weight.  Release water weight?  Um, yes please.

Try this combo:  a bunch of celery, a handful of persian cucumbers, 1/2 a lime, ginger, and a red apple.  Make it even more stellar by pushing through a handful of sprouts and a few leaves of kale!

Get Your Green On: Chlorophyll Detoxes and Alkalizes

MORE GREEN DRINKS!!!

Greens are rich in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is what gives plants it's green hue. It's basically the blood of plants.  It's structured very similar to human blood, the main difference being that chlorophyll's central atom is mangesium while human blood's main atom is iron.  Because of this chlorophyll is an amazing blood builder.  Chlorophyll has been shown to be a cancer preventative, it aids in detoxification, it fights infections, is great for gastro-intestinal disorders, and it's alkalizing so it helps to negate acidity in the body.  If that's not reason enough I'm happy to pull out some more factoids like the awesome fact that it combats bad odors, bad breath, and body odor.  Don't you want to smell as good as you're lookin', Good Lookin'?   Plus it supports detoxification of your liver (hear that wino friends?).

While i firmly believe that whole foods are the best way to get your minerals, powdered greens boosters can be a good supplement to your already nutrient rich diet.  There are many powders on the market and they all taste a bit different so before you buy a whole canister see if you can buy sample sized packets to make sure you like the taste.  Many of them say to mix with water but the taste is well....less than palattable.  I've found that adding coconut water to my greens powder drinks, as well as my fresh pressed green juices helps to cut any bitterness and add a wealth of sweetness.  While fresh coconut water would be best, i think most of us are going to buy it pre-packaged.  My favorite brands are ONE and Coconut Nirvana.  The only bummer with the packaged coco water is that it's been pasteurized, so clearly a lot of the nutrient density will be cooked off, however it is lower in calories than most juices and sweet and delicious which really works when you need to cut a bitter green juice.   Here's a recipe for a fresh pressed greens tonic with an extra chlorophyll boost:

freshly press a handful of greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc)
freshly press a large organic unpeeled cucumber

Divide this equally into two 12-16oz jars.  Add in 1 tsp of greens powder and a pinch of powdered spirulina
Fill the remainder with coconut water or a mix of coconut water and a little water
Cap, shake, and enjoy.

One Love San Diego Event and Beaming Cleanse Day 3

whatchu doin this saturday?  wanna do this with me?  Yes is the right answer!

In yoga, Seva means selfless service.  Moreover, Seva refers to selfless service for altruistic purposes on behalf of, and for the betterment of a Community.  My dear friend, Kim Bauman, is associated with Off The Mat Into The World (OTM), a nonprofit dedicated to Seva and bridging the gap between yoga and activism.  Kim has passionately dedicated the past few months to putting together an amazing yoga event this Saturday Sept 17th in San Diego to raise significant funds to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti.  


Consider this...
What would your day be like without clean water?  What if your home was a tent?  How would you feel if you saw young children on the streets of your hometown with no where to go?  


Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Still far from recovery from the aftermath of the devastating January 2010 earthquake, which left over 1 million refugees still living in tents without access to water, food, and health care. Included in this 1 million are children that are growing up without nutrition and no where to call home as not even the orphanages are developed enough to hold them. 


The One Love event this Saturday will not only be an inspirational yoga and musical journey connecting the local community, but an opportunity for you to practice Seva through donation and a supportive, heartfelt presence.  The practice will be lead by 7 of your favorite San Diego Core Power teachers. 100% of the proceeds (donation is $38) will be used directly in the community of Haiti in February 2012 when Kim and her group fly over to serve and volunteer their hearts.  If you can not attend the class this weekend i urge you to find it in you heart to donate here.  One person makes an IMPACTFUL difference.  If every person that read this blog were to donate $38, we could raise over $38,000!!!  Crazy to think, but YOU and YOUR actions make an HUGE difference.  I hope to see you there this weekend.  


For those of you who have been following the beaming cleanse journey i'm so pleased to report that already on day 2 my mind was clear, i was blown away with the abundance of energy i had, and my body was feeling light and UBER flexible.  Perhaps it's the alkalinity working, or the MSM, the e3live, or the mere lack of toxins that make their way into our clean lifestyles.  Yesterday I had one of the BEST yoga practices in a long time.  I was floating effortlessly to and from plank, i felt light and strong, flexible and focused.  Those of you cleansing along with me (or at least polishing up ye' old diet) look into some of these supplements.  They are so great for boosting your green drinks or simply taking supplementally.


Conversely, today has been my hardest day.  I was hungry upon waking and have felt fatigued throughout the day.  Many of my students today were fatigued as well, so not sure if it's just the weather's impact (it's a little grayer today), or if my cleanse is catching up with me and my body is going into conservation mode (more likely the case).


Today's menu from beaming is:


Beaming Juice #1 - celery, cuke, sprouts, lime, ginger (no kale today) 

YES!  MORE GREEN JUICE!!  

Superfood Smoothie #2 alkaline and coco water, almond milk, wheat grass, barley grass, chlorella & spiralina greens powder, plant based protein, probiotics, maca


Raw Soup #3 gazpacho made with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, bell pepper, garlic, smoke chilis, jalapenos, sunflower sprouts, and cucumber


Beaming Juice #4 Same as number one with MSM and e3live


immunity elixer #5 coco and alkaline water, lemon, ginger, stevia, camu camu, msm


Rawkin Salad:  kale, red pepper, romaine, sunflower greens, sunflower sprouts and sesame seeds, corn and cashew based dressing (really NUMMY!)


2 teas and triphala


As i mentioned, I woke up fairly hungry this morning (but honestly i wake up hungry every morning).  My stomach was growling.  It wasn't bad, but i definitely wanted more than juice.  I started my day with 2 16oz cups of warm lemon water with the purfiy me tea, taught yoga, then drank my green juice #1...stomach still feeling empty.  


hrrmmmm....do i go for my superfood smoothie and sacrafice my mid morning pick me up?  


I compromised.  I had half the smoothie in the morning and the second half around 11:30am (These smoothies are so good...I would consider them a dessert packed with stellar nutrients and super foods.  HOLLAH! ).  It was welcomed nourishment but after my next class i was racing home to have lunch (by 2pm).   The Raw Soup has been my go-to lunch, though they've said we can rotate the order of foods/drinks around in the day to have them at whatever times seem more appropriate for us. I stuck to their mould until today when i had my salad for lunch. I probably could have just had half and saved half, but i got so excited to eat it that i couldn't stop!  Before i knew it the salad was gone and i was staring aimlessly into my fridge at the 3 bottles left to consume throughout the day.  


How are 3 bottles of liquid going go hold me over til tomorrow?  It's only 2:30. 


I think i might have started to sweat with fear.  I grabbed a couple of my favorite books on cleansing for motivation to indulge in some quiet time.  The lids fell shut and i was out.  


If only the UPS man didn't have to come today...if only i wouldn't have ordered those cute shoes to wear with my skinny jeans on saturday.  UGH!  


Twenty minutes into my siesta the delivery man was yelling up to me and i was rattled.  Clearly not sleeping now, but i'm still hungry.  I eat half an avocado.  keep busy meredith. I clean the house.  I take yoga.  I'm feeling much better..more in control.  I drive to pick up my next day's 'food' after sipping my last green drink of the day and walking the pug.  It's not even 6:30 yet. All i have left now is my Raw Soup and the immunity elixer.  I think i might make it....


The past two nights i've had half an avo around 8pm. I try not to eat late at night, but going to bed with a gurgly or empty stomach doesn't make for sound sleep for me.  The avo just seems to takes the edge off.  Tonight i'm skipping that avo since i had it after lunch, sipping on tea and trying not to let sugar plums dance in my head.


Three days down now....2 to go.  Yoga feels amazing.  I have already lost a few lbs.  LOVING THAT!  Skinny jeans you are only 2 days a way!  Here's hoping tomorrow is a little easier.