Follow Up: Cleanse & Detox in Photos

As a follow up from this post on my cleanse & detox, I wanted to share some pictures of what it looks like. If you're a visual person like me, having colorful photos of what you're getting yourself into can help, can offer some food inspiration, and can make the cleanse seem much less scary and easier to tackle. These are photos I took last year when I cleansed - take a look!

Breakfast

This was the least painful meal since the last 2 weeks I've gotten into this green smoothie kick.

Granted this one had no greens and less fruit - so I have to admit less filling.

It also incorporated peanut butter (and don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter) but I didn't care for it mixed with the shake. Believe it or not, I'll stick to the spinach, kale and fruit smoothie.

Lunch

Okay, I'm going to admit right now D and I did some cheating. But it's not what you think, I swear! We weren't sneaking in scoops of Ben and Jerry ice cream or anything, however I was taking our "two snacks" during the day and incorporating it into our lunches and dinner. Mainly because I wasn't hungry for a snack during "snack time" but also because it bulked up our meals. Yeah, maybe it defeats the purpose of following an exact meal plan, but hey -- at least I'm trying right?

As you can see above, I used the cup of cucumber allotted for a snack and made a salad that included a spring mix and broiled chicken that I seasoned with garlic and onion spices. And the dressing was made with olive oil we were allowed to have, mixed with balsamic vinegar.

Dinner

Similar to lunch we "cheated" and made our asparagus snack as a side for our dinner. This time I topped the chicken on a bed of arugula which has a nice peppery flavor. I did the best I could to make these meals look appetizing, and I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. 

Did anyone else try the detox? What did you think of this plan?

xo Steph

Baby It's {Really} Cold Outside

I don't think it's any secret that it is absolutely freezing outside. I'm pretty certain from watching the news that there have been abnormally freezing temperatures nation wide these last few days and almost everyone is suffering from the frigid cold! So what's the best thing to do on these arctic like days? Stay inside if you can, enjoy lots of hot beverages and some soup, and curl up with loved ones. And binge on Netflix if you got it! I mentioned before I've been on a Walking Dead kick (which D and I have already caught up!) so now it is on to Game of Thrones (on HBO Go, not Netflix sorry!) Anyone else watch GOT? Hello new obsession.

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Sweater // T shirt // Southwest Camp Sock // Essie nail polish // Capri Blue sugar jar // Happy Jackson coffee mug // Slouchy marled hat

And if you have to work on these frigid days, make sure you have all the essentials. Homemade chicken soup with some fresh crusty bread and latte to heat you up heart and soul.

Stay warm friends!

xo Steph

also linking up with Because Shanna Said So

2014: The Perfect Time for a Cleanse & Detox

With the new year and new resolutions, this is the perfect time to restart your body with a cleanse & detox. It's kinda like a fresh start (physically and symbolically) for your body to get rid of all the bad stuff we ate during the holidays (I know I overindulged!!) and get back on track to a healthy lifestyle. I acutally did this cleanse with D back in May of last year and I really felt the benefits. Not only did I feel  cleansed, but energized and excited to eat cleaner. So what did I use?  I picked up this book "Look Better Naked" by the editors of Women's Health magazine which gives you a 6 week plan to basically look, well hot! They suggest using the 2-day cleanse to kickstart your 6 week plan but you don't have to use it. I did this cleanse again starting new years day and I'm feeling so excited to restart my body and try to stick to the 6 week eating and working out plan!

In a nut shell, the 2-Day Cleanse looks a little something like this:

Breakfast:
Light shake
Blend 1 cup fat-free (soy, almond, rice or hemp) milk
1 cup berries
1tsp peanut butter or flax seed oil
1 cup ice

Snack:
1 cup sliced cucumbers
1 cup green tea

Lunch:
steamed or raw greens (romaine, spinach, mesclun, arugula, kale etc.)
4 oz. lean protein (white meat chicken, firm tofu or fish)
2 tsp oil (olive, sunflower or walnut)

Snack:
10 asparagus spears, blanched
1 cup green tea

Dinner:
same as lunch

Yeah, to some this might look like their regular food plan. But to me, this looks meager and challenging. The shake I know I'll be able to do because I've been drinking breakfast smoothies for the past few weeks and I'm totally down with it! The nice thing with this plan is we are allowed to add spices and fresh herbs to make the meals more appetizing. For example, I think I'm going to add a little vinegar and fresh dill to make a cold cucumber salad -- that's more flavorful right? We are also allowed 2tsp of oil with both lunch and dinner to use how we want. I'm thinking of mixing that with some balsamic vinegar to make a vinaigrette and fresh herbs to make a dressing for my fresh greens. Lastly, I'm trying to think about how to liven up that meat since we are only allowed to bake or broil it. I'm thinking chicken could be marinated in fresh lemon juice and cracked black pepper. And fish I could experiment with some spices and use a rub. 

and a little humor to reminds ourselves to laugh when we're lashing out in hunger (I do this, do you?!)

Has anyone else ever done a detox and cleanse, and if so how did it go??
Anyone else committing to a healthier lifestyle for 2014?

xo Steph

New Years Resolutions & Fresh Starts

Did you all have a nice New Year? For me and D this year it was a quiet night at home in hopes to 1. save some money and 2. just be together minus all the new years hooplah (which don't get me wrong, hooplah can be fun!) We made a nice dinner, shared some cold beverages, ate too many peanut butter chocolate chip cookies after I baked (yeah, they were cut and bake -- but I baked no less!) and binge watched The Walking Dead on Netflix. And let me tell you, I'm not one who is into all the zombie apocalypse stuff but this show is pretty cool. Each episode leaves me wanting more -- very similar to the high I experienced watching Breaking Bad. So now that we're hooked, that's all we've been doing in 2014. Don't judge! Anyway, this also explains my lack of blogging over the past few days but forgive me -- there are zombies and walkers to kills! 

Original source can be found via my Pinterest page

Some people think resolutions are silly. Like how everyone packs the gyms in January only for them to be empty again in February. But I don't think they are stupid. Change can happen if you really want it. And sometimes people (and by people I mean me) need that symbolic change of the calendar year to give them the kick in the butt they need to make those changes.

A fresh start.

2013 had its ups and downs for me, but I am hopeful that 2014 will bring some good things my way. Not because I deserve it and the world owes me anything and not because of luck, but because I am going to create the changes to make them happen.
Do you all make resolutions every year or do you think they are silly?

So let's all promise to make 2014 our year ; )

xo Steph