cleanse: day seven.

today is the final day of my first week (eating only fruits and veggies). I am SO looking forward to monday and adding back seafood and beans. this morning I decided to have a small plate of fruit for breakfast.

half a grapefruit, a handful of blueberries, one kiwi, and a manila mango (which, in my opinion are SO much better than a traditional mango)...all on my classy target paper plate :)

manila mangoes are smaller and have a yellow skin when ripe. the perfect portion for a snack or part of breakfast. but what I like about manila mangos the most is their tangy, almost sour taste.  however, if you dont like a tangy/tart taste, you can let them further ripen and the are incredibly sweet.  my son tried them for the first time this morning and practically finished a whole one himself. he didn't care for the ruby red grapefruit and spit it out immediately. 

the thing I find most difficult about this cleanse is the lack of hot food (and coffee, i just want a dang latte for goodness' sake!).  I have been really craving a warm breakfast (eggs benedict, haha) or a nice hot dinner (steak and mashed potatoes). that's not to say that I cant have a hot meal of steamed/sautéed/grilled veggies, it just doesn't feel the same without a protein, and I'm getting pretty sick of soup for dinner! a few nights ago I tried making sautéed shiitake mushrooms to go along with my soup for a "meaty" alternative and bleck. I am just NOT a mushroom fan. meh, oh well.

on the menu for dinner tomorrow night: 

grilled ono with fresh mango salsa and grilled veggies! yes.

happy cleansing!

PS I wrote this entry on my iPhone using the blogger app. not too bad, although there are a few things I will change when I am at a computer (links, alignment, photo, etc). you are limited in your manipulations, but overall its a good app that's easy to use.

cleanse: day five.

day five and going strong.  although all i can think about is french baguettes and butter croissants.  i am normally a sweets person, but haven't had a single craving for anything sweet or sugary.  the only thing i have been craving is meat, something more hearty and substantial, and BREEEEAADDDDD!  i could seriously mow down a whole baguette right now, but thats beside the point.  my energy level is up, aside from the fact that i am suffering through a cold and my son has bronchitis (yuck!).  i dont feel hungry, but i am sick of eating salad and soup.  i am definitely looking forward to adding back seafood and beans on monday.  YES!  for the past few days i have been blending my breakfast.  

my normal breakfast blend:

frozen blueberries (my drink MUST be cold)

orange juice (for taste and easy veggie blend-ability)

chia seeds (yes i said CHIA - i buy these in bulk at sprouts or whole foods)

2 stems kale

handful or two spinach

half an apple

small beet

 if i had fresh flat leaf parsley, i would add that too, but my garden has gone dormant for the winter 

and i haven't picked up any from the store.  flat leaf parsley adds a real "fresh" taste.  

hard to explain, but so so GOOD!  (today i added some strawberries and tomatoes that i needed to use before they went bad)

it really looks awful, but its delicious.  i would say its an acquired taste and at first i thought it tasted like rabbit food.  i know its really good for me, so that also makes it easier to drink.  my blender is a health master (haha, super cheesy name).  but its been great.  blends practically anything, makes soups, baby food, homemade flour, puree/food process... i thought about throwing it out the window the other day, but it was operator error.  i would LOVE to have a vitamix, but don't really have the $500-600 dollars to spend.  maybe for my birthday?

lunches have been a freshly made salad.  spring mix, fresh berries, half an apple, avocado and some sesame garlic dressing.  salt and pepper to taste.  i love this salad, but am really tired of eating it.  i guess i should change it up a bit.  snacks have been fresh fruit/veggies and almonds.  i have also been drinking herbal and green tea throughout the day and plenty of water.

ready for the weekend!! well, actually i am looking forward to monday for once!

happy cleansing!

cleanse: day one.

 going along with one of my new years resolutions (and ultimately a lifestyle resolution - live healthier), i am embarking on a 21 day cleanse to kick start my metabolism and give my digestive system a break.  i have done many cleanses/diets/nutrition challenges/fasts etc etc. and i LOVE them.  i am very competitive by nature and i love putting myself to the test.  this particular cleanse i am taking from martha stewart's whole living magazine.  i picked up the magazine at a local market (i was drawn by the cover art - simple, clean, and inviting) and decided to try their 2012 whole living action plan.  

here are the basic rules from their website:

What's Off Limits During the Plan: 

processed food or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and alcohol

What You're Eating During Week 1: 

fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats: including nuts, seeds, and oils

What You're Adding Back in Week 2:

seafood, beans and lentils, and organic soy

What You’re Adding Back in Week 3:

gluten-free grains and eggs

they also recommend keeping a food journal (which i, admittedly, haven't done) and kick-starting your metabolism with a pre-breakfast hot water with fresh lemon drink (also haven't done, but i will tomorrow).  after i finish this 21 days cleanse, i will be doing a "carb night" diet that one of my friends recommended.  the basic rules of the "carb night" diet are limiting your daily carb intake by 30 grams and then having a free night once a week to eat what you wish.  this seems pretty easy to maintain, but we will see in 21 days when i try it out.

cleanse: day one - RECAP

breakfast: one grapefruit, 4 carrots, and one inch of fresh garlic.  blended.  

this was very tasty and quite nice.  since i feel a cold coming on, the citrus and ginger was great for that.  it was a little "chewy" for my taste, but this is because i blended and didn't juice.  the magazine gives recipes for juicing.  i dont have a juicer and wasn't planning on going out and buying one just for this cleanse, so i threw the ingredient in my high-powered-wish-it-was-a-vita-mix-blender and made a smoothie of sorts.  after reading further, the magazine directs you to their website for blender-friendly recipes, genius.  i will try one of these detox smoothies later today.

lunch: vegetable soup

i was craving something hot since i am feeling a little under the weather so i went for soup.  grabbed all the veggies in my fridge and my dutch oven and went to town.  this recipe is made up along the way, but i will let you know what went into it.

ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

4 gloves of garlic, diced or pressed

salt

pepper

seasonings (dried herbs of your choosing - i used dried italian herbs)

one 15 oz can of diced italian style tomatoes

vegetable stock (about 4-6 cups, just enough to cover all the veggies)

two zucchini, chopped into half moons

one 15 oz can of corn

some red cabbage (as much as you want)

method: 

heat the olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven, or whatever stock pot you have.  

add onion, celery, carrots and garlic.  season with salt, pepper, and seasonings.

cook until onions are translucent.  

add tomatoes and stock.

throw in the rest of the veggies.

add more stock if necessary (need enough to cover the veggies).

cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes

enjoy!

the soup was very delicious, but damn i wanted some chicken or beans.  haha. for dinner i made a simple salad with organic spring mix and organic jazz apples.  a little salt and pepper and oil with garlic for the dressing. done.

dinner:  spring mix jazz apple salad

simple and delicious!  throughout the day i snacked on raw almonds, apples, and berries.  i am trying to eat only organic fruits and veggies throughout this entire cleanse.  mainly because a lot of the stuff i am consuming raw and i am super lazy about washing produce, gahhh! terrible.  i am pretty confident that i wont die.

happy cleansing!

the perfect champagne for any budget

new years eve is tomorrow night and im sure there will be plenty of bubbly flowing.  if i could only drink one alcoholic beverage for the rest of my life, i would, without a doubt, choose champagne.  i love love LOVE it.  now, i say "champagne" but i am referring to all sparkling wines in general and not just "champagnes."  you may or may not know that a sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is made from the grapes of the champagne region of france.  all champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are champagnes :)  moving right along... 

 here are my champagne/sparkling wine recommendations for NYE or whenever:

UNDER $10

cristalino brut.  around $8

UNDER $20

scharffenberger brut.  around $15

UNDER $30

nicholas feuilatte brut.  around $25-30

UNDER $50

perrier jouet brut.  around $40

moet & chandon brut imperial.  around $42

UNDER $100

bollinger brut.  around $60

billecart salmon brut rose.  around $80

UNDER $200

krug brut non-vintage.  anywhere from $150-200

pommery cuvee louise.  around $160

SPLURGE

dom perignon brut rose.  around $475

as you can see, i prefer a dry non-sweet sparkling wine and have also included roses.  who doesnt like pink sparkly things?  sparkling roses have such a wonderful color and are a great way to change it up a bit.  i tried to select wines that werent SO recognizable and popular.  try something new and exciting!  most of these champagnes/sparkling wines can be picked up at your local market/liquor store.  some of the more unique and hard-to-finds may require a specialty wine shop.  if youre in the costa mesa/newport beach area you could hit up hi time wine cellars.  also, bevmo should carry and have most of these selections in stock.  and of course, there is always bristol farms - which carries all of these lovely wines!

CHEERS!

what are YOU doing for new year's eve?

if youre like me (a procrastinator) you don't plan anything for NYE and just hope something super fun and exciting to do lands in your lap.  well, because i have spent a few NYEs doing nothing super fun and exciting, i have learned that a plan needs to be made in advance if youre looking for some action.  but here i am, 2 days before the big night with NOTHING planned. hhaha.. shocking!  so what now?  well, i am married.  i do have an 18 month old son.  its not like my plans will involve getting heavily intoxicated at some chic and trendy hotel party in a city im not familiar with (although one of my good friends will be - sigh).  another friend of mine is heading up to tahoe for the weekend with a guy friend of hers (guy friend? sheesh, lets make it official already).  maybe other people will be joining them in tahoe, so my assumption that its a romantical weekend alone might be hasty.  i was talking to another girlfriend about NYE and she mentioned a hotel party as well (locally, however) and possibly a yacht cruise in newport (how fantastic!).  all of these PLANS sound amazing... but as i stated earlier, i FAILED TO PLAN ANYTHING!  so now im thinking dinner with my husband at one of our favorite places in newport, the cannery.  they dont take reservations in their jelly fish lounge (great signature cocktails and sushi) anyhow, so i dont feel so horrible for not making any.  however, it is NYE and it is newport. 

 wish me luck!  happy new year!

the cannery. jelly fish lounge.

what are your plans for NYE?

tea! yes.

i have always been a coffee drinker and when i say always, i mean i started drinking coffee in my 3rd year at UCLA.  coffee was a must.  i've never been into energy drinks (or drugs) and having a hot coffee in during the early morning or late night study/cram sessions was essential.  i love coffee, i do.  everything about it - the aroma, the body, the texture and flavor. my favorite ice cream is ben and jerry's coffee heath bar crunch and my favorite dessert is tiramisu.  that being said, i have been diving into the world of tea (hot tea) head first.  iced tea has always been on my radar, and i love it.  hot tea, not so much.  its tastes too much like water - its practically hot water, but i guess iced tea is just cold water? hmmm.

anyhow, i talked to a few tea lovers i know - one of them being the coffee/tea buyer at work.  she was so full of information and enthusiasm, definitely making me excited about tea too!  after trying a few of the samples she gave me and taking her suggestions on things to try and learning about proper tea preparation and tasting - i stocked up!  went to the store and bought one of every thing!  well, not really, but i bought some green tea, some black tea, some white tea, some loose tea.  WOW! so many selections. 

i also went to tea forte dot com and purchased a kati tea brewing system shown above in "tree top."  its a double wall ceramic tumbler with a stainless steel mesh infuser basket for loose tea.  there are 8 different color/pattern options.  i love it and keep one at home and one at the office!  its never hot to the touch and i like the versatility of being able to use both loose and bagged teas.  this brewing system was featured in O Magazine, so use the coupon code: OPRAH at check out and this super cute tumbler is yours for only $9!  

oh, and their tea isn't too bad either, haha.  i love their cucumber mint and mango peach green teas.  i got the cucumber mint bagged and the mango peach loose.  let me know what you think!

at work, i just use our hot water dispenser for my tea, but at home i currently use the microwave to heat my tea water and would like to get away from doing that.  i am debating between a traditional stove-top tea kettle or an electric kettle.  i like the idea of getting a cute green whistling stove-top kettle - its pretty and functional but maybe not so practical.  the electric kettle is much more efficient/quicker.  maybe i will just get both?  meh, thats not really necessary.

le creuset whistling tea kettle. kiwi.

 

bodum electric kettle. green.

sooooo, which one?

let's do this!

it's that time of year again... THE END!

 time to say good-bye to 2011 and hello to 2012.  

most of us start the new year off with a resolution that we vow to keep and end the year forgetting what we resolved to accomplish in the first place.  not this time! (well for me anyway.  i say this now, but we'll see).  

2012 resolutions:

blog! keep it up.  i haven't posted since like.. what? march 2011.

live a healthier lifestyle - free of sugar binges and processed junk

exercise - (realistically it should be MAKE TIME to exercise)

finish my "home to-do list"

don't have a resolution?  HERE is a website that can generate one for you.  heck, you can even have it keep generating until you find one you like.

this year, i will...

i'm ready for 2012!