Go Time + Sweet Potato Falafel

November 24, 2010 By Laura

The baking has begun.

Welcome to the holiday season.

Can you guess what this is?

My neighbor and baking-extraordinaire made TURKEY cupcakes! Unbelievable.

The stuffing is made of tiny cubes of pound cake and the greenery is cereal. I wish I was that creative/talented!

For my first non-cleanse dinner, I made Sweet Potato Falafel based on these by 101 Cookbooks.

Sweet Potato Falafel

2 Medium sweet potatoes, cooked
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Turmeric
2 Garlic cloves, minced
Juice of half a lemon
1 C Rice flour*
1 T EVOO
1 T Toasted sesame oil
Sprinkling of chia seeds
Salt and pepper

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, coriander, lemon juice and flour into a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste, add EVOO and sesame oils, then mush with fork until smooth with no chunks. Place in fridge to firm up for 30 mins. The mix should be more gooey than wet. If needed, add a bit more EVOO or flour (the water content of sweet potatoes varies).

Preheat the oven to 400F. Using a tablespoon or a falafel scoop, scoop the mixture on to an oiled tray. Sprinkle seeds on top and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins, until the bases are golden brown.

Makes about 15 falafel.

*Amp up the protein by subbing half of the rice flour for Growing Natural’s Rice Protein Powder.

These were great with a salad and leftover grilled eggplant!

Now for the fun, dessert-like things baked. 🙂

1. Angela’s Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies (check it out on Oh She Glows)

2. Kentucky Derby Pie (the alco/choco-holic’s version of pecan pie)

This is one of my favorite “treats.” Mom has been making it forever.

It is fantastic, easy to make, and perfect to gift a friend or bring to a dinner party.

Kentucky Derby Pie

1/2 C Salted butter, melted
1 C Sugar
1 C Light corn syrup (I use the Karo)
2 T Bourbon (I use Jack and pour those tablespoons generously over the bowl)
3 Eggs
1 C Semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsels
1 C Pecans, lightly chopped
Pie crust (making your own is a pain unnecessary – use the Pillsbury. It tastes just fine!)

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Add bourbon and eggs. Mix well. Fold in nuts and chocolate. Pour in pie shell (I grease the pie dish before putting the shell in because the insides usually seep over and make it the crust stick).

Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins (this has taken up to an hour before… depends on your oven). It will poof up a bit and may crack in the middle. When it’s done it shouldn’t be real jiggly, but will have a little movement. It will brown. Let it cool before you serve it! It is made to pair with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of bourbon coffee.

3. Flour-less Chocolate Crack Cake

It is important to taste as you go

Carefully pour into springform

Move your fingers, Mom!

Top with sea salt and drizzle of EVOO

This is good. Close to perfect. Recipe to come when I make a few tweaks.

In anticipation of the 10K tomorrow morning, I tasted the baked goods verrrrry lightly. And then I drank a neon-Green Monster. 🙂

Neon colors taste better

Then I looked at the baking aftermath and shuddered.

***

In the thankful spirit of the season, here are some things I am particularly thankful for this year:

My mom
My sisters
Great friends
A new job that I love
Sticktuitiveness
The ride

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Starbucks Deals + Ending the Cleanse

November 24, 2010 By Laura

Who wants 12 days of Starbucks deals??? Saving Money Living Life has delivered yet again.

Click for source

The Starbucks Deal: Text 12DAYS to 29943 to sign up for Starbucks’ 12 days of Sharing. Beginning December 1st you will receive one deal per day.

Merry Christmas, Coffee Addicts! 🙂

The woman at SMLL posts some awesome deals AND always manages to save an impressive amount at Publix (like getting $90 of stuff for ~$45). I wish she’d figure out how to do it at Whole Paycheck Foods!

I also learned about a FREE holiday music sampler iTunes download People Magazine through SMLL. Check out the deal on People’s website.

Speaking of coffee, I have a one-track mind today. The SP Cleanse is OVER!!! Mom and I celebrated with some midnight ab work (I know… we have never been normal).

I also had my second personal training session last night. I am still really loving it.

Some highlights:

20 push-ups in a row, followed by 2 sets of 10 (boy-style = no knees)
65 sit-ups in 2 minutes
20 oblique-ups
Lots of bicep curls, pull-downs, and triceps

Our last supper was a salad with Garlicky Grilled Eggplant (recipe at end). It didn’t get the gorgeous grill marks, but tasted great.

In my salad:

Zucchini
Cucumber
Carrots
Sweet potato
Garlicky Grilled Eggplant

This morning I am supposed to begin adding foods back one at a time in order to identify any food allergies/sensitivities (I may have chosen two things to add…).

In my oats:

McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
Arrowhead 4-Grain + Flax
1/2 tsp Coconut butter
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Blueberries

Have I mentioned how much I missed oatmeal???

I am aiming to add low or gluten-free carbs before going all out since that seems to be a common sensitivity.

Garlicky Grilled Eggplant

1 Eggplant
2 T EVOO
2 T Balsamic vinegar
2 Garlic cloves, minced
S & P to taste

Cut eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices.

In small bowl, whisk together EVOO, balsamic, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Brush liberally onto eggplant. Place eggplant on grill (or grill pan) for 10-14 mins, flipping once halfway through.

Note: You will probably have some of the vinaigrette leftover – don’t toss it! It is good drizzled over the grilled eggplant and makes for a great salad dressing.

Drink Yer Squash

November 12, 2010 By Laura

I went to kickboxing last night for the first time in months. Knuckle Up is a great local boxing gym that offers intense, sweat-inducing 50 minute kickboxing classes.

One of the many pieces of sporting equipment in the trunk of my car

It felt good to be back and the instructor even complemented my form! Very exciting.

(I’m thinking about trying a boxing class… more on that if/when I get the kahunas to actually do it.)

My need to to hit something is dedicated to Excel. Which I spent the entire day yesterday in. And then stayed up until 3am working on the same document. Needless to say, I am falling asleep sitting up this morning! But it is done and I’m pretty happy about that. 🙂

Day 11 of the SP Cleanse (tomorrow) means we get to add chicken. Strangely enough I haven’t craved meat. I’m still really excited to get protein from something other than smoothies.

Speaking of smoothies… have you ever tried squash in a smoothie?

This butternut-cherry-chocolate combo sounds strange, but it was almost cake-like. And filling!

Drink yer SQUASH

Butternut Squash-Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie

1/4 C Butternut Squash
1/2 Banana (frozen)
1/4 C Black cherries (frozen)
2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I used Juice Plus)
Pumpkin Spice
Cinnamon
Fresh grated nutmeg

Throw it all in a blender, add ice, water (or milk – no dairy allowed on the cleanse), and spices to taste, and slurp away!

Makes 1 huge or 2 medium smoothies.

***

I know it sounds weird, but give it a try. It was sweet, thick (even using the water), and a great way to use some leftover squash. YUM.

Would you ever tried a non-conventional smoothie item?

Cleanse = Fries

November 9, 2010 By Laura

The Cleanse is going really well. I love that I’m trying so many new things and my energy level is great!

Funny what I don’t crave – the thought of fried food makes me nauseous. Not that I ate a lot of fried foods before, but I did have a penchant for tater tots and really good fried chicken.

And what I do crave – ice cream. I have never eaten a lot of it. Right now I would run over my own mother for a bowl. (Just kidding, Mom!!!)

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill last night to test my new running shoes. The guy at Fleet Feet recommended inserts, so I’m testing those too. The jury is still out.

What I don’t like:

The inserts feel hard (not rocks, but harder than just shoes)
Inserts make me feel like my heel isn’t deep enough in the shoe
The show may be a bit narrow… they do stretch though…

What I like:

With the inserts, my overpronation problem felt much improved
The length is perfect
The laces don’t slip (they are the wavy kind)
They are pretty 🙂

Sooooo… I’m not sure what to do. I will definitely need a couple more treadmill tests before deciding.

Side note: I used to run exclusively on a treadmill and couldn’t imagine running without a TV. Tonight I realized I now much prefer running outside and was bored to tears on the “hamster wheel.”

I had work to do and was up until nearly 1 am, so no Whittle My Middle. However, I got up this morning and did it!

Here’s the latest:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 40 reps
Plank ups: 14 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps, 1 set of 40
Side plank w/ twists: 15 reps each side

Has anyone ever heard of the snack cake diet? I am considering it after my cleanse… 😉

Rutabaga fries. They almost taste like real fries. Seriously.

I like mine extra crispy

These fries are really, really good. I’m pretty sure the San Francisco McDonald’s franchises are going to begin serving them with Happy Meals (sans toy, of course).

Rutabaga Fries

1 rutabaga
1T olive oil
2 rosemary springs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt (ground to “flaky” texture)
3-4 shakes of cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel rutabaga and cut into thin fry-like slices. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.

Rough chop rosemary and mince garlic. Sprinkle over rutabaga slices. Add sea salt and cayenne. Toss until each piece is coated.

Spread evenly on non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven ~20 mins, turning twice. Remove, taste, and adjust spices as needed.

Note: Omit the cayenne if you don’t like you nose to run!

How about some vegan cheese sauce with that? We can’t have real cheese on our cleanse, but this isn’t bad. It definitely doesn’t taste like actual cheese, so I hesitate to call it that… but there weren’t any leftovers!

Cheesy Vegan Non-Cheese Sauce

1/4 C Tahini sauce
1/4 C EVOO
1 T Miso Tamari

Place ingredients in mixing bowl and combine until smooth.

***

Whether it be food, running, low-rise jeans, etc… are you ever shocked by how your preferences change?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2

Healthiest Crackers Ever Made

November 8, 2010 By Laura

Baby Sis and I went for a rockstar run. We braved the cold (and the dark) and conquered 7 MILES!

The best part: when we got home, we both said we could have gone longer. I never thought I’d be saying this… but I didn’t mean to start running more than 2-3 miles at a time. It just happened.

Note to self: File under “Things that I never thought I’d say.”

Stats:

Distance – 7 miles
Time – 60:00 mins
Avg Pace – 8:57 mins

I think we are going to be just fine for our Thanksgiving 10K Gobble Jog. 🙂

Disclaimer: We made a pit stop at Old Navy about half way though for 10 mins for a quick peek. Girls will be girls…

Prior to the run, I did my Whittle My Middle with Mom. She held a very impressive 90 second plank!

Following the run, Baby Sis and I completed the Yoga for Runners DVD, which really helped keep the soreness to a minimum today for both of us.

The narration is a tad cheesy, but its effective!

For some reason I have a hard time making myself take time to stretch after a workout, but I am always glad when I do. I need to get better about doing it!

On to the big cracker win!

Unbelievably, I figured out how to make cleanse-approved crackers. These are probably the healthiest crackers ever created. AND they are packed with flavor!

Mixing the fillings

At first there were 2

Then there was 1

Asian-Spiced Flax Crackers

1 C flax meal (mine were roughly ground)
1/4 C chia seed
1 carrot
1 kale leaf
1/4 C cilantro
1/4 C mint
1/2 jalapeño (seeded)
1/8 large yellow onion
2 T tamari miso
2 T lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Combine flax meal and chia seeds in a medium bowl. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the puree to the seed mixture and stir until combined evenly.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat (non-stick aluminum foil works too!). Spread mixture about 1/8 in thick onto sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 2 hours, until firm enough to flip. Flip the cracker and bake 2 hours more. Turn off the oven and leave crackers in to dehydrate overnight.

Break into pieces and they are ready to eat!

Notes: You may crack the oven door if crackers are too moist. Ideally you would use a dehydrator for this, so feel free if you have one!

***

The fail part: I tried for a sweet flax cracker but adding coconut butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. The butter made it too moist (ewww…) and we had to turn it into a topping for the grilled pineapple.

The final day in San Fran

November 7, 2010 By Laura

We didn’t want to leave, but if you have to end a trip this was the way to do it.

Laura arranged for us to have massages at her spa. I got the hot stone massage and Mallory got wrapped in eucalyptus leaves. The ladies lounge had a misting room, hot tub, sauna, and steam room. Naturally, we spent and additional hour lounging after our massages. If you are in the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out Burke Williams. Ask for Taylor or Tuesday!

After a light lunch at one of the cafes in the Ferry Building (and some dessert sampling), we walked around Pier 39. Check out the sock store. Before we knew it, it was time to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Proud side note: I Whittled My Middle before we left!!!

The Sumos enjoyed the Trolley

Did I mention the Giants were in the World Series?!

Classic San Fran – Giants, Trolley… and a German flag?!

Dinner was something totally different – raw food at Cafe Gratitude.

Everything on the menu was raw and vegan (except for 3-4 items… but they were still vegan!).

I am grateful

You order an item like our appetizer – nachos. But the nachos are called “I Am Honoring.”

And they consist of flax chips with sunflower seed “refried beans” over mixed greens with guacamole, salsa, & cashew nacho cheese.

I am Honoring

Then, when they bring them out, the server places the dish in front of you saying “You are honoring.”

Side note: raw refried beans are wayyyy better than the real thing.

My favorite was the lasagna Laura ordered: layered zucchini, cashew mozzarella, olive tapenade and pesto topped with marinara, cashew ricotta and Brazil nut Parmesan.

I Am Fabulous

Mallory’s was good too – a sushi bowl consisting of quinoa tossed w/kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, scallions & herbs in sesame-ginger sauce.

She said she couldn’t believe how much it tasted like sushi.

I couldn’t believe she ordered something called “I Am Accepting.”

I Am Accepting

Since I can never get enough Mexican, I ordered the enchilada – a live vegetable tortilla with sprouted seed filling, topped with spicy salsa verde & cashew sour cream. It was served with cilantro coleslaw and quinoa.

It was good. Better after they brought out the hot sauce.

I really just wanted to say “I Am Elated”

Then there was dessert. Why stop the gluttony on the last day?

I didn’t get a picture of mine, but I can declare that I AM SUPER. At least when it comes to the dark chocolate nugget I ate.

Mallory was Devoted in the form of a coconut cream pie.

I Am Devoted… to dessert 🙂

Laura was the winner (IMHO) with a scoops of vanilla and chocolate nut-milk ice cream. I was praising her choices.

Verdict: I wish we had something like this in Atlanta. I will always prefer “real” cream pie, but this is a great alternative. The lasagna is crave-worthy and I am happy anytime I can get a good quinoa dish.

Something cool happened while we were in the restaurant…

The GIANTS won the World Series!!!

The city erupted – it was really neat to be there and watch everyone (literally) go nuts.

Go Giants!

I would tell you what we did next… but I’d have to kill you.

We went to one of those super-secret unmarked bars. We knocked on the door and have to give a password to get in!

It was well worth the effort – I had the best cocktail of my life. The Citizen Cane.

And just like that, the awesomeness was over. 🙁

Back at the ranch… the cleanse update…

Day 3 was better. My headache was gone, but I was still feeling pretty low-energy.

Despite this, I completed P90X Biceps and Back – with the Ab Ripper X at the end. Then I promptly fell asleep for 45 mins.

If you haven’t tried it, I recommend the DVDs. I’ve never followed the program exactly (would LOVE to hear if anyone has!), but they are some great workouts when you aren’t motivated to pull together your own.

We were starving before dinner, so I made baked kale chips as an appetizer. They have been written about ad nauseam in the blog world – for a good “how to” check out Smitten Kitchen’s play-by-play.

Washed, dried, and coated with EVOO, salt, and red pepper flakes

These didn’t last long around Baby Sis and Mamma

On to the main event… I tried my first spaghetti squash! I couldn’t get over how much like real spaghetti this was! The consistency of the squash was such that I almost didn’t miss the noodles.

We prepared an awesome tomato sauce to go with it. (Kale chips are delish dipped in tomato sauce, btw.)

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

1 Spaghetti squash
2-3 T EVOO
1/2 C Yellow onion
2 Garlic cloves
750g (~24 oz) Tomato puree
1/4 C Parsley
1 tsp Oregano
Red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper to taste
3-4 Basil leaves

Cut the squash in half (can soften in microwave first). Remove the seeds. Place in a glass baking dish, cut side down, in about 1 in of water. Microwave for 7-8 minutes, or until shell is tender when pierced with a fork. (Yes, we were lazy hungry… you can also do this in the oven at 350 for about 45 mins. I thought the microwave worked fantastically.)

Remove the flesh with a fork. Place in serving bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until softened and beginning to brown(about 4 mins). Add tomato puree and adjust heat until sauce comes to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over very low heat.

Top with sauce, fresh basil, and chopped onions.

Other potential adds: Parmesan, capers, olives, rosemary, peppers, carrots, wine.

I would also have used chunky (not puree) tomatoes (San Marzanos are my fav), but Baby Sis doesn’t like the big pieces.

Now for the most exciting news… We found a cleanse-approved dessert!!!

No one said it had to be pretty…

Pineapple-Raisin Crisp

1 Pineapple
1/4 C Raisins
2 tsp Coconut butter
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

Core pineapple and cut into 1 in rings. Toss with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cayenne.

Heat coconut butter in ridged grill pan over medium heat on stove top. Add pineapple rings and grill for ~4 mins on each side (until grill marks form and the pineapple becomes fragrant). Add raisins just before pineapple is done.

Top with granola or flax/chia seeds for extra crunch! My topping as a roasted mizture of flax seeds, chia seeds, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and coconut oil (remnants of a partial fail I’ll disclose tomorrow).

Verdict: I would eat this again, cleanse or no. Grilled pineapple is satisfyingly sweet and the bit of heat from the cayenne is enough to keep it interesting. 🙂

Halloween and Squash

November 5, 2010 By Laura

First the fun part – Halloween in San Francisco.

I woke up and ran through the city – along the Embarcadero and through Chinatown. I didn’t save it on my watch, but it was something like 5.1 miles in 43 mins. Not bad with all the hills!

Then the day was ON. After a few minutes in Urban Outfitters where we purchased sumos, Mallory and I had an awesome brunch at Orson (Elizabeth Falkner from Top Chef’s restaurant).

Sumo Thumb Wrestling

We had some “Apple Juice.”

Waiter... there's a sumo in my drink!

Then some toast.

French toast, maple syrup, pumpkin pie butter, and cinnamon cream

And some eggs.

Eggs benedict on house-made english muffin, canadian bacon, spinach, and cheddar mornay sauce

We opted to pass on dessert.

What better way to spend Halloween than at a famous prison?!

Arriving at Alcatraz

Apparently Native Americans occupied the island for 19 months from 1969-1971. All the history surrounding Alcatraz was really neat.

The Sumos enjoyed the view

Gorgeous day for prison!

: I wore stripes, ironically.

Back in San Fran, we took a looooog walk.

Coit Tower

Somehow we ended up in Chinatown right at snack time.

Pork Sticky Buns

The Sumos felt at home

We finally made it home and spent the next hour rushing around to get ready for Halloween!

It was a lazy costume year

We walked through the Mission to get dinner. Kids there trick-or-treat at businesses (the neighborhood isn’t safe conducive to the pastime).

They aren't as well stocked as Laura would have hoped.

Pit stop for ice cream at Humphry Solcombe before dinner (priorities, people!).

Bacon in ice cream. Brilliant.

Once we devoured finished our dessert, we headed to El Metate for dinner.

El Metate = El Tasty

Tacos with corn tortillas are my favorite. I ordered one veggie and one salsa verde shredded pork. The tortilla chips on the side were freshly baked into a nice, thick chip. The spicy array of treats from the salsa bar were delish too.

Taco heaven

My friends had the veggie burrito and the fried chicken. Do yourself a favor and don’t ever get the fried chicken. It was sinfully good and I’ll be craving it for a looooong time. The guac was also hauntingly good.

Finally, we were off to celebrate All Hallows Eve and oogle other people’s costumes!

The Sumos are party animals!

Now that I’ve posted about all that food… what am I eating on the detox?!

…

Read More »

My Future Hometown

November 5, 2010 By Laura

Our first full day in California was spent in Napa. I could write pages on this place. I could move to this place.

Here’s the impressive part – I woke up and did 30 mins on the hotel elliptical and Whittled My Middle. (Can’t remember the exact numbers to post!)

Before hitting the road, we have to have breakfast!

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Laura took us to a place in her neighborhood called Philz Coffee. The walk there included instructions to “watch out for puke on the sidewalk.” Admittedly, I was skeptical.

A 10 minute walk later and I was drinking the best coffee I have ever had and enjoying an unbelievably amazing VEGAN scone.

Trust the local!

Apple Pecan Vegan Scone

Then we were off to Napa!

First stop: Mumm

Favorite Taste: Sparkling Pinot Noir or Brut Rose

Notes: Great way to begin the day – all sparkling wines, helpful staff (they even gave us extra vintages to compare!), and a stunning view.

Cheers!

Second stop: Groth

Favorite Taste: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes: The wines were very good. I even bought a Chardonnay (I typically don’t care for them). The presentation could have been better, but definitely still worthy of a stop.

Yep – It’s pink.

Pit stop: Brix for lunch

Favorite Taste: Crusty bread and butter sprinkled with pink salt

Notes: Brave the 45 min wait at Mustard’s instead. We actually sent back a $21 burger… and they brought it back in worse shape.

Basic, but good!

Third stop: Cakebread

Favorite Taste: 2007 Syrah

Notes: The wines were decent and the view was great… but not our favorite experience. It is the only one I would have skipped.

The view from Cakebread

Fourth stop: Sullivan

Favorite Taste: 2005 Coeur de Vigne

Notes: By far the best winery in every regard. The tasting was personal (we met the vineyard owner!), the tasting room manager was knowledgeable and so nice. And the wines… perfect.

I want to live HERE.

We even met the owner’s son. He is in charge of the wine making… and gave us a sip of this juice:

Good even before fermentation!

After such a great experience, we decided it was the perfect winery to end on. And we were hungry.

Pit Stop #2: Rutherford Grill

Best Taste: Green Chili Cake Cornbread

Notes: Thanks to Fred, the tasting manager at Sullivan, we ordered the chili cornbread. You should too.

This could have been served as cake. Seriously.

After a hunt for gas (no stations for 10 miles!), we got lucky with dinner. Table for 3 at Redd.

I could talk forever about how the fine gentleman cocktail waiter served our drinks and said – and I quote:

“Allow me to bid you cheers, ladies.”

Or how the pork belly was heaven-sent.

Glazed pork belly, apple puree, burdock, and soy caramel

Or how the sweet and sour glazed butternut squash in the fall salad paired perfectly with the Roquefort cheese and apples.

Fall Salad

Or the dessert. Oh, the dessert. The cherry on top of a meal so incredible that it moved us to tears.

Peanut butter milk chocolate gianduja, peanut honeycomb parfait

But I wouldn’t want to make anyone jealous. 🙂

Back in the real world…

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The 21 day challenge.

Mom and I are doing the Standard Process Cleanse (lord, do I need it after the Cali gluttonous foodie experience).

For the first 10 days, you are only allowed veggies and fruit. More raw than not. Preferably organic.

And shakes with their special protein powder.

At day 11 we can add certain fish and chicken.

Obviously, we needed to raid the DeKalb Farmer’s Market to start off right!

Lots of these

None of these!

So, the blog will focus on clean, vegan eating for the next 10 days. Followed by clean, vegan-except-for-chicken eating for the remaining 11.

First lesson: if you can’t add any sweetener, don’t put cranberries in a shake. *pucker*