We DID IT!

It has been 21 days.. and the cleanse is officially over! YEAH! I stayed up until midnight and a couple of loaves of freshly baked bread came out of the oven at about 11:45 pm. And then I waited to partake! YUM! Freshly baked bread has never tasted so good. Although... it has NEVER filled me like it did last night. I had 1 1/2 pieces and didn't know if I could fall asleep feeling so completely full. I am happy that the cleanse is over...although now I need to decide the lessons I have learned from this experience and how it is going to help me in the future.

The Coast is Clear...

Yes we made it through the final weekend. Hopefully the majority of the temptations are in the past. I have never before realized how anything fun in life has a total and complete link to food, lots of it and lots of unhealthy versions of it! Yes my eyes are open to that very obvious fact. So with the last weekend (yes being that most fun- meaning food related activities- in life happens on weekend) the MAJOR temptations should be in the past. Except for the fact that we brought home a nice sized tupperware full of treats from Brandon's brothers farewell party and yes they are sitting on our kitchen counter at the moment.

Three days and counting.......

The Cleanse Continues

After a couple of rough days last week, sis and I almost called it quits on Thursday night. It seemed like a good time to throw in the towel... because we could then go crazy over the weekend. But we prevailed and have made it through the last weekend of the cleanse. Wh-hoo. Only 3 more days left. I seriously CAN NOT believe we have almost done it.

Here's what I ate today:
cantaloupe and grapes
TJ's fiber tortilla chips with green salsa
barley, rice, nut pilaf (uh, YUCK)
grilled squash, red onion, green pepper shishkabobs
more green salsa and chips
oat granola with rice milk

The ideas are definitely gone and I am existing on what is in my house that I can make into something edible. I have a bunch of soy yogurt, granola, rice cakes etc. that I will eat during the next couple of days, and then FREEDOM.

Sun Dried Tomato Artichoke Tofu

Sun Dried Tomato Artichoke Tofu

Ingredients:
Sliced tofu
2 T. olive oil
1 pkg dry French onion soup mix
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1 jar (6oz) marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

Preheat oven to 350.
Place slices of tofu in large baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over tofu.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Touch and go...

It had been touch and go for a while this weekend. So many temptations.... I didn't know if I was going to make...but I did. I am glad that I made it. Sunday was difficult as I made dinner for Mom, Dad, Ben, Danielle and family. I made Sun Dried Tomato Artichoke Chicken (with a slice of tofu for Brandon Mom & I), rice (for me), pasta & sauce for everyone else, garlic green beans, homemade wheat bread (difficult to resist), cantaloupe (delicious!), cookies and brownies.

I went to Trader Joe's on Monday to stock up on few new additions. For dinner on Monday we had Christie's tostadas. They were very good. But Monday night I went to bed feeling hungry with nothing to satisfy my sweet craving.

Today has been easier. Not as many temptations around. I had oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. For lunch I tried some TJ vegetable tofu sushi but decided I am not a fan.

Dear Sister

You should know that if I was doing this cleanse alone, it would have ended about 11 days ago. Every time it occurs to me that I want to eat something on the CAN'T list, I think of you....and how you are suffering and abstaining as well. And then I walk away from the temptation. I honestly can't believe I'm still in this. But I'm so glad I am.

Disappointment

I bought what I thought were vegan wheat free blueberry waffles. As they popped out of the toaster this morning they smelled TOO good. I checked the ingredients list.... and then handed my precious waffles to my children for their consumption. Oatmeal again? Oh well.

Gazpacho

2 lb. ripe tomatoes, washed, peeled, and seeded
3 cloves of garlic
4 t. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne
2 t. lemon juice
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large red onion, diced
1 peeled, seeded, diced cucumber
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
3 c. tomato juice
1/2 c. parsley
1 c. water
1 c. diced cantaloupe or honeydew melon

Puree tomatoes, garlic, oil, salt, cayenne. Mix in remaining ingredients, except for melon. Chill overnight, serve garnished with melon and more parsley.

Alan has been asking for the last 10 years if I would make him gazpacho. Today was the day!

The AZ Update

Today was fast Sunday... by far one of the easiest fast Sundays I have ever had. I'm just not as starving as I usually would be when I'm not on the cleanse.
--We went to Alan's parents for dinner, they were having taco salad. Not that hard to resist. I ate chips with lettuce and tomato, and they had a great fruit salad, so I ate a ton of fruit. And drank a ton of water. I'm just glad to have another day finished.
--Other updates: The other night we had spaghetti and meatballs. We ate vegan meatballs from TJ's, sauce from fresh and easy that was all natural, and rice noodles with a big green salad. It was not very good. I don't love the rice pasta, it seems starchy and mushy to me. This was not so successful. The vegan meatballs were GROSS. But Alex loved them, and ate 5. Go figure.
--I had a tofu pad-thai bowl from TJ's that was divine, I highly recommend it.
--The soy yogurt from TJ's was delish. I had raspberry and stirred in some oat granola, it was a great snack.
--I picked up my Bountiful Baskets yesterday and it was full of the most beautiful organic strawberries (8 packages!), celery, assorted lettuces, and many other good veggies that I will use this week.
That's all. I'm tired and hungry and having strange BM's. Is that too much information? I think probably. Sorry.

The Hardest Day.....

So yes today was difficult.... to say the least. We started out at my favorite breakfast spot. Cinnamon Roll French Toast would be my usual order but instead the ONLY thing I could find on the menu... hash browns and vegan sausage. Ugh. Yes I did eat... but not exactly a satisfactory meal.

Then we were off to Seattle's SeaFair. I thought I was prepared as we headed out the door with apples, bananas, rice cakes with peanut butter, almonds, etc..... but of course none of those options looked appetizing as I passed the booths full of fried food! More temptations. I ate my apple, almonds, couldn't find the rice cakes and peanut butter (still don't know where they went). I was still hungry and while my dad ordered a veggie hot dog I added one to the pot without the bun. Can I say yuck!?

For dinner we headed to this great seafood place right on the pier. Ohhh the salmon was calling my name. ( By the way by this point in the day Brandon was SO far off of the vegan cleanse it was beyond funny). I ordered a salad... there was nothing else on the menu that fit the guidelines. Mom suggested I order some rice and veggies and so I asked the server who followed through with my request. I actually asked for a second dinner salad I was so hungry! Thankfully the rice really filled me up. We headed off to a show after dinner and the treats at the front booth were calling my name.... AHHHH!

I can't believe we have only been doing the cleanse for 10 days. It seems like an eternity. Are we really only half way through!?!?

The Ultimate Test

Mom and Dad arrive today. I am a bit nervous about being on the cleanse while hosting my parents. First of all, I am planning on showing them all of my favorite Seattle eateries. It will take all of my willpower to not give in this weekend. Wish me luck!

Second of all, I can't exactly serve my parents vegan food while they are here. Which means I have to actually cook with meat, etc. and then not eat it. That should be interesting.

Brandon joined me on the cleanse upon my return back home. So at least he will be joining me in the temptation to splurge. This is going to be the ultimate test.

A few things that I have found to satisfy my little cravings. I got the TJ's Chunky Cinnamon Apple sauce. We have enjoyed that as a little sweet after dinner. Also, I have added TJ frozen blueberries to my oatmeal in the morning and it makes it SO much yummier!