A Cleansing Kind of Day

Today was day one of my Whole Living Action Plan cleanse ... and the timing was probably ideal considering the first thing D says to me in the morning is, "Honey, are you retaining water?" While I loved the honesty, I don't think I needed the public announcement. Yes, I could tell that for some reason my morning water retention was a little higher than normal.

So, because, the cleanse provides you a few meal options, you get to choose the days you enjoy the food. Originally, I wanted to start with a grapefruit ginger juice ... alas, the grapefruits were not good (confession, they were from two weeks ago, and we had used the peels for something else.) So, needless to say, my cleanse was not starting on the right foot when I had to toss the grapefruit out ... so I quickly switched to the green machine smoothie. When making a smoothie that's first two ingredients are lettuce and kale ... I'm not quite sure how long you have to puree it to get it truly smooth. Whatever the answer is ... I definitely did not puree it long enough ... it was clumpy and I had to chew my smoothie. I did re-puree it, but I still did not find my ultimate smoothness. The taste was what I expected ... but I knew I was definitely in a "cleanse territory."


Picture from the Whole Living website

I spent my morning (thankfully it was a holiday) preparing my snacks for the week. One was a fruit and nut bit (which I will confess, may have me no longer buying Larabars, because they tasted as good, but I can customize the flavors!) and a pistachio butter-filled date. Both super yummy, paleo-inspired snacks that made me think that perhaps this cleanse might not be so bad.

Lunch came around before I knew it since I had spent the morning pureeing and mixing my snacks. I was ready to conquer the butternut squash soup -- because, frankly, it is one of my favorite things. However, I have known good butternut squash soup and I have definitely endured bad versions. So, I wasn't sure what I was going to face when it came to this, since it was supposed to be all detoxing and cleanse-like. The soup was amazing!! It delivered on everything I love about butternut squash soup - I settled in for a delicious lunch and new promise came to light for this cleanse.

For dinner, I was originally going to do a steamed broccoli dish, but when I was looking at the menus, I saw how long the beet soup I was supposed to have later in the week took to make ... and while D has nicely offered to make my meals along with his and the boys meals, I couldn't ask him to labor over this soup. So, soup for dinner, it was. I am not a fan of beets, so the roasted garlic and beet soup was something I anticipated having to choke down similar to my morning smoothie. Roasting beets and garlic definitely made the kitchen full of aroma ... and roasting beets definitely ensures pink tinted fingers when you peel them afterwards. The soup was so much better than I could have imagined, the taste of beets was so subtle, and the garlic and splash of lemon really mellowed it out. 

So, after Day 1, I am feeling good, but of course, Day 1 was at home and I had the luxury of taking my sweet time and making my food. Tomorrow, Day 2, is at the office and that will present some new challenges. Lunch will be easy, because I am going to enjoy the butternut squash soup again ... but I have to make sure I make a smoothie I can muster down in the morning before I go off to work ... that will be the real challenge.

Now, it's off to relax, unwind and enjoy a hot cup of herbal tea and read a little George R. R. Martin before I make sure I fall asleep to make sure I get enough hours in.



Obligatory New Years Post

The blogosphere is bursting with New Year blessings, celebrations, reflections of the year past and resolutions for how 2012 will be the greatest ever. I like that at the beginning of each year, we start out on an optimistic note, looking at what we learned from the previous year and how we can apply it to improve our fortunes in the next year. It's always great to start out on a good note with strong aspirations. 2011 wasn't a horrible year,  it wasn't all it could be, but I can't complain. I wouldn't mind the economy recovering a little faster and I wouldn't mind finding my true calling sooner ... or finding that time to write my novel.

However, my goal for 2012 is really to make that final turn from a health perspective, to take control and be the healthiest wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend I can be. In 2011, I gave up soda (not that hard when you decide to do it) and I said goodbye bagels (at first, I will admit, that one was a little harder.) To get me off in the right foot, I am starting 2012 with a detox via the Whole Living Action Plan. It's a 28-day, mind and body challenge. Not only when it have me examine what I put in my body, but what I put in my mind and how I treat myself. D was going to tackle the detox with me, but after looking at it, he decided it would be easier for him to be my cheerleader and support coach and then seeing how I fare ... giving it a try later. (He was also afraid that the first week would drive him crazy because it's focused around only consuming fruits, vegetables and nuts -- fortunately, the next week you add back protein.) We'll see how it goes and if it lives up to its promise of feeling great, healthy and energetic.

I'm surprised I actually had one more blog post in 2011 then I did in 2010 ... because I know toward the end of the year, I was lacking my commitment to the blog ... life got in the way, and I was not allowing myself the time I deserved to decompress and muse with my writings. So, I will definitely try to give myself more writing time this year. So, here's to a great beginning to a great new year - I wish everyone the best on the endeavors you choose to tackle for yourself!

A Week of Magical Celebration

You can feel it in the air - the holiday season is here. Hanukkah starts tonight, Christmas is only five days away. But this week is a very special week in my household because of two birthdays. Two years ago today, my youngest son entered the world in a whirlwind (five weeks, plus one day early and faster than one could imagine.) And on Friday, my husband will celebrate his birthday. So, yes the week before Christmas is a special one for our family. In fact, the birthdays tend to be more magical than the holidays everyone else is celebrating.

It's hard to believe my baby is two years old. He entered the world on his own terms, and has proven to us every day that he intends to keep it that way. (While he is always feisty, the last six months were incredibly spirited ... I can tell he's starting to calm down and am eternally grateful.)

During this week I reflect for all that I am so grateful to have in my life, two wonderful children, a good husband, a house over my head, food on my table. It was also special this week, that it was the day I deliver Meals on Wheels. We brought a new recruit with us on Monday (I always love bringing new people along and introducing them to the spirit.) I always have great partners helping me deliver, and this particular Monday, the folks were extra chatty - maybe it's the fact that the holidays are near (yet, the weather is deceptive, no snow, moderate temperatures). Whatever the reason, lots of small talk and great greetings. It only takes 90 minutes of my time a month, but I am so glad that I have the opportunity to give those 90 minutes.

I'm almost finished with all of our gift shopping, and we have baking to do on Friday, so here's to carrying out the rest of a magical week.

The Soothing Power of Red

Red wine that is. There is something poetic about sipping a smooth glass of red wine in the fall and winter. The way it glides down your throat and warms your belly. The delicate fruit that dances on your tongue. The very subtle calming effect it has after a rough week.

I treat my self to wine primarily on the weekends, and then it is typically at most one glass. I used to treat myself during the week ... but it actually made me tired the next day. So in my efforts to lessen my sugar intake, I also decided wine was a weekend-only treat (with exceptions for holidays and celebratory occasions.)

It actually makes the few glasses I enjoy even more special and scouring the wine list at restaurants is an adventure. I wish D enjoyed wine (I'd feel less guilty about knowing that I am only drinking half a bottle in a weekend ... and the other half usually meets the drain in the sink.) Alas, my lovely teetolling husband is who he is, and I embrace that, too.

So, as I sit here and sip a beautiful red blend from France, I hope that you are enjoying whatever pleases you most, too.

Seeking Gifts of Inspiration

The snow is falling, the air is bitterly cold (no longer the crisp chill of autumn) and we have had our inaugural fire of the season. I love this time of year (not as much as autumn,  mind you) because of the light hustle and bustle and energy. I enjoy searching for seasonal treats, baking (I made chocolate babka last weekend, it was definitely a great labor of love ... but the reward was worth it,) and spending time doing holiday activities with my boys.

Yesterday, we worked on a school project for K -- I am sort of surprised how much the school embraces "Christmas" without calling it Christmas. We decorated a "winter tree" with buttons, felt, ribbon and other odds and ends we could find. It was fun, and I could tell K enjoyed doing the creative activity.

I am also trying to find excellent Christmas gifts ... and I have to say, it's been a bit slow going. I don't know if it's because I am just finding the same ol' same ol' everywhere or what ... but I am having a hard time finding inspired gifts that make me think that people are going to love what they open and their eyes will brighten. Maybe I aspire to give perfection ... which would be an impossible task on its own anyway. I just want to put extra thought into what I select for people and surprise them.

At least D and I agreed to our edible gift creations this year ... but I fear we once again are picking things that should be left to culinary artists and pastry chefs  ... but if we didn't push ourselves, we wouldn't grow, right?