It's Ovah!

I made it! Seven days of clean, healthy eating.

I started this diet to push the reset button on my body. It worked. Instead of craving big heavy meals followed by sugar drenched desserts, I now want healthier, smaller meals. I woke up today knowing I could eat whatever I want...and I wanted oatmeal and blueberries.

I feel so great about the weight I lost and the healthy nutrients I put into my body. I don't want to undo all that good now that I the rules don't apply. My plan moving into 2010 is to eat healthfully during the week and give myself free reign on the weekends. Now that I have some healthy and tasty recipes up my sleeve, I feel prepared to nourish myself without feeling deprived. Now that my body is used to being properly fueled, I need to keep it up so I can have the energy to work out and the mental clarity to achieve my goals and make this my best year yet.

One benefit I haven't mentioned yet is the financial one. I spent about $65 on food for an entire week! That is nuts! I have been eating great and feeling full and satisfied for less than $10 a day. Not bad.

Now, a recipe: JUICE! I love juice almost as much as I hate cleaning my juicer. It's a conundrum.

 This juice gives me huge doses of kale and celery which I do not usually enjoy. My last juice recipe gave me two beets! Juicing really helps me painlessly incorporate the healthiest fresh fruits and veg into my diet. If you have a juicer and don't mind cleaning all 900 parts, give these recipes a try. You'll feel the effects immediately. This is like hulk juice.

Green Juice:

- 1 cup tightly packed kale
- 4 stalks celery
- 2 pears, cut into large pieces
- 1" piece of fresh ginger
- 1 lemon, zest and pith removed (I juiced mine with a citrus squeezer right into the glass)

Juice everything into a glass, being sure to alternate the kale with the other ingredients to help it get through the juicer easily (I follow each small bit of kale with a celery stalk). Give the juice a stir before drinking.  MMMMmmmmm!