Day Eight

Gently add back fruits, vegetables, and white rice (only) to diet.
Decrease powdered beverage mix-2 scoops three times today.

This morning when I woke up all I could think was BANANA for breakfast!  I was so excited.  I was also really excited to have the leftover ratatouille again.  In addition, I also made something new (AND made a huge mess of the kitchen making it).

Sweet Potato Squash Delight

Man, if only you would have seen my kitchen.  I was very thankful to have Rachel's food processor for this one (also made me want a food processor in general!)  I tried the butternut squash and sweet potato mashed up at first and liked it.  Then I added the spices and it started to taste like pumpkin pie and I wasn't as much of a fan.  I'm kind of weird like that I guess.  Jake likes it though so hopefully he will help me eat the rest of it.  I was just so excited today to be eating things I hadn't had in a while.

Days Five-Seven

Continue eliminating foods listed for Days 1-4, as well as legumes.  Eat only those fruits and vegetables as listed below:
-Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussel sprouts)
-Raw greens (red and green lettuce, romaine, spinach, endive)
-Fresh apples and pears (whole or freshly juiced)
-Bottled or canned apple and pear juice (no sugar added)

Increase powdered beverage mix-2 scoops four times per day

On day five I decided to try to make and eat kale chips for a snack.  They were horrible.  I almost "lost" my snack as they are super bitter.  I decided not to have those again. :)  Since I was already not a fan of cabbage or brussel sprouts, I ate a lot of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and salad for meals.  I also ate apples and pears for snacks and breakfast.

Emotionally, I was fine with my restrictions from this diet and not having too many cravings until day 7.  I really like steamed broccoli, but there are only so many times I can eat it before I am sick of it.  Three days of only eating a few fruits and vegetables gets rough.  Here's one thing I did make.

Green Smothie

I've had green types of smoothies before, but not quite like this one.  This one contained: 

Kale

Parsley

Apple

Pear

Water & Ice

Could it get any healthier?  Sheesh.  It wasn't horrible in flavor; I just wasn't a fan of the fact that it didn't really get totally smooth.  I'm sure I could have made it smoother if I wanted to add more water, but that would have diluted the taste to the point that I wouldn't have enjoyed it.  Anyway, DAY 8 tomorrow: I can eat different food!

Day Four

In addition to eliminating foods listed for Days 1-3,
Eliminate all:
-Remaining grains
-Nuts and seeds
-Note: You now should be eating vegetables, fruits, and legumes only

Increase powdered beverage mix-2 scoops twice daily

I again ate a lot of leftovers and ate more carrot fries.  Yum.  In addition, I tried a new recipe for dinner which both Jake and Jaron both graciously ate with me as well.

Bean & Spinach Soup

I wasn't super crazy about it but it wasn't awful either.  Unfortunately my headache got pretty awful as I headed to bed and I woke up in the middle of the night cradling my head.  Jake sadly also woke up from my restlessness and rubbed my head a little.  He's so sweet.  I'm so grateful to have him through this thing.

Day Three

In addition to eliminating foods listed for Days 1 & 2,
Eliminate all:
-Wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and corn
-Note: You may continue to eat rice, tapioca, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat

Continue powdered beverage mix-1 scoop twice daily

I was thankful to be cooking less today and eating more leftovers.  I didn't really try anything new except I had a bit more variety in my salad.

I woke up with a slight headache so Jake and I went to the gym (so excited that we get that membership for free with our apartment!) and walked a bit, which did help.  I have been trying to walk more so that I can build up to running again; I would get shin splints if I just started to run now.  It was really nice to spend the day with Jake.  I always love when he gets home on Fridays and I can shout "it's the weekend!"  Man, we're getting old; I remember working jobs where it didn't matter if it was the weekend or not.

Day two

In addition to eliminating foods listed for Day 1,
Eliminate all:
-Dairy products and eggs

Start powdered beverage mix-1 scoop twice daily

Here's what I ate.

Rice Pasta and Beans

Minestrone soup (looks super cloudy but it was better than it looks here)

I didn't take a pic of my "milkshake" for breakfast cuz it didn't look (or taste) appealing.  For my mid-morning snack, I had carrot fries, which were super yummy.  For my mid-afternoon snack I had sliced kiwis and banana sprinkled with cinnamon.  Yum.

Sadly since I started taking the powdered beverage, some of the forewarned side effects of detoxing have kicked in as well (bad headache).  Oh well, it'll be worth it in the end. :)

What I've been up to!

So, here's what I've been up to.  We moved to Ames.  We traveled to the Quad Cities twice for the holidays.  We have been able to see family a lot.  It has been fantastic.

Now, I'm working on my health before I get going on the job thing.  I am doing a 10 day food elimination diet as recommended per my doctor.  I'm currently on day two.  Here was what I did yesterday.

Day One, eliminate all:
     -Refined sugars-anything with added sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, or alcohol (cakes, cookies,
     candies, pastries, beer, wine, liquor)
     -Caffeinated drinks (sodas, coffee, tea)
     -Artificial colorings, flavorings, and sweeteners (packaged and processed foods)
     -Flesh foods (beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, wild game)

Here's a few pictures of what I ate (most all of it is organic as well-expensive 10 days!).

I totally made that hummus from scratch.

Quinoa Salad

Ratatouille (my first time!)

I was pretty excited about my ratatouille.  I felt like I was on the movie or something.  I had no idea it's so good.  I also had a baked apple with homemade cashew butter for dessert but I forgot to take a pic of it.  I might have another one for dinner tonight if I have a sweet tooth because wowza, it was good.  All in all, I can't believe I've gone over 24 hours without eating any meat.  I'm kind of a hardcore carnivore.

Moving!

Um, probably anyone who reads this blog already knows this, but we are MOVING TO IOWA!  I'm pumped and horribly sad all at the same time...

So, Jake and I are thinking that our move date will be 3 weeks from today.  We have been semi-planning "eating out" our fridge so that we don't waste too much food.  Jake and I started communicating on gmail chat since he is currently at work.  Here is our conversation.  It was amusing.

Me: I just counted your string cheese.
Jake: Nerdiest statement ever written on the internet (and that's saying something): "I just counted your string cheese."
Me: I noticed you have more than I realized.  You have 40 left, and we only have 21 days left, so you should be averaging 2 string cheese's per day.  That should make you happy.
Jake: I just might eat non for the next couple of weeks and then gorge myself. :)
Me: No, then you will have constipation.  Grossness.  Constipation= more gassy.

Also, because I'm still grieving that this was our last fall in Colorado...