Stale Ideas, Fresh Food

I've got several web design projects working right now, and I have a couple logo design projects as well. With my full-time job getting busier and several personal things making life hectic, my own creativity and business flow is suffering.
One of my most clear-minded moments was during a recent 2+ mile walk with my husband around the neighborhood. Our little apartment doesn't do me any inspiring favors.
While the man of the house snoozed away on the couch, I made fresh guacamole and pico de gallo tonight. We bought some reduced fat Triscuits to keep around the house for snacking, and those two dips will work perfectly.
I'm excited to pack some of the guac and pico in my lunch tomorrow. Hopefully, my design ideas will be as fresh as my snacks this week. I'm ready to be out of this funk.
Have to be awake in 3 hours to send the hubby off to work, then I'll make my way to work as well. Yikes.

Food Diary 1/10/13: Apples and Pork Don't Mix

I decided to change the naming of these posts, since I'm obviously not doing the juice fast. Done with it.
Breakfast and lunch consisted of my regular work day meals. Omelet and salad.
For dinner, I seasoned boneless pork chops with sage, thyme, paprika, and allspice, and I grilled then up nicely.
I used the same pan to cook down 1/2 an onion, 1 pear and 1 apple. When they were caramelized, I added 1/2 cup of fresh juiced apples. I let that reduce while the chops rested.
I served the chops sliced, with the apple mixture on top. My husband swears that apples and sweet things don't go well with pork. Lol. So, I might not be making this one again.

Not A Juice Fast: Day 3

WEDNESDAY

Okay, so at this point my breakfasts and lunches are about the same every day.

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and pico de gallo from the dining room at work. Some days, I add hot sauce. And lots of black pepper, because apparently I am afraid they are running out of the stuff.

Lunch: Garden salad with ham or baked/grilled chicken. I know. Black beans are beans, and they are totally not paleo. I'm a big, fat, fraud liar-head. Get over yourself.

Dinner is where things get interesting. Wednesday night, I made a paleo version of chicken cacciatore. It was fresh, and full of tomato, onion, and garlic flavors. Yum.

One more day until cheat day. Not because it's Friday, but because it's our 3-year wedding anniversary. Woo! :)

Not a Juice Fast: Day 2

TUESDAY

Okay.

Breakfast 5:00am
Egg whites with spinach and black pepper. Mean Green juice.

Lunch 11:30pm
Leftover 1/2 chicken breast with garden salad (lettuce tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Feeling really full, and kind of worries about going to the gym so full.

Workout 1:00pm
Get to the gym only to discover all of my fresh clothes are packed, but not my gym shoes. I dressed out anyway with socks on my feet and sat in the dry sauna for 20 minutes. It cleared my head, and I felt refreshed when I headed back to work. I'll have to incorporate that into the rotation even on days I remember my shoes.

Juice Fast: Day 1

MONDAY

Breakfast 5:00am
Juice: Mean Green - Celery, kale, cucumber, lemon, ginger, spinach, green apples

Once my husband is off to work at 4:40am, I usually crawl back into bed and drag myself out of bed by 7:15am to arrive at work on time at 8:00am. This morning, I drank my juice before I went back to bed, and I found i couldn't fall asleep. I spent some time sleeping in this weekend, so the energy could be because I was caught up on sleep, or because I was anxious about the whole juicing thing. Either way, I took a shower and used the extra time to blow dry my hair and take my time getting ready for work. I arrived at work at 7:00am.

It's now 8:00am, and my stomach is missing my usual breakfast taco. I have a Camelback of ice cold water, and I'm hoping it helps curb my appetite. I plan on using my lunch break to get some walking done at LA Fitness, and I have a delicious-looking juice waiting for me in the office fridge.

10:30am Update

I'm hungry. I want to go down to the dining room and wait for it to open so I can order a cheeseburger or something crunchy and cheesy. I've had 20oz of water, and I've refilled my Camelback. I got up for a restroom break, and I felt sick to my stomach. No lightheadedness and no dizzyness. I don't feel weak, as I normally do when I've been too long without food. I honestly think my body is just pissed at me for not feeding it carbs and yummy things. I'm going to drink this water and head out to LA Fitness within the hour. Bleh.

Lunch 12:30pm
Juice: Pineapple, carrots, oranges, lemon

This one tastes good. I was ready for it, too. I couldn't go quickly enough to the fridge and grab this sucker off the shelf. The color being a rich, vibrant orange, my brain tricked me into thinking it was going to be sugary and filled with artificial colors and flavors. Not so. Though the juice is naturally sweet, I left the orange peels on, and this has given the juice that tart and bitter taste of the rind. I'm not complaining. Actually, I think I like that. The orange oil leaves kind of a tingle/cooling sensation on my tongue. Either that or I'm going into some kind of shock because I have not eaten anything fried or cheesy today. Dancing taste buds is how I can best describe it. No, really.

Amy's 10-Day Juice Fast

My husband and I have been talking about a detox to jumpstart our 2013 routine, and the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" sucked us in. We even went out and purchased a Breville juicer (AKA Juice Fountain) from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

If after the 10 days I feel like I can and want to continue, I may push through to a 30-day fast. We'll have to see. I'll be posting an update every day of this 10-day fast. I plan on doing a bit of writing after each juice/meal to include how I feel and whether or not I'm hungry. I'll also include any working out I do, as I will be attending the gym throughout the fast.

Nervous, excited, and curious about results!

.Amy