Day 1 is in the books!
I’m glad I was off work and planned to spend New Years Eve at home with my husband, because the grocery shopping, recipe study, and food-prep was more time-consuming than I expected. I suggest starting on a weekend! My husband thinks I’ve gone crazy, ha ha ha, but I’m having fun. Of course, I also spent some extra time taking pictures and working on my blog so I could share my experience with everyone, but it was worth it for the motivation factor. Apparently it’s working too because my sister has agreed to join in! Good luck, Liz!
I consider myself somewhat of an expert at the grocery store and know very well how to dissect a food label, so I was surprised to find that it was a little challenging to find acceptable forms of my 5 ingredients. Here’s what I found…
- 15 cups of raw spinach, approximately 2 large 10-oz bags.
- 20 cups of raspberries, about 8 frozen 10-oz bags. Cascadian Farms is the only one I found that didn’t included added sugars and is found in the Organic or Health Food section. I tried to get the significantly cheaper regular variety in the frozen foods section, but they included “liquid sugar”. Be careful and check your labels! I also considered fresh, but 10 pints at $3.99 each would have been quite costly!
- 2 cups of sliced almonds. At first, I purchased a bag of bulk almonds from the produce section and chopped them up in my food processor, but then discovered that you can also buy the sliced almonds in bulk (for cheaper!) in the Organic section at Kroger. But if they don’t have any bulk at your grocery store, you can also find bags in the Baking aisle.
- 10 Tablespoons of natural RAW almond butter, about 1/3 of a 16-oz jar. After realizing the the organic product I had at home had added sugars and oils, I tossed it, then had to look at almost every jar in the organic section before picking MaraNatha All Natural RAW Almond Butter. When in doubt, read the ingredient label and be sure all that it includes is “raw almonds”… no oils or sugars.
- 60 ounces of non-fat PLAIN yogurt. , 2 of the 32-oz tubs. I decided to try 2 different kinds to see which one I preferred. The Stonyfield Farms product was almost twice the cost, but organic. Be sure to get the non-fat, plain variety. 0% greek yogurt is OK too, but I think it’s a little too bitter since I can’t use any sweeteners for the Detox phase… I normally add fruit, agave or honey to sweeten it.
- 10 large eggs. There are different sizes and types, but I like Eggland’s Best LARGE eggs. Careful not to get extra large! You’ll also want to boil 5 of them when you get home so they’re ready for your dinners. You can store un-peeled hard boiled eggs in the fridge for about a week.
- 4-5 tangerines (for flavor & salad dressing)
- Seasonings – herbs (salt-free) cinnamon and nutmeg (plain, without sugar), balsamic vinegar. NO SALT!
MEALS
- Meal 1 (9:30 am) – scrambled egg with spinach; raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.
The egg & spinach combo was a little bland and the spinach flavor really stood out, so I had to add some pepper. NO SALT!! Overall, not bad. I might try some adding spice tomorrow. The raspberries and almonds were very yummy.
- Meal 2 (1:00 pm) – yogurt parfait with raspberries and almonds. 2 cups water.
This was delicious and tasted like dessert! I sprinkled a little cinnamon and nutmeg on each yogurt layer and that really spiced it up. I might also add a few sprigs of mint next time (I grow mint in my kitchen).
- Meal 3 (5:00 pm) – spinach salad with raspberries, almonds, boiled egg, homemade tangerine balsamic vinaigrette . 2 cups water.
This meal was my least favorite of the day, primarily because I’m not much of a salad fan, and do not care for a strong vinegar flavor. I think tomorrow I’ll omit the vinegar, and blend the fresh-squeezed tangerine juice and raspberries for the dressing. I thought the egg might taste strange with the fruit, but actually it was a good combo.
- Meal 4 (9:00 pm) – smoothie with yogurt, raspberries, almond butter, ice. 2 cups water.
The smoothie was great – kind of like a fruity milkshake to finish out the day. I had to add a little bit of water to help it blend, and also added a sprinkle of cinnamon and sprig of mint. For those that are used to a super-sweet smoothie (my husband played guinea pig), you might find this a bit sour or bitter due to the plain yogurt and raspberries. I’m not sure what to suggest other than give it time for your taste buds to adjust. By the end of 5 days, you are supposed to have a new appreciation for natural flavors.
Summary… surprisingly, I did not feel very hungry between meals and the meals were pretty good. Not a cheeseburger and chocolate, but tasty without the guilt! Looking forward to Day 2…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Rocky Top Rebecca 