Arbonne 28 Day Detox – Days 16-23

Well, it’s just been “one of those days”….as in, “work sucks”. I’m not sure many things went right today, and I snapped at a lady who started speaking over me (arguably justifiable). I just don’t feel like myself! So I’m just going to start off with my low points, and that way you know this post can only go up from here! haha

I started my day off with the shittiest Arbonne shake I’ve had to date. In honor of my first bit of actual sugar I’ll be having at my friend A’s wedding this week (her cake flavors sound so wonderful…carrot cake, pb & choc, white raspberry…mmm), I decided to make the “Carrot Cake” shake recipe that the Arbonne FB group provided in a handout. I had dreams of spiced cake covered in decadent cream cheese frosting….and the shake actually looked pretty cool:

Don’t be fooled!!! It was DISGUSTING! I actually dumped 1/4 to 1/3 of it down the drain. Do you know how much that protein powder costs??? That’s right, I dumped it down the drain, because this shake was THAT bad. After the first sip, I thought, “Well I mean it’s only 12 ounces…I can clearly suck it up and chug it down”…..Nope. Couldn’t do it. The recipe called for cooking carrots, and then mixing it with the almond milk, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon..and I even added a stevia pack. So gross. At least my failure from last week (a way too tart Blackberry Lime shake) I could drink the whole thing, and it looked super cool:

Now, onward and upward, my friends!!! Last week when A came over to do a test run for her wedding make up (that’s right, I’m responsible for somebody’s face that will be memorialized in photographs for eternity…no stress), I made us a detox friendly dinner. I made ground beef tacos made with grass fed beef, and it was really nice to have beef. I hadn’t had it the whole detox (it’s allowed, I just didn’t get around to it). The tortillas were black rice tortillas, and they tasted fine, but pretty much fell apart. I ended up using it to pick up the ground beef, which didn’t really bother me that much.

I added black beans, and A made the guac. We thought adding a little red onion sounded good, until we realized we had the red onion of death. It honestly made my eyes burn while cutting it, and then made the guac almost spicy and potent. It was completely over powering. I’ve run into a red onion like this before that caused me to throw away pico de gallo. I wish there was a way to tell while you’re buying them if they will be too potent. Maybe labeled, “I will make you cry and ruin all of your food.”

I’m being over dramatic (whattt??? E, over dramatic?? never!). The tacos were pretty delicious, I even ate leftovers the next day sans tortilla:

Okay – next step up – a really awesome snack! On the Arbonne FB group, they posted an idea for a snack that I was slightly skeptical of.  They suggested mixing 1/4 scoop of the protein powder with a tablespoon of almond milk (maybe a little more) to make a “pudding” or “dip” for fruit. My mom came over to lay out at the pool, so I thought that would be a fun time to try both flavors. I added a little Stevia to both and ate with organic strawberries. It was delicious!

Finally – I end this post with the best recipe I’ve tried on this detox to date!! I found it on a blog that I frequent called Oh She Glows. It’s Cauliflower alfredo sauce that you make by cooking cauliflower, and pureeing it with almond milk, garlic and spices. I made some modifications, I didn’t have all the spices on hand…so I added oregano and extra minced garlic.

One product that the recipe calls for that many of you might not have on hand (unless you eat vegan recipes regularly) is Nutritional Yeast. It sounds disgusting, but really it’s just a good source of Vitamin B12 and helps fortify the vegan food with vitamins that aren’t found in typical plant based food.

I added the alfredo sauce to Tinkyada Brown Rice Fetuccini Style Pasta:

I also added non-farm raised detox friendly shrimp. Look at how tiny these little shrimpies are!!!!

I think next time I will add chicken instead, and maybe some roma tomatoes and spinach….but MAN, was this recipe good. Like good enough to serve to non-detoxing, non-healthy people and they will still like it. AND, it’s basically eating a whole cup of cauliflower with brown rice. It’s a really light, healthy alternative to the real deal, and VERY filling.

Glad I ended on a high note- certainly made me feel better! And just because I know you’re dying to see how much progress I made in a week (not much)….another sneak peak of my crochet project:

-E

Arbonne 28 Day Detox – Days 9 -15

You guys! I had so many chances to screw up this detox in Days 9 – 15, and I DIDN’T! Woot woot! It’s so unexpected that the main driver of me almost screwing up isn’t typically my cravings…it’s other people. I’d be completely content just doing my own thing and eating according to this detox, but most of the time you hear: “Awwww, come on! Just one drink!”  Or, “Wait, you’re going to eat before we go out to eat and just sit with us? How dramatic”…etc. I have yet to figure out why what I’m eating and drinking means so much to other people, but it just does. I don’t think they are trying to be assholes or trying to sabotage my health, but I’m guessing just the routine and the social norms are hard to break. Either way, I prevailed this week!!! And this weekend included the kickoff to the summer, outdoor concerts. A group of my besties went to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Jack Johnson for a birthday celebration at Blossom Music Center near Cleveland:

I brought a Chipotle, detox-approved meal to the winery we went to before the concert, and that held me over through the night. Then, last night I went to see Ben Folds and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra at Severance Hall in Cleveland (amazing), and I convinced the group to go to Chipotle before that concert, too. When the couple I went with mentioned they JUST had Chipotle the night before, I felt a large pang of guilt right in the feels (Side Note: I have NEVER used this word before this post, and am strictly using it for my friend B, who shared this outrageous article….I’d like to mention that I am not 30 yet, but I have had a job with benefits since the age of 21….so that criteria is crap! I say all of those phrases except “feels”, and it’s okay because I say them to be funny…..right? right?!…Digression complete). Anyway, I didn’t want this couple to have to eat the same thing two nights in a row, but I really wanted to stick to the detox……My friend that had to convey my desire to STILL go to Chipotle thought I was psycho, I’m pretty sure. However, once again, I did not cheat and had a detox-approved Chipotle meal before the concert. (I am not getting sick of Chipotle YET, but I would have to imagine that time will come soon.)

Other than that, the typical detox days are going business-as-usual. Two shakes a day, a meal at night, a couple of snacks in between. Outside of my Chipotle meals, I’ve been eating a lot of brown rice stir fries. I’m not being very creative, I know. When I went to the grocery store on Sunday, I promised I would try new things this week for you guys. I just happened to find a good routine that I liked, and I’m getting lazy and comfortable in it. I would honestly do three shakes a day if I thought it was a well-balanced, healthy idea (which I don’t).

It has been a lot of fun experimenting with the shakes. I think my fave so far is the chocolate protein, with raspberries and coconut flakes (and spinach and almond milk, of course). Also, I started adding cashews to the shakes as my healthy fat, instead of almonds or coconut, because it gives me a hint of a chocolate chip cookie, for some reason.  I also did a lime / blackberry one with vanilla protein powder, inspired by margaritas we had the week before the detox.

Tonight I made breakfast for dinner, using cage free eggs, daiya vegan cheese, peppers and onions, and all-natural turkey sausage patties:
     

I’m not going to lie, this wasn’t my favorite….and it’s mainly a texture thing, not a taste thing. The Daiya cheese tastes fine (I bought the pepper jack), it’s just a weird texture. The turkey sausage tasted fine …but I didn’t care for the texture of the turkey:

 

Hopefully, I’ll find some better recipes to share with you this week!!

In this third week, I’ve also started the “7 Day Cleanse” by Arbonne. I will do a detailed post at the end of this week about how that makes me feel throughout the week. Until then, I’m going to keep crocheting this birthday blanket until my friend has to take the present from my arthritic hands because I no longer can move them. I must admit, it is exciting how it’s coming together!

 

 

-E

 

Arbonne 28 Day Detox – Days 5 – 8

Hi friends!!! What a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend we had here in Ohio – I hope all the veterans were able to enjoy while remembering those who have served. I spent my weekend diligently following the detox, getting back to yoga and also taking a few extra measures to ensure a refreshed return to work today. My friend R and I laid out at the pool at my apartment in the gorgeous weather:

I lost 5 pounds in 8 days on the detox, and I feel pretty great!!! That involved only 3 days of Power Yoga, so mainly it’s just from the nutrition change. There was a day where I had a pretty nasty headache this weekend, but I think it was a result of getting back into yoga and not being used to changing the nutrition for intense workouts. Ever since I got that under control – I really do feel wonderful! I’ll do a separate post about the exercise I’ve been doing…Power Vinyasa started on Day 5 and I just getting back to the weight / cardio rooms today!

I was pretty much out of almond milk on Friday morning before yoga, and was desperate to get some shake in before my intense Power Vinyasa class. I had a beautiful, wonderful idea that I hope I only use in times of emergency. I took the Coconut Bliss ice cream from my last blog post and used that with the little almond milk that I had left. It was insanely delicious, and detox friendly.  I know it added like 150 calories to my shake. Like I said – I won’t make it a habit! Don’t worry!

I ended up going to the grocery store on Friday night (what a loser), and bought some more almond milk, in addition to all sorts of fresh, organic fruits and veggies. I opted for Kale instead of Spinach this week, because I hear it’s important to mix up your greens a little bit. In a book that my friend R got me for my birthday last year it said that green, leafy plants, as a defense mechanism, produce something that will make you sick if you eat it over and over and over. The book recommended you switch it up weekly. I’ve never gotten sick from not switching it up, but to be fair, I eat a lot of other things besides greens…and I think this book was for dedicated green smoothie enthusiasts.

 

 

Also, as promised, I spent more time in the kitchen this weekend. I made a big batch of fresh Pico De Gallo in a jiffy by using my super sweet food processor. I’ve been eating the Pico De Gallo as dinner over grilled chicken, and also as a snack with these detox friendly black bean chips that I found at Mustard Seed.

For dinner on Sunday night, I made a recipe provided by the Arbonne FB group….called a “Black Bean and Rice Skillet”. However, I mistakenly thought I had organic black beans…and I didn’t. So I guess I just made a “Rice Skillet” HA! Just roll with the punches. I sautéed some chopped onion in olive oil and made brown rice. I then added the rice to the skillet and squeezed some fresh lime juice over it and added some taco seasoning. I sautéed some spinach in it until it was wilted, and then made a “well” in the center and cracked a couple of cage free eggs into it. It was quite delicious!

 

 

       

 

 

 

Finally, let me give you a sneak peak at another relaxing thing I did this weekend. I’m crocheting blanket for my friend for his birthday…it’s Cleveland browns themed – and I’m really enjoying the way it’s turning out! More details later!

 

– E

Arbonne 28 Day Detox – Days 1 Thru 4

Good morning!!! I’m waking up on my 5th day of the detox- and I really feel great. You’re *technically* not supposed to weigh yourself more than once a week on this plan, but I have NO patience…I NEED TO KNOW! I lost 4 pounds in 4 days. (I mean….let’s be honest, maybe 2 of those pounds were my body expelling the TWO Taco Bell sessions I had the weekend before my detox….maybe another pound of vodka soaked gummy bears…..man, gotta love bachelorette parties). Let me give you an overview of the first four days.

First of all, everyday kind of looks the same in terms of meals and snacks, so here’s a run down:

1. Arbonne Detox Tea upon waking
2. Arbonne Protein Shake for breakfast
3. Arbonne Fit Chew for mid-morning snack
4. Arbonne Protein Shake for lunch
5. Arbonne Fit Chew, 8-10 raw almonds, 4 organic strawberries for an afternoon snack
6. Whole food meal for dinner
7. Arbonne Detox Tea before bed
8. 64 oz of water everyday

I have not been exercising the first 4 days (unless you count walking T’s dog with him for an hour and a half on the first day), since they recommended not to while you’re body is getting used to your new eating habits . I plan to start on Day 5…which means recovery shakes (read: bananas!).

Arbonne Protein Shakes

 

 

The picture above shows the general recipe for a protein shake. The first day, I forgot to add a “healthy fat” to my afternoon shake and was starving mid afternoon. To prepare for this blog I counted calories, and when you exclude healthy fats from the shakes you fall significantly short (the first day, I had about 1,000…you should have no less than 1,200…no wonder why I was hungry in the afternoon!!) Since ensuring I follow the recipe, I have not felt hungry since. In general, the chocolate and vanilla shakes, look like this (if you’re loving my nail color like I am, it’s Gelish “You Glare, I Glow” (<- Link to my fave nail blog!) and it looks banging’ against the green smoothie haha):

Vanilla with Spinach

Chocolate

The shakes are really, really, really good. I suppose since I’ve had other protein shakes, I’m comparing these to the others….so if you’ve not had protein shakes before, maybe you’d think they were gross comparing it to a milkshake? I honestly feel like I’m drinking dessert for breakfast and lunch, and that’s right up my alley. They keep me full for at least 4 hours with the fiber powder.

I also love to throw handfuls of spinach in there to sneak green in…if you’ve never tried this before, I PROMISE – YOU CANNOT TASTE IT! I wouldn’t ruin chocolate…so trust me on this one. The only problem with adding more hearty stuff for my lunch shake is that I can’t do that at work without a blender….I’m debating investing in a smaller Magic Bullet type of blender for my desk at work. Thoughts on this? Will my coworkers hate me? Should I just go without? I’ve been dealing fine with this little guy the past four days by just mixing almond butter and not a whole lot else in:

 

My Fave Blender Shake Recipes So Far

The Chocolate Macaroon (Or Almond Joy)

• 1 Scoop of Arbonne Chocolate Protein
• 1/2 Scoop of Arbonne Fiber Boost
• 8 oz of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Chocolate or Vanilla)
• 1/4 cup of Unsweetened Organic Coconut Flakes
• A couple of handfuls of Spinach
• 1 Packet of Organic Stevia (Optional)
• A butt load of ice (A butt load in this case is like 6 – 8 ice cubes)
• To make an Almond Joy: Add 1 tbs of almond butter or 8-10 raw almonds

Lemon Vanilla

• 1 Scoop of Arbonne Vanilla Protein
• 1/2 Scoop of Arbonne Fiber Boost
• 8 oz of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Vanilla)
• A Dash of Pure Vanilla Extract
• A couple handfuls of Spinach or Kale
• Half of a peeled, seeded lemon
• Lesson learned – throw some healthy fat in there…1/4 coconut, tbs flax seeds, chia seeds…SOMETHING
• 1 Packet of Organic Stevia (Optional)
• A butt load of ice (A butt load in this case is like 6 – 8 ice cubes)

Cinnamon (They called it cinnamon bun, but let’s be honest, this is not a cinnamon bun)

• 1 Scoop of Arbonne Vanilla Protein
• 1/2 Scoop of Arbonne Fiber Boost
• 8 oz of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Vanilla)
• A Dash of Pure Vanilla Extract
• A couple handfuls of spinach or kale
• A butt load of cinnamon ( really, there’s no such thing as too much Cinnamon in my book …I can feel my coworker “L” cringing right now)
• Throw some healthy fats in there…8-10 almonds, tbs flax, chia…something
• 1 Packet of Organic Stevia (Optional)
• A butt load of ice (A butt load in this case is like 6 – 8 ice cubes)

Raspberry Lime

• 1 Scoop of Arbonne Vanilla Protein
• 1/2 Scoop of Arbonne Fiber Boost
• 8 oz of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Vanilla)
• A handful of organic raspberries
• Half of a peeled, seeded lime
• A couple handfuls of spinach or kale
• Throw some healthy fat in there…1/4 coconut, tbs flax seeds, chia seeds…SOMETHING
• 1 Packet of Organic Stevia (Optional)
• A butt load of ice (A butt load in this case is like 6 – 8 ice cubes)

 

Water Intake

 

Another bottle that I’ve been lovin’ on is my giant 32 oz Contigo water bottle (shown below). For some reason it’s a lot easier for me to drink 64 oz of water when you only have to drink two bottles full. I like it because the ring makes it easy to carry, it’s smaller at the top which allows my freaky baby hands to drink one handed, and Contigo always has awesome autoseal features…which means I can bring to it working meetings and be a total klutz per usual and it’s okay.

 

Snacks

I only have two comments on my snacks for the day:

1. Almonds – Wait, what? that’s it? that’s what 8-10 almonds is? there’s nothing here. Wah! (I promise though, I haven’t been wanting more, I’m never hungry!)
2. Organic Strawberries- OMGGGGGGGGGGG, go buy yourself some organic strawberries!! I just bought non-organic last week so I have a fresh comparison…and organic strawberries are significantly better that non-organic. One organic splurge that I know I’ll be taking with me after this detox.

 

Dinner

The first two nights I had this recipe for dinner, and I didn’t take a picture because I ate it too fast too remember (it was delicious and filling):

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD

The next two nights for dinner I had Chipotle. B had been trying to set up his birthday dinner for two weeks at this point, and always asks me the day before (Ummmmm, SORRY, I have a life!!!). So it finally worked out where he asked me the day before, and I actually didn’t have plans….but I was thinking “Crap….the only place I know for sure I can stay true to this detox is Chipotle…is that an appropriate dinner for a 30th birthday?? Probably not, but I’m going to ask” Of course he didn’t care, and had the biggest burrito I’ve ever seen and was super happy about it. I knew I couldn’t have the tortillas, white rice,  sour cream, cheese, corn salsa or the pork. So I pretty much got every other option: brown rice, BOTH types of beans, fajitas, chicken, tomato salsa, GUACAMOLE!!. Man it was delicious…didn’t miss the other things at all, woo hoo! Here’s a pic of my leftovers for the next night..and yes, I’m eating it in bed…(DON’T judge me…eating in bed is wonderful. Side note: the one time it’s not wonderful is when you’re eating, say, a granola bar with chocolate chips and one of the chips falls out without you knowing, and thn you find it later all melted and poop-like on your bed…and then you have to wash your sheets hoping it comes out or buy new sheets, because you don’t want to tell people that enter your bed “Oh, um, that? that’s just chocolate…I swear!! What do you mean you don’t believe me? Take a lick!”)

Detox Treat

So my coworker / friend / Detox partner (when she’s not stuffing her face with banana cake secretly in her cube …BUSTED), N, turned me on to this sweet detox friendly treat. It’s pretty wonderful…I also got the Dark Chocolate flavor. I’ve only had half a cup twice this week…but as you can see, half a cup packs a pretty high calorie punch…so gotta stay careful with any weight loss in mind!

 

So I only cooked once the first four days, which was pretty damn great… but look forward to the next 4 days bringing yoga back into the mix, cooking and new recipes and maybe some organization projects. Catch ya later!

-E

 

Arbonne 28 Day Detox Intro

One major way that I’m hitting “refresh” over the next month is detoxing from crappy food and drink to feel better, and hopefully losing some lbs in the process. I am currently blogging at the end of my 4th day of the Arbonne 28 Day Detox program. I have never done one of these programs before, and have always been a little skeptical of using powders primarily for your nutrition as opposed to real food or cutting out whole food groups, but I was inspired by one of my coworkers. Let’s call her “N”. (I’m tempted to call her “A” as a fun Pretty Little Liars reference for her, but really, that could get confusing). Anyway, N looks amazing. I don’t just mean she lost weight (she did), but she’s glowing…people are noticing. So obvi, I want on board….(I have major FOMO).

 

*Side note: This is the part where I should tell you that I will not have good photos…my photos are taken with an old school iPhone 4S, and are barely edited. Lower your expectations…wait, and then lower them again.

Funny background story: I can distinctly remember N dreading going to an Arbonne “party” feeling obligated to buy something. We were scrolling through the products in our cubes when we discovered that this ish is EXPENSIVE. We were diligently trying to determine what was the cheapest, worthwhile thing she could get. Flash forward 6 months later or so, N is dropping hundreds on most of their skincare and nutrition line for her and her family and loving it.

Sneak peak at my household organizational binder -it’s pretty intense.

The basic concept of the detox is that you remove allergens, inflammatories, dirty chemicals and hormones, and foods that change your pH levels. You replace them with organic, GMO free, cage free, grass fed whole food, and can supplement with Arbonne vegan nutrition products. You get a few extra foods if you get a one hour intense workout, which I love. Above is a blurry version of the “cheat sheet” they give you. The detailed explanation behind why they exclude these items can be learned from this video:

http://www.mywebevent.com/Mxjtkazx4Ft6iD0zhhLI

Do I agree with all of their logic?? Who knows…I’m not a nutritionist or scientist. I figure it’s more trial and error. I’ve counted calories, done three workouts a day, cut all processed foods, eat 6 small meals a day…and I still haven’t been able to strike a healthy weight. I’ll try to eliminate the toxins and see how it feels and how my body responds.

I purchased $180 worth of Arbonne products for my month detox, which will account for more than half of my food for the month. N was nice enough to donate the tea, because her and her husband (who also does the detox) are not tea drinkers.

Arbonne Detox Tea. It smells just like Aveda’s tea, if you’re familiar, but isn’t as naturally sweet. I drink this morning and night.

Arbonne Vegan Protein Shake Mix. (Chocolate and Vanilla) This is hands down the best protein shake I’ve ever had as far as taste goes (And I’ve tried several different popular brands of whey protein). This is my first time trying plant based protein.

Arbonne Fit Chews. ( I got Caramel, also available in Chocolate and Lemon) These are like taffy – get stuck in your teeth, a lot of work to chew. The flavor is good, and they do seem to tide you over for a good hour until you can eat. I find the texture and the fact that they get stuck in my teeth annoying, but maybe that’s part of idea? Make something that’s hard to eat, so you feel satisfied when you finish??

Arbonne Fiber Boost. This is flavor-less powder that gives you extra fiber to keep things moving (for lack of a better term), and keep you fuller longer. This powder definitely works, because I’ve done green protein smoothies for breakfast before, and they usually only lasted me 2 or 3 hours. With the addition of the fiber boost, I can go a solid 4 hours or more without being hungry at work in the morning.

 

One of the coolest part about Arbonne’s 28 Day Detox is the Facebook group support. There are Arbonne consultants that run a group, and you start your 28 days at the same time as people throughout the country. The consultants provide cheat sheets, educational info, meal plans for each week, shopping lists for each week, motivation….essentially take a lot of the work out. Plus, it’s nice to see what other people have questions about, or recipes that other people come up with that are detox friendly.

I tried to do a really detailed overview – but if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below and we can discuss! I’ll post about my first 4 days on the detox next!

-E