Clean Days 1 - 3 (Take 3, I think!)

So while I have not talked about it the last few days we are back on the clean program.  Third times the charm, right?  In order to help curb some of our cravings we have upped the amount and variety of food we are eating a little and adding "clean" desserts.  I haven't really weighed myself over the past few days or anything but I'll probably give a general update some time over the weekend for all my stats.  So what I have been eating?

Monday (Day 1)

AM - Mango & Coconut Milk Smoothie + vitamin/supplements
Lunch - Hummus Crusted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon; Steamed Broccoli & Asparagus; Chocolate Cupcake (NOT clean) + supplements
Snack - Watermelon & Cherry Popsicle
PM - Berry Smoothie with Coconut Milk & Cinnamon

Tuesday (Day 2)

AM - Energy Smoothie with Almond Butter & Cardamom + vitamin/supplements
Lunch - Stir-Fried Vegetables & Chicken with Buckwheat Noodles; Watermelon + supplements
Snack - Watermelon & Cherry Popsicle
PM - Mango & Coconut Milk Smoothie
Snack - Coconut Seduction Brownie w/cherries

Wednesday (Day 3)

AM - Blueberry, Carob, & Almond Milk Smoothie + vitamin/supplements
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Breast with Grilled Vegetables; Coconut Seduction Brownie w/cherries + supplements
PM - Mango & Coconut Milk Smoothie; Few pieces of Watermelon

I also consumed 75 to 100 oz of water, or water w/lemon & mint, and 17 oz coconut water.

As you can plainly see we have upped the amount of food we are eating and we are adding the hemp protein to all of the smoothies.  I'm also now consuming at least one coconut water a day due to the heat.  I did slip up a little on Monday when I ate that cupcake, but I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away.  It was the only one we had left over from the holiday weekend so I figured one cupcake is far from the end of the world.  Last night we also ate the coconut seduction brownies after dinner which wasn't ideal but we didn't make them until later (had to make our own coconut milk first) and I wanted to try one warm.  Today the one I had was cold and still just as good, although as with regular brownies you can't beat a warm one.  I say a warm because you don't actually bake the coconut seduction brownies and they don't really taste like a brownie.  They taste different, but still just as delicious, especially paired with the fresh bing cherries.  You got that great combination of salty and sweet.  We also made the Popsicles ourselves so they would be "clean."  The recipes for both are below and I would suggest you give them a try.  They are simple, healthy, guilt-free, light and delicious - perfect for summer!  Most of the ingredients we used below were organic.

Coconut Seduction Brownies (serves 4)

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water (just enough to thin)
• 1/4 cup carob or cacao (we used cacao powder)
• 1/4 cup protein powder (we used organic hemp)
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter
• 1 tablespoon raw nut butter (almond, cashew, hazelnut, etc.) - we used almond
• 1 cup wild organic cherries for garnish sliced in half (we used bing)

Blend in a food processor until a smooth dough forms.  Next press the dough into a square pan (we actually used 4 ramekins lined with plastic wrap) and slice into sections, you can serve immediately when they're soft and delicious (and slightly warm from mixing) or store at room temperature or in the fridge for bars that stay soft and full of rich chocolate flavor.

Watermelon & Cherry Popsicles (makes 4)

• 1/4 Seedless Watermelon, cut into pieces (minus the rind)
• 20 Bing Cherries

Use either a blender or a juicer to puree the watermelon.  We used our juicer so we didn't have to worry about removing/any stray seeds!  Cut the cherries into halves and remove the pits.  Divide the cherries equally into 4 Popsicle molds and then top of the watermelon puree.  Put in the freezer until frozen solid, about 3 to 4 hours, and enjoy!  


Obviously the Popsicle recipe above can be adjusted so you have enough for how ever many Popsicle molds you have (if you don't have Popsicle molds and don't want to buy any just use an ice cube tray!), and based on the size of your watermelon.  I also found this to be a bit sweet so next time I think we will also add the juice of one lime.  You could also use a variety of fruits and the variation is practically endless.  Plus the best part is that they are much better for you than the Popsicles you would buy at the store because they don't contain extra sugar, food coloring, etc!  We currently have some coconut milk/coconut flake Popsicles in the freezer and I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Today on my way home from work I got a new product at the store (Whole Foods), Badger Anti-Bug Balm.  I bought it because this weekend while I was out weeding I got at least 10 mosquito bites.  It is citronella & rosemary scented and certified USDA organic.  Obviously its also DEET free. It also scores a 0 in the EWG database!  I'll write more about it once I've had a chance to try it and out see how well it really works.  I'm also expecting some new soap and toothpaste to arrive tomorrow so I'll probably be talking about all these items over the next few days.  Interestingly enough while talking to my mom on the phone tonight about all this she started saying how "oh this product is terrible, and oh you shouldn't use that."  I just thought to myself why didn't you ever tell me this?  Although I guess that explains where I get my hippie ways...