Spring break

Spring break is always a hard week for me. The weather is starting to get nice and I want to spend my time preparing for the impending summer. I want to clean out my flower beds, wash my windows, and organize my neglected closets and cupboards. I want to spend my time dreaming about the small vegetable garden I want to start this year and get out the patio furniture and grill. I usually spend my spring break grading midterms and lesson planning and reading for the remainder of the semester though. Sadly, this break been filled with neither of these. No spring cleaning but also no grading. Louis has had a 102 degree temperature for two days and he wants nothing but to be held and read to. He isn't eating much and getting him to hydrate is quite the circus act. Poor thing. While I hate that the sickness is commandeering our break, I'm glad I'm able to be home to snuggle him this week.

To make up for my lackluster break, tonight I decided to bust out a couple of the new recipes I've been excited about since my cleanse ended. I have been wanting to bring more home cooking back into our house and this is a good start. I broke out a couple of the homemade granola and Lara bar recipes (Girl-Scout Cookie Larabars, Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie Larabars, Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars) from Chocolate Covered Katie. I haven't tried them yet, but they're sitting in my fridge waiting for me to need a snack. I'll report back once they have all been tried.

Also, in a last minute decision, I decided to whip up Iowa Girl Eats' Shepard's Pie with Helathified Mashed Potatoes. It's not the leftover pizza we were supposed to eat for dinner, but I'm much more excited about it! The timer just beeped, bring it on!

Day Twenty-Six: END OF MY OFFICIAL CLEANSE

7:00:    Naked smoothie
9:00:    walnuts, dried cranberries, water
12:30:  red peppers, snap peas, carrots, walnuts, water
3:30:    walnuts, dates,water


7:30:    roast beef on wheat, orange, water
Now that I'm back in Storm Lake for a few days, I'm not going to stick to all of my rules. It will be too hard both for my willpower and annoying my family. I plan to be decent with portion control this weekend, but none of the other rules apply. Bring on a cup of coffee, some black jelly beans, and whatever great things come into my life this weekend!

Day Twenty-Five

7:00:    Naked smoothie
9:00:    walnuts, dried cranberries, water


12:30:  refried beans, chicken, rice, salsa, jalapeno, water
At a conference with a bunch of my students today, so I made do. I didn't want to set a precedent that I wasn't eating, but I also didn't want to be eating things that went against my plan. I'm sure the chicken was heavily processed and the beans were cooked with a fatty oil, but the meal was good. I skipped the brownies with no problems.


2:30:    red peppers, snap peas, carrots, walnuts, water


7:30:    honey-barbecue wings
My loving husband picked up some wings for me. While not completely cleanse friendly, I didn't get the french fries so I call it a win!

Day Twenty-Four

7:00:    Naked smoothie
8:00:    orange tea
9:00:    walnuts, water
12:30:  garden-vegetable soup, water
2:30:    avocado with tomato and walnuts, water
6:00:    scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, water
7:00:    dates, water


8:00:    popcorn with olive oil, water
Yep. Again!

Day Twenty-Three

7:00:    banana-berry smoothie
8:00:    orange tea
9:00:    walnuts, water
11:30:  chicken breast, brown rice, avocado, tomato, water
3:30:    roasted vegetables, sunflower seeds, water
5:30:    baked sweet potato with dates, water


7:30:    popcorn with olive oil, water
I am addicted!!! I cannot get enough of this right now. I'm lucky Nevin continues to make it for me every single night.

Day Twenty-Two

7:00:    banana-berry smoothie
8:00:    detox tea
10:30:  walnuts, water
12:30:  CHICKEN! breast, brown rice, water
2:30:    trail mix
5:30:    veggies (cucumber, yellow pepper, celery), water
9:00:    popcorn popped in olive oil courtesy of my husband

Day Twenty-One

I knew there was a reason I shouldn't cheat on this cleanse. This is the whole living god's way of punishing me, I think.


Continuous consumption of water from the hours of 7:30AM and 10:30AM made being awake bearable. After my two and a half hour nap I felt like a new person though.


2:00    quinoa, scrambled eggs, salsa, avocado, water
Not as satisfying as the cheese toast I really wanted to help with my hangover, but it did the trick. 


4:00    dried blueberries, almonds, water
Just a few in and I decided maybe I'd wait until later to eat anymore.


5:30:    tuna steak, quinoa, water
I got full about half way through and gave the rest to Nevin.


8:00:    popcorn popped in olive oil, water

Day Twenty

7:00 :   almond milk, frozen berries, banana smoothie

8:30:    cinnamon-cardamom tea
I love this herbal tea from Cup of Joe. I loved it even more this morning because I drank it while I looked at books at the Cedar Falls library ALONE! While I love that Louis loves books, he isn't very patient when I want to look at big people books.

10:30:  Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto, water
1:00:    roasted vegetables, water


4:00:     spicy tuna roll, cucumber-avocado roll, miso soup, water
DELICIOUS! Nevin and I went out for an afternoon date while Jo babysat. We drove down to Cedar Rapids to go to our favorite sushi place, Oyama. I know the spicy tuna roll contained a little mayonnaise but otherwise the date was cleanse friendly (I cannon say the same for my endeavors later in the night). It was a fun afternoon with the hubs. I love having the time with the three of us, but sometimes it's nice to get away for a bit. 


Between the hours of 7 and midnight I consumed more vodka than is healthy for ANYONE, yet alone someone who is supposed to not be drinking alcohol. We went for dinner with my friends at Zins, luckily I was still full from my sushi. From there we moved down the block to the Downtown Wrigley Bar and Grill and finally settled at The Vault for dueling pianos. I had a lot of fun, but am paying for it today. I'm lucky that Jo got up and did the early morning shift with her nephew this morning, perhaps we should pay her better!

Day Nineteen

7:00 :   antioxidant smoothie

8:30:    detox tea

10:30:  clementines, walnuts , water
12:30:  salad (yellow, pepper, cucumber, celery, tomato), water
3:30:    dates, water
6:00:     popcorn popped in olive oil, water

Day Eighteen

7:00 :   antioxidant smoothie

8:30:    detox tea

10:30:  salt and pepper tofu , water
12:30:  salad (yellow, pepper, cucumber, celery, tomato), water
1:00:    cup of Kale, White Bean, and Potato Stew, water


4:00:     a few bites of Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto while I cooked it for dinner
This tasted great, but I had a huge hankering for popcorn so I changed my mind at the last minute. I think it'll be good leftover, so maybe tomorrow.


7:30:     dried fruit, popcorn popped in olive oil, water

Day Seventeen

7:00 :   antioxidant smoothie

8:30:    peppermint tea

10:30:  walnuts, water
12:30:  salad (carrot, cucumber, tomato), hard boiled egg, water
2:30:    trail mix, water
6:30:    quinoa, avocado, tomato, onion, eggs, water
7:00:    dates