Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Cleanse

Its been over 7 months since I had my daughter and my body is still no where close to where it used to be at. I'm fed up with not fitting into the clothes that I have comfortably. Granted, I didn't do much during pregnancy (for fear of creating any complications; first pregnancy, I didn't know any better) to remain in shape and I haven't done much since then (for fear of ripping anything and lack of time) to get back into shape. Add on the ever so scrumptious holidays and cold winter...the results are not so pleasant.

I firmly believe in eating. Food is good for you (well, healthy food is) and starving your body to lose weight is not the answer. I've always been such a skeptic to cleanses, diets, pills, shakes, juicing, counting calories, and just about anything that limits how often and what I eat. However, with the growing popularity and knowledge healthy eating without starving yourself I have started to come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, some of these things can benefit my health.

I was wrong.

You can find the recipes and ingredients for the cleanse {here}, if you dare try it. Oh, and on a side note,  they say this costs about $16 per day...yeah right! Its quite pricey! The ground flax seed alone was $10 and we had to substitute raspberries for strawberries because we're not made out of money. Raspberries were $6 per package, we needed about 7 packages.

Day One

{Breakfast}

Emotional/Physical Response: Not gonna lie, i was excited to start this. I was ready to go! I love tea, hot tea makes me sick, but I figured this green tea wouldn't be so bad. Boy was I wrong! I had to plug my nose and chug. The breakfast shake definitely made up for it. I was expecting to be hungry after drinking it, but I was full, and full for a while. I didn't have any urges to snack!

{Lunch}

"I can definitely taste the celery. I'm about to add ranch to that!"

Emotional/Physical Response: D I S G U S T I N G ! I'm a huge texture person. I can get past the leafy, grassy taste, but the texture is like someone already chewed my food for me. I took one drink of this and knew immediately this would be a struggle. Its thick and in desperate need of more liquid. I accidentally (no seriously, it was an accident) spilled one of my glasses (it filled two) and am so thankful that happened! I'm hungry, but maybe I can make it until snack time. I'd seriously rather starve than 'drink' the next glass. Not mention, I can't help but gag every time I take a drink.

My husband can't get over the taste and is considering quitting. He's hungry and wants a cheeseburger. He's a huge meat eater and I completely understand. We decided to dump the rest of the shake down the drain. Our stomachs hurt and we're both hungry. Snack time here we come!!

Suggestions for Success: Make it as a salad. Kale salad with cucumber, and celery with a coconut oil and lime dressing. Maybe toss in the pineapple and apples or eat them on the side. And just drink the almond milk. Whoever decided to put this in a blender is an idiot.

{Snack}

Emotional/Physical Response: Fruity, nutty, delicious, although not as refreshing as this morning. I substituted almond milk for water. My husband decided to quit shortly after dumping the lunch drink, if you can call it that, down the drain. He proceeded to eat a pizza.

At this point, I was seriously considering quitting, but decided to give the dinner shake a try. We bought all the food in advance, so we have a ton left over now that my husband decided to return to chewable food. I made kale chips, which were okay, but not fantastic. I may or may not have tried a few...or ten.

{Dinner}

*runs to sink and washes mouth out with water.*
 

Emotional/Physical Response: I was really, really hoping that this would be good. Upon tasting the coconut water, my hopes began to fade. If that's what drinking out of a coconut tastes like, I'm never drinking out of a coconut. I hate spicy food. The sip, not even a whole drink, just a sip, I took tasted like the Mexican candy that I grew up around. Which, might I add is usually mango flavored and coated in chili powder. It's nasty. I immediately spit the mango flavored fire out of my mouth into the sink and ladled water into my mouth while salivating. 

Suggestions for Success: 1. Like mangoes. 2. Like spicy food. 3. Like coconut water.

The Results

Don't waste your money and don't buy everything for the three days at one time. Call it a lack of motivation, will power, or what you will. I will find a different, tastier way to eat healthier and help detox my body. If you tired or completed the detox, I give you major kudos! Everyone is different, and this is not for me. Now please excuse me while I go enjoy my pizza and make delicious desserts.

*This is not meant to discourage anyone from trying the detox or state that this detox doesn't work, seeing as we didn't complete it or follow the recipes exactly. This is meant to be humorous and show that its okay to try something and not complete it. It doesn't mean that you failed, it just means that everyone is different and what may work for one person may not work for another. That's okay. If you try this detox, I wish you the best of luck! If you tried it and didn't complete it, its okay and I congratulate you for trying! Either way, you're one step closer to a healthier you!
**These images are not mine. If these are yours, please let me know!

Banana Bread

You know those nasty, brown bananas that you throw away? I've got a perfect and delicious solution to them! If you're anything like me, you never ever make it through a bunch of bananas before they go bad. It never occurred to me to make banana bread with them. Seriously, this stuff is sooo good! Here's what you need:

• 4 overly ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• Handful of almonds (or any nut, optional), chopped
• Bread or loaf pan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together bananas and butter.
3. Mix in sugar. egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
4. Slowly add in flour until well blended, then stir in nuts.
5. Pour mixture into buttered or oiled pan (believe it or not, you only need one).
6. Bake for 1 hour, let cool, and serve.

My favorite way to eat this is hot (microwave for about 10 seconds) with butter on it. Delicious.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Over the last few months of moving, living with family, and being strapped for money (don't forget the holidays) we've let our 'okay' eating habits turn into 'really bad' eating habits. So we've been making an effort to really start kicking those bad habits to the curb. We're about a week in and having some serious sugar withdrawals!

I think this is a great little snack for a late night sugar craving with a little protein. Not to mention its homemade so it has almost no preservatives in it, if any at all! Its super easy to make and so delicious! Try not to eat it all in one sitting.

I tend to 'jump the gun' and just add all the ingredients together before reading the directions, it worked out in my favor this time. For more detailed instructions (for all you perfectionists and patient folk) you can head over here, but this is how I made them!

Ingredients

• 3 Cups of Roasted, Unsalted Almonds
• 1.5 Cups of Brown Sugar
• 1.5 Cups of White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup of Water
• 3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Egg White

1. Add all ingredients into a crockpot.
2. Mix very well until the almonds are covered  in a sugary paste-like texture and there is no dry sugar.
3. Turn the heat up to high and let sit for about 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. You'll notice the sugar paste start drying up and coating the almonds, when almost all the paste has dried begin laying the almonds out to cool. You can use parchment paper, wax, paper, or aluminum foil underneath so they don't stick to your counter and are easy to clean up later.
5. Serve up and enjoy your delicious snack! Feel proud that you made such a wonderful thing, and don't forget to thank your crockpot for doing all the hard work.

P.S Next time I make these I'm going to use less sugar. I found there to be too many clumps of pure sugar for my liking.

Crockpot Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of Pinto Beans
• 1 Can of Kidney Beans
• 1 Can of Corn
• 3 Cans of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Pound of Ground Beef
• 1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
• 1 Packet of Ranch Dressing Mix (not the dip!)
• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Tortilla Chips

1. Cook and drain ground beef
2. Combine ground beef, canned food (do not drain the cans), and seasoning packets in crockpot.
3. Stir and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
4. Serve and top with cheese and sour cream. Enjoy alone or with tortilla chips.
This is always a hit in our house! Its a great meal to just toss in the crockpot on a busy day. If you like your food with a little kick, add a can of chiles to the mix.

Thanks to my friend, Shana, for sharing the recipe with me!

Breakfast Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 Ripe Bananas
• 1/3 Cup of Peanut Butter
• 2/3 Cups of Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1.5 Cups of Oatmeal
• 1/4 Cup of Chopped Nuts (optional)
• 1/4 Cup of Chocolate Chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well blended.
3. Let dough sit for about 10 minutes.
4. Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet and flatten them.
5. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool & enjoy!

My husband isn't a huge breakfast eater and I believe that breakfast gets your brain going in the morning. So I wanted something he could just grab a few of on the way out the door in the morning. We didn't have any chocolate chips, nuts, or protein powder on hand and these were still delicious! And please ignore the fact that I left them in a little too long!

Christmas Chex Mix

Every year growing up we'd have Chex Mix during the Christmas season, whether my dad made it fresh in our kitchen or my grandma sent it in a Ziploc bag with our Christmas presents. Its a tradition I continued when I started my own family. So every year I make the most delicious Chex Mix ever (if I do say so myself!) Just a warning, this mix is addicting; you'll find yourself nibbling on it all day long! Here's what you need:

Ingredients

• 3 Cups of Corn Chex
• 3 Cups of Rice Chex
• 3 Cups of Wheat Chex
• 1 Cup of Nuts (optional)
• 1 Cup of Pretzels (optional)
• 1 Cup of Bagel Chips (optional)
• 6 Tablespoons of Butter (not margarine)
• 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 Teaspoons of of Garlic Powder (or Garlic Salt)
• 1/2 Teaspoons of Onion Powder (or Onion Salt)
• Large Aluminum Tin (usually used for cooking turkey in)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. In the large aluminum tin, mix cereal and nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips (optional).
3. In a medium bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt.
4. In a small pot, melt butter on a low temperature on the stove, stirring often so it doesn't burn.
5. Add melted butter to Worcestershire sauce mix, stir, and pour slowly over cereal mix until evenly coated.
6. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
7. Let cool and enjoy! 

My favorite part of Chex Mix has always been the cereal. I've always picked out the pretzels, nuts, and bagel chips, so we only add nuts or pretzels to ours. This stuff goes fast! So grab some and stash it somewhere for yourself, seriously, you'll thank me later. If you're planning on serving this at a Christmas party I would double or triple the recipe.

Merry Christmas!