Does anyone else get lured in by targeted and Facebook and Instagram ads? I sure do. I can think of three times that they've worked on me - Soylent, Shein and now - Hungryroot. As a person who works in PR and communications, it's very interesting to me to see the strategy behind this, and how it works. 

The fact that I was targeted for these three products tells you a little about me. It tells you that I'm interested in fashion and health. I must've been targeted correctly, because the links enticed me to click. The more I clicked on the ads and went to the websites for the products, the more the ads showed up for me. Not sure if I ended up buying these products because I couldn't bear to see the ads anymore and was too curious, or if I actually wanted them, but I was happy I did.

I wanted a good way to kick off my new healthy habits in 2018. As you can see from my cleanse blog post, I am really trying hard this year. I'm also still getting used to cooking my own meals. I've always wanted to try a meal kit delivery service, and Hungryroot seemed to be the obvious choice with its healthy, plant-based options.

Hungryroot is a meal kit delivery service with two options - The Good Life and The Starter Set. The Good Life is five meals with snacks and a desert, The Starter Set is three meals. Each meal has two servings. This worked out great for me because I'm only one person, so each meal can be one lunch and one dinner. Some items come pre-packaged and are ready to eat. These are usually lunch items. Most of the meals can be made in 10-20 minutes. Nothing ever takes more than twenty minutes to make with this!

1. Black Garlic Superblend Sautee

This was one of the ones I was nervous about. This meal includes a warm greens mix, a chickpea salad and a dressing. I was surprisingly pleased! Everything is so flavorful with this service!

2. Purple Cabbage Squash Scramble

This meal includes one of the items that attracted me to the service - butternut squash fries. This was so hearty and warm!

3. Cucumber Corn Sweet Potato Chili

It may have been the extra Frank's Red Hot on top of this, but this was so flavorful! I was addicted. I'll definitely re-order this, or make my own dupe.

4. Ginger Tahini Yuba Noodles

I don't know how they do it, but these are carb-free. This with tofu nuggets and snap peas make a delicious stir fry!

5. Banana Nut Brownie Bites

They're not joking about this black bean brownie batter... I'm actually drooling thinking about it. Again - I really don't know how they do it.

6. Sweet Barbeque Chili Jackfruit

This wasn't my first time having jackfruit pulled pork. I've been wanting to make this at home, so I'm glad that this was in my box!

I would say that I would definitely order this again, but I already have! I can't advocate for Hugryroot enough.  Click here to get a discount on your first order!

The day was January 1,  2018. I woke up with a roaring headache and queasiness in my stomach. Maybe I had too much fun on New Years Eve. Maybe I was thinking about how my diet was going to change starting tomorrow. After back and forth trips to the bathroom, I drove home from my friend's house to recover. Thank God that fast food is the New Year's Day tradition, because I needed to stock up on it. 

My last two meals on death row (I know, I'm dramatic) were a pulled chicken, rice, jalapeno sauce and cheese burrito from Taco Bell for lunch and an Amy's Mac 'n' Cheese for dinner. The next day was the day my 2018 cleanse started. It only made sense - I went back to work and break was over. I could eat like I was on break for one more day.

Sure, my body isn't what it was four years ago. That's not the reason I want to lose weight and do this cleanse. I rarely ever step on the scale. I want to run faster. I want to feel more. I want to experience more. I don't want to worry about chafing or not being able to keep up. I also don't mean that if you're full figured that you SHOULD worry about these things. That's not the case at all. Everyone is on a different fitness and self love journey. Some days I love my thick thighs and stretch marks, some days I don't.

What did I eat?

I tried to eliminate meat, dairy and processed foods from my diet. Emphasis on TRIED - I definitely succeeded on the "no meat and cheese" part since I try to be conscious and cut down my meat eating because, ya know, animals and the environment and stuff, and me being lactose intolerant. The processed food part, however, was tough. I love my veggies, grains and legumes, but I always incorporate a masala or hot sauce. 

Breakfast: You guessed it - smoothies! The first two days I actually had smoothies for lunch and breakfast. I ALWAYS put my adaptogens and probiotics in my smoothies along with my chia seeds and almond milk for the base. The rest can be fruity or sweet - almond butter, bananas, blueberries, strawberries and more. Please don't come at me for almond butter technically being processed. 

Lunch and Dinner: If it wasn't a smoothie, I was having something similar for my dinner. Keeping in mind a busy schedule, I made two big dinners that would be good enough for two servings. I would switch them off so that I wasn't having the same thing for both lunch and dinner. One dinner was cannelini beans, broccoli and potatoes. The other big meal was potatoes, cannelini beans and simmer sauce.

Snacks: Carrots and hummus (it's processed but it's literally chickpeas and tahini ok?), nuts, you get it.

How did I feel?

I'm not sure if it was hunger or of it was cravings for saturated fats and dairy / meat. It was odd - I felt energized and great but also hungry at the same time. The hunger didn't affect me, which probably shows that it wasn't true hunger, it was just craving. My body was nourished and WAS full and nourished, but it was so used to being full of nutrient-lacking fillers, that it was craving them. It was worth it to not feel guilty and sluggish after eating something, however. Everything that I was doing felt like there was so much more energy behind it. My mind was more clear and I felt more motivated. Since then, I've incorporated meat and occasional dairy back into my life. I also have let myself cheat here and there - which is good for your soul. I don't feel as bad when I cheat, because I earned it and I know that you need to fill your soul with decadent food sometimes. This whole cleanse and process is helping me practice more mindful eating. Many people subscribe to this practice. Instead of emotionally or impulsively eating, I think my choices through more. I think that continuing on this journey, I hope for my overall health and relationship with food to improve.

Of course, exercise is an important part of this health journey. It's 20% in the gym, 80% in the kitchen. Of course, you need to do research for both. Thankfully, the folks at Reviews.com have already done research for which treadmills are the best. Lately, since I live in New England and the snow makes it hard to run outside, I've been doing interviews on the treadmill. Check out their review on the top treadmills here. 

Last summer, I partook in my first teatox, the ever-famous "Skinny Me Tea" teatox. It was around this time. My reasoning for it this year was to cleanse myself from the dining hall food from the school year. Also, it was to kickstart the fat-burning summer. I did it this year for the same reasons. However, I tried a different teatox this year: Purgo.

Purgo TeaTox was created after its founder developed "leaky gut disorder" after years of bad eating and sleeping habits. He was burning the candle at both ends, and was unknowingly, simultaneously burning a hole in his intestine. He felt weak, tired, and helpless. Like many others, traditional medicine let him down and he turned to hollistic medicine. That's what lead him to make these herbal teas!

Before I ever did a teatoxes, I had only heard of the potent powers of herbal teas. When it comes to food and drugs, I definitely follow the "closest to nature" rule. The less the amount of artificial ingredients, the better. The less preservatives, the better. Therefore, I naturally believe in natural remedies and food, and believe in the healing powers of herbs. Ben teamed up with Chinese herbal medicine wiz's and came out with a potent blend of herbs he is proud to present in this teatox. 

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Here are the ingredients:

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This teatox was also very effective! I noticed physical effects on the outside and inside. My schedule this summer between my internship, my job, and half marathon training is hectic to say the least. There's a lot of early morning and coffee involved. Before I started this detox, I felt tired most of the day, and my thoughts turned negative by the end of the day. However, by the end of the detox, I felt a lot better!

I now have a renewed energy at both my internship, job, and running. I also suffer from many digestion issues, and this helped me as much as any probiotic I've ever taken.

I WOULD recommend this tea! I have enough for another week or two, so maybe I'll do a post-summer pre-school detox. 

Here's all the info on how to order and contact PURGO: