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. 

As a busy college student, Annie's Mac n Cheese is a godsend. There's something about toiling over research papers and planning programming for a student-run radio station and a public relations student group that makes me crave pasta. However, I want to stay as healthy as possible, of course. That's where Annie's comes in. It's organic, nutritious and delicious. 

However, part of healthy eating is variety. You can eat fruit your whole life, however you need some form of protein. You can eat PB&J your whole life, but you need vitamins and minerals. That's why I leverage the easy-to-make Annies and mix it with beans, tomatoes, fresh veggies, and protein to stretch one box into at least two meals.

Today I'll show you how I spice up the organic shells & real aged cheddar.

Chicken, spinach, and pasta are some of my favorite things to eat. The other day, I actually had spanakopita for breakfast, a broth bowl with spinach in it for lunch, and spinach and beans topped with scallops for dinner. I may actually turn into spinach.

I combined this pasta with spinach and ground chicken. In a pan, I sauteed the ground chicken with some Mrs. Dash until it browned. I simultaneously had water boiling. When the water came to a boil, I added the pasta. Once the chicken was browned, I added a handful of spinach in the pan and let it wilt. By that time, the pasta was cooked so I combined the cheese mix, milk, and butter as according to the package. After it sit and absorbed, I added the chicken and spinach. Voila!

This will make enough for two meals: one for now, one for later.

Here, I added tomatoes and pinto beans into the Organic Shells & White Cheddar mix.

Two-ingredient cookies are a blessing. Last Christmas, I made Key Lime Cool Whip cookies. They were MAGICAL. Honestly, when I make these two ingredient cookies, it's all about the batter and not about the cookies. What I like about these cookies is that they taste like little cakes. That means that they're very moist and will pair will with ice cream. Some people do these cookies filled with chocolate chips, some pair it with a cream cheese frosting.

photo credit

These cookies are incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin and spice cake mix makes pumpkin spice... it's the cookie of the "typical white girl!" Happy holidays!