Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Day 10 is DONE

So day 10 and the cleanse are now complete!!!! It really wasn't hard, though I will say ... I'm not sure how "cleansed" I feel.  I feel good and all, but I don't know that I got the full effect. The whole thing made me wonder if I was doing it all wrong or something. I lost a total of ONE. FREAKING. POUND. So let's just say that his "max phase" better bring on the fat loss, or I am going to be one bitter beaver. Like postal rampage bitter.

The best thing about this cleanse being over is that I am letting myself have a glass of wine tonight (ok 2 glasses ... don't judge). I could not be more excited. I have missed wine soooo much. I still plan to stick to the challenge, but this will be part of my 10% that I can be "off." I mean, I haven't gone 11 days without having some form of alcohol since I was 23, so ummm... where's my parade? Fanfare? Something? Does that make me sound like an alky? Or just someone who works in the real world and needs a glass of wine and socialization to make it through life? I'll choose the latter and I'll you to stop judging me now. Thanks.

So anyway, I got a new little nifty gadget yesterday. That's what I've resorted to. Gadgets to keep this food thing interesting. Behold, the spiralizer. Zucchini never had so much fun.

I mean, if I'm going to have extra money that I'm not spending on booze, then I might as well buy SOMETHING. In all seriousness though, the zucchini noodles are super yummy with some pasta sauce. I think this thing is supposed to be REALLY easy to work, and I have a friend that swears by this EXACT one. However, I was only able to make noodles out of one side of it (there are 2 sizes). Of course I really wanted the smaller noodles (grass is always greener syndrome) that didn't work right. I'll be mentioning this to distributor. I shall report back.

Here's mah noodles ...

So pretty.

And here's mah final "pasta" dish (with the turkey meatballs & Rao's sauce we have had like 20 times ... that recipe really did make like 100 meatballs or something).

It was good and filling. Oh, and to cook the zucchini noodles I just sauteed them in a little olive oil (doesn't require much) until tender. Added a little salt and they're done!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Day 9!!!!!

The cleanse is almost over!!! It really has flown by. Crazy what you adapt to and becomes your normal. Now, if I can just keep this as my "normal" after 24 days, then I will be SET.

So, quick rundown of day 9: feeling great, doing better in my workouts, and getting all kinds of things done as a productive member of society.

Breakfast was 1/2 cup (cooked) whole rolled oats with a 1/4 cup of unsweetened, natural apple sauce and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Oh, and a little cinnamon. It was yummy and kept me so full that I forgot to have my mid morning snack.

Lunch was leftover quinoa turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash with Rao's marinara with basil sauce. So yummy and I was stuffed!

Afternoon snack was mixed berries with pineapple and mango and some almonds.

Dinner was quinoa chicken fried rice. So good and another filling recipe. I have made this before, but tweaked it a bit for this challenge.

Quinoa Chicken Fried Rice

1 cup quinoa, uncooked (you could easily do half this amount)
2-3 chicken breasts
4 cups+ mixed veggies (whatever your favorites are- I used a frozen stir fry mix)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
garlic powder, to taste
2 eggs
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or regular soy sauce)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Marinate chicken in some Bragg's (or soy sauce) and garlic powder for a couple of hours. I pre-cut mine into smaller pieces to absorb flavor and cook faster. Cook in a skillet (I just sprayed with Pam) on medium-low until cooked through. Set aside.

Rinse and cook quinoa according to package. Toss with a little garlic powder once cooked.

While quinoa is cooking, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet or wok and add your frozen veggies. Cook until all is thawed out and then add minced garlic. Scoot veggies over and add 2 eggs. Scrambled in the pan and then mix in with vegetables. Add quinoa and chicken. Add Bragg's (or soy sauce) to taste, along with some salt and pepper.

Enjoy! Serves about 5-6.

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Day 8

I have to say, day 8 has been my best and worst day all at once. It started off bad because I got on the scale and had only lost 1/2 pound since beginning this challenge. I am telling you... I have not cheated ONCE! I tried not to let it discourage me. Especially since my boyfriend lost 7 lbs doing the exact same thing as me. Men ... y'all suck.

The upside is that I feel GREAT and had energy and met some other goals yesterday! I had the best run I have had in years! I shaved 1:30 min off my pace and ran up every HUGE hill.  After my run I went to CrossFit and kicked some booty on some power cleans and then did better than I expected on the AMRAP. A day that started out pretty crappy turned out to be very positive!!!

As for food yesterday, here's the rundown:

Breakfast started with my fiber drink (those come back for days 8-10) ... and yes, I'm still a freak and like them. I switched things up and had my apple for breakfast and my scrambled egg/egg whites with spinach as my morning snack. This kept me full until after 1.

My afternoon snack was some hummus with cucumbers and grape tomatoes. Very good. Oh, and then another Spark.

Dinner was leftover quinoa turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash with Rao's Marinara on top. So yummy and filling!

I have always lost weight in the past by counting calories, so I wanted to see just how many calories a day I was eating during this cleanse. I ate like I have been for the last week, but kept track on my LoseIt app. I wanted to make sure I wasn't eating way more than my body could burn off in a day. Yesterday I only had 1072 calories, and at least 150 of that was from Advocare supplements! It made me feel better to know that it is more likely my body in shock than me taking in too many calories. Hopefully the weight loss will catch up soon!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Days 4 through 7

Got a little sidetracked these past few days, but many of my meals have been repeats anyway. However, there have been a few new (and delicious) ones I will post below.

So this has definitely gotten easier and easier as the week went on. Seven full days finished and I feel good! No sleepy afternoons and I am getting more done everyday. Sundays are devoted to groceries and meal planning for the week. That really makes ALL the difference. Having options and a plan can make or break this challenge.

One thing that has gotten me down, is weight loss. I have only lost 1/2 a pound in this first week of the challenge. I have not cheated AT ALL. I am hoping my body will catch up and get with the program that my mind is already on. 

Saturday was just one long day of tests. Went to the pool, where everyone was drinking beer and eating crawfish. I had my tangerine and almonds ... and water (fun times). Then, went to the movies Saturday night. I can't tell you how close I came to snatching some popcorn out of the lady's bucket in front of me in line (as I bought my over priced water). I did sneak some roasted edamame into the movies though. GREAT snack. I survived and all was good though.

So most of my breakfasts have been the regular scrambled eggs and spinach. On day 5 though I tried
whole grain oatmeal with some berries and cinnamon. NOTE: Berries are not sweet enough for that oatmeal! I ended up adding half a packet of Splenda, and it still wasn't all that good. It did fill me up though. I have since bought some organic, natural, applesauce to add for next time. We will see how that goes.

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Day 3

Well, I'm surviving and now I'm feeling full and not missing the carbs and delicious processed foods so much. I have to hand it to my old friend avocado (did I just sound like a Subway commercial?) because that seems to be saving me. I look forward to meals with avocado in them!

So, yesterday... Here's the rundown on what went in my bawdy. As a side note, I would like to mention that day 3 was even easier than day 2. I felt full all day long. I think my body is finally getting used to all this healthiness. Go me!

Breakfast was old faithful - aka scrambled eggs with fresh spinach. Only after having my Spark and fiber drink, of course. This was the last day of the fiber drink until day 8, when you drink it for the final 3 days of the cleanse. Not gonna lie... I will miss it (see, I don't hide my freak flag. I just wave it around for the world to see.)

Morning snack was an apple.

Lunch was a repeat from the day before, but I loved it so much that I will put a picture of it up again.  Avocado chicken salad and side salad with homemade dijon vinaigrette.

Afternoon snack was some homemade hummus and sliced cucumbers.  I have to say, hummus takes 5 minutes to make, it's delicious, and it makes enough to last a while. This should be a staple in everyone's 24 Day Challenge. 

Dinner was some yummy chicken and veggie kabobs! I love kabobs anyway, so having them during this challenge just made it that much better. I marinated my chicken in fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning. I halved brussel sprouts and added them (this was a first), along with some squash. I cut up some eggplant and seasoned with olive oil and kosher salt for the grill as well. It was all DELICIOUS. Very easy too.

So my after dinner snack (this was the first time I've had one on the challenge) was half a banana with some organic natural peanut butter. And let me tell you ... it was the nectar of the Gods. There is no picture because I ate it too fast.

Advocare Challenge - Day 2 is in the Bag

As much as I love the possibilities of this challenge, I also feel like there are so many things left up in the air. Can I have brown rice during the cleanse? Why are some people eating cheese? Well, I've decided that for me, I am going to not have ANY dairy, bread, etc during this challenge. I will work some quinoa and brown rice in at some point, but I haven't yet.

So, yesterday went much smoother than Monday. I wasn't so hungry and I loved all of my meals.

Breakfast was 2 scrambled eggs with fresh spinach. I threw it in a container and slightly reheated at work (after I had my Spark and fiber drink).

P.S. I am starting to actually like the fiber drink. Stockholm Syndrome? Or maybe I am just a freak.

My morning snack was a banana. This kept me full until lunch. 

Lunch was my favorite meal yesterday! I had Avocado Chicken Salad (see below for recipe), a green salad with kalamata olives, tomatoes & cucumber. I made a simple dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and salt & pepper. I had some homemade hummus with cucumber slices for my complex carb. That was something I hadn't been getting in and needed to. Don't be fooled by the way that chicken salad looks ... it's AMAZING. I may never eat regular chicken salad again.



My afternoon snack was a tangerine and some almonds. I also had another Spark before my Crossfit workout. Thanks for kicking my butt "Jackie."

Dinner was a reheat from the night before. Still good! Lemon Herb Pork Chops, mashed cauliflower and steamed green beans.

I think I am getting the hang of this and it's DEFINITELY doable!


Avocado Chicken Salad
2 chicken breasts
1 avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Sprinkle both sides of chicken breast with salt & pepper and bake, covered, until done. Shred chicken. While chicken cools, dice avocado and squeeze in lemon juice. Mash together to keep from turning brown later. Add onion, salt, pepper and chicken. Mash all together until creamy, with chicken being the only chunks.

Deeeeelish!

My Advocare 24 Day Challenge Journey ... Here Goes Nothin

Day 1 Recap
Anyone who knows me is more than nervous that I am going 10 straight days without wine, cheese or "real" carbs. I love my Cabernet, all cheeses and some cheddar goldfish (see how I snuck cheese into my carbs?). The full challenge is 24 days, but the first 10 are the cleanse portion and I am trying to be the most strict during that phase. No dairy, alcohol, fried foods, processed foods, white starches, or sugar. So basically all that is good in the world. I'm really even limiting anything that comes from a can, though some things (aka black beans and chickpeas) will just have to work.

I have weighed and measured myself (not for public knowledge). I took before pics last night and will post those at the end of the challenge with my after pics. I'm excited about this challenge and eating cleaner!

Each morning you wake up and drink an Advocare Spark. I have been drinking Spark pretty regularly for the last couple of months, so this was no big deal to keep up doing on the challenge and they taste great! Then there is the fiber drink. Well, I read other blogs about this before ordering the challenge and so I got the Peaches & Cream because it's supposed to taste better. It really isn't bad. Just chug it and get it over with. Supposedly, it gets thicker the longer it sits, so don't hesitate. And for those wondering, no ... I didn't run to the bathroom immediately after. I started this on a Monday (yesterday) and carried on with a regular work day.

I read where being prepared is the best thing you can do to stay on track for this challenge and so far, that is definitely right! I pre-cooked some chicken breasts (sprinkled with salt & pepper and put in the skillet over a little olive oil) to have for salads, etc. I made some homemade hummus (recipe at the bottom) and mixed up some fruit to take for snacks. I also bagged serving sizes of raw almonds to keep on hand.

So, here's the skinny on what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast was 2 scrambled eggs. I was in a hurry and late for work so I cooked them and threw them in a container to eat after I drank my fiber drink at work. My mid-morning snack was some berries & mango I put together that morning before work.

Lunch was so good! I cut up my 4 ounce chicken breast and made 2 lettuce wraps with hummus, chicken, and diced tomatoes. I was still kind of hungry so I had some almonds as well. I think it was really in my head about being hungry, more than actually needing more food. 1st day mind games. I had an apple for my afternoon snack.

Dinner was the best yet and super easy. Lemon Herb Pork Chops with mashed cauliflower and steamed green beans. Super filling and all delicious!


Hummus
2 cans chickpeas, drain & reserve liquid
2 lemons, juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp Tahini
1 tsp Kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
Red pepper, dash

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Add chickpea liquid (as needed) to thin out and make smooth. Enjoy!!!

Tip: Cut up cucumber and use for dipping. It tastes GREAT with hummus and will work perfect during this challenge.