Cleanse, Day 1

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The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Beyond the scheduled time (Adrienne going back to school, Felix's birthday), I've spent a lot of time thinking about juicing, the food I can eat for the next 3 weeks, and how to do things that I don't know how to do, such as cook beans (not from a can). This cleanse allows a variety of grains, legumes, fruits, tons of veggies, etc. It does not allow gluten, dairy, meat, alcohol, or caffeine. Being that I've relied on meat to be a staple in my diet up until this point, as well as eggs and a certain number of processed foods, this is completely new territory for me! Quinoa pasta? Lentils? Cayenne powder in lemon water? I'm walking into this cleanse with an open mind and lots of determination. How will I feel at the end of 3 weeks? Will I feel healthier and more centered? How can I maintain balance during the work week? Here are some of the things I'm going to try: 

1. Meditation: OHH my goodness. I've always had an interest in meditating, but hadn't yet tried it until this morning. I found this Tibetan meditation CD on iTunes by Nawang Khechog, called Five-Peak Wisdom Mountain. It's beautiful and he speaks in parts - I've always loved listening to different languages. Also, there are repetitive chimes throughout each song, which centered me and brought me back to focus. I had a surprisingly easy time focusing (it must have been the CD), and my mind felt SO CLEAR after. I plan on making sure that I meditate for 15 minutes each morning as my start to the day. 
2. Juicing: Eric surprised me this weekend by saying he wanted to get us a juicer. I was VERY excited to hear this, being that I was wondering how to complete this cleanse with no more than an old blender. Daily green juices/smoothies are at the forefront of the cleanse, afterall! We've been experimenting, but my favorite green drink thus far is from Kris Carr's book: a combination of cucumber, kale, romaine lettuce, ginger root, pear, celery, and broccoli stems. The drink is sweet and energizing and each batch provides enough juice for my breakfast and a mid-afternoon snack. I'm going to experiment tomorrow by adding carrot as well. The challenges of course include how to 1) keep the juice fresh until later in the day,  2) create enough time to juice in the mornings before work, and 3) get enough vegetables without spending $$$$.
• I took a look at both Whole Foods and Giant to see what their organic produce was like. Both stores had surprisingly similar prices, but Whole Foods definitely had better quality and the lettuces were bigger and fresher for sure. I also decided to get things at Produce Junction which don't need to be organic, such as bananas, onions, and garlic. I'm going to keep a tally during the cleanse to see how much is spent on veggies - I'm currently trying to assess the right number to buy each week so I don't overdo it. As much as possible, I will also buy what's in season. I haven't checked out Trader Joes yet, but Sarah said there were some good food deals there as well.
• Eric read that juicing a lemon in with the greens will help keep the nutrients from degrading while the juice is in the fridge. I also read that it depends on what kind of juicer you have. Either way, I don't plan to leave juice in the fridge for any longer than a few hours. I believe it's different for smoothies and they can last longer after being made.
• Today I made quinoa and brown rice veggie combos to keep around for lunches, and made my lunch for tomorrow ahead of time. I also separated my juicing veggies/fruits into individual ziploc bags, and cut up the serving for tomorrow morning so all I have to do tomorrow is juice and clean up. I know that you don't want to cut up veggies too soon, or they lose additional nutrients - I figured one night would be okay, if it gives me enough time to make the juicing happen!
3.  Gluten-free, vegetarian meals: I have beans, lentils, chickpeas, and quinoa. I have tempeh, yams, and red onions. The list goes on. I discovered Braggs Liquid Aminos, which is a much healthier cousin to soy sauce. Also, I have been introduced to an invigorating morning drink: warm water with lemon and a pinch of cayenne powder. My meals might be quite simple until I get the hang of this, but Eric and I had a great dinner tonight of brown rice with onions, garlic, grated carrots, olive oil and ground flaxseed, a pinch of cayenne and celtic sea salt, and broccoli. Simple, yet super filling. 
4. Affirmations: as part of the cleanse guidelines, Kris Carr provides an affirmation each day which you can focus on if you hit any roadblocks. Part of today's: "Health and happiness are my birthrights and I accept with gratitude." I like this, and will keep repeating it to myself.. we deserve health! While my habits might be more strict over the next few weeks, I do plan on juicing from here on - the benefits are too amazing to give up on after 3 weeks! Now I need to streamline the process so I don't spend all of my time cutting veggies. :)

Now on to day 2.