I believe after this weekend, my streak of wearing makeup and wearing my hair down will come to an end. I have nothing planned next weekend, so no reason to get gussied up – farewell to weekend # six of dressing up! I cut my bangs by myself, not sure I got them very even – ha!
My co-worker J got married over the weekend. We went to the reception which was at a bar on the Fox River.
I was happy for her that the rain stayed away – they had a super quick wedding outdoors – word on the street was that it lasted all of four minutes! Gotta love that!
I’ve never been to this bar, but I could see if this was closer we would frequent it more often – it definitely was a White Sox bar!
I think this is what Tony thinks of going to weddings feels like for most men:
She looked beautiful and happy – that’s all you can ask for! She had red velvet cake for the wedding cake, and Tony pointed out the cream puffs as we were leaving – um, yes both the cream puff on the top and the chocolate cream puff on the bottom were insulin worthy!
Later that night I tossed together a small sausage pizza for Tony and I to split, using my no fail no rise pizza dough. Please ignore the really shitty picture in that post!
We went to bed early both Friday and Saturday night, so we were both up by 8:15 each morning. As much as I love sleep, it was nice to have the whole day ahead of us. Tony asked if he could make me breakfast, I told him to make it light since I was going out to lunch – 1 blue corn tortilla, 1 egg, egg whites, hot sauce and some cheese. Delish!
I met up my twin sister and our best friends who are twins at Wildfire for lunch. I love that they bring cornbread complimentary to the table – I had half of one square, no one else liked corn bread?! Veronica, you would have loved this!
Knowing I was just about to start a ten day cleanse, I got the stuffed burger of the day – cheddar/bacon/bbq sauce!
Their burgers are always so well seasoned. I ended up eating half of it. And on the side? Fresh broccoli – so good! It had a super light vinaigrette on it.
D & D gave us these cute tissues since they had been shopping before we met up – how cute are these?! $1 at Pier One.
It was so nice to catch up with these ladies – hard to believe we’ve been friends for 37 years! They never let me take their picture, so hopefully they won’t mind that I share this picture, since it was in a newspaper! They are both avid racehorse enthusiasts (or handicappers as Tony calls them!). These pictures were taken at the 2009 and 2010 Arlington Million race.
We had four sets of twins in our 8th grade graduating class of about 100 kids, and 10 sets in our high school graduation of 1000 kids. D & D are the only ones we still hang out with. Do you know any twins?
Somehow this picture got messed up – have you ever had this happen on an iPhone picture?
So I took another one when we went to Whole Foods.
Of course I had to bee line it to the cheese section. My sister didn’t know that you could sample any cheese! We ended up splitting this one – so good! I gave a bite to Tony and he couldn’t wipe out his mouth fast enough! We thought it was delicious!
So now that you’ve gotten though all of that, you are probably wondering, “what the fuck is a 10 day cleanse?”
Well, I am kind of making it up based on several different programs, mainly Advocare – my blog friends Janetha and Heather are distributors of this program, both of them recently completing their 24 day program. While they encourage using herbal cleanses, replacement shakes, etc., I don’t have the will or the money to use those products. Um, turns out I like real food! I am not discouraging their program, but need to make a plan that I can live with for the next ten days.
What I Won’t Be Eating:
- No alcohol.
- No coffee (because I use creamers – I will switch to green tea)
- No white food – i.e., pasta, bagels, white rice, crackers or chips
- No sugars other than natural sugars found in fruits and veggies
- Low dairy – no cheese or milk, but I will have an occasional Chobani!
What I Will Be Eating:
- Fruit and Veggies
- 100% Whole Grains (brown rice/quinoa)
- Real Oats
- Chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef
- Healthy Fats: Avocado, olive oil, nuts, peanut butter
- Beans and Lentils
- Hummus
- Gallon of Water A Day
So what’s on my menu this week?
Breakfasts:
- Green Monsters x 2
- Zucchini “hash browns” with egg white omelet with spinach, avocado and tomatillo salsa
- Sweet potato and beef hash on Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla
- Beef, black bean and spinach omelet, using an egg white as a tortilla and fresh fruit
Lunches:
- Black bean and pumpkin tostadas x 2 (minus the cheese!)
- Chili Mac over spaghetti squash
- African Peanut Quinoa Stew x 2
Dinners:
- Red Beans & Rice and Smoked Sausage (I will have my sausage with stove top red cabbage and apples)
- Ultimate Stuffed Peppers (minus the cheese for me)
- BLT burgers – me without cheese – sweet potato fries for me
- Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Stovetop Refried Beans
- Friday I always leave open for some reason?!
Last week as I started Week Five of my strength training, I realized that the strength part is taking me up to 35-40 minutes, and then doing 30 minutes of cardio after that. I felt like I was rushing through the strength to get to the cardio and wasn’t able to give it my all.
So these next 10 days I am switching it up. I am going to work out in the morning before work, then at lunch to get away from my desk I’ll do an easy 30 minute swim or bike ride. Then at night, I will get my blog post together to post the next morning and put my food/clothes in line.
I haven’t weighed myself in a while, so that is one of the reasons I decided to shake things up. Um turns out the extra glasses of wine and bites of cheese have caught up to me – this morning?
I think I was 159 the last time I weigh in, so this is not going in the right direction. My goal is 150 by the end of the year, so I have my work cut out for me. What are your thoughts? Have you ever done a cleanse before? (Andrea, I am not looking at you because I know you do!)
Alright, time to hit up the gym! Make it a great day! Today is Back and Cardio. 
I haven’t tried a cleanse, per se. But I have cleansed myself of eating anything that is not organic. The chemicals were making me so sick. I don’t use chemicals in anything- not shampoos, deodorant, soap, etc. I feel so much better now. Love what you’re doing. I’ve tried it before and it works. But I always goof and go back to bagels and potatoes. Sigh. 🙂
First off – I did a double take on your eggs on the blue corn tortilla, because I thought it was a flounder underneath the eggs at first with a big eye LOL!
I am not big into cleanses – or I guess calling them cleanses. I dislike that term for whatever reason. Sounds faddish, maybe? I do think there are times that we need to retool our diets and focus again.
I have never done a cleanse – but, good luck to you!! You look so pretty in your picture 🙂
You have my number, total cornbread fan! haha! I’ve never been to a place that brought out cornbread complimentary – my kind of restaurant! I love that you had a “last supper” before your cleanse. That’s what my Weight Watchers leader calls the last big meal you eat before you start dieting. haha! Your cleanse sounds great. I can’t do liquids either – I like to chew.
For starters, that pizza looked good to me and second-so did the cornbread. I can’t wait to see how the cleanse goes because that is exactly how manservant wants to eat. I like all the white stuff. Like potatoes. And sugar which you can’t have. And he likes more meat than grains and I like more grains than meat. So I can’t wait to see the statistics on this and also how you are feeling. I hear you are supposed to feel great with no white stuff! Good luck!
If you’re interested in really stepping up your strength training, prepare to be HUNGRY afterward–Mondays are always tough for me after I’ve had two big lifting days (during the week I stick to lower-weight complexes that are more about full body movements that get the heart rate up). Keep almonds on hand now if you don’t already–I like toasted unsalted almonds because no salt means I won’t eat too many nor will I over-compensate with lots of water.
Good luck with the cleanse!
No coffee, I could do that if I had to but I LOVE coffee. Good luck on the cleanse. I think you will be happy with how you feel after a few days.
I am definitely feeling the caffeine withdrawal tonight – the green tea I subbed the coffee for was decaf!
Yes, you are right, I love to cleanse. 🙂 Your cleanse sounds great. I think cleanses that involve real food are great and can really clean up your eating for longer than the cleanse as you start new habits.
I agree Andrea! 😀
That cornbread looks like my mom’s famous Charlie bread, made with sour cream and cream corn…makes it super moist.
The only thing that was missing from this corn bread was jalapenos!
dahYUM! that burger is stuffed with cheese, I’m NOT cleansing, ran my butt off today and totally would eat that — minus the top bun (compromises)! And, the broccoli makes it all okay!
Exactly – the broccoli exchange for potato fries totally made up for all the glorious cheese!
You and your sister are adorable! My brothers who are 5 years younger than me are fraternal twins! They couldn’t be more different – in looks, size and personality. I do remember what a handful they were when they were young. I watched them a lot for my mom and I was like a second mom!
I haven’t done a cleanse but I pretty much eat a very “clean” vegan diet these days so don’t see a reason to shake things up any more.
I was delighted to see that you are going to try that African Peanut Stew from my blog. Veronica recently tried it and loved it too!
I was going to say, not sure how much cleaner you could eat Tami! Yep, looking forward to the stew!
Your twin friends are so fashionable! Love their outfits and those hats, wow! Sounds like twinfest was another success. 🙂
I am not into cleanses, but I do agree there’s times when it’s good to clean up your diet and scale back on some things. However, do not ask me to give up coffee. DO NOT.
Yes, the twins are so fashionable – puts my fashion skills to shame! Oh wait, I don’t have any fashion skills, so no worries!
Food looks good Biz…that hamburger, the corn bread, your breakfast that Tony made, all those cheeses, the cream puffs and that pizza is to swoone over!!!! Yikes!!! Maybe put us on and “eye cleanse” so we don’t have to look at all that wonderful food you make and eat. “I get so hungry” but that is the side effects of this diabetic pill I take…which has put weight on but lowered my blood sugars~~~~can’t win for losing!!! Nope, I don’t know any twins and can’t remember any growing up and none in our family…just you.
So would a “glutin free diet” be like the cleanse you are talking about…it sort of looks like it in a way…..just wondering. Or “clean eating” which I have been reading about lately? I know a lady who lost 25 lbs just eating foods on the outside perimiter of the grocery store….no processed foods and eating from scratch….worth a try!!
I think the “permiter of the store” about sums it up. More fruits and veggies, leaner meats, less dairy and no cheese for a while – we’ll see how it goes! Hope you had a great weekend!
I love your friends outfits! Super cute and classy! I never look that good! lol
I’ll be interested in how things go with the cleanse. It’s basically a “healthy way to eat” plan you decided on and I think it’s good. I was going to do the “no sugar” thing (except natural sugar) the other week but never did. I’m lazy on the cooking.
Your back to blogging! I have to check it out and see what you are up to – I need to figure out how to follow you! I definitely missed having coffee today!
Don’t forget, you are also building muscle and that weighs more than fat. How are your clothes fitting? I went to hs with one set of fraternal twins, but we weren’t close friends. My friend has a set of fraternal twins that she gave birth to using donor eggs and donor sperm. The little boy is autistic, the girl isn’t. Btw, I had the strangest dream about you and Hannah and tony. I woke up today and it was so detailed. We were all in Vegas together. I don’t know where that came from. I will be doing my own cleanse in the next couple weeks. Liquids for 2 weeks in preparation for the surgery.
If I killed a hooker in your dream, er um forget the whole thing!
That is a weird dream Randi!! My clothes felt a bit tight, which is why I decided to reign it in. Too many glasses of wine and cheese! So you are going ahead with the surgery? I’ll email you on the side to get the details!
I have a niece who has twins- boy/girl and I do know other twins who live in our area. The cleanse sounds like you should do ok for 10 days. I was just at the Wisconsin Dells and my husband loaded up on cheese he can’t get at home. His fave is “aged provolone”. I’m not a hard cheese eater. Since you are using insulin that makes us insulin users gain weight more easier. Good luck on this journey.
Thanks Joanne! We haven’t been to the Dells, but we’ve been to plenty of cheese places in Wisconsin. 😀
OMG Biz, get out of my head! I’ve been thinking about doing a cleanse lately. The last time I did an Advocare cleanse was in 2010, and I had been plateaued for months. Between the Advocare cleanse and a month of changed up workouts afterwards, I lost 30 pounds and busted through my plateau. The thing I loved about Advocare was that most of the supplements were just pills and drinks, but you still ate real food. I only used the meal replacement shakes for breakfast, which I am horrible about eating good breakfasts in general. I don’t know that I have the funds or drive to do another Advocare cleanse, but I will tighten up my diet and focus more on regular exercise this week. Love your “no cheese” rule – I need to incorporate that into my life!
Yep, the no cheese rule will be hard – when I was putting a slice on Tony’s burger for dinner tonight, I had to stop myself from just taking “a small bite!”
Looks like my kind of cleanse…minus the no coffee. I certainly can’t do a no food cleanse either. I like food too darn much!
oh MAN.
you had me till the no coffee.
I could do ONE CUP OF COFFEE.
a semi-clean cleanse?!
I am kind of regretting that decision – I can drink it, but it has to be black – and I usually love my coffee with sweet creamer – definitely missed it today!
Although I’d love it if Kay let me sleep in just a LITTLE, I do like getting up early on the weekends. Its so nice to get tons done. Tony made you a great breakfast! Little spicy- love! Glad you had fun out with the ladies! Good luck with the clense
I think you must have been on my weekend in spirit. That’s exactly the diet the chef recommends!
That’s cool! Sorry you weren’t 100% when you went on your retreat, but hopefully you got some sleep!
Biz,
I had some amazing cheese this weekend at Earth Fare (our small town version of Whole Foods) you might like since you are a mustard fan: http://www.pennmac.com/items/3363//mustard-seed-and-ale-cheddar-red-dragon
Good Luck with the cleanse. I’ve been consuming a large amount of fresh fruit & veggies lately and I feel so much better….both physically and mentally/emotionally. Have a great week!!
OMG, that cheese sounds amazing Lisa! Thanks for the link!
Your challenge sounds almost identical to the first phase of the South Beach Diet. I bet you could find some great phase 1 recipes that would work for you. Kalyn’s Kitchen has a ton!
Yep, I love her site – so creative and normal ingredients!
You look so beautiful! I’ve also decided to switch to low dairy just to see how my body reacts to it. When I look back on it, I eat A TON of dairy. I can’t give up all cheese or yogurt though – that would be torture!
Thanks Anne Marie – yep, ditching cheese for 10 days will be as big a record of me wearing makeup 6 weeks in a row!
I almost bought that porter cheese at Mariano’s yesterday. But I went with an aged gouda and white cheddar instead. I could live in their cheese department! That cleanse sounds like a great plan, and realistic, which is key. Great way to changes things up.
I don’t know how you don’t live at the Marion Street Cheese market in Oak Park – that place makes me happy and I haven’t been in the longest time. Next time I am in Oak Park we’ll have to hit it up!
Go get it, girl!! 10 days is nothing!
Sounds like a big challenge but I can’t wait to hear all about it!
So many things to comment on.
First love your weekend and all your food. Looks to me it was a great one. I do know twins, two friends couples both have twins. One couple has 2 boys and 1 couple has 2 girls.
Love your 10 day cleanse approach. I am thinking about doing something too but that’s more about my IBS problems that are back.
You know I love to workout early in the morning: I have the time to do it, it feels great going to work knowing you are already done for the day, after a while it gives you energy for the day (first days I was more tired) and I have all the time to walk Bella at night. Look forward to see how you like it.
Good luck with the cleanse! You got my support.
Thanks for your support Fran – I appreciate it! 😀
I could maybe handle your type of cleanse (not sure though). Most of those cleanses would never work for me – I like food and I don’t think I could work out if I did a full on cleanse!
Of course I know twins – me and my brother!! My dad had a twin sister, too. I think we actually had several sets in our graduating class – I know there were identical boy twins and a set of girl twins.
So many twins – love it!