advocare cleanse {day 10}

I drank my last fiber drink and took my last probiotics this morning  then I called it quits with the cleanse!!  Since I ate clean on the day I was sick, I didn't really feel like continuing today for the 11th day.......so I didn't!! I treated myself to a delicious Spicy Chicken Biscuit for a late breakfast/early lunch!!

I definitely don't mind eating clean and I will continue to keep clean foods in my diet, but I am not going to feel guilty when I eat bread or sugar or other things that aren't considered "clean".  I feel like I'm missing out when I don't eat them!!!  My goal from here on out will be more of an 70/30 goal.  Eating mostly clean and healthy during the week so we can cheat and eat what we want during the weekend!!

While on the cleanse.....

Matt lost 7 pounds.

I lost 4.6 pounds.

(but remember I did have a stomach bug, too)

And like I said earlier in the week, I really do feel pretty good and my face has definitely cleared up. I'm really happy with our cleanse results. Now if I can just keep those 4.6 pounds off while I'm on our cruise next week.......that will be the real challenge!!

advocare cleanse {day 9}

Nothing to exciting to report today, except Matt is DONE the cleanse!!

I still have one more day because of my little setback.

I had a fiber drink & a Spark for breakfast and a banana for a mid-morning snack. 

Lunch was really boring, but nothing sounded good so I decided on this....

{Sweet potato & Strawberries}

My afternoon snack was carrots & roasted red pepper hummus and another Spark.  I needed some extra motivation to get my booty to the gym this afternoon since it was so cold today.

We had breakfast for dinner tonight and it really hit the spot!!

{Sausage & Eggs, Strawberries & Bananas and Whole Wheat Toast}

9 days down......only 1 day to go

advocare cleanse {day 8}

A few things I've noticed while on the cleanse.....

1. My skin has really cleared up.

2.  I have more energy

3. I don't feel gassy at the end of the day

(TMI, but it's true, I feel so much better)

4. I don't feel the need to snack all the time because

I'm eating filling healthy foods. 

We are back to drinking the fiber drink which means I'm not really hungry for breakfast afterwards.  I munched on some almonds for a morning snack then we stopped at Chick-fil-A for lunch.

{Grilled Chicken Nuggets, Side Salad, & Fat Free Honey Mustard}

While we were at the pool this afternoon we snacked on cuties and a few more almonds.  I have never been one to snack on almonds, but it's my go to snack these days.  I love the crunch!!

For dinner Matt grilled chicken and I made the sides.

{Cilantro Lime Chicken, Pineapple Red Pepper Whole Wheat Rice, & Mixed Veggies}

 We also had a grilled banana with almond butter for dessert.  Can you tell we are obsessed?

8 days down........2 more to go

advocare cleanse {day 7}

My favorite thing about the Advocare Cleanse has definitely been drinking the Spark.  

I really haven't missed my daily (or almost daily) Diet Coke at all.  I have noticed a noticeable different in my energy level during the day and I don't have an afternoon crash.  I would love to continue drinking Spark post-cleanse, but the only problem is that you can't drink it while you are pregnant or nursing, which means at some point I won't be able to drink it for around 2 years.    (And no, we aren't pregnant. I'm just thinking about the future.)  But, if you aren't pregnant or nursing you should totally try out Spark.  We have been drinking Pink Lemonade and Fruit Punch, but Fruit Punch is definitely our favorite. 

I was in a rush to get to the gym before I took Pearson to school this morning so I made a meal replacement shake mixed with peaches before we left.  Not gonna lie, I'm not a fan of the meal replacement shakes.  They definitely fill me up, but even with fruit mixed in, there is still a funny taste I don't care for.  I had an eye doctor appointment this morning so I also didn't get around to eating a mid-morning snack.  Since I hadn't really "eaten" anything, by the time lunch rolled around I was starving!!  I stopped by Chipotle and got a burrito bowl.  I totally forgot that I'm not supposed to have corn, so I cheated just a bit! Oops!!

{Brown Rice, Chicken, Pico, Corn, Lettuce, Medium Salsa & Guacamole}  

 I was stuffed from having such a big lunch so I skipped out on an afternoon snack and drank a second Spark drink before my second workout of the day.  I don't normally work out twice a day, but the gym I go to was have free demo classes and you know I love free stuff!!  Even free workouts!!

Our dinner was delicious tonight!  I made Chicken Stir Fy & Brown Rice

{Brown Rice, Grilled Chicken, Scrambled Egg, Zucchini, & Frozen Bag of Vegetables}

We will definitely be making this recipe post-cleanse.  It was really easy and really good. 

7 days down......only 3 to go. 

advocare cleanse {day 6}

I found a description online and thought it described The Advocare Cleanse well for those of you who might not really know what Advocare is........

The 3 Components of Advocare's Herbal Cleanse Box 1. Fiber Drink: is like taking the”lint off the lint trap” after every load of laundry! It gently cleanses, allowing heat to transfer so your metabolism is raised, which is necessary to burn fat!
2. Herbal Cleanse Tablets: is like an “S.O.S.” pad - more deeply cleansing the intestines and colon.
3. Probiotic: Probiotics are good bacteria, these are the highest quality on the market – formulated to survive through the hostile environment of the low PH/high acidic stomach, so it can make it safely to the large & small intestines where it needs to be to kill the bad bacteria. Probiotics metabolize toxins & carry them out of your system! Probiotics also metabolize vitamins for your body! 

My friend Allie made this handy dandy sheet to remind us which things we need to take each day.

We are both still truckin' along with the cleanse.  We are feeling pretty good, losing some weight, but I have to be honest.......we both have some pretty funny cravings.  Matt came home from work today wishing he could have some biscuits and gravy and I can't stop thinking about a peanut butter shake from Sonic.  I haven't even had one before but it just sounds good and I can't get my mind off of it!!  We may or may not celebrate the completion of our cleanse with Sausage Gravy & Biscuits for breakfast on Saturday and a Peanut Butter Shake from Sonic. But then it's back on track with healthy eating before we totally blow it on our cruise in a few weeks!!!

Anyways, here's what we ate today......

For breakfast....

{Scrambled Eggs with Sausage & Whole Wheat Toast}

 I was out an about all morning so I didn't have a morning snack.  I was starving when I got home so this lunch hit the spot!! 

{Leftover Oven Baked Fajitas over a Whole Wheat Tortilla & a Cutie}

We spent the afternoon at the pool, but I came prepared with healthy snacks.  I munch on an apple and some almonds and drank lots of water. 

For dinner, we grilled out again!!

{Shrimp & Veggie Kabobs and leftover Sweet Potatoes}

And it's possible that we might have had another fried banana drizzle with almond butter.

6 days down......only 4 to go!!

advocare cleanse {day 4 & 5}

Whew, I'm so glad this weekend is over with.  

We had a fun weekend, but it was just hard sticking to our cleanse.  

We did have a couple cheats but nothing that should mess up our results.  

Our Saturday morning family breakfast tradition continued even while on the cleanse.

{Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Whole Wheat Toast}

After breakfast I headed to La Madeline for a Baby Shower Brunch.  I resisted all these tasty looking treats and just had a little cup of fruit for my mid-morning snack. 

For lunch I made a homemade pizza.  

{Whole Wheat Crust, No Sugar Added Pizza Sauce, Vegan Mozzarella Shreds (since we can't have dairy), Sausage, Olives, Spinach and Red Peppers}

The pizza was edible but I have to admit, the "cheese" wasn't very good.  It kind of had a funny taste and it stuck to your teeth like peanut butter.  I will definitely NOT be using it again.  I'll glad take the extra calories of cheese when this cleanse is over.  There is no substitute for cheese!!  We also had a side salad with Olive Oil & Vinegar Oil.  We would have both definitely preferred Ranch, but this dressing was actually pretty tasty. 

 Saturday afternoon, I "cheated" and ate one kernel of corn at a Crawfish Boil.  Matt ate about 10 crawfish, but we aren't sure if that was considered "cheating" or not.  He just made sure he didn't stuff himself.  I snacked on fruit and hummus and carrots to keep myself from eating some of the other tempting foods.  When we got home I whipped up a meal replacement shake.

{MRS with Strawberries and Pineapples}

After dinner we dropped our little man off  at Lolly & Pops so we could go to the movies.  Talk about temptations........we both would have given and arm and a leg for a bag of popcorn!!!!

This morning before church we had a bowl of oatmeal sweetened with a little Stevia.  

Mid-morning snack was an apple.

Our church had a big service project today where we put on a little carnival for an apartment complex.  I had planed on us eating leftovers when we got home but we were so hungry while we were out there that we just cheated and ate what was provided......Tamales.  I know, I know.......not good for you at all, but it's all there was.  We didn't get home until 1:30 so we would have been starving if we hadn't eaten.  Atleast we ate a small portion!!

We both munched on some almonds for an afternoon snack and then we grilled out for dinner!!

{Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Baked Sweet Potato, & Roasted Green Beans}

I'm not going to lie, Matt and I usually have a little something sweet to eat every night.  It's a terrible habit that we have, but we both have a sweet tooth.  The last two nights we have had a pear but tonight we made a yummy little dessert that hit the spot.   

{Grilled Bananas with Almond Butter}

We will definitely be making this post-cleanse.  It was soooooooo delicious. 

I'm off to get our meals prepped for tomorrow. 

5 days down......5 days to go.

advocare cleanse {day 3}

Since we've been on the Cleanse we have really been trying to drink WAY more water.  

Our goal is to drink half of our weight in ounces.  It seems like a lot but it hasn't been all that hard since that's all we are drinking.  I really thought we would both miss cokes alot more but honestly I've been totally fine without my Sonic Diet Coke w/ Vanilla daily fix!!  I'm hoping I can kick my bad Diet Coke habit to just a few a cokes a week after the Cleanse. 

Tonight's entry is going to be short and sweet because I am pooped.  We just got back a little bit ago from buying a new {to us} car and we have a busy Saturday planned for tomorrow.

Breakfast: Spark, Fiber Drink & half of a Banana

Mid-Morning Snack: 2 Clementines

Lunch: Leftover Crock pot salsa Chicken, Rice & Beans and Blackberries 

 Mid-Afternoon Snack:  Almonds

Dinner: Oven Baked Fajitas on Whole Wheat Tortillas

Evening Snack: Apple

After we ate dinner I met up with some of my girlfriends at a Mexican food restaurant.  I just have to add that I am so proud of myself for just ordering a water.  Since I had already had my fajita fix, I wasn't tempted at all to order anything or even munch on tortilla chips.  And I guess it also helped that I don't care for this particular restaurants salsa either.  It is a little too spicy for me so I wasn't tempted at all.  

3 days down......7 more to go

advocare cleanse {day 2}

I was back up and running again with the Cleanse today! 

I'm so glad to be feeling better today.  I even felt well enough to go to my Step class.  I wasn't able to work out to my full potential, but it sure felt good to be movin'!

The first three days and the last three days of the cleanse we have to drink a Fiber Drink.  We both chose Peaches & Cream.  The other flavor is citrus and from what I have heard it does a better job "scrubbing" but it's definitely harder to get down.  We went with the Peaches & Cream because it just sounded better to us and we didn't want to have a hard time drinking anything.  I wouldn't say the Fiber Drink is fabulous but it's not disgusting.  The taste is actually pretty good, it's just the consistency and texture that is kind of weird. 

Since we have a Spark drink first thing every morning, after drinking the Fiber Drink and then 8oz of water after that I felt pretty full.  I ended up just have a half of a banana for breakfast before I headed to the gym for a work out.  

Our mid-morning snack was 2 cuties and lunch was leftover Spaghetti and Roasted Brussel Sprouts.  I have to make these for lunch because Matt doesn't really care for them.  Oh my word, they are so good.   I follow this recipe, except I use Garlic Salt.

 For our mid-afternoon snack we had pineapple and for dinner we had rotisserie chicken from Sam's, baked sweet potatoes, & roasted green beans.  I've made these green beans with fresh green beans and also with frozen green beans, but tonight I made them with a fresh pre-packaged bag of green beans from Trader Joe's and they were SOOOOOO good.  I don't know what was so different about them, but they were amazing.  They really hit the spot.  

So far the cleanse has been really easy.......other than my little stomach bug interruption.  We'll see how this weekend goes though.  Matt has a busy day at work tomorrow where he might not be in his office much and then we have a pretty busy weekend.  I've planned all our meals but it will be interesting seeing if we can make it work and stay on track this weekend. 

2 days down......8 more to go.

advocare cleanse {day 1.5}

Day 1.5.........What's that you say?

Well, we had a little hiccup in our cleanse.

Actually, just I had a little hiccup. 

I caught a little stomach bug last night so I took the day off from all Advocare products.  Matt continued on to Day 2 without me and I'll join back in tomorrow.  I just couldn't bring myself to take a fiber drink when I couldn't even hold water down this morning.  My amazing husband stayed home to watch P-Man so I could sleep in and recover from the fast and furious bug I had.  Thankfully by 10am I was feeling soooooo much better.  I was able to hold hold down water and a piece of whole wheat toast.

I went ahead and ate a clean diet today, just skipped out on the cleanse products. 

For lunch, I had the sweetest pineapple I've ever had in my life and salad.

{rotisserie chicken, mixed greens, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, & raspberry vinaigrette}

 For snack we had apple slices and almond butter.  Almond butter is EXPENSIVE! Since I had never had it before I bought it at Trader Joe's.  First, they have better prices that Kroger and second, if you don't like something there, you can take it back no questions asked!  If I was going to spend $5.99 on a jar of almond butter I wanted to be able to take it back if I didn't like.  This snack really hit the spot this afternoon and the almond butter was pretty tasty.  

 Since I had planned on being at work all day, I prepped dinner last night.  After being sick in the middle of the night it was nice to just pull a yummy fresh dinner out of the fridge and warm it up.  We had a "Burrito Bowl". 

{Homemade Tex-Mex Rice, Crockpot Salsa Chicken, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Avocados, & Fresh Salsa}

**Technically we cheated because my salsa recipe has a tablespoon of sugar, but that's okay.  I'm sure a tablespoon won't hurt us!!

Matt just munched on some carrots and hummus and I had a pear a little bedtime snack.  

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back on track with Day 2.  

advocare cleanse {day 1}

Matt and I started the Advocare 10-Day Cleanse today!!
 {I'll be blogging about all 10 days of our experience for my documentation so that if we ever 
decide to do this again I'll have record of how we did it the first time.}

I have always wanted to do some sort of a cleanse, but I knew if I was going to do it, Matt would have to be on board with me.  He came home from work a few weeks ago and said, "We need to do a cleanse." I couldn't believe my ears. It was his idea so I ran with it.  He got the idea to do a cleanse because a Rangers guy he follows (Jamey Newberg) had just done one.  I looked into the one the Jamey Newberg had done but I hadn't really heard anything about it.  I had heard about the Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse and the Advocare Cleanse.  However, one of my friends said the lunch shake was practically inedible and my blog designer tried it but said they tasted like warm applesauce that didn't taste good.  I knew that if we did a cleanse it would have to be one that involved food.  I can't do just shakes or liquids for an extended amount of time.  I like to eat!!!! The Advocare Cleanse seemed like a good fit for us and totally doable.  I have a friend that sells it and I also know quite a few people that use their products, so I felt good about choosing to use Advocare. 

While we will probably lose a few pounds doing this cleanse, this is not the reason we are doing it.  We are doing it to literally cleanse our body of all the toxins its full of.  By eliminating all the waste, we are preparing our bodies for optimal nutrient absorption.  Losing a little weight and kick starting a healthier diet are just benefits of doing this cleanse. 

To prepare for our cleanse, we stalked our fridge with lots of fresh veggies and REAL food!  We are supposed to avoid soda, alcohol, creamy sauces, high calorie salad dressings, sugar, candy, fried food, processed food, white flour and partially hydrogenated oils while doing the cleanse.  Advocare's products are just part of the cleanse.  It doesn't work unless you eat right as well. 

I wouldn't say that we eat terrible, but when it comes to breakfast and lunch we both just usually eat something quick and easy.  And lately, I've even gotten kind of lazy with dinners.  I've been cooking unhealthy casseroles and eating out quite a bit.  These next 10 days I'm really going to have to give myself extra time each evening to prepare and pack our breakfasts and lunches and cook good healthy dinners.  Even though I don't work, I'm packing my lunch like I do so I don't have to think about it during the day.

 Today before breakfast we had a Spark drink.  For breakfast we had a fiber drink and mixed berries and for a Mid-morning snack we had a handful of almonds.

Lunch was Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad & a Cutie. 

 {Mixed Greens, Grape Tomatoes, Avocados, Lemon Pepper Chicken, 

w/ Olive Oil, Lemon Pepper Seasoning & Garlic Salt }

Matt usually has a coke for lunch and I usually have a coke everyday at some point so by late afternoon we both had headaches.  Hopefully our bodies will get used to no caffeine since we won't be having it for 10 days.   Thankfully a mid-afternoon snack made my headache go away. 

 For a mid-afternoon snack Mommy & Daddy had carrots and hummus while this little guy got to enjoy pita chips and hummus.  I tried carrots with him but he won't touch them.  

 For dinner we had whole wheat spaghetti pasta with ground turkey meat sauce (no sugar added) and mixed veggies.  

I could seriously eat a whole plate of these veggies.  I mix broccoli, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, sugar snap peas, and cook with olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper.  I cook them on medium for about 10 minutes covered but stirring often. 

I had hoped to get a workout in today but it just didn't get around to it.  I was busy running errands and doing things around the house while Pearson was at school.

Before I sat down to blog and watch TV with Matt I spent about a hour in the kitchen prepping our breakfast, lunches, and even dinners tomorrow.  We both have a very busy day tomorrow so I had to get it all done.  I'll even be eating my dinner on the go tomorrow.

1 day down.......9 more to go!

10 on 10 {april 2013}

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!

{Document a snapshot of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}

I started my morning with a Spark.  Before we start our Advocare 10 Day Cleanse later this month, I have been trying out different flavors to see which one we want to order.  I'm really loving the Fruit Punch and I'm also loving how it is giving me a healthy little kick start to my day!! 

Although this picture doesn't show it, Pearson was actually really happy to get to see Daddy this morning.  He usually doesn't wake up until after Matt leaves for work so it was a treat for us all to get ready together this morning.

Even though it was cold and "dribbling" (what Amber calls drizzling), we still headed to Story Time. It's crazy how small my car feels with three kiddos in it.  

We love going to Story Time, but today might have been our last time for a while.  My little man was in rare form today.  This picture was about the only moment he semi cooperated today.  Right when we walked in he decided to poop, so we missed the first song while I changed his diaper. Then he didn't participate in any of the songs, wouldn't listen to the stories, kept running away from me, when I tried to hold him he would buck out, he was climbing all over the stroller and not being the sweet boy he normally is when we go to Story Time.  Needless to say we had to walk out.  Once we sat down and read some books, I thought he had settled down, but then he kept pushing his cousin, so we left.

Y'all, we have entered the "Terrible Twos" two months early and I am SOOOOOOOOO not ready for this.  

 Taking care of three kiddos (four from 3-5) is so much different than just taking care of Pearson.  It's crazy at times, but we all have a good time together!! Thankfully after lunch the little ones take great naps {Pearson: 2-3 hours and Lexi: 3-4 hour} so Amber and I get a little quiet time together before we have to pick up Katelyn from the bus stop.

It cracks me up that with a house full of girl toys, Pearson can still find the wheels.  

Since I don't get home from "work" until 5:30 or so, I always have something easy planned for dinner.  Tonight it was Lettuce Wraps from Sam's and Edamame. So easy and so yummy!!

 After dinner Pearson had a little playtime with Daddy.  I love how he sticks his tongue out when he is concentrating just like his Daddy.  After he finished putting his cement truck back together, he clapped for himself and said "Wayyyyy".  I think it is so cute how he says "way" instead of "yay"!!

 At the end of the day, Pearson found my camera.  I posed, smiled and told him "Take my picture", and this is what he did!!  I wonder who he sees do this all the time?? 

I had a great day, but I am exhausted.  Matt and I are both feeling a little under the weather, so we are camped out on the couch for the evening.  We are clearing out our DVR. Survivor, The Following, The Americans, Revolution, and Modern Family are all on the line-up for tonight.  We'll see if we have time for them all.  I have a feeling I'm going to crash pretty soon.  My little man wore me out today!!!

Hope you had a great 10th!!

**Linking up with A Bit of Sunshine

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