So today is the last day of the cleanse and I feel fantastic. More so because I know I can eat all kinds of goodies starting tomorrow. I would say today has been the easiest day. I have barely felt hungry. I had my third juice of the day at 2:30pm, which while still in the window of 1:00-3:00pm, but I could have waited another hour. I would say the reason for it being so easy is that I think everything I am consuming is delicious. if you don't like half of these items you are going to be constantly wishing for your own food. I have no aversions to any of the flavors which I think is key in doing this cleanse in stride and not feeling miserable.

The two soup options, Veggie (carrots, green beans, kale, celery, garlic) and Carrot Ginger. I prefer the one on the right!!

I should say that Andrew is not having as easy of a time with this cleanse. We quickly reviewed the number of meals we eat and Andrew has a smoothie for breakfast, then a piece of toast with peanut butter and banana, followed by two separate rice and veggie dishes, a veggie/black bean burger after coming home from the gym and then dinner. That's 6 meals, not counting possible snacks. I on the other hand typically have a smoothie, a fruit snack, a rice and veggie dish and then dinner. That comes out to four meals. I can see why he is suffering a bit more than I am, but it has been a pleasure to experience since we were convinced I would be the moody one.

Tomorrow we go back to our regular scheduled program, minus dairy and breads. Or as Andrew described his day, "I am going to have our fucking smoothie, your fucking salad, a fucking soup and then I am going to fucking kill myself". Dramatic right?!

But Saturday (which Andrew has been waiting for since Monday) we have plans for breakfast at Five Leaves in Greenpoint for 8:00am (yes, they open at 8:00am) and then we plan to hit the Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, to visit Chick Pea & Olive for some beet burgers. EEK!!! SO EXCITED!! If you are wondering, I am still making sure my mom sticks to the agreement of making her own beet burgers. But really any of her delectable dishes will suffice.

So, to kick-off the morning we are going to start with our Smoothie. It did not look appealing the first time Andrew made it and I am pretty sure I told Andrew flat out, "No". When my mom came to try it, she asked to put it in a coffee cup so she wouldn't see the color. But, it is pretty delicious. The berries add the fruity flavor most people love and the nuts make it a bit creamy. The best part about it is you get soo many goodies into you before you have even really started the day. Let us know what you think!

FRUIT & VEGGIE SMOOTHIE (courtesy of Andrew)

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups of Cold Water
8 Cups of Greens (we usually do a mix of spinach, greens, kale, arugula)
1 banana
1 apple
1 pear
3 figs
1 red bell pepper
2 teaspoons flax seeds (first mason jar from the top)
2 teaspoons hemp seeds (second mason jar)
2 teaspoons chia seeds (third mason jar)
2 teaspoons raw honey
1 teaspoon molasses
a bit of salt
1/3 cup of walnuts
1/3-1/2 cup of frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries or raspberries)
If we have some mint we add a few leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the items in a blender (we use Kitchen Aid) in the order that they are listed.

With the greens, add half the amount mentioned, blend to make room, then add the next half to blend again. The banana you take out of the peel, but the apple and pear just leave the skin and cut into smaller pieces around the core. Do not put in the core! With the red pepper, just get rid of the stem and seeds, cut into a few pieces and put it in the blender. Then add all the rest of the items, blending for short bursts after every 3 items. Once everything is in you will want to blend for 2-3 solid minutes, or until it is a consistency you like (I am impartial, Andrew likes it very well blended). Makes roughly 7.5 cups.

Andrew and I then split the smoothie into a couple of mason jars so we have them ready to go for the next few days. Feel free to add different seeds or different quantities, we just typically stick to the recipe since we know it works. Enjoy!!