The 21-Day Sugar Detox- Day 9

I can't believe it's almost day 10 of The 21-Day Sugar Detox ! The days seem to be passing quickly, now. My cravings are now completely GONE! My skin is clearing. All in all, I'm improving each day that passes.

I think the biggest change is the energy I have when I wake. I pop out of bed each day, ready to take it on. I'm known to be quite the procrastinator. For the last two days, my motto has been, "Let's get it done!". Even my husband has noticed the change. And, you know men; they usually don't notice anything different!

Today, I tackeled cleaning up my workroom. During the holidays, things had gotten out of hand in there! I was busy filling orders, making gifts, and formulating new products. The room was a mess! Well, I flitted around that room like a little cleaning fairy. Finally, at 2 PM, I took a lunch break. I ate two leftover chicken legs from last night's dinner and an arugula, cucumber, and avocado salad. After lunch, it was back to cleaning.

When I was done, my room was organized and clean. Plus, my car was filled with bags for donation I will drop off tomorrow at Home of the Sparrow Resale Shop. They are a great local charity who help homeless families in the area. So, I get a clean workroom; and, I get to help my community! Love it!

On a side note, Boho was having a great time because I found the bag of toys I had bought for her Christmas gifts while cleaning. Before Christmas, I had torn that room apart looking for these darn toys, to no avail. Oh well, at least she had things to play with as I worked.

Surprisingly, I did not get tired all day, even with all the room organizing and regular chores. I sailed right into dinner time with no fatigue. Wow! Now, I'm impressed!

For dinner, I wanted something hardy. Since last week's hamburger was my favorite meal, I decided to cook a variation of the bacon burger. I made an Inside-out Burger!

To make this, I formed a half pound of grass-fed ground beef into two square, thick patties. I then placed them on a metal grill rack atop a Baking Sheet. That way the grease can run off the meat to make sturdier "buns". I put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Once cooked, I placed one on a plate, layered bacon, arugula, butter lettuce, and mustard, then, laid the second patty on top. In order to make it easier to eat, I wrapped it in Unbleached Parchment Paper. It was THE BOMB! I don't know if anyone says that anymore; but, the way the flavor burst in my mouth, I had to say it.

On the side, I made a small bowl of Cream of Cauliflower Soup. I basically took the leftover cauliflower rice from last night, warmed it with homemade turkey bone broth and 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk. Then, I used my Immersion blenderto froth it up a bit. And, of course, I crumbled bacon on top. So creamy and delicious!

I realized today that it isn't as difficult as I thought it would be to eat tasty meals with so many restrictions. I mean, seriously, I can't have any grains, fruits, nightshades (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes), nuts (this includes flours, butters, and milks), eggs, sugar, sweetener, and dairy. Basically, I can eat meat, seafood, chicken, and vegetables.  And yet, I've eaten some amazing tasting foods. I guess it's all about working within your limitations.

As each day passes, I feel stronger and healthier. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Need help getting started on your trek to better health? Please, email me or comment below. I would love to help you. Email: tmoperillo@gmail.com

The 21-Day Sugar Detox- Day 6

Tis the end of day 6. And, boy, was it a doozie! I woke up this morning with pain radiating through my hip. For some reason, I was in a very bad mood already. It was the perfect storm. I was hurting, hungry, and cranky. I was in desperate need of coffee.

Although, I'm now used to the new taste of my coffee with Coconut Milk only, it did not hit the spot this morning. I snapped at everyone in my path. No one was safe from the Day 6 detox monster. I decided to dress and begin my housecleaning for the day. As I looked in the mirror while washing my face, I noticed a few more breakouts. That really improved my mood! I also have a resurgence of an old rash on my leg. Great, let's add some itchiness to my already foul mood! All I wanted to do was put on my 70's music and start cleaning.

As the 70's tunes surrounded me, I moved from room to room, dusting, cleaning toilets, scrubbing showers, vacuuming furniture, carpets, and bedding, and mopping floors. By the end, I was dancing, singing, and in a much better mood. The pain in my hip had worked itself out. I felt lighter and less itchy. But, I was still hungry.

I walked to the kitchen to make myself lunch. It was 1:30 PM. I'd missed breakfast again! So, I decided to make lunch worthwhile. I took some leftover zucchini noodles and tossed them in a pan with melted bacon grease. Then, I added two of the bacon strips I cooked last night, cut into pieces. I tossed in one chopped green onion and 1/2 a chopped avocado. Once warmed through, I tossed it into a bowl. May I just say that this is one of the most delicious lunches I have eaten.....EVER! It was so creamy...and bacony...and scrumptious!

After lunch, I set about cleaning the kitchen. Every Saturday, I scrub everything down, polish my stainless appliances, and completely disinfect all surfaces (with all-natural cleaners, of course!). Once my kitchen was sparkling, I folded my third load of laundry and put the fourth,and last, into the dryer.

It was already 5 PM, time to cook dinner. I decided to experiment a bit with my dinner. I took some leftover pork loin, chopped into chunks, and sauted it in bacon grease. I added spaghetti squash, one clove garlic (crushed), 1/2 cup Coconut Milk , and 1 TBSP capers. I also wrapped bunches of asparagus with prosciutto and baked them at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.

My experiment turned out to be quite yummy! I enjoyed it alongside some herbal Melaleuca tea, I brewed earlier while cleaning the kitchen.

After dinner, I decided to just veg and watch a movie, which I did. Thankfully, the movie was pretty boring; so, I was able to get some work done. Upon reflecting on my day, I learned the detox process can be fierce. I really thought I might make it through all 21 days without any issues. Obviously, that is not the case. It's really difficult to tell yourself NO all day long, every day. While it's true I am on the hardest level of The 21-Day Sugar Detox , and I've had to make even more modifications because of my autoimmune disease, I still believe I can see this through to the end. It's only 15 days left....right? But, then comes the hard part of deciding which foods to start adding back first. I think I've already decided on dairy, and then fruit. We'll have to see how I feel when the time comes. Oh, and I forgot eggs.....have to add eggs!

In closing, today was hard. I mean REALLY hard. But, I didn't give up! And, I didn't give in! I hope tomorrow brings a better day. I don't typically work on Sunday; but, I will update this blog. If you are interested in doing The 21-Day Sugar Detox , please fire away with your question either in a comment on this post or email me, tmoperillo@gmail.com.