4 Day Detox..... and other stuff!

Yes, you read that right, 4 day detox, but I'll tell you about that in a minute. First I should catch up with what's been going on the rest of last week, that kept me so busy I couldn't post after Wednesday.

First I hosted our book club Christmas Social at my house on Friday night. Thursday kept me busy getting ready for that. Instead of everyone bringing over a dish this year I offered to buy everything in and the girls would just contribute $5 each towards the food. I kept things as simple as I could so I didn't have a lot to do in the kitchen when they arrived, things like sandwich platters, cheese tray, fruit and dip, deviled eggs, stuffed tomatoes (all these things could be done ahead of time and just brought out as my guests arrived). I also had 'Lil Smokies' sausages in the crockpot in a bbq and cranberry jelly sauce. The last thing I had to do was pop 'bacon wrapped shrimp' in the oven. I planned for these to come out about 10 minutes after everyone arrived.

On arrival the girls were offered a 'Snowtini' (which I found on FoodNetwork, made by Sandra Lee), it's equal parts vanilla vodka, Bailey's Irish Cream and Godiva chocolate liquer! Shake in a cocktail shaker then pour in to martini glasses and sprinkle shaved chocolate on top. These were a big hit :-) I didn't get any pictures of the 'snowtinis' but I did get a great group picture, which believe it or not I think is the first one we've ever taken! The ladies left around 10pm with 'favors' of homemade biscotti and chocolate spoons :-)

So that was Friday night. Then on Saturday I thought I would just have a relaxing day knitting (I'm trying to finish off a Christmas gift for my neighbors), but Jason was out in the yard and after the frost we had that morning he was pulling up vegetables that were still in the garden! By vegetables I mean carrots! We still had a ton of them in the ground. Well he came inside and said we should get these things peeled and frozen or do something with them "like a carrot cake" he said. YES! why didn't I think of that, so off I went to get a recipe online. Meanwhile Jason thought it a great idea to surprise me with an early Christmas present.... I realized why after he gave it to me....

I've been wanting one of these for years. Kristen helped peel the carrots, I put a pan of them on to blanch and some others we shredded for the cake. Oh my gosh I loved using this thing to cream the butter and sugar, and well do everything really. The only thing I had to do was fold in the grated carrot! It is amazing. I love it. Forgot to take pics of the cake which was in a 13x9 pan so they were carrot cake squares with cream cheese frosting. Jason has taken the rest in to the office today, he thought they were delicious. I don't want to eat any more.... which brings me to the title of this blog (if you're still reading!).

A few months ago I bought the book 'The Flat Belly Diet'. After reading it through some I realized this diet wasn't really for me, it's based on 1600 calories a day for one thing, which is way too much for me to eat if I want to lose the extra 12 pounds that I've gained since the beginning of Summer! The other night though I picked it up again because I remember seeing a 4 day plan in it that will help 'jump start' your diet. I know December is a strange time to start a diet, but this 4 day detox actually helps eliminate bloat and has only 1200 calories a day. I have to be honest, it was the mention of 'bloat' that got me. Since I've gained those extra pounds I feel like I am constantly feeling bloated, not just after every meal, but even when I don't have a meal and just snack! I know I'm not eating healthy right now, so for the next 4 days I just want to try to see if I can. I'm blogging about it here in the hopes you will all hold me accountable, and it will motivate me to stick it out. I mean, it's only 4 days, surely I can do that? After the 4 days hopefully I will feel better and less inclined to 'binge' over the Christmas holidays. Anyone want to try it with me?

Here's what I can eat today....
You start off the night before by making 2 liters of 'Sassy Water' (that's what they call it.) It's simply 2 liters of water, slice up one cucumber and one lemon and put in the water, some fresh ginger root, and about 10 mint leaves. Leave over night then you'll drink this throughout the next day at every meal.

Breakfast:
1 cup unsweetened cornflakes
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
Glass of Sassy Water

Lunch:
4oz organic deli turkey, rolled up (unfortunately I couldn't get organic!)
1 low-fat string cheese
1 pint fresh grape tomatoes
Glass of Sassy Water

Snack:
Blueberry Smoothie - blend 1 cup skim milk with 1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries, add 1Tblsp of cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil, or serve with 1 Tblsp of sunflower or pumpkin seeds (I bought the flax oil so I'll be trying that).

Dinner:
1 cup cooked green beans
4 oz grilled Tilapia
1/2 cup roasted red potatoes drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil
Glass of Sassy Water

And that's it! I'll let you know how I got on tomorrow. My concern is what do I do after dinner, I'm so used to snacking and having a glass of wine! Wish me luck, I'm determined to do this for just the 4 days. After that I'll enjoy December and get back to healthy living in January (don't you just love January for fresh starts) ;-)