A fresh start

The cleanse.

So it may be gross, but this weekend certainly gave me a fresh start.  The lighter, easier to manage period has now come and gone.  I did a peroxide wash for mine and Irish's ears.  I used the neti pot again.

I got some extra sleep.  I worked out.  I ate up all our leftovers.

(Leftover spaghetti squash with tomato basil sauce. Soooo good!)

I cleaned the kitchen.  I removed all science projects from the fridge.

(Yes, sadly we have the fake wood counter top.  It's a rental, don't judge!)

I'm feeling so much better detoxing off meat.  I have been more energetic this weekend.  Happier.  Felt healthier.  I'm definitely hoping this is heading toward my new norm.  I hated feeling so sluggish and worn out all the time.  Cross your fingers for me!

So this afternoon, I took BB on a walk.  Then I did WMM2, some light yoga (nothing like her crazy amazing poses!), and a few butt busting moves.  I may be sore tomorrow, but it just felt so great to get moving again!  That's part of what I like about working out.  When you call it a day, you can do something totally different tomorrow!

Then I got down to biz-nass.  The business of baby making!  Yes, that's right, my mother's dream may come true... no wait, never mind... I don't think this is what she had in mind.  To satisfy your voyeuristic cravings, I took pictures of the action.  (Fair warning, not all the pics are fantastic.  My camera was literally dying in the process.)
First, I prepared.

I laid out all the pretty red measuring utensils.

And then the 4 easy peasy ingredients.

Then I fortified myself with a small salad so I didn't eat all the dough immediately.  Plus, I was feeling the need for some potassium for my muscles.  Hey, it's not a commercial kitchen.  I'm allowed to eat while I cook if I want to!

So it took some effort, and two appliances to get the job done, since I don't own a Vita-Mix (yet, that is!).  My Kitchen-Aid blender complained at a certain point, and was unable to finish.  So then I had to split the "dough" into two runs through the food processor.  If only I had my own Vita-Mix from Katie's giveaway, I could have whipped this out in no time! 

Nevertheless, I'm a trooper, so I prevailed.

I shaped my babies using a tablespoon.  Despite what you may think, I am not OCD.  So my utensils match my George Foreman.  And I laid out the ingredients with the appropriate measuring cups in front of them.  And I tried to keep my balls uniform using the tablespoon then carefully rolling the balls in my hand (TWSS!).

My beautiful babies.

Genuine original fudge babies.

They're beaming with hope that their future generations will be made with a Vita-Mix.

But it didn't end there.  I made FIVE green monster breakfasts in preparation for the upcoming busy work week.  This week's smoothies included lots of spinach, broccoli, almond milk (that's right, and I LOVE it! I'm a convert), protein powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, carrots, a little cocoa powder (hey, why stop now!), a few clementines, a pear, an apple, frozen blueberries, cherries, mixed berries... Phew, it was quite the concoction!  I had to blend it down a couple times to fit it all in one huge batch.

(See, this could have been much easier to make with a... yep, Vita-Mix!  I know, broken record.)

And still, it didn't stop there.  I also pulled together a huge batch of vegan lunches so I can get at least 3-4 days worth.  (I'll have a few lunches out this week, so I planned accordingly with my proportions.)

(This was the point when the camera really started to die.  It couldn't even manage to focus, so I'm sorry.  You aren't going blind, it's the picture.  This was the best of several.)

So this is my great base for vegan lunches.  I was so excited that I made it into an exclamation point!  Cutesy.  Anyway, from here I can eat a salad, fruit, almonds, babies, or whatever else with it to finish out the meal.  The base is brown rice, black-eyed peas, green beans, squash, zucchini, peas, a little onion, and a hefty dousing of just 3 spices (amazing for me!)-- garlic pepper, zesty salt-free all purpose, and dark chili powder.  It required restraint not to eat half the rice right then and there because it was the perfect combo.  Can't wait for lunchtime tomorrow.

I then cleaned up the kitchen again and devoured a few more of my babies.  I feel quite satisfied with myself.  Job well done!  Now I'll nurse my dishwater hands and cuddle with my hubby.  G'night!