Cleaned Out: Pressed Juicery Cleanse

So I finally did a juice cleanse. Pressed Juicery had an offer for all-day cleanse for $39 and I decided why not try it out. I did cleanse 2, which was a combination of green juices and root juices. The juices come numbered in order of consumption and there is an all-day (AD) water drink as well as a before bed (BD) water drink. Here's how my day went:

9 AM - Drink 1: Greens 2 (kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon)

Loved the taste and it was a very refreshing way to start the morning! I did miss my usual cup of tea but I had a good night's sleep the night before, so I was fine to keep going. 

11:30 AM - Drink 2: Citrus 2 (cucumber, lemon, pineapple, coconut h2o, aloe vera)
This one was definitely sweet and I could taste the pineapple the most. I definitely sipped this one slowly since the sweetness was a little overwhelming. I really liked the taste and I can almost have this for dessert. I didn't feel hungry at all during after my two drinks.

1:00 PM - Drink 3: Greens 3 (kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, ginger)
This drink served as my lunch and it is one of my favorite drinks that they offer. I had this before the cleanse too and I love the blend of ginger and lemon. The taste was amazing, but I will say that my body started craving solid food by this time. I slowly sipped the juice and avoided all pictures of food because even the name of my favorite restaurant had my mouth watering. It wasn't that I was hungry; it was just that I had a really strong craving for something I could bite into. I did cheat slightly by having a piece of gum to keep my mind focused.

3:00 PM - Drink 4: Roots 3 (apple, lemon, beet, ginger)
This was the point when I wanted to call it quits with the cleanse! This was my least favorite drink since I am not a fan of beets. It was also too much ginger for my taste. I have friends who really enjoy this drink, but it just was not for me. The ginger and the beets together made me a little nauseous. I sipped this for an hour and decided I am not going to finish it. I left a quarter still in the bottle and chugged some water and the chlorophyll water to get the taste out of my mouth. Overall, I was feeling tired and slightly nauseous at this point in the day.

5:30 PM - Drink 5: Citrus 4 (cucumber, lemon, pineapple, coconut h2o, aloe vera)
I was tired by the time this drink rolled around. I was a little hungry, so I was happy to sip this down. It's definitely more tart than the first citrus drink but it was crisp and I loved the smell of it. I felt a little better after finishing this one. I did still feel tired and little feverish though. I was also incredibly cold, so I had a cup of warm water with lemon. Drinking cold juice in the winter meant I was huddled under my blankets a lot during this day.

7:30 PM - Drink 6: Vanilla Almond (filtered water, almond, dates, vanilla bean, sea salt)
I was starving by the time I had this! It didn't help that the rest of my family was sitting down for a nice dinner. I just shut myself in my room and had my sixth drink. This was absolutely delicious! I love the smell and the taste and it is hands-down my favorite drink. It helped to have something substantial at the end since I was really hungry at this point. After the drink, I wasn't hungry but I was exactly full either. It was enough to keep me satisfied and that's about it.

Throughout the day, they recommend you sip with chlorophyll water, which is a combination of water and chlorophyll. It had zero calories but it's meant to keep you hydrated. I drank this and I also was drinking warm water through out the afternoon. Needless to say, I was glad I was working from home since running to the bathroom every hour was the exercise routine with this cleanse.

9:00 PM - Aloe Vera H20
This was a before bedtime drink and by the time 9 PM rolled around, I was ready for bed. Cleansing is exhausting. I drank this and read in bed for an hour or so before drifting off to sleep.

I woke up this morning with 9 hours of sleep under my belt and definitely felt great! Overall impression of the cleanse - effective in getting rid of the bloat and getting a good night's sleep. I think next time, I will stick with the cleanse routine until 3 PM, but after that switch to solid foods. I would trade in drinks 5 and 6 for a healthy protein filled snack and a clean dinner. I did love the Pressed Juices though! They were delicious and I can definitely see myself getting some for breakfast or lunch in the future.

Comfort Food: Creamy Polenta with Eggplant Marinara

 I have been a polenta fan for a while now but this is the first time I actually tried cooking it. I always thought it was a little finicky since you have to get the right consistency to get the texture right. However, it was surprisingly easy to make! Since I was craving comfort food tonight, I made creamy polenta as the base and topped it off with some veggies cooked in marinara sauce. Recipe was inspired by this version.


Recipe for 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup dry polenta
3 cups water
1 Tbsp butter
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 cup low-fat Mozzarella cheese (can use parmesan for a richer taste)
1/2 large eggplant cubed
1.5 cups of marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation:
1) In a large saucepan, pour the water and salt and bring to a boil
2) Add in the cornmeal while stirring to make sure no lumps are formed.
3) Add in the crushed garlic and let the polenta simmer on low heat for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn't get lumpy.
4) Add in the butter and cheese and mix together until both are completely dissolved in the cooked polenta. Set aside polenta mixture to cool.
5) In a separate sauce pan, sauté the eggplants in olive oil until they are tender
6) Add the marinara sauce, pepper flakes, and a half-cup of water to the eggplants and let simmer for five minutes.
7) Spoon the polenta into a bowl and top it off the eggplant-marinara mixture and a little bit of cheese