Tofu Smoothie

Posted by Hirono

Today was the 12th day of the 15-day cleanse … and it’s still going strong! I haven’t posted much in the last week because I got tired of taking pictures of the same broccoli salad day in and day outalthough I don’t mind eating it at all. I actually still crave the salad on a daily basis, and my body gets really happy when it’s time to eat.

I started this plant-based “diet” for detoxification purpose, but I like the way I feel after eating fresh vegetables and fruits so much that I’ve decided to take it longer than 15 days. I think I’m going adopt this as my regular lifestyle! I’m not ready to give up fish and dairy altogether just yet, and I’m sure I’ll have an occasional beef and pork, but it probably won’t be in my regular repertoire going forward. If eating mostly plant-based food for a little over a week has this much positive affect on my body, I wonder what it can do if I continue … and I’m excited to find out.

I really like what Michael Pollen said about eating: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plant.

I had a banana that was about to go bad, so I made a smoothie with it. Instead of milk or even soy milk, I added tofu … and it was amazing (I used about ½ of the pack for one serving)! I picked up this super soft tofu at a local Korean market. I’m sure the regular soft tofu in a container works too, but pick these super soft ones if you have a chance. When mixed with fruits (I used both fresh and frozen strawberries, kiwi, and banana), tofu gives out the texture very much like ice cream or frozen yogurt. It’s seriously super delicious.

I love you, The Magic Bullet blender.

The Huntington Library

Posted by Hirono

Day 7 of a 15-day cleanse (well, sort of)

Afternoon tea (12:00 p.m.): Tiffany, Gabriel, and I went to the Huntington Library for an afternoon tea. I had given myself a permission to eat some non-vegan food today, as long as it was in moderation. I ate a few of the mini scornes (butter), smoked salmon on finger sandwiches, and cream cheese in one of the sandwiches that were animal-based, but that was okay. The black rose tea that Tiffany and I had was wonderful but the food was mediocre … definitely not worth the price ($20 admission fee, plus almost $40 on tea).

The service was pretty awful. Our server never came to check on us, and gave us an attitude when we asked for a few more scones. The Library is beautiful and I had a wonderful time walking through the lovely garden, but I probably won’t come back here anytime soon.

Orchids … very Adaptation-esque.

Dinner (7:00 p.m.): Tiffany and I went to Pita Jungle after the Huntington Library and had a light dinner. I had a fruit smoothie (guava, orange, and banana), and we shared small plate of hummus, garlic sauce, pita, cucumbers, dolmas. YAY to Happy Hour week in Pasadena.

For dinner, I had the big bowl of a delicious grilled vegetable salad.

We sprung forward an hour today … I’m already missing it.

So Far So Good

Posted by Hirono

Day 6 of a 15-day cleanse

Lunch (1:00 p.m.): After my monthly knitting class, I stopped by Trader Joe’s and stocked up on veggies. Kevin came over and we had lunch together. He ate the broccoli salad with me and he liked it! The Mediterranean hummus from Trader Joe’s is the bomb.

Dinner (7:00 p.m.): I ate the rest of the broccoli salad, with a tall glass of juice (celery, carrots, romaine lettuce, yellow paprika, ginger roots, pear, and apples), while Kevin ate Chinese takeout. I enjoyed the smell of the egg rolls but didn’t crave them!

So far so good!

Lemons

Posted by Hirono

Day 5 of a 15-day cleanse

Breakfast (7:30 a.m.): I started work at 5:00 a.m. to finish up a project that I needed to submit first thing in the morning. I’m not much of a morning person but I feel super productive when every time I get an early start.

I made a juice (kale, celery, carrots, romaine lettuce, apples, ginger root, and lemon) and realized how much a lemon makes a difference in it. This was my first time adding this citrus fruit in a juice and I loved it. It cuts the slight residual bitterness of kale completely and it makes the entire concoction unbelievably refreshing!

Lunch (11:00 a.m.): My body was craving the broccoli salad so much that I had to eat lunch earlier than usual. To make sure that I have sufficient protein intake, I added tofu to the salad. I crumbed it in and it looked and tasted just like cottage cheese. I had some strawberries for dessert.

Snack #1 (2:00 p.m.): Juice time! I think this is very similar to Mean Green, but with carrots. I was able to cut down the apple to just one this time! I can’t get over how much I’m loving the lemon in the drink!

Snack #2 (4:00 p.m.): Carrot sticks (3 medium ones) with hummus, plus a grapefruit.

Dinner (7:00 p.m.): Spinach and arugula salad with red onion, avocado, and mango chunks, dressed in ginger dressing.

Reflections:

My hands and feet are no longer freezing; but then again, it’s also warmer outside today so that can be why.
My hair feels softer!
I’ve been sleeping better at night. I don’t wake up as often and I feel refreshed when I wake up.
My skin feels drier the last few days … my arms are a little itchy.
My digestive system is working better than ever!
I’m in a better mood lately … and I find myself talking and saying hello to vegetables.
I’ve lost 3 pounds so far and my face feels softer, around the neck area.

I Should Change My Blog Name to “Ode to Broccoli”

Posted by Hirono

Day 4 of a 15-day cleanse

Breakfast (10:00 a.m.): I had a tall glass of water with lemon and cayenne pepper as soon as I woke up. There is no sweetener in this drink but it tastes pretty good. I love the cayenne pepper in it. I drank three glasses of this concoction total and I felt great throughout the day. I think it even helped curve my appetite because this was the first time since I started the detox that I wasn’t always hungry.

Today juice: kale, celery, carrots, cucumber, yellow paprika, apples, and ginger root. I really like this drink. My goal is to reduce apples to just one. I’ll be trying Joe and Phil from Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead’s Mean Green soon, now that my fear of cucumber juice is gone.

Lunch (1:00 p.m.): The lovely broccoli salad (same as yesterday), with broccoli, red onion, red cabbage, kiwi, avocado, and carrots, with rice vinegar, oil (2 tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon truffle oil, for indulgence), and salt and pepper.

Dinner (8:30 p.m.): I took a nap from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I must have been either tired or severely sleep deprived (I went to sleep around 2:00 a.m. last night after finishing a work project … eek) or both, because I was out cold for two hours!

I made another broccoli salad for dinner. I crave this salad and nothing else. This time, I added some fresh mango chunks (1/4 of a large mango) instead of kiwi.

Snack (9:45 p.m.): A bowl of strawberries and blueberries.

Great news! I am about three pounds lighter since I began the cleanse three days ago. I’m not too concerned about the number on the scale and care more about how my clothes fit, but I couldn’t resist jumping on the scale.

I haven’t seen any other major changes to my body yet but I think my skin feels a little clearer. Not by much, but a little. My hands and feet are still colder than usual, but it’s not anything that can’t be cured by my favorite pair of Life is Good fluffy socks.

I Heart Broccoli

Posted by Hirono

Day 3 of a 15-day cleanse

Breakfast (10:00 a.m.): I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to no strange cravings, especially since I went to bed last night pretty hungry. I had a glass of juice for breakfast, with kale, cucumber, celery, carrots, pear, apple, and ginger root. I love the sweet drink to kick-start the day!

Snack (11:30 a.m.): A bowl of fresh strawberries and blueberries. I’m totally addicted to these berries.

Lunch (1:30 p.m.): I wanted to try something other than the usual leafy salad today, so I made a broccoli salad with some of my favorite veggies. I love broccoli but I don’t like it in a juice so this is a perfect way to take in all the nutrients of this super vegetable. Below is the recipe. It was really delicious — I hope you give it a try!

Broccoli Salad
(Serves 2 — but I ate the entire bowl myself)

1 head of broccoli, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ avocado, chopped
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
¼ cup cherry tomatoes
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
3-5 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix.

I see a hidden happy face in the salad bowl — can anyone else see it?Yep, on the yellow cherry tomato! Veggies are smiling.

Snack (4:00 p.m.): Sliced yellow paprika, carrots, strawberries, and hummus. I think I like paprika in a juice form better.And a cup of rooibos tea.

That’s what’s so fascinating about vegetables and fruits — some completely change their flavors based on how they’re served.

Dinner (7:15 a.m.): A huge bowl of salad with romaine lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, red onion, tofu, avocado, and cherry tomatoes, and dressed in Japanese ginger dressing (ginger, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, and rice vinegar). I enjoyed the dinner with a few more warm cups of rooibos tea.

My hands and feet have been freezing the last two days … but I can’t figure out if it’s from the all-vegetable detox diet that I’m on, or it’s just cold outside. Maybe it’s both. Other than that, I’m feeling good!

Eating More than Ever!

Posted by Hirono

Day 2 of a 15-day cleanse

Breakfast (9:30 a.m.): Juice with kale, celery, carrots, cucumber, romaine lettuce, apple, and ginger root. I’m surprised at how much I’m liking the cukes in a juice, since I usually don’t eat them unless they’re pickled or in sunonumo.

Snack (10:30 a.m.): I was still very hungry so I had a few fresh strawberries. They were incredibly sweet! I’m so excited that the strawberry season is right around the corner, in May.

Tea (11:30 a.m.): Enjoyed a cup of Le Palais des Thes herbal green tea. I brought this back from Paris more than a year ago, but it’s still surprisingly fragrant.

Lunch (1:00 p.m.): Arugula and spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and sliced red onion. I’m using the picture from yesterday again since I forgot to take one today. The only difference is that I added four olives to today serving.

Snack Part 1 (1:00 p.m.): Perhaps the best kiwi I’ve ever tasted.

Snack Part 2 (2:00 p.m.): I was still incredibly hungry (even after the huge bowl of salad) and I was particularly craving sweets, so I made myself a fruit-based juice. I know this is pretty sugary, with two apples and a pear, but I really needed it!

Snack Part 3 (3:30 p.m.): Celery and carrot sticks with the leftover hummus from yesterday. I was still hungry. I read that the first and second days of the detox / cleanse can be the toughest. I didn’t feel that it was all that tough, but I sure was hungry all day.

Dinner (7:45 p.m.): Another gigantic bowl of salad with arugula, spinach, cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, and yes, avocado chunks!

I think I’m eating more than before since I went on this 15-day cleanse yesterday! I love it!

Let the Cleansing Begin …

Posted by Hirono

Day 1

Breakfast (9:30 a.m.): Juice with kale, celery, carrots, pear, orange, and ginger root. I made a mistake of putting in too much ginger, so the juice came out too spicy. I ended up adding a juice of another orange to it just so that I can drink it.

Lunch (1:00 p.m.): Salad with arugula, spinach, red onion, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and red cabbage, with 1 tablespoon of homemade dressing (garlic, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper).

Snack (3:00 p.m.): Celery sticks with jalapeno hummus.

Dinner (7:00 p.m.): Another salad with arugula, spinach, tomatoes, and strawberries, with the homemade dressing.

Today was Day 1 of my 15-day cleanse, inspired by Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I’m not following the program to a T, but I’ve committed myself to eating only clean, vegan food for the next two weeks (in both solid and juice forms). The cleanse is also part inspired by Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet so you can say that this is a love-child of two of my favorite detox / cleanse champions.

Although dropping a few pounds would be nice, I’m doing this because I really want to clean my body and mind from the inside out. And I can eat as much vegetables as possible (and lots of fruits) in the next 15 days so I’m very excited about it.