Friday Favorites

Happy Friday to everyone! This week my favorite is a tasty one...macarons! They are just the best. It's a perfect little sweet treat that isn't too filling, but full of flavor.

They used to be a treat just when I traveled. This fall when I was in San Fran, I hit up Miette, an adorable little bakery that specializes in macarons. I have their cookbook but haven't attempted baking them in my kitchen just yet.

Before Christmas I discovered that I can get my favorite treat right here in Memphis from Pistache. Pistache specializes in macarons and chocolates. Their products are sold at Miss Cordelia's, the CY Farmers Market, and on Etsy (with free Memphis delivery). I have yet to have a flavor that I didn't love!

My fingers are crossed that in lieu of flowers for Valentine's Day, I have a big box of macarons with my name on it! Yum yum!

The photos below are from Miette and some pre-Christmas Pistache macarons.

Friday Favorites (and catch up!)

Shame, shame, shame on me! I am going to squeeze two Friday Favorites into one post!

Last Friday, my favorite was a date night with Mac! He got Grizz tickets from work, so we had some great seats to watch the Grizz play against the Kings. We had a delicious burger at Dyer's beforehand and a cookie in a skillet at Kooky Canucks afterwards. (And I just can't figure out why I have gained weight?!)

This Friday, my favorite is catching up with friends. Kara is in town, so we are going to dinner and possibly a movie! I am so excited. I haven't seen her in a few months. 

It has been a BUSY week, so I am ready for the weekend...even if I have to come into work twice on Saturday. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Friday Favorites

This Friday Favorite should be pretty obvious...The Blue Print Cleanse. I am so glad that I finally ordered and completed this cleanse. I feel great! 







 I am quite proud of myself that I was able to only drink juice for three days. I have lost about 3-4 pounds, and just feel lighter. I had my first taste of "real" food this morning, a fuji apple. It was delicious. I enjoyed a salad over lunch and will just slowly start introducing things back into my system.

I have also been doing a little bit of research on different juicers. I don't think I am going to purchase one this weekend, but hopefully in the near future. I think juicing is something that Mac and I can squeeze (pun intended) into our normal routine. 

Here's to a healthier me in 2013!

Day Three

Well, I am officially done with my juice cleanse. I just sipped the last of my Cashew Milk. It was a great experience. I was honestly really nervous/scared to not eat for three days...but it was much easier than I ever anticipated. Lots and lots of liquids, some tasting much better than others, but now it is over. Today I had a hard time getting down both of my green juices. I had about a fourth of each of them left, but I was able to drink all six juices.

Tomorrow I am back to real food...or at least fruits and veggies. I am supposed to ease back into eating meat, dairy, sugar and caffeine. I am looking forward to breakfast. I will weigh myself in the morning to get my total weight loss. I think it is going to be around 3-4 pounds.

I highly suggest doing a juice cleanse. If you feel blah, or just want to kick start a healthier you, this is the way to go!

Day 2: Recap

So far, so good! Day two is over! I still feel the same I did yesterday about the taste of the juices. As crazy as it seems, I am not hungry! In fact, I was too full to drink one of my juices today. As the 3-Day Cleanse book suggests, I got a massage tonight. I drank lots of water after that, so I really didn't want the fifth juice. I went straight for the Cashew Milk. I honestly think I could do this for five days easily. My energy level seems normal, too.

I have weighed myself a few times today and it seems like I have lost 2-3 pounds! I will post in the morning for the start of Day Three. That will tell the most accurate weight loss. I am so glad that I finally decided to order and take on this cleanse! Yay for BPC!

Day Two

I have one addition to my post from last night! I forgot to mention my energy level. I didn't feel like I could run a marathon, but I did take Pepper on a brisk two mile walk. When I got back I cleaned out and organized a closet, so I would say that my energy level was pretty normal.

I slept really well last night! When I woke up this morning I was a little hungry, but after a mug of hot water with lemon, the grumbling had gone away. I also had a great surprise when I stepped on the scale...I have lost 2 lbs! I am pretty sure it is just water weight, but I will take it. 

I am currently working on my first green juice of the day. Not as bad as I remembered, but I am definitely looking forward to my Pineapple Apple Mint juice!

Day One: Recap

As I am typing this, I am sipping on a tasty Cashew Milk. Y'all...call me crazy (and I hope I don't jinx myself), but I am not hungry! I am doing great. Mac sat next to me and ate pork tenderloin and a salad, and I just sipped on my Carrot Apple Beet juice. Here is a breakdown of my day.

Juices
The first juice is a Green juice. Eh. It was ok. It wasn't my favorite, but I was able to get it down. Next comes the Pineapple Apple Mint. Holy moly! This was delicious. I could drink it all day every day. It was refreshing, sweet and so tasty! The third juice was the Green juice again. A bit harder to get down the second time. I didn't drink all of it because I had a meeting at work and when I came back it wasn't cold. Next was a Spicy Lemonade. If you know me, you know that spicy is not my thing. Again, I didn't finish it but was able to drink most of it. Around dinner time I had the Carrot Apple Beet juice. Again, it was tolerable. Better than the Green juice, but not my favorite. And last is the Cashew Milk. It is kinda thick and cinnamony, it is a nice juice to end the day.

 

How Do I Feel?
Honestly, I feel fine! These juices are bigger than I thought, so I am really full. I didn't even finish two of them and I am not sure I can finish this Cashew Milk. You are also drinking water and herbal tea, so you are constantly filling up your body. With that being said...liquid in, liquid out. I have made a million trips to the restroom today, thank goodness I wore a dress and tights! I keep telling myself that my body is getting flushed out. I tried to drink at least one big cup of water in between each juice. 

I did have a bit of a headache this afternoon and my stomach was growling, but I am pretty sure both of those things are mental. I had a pretty intense headache on Monday night, but I think that has something to do with cutting out all caffeine (I started the ban on Saturday). 

Logistics
My juice didn't arrive until 11 a.m. today, so I had to really work to fit in all of them. I am looking forward to Day Two so I don't feel as rushed. The BPC service has been fantastic. They send you emails each day preparing you for the cleanse. When the box arrived the juice was wrapped up in this insulated bubble wrap with about ten little ice packs. I stuck these in my freezer...they will be great to use down the road! You also get a little cooler bag to keep your juices in during the day.







My fingers are crossed that I feel just as good tomorrow. I have a massage scheduled after work tomorrow as a treat and to help remove even more toxins! Ready for Day Two!