This is by far the BEST meal we have had on this entire journey. You can find the recipe here. I made a few adjustments, but you get the general idea. :)

We made it! Everybody sing the hallelujah song. It is such a relief to be able to eat some fruit tomorrow! I’ve definitely learned a lot about my body over the past 3 weeks, and am excited to share some of that with you. Here’s a review from our last week!

Day 15: We have a very busy weekend with helping some friends move last night, and going to a sip and see for a sweet family’s brand new baby today! Loved seeing some friends we haven’t connected with in a while, and I always love the sight of a tiny baby! It’s hard to stay in the mindset of eating clean when I know tomorrow we get to go to the rodeo!!

Day 16: Cheat day! We ate so much, and don’t even feel bad about it. I think having this cheat day makes it possible to stick to the clean eating throughout the week. Remembering that going forward! Check out our day of indulging here.

Day 17: Back to the grind. Mondays aren’t my best friend, especially after 2 very full weekends in a row. It’s kind of crazy how much I really need a good day of quiet to recharge. I realized over the weekend that even though I spend my Friday off cleaning and cooking, I usually spend it in complete silence and solitude, and that does my soul some good. Already looking forward to the weekend since I haven’t had a regular Friday in a few weeks!

Day 18: Did a good 45 mins of spin and feel soooo good. Crazy how a workout will wake you up! Also covered some upper body and abs after I taught bootcamp, which wrapped up the day well. Feeling back to normal after our cheating weekend.

Day 19: Longest. Week. Ever. Someone give me an apple. But for real, I’m dying here.

Day 20: Woke up with more energy than I’ve had all week! Ready to kick the remainder of this week in the face. Subbing a spin/circuit class tonight, and one reason I love teaching is because I push myself so much harder (some studies show that you exert 30% more energy while talking during a workout).

Day 21: Made it to the last day! Crazy to think about everything that has happened in such a short time (sometimes if felt really long), but feel so accomplished! Took my weekly picture, and it is just crazy! Even with our cheat day last Sunday, I have some crazy oblique action going on that I for real have never seen before. Wuuuuuttt?! Finishing today off the right way, and getting ready to eat a banana tomorrow morning! I bought unripened bananas and an almost ripe pineapple yesterday so that they would be ready to go tomorrow. Am I kind of ridiculous? I don’t even care.

Positives: Discipline, and finishing strong. Holy cow, how difficult things get when you’re almost to the finish line! Remembering the why behind the what is what keeps me going.
Negatives: Kinda just bored. I knew that was to be expected, but I am ready to add some variety back into our meals!

Things I’ve learned 
Over the past 3 weeks I have learned so much about myself, food, and believe it or not, the Lord! Here are a few takeaways:

– I quickly found out who my real friends were. Countless times I have been walking around with broccoli or spinach in my teeth like an idiot, and for those of you who never told me, shame. To those of you who saved me hours of quirky and awkward conversation, I appreciate you. You are pretty great.

– I’ve discovered a lot about my body, and I’m pretty sure I thrive on the sugar from fruit. Of all the things I’ve been craving during this time, fruit has been the only one really hard to resist. I think I gain lots of energy from those sugars, and am excited to experiment with that. Every body is different, and (for example) some people thrive on the fats from nuts, while others only gain weight by eating them. Never would have even given that a thought had I not taken it away.

– Though at times I felt like I was going to die (ok, I exaggerate), I realized that half the things I normally consume daily I don’t even need. I broke my diet down to really only complete proteins, gluten free carbs, and veggies, and I’ve had more than enough energy to think clearly at work and hit it hard in the gym. No more excuses for this chick!

– My water consumption has nearly doubled, and though I’m still very annoyed that I have to go to the bathroom every 45 mins, it’s incredible the difference water consumption has made. If you’re feeling tired, down a cup of water. Consume a ton of water throughout the day, and your workout performance will be a million times stronger. Ps. Going to the bathroom so much has helped me peel myself from my computer and take a break from work. Even just a couple mins here and there, it has done my mind some good.

– Like I mentioned before, it was good for me to have a cheat day to take a break from such a strict schedule and eating plan. The hubs and I want to make this clean eating a lifestyle change, and allowing a cheat meal once a week will help immensely in keeping us on track. You already know I’m so very goal oriented, and giving myself boundaries and finish lines helps me stay disciplined. I was totally out of control in just eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and sticking to only eating at strategic times throughout the day, and controlling what I eat at those times really helps me to be mindful of what I’m putting in. Kinda crazy!

– We have gotten pretty creative with our meals, and have learned flavors we like and dislike. I’m not a natural cook, mostly because I am a rule follower and look at a recipe like 1200 times while I cook to make sure I get everything right. This plan has helped me recognize flavors in spices and learn how much of what we like best. That would have been a foreign thought to me before I got married (what is happening to me?).

– Since I have to wake up and eat breakfast pretty early in the morning, it has not only helped me keep my eating schedule straight, but also my time with God. I have been reading while I eat breakfast and sip on my coffee, and my time with the Lord has been so much richer! I have learned much in my extra time with Him, and being disciplined in both time and food has taught me so much about His heart, and my own heart, and how to make mine match His a little better.

Overall, this clean eating adventure has done some good for us! I encourage you to explore foods and how different things affect you, positively or negatively! You don’t have to be as strict as we were… obviously. But try it out! You’ll be shocked at how much you eat without even thinking about it. Again, if you are interested in starting or curious to know what we ate, just let me know and I will send you the google doc with our meal plans and recipes!

One more side note: I tracked all my eating on the MyFitnessPal app, and it was really helpful. You enter your height, weight, and goal (gain/lose/maintain), and it gives you the amount of calories you should consume in a day. You can also enter your water intake (which helped me keep count of cups throughout the day), and exercise, too! The first day took me forever since I cooked everything myself. I broke down how much we ate by serving, and entered the food items myself. But the app remembers everything you enter, so do it once and you can enter repeat meals from there going forward.

Ryan’s taking me on a date tomorrow! Really, a date day, as he’s told me to keep the whole day open. If you remember, one of my Christmas presents was a Jar O’Dates, with 12 popsicle sticks with clues for dates – one for each month. We obviously spend time together more than once a month, but these are intentional dates that Ryan plans out and keeps it a surprise for me. I’m very excited! And in case you were wondering, I will be eating some fruit and chocolate. I don’t even care if that’s part of the date or not. It will happen (that’s what’s up!).

Hope you have a very stress-free and relaxing weekend! Enjoy some of that sunshine! Eat a cup of fruit for me. ;)