cfc home stretch

I have a few resounding thoughts starting day 7 of the clean food challenge.

First, I am incredibly lucky to be able to afford these amazing, nutrition packed foods.

I mean, for crying out loud, I ate an entire papaya by myself the other day.  It peachy flesh was so gorgeous and sweet I couldn't believe the level of privlege I have.  Especially since Ella asked to see pictures of starving people the night before last and the images have been resounding in my head.



My second thought (you could all see this coming right?) was: this ends tomorrow already?  maybe I will do this for another couple of days....

It turns out starting a cleanse isn't so hard for me.  It's ending it that makes me shake in my shoes.

I know, I know.  The solution is eat well with just occasional treats.  No need to be all or nothing. 

The problem is I AM all or nothing.  I don't mean to be.  I apologize profusely for it.  But it is just how I am wired. Yes, there are things I can do to work with it and I put in a lot of effort in that direction, but at this stage of the game I get nervous that on the morning of day 8 I will drink a pot of coffee, eat an entire cake and maybe even have a cigarette all before 9 a.m.

Mindfulness, that is what I am cultivating.  Not the right to sit at Starbucks and order everything off the menu until my hands shake so badly I can't write my own name.

But, back to the amazing food at hand.  Sandi has been juicing daily which is great for me because I'm not sure I'd put in the effort required to clean the juicer. 

Carrots, apples, cucumber and orange juice:

Last night for dinner I marinated tempeh in tamari, molasses and rice vinegar and then sauteed it in olive oil.  (There is a chance molasses and tamari aren't super clean and I don't really care.  It's not a box of Oreos we're talking about) .   I also roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, red onion and peppers and tossed the veggies with this amazing pesto idea I got from Emilie (toasted walnuts, cilantro, parsley, lemon zest, fresh garlic and olive oil pureed in a food processor.)

So yes, I begin to sweat it at the end of the cfc and I'm there now. I will probably do it through Sunday (8 days) and in the meantime work hard on a transition plan so I don't fall off the wagon AND have it run over me, horses and all.