Sunset Fresh Food Challenge: Day 1

It’s day one of the Sunset Fresh Food Challenge! Follow along with Amy here:

Breakfast: Green tea; Rice cake with peanut butter and banana slices; yogurt, almond, date smoothie

Lunch: Egg salad dressed in vinaigrette and served in lettuce instead of bread; sliced pineapple and a pixie tangerine

Dinner: Quinoa with kale, garlic, black beans and a side of roasted delicata squash (pictured) with cayenne, oil, and pomegranate seeds

Snacks: 3 hot teas; 1 club soda with tangerine juice

Exercise: None

I woke up and groggily went about making my coffee this morning. I was one sip in when I remembered today is the first day of my cleanse and coffee is a no-no. I sat and stared at my perfectly brewed cup of joe—it had just the right amount of cream—and thought about how delicious it tasted. I had to remind myself why I’m doing this cleanse again. It was almost painful how much I wanted that coffee, but I held strong and didn’t drink it. However, I didn’t have the heart to pour it down the drain so I just set it down and walked away.

At that point, I realized I don’t have the strength to go completely without caffeine. It’s just too big a hurdle on the very first day. I’ve promised to cut out the other stuff, but denying myself caffeine is too much effort for today. So I negotiated with my conscience and allowed one (and only one!) cup of green tea. Hours later, when the coffee was ice cold and had developed a nasty dairy skin on the surface, I finally tossed it.

The first day is always the hardest. It’s the day I automatically turn to my usual food comforts and have to slap myself on the dietary hand. By the end of the day, however, I’ve found my resolve again and stuck to the plan. Only six more days to go.

TOMORROW: Day two of the cleanse, plus a look at gluten-free options.

Just tuning in?

Learn about the challenge here and get the menu plan and grocery list here.