3 Day Refresh...Easiest Cleanse EVER!!!

Here I am on day three! I made it! I survived! And the results are amazing! Drumroll please..............

3 POUNDS IN 3 DAYS!!!!!

Yes, I'm talking about the 3 Day Refresh. And let me tell you, it was the easiest "cleanse" I've ever done. I say "cleanse" because it really isn't a cleanse. It's a refresh, just like the program is called. I feel absolutely amazing after these past three days of clean eating and healthy, good for you nutrition.


So let me break it down for you. It's three days of eating whole,  healthy foods, plus three shakes a day and one fiber boost drink. The only issue I had was not drinking my morning coffee. It's amazing how not having just one cup of coffee can affect you! That being said, it was a good wake up call to make sure I am not getting too much caffeine because it does alter your body more than you really realize. Okay so here's the menu:

Breakfast: Shakeology with fruit. I had vegan chocolate Shakeology, which is amazing! I also had watermelon every morning because that's what's currently in season, and I had just bought a huge watermelon that week. And I am not one to waste good food!
Morning tea break: Green tea with stevia
Mid-morning snack: Fiber boost drink. It's lemony goodness in a glass. Yum!
Lunch: Veggies with hummus. Can I just say how much I love hummus?!?!? Vanilla Fresh - a creamy vanilla shake that I could seriously drink for all three meals. Fruit - strawberries and blueberries.
Afternoon snack: Spinach salad - baby spinach, grape tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Mrs. Dash's tomato basil and garlic seasoning.
Afternoon tea: Green tea (decaf) with stevia
Dinner: Vanilla Fresh - sometimes I added pure vanilla extract and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Yum!

I also had three different meals for dinner each night. The first night, I had veggie stir fry. It was flavored with fresh garlic and ginger...seriously delicious!

The second night I had a cucumber salad. We have an abundance of cucumbers coming from our garden right now, so this was as fresh as you can get. I went out and picked my cucumber that day! It also had red onion, grape tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil and fresh cilantro in it. All straight from the garden as well!

The third night I had a coconut steamed vegetable medley consisting of broccoli and carrots and coconut oil. I even added a little bit of pumpkin pie spice to play off the coconut oil. It was a good choice because then it was a slight reminder of the flavor you get with glazed carrots, but nothing unhealthy about these carrots at all!

Evening tea: I didn't have this every night, but last night I did. I drank an organic detox tea blend with dandelion root and licorice root. Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty. I'm not a huge fan of licorice root, but I actually liked this one.

The biggest part of my day really was committed to drinking PLENTY of water. And when I say plenty of water, I mean about 100 ounces of water per day. The recommendation from the program is to at least drink half of your body weight in water, but they suggest you even aim for an entire gallon. While I never reached the gallon mark, I did come pretty close each day. I've always been a good water drinker, but after completing the Refresh, I've come to realize the difference between hunger and thirst. My biggest problem is that I'm a huge snacker or grazer when it comes to food. But while doing this program, I had to make myself drink more water. At times I'd think I was hungry, but then I would drink a glass of water and feel completely satisfied until the next scheduled meal or snack. This was probably my biggest wake up call after completing the program. And I am so thankful for this realization.

So, why am I writing this all? Because I think this is probably the best program to meet a wide array of needs. If you're looking to jump start your weight loss, then this is the program for you! If you're looking to lose those last few pounds and keep them off, then this is the program for you! Or if you just want to get out of a slump or learn how to eat healthy foods and love them, then this is the program for you! Or if you're like me and just needed a wake up call to learn the difference between being hungry or just being thirsty, then this is the program for you! I promise you this.... I would not recommend the 3 Day Refresh if I didn't believe in it! The best part besides my little wake up call, is the weight stays off! There's no gaining it back because these past three days I've fueled my body, not starve it. As long as you keep eating healthfully, you'll continue to feel amazing! I love this!

Bun-less Portobello Mushroom Chicken Burger

Another great recipe created tonight! I was running a bunch of errands today, and got home and was STARVING! I'm so excited that I was able to come up with this gem of a recipe that doesn't take a lot of time. Here's what you need:

For the burgers:
1 lb ground chicken breast
4 portobello mushroom caps
Portobello mushroom stems, finely diced (I only used two of the stems)
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
(Or add more of the above spices, to your desired taste)
Olive oil cooking spray

For the burger toppings:
1/2 red and 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
4 - 1/2 ounce slices Cabot reduced fat pepperjack cheese

For the avocado mayonnaise:
1/2 avocado
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
Juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Make sure to oil your grill well so the meat doesn't stick to it!

In a large bowl add your meat, finely diced mushroom stems, onion, garlic, and spices. Mix all ingredients together using your hands. Score the meat into four equal sections, then form each one into a patty. Spray both sides of your burgers lightly with olive oil cooking spray. I do this because ground chicken breast is such a lean meat, that it's more likely to stick to the grill.

Spray both sides of your mushroom caps with olive oil cooking spray and put burgers and mushrooms on the grill. Mine took about 6-7 minutes per side for both the mushrooms and burgers to be fully cooked. Top your burgers with cheese after flipping them over with about 2-3 minutes left on their grilling time on the second side.

While your burgers are cooking, grill the peppers or use a medium pan coated with olive oil cooking spray to cook up your bell peppers over medium heat. They should only take about 5 minutes to cook. Also, make your avocado mayonnaise.  In a small bowl, use the back of a fork to mash up your avocado. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, and garlic powder. Mix well.

To plate it all up: place a mushroom cap on each plate, top with a burger, evenly distribute the avocado mayonnaise and grilled bell peppers on each burger. Enjoy!!!