The Re-Invention of Nikki

Over the past few weeks I have been taking a deeper look at nutrition.

I have always known that I needed to eat clean, but I wasn't ready to completely commit.

A few weeks ago, I started reading Tony Horton's book, "Bring It!". In the book there is a section on nutrition and a 30 Day Cleanse. I was toying with the idea of trying the cleanse, but once again I wasn't ready to commit. Thankfully, a friend on twitter said that they were starting the cleanse on the 1st and was looking for others to join him. Accountability partner? Score!

The cleanse is pretty basic. It's a gradual elimination of 5 "toxic" substances: caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods, gluten and animal products.



At first I was a little nervous about the caffeine and animal product part. I LOVE my morning cup of coffee and I have a thing for cheeseburgers. (Can you say Five Guys?) The gluten-free part had me a little leery as well, until I went to the grocery store and saw how many gluten-free products they offer now.

I don't plan on going gradual with this either. I have basically phased out caffeine and animal products aren't a big deal for me so I'm going to dive in and take advantage of a full 30 days with this.

Coincidentally, while planning this, I began speaking to a friend about "plant-based" Eastern diets AND I found the world of documentaries using my Netflix on-demand.

The documentaries truly opened my about our food industry and it made me realize I am moving the right direction with my nutrition by doing this. (I will go into more detail in another blog about the documentaries at a later date. If I forget....remind me...although I doubt that is possible.)

To prepare for this new chapter in my health and fitness journey, I picked up a few magazines and started surfing the net for recipes.

I am not a big fan of oatmeal, however I LOVE me some Quaker Oatmeal To-Go bars. The problem with this is that they are full of sugar and hygrogenated oils. Eww! So, one of my first priorities was to find a healthy, homemade recipe for them. If you are interested in the recipe I found and the variations I made click here.

Next up, was finding gluten-free bread and pasta. I went to my local Wegman's and began poking around in the organic section. A friend had told me about "Food For Life" brand breads and I found a sprouted Ezkeil 4:9 loaf that she had mentioned. I know that it is not gluten-free but I wanted to try it anyway since Tony mentioned sprouted breads in his book. I'm really enjoying it so far and plan on picking up a gluten-free loaf before the 1st. (If you look for this item, don't check the shelves. You'll find it in the freezer section.) I also picked up some gluten-free rotini pasta for a recipe I found on my friends blog for "Fusilli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce"

Tonight, I made a recipe I found in Vegetarian Times for a Vegetable Pie. It was very tasty and will definitely be making it into my recipe rotation for the cleanse and beyond. If you are interested in this recipe click here.

Overall, this "re-invention of me" will focus on clean, healthy, organic eating. For now, I will be focused on the clean part of that and will be picking up everything I can get in the organic variety. Come spring, when the farmers markets open again around here, that will become much easier for me. I already have a list of local organic markets in my area and I found a local farm with grass-fed animal products which made me very happy.

What can you expect from me over the next 30-days? Lots of firsts and loads of recipes! I have a ton of recipes printed out and I plan on sharing with everyone as I try them. I also purchased brussels sprouts and tofu for the first time....ever! These types of things can make for interesting blogs....so stay tuned!