30-Day Sugar Cleanse

I want to mention Valentine's Day, even if it was a week and a half ago. It was a totally perfect day. I spent the afternoon baking chocolate chocolate chip scones, and I also roasted hazelnuts to whip up a chocolate hazelnut creme. With fresh sliced strawberries, they made for a sinful vegan twist on strawberry shortcake later that evening. I got to spend time with the kitties at the cat shelter, and then I cooked dinner with Saxon. He was so cute. He gave me a bag of vegan chocolate chips and a bag of cauliflower florets, calling them "flowers and chocolate". Since we'd just finished watching the Firefly series, it was fitting that we watched Serenity. I loved every minute of the movie, the series, and that night!

Since then, my depression has been getting worse. Last Friday, after a week of little sleep, no energy, and lots of junk food, I decided to start a 30-day sugar cleanse. So, for the next 30 days, I'm not buying any products with refined sugar, eating any chocolate or candy, or baking anything with sugar. I've decided this doesn't apply to eating out, just because Saxon and I enjoy eating out, and I don't want it to become to an issue. I'm only on day 6, but I'm feeling so much better already! I've had a few headaches, but other than that, it's been pretty easy. My sweet tooth tends to flare up in the evening, so I've been eating half a Larabar. I finally bought some organic dates tonight, and they'll be a perfectly natural way to curb that edge.

I've also had enough energy to wake up early before work and workout. This is awesome seeing as for the last few months, getting out of bed in time to avoid being late for work has been an epic struggle. It helps that I got some new awesome workout DVDs. I really wanted to try Turbo Jam because I like the other workouts I've done from the same instructor. I found someone on Craigslist that was selling them, and she agreed to trade them for a workout program I didn't care for. Omg, I love this stuff! It's so fun! I still have 2 more workouts to try out, and I'm really looking forward to them.

My brother has also moved back home this week. In March, there's a 5k race in Kennesaw that he has to attend for work, and he decided he wants to try and run it. He's never actually run, so I'm training him. We had our first run on Sunday, when the weather was gorgeously sunny and 70 degrees. We only ran 2 miles, but it was divine in that sun! We're planning another run tomorrow night. I enjoy having my brother around again, and his training is great motivation for me to keep active. The endorphins from the exercise really help me feel better.

I also got to see Shutter Island this weekend, finally! Since seeing the first previews for it back in November, I was dying to see it. It felt a little disappointing after all the build-up, but I still enjoyed it. It was more of a drama than a thriller, but the acting was solid, and the end was fitting.

Tonight, Saxon and I finally used my Groupon I bought last year for The Counter, a gourmet build-your-own-burger chain. They have a location right by my work in Roswell, and they have a vegan homemade burger. The meal was thoroughly enjoyable, albeit pricy without the coupon, and they messed our order up twice. We ordered the Fity-Fifty to start - sweet potato fries and onion strings (not vegan, but Saxon wanted them). However, our server ordered us regular fries and the onion strings, but realized his mistake, so he brought us out a separate order of sweet potato fries. It ended up being a win for us, and more than enough food for two people. The regular fries reminded me of McDonald's fries, only skinnier and a little crispier. The sweet potato fries were cooked to perfection - crispy and not greasy at all. I really enjoyed those. For my main order, I got the 1/3lb veggie pattie (in a bowl, on top of mixed greens because none of the buns are vegan). On top of the burger, I had guacamole, roasted red peppers, grilled onions, sprouts, and grilled pineapple. Oh, and their yummy sweet bbq sauce. This bowl of "salad" was massive! And totally delicious. I brought half of it home, plus a lot of the fries and sweet potato fries. However, when I first ordered it, it arrived with cheese, even though I hadn't selected any of the cheeses (obviously). The server was really nice about taking it back and getting me a fresh new meal. So, even though there were a couple of mistakes, the service was excellent, and the food was delicious. Saxon wasn't a huge fan of the beef burger, but he ordered the 2/3lb one, and figured it was probably just too much meat. He said that everything else he added to his burger was awesome though. I'll definitely go back, although it'll be a treat.

Alright, enough rambling from me. Enjoy the rest of your evenings!