We survived Day 1! Not only did we survive, but we all felt pretty good at the end of the night, having eaten cleanly throughout the day. Our meals were delicious and filling, and even though this challenge requires so much prep and cooking, we got through the day with only one trip to the grocery store!
One thing we forgot to do was take our measurements, but we'll take care of that little detail today. It will be interesting to see how our bodies change on the outside as a result of the clean eating. Matthew will be our "control" in the diet vs. exercise weight-loss discussion since he's not a big exerciser (i.e. he does pushups each morning but that's about it!) while Emma and I are really taking advantage of our ClassPass memberships and working out multiple times each day.
After our morning Qi Gong class, we went to Trader Joe's to stock up on snacks. The challenge allows for unlimited snacks of anything on the "approved foods" list, so we picked up some jicama sticks, berries, IMG_6302hazelnuts, almonds, and a few of the ingredients we were missing for the weekend's menu. The lunch salad Emma prepared was delicious (see her Instagram below for photos) and got us pumped for doing the prep work necessary for dinner and today's lunch.
At the end of the day, Emma and I went to a Yoga-Barre class then hurried home to finish cooking dinner. Matthew had beaten us there, having texted Emma to find out what he could snack on while he waited for us to get back.
Dinner was really easy and delicious - Grilled Chicken Pesto Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower. We didn't have much in the way of leftovers (other than some extra pesto), so I guess we planned well there. For dessert, Emma and Matthew shared a mango and some apple slices while I had some organic blackberries. Yum! 
So far, the toughest part for me is leaving the sugar out of my morning coffee and the numerous bathroom stops due to drinking so many fluids throughout the day! We definitely need to doctor up our Green Juice recipe a bit - it's too pulp-y the way we made it, so a strainer may be in order moving forward. I suspect Matthew missed his tequila last night though he didn't complain . . . well, only a little!
Day 2 Menu
Pre-Breakfast: 8-12 ounces of water plus 8-12 ounces of Green Juice
Breakfast: Smoothie (for my husband: gluten-free toast spread with fresh almond butter & sliced apple)
Mid-morning snack: Jicama sticks and/or nuts
Pre-Lunch: 4-6 ounces of Green Juice
Lunch: Veggie Soup
Afternoon snack: Baby carrots with hummus
Pre-Dinner: 4-6 ounces of Green Juice
Dinner: Organic Cumin-Crusted Wild Black Cod with Sauteed Garlic Spinach & Brown Rice
Recipes
Emma's Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow squash or zucchini, quartered then sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bag organic broccoli slaw
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 1/2 cups lentils
1/2 tsp olive oil
Water to cover
Seasonings (salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, turmeric - whatever flavors you like!)
Directions:
In a large pot, saute the celery in olive oil. Add all other ingredients (except kale and water). Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer over low heat until veggies are soft and lentils are fully cooked. Add kale right before serving. Note: This soup keeps in the fridge for several days, so go ahead a make a big batch - it actually tastes even better on Day 2!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon organic sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) wild black cod
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon cold pressed organic olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped organic fresh flat leaf parsley
2 organic lemon wedges
Directions:
Preheat oven 375 F. Roast cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat 2 minutes or until toasted. Place cumin, sea salt, and pepper in spice or coffee grinder or food processor; process until finely ground. Rub cumin mixture over top and bottom sides of fillets. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add fillets; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Wrap handle of pan with foil. Bake and 375F for 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Sprinkle with parsley, serve with side lemon wedges. Bon Appétit!
Helpful Links
Click here for Chef V's website
Click here for the Queen of the Kitchen website
Click here for a Google list of Green Juice recipes
Workout of the Day
Pink Barre
C1 at Core Power Yoga