Week one of the three-week Whole Living Detox is behind us…no sugar, no coffee, no gluten, no processed foods, no dairy and no meat. Week one is the hardest and still, I have to say I’m feeling pretty great! Sleeping better than I have in years, waking up without an alarm every day at 6:30am…seriously, and I’m a big sleeper. I never wake up early on my own no matter how early I go to bed so this is a hugely noticeable difference and a pretty unexpected benefit. I will admit, however, that the first few days of  Week 1 weren’t all easy. My energy levels were pretty low, I had more headaches than usual and the stomach was pretty turbulent for most of the week, but all of those early cleanse side effects have almost fully disappeared by now. And to top it all off, I’ve lost 4-5 pounds this week!  To be clear, I am not doing this to lose weight nor was I expecting to lose weight since this detox isn’t calorie restricted at all and I’m working out less due to low energy, but it was certainly a nice surprise.

So, on to the important stuff…how has the food been? Honestly, completely delicious…not a dud recipe in the bunch. The one thing that was tough was having only smoothies for breakfast…left me pretty starving by lunchtime but I think that ends this week. But before we head off to Week 2 here’s a run-down of some of our favorites from Week 1:

First up, the Cauliflower “Rice” Stir-Fry shown in the header image above. I’ve used cauliflower to make faux mashed potatoes in the past, but this approach makes the texture more rice-like which I really enjoyed.  Christian missed the real rice but I thought this was a nice change for stir-fry. We also substituted red cabbage for the broccoli that the recipe called for which worked out fabulously.

Next, Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew. This was our favorite of the week…it will absolutely make it into our regular SavoryGirl rotation. Christian said, and I quote, “This is really good…and I don’t mean for vegetarian detox food, for any food.  This is really good.”  And this is coming from a big meat lover!

Roasted Portobellos & Kale are up next and these came up in the menu just when we were both starting to miss meat, which was perfect since portobellos have a nice meaty texture. This seemed so simple that I wasn’t sure how good it would be but they were quite tasty.

Last, but certainly not least was the “Creamy” Broccoli Soup. Christian was not excited about this one but ended up loving it…the avocado really adds a nice creamy texture. Super simple and healthy.

I forgot to take a picture of the French Lentil Salad, but that was probably my second favorite of the week and I think it will likely become a lunch staple for me.

So it’s all sounding pretty great so far, right? Really, it is!  But let’s be honest…there are a few things I’m missing. I certainly miss the wine, chocolate and cheese in my life…but to be honest I think I’m missing the gluten-products (and I guess they’re also processed) the most. My favorite snack bars, bread to dip in my soup, crunchy crackers. Not what I expected to miss the most, but I think it’s mostly about the texture. I really like the feeling of chewing dense and crunchy foods, and I miss that sensation as I’m eating so I’m looking forward to Week 2 where grains start to get added back in.  I’m also going to make the Cherry-Date Oat Bars for a snack which will hopefully scratch my itch for something dense and chewy.

So what are you waiting for? Join us and start the Detox today…if you do shoot me an email and I’ll send over my full grocery shopping lists to save you some trouble. And, of course, please share your experiences if you do join us. Either way, stay tuned to hear how Week 2 goes!