It really feels great to wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized every morning.  I have forgotten how good my body feels when I’m not drinking alcohol.  I’m not a frequent drinker, but I DO love my cilantro margarita from Oxygen bar in Midland!  I notice now, however, that almost every time I drink, I feel crappy the next day. For most of the day.  Maybe it’s age, but I am becoming much more conscious of the effects alcohol has on my body, and I naturally find myself choosing it less.  Unless I’m under stress, of course!

Breakfast today was my version of birchermuesli, a yummy combination of oats, dates, raisins, almonds, and apples soaked overnight in rice milk. It became a favorite of mine back when we were living in Switzerland, and I rediscovered it while living in California a couple of years back. 

For lunch, I prepared another recipe from Kathy Freston’s new book, Spaghetti with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce.  I had to catch myself before putting shaved parmesan on top of my pasta bowl.  It was good, but not great.  I used jarred pesto sauce for convenience, and I want to make it again with my own pesto recipe to see if that livens it up some. 

Tonight we went to a charity dinner at the H Hotel in Midland.  I was a little nervous about sticking to the Cleanse, because I was really hungry by the time we got to the buffet.  However, it was surprisingly easy to eat mostly on the program – I had mashed potatoes, salad, and a tiny piece of salmon sautéed with tomatoes and citrus.  No bread, no dessert.  So, I’m sure a little dairy in the mashed potatoes, and of course there was the salmon, but overall I felt I did pretty good.  

Overall, I know weekends will be the hardest for me.  In-laws come tomorrow – that could be a challenge.