Day 1 is in the books...

Well friends....Day 1 is in the books. Here is the good news....I didn't completely hate it!! I've learned a lot....like how NOT to make Zucchini chips (more to come on this later). But all in all...it was a great day. Trace and I were both successful and we both feel pretty good. I'm not going to bed hungry...so I feel like that means I've won. :)

So....let's talk about today's menu. It was pretty easy and dinner was stinkin' fantastic. Here is what we had:

Breakfast: Strawberry, Lemon, Basil Smoothie
AM Snack: Homemade Protein Bar
Lunch: Kale Salad with Italian Chicken & Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette
Afternoon Snack: Carrots with Hummus
Dinner: Lemony Chicken with Sauteed Broccoli & Brown Rice
PM Snack: Pecan Pie Lara Bar

All in all...the day wasn't too bad. The thing that surprised me the most was the Strawberry Smoothie. To be honest, when I saw basil...I was pretty convinced I would start the day by getting sick. :) Haha!! Good news....it was delicious. The basil gave it this very bright flavor. I really enjoyed it.

Breakfast: Strawberry Surprise Smoothie

Lunch: Kale Salad with Italian Chicken & Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette 

Dinner: Lemony Chicken with Sauteed Broccoli & Brown Rice

Although...my favorite item of the day was my homemade protein bar. First of all....can we have a moment for the price of Protein bars!?! They are stupid expensive. I mean come on....$3.99 for a bar that taste like chalk....I don't think so. Plus...the majority of the time, those crazy things are packed full of chemicals I cannot say. When I started looking through this cleanse, I noticed that Arbonne has a line of bars. However, my consultant recommended that I make my own protein bars. So...I did...and kids...they are A-MA-ZING!! Like seriously...these things are out of this world yummy. Not to mention incredibly frugal.

I will share the recipe with you, but before I do. Let's talk the frugal part of this recipe. A normal protein bar that you can buy at the store will run you between $1.99-$3.99 per bar.  This bar is $1.17 per bar!! That is a serious savings. Not to mention....these are made with Arbonne's protein powder which is insane delicious(in the realm of protein powders)....but pretty pricey at $69 for 30 servings. So....even with pricier ingredients...it's still a serious bargain!

So...let's talk about how you make them

Ingredients: 

2 cups or 16oz of Almond Butter ( I got a big batch at Sam's club)

2.25 cups of Arbonne Chocolate Protein Powder

1.5 cups of Organic Agave Nectar ( I got this at my favorite savings spot...Aldi)

3 cups of Gluten Free Oats (I purchased mine from a local grocery store...Harps)

Begin by adding the almond butter and Agave Nectar to a microwaveable safe bowl. I would suggest using a pretty big bowl. It will make it easier when you add the other ingredients. Put the bowl in the microwave for 70-90 seconds. Then, add the protein powder & GF Oats. Mix together and then pour them out onto a half sheet baking sheet. Press the bars out to fill the pan and then place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

SIDE NOTE: I rubbed the pan down with a little coconut oil prior to putting the bars in the pan. I think this made it a little easier to get out. 

Once the bars had set, I cut them into 24 pretty similar sized bars and wrapped them individually in aluminum foil. I then placed them in a large zip top bag. 

This was by far my favorite part of the day!! This bar is delicious and has a serious nod to the no bake cookies I love!

Anyway...day one is in the books and I survived. I'm excited to see what tomorrow is like and even more excited to see how different I feel in a week.

See you soon,