Blue Print Cleanse, Days 2 & 3

by Brooke on July 9, 2012 15 comments »

So, it’s been ninety-two thousand days since my last post. Which, I recognize, makes me the blogging equivalent of Rip Van Winkle. Considering the way those witch hairs keep appearing on my chin, I’d say I’m not too far from looking like a jolly thin man with a beard.

Which, let’s be honest, is way more fun than being a jolly fat man. Right? Indulge me here, my buttons.

Lots of catch up this week. So many things to tell you about. So many recipes to share. So many exciting, traumatic, glorious events to ask you about. Why isn’t this blog an open ended meeting where we can all just sit around and chat? I know I’m not the only one with a helluva summer happening. My dear friend Amy just had her sixth baby. She wrote the most magical letter, detailing her delivery and the first days home with her bundle. Her letters are always magical. You would like her so much.

Two of my bright, splendid sisters just moved across the world–from Southern California to North Carolina. Boxes packed, kids on planes,  just up and jumped into a daring new life and I’m so proud of them. Two fine people I adore beyond words are as we speak prepping the most incredible new blogs. Promise to introduce you to them soon. Be ready. You’re going to have jealousy issues. Which will really just be love issues. Because you’ll love them too much to be jealous of their crazy mad awesomeness.

Since I covered the first day of my adventures with the Blue Print Cleanse, I wanted to finish up and tell you how the entire process looked, tasted, and felt. So, though we’re a good month behind schedule, let’s just pretend that little hiccup called  ”two weeks without blogging due fire evacuations and life generally going up in flames” was just a flash in time. Moving on, shall we?

Okay.

When it comes to cleansing, juicing, or any form of alternate eating program, I’m a self-diagnosed rock climber. I don’t want to walk. I don’t want to run. I want to dig my fingers into the process and scale the impossible mountain. So, when I contacted Blue Print Cleanse, I knew I wanted their most intense juicing experience, The Excavation.

The Excavation is a mostly green-juice cleanse. Of all the Blue Print Cleanse options, it’s the one with the least amount of calories, and a primary focus on green juices. The idea here is that your body is flooded with chlorophyll and is designed to restore alkalinity to your body. Blue Print Cleanse is quick to say they don’t recommend this 3-day regiment as a diet. It’s more of a rest for your body, allowing it time to flush some of the unneeded junk you’ve put into your system before. Twinkies, anyone?

Here’s how the lineup of juices for the 3-day excavation cleanse works. When the box arrives at your door, you open it up to find a super-chilled packet with 18 juices, 6 for each day. The juice bottles are beautifully labeled and clearly marked. All you have to do is pop the juices in your fridge and drink them in order. Start with drink number 1, when you’re ready, move on to number 2, and so on. The process could not be simpler or more convenient.

But, foodies. I know what your thinking. How do they taste, right? Gurl, I gotchya covered.

The first three juices of each day are green juices. With a focus on romaine, celery, cucumbers, the sweetness of apples, a bit of kale, parsley, and a genuine hint of lemon, I found these juices more than palatable. In fact, by day 2, once I’d flushed all memory of the box of Hot Tamales I’d consumed two days prior, drinking the juice on an empty morning palate, I was pleasantly surprised how much I genuinely enjoyed the taste of the green juice.

Except for juice 2. Juice number two has the spicy addition of ginger. I love ginger. I dig it in cookies and fried rice. But, for whatever reason, I found myself having to gulp that second drink down. It was stronger than the regular lemon-hinted green juice and I had a hard time not gagging on it by day three. No biggie. I just took a big breath and slurped it down before the flavor could register on my tongue. It was never so bad that I felt like I couldn’t drink the second bottle, it was just the one juice I looked the least forward to.

If Bottle 2 offered up a challenge, bottles 4 and 6 were my rewards for powering through. Juice number 4 is a spicy lemonade, reminiscent of my foray into the Master Cleanse, only with a much fresher taste and just the slightest hint of cayenne. Just enough to give your belly a buzz and make you feel alive. Bottle 6, the final drink of the day, is a deliciously creamy, thick, and perfectly sweet cashew milk. The texture and flavor of that drink is gorgeous. It’s milkshake thick, with a hint of vanilla, and I swear to you, I tasted baby unicorns. After a whole day of green juices, you just grab your cashew milk and sit on the veranda and feel your body thank you for being so good at total rockstarryhood.

I was surprised throughout the 3-day process to find that I only felt hungry twice. Once on day 2, just before drinking the cashew milk. I’d been running around frantic with the kids all afternoon and nearly forgot to prepare anything for dinner. I found myself standing over a pot of pasta, bacon scent wafting from the countertop, and my gut decided to up and remind me that I’d neglected it for a good too many hours. No biggie. I popped open the cashew milk and it’s richness satisfied completely.

Day three, somewhere after I wearily chugged my third installment of the heathen ginger-laced Bottle 2, I realized how ready I was to chew. Opening the fridge, I looked at the pretty line up of four remaining blue bottles of juice, which encouraged me to stick to the task and move on.

Though I didn’t need it, Blue Print Cleanse does send you a “cheat sheet” of foods you can eat, should you find yourself hopelessly devoted to crunchy mealtimes. Bless their thoughtful hearts.

Another nice little perk that proved terrifically handy throughout my 3-day juice cleanse was the accompanying cooler bag, which made toting my liquid mealtimes around as simple as pop, lock, and go.

Post-Cleanse Observations. Would I do it again? Absolutely. The freshness, flavor, and ease of the Blue Print Cleanse is second to none. Having it delivered right to my door made the process ridiculously convenient. The labeling of the bottles made the process so simple. The company sent me several emails to support the process. And mostly, I really enjoyed the juice.

But, perhaps my favorite part of the process was how simple it was to transition back to eating solid food. After the 10-day, super-intense Master Cleanse, I felt like my body was highly reactive to anything beyond very basic fruits and veggies. But, with the Blue Print Cleanse my body just seemed happier. I finished and craved good foods. My stomach felt flat and peaceful in the morning. I felt ready and capable of eating good foods, without any concern of my inside rebelling against thoughtfully chosen, plant-based meals.

For a jump start on healthy eating, to remind yourself that your body is a gift, to celebrate the beauty of natural foods in their raw form, to feel like a fresh-juice diva…Go fresh. Get excavated. Get diggin’ on Blue Print Cleanse.

BluePrintCleanse.com agreed to a free 3-day “Excavation” experience in exchange for a series of posts about my experience. I got juice, not juiced guys. Everything written about my juice cleanse will reflect my own personal experience and opinions and BluePrintCleanse.com is not responsible for the content. So sit back, relax, and trust that you’re hearing my voice, and not any parroted message from a public relations firm.

Posted in Extras

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