My first get together in the new house!

I absolutely adore party planning and entertaining, but in my tiny one bedroom apartment it just wasn't possible. Saturday night I had my first real party in the new house, and I think it was a success! There were some spills (a select group of people may or may not have reenacted our college days and played slap the bag with boxed wine in the kitchen, and a pink drink might have spilled on my white duvet), but it was nothing that couldn't be mopped up or washed out. I was even able to remain relatively calm and relinquish control so that I could actually enjoy myself. Surprising I know!

Get it girl!

I didn't plan very well, and scheduled the party the same day I was running a half marathon (that I did absolutely no training for and was therefore incredibly sore afterwards), but I survived and even PR'ed shaving about 6 minutes off my previous best time! So happy I can check another thing off my 28 Things Before 28 list which I feel like I have been completely slacking on!

I was a little nervous about where everyone was going to go during the party since my house is by no means large so Friday evening I made a trip to Lowe's and gathered materials to build a fire pit so people would mingle outside as well as inside. Shout out to Molly and Maggie for helping me carry 36 incredibly heavy and dusty rocks from my car to the backyard. Also, I would just like to say hah! to the worker at Lowe's who seemed very skeptical of my ability to build the fire pit. We sure did prove him wrong, and I must say I personally think we did a pretty stellar job! Now if only I can learn to build a fire... Luckily we had some Eagle Scouts in attendance who stepped up to the plate!

Since I was a little pressed for time on Saturday with the race in the morning, my roommates and I decided to go for easy appetizers. On the menu was pesto flat bread pizza from Trader Joe's (where else?), mozzarella tomato basil skewers, coconut shrimp, crackers and cheese, hummus and veggies, and chips and guac because no party is complete without guacamole. Ever. Obviously I also had three desserts since I have a sweet tooth that is impossible to satisfy. I made cake pops for a first communion last week so I whipped up some extras while I was at it, and also threw together some cupcakes and chocolate chip brownies on Saturday. I think everyone enjoyed the food considering the plates were wiped clean when I went to clean up the next morning, but the biggest hit was probably the punch. I started with this recipe for Pineapple Lemonade Sangria, but improvised slightly. Since I got several requests, below is what I think actually went into the punch I made:

Pineapple Lemonade Sangria

1 bottle of Chardonnay

1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc

1/2 cup light rum

1/2 cup Triple Sec

3/4 cup simple syrup (2 parts water to 1 part sugar)

1/3 liter Diet Sprite

1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade

1 large (20 oz) can pineapple chunks

1 Gala apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks

10 strawberries, sliced thin

1 orange, sliced thin

1 lemon, sliced thin

I think I will definitely have to do a variation of this punch at our next get together since I never actually had a chance to try it this go-around. I foresee a Cinqo de Mayo party and lots of backyard BBQs in our future...especially since my patio furniture is being delivered tomorrow! 

Bring on summer!

My 3 Day Juice Cleanse

I've been talking about doing a juice cleanse for basically the last three years so after my past few weeks of super unhealthy eating and minimal working out I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I went with the Cleanse 2 Program from Pressed Juicery.

I was kind of terrified because I'd never done a cleanse before, and I usually have zero self control. Thankfully my roommate and I went out for Mexican food, margaritas, and fro-yo the night before so I satisfied those cravings pre-cleanse. Although who am I kidding?!? I could probably eat Mexican food every day and never get sick of it. Honestly, I think one major factor in my dedication to stick to the program was the cost. The cleanse isn't cheap ($199 for three days of juices plus an additional $10 if you want chlorophyll water and aloe vera water each day) so I felt like I had to keep at it. No cheating.

My juice cleanse arrived Thursday morning, but I'd already left for work so I was stuck cleansing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (which probably worked out in my favor since I tend to eat horribly on the weekends anyways). The juice is 100% raw and unpasteurized so it only has a three day shelf life. Otherwise I would have been tempted to hold out until Monday to begin the cleanse.

The cleanse consisted of six juices (2 greens, 2 citrus, 1 root, and 1 almond milk). I had the first juice (a green) right after waking up, and then subsequent juices about 2 hours apart for the remainder of the day. With this cleanse there was also a chlorophyll water that I could drink at leisure throughout the day and an aloe vera water to drink an hour before bed. All of the juices were pretty good with the exception of Roots. It really did taste like, well, roots. Not a fan. Although to be fair, I went back and looked at the Pressed Juicery website, and I'm pretty sure I chose the worst of the root drinks. There are four different options, and I chose the one with beet, carrot, kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, and celery. As a kid I loved beets (weird I know) so I picked one that included them, but the next time I do a cleanse (yes there will be a next time) I think I will pick one of the other options that has some fruit in it. Let me tell you, the sixth drink, the one with almond milk, is like heaven in a bottle. So delish! After drinking juices all day I could not wait for this drink each night!

I'm not gonna lie. Day 1 was rough. It wasn't so much that I was hungry, but I had a horrible headache from the lack of caffeine. I always drink a cup of coffee in the morning (which is a travel mug so it is probably more like 2-3 cups), and I have a Diet Cherry Coke in the afternoon. I was running extremely low on energy the first day. By midday I was feeling a wee bit shaky, but I think that could have partially been a mental thing. I also volunteered to bake a cake and cake pops Friday night, and let me tell you, baking while doing a juice cleanse is torture. It tested my self control to the extreme, but I'm kind of proud of myself for making it through!

Day 2 was much easier. No headaches, no shakiness, and more energy. I was done with the baking thank goodness, and the only real temptation I had was a trip to Trader Joe's with my mom and sister. They did torture me on the way home by opening a bag of cinnamon sugar pita chips which are my absolute weakness, but I resisted. Day 3 was smooth sailing since the finish line was within sight.

Overall, I found this cleanse very rewarding. It was a great way to kick start my healthy eating, and to prove to myself that I do have some self control. Not to mention, losing a few lbs is always a pleasant side effect. At the end of Day 3 I really did feel energized, and hopefully my system is more "balanced" now. I would highly suggest this cleanse to anyone who has been contemplating one...just make sure you don't get Roots 1! Now if only I could get my butt in gear and get back to the gym on a regular basis! That will be my goal for this week! ;)

Linking up with Ashley over at The Domestic Wannabe for her Move it Monday post!