The results of the 21 day challenge

Time is passing so fast and I didn't even realized that I finished my 21 day challenge! Although I finished it and let's see how I completed it:

1. To wake up at the same time every day, to eat at the same time. - This point I feel I need a bit more time to complete it fully, because I am having my holidays now so I find it no sense to wake up every day at the same time:)

 
2. Start the day with lemon water and eat fruits till 12:00, after 18:00 time of the last meal of the day after just detox or herbal tea - the first part I still keep as an order and it really feels I am more energetic and my belly is started to get better as well. From the previous fact is directly coming that sometimes I was having my dinner around 9 or 10 in the night...oh well

3. Avoid consumption of sugar, flour, milk and alcohol - I successfully kept away myself from all this things. Instead of sugar I use agave syrup, instead of flour I use spelled flour, instead of milk I drink almond milk. Alcohol I don't drink at all!!! (during the 21 day it happened once)

4. Drink at least 2 l of water per day, no drinking 20 minutes before and after eating - I keep to not mix eating and drinking. The most challenging is to drink 2l of water a day.

5. Running at least 3-4 times per a week, I left myself to choose on which days - I already implemented this part to my life years ago, so moving, running, biking, working out is still a part of my every day life.

6. Morning Yoga - I preferred to do it in the afternoons, evenings combine with bodyart
Sundays dynamic meditation - I find it very challenging and not necessary to do it every week so I do it in every 2 weeks.

7. In addition I successfully eliminated coffee and cigarettes from my daily life! I cannot say that from time to time, occasionally I am not consuming them, but the most important for me now that I am not doing them every day!

I want to complete the list with some other things which made it easier for me: 

• I eat more slowly without music, tv, computer and I am focusing completely on the food, as a result it feels more filling.
• I started to eat more fruits and raw vegetables.
• I made one exception per a week when I make a cake so that means I eat some kinds of sweet:) (thanks to Marie for the idea)
• I bought at least 5 type of detox tea to not get bored of it:)
• I was avoiding the company of people who smoke, drink or party a lot!
• I sleep 8-9 hours per a day and I tried to go to bed before 12.
• If I was not able to keep "the rules" I didn't give up and I didn't feel guilty the next day I was keep on doing it

All and all this 21 day was a good frame for experimenting what feels good to do and to shape it according to my personal needs. During the whole time I was observing myself and it was very interesting to watch which are my weakest moments and how am I reacting to get over it. In a meantime I gained more self awareness. So now the time is coming to act upon them, on the little devil.

As a result I definitely feel better, more than ever! I am filled with energy, I have better digestion, I have clearer skin and mind, I have a stronger core :) And the most important is that I got really inspired by the change what I feel so I want to extend the process for 3 months and let's see what will happen!

And don't forget that good things come slow!

The bloody beets and a bloody delicious brownies

One star of the season is beetroot. I am really going crazy about this bloody root:) I ate a lot from it during the last weeks and now I decided to make something really special with it. Beetroot Brownies!
But at first let's see why is it soo good to be eaten by human beings.

In Romany medicine, beet juice was used as a blood- builder for patients who were pale and run-down,  and in Russia and Eastern Europe it’s used both to build up resistance and to treat convalescents after  a serious illness. In the traditional medicine of central Europe, beets have  a long history of use in the treatment of cancer: they seem to contain anti- carcinogens bound to the red coloring matter, as well as possessing a striking ability to increase cellular uptake of oxygen. Many of these actions are enhanced when beets are eaten raw or drunk as juice. The popular French starter crudités— which combines grated  raw beet, raw carrot, and perhaps paper-thin slices of cucumber, all dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and garnished with chopped parsley—is a more powerful tonic for general health  than a whole bottle of vitamin pills.

And now let's see the recipe for the bloody brownies:)

Ingredients

2-3 cooked, peeled beets, rasped fine
100 gr dark chocolate, preferably up to 70% of cacao
80 gr brown sugar
80 gr butter
80 gr flour, can be white or whole grain as well
2 eggs
1 coffee spoon of baking powder
1 spoon of cocoa powder
50 gr of finely chopped walnuts or mixed nuts

Heat up the oven for 180 degrees. Melt the dark chocolate above water together with the butter. Stir the eggs together with the sugar till it's getting whiteish. Mix the baking powder with the flour and cacao powder. Mix everything together in the fallowing order: add the finely rasped beets to the mix of eggs and sugar, after add the melted chocolate-butter mix and put the flour mix into it and at the end put the finely chopped walnuts. Don't stir it too long because the brownies will become hard. Put it into the oven for 20-25 minutes. The cake is ready when is still a bit raw in the middle. Serve it hot with the vanilla ice cream!

Here is the bloody delicious dessert