Day 3 Preparation

Because I had had so much leftover green juice from the night before prep, I only needed to make a little bit, and it went smoothly. I've mastered the juice/cleanup/juice/cleanup that is required of a smaller juicer. 

The cashew milk came out phenomenally, because I finally realized you're suppose to grind the cashews completely (on "liquify" mode on your blender). What a delicious treat! I totally plan on making this for a nice dessert alternative post cleanse.

Total cost for today was $0! This was due to so much leftover green juice and leftover groceries. I really need to figure out what the ideal recipe amounts are.

Day Two

In terms of how I feel today, it's very typical of a Day 2...woke up with a dull headache that went away after drinking some water. I'm alert, slightly hungry and keenly aware that I have 4 days to go. But mind over matter! 


Some tips to get you through the worst of the worst (Day 2-3):

1.  Drink room temp water as soon as you get up. It helps...um...you know...move things along.
2. Drink tons of water throughout the day to keep hydrated and keep dull headaches at bay
3. Try to keep busy (I usually try to do the cleanse over a weekend to keep my activity level high (or to sleep through the painful withdrawals). But work is good too, as long as you can be strong to the lunchtime pressures.
4. Find a really decadent caffeine free herbal tea, so it feels like you're having something special. I love Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset. 
5. Try to exercise or at least go to the sauna if possible- the goal is to detox out the nasty stuff your body has been harboring. 

Day 2 Preparation

So last night was prepping for Day 2 of the BPC. I managed to streamline the time down to 2 hours. That included washing the veggies/fruit, juicing and cleanup. Not too bad, and tonight, I am aiming for an hour and a half.

First off, the grocery list had been shaved down a bit due to the excess from the day before. So the grand total ended up being $25 (for produce and cashews).

I modified the recipe, since there was excess from the day before, and adjusted the quanities to make 2 green juices. Well, I must have some juicy produce, because the recipe actually yielded 3 bottles. So I now have excess again! 


By the end of this experiment, I will hopefully modify the quantities so you guys know exactly what you need without having too much excess, for a day's worth.

Last night was the first time I had to prep the cashew milk. Here goes:

•  Make sure to soak those cashews for at least 8 hours...the softer they are, the more "milk" they'll yield. 

• You basically mix all the ingredients in the blender and blend until it's as smooth as you can make it. I had all the remnants at the bottom, so I drained them through a strainer and just drank the milk. 
• The BPC version is much tastier, as they seem to get the cashews to blend completely, and the milk is more thick as a result. But this hacked version is by no means bad. And after a long day of vegetable juices, you'll be longing for this dessert!

Day One

Having done the BPC several times before, I know the flavors by heart. And these recipes match to perfection! I'm talking blind taste test level matching here. So trust the recipes, they're great!

It's now Day 1 for me (as I prepped the night before), and things are going smoothly. Just finished up the PAM juice, and envision no hiccups today in terms of getting the juices down. 

For novices, take note: Day 1 is usually a breeze, as is Day 2 (for at least half way through the day). Day 3 is when things to start to fall apart mentally. Just be strong and know you're getting adequate calories for your body! The only thing you miss is chewing, so drink plenty of tea and chew on ice or something. You'll get through it!

Day 1 Preparation

After hours of diligent research, looking to find the right recipes that will mirror the BPC Cleanse, I finally settled on the recipes listed in the aforementioned post.

I hightailed it to the local grocery store and bee-lined to the produce section. I started grabbing each ingredient, line by line, and made it to the cashier in under 10 minutes! And I got my validation when the cashier exclaimed "wow, lot of green!" Win.

After having gone through the prep phase for Day 1 already, I could possibly say that it was smooth sailing. But as I recount now, I not-so-fondly remember wanting to give up half way through making the green juices. 

A lot of the trouble is the prepping- washing all the produce carefully, making sure you've allotted the right ingredients and the right amount for each batch. And I am assuming that part of my frustration is having a miniature NYC kitchen, where there were leafy greens overflowing into the living room. I digress...

Here are my recommendations for success: 

1. For the love of god, wear an apron or old t-shirt. This gets messy.
2. Get some bottles, so you can fill them up with juice (you'll need 6 bottles total per day). I use Poland Spring water bottles - appx 500mL.
3. Keep a pulp bowl (or garbage) nearby, and clean out the pulp periodically. Make sure to keep a watchful eye, because that bad boy will fill up quick with the amount you're pushing through there. 
4. Make all the green juice first. Get yourself a large pitcher or container or whatever you can scramble. And just keep juicing til all the day's worth of green juice ingredients are juiced away to a fluffy pulp. Then fill the bottles up! How many greens will be determined by what level cleanse you're doing.
5. Rinse out the juicer (total pain in the bones, but you'll be glad you did, or else all your juice will have a green tinge to it. After 4 green juices a day, you'll be grateful for any other color at that point).
6. Cut up the pineapple into 6 slices and then redistribute so they are in even thirds. (You have 3-days worth of pineapple right there!).
7. For the lemonade, I just skipped the juicer altogether. I hand juiced the lemons and used a strainer.

I tell you, it was a mess. And a LOTt of effort. It took me about 3 hours from start to finish (reading juicer directions, washing all of the produce and juicing/bottling and cleanup). So far, BPC is looking like it was well worth the $65/day, based on the effort and time put in to Day 1. 

But have you ever taken a road trip somewhere, and it seems like it takes forever to get to the destination, but it takes like half the time (or so it seems) to get home again? I think it's bc the destination is unknown, versus homeward bound is familiar. 

So, my point is, I think it will be smoother as the days go by, because it won't be so new anymore to juice things, and I'll know what to do and what shortcuts to take (which I will dutifully share with you!).

Now on to taste...

Well, the juice is FANTASTIC! Again, kudos to the recipes I found on homefitnessmanual.com and delicateprincesstummy.com. 

Stay tuned for the follow up post as I prep for Day 2's juices. Due to the excess veggies leftover, the cost for tomorrow's juices should be slightly less than Day 1.