by Laura Caskey

What aspect of the Re-boot are you enjoying the most and why?
I enjoy trying new foods outside my normal comfort go-to foods. Some of my favorites have been making beet & sweet potato “chips”, almond butter on celery and sliced apples sprinkled with Penzeys cake spice and walnuts. I feel better eating these instead of the normal chips.

Breakfast was gluten-free oatmeal cooked with apple, cake spice, walnuts, a date & blueberries. And the yummy hot lemon water.

What aspect of the Re-boot are you finding the most difficult and why?
Passing up sweets. Also this past week I was out of town most of the week, so planning to have good choices with me took extra time. It was great that each of the cities I was in had a Whole Foods so I was able to pop in to get a few things to make it work for me.

Quality of last night’s sleep/how did you feel when you woke up?
I finally had time to take a lavender Epsom salt bath last night and went to sleep easily. I did wake after 6 hours, but that is actually good for me. I felt rested when I woke up.

My morning snack of apple with Penzeys cake spice & almond butter

Are you having any specific cravings?
My cravings are cheesy Mexican food & a rich gooey dessert and a hot fudge Sunday from Amy’s ice cream. And maybe a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting or a galaxy bar from Food Food.

How was your energy level throughout the day?
My energy level has been great. All the healthy choices really make me feel better. I think some of the foods we are avoiding really do slow me down and my body feels better without them. If I could just get my brain to buy into that I’d feel better all the time!

Lunch: sliced turkey with horseradish, purple cabbage, red onion, radishes, arugula, cucumber & any other vegetable I have, rolled up

Any other observations?
When I plan ahead I feel much better making healthy choices. This reboot seems easier probably because I have continued the daily apple cider vinegar and the lemon water since the last reboot. And I already knew several of the foods I had enjoyed in the last reboot. Last time I made the brownie bites from our booklet substituting almond flavoring for the peppermint and really like them.

For dinner I made the Green Turkey Chili from the booklet. It was yummy and Stan liked it too. And I have plenty for dinner tomorrow.

Any tips or tricks you’d like to share with other Re-Booters?
Tips that work for me are keeping lots of ready-to-eat crunchy vegetables and fruits on hand. I had not bought much in the way of organic prior to the Fall reboot, and I was surprised how much better organic vegetables & fruits taste. I have snacks in bags and ready to go, even taking them on the plane to avoid the chex mix, peanuts, etc. I also took a sliced lemon to add to hot water to avoid the wine.