We’ve been doing some aggressive wining and dining lately, so with the weather starting to finally turn and with summer in sight, I figured it was about that time of the year to kick up the exercise routine and to get healthy.  I cannot give up all the great food, wine, and craft beers that I love, but to balance things out, I could use a mid-week break every now and then to make sure I’m ready for bikini season (and to make sure my body is more happy with me- especially my liver). So, we’ve been hearing about the Blueprint Cleanse  for a while and have had some friends who have been doing the cleanse fairly regularly.  I brought up the cleanse at a friend’s birthday party last weekend, and I was shocked to hear that 2 of the people I was talking to had tried it and spoke highly of it!  I checked out the Blueprint Cleanse on-line and learned that a 1 day cleanse cost $75 and a 3, 5, or 6 day cleanse costs $65 per day, so before I jumped into a 3 day juice diet (that would cost $195), I figured I would do a test run for 1 day.

I cancelled my happy hour plans for Thursday night and I ordered 1 day of the “Renovation Cleanse” on-line.  There are three levels of the cleanse (Renovation, Foundation, and Excavation- sounds scary), so clearly I went with the beginners “gateway cleanse.”  The website says that this level is for the beginner – “the ‘I’ll have my martini with a side of steak, please’ type.”  Perfect- I’m in!

The Goods:

I picked up my Blueprint Cleanse supplies on Wednesday after work, the evening before the cleanse was to begin.  They will deliver it to you (at your “home, office, corner deli, or wherever else you’re going to be”).  The deliveries happen between 3 and 9 pm on Sundays and Wednesdays and they will call you 15-20 minutes before delivery to give you a heads up.  One of their pick-up locations happened to be on my walk home from work route, so that was an easier choice for me. 

My juices came in a nice purple thermal lunch bag with an ice pack to keep them cool.  The thermal bag was in a very fashionable lime green tote.  All the bottles were numbered and the ingredients were labeled (this is a very easy, i.e. an idiot proof cleanse- the bottles even state: “We Think. You Drink.”).  The packaging, website, logos, etc. were all very sleek and modern- just like you’ll be once you start cleansing!  I was into the vibe and was excited see a cleanse welcome e-mail as I embarked on my day of cleansing.

The Drinks:  

Drink No. 1: Romaine + Celery + Cucumber + Kale + Parsley + Green Apple + Spinach + Lemon = What am I drinking here?!?  I read the ingredients first, and, although I eat and enjoy all of them individually, I did not think having them juiced and blended together would be an enjoyable experience.  I was actually surprised to see that I didn’t mind the juice.  It’s certainly green, but it tastes reasonably good.  I think the sweetness from the green apple was a much needed addition.  It doesn’t taste too vegetal, and I ended up having no problem with my green juice breakfast.  If I had any suggestion for the juicers over at Blueprint, it would be to add a little mint (but then again, they’re the experts, not me).

Drink No. 2: Pineapple + Apple + Mint = Awesomeness!  I feel like I could be drinking this out of a martini glass at a rooftop bar on a hot summer evening or out on the beach with sand underfoot and palm trees swaying overhead.  The mint really adds a refreshing element to the juice and balances out the sweetness of the pineapple.

Drink No. 3: Romaine + Celery + Cucumber + Kale + Parsley + Green Apple + Spinach + Lemon = Yep, Again.  Ok, back to my green juice breakfast.  This kind of makes sense.  With all the veggie juice, it does feel more like a meal than just having fruit.  I also feel (with no basis at all) that I should be more full after drinking this than the sweeter juices.

Drink No. 4: Water + Lemon + Cayenne + Agave = Did I accidentally sign up for the Lemonade Diet?  Remember all the press about Beyonce and Robin Quivers (from Howard Stern) losing a ridiculous amount of weight on the Lemonade Diet (or the “Master Cleanse”)?  Women all over the country were living off nothing but freshly squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper, grade B organic maple syrup, and water.  Well, switch the maple syrup to agave, and we’ve got the same spicy lemonade here.  I LOVE it though!  The cayenne pepper is so subtle but it does really add an undertone of heat, and other than that you’re drinking lemonade.  This is a kicked up version of our favorite childhood summer drink.  I could really drink this all day.

Drink No. 5: Carrot + Apple + Beet + Ginger + Lemon = Time for Dinner.  Now, I’m getting a bit hungry at this point.  I was in the mood for something savory, so this mixture sounded good.  It still has the sweetness from the apple juice, but the heartiness of the beet really dominates.  I was excited by the ginger, but there is more of a subtle ginger hint than an in your face ginger kick (I was thinking of the orange ginger dressing at the corner sushi place).  I like it, but I am imagining my favorite beet salad and wishing I had a clump of goat cheese to bite into. Color = beet red.  Suggestion = more ginger. 

Drink No. 6:  Water + Raw Cashews + Agave Nectar + Vanilla Bean + Cinnamon = Nirvana.  I’m not a dessert person.  At all.  But boy did I appreciate this sweet treat at the end of the day.  It exceeded all of my expectations for what could come out of a 16 fl. oz. bottle that was dairy-free, healthy, and that never underwent any fermentation processes.  If I was on this cleanse for 3 days or even 5 or 6 days, I can see how this stuff could be my reward at the end of the day.

Sides: You are supposed to start off your morning with warm or room temperature water, which I did (more so because I forgot to restock the fridge with water the night before).  You can have as much herbal tea as you would like and as much water in between meals.  My friend gave me a special fasting tea from Yogi Tea, which was very nice (made with garcinia fruit to suppress the appetite). I’m a tea drinker and very, very rarely have any coffee, so this worked well for me.

You are also supposed to drink a bottle of water in between juice meals (which are supposed to be spaced at least an hour apart, and which I kind of did). 

The Verdict: Success!  I woke up Friday morning feeling fully refreshed, cleansed, and not at all hungry.  It was easy, and the price was worth it for the quality of juice and for the convenience.  I wouldn’t be juicing this stuff myself in my kitchen at home. 

I will say that next time I will attempt 3 days, but that’s going to be tough.  The hardest part of my day was certainly not hunger- it was heading home after a long day of work realizing that I wouldn’t be having Andy’s-famous-grilled-anything for dinner and realizing that I couldn’t delve into the kitchen myself to whip something up with a glass of wine in hand.  This was certainly not a problem for one night, but the thought of two more nights of a juice dinner would have been tough.  It is about working hard and playing hard, though, so I guess this is where my will power has to kick in next time around.

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