Ewww parents. They can really challenge us at times, no?

So I wandered outside today (a beautiful day, by the way - high sixties/low seventies after a few days in the forties) and opened the mailbox. Guess what? There it was. A nice, white USANA box addressed from my parents. My mom had taken the package that her vitamins come in and used it to pack my birthday gift!

So I came inside and tore it open. There was a card and a small box, about twice the size of a deck of cards, wrapped in birthday paper. I tore open the card and read it, and pulled out the check they had written as a gift.

Now I was puzzled - a check AND a gift? Wow, I guess the big 3-0 warrants going the extra mile.

So I tore off the wrapping paper. And then, I started to get this feeling that maybe I wouldn't be "opening" my present just yet ... you see, inside there was nice, shiny tin foil. That means momma was sending food.

I tore open the foil, apprehensive of what I might find. My worse fears were confirmed. There, staring me straight in the eye, were three representatives of the greatest nemesis I face when following clean nutrition: DARK CHOCOLATE.

Yes, pure, unadulterated, organic dark chocolate. In fact, the bars were in three different formulations. The first bar? 55% chocolate. The second? 65%. The third? A whopping 77% chocolate. All of the bars had basically cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar as ingredients, just varying amounts. I had hit the chocolate gold mine, and that bar of 77% chocolate was the motherload.

Of course, I am on my 5-day cleanse. And this is just day 2. Fortunately, I had already made my chocolate NutriMeal shake with a scoop of peanut butter, so with the healthy fats, protein, and fiber, I was satisfied. I stared at the chocolate, and thought about how it would taste with a nice glass of red wine. That's when the little print jumped out at me: store at 55 - 65 degrees. This was PERFECT. That is the same temperature we store our wine at! So, without further thought, I raced down to the storage room and sequestered the chocolates with the red wines.

Ah, the sweet reward awaiting me on Tuesday. I can't wait! (Don't worry, I won't be eating all three bars. Just a piece of the dark 77% one to begin with).

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Now, what shall I buy for a gift to myself with the check?

P.S. Going great, down 4 pounds (we know it's water weight when it comes off that quickly), feeling energetic, trained a client early this morning and looking forward to my next snack of peanut crunch bars. I did my routine this morning to clear my lymphatic system and look forward to a nice walk this evening.

Take care,

Jeremy