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Foodies Favorite Salad

Clean Program Day 16

February 26, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment

Today is day 16 of doing the Clean Program Cleanse. I am feeling a bit better after feeling run down yesterday and having a sore throat. The cold that my daughter caught last week has either caught up to me or it is a side effect of detox. As I mentioned yesterday, mucus is one way for your body to remove toxins.

Here is how I am feeling today:

Today for breakfast I had a peach smoothie. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your smoothies. Sometimes throwing in the right spices (such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, etc) can make all the difference in the world. Especially in this last week when it feels like you have tried every combination of frozen fruits there is. Avocado and coconut oil are also really great additions to a smoothie. 

For lunch today I ventured out of the house to a really great vegan and raw restaurant near me called the Cacao Tree Cafe. I enjoyed their Foodies Favorite salad minus the tomatoes and picking out the raisins. Dried fruit should be avoided while on the cleanse, but I would pick them off anyway. Raisins are not a favorite of mine and I much prefer other dried fruits. I just love their ranch dressing made with cashews. 

Foodies Favorite Salad

 

It would definitely be worth learning how to make “creamy” dressings like this at home. Definitely a nice change from olive oil and lemon juice. 

I am also making my way through the Clean Gut book. I’m beginning to see more and more that it is a great companion to the Cleanse if you have the interest and the time to invest in it. Chronic illness is everywhere these days and as someone with a family history of heart disease and cancer, it is definitely something that I am interested in preventing. My only hesitation are the limitations placed on vegetarians and vegans. No beans are allowed while doing the Gut program. You are allowed lentils, quinoa, and eggs however.

In fact so far the Clean Gut program resembles to me the Paleo diet, which I have long been fascinated with. Well as much as a vegetarian can be. The focus on meat is kind of a turn off 😉 As much as I would love to have some pizza when this is all done, I am leaning more and more to moving straight to the Clean Gut diet. 

Stocking up for the Clean Program? Don’t miss out on the 15% off at Abe’s Market today and tomorrow only!

I hope that this post finds you well. I welcome any of your questions or comments. Have you done the Clean Gut program? Did you do it as a vegetarian? Any tips or thoughts for me? I would love to know!

Abe’s Market 15% Off Discount

February 26, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment

Back in January I was at a conference. I was invited to a hospitality suite to learn about some great companies and the snack bar was sponsored by Abe’s Market. It was like they had peeked into my pantry at home and brought all of my favorite snacks. Larabars, Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups, sweet potato chips. Yum!

Coming back home I was able to check out their website and this natural and organic store has everything! From food to bath and baby stuff, to great reusable lunch box items, home items, and more. So much green goodness. I am also really excited to share that they are having a special two day sale to celebrate a member of their team having a baby boy.

Shop today and tomorrow and receive 15% off any purchase. Just click on this link and use code ITSABOY when checking out February 26 and 27, 2014. 

They have so many things that you can get for the Clean Program including coconut flour, coconut oil, flax seeds, chia seeds, stevia, Natural Calm, teas, and more. I love their search function in that you can sort results based on category and what qualities are important to you. Is it sustainable, green packaging, fit a specific diet, etc.

Speaking of Chia Seeds did you know all this?

Chia Seeds Infographic

I’ve recently read that soaking chia seeds before putting them in your smoothie helps aid in digestion. That is not something I have been doing, but will definitely start now. 

Don’t miss out on this great sale. Get 15% off at Abe’s Market today and tomorrow only. This is a great opportunity to stock up on old favorites or try some new ones. 

 

Ease Cold Symptoms on the Clean Program

Clean Program Day 15

February 25, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment

I really had the hardest time finding the motivation to start the Clean Program cleanse this time around. I kept putting it off, even though I knew that my body really needed to detox. Sugar had taken hold of my life and I really wasn’t happy. I truly believe that it is a very addicting substance. And now here I am in the last week of the cleanse! 

Here is how I am doing today:

 

Today was uneventful but slightly tricky. My daughter and I went to the mall and this particular one has a gazillion pretzel places. One of my total weaknesses. They just smell so darn good. Anyway of course my daughter wanted some and while she enjoyed her cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks, I snacked on one of my homemade date, coconut, and nut bars (I shared the recipe on Day 14). I made it this far, I am certainly not going to cave over some salty bread.

I am experiencing a bit of a sore throat as mentioned in the video. That can be caused by mucus drainage in your throat. Mucus is one way of your body removing toxins, so this could be a normal part of the detox. Or I could be getting sick with what my daughter came down with last week.

Normally I would load up on the Emergen-C and Elderberry syrup, but both contain sugar so I don’t want to go there. I am already taking Oil of Oregano everyday as part of the cleanse. So I did some research and here is what the Clean Team suggests:

  • use a neti pot
  • a warm salt water gargle
  • throat coat tea
  • hot water with lemon
  • warm water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, lemon, and a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • eucalyptus oil dropped into the bottom of the tub during a shower or added to a spray bottle to mist the air

Ease Cold Symptoms on the Clean Program

I’m also adding in some Thieves essential oil from Young Living as well, just in case it is a cold.

Tomorrow I am planning on getting some lunch at a local vegan and raw restaurant. I am pretty excited as it is my first time eating out in two weeks. I’ll let you know what I get. 

Do you have a favorite remedy for dealing with a sore throat? I would love to know. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

Coconut, Date, Nut Bars ingredients

Clean Program Day 14

February 24, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment

Yay, today marks two weeks on the Clean Program cleanse! I am really feeling all of the positive benefits of going without sugar, gluten, dairy, and processed foods. You can see how I am doing in my video from today:

Over the weekend I got the chance to make a homemade version of a Larabar. I have loved these raw date based bars for a long time, but I was wondering if there was a fresher version that you can make at home. Of course there is and I found this recipe for No Bake Toasted Coconut, Date and Nut Bars. Pretty simple recipe. The most time was spent preheating the oven and then toasting the coconut and cashews. 

You pop all the ingredients into a food processor:

Coconut, Date, Nut Bars ingredients

And then spread it into a parchment lined pan:

Date bars in pan

You place it in the freezer for 20 minutes, take it out of the pan, and cut into bars. I am storing mine in the freezer, but you can refrigerate them as well.

Coconut, Date, and Nut Bars

They are delicious! And only contain seven ingredients. Definitely clean eating here.

Speaking of cleaning eating, today for lunch I had a very filling and very simple to make meal. I call it a Quinoa, Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad. I like to make a batch of quinoa and store it in the fridge. That way it is ready to pull together a quick lunch.

First of all I prepared the dressing. I juiced one lemon and minced a clove of garlic. I placed both into a small bowl and then added in some olive oil (I just eyeball it, aiming for a one to one ratio of lemon juice and olive oil). I put the lid on and then shake it up. Set this aside.

I then fill up a bowl with salad greens. I love the prepackaged spring mix from either Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It is a nice blend of lettuce. Add about 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup of black beans, about a 1/4 cup of mango, half of an avocado, salt and cumin to taste. Then pour the dressing over it all. Dig in. Yum!

Quinoa, Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad

I’m three chapters into the Clean Gut book and I am really fascinated so far. I’ve learned a lot about the digestive system and how much is really going on there. Did you know that there are more neurons in your gut than in your brain? Fascinating. You can order the Clean Gut from Amazon and read along with me. 

Tomorrow I head into my last week of the cleanse. I welcome any questions or comments that you have. Share them below!

Clean Program Day 11

February 21, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment


I am now on Day 11 of the Clean Program Cleanse. I am at half way point! I am feeling pretty good during the day and love how my body is operating without all the added sugar, gluten, and dairy that I was consuming way too much of. Plus all the other ick from processed foods, fast foods, etc. 

You can see how I am doing with my video from today:

Inflammation is such a key to health right now. So many diseases are being linked to it. The best way to remove inflammation from the body is to stop eating inflammatory foods and bring in those that have have an alkalizing effect. 

I just picked up the Clean Gut book by Dr. Alejandro Junger and I am really looking forward to reading it. There are some differences between it and the Clean Program cleanse. The cleanse is meant as a detox to remove toxins and allergens from the body, while the Clean Gut is focused on healing an irritated and injured gut to help with chronic disease and illness. 

I know just from preliminary research that it can be difficult to do this 21 day plan as a vegetarian, as beans are on the exclude list. You can have lentils, quinoa, and eggs however. Which I have seen some really great recipes for eggs lately that sound amazing. Can you tell I am missing them?

This morning for breakfast I had a pineapple and blueberry smoothie. It was a good combination of fruit. Also good with pineapple is unsweetened coconut with coconut milk. I always start with a base of water (a cup), almond or coconut milk (half a cup), a handful of spinach, a tablespoon of almond butter, a tablespoon or two of ground flax seeds or chia seeds, and a scoop of protein powder. You can also add in coconut oil, an avocado, and other greens such as kale or chard. 

For lunch today I am going to make my favorite Chickpea Salad Wraps. If you are making them clean remember to use stoneground mustard and a brown rice wrap. It is also good without the wrap if you don’t have one or you could put wrap it in a piece of lettuce. 

Dinner last night was some pureed veggie, brown rice, and lentil soup. I have some leftover, so that will be dinner tonight. It is a cold and windy day here, so it is all about warmth. Hot tea is an absolute must. I am also planning on doing some baking this afternoon. I’ll let you know tomorrow what I made and what recipe I used.

Looking for Clean Recipes? I’ve created a Clean Pinterest board that you can follow.

Thank you again for following along. I welcome your questions and comments down below!

Clean Program Day 10

February 20, 2014 By Shannon Leave a Comment

Day 10 of doing the Clean Program cleanse is here and I am so happy to be in double digits. I have definitely settled into a routine. One big bummer of choosing now to do the cleanse is my daughter has the next week off from school and that will make planning meals if we do any day trips a bit tricky. 

I am also very much in need of a grocery shopping trip to pick up some greens. Salad greens, kale, cucumbers (okay technically not a green but really great for juicing) are all lacking here. Today for lunch I did a repeat of the Beans and Greens pasta from yesterday. I often find that I will do the same lunch two days in the row because of leftovers or having the right ingredients. It is definitely a time saver for sure. 

I was also craving some non-clean things like pizza. It is hard to give up ooey and gooey things that have a certain chewiness factor. Which means I will probably be in my kitchen making some kind of clean friendly muffins tomorrow. Always good to have around for when those cravings hit. I’m thinking pumpkin based sounds really good. Plus you can freeze them and just pull one out in the morning to thaw or pop it in the toaster oven. Some kind of savory one could be good too.

Just a short update today. I’ll see you tomorrow for day 11!

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