Greensformation

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. 

 

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!

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

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!

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:

And then spread it into a parchment lined 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.

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!

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!