Greensformation

Being in the second week of the Clean Program cleanse I think is pretty easy. You have gotten over the feeling of being deprived of all your favorite things, you have settled into a rhythm of what works in your smoothies, what to eat for lunch, and just how to say no to all the tempting things. Here is how I am doing on Day 9:

Sleep is a big issue for me. As I said in the video, I am a huge night owl. There is always one more email to read, show to watch, row of knitting to do, etc. Before I know it, it is much later than I expected it to be. I work from home, but I don’t have the luxury of being able to sleep in. I have to get my daughter to school, so that means an early wake up call.

I have been getting some really great nights of sleep though. Other than the one night last week, I have been sleeping very soundly and feeling rested when I wake up. That is definitely a nice benefit of cleansing and detoxing. It also helps to pass the time of the twelve hour window of fasting.  My advice is to try and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. It is so important!

Today I made a Beans and Greens pasta for lunch. It is one of my favorite meals to make at home and Clean friendly. I used a rice and quinoa pasta, lacinato kale, cannellini beans, garlic, and fresh lemon juice.  So easy and delicious!

Dinner was on the run tonight, so I made a smoothie early and brought it with me. Luckily the weather is pretty cold here, so leaving it in the car was fine. I have been known to bring a smoothie with me in a cooler when the weather is warmer though. 

Have you done the Clean Program cleanse? What have you done when your evening meal was during hours that you were out of the house? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear your ideas!

I’m happy to say that I am now on Day 8 of the Clean Program Cleanse. I missed posting for three days, but really they were pretty uneventful. Which is a good thing. Here is how I am feeling today:

Saturday my daughter had ballet rehearsal and I usually spend the morning at the dance studio. I brought along my smoothie and some hot green tea. It is pretty cold in Michigan right now, so I’ve been really cognizant of making sure that I am drinking plenty of water along with my tea. 

I mentioned in my video that it can be difficult to eat out while doing the Clean Program Cleanse, but it is certainly not impossible. Find a vegetarian restaurant in your area at the Happy Cow directory. Many will either have something on their menu or be able to accommodate you. There is a great vegan and raw restaurant near me that has a wonderful salad with “creamy” dressings made from cashews instead of dairy. I’m looking forward to enjoying one for lunch during the cleanse. Otherwise get a green salad from a restaurant with clean approved veggies, chickpeas or beans, and ask for some lemon wedges and olive oil to make your own dressing. If you are not eating vegan for the clean you could also add salmon or chicken.

Sunday my daughter and I went to the movies. It was so sad to pass on the popcorn and candy, but I did bring in my own snack and went with a bottled water. I know it is not likely to happen but I would love to see a movie theater allow you to bring an empty reusable water bottle in and provide a bottle filler. 

For dinner on Sunday I made a very basic vegetable, brown rice, and lentil soup for dinner. I sautéed an onion, a clove of garlic, stalk of celery, a carrot, broccoli in a pan then added vegetable broth, brown rice, and red lentils. I cooked for about 30-35 minutes until the rice and lentils were done and then pureed with my submersible blender. It was delicious and hearty. 

Monday I started off the day with a smoothie and by lunch I was wanting something different. I have a favorite locally made hummus that is Clean friendly and I spread some on a brown rice wrap, then added spinach and shredded carrots for a quick lunch. I was hoping to add an avocado but I didn’t have any ripe ones.

Today is now Tuesday and I am so glad that the first week flew by with just a few minor days of adjustment. As I mentioned in my video above, I am feeling so much better after saying goodbye to sugar, dairy, and gluten. My energy level feels pretty good, my intestinal system is working much better (ahem), I’ve shed a few pounds, and my skin is clearing of some acne that I still deal with in my late 30s along with some eczema. 

Today for lunch I think I am going to do a repeat of yesterday and I am also planning on raiding my fridge to make a great green juice for a mid afternoon snack. I’ll let you know what I come up with.

As I mentioned on my video I would love to know if you are doing Clean or if you have done it. Let me know any stumbling blocks that you may be having. Or any tips that you would love to share. Comment down below. Thanks!

Today I woke up feeling so much better than yesterday. Those first few days of detox can be really rough. I think if you can get through the first three days of the Clean Program Cleanse, then it is much smoother sailing. Here is how I am feeling today:

Today I made myself the Creamy Avocado Pasta from yesterday with my leftover avocado half. I always leave the pit in, place it in a container, and put it in the fridge. Usually the second half of an avocado will keep nicely for at least one night.

Then I was off to do some volunteer work. This was a tricky day to manage. The timing of of my volunteer shift meant that I had to pack some clean friendly snacks and that I might be getting home for dinner a bit late. I brought along some fresh raspberries, brown rice cakes, and some almond butter cookies (that I had made yesterday). You can find both recipes in my post from Day 3. 

It was also Valentine’s Day! Oh all the chocolate and yummy goodness that I had to pass up. It was tricky and I wish that I had planned ahead and ordered some chocolate from Gnosis Chocolate. Most of their chocolate bars and truffles are clean friendly (and delicious!). Temptation is tricky while doing the cleanse and it can be hard to feel left out. Planning ahead is definitely the key though. There are so many recipes and treats out there that you can have during the Clean Program, that it makes it easier. 

For dinner tonight I had another smoothie because I simply did not have time to make soup. Being winter I am definitely leaning toward finishing the day with some warm soup. I’ve also found a nice cup of warm herbal tea while curled up on the couch is great. 

Normally I spend the evening either reading a book, watching a little bit of tv, or doing some knitting with a glass of wine. That can be a tough habit to give up, but I have not really missed the wine. Right now I am really enjoying watching the Olympics. All that cold makes the wine unappealing! 🙂 

This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one, so I am unsure if I will be updating on things are going. If not look for me early next week. As always I welcome your questions and comments!

I’m writing this as I near the end of day 2 of doing the Clean Program. I’m definitely ending the day with a bit of a withdrawal headache. Not fun, but I was expecting it. This is how I felt this morning:

Definitely a change from this morning. I’ve also noticed that my sense of smell has increased already. The strawberries (not allowed in the Clean Program) that I bought for my daughter at the grocery store smelled amazing! I wouldn’t say that I felt hungry most of the day, just that some foods smelled really, really good. 

Today I had a smoothie with water, almond milk, almond butter, spinach, flax seeds, vanilla protein powder, and a blend of frozen cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Lunch and dinner were leftovers from Day 1. I also did a massive shopping trip stocking up on fresh fruits and veggies, chia seeds, almond butter, and everything I should need this week.

I also sipped on water with lemon, as well as some hot green tea all day today. Tonight I will probably have a cup of Natural Calm before bed to help with the headache and follow that up with some olive oil in a shot glass and a water with lemon chaser. Sounds gross, but it isn’t so bad once you are used to it. 

Tomorrow I am hoping to have some time for baking either these Clean friendly Almond Butter Chip Cookies or some Zucchini Muffins (although I may try substituting pumpkin for the zucchini, as I forgot to get some at the store). These are perfect for an afternoon snack and are a total treat. 

That’s it for Day 2. See you tomorrow when I start Day 3!

Yesterday I said goodbye to all my favorite things (Starbucks, cupcakes, gluten, oh my!) and today I began a journey to better health and functioning. Last year was a year of great change and a lot of it was positive, but oh my so stressful. I am most definitely a stress eater. 

Sugar and other bad food choices have overrun my diet. A few years ago I was introduced to the Clean Program by Dr. Alejandro Junger. I thought that it was one of the most difficult things I had ever done diet wise. It feels like you are cutting out all the fun foods. Really what you are doing is living on mostly whole foods and letting your gut restore itself. 

I’ve wanted to do the program again, but I just couldn’t bring myself to start, was waiting for the right time, excuse after excuse. This week I decided that time wasn’t just going to magically appear and I needed to commit to it. So here it is. Day 1.

They do sell a kit to get started with, but I have found that to be completely unnecessary. I ordered the Clean book from Amazon, picked out an acceptable protein powder, did some supplement and grocery shopping and I was good to go. And that is what I am planning on doing this time around.

My protein powder of choice for my daily smoothies is by Sun Warrior. Their Warrior Blend is a raw vegan protein that is a combination of pea, cranberry, and hemp seed protein. It is “sweetened” with stevia and I like mine in the vanilla flavor. It works well with all of the smoothies that I make. 

Today I started off with a smoothie made from water, almond milk, almond butter, flax seeds, frozen mangos, spinach, and protein powder. Delicious. It does take some getting used to drinking a smoothie for breakfast rather than having eggs, potatoes, oatmeal, or cereal, but now I really prefer to starting the day off that way. 

Lunch was one of my favorite clean recipes Chickpea Salad Wraps from Oh She Glows. I have a serious love affair with this meal. It is so easy to make and it is just absolutely delicious. Expect to see this one many times coming up in the next few weeks. I use a brown rice tortilla from Food for Life. I usually get them from Whole Foods, but have also seen them carried at the grocery store in the freezer section. You have to heat them up a bit before they will wrap (otherwise they break into pieces). Also I use stoneground mustard as that is clean approved.

Dinner will probably be another smoothie or I may make a pesto white bean soup. That recipe comes from the Clean forums which is an awesome place to get support and recipes. In fact if you need a plan to follow they have a 21 day Clean meal plan with recipes that make it super easy.

So far today I feel fine, but I am sure that tomorrow will be another story. I am ready for a sugar withdrawal headache, but it usually doesn’t last too long. 

This time around I am also planning on adding in a daily meditation practice (which I have never done before) and hopefully adding in daily green juices as well. Thanks for visiting and I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or just want to offer some support.