Saturday, March 31, 2012

Fenugreek Smoothie


This smoothie is so simple, and so incredibly tasty. I sprouted Fenugreek seeds and blended the sprouts with 1 cucumber and 1 avocado. Added water and a little bit of sea salt. I was blown away in delight over the taste. I drank it all and had to have another! A really cool side note on eating Fenugreek- it will make your sweat smell like maple syrup! No need for deodorant when Fenugreek is around. =)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Day 12 of a 15 day Alkaline Cleanse




I’ve wanted to give my body a good cleanse for over a year. It wasn’t until It became a class assignment that I had the determination to make it happen.

I had two choices of which cleanse to do. I chose the challenging one.

It’s broken up into 3 phases. The first 4 days you can have cooked veggies & Quinoa, the next 7 days its all raw, and the last 4 days is all liquid.

Initially I thought the cooked days would be a breeze while the rest would be tough. Ha! My mind, my routines and my habits went into battle mode right away. I was grouchy, anxious and not in the mood for any BS. I wondered how I would ever be able to live without Quinoa. (a habit I’d only had for 4 days!)

I moved into the Raw stage and marveled at how my energy went up and down through out the day. I thought, wow, this cleanse has turned me into a roller coaster! Oh wait- I was like this before the cleanse! Lol!

Cracking open coconuts has been a good release of aggression and the rewards are oh so sweet! My breakfast is Coconut smoothies that have coconut water, coconut meat & almond butter with a splash of vanilla and cinnamon. You wanna talk about delicious! Even after working out for 2 hours, I wasn’t hungry until way later in the day.

What I’ve noticed, and what I always notice when I only eat Raw food, is that I don’t need as much to eat. The organic vegetables I am eating are so nutritionally dense that my body is totally satisfied. When you take away the cravings everything shifts in a dramatic way. The past 3 days I’ve practically had to force myself to eat. I just haven’t felt hungry. I feel that I’m back in the flow of my body’s natural rhythm. Cleansing is such a fascinating process!

Today is the beginning of the all liquid segment. I feel pretty good. My eyes are bright, my mind feels sharp and my clothes fit a lot better.

Here is a list of the foods I can have in case any of you would like to try it.

- Everything green-lettuce, kale, collards, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, ect.
- All herbs- parsley, basil, cilantro, mint
- Cucumbers
- Sprouts
- Ginger, cayenne, jalapeno
- Avocados
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Tomatoes
- Lemons
- Grapefruit
- Watermelon
- Young Coconuts
- Raw Almonds and/or almond butter
- Raw sesame seeds and/or Tahini

I’ve been growing my own sprouts which is super fun, easy, cheap & tasty! I’ve also discovered that I love grapefruits. I would have never thought. These types of cleanses are excellent for resetting the taste buds. I have especially enjoyed the fresh lettuce, parsley & mint from our garden. (the dew kissed Kale is excited to feed me too!)

Another important part of the cleanse is regular enemas or colonics to flush your system out. The cleanse loosens toxins and if you don’t remove them your body will just reabsorb them and store them for a later opportunity. It’s not the most pleasant part of the process, tho I can definitely understand the benefits.

I feel inspired to keep my diet rich in these foods after the cleanse is over!

My best advice is to be prepared. Have plenty of fresh food and meal ideas and do not wait until you are very hungry to try and figure out what you are going to eat. Otherwise, you may feel like biting the person next to you! =)