Hey there! What’s the happs? Hehe So, I did the three-day cleanse last week that I was planning for in my 2014 goals list. WOW. Glad THAT’S over!! Apparently, so are my co-workers, because when I got my dietary freedom back, there was a packet of Starbucks Via sitting on my desk. I knew I was cranky, but thought I was doing such a good job hiding it! HA! I can picture them talking about it when I wasn’t around: “Man, get that b*&ch some freaking coffee already!” What can I say? I love me some caffeine.
But I did it! Wellll…. mostly. I threw in the towel on the last night after daydreaming about tuna sandwiches all day. I mean, come on. Who fantasizes about tuna sandwiches? I had to put an end to that nonsense, so I called it a little early. But I feel great, lost a couple of holiday pounds and reset my taste buds- I was on a bit of a sugar binge lately. Here’s the menu I came up with:
DAY ONE
Breakfast: two cups steel cut oatmeal with a TBSP honey; green tea and apple
Lunch: large spinach salad with bell peppers, cucumber and celery, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing; hard boiled egg and one egg white.
Dinner: all-clean soup (recipe below)
Snacks: sliced vegetables, banana, orange, larabar, herbal tea, hot water with lemon
DAY TWO
Breakfast: one whole egg and one white cooked with coconut oil and sea salt; one slice Ezekial toast with one TBSP sunflower seed butter; green tea and banana
Lunch: large spinach salad with bell peppers, cucumber and celery, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing; hard boiled egg white, one cup oatmeal with one TBSP honey, orange
Dinner: all-clean soup; apple, half an avocado; detox tea
Snacks: 1/4 Cup each walnuts with raisins, sliced vegetables, larabar, herbal tea, hot water with lemon
DAY THREE
Breakfast: one whole egg and one white cooked with coconut oil and sea salt; one slice Ezekial toast with one TBSP sunflower seed butter; green tea and banana
Lunch: large spinach salad with bell peppers, cucumber and celery with a hard boiled egg white-forgot my dressing; all-clean soup.
Dinner: we covered this above, no?
Snacks: apple, 1/4 Cup each walnuts and raisins, sliced vegetables, herbal tea
Basically, my rules were- NO: dairy, refined sugar or wheat, soy, meat or fish. VERY LIMITED: caffeine (two cups green tea per day max), sodium, and whole grains. LOTS OF: fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, seeds and tea. I kept the food pretty repetitive and basic so that it would be easier to prep ahead of time. And so I wouldn’t cheat!
All-clean soup
3 BPA-free cans organic no-salt added chopped tomatoes, italian seasoned
2 BPA-free cans organic white pinto beans
5 Cups organic kale, spine removed and leaves chopped
2 Cups organic spinach
Medium yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Cups organic low sodium vegetable broth or water
small BPA-free can organic tomato paste
Organic coconut oil
2-4 TBSP Italian seasoning (to taste)
Pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
Variations: frozen organic mixed veggies of your choice
Heat coconut oil in bottom of large pot on medium-high. Sprinkle salt over top of heated oil, then add chopped onions. Saute until they begin to soften. Add kale and saute until bright green and softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir to combine before adding tomatoes, broth or water, canned beans, half the can of tomato paste, italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil, add spinach and frozen vegetables if using. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until frozen vegetables are heated through. Store covered in fridge until ready to eat. Tastes better the next day!
Disclaimer: This soup is for a cleanse. Is it the best soup you’ll ever eat? I’m not gonna lie, probably not. It’s a pretty basic tomato-based veggie soup after all. But it’s tasty compared to other soup recipes I’ve tried for cleanses and detox routines. What it lacks in sodium, it makes up for in vitamins and nutrients. Plus it’s filling, gets your greens servings in and has protein your body needs. It’s not awful, I swear! I just want you to know what we are talking about here 😉 For added flavor, top with balsamic vinegar, cooked quinoa or fresh herbs.
