New Beginning-Detox

About a month before Baby Boo was born, I quite my job. I knew that I wanted to be a stay at home Mom, so there was no need for me to continue working. My plan was to take that time off and get ready for my new Baby, as well as rest as much as possible, because I knew I would have lack their of in the coming future. (Little did I know a lack their off would continue ten months later.)

Before I knew it I was bored. I had folded and refolded new born onesies, read more than enough about what to expect when the baby was born, and I wasn’t even getting any sleep since Baby Boo found the right side of my rib cage the most comfortable position.

I called my mom complaining, saying how much I wished Baby Boo would get here just so I could have something to do.

My mom told me to enjoy my time, because I would never.be.bored.again.

I laughed.

‘haha Mom what do you know??’

Ten months later…

My mom knows everything.

I have complained before about the lack of showers, lack of sleep, lack of clean house, lack of sleep, lack of cut clothes, lack of sleep..

So you obviously know I am no longer bored.

Tired..Not bored.

And although I wouldn’t have my life any other way, time flies, and before you know it your way behind in laundry, haven’t had a solid workout in a while, and your food is less than stellar..

So that is why I decided it was time for a..

“New Beginning“

Sometimes we just need to rejuvenate and refresh ourselves, all the while, starting over.

I need to repair my self and strengthen my mentality, my spirituality, my physicality, my emotions(lord knows I have many), and my overall health and wellness.

I re-evaluated and re-adjusted some of my goals, and I am ready to move forward and make myself a better Ari 🙂

Today I am going to talk about Goal Number 1:

Personal Detox/Cleanse

The reason I say ‘personal’ is because I have adapted this detox plans to fit my own personal needs that are best for me and my body. If you are considering a Detox, talk with a doctor, and weigh out all your options. Remember, I am not a doctor.. 🙂

• Why A Personal Detox/Cleanse: It’s not just the overload of Sugar that has encountered my life in the past few days, but I have also recently felt bloated and crampy. I always eat well, but I feel it’s best to give my digestive system, as well as my whole body a good clean out, and a break. There is a great website that talks about the benefits of a Detox, Alaina Rose shared this with me and you can check it out HERE.
• What’s the Plan: The plan for me is to stay away from Dairy, Meat, Gluten/Wheat, refined sugars, processed foods, and soy. Oh and Chocolate. (Tear). Most of these will be pretty easy to stay away from, but what I have noticed the most difficult to be is Wheat, Chocolate, and Soy.
• How is it coming? : I didn’t realize how much my diet often consisted of carbs and…chocolate, until now. I am so happy I am doing this, because it’s helping me realize what I have been putting in my body, even when I thought I was doing a great job.
• What have you been eating: Delicious.Delicious.Food. I am here to say that you can eat yummy clean food, all the while not sacrificing hunger and taste.

To start of I have had a fresh squeezed juice every day.

Sweet Blackberries Juice

3 carrots, 1 cucumber, 2 apples, 1/2 cup blackberries

Fresh squeezed juice can be kind of scary, but this one I feel would be GREAT for Newbies!

Newbies like Baby Boo..

She loved it! She kept wanting more..Little juice hog!

There also has been PLENTY of Green Smoothies 🙂

I cannot live a day with out one..

Chocolate Covered Berry Smoothie

1 cup rice milk

2 cups spinach (or greens of choice)

1/4 frozen raspberries

1/4 cup frozen Blackberries

1 frozen banana

chocolate protein powder(raw/vegan)

2 TB chia seeds

P.S. My favorite Protein Powder to date:

 Thank you to Liz who sent me these samples, I am in LA LA LOVE!

Want another Green Smoothie?

PB & Blueberry Green Smoothie

1 cup rice milk

2 cups spinach

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 tsp. Peanut Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum

2 TB Chia Seeds

This one taste like a PB & Jelly Sandwhich crossed with Blueberry muffin!

For snacks I have stuck with alot of fruits and raw veggies, but every once in a while I’ll crave something a little different.

Rice cake with a little bit of PB and homemade sugarless jelly!

Sugar-less Jelly?

How do you do that??

Quick Homemade Sugar Free Jam

1/4 cup raspberries

1 TB Chia Seeds

Mash together…and spread!

*If you want something a little sweeter like Jelly, feel free to add a little of agave/maple syrup.*

For main meals such as dinner and lunches, I try my best to include lots of veggies, protein sources from lentils and nuts and seeds, and a little bit of Gluten Free Carbs.

A salad I enjoyed today was a Kale Salad.

Kale can be somewhat scary, but I promise you it’s not. Kale is known to help aid in the detoxification process 🙂 It also has tons of nutrients, antioxidants, aids in digestion, and tons of vitamins.

Lemony Kale Salad

2 cups Kale

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

1 tsp. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Massage ingredients into kale until coated. Top with desired salad toppings. I did:

Blackberries

Tomatoes

Almonds

Carrots

Cranberries

*Goat cheese would be YUM YUM on this salad as well..Or some lemony chicken…Or Both!*

I have also been roasting a bunch of veggies to have on hand when needed.

I have even cooked up some brown rice, lentils and beans, and quinoa to throw in salads, wraps, and soups.

Like this salad, which is a bed of spinach, italian spiced quinoa, and roasted veggies!

I topped it with THIS sauce, but instead of using the pepper the recipe called for, I replaced it with sweet corn.

I loved it!! Sweet, yet Savory!

(P.S. Ashley From the Edible Perspective has great sources and recipes for doing a Detox! Definitely check her out!)

Hubby and Baby Boo even got in on the action.

Hubby’s dinner:

Spinach, Quinoa, Veggies, and Chicken.

Baby Boo’s:

Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potato.

Happy Healthy Family 🙂

For now at least 🙂 Hubby made me make him homemade Mac N’ Cheese tonight to make up for his abundance of veggies last night…

I’ll get him someday 🙂

As for now I’ll continue to sneak hidden healthy tid bits in his food every so often…Kind of like what you do with 5 year olds..

Probably the hardest part of this whole detox has been the lack of sweets. It’s not like I pig out on sweets every day, but I always grab a bite of dark chocolate here and there to satisfy my craving..

I was beginning to worry I wasn’t going to be able to do it for two weeks..

That was until I created this little angel…

Vegan.

Gluten Free.

No Sugar.

No Dairy.

Detox Friendly.

And taste like chocolate..

.

🙂 Me Likey…

Recipe coming soon! 🙂 Have a great week!

*I am not a doctor. If you are considering a cleanse please consult a Doctor to establish the best choices for YOU personally :)*