The Cleanse is Back!

Okay, I'm pretty embarrassed for how long it's taken me to post on the blog.  Let's just say that life has been crazy at work, home, and everywhere, but I'm back in the game! And I'm going really big....CLEANSE TIME!

I'm sure everyone is in a similar boat where we ate way more than we wanted to during the holidays and feel (and probably are) about 5-10 pounds heavier.  I also just watched Hungry for Change a documentary about how the way we eat makes us sick and some of the foods we ate, especially sugar, are pretty much like a drug that makes us addicted! I knew about some of the things they talked about, but this really hit home.  

Well, I wanted to RECHARGE my body and start over! So, I'm going to be posting about some of the recipes I used on this cleanse and hopefully this will inspire others to join my 21 day cleansing challenge!  If I can get my husband in on this...you can do it too :) 

Day 1:

Breakfast:

Veggie Shake (to be honest, it's not one of my best, since I don't have our juicer we used to use...but not too shabby)

P.S sorry I don't have pictures for this...I realized later in the day that I would posting recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 bunches of kale chopped (or spinach--whatever tickles your fancy)
• 1/2 lemon (juiced)
• 1/2 cup of orange juice (fresh, not from the carton)
• 1 Fuji Apple (any type of sweet apple)
• 1/2 cup of berries
• 1/2 tsp of grated ginger
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

Directions:

• Put the above ingredients in a blender in the order they appear in the list.
• ENJOY!

Lunch:

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage (from my site)

Almond Baked Chicken Salad (Chicken from Live2Eat).  See below.

BTW, this chicken was NOT very crispy if you follow the recipe from the site.  To make it crispy, I put the broiler on for the last 4-5 minutes of cooking.  Made a HUGE difference in the taste!

Ingredients:

• Almond Baked Chicken
• Organic Baby Romaine Lettuce
• Organic Arugula
• 1/4 cup of organic cucumber
• 1/4 cup of organic sweet red pepper
• 1/2 rip of celery
• 1 tbsp of dried cranberries (no added sugar)
• 1 tbsp of sliced almonds
• Gluten free diva's vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Vinaigrette
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used 1/2 tbsp because I only had dried)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (I used 1/2 tbsp because I only had dried)
salt and pepper to taste



Snack

Fruit and Nut Bites 
(Disclaimer: I used half the amount of nuts because then it's actually possible to make into bite-sized balls.)

Dinner

Almond Chicken Bake (see above for link) and 
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples Recipe (adapted from OhMyVeggies.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of brussel sprouts (trimmed and halved)
• 1 apple (I used Fuij)
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of cranberries
• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup (optional--I didn't use it because of the cleanse and it still came out great!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss brussels sprouts and apple slices with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brussels sprouts are tender and browned on edges, stirring halfway through cooking time.
• Transfer brussels sprouts and apple to large bowl. Stir in cranberries, walnuts, and maple syrup (optional).