Spring Re-Boot Cleanse-Your Most Gorgeous Spring Ever!

Spring has sprung, but have you? Are you ready to bare your skin to the warmth of the sun? Are you radiant, glowing? Or do you need a wee bit of help to face the lazy, crazy days of summer?

 

Well, here you go. In three days, you’ll be glowing with health and wellness and well on your way to a most gorgeous spring and summer. Remember for these 3 days, eat the same menu, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

But that’s not all. For the month of April, to help you re-boot and spring gloriously into warm weather, I’ll be posting a tip or technique, recipe or idea each and every day with the hashtag #OneSmallStep.

 

And I want to hear from you all, too. What’s the key for you in adopting healthy habits? How do you stay on track? Post your tips, ideas, strategies and photos (if you like) with the same hashtag (#OneSmallStep) on any of my social playgrounds and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a surprise…from me to you. We’ll post the winner on April 30!

 

Enjoy!

 

Tips and Techniques for a Serious Re-Boot

These are things I found to be most useful when I did this wee cleanse to try it out for y’all before I shared it.

 

Sleep at least seven hours per night. I found I could not watch the late news and then sleep. I turned off all my devices one hour before bed. I highly recommend it and still do it…post cleanse.

 

Take a walk daily in nature-in the park, on trails, in the woods, on the beach or wherever nature takes you. The sun helps your body produce vitamin D and it will boost your mood.

 

Take a detox bath every evening for the 3 days of your cleanse. Draw bath water as hot as you can stand it with 2 cups salt in the water (you can use regular salt or Epsom salts). Soak in the bath for 10 minutes and then rinse off in a cool shower and moisturize your skin with a natural non-comedogenic body lotion like Sanctum Body Balm (https://www.christinacooks.com/products/body-balm).

 

Exercise daily, but perhaps not as strenuously as you usually do for these 3 days. You may feel tired if you push too hard at the gym while cleansing. I found I grew exhausted through my usual workouts so I took a 3-day break from my beloved gym and just walked.

 

Drink a lot of water and avoid caffeine (coffee and black tea) and alcohol.

 

Don’t eat 3 hours before going to bed so your liver doesn’t spend the night metabolizing and you rest deeply. If you’re hungry before bed, try a cup of warm herbal tea but try not to eat.

 

Start each of the 3 days with hot lemon water to boost your metabolism. Simply boil 1 cup water and pour over the juice of ¼ of a fresh lemon. Drink while it’s hot. I still do this 2-3 times a week as maintenance. I love it. It stokes my metabolism and keeps me sane.

 

Breakfast

Quinoa Salad

Cook ½ cup quinoa, rinsed well, with 4 tablespoons frozen organic corn, ½ carrot, diced, ½ stalk celery, diced with 1 cup spring or filtered water until liquid is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 4 sprigs flatleaf parsley, minced and the juice of ¼ fresh lemon.

A high protein, anti-inflammatory dish with the detox boost of parsley and lemon.

 

6 1-inch cubes tofu, cooked in mild miso broth (make the broth by simmering 2 cups spring or filtered water with 2 teaspoons white miso and a splash of soy sauce). Simmer tofu for 7-10 minutes before serving. Discard the broth after eating tofu.

High in protein with the fermented quality of miso to ease digestion and for staying power through your morning.

 

1 cup steamed or boiled kale or collard greens (Cook leaves whole and slice after cooking to retain nutrients)

Chlorophyll-rich greens will keep you energized until lunch.

 

Lunch

Rejuvenating  Salad

Combine 1 small carrot, cut into ribbons on a mandolin or with a peeler, ½ bunch flatleaf parsley, coarsely chopped, 2 cups baby arugula, 1 cup cooked brown basmati rice, ½ cup cooked chickpeas, 2-3 red radishes, sliced thinly, 5-6 leaves fresh basil, shredded, ½ ripe avocado, sliced or diced, 1 tablespoon chia seeds. Dress by whisking together: 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon stoneground mustard, 1 teaspoon brown rice syrup, 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice. Toss with salad and serve immediately.

This satisfying salad helps your liver to metabolize more efficiently, balance your pH, stabilize blood sugar and keep you satisfied.

 

Green Juice (from my pal, Kris Carr, the queen of juicing)

Big fistful of kale, 1 large cucumbers, big fistful sweet pea sprouts (if you can get them; otherwise, leave out), 2 stalks celery, 1 broccoli stem (peeled), 1 green apple or pear, small piece fresh ginger, small handful flatleaf parsley. Juice all ingredients and enjoy.

Cleansing, rejuvenating and refreshing.

 

1 piece fresh fruit (preferably grapefruit) and 12 almonds

 

Dinner

Yummy Broccoli ‘Crème’ Soup

Place 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, ¼ red onion, diced, 1 clove fresh garlic, minced, 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced in a soup pot and saute for 2 minutes with a pinch of sea salt. Stir in 1 small parsnip, diced, 1 broccoli spear, diced-include peeled stem and florets, ½ cup rolled oats and 2 cups spring or filtered water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer soup to a food processor and puree until smooth with 1 cup baby spinach, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and a pinch of crushed red chili flakes. Add water to thin if soup is too thick, but thicker is better. Serve garnished with lightly pan toasted pumpkin seeds.

An anti-oxidant-rich, cancer-fighting, deeply satisfying way to ease digestion.

 

Cauliflower Rice Salad

Make cauliflower ‘rice’ by pulsing ½ head cauliflower in a food processor until the texture of rice. Mix with 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 diced cucumber, 1 bunch flatleaf parsley, coarsely chopped, ¼ red onion, finely diced, 4 leaves finely shredded kale, 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Cancer fighting, anti-oxidant-rich cauliflower is the star of this tabbouleh-like salad that will give you lots of staying power.

 

1 piece fresh seasonal fruit, 2 1-oz squares dark chocolate (non dairy, 70% or higher…you may also enjoy Lily’s Sweets Chocolate, a Fair Trade, stevia-sweetened chocolate)

 

Creating the shopping list, I worked to use foods in more than one dish to keep things manageable for you.

 

Shopping List

Grocery

Quinoa

Frozen corn (organic if possible)

Soy sauce

White miso

Extra firm tofu

Brown basmati rice

Chickpeas (canned or dried)

Chia seed

Extra virgin olive oil

Stoneground mustard

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

Rolled oats

Brown rice syrup

Crushed red chili flakes or chili powder

Pumpkin seeds

Dark chocolate bars (non-dairy) I recommend Lily’s Sweets Chocolate (stevia sweetened, Fair Trade)

 

Produce

Carrots

Celery

Flatleaf parsley

Lemons

Kale

Collards

Baby arugula

Baby spinach

Red radishes

Cherry tomatoes

Pears

Basil

Avocado

Oranges

Sweet pea sprouts (optional)

Broccoli

Green apples (Granny Smith)

Ginger

Grapefruit

Red onion

Garlic

Parsnip

Cauliflower