Hello, everyone.
I woke up this morning excited about this vegan cleanse. I have already felt amazing with a boost of energy, satiety, and overall great feeling that I am doing something good for my health and well-being. Hope you are sticking to it and feeling wonderful as well.
In this post, I want to give you an
update on my meals, provide you with some recipes and resources, and let you
know what I've learned so far.
See below for my meal breakdown
since we last left off:
Jan. 2
Breakfast
- Oatmeal with bananas and mixed berries
- Bengal Spice tea (featured drink- see recipe below)
Lunch
- Chickpea mixed green salad
- Lentil patties
- Tomato slices
- Berry banana fruit bowl
- Repeated lunch menu (ate leftovers)
Jan. 3
Breakfast
- Pinto bean soup with avocado slices
- Sliced green apples with peanut butter-honey dip
- Zucchini pasta (featured meal-see recipe below)
- Red cabbage/bell pepper sauté
- Kale with Pinto beans
- Ramen with portabella mushrooms, bean sprouts, and
seaweed
- Tomato slices
Jan. 4
Brunch
- Pinto bean soup
- Tabbouleh
- Hibiscus iced tea
Dinner
- Okra lentil soup
- Mixed green salad
- 100% fresh (and organic) cranberry juice
Jan. 5
Breakfast
- Peanut butter, oat, granola mix
- Half of a banana
- Cranberry Chia drink (featured drink-see recipe
below)
This post will be sent out before lunch time. So, I'll fill you in on lunch and more on the next post.
Featured recipes
Bengal Spice tea- This
delicious tea is AMAZING. I consider it to be my new favorite hot drink of
choice. It is great as a breakfast tea, can follow dinner, or be enjoyed before
bedtime. No worries, this is an herbal tea so no caffeine included.
Per the tea box, this tea includes the following ingredients: cinnamon, roasted chicory, roasted carob, natural spice and vanilla flavors, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves, and nutmeg.
BONUS
TIP: My secret to taking this tea to the next level is to first add about
half a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cardamom and a teaspoon of honey to
a cup. Then, I add a small amount of boiling water and mix it all together. I
then let that sit for 30-60 seconds and then I add the tea bag and fill the cup
with boiling water. That’s it! There you have it…yummy goodness in a cup.
Zucchini pasta-This dish is so healthy, simple, and delicious, you will be
amazed. All you have to do is grate 1-2 zucchinis. If it is organic, then it is
fine to keep the outer layer. If not, I’d peel it and toss it out. Once you
grate most the zucchini, all you will have left are the seeds. Feel free to
save this pare and store in your fridge for another recipe for future use.
Heat up a medium-sized flat pan and
then add the zucchini to the pan. Add about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive
oil, sprinkle in some dried rosemary and basil, lightly add some fresh ground
black pepper and sea salt. After about 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat. And
voila…you have zucchini pasta. Transfer your pasta to a dish and enjoy! It goes
great with mixed veggies and/or a mixed green salad.
Cranberry Chia drink- This drink is so delicious and is packed with numerous health
benefits. The health benefits of chia are too many to name. Learn more here.
Cranberry juice also has great benefits, including being a natural remedy for
UTI, detoxing our bodies, cancer fighting properties, and more.
To make this drink, add 3
tablespoons of organic, raw chia seeds to a cup. Pour in enough filtered water
to fill the cup. Seal the cup and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
For the cranberry juice, fill a medium-sized
bowl with organic cranberries. Then, add the cranberries to a medium-sized pot.
Add about 4 cups of filtered water to the pot. Let it heat on the medium-high
setting. Once the water has come to a boil and the cranberries have opened up,
turn off the heat. Let it cool for about 5-7 minutes. Strain the liquid from
the cranberry mix using a strainer. What you will have left is fresh,
delicious, 100% organic cranberry juice. Feel free to add honey or agave syrup
and give it a good stir. Add ice to your liking. You have yummy cranberry
juice. For the remaining pulp, you can throw it out or use it as cranberry jam
for another recipe.
The next day once you take out your
chia seed mix from the fridge, you can make your cranberry-chia drink. All you
have to do is add one part chia mix and one part cranberry juice to a cup (1:1
ratio). Delicious…enjoy!
Helpful resources
I have found the following
resources to be helpful as I source menus, recipes, and general vegan inspiration:
Please let me know if you have any
questions, would like specific recipes, ideas, or more. Feel free to comment
below. Let’s keep it fresh, healthy, and natural!
