Cleanse: Treats and other yummy stuff

About a week into this thing we hadn't had any sugar and I was beginning to get cranky! Ok, maybe it was hormones but I needed SOMETHING sweet'ish. So I got creative and sliced up some bananas, rolled them in finely shredded coconut, and then froze them on a small baking sheet. Once frozen, I tossed them in a tupperware in the freezer for when a sweets craving arose. This is our after dinner, after Asher goes to bed, tasty hot & cold treat! We have a cup of chamomile-vanilla and detox tea with a splash of soymilk. I find it's best to drink detox teas at night so your body can do the work while you sleep. Sometimes detox teas can make you nauseous if you drink them early in the day. I topped a few slices of frozen banana with raw almond butter and a drizzle of local honey. YUM!

Roasted dandelion root tea has a nice rich roasted color and flavor, perfect to add a splash of soy or almond milk to! Local raw honey is great to use (sparingly) for something sweet because using local honey can help aid allergies if you have them, as well as boost your immune system! 

I make smoothies every day and sometimes I make just a little too much so I decided to freeze some in Asher's star popsicle molds and my flower shaped silicone ice cube molds. They worked great and made for a nice protein packed frozen treat! 

Slightly messy, but fun little "Smoothie Bites" I feed to Asher!

I didn't take pictures but I like to make easy to use baggies of smoothie blends with precut frozen fruit. I buy a bunch of our favorite organic frozen fruits and mix them up in freezer bags in tasty combinations like Mango-Raspberry-Blueberry or 3 Berry blend or this one which is DARK CHERRY-Raspberry-Blueberry! I always throw in a few slices of banana, a handful of spinach, scoop of whey, and a pinch of chia seeds for a quick breakfast full of nutrients!

The boy, waiting patiently for his smoothie

Yummy dark cherries! 

Lots of antioxidants here!

For a heartier breakfast, usually on the weekend, I've been making scrambled eggs and a small green smoothie. The eggs have bell peppers, onion, a few slices of avocado and some organic salsa. No cheese, dairy, or salt used here!

Love for the Hubs

Geof has been going strong during this cleanse! Truthfully, I've made it pretty easy on him by making everything he eats and drinks. He's totally on board and even while traveling he's done a great job sticking to the program on his own! That said, I wanted to make a few comforting favorites while we watched the Bronco's playoff game this Sunday. I found a recipe for a Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip and also a Nutritional Yeast "Queso" that both used cashews as a dairy substitute. I said, what the hell, can't be that bad right?! It was delish and we also had a glass of cabernet with the game. One cheat item per week is the deal we made (and we're both glad we did) :o)

Here's the recipe

for the Spinach and artichoke dip and the cashew cream

Cashew Cream: 1 cup RAW cashews, soaked for 4 hours and 1 cup filtered water in a blender on high = a creamy cashew mixture that resembles a thick milk.

Cleanse friendly football snacks! Lightly roasted some broccoli and cauliflower, sliced some cucumbers, and I allowed for a few rice crackers from a package! Totally a cheat eating something processed but I couldn't make my own again. Still, one is no salt and one is low salt and all are gluten free. The hubs deserved every bit!

The "Queso" turned out good too, but the flavor of the raw cashews started to turn into that of roasted cashews as I was heating it up on the stovetop. I liked the flavor more before and I wonder how you could heat it without 'roasting' the raw nuts... Here's the recipe!

These are a few of Geof's lunches that I've been packing for him. 

Detox drink, tea, smoothie (not pictured), oatmeal and banana for breakfast, a green salad and some veggie soup for lunch, and leftover artichoke dip and crackers for an afternoon snack.

Oatmeal, soy milk, fruit, and an egg for breakfast. Lunch is brown rice and baked chicken with a green salad and avocado, nutritional yeast dressing. Apple and almond butter for a snack. (forgot to include his tea and detox drink in this pic) 

Detox drink, tea, oatmeal, banana, egg for breakfast. Green salad with grilled chicken salad and seed 'bread' for lunch. Celery and hummus or nuts and apricots for afternoon snack. 

Today is Day 12 and our two weeks of cleansing is up on Wednesday! We decided to take it to the end of the week, making 16 days total. Friday evening we plan on having a nice dinner date to celebrate the end of The Cleanse, woo hoo! We're on the home stretch, feeling great, and I'm hoping to share some of the good, bad, and the ugly later on...

XO,
~Neely~