The countdown to my Detox is ON! Only a few more days and I will be fully meat, dairy, wheat, alcohol, caffeine and sugar free for three weeks.
What the heck are you thinking? You ask.
I can’t wait to see how I feel. Quality of life is what it is all about. I’ve never done anything like this in all my years of various diets and exercise. When I was offered the chance to do this, right off the bat I was thinking, no wine, no way. But then the more I thought about it, the more interested I was to see how much better I would feel not being hung over on the weekends. Well, at least for three weekends.
Then I thought about how some people are constantly complaining about how terrible they feel and I look down at lunch; a double whopper with cheese, chicken nuggets, a large fry and a big ol’ diet coke. Or a frozen dinner filled made with tons of salt and unrecognizable ingredients and, of course, the ever present diet coke. Hey, I’m not saying I never have a diet soda but I practice moderation and that is my hope for people; that we learn how to eat healthy foods in general and indulge occasionally. I love how Michael Pollan said eat all the junk food you want, but make it yourself from scratch. I can attest that this works because we made our own potato chips for the Easter cookout with some of the potatoes I got from the farm and it was a several hour process to make what would equal one bag. We won’t be eating chips again any time soon! Let’s stop complaining about how we feel and take responsibility for our health. The biggest problem I have run into when I try to talk to people about what is in the food we eat is that they just don’t WANT to know because then they would be forced to be aware. Then, in the very next breath, tell me how overweight they are or how their knees continue to go out on them, tired, lethargic and so on. ARGH!
When it comes down to it all I can do is lead by example and talk about how amazing I feel.
I began changing up my diet a bit over the last few weeks so I wouldn’t have to go cold turkey. The plan I will be following actually has a step down for caffeine (aka my coffee in the morning) but I decided to be proactive and give it up early. I was so happy to find teeccino and have decided my favorite is the chocolate mint version. I have added ground flax seed, a swig of apple cider vinegar, and my own touch, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. YEOWZA! That will jumpstart your morning!
Additionally I have begun trying new things such as sprouting grains and beans and making Portobello mushroom sandwiches (recipe to follow) as well as stockpiling “Detox” recipes for ideas but I really would like to just begin trusting my instinct more. I have been doing this for the past few weeks and have been really pleased with the recipes I have come up with.
Speaking of the bean sprouts, this leads me to my recipe. This is not necessary for you to do, you can simply use a can of beans, but it has been so much fun watching the sprouts grow and is such an easy process. If you are interested in sprouting anything yourself, I suggest going to Sproutpeople.org. So far I have sprouted quinoa, oat groats and white beans and found that the beans really still need to be cooked a bit. I simply steamed them until they were soft enough to suit my taste, I drained them and let them cool and then added them to a kale salad. Greens are one of the things specified to eat every day on the Detox in some form or another. There are so many varieties this should be easy but kale is my favorite. The sundried tomatoes add a lovely tang that compliments the sweet honey and aromatic garlic of the dressing.
Have you ever tried a Detox? What did it involve? How did you feel?
How about fasting? How did you feel? My dad mentioned that he used to fast but I am just not at that point.
I love hearing your thoughts! Have a FABULOUS Thursday.
Kale Salad with Sprouted White Beans, Sundried Tomatoes and Honey-Garlic Vinaigrette
About 8 1-cup Servings (results will vary with amount of kale)
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
¼ cup sweet onion
6 un-sulphured sun dried tomatoes, soaked in water to soften
1 cup dry white beans, sprouted and steamed (or 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
1 plum tomato, sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
Dressing
¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp raw honey
2 cloves garlic
Directions
- Add kale to a large bowl; whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller bowl. Season the kale with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Pour dressing over and massage into kale for about 2 minutes until kale begins to wilt.
- Chop sundried tomatoes and add to bowl; add white beans, toss mixture well and re-season if necessary. Top with pine nuts.
Nutrition Facts
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 196.8
Total Fat 10.4 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.8 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 72.7 mg
Potassium 516.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23.0 g
Dietary Fiber 4.6 g
Sugars 6.5 g
Protein 6.3 g
Vitamin A 221.6 %
Vitamin B-6 8.8 %
Vitamin C 57.5 %
Vitamin E 4.2 %
Calcium 10.1 %
Copper 16.7 %
Folate 11.9 %
Iron 15.2 %
Magnesium 14.2 %
Manganese 52.3 %
Niacin 4.0 %
Pantothenic Acid 1.9 %
Phosphorus 10.3 %
Riboflavin 5.7 %
Selenium 2.6 %
Thiamin 8.0 %
Zinc 7.4 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Despite being a huge coffee and wine lover, I actually think giving up wheat and dairy would be the most difficult for me. I think you are going to do great though- and feel amazing!!! I've never done anything like this, so I'm looking forward to hearing all about how this experience goes for you.
This recipe is sooo up my alley. Yum. On days when I eat the cleanest, I definitely feel the best.
This looks so yum! I have had a similar recipe on my to-do list for a while but with a vegan Caesar dressing.
I look forward to following along with you on your journey through detox.
This looks and sounds SO good!!! I am definitely looking forward to hearing about your 3 weeks of super clean eating.
I want to sprout beans so bad, I am going to have to do it asap
This salad looks incredible and I love that you put the nutritional information for each recipe! I do the same thing on my blog
Loving your site and so glad to be your newest follower!
http://www.cookskinny.blogspot.com/
I look forward to hearing your thoughts as you do the detox. I have never done anything like it. Will you continue to cook as usual for your family or is everyone doing the detox?
Thanks for the comments all! Tasha, yes, I think at some point, everything will be a challenge.
Heather, you WOULD love it!
Janet, I can't wait to see your new recipe with the vegan Caesar dressing.
Meghan, you should try sprouting. You really can sprout in any container but the sprouter jars are so small and simple!
Kelly, SO nice to meet you and I enjoyed browsing your blog. I can't wait to see what else you cook up.
Tami, I will continue to cook for everyone but my daughter has such a special diet with all her allergies we actually will be eating more of the same foods with the exception of the meat as she can't do the dairy or wheat.
That's great Dawn! I've recently made some changes in my diet, exercise and other areas in life and feel fantastic! This salad sounds superb, I adore kale but it's currently very pricey here in Australia.
The kind of food I eat makes a definite difference in how I feel, the salad looks great and can't wait to hear about how you feel at the end of your detox.
FInally I can tell you that I managed to post a salad as well lol. Not very often in my blog. This one looks terrific Dawn!
I have fasted for only a day or two. Helped to get better in touch with feelings of hunger when I was eating mindlessly.
Dawn who'd idea was it to do a detox like this? Just curious because the move Forks Over Knives is due out in a few days. It should be interesting.
Beautiful Pictures!
Laura
Michelle from Find your Balance is putting her spring 11 detox on. I will take a look at Forks over Knives. I haven't heard of it!
Your blog is beautiful!!! I wish I could get time to get mine fixed up!! I have stayed in those little “houses” in your top photo many times!!! My husband oversaw the bridge rebuilding!! Short on time today . . will be back to go through your blog! I will give you another great recipe for sprouts too! Have a great weekend!
I'm so glad I happened on your site. I've been exploring while here and I just want you to know how much I've enjoyed my visit. I'll definitely be back. Good luck with the detox. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings…Mary
I love all your recipes. I am trying to go no dairy this week. I have environmental allergies and dairy seems to make them worse. What are your favorite breakfast ideas. I love cereal and milk with a banana, but I think I need to change this breakfast habit.
I am so so SO excited to see how this detox goes! Judging by the rock star recipes you've been posting lately…I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem for you! I LOVE the vinaigrette on this salad…and sprouting white beans? I've never heard of them before but I'm going to look into em!
Lisa, on the detox I have been doing baked oatmeal. The night before I simply put 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup of oat groats and about 3 cups unsweet vanilla almond milk in a casserole dish and the next morning I put the cold dish into a cold oven so they can heat together (put a sheet pan under in case it bubbles over) and then I bake it at 400F while I'm getting ready. About an hour for groats. Then I have breakfast ready for four days! I just reheat the leftovers in the microwave with some additional almond milk.
Joanne, thanks girl. So far so good! I'm on day three and feel awesome.
Oh this looks really good! I always look so forward to seeing your recipes.