I’ve been trying to blog more regularly throughout the cleanse but have definitely fallen behind. I seriously don’t know how some people do it! In between going to work, then working out at night, I’m exhausted by the end of the day. J and I end up lounging and watching way too many episodes of The Voice before it’s time for sleep.
Anyway, let’s do a quick recap of the week so I don’t continue to slip behind.
On a CLEAN High
This might sound a little crazy, but I feel happier than I have in a while. The past few months I’ve been in a somewhat of a rut, not knowing where the negative energy is coming from. I’m usually a pretty happy person so I’ve been pretty confused about why I’ve been feeling so bleh and moody.
I’m so surprised to find that being on the cleanse this time around has given me that extra lift that I’ve been missing. My coworkers have also noticed that I seem more chipper. Can’t complain about that! Taking yourself out of your regular routine and setting new ones can help give you a new perspective! It definitely did for me. If you don’t try something new, how will you learn?
Because of this, I know that I really need to make a bigger effort to make CLEAN a bigger part of my regular lifestyle. J has also been very encouraging and thinks that we can probably maintain a 4 day clean, 3 day not so clean diet after this. So basically more clean during the week and insert a few fun meals on the weekend.
Even though overall, I feel like I’ve been on a high, I do feel like there are still a ton of ups and down on this emotional roller coaster. I think this is to be expected. For me it’s always that inner struggle of: Should I eat this or no? Do I have to go to the gym today?
I recently heard a talk by Dan Harris the author of 10% Happier, where he elaborates more about how to tame the voice in your head through meditation. He said that you’d be surprised how many times you’re meditating and all you’re thinking about is what you should eat for lunch. Ain’t that some truth. Anyway, interesting talk if you have time to listen to it!
Halloween & Spiced Pumpkin Dressing
I was actually pretty lame this Halloween weekend. The weather was rainy and miserable, I didn’t have a costume, so I mainly stayed in and watched a ton of Doctor Who! I’m really getting into it.
While I was a lot less festive this year, I felt happy and well rested, so that’s all that matters right? Anyway, to keep in the spirit of Halloween, I have to tell you about this Spiced Pumpkin Dressing. It was basically the best thing I had all week.
It screams FALL and you need to have this ASAP. Put the pumpkin puree and all your spices (cumin, coriander, all spice, vinegar, salt and pepper) in a high-power blender. Start blending and stream in your olive oil, and add enough until it gets to the viscosity that you want. In my salad, I have chicken, quinoa, flax seed, cucumbers, red onions, radish, carrots, all on top of some baby kale.
Basil, Mango, Pineapple & Coconut Smoothie!
I kept telling you last week that I was going to try to make a new smoothie and I finally did! I saw some Pineapple and Basil juice sold at a store recently, and loved the idea of those two flavor combos together. So I turned that idea into an AMAZING smoothie.
The basil really adds an interesting aromatic dynamic to the smoothie that keeps it SO interesting. I made mine with about 15 basil leaves, frozen pineapple & mango and blended with coconut water. Top with chia seeds always, and voila! Hope you give this a try ASAP, you’ll be hooked.
