I felt like slurping on a smoothie this afternoon, and I wanted it to be pretty + pink!!

Sometimes, my food just has to match the holiday!

Strawberry Coconut Love [serves 1]

1.5c frozen organic strawberries
3/4c coconut milk
1/2c unsweetened almond milk
1/4 avocado
1T coconut oil
2T unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4c frozen blueberries

Blend until smooth!

If your strawberries are tart, you may need to add a little sweetness. Try 1T maple syrup, honey, or 1/2 banana.

Refreshing + oh so pretty!!

We didn’t have anything crazy planned tonight. Chris wanted to cook together, which I’m always up for! Typically I cook + he cleans. It works either way.

I chose 2 recipes from Heidi’s, Super Natural Cooking, which was just gifted to me by a dear friend. :)

The first was for a slaw salad. We typically eat a salad every night with dinner. This was such a refreshing change of pace! It’s nothing like coleslaw [which I hate] but the cabbage was so perfectly crunchy with a very mild flavor. The dressing combined lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, s+p and a splash of cream. The salad also has grated apple mixed in and is topped with toasted walnuts.

YUM! So much crunch + flavor.

Dinner was the big curry noodle bowl, and we loved it! The sauce combined coconut milk, coconut oil, turmeric, veggie stock, onion + a few other things. Mixed in was tofu + my addition of cauliflower. Yes, I said TOFU!! Today, I started to reintroduce soy back into my diet. It started with this fabulous organic sprouted tofu. I absolutely love this tofu brand. I’ve had others that I can tell don’t agree with my stomach, but this always seems to digest more easily, which is typical of sprouted foods. My fingers crossed I’m feeling good in a few hours. I would love to be able to still eat tofu + tempeh once in awhile!!

curry color + fake light = not my favorite

This brings me to my FIVE week detox recap! I seriously cannot believe it’s been 5 weeks!!

3 weeks no gluten/soy/dairy

The first few days took some getting used to, but it was not nearly as hard as I though it would be. Giving up my 1 morning mug of coffee was sad, but after the first week I didn’t miss it at all. I didn’t have any withdrawal because I drank such a minimal amount, but I still missed it!
The 5th day was the hardest. I felt like crap + was super emotional. Nothing a good sweaty workout can’t fix though!
My bloating decreased at least 80% after the first week. What bloating I did still have, wasn’t the constant “food baby” that takes a whole night to go away. It seemed to pass [hehe] much more quickly, and was probably just from veggie consumption.

32 days drinking lemon water [skipped 3 days]

The warm lemon water in the AM really helped get rid of my need for coffee. It’s not that it tastes good [because it doesn’t really] but it helped wake me up and also really helps with the whole cleansing process. It keeps things moving, if you know what I mean.

35 days dry brushing

This is something I will continue to do. I feel like my skin looks much healthier, is smoother and noticeably tighter, especially on my legs. It definitely helped flush my body of toxins during the first 2 weeks of the detox. I would feel energized and refreshed after brushing + showering during the first 2 weeks. It still feels good, but I don’t physically feel different.

2 weeks reintroducing dairy

The first day I ate yogurt after 3 weeks with no dairy was kind of strange. I noticed much more phlegm buildup [which is normal] than I ever noticed before.
I have been consuming about 1 serving of dairy every other day and seem to have no problems with it at all.
I don’t depend on dairy for protein, calcium, etc. I eat it when I’m in the mood for it.

1 day reintroducing soy

It’s been a few hours since dinner and my stomach feels fine so far. No bloating!
Soy was the hardest ingredient to avoid. Restaurants use way more soy than you could ever imagine. [soy oil, soy lecithin, etc.]

5 week thoughts

I was hesitant to bring back soy into my diet and am still nervous about gluten. I’ve been feeling so good, I didn’t want to mess anything up. To figure things out for sure though I have to bring them back.
I’m glad dairy was not the culprit, because even though I don’t consume a lot of it, and I like making vegan “cheeze” sauces….not much can top local, milky, organic cheese…mmmm
It’s really hard to go out to eat, even at vegan/veg friendly restaurants, mostly because of soy.
I’ve loved exploring new grains and grinding them into fresh flour for a few different recipes. My favorite recipes so far have been for the millet/buckwheat pizza crust and any of the buckwheat bakes [oven + microwave versions].
I feel like I’m retaining less water from lowering my sodium intake.
My sugar/sweets cravings aren’t bad at all. The past week or so I’ve been craving a lot of chocolate and finding creative ways to incorporate it, besides cake/cookies/etc.
Coming down with the flu a few weeks ago was no fun at all, but I stuck with the detox and didn’t eat any gluten/dairy/soy. When I wanted toast, gluten free millet bread did the trick and then I found the super delicious Udi’s gluten free bagels. They are fluffy and delicious!
I’ve noticed the buckwheat bakes + puffed amaranth cereal keep me full longer than oatmeal!
I’m not allowing coffee back into my diet and have had 3 cups so far. I’m planning on drinking them sporadically. I don’t want to get hooked on the 1 mug every morning again. It’s funny because now I feel more awake + alert in the morning without it.