Pregnancy, Toddlers and a Cleanse, Oh My! My Detox Recap

I finished my “Beginning the Holiday Season” cleanse this week and wanted to check back in with a quick recap.  The great news is that there isn’t a “perfect”  way to do a cleanse.  I used my own ebook as a guide to set up a 3-day plan that worked for my goals and lifestyle.  Most times there will be adjustments along the way (and this time was no exception!)

So here are some of my lessons learned.

1 :: Preparation is key. It’s something I emphasis to others ad nauseum, I know…but I was absolutely reconfirmed in how important it is during this cleanse.  Life doesn’t stop when we start to weave in ways to get healthier, so we have to counter by being ultra prepared for what we want to undertake.

By the second day, I hadn’t stayed on top of cooking ahead, chopping the veggies and cutting up the fruit.  I fell into that “it will take me 1 minute to slice up this cucumber, I’ll do it tomorrow” mindset… and, you guessed it, that was 1 minute too long for the busyness of a day with little ones at home.  So day two ended up having way more adjustments and substitutions that I had planned….which leads me to Lesson 2 —

2 :: Having a goal is essential to help you manage changes along the way! I didn’t want to throw in the towel just because I had prepared poorly, so I went back to why I was doing this in the first place.

My goal was to curb the sugar roller coaster I was on and get back to feeding my body energizing, whole foods. So choosing to have the scrambled eggs the kids were having instead of the planned avocado spread on toast was a good substitute– the option kept in line with my goals and I could keep plugging along.  It would have been just as easy to pop a couple cookies at that point if I didn’t have a clear goal in mind….which leads me to Lesson 3

3 :: Promising to make chocolate chip cookies with your kids during a cleanse may not be the best idea. ‘Nuf said. 🙂  Try not to set up temptations.  It would have been fine for the kids not to bake homemade cookies for 3 days.  * By the way great chocolate chip cookie recipe at the end of the post 🙂 *

The Bottom Line:

It felt great to pack three days with lots of healthy and cleansing foods.  I felt invigorated and lighter.  For the most part, the cleanse I planned for (and ultimately did with some adjustments along the way) was a way back to getting in the habit of eating cleaner, higher energy whole foods everyday. It also succeeded in knocking me off the high sugar train I was on after Halloween.  I think I’ll likely try to do a a one-two day cleanse again like this as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays roll around if I feel myself going a little overboard again on the sweets.

And now as promised :: Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies

{Adapted from Bob’s Red Mill Muesli Chocolate Chip Cookies}

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Mix 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Muesli mix, 3/4 cup Whole Wheat pastry flour, 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Sea Salt in a large bowl.

2.  Wisk together 1/3 cup Applesauce, 3/4 cup Raw Sugar, 1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil, 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract, and 1 Egg in separate bowl.

3.  Add “wet” bowl to “dry” bowl, and stir until thoroughly mixed.

4.  Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup of Chocolate Chips.

5. Drop by tablespoons on greased cookie sheet. * I chill this dough before baking to help it from coming out too flat * Bake for 10-12 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

Have you ever done a cleanse?  What was your experience like?


Comments

2 responses to “Pregnancy, Toddlers and a Cleanse, Oh My! My Detox Recap”

  1. Your title mentioned pregnancy. So did you do this cleanse while you are expecting?
    I’m about 20 weeks along and my body is begging for a cleanse. Is there a “right” way to do this?
    Thanks,
    Misty

  2. I have never done a cleanse, but I have always wanted to. Any cleanses you would recommend? I have GI issues!

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