the life of a chef's wife: The Cleanse

I came across this cleanse before my wedding last year and decided it may be time to start it up again. I followed this detox plan for 12 days a couple of weeks ago and I am continuing again starting today. As I prepare for yet another wedding season this helps me feel (and hopefully look) amazing. I am less bloated, tired and heavy feeling. I also love that it is all natural. Everything I eat is really good for me. It takes about a week to get used to planning every meal & snack you eat but it is worth it. You HAVE to plan ahead to keep on track! You will notice that you have a feeling of being full however you will most likely be craving certain foods. I keep clementines, apples and nuts on hand so I can snack if needed.

Here is the website:
http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/detoxdiet.aspx

I do modify this a bit. I allow myself one cup (grande size) coffee a day however I switched from adding cream and sweet-n-low to a bit of soy/almond/coconut milk and stevia. I actually like stevia better because it is a less powerful sweetener. The last time I did cut out dairy which I noticed made me feel even better. I think there is something to that idea of humans being lactose intolerant...
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm

One grain that I took advantage of eating was quinoa. I made a huge batch of this with onions, garlic and green onions and ate it with baked organic chicken breasts for most of my lunches. For dinner one night I stuffed a poblano pepper with the quinoa and baked in the oven for 20 minutes (broil for the last 1 minute to crisp up the top).

I have also become addicted to Larabars. They are a yummy combo of fruit and nuts usually ranging from 3-7 ingredients and are very filling. They are also a Denver based company, yahoo!

http://www.larabar.com/

Some other restaurants I was able to get a great meal from during the cleanse were TAG RAW BAR (Larimer Square, Denver) and Mod Market in Glendale. Both use fresh, local ingredients on their menus and are a great way to not get sick of the same old chicken & veggie meals.

TAG RAW BAR

Endive Salad

Walkway on Larimer Square