Wellll THIS is exciting. Today is the day I am introducing The Blonde Vegan 5-Day Summer Cleanse!!! I’ve already talked a bit about how this cleanse can best be classified as a reset for the body just in time for that summer bikini season and warm weather shenanigans… but now it’s time to give you all the deets!
The cleanse is a new, summer-ized (yes, summer as in the season, not summarized as in made briefer… leave me alone, spell check!) version of my 5-Day Plant-based Winter Cleanse. It includes 20 original recipes, food photos, full nutrition information, a little blurb about each recipe (can’t help but wanna write a full blog post for each one!), directions/ingredients, grocery list, cleanse FAQ, what to expect and of course a full intro section.
It comes in the form of a PDF, and if you’re a visual person (like me!), you can basically envision an eBook with 20 recipes and all of the info that I stated above. Also, for all you visual peeps, I’ve ensured that the PDF is beeeautiful and super aesthetically pleasing (thanks to wonder-woman Jessica) because I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now. What the heck is this cleanse all about? Let me tell you…
TBV 5-Day Summer Cleanse:
The Food:
– The cleanse includes recipes made from fruits, veggies, grains, legumes and nuts. That’s right, people! Grains and legumes are included in this cleanse (unlike my winter cleanse, which was purely fruits, veggies and nuts).
– Why are grains and legumes included this time? Because I believe it is important to share with you what I have found works best for the widest array of people, and including grains and legumes on the cleanse helps us fuel our bodies and encourages us to stay active (a huge component when it comes to cleansing in my book!). You will experience fewer detox symptoms and will also be getting more protein in your diet. Lastly, I have found that weight loss and cleanse benefits are more lasting and sustainable when grains and legumes are included, because you are not going hungry or forcing your body to run off of less energy.
– Why else? Because I have tried every cleanse in the book, from 10-day juice fasts to 30 days of raw and weeks of subsisting on fruits, veggies and nuts. For people with extreme personalities (like me! And maybe you, if you’re here in the first place), it is easy to go overboard with cleansing. This cleanse practices balance and moderation, two essential components of health. Want to maintain your cleanse benefits and pound shed-age?! Don’t fear the grains and legumes.
The Rules:
– The cleanse packet itself goes into more detail about this, but to give you a brief rundown: No meat, unnatural sugar, refined grains, caffeine, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, or alcohol.
– It is entirely plant-based, which means that you can eat any and all fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, and gluten-free oats – NOT processed breads or pastas), and whole legumes (lentils and beans, NOT processed canned crap).
– You can use olive oil and balsamic vinegar for salad dressing and to roast your vegetables, but use them sparingly. (You can also use coconut oil and/or coconut aminos when roasting veggies…that’s what I use!)
– Believe in what you’re doing, and enjoy it! This process is meant to be fun. There’s a reason you’re doing a solid food plant-based cleanse and not a juice fast.
The Girl:
– In case you’re wondering what the heck kind of authority I have in creating a plant-based cleanse, I’ll lay it on ya: I am in school to become a board certified health coach, but with or without that certification I believe the best kind of experience is hands on experience, and as I have mentioned… I’ve tried every cleanse in the book. I know what works for me and what doesn’t work, and because I grew up with an extremely sensitive stomach and many food intolerances, I have learned that listening to your body is key – that’s what this cleanse is all about.
– I have coached hundreds of people through my winter cleanse program, and I am here to help you adjust, modify and get through the cleanse. I am here for motivation and any/all questions, and to be your biggest cheerleader!
– It is my mission to share the amazing benefits of living a plant-based lifestyle with all of YOU, and help you get to know your bodies and learn how to fuel them in the most healthy and sustainable way. I do not push vegan views on you, suggest that you eat the way that I eat in order to achieve optimal health, judge your choices or expect you to compromise your livelihood in order to eat a 110% clean diet.
– I do want to help you find the healthiest version of yourself, and I am here to motivate and inspire you along the way – not to mention provide some tasty recipes and plant-based tips and tricks.
The Benefits:
– Your body and your digestive system need a rest once in a while. Our systems work hard to process and digest the food we eat each day. Imagine giving it a break for 5 days straight and letting it reboot and heal from the inside.
– Cleanses aid in avoiding disease, firing up our metabolism and eliminating body stress. Because we are ridding our bodies of built up toxins, we are able to relax and relieve ourselves of all sorts of crap that makes us feel nasty.
– Detoxification, shedding unwanted pounds, feeling light and awesome, challenging ourselves in a healthy way, and finding the best version of ourselves. Unless you eliminate certain foods from your diet, you’ll never know what works for you and what does not work for you.
Now… because I know you’ll all benefit from this cleanse and feel light, amazing, energized and connected to your bodies during and after participating, I am going to go ahead and share one of the recipes from the cleanse with you so you can get an idea of what you’ll be diving into!
Day 1:
Breakfast: Creamy Oats & Stewed Berries
Yep, that’s right. We are starting out this cleanse with a filling, fueling, energizing & all around delicious meal! Who knew cleansing was this easy, right? Well let me give you a little glimpse into the health benefits of gluten-free steel cut oats: they are an excellent source of protein, soluble and insoluble fiber, iron, and some fab vitamins and minerals. Because of the way they are processed (passed through sharp, steel blades that cut them into tiny pieces), their fiber and protein is retained in a fuller capacity than rolled oats. They are chewy and yummy, too. Double score!
I always like to eat my oats with berries, because the combo is to die for. When I’m not cleansing, I also add a ton of other yummy plant-based goodness into my bowl, but this cleanse is about getting back to the BASICS! A.k.a: oats & berries will do. And stewing our berries = great for our digestion!
Ingredients:
½ cup dry gluten-free steel cut oats
1 cup water
½ cup fresh blackberries
½ cup fresh raspberries
Optional: a few good shakes of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Boil the oats in 1 cup of water over medium-high heat until they are fully cooked through. This should take about 15-20 minutes, as steel cut oats take their sweet time. Don’t stress! Sip on your warm lemon water in the meantime.
2. Stir in cinnamon if you so desire.
3. Combine ½ cup berries with 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan. Lower the heat and cook uncovered over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. The berries will be slightly cooked and the water/coconut oil will be slightly syrupy. Off the heat, stir in a few more berries to achieve desired taste.
3. Pour the oats into a bowl, top with stewed berries and enjoy!
How do I get in on this?!
If you think this cleanse sounds up your alley… shoot me an email at theblondevegan1 [at] gmail [dot] com, and I will add you to my list so that you’ll get an email notifying you when the link goes live to purchase this Thursday, June 12th!