- Ali
January is my favourite time to detox. I get straight back into clean eating almost as soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 31st - and I love it.
When I’m eating clean I love the way my body begins to feel again, how much energy I have and how quickly I fall asleep. My skin starts to glow (to be honest I’m always getting comments about how my skin glows but that’s a whole other blog) and my mood lifts despite the dreariness of the weather.
For me a quarterly detox is part of my healthy ritual. Without it I start to feel a little dull and lifeless and it’s only when I really concentrate on detoxing and clean eating for a full 30 days that I remember why I love it. I pretty much eat clean 80% of the time but a full 30 days, simply put, makes me shine again.
I teach people to do a basic clean and lean programme with elimination food rules:
No caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy, refined sugar, processed foods, oils or additives.
I do include meat as part of my detox, although I cut out all red meat and always buy organic or locally reared and free range organic eggs as they’re packed with protein, homemade paleo breads and oats. I also use a lot of the Arbonne healthy nutrition to help me ensure I have exactly what I need to create a balanced, healthy diet which is rich in vitamins and minerals too.
I know what you’re thinking a diet of spinach, smoothies and salads just won’t cut it in the depths of January. Well I’m with you on that one that’s for sure, which is why my January detox is filled with hearty clean eating recipes which the whole family will love.
To help make the whole clean eating cleanse feel super-manageable (you can do it, I promise!), I also provide a weekly meal plan and shopping list.
I teach that preparation is everything, in everything you do. If you have healthy fruits and vegetables and homemade energy bars to snack on, you’re less likely to reach for a bar of refined sugar with a branded logo! It’s all about the food and meal prep.
When I’m detoxing, I tend to do one big shop and some meal prep the Sunday before I start, and stock the freezer with organic meat from Riverford Organic Farmers, and wild sea caught fish from Fish for thought. If you use the following code you’ll also receive free delivery and £10 off your first order REF4502695 so why not give them a try.
There’s always the odd mid-week run I have to do while I’m dropping Miss H at her rowing practice too but that’s fine, meal prep is about making sure you have the best start possible. Plus, I have to kill time while she’s rowing anyway.
Clean eating breakfasts
Clean eating breakfasts are a quick shake which I can have on the table in less than 10 minutes, even if we do all want a different flavour. Today I had a spinach and blueberry smoothie while Miss H had chocolate peanut butter and Mr H had blackberry cheesecake. No really, he had a detox shake which tastes just like cheesecake. We make it with the Abonne vanilla protein powder and add a handful of wild harvested blackberries from the freezer and a tablespoon almond butter. Close your eyes and you really do think you’re eating cheesecake! It is the most delicious thing, you might not quite believe it counts as a clean eating breakfast and it’s so filling there’s never any need to snack before lunch.
Clean Eating Lunches
Lunches can either be another shake – if I really feel I need to lose a few pounds or a healthy homemade soup. I love warm filling soups at lunchtime so often add pumpkin, squash and sweet potato or haricot beans to my soups to make really hearty lunches. If there is a little left over I might even have a mug of it at my desk mid-afternoon before the school run. At night I try to keep cooking to around 30 minutes as it’s hard to stay focussed if you come in and are feeling hungry and frazzled and still have an hour or two of cooking to do. That’s when I know I’d break my rules and open a bottle of red and hunt or the kettle chips so the clean eating recipes I share are all super quick but super tasty and healthy too.
Cooking in this way means I get to enjoy time sitting down with my family too and what’s even better is I know I’ve served delicious, healthy, clean meals for a whole week and will be a lighter, happier, refreshed me at the end of it.
Here’s this week’s favourite shake, soup and supper recipes. Try them and let me know what you think, I love to hear how other cooks have changed things round and created new dishes.
For more information on our 30 days to healthy living programme, and advice for detoxing or starting a clean eating adventure, just drop me a line.
