Sunday, January 12, 2014

Jumping Ship

Sooooo..... I guess you could tell by my general cranky disposition that this 100% raw cleanse isn't working out for me. I don't know why I thought this time would be different... I'm sure you can recall that I've tried fully raw cleanses before and I never last long on them. I just get tired and cranky and dammit it's cold!! I'm sure it works for some people but truthfully I live in a place that experiences seasons (including very cold winters) and I work a full time job... and it's really expensive. So while I wanted to crap out on day one I told myself to stick it out for a week. And now it's time to jump ship.

But I just can't bring myself to give it up altogether. So instead of just crapping out and gorging myself with gluten and processed crap I've decided to just jump ship to a different cleanse. One that I've done before and I loved. So I'm going back to Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet 21 Day Cleanse. And I'm going to do all 21 days because I do feel guilty about jumping ship.

For those of you who don't know (although I think you all do) this cleanse is a MOSTLY raw cleanse (80% raw) that focuses on alkalizing foods, greens, green juices, green smoothies, more greens, and small amounts of nourishing cooked (read: warm) foods. It just works better for me time wise, price wise, and happiness wise. And it ALWAYS makes me feel better.

In order to prepare I spent some time in the kitchen today preparing a couple of recipe out of Crazy Sexy Kitchen. 


Ever since I bought Crazy Sexy Kitchen I knew I wanted to make Nana's Marinara sauce. Just the name sounds comforting and delicious. It is a very simple recipe too. Now this is coming from a girl that rarely ever eats sauce and until recently when I did eat sauce it was minimal amounts. Over the past few years red sauce has been growing on me but I'm very picky about it. I only like savory sauces. And let me tell you this is the BEST sauce I've ever eaten! It is savory and delicious and I didn't even add salt. I plan on using it to top raw zucchini pasta (yes this is cooked but I'm going to eat as many raw components as possible) and lightly steamed veggies. Have you ever tried taking a big bowl of steamed veggies and topping it with savory, chunky tomato sauce?! It's the BEST!


Now this is obviously not tomato season so I used this brand of canned organic crushed tomatoes. This one has basil in it but I still added fresh basil for that fresh pop of flavor. I highly recommend this brand!


The second dish I made was inspired by Bianca,  who is also doing the CSD cleanse! She made the Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad from Crazy Sexy Kitchen and I thought it looked amazing so I made it too! I halved it though because I only had one cup of dry quinoa left. I used Alter Eco Pearl Quinoa for this recipe and I recommend it as well. This is such a great brand doing wonderful and admirable things all around the world :)


This warm salad has quinoa, kale, raisins, sliced almonds, lemon (mine is going to be very lemony because I forgot to halve that part of the recipe... oops!!), a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Yum!

My mood has already lifted just at the thought of starting the CSD cleanse. I didn't even take pics of the raw cleanse because I couldn't deal with smoothies or juices because it was too damn cold and fruit is fruit. And I was a crankypants haha. I do definitely plan on popping in every couple of days to show you some meals I've been enjoying on this cleanse. 

I hope you've all had a good week and have stayed warm and safe during this ridiculous cold snap. And now it's like 40-50 here. So insane!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope your Monday goes quickly!

15 comments:

  1. Sorry your raw cleanse didn't work out. :( I can't stand eating cold foods when the weather is cold either. That marinara sauce does look delicious! I'm drinking lots of tea to stay warm and hydrated. Good luck with the CSD cleanse!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sage. Truthfully, I'm not sorry and the guilt is already starting to wear off. I just don't think that a fully raw lifestyle is something that is beneficial for my body and mind. I feel better knowing that I'm still doing something great for my body that is season appropriate. I'm a lot more optimistic and hopeful now and I am looking forward to the cleanse as opposed to dreading it!

      Tea is so good! What flavors are you enjoying nowadays? Thank you so much!

      Delete
    2. Appreciate the update. I'm sure the week long raw interlude was very beneficial. Really wish I could do it even for one ay.

      Delete
    3. Doing a raw cleanse in the middle of winter is tough! I give you serious applause for even considering it! The CSD cleanse will definitely work better, considering that we don't live on a tropical island, teaching yoga all day (although that life sounds pretty fantastic! Ha!). I'm a once-in-a-while red sauce type of gal, so I know what you mean when you find the right one! I've got tofu and kale lasagna on my winter menu rotation, so that will probably be the next time you see it. The kale and quinoa dish sounds amazing! I need to crack open Carr's book, as I'm sure there are lots of inspiring recipes.

      Our temps are the same for next week, so it looks as though the nation is starting to thaw! Hallelujah!

      Delete
  2. @Shen I'm sure it did do some good but I just couldn't fathom another 2 weeks doing it. I'm really happy with my decision to switch to CSD.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Ingrid It was so brutal. Thank you very much, I appreciate that. I am actually excited about doing the CSD cleanse :) Oh man that would be the life but sadly sitting at a desk in NY in the dead of winter is not conducive to raw cleansing. Oooh tofu and kale lasagna sounds delicious! You should definitely try out some of these recipes, they are delicious!

    Even a short term thaw will be appreciated! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, i don't think anyone is cut out for a totally raw diet on the east coast during the winter....!! Glad to hear you came to your senses instead of suffering through more of it. And if CSD works then that's great! That quinoa dish sounds delicious regardless of cleansing.
    I hope that this version helps alleviate your allergy symptoms and makes you feel amazing (vs cranky!)
    Ttrockwood

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugh yeah it was brutal! I'm glad I stopped being stubborn and just made the switch. The quinoa dish is delicious! I kind of want to squeeze orange on it instead of lemon next time. I love the brightness orange adds!

      Thank you so much! I went to the allergist again yesterday and he confirmed that the cause of all of my misery is indeed environmental allergens out of my control which is annoying but hopefully this will help!

      Delete
  5. Yay, glad to be CSD-ing it up together!! That Nana's sauce has been calling my name too. I'd like to try that over some gluten-free pasta (and I just may!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay, I know! Thanks for the inspiration!! Yes, definitely try Nana's Marinara, it is delicious! I know you like steamed broccoli with nooch and I KNOW it would be delicious with some of this sauce on it too! Definitely try it!

      Delete
  6. I would have a hard time with it when it's cold, too. I hope you find a good balance that makes you feel good! It can get so frustrating dealing with symptoms. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it's too cold for that. Thank you so much, I already feel so much happier with the change. I've started a new allergy med regimen that is helping me feel relief until I can feel the natural effects of the cleansing foods.

      Delete
  7. Haha just had to pop over to a blog called Long Island nerd. Hee hee Iive there too. Oh a cleanse diet I could never do that. I think it is generally better to just adopt healthier eating habits over time. But those Muir tomatoes are awesome.

    Allie of ALLIE NYC
    allienyc.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Allie! Thanks for stopping in! I agree that diets don't work and that lifestyle change is the key :) The cleanse is just a slightly more intense version of the lifestyle change that Kris Carr suggest. Kind of a kickstart to a new life. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit so my goals and intentions with this cleanse is to form my habits and to make this lifestyle change a permanent one :) The tomatoes are amazing, I'm so glad I got them!

      Delete