Good morning! We are onto day 4 of the 5-Day Fall Cleanse. I am feeling great today! How are you feeling? When Sherrie and I talked about creating this short and simple cleanse, we wanted to be mindful of and gentle on our bodies to soothe our digestive system, instead of disrupting it and upsetting it. We wanted to create a simple plan that would continue to connect us with our food, but while slowly purging the toxins that like to hide out in all the little cracks and crevices. We weren’t looking to shock our systems with anything drastic like a juice-only cleanse, we simply wanted to get back to eating intuitively, to check in with our bodies, to return that conscious awareness back to what our bodies truly need right now, to reset any bad habits and get ready for the seasonal changes that lie ahead.

Cleansing and detoxifying can be quite challenging and difficult depending on your mental state at the time. It can not only bring on physical symptoms of the cleansing, but often times it can bring emotional imbalances to the surfaces, as well. I have cleansed in the past when I wasn’t quite ready for the full extent of it all and it wasn’t pretty. I simply felt deprived or left out the entire time, even angry at myself for choosing to do something so limiting and challenging to my own self. It is with so much gratitude this time, that I can honestly say the experience this time has been peaceful, to say the least. I honestly was worried that I would experience some amount of side effects/detoxing symptoms with how I had been eating leading up to this cleanse, but with how good I am feeling throughout this process, I think I can thank my general everyday clean diet for that. I possibly don’t give myself enough credit. With eating a clean diet, at least 95% of the time, it is easy for me to focus on the 5% when I am not at my best and beat myself up for it. I can tend to do that sort of thing, I am hard on myself. This cleanse has been a gentle reminder that I have been quite good to my body and that I want to continue to be as good or better to it. There truly is no greater reward than feeling good!

On the evening on day 2, I did experience some minor sweet cravings and Sherrie made the suggestion of  stuffing a few dates with coconut oil, so I did just that and added some shredded unsweetened coconut on top. It felt like I was cheating. It was so delicious and rich. The next morning, I was looking for something a bit more substantial than a juice so I made this simple smoothie for breakfast. It really set the tone for my amazing day yesterday and it was perfect given the beautiful Autumn day that it was here in Southern California.

After starting my day with this amazing smoothie yesterday, in the evening I attended the launch of Thrive Kitchen as part of the Thrive Forward Program by Vega at M.A.K.E. Restaurant in Santa Monica. I happily obliged the invitation, knowing that there would have to be some things I could eat there while on this cleanse, given that the Vega brand is centered completely around a plant-based diet. The entire evening was filled with delicious delectable plant-based, raw food from Matthew Kenney and his team, featuring some dishes from their regular menu and some from the Thrive Kitchen program. Each dish was seriously better than the last. I ate every last bite. The only thing I passed on was the wine, but I was served a delicious spiced apple Kombucha instead. Even better!

Check out my Facebook and Instagram pages for a full run down of what we ate last night! Plus, make sure to go over and sign up for the FREE Thrive Forward program, which I told you guys about a while back and add the new Thrive Kitchen to your program to start enjoying all of the amazing recipes they have there waiting for you. I seriously cannot say enough great things about the Vega brand and their amazing Thrive Forward program, such an amazing resource and put together so well, with much love and consciousness.

**In the meantime, please enjoy my Spiced Apple Smoothie recipe below and make sure to follow along with us on our social media sites for more cleanse tips + details throughout the week and for photos and recipes to the foods we’re eating. Hashtag #5dayfallcleanse if you share any photos, we’d love to see what you are eating!**

Tasty Yummies 

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[print_this]Spiced Apple Smoothie – Gluten-free & Vegan
serves 1

• 1 whole organic apple apple, washed well, peel left on, core removed and roughly chopped
• 1-inch nub fresh ginger, peeled
• 1.5 cups homemade almond milk
• 2 Medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch or two of ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seed
• 1 handful baby spinach, optional
• Handful of ice

Add all of the ingredients to your high speed blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Serve. [/print_this]