Hey friends! I can’t tell you how excited I am that you’ve decided to join us for the 2019 CS Cleanse – this is our third year, and as always, it’s the perfect opportunity to push the reset button and be really intentional with filling our bodies with clean, nutrient-packed foods. And did I mention really freaking delicious? This year, we’re also throwing in the ultimate wellness giveaway for a lucky participant – you’re not going to want to miss this one, so be sure to sign up!
Mark your calendars for January 7th – 11th!
We’ll be kicking off five days of healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes – with one simple shopping list right here to make planning a breeze. Let’s start by getting clear on what the CS Cleanse is not: It’s not a hardcore regimen, a juice cleanse, a week of deprivation, or a focus on losing pounds (though you probably will be a little lighter by the end of it.)
It IS an opportunity to nourish your body with vibrant, whole, unprocessed foods that will make you feel amazing and help get you in the right mental and physical state to tackle all your goals for the new year.
The “rules” are my own recommendations based on years of research and self-testing — this is the way of eating that makes me feel awesome and seems to work for many of my healthiest friends in the world of nutrition, too. Of course, it goes without saying that every body is different, so feel free to modify these rules and all the recipes based on what works for you.
With that said, here are the guidelines for the CS Cleanse 2019!
1. Processed foods, refined sugar, and gluten are out.
2. Healthy meat and fish can be consumed moderately, mostly at dinner (we’re trying to go extra easy on our digestive system this week to give it a boost.)
3. Vegetables, in-season fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy grains, and avocados to be consumed in abundance.
4. Have 1 cup of coffee in the morning (if you’d like) — max.
5. Enjoy up to 2 glasses of wine spread throughout the week. But no more than one on the same night.
6. Practice the Japanese tradition of hara hachi bu, meaning: Eat until you are 80 percent full. This will involve making a conscious effort to eat slowly, put your fork down between bites and check-in with yourself to see if you’re still hungry.
Get down with meal prep:
If there’s one proactive thing you can do to set yourself up for success, spend a couple hours this weekend doing your grocery shopping and some meal prep that’ll help you make wise decisions throughout the week. ‘Cause we all know that when the Wednesday noon hangry pangs set in, you’re way more likely to make that salmon grain bowl if you’ve already got your cauliflower tabbouleh prepped in the fridge. Here are a few prep steps I’ll be taking on Sunday evening (and I highly suggest you do the same):
1. Make your 2 – 3 soft boiled eggs per person – you’ll use these for your rice cake snacks and your Thursday dinner.) Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Make your cauliflower tabbouleh – for 1 to 2 people, make the entire recipe since you’ll eat it for lunch on Monday and as part of your lunch on Wednesday.
3. Make your curry butternut squash soup – chill in the fridge, then rewarm gently when ready to eat. If you’re cooking for 1, halve the recipe.
4. Make your yogurt sauce and cube the sweet potato for your tacos on Wednesday. Keep both chilled in the fridge.
5. On Thursday or Friday morning, roast your whole sweet potatoes for the Stuffed Sweet Potatoes you’ll be eating on Friday – they take 1 1/2 – 2 hours in the oven, so it’s nice to come home on Friday and have them ready to pop back in the oven to quickly rewarm and eat.
That’s it, my friends! I’m so excited to hear what you think of this year’s menu. For those of you who participated last year, we’d love to hear what you loved, what you didn’t, and if you have any suggestions for us to incorporate into this year’s cleanse! And don’t forget to share your cleanse meals using the #CSCleanse hashtag – we’ll be re-posting our favorites throughout the week!
