3-Day Refresh: recipes and prep

I've never been much of a cleanse person myself.  In fact, most of them you read about require you to drink nothing but juices and water, and some are just other forms of fasting.  For me, it always comes down to nutrition and making sure my body is still getting what it needs.   But once in awhile, especially after the holidays or when I just need a jump start or reboot to my eating plan, a total detox is in order.

Enter the 3-Day Refresh.  When I first read about it, I was totally scared to try it.  I didn't think I could successfully complete the 3 days.  I didn't think I had the will power or determination.  I was scared.  I was scared to start something and fail.  Cause I'm an all or nothing kinda gal.

Well I'm here to tell you not to let fear get in your way.
I've done the 3-Day Refresh now 3 times - this is my fourth.  And every time I do it, I feel amazing afterwards.  It completed cleanses my system.  I feel renewed and ready to tackle anything.

I don't do it for the weight loss, but others do.  And I do have to admit that I've lost up to 6 lbs in 3 days during the times I've done it.  However, my goal is always just to FEEL better and get rid of the toxins that naturally build up in our system.  If you are looking for a detox that is based on eating whole, plat-based foods and meal replacement shakes, then you have got to give this a try!!

There is quite a bit of flexibility with the eating plan and they provide you with some awesome recipes.  But too much flexibility and freedom can be confusing and overwhelming.  Enter my eating plan.
On the 3-day refresh you can have an endless supply of water.  In fact its encouraged to help your system flush those toxins out.  But we also get 3 tea breaks - in between meals and before bedtime.   And we have lots of whole foods to eat as well.  Here are my favorite recipes that I use.  I hope you find them helpful!!

Happy detoxing,
Sarah

I typically prep everything at once and have my meals/snacks ready to go!!  That way I can grab and take them with me on the go and I will never miss a meal time.  Be prepared to succeed!!


Tomato and Cucumber Salad
(makes 2 servings)
1 cup of grape tomatoes, cut if half
1 medium cucumber or 2 large pickling cucumbers, sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 T fresh chives, chopped
2 T fresh dill, chopped
Himalayan salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic
2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 tsp lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and store in the fridge until you need to eat it.  Yum!!  Can be served over some greens or lettuce and topped off with a teaspoon of sunflower seeds.  So good!   I typically eat this as my dinner alongside the veggie soup posted below and my vanilla fresh shake.


Mushroom Salad
(makes 2 servings)
2 cups of sliced mushrooms (I like baby portobellos)
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 T fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and store in the fridge.  This is one of my hubby's favorites.  I usually eat it at lunch along side my vanilla fresh shake blended with frozen berries.  Yum!


Cleansing Vegetable Soup
(makes 3 servings)
4 cups of organic vegetable stock (low sodium)
1 cup of chopped sweet onion
4 carrots, chopped
4 cups of baby spinach
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

Place the stock, onions, and carrots in a large pot and bring to a bowl.  Put on simmer and cover with a lid.  Let it go for about 20-30 minutes or until all is tender.  Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Store int he fridge until dinner.  I typically eat this soup along side a veggie side or a salad at dinner time with my vanilla fresh shake.


Afternoon Snack
The morning snack is always the fiber sweep - not nearly as bad as it sounds.  It has a light lemony flavor and is so much better than any other fiber drink I've had (sadly, I used to have a lot of GI doctors so fiber drinks were part of my daily routine).

For the afternoon snack, I prefer to have veggies with hummus or celery with peanut butter.  Again, I pre-portion the veggies so they are ready to go!!

My Favorite Vanilla Fresh Recipes
Vanilla Fresh shakes are a high protein shake that you drink with lunch and dinner on the 3 Day Refresh.  I like to blend mine in a blender with either frozen berries or a 1/2 banana with cinnamon and ice.  So good!!  Get creative!  The possibilities are endless.


My Favorite Vegan Chocolate Shakeology Recipes 
Normally I love my shake with peanut butter and banana.  But while on the refresh, we don't have peanut butter.  In fact, the healthy fats are restricted to the second half of the day.  So for the 3-day Refresh, when I am having it for breakfast, my favorite would have to be either blended with frozen raspberries or frozen cherries and a drop of almond extract.  So good!!!

A Day in the Life of
So here's an example of what a day of this cleanse would look like.  As you can see, you are still eating a lot of food.  And its all delicious.
Feeding your body a plant based diet for 3 days, while drinking TONS of water, will help you get rid of the toxins.
I hope to hear from you if you would like more info or want to give this a try yourself!!
Happy detoxing!