In hopes of clearing out some stored up gunk in my system (both physical and emotional) I decided to embark on a 3-day juice cleanse last week.  In all honesty, I have felt many transitions occurring over this past month, and I had begun dealing with some of my emotions in some unhealthy ways (hello red wine and sugar).  I’ll save you from the gory details, but I knew that it was time for a re-set; I was ready to let it all go and get back to what I have learned is best in supporting my lifestyle and my body.

It all began with a sweat lodge on Saturday night, which was the perfect jumpstart into the cleansing process.  I continued to juice for the following 3 days, making all of my own “meals” and coming up with some fun new recipes (which I will share below).  In retrospect, I really enjoyed the 3 days of juicing.  I felt energized, I was able to reconnect to my body, and I was empowered by increasing my awareness and working through some old eating patterns that had resurfaced.

There are a few things that I learned during this 3 day period that I would love to share with you…

• Day 1 is the hardest, getting easier as time moves along.
• It is really important to stay hydrated as your body cleanses and detoxes, so pay close attention to water intake.  Bring it everywhere with you.
• Herbal tea is a great way to add some fun flavors into your cleanse.
• Cashew milk was a must for me.  I usually enjoyed in the late afternoon when I was feeling hungry and looking for something a bit more filling.
• My thinking felt much more clear by the second and third day, once again proving how overeating completely kills creativity.
• My energy was pretty high throughout, which was something I wasn’t expecting (I did a raw cleanse about a year ago and was dragging for the first week of it).
• Prepping the juicing produce all at once (per day) helped to make the juicing process more convenient.  I made juices 2-3 times per day.
• There were definitely some emotions and conditioned behaviors that came up, especially ones that needed to be purged.  Keeping a raised awareness around your body and mind during this time is a great way to reflect and evaluate what is supporting you in the most positive way, and what things may need to be released.
• I was fortunate enough to avoid making big plans on these days so I could let my body rest and do what it needed to without the added stress of obligations.  If you have this luxury, I would suggest doing the same.
• Each time after juicing, I rinsed the juicer parts under hot water and let them dry.  After my last juice for the day, I washed them with soap.  This worked great for me because I felt it saved me some time.
• I have been craving juices since the cleanse and have continued to make them (which I find kind of amusing because I am usually more of a smoothie gal).
• I ate light for the few days afterwards, not to shock my digestive system and to continue to keep things “clean”.
• There were moments of struggle, when I tried to convince myself that I had gone long enough without food and sabotage my plans for a 3 day cleanse.  In these moments I would usually go for a walk, meditate, or make a tea; something to distract me from my current thought pattern.
• This turned out to be an educational experience as well as a detox.
• Taking it a day at a time was really big for me. At moments, hour to hour.
• I will most likely do this again, and would love to do it with a tribe (holler if you’re interested, maybe I can set up a little team juice cleanse).

Now, for the recipes…

All of these recipes make about 16 – 20 ounces (depending on the juicer).

It is estimated to consume anywhere from 64 – 96 ounces of juice per day while on a juice cleanse.

A few tips for juicing:

1. Drink lots and lots of water

2. Start with a 1 – 3 day cleanse if you are new to juicing or cleansing

3. Make sure to give yourself some down time, paying attention to your energy levels

4. Increase your awareness and learn from yourself…

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Fresh Green Juice

½ head romaine

½ head kale

1 cucumber

4 stalks celery

1 lemon

2 apples

1 handful fresh mint

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Spinach Pear

2 handfuls spinach

1 cucumber

1 pear

4 stalk celery

1 apple

½ lime

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Carrot Ginger

6 carrots

1 orange

½ lemon

1” piece of ginger

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Apple Cilantro

2 cucumbers

1 bunch cilantro

1 apple

1 lime

1 cup coconut water (mix in after juicing)

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Herbal Refreshment

1 head romaine

1 cucumber

1 lemon

1 pear

1 handful fresh mint

1 handful fresh basil

1 handful fresh parsley

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Cucumber Basil

1 cucumber

½ head celery

1 apple

1 lime

handful of basil

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Sweet Beets

1-2 beets (based on size)

2 large carrots

1 cucumber

1 orange

1 lemon

1” piece ginger

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Cashew Milk Delight (made in a blender)

*this isn’t technically a juice but it is creamy, satisfying, and was a big help in making it through this cleanse*

½ cup cashews (soak for a few hours if you are using a less powerful blender – discard of water)

2 cups water

1 tablespoon raw honey

dash of vanilla

(Blend until smooth – about 2 minutes)

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As always, if there is anything you would like to share, I would love to hear from you.

with love and juice, 

Amanda