Good Evening,

Okay, I am on day #12 of 21 of this cleanse and tonight I went off track a bit. I had made a yummy homemade vanilla ice cream cake sweetened with maple syrup and put raspberries and blueberries on top for a close friends we had for dinner tonight. I was planning on just having a bite but it tasted so good that I let myself have piece of it. I am a little disappointed that I let myself go off the cleanse but I know tomorrow I'll get back on track. My next feat is try to make a coconut based ice cream sweetened with stevia. I'll let you know how it comes out. The truth is I really haven't missed the sweets. I guess it's been a while since I have had any kind of sweet on a daily basis anyway, so not having them at all hasn't been so hard.

When I have craved sweet, cashew butter has really helped fix that. It is naturally sweet and creamy. I have indulged in 1/2 mashed banana with a teaspoon of cashew butter and ground flax seed on top. I know that sounds really strange but it tastes really sweet and has a cool, pudding like texture. Try it if you dare!

Okay, I would like to share with you some cleansing foods for your spring cleanse if you decide to go on one.

Radishes ( any kind but especially daikon): good to dissolve fat and break up mucus in the body.

Leafy greens (all kinds, especially the bitter ones). Kale, swiss chard, spinach, collards, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine, bok choy, dandelion.

I will write with more cleansing foods tomorrow.

Good night,

Lysa

Hi Everyone,

Today is day #11 of 21 on my spring liver cleanse. So just to recap, here's what I have been doing:

1.Staying away from all sugar & alcohol ( am having some fruit).

2.Adding more greens to my daily food.

3.Doing a liver flush every morning. Juice of one lemon, preferably organic, 1 tsp olive oil, pinch of cayenne pepper. I have it first thing when I go downstairs before any water or food.

4.Taking an herbal liver support supplement that contains, milk thistle, tumeric rhizome, Ch. Skullcap root & licorice root (if you have high blood pressure you should not take licorice).

5.Doing my best to redirect & deconstruct negative thinking with helpful, useful thinking.

6. Watching and being aware of the irritability that comes up and trying to let it go.

Yesterday I was inspired to make a soup with some leeks, potatoes, carrots, & asparagus. It came out really delicious so I would like to share it with you.

Spring Medley Soup:

1 tablespoon butter

3 leeks chopped

3 potatoes

3 carrots

3 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of asparagus chopped with end removed

Fresh herbs of your choice ( I had on hand cilantro, basil & rosemary)

shitake mushrooms washed & sliced

4 cups of water or stock

lemon

In a soup pot heat the butter and add leeks. Let cook for a few moment and then add potatoes. Let potatoes cook and then add carrots & garlic. Stir to make sure the contents don't get stuck to bottom of pot. After about 5 minutes add stock or water. Add salt & pepper. Let potatoes get soft and then add fresh herbs. While this is simmering, in another pan heat some butter and add the shitake mushrooms. Let get brown and then remove and add to soup. Add the asparagus to the soup pot. When asparagus is bright green, turn off soup and serve. If you like the zesty flavor of lemon, add a squeeze of fresh lemon to each bowl.

If you try this recipes, please let me know if you like it!

Wow, I am already at the end of day 9 out of 21 on this spring liver cleanse. I have to say it is flying by. If you are considering joining me, this would be the perfect time to come along for the detox ride! I must admit that I was nervous about drinking the liver flush tonic(see my previous post from two days ago) first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I now look forward to it. It really gives me a boost, it's very invigorating.

Here's my inspiration for the day. I just listened to a fantastic live tele-seminar with Connie Bennett Certified Holistic Counselor who has written a book called "Sugar Shock". She was a sugar addict for many years and kicked her habit 12 years ago. She helps people with their sugar issues and lectures all over the world. Her tele-seminar was super informative. Here's what I got out of it. Her approach is to "find sweetness in your life in different ways". So instead of just focusing on substituting healthier foods for the sugary foods, she also focuses on healthier activities. Connie's take on the sugar issue is that we focus too much on needing sweet in the form of food. We can get sweets from all the wonderful things in our life; our children, our spouse, our dog, our garden, exercising, etc.

I leave you with this question:

Where do you find sweetness in your life?

What could you do to create more sweetness in your life?

I almost forgot, remember how I mentioned getting enough sleep yesterday? One of the things she talked about was getting enough sleep. She interviewed a doctor named, Dr. Teitlebaum, and he stated that people who get less than 7-8 hours of sleep per night often carry 5-6 more pounds of weight on them then they need to. There's a good reason to go to sleep earlier! On that note, I will write again tomorrow with some more good stuff.

Sweet dreams,

Lysa

Hi Again,

Day #8 of spring liver cleanse. Today went well for the most part. I have to say I hit a wall at about 8:30pm tonight, but I don't think that had anything to do with the cleanse. I stayed up too late last night, was woken up too early by my 3 year old son & then had a nonstop action day & early eve.

Okay, I will keep it short as it is once again past my bedtime. In case you're wondering, my current ideal bedtime is 10:30pm. I read in my new favorite book "How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy" by Paul Chek, that we should go to sleep by 10:30. He writes that our bodies work on physical repair from 10pm-2am and then mental repair from 2 until sunrise. I have been trying for the last two months to do this but it is sometimes mission impossible. I do want to say that my burning the midnight oil hours have decreased quite a bit (I am almost never up until midnight anymore). This brings me to my next suggestions for eliminating negative thinking by Martha Beck.

Here we go :

Suggestion #3

"NEVER QUIT: always substitute. Bad habits fill needs, so find good alternatives to them. But remember, push-ups can't substitute for pancakes unless you love push-ups. Companionship, laughter, play-these things can sub for pancakes most of the time. And that's enough.

#4 Instead of planning to be perfect, plan to do a little better. Win 51 percent of the battles and you'll win the war".

That's what I have for today. Just a little recap of what I have been for my cleanse:

1. liver flush with 1 juice of a lemon, 1 tsp olive oil & pinch of cayenne first thing in the morning.

2. avoiding sugar & alcohol.

3. adding as many greens as I can to my meals.

4. trying to implement the "how to fix the broken record in your head" suggestions.

By the way, if you choose to join me on a liver cleanse you don't need to do it for 21 days. It is a great amount of time, but a week is super too. Any cleaning you for your body goes a long way. Just a thought....

Sweet dreams,

Lysa I.

Hi,

I am already at the end of day #7 of my spring liver cleanse and feel really good. I want to share with you some detoxifying thoughts tonight. This is from the January, 2010 issue of "O" magazine. It's written by Martha Beck who is a contributing editor of "O" and I believe a life coach as well.

The article is "How to Fix the Broken Record in Your Head". Here are the first two tips Martha Beck suggests for negative thinking. For the last two, you will have to read again tomorrow.

"1. Recognize your negative voice as a 2-year old tantrum. Trying to reason with it only increases the hysteria. Instead, take your inner 2-year old to a quiet place and let it throw its fit. Write down all the cruel judgements until they fade to a grumble.

2. Accept that some of your self- criticism may be true, but never let failure end the story. Instead of saying no to the negative voice, say, "yes, and ...for example, last year I jogged as only as far as that new kielbasa stand and I also managed to stop a few binges by reading trashy novels instead."

Hi Everyone,

I am now at the end of day #6 of my 21 day cleanse. Today I tried a "liver flush" which is super easy to make and incorporate into my day. It is taken from a book called "The Chakra Mantra Cookbook" by Patricia Stein. It's a sweet cookbook filled with yummy vegetarian recipes, wonderful artwork and prayers.

Here is "Guru Nam's Liver Flush:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbs. cold pressed olive oil

pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix and drink. Great for cleansing the liver of excess bile. Our liver works hard to rid our system of toxins and metabolize fat. Whatever we can do to support it, is a good thing.

Today, I focused on adding a bunch of greens to my meals, which felt really good.

Until tomorrow!

Lysa

April 11th, 2010

Hi Out There!

This week I finally summoned up the strength to start my spring liver cleanse. I have been keeping it basic, no sugar, no alcohol, some herbs and lots of greens! I feel good, for the most part, I haven't missed either too much. Just was hard when my husband opened up a nice bottle of red wine the other evening and today when my daughter wanted an ice cream cone at Taco Juan's. I just reminded myself that I am committed to this cleanse for 21 days and know that my body will be the healthier for it.

Noticed that I was a little more susceptible to feeling anxious or irritable in the first days, but it has already lifted a bit. I am at the end of day 5 and plan to go to day 21. I will keep writing to share what my experience is like in case anyone out there would like to join me.

For now, I have a recipe I would like to share with you all. The other night my friend Noel was over. We love to cook together and the other night came up with a great taco recipe. Here it is:

Kale, Black Bean, Goat Cheese, Japanese Yam, Cilantro Tacos!!!

ingredients:

kale, blanched with sliced red onions ( 1 bunch of kale and 1/2 red onion)

juice of a lime

cooked black beans (2 cups)

1/4 cup goat cheese

1 japanese yam baked to perfection (needs about 1 hour in oven at 350)

1 handful chopped cilantro

olive oil

6 tacos

1 avocado cubed

Blanche kale and red onions. Pour lime juice and one count of olive oil on kale. Set aside.

Fill taco shells with mashed yams, beans, goat cheese and kale, then heat to until goat cheese and all the taco fillings are warm.

Add cilantro and avocado.

Eat & enjoy!