Smoothie Cleanse

So I decided to do a smoothie cleanse, since cleansing seems to be a popular thing right now. Usually, I'm not one to follow what's "popular," but something about the concept of cleansing your body seemed intriguing to me. I decided to try a smoothie cleanse recommended by a friend, instead of shelling out the big bucks to do a juice cleanse, like Blueprint. I figured I could save a few $$ by DIY-ing the experiment, and if I ultimately had a positive reaction to the smoothie cleanse, I would look into investing in a juice cleanse.

Well, let me tell you folks-this has truly been an experiment! Here are the things I've learned from this experiment:

1. I actually have some semblance of self-control and rarely felt the need to snack during the cleanse. On day 2, I indulged in a bowl of plain brown rice, but that was mostly to balance the flavor of the smoothie. The rest of the cleanse was only supplemented by a couple bananas for breakfast (mostly because I didn't feel like tangling with my food processor/blender before having a full cup of coffee and on an empty stomach) and raw cashews. 
2. Straws are crucial elements of cleansing. We had to make an emergency straw trip on day 2 and are now well-stocked on straws for any future smoothie endeavors.
3. I really don't like drinking thick things, i.e. smoothies, soups, pulpy orange juice, etc. This relates to #2-the need for straws. Straws make it possible for me. A spoon is somewhat useful, but a straw is where it's at.
4. Raw cashews are the best snack discovery I have made in a long time. We loved our tamari almonds from EarthFare in Tallahassee, but raw cashews are my new best friend. They were my favorite snack during this process and even in their natural state, they have a buttery kind of flavor to them that is beyond delightful. Definitely a keeper.
5. Avocado's make everything better. I think I'm a Californian by nature. I would love to have an avocado tree in my backyard, like Will's grandmother does. I could literally eat avocado's at every meal. Every. Meal.
6. I don't really like beets as much as I thought I did. Borscht may be the only exception and led me astray thinking I actually enjoyed beets. Maybe I do. The juries still out on beets for me.
7. I really really don't like raspberries. Or at least I'm blaming them in some part, along with the beets, for the unpleasant taste of smoothie day 2. But I'm pretty sure I just don't like them.

After three days of giving this a go, would I recommend it? Sure, but I would definitely recommend eating foods you're unfamiliar with in a non-smoothie meal before diving in. I should've reminded myself what beets tasted like before cleansing, as well as tested raspberries, since I was pretty sure I didn't like them anyways. Otherwise, I found the Day 1 smoothie to be pretty good, but I know kale might not be everyone's favorite green-it can be bitter, but it didn't bother me (you know we cook a lot of it). Day 2 smoothie was horrendous, in my opinion. I suffered through many beet burps, had to get a straw to prevent myself from gagging, and ultimately threw some away (although I threw it away because I was so full and wasn't going to keep forcing myself to drink it, and I didn't exactly want leftovers). Day 3 smoothie was the nectar of life and perfect in every way. Even after getting full, I still wanted to keep drinking it. It was the only smoothie that also had the good fortune of straw-usage for the entire day, so that may have helped. But I would definitely make Day 3 smoothie again and it was the only one I looked forward to sipping on for a second time, during the day. I almost craved it.

My conclusions about the smoothie cleanse are that I feel fairly successful with it. I definitely dropped a few pounds, which was fun (check back in a few days to see if I've kept them off-pretty doubtful). I didn't feel super low on energy, although Will would argue that I got a little ornery at times. And while I can't tell if toxins have left my body or not, I feel lighter and I guess cleaner? I'm not really sure how you're supposed to determine that. Would I try it again? Maybe with some different smoothies. Would I try a juice cleanse? Definitely. Was it worth it? Sure, I have nothing else going on at the moment.

If you're interested, I've included the recipes below. Our blender is crap, so we prepped all ingredients in our food processor before doing a final blend in our blender. We had to do most of the food processing in groups, because we have a tiny food processor. If you want to see the original recipe, visit here.

Day 1 Smoothie-"Green Smoothie"
2 cups tuscan kale, packed
1 cup spinach leaves, packed
1 large handful parsley
1 frozen banana
2 cups green grapes
1 cup frozen blueberries
3 tablets TJ's spirulina
1/4 cup sliced raw almonds
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
5 ice cubes

(Finished smoothie pictured at the top of the post)






Day 2 Smoothie-"Red-ish Smoothie"
5 TJ's pre-cooked baby beets (I would recommend using less; the original recipe calls for 3 beets)
3 cups swiss chard, packed
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup flaxseed
1 tbsp raw cocoa powder
2 cups almond milk
5 ice cubes








Day 3 Smoothie-"Sweet Smoothie"
3 cups spinach leaves, packed
1/2 avocado, pitted
3 inches ginger, peeled
1 frozen banana
2 cups frozen mango
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 scoop TJ's vanilla protein powder
2 cups almond milk
5 ice cubes