It’s been a while! I’ve basically been eating really well, celebrating, and traveling since April. {I’m so behind on posts!} #SummertimeChi is off to a great and hot start, and it’s just been really busy.

Before my next trip this week, I realized that I feel pretty gross and need a detox/cleanse. I can never commit to a detox or cleanse that lasts longer than a week, and I only have 3 days before I travel again, so… I present to you my QUICK 3 DAY CLEAN-EATING DETOX. It sounds aggressive, but it’s not at all. It’s easy, cheap and definitely makes me feel better, inside and out.

Here are the details. This involves 1 trip to Whole Foods, and assumes that you use either filtered water (like Brita) or have water bottles at home. I also don’t include seasonings and basic pantry items such as oils.

GROCERY LIST | $27 total at Whole Foods

2 portions of salmon ($6.99 per 6oz fillet)

kale (2 bunches for $3, sale)

1 large lemon

1 cucumber

1 bag of frozen pineapple chunks

1 piece of ginger

 

RECIPES

SLOW-ROASTED SALMON with KALE & CUCUMBER

1 6oz salmon fillet

2T olive oil

2 cups of kale, cut up

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1t red pepper flakes

1/4 cucumber, sliced and cut into halves

1t sesame oil

salt & pepper to season

• Preheat oven to 300F
• Pour 1T of olive oil onto the salmon fillet, and make sure it covers all of it. Season with salt & pepper and place on a baking sheet. When the oven is at 300F, slow roast the salmon for 15-18mins.
• While the salmon cooks, prep the cucumber side dish by slicing it up, adding sesame oil, salt and pepper to season in a bowl. Toss, taste, and it’s ready.
• When the salmon has about 5mins to go, start heating up 1T olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and kale and saute together until the kale has wilted and cooked through. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
• By the time your kale is done, the salmon should also be done… and you’re ready to plate it up! So easy, SO delicious.

SPICY LEMON WATER

1L bottle of water (I drink Smart Water)

juice of 1/4 lemon

1T maple syrup

1/10th of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or as much as you can handle, I have a heavy hand with it sometimes)

• Add the lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper to the bottle of water
• Shake it up, sip throughout the day

 

LUNCH SMOOTHIE

1 cup of shredded kale

1/4 cucumber, cut up into cubes (skin removed)

1 cup of pineapple chunks

1 cup of coconut water

1in piece of ginger, finely grated

Optional: pinch of cayenne pepper, cinnamon or some maple syrup for sweetness

• Blend the kale, cucumber and coconut water first
• Add the ginger, pineapple chunks and spices/maple syrup
• Drink as is (will be thick like a smoothie as seen in the pic below), or strain to drink only the extracted juice (yes, I need a juicer!)

KALE CHIPS

2-3 large leaves of kale leaves, torn into medium-sized pieces

1T olive oil

1t salt

1t red pepper flakes

• Preheat the oven to 300F
• On a baking sheet, lay the kale in one layer
• Add the olive oil onto the kale and toss to coat
• Season with salt and red pepper flakes (and any other spices you fancy)
• Bake for about 12-15mins, tossing the kale at about 10mins
• Let cool, and enjoy!

DETOX NOTES 

• My dinners were the same each night – slow-roasted salmon, sauteed kale, seasoned cucumber
• I sipped on a 1L bottle of spicy lemon water all day
• I made a smoothie for lunch or whenever I got hungry
• I started the day with warm lemon water (added some cinnamon & tiny pinch of cayenne to kick-start that metabolism early)
• I made kale chips to snack on during the day
• Sipping water all day kept me feeling full, and flushed out toxins in the process
• I did a short 20-min workout during my lunch break {easy yoga poses, some squats, some crunches}

And that’s it! My version of a quick detox, made easy for those of us who just really love eating steak frites and donuts and ice-cream. Yes, I feel so much better, less bloated (I hate that word), and motivated to keep it up… after my next trip. 🙂