A Good Cleanse

We've been doing quite a bit of decluttering since we've been home. Since we live in a small space, a year or two of accumulating THINGS makes a big difference in how I feel about our small space! Both Adele and Ceci grew a few inches while we were away, so their clothing got a good weeding. Geoff and I tackled our room, which was quite a disaster. Closets are thinning out, and so are cupboards. It always feels so good. I'm the only minimalist in the house, and we never quite get rid of enough to really satisfy me, but I'm learning to take what I get!

I also finished up an 8-day cleanse last week, a decluttering of my body. We didn't eat very well during a good portion of our travels, and I felt like I wanted a fresh start. Aside from a nutritional drink that I could drink at any time, the first four days I could only eat a handful of vegetables. Whenever I go off of animal products I feel horrible for three days - massive blood sugar issues, but after that, I feel great. So not only did I feel like my body was eating itself, because I was so hungry, I felt lousy at first. I then could add a non-gluten grain to my vegetables once a day during the last four days. I craved everything. I thought about food constantly. I swore I would never do it again! But I stuck it out, and by the end I felt so clean and strong. Not strong in the physical sense  (because I was still so hungry) but I felt strong, like, in control. I realized that I was controlling my body instead of my body controlling me. That was a powerful feeling for me. It was interesting to notice my relationship with food. Here was my favorite recipe during the cleanse:

I chopped up two green onions, one celery stalk and a handful of spinach, and mixed it with about 3/4 cup of wild rice. I drizzled the most amazing olive oil we brought back from Israel, sprinkled it with a little salt, and voila, an easy, delicious lunch/dinner.

Since the cleanse I've been trying out all sorts of plant-based recipes. Some are a hit and some don't pass the family judges. Overall, I'm trying to minimize animal products and increase vegetables, just to see how I feel. Since I do most of the cooking around here, the whole family is along for the ride.

My children are such good sports.