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A Cleansing Story: Pressed Juicery 3-Day Cleanse Experience

Catt Leave a comment

I’ve done a couple of juice cleanses in the past, and I blogged about the last one I did pretty much exactly a year ago! (Wow even I didn’t notice that until now!) Anyways that wasn’t the last cleanse I did, I did another 5 day plan by Jason Vale in the Spring of 2014. So I’m a pretty experienced cleanser. But this was the first time I ever bought a cleanse. And I did it as a gift to myself, really. Knowing how much work it takes to make the juices and clean up every day (actually, it’s pretty much the same as when you prepare regular food), I wanted to give myself a break and a gift of a hassle-free, done-for-me cleanse. Besides, I was curious to see what it was really like for myself.

I’ve been a frequent at Pressed Juicery, but I don’t go often first because while their juices are truly at what I consider a good price, it can really add up, and second because I’d always have to drive out to get to a store. So having a cleanse from them shipped to me sounded like a fantastic option! I know their product line well, I trust their juicing, so I didn’t really look further, I just picked Pressed to be my cleanse supplier.

I chose Cleanse #2, purely because Roots 3 was in it and I absolutely adore that juice. In hindsight, Cleanse #3, the more intense one with mostly green juice would have probably suited me better given that I’m an experienced juicer, but I probably would have been moping that there was no Roots 3 in it. Actually, I probably should have just created my own cleanse; I’ve never done a cleanse in this way before, so next time I will definitely be choosing my own juices!

My juices were scheduled to arrive in the morning of my first day of the cleanse. Here was my overall experience with the cleanse:

Day 1 – Starting Out Day

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Starting day! Excited and armed with book-inspiration!

8am – I am beyond excited for this cleanse to start, and I start off the day with a lot of positivity and picking up the book Juice, written by the founders of Pressed Juicery and gifted to me by my wonderful fiance last week when we visited Pressed Juicery at Larchmont! I also pick up Miranda Kerr’s Empower Yourself for some positive affirmations. I love the way Jason put it – don’t just cleanse your body, cleanse your mind too.

9am – I am checking my shipment tracking constantly at work. They said they would deliver at 10:30am. I was nervous because last minute I decided to ship to work because most of the juices would be consumed at work.

10:30am – No juices, and no more tracking info! What? I email Pressed but no one responded. I am starting to develop a faint-y feeling as I fill my mug up with hot water for herbal tea again. I haven’t had anything but hot herbal tea all day.

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A lot of herbal tea! I love pukka tea!

11am – Tracking info says juices were delivered at 10:34 to the front door. I look out the front and back door at work, nothing was there. I call home and my darling friend/roommate says “We were just trying to pull it in it’s so heavy what is it?” Yes!! I drive back home to settle the juices!

11:11am – I find a large cardboard box at the doorstep, lug it in, and open it up, finding an insulated bag with 18 bottles of pure goodness inside. I quickly put some away in the fridge and consume my first juice, Greens 2. Finally something in my system! It tastes beautifully sweet and delicious. Greens 2 is one of my favorites, I get it very often. It’s the same as Greens 3 but with no ginger. It’s a classic green juice – kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, lemon, celery, apple. It’s so refreshing and delicious

1pm – I start at my second juice, Citrus 2. Pineapple, apple, lemon, mint. I’m personally not a fan of pineapple, but this juice is delicious. However, since I’m a pretty experienced cleanser, it is slightly too sweet for me, and I had nothing but hot tea until 11am, so this was a bit heavy for me. It’s very delicious though, especially with that hint of mint at the end. What a beautiful juice.

3pm – I feel fine and I actually have no desire to eat anything, even when others around me are eating in the office. I gave all my Albertsons cookies to my colleague in the morning too. I start to worry though because there are 4 more bottles to consume in the next 6 hours. So I have my third bottle, Greens 3. It’s the same as Greens 2 but with ginger, and I love ginger. But I have to say Greens 2 has the cleaner/smoother taste! I love Greens 3 a lot though.

4:30pm – I pull out Roots 3 so that I’m making progress on these. I’m not hungry at all and I drink it over a period of time. Roots 3 was the reason why I chose this cleanse over the other one. The ginger taste in Roots 3 is very strong – you can almost feel the heat! But it’s also a really sweet juice, as it has beet and apple in it. It’s pretty much a spicy (in the ginger way!) lemonade. Roots 3 is a truly delightful juice. I’m feeling pretty full at this point, and it’s time to go home.

6pm – I have my lemon cayenne water, which is much lighter than the other juices. It’s spicer than I’ve made my lemon cayenne water! I’m not a big fan of cayenne, but this “juice” feels so hydrating and was much welcomed.

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Snuggling in my pjs and my delicious lovely almond milk!

7:30pm – I finish the day with my favorite “juice” of all (although it’s not the one I buy most often) – vanilla almond milk. Oh what a creamy dreamy. I love this juice so much. I love making vanilla almond milk myself – I actually make pretty much the same thing (almond, dates, vanilla bean) – and it tastes pretty darn delicious. But it takes time to make, and again there’s something sooo luxurious about doing this whole thing handed to me.

10pm – I mix two tablespoons of George’s Aloe Vera liquid (I got it at the Vitamin Shoppe, decided to skip on the chlorophyll) with a cup of water, and consume it slowly. I am a happy camper going to bed.

Day 2 – Detox Symptoms Day

7am – I woke up and focused myself to a good feeling place like I usually do. I made some hot water with basil, apple cider vinegar, lemon, and honey. I go for a run outside and realize its really warm – the Santa Ana Winds! I feel good taking a run, but nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary really. Nor does it feel bad for me to take a run while cleansing. I take my first juice on the go to work.

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Consuming my juices at work

Mid-day – I don’t feel hungry at all, and it’s really around every 2 hours or so you get your next juice, so you’re never really far from your next juice which is really cool. However I do have the feeling of “how much longer is this going to be?” I feel annoyed because I know I love doing this and I know I love juice! What’s more is I know I love love LOVE the feeling I have after I do a cleanse. But I definitely have some of these thoughts. To top it off, my boss’ wife is microwaving this delicious smelling yummy curry in the microwave. Food cravings – noo!!

Late afternoon – I can’t deny that I’m craving food and thinking of food! I tell myself it’s a 3 day cleanse – I’ve done 5 day no problem! But I’ve done another 3 day cleanse and I actually think they’re kind of more difficult because you think it’s only 3 days! When it’s a 5 day cleanse, it feels like a full week and you have to prepare yourself for that much more. When it’s a 3 day cleanse, you’re like oh it’s just 3 days come on, and then it feels like more work! Isn’t that strange?

9pm – Just finished my last delicious vanilla almond juice, but I cannot say I am not experiencing some detox symptoms. Mild headache, but I’m thinking because I’m staring at the computer screen way too long (I really have to find a way to stop doing that). And I am tired. Like. Pooped tired. And I keep feeling a need to burp. A lot of it, and I’m scared of burping some almond milk out. Going to bed early for sure. I consume two tablespoons of Aloe vera liquid with a cup of water.

Day 3 – Juice High Day!

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My final juice day! I loved it so much!

Morning – I went to bed at around 9:30pm, but got up a few times at midnight with a pounding headache and went to the bathroom. When I opened my eyes, oh my gosh! I felt like I was born again with a new baby body or something! Everything feels fresh and clean and exciting! Wow what an en-lightening feeling! I also notice my skin looks so great! I definitely see a noticeable improvement – it looks smoother and brighter, and I am so stoked for this. I really thought all these raves about delivered juice cleanses were just for raving, but boy do I really notice a difference! My headache is miles away, and I truly feel fantastic. I think the fact that I didn’t need to make any of these juices myself really took a piece of stress away for me and it was so free-ing and joyful!

Evening  – I still feel wonderful and I’m finishing up my last juice now. I can’t believe it’s done! Although I am excited to have solid foods again. One thing I noticed on Jason’s cleanses was that I really started craving really healthy foods, whereas right now I could kind of do with any food. It might have been the 5-day difference though where I had to put my mind to it more than just a 3-day cleanse. I really feel light and wonderful and it feels like I’m a baby again! What a fantastic feeling!

Day 4 – Post-cleanse

Wow do I ever feel regenerated! The “on” switch is still there, and I feel fantastic. I’m probably going to get a juice or a salad for lunch, but we’ll see. I truly feel rejuvanted and like my body is fresh and new again! I’m not craving ANY junkie druggie foods at all, although perhaps something savory like a salad. What Jason calls the “junkie food terrorist” has been once again, staved off! I feel so powerful and alive that I know this is the start of a truly wonderful “new year”! (a bit late but hey 🙂 )

And an added bonus, I’m 3 pounds lighter in 3 days!

This cleanse has truly been a wonderful experience. Being able to have this experience has been such a beautiful thing, and I really want to harness it as a launching pad for eating clean again, which I kind of let go of for a while (I wasn’t eating junky really, but I started eating a lot). I want to be blogging about that too, maybe sharing some recipes here and there. And also sharing some lovely things for teens and pre-teens, now that I’m coaching them! (See connect with me to see more details for that!) I think it may be time for me to revamp this blog and launch it off anew the way I did with my body through this cleanse!

Thank you, Pressed Juicery! I will definitely be doing this again someday, and sharing it with people I love! ❤

The Comprehensive Ins and Outs of Enjoying Green Smoothies! Recipes Included!

Catt 1 Comment

When I set out to be more health-conscious in my eating, the first thing I incorporated into my life was green smoothies. I was never spooked out by the green. My mom used to make random fruit and veg smoothies that were never green but certainly had weird tastes, so perhaps I dissociated the relationship of colour and taste of a smoothie.

I started having green smoothies just looking into personal development, and it just seemed like a cool idea to add as a healthy new habit. Two and a half years later I still make green smoothies. While I’ve done a lot more juicing since then, green smoothies always make it into my life at least twice a week. They’re so easy to love, they are easy to make and less time consuming than juices, and they last for up to three days sealed in a mason jar or a glass jar so you don’t have to drink it all that day like it is with juice.

Green smoothies are important because they contain a lot of live chlorophyll. The thing about blending them is that it help make it easier for our bodies to assimilate the nutrients from the goodness, whether from fruit or greens. Especially with the greens, a lot of the nutrients are sealed within the strong cell walls of the plant cells, and thus by blending we can help our bodies and our digestive systems. Green smoothies are also like a good clean sweep for your digestive system. Yes it’s kind of weird that you can tell when your green smoothie made its way, but it also feels like a really good clean. I literally feel lighter after eliminating when it’s from clean eating! 🙂 Additionally, we haven’t been eating enough greens in our diet. Greens are not the same as vegetables – they have different nutritional properties! They are an integral food group that we’ve traditionally have not “counted” into our diet that are important for our thriving!

I’d like to share some of my green smoothie creation tips here – consider them my success formulae! As a former bartender (yes the alcohol variety!) and soon after mixologist, I pleasantly found the same thing happen to me with juices and green smoothies! I have stopped following recipes and have been able to mix things together and know what they will taste like, just like with the alcoholic drinks I used to do for work. Here are some of my principles I’d like to share, some recipes that are easy for beginners, and some easier-to-cite resources that I used along my green smoothie journey! Feel free to share these smoothies with your friends and credit me and my blog if you loved my recipe and would like to share them! Try them out, ask me if you have any questions!
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Green Smoothie Creation Success Formulae
1. Only Fruits and Greens
The best green smoothies are those that incorporate greens and fruit. When I first started creating green smoothies I added fruits and sprouts and nuts and seeds and vegetables and greens and aloe and coconut water and agave and chia seeds and flax seeds. Now I only do greens, fruit, and filtered water. The reason is that when you add too many different things into one smoothie, it can become a conglomerate mess and more difficult to digest than it need be! Fruits, greens, and filtered water is my formula, always, even though I’ve tried loads of other combinations.

2. Incorporate fruits that help bind the smoothie together
Greens blended with water not only smell really eugkk (its not bad it’s just…euuuoufff), they also are really watery and impossible to consume. Thus if you use only watery fruit such as apples, oranges (also, take the seeds out of the orange – in my experience they’ve been bitter!), watermelon, etc it’s going to keep that weird watery un-delicious texture and taste. Use enough of a “stickier” fruit – examples are mango, pear (pear is in between), banana (the best, although taste-wise is a hit or miss in individual preferences), berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries – they are also in-between), grapes (also in-between), peaches (lovely), plums (in between), pineapple (in between) – so that the smoothie will bind.

3. Use the Greens that Work
I once blended a wonderful smoothie…using mustard greens. I ended up wasting 3 quarts of smoothie..I know..I felt SO bad but I nearly vomited trying to swallow the wasabi-fruit tasting smoothie. GROSS! It pays off to know the greens to use!
Here are the greens I use in the US (I also live in Italy and Taiwan, where I use different greens) that I buy at any grocery stores:
– Spinach (the best – it has the most neutral taste..in fact you won’t even be able to tell the difference)
– Kale (can be bitter, especially lacinato/dinosaur kale and red kale, so a bit more advanced)
– Chard (fantastic)
– Collard greens (in between kale and chard kind of taste)
– Romaine (one of my favourites as well, romaine and kale together are fantastic)
– Parsley, Basil, Mint, Wheatgrass (use with other greens as an accent)
(PS – I always remove large stems! They tend to be bitter. Sometimes I keep them for juicing LOL)

4. Rotate Greens
Greens can build up some toxins if you constantly consume the same greens over and over again. I won’t take more than the bundle at the supermarket or the farmer’s market in one round, and if I have other greens I alternate them. This is important, don’t miss this! I heard you get weird side effects I haven’t experienced if you don’t rotate greens!

5. Build up the Green Colour
I used to use mostly kale and romaine to start with. Spinach I discovered later. The point is, take what you’re comfortable with. I mean, make sure it’s green you know gotta wear that pride since you’re going to do it anyways. Spinach is the one to start with if you’re a sceptic. Romaine is also very fresh and easy to handle. The thing is the more you have them, the more you will want them to be darker green 😀 I love it!!!

6. Drink them alone
Like with the fruit and greens only guideline, they’re easier to digest on their own. I usually give at least 20 minutes before and after to a consumption of a delicious green smoothie. Also, don’t think of them as a meal replacement – they ARE a meal, and way more nutrition than coffee and pastry! I drink them as breakfast, though I do have breakfast pretty late.

7. Bonus tip: freezing some fruit!
I don’t like using store-bought frozen fruit except mango, but I often freeze my berries and bananas (peel and put them into chunks and into a plastic baggie and freeze, don’t put the whole thing in – I never tried but come on just peel it and put it into a baggie!). They make the smoothie creamier and cooler!

Some Fun Beginner Recipes
All Recipes by Catt! Amounts may vary due to sizes, and sometimes you can use less water. Please reference me and my blog if you share!
1. The Tangy Tropical, Serves 2
– 1 in. slice pineapple, cut into chunks
– 2 cups frozen mango chunks (they’re spacey in a cup, so as much as you like really)
– 1 apple (your favourite kind!)
– 1/2 handful of blueberries
– 1/2 handful of raspberries
– 3-4 handfuls of spinach, depending on the size of your hands
– 2 cups filtered water

2. Fruity Greening, Serves 2
– 3 cups of frozen mango chunks
– 1/2 a medium sized banana
– 5 strawberries (can keep the stems, my fiance’ takes them off always)
– 1 small to medium apple (Fuji to be sweet, Pink Lady to be Catt)
– 1 handful of seedless red grapes (for the record seedless is technically not GMO, but Catt is not anti-GMO! 🙂 )
– 1/2 medium pear (I like Bosc, they’re refreshing!)
– 1 large leave of kale, or 1 large handful of kale
– 3 handfuls of spinach
– 2 cups filtered water

3. My Festive Summer, Serves 2
– 2 cups frozen mango chunks
– 3/4 cup blueberries
– 1 medium pitted peach or nectarine
– 1 large pitted plum or pluot (I don’t even know what a pluot is, but that’s what’s at the supermarket these days)
– 2-3 large leaves of chard, whichever colour you fancy..I stick to green to avoid making a mushy brown colour
– 2-3 handfuls of spinach
– 2 cups filtered water

Easily Citable References from my journey:
Boutenko, Victoria. Green for Life: The Updated Classic on Green Smoothie Nutrition. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic, 2010. Print.
Boutenko, Victoria. Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap towards Natural Health. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic, 2009. Print.
Carr, Kris. Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live like You Mean It! Guilford, Ct: Skirt!, 2011. Print.

Alright that’s all I’ve got! It’s a lot of topic and experience I have to cover in one ground. Message me or comment me with any questions you have!

Final point worth mentioning: I am not a vegan, fruitarian, raw foodist, or even vegetarian..I eat whatever I want! Which may happen to be leaving out certain foods that may classify me, but I eat what I want and I never restrict myself! Green smoothies are just a fun habit I have!

Happy Green Smoothie-ing!

Catt xx