Post-Holiday Detox Craving

The holidays are over and now we are stuck with post holiday cleaning up, getting back to a routine, working on New Years resolutions, and most likely some degree of sugar withdrawal…

I am a 100% dessert girl. If it was possible, I would have something sweet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and in between :). Most of the time I get healthy sweets such as home-made rice pudding, Whole Foods vegan brownies, Emmy’s organic macaroons, Dr Cow raw sprouted biscotti or Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food bite-size cookies.  Any health-conscious foodie would be in heaven in my dessert drawer! However, for the past 2 weeks, with all the holiday traveling, family dinners, parties and lack of my favorite Lifethyme dessert aisle I ended up having regular sugar-loaded cookies and cakes. Even though they tasted yummy, my skin and belly were not particularly happy with a new addition to my diet. As it would be easy to predict, my skin became dry and a little itchy and my body decided to hold on to more water than it usually does making me feel like I swallowed a balloon.

As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to correct the situation. Back to my wholesome buckwheat breakfasts, stocked up spice drawer, and healthy desserts. Ah…it’s good to be home!

Often my body tells me what it needs. If you listen carefully to your cravings, your body will help you recover from any illness or internal disorder. Your body knows how to get rid from a winter depression and cheer you up, how to stop an unbearable migraine, and what to do to feel more energized. It’s all about learning to listen to oneself – an art of following a true craving.

Last night I had one of those revelation cravings. A new recipe popped into my head. I made it as soon as I got home from an evening yoga class at Strala and it came out so good that I made it again this morning. It is a perfect dessert or breakfast: full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, healthy fats, and carbs. It will make your eyes shine, skin clear and bright, and stomach clean and flat! Enjoy:

Carrot Raisin Detox Salad:

• 1 large grated carrot
• ½ cubed apple
• ½ cubed pear
• 1 dried fig, sliced
• 5 pre-soaked sulfur-free dried apricots
• handful of pre-soaked black raisins

Dressing:

• ½ or 1 whole orange squeezed on top of the salad
• 1 Tbsp of raw almond butter
• 1 Tbsp of grated flax seeds (I used Flax & Company Original)
• cinnamon
• cardamom

Optional:

• Coconut sprinkles
• A little bit of agave syrup or honey (I didn’t add any and it was sweet enough but if you are making it for your kids, you can add some)

Mix everything together and let it sit for at least 30 mins.

According to ayurveda it is best to eat fruits slightly cooked or at a room temperature but never cold! If you have a weak stomach or suffer from any digestive issue, pre-cook carrots, apples, and pears for 2-3 minutes in a microwave or pot of hot water. Slightly cooked fruits are a lot easier to digest.