Foodie Sunday ~ Spring Clean/sing!

By Beth Don’t you love that time of year when suddenly within the space of a day it literally turns into spring? My mind knows rationally that winter won’t stay forever, but when the warmth of the sun begins to coax the buds and blossoms out to play I toss my boots to the back of the closet and break out my sandals and maxi dresses! That’s when I also begin to notice that nothing fits as well as it did when I put it away in October.  Many of you will not know this, but aside from being a passionate perfumista in my daily life I’m a  Life / Health and Wellness  Coach.  I discovered many years ago that one of my greatest joys was teaching others to live life as a celebration and helping others look and feel their best is one of the ways that I do it! Sometimes I discover (well most of the time!) that it's time for me to take a spoonful of my own medicine. Months of eating the yummy, heavy comfort foods of winter will have indeed exacted a price, so this is usually the time when I begin a spring time cleanse or detox! When I began cleansing so many years ago I used to be fairly dogmatic about it, fasting on glasses of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for a week until I couldn’t stand it any longer which was when I would generally hit my breaking point and cram the nearest bar of chocolate or pint of Ben and Jerry’s down my throat.  Now I’m much more relaxed and I’ve adopted a spa food approach that suits Jim and me quite well. I have discovered that an anti- inflammatory diet rich in plant foods, nuts and oils combined with toothsome grains and light proteins like fish and a little bit of organic chicken worked just as well and kept me satisfied throughout the day.   On most days I avoid white and wheat flour, potatoes, rice, white sugar and almost all cheese and dairy with the exception of Greek yogurt, raw goat cheese, feta and the occasional slice of Havarti. I’ll even drink a glass of red wine with dinner! I love starting my day with a glass of green juice that I’ve made fresh with cucumber, kale, spinach, green onions, sprouts, (yes you can juice sprouts!) and whatever fresh herbs I can find in my garden.  I love to add a tablespoon of edible French green clay to my juices to help draw out toxins and I’m sure to drink lots of water and iced green or black tea throughout the day. One of my favorite (and easy!) things to do is muddle filtered or sparkling water with fresh fruits and herbs which I then sweeten with a few drops of liquid stevia. Not only are the resulting infusions refreshing, but they are very fragrant and just so pleasing to look at!  In the spring lots of fragrant forest ramps and plenty of fresh asparagus will find their way into my soups while dandelion greens, chickweed and violet leaves sneak into my lunchtime salads! For dinner I  love to experiment with fragrant vegetable curries, grilled fish and sashimi and quinoa paellas with olives, fresh seafood and lemons.  Last night’s dinner was lump crab served with a healthy remoulade sauce and a salad of tomato, watermelon, cucumber, flat parsley, torn basil and feta. A good walk after dinner or a bit of yoga with Jim to clear my head allows us to reconnect after a long busy day and don’t forget to get at least 7 hours of sleep as often as you can! I find it quite easy to eat this way and after a week or two I begin to notice not just a reduction in pounds but also that everything just tastes better to me.  I definitely haven’t been suffering and I’ve definitely got plenty of energy!   So what do you do when you’re ready for a bit of spring cleaning? Your favorite recipes? Photograph of infused water is of unknown origin