Hey guys! Happy April & Happy Spring Cleaning! I am currently in the middle of a 10-Day Metabolic Cleanse to hit the reset button and detox my liver, which I am absolutely loving. I already feel amazing and I am only on Day 4! If you have ever considered a doing a cleanse, I’d love to provide you details about the one I am doing. Simply leave me a comment below!

This cleanse has really got me thinking (even more so than before..) about every single food item I put into my body, every day (as for these 10 days of the cleanse, the meal plan consists of pretty simple ingredients) and they recommend keeping a food diary.

Which is what inspired this post..in addition to one of my favorite websites, Mind Body Green, publishes a series of posts about what certain industry leaders (a nutritionist, dietitian, food blogger, health coach, etc.) eats in a day, and I thought it would be a great idea for me to take on, for all of you.

Of course, this food diary is not based on my eating habits during this current 10 day cleanse. Rather, it is based on my normal day-to-day life:

As an office manager at an integrative medicine practice and a holistic health coach, I have a half flexible, have routined schedule week to week.

When I am not in the office at the practice, I fill my days with creating personalized meal plans, one-on-one health coaching Skype calls or meetings, blog posts, marketing and networking for my small business, Live Well with Cara, creating recipes/eating recipes/taking pictures of recipes, studying & researching new materials. Can’t forget my cherished hour to myself for a workout like a hot yoga sculpt class, a gym sesh, or a run around the neighborhood.

I am a person who values routine {and what I put into my body}, so it is especially important for me to plan ahead when it comes to the food I eat. I generally eat about every 2-3 hours or so and focus on incorporating lots of colors into my meals, healthy snacks & fats, and 60+ ounces of water [including teas] a day. My diet varies from day to day, depending on my mood and what my body is craving. In some form or another, this is what my days typically look like:

7:00am: Wake Up – Hot Lemon Water

I never skip this step, even if I take my favorite 6:30am yoga class. Every morning upon waking up, I take a high-quality probiotic supplement (always on an empty stomach) and boil some hot water for either some organic detox herbal tea or green tea with a slice of organic lemon + 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or just plain hot water with lemon and ACV – just depends on what I’m feelin’. This wake up call jumpstarts my metabolism, provides me with powerful antioxidants (the green tea) and the lemon helps to balance pH levels.

7:30am: Breakfast Smoothie 

Most mornings I make a superfood breakfast smoothie to start my day with essential vitamins, minerals, and superfoods. My breakfast smoothie go-to usually looks something like this:

• a handful of power greens – organic spinach, kale, chard

• 1/3 inch nub of fresh grated organic ginger

• 1/4 – 1/2 an organic avocado

• 1/4 cup frozen organic mango

• 1/4 – 1/2 piece of a frozen organic banana

• a scoop of organic vegan protein powder (Garden of Life)

• organic green powder with spirulina + chlorella (Health Force)

• sometimes I add a teaspoon of matcha powder (Matcha Love)

• 1 teaspoon organic flax/chia/hemp seeds + bee pollen

• coconut water or unsweetened almond coconut milk + iced green tea for liquid

After my smoothie, I take a few supplements for optimal health: a high quality EPA/DHA Fish Oil, Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B Complex, and a special ImmunoWell blend for a healthy immune system.

11:00am: Snack 

Around 10:30am/11:00am I usually have a snack such as a handful of almonds or a homemade trail mix of almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, or a piece of fruit like an organic pear, or a 1/2 cup of chopped organic strawberries, blackberries or blueberries. I also make sure that I am constantly refilling my water bottle (I like to add a few lemon & cucumber slices into mine).

1:30pm: Lunch 

For lunch, I usually always eat some sort of salad. I like to throw lots of fresh veggies, colors, and often leftovers into my bowl to create a nourishing, filling & colorful salad. I looove salmon! I find myself eating it at least once or twice a week. I like to make it for dinner and use leftovers for my lunches. I always choose wild caught fish. Today I had a big, fresh salad of:

• organic spinach

• roasted beets, chopped

• organic cucumber slices

• 1/4 an avocado, chopped

• a sprinkle of hemp seeds

• my grilled salmon leftovers

• dressing: fresh squeezed lemon, tahini & balsamic vinegar

Sometimes, I add will add a gluten-free grain such as quinoa to my salads for some extra protein and fiber.

After lunch, I like to sip on a cup of either ginger or peppermint tea, which are both incredibly refreshing (without the caffeine) & are great for the digestive system.

3:30pm: Snack 

Around 3:30pm/4:00pm I will sometimes have another snack to keep me going until dinner time. This can range from a brown rice/quinoa/millet rice cracker with raw, unsalted almond butter & cinnamon, a handful of berries + almonds, or some homemade hummus with cucumber, carrots or Mary’s Gone Crackers (my favorite!).

7:00pm: Dinner

My dinner time usually depends on if I go to a 6:30pm yoga class, or if I already did it early in the AM. I aim to eat dinner no later than 7:30pm most nights. Tonight I made a really yummy, nutritious bowl of ginger grilled chicken breast (organic, free-range) with steamed organic brussels sprouts & an organic pear, chopped. I sautéed them with some chopped onion, garlic, ground ginger + pepper.

This dinner was so quick & easy! Took me a total of 20 minutes to prep + cook. Mmm mm.

Dessert 

If I am craving something sweet after dinner, I first like to drink a cup of dark chocolate rooibos tea {The Republic of Tea makes the best organic, strawberry chocolate rooibos tea}. If that doesn’t cut it for me, I will have one teaspoon of raw, no sugar added, unsalted almond butter.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Stay tuned for my next post, which will feature a special guest on what she eats in a typical day.

Have any questions? Shoot me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

a healthier you is a happier you!

xo + live well, 

cara