The year is flying by and Spring has sprung. The time of rebirth & fresh beginnings is here and with it comes a chance of renewal in every sense of the word. Our bodies are definitely feeling the energy that comes with longer & sunnier days, and what better way to channel all that energy positively than through a cleanse that involves both body & mind? Here´s a new recipe for those detoxing days that will leave you feeling satisfied.

• 12-14 savoy cabbage leaves
• 1/2 lb. white ground meat, turkey or fish
• 1 cup water chestnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, for brushing

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled & grated

In a medium pan, begin to brown the meat, seasoned with a pinch of salt, if desired. While the meat cooks, bring a large pot of water to boil and place the cabbage leaves in water to tenderize, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside on a paper towel.

Once the meat is browned, pour into a mixing bowl. Add the carrots, onion, & water chestnuts. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Pour over the vegetable & turkey mixture and stir to coat.

Place 1/3 cup filling on a cabbage leaf and roll tightly making sure the filling is snug & safe. Serve with dipping sauce of choice and enjoy this guilt-free delicacy!

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After a quite delightful & flavorful trip back home to Honduras (which I am sure to tell you all about soon), it felt quite appropriate to start my annual detox diet afterwards, with the intention not only to remind myself how much damage I do to my body quite unconsciously, but this time around, I took an extra step ahead and did a complete green detox in order to cleanse my organs, more specifically my liver & colon.

I was directly inspired by my Kundalini yoga school, which invited me to participate in a green detox Sadhana with the hopes of helping my body rejuvenate, revitalise, gain health & strength with healthy green foods & daily Kundalini yoga. According to them, this physical, mental and emotional detox supports the release of toxins & the negative side effects of stress. Cleansing the body, calming the mind.

It was a 10-day challenge I set myself up for, starting on a Friday to help me get through the first days sans coffee & sugar, hidden away from the world. Sunday was BAD. But on Monday I was already feeling a natural surge of energy that felt somewhat…divine. The idea of detoxing body & mind was a really good experience for me. Sadhana itself is an ego-transcending spiritual practice done for attaining detachment from worldly things, and even though I am no expert in the discipline, I do consider myself an advocate of any practice that helps to balance mind, body & soul. I am grateful for the journey; putting myself first, more self love, feeling less tired, feeling more power & energy, learning to choose healthy food options. I really recommend this for everyone, especially those who cannot seem to pinpoint what´s off in your life.

Funny story though…after my 7 days of greens, I was prepared to enjoy the last 3 detox days “reintroducing” my usual foods slowly back into my diet. Basically, sugar, milk products, and COFFEE! Seemingly fitting, that Friday we planned a night out in the the town with the girlfriends. And to keep up with my good habits, I ordered a delicious ceviche at our favorite Mexican hotspot. Cocktails were of course a must, and we ordered some frozen tamarind margaritas, which to my inconvenience were LOADED with sugar. I felt that hit like a brick direct in the bloodstream! After two or three I was definitely on one of the most intense sugar rushes of my life. After dinner we ordered a round of carajillos, which are basically an espresso shot with liquor – I know, I like to live dangerously. My first coffee in a week, at midnight! Needless to say, I was intoxicated in one sitting that night and the rush of toxins lasted well until about 4:30 am when I finally got tired enough to sleep…and then kept me quite active the next day.

Lesson learned. The amount of toxins our bodies live with everyday on ¨normal¨diets is quite disturbing and unfortunately the effort needed to only provide ¨goodness¨ to your body is sometimes too hard or inconvenient on a day-to-day basis. How is this possible? How can we show ourselves so little love, feeding out bodies and minds so much crap? This has a lasting and terrible effect on our organs and our spirit. We are what we eat, we hear that quite often. So why is it so hard to love ourselves so much?