Tag Archives: spaghetti squash

January 27, 2012 · 9:35 pm

Questions for a Cleanser with Sarah Voiles

Today’s Questions for a Cleanser comes from Sarah of juice bar and dinner party fame ;) We’ve had a lovely time keeping each other updated on our cleansing experiences and I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did! Also make sure to take a look at the tasty spaghetti squash recipe posted at the end, I had it as part of my dinner tonight and it was delicious!

Who are you?

Hello! I’m Sarah Voiles. I am a nanny in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I have two very sweet kitties. I love to crochet blankets and scarves, read, watch documentaries and eat dark chocolate!

What were your reasons: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc for embarking on the cleanse?

All of the above! However, I was especially excited for the support and added information I would get from Natalia, her team and all of the other amazing cleansers on this journey.

What detox symptoms, if any, have you experienced?

I’ve actually experienced quite a few detox symptoms. I’ve had times of being very tired, cold, night sweats, disrupted sleep patterns, I even had a random sore in my mouth that only lasted 24hrs. Thankfully, much of my detox symptoms were in the first two weeks of the cleanse. I will occasionally have days where I’m particularly tired but not nearly as often.

What positive changes have you noticed?

I have noticed many fantastic changes! Physically, I’ve leaned out a little, the whites of my eyes are brighter, my skin is more clear and has a glow to it. In general, I simply feel better and even happier. I feel like I have more mental clarity, the ‘foggy’ feeling I would often have is gone. The largest positive change I have noticed has been emotionally. So many emotional wounds surfaced. Big, small, really old, newish… many things I had thought I’d forgotten about came up and out. I’ve done a lot of journaling and crying and feel as though I’m so much lighter just from releasing all of those suppressed emotions. That has been my favorite part of the cleanse :)

What was your lifestyle like (regarding food and health) prior to the cleanse and what are you planning for after the cleanse?

Before the cleanse I had been following Natalia Rose’s Detox For Women for a couple of years, but not consistently. There would be periods of time when I would stray but always came back. My goal is to make the detox lifestyle my own for forever. My plan is to add a well combined lunch back into my day and juice until dinner at least one weekend a month. Someday I hope to adopt the juicing till dinner as my everyday lifestyle.

Are there any tips or inspiration you would like to share with fellow cleansers or those curious in a cleansing lifestyle?

Allow yourself to rest as much as necessary, especially in the beginning.

Don’t let the fear of success and feeling good frighten you.

Be well prepared! I find it hugely helpful to plan out my juices and meals 4-5 days ahead of time and get to the store so that I have everything on hand as I need it.

Know that you are likely to deal with a lot of emotional detoxing as well.

Do incorporate body brushing, Epsom salt baths, and colon cleansing!

Be very gentle and kind with yourself.

Spaghetti Squash A la Sarah:

A delicious spaghetti squash dinner- my version was made with romaine- I was out of spinach!


Spaghetti squash
1/2 Tb coconut oil
nutritional yeast to taste ( I usually use about 1/4 cup)
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 chopped garlic clove
a handful or two of fresh baby spinach

Cook up your spaghetti squash and toss in a bowl. Stir in the coconut oil until the squash is evenly covered. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well incorporated and the spinach has had a chance to wilt slightly.

Thanks Sarah!

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Filed under Other People's Recipes, Potatoes, Squashes, and Starchy Things, Recipes, Rose Cleanse, veggie side dishes

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January 18, 2012 · 8:58 pm

Herbalicious Spaghetti Squash with Pecorino & Rose Cleanse Day 18

Herbalicious Cheesy "Spaghetti"


Mmmm…cheesy spaghetti!! Well, not quite ;) Spaghetti squash is a huge favorite of mine; it can be baked until soft and stringy, leaving a dish reminiscent of spaghetti. In my opinion, it beats starchy, sticky pasta any day :D What I love in particular about the spaghetti squash is that it combines perfectly with goat cheese for an incredibly satisfying-yet-light Winter meal. I’ve spoken in passing numerous times about food combining but have never really bothered to spell out the details. I know many Veggie Kitchen followers are familiar with this idea, but for those of you who are not: certain foods, when eaten together, can take much longer to digest. As much as 2-3 times as long. Food that spends excess time in the stomach robs you of energy that I’m sure could be used for something more inspiring than an after-lunch nap or a trip to the coffee shop. There is plenty of controversy around this (I actually rather enjoyed the article “Sorry, but food combining is just a silly fad!”) but as usual, I like to experiment. Improper food combinations are just something that don’t work well for me. Food combining was one of the first things I toyed around with when making my transition from junk-food-vegan to veggie-obsessed-health-nut and I noticed differences right away. My voice felt clearer (a lack of acid reflux I assume?), I no longer experienced heartburn, or crazy digestive troubles. If I mess up a combination here or there it’s not the end of the world…just a drain on my energy…and who wants that?? Again, I think it’s important to get to know YOUR body- some people (men especially) have particularly strong digestive systems and don’t have to worry to much about things like this. Everybody. Is. Different. This has just been my experience.
Another important note: even if you’re combining flawlessly but you’re overeating, your digestive system will still be taxed and good food combos won’t save you. Or, for that matter, will they save you when you’re eating while tense, stressed, or angry. I’d like to pull a quote from the food combo skeptic above ;)

This mind-body effect is why relaxation and meditation can work with people with digestive problems, as they can reset the way the gut works.
The converse of this is that if we’re feeling happy and positive about the food we’re putting into our body, the muscles of our gut are far more likely to relax and be in the best state to digest the food – which explains why we can feel good after eating specific foods.

Our state of mind has an enormous impact on how comfortable we feel eating different foods. Hormones released when we’re feeling negative or angry (such as adrenaline and noradrelaline) make the muscles of the stomach and the intestine tighten.
These hormones also constrict the blood vessels supplying the gut, therefore our food can feel very uncomfortable inside and can cause symptoms of irritable bowel or indigestion.

So what makes an energy-depleting vs. energy-efficient food combination? Megan at The Detoxinista has a fabulous chart that you should take a look at- my roommate has been using it as a guide during the Rose Cleanse. Marlena Torres also has a wonderful post that would be worth reading. For the purposes of the cleanse, “starches” and “fleshes” are kept separate and eaten with veggies, keeping everything really simple. “Starches” (again, for the purposes of the cleanse) are things like sweet potatoes, squashes, and grains like millet or quinoa. Avocados also fall into this category. “Fleshes” are the animal products like raw goat cheese, fish, and free-range eggs. So for a meal that will digest easily and leave quickly (thereby leaving you with more energy) eat either a “flesh” with veggies or a “starch” with veggies.
A great meal example would be to have the Spiced Avocado with Veggies and Romaine and a side of sweet potato fries. On another night you could have the Portobello Salmon Sandwich following a salad with raw goat cheese and baked cauliflower. For right now, those are the basics. After the cleanse I’ll get into important details regarding fruits, nuts, seeds and other items that I’m omitting this month. Feel free to ask questions below and I’ll share what I’ve experienced, or check out the informative and helpful links from my friends above! I’ll leave this section of the post with a great food-combo video I discovered earlier:

Now onto the food :)

Ingredients:

1/2 a spaghetti squash, halved, seeded, and baked for 40 minutes at 375
4 oz raw sheep pecorino, shredded
1/4 cup chives, chopped
small handfuls of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme, minced
2 cloves raw garlic, minced
salt, pepper, stevia, and red pepper flakes

Scoop flesh out of baked spaghetti squash and add remaining ingredients. The cheese will melt and the herbs will infuse the dish with delicious (herbalicious?) flavor. Season to taste. I tossed mine with baby spinach for a big, cheesy, hot salad!

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