Power Monday #39 Live The Vibrant Life!

Many of you may already know, but I basically had the best Friday night ever. But let's back up and relive the whole story. So I had just finished a delicious dinner (around 5pm) of quinoa cooked with beets and zucchini, mixed with gallons of nutritional yeast and spices, romaine, salsa, and Cajun Tilapia. I was at my desk reading some blogs and checking my email when I noticed a new email in my inbox. I clicked it and my heart stopped. It was from my #1 school informing me that they would be releasing their decision on my applicant portal at 6pm that night! I felt my stomach drop, I was so beyond nervous. I quickly opened a new tab on my laptop and went to my applicant portal. I typed in my username and password and just left it there on he screen, already for 6pm. In the meantime I distracted my ever so nervous and anxious self by doing my upper body strength workout for the night. Lifting some heavy dumbbells was just what I needed to kill the nervousness (sorta). It actually made me feel really strong and I ended up having a great workout. When I finished, it was about 6:15pm...yea I couldn't do it right at 6. I had waited for this decision since the summer when I fell in love with the school. The words "congratulations" or "we regret to inform you" would determine if I cried that night or...I cried that night. Well I finally hit the enter button to log in and found my way to the application status page. Then I closed my eyes and couldn't look. But I said screw it, opened my eyes, and BAM! the tears and hyperventilating started. This is all I saw:

Congratulations!

We are excited to offer you admission to the George Washington University! We congratulate you and look forward to welcoming you as a member of the Class of 2018.

Holy shit! I didn't even read the rest of the page. I just ran downstairs and threw my GW notebook paper (that I had written accepted with a heart around it) at my mom who was in the living room. I really can't express how good I felt. I was so happy, excited, stunned. I couldn't stop crying, but they were tears of happiness so no worries there! And as of Saturday I have heard back from all of my school leaving me with 6 choices. But before I make an decisions I need to find out all the financial aid, scholarships, etc. that I will be getting which I will know by the end of the week. Then I am going to South Carolina in 2 weeks to visit my other top school and then I need to go to DC to see GW again. Things will finally start falling in to place and I can't wait to see what happens. And thank you all how sent me comments on Instagram and Twitter congratulating me, it means a lot!

I am going in to this week with a happy spirit and mind. Even though I have my 27-week assessments in school all week, I think I can handle it now! But I also have a special post for you that will definitely power your Monday and maybe even you life!

Introducing the beautiful Leanne Vogel from Healthful Pursuit and the launch of her new cookbook: Vibrant Life Cleanse Program & Cookbook!

Leanne is one of the first food bloggers I ever started following way back when many years ago. She is absolutely fabulous and creates the most delicious, healthy, and beautiful recipes! Leanne is a Holistic Nutritionist offering recipes and tips to help women live a liberated life on a restricted diet. You will find allergy-free recipes for all or recipes you can easily adapt. But no matter what, Leanne is all about healing the body and freeing yourself shame, restriction, and unhappiness.

The Vibrant Life Cleanse and Cookbook is designed to activate your most radiant self by using juices and smoothies to boost your health. You will also learn how to listen to your body and know when you are legitimately satisfied. If you choose to actually follow the cleanse, Leanne guides you on how to transition through the 7, 9, or 11 day cleanse safely and with shining results. The book includes over 55 dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free juice and smoothie recipes, the 3 cleanse programs, guides for produce, juicers/blenders, supplements, and cleansing. She also includes meal planes, shopping lists, and daily actions for change. This book is jam-packed with helpful and reliable info and resources!

I also asked Leanne a few questions about herself and the cookbook so you could get some more insight on her goals and purpose!

Rebecca: "You are a big advocate of health, healing, and cleansing the body. Give us a little background on your journey to health."

Leanne: "I sure am! I went to school for Holistic Nutrition in 2007 and have been rockin' a healthy life ever since.

With love at the forefront of all of my actions, I was slowly able to free myself of my ten year long struggle with an eating disorder, do away with my drug addictions and gain the power that I needed to deal with my emotional turmoil. I gave up fighting and grew into the person I know I was meant to be.

If in sharing my experiences and documenting my never-ending journey can help end just one person’s suffering, I’ll have accomplished my life’s mission."

Now I help women create the life they deserve and assist them on their journey by providing daily actions that create measurable results.

R: "What got you interested in trying juicing and smoothies?"

L: "I knew that the food I was eating wasn't fully benefiting me. My digestion was slow and I wasn't seeing the fruits of my hard labor when it came to eating well. So, I tried juices & smoothies, and later cleansing, as a way to boost the nutrients in my day."

R: "What made you want to write this specific e-book?"

L: "I am here to share my story and encourage others to make healthy, balanced choices for themselves and their health.

Becoming a holistic nutritionist made me realize how much I’d damaged my body throughout my life. It was the wake-up call I needed to start paying more attention to how I felt.

Easing into the day with a mason jar of green juice became my favorite thing to do. For the first time in my life, I was doing something good for my body, and it felt frickin’ amazing.

After a couple of months sipping juice in the morning, I started incorporating smoothies into my afternoon routine. It felt so much better than stuffing myself with a huge dinner and dealing with the digestive fallout afterwards. In fact, the more juices ‘n’ smoothies I consumed, the better my digestion became.

Pouring fibers and nutrients into every cell in my body helped my gut heal fully for the first time in years.

By the time I began experimenting with juice and smoothie cleanses, I was eating a pretty clean diet, but I’d still obsess about eating. Oftentimes, all I could think about was what I had planned for my next meal. Cleanses and detoxing became a way for me to release that attachment.

Nowadays, I still enjoy eating, but I no longer get to that point of “Ohmygod, I just need FOOD in my mouth!”

R: "Is the book only for those who want to do a cleanse, or can it be used for implementing in to someones everyday life?"

L: "Both! I understand that not everyone wants to do a cleanse. And that's okay. The focus of the book is on juices and smoothies and has an added bonus of being packed with a bunch of different cleanse programs, too. I tried to make a book and program that would fit everyone!

R: "When people hear "cleanse," they usually associate that with weight-loss and quick fix fad. What makes this program different?"

L: "Yes, you're right on that and it's super unfortunate that "cleanse" has received a bad reputation. What's different about this program is that I've included 3-day ramp up and wind down periods before and after the cleanse to encourage your body to jump into its natural cleansing cycle. This isn't always practiced in standard cleanse programs. Also, I couple the days with nourishing milks (made from nuts and seeds like hemp, almond and flax) to boost fat intake, flush out stale energy and increase calorie consumption, helping followers stay out of the "starvation" mode often seen in cleansing.

R: "Could this be a way to help identify food intolerences or allergies?"

L: "Very good question – it could if you were running with the longest program at 11 days. Once food is reintroduced, you would have a much better sense at what could be agitating your system."

R: "A lot of people say juicing and smoothie making can get pretty expensive. Is that really true?"

L: "You can expect to spend around $2-$5 for the ingredients for each recipe. The price depends on where you’re located, and whether you choose organic produce or in-season ingredients. Generally speaking? I didn’t use any crazy weird ingredients that cost an arm and a leg. Also, there’s no soy anywhere!"

(R: "Woohoo for soy-free! And don't worry if your don't have a juicer; Leanne tells your how to juice without one!")

R: "How do you implement these juicing practices in to your everyday life?"

L: "I like to drink my daily juice or smoothie in the afternoon before yoga class. It's a preference thing. Although, if you're trying to eliminate cravings, it's best to reserve your smoothie or juices for anytime AFTER breakfast and begin the day with a savory breakfast."

R: "Now for a fun one! What is your favorite fruit/veggie combo for a juice or smoothie?"

L: "I LOVE combining mangoes and spinach. Love it to bits! You?"

(R: "I just made a really delicious smoothie this weekend that included pineapple, strawberries, and romaine! It was amazing!")

(Side note: Leanne just got married this weekend! Congratulations <3) After hearing all that Leanne had to say I really was all for her cookbook. I never get to creative with my smoothies and have never tried a juice, but Leanna's book has definitely got my creative juices (pun intended) flowing! Here is a sneek peak at one of her smoothie recipes. But not only is it a smoothie, it is a juice-based smoothie, meaning she combines a juice with a smoothie! Crazy right?

Blushbaby

Ingredients: (serves 1)

+ 1 Orange, juiced

+ 4 Carrots, juiced

+ 1 Golden Beet, juiced

+ 9 Frozen Mango Chunks

+ 6 Strawberries

+ 3 Ice Cubes

Directions:

+ Juice the orange, carrots, and golden beet

+ Pour the juice into the jug of your high-powered blender, followed by remaining ingredients in the order they are listed.

+ Blend on high for 1 minute, or until smoothie.

+ Transfer to a glass and serve immediately.

+ To store: Pour into a glass container and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Alternatively pour into a plastic container and freeze for up to 1 month.

What are you waiting for? Power up your juicers and blenders and get ready for feeding your body health in a class! You can order the Vibrant Cleanse Program & Cookbook for $24 by clicking on the links in the post or the picture below!

So tell me:

Are you a juicer or a smoothier?

Have you ever done a cleanse before?

P.S. Check out my new updated About Me page and my completely new Press & Affiliations page! It feels so rewarding to clean up parts of my blog every weekend. Slowly but surely Strength and Sunshine will be exactly as I want it...just need to get self-hosted soon!

***I am an affiliate for Leanne's Vibrant Cleanse Program and Cookbook. All links to buy the book are my affiliate links! All opinions and thoughts on the book are completely my own and come from the heart!***

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Comments

Kristy @ Southern In-Law

April 01, 2014 at 12:01 am

Congratulations, beautiful! How exciting!!

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  April 01, 2014 at 12:46 am
  
  Thank you Kristy 🙂 XOXO
  
kristenk

March 31, 2014 at 9:59 pm

Congrats!!!!! That's so exciting! No matter what you choose you're going to have so much fun in college. Good luck with the selection process!

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  April 01, 2014 at 12:51 am
  
  Thanks Kristen! I am so gateful to even have the chance to go to any of the schools that accepted me, I still can't bellieive it is even happening.... or that I am really old enough!
  
sarah4rdfl

March 31, 2014 at 4:11 pm

Congratulations! That is so exciting!!! Has senioritis kicked in for you yet? It is sooooo bad for me lol

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 4:14 pm
  
  Thank you Sarah 🙂 XOXO
  Seniorities has been on since the first day of school 😉 Hahaha! I worked so hard through all of my years of school, this year, even with 4 AP classes I am just taking it as it comes!
  
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

March 31, 2014 at 3:29 pm

CONGRATS, REBECCA!! That's so awesome that you got into GW! I can imagine how excited you are 🙂 I have a good friend that goes to GW, and she loves it!

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 3:40 pm
  
  Thank you Alison! And that's good to hear that she loves it! When I went down last summer I was totally on cloud 9 the whole time!
  P.S. Do you know where you are going yet? Still playing with the options like me?
  
  - Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves
    
    March 31, 2014 at 5:30 pm
    
    I am indeed still playing with the options. I'm in between University of Maryland, University of Virginia, and Boston University!
    
    - Strength and Sunshine
      
      March 31, 2014 at 5:43 pm
      
      I vote Virginia!
      
EatGreatBEGreat

March 31, 2014 at 8:48 am

CONGRATULATIONS Rebecca! How exciting! I'm SO happy for you!!!

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 10:28 am
  
  Thank you Holly! 🙂 XOXO
  
Brittany @ Freckled Nettles

March 31, 2014 at 8:33 am

Congratulations! You deserve it, girl! I am a smoothie maker, but definitely not a juicer. It’s just something that I have never given thought to! I do, however, love having a juice if I see a juice bar. 🙂

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 10:26 am
  
  Thank you so much Brittany! I do really need to try a juice!
  
Megan @ Meg Go Run

March 31, 2014 at 8:18 am

I don't juice nor do I cleanse. I think cleanses are a load of crap. Your body cleanses itself on it's own through proper nutrition.

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 10:24 am
  
  That's why I like that Leanne's smoothies and juices can be used not in a cleanse form but just as an everyday food.
  
jessielovestorun

March 31, 2014 at 5:07 am

CONGRATULATIONS! I would've been sweating like a man waiting for the email. I'm not sure I would've had the guts to open it up myself.

I'm definitely a smoothie maker. I don't do juice for the main reason of lack of protein.

- Strength and Sunshine
  
  March 31, 2014 at 5:13 am
  
  Thanks girl! I hadn't been that sick/nervous in a long while! Hahaha!
  I've never tried juicing or ever tasted one, so I don't want to totally jump the gun and say I don't like it, but smoothies, I am all for!

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