Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Meet my new obsession – the acai (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) bowl. As you probably know by now, I’m a HUGE advocate of the green smoothie! I especially praise them as the breakfast of champions for their unwavering ability to deliver a ton of nutritional punch into the first meal of the day. They also keep your digestive system from having to do a ton of work first thing in the morning, essentially allowing the digestive tract more time to rest. More rest means more efficiency, which translates to more of the gunk coming out of the backend. Back to my new obsession.

I’ve had Thai food on my mind lately since the weather is cooling off and Thai food adds some extra heat when it’s cold outside. I find the deep flavors in Thai dishes to be so comforting and grounding. I spent time several years ago playing around with Thai-inspired recipes in anticipation of my honeymoon adventures in Thailand. I wanted to create some healthy crave-worthy recipes full of those refreshing, sweet, and zesty flavors.

One of our most talked about recipes of all time is our Curried Carrot Soup. It’s a big hit especially during Purification weekends when we recommend consuming only veggies and fruits with a small amount of oil for added flavor and healthy fat. Purification is all about allowing your digestive system to rest so that the other organs and systems in your body can also heal and be rejuvenated. It’s also a way to fill your body with living enzymes, which we like to call the spark plugs of the body. Enzymes are the catalysts for just about every action the body does. Needless to say, they’re pretty important to our health! The good news is you don’t need to be on a cleanse or a purifying weekend in order to get these benefits – you can start right now by trying our new Chilled Cantaloupe Soup!

Rowdy Mermaid is a Colorado kombucha brand that’s sustainably sourced, herb-infused, and palatable for everyone (including toddlers!). Their beverages are all delicious, caffeine-free, and low-sugar, with added nutritional benefits from herbs and adaptogens. We’ve been huge fans of Rowdy Mermaid for years! In fact, Jo used to teach Jamba in her first yoga classes over a decade ago. If you’ve been a part of the Conscious Cleanse community for a couple of years, you’ll probably recognize them from our Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha Sangria (which also pairs well with summer vibes).

Summer is in full swing here, and we hope you’re enjoying the warmer weather. You may be planning your menu for get-togethers with family or friends still. If so, we’re sharing this recipe with you in mind! If you’re looking for a healthy but show-stopping centerpiece, we’ve got you covered. Our Herb Crusted Lamb Roast is perfect for your big dinner. Lamb is a cleanse-friendly alternative to beef or ham, plus the fresh herbs make it packed with rich flavor. Lamb is also a nutrient-dense meat; it’s a great source of protein, healthy fats, and iron. It’s also rich in essential B vitamins like B12 and B6, which promote a healthy nervous system, and zinc, which supports a healthy immune response.

I’m often asked how I can continue to drink green smoothies when the weather gets cold. This smoothie is my answer. It’s warming, earthy, and packs a gamut of immune defense – exactly what we need this time of year. Between the lemon, ginger and turmeric, this smoothie is good for digestion and is very cleansing for the liver. It’s also chock full of antioxidants. To boot, it delivers a high dose of kale, which is a great way to fill up on vitamins, minerals and other immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.

We’ve been obsessed with collard wraps lately! If you’re new to eating the Conscious Cleanse way, figuring out what to eat instead of a sandwich, hamburger bun or tortilla might have you stumped, not to mention tired of eating plain old salads. Say hello to your new friend, the collard green. If you’ve spent any time in the South, you know collard greens well. But unlike the bacon- and butter-slathered Southern classic, these collards are a fresher take: straight from the garden and bursting with good for you minerals like calcium and vitamins A, K and folate. Collard greens are an excellent source of fiber and plant protein. And they’re part of the cruciferous family of veggies (same as kale) which are notorious for their anticancer powers.

Do you love lasagna, but can’t stomach grains? Or maybe you’re just trying to avoid the heavy, tired crash that comes with heavy comfort foods? Then our paleo Turkey and Kale Veggie Lasagna is perfect for you!

Bone broth is all the buzz in the health food world these days. And I’m not talking about broth or stocks that come in a box or a can. These shelf-stable soup bases don’t have the same nutrients and vitality of a homemade broth. They can be fine in a pinch but they don’t share the same superfood status of bone-stewed liquid gold. True bone broth comes from the slow-simmering of animal bones, together with scraps of meat and lots of nutrient-dense veggies. The result is a flavorful elixir of health.

One of my all-time favorite foods is chips and salsa. In fact, one of my typical indulgences is chips and salsa with a coin-style margarita con sal. Usually, if we eat out at a Mexican restaurant, my entree of choice is a fish taco (grilled not fried, sub the cheese for avocado) on either a corn tortilla or lettuce wrap. Check out the recipe below, if you’re not cleansing.

How would you describe your perfect birthday cake? For me (Jo), carrot cake is the ultimate birthday feast centerpiece. It’s always been my favorite cake since I was a kid. And every year I try to re-create a new favorite version! My birthday was just last week, so I’ve been daydreaming about a new carrot cake recipe for weeks now. My friend and nanny Kerry is an amazing baker, so I asked her to make my daydream into a reality. I wanted this cake to be a spin on the typical carrot cake flavors while incorporating elements of my favorite grain-free pumpkin rolls with a citrus cream for some extra decadence and an extra veggie punch. The end result is this super flavorful and delicious Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream!

What could be better than chocolate? Chocolate and berries! Desserts that combine berries with chocolate feel like the gold standard. These Raspberry Cheesecake Bites tick all the boxes. Raspberries give just the right amount of acidity and sweetness to the silky cashew-based filling. The luxurious texture and brightness of the tangy berries make this filling completely drool-worthy. And to top it all off, they have rich chocolate crusts that you’ll be tempted to eat all on their own.

To this day, one of my favorite treats is my mom’s homemade chocolate peanut clusters. They’re made with all the ole fashion “good” (read bad!) stuff including sugar, dairy, and preservatives. They’re seriously addictive and cause me to break out in a sweat (that’s my response to sugar)! If you don’t know how to identify your response to sugar, be sure to check out our Sugar Sensitivity Quiz here. While I’m not shy about fully indulging my own personal 20% when mom busts out the peanut clusters at holiday festivities, I thought it would be fun to make a Conscious Cleanse-worthy chocolate cluster that would not only make mom proud but one that would also keep my body healthy at the same time.

The options for this soon-to-be-your-new-favorite go-to dressing are endless. Zeal restaurant is infamous for their Avocado on the Half Shell appetizer, which is simply an open-faced avocado with Zeal Dressing drizzled into the hole where the pit previously resided. A little Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground cracked pepper and you have one quick crowd-pleaser. Enjoy the dressing on your favorite bed of mixed greens or some massaged kale. Do you have a restaurant favorite? Be sure to leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to recreate it in a Conscious Cleanse way.

Are you searching for a cake to serve your family and friends this holiday season? A dessert that’ll impress your guests but won’t take you hours to make? We’ve got the cake for you! Our new Pistachio Olive Oil Cake with Cacao Cashew Ganache makes a fantastic holiday dinner centerpiece. It’s the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket for any occasion.

We like to stick to a light soup for our pre-feast holiday meals. It takes the guesswork out of what to eat while you’re working to get your big meal together for later. So today we’re sharing one of our favorites: Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup. Bursting with rich flavor and a smooth creaminess, this soup will warm your belly and enliven your taste buds just in time for the crisp fall weather. You might even want to add this to your menu instead of eating it beforehand. It’s sure to impress your guests and they’ll never know it’s good for them!

The holidays are almost here! This year we want to switch up dessert with something a little different. So today we’re sharing this beautiful and mouth-watering Apple Tart! This is our nourishing (and allergy-friendly!) alternative to the classic apple pie. It has all of the familiar, comforting spices you’d expect, but the creamy apple puree base and gorgeously caramelized apple topping give the texture a boost.

Giving up caffeine can be hard! That’s why we created this detox-promoting, coffee-flavored alternative to soften the blow of going sans coffee. Enter, the Dandelion Root Koffe Latte. Dandelion root, often associated with the pesky dandelion weed, has been used for centuries to treat depression, scurvy, and even diabetes. It’s difficult to find dandelion root in most health food stores, so your best bet is to buy it online. We bought our dandelion root and chicory from Frontier Natural Products and Starwest Botanicals. A great liver detoxifier, dandelion root is also known for aiding in digestion and weight loss.

October is here! The weather is finally starting to turn a little cooler and we can feel the beginnings of the comfy fall vibes. We’re looking forward to hot drinks, warm blankets, jackets, scarves, and chilly walks among the fallen leaves. And we’re also looking forward to all of the baking that comes with the fall and winter seasons. We can probably all agree that almost nothing goes better with cozy sweater weather than a warm baked good.

It’s officially Fall in Colorado, and we’re already feeling the pumpkin madness. Enter the Pumpkin Spice Green Smoothie! Below is a savory-sweet and spicy green smoothie that we’ve been enjoying as an afternoon snack. Think nostalgic and warming healthy snack for you and your kiddos. You could even give it to your kiddos as a nutrient boost pre-trick-or-treating next month! We love the transition into Fall, but we recognize that it’s the season that we’re faced with tough decisions. The temptations start to roll in with the cooler weather and long list of holidays. So what do we do when faced with sugary treats?

When was the last time you thought about your hormones? When it comes to health and well-being, hormones don’t typically take center stage. But hormones play a big role in healthy organ function, metabolism, bone health, and even our sleep (think melatonin). Jules and I are both in our forties, and we both had babies over 40. So needless to say, hormones have been on our minds. We’re focused on up-leveling our hormone health so we can look forward to maintaining energy and strength as we age. What do we do to keep our hormone production healthy? We seek out nutritious foods that will help balance our hormones.

We’ve officially entered the dog days of summer in Colorado, which according to Wikipedia is an expression that “refers to the hot, sultry days of summer especially in the Northern Hemisphere.” Today we’ve got the antidote to the dog days of summer – Chocolate Ice Cream! Check out the decadent summery sweet treat recipe below featuring frozen bananas and raw cacao. This ice cream is 100% vegan and dairy-free, making it truly 100% guilt free! And it’s so rich and chocolatey that you’ll never miss the real thing. Guilt-free ice cream? Sign us up!

Labor Day weekend is not too far away in the United States and it’s known to be the last big hurrah of the summer. With that in mind, we wanted to make certain that we “cooked” up the very best recipes for your barbecue weekend. Ditch the pies, cookies, and other sugary treats and opt for this Farm Fresh Raw Peach Tart, which is truly a slice of heaven. The key to this recipe is the ripe succulent peaches that are overflowing at the supermarket and local farmstands. I sourced the peaches for this recipe from Ela Family Farms in Hotchkiss, Colorado, and boy can you tell that these peaches didn’t travel very far! Whether buying peaches from your farmer or grocery store, the key is knowing which ones to choose. A quick tip for picking peaches is to use your schnoz. Yes, your sniffer! A peach is ripe and ready to be eaten when you can smell it’s sweet ripe fragrance.

These days, I typically will start my day with a low sugar green juice like this Fresh Start Green Juice OR I make this Energy Boosting Green Smoothie. It includes all the goodness of green juice, but it’s more filling because of all the fiber. I’ve been loving golden flax seeds as my boost lately too. They are great for healthy elimination (bye bye constipation), glowing skin, and balanced hormones. Flax seeds are also anti-inflammatory, a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, and an amazing plant-based protein. Give this a whirl in your blender and let me know what you think! With love and green goodness,

If you know us here at the Conscious Cleanse, you know we love our green smoothies! We believe that there’s no snack more versatile and nutritious than a freshly blended smoothie. Ranging from the protein-packed peanut butter and banana smoothie to the light and fruity blueberry & lemon smoothie to the palette-awakening cilantro & lime smoothie, these blended beauties are a simple, delicious, and customizable way to chug nutritious foods. Above all, however, is the smoothie’s unmatched ability to help reduce food waste in your kitchen. While you may not delight in munching on strawberry tops or lemon peels on their own, tossed in a blender, they keep your smoothie healthy and your compost empty.