Cleanse Your Body after Thanksgiving Festivities!

I hope you have the mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing out of your system by now, but I bet there's a chance you are still feeling bogged down from the heavy feast.  This week I'd thought it'd be a great idea share some cleansing solutions that I have used myself. Once the last of the turkey sandwiches are eaten, follow these steps to feel lighter and healthier. 1. Drink water. Go to the tap, fill it up. Drink. Repeat all day. Get in at least 64 ounces of water. Your body actually uses water to flush waste from your cells and it is imperative for healthy digestion and a reved up metabolism. 2. Garlic. Chop it into avocados for a wonderful healthful spread or dip. Pop it into any recipe you can tolerate. Why? Garlic contains numerous sulfur-containing compounds that activate the liver enzymes responsible for flushing out toxins from the body. This bulbous relative of the onion also contains allicin and selenium, two powerful nutrients proven to help protect the liver from toxic damage and aid it in the detoxification process. 3. Grapefruit.  Eat them up and especially now, they are in season! Grapefruits are rich in natural vitamin C and antioxidants, two powerful liver cleansers.  Like garlic, grapefruit contains compounds that boost the production of liver detoxification enzymes.  It also contains a flavonoid compound known as naringenin that causes the liver to burn fat rather than store it. Nobody wants a fatty liver.

While creating the big meal of the year is very fun for me, I really am quite tired of the flavor profile by the time the weekend is over. I crave the clean crisp flavor of scallions, lime and fresh greens.  By combining these elements with rich broth and the other white meat, pork, you'll feel satisfied but not weighed down. I hope you'll enjoy this quick and interesting weeknight noodle dish.  Brothy Bok Choy and Pork Noodles ¼ cup fish sauce ¼ cup rice wine vinegar ¼ cup oil 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. coriander 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 TBSP. oil 6 to 8 oz. pork, chopped 64. oz. vegetable stock (unsalted) 1 head of Bok Choy 2 cups of sugar snap peas, sliced in half 6 to 8 oz. Chinese noodles 1 lime, sliced 2 scallions, green and white, sliced and divided In a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce, vinegar, oil, ginger, coriander and pepper together and set aside. Chop the bok choy into large chunks with the all-white section discarded.  In a large pot add the 1 TBSP. oil, garlic and pork. Cook until the pork is browned. Deglaze the pot with the fish sauce mixture, stirring well. Add the broth and bring to boil. Add the bok choy and peas to the pot and return to a boil. Add the Chinese noodles to the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Serve in large bowls and garnish with scallions and lime. Squeeze the lime on right before eating to give a kick of freshness to the broth. Serves 4.

Kelly Bowlin