The last two times I went to Europe I tried to be somewhat “mindful” of what I ate. By that I mean I tried to keep my breakfast and lunch on the “healthier” side, and dinners and desserts my “splurges” (and the cocktails and wine were just a given…). Yet, this last trip I pretty much threw caution to the wind. It was as if my toes touched down in Euro-land and I said “screw it.” I kind of wanted to experiment. How would my body react? Having been told to refrain from dairy and poultry for the past six month, I was a little nervous. I wanted to see how my body would respond if I just didn’t “give a crap” about what I ate…

The results? I became bloated. I had cravings. I also felt lethargic at times… maybe it was the brussels sprouts with anchovy butter?? Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed every single bite of my morning chocolate croissant, the half round of camembert cheese at our sunset Seine picnic, and the fried brown butter ice cream after four other courses…. I relished in it. My body had other expectations though. It was about five days in when my body started craving the fruits and vegetables (sans heavy butter and cream) it had become so accustomed to. My body was craving a morning run (oh yeah, I put those on hold too… I only ran a handful of times while there), my banana at breakfast, and the “clean” eating it has become so accustomed to.

All that to say, while landing back in the US was hard (it meant vaca was over) it was also a slight relief to be able to get back into the healthy routines I had become used to. While the detox process hasn’t veered from my “typical” eating patterns (I believe this is usually enough to get your body back to neutral) I did add in YourTea’s Tiny Tea. After a week of incorporating it into my morning breakfast routine, I have noticed a dent in my vacation stomach bloat and my digestive system is starting to return to neutral. If you’re going through what I am, I’ve included my “post-vacation” meal plan 🙂

Sunday:
Breakfast: 3/4 cup Trader Joe’s rolled oats (GF) + 1/2 banana + dash of cinnamon + Suja Lemon Water + YourTea
Lunch: Whole Foods- White Bean and Kale soup + Cauliflower salad
Snack: KIND pistachio bar
Dinner: Homemade Vegetable soup + grilled brussel sprouts

Monday:
Breakfast: Avocado Toast- 2 slices Trader Joe’s GF bread (their new line is delicious!) + 1/2 mashed avocado + two sliced strawberries (top toast with avo/berries) + Lemon Water + YourTea
Snack: Pineapple slices (12)
Lunch: Left over vegetable soup
Snack: KIND bar (maple glazed sea salt)
Dinner: Homemade shrimp tacos (3 corn tortillas + 8 pieces of shrimp cut into pieces + salsa verde + red cabbage- split all ingredients amongst the corn tortillas)
Dessert: 3 cups air popped popcorn

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Same as Sunday
Snack: 6 apple slices + 1 hard boiled egg
Lunch: Trader Joe’s Cream of Asparagus Soup (GF/DF, I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this soup) + 2tbsp hummus + 1 cup sliced zucchini + 1/2 cup carrots
Snack: Acai Chia Bar
Dinner: 5 oz grilled salmon (seasoned with lime + dill) + 1/2 ear of grilled corn on the cob + cauliflower salad (coming to blog soon)
Dessert: Pressed Juicery Soft Serve (GF/DF)

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 tbsp Almond Butter + 2 slices Trader Joe’s GF toast + 1/2 banana sliced + Lemon Water + YourTea
Snack: 6 apple slices + 1 hard boiled egg
Lunch: Trader Joe’s Roasted tomatillo gazpacho soup (GF/DF) + 2 sliced bell peppers + 1/4 cup salsa
Snack: Acai Chia Bar + bowl of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
Dinner: Homemade pizza (if you follow along on instagram it was posted)… Udi’s GF crust + pureed white bean spread + shitake mushrooms + grilled asparagus + vegan mozzarella cheese (Vegan Gourmet- found at Whole Foods)

Thursday:
Breakfast: See Sunday and Tuesday
Snack: Watermellon + Honeydew slices
Lunch: Whole Foods garden vegetable soup
Snack: Zucchini Chips (GF/DF)
Dinner: Homemade quinoa and sweet potato burgers + grilled brussel sprouts
Dessert: 3 cups air popped popcorn

Friday:
Breakfast: Same as Monday morning
Snack: Pineapple slices (12)
Lunch: Whole Foods GF veggies sandwich
Snack: Veggie/Fruit smoothie (DF/GF)
Dinner: Grilled lamb burgers with a Udi’s hamburger bun topped with hummus, arugula and tomato. Served with sweet potato fries 🙂

Thank you to YourTea for supporting this post