J U I C E C L E A N S E

 

Ok ladies, get ready for a long blog post! I have had so many questions I want to get to as many as I can for you!

After a MAJOR sugar addiction over the past few months, I decided I was sick of feeling tired, sluggish and bloated. I can be very, very strict when I want to be with my diet planning and have previously lost about 8kg and toned up a lot - but I am a little all or nothing and when I fall off the wagon, I fall hard! I exercise at least 5 times a week, but the saying 'abs are made in the gym, but shown in the kitchen' couldn't ring more true for me right now and I decided it was time to get nice and healthy again and rid my body of all of the toxins and sugar (yes, Marvellous Chocolate and Cinnamon Donuts I'm talking about you!!)
I had spoken with a friend of mine, Felicity, owner of instagram @nutritionhealthlife about her thoughts after she did her own juice cleanse and I decided to give it a go! How hard could 3 days be, right?!
I researched a few different companies and found their pricing to be quite high. I was looking at $300+ for the 3 days and thought I could maybe research some prices of fruits myself at local shops and farmers markets and give it a try on my own.
After I posted a picture of my fruit haul on instagram I had a lot of people emailing in questions so decided to do a blog post all about it!
Here is a picture of what I purchased:

I wasn't overly specific with quantities, but I purchased a pineapple, a rockmelon, half a watermelon, 3 beetroots, a large bunch of kale and spinach, a few bunches of grapes, a bag each of apples, pears and oranges, 3 bananas, 6 kiwifruit, 3 avocados, a few punnets of strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen mango pieces, pressed apple juice, coconut milk and coconut water (This was HEAPS and I definatly could have bought half the amount of each! Also, I bought about three quarters of this from Harris Farm and it was only $25!!! It's defiantly worth giving your local farmers market a go!)

Here are my tips and recipes for each day:

- I cut up all of the fruit into small '20c piece sizes' and divided it all into large zip lock bags according to the recipes for each meal. 

- I then put breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and dessert for each day into 3 separate 'bag days'. (I will mention now that I didn't get through each of these meals and it turns out I now have all of my snacks, 2 dinners and 2 desserts left over because I wasn't hungry at all!) 

- After putting all of the fruit into the zip lock bags I put them all into the freezer. Blending frozen fruit makes the juices super smooth - I would say similar to a 'Boost Juice' consistency!

- I made sure I put the kale and spinach in the zip lock bags last so that it was easy to get out and was frozen together, as you should blend the kale first by itself with your liquid

- I think because I blended my juices, rather than using a juicer, I had to add a lot more liquid. I was adding one extra glass of water at a time until it got to a drinkable consistency because they were quite thick using the recipes. But, this is up to you and how you like your juice! This is also another reason why I have so much left over, because each of my meals made about 1-2L of juice with my extra water added in (you can see why I wasn't hungry at all!)

- Put your kale and spinach in the blender first with the liquid needed for the juice. Blend it on the lowest setting for about 30 seconds. This creates a vortex and pulls the greens into the blades, chopping them super fine, rather than having it on a high setting and pushing them out to the sides and keeping it chunky and hard to drink.

- I dry brush my skin every day and also had a detox bath at the end of day 2 as well to make this a full body detox. You can read about the benefits of detox bath's in our post here

- Have a glass of warm lemon water each morning when you wake up (you should do this every morning, even when you're not juice cleansing) as it is a great detox for your system and gets your digestive system ready for the day.

- Try to have a cup of green tea with each meal as well as 2L of water a day (also something you should do every day!)

BREAKFAST

1 banana

1 cup mixed berries or your choice of berry (strawberry/blueberry etc.)

1 kiwi fruit

1 cup spinach/kale

1/2 an avocado

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds

- Add kale and liquid into the blender and blend on lowest setting for 30sec - 1min. Turn blender off and add the rest of the frozen diced fruit and flax seeds. If it is thick, add more water or coconut milk - whatever your preference.

LUNCH 1

1 green apple

1 pair

1 cup kale

1 cup pineapple

1 cup watermelon

1 cup grapes

1 pear

1 kiwifruit

200mL pressed apple juice with no added sugar

2 cups water
(I loved the lunch one, the pressed apple juice made it nice and sweet! The brand I got was 'Juicy Isle, Tasmania's Own' from Coles, but you could get any pressed apple juice you can find, as long as it has no added sugar) 

LUNCH 2

Same as above, but with a whole, grated beetroot added.

SNACK 1

1 apple

2 cup watermelon

1 cup grapes

1 cup orange

2 cups coconut water

SNACK 2

1 carrot

1 cup watermelon

1/2 cup frozen berries

1 cup grapes

1 cup orange

Ginger to taste

2 cups water

DINNER

1/2 cup mango

1/2 an avocado

1 cup blueberries

1 cup baby spinach

Pinch of cayanne pepper (I added a quarter of a teaspoon and it was super spicy!!)

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 cup coconut water

1 cup water

DESSERT 1

 1/2 cup greek or coconut yoghurt

1/2 cup coconut or almond milk

2 tablespoons cacao powder (not coco)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

DESSERT 2

1/2 cup greek or coconut yoghurt

1/2 cup coconut or almond milk

1 tablespoon chia mix (recipe below)

1 banana

1 cup crushed ice

CHIA SPICE RECIPE

5 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

5 teaspoons of ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon stevia or similar

Now to answer some of your questions!

- Was I hungry?

Surprisingly, no! I was worried how I would feel, as I normally meal plan and eat every 3 hours so I thought I would be starving! I did notice at around 4-5 pm on the first day I was feeling a little hungry so could have had a smaller juice to tie me through from Lunch to Dinner

- Did the juices taste nice?

Yes! Don't let the fluro green colouring put you off! They were all delicious! 

-Did I lose weight?

I wasn't doing this cleanse to lose weight, but yes I did. After a few days of eating normal (and healthy) food again I have put most of it back on, so it's quite obvious that it was water weight that was lost. I am still however, much less bloated and feeling better than I have in a long time! I have also noticed I am not craving lollies or chocolate at all anymore (those who know me, know this is no mean feat!) And I am also eating smaller portion sizes. I feel like it has really reset my brain and how I think about food. It is fuel for our bodies and we don't need to over indulge and bloat ourselves!

- Would I do it again?

Definatly! Because I have so much left over I am actually thinking of doing it one day a week for a while because I love how I'm feeling!

- Can I vary the recipes?

Yes. Add in or take out anything you like. I got these recipes after scouring through many different websites and finding recipes I thought I would like and could stick to for 3 days without getting bored

Feel free to post any other questions below or to our facebook page!
Happy Juicing! Ami x

D E T O X B A T H

Feeling a little stressed and sluggish after the Holiday Season?
Dreading the thought of being back at work for the New Year?
Started your New Years Resolution of getting fit and have tired and sore muscles?
Well ladies, this blog post is for you!
We love to keep you updated on all things Unwritten Clothing (of course!) but, we are girls...and we understand beauty and health is just as important as fashion & style! Read on for some tips we have been googling:
- Fill a bath with warm water.
- Add a handful of Epsom Salt
- Add half a cup of baking soda
- Add 10-15 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
- Relax in your bath for at least 20 minutes (and play out chill playlist on Spotify!)
- Moisturise your skin when you are out of the bath and dry

This will help your body to flush away toxins, ease stress and can help to improve sleep, relieve pain and reduce muscle cramps

You can add any variations you like...here are some more tips we have come across in our 'relaxation research'

- Add Peppermint Essential Oil if you are feeling tired and fatigued
- Add grated Ginger or Ginger Powder to help you to sweat more (similar to a sauna or steam room) and release more toxins from the body
- Add Sweet Orange or Rose Geranium to moisturise and soothe the skin and also help improve hormone balance
- Add Pine to help clear up skin problems including psoriasis and eczema, 


* You may need to do a patch test on your skin first if you have sensitive skin to ensure no irritation will occur.
* Some oils and ingredients are not suitable for pregnancy

Y O G I

Inspired by a recent blog post on the Huffington Post, and a little addiction to health and fitness, I have 10 perfect reasons to continue (or start) yoga over your Christmas break!

1. RELAX

Something we don't get to do much of day to day, let alone in the peak of the Festive Season! We all need to be able to take some time out of our week to relax. Yoga incorporates fitness and flexibility as well as meditation and relaxation - so it's good for you body AND mind

 

2. TAKE TIME OUT

Are you having a million family members or friends over and feeling a little stressed? It's the perfect opportunity to grab your mat and head to the beach for an hour! By the time you get back home you will be ready to mingle all afternoon long!

3. WORK ON YOUR FLEXIBILITY

Whether you are a seasoned Yogi or just starting out, a 2 week break can have you taking a step or 2 back in your flexibility! And if you do get any time off work, it's the perfect opportunity to add in an extra session or 2 that you wouldn't normally be able to fit in!

4. CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS

Maybe you don't celebrate Christmas and hate this time of year? A yoga class will be an hour or 2 of time when you can see your friends without conversations revolving around presents and Santa!

5. KEEP YOUR COLORIES UNDER CONTROL

The Silly Season can bring about a little over-indulging. A 90 minute dynamic flow class or Bikram class will help burn off some of the extra kilojoules!

6. START YOUR RESOLUTIONS EARLY

Want to start yoga? Is fitness and relaxation on your New Years Resolution list? Get a kick start now and be in the swing of it all by the time 2014 rolls around!

7. ENJOY YOUR TIME OUTSIDE WHILE YOU CAN!

Are you normally stuck in an office or shopping centre all day? Take advantage or the opportunity to get outside and enjoy our beautiful Summer mornings with a sunrise walk along the beach. Take your mat with you and enjoy a downward dog or 2 and finish off with a nice cool swim!

8. ENJOY YOUR NEW GIFTS

If you're into fitness, there's a high chance some new gym gear is the perfect gift for you! Enjoy your new shorts, tanks, crops or whatever it may be and show them off to the world!

9. HEAL INJURIES

Yoga is a great way to get the blood flowing and can heal injuries quickly. Get yourself pain free and in tip top shape for the start of 2014!

10. NO EXCUSES

Online yoga is here ladies! One of my favourite sites is http://www.doyogawithme.com
If you are like me and don't get any time off over Christmas, you have no excuses! Classes are a fun way to catch up with friends, but if you are run off your feet and working the midnight shifts at your local Westfield you are going to find it hard to wake up and get to classes at specific times. Fit it into your routine 2 or 3 times a week in the comfort of your own home. Spotify also has some great yoga playlists that you can shuffle through, and go all out - burn some incense or your favourite candle as well and unwind your body and mind  

Ami x

SPRING '13 LOOKBOOK VIDEO

A video lookbook at our latest Spring 2013 campaign:

Featuring upcoming Spring styles from Unwritten Clothing available from www.unwrittenclothing.com.au

Shot by: Josephine Willcox

Model: Amy Hunter

THE ONLY LIPSTICK TIP YOU WILL EVER NEED!

So we have a little crush on LC (Lauren Conrad) and the babes at thebeautydepartment.com!

If you haven't heard of them before, you NEED this website in your life! They have how-to's, hints and tips and tutorials galore for nearly every beauty question you can possible think of!

We came across this special little tip for keeping your lipstick bright all-night-long quite a while ago, but we just HAVE to share it with you. Whether you are a pink, coral, red, plum or nude colour lover, we know every girl loves a strong lip from time to time (and it can dress up the Sunday brunch 'I didn't have time to do my hair so it's in a top knot and I have my oversized RayBans on because I didn't put any makeup on' look with a quick splash of colour on the lips!)

Not only will you save money by not having to re-apply your lippy so often with this tip, you can eat and drink 'till your hearts content without having to stress about the half-on/half-off faded lipstick look.
Ok, here it is:

So...
Start with lip liner (this should be as important to you as the actual lipstick itself!)
Add your lipstick
Blot with a tissue

Put powder over your lips

Add another layer of colour

Repeat one more time

And you're ready to go! 

Have fun babes! Snap some pics of you rocking your bright lips and tag us #unwrittenclothing on Instagram, we would love to see! X

Our week at Unwritten HQ

We promised to take you behind the scenes of Unwritten Clothing - so why not let you in on the favourite parts of our week!
Of course, we always love our new arrivals. This week focuses on flirty florals which we are loving at the moment with the arrival of Spring! Stock shopping was exciting (as usual) and we have some amazing brights we are in the middle of shooting & getting edited for you to get online next week. It looks like cute dresses and playsuits are making a comeback this Summer!
You probably also know that we are big on being fit and healthy (with the occasional cheat of course!!) so we want to share our favourite workout, meal, song and instagram pics with you each week! If your aren't already following us, come by to @unwrittenclothing and take a look!

Workout: been dreaming of running but can't seem to make it more than a few hundred metres? We have found the app c25k (couch to 5 kilometres) and can TOTALLY vouch for it! It covers an interval program over 8 weeks to work you up to running 5 ks, all the while playing your favourite iTunes playlist and telling you when it's time to 'walk' and 'run'. We are up to week 8 and can now run for 28 minutes!

Meal: our instagram followers will know we are obsessed with the blog A Lil Less Sugar, (also on instagram @alillesssugar) which is run by one of our gorgeous models, Sarah. She is a clean eating fanatic who is always coming up with little tweaks and changes to your favourite meals and snacks to make the healthy, and delicious! This weeks top pick: her coconut pancakes topped with a drizzle of honey and strawberries...AMAZING! You can find the recipe here

Song: Bye Bye Bye - N*Sync. Okaaaay we know we are taking it back old school with that one, but their reunion at the awards last week had us reminiscing about our younger years when riding a bike on the street after school to get a Splice from the corner store was the worst of our worries!! And we know you secretly love their boy-band-dance-moves!!!

Pics:
New arrivals are up now!

Sneak peeking at this weeks shopping fun!

Floral fun while shopping

Uploading our new arrivals with some prettiness at Unwritten HQ

 Your-Tea's Tiny Tea arrived! YAY! Time to cleanse our digestive systems and speed up those metabolisms!

Our most exciting news of the week! Our best selling dress EVER, the Angelina Shard Sequin dress by SASS is making a comeback this season! In a brand new black and gold colour, it will blow you all away! And will be online in 3 weeks!

Spring & Summer means fun brights and patterns to spice up the winter Monochrome staples

Saturday morning workout essentials

HEALTHY SNACKS 1

  

 Our last 'Springing into Spring' post was so popular we have decided to bring you a few healthy recipe ideas to keep your snacking guilt free (and delicious)!

We are totally in love with the blog A Lil Less Sugar, a clean eating inspo hub created by our model Sarah, we are stealing her healthy ideas and re-creating them right here at Unwritten HQ!

We had lots of enquiry after our Orange & Poppyseed muffin pic, so here is the recipe!

• 1 tbs poppy seeds
• 3/4 cup milk (Of your preference. We use skim, light soy or unsweetned almond milk to keep it healthy)
• 2 cups coconut flour
• 1/2 cup wholemeal self raising flour
• 3/4 cup Stevia (you can substitute for half a cup of honey and 1/4 cup of Stevia if you aren't a Stevia fan)
• 125g butter, melted (we used half olive oil spread and half coconut oil)
• 2 eggs lightly whisked
• 3 tsp finely shredded orange rind
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 
  
  METHOD
• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush twelve 1/3-cup capacity non-stick muffin pans with melted butter to lightly grease. Combine the poppy seeds and 1/4 cup of the milk in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.
   
• Step 2
  Combine the flour and Stevia in a large bowl. Add the poppy-seed mixture along with remaining milk, butter, egg,s orange rind and juice and stir with a metal spoon until just combined (don't overmix).
• Step 3
  Spoon the batter among prepared muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature (and add Jalna Vanilla Yoghurt and strawberries like we did!)

SPRINGING INTO SPRING!

The feeling at Unwritten HQ can only be described as excitement at the moment. So many new arrivals are being delivered every week and they are SO colourful! Our first drops of Spring pieces have just landed today! You can check them out at www.unwrittenclothing.com.au

Those of you that know me will know that I am NOT a Winter person. It's cold (yes, I know you can snuggle under a mink blanket but it's just not the same!!), it's much more tempting to over-indulge in fatty foods and lollies and also WAY more tempting to stay in front of the heater than get up and go for a run.
BUT!
I have some news Aussie gals...THERE IS ONLY 17 DAYS UNTIL SPRING! Yep, that's right! And some of our followers from Northern Australia will be feelin' the heat already.

I went for a run this morning the smell of Spring was in the air. You know the smell - fresh cut grass and that new flower smell on the breeze that has lost it's chill. The weather is warming, gatherings are getting more regular, hemlines are getting shorter, the razor is going to be friends with our legs quite regularly again and the sweet smell of fake tan will fill our bathrooms.
It's only going to be a few weeks until the Bikini, towel and ipod will be making a come back to the beaches! Never fear, I am here to give you some motivation! It's time to eat clean, work out and get lean! Have fun with it - make it an excuse to catch up with friends you wouldn't normally after work, go for a walk, do some yoga on the beach, get out in the sun and smile (have on sold you on how much more fun Spring & Summer are!?)

Here are a few of Unwritten's favourite Spring inspo pics, you can head to our Pinterest & We Heart It pages for more!
Ami x