Clean in 14 Detox by Melissa Costello (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

P90X creator Tony Horton, the Old Spice Man, and hundreds of others lost weight, boosted their immunity,and increased their energy levels—undeniable proof thatThe Clean in 14 Detox really works!

Millions of people are embracing cleansing because it rids the body of accumulated slow poisons that cause a sluggish metabolism, inflammatory and digestive issues, a host of chronic diseases, and unwanted weight gain.

The Clean in 14 Detox is a whole foods, vegan- and juice-based cleanse that not only flushes the body of toxins, but frees the mind of negative patterns, allowing the entire system to reset itself to a place of balance.

From leading successful group and private cleanses,Melissa Costello pulls no punches: She explains that the key to kick-starting health is to eliminate the CRAP (Caffeine, Refined Sugars, Alcohol, Processed Food) and the SAP (Sabotaging Addictive Patterns). Costello encourages readers to make the commitment, teaches them how to prep their minds and kitchens, and shares practical tips to succeed through the program with minimal withdrawals or cravings. The best part of this cleanse is that it’s user friendly and the participant will never feel deprived, unlike most other cleanses out there. A wide variety of delicious, unprocessed foods are allowed and there are no diet pills or chalky shakes. The Clean in 14 Detox features 14 days of mix-and-match meal plans and more than 75 irresistibly fresh and simple recipes, including Baja-style fajitas,chopped salad with creamy pepita dressing, coconut yam soup, oven-baked sweet potato fries, and more.

My thoughts-

I have Melissa Costello's cookbook Karma Chow in my pantry and it is definitely my go-to cookbook for vegan fare. I like to eat predominately vegetarian, but the rest of my family are meat eaters and still they will eat most things that I make from Karma Chow. I knew that I would have to check out the Clean in 14 Detox because I knew already that Costello has some home run recipes and if trainers like Tony Horton get in shape on her meal plans, then it is definitely worth a shot. There are great recipes in Clean in 14, but I knew that would be the case before I opened the book. What really set apart this book from other weight loss and detox books is that it is an overall approach to getting healthy. One of the things included in this book that I really liked is a journaling aspect. There have been countless books telling us to journal what we eat, but this book tells us to journal about how we feel. There are morning and evening journaling exercises to complete that allow you to let go of some emotions you might otherwise be holding on to and the act of writing them down is helpful in allowing thoughts to tumble out of your head and onto paper. That simple act is quite helpful for mental health. Another aspect of this book that helps with mental health is doing a bit of meditation. You can eat healthy and exercise, but if your too stressed out, you may still be holding yourself back. There are recipes included to guide you through the 14 days. Melissa Costello provides all of the tools necessary to complete this detox and begin your rode to a better you. Even if you are not into eating vegan, these recipes will be doable. It is only two weeks, give it a try and see how you feel. You might find that you actually want to eat less meat after seeing how good it will make you feel giving it up for a short amount of time. I recommend this book to anyone looking to jump start good, healthy habits. 

About the author-

Melissa Costello (Santa Barabara, CA) is the founder of Karma Chow and the personal chef to celebrity fitness guru Tony Horton, creator of the highly popular fitness system, P90X®. A certified nutritionist and wellness coach, Costello is constantly finding creative ways to keep Tony and her many other clients happy, fit, and healthy through a whole foods, plant-based way of life. She works one-on-one with clients and leadsfood-based cleanses with large groups, teaching how to implement changes that will yield a lifetime of great health.

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African Mango Lean- Weight Loss Journey + Giveaway

I have mentioned on this blog several times about my struggles to lose weight. I eat really healthy for the most part, but I have a sweet tooth that gets me in trouble and I am not good about scheduling my time (I have 3 preschool aged children I stay at home with) for working out. I have been taking African Mango Lean to aide in my weight loss and have written about that journey over at Mommy's Favorite Things. Creative Bioscience wants to give another lucky person the chance to win their own 90 day supply of African Mango Lean! Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

As for me, I have lost some of the 15 pounds that I would love to see come off. I want to be at my goal weight by April so I will look fabulous and feel great at a friend's wedding! I just ordered Tony Horton's (you know, the P90X guy!!) new workout plan 10 Minute Trainer and I am hoping it will be just the extra push I need to get those last pounds off. The workouts look intense, but doable and maybe even kind of fun and 10 minutes a day should be a lot easier for me to accomplish! Here's to knowing I CAN do it and to working hard to get there!


*Disclosure- I received one or more of the above mentioned products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated are 100 % my own

August KLUTCHclub Review

 I am excited to once again be reviewing a KLUTCHclub box for you all. If you missed my last review KLUTCHclub is a subscription box that focuses on health & fitness. You can check out my first KLUTCHclub review here! Today, I will be reviewing the August box, packed full of goodies that do not disappoint! KLUTCHclub subscriptions are as low as $16 a month if you subscribe for the 3 month option or at most $18 if you opt for just one month at a time. And men should be excited as well, as KLUTCHclub just started offering a KLUTCHmen box!


Back to August's KLUTCHclub box. As you can see above, it was packed full of goodies! My favorites were definitely the year's worth of premium subscription to iBodyfit.com and the twistband. I am pretty sure I have never been so excited about a ponytail holder in all of my life!

My kids made me share the popcorner's. We enjoyed them. They were a nice snack, a cross between a crispy chip and popcorn. We are always looking for healthier snack options so I love that something like this was included in the box. It was empty rather quickly!

You can not really go wrong with granola. Once again, I shared with my kids!

Biopharma nanogreens & nanolean. These are powdered supplements you add to water. Included were a few of each- The nanogreens are a fruit and vegetable superfood supplement and the nanolean is for wieght magnagment. Both taste pretty great!

I really wanted to like Alo- this drink of aloe vera. It is very good for you! I just couldn't get into it. However, my 3 year old twin boys drank this like it was the best drink they ever had!

 The GoSport Id is a really cool concept. The idea is that you may not always carry i.d. on you while you work out, this way you can have your name and an emergency phone number engraved in case anything were to happen. As a bonus, you can add words to motivate you on your i.d. band as well.

The twist band is probably one of the coolest inventions ever! This is a pony tail hold that will not leave creases AND stays in your hair, even through vigorous work outs. It is super comfortable as well. I plan to get several more of these

Tieks look super comfortable, but even with this $50 gift card, they are out of my price range I wish they weren't and appreciate the discount offered anyway!

I was really excited to see that a year's worth of membership to a fitness website was included in this box. I find the ibodyfit website a little hard to navigate, but I know I will be getting much use out of it. There are several trainers and exercises to pick from and I know I will utilize each one of them!

For some reason, I didn't get a picture of the Japan Gold Seaweed Salad. It was kind of cool in the respect that it seemed like astronaut food to me! You open the package, which is dried seaweed and cover it in water and 5 minutes later voila! You have a seaweed salad. For me, the taste was WAY too strong, but then I have never liked Japanese food, so it isn't much of a surprise to me. I bet many people would really dig the seaweed salad!

I thought this box was worth it just for the twist band and ibodyfit membership, the other products were a bonus. There were a few misses for me, but I think that is the cool thing about subscription boxes, if you don't think you will like something, pass it on...you have several other things to try out anyway! I thought overall this was a pretty good box and I am always excited to see what KLUTCHclub will offer next! If you would like sneak peak check out the September Box! 

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*Disclaimer- I received a KLUTCHclub box for the purpose of rendering this review. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Lean by Kathy Freston- Book Review

There are too many books about weight loss that are just not good for weight loss...or for your health in general. I mean, sure you might lose weight, but typically with fad diets, you will gain it all back and then some. 

 Kathy Freston's The Lean is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. What I really love about this book is that you take one step each day to contribute to becoming healthy. You might be giving something up that is not good for you or you may be adding something healthy to your day. Either way it is all about becoming a healthier you and in the process, losing those extra unwanted pounds. I feel like The Lean is an easy program to follow because if you slip up one day, well you can start over because it's just one thing that you've messed up. It is easier than trying to stay on top of the "rules" of diets that aren't healthy for you to begin with. 

This is a 30 day program, some of the days the tasks are super simple and some days they are not, but anyone who is wanting to become healthier- this is the book for you. I had already incorporated a lot of these things into my daily life before reading The Lean, but I know many people will benefit from learning all of the little things they can do that will add up to being a great. healthy relationship with food that is good for you! I would recommend this book to anyone that is trying to lose weight and keep it off or that just wants to become healthier overall. The 30 day plan highlighted in The Lean will get you there!


The Lean on Amazon
The Lean on Barnes & Noble

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Kathy Freston's Website


Disclaimer- I received a complimentary copy of The Lean from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are 100% my own.

KLUTCHclub Health & Fitness Subscription box review & giveaway!!

I am a huge fan of the subscription box craze currently going on. I don't know why nobody had thought of this splendid idea until now. Basically, subscription boxes are filled with 4-6 products, sometimes samples, sometimes full size products, for a flat rate each month. The idea is that you get to try things you might not normally get to try for a discounted price to give it a try and companies get their products out to masses of people. It is definitely a win/win situation! There are many subscription boxes out there that are kind of the same, so I always jump on the opportunity when a new and different one comes along.

I couldn't be more excited about KLUTCHclub. It is all about health and fitness, and we could always use a little bit more of both in our lives! I love discovering products in these categories, so this box is just right up my alley! I like that there are different options as far as your subscription to fit your budget! You can get a one time box for $18, a 3 month subscription with each month's cost being $17 or you can get a year subscription where each box is $16. I like that you have the option to get a single box to try things out and see how you are going to like it. You can also purchase any of the subscription options as a gift! I like that the gift option is available because I think subscription boxes make awesome presents!


I was sent the May KLUTCHclub box for this review! It was full of some pretty awesome goodies!

When I slid the box out, this is what it looked like:

Here is what was in the box!

KLUTCHclub water bottle

O.N.E Coconut Water. A great drink to
hydrate or for recovery after a  workout!

Hydroxatone InstantEFFECT-90 Second Wrinkle Reducer!
It does work and super fast!

$25 off a $26 or more purchase at MovingComfort.com-
 One for you, one for you to share! 

2 think Thin bars. These are a VERY filling snack! I had one
at around 1 and was not hungry AT ALL until at least 7.
They are very tasty too!

One free download (up to $10) at YogaDownload.com
I downloaded a 60 minute yoga class! Can't wait to try it!

 As you can tell just from the Yoga Download and Moving Comforts alone, this box more than paid for itself. KLUTCHclub guarantees over $50 worth of health and fitness products each month for as little as $16 and at the most $18. I would say my favorite products from this box are the think Thin bars and the Yogadownload.com free download! I absolutely recommend this box, whether you are a health and fitness novice or expert, or fall somewhere in between. This box is sure to satisfy everyone interested in health and fitness products!

KLUTCHclub wants to give one lucky reader the chance to get their own KLUTCHclub box for FREE! Enter via the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!!

KLUTCHclub was also generous enough to offer a special offer for Cristi's Reviews readers who don't win the giveaway. When you purchase ANY subscription of KLUTCHclub, and enter the code LUCKY when you get to the shopping cart, you will receive a free month of KLUTCHclub!


Want ANOTHER chance to win a KLUTCHclub box?? My friend Crystal over at Trying New Products is also currently giving a box away! Go to Trying New Things to try and win the April Klutchclub box!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




*Disclaimer- I was provided a complimentary KLUTCHclub box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated above are 100% my own.