We're thrilled to kick off a new Client Diary series to share a glimpse into the lives of our busy New York clients. Today we get a peek into the routine of mom, business owner, and long-time client Sarah Jefferys.
Sarah Jefferys - Owner of Sarah Jefferys Design, Architecture and Interiors based in Soho Manhattan. Mother to three boys ages 15, 13 and 7.
After a long winter I've been feeling a bit sluggish, gained some extra pounds and in need of a fresh glow. Generally I'm a very healthy eater - no red meat and gluten-free - but feeling blocked and in need of something more so I turned to Provenance for a 4 day meal delivery program as a whole food cleanse. I got to choose the meals from their weekly clean eats menu and knew that whatever I was eating was going to support my DIY cleanse goals. I also vowed to take it a step further and cut out caffeine and alcohol during the week.
Day 1
Off to a great fresh start! Loved my hard boiled eggs with truffle! So often I leave the house for kids' drop off without eating a thing. It was great to have breakfast right on hand that kept me going until lunchtime. I gave up coffee a couple of days in advance so I would be weened off caffeine ahead of time and would not have to deal with withdrawal headaches during the cleanse. I snuck in some green tea instead and felt great. First up is a publishing party at younger son's school, then client meetings and presentations for rest of the morning. It feels fantastic to have a healthy, fresh lunch right on hand at the office - a delicious panzanella vegetable salad with asparagus sustained me through busy afternoon at the office. I returned home to an evening alone with the boys and ate my Hawaiian salmon bowl dinner with plantains while they ate dumplings and edamame. At the end of the day I felt good, lighter, and energetic.
Day 2
Super busy morning today so great to have breakfast and lunch on hand. I didn't have a chance to eat lunch until 3pm so was pretty hungry before that. Tummy was rumbling during meetings! Thankfully lunch was a hearty brassica salad with wild rice, tahini, and golden raisins. I had to run off early to son's guitar concert, then to pick up bunch of kids from baseball practice, then back for a late dinner at home with the family. It was a relief to have dinner all ready and not to have to cook so late. Tonight's dish was spicy chili cakes with a refreshing coconut sauce. I ate along with 7 boys, as my older son had a bunch of friends over. I was struck by how healthy our food was compared to the kids' rubbish. While I was indulging with super convenient meal deliveries, I realized it also meant I was not cooking hence the rest of the family not eating so well. I need to fix that next time. Definitely could have used a glass of wine after the long day but powered through... brewed some herbal tea instead.
Day 3
As well as a much needed cleanse, exercise needs to become more part of my regime. I become a hedgehog in the winter months and barely drag myself to the gym or classes. Boot camp is a great way to kick off the day followed by my delicious Provenance healthy meals - herb frittata for a late breakfast/lunch and citrus salad with pasture-raised chicken for lunch/dinner. Day three of no caffeine actually felt great, lots of natural energy instead. I'm feeling a real kick in my step today. Stopped by my youngest sons' field day, attempted a sack race and hoola hooping, I was not terribly successful but probably very entertaining. Afterwards had two site meetings for house construction jobs, kids pick up and prep to host a games night at our house that night. My husband is out of town for weekend, so flying solo with 4 kids (niece also staying with me for part of weekend). It was a super fun night with friends over, playing card games out on the deck with dinner and wine. It's been easy to stick to cleanse food-wise, but hard to resist glass of vino on a beautiful summer evening. The games and wonderful friends are great distractions.
Day 4
Thank goodness for a day of healthy meals all made for me after how packed this week has been. Breakfast and lunch ready to go again on this busy weekend day. Continued flying solo for the weekend, a total of seven baseball games in two different states and a soccer game to coach! Despite a super hectic schedule I started to feel really great to the point I want to continue with it and eat that way always. Feeling so clean, fresh and springy! Skin has a slight glow to it. The biggest downfall to travel sports are the lack of healthy food options. Plus being gluten-free, I find myself with nothing to eat at these baseball tournaments other than french fries and m&m's. Loved my carrot salad on the weekend and wearing orange no less to match, in honor of gun regulations. Topped off by a spaghetti squash with broccoli yummy dinner on return home at 11pm! I generally eat no gluten, no meat, few carbs, but I do love my coffee, dairy, and sweets! I will attempt to cut down on those moving forward and pledge to do a full 5 or 7 day cleanse at the kick off of each new season.