As we cruise through fall and head into winter, the days are shorter, cooler, and require more layers. Over Labor Day weekend, I made a bucket list road-trip, camping and fishing my way through southern Colorado with close friends. One day we left our campsite, spent the late morning and afternoon in Ouray (incredible), made the Million Dollar Highway Drive (Ouray to Silverton), checked out the little town of Silverton, and ventured back to our campsite in Uncompaghre National Forest. While in Ouray we had rooftop beers at Ouray Brewery, lunch at a small pub, and perused town. I stopped in a small boutique, with no intention of buying anything, and fell in love with this tribal wrap. It’s a perfect layering piece that can be paired with leggings, a thin shirt, and boots and also a slim dress with booties. It’s a great item and a warmly welcomed addition to my collection of fall essentials. What are your fall staples?
Last week I cleansed and last week I didn’t die. Thank God. Not only did I survive, I kind of thrived. As mentioned in my earlier post, which you can find here, I partnered with Pressery, a Colorado based organic, cold-pressed juice company to cleanse, interview, and review their products. I was a little weary as I didn’t much enjoy a previous cleanse (that lasted twenty one days), but knew that I could do anything for three days and also knew I wanted to drop a few pounds before I added more than a few over the quickly approaching Thanksgiving holiday.
I chose to start on a Monday because every single Monday morning (since I was about twelve) I wake with an immense amount of motivation to make healthier eating choices, workout harder, and get my life together, generally speaking. That typically lasts until about 10:00am when I find myself hungry for a snack. This Monday was no different, except I had a little more determination than usual after seeing 20 beautiful bottles lined up in my refrigerator. Sadly the beauty of the bottles kept me motivated until about 1:00pm and then a sharp cry from stomach shut that down. Luckily, in speaking with Pressery owner, Mimi Lee, I was told I could make the cleanse whatever I wanted. I had the option to go total liquid or pair my juices with healthy food such as raw vegetables and light soup. I planned ahead knowing that after Saturday pizza and Sunday lasagna my body and mind would be vocal about wanting more than just juice. I was right and planning ahead helped me avoid re-heating said lasagna and blowing my cleanse before I made it twelve measly hours.
Day two came and I started my day with a workout which left me hungry, but luckily my body adjusted to the cleanse quickly and I went home, drank another juice, and ate an apple. I remained on liquid the rest of the day and for dinner had another bowl of soup (not broccoli cheddar, guys) with my evening juice. Day three was even better. I woke up at 6:00am with more energy than usual and had a great morning workout. I was initially concerned that keeping up with my workouts would be difficult since I had not consumed nearly as many calories in the days prior, but my workout was great and the rest of the day I strictly juiced and dropped the solids. YES.
Photo Credit: Pressery
A brief review of the juices I consumed, listed in the order I drank them throughout the day, per cleanse instructions:
Heat Wave-Started each day with this refreshing blend of lemon, maple, and habanero (kick-starts that metabolism!), among other ingredients. This is similar to the Master Cleanse recipe, but SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Chia Berry-Chia and berries, might as well be dessert.
Green Light-Refreshing, light, and invigorating. It’s basically a salad in a bottle at lunchtime!
Beat Street-Interesting taste that ended up being one of my favorite juices. It’s flavorful and hearty which helps with mid-day mental hunger. Mental hunger was real for me and am certain it truly is mental.
Green Zinger-Another green drink done right. Refreshing and simply yummy.
Protein Power Up-Lifesaver. This is labeled as a “snack” so it’s up to you to enjoy at your leisure. I STRONGLY recommend you save this until around 5 or 6pm, before dinner. I found that time, each day, to be when I was MOST craving snacks and felt truly hungry. This drink is so thick and hearty and delicious that after a day sipping on light juices, is as satisfying as a chocolate milkshake. If you start your day with this drink, you’ll be screwed, so save it.
In addition to the above listed items, Mimi had me try out two brand new products that Pressery just released, drinking vinegars. My dad has been starting his days with a shot of vinegar for a couple of years and swears by the health benefits that it offers. I’ve ignored him those years because I cannot get over the taste. Lucky for me…and you, Pressery has an entire line of vinegar drinks that have great ingredients and flavors. I tried Strawberry Basil and Lemon Cayenne, which were great. They still have the vinegar taste so I will admit that it will take time for me to gain a desire or craving, but if you’re committed to your heath and want the benefits that come from drinking vinegar, Pressery’s products are the way to go. They make healthy taste good (that is actually their slogan).
Although my cleanse wrapped after day three, I maintained healthy choices (excluding the wine and vodka and cheese I consumed on Saturday night…and Sunday) the rest of the week and still today, one week later. I realize now that cleansing doesn’t have to be a drastic and miserable experience. It can be used as a simple reset each week, or each month, or each year. You can cleanse for one day, two, three, it’s completely customizable based on what you’re looking to accomplish and what’s realistic for you and your body. If i had the money, I’d do it every single week, but my initials don’t start and end with the letter K and so that’s why I personally will turn to this when I need a simple reset; whether it be before or after the holidays, leading up to a vacation, before I see an ex-boyfriend, pre any wedding, post every debaucherous bachelorette party weekend, and definitely before fall attire season begins and probably four times per year, no matter what, because you guys, cleanliness really is next to goddess-liness.
I’ve never been much of a fan of casual long dresses, on other girls yes, but me, no. When I saw this dress in the store I was fixated on the deep hazelnut color (I’m lost in a world of neutrals) and decided to give it a try, though it’s not a typical piece I would have considered for myself. I slipped it on and to my surprise, loved it. I pair it with ankle booties and a leather-esque jacket that I bought at the beginning of the season. I adore the jacket because it maintains the look of a motorcycle jacket, but isn’t leather, therefore is reasonably priced and paired with the draping in the front, has softer look and a coziness that you get with wearing a big scarf. It’s a great fall outfit due to the light weight of the dress which keeps me cool during sunny afternoons enjoying patio wine, yet warm on those crisp fall evenings.
I sat down with Pressery owner, Mimi Lee, today and got the scoop on the company she founded with her husband Ian, the products I’m relying heavily on to rid me of my weekend toxins, and the ins and outs of starting a small business. We shared some laughs, tea (green for this cleansing lady), and dug into the details of what it takes to go from corporate traveling consultant to creative and community involved, entrepreneur. Mimi wears a lot of hats and I got to see her in both entrepreneur and mother mode since she had her adorable and curious minded son, Brooks, in tow. I didn’t realize it was truly possible to conduct a legitimate interview and play games with a child, but she can do it and she can do it efficiently.
The Pressery idea stemmed from Mimi and Ian traveling to New York and California, weekly, as consultants (she-marketing| he-financial) and took notice of the juice bars that appeared on almost every street corner and wondered why there weren’t any in Colorado. They’d known for a while that they wanted to work for themselves, but weren’t sure what it was they wanted to do, until they realized there was a huge market for juicing and healthy products here in Colorado. It took approximately six months from the moment they said, ‘Lets do this”, until they launched in April at the Boulder Farmers Market. Pressery started out in a shared commissary kitchen space where one Friday night Mimi and Ian juiced and juiced and juiced some more, went home and stuck labels on bottles until 4:00 a.m., slept for two hours, woke up and went to work setting up their tent and getting ready for their official launch, at what some would say is one of the best markets in the country. Starting out not only in Colorado, but at the Boulder Farmers Market would mean stiff competition and consumers who know what they want and what they’re looking for in a healthy product. Mimi and Ian sold out in two hours.
Since that day in April of 2011 they’ve outgrown multiple kitchens and in 2014 bought their own building and currently have a fulfillment center in Westminster (between Boulder and Denver). Pressery now has multiple employees, is available in over seventy stores across Colorado, and can be found in Whole Foods in the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, and Idaho. They offer home delivery in Denver and Boulder and can fulfill orders across the country.
Pressery has incredible products for all your cleansing and juicing needs and you don’t have to cleanse to enjoy the products. They are healthy, fresh, organic, and entirely kid friendly. What’s really exciting is they are in the process of creating new products, a couple of which I tried (and loved) and a couple that I’ll be trying in the near future (suuuuuper excited). They not only work closely with a nutritionist, but also a chef (who oversees all of the food for the Pro Cycling Tour) to keep their recipes and products ever evolving.
So now that you know a bit about Pressery, here’s a bit about Mimi-
VBC: What other local products do you like?
ML: Go Bistro and Amberbath
VBC: What is your favorite Front Range restaurant?
ML: Acorn, I love their food and I love the Source.
VBC: Who runs your Instagram Page? (For all of you product styling appreciators, check it out and see below)
ML: It’s a team effort made by each of our employees. Sometimes they take the photos in our kitchen, sometimes they take photos during tastings, really all over the place.
VBC: What kind of camera do you use for your social media?
ML: We actually only use iPhones!
VBC: What challenges have you faced as a small business owner?
ML: Making sure you stay true to the brand and refining the blends which is a good challenge because you’re constantly evolving and nothing is static.
VBC: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
ML: Being able to create something that then translates into something that helps someone. People have said, “I eat better because I like the taste of your juice”, that means so much to us.
VBC: What advice do you have for people who want to start their own business?
ML: Everyone always says, “You never know how hard it is until you do it”, even us knowing that, we didn’t really know how true it was. Find someone in your industry or field who can save you time. Get guidance.
Tonight marks the last of my three day cleanse and the first evening spent writing that hasn’t included a glass of wine. I’ll be sharing a full cleanse and product review later this week.
Do you guys remember when I cleansed for twenty one days a couple of years ago? If you don’t you can read about my experience (torture) here, Cleanse Part: 1 and Cleanse: Part 2. There is no Cleanse Part: 3 because I died. I’m kidddding, but really, cleanses are hard. You have to have a lot and I mean a lot of self discipline, which I don’t always have, but I do have a strong desire to be skinny (usually when I’m full).
A brief re-cap of twenty one days of no fun: I went on a tour de fat in Sonoma, Jamaica, Munich and came home to summertime in Denver which meant I needed to drop some pounds, quickly, and so I went on a super strict cleanse that lasted twenty one entire, whole, complete, never-ending days. And guess what? I didn’t cheat once. Did I look good after? Yes. Did I feel good after? YES. Was I ever going to do it again? Hell no. I missed out on three amazing summer weeks because all I could do was drink green tea (which I did out of a wine glass after 5pm, it really helped) and nursed on watermelon for homemade happy hours that I held at my apartment, by myself. What I realized is food and drink are a huge part of my life. I cherish my weekend gatherings with friends and family over meals and drinks, rewarding myself after a hard hike (or walk) with a burger and a beer, evening wine while I listen to music and prepare dinner, and coffee, I really love my morning iced coffee. So yes, I felt amazing and I looked great. I also concluded it’s much more fun to be balanced by working out regularly and making healthy eating choices and if I could commit to that lifestyle, I would never again have to go twenty one days without pizza or wine. I win.
So what’s better than a twenty one day cleanse? A three day cleanse.
I’ve partnered with Pressery, a Colorado based, organic cold-pressed juice company and am thrilled to be partaking in a healthy reboot this week, because cleanses don’t have to be drastic and never-ending. Sometimes you need a day, or two, or three to re-position your mindset (and your waistline). Today marks the end of day one and I will admit, after last night’s splurge of a Sunday dinner, it was tempting, very tempting, to dig into leftover lasagna. Did I? I’ll follow up on my full review later this week. In the meantime, I’ll just keep sipping…
Hello, my name is Brittany and I’m an athleisure addict.
Athleisure, I cringe at the word, but am guilty of being a lady in leggings and sneakers around 90% of the week. Being a remote worker, business casual doesn’t apply (unless I’m traveling) and if it weren’t for the fact that I choose to workout in the mornings, my work attire would be “night before” pajamas (okay some days it still totally is). I can also be found in athleisure attire while partaking in the following:
Dining Out
Shopping (grocery, clothing, mindless, any and all)
Mani/Pedi/Blowouts
Road Trips
Working in Coffee Shops
Hiking
Farmers Markets
Camping
Any and All Appointments
Every day between 8am and 6pm
Really the only time I’m not in athleisure (meaning I’m still more than likely in leggings, but with a more structured top and sans sneaks) attire is:
Church
Holidays
Parties
So, I have to share with you, the best purchase I’ve made in a very long time and when I say best purchase, I mean I’ve worn it 16 out of the 18 days that I’ve owned it. Literally. I’m wearing it right now. I also wore it to get Thai food last night and every day prior. If I’m honest here, I will more than likely be in it every day this week. Am I proud to admit that to you? Of course not, but I also feel I should share these kinds of things and not selfishly keep them to myself. I, at the recommendation of someone who thinks it’s kind of weird how much I wear this article of clothing, purchased a second two days ago. You know…as backup. That said, if you’re seeking the PERFECT casual, cable knit, fall sweater with the CHUNKIEST neck you could ever dream of, head to Gap and buy this before I get my hands on every last piece of inventory they’re carrying. And I will. I will. And while I may not be a true lady of leisure, for now I’ll have to settle with being a lady of athleisure. Whatever…
It should also be said that having a large chest that I’d much rather hide than pride, I often times loath (I’m trying to stop saying hate so much, but hate) the way I look in chunky sweaters…which is chunky. This sweater does not apply.
VBC has had some work done…a little face lift, so to speak, and we are NOT being coy about our new look, so come see, come see! Not only are things looking prettier on the outside, we’re also doing some major work on the inside, to bring new, exciting and informative, content to our followers, because what’s the purpose of being pretty on the outside when you’re not shining and evolving on the inside? Come see how she’s grown….
Vodka and Birthday Cake 