I had hoped to write an article about how awesome the cleanse was, how great I felt afterward, how yes, I was a bit hungry but thinking of how many toxins I had flushed out was gratification enough. Unfortunately, I'll never get to write that article because I failed. I failed hard and miserably.

Afke Zonderland is the enthusiastic chef behind Foods Alive. She has a passion for gourmet vegetarian food and lives an abundant and healthy lifestyle in Okanagan, British Columbia. When she's not busy in the kitchen, you can find her biking the Rocky Mountain trails in the summer or skiing the same snow-covered trails in the winter. Foods Alive products are hand-made in a second kitchen in Afke's home on a small acreage in the North Okanagan.

I get up long before the crack of dawn for my full time gig working as studio floor manager with Global TV's The Morning Show. With my bizarre schedule and twisted body clock, I know that I need reliable sources of fuel to get me going before we go "live" at 6 a.m. I have found that a cold, tall glass of "green juice" and a few nutrient dense snacks do just the trick. Here's a recipe for my energizing Raw Lemon Bars.

So there I was during our first long weekend of the summer, May 2-4, trying to muster up the courage to start my pre-cleanse. I was sitting on my own patio with a group of friends, barbecuing over the long weekend with no will power to cut out processed foods and stop drinking alcohol...a three day cleanse was ahead of me.

For those interested in trying raw foods at home or those who are already practitioners and seeking new menu ideas, here are three recipes to try. The...