ONE WEEK DOWN, TWO TO GLOW!

Woke up at 6:30am to the pitter patter of Z and I was NOT rearing to go. Need more sleep but feel better overall. Made a delightful breakfast of detox eggs florentine (forgot to take pic!!). Sauteed onions and added spinach, gluten free bread (it's really good toasted!!) spread with goat cheese and two perfectly poached eggs beautifully set atop. It so didn't need a sauce! We followed breakfast with a family hike in Runyon to work it off and dragged Dew again. She was a sport even though it was hotter today, poor thing.

For lunch, I heated the roasted chicken breast with brown rice and the caramelized carrot/onion mix from the roasting pan. Amazingly simple and delicious. Nothing beats a good roast chicken! Today was the Tu B'Shevat festival at Z's school, the big fundraising event, and we participated by running his class booth and L going solo into the silent auction (danger will robinson), junk food and games. I ate nothing. Admission of guilt: before the fest, we cheated. A little teeny bit. We were both craving coffee (6:30am and 4yo son=caffeine), so pulled the car over, went into a cafe and came out with a lovely, toxic Costa Rican brew. The guilt was soon dissipated and replaced by blissful smiles. 4 sips each. Maybe 5. Says a lot about the potency when the system reacts that quickly. Amen.

Now that the Aussie open is behind us, I can solidify the menu. And get back to my clients ... if they don't get blinded by my new glow. For the record, the leg pain is pretty much gone.

The detox is easier as we go forward (and that's not the coffee talking). Cheating is part of the game, Dr. Joshi says, just get right back on the program "if you have a piece of organic chocolate". Hmmm. Wonder if he would say that about a tub of pesticide popcorn and diet coke. I MISS THAT!!

Imagine my surprise when I found a case of wine on the doorstep yesterday ... a pre-valentine gift from L, a year subscription to Zagat quarterly wine program. Nice! She's torturing me. And yes, I said yesterday because I actually left it on the porch until I had to bring it in before I picked L up at the airport. I opened it this morning, drying my tears as I lovingly caressed each bottle, placing it on the shelf to gather dust.

Snack today was carrots and rice crackers with the homemade hummus. Z comments on the garlic breath, "stinky" so my secret plan is to get him to try it so we can be a garlic breath family. Stick together I say!

Dinner is almond crusted sole with sauteed kale and chard and a salad with fresh mozzarella, lemon and olive oil. My condolences to the heirloom tomatoes that won't be joining us this evening. We really wanted to turn our bubbly water into wine. Very sad indeed. And how is it that my stomach is growling at 8:45pm and I feel famished?? Nothing seems likely to satisfy me so I will immerse myself in the grammys that await on our dvr. Yes, I am still missing POPCORN.

Onward to week 2.

DAY 6 WAITING PATIENTLY ...

Woke up again at 4am even though I cheated with an ambien yet again. Legs are intensely aching. Even took an anti-detox muscle relaxer which didn't take the pain away or put me to sleep. I look like the night of the living dead. Make-up won't even cover up the black pockets under my eyes. But enough about how great the detox diet is thus far ...

I'm having my tea water realizing my ambitious menu planning will take more energy than I can muster at the moment. Going to the gym today to see if that helps my legs and fatigue. Something. Breakfast is the yogurt special.

Miracle ... Z, Dew and I walked Runyon Canyon this morning and voila, pain started going away. Then I went spinning and even less pain. Movement is key to getting the toxins out! Delish lunch of the grilled goat cheese, fresh basil sandwich with some cayenne, avocado (cheater) and gluten free rice thins. I'm roasting a whole chicken for us to have this week. The aroma in the house reminds me of my great grandmother, who was an amazing cook, though I'm certain one of her key ingredients was schmaltz.

I'm still foggy from lack of sleep this week and finding it difficult to focus. Hoping the leg situation is cleared and I will get 8+ hours tonight (right honey?). L is coming back from NY tonight so all will be better regardless. Z and I went over to our neighbors for a play date, and Eric puts the new Bon Appetit under my nose and asked me if I could make the Milk Chocolate-Caramel Tart with Hazelnuts and Espresso (I made a banana cream pie with chocolate crust for him a few weeks ago). I told him not until after the detox plus a few because I will want some of that!

The roasted chicken came out beautifully. I stuffed it with lemons, sprigs of rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper, and a head of garlic cut in half (crosswise). I sliced an onion and threw in a bunch of baby carrots with lots of thyme tossed with olive oil and s&p and put the chicken on top in a roasting pan. Cooked at 425 for about 1.5 hours (5lbs). I only had a taste but it's super moist and delish as were the roasted veggies!

I made dover sole with kale and spinach for dinner. And the requisite brown rice. I'm not craving sweets anymore--not even ice cream! Feeling better in the legs and overall. Just need to sleep and will be much closer to the glow.

I missed tuna fish today. Sometimes you just want a simple tuna sandwich ...

DAY 5 BLAH

So I woke up with the pain again in my legs which scared me, like I might have some nervous system disorder. Searched the internet and found a writer for the Guardian who was actually treated by Dr. Joshi and created a blog which is quite funny and he says he had the same pain And the doc said it was the toxins surfacing. Incredible that I had that many toxins when I thought I ate so well--what was I putting in my body??

Breakfast was nice today. Egg whites with a piece of gluten free toast. Yummy change. The cooking and the thinking about what to cook is very time consuming. As is waiting for the ATT man. Captive. Ate a banana.

Read about the bowel movements today and we should be having at least 2 a day. Then why are we happy with our one?! Even my bowels aren't efficient enough. Long road ahead. Still on the fence about the colonic. And now there is lymphatic drainage suggested too which really gets the toxins moving out. If the leg pain persists I will have to drink a bottle of wine with a filet!!

Having a hard time with the pain. Distracting. Made a brown rice tortilla thingy for lunch again--chicken, goat cheese, organic brown rice and the avo sauce. The wrap is a little too "cardboardy" for my taste. Not sure I'll be giving up my burrito fixes after this--maybe sub a whole wheat tortilla. Need heat too. Some hot sauce or maybe get some fresh hot peppers!!

Big bonus: today I learned we can have almonds, walnuts, yams, sweet potatoes and winter squash, like acorn. Looking at these pics, I see we need a splash of color in the food. More herbs. orange squash, red lentils. All coming up.Getting those this weekend for L's return so our menu will be expanded. I feel lethargic and unmotivated. When does the "hop out of bed in the morning" quality kick in? Need some vanilla swiss almond ala haagen daaz. mmmm.

Just made delish hummus. I doubled the recipe because it will be my snack ... but still struggling with movie night without popcorn. What to do? Had 2 rice cakes with hummus for a snack. Always better homemade!

Simple Hummus

1 can organic garbanzo beans (reserve liquid)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup reserved liquid from beans
olive oil
salt
3-4 tablespoons tahini
fresh parsley

In blender or food processor, grind garlic then add rest of ingredients. Add olive oil, salt and more liquid to taste and for texture.

ATT never came so I called and went through the maze to get to a repair operator who basically said "just because we say 12-4pm doesn't mean he comes to the house between those times. he is working on the line right now where he thinks the problem is". Oh. So when they tell you to be home they don't really mean it. A"tt"holes. Still no dial tone and intermittent internet. And then they tried to sell me on their latest and greatest product, U-Verse. Tape 4 programs at once. I can't even watch the ones I tape now (except the tennis). Simplify I say.

I'm peeing all the time now. I've had at least a liter plus of water already and carrot juice and 10 gallons of green tea. My liver must be happy. But my legs ... Oy.

So now the ATT guy finally shows up at 5pm and says he hasn't been working elsewhere, that the rule is he needs to call then show up at the house (clearly not within the allotted window). Lots of issues and there isn't any available cable between us and the main street. Might be repaired by Monday ... sounds like credit to our phone bill to me.

Spent so much time getting Z ready for the sitter and making his dinner, I actually forgot to eat and found myself at Arclight with few options, walked around and almost went for sushi then baja fresh for chicken and rice, but none of it seemed right. I had my green bean snacks from TJs. Raced past the concession, shielding my eyes from the glory trough of popcorn. Even the apple sausage was calling to me. But I stuck it out--huge for me. Crazy Hearts. Big thumbs up. go go go. Thought I would make something at home but just had a banana and my tenth green tea. And watching Federer as my main course. Ahhh.

Hoping the leg pain is gone in the a.m. and the deep dark circles under my eyes. This is good for me, right?

DAY 4

Woke up at 4am and couldn't fall back asleep. Hope this isn't a side effect of the diet. I keep reading people sleep better! Thinking of sneaking a gluten free ambien tonight. My muscles have a deep ache today in my back and legs, probably from inertia. Need to get on that new Octane L got for our "gym"/garage. She could use more attention.

Breakfast was the same old ... need to change that tune to eggs tomorrow. Doesn't that look delicious?? Z had my favorite cereal this morning and I'm sure he saw me eyeing it.





Must say I'm happy as a clam even though I'm not allowed to eat one. It's gorgeous outside, sunny and 70. That's yummy! Need to look up the special grapefruit mixture for Dr. Joshi's diet that we need to have once weekly. Hurry back L so we can cleanse. And what about the colonics? To be discussed ...

Booked a sitter for Friday night so I can go on the town to a movie and not drink or eat! I can sit through a movie without popcorn. If you put me in a straight jacket! Will need to arm myself with snacks.

Back from my 11am appointment who said I looked "depleted and tired". Ouch. The anti-glow. Certainly it will all turn around. Soon. For lunch, I had a salad with the avocado dressing. Just veggies and some goat cheese. Portion control will work itself out because of boredom. Working on a spreadsheet for more interesting meals ... yes, that's so me.

Had some rice cakes with guacamole on them for a snack. And then shared my edamame with Z while he ate his "special sticks" (don't say "fish" to a 4yo) and sweet potato fries. I made a chicken paillard for dinner with a salad. L went out for dinner in NY and aced it! Chicken with veggies. I can feel her glowing from here.

Very tired from the early rise so it's early to bed ... after some Aussie open of course. The leg pain has subsided so I think working out tomorrow is in order, before I'm captive in the house for ATT and their inane 20 hour window!

18 DAYS TIL THE GLOW ...

Yesterday was Day 3 on the detox. With good intention, I'm trying to blog daily but I got sucked into the Australian open vortex last night. Amazing tennis!! So here is yesterday's experience. I "enjoyed" the unsweetened soy milk with gluten free, sugar free granola, puffed brown rice and banana much more without the migraine. And I found some kombacha green tea at WF I like ... not on par with my darkest of dark nectar of the gods, Peets Major Dickasons, but for a non-toxic beverage it's tops. L said she's feeling great and her jacket is already fitting better. She's off to NY which may be challenging for the diet but I composed a list of dos and donts and sent her with a stellar gluten free lunch. Good luck love.

I thought I would go spinning at lunch but had to get some work done so another day passed without exercise, except for the dog walk. Thank goodness for Dewey! Lunch was a brown rice tortilla (seriously) which was far from pliable but somehow satisfied my burrito craving ... chicken, goat cheese, fresh basil, caramelized onions and my special avocado dressing:

Lime Avocado dressing

Dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled
1-2 ripe avocado
juice of 1-2 limes (to taste)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chili powder
pinch of salt

Combine all in a food processor or blender, play with the water and oil to get desired consistency. Great on salads!

Snack time. Guilt. I cheated on 20 tortilla chips--no gluten but clearly as I was devouring each morsel (sans salsa) I felt like a cheater. Didn't even tell L (sorry honey). Back on track the rest of the day. Had a banana before dinner.

Dinner was brown rice topped with a stir fry of tofu, asparagus, broccoli, onions and garlic with fresh parsley. It was yummy and I need to demonstrate more portion control. Not my strong suit.



What I really missed today was hot sauce!! That can't possibly be toxic ...

DETOX DAY TWO

Woke up tired this morning and thought "coffee" please but made the luscious lemon water instead. Not the cure for the incessant hammering taking place inside my head. Neither is the 4yo cuddled beside me who has no idea why his mommies may be a bit cranky--thank goodness for Elmo's World. I can't get it together to eat before taking Z to school and lose it on the phone in the car with ATT because they transfer me to Kentucky to repair my phone service! I would have to do more than detox if I had no phone or internet living in Kentucky!! I stop at whole foods on the way home to find gluten free muesli which is impossible without cranberries or some dried fruit or nut--so I come home eons later with some rice cakes and assorted items from the raw section. And a loaf of gluten free bread that can also serve as a dumbbell.

Breakfast:

I can see L has already foraged for breakfast as I eye the remnants on the counter upon my return ... banana peel, yogurt container. But she is excited to see what I have discovered in my hunting and gathering mission. I make nonfat greek yogurt (we are supposed to have "live" cultured yogurt but are not in possession of that elusive item as of yet) with banana, gluten free granola and puffed brown rice. And a splash of honey. Delish. I'm hungry. I then find some expired multi-vitamins and have a few for good measure since I'm not sure of my next meal.

Snack:

Rice crackers with pumpkin seed butter, one of the hunting items. I really liked it despite the ghouly green color. A little sticky to the gums but yummy and satisfying. L said she "doesn't really think she'll be eating much of this". Enough said.

Lunch:

We returned from Home Depot (who doesn't like a good romp around the depot?!!) and are famished. I think just the IDEA I'm on a diet just makes me hungry. L grabs the salad and dover sole leftovers from last night and I'm trying to think about what to concoct while the construction site in my head is building a skyscraper! I decide on the 25 pound bread with goat cheese, fresh basil. lettuce and scallions. I put that in our panini maker (aka "George Forman grill" circa 1999) and voila, a scrumptious (as Z would say) sandwich.

Snack (again):

L and I are working in the bedroom together because we have to hijack a neighbor's signal (what moron doesn't secure his wifi these days??) until "Kentucky" comes to fix ours. I'm not very productive today as I'm tired and the head is not cooperating, teasing me with the mantra "coffee ... coffee". We are in need of sustenance and I return from the kitchen with hummus and mini rice cakes. We devour the entire container. Of both.

Dinner:

While Z is having the delicious turkey meatloaf leftovers, I marinate chicken breasts in lime, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, s&p and jalapeno, make brown rice with chicken stock and carrots and steam some asparagus. I would eat this any night, detox or not. But it's especially delicious tonight.

I'm exhausted but feeling good about the diet.

What I missed today: Ice Cream.

What I'm grateful for today: Love

Day One Dr. Joshi's 21-day Detox

L and I decided to go on a "cleanse" and thought Dr. Joshi's looked the most sensible (re: the easiest). I didn't buy the book because I read that it's repetitive and got the information from other blogs and posts. Basically, it's getting the body to be alkaline as opposed to acidic. Pretty simple. There are of course recommendations for vitamins and special detox concoctions that we will try to adhere to but overall it's just a sensible low carb, low cal diet that creates a "glow". Which is what attracted me. Who doesn't want a "glow"?? Not sure where the glow happens but I'm open.

Day one:

No coffee in the morning. Hellish. Not only for the caffeine but the ritual. I like rituals. Love. But okay we skip it for the daily lemon and warm water. Except for lemon and limes the only fruit allowed is bananas because most fruit is picked before it's ripened therefore non-alkaline. Simple. I'm a fan of bananas but I can see the road ahead will be slippery ...

We follow the lemon water with green tea (drink LOTS of this throughout so be close to porcelain) and try to rummage for breakfast since I didn't really prepare as well as I should have. There is some plain yogurt and A banana which we have to split. L isn't a fan of plain yogurt so needs some honey for palatibility. I think because I know I'm on a diet, I'm starving but I have to take Z to school and go to the office. Without detox snacks. Not even sure what those are yet but I'm unarmed. And dangerous. I have the beginning of a headache from Peet's withdrawal.

L and I decide lunch will be at M Chaya Cafe (yummy) where we can order lots of items on the diet. No brainer.We have the chopped salad, garden roll sushi and a side of broccolini and lentils. Except for the cucumber, I think we did okay. Delicious. (and bonus plug, as a member of KCRW we got an additional 15% off!).

After a few meetings and a journey to the grocery store, where we wandered aimlessly reading labels and jonesing for some java--we broke down and had some. So desperate to stop the hazy minds, we lapsed on day one at our not so fav Starbucks for a fix. Upside: we used soy milk and were more pleasant.

Dinner was our best effort with Dover sole as the starring role with an amazing salad of romaine, arugula, broccoli slaw and an avocado dressing, recipe to follow.

Today I missed chocolate. And java. Feeling tired. Have not been to the gym and the Doc says to exercise 3x weekly. Getting on it.

Will start documenting with pics starting tomorrow.