Cleanse day 4

Oh the pain. Sweet merciful baby Jesus... THE PAIN.

I could hardly sleep last night because I couldn't find a position that didn't hurt. I am sore in every major muscle group and a couple of minors. Moral of the story, don't hop into the weight room after 2 months break, thinking you can conquer the world. I am apparently not Wonder Woman. This is very unfortunate news for me.

First of all, I've realized that I've neglected a few things.

1. The kale chips. They were better than the zucchini ones, much crispier, but I still didn't really like them. E did, he said they tasted like toasted pumpkin seeds.
2. Recipes: first of all, most of the things I make either come from the brain storage or roughly from a website, but I wanted to give you a tip or two.

Macadamia nut crusted halibut

• 1 lb halibut (4 servings)
• can coconut milk
• 1/4 c. macadamia nuts
• 1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 c. brown rice flour
• S&P

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Soak halibut in coconut milk for at least 30 minutes. Notes: You can also add honey (not cleanse approved) and salt to this mixture. You will not be using all of the coconut milk for this, but I imagine you could find a recipe for creamy coconut rice or a sweet sauce, if you didn't want to waste it

2. Use a food processor of blender to uniformly chop macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. Add salt.

3. Add brown rice to nut mixture.

4. Prepare an oven safe dish, with either wax paper or a spray of oil. 

5. Take halibut from coconut mixture, directly to breading, and into pan.

6. Bake 10-15 minutes in center of oven or until tender (flakes with a fork).

Yesterday I made simple grilled salmon:

• 6 oz salmon fillet
• dill
• small lemon, 1/2 sliced, 1/2 to squeeze
• 1/2 tsp sliced/minced garlic
• S&P

1. Leave the skin on and place it on enough foil to wrap it. 
2. S&P generously.
3. Squeeze some lemon juice on top. 
4. Place lemon slices, dill and garlic on top, and wrap.
5. Then I grill at a med-high heat for about 10-15 minutes. 

I made 2 meals out of this salmon. I had it yesterday with grilled veggies and this morning in a salmon hash of sorts. Bell pepper, red onion, garlic and plenty of dill, topped with an over easy egg. 23 g of protein this morning? Why not? It was tasty and felt quite decadent. That's also some carrot/orange juice on the side. Fave juice ever, but has tons of natural sugar in it, so it's definitely a treat.

I have to tell you, I think it's a pain in the ass to cook with minimal oil/butter. I mean, I'm no Paula Dean (thank heavens), but I think that butter makes the world go round. I recognize this is a problem. 

Last night, making a steak without butter, seemed a little upsetting. But I put a healthy dose of salt, pepper and garlic powder to compensate. I then threw it on a hot hot grill and grilled each side for 5 minutes. This was an inch thick fillet, so with some cuts, you'll need less time per side. Ours turned out to be a perfect medium, just how we both like it. 

I asked E what he wanted with his steak, he replied "Mashed potatoes and gravy!!!" 

To which I answered. "Ha... ha. Not funny."

But I got a little creative. I have made many a cauliflower mash in the past, but without dairy, it was a little tricky. It turned out, but there are a couple of tweaks I would make in the future.

Vegan cauliflower mash

      serves 6, as a side dish

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 diced onion (I used sweet onion)
• paprika
• garlic powder
• unsweetened soy milk
• 1/2 avocado
• S&P 

1. Preheat oven (or grill) to 400º
2. Cut cauliflower into uniform chunks.
3. Place on foil or cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder, paprika and S&P.
5. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, should be golden in spots, but not burnt.
6. Place in blender with avocado and gradually add soy milk for desired consistency. Estimated close to a cup. 

If I make it this way again, I will use veggie stock for half of the soy milk. I like soy, but the taste of it was coming through a little more than I would like. E really enjoyed it. I thought it did the job for a mashed potato sub. If you're into this, but want the butter, cheese and milk... it's even more naughtily delicious.

So, onto the nitty gritty. I actually laughed out loud when I stepped on the scale this morning. 

Cleanse Day 3

156.8

• 1st meal: pro biotic restore capsules, 1/2 personal watermelon, 24 oz water
• 2nd meal: salmon hash, egg and carrot orange juice

Clearly I haven't eaten the other meals yet... but I will fill you in tomorrow.

I got some further affirmation when E looked at me this morning and said, "Your stomach is looking much flatter." 

That always feels good. It also means that I'm getting back to my normal bod. I am 4.8lbs off of my all time low, I'm super stoked to surpass it. 

I have been noticing the last few days that I have been REALLY tired. E thinks that it's because of the detoxing and upon researching, I realize that he's probably right. Now add that every inch of my body aches and I think that amounts to an uneventful day. Could I be anymore boring? At least I showered today.

You're welcome.