Detox: Is Over! Or is it?

{In my frantic state of packing and finishing work projects, I forgot to post this one last detox post before I left for Chile. Flashback for a minute and pretend it is still January}

As January comes to a close, it is time to move on from the detox. It was a challenge but for a week, I think you can do just about anything. I found a few recipes that are going to stay in my recipe box. I did not try every recipe on the detox list. Even reducing the list down to 2 soups, 2 sauces, and 3 juices, I felt a bit overwhelmed with the number of "new" recipes for a single week.

I have a few recommendations to help you have an easier detox week:

1. Prepare Ahead - do a lot of prep the week before starting the detox.

2. Cook & Freeze - you can make the broccoli and arugula soup weeks ahead of time and freeze it in single portions. this is also easy to do with the dark greens like chard and kale. just steam for 2-3 minutes, plunge into a bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes, place in plastic freezer bags and you are done!

3. Reduce Recipes - make only 2 soups and 2 juices. I made the broccoli and arugula soup and the miso soup.

4. Snack - for me the diet worked better if I ate in smaller portions, similar to my normal eating routine. it helped to break the dinner into 2 servings and have one at 4 or 5p and then eat the other half at 7 or 8p. I also kept a gorp mixture of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins on hand just in case I needed to eat something.

5. Eat Your Greens - quite possibly the best thing about this detox was the emphasis on eating greens. progreens made their first appearance in my standard protein shake (frozen raspberry covers the grainy texture the best) and I think they are here to stay. greens are easy to add to any dinner and can be prepared by simply steaming them in a large sauce pan. you can add garlic or soy sauce to the water for a little flavor but they are just fine on their own. during detox week I had baby bok choy (pictured above), rainbow chard, black kale, and watercress.

I enjoyed the challenge of having a strict diet but know that a week was enough for me. I normally eat a salad for lunch and have a large serving of greens with dinner. As a consequence I did not experience the common increase in energy nor did I feel like the diet was a "shock" to my system. The hardest part of the detox was the lack of carbs. But by the time we got to days 6 and 7, dinner had grains and I was much happier.

Thanks readers for the comments during the detox week!

Detox: Broccoli and Arugula Soup

Another keeper from the detox recipe box was the broccoli arugula soup. I made a double recipe, ate it several times during the week, and there was enough for TEB to have some too. This soup freezes well so consider keeping a few containers on-hand for those tired, long days.

Broccoli and Arugula Soup
from GOOP Detox

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 pound)

2 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup arugula
1/2 lemon

Warm the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and then add the garlic and onion. Sauté until soft and fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green. Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Simmer until broccoli can be easily pierced with a fork.

Uncover and remove from heat to cool until just warm. Puree with the arugula until quite smooth. I used a blender and had to mix in batches. This actually took longer than cooking the soup and at one point there were florescent green drops of soup all over the white walls - be careful!

photo credit: Cream-o-Broccoli Soup! by No Whey, Jose!

Detox: Teriyaki Glaze

I made yellowtail fish with teriyaki glaze for dinner last night!

Detox Teriyaki Glaze
from GOOP Detox

The Glaze (double this recipe if cooking for 2):
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon barley miso
1 teaspoon mirin
1 tablespoon water

Combine the balsamic, agave, ginger and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Cool and then add the miso, mirin and water. I think you can probably substitute dry white wine for the mirin and tamari sauce for the balsamic vinegar.
Fish:
Choose your favorite protein to pour this sauce over. Last night I chose fresh wild-caught yellowtail. Per the fishguy's instructions, TEB seared each side of the fish in olive oil and garlic for about 3 minutes. Then he popped it in the oven at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. Yum! Thanks for the tips and fish recommendation fishguy at El Pescador Fish Market.

I first used the glaze as a sauce over baked salmon and was smitten Later during the detox week, I actually used it as a marinade for chicken. Buy a good organic, chicken breast, rinse in cold water and pat dry. Cut into bit-size pieces using a fillet or fish knife at a 45 degree angle. This will increase the surface area of the cut and your marinade will penetrate better. I left it to marinate during the day and when I came home all I had to do was throw it in a pan to saute. I used extra glaze as a sauce. photo credit: Cayenne 01.26.09 and 01.08.09

Detox: Ginger and Carrot Dressing

Since detox has ended I have made several of the recipes again. I have to say that the ginger and carrot dressing is delicious. You can make a double batch and it keeps in the fridge for about a week.

Ginger and Carrot Dressing
from GOOP Detox

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons water

I used my mini-cuisinart to mix up this dressing. Combine the carrot, shallot, and ginger. After finely chopped add the miso, vinegar, and sesame seed oil. Dump in the grapeseed oil and the water. Mix well. Serve over your favorite greens and raw vegetables.

Detox: Shopping List

I know it has been a while but I want to finish posting about the detox. I thought it was helpful to make 3 shopping lists, in part because I did the shopping on 3 different days at 3 (yes THREE) different stores. You can see the whole foods shopping list of unusual, i.e. only at whole foods but not anywhere else, items here and of the juicing items here.

Below is my shopping list for the main dish recipes as found in GOOP's January Newsletter on Detox:

bag of lemons
3 large carrots
2 shallots
chunk of fresh ginger
1 red onion
2 avocados
fresh garlic
1 yellow onion
Bunch of arugula
Bunch of watercress
Bunch of kale
package of baby spinach
Fresh cremini mushrooms
Dried shitakke mushrooms
3 limes
1 cucumber

2 cartons rice milk
2 cartons almond milk

2 packages frozen blueberries
2 packages frozen raspberries

3 - 6 ounce salmon fillets
1 lb of organic, free-range, vegetarian fed chicken breast

You can read all my other posts regarding the detox here.

photo credit: going back to my roots by These Days in French Life

2009: Year of the Budget

I have been stuck in a little new year's resolution rut. 2007 was the year of patience. When 2008 rolled around TEB expressed his opinion that perhaps patience could use a bit more work. Disgruntled as I was upon hearing this, I figured that TEB probably knew what he was talking about. He does after all live with me.

Here are my goals for 2009:

1. BUDGET - Twelve days into 2009 I declare this the year of the BUDGET. Just hearing the word budget makes me want to take a beta-blocker. But I am going conquer my anxiety by making a budget and tracking where my money is going. I am going to keep track of my money using MINT. This is a free online program that allows you to download your account information from the bank and it works on the ipod touch!

2. DETOX - I'm glad I can already check this one off my list. See all my detox posts here. I can still work on trying new juicing recipes that promote good health.

3. RELAX - I am sure you will not be surprised to find out that I am a little high-strung. I am going to work on a more regular yoga practice. I am hoping to practice 5 days a week and somehow quiet my brain during those 5 minutes of shivasana at the end of class.

photo credit: phrenology head, found via Black*Eiffel, created by D. Sharp Journal. You can download the template here.

Detox: Day 7

I thought I was going to be more ecstatic for Day 7 of Detox. Instead it turned into my attempt to eat what was left of the detox food. It was not that I did not like most of the recipes, they were quite good. I was just tired of them. I still have a few detox posts coming that will include some of my favorite recipes and tips for making the 7 days easier including my shopping list.

Detox Day 7 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Raspberry and Rice Milk Smoothie (follow method for
Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Vegetables
4pm (snack): A handful of almonds
6pm (dinner): Steamed fish, quinoa, roasted squash

Cayenne's Real Menu:
8am: Glass of room temperature lemon water + vitamins
9:30am (snack): handful sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins and dried apricot mix, handful fresh blueberries
10am: Green tea
10:45am: Yoga (ashtanga vinyasa)
12pm (lunch): Raspberry/Cherry and Almond Milk Smoothie
2pm (snack): Broccoli and arugula soup + 1/2 of an avocado
7:30pm (dinner): detox teriyaki chicken and sprouted brown rice

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Day 6

As I near the end of Detox Day 6, I don't think that I have ever been so excited about BROWN rice. As a kid, we only ate brown rice. White rice was the special stuff that we got to eat when we went out to dinner, which was not very often. To this day, I love sushi rice and the white and wild rice mixed together but that love does not extend to the brown variety...until DETOX entered my life. Welcome back good ol' brown rice, my first grains in 6 days.

Detox Day 6 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Mixed Greens with Steamed Salmon, Olive Oil & Lemon Juice
4pm (snack): Super Greens Juice
6pm (dinner): Detox Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice, steamed zucchini

My menu today looks nothing like the original "suggested" menu because I did not plan enough salmon for 2 more servings and when I made the special trip to Whole Foods this morning they were plum out of salmon. Picked up some organic, free range chicken instead and will still have to improvise something for tomorrow's dinner.

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water + vitamins
10am: Green tea
11am (breakfast): Peach/cherry almond smoothie
1:30pm: Yoga (ashtanga vinyasa)
3pm (snack): celery and carrot sticks
4pm (snack): Ginger, Carrot, Beet Juice
7pm (snack): Miso soup with watercress
9pm (dinner): Detox Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice, steamed zucchini

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Day 5

I cannot believe that it is almost the end of Detox Day 6. I am still back on Day 5 - the dreaded Day 5. It flew by and before I knew it, the day was over and I had even missed a juice snack. Not only was I busy at work but then I had back-to-back social engagements that made me not mind having herbal tea at one event and hot water with lemon at the other.

Detox Day 5 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Peach and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Raw crudite (carrots, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini) with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice
6pm (dinner): Cucumber and Avocado Soup

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water + vitamins
11:30am (breakfast): blueberry/raspberry almond milk smoothie
4:30pm (lunch): Raw veggies (carrots, celery, turnips, avocado) with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
?pm (snack): pumpkin and sunflower seeds and raisins
7pm (dinner): broccoli and arugula soup
12am (snack): blueberries + rice milk slushy

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Day 4

Fortunately, Day 4 did not involve any juice drinking. After 16 ounces of juice on Day 3, I needed a break.

Detox Day 4 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Mango and Coconut Milk Smoothie (follow method for
Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Watercress
4pm (snack): A handful of blueberries
6pm (dinner): Steamed Salmon and Greens

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
10am (breakfast): Raspberry/Strawberry and Almond Milk Smoothie
11am: Green tea
Noon: YOGA (ashtanga vinyasa)
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Watercress
3pm (snack): handful sunflower and pumpkin seeds
5:30pm (mini-dinner): 3 ounces Steamed Salmon and Greens
7:30pm (mini-dinner): 3 ounces Steamed Salmon and Greens
9pm (snack): 1/3 cup frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup rice milk slushy
? (snack): random raisins

I almost quit on Day 4. I had those extra blueberries (plus the random raisins) and I felt better. I figured so what if I go outside the menu a bit at least I am not eating any refined sugar, preservatives, or grains. I think it was a mental block about Day 5, which looks to be the hardest. Finishing Day 5 will certainly put me over the hump in this 7-day detox. I am ready Day 5 of DETOX. Bring. It. On!

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

photo credit: Cayenne and EM pictured striking a yoga pose while on a hike near Julian, CA.

Detox: Day 3

I am feeling really good about day three. The morning oatmeal really kept me full all day. I stuck pretty close to the original menu, which I'm proud of.

Detox Day 3 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Oatmeal
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
4pm (snack): Cucumber, Lime and Basil Juice
6pm (dinner): Super Greens Juice / Miso Soup with Watercress

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9am: Glass of room temperature lemon water
10am (breakfast): Oatmeal (made with rice milk) + fresh blueberries and drizzle of agave syrup
11am: Green tea
1:30pm (lunch): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
4:30pm: 3 mile walk on beach
7pm (snack): Super Greens Juice
8:30pm (dinner): Cucumber, Lime and Basil juice/Miso Soup with Watercress

My fore into juicing was not such a success. LMD and I made all three of the juices we needed for the week. We drank 8 ounces each of the Super Greens and the Cucumber, Lime and Basil. Lets just say that none of them were worth writing home about. If we had to rank them, coming out on top was the Beet, Carrot, and Ginger Juice. The brilliant red was fun too. Super Greens comes in second and the Cucumber trails at a very distant 3rd. I won't be making these outside of DETOX!

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Juicing Fruits and Veggies

Day 3 of detox calls for one of the three homemade juice concoctions. I have a crazy hardcore juicer so LMD and I are going to make a quadruple batch of each juice recipe and then split the resulting juice.

We are going to whole foods to buy all the produce organic. Here is our list for 4 servings of each juice:

beet, carrot, apple & ginger juice
8 beets
2 lemons (juice only)
8 carrots
4, one inch pieces of fresh ginger

super greens juice
4 cups kale
16 stalks celery
6 pears
4, one inch pieces of fresh ginger
2 lemons (juice only)

cucumber, basil, and lime juice
4 english cucumbers
2 limes (juice only)
4 apples
fresh basil
4 lemons

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

photo credit: TEB took some artistic shots of our awesome housewarming present but I don't remember when.

Detox: Day 2

Day 2 of detox is coming to an end and I cheated again. This time it was by eating a 1/3 cup of frozen blueberries in 1/4 cup of rice milk. If you shake it up really good then it has a frozen, icy quality. It is actually something I eat quite often.

Detox Day 2 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Raspberry and Rice Milk Smoothie (follow method for Blueberry and Almond Smoothie)
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Detox Teriyaki Chicken and Steamed Greens
4pm (snack): Miso Soup with Watercress
6pm (dinner): Pea and Basil Soup (follow method for Broccoli and Arugula Soup)

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9:30am: Glass of room temperature lemon water + vitamins
10:30am: green tea
Noon (breakfast): Raspberry and Rice Milk Smoothie
2pm (snack): 1/2 cup pumpkin and sunflower seeds
4pm (snack): broccoli and arugula soup
7:30pm (dinner): detox teriyaki glazed salmon and steamed rainbow chard
9pm (snack): 1/3 cup frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup rice milk

So I don't follow the menu exactly but I think that I still did pretty good. I am short a soup in there somewhere and I don't know how that happened.

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Day 1

Day 1 of detox is complete. I did not think it was too bad. I only cheated a little bit by eating a cup of fresh blueberries in the evening.

I pretty much followed the schedule as outlined on the Goop website. The ginger, carrot, and shallot salad dressing was good, even without the miso paste because I had yet to go to whole foods. The broccoli and arugula soup was also delicious and I would probably just add a few potatoes if making it outside of the detox schedule.

I have learned that going straight off caffeine left me with a headache last night. I decided to have a cup of green tea in the morning, instead of the herbal tea and I hope that it helps.

Detox Day 1 Menu:
7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water*
1:30pm (lunch): Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
6pm (dinner): Broccoli and Arugula Soup
*Make sure that the coconut water has no added sugar. Fresh is ideal
but the brands Zico or Vita Coco are readily available.

Cayenne's Real Menu:
9am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water + vitamins
10am: 2 mile run
11:30am: Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
2pm (lunch): Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
4pm (snack): A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
6pm (dinner): Broccoli and Arugula Soup
*You can find Vita Coco brand coconut water at whole foods in the fresh produce area. I picked some up but don't really like it. It seems like it has a lot of electrolytes. So far I have not found something to replace it in the menu.

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

Detox: Preparation

I wanted to share my detox experience with you each day and I have some advice for even before you might start. A bit more time to prepare and to gather ALL the ingredients is helpful. I ended up going to 3 different grocery stores but in retrospect I could have just gone to whole foods.

In particular these were the items that I could only find at whole foods:
rice/hemp protein powder
progreens w/ probiotics
sweet white miso
barley miso
mirin (sweet rice wine)
50 grams bonito dried flakes
dried wakame flakes

We caught the MILK movie on Friday night and the last carb-food I ate was buttered popcorn. That might be the first food I eat next Saturday morning when I'm done with this whole detox thing.

{background} I am doing the 7 day detox from Gwyneth Paltrow's newletter Goop. You can see all my posts here and check out the recipes and menus here.

2009: DETOX

To start 2009 with a clean slate I am going to do my first DETOX! My friend and I are going to follow the 7 day menu outlined in the latest GOOP newsletter, see it here. This was just the motivation I needed and the menu makes it easier, though does not make the concept any less scary. I fear I won't be able to finish it but having a friend to commiserate with is going to help, I'm sure.

My fridge is empty (a good thing when doing a DETOX) because it has not been restocked since we got back from all our holiday traveling. Today we are going grocery shopping to avoid putting ourselves in a tempting situation during the week. I will be posting daily about the experience.

If you are motivated to join me, please do and leave comments too. I think this is going to be hard but worth it after all the holiday eating. Cheers to a great 2009 and the start of DETOX tomorrow!

Wish me luck,

p.s. if you have not checked out gwyneth paltrow's newsletter GOOP yet, go do it. You can sign up here.

photo credit: Baddha Padmasana by gosia janik