Detox: Day 1

In an attempt to overcome my food coma from the holiday weekend, I started today bright and early with an intense workout. As far as first days go, today wasn't too bad. The only real temptation I faced was discovering leftover pizza and cookies in the office break room. I steered clear, though, and am glad to say my colleagues made sure that the leftovers didn't last long.

I have to brag on my amazing husband, though. Knowing that I have no willpower around sweets, he left work a tad early and tossed out the cookies and pie we had for Easter. So no more junk food to contend with at home. What a great guy!

Schedule

4:30 a.m. -- Wake Up
4:45 a.m. -- Warm Water with Lemon
5:20-6:20 a.m. -- Exercise: Cycle & Weights
6:30 a.m. -- Morning Juice: Kale, Carrot, Beet, Orange, Apple, Ginger
8 a.m. -- Office
9 a.m. -- Kim Snyder GGS: Lettuce, Spinach, Celery, Apple, Pear, Banana
Noon -- Lunch: Spring Salad w/ Ginger Dressing
3 p.m. -- Snack: Banana
6 p.m. -- Dinner: Baked Sweet Potato Stuffed w/ veggies; Veggie Soup
8 p.m. -- Herbal Tea
9 p.m. -- Bedtime

Side Effects/Reactions

I haven't noticed any ill effects today. I was very hungry before lunch but the salad and banana kept me satisfied throughout the afternoon. Drinking water is definitely important. It helps with the cleansing process and also keeps me from grazing. I am aiming for 90 ounces of water every day. I had close to 100 today. Looking forward to keeping that up.

Ginger Dressing

Today's lunch was a hearty green salad of lettuce, red onion, apple, carrot, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds dressed with this tasty, tangy vinaigrette that I discovered in a recent issue of Yoga Journal.

Ingredients

1/2 cup apple juice 

2 tablespoons miso paste

2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 large Medjool dates, pits removed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Makes 2/3 cup. Will keep for about a week when refrigerated.

Recipe Redux: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lemon Dressing

I have been a veggie-roasting fool lately. A week of eating on the go put me a little behind in using up our CSA vegetables and I've been trying to play catch-up ever since. I knew that if I was getting sick of eating roasted cauliflower for almost every meal, my family was, too. An email alert from The Kitchn saved us from veggie boredom. Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lime Dressing sounded just exotic enough to kick the winter veggie blahs.

I changed things up a bit in my version, opting to use broccoli instead of sweet potatoes, coconut oil instead of walnut oil and lemon juice instead of lime juice. The resulting dish was slightly tropical, and as you can tell by the picture, incredibly edible. So much so that Lily was snatching brussels sprouts before I even had a change to dish hers up. For the first time in weeks, there were no leftovers after dinner. I can't wait to try this dressing on other veggies. Next, I'm going to try it drizzled over roasted potatoes or maybe even as a dressing for greens and chopped avocado.

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lemon Dressing

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 large head of broccoli (or two broccoli crowns), cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white miso paste
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• Black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400. Place veggies on individual baking sheets, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to thoroughly coat (if you don't want to use oil, cover the veggies with foil). Bake, turning every 10-15 minutes until browned and soft. The broccoli and brussels sprouts will be done in about 15 minutes; the cauliflower will take about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice and miso paste until smooth. Slowly drizzle warmed coconut oil (barely melted), whisking constantly, until thoroughly combined.
• Place roasted veggies into a large bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Season with pepper and serve.

Fun with Pickles: Watermelon Radish, Daikon, Cabbage

A salad of kim chi and pickled watermelon radishes.

I've been feeling adventurous lately and have been experiencing with refrigerator pickles. It all started with watermelon radishes in our CSA box. I didn't know what they were or what to do with them so I looked online and found various food blogs suggesting they be pickled. We've also had an abundance of Napa cabbage and daikon. Growing weary of stir fry and soups, I decided to try making my own kim chi, a spicy version of pickled and fermented cabbage. The kim chi didn't meet my expectations, but the watermelon radish pickles, on the other hand, were the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Mixed together (top picture), they made for a tasty salad.

Green on the outside with a bright purple-pink starburst center, watermelon radishes have beautiful color that intensifies when pickled, making for a striking snack. Refrigerator pickle recipes suggest a wait time of 24 hours to 2 weeks for maximum flavor. After three tries, I can tell you that shorter soaking times net a milder pickle. So if you want a pickle that bites you back, wait at least three or four days before trying yours. If you don't, then start snacking the day after preparing them.

Watermelon Radish Pickles

Radishes in brine.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large watermelon radishes (about 3 cups chopped)
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions

• Peel the radishes and cut into disks or sticks (or a combo of the two) about a quarter-inch thick.
• In a separate bowl, combine the rice vinegar, salt and sugar until dissolved.
• Fill pint-size jars (or resealable plastic bags) with the radishes. Pour the liquid over the radishes, cover with lids and shake to ensure even mixing.
• Refrigerate at least 24 hours before enjoying. The pickles will last about a month in the fridge.
• Variations: Combine the radishes with green or sweet onions for variety; add a dash of crushed red pepper for a little kick.