P.S. Recipe testing has resumed, as the photos testify. My little friends Aurora and Sarah tested two chocolate cakes for me the other day and delivered a written report!
October sped by so fast I barely remember what happened. Not that I have paid much attention, because I have been obsessed, suddenly, with health. Probably the trigger was that I started adding private yoga on top of my studio classes, which means getting up at 5 a.m. several days a week for intensive hour and a half practices (which I walk 1/2 hour to, in the pitch dark, and 1/2 hour from). It sounds painful, but it feels fantastic.
I also recently went to a naturopath, who recommended I try a two-week cleanse as a quick way of feeling in top form. The cleanse involves taking super-power multi-vitamins and not consuming: meat, wheat, dairy, eggs, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, anything artificial, or, for some reason, corn and tomatoes. In other words, I have been allowed: fish, grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, legumes, and as much green and herbal tea as I want to drink.
It was rough the first few days, and the first weekend was excruciating (I broke down and had a beer in the middle of it -- what can I say, I’m not Gwyneth), but then I got back on track and have stuck to it. With the limited food options, my cooking actually got quite creative, and in no time every craving I had initially was completely gone. I’ve even had moments of thinking I could carry on eating this way forever, except it’s death to social life.
This will all sound wildly out of character for me, and it is; I am against diets because they seem only to make people miserable and they often have ridiculous restrictions. But, this cleanse has been quite a revelation. I look and feel younger than I have in years and I am ten times more energetic, productive, and organized. And I’m in a great mood!
So, I thought I’d tell you about it, as holiday season draws near, in case you have no plans for November and might want quick revitalizing before the onslaught of shortbreads and plum pudding. My cleanse wraps up in a few days. Good thing, because I have a stack of recipes a mile high waiting to be tested.
