1. Knives.  Even though our detox attempt was an unmitigated bust, we did pick up a very nice set of knives, which made me happy.  I’ve been wanting a decent chef’s knife for a long time, and when we had our private cooking lesson the chef’s comments only amplified my desire for a proper blade.

When we realized just how many vegetables we’d be chopping for the detox, we finally pulled the trigger.  To my considerable bemusement, we ended up going with the Martha Stewart set.  I would not have listed myself among Martha’s fans, but the knives were decent quality and the price was right.

Within about twenty minutes of getting the knives home, Elizabeth and I had both cut ourselves, which either speaks to how sharp the new knives are, or how dull the old knives were, or how very, very clumsy we are in the kitchen.

Diggory has, so far, avoided impaling himself on the new weapons, though it’s just a matter of time.  The handles rotate slightly in the knife block as he walks by, always keeping him in their line of sight.  They have a taste for blood now.

2. Summer.  The weather is starting to turn warmer here, and the sun is showing its cancer-causing face, which makes me happy.  Diggory and I spent much of yesterday afternoon out on the lawn in front of our house, throwing a baseball around while Samantha read book seven of the Harry Potter series.

3. Shrubs.  My throwing arm has not wintered well, and I sent Diggory chasing after more than a couple ill-aimed throws.  Fortunately, the shrubbery at the edge of the lawn stopped the majority of these errant pitches, which allowed us to maintain a more reasonable throwing-to-chasing ratio than might otherwise have been possible.

photo credit: zenobia_joy

We made it through breakfast (a fruit smoothie) and lunch (tabouli), along with occasional snacks (nuts and cranberries).  We were drinking lots of water, and just doing famously.  We had even purchased new kitchen knives, which I had been coveting for some time, to chop all the fruits and veggies we would be eating.

For supper, I prepared a vegetable stew.  After all, I figured, at the end of the day we would want something hearty and filling, and my beef stew has been popular around here.  The vegetable stew, I theorized, is basically the same (sans beef), and therefore should be just as well received.

Elizabeth took two bites of it and then thoughtfully raised the prospect of cutting our detox short.

About ten minutes later, we were sitting down to a glass of wine and some cheese.  In retrospect, scheduling our detox during our vacation, when we had just purchased several bottles of great wine and a goodly portion of fudge, may not have been our best strategy.  I think we’ll tackle the detox again some time, when we’ve had the chance to plan out (and test) a full week’s worth of detox recipes.

photo credit: alexik

Elizabeth and I have decided to do a detox.  Or, more accurately, Elizabeth has decided we should do a detox and I am trudging grumpily along behind.

A few years ago, if you had presented the idea of a detox to me, I would have politely nodded, furrowed my brow in earnest concentration as you offered your explanation, declared the idea “interesting”, and then disengaged myself from the conversation as quickly as possible while simultaneously stamping you with a bright red “hippie” label in my mind.

The idea is starting to grow on me a little.  This is due, in no small part, to the fact that I am 32 and on some days feel 80.  Driving home from our vacation in Niagara-on-the-Lake this week (which was awesome, by the way), I was sitting in the car and doing a round-robin consumption of cashews, fudge, chocolate caramels, some random fruity Starbucks drink, and a cheese danish.  When Elizabeth raised the possibility of doing a detox, I was not immediately excited, but the sheer weight of my… well, weight, pressed down on me, and I reluctantly agreed to participate.  I was feeling about as toxic as one can get, so moving some of that out can’t be a bad thing.

Please tell me it can’t be a bad thing.

So, for the next week, our plan is to cut out alcohol, sugar, caffeine, meat, dairy, wheat, and anything else that has so much as a modicum of flavour.  Our menu, so far as I can estimate, will consist of cardboard and cabbage.  I may mix those together in varying ratios to liven it up a little.  Personally, I give myself 24 hours before diving for the ketchup chips and cola.

On the plus side, while looking for a hummus recipe I stumbled across this one on Urban Drivel.  The recipe is good, if fairly standard, but the post was entertaining.  In reading the comments, I had no idea there was so much passion or debate on the pronunciation of “hummus”.

photo credit: WTL photos