Cleanse Day 5

Today was a whirlwind. It started with some serenity as I awoke before 5:00 (and 30 minutes before my alarm was to go off) and therefore had plenty of time for a yoga practice and meditation before the day really got going. Breakfast at 8:00 was oatmeal with blueberries, almonds and soy milk. I'm glad I ate a fairly large meal because it turned out to be the last food to pass my lips until 4:00.

My day was consumed by teaching two yoga classes and conducting three job interviews for a position at the studio. At 4:00, I got home, ate a quick "lunch" of rice crackers, hommous and baby carrots, then got changed and ready to take my daughter Christmas shopping. My stomach decided I hadn't fed it enough so I scarfed a rice cake with almond butter, my usual standby snack, before we set off (the only thing worse than being at a mall at Christmas time is being at a mall at Christmas time when you are faint with hunger and can't eat anything there!). We got home too late for me to cook, but fortunately I had enough kitcheree left to make a meal with asparagus and ghee. Being Friday night, I decided to treat myself to dessert tonight: a baked stuffed apple. Quite yummy - recipe below.

My energy continues to stay high and my intestines calmed down considerably today. I'm beginning to think that this cleanse is going to be pretty easy. I remember how achy, tired and grumpy I was through a few days of my first cleanse. There sure is a difference between clearing out 40 years worth of toxins and clearing out 6 months worth.


Baked Stuffed Apple
(from the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox Cookbook for Cleansing)

Ingredients:

1 apple
1/8 cup tahini
1 tbsp roasted nuts, chopped (I used cashews)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon rind, grated (I left this out, not having a lemon and it was still nice)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch cardamom

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven t 325 F.

2. Cut a cone-shaped top off the apple and set aside.

3. Remove the core from the apple being careful not to pierce the bottom.

4. In a small bowl, stir togther tahini, nuts, lemon juice, lemon rind, vanilla, cinnomon and cardamom.

5. Fill the apple cavity almost to the top with tahini mixture. Replace apple top.

6. Set apple on baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until apple is soft when pierced with toothpick.