the italian sausages that i buy at lina stores in soho always make me glad i’ve cooked them so they are never far from my mind, especially as i buy them in bulk so there is usually a stash in the freezer ready for raiding when the mood takes me. my supply of lentils is similarly abundant.

this dish is fantastic if it’s a dull grey day and you need a little healthy tlc from your food to counter the rich indulgence of a glass of cabernet sauvignon…

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getting home at 7pm is fine. having to work late and not making it home until gone 8:30pm makes me grumpy*. and hungry.

delicious dishes that i can turn around really quickly are an important part of my cooking repertoire. making them something a bit special is even more important, particularly for david, given the grumpy-factor that is at play as i slump in and wait for my food to be ready. somehow prawns always up the special-factor so this dish is a regular stand-by.

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well, the detox has been finished for a week and although i’m retaining some of my good habits (snacking on junk is still off the menu as are tea and coffee) i’ve enjoyed being able to indulge some of my cravings. sunday night’s supper was a perfect example – homemade pizza with spicy salami toppings. the rich cheesy and meaty flavours coupled with the heat of peppadew peppers really hit the spot!

similarly good was this roasted butternut squash stuffed with black rice. except in this case, apart from the melted mozzarella topping, it was as detox friendly as it goes. it’s even gluten-free. i guess some of my cooking habits are still on track, even if i’m not!

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day 22

i’m still quite happily waking up before my alarm and i’ve found that my energy levels in the evenings are also much higher. despite this, and the fact that my skin is clear, i’ve lost a few kilos in weight and my body feels like it’s running as it should, i’m struggling.

i’m missing having a relaxing glass of wine in the evening. i’m also obsessing about food i can’t eat – beef stew with dumplings… crab linguine… beautiful fresh bread with butter and marmite… chorizo and salamis… chocolate cake smothered with rich icing… the list goes on!

instead, today i have my usual smoothie for breakfast (today was banana, apple and frozen berries), cashew nuts to nibble on, pumpernickel with wigmore cheese (a brie-like, nutty ewe’s milk cheese) for lunch and leftover tapas plus a chicory, blue cheese and walnut salad.  

day 26

today is the last day of my detox – i normally do a full 4 weeks but tomorrow we’re at a wedding and the thought of toasting steve and laura (congratulations you two!) with a glass of water just isn’t acceptable.

my final detox lunch has been roasted tomato soup. supper is a seafood curry with brown rice.

so, what next... i’ve just taken some sillfield farm dry cured smoked back bacon out of the freezer for sandwiches tomorrow, before we start our journey to wales!