Breakfast: Green smoothie made with 1 pear, 1/2 peach, 1/2 avocado (~60g), 1 date, 1cm cube of ginger, mint, ice and enough rice milk to blend.

Lunch: Everything salad made with leftover bean, fennel and tuna salad from day 10 to which I added lentils, carrots, radishes, lettuce, cucumber and avocado. It wasn’t hugely inspired but it was quick and tasty.

Dinner: Another revelation involving soup and courgettes. This time, pureed courgette and cashew soup. The soup itself was VERY simple – onion, garlic, celery, veggie stock and courgettes (peeled to make the soup so white and velvety) plus a small handful of toasted cashews. It all got blitzed in the vitamix into a silky smooth puree. The cashews added that extra hint of richness you might otherwise get from cream.  A recent conversation with fellow detoxer and Rave Coffee friend inspired me to top the soup with crispy kale chips, now officially known as The Best Soup Garnish Ever. I was going to herb up this soup with dill and parsley but when it came to tasting, I found that I liked its simplicity, and I think the kale would have overpowered the herbs anyway.

I’m trying to go gung-ho on soups-for-dinner for the rest of the detox, as stipulated in the Clean Program Manual. But even with the cashews, I’m finding it a challenge to not go to bed hungry, and extra challenging to go to the gym in the morning. I have even woken up in the middle of the night, ravenous! Occasionally I cave, which basically voids the whole 12-hour without food window, but there could be worse detox transgressions.

I feel I need more protein, most likely, and pureed vegetable matter just doesn’t cut it. So more pureed pulses and nuts, I think. I may also bust out the juicer attachment of my food processor and make myself a juice to have with dinner. Sounds messy, but also really nice. I may never drink wine again (as if).

Related Links:

• What this Clean Detox is all about
• Clean Program Manual [cleanprogram.com]
• Clean Program Recipes [cleanprogram.com]
• Clean Program Meal Plan [cleanprogram.com]