Oh, my god, if only I was doing this for only 30 days!!! I would be so psyched right about now. Well, I guess I can take solace in the fact that 30 days is almost up, and I’ve been able to do it. So? The next 30 will be cake. And then, afterwards, I will eat cake. Like, a giant, sugary cake with lots of icing. And I will eat it alone. 🙂 In the meantime…

Breakfast. This was a really good one. I just e-heated some roasted veggies…popped a tablespoon of ghee into a skillet and re-heated that way so they’d still be nice and crispy. Then I fried up a couple slices of bacon and poached some eggs. The eggs worked beautifully on the roast veggies, it was a match made in heaven.

Lunch! I went with the tried and true:

Simple salad with arugula, avocado, cherry tomatoes and smoked mackerel. Used the oil from the canned mackerel for dressing. Always yummy, always simple and quick.

For dinner I got a little complicated. I had some broccolini that was totally beautiful and longed to be eaten. So I steamed it and marinated it with some water chestnuts while I made the rest. Pollack curry and roasted delicata squash with pomegranate seeds and a pomegranate molasses coconut yogurt for dipping. The whole thing was glorious.

Here’s how I worked it, in the order I worked it:

Marinated Broccolini and Water Chestnuts:

Ingredients:

• 2 heads broccolini (or broccoli, sliced in thin slices)
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped in half
• 1 tbls. coconut aminos
• 3 tbls. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. monkfruit extract (optional)
• 3 tbls. sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Mix coconut aminos, vinegar, ginger, monkfruit and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Boil 1 – 2 inches of water in a large pot. Place the broccolini in a steamer. Once the water is in a full boil, add the steamer full of broccolini, cover and steam for about 4 – 5 minutes. The broccolini should be bright green and still crisp.
3. Drain, and place broccolini in a large bowl with the water chestnuts.
4. Pour marinade over vegetables, mix well, cover, and allow to marinade for at least a half hour, but preferably more.

Next, Roasted Delicata Squash Rings with Pomegranate Seeds and a Pomegranate Molasses Coconut Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 – 2 delicata squashes, sliced and seeded
• 3 – 4 tbls. pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbls. pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cup coconut yogurt
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
2. Place squash slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Place into the oven and roast for 40 minutes, until the squash slices are nicely browned. Keep in mind the underbelly will be more browned…I prefer not to flip them as it kind of caramelizes the bottoms, which I find delicious. Alternatively, you could flip them halfway through for even browning.
4. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle pomegranate seeds over.
5. Mix pomegranate molasses with the yogurt, and serve alongside the squash.

While the squash is roasting;

Pollock Curry:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pollock or other white flakey fish, cut into 1″ chunks
• 2 zucchini, chopped into chunks
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 tbls. ginger
• 1 tbls. curry powder
• cilantro to garnish
• ghee

Preparation:

1. Sauté onion, zucchini and cauliflower in ghee until soft, about 5 minutes
2. Add 1 tablespoon ginger and 1 tablespoon curry powder (or to taste). Cook for a minute, then add fish, coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water.
3.  Bring to a boil and cook through for about 5 – 8 minutes, until mixture has thickened up a bit.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

This all sounds way more complicated than it was. It was an incredibly satisfying dinner. You should definitely make this.