Detox Day 11 - Another lapse

The cleanse is over.

While I've been OK with eliminating animal products, alcohol, and caffeine from my diet, not being able to eat gluten or sugar has been really limiting and making me a little crazy.

Yesterday, my darling husband took me to Specialty's for lunch. Specialty's is a terrific bakery/restaurant near our home that I really enjoy because it's so veg-friendly. In addition to sandwiches and soup, they have a lot of hearty salads, so I could have avoided the bread, but I just didn't want to. Instead, Aaron and I shared halves of a Caprese sandwich (fresh mozzarella, tomato, and red pepper pesto on focaccio) and a peanut butter & stuff.

The Caprese is an old favorite, but I've been dying to try peanut butter & stuff. It's really good! If you have any inhibitions about ordering PB&J in a restaurant, set them aside because you don't want to miss this grown-up version of every kid's default, go-to sandwich.

It starts with a slice of hearty whole wheat bread and a layer of satiny peanut butter with granny smith apple and banana slices. The clincher is the cranberry chutney, which has a strong orange accent.

Calories? Sure, but no more than a sandwich made with meat -- and without the cholesterol! It comes down to chemistry and plant-based foods do not contain cholesterol.

Even though I didn't last all 21 days, I learned a lot by avoiding gluten and sugar for eleven days. I'm not convinced that there's a reason for anyone but those with celiac disease to avoid gluten (a topic I hope to cover soon), but my sugar consumption has been out of control. Taking it back -- and continuing to enjoy a healthy, vegetarian life -- is my goal.