Easter Sunday on a detox

The first few days of my detox my nutritionist Kasia Kines suggested we start with breakfast to get us going. Read her recipe here for morning grain. I began by making favorite steel cut oatmeal. The package had the best trick to cook this fast. Cook four cups of water and one cup of oats on the stove until it boils. Once boiling cover and set off the heat overnight. The next morning remove the lid, cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, add cinnamon and cardamom and breakfast is ready. Whatever you don't eat you can put in a sealed container in the fridge and eat it every morning for the week! It is so fast, so easy and seriously so delicious.

Each morning I would add a new fruit, flax and either raw honey or maple syrup. It will keep longer if you don't mix it all for fridge storage.

The first day of the detox was Easter Sunday. We had a lovely lunch at Stone Hill with my new knowledge at hand. I learned so much about how rushed I was eating. I ate standing up, and didn't really enjoy my meals. Kasia taught us to take care about setting the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had a food log and even wrote what china I used for what meal to make each one feel special. I pulled out my salt cells and added Celtic sea salt to one and Herbamare in the other. I love using my salt cell spoons too that I found at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show.

I love to set the table. My parents owned a gourmet kitchen store and had a fantastic window dresser who set up little dining vignettes all over the shop. It was my "chore" to set the table and it still pleases me to this day. I used Eric's grandmother dogwood linen. The dogwood story is one of my favorites at Easter. We gave my god daughter a dogwood for her baptism and Nette takes a photo of her every year standing near her tree. Here is the story: 

The 3-verse story goes like this: (via)

The Legend of the Dogwood

“When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven,
And for Christ's cross its timbers were chosen.
“Being distressed at the use of the wood,
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
'Never again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, and so,
Slender and twisted it shall always be,
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.
“'The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown,
And in the blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of me,
Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be,
A reflection to all of my agony.'”

The dogwoods were in bloom up here this Easter Sunday. Such a cool miracle of spring. 

I also have a bunny fetish and have used these napkin rings for years at Easter.

My grandmother gave me her "hot chocolate" set that was her mothers. I love the demitasse cups and wonderful tea pot. I moved the cups to the "right" side of the plate before we sat down. BMW always helps me remember where everything goes when setting a table. Bread. Meal. Water. Bread plate on the left, meal in the middle, and water glasses, wine and tea cups on the right. Drinking tea is another new tradition that I've brought into each meal thanks to Kasia. It has helped me slow down to enjoy the meal too.

We started with a mango and avocado salad over butter lettuce. I made a yummy vinaigrette with honey, Braggs Apple Cider vinegar and used my ball jar to shake it all up. We took out black pepper as well for the detox but there are a ton of other spices to use to add flavor. The Celtic sea salt is delicious and has magnesium. A friend suggested I put a dash of salt in my water bottle for hydration.

I made simply roasted sweet potatoes, wild salmon with dill and steamed broccoli for our lunch. I'm practically vegan, or Veganish as Oprah calls it, but have salmon, chicken or shrimp twice a week and eat the heck out of raw honey. I have been want for nothing and now looking back on this meal I have to roast more sweet potatoes.

The Easter Bunny was so sweet and brought us a basket of fruit, ginger and avocados. He must have known I was on a detox. Isn't that the sweetest?

These lovely coral pillows were on the Breezeway sofa when we woke up. I swear, that Easter Bunny is a rock star!

It's very fun to look back on this month through my photos. We had such a nice evening with Eric's parents on Easter Sunday and loved the Easter Vigil at the cathedral on Holy Saturday. It was wonderful having a quiet morning to ourselves Easter morning having church out of the way. We are blessed beyond measure.