Diet Detox

I hate the term "detox."  You see plenty of products aimed at "detoxing the body" and getting rid of impurities.  They'd have you believe that our insides are cesspools filled with sludge and waste and (gag me now with this term) "toxins."  Truth?  Unless you just licked the inside of a nuclear silo, you don't have toxins.  And despite not having toxins, most of us have fully functioning livers just in case. 

Back from the tangent, I titled this entry "diet detox" because my version of this idea is "I've been eating way too much sugar/fat/crap in general and I need something healthy." 

Like on Saturday.  One of my college roommates and her husband bought us a cooking class at a local culinary store.  The class title was "Sweetshop Baking" and it lived up to its name.  Four hours of cream cheese danish, homemade doughnuts, caramel pecan rolls, cinnamon rolls, and scones.  It was awesomely sugary. 

So how do you cure a sugar hangover?  For me it was an hour long nap followed by this easy dinner, adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

Veggie Noodle Hot Pot:
(serves 4)
3 cups cauliflower, chopped into 1" chunks
2 zucchini, sliced into short sticks
1 bell pepper, sliced into sticks
2 cans low sodium chicken or veggie broth
1/2 box whole wheat linguini
1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
Olive oil

1. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out a layer of tin foil.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss veggies in a large bowl with 4 Tablespoons olive oil, season with pepper.  I added a bit of chili powder as well.
3. Roast until browned (may need to flip veggies to get even roasting).
4. Meanwhile heat up chicken/veggie stock to boiling in a large pot and add pasta.  Cook until soft, and add chickpeas.  Last step?  Add finished roasted veggies.  Season with pepper and hot sauce if you want.

Sugar-rush cured!

Nutrition facts: 330 calories, 60 g carbs, 3 g fat, 16 g protein