How I survived a 3 Day Cleanse

and Lived to Tell About it
with recipes for Gluten Free Pancakes

After months and months of pure holiday decadence the wife and I decided to give a 3-day CLEANSE a try.  I decided on this one:

Actually Very Easy To Follow. A Nice, Powerful Blender Is A Must Though.
Actually very easy to follow. A nice, powerful blender is a must though.

Initially I was super motivated, amped up on green tea and excited to try something different with all of these beautiful fruits and veggies.

Such A Refreshing Sight After The Parade Of Triple Cream Cheeses, Champagne And Every Kind Of Pork Product You Can Imagine Traipsing Through Our Kitchen.
Such a refreshing sight after the parade of triple cream cheeses, champagne and every kind of pork product you can imagine traipsing through our kitchen. Photo by Libby Truesdell.

By the end of the first day, I was struggling to string words together and the wife went to bed early in her words, “…just to escape the hunger.” At first she had decided that she would rather starve than finish all of the suggested drinks, particularly the dreaded Lunch Drink.  She was probably onto something.  I powered through mine and spent the afternoon quietly managing nausea, bloating, cramps, and a headache.  I didn’t want to be discouraging and complain, but frankly the thought of drinking it again the next day was causing a small gag reflex.  Who shall prevail?  Sheer hunger or the gross out factor?  Stay tuned folks!

Day Two:  While the wife had chosen the (mostly funny) complain loudly until it’s all over approach, I had decided to channel this guy:

If Papillon Can Savor A Damned Centipede, I Will Relish Every Last Hyper-Vegan, Macrobiotic, Bowel-Cleansing Drop Of Those Drinks Today!
If Papillon can savor a damned centipede, I will relish every last hyper-vegan, macrobiotic, bowel-cleansing drop of those drinks today!

Day Two was really, really hard.  I was more active than on day one and bonked in the middle.  I’m not sure if it was hunger that won out that day or just plain hard-headedness.  I hate quitting anything.

Day Three came and went not too painfully because I realized that I wasn’t at the restaurant surrounded by all of my favorite foods (?!) And although my sense of taste/smell had gone haywire for some reason (green tea=lamb, masking tape=marijuana) I didn’t feel like I was gonna die.  Oh, and dropping 5 ½ pounds didn’t hurt either.

So in honor of this minor achievement and inspired by this extra virgin coconut oil that I was turned onto by Dr Oz’s cleanse, I decided to create quite possibly the only healthy(ish) recipes you’ll ever find on this blog.

My New Friend.
My new friend. Photo by Libby Truesdell.

Gluten Free Pancakes

For Batter:
1 C Rice Flour
3 TB Cornstarch
½ C Potato Flour
1 ½ TB Sugar
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Baking Soda
½ TSP Salt
1 Egg, beaten
2 TB Coconut Oil, melted
2 C Buttermilk

Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together.  Add remaining ingredients and stir jut until batter comes together.  Lumps are OK.

Pina Colada Pancakes

Pancake Batter
Pineapple Chunks
Brown Sugar

Lightly grease a pre-heated non-stick skillet.  Spoon batter on skillet and cook pancakes half way.  On uncooked side evenly place pineapple pieces and liberally sprinkle brown sugar over entire layer.

Photo By Libby Truesdell
photo by Libby Truesdell

Carefully flip over pancakes and let cook until sugar is caramelized and pancakes are cooked through.  Carefully flip pancakes back over and serve.

Almond Joy Pancakes

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Sweetened Coconut Shavings

These are made essentially the same way as the Pina Colada Pancakes.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and shaved coconut over uncooked pancake side, flip over and cook until chips are melted and coconut shavings are toasted.

Img_4884
Photo by Libby Truesdell