Feeling good and a Chickpea Tagine

Today has been a good day. I started it with a chat with Rachel about my thighs. Not the most usual of conversations to have at the school gates, but on KSFL I guess anything goes! Since Thursday's workout at the session I've found the aspects of the workouts involving my thighs to be much harder. It's felt as though I've only just done a workout and they're exhausted - even climbing the stairs gives me that lactic acid build up feeling. They are constantly firm and warm, and just haven't seemed to move into that 'day after a workout ache' phase.

I decided to mention it because it's affecting my enjoyment of the workouts and it's just not something I've experienced before. Rachel advised trying a few more carbs and taking another rest day. Well yesterday was a rest day so I was having none of that, but I decided to make it a rest day for my thighs and devised my own 12 minute workout focusing just on the upper body and arms. It was really good fun actually. I've noticed that my upper body suffers less generally than my lower with the KSFL workouts and when I used to weight train a heavy upper body workout was part of my weekly routine. Since starting to get fit again I've kind of missed it, so I enjoyed this and my arms and torso felt nicely worked afterwards.

I've been really aware that today I have felt GOOD. I've felt light, and have found great enjoyment in all kinds of little things. My mother in law rang and asked how I was after the viral thing last week and I replied, instinctively, that I felt great. How often do you really, honestly say that to someone? I've got on well with work today, enjoyed my kids and been able to let little niggles just wash over me. I'll have more days like this please!

I was describing my KSFL journey to our visiting friends at the weekend and both myself and my partner admitted that it took almost two weeks before we felt we'd settled into it and were really feeling the benefit. We'd both found that hard after being told that once the withdrawals were over by day 4(ish) we'd start to feel fantastic, and then we hadn't. I suppose that KSFL is such a huge shift from our previous lifestyle that it took a while to get established and to feel 'normal'. I spent so much time cooking and planning meals it felt that that was all I did. There was no time for relaxing because I was either exercising, preparing food, planning food or shopping for it. It wasn't easy, but if there's anyone reading this who is going through that right now I can promise you that it does get better. I've even gone against the advice and haven't planned a menu for this week. I just know I've got a range of meat and fish in the freezer and tons of good veg that I can make all kinds of yummy clean meals with, I just need to decide a day ahead what we're going to have so I can let whatever I need to defrost. It's finaly become normal. I don't have to think so hard about it any more.

And I am happy. I feel good. Even my thighs feel a bit better this evening. This stuff is working and I can honestly say that I have no doubts about my decision to take this journey any more. I just want more!

That includes more clean food, which is where tonight's recipe deviats ever so slightly. I was naughty with tonight's recipe and threw in something that isn't quite on plan. There are 8 dried apricots in it, just because I couldn't imagine a tagine without the sweetness of the apricots to compliment that smokiness from the cinnamon. It turned out VERY sweet to my more sensitive palate so they could actually be omitted. I just didn't today.

This is a vegetarian clean meal, done in the slow cooker. I used to eat a lot of veggie meals but they'd often involve dairy so they've been off the menu of late. I do like taking meat breaks every now and again and this is one of our family favourites. If you're in a less veggie mood you can throw some diced lamb in and that does tast lovely, but because of the chickpeas it might be a bit much, at least in the detox stage. We served it with brown rice, but a pile of greens would do just as well. With the chickpeas, sweet potato and brown rice this is quite a carb-heavy meal by KSFL standards, so just be aware of that before diving in.

KSFL Chickpea Tagine

Serves 2 generously (Or 2 normal portions plus some for lunch the next day)

Ingredients

1 tin chickpeas
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
8 dried apricots, chopped into small pieces (or less, or none)
Half an aubergine, chopped
1 courgette, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
Half a butternut squash, chopped
Half a sweet potato, peeled and chopped
Handful of mange tout, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Thros all the ingredients into your slow cooker pot. Give them a good stir and cook for approx 6 hours on high, stirring ocassionally if you happen to be passing (not essential). Serve with brown rice or green veg, or both if you're super-hungry.