Alright, it’s about that time. Actually, it’s exactly that time – time to get back on the HRx horse, which I voluntarily threw myself off at the beginning of the holiday season. I haven’t been to the gym in weeks, I’ve been up to my elbows in cheese, and, aside from the obvious effect on my waistline and arteries, falling off the dietary wagon has really affected my mood. I rang in the New Year with a little less cheer than I wanted due to the fact that I just felt physically and mentally “blah.” Probably because it had been a shamefully long time since I’d eaten a hearty grain salad with beautiful jewel-colored ingredients. The slump sneaks up on me every year. At first, I’m feeling great, “treating” myself with all the holiday goodies that abound between November and December. Then, slowly but surely, I start to drag a bit. I get headaches and skin reactions, and before I know it, I’m wearing the same leggings and sweater outfit everyday because none of my other clothes fit. Whoops! You would think that after 31 years of living through the holidays, I would learn my lesson. But, nope, it gets me every time. And, I know that it gets you too. Unless you’re one of those people who made it through the holidays subsisting only on veggie platters and skinny cocktails, and, in that case, we can’t be friends. Unless you’re willing to indulge in a New Year’s Day breakfast meat binger….. Anyways, we all know that the first week of January is resolution time as everyone swarms to the gym and signs up for the latest Groupon detox juice cleanse. I, in fact, was adamant that come January 1st, I would start my year off with an elimination diet. I told myself, it’s high time that I find out with absolute certainty what foods my body reacts to rather than my in-depth doctoral analysis that “ice cream makes me cough.” But, now, in the cold light of January 3rd, and after indulging in a traditional Scottish breakfast (cue the meat binger) to remind my hubby of home, I realize that this is how I always go wrong. I go from one extreme to the next — elimination diets to holiday binges and back — and what I really need to do is practice what I preach: moderation. That’s why I changed my bound-to-fail-after-two-days elimination diet plan to a plan involving flavorful meals with detoxifying benefits and occasional indulgences. As a side note: I’ve been seeing an integrative manual therapist who can tell what foods I’m reacting to by placing the foods on my body and feeling my stomach for certain “motility.” It sounds crazy and the science-y explanation went way over my head but she makes me feel better so I’m willing to believe whatever she tells me. The doc preliminarily diagnosed me with an inflamed gut which makes me reactive to all types of food and suggested that, instead of eliminating the foods I react to, I should try to heal the inflammation in my stomach so I stop reacting. Makes sense right? And, if it allows me to feel better AND enjoy a moderate amount of the creamy stuff (dairy), then I’m all for it. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’m going to stuff my face with the likes of this healthful barley salad and implement a few of Cooking Light’s 100 Healthy Tips for the New Year. Smoothies, anyone? On paper, barley salad sounds incredibly boring and blah, but on your plate (or bowl) it seriously pops with flavor (and fiber). It’s some ridiculously good stuff. The recipe is adapted from a Food and Wine farro salad, and my adaptations are mostly due to ingredient availability. Most grocery stores have barley, none have farro (at least not in my neighborhood). Sour dried cherries are incredibly hard to find, but dried cranberries are almost always available. If you have trouble locating some of the ingredients, feel free to play around and use your favorite dried fruits and herbs. I swear, after eating this dish with its brightly colored zests and herbs, my spirits perked up, and I felt healthier than I have in weeks! P.S. Now that 2014 is here, I feel like my blog needs a bit of a makeover. So look out for some formatting changes and experimental photography!