Monday Monday...part two...

Bacon and rosemary Chicken

After such an amazing breakfast I had the energy to run around and take care of errands, clean my room, do a little vintage store browsing...
Sunday night after our woodland adventure, we stopped by New Seasons and picked up a chicken that I had mighty plans to roast the next day. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But in the spirit of my cleanse, my guidelines are


Only Meat and Veggies. Butter. Olive Oil. Vinegars, Eggs. Fruit, but only if it's local. Herbs.


It seems like a difficult thing to do. Not have any grains. No bread. No Cheese. No Sugar. ALSO: no corn, potatoes, caffeine, alcohol, nuts, seeds, chips....

It stresses me out to think of all the things I CAN'T eat. But honestly the list above of the amazing things I CAN eat is pretty vast. And I am happily exploring it.

The Menu for our magic Monday Meal...

Artichokes with handmade aioli
Roast Chicken with bacon, rosemary, evoo, salt and pepper
Wild Chanterelle gravy with pan drippings, bacon grease, shallots, and arrowroot powder
Roasted root vegetables: parsnips, carrots, baby turnips, kolrabi, garlic
Baked apples with blueberries and cider reduction

I let myself in the garage door of my beau's house. It was empty and quiet. I put a Fela Kuti record on the stereo, let the meowing cat in the front door, and pulled the chicken out of the fridge.

the well salted chicken. I had ever put bacon on one before, but it seemed like a good idea, and helped keep it incredibly moist.

Below is the meal that I prepared and we thoroughly enjoyed.  It took 2 hours from start to finish, and I had enough time to work at my leisure, clean as I went, feed the cat some chicken liver, sweep the floor, and set the table...

The apple on the left was the tastiest one I have ever tried. And so pretty! pink inside!

And even though I am not supposed to have any alcohol, I did cheat a tiny bit with a few gulps of red wine, with which I will toast to many many more delicious everyday feasts that are healthy for my body and lifting of my spirits...

it was my first time making aioli, and I added too much oil too quickly, but it still made a tasty dip for the artichokes!

I cut open the apples, cored some of their insides to make little bowls for the blueberries, a dash of cardamon, apple cider, and a little red wine...baked at 400 for 45 mins.