I can’t believe that it’s been 5 weeks already.

Yep! I’m now 5 weeks into this crazy no grain, no meat, no junk, nothing deep fried, no refined or “added” sugar (or refined anything, for that matter) and no alcohol, 100% clean eating Lent challenge. 

But you know what? It almost feels like business as usual for me.

Do I get insane cravings? Not at all!

Have I felt deprived in any way? Again… the answer is no.

Am I looking forward to Lent being over?  Hum… honestly? Not even.

I mean, sure, when it’s over, I’ll probably indulge in…

Wait… hang on… what am I going to indulge in? What do I really miss? What is it that I simply can’t wait to have?

I mean, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do I miss my precious grains? I’d have to say no more than 2, maybe 3. Buckwheat, coconut flour and nut meals have done a very good job at replacing them. And I haven’t even had a chance to give quinoa a go yet. I’m even seriously considering extending that part of the challenge.

Ahem. Considering, I said.

Same scale for meat? Bah… not even 1. Fish, seafood, nuts, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, egg whites and whey have been taking care of my protein requirements. And my bizarre crazy insane nut cravings have finally subsided.

What about junk or deep fried food? Big fat zero, and no replacement needed here either! 😉 (I almost never have that anyway, so that’s not even really a challenge)

Refined sugar? Not really. But I have to admit that sugar is probably what I miss the most, so I’d give it a solid 3. The only forms of sugar that I’ve had in five weeks are those that are naturally present in fruits, and the stevia that is in my vanilla flavored protein powder.

So far, that’s proven to be amply satisfactory. And I’ve had so much dark cocoa powder on a regular basis that I can’t even say I crave my favorite treat of all, Lindt’s Dark Chocolate: A Touch of Sea Salt

As for alcohol, well, oddly enough, that’s probably the thing that I’ve been craving the most, yet, I’m not a heavy drinker at all (well, at least not anymore!) I’ve had the odd craving for a nice, super dark stout or a good glass of chilled white wine.

The thing with alcohol is that it’s very hard to replace. I mean, I like green tea, but there’s no way that I can fool my brain into believing that it’s a suitable replacement for a rich, thick and super tasty stout. He’s not that stupid!

So I guess this is the first thing that I will be indulging in: booze!

Oh, and a teaspoon of liquid honey, straight out of the jar. LOVE my honey. Initially, I was going to allow it during Lent, but then I decided not to. For that very reason. I like it too much! Had to sacrifice it. Hey, call me a masochist… 😉

Or not… I mean, with all the awesome food that I’ve been eating, such as this Rainbow Trout Tartare, how could I even feel deprived?

Again, this year, Lent has allowed me to expand my horizons, discover new ingredients and new ways to use them. I’m enjoying every single minute of it.

I’m almost sad that there’s only a week left.

Seriously!

RAINBOW TROUT TARTARE 

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 3-4)

  • 400g rainbow trout fillet, skin removed
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into small cubes
  • ½ mango, cut into small cubes
  • 1 green onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp unsalted pistachios, chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

Vinaigrette

  • The juice of half a lime
  • 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or other light vinegar)
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp Sambal Oelek
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add all the ingredients of the vinaigrette together in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside.
  2. Cut your trout fillet into tiny little cubes, then mince the cubes as finely as you can.
  3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, including the vinaigrette.
  4. You can leave this in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavors to fully develop, or serve immediately.
  5. Garnish with fat free plain Greek yogurt, chopped pistachio and fresh dill