The Quest to Fit into a Wedding Dress

On a cold, blustery, rainy afternoon in the Pacific Northwest--the first one of the season, mind you--I waited for almost an hour, damp to the core, as trains were delayed in downtown Portland.  Once the line I needed arrived at the stop, it was jam packed with folks trying to get home from work.  There were screaming babies, elderly men coughing directly on me....in short, a lot of closeness.  And coughing.  

A mere two hours later, I already felt like I was coming down with something.  Seriously.  Unbelievable, right?  I had already been turned on to an amazing concoction by a close friend in an effort to ween myself off booze.  It's a detox elixir that she found on Kimberly Snyder's blog.  

It's merely ginger, lemon, two shakes of cayenne, and a little honey, if you so desire.  While you're boiling your water, peel a couple tablespoons worth of ginger.  Make sure you cut it in small cubes.  If you mince it or otherwise slice it too small, you will have to filter ginger chunks  using your teeth.  Nobody wants that.  

What's great is that it gives me the lovely illusion that I'm drinking a hot toddy, but is virtually calorie-free.  It's also great for digestion and immunity.  Not only that, but it helps in detoxification of the liver.  Amazing.  I highly recommend it.