Rest Days and broccoli salad

Rest days are so hard for me, and yet so important. Today is no different.

Today is a rest day. I have a hard day with rest days - I feel lethargic, I tend to over-eat and generally feel like I've 'wasted' a day. However, I know from experience (and extensive reading) that rest days are crucial for gains in strength. After all, strength training is all about tiny tears in the muscles. It takes time to heal those guns! I did some foam rolling and stretched every time I got up from my desk at work. And I'm already planning tomorrow's epic workout...

Tonight, my husband asked for an 'Epic Roxanne Dinner' tonight, so I set to work making something memorable. I'm going to try the barbecue sauce on some salmon, and I prepped some bananas for frozen whipped dessert - still not sure what's going into that one, but if its good, I'll post the recipe.

For the side dish, I was inspired to make broccoli (mainly because it is on the verge of turning). So I look at what I have on hand and voila! Broccoli, hazelnut and prosciutto salad is born. I'm sure this could be snazzed up with some spice, but for tonight I wanted to let the flavours of the homemade mayo, hazelnuts and apple shine through.

1 bunch (2-3 sralks) broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1/2 c. Hazelnuts, chopped
1/4 c. Zante currants
1/3 c. Shredded apple (I used jazz because that's all I had but I'd recommend Granny Smith)
4-5 slices prosciutto
2/3-1 c. Home-made mayo
1 T. Honey
1 T. Natural apple cider vinegar

1) fry the prosciutto and let cool.
2) in large bowl, collect broccoli, hazelnuts, currants and apple.
3) once the prosciutto is cooled, chop into tiny pieces.
4) in a small bowl, mix mayo, honey and cider vinegar.
5) pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. Chill for an hour or two.

nom.