In an effort to keep the ball rolling, I made this black quinoa breakfast cereal form Whole Living’s Bonus Week recipes. I prepared it in pieces and packed it for lunch in individual containers shown here. I added the milk during my lunch break, popped it in the microwave, added the honey, almonds and avocado, et voila! I had a filling, nutritious, flavorful hot lunch. A student of mine who opts out of the cafeteria to hang out with me in my classroom during his lunch period helped me finish it, and even he liked it: “This shit be betta than cornflakes, Ms. Seilheimer!” So if you are the type to shy away from unfamiliar grains, you should definitely give this dish a try. It’s simple, satisfying and “betta than cornflakes” apparently.
One of my readers left me a comment asking me if I had saved any money while doing the cleanse. So, here are numbers:
October: $209 on groceries + $195 on restaurants = $404
November: $278 on groceries + $150 on restaurants = $428
December: $255 on groceries + $114 = $369 (note: was at home for a week for the holidays eating other people’s food)
JANUARY (cleanse month): $295 + $45 on restaurants = $340
Keep in mind that I live in Chicago and that I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck, what my boyfriend calls it). I am not about to argue that this cleanse is cost-efficient, but what it did do was keep me from eating out as often to cook at home more which is always the cheaper option, cleansing or not. However, I would be interested to see how these changes in food costs from month to month might be different if it was the season for farmers markets as they tend to be pretty pricey in the city.
Now five days out of the cleanse, I see new eating habits maintaining. I stick to a fruit smoothie for breakfast, I keep with some of the recipes from Whole Living and read ingredients much more carefully at the grocery store (I spent an hour in Trader Joe’s yesterday only to spend about $50 because of all the reading I was doing). I have allowed a couple things to slide, like when I ate an entire package of graham crackers on my drive home from work yesterday to put the 5:00 p.m. ravenous hunger beast at rest while in a traffic jam. However, this you-could-have-done-much-worse binge left me with an even more ravenous stomach ache of nausea and guilt. I should know better, right? And in comes my trouble with cleanses in general…
In some cases when the detox regiment is unrealistic to maintain permanently, I believe detoxes can be used as a fancy way to yo-yo diet without calling it such. The whole idea behind a cleanse is to clear out all of the crap. Once one has met their three-week mark, what do you think they do on Day 22? They celebrate. They eat sugar. They devour gluten. In other words, they put the same crap back into their bodies. They comfort themselves with the idea of doing another cleanse when they deem necessary. They fill up the bucket with more and more water because it will eventually tip over and empty itself out. For example, Beyonce’s lemon, pepper and honey drink cleanse. You see quick results in just two weeks, but during those two weeks you learn nothing about making wise substitutes in recipes, you aren’t exposed to new ingredients nor are you taking charge in a kitchen in which you might feel slightly uncomfortable. It’s a quick fix, not a learning experience. You gain results, but not skills.
That is why I chose The Whole Living Action Plan 2012. It was challenging but reasonable, it introduced me to foods I had not cooked with before and it made me feel much more prepared for Day 22 and beyond. I learned new recipes, I experimented with my food processor and I am now the boss in my own kitchen (and sometimes even my boyfriends). The only thing I didn’t gain from this cleanse was the an excuse as to why I can’t keep a good thing going even after it all comes to an end.
Looking ahead: February is here, and it is time to set a new intention for the month. Keep an eye out for Month #2 of setting intentions in 2012 by the end of the week!
