Cleansing

We discussed doing this cleanse one day in December when I'm sure we were full of triple creme cheese, wine, duck and carbs and it sounded like a genius idea at that time. Have you noticed your diet aspirations (not that this was a traditional diet) are always the most, well, aspirational when you are fat, full and happy? Then the first time you get hangry (hungry+angry), the idea of eight vegetables in one meal makes you want to hit up the Wendy's drive through so very badly.

The meal plan looked like this. Doesn't it look so easy (if not when it comes to labor, but when it comes to staying full)? It wasn't. There were many texts exchanged about how desperately hungry we were around 3 pm everyday.

Anyways, it turns out we aren't very good at two week plans with zero flexibility, and after five days, two business trips, a failed search for Manila clams in Memphis, and a virus hit our household, it became an experiment in just (very, very) healthy eating for three weeks.

I did a lot of grocery shopping post-Christmas (lucky that Claire is patient with the grocery store and a balloon can get us through 45 minutes quite happily) and spent a couple hours on New Years Eve doing the Make Ahead Pantry. (Pictured below) I will be keeping caramelized onions in my fridge full time, I loved the salad dressings, the lentils were great, the applesauce even better and we didn't really care for the relish or the chili-garlic oil.

Caramelized onions, lentils, fennel lemon relish, applesauce

Days 1 and 2 felt virtuous and by day 3, the cravings, and probably minor withdrawal had started. Removing dairy, bread, red meat, coffee, diet coke and pretty much everything fun (except wine - they kindly allow 4 glasses a week on this plan) is no joke. I was not sad to break the rules come day 6 when Dan left for Toronto, and I ate pizza. With a large Diet Coke. We were back on the plan 48 hours later.

It was a lot of work. The meals that I plan usually have one thoughtful centerpiece (usually the protein) with a quick side and quick veggie, each of which have maybe 2-3 ingredients max. On this plan, I was running the dishwasher twice a day and was having to use nap time to prep. Usually I can handle dinner while Claire plays at my feet or while she is eating her own dinner, but this was requiring of a lot more time and energy and the grocery shopping was just out of hand. The list was far too long, full of specialty ingredients that I had never heard of (and I do love my fancy grocery store finds) like mizuna and hemp seed. I was getting grumpy by the end of week one. We won't do a plan as strict as this one again, but we will interpret a future plan to be manageable within the context of our busy lives.


This is what we learned:
1. We need to be better at making the vegetable the centerpiece of every meal.
2. There should be some fruit involved in breakfast.
3. Bob's 10 Grain Cereal is a great alternative to oatmeal.
4. A touch of maple syrup or honey can go a long way.
5. We don't need coffee everyday.
6. Wasa light rye crackers are an awesome lighter alternative to Triscuits or Wheat Thins.
7. Goat cheese should be our first choice cheese for being low calorie, but satisfying.
8. Dark chocolate is a very satisfying dessert over a small baked good. Fruit is NOT a dessert in this house (nice try, Bon Appetit).

Recipes we'd do again:

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry
Spelt Pancakes*
Pan Seared Salmon with Pumpkin Seed Cilantro Pesto
Salted, Seedy Chocolate Bark
Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu**

*Served with the homemade applesauce mentioned above in the Make Ahead section
**Substituted arugula for mizuna

And our favorite was...

Pan-Roasted Vegetable Curry (hands on time was less than 25 minutes and dinner was done by 2 pm to be reheated later)
4-6 Servings

1 large delicate squash, seeded, cut into 1/4" slices (reserve peel)
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. brown mustard seeds
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods (optional) 3 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (see recipe below)
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Low-fat Greek-style yogurt

Preheat oven to 425°.
In a large bowl, toss the first 13 ingredients with olive oil. Season with salt.
In a deep, large baking pan, spread the vegetables in a single layer. (If you do not have a large enough pan, divide the vegetables into 2 large rimmed baking dishes.) Roast for 24-330 minutes, until they start to brown.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Bake until the mixture is almost dry, about 10 minutes.
Serve in bowls, garnished with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

2 9-oz. packages cherry tomatoes (such as Sun Gold or Sweet 100), small tomatoes on the vine, or 1 lb. other small sweet tomatoes
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

  
As for our healthy eating plan going forward, after some negotiations, we are going to try meal-planning together. Dan is a big fan of no or little carbs and I prefer vegetarian when trying to eat right, so we agreed we'd look at our weekly plan together to make both of us happy. We are agreeing that tofu can come back post-cleanse, so that's a great start. 

We'll conclude January with Super Bowl plans: homemade buffalo wings, dips and treats.


Happy eating!