Banana, Almond and Spinach Smoothie = YUM!
I’m officially done with the Food Lover’s Cleanse. It was two weeks of post-holiday diet detox and it did my body good. And hey, I even learned a few things about myself:
1. I really do like quinoa. Sometimes I forget how much I like it so I never buy it. But then I eat it and remember it’s delicious. I now have a five-pound bag of red quinoa in my cupboard.
2. That my cravings for Mexican food actually rivaled my cravings for Italian food. As a lifelong pasta addict, this totally surprised me. My first post-cleanse meal involved tacos, a tamale and queso fundido. And soooo many tortillas. And a few margaritas. It was fabulous.
Smoked Brisket Tamale at La Taq
3. It’s good to branch out of your food ruts and to try flavor combinations that are new to you. Banana, almond and spinach smoothie – yum! Pomegranate seeds with white beans – delicious! Quinoa mixed with steel-cut oats and chopped dates for breakfast? Unbelievably good.
4. If I ever get up the courage to try the Whole 30, I’ll probably die because I cannot imagine life (even 30 days of life) without grains and cheese. This cleanse severely limited dairy and that was hard enough. On the days when I was allowed 1/2 oz of cheese I would eat it slowly, savoring the flavor for as long as possible. And immediately following the cleanse I ate this:
And I was happy.
5. That a 1 oz piece of dark chocolate and coconut bark can take the edge off the need for sugar. Seriously — this stuff was so good and so satisfying. And it’s easy enough that I’ll be making it again and again!
I subbed toasted pecan pieces for the pumpkin seeds and it was delicious!
6. Having a Soda Stream is essential to my life. I hate water (I know, I know, it’s good for you. You need it to survive. But it’s just so bland!) but make it bubbly water and I can drink 2 liters a day no problem. Yay for agua con gas!
7. I almost always need a beer…but I can make it 2 weeks without one.
8. That I’m totally in for FLC 2015!
Attempts in Domesticity 
Clearly you are a brave woman. But now that it’s over: Cheers!
Thanks! Let me tell you, that celebratory beer was a beautiful thing!
Good on you! My husband just brought home a soda stream. I have to say, at first I was skeptical but I really do like the ability to have carbonated water anytime. That chocolate looks to die for!
Thanks! And yes, the soda stream is a wonderful thing. We bought ours 2 years ago and I was a bit hesitant. But more and more I find it hard to do without. I really hate still water, but with bubbles, a simple glass of water seems celebratory! =)
You did it, congratulations. Now… go UNLEARN all that stuff. 😉
ha! Just wait — I have 4.75# of quinoa left to cook! I’ll dedicate the next 3 quinoa recipes to you, my friend. =)
I think the fact that you have 4.75# of quinoa officially qualifies you as a HIPPY!!!
am so grateful you went through this on behalf of your readers, J (that IS why you did it, yes?) so THANKS! Curious exactly how you felt better. Can you explain more?
Can’t imagine life without the margaritas and beers and bourbon etc. And cheese. Glad you filled up on Mexican food–perfect way to reward yourself 😀 That bark has my intrigued. Will dig up the recipe and make a batch (with pumpkin seeds) in your honor. Hurrah hurrah hurrah for you!!
ha! That bark is seriously so good. Though anything with dark chocolate and coconut has to be a winner, right?
I would say it was just a relief for my body to go without sugar (more so than without refined flour) for a few weeks. I really overdid it on Christmas treats and was feeling sluggish. I exercise enough it’s not like I gained weight but I just felt a bit blah. This was nice because it was good, easy, filling food and even though it had restrictions, it wasn’t anything crazy. So I didn’t feel like I was starving but I felt lighter and happier with my eating habits. Which after 3-4 weeks of indulgence was such a nice change of pace — like a new year energy charge! =)
Congrats on finishing. I’ve often wanted to try doing it myself. It seems pretty reasonable and balanced. Not as extreme as some cleanses I’ve seen. Did you lose any poundage?
I actually don’t know if I lost any weight. My last scale died and I never replaced it. I’ll say my jeans fit more like they did before Dec. 1 and less like they did Jan 1, which was a nice thing. 😉 This cleanse was also nice in the fact that it was extremely reasonable. I mean I still got to eat steak but I felt like it was healthy. Win win!
I need to lose a few lbs. but this looks like a great meal plan for after that happens!
Try it! Or at least pick through and find recipes that appeal to you. I really enjoyed almost everything I made. It actually made me contemplate the whole 30 even though I really really don’t know if I have the will power to finish it. 30 days without grains, dairy or booze is hard for me to consider…
Two weeks is easy. 30 days is tough. No dairy? OK. No grains? No prob. No booze? Maybe. All three? No way!
Right?! It’s supposed to make you feel great, but I’m predicting I’d just be very mean for most of it.