The Cleanse: Day 1 - Beet Soup

(Note: We actually started the cleanse on Tuesday but failed to upload the post until today.  Oops.)

We (read: Elizabeth) decided that it would be a good idea to start the new year with a cleanse.  The cleanse we are using is on the Whole Living website, and given that we're currently on winter break, it would be a good way to start the year healthy, explore some new, healthy meals, and maybe lose a little weight.  We have a Southwest road trip coming up on January 14, so we're only doing the first two weeks of the cleanse (followed by gorging on Las Vegas buffets).

Day 1 started with a cup of hot water with lemon around 9 am.  The cleanse suggests that the lemon water stimulates the digestive organs and releases digestive enzymes.  In any case, it was a refreshing way to start the day.

Later, around 10 am, we had our first meal of the cleanse: the green machine smoothie.  The green machine featured a, um, healthy combination of kale, romaine, and parsley, but it was sweetened by pineapple and mango, and had a touch of ginger.  While Elizabeth had little problem with the idea, Ben found it necessary to blast a little Metallica to get himself psyched up for this ordeal.  In the end, the smoothie was not that bad, and surprisingly the parsley added a nice touch.

We had lunch around 12:30 pm.  Keeping with the green theme, we chose the avocado with bell pepper and tomatoes.  Given the frequency with which we use avocados and the other ingredients involved, this meal was not especially new to us, but it was delicious.

We were feeling a little peckish around 3 pm, so we decided to make one of the snacks - the crispy roasted cauliflower.  This was one of the dishes that we think could make it into our menu after the cleanse is over.  Olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper is really all the cauliflower needs to pop (though we forgot the red chile flakes - they would be a welcome addition).

The star of Day 1 - for better or for worse - was no doubt the roasted garlic and beet soup, though.   Preparation for the soup went fine, though our fingers and other surfaces were inevitably dyed beet red.  The recipe serves four, but we ate all of it (perhaps trying to store up for the next day).  This was not a good idea.  Of course, the beet soup was tasty.  The roasted garlic added an interesting and complex layer to the light but earthy beet flavor.  But soon we started seeing beet red everywhere.  And we mean everywhere.  Even the next morning, we could taste and smell beet.  Perhaps we should have paid more attention to the serving suggestions...

To finish the day, we did some of the recommended stretches.  By the end of the day, we felt a little weird.  Perhaps it was because of too much beet soup, or maybe the "detox" was starting to work.  Also, feeling a bit tired, we took a little nap in the middle of the day.  And finally, getting used to eating a lot less and only fruits and vegetables was a bit of a struggle, even on just the first day.  But it was a good experience to try some new recipes and foods, and it's only just begun.

C & D