Come & Cook With Us – Reboot Recap
By Jessica Mennella
Hello Reboot Community! My name is Jessica and I joined the Reboot team in 2009 after watching the film “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”, and pledging (immediately) to do “whatever it takes” to get the message of health out there. In addition to juicing, I believe in the power of preparing healthy, whole, mostly plant based foods, and have learned through experience what a difference a simple home cooked meal can make. I co-author the blog “Come and Cook with Us”, which provides healthy cooking (and eating) related advice, tips, and recipes for the chefs and chefs-to-be. Check out this recent post about my latest Reboot experience!
No Coffee, no Chocolate, no Pasta, no Life!
On New Year’s Day I made one resolution: to take three weeks and follow Michael Pollan’s credo “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”. I’d had a busy holiday season, and a somewhat sedentary summer and fall; needless to say, I was not in my best shape. How difficult could it be? I write a blog on cooking healthy food, and work at a company whose mission is to help people eat more fruits and vegetables, so for me this is a way of life.
Yet, a week into my reboot I understood three things: how far I’d strayed from my own core principles, how difficult it can be to continually live this way, and why I will do it regularly. I want to share with you the biggest lessons I took from this experience. Come and eat food, not too much, mostly plants with us!
Taking a one, two, or three-week “break”, where I am required to eat fruits and vegetables (cooked and raw), is a great way to get back on the path of cooking whole and healthy meals.
Eating mostly fruits and vegetables has meant I needed to expand my horizon: a repertoire of carrots, celery, apples and bananas is by design, and by health boring, and limited. Revisiting my set of go-to recipes based on a variety of fresh ingredients has reinvigorated my desire to cook. Here are my very favorite recipes for vegetable soups, salads and healthy treats.
No is not my favorite word. In fact, it sucks to say no. (No coffee, no chocolate, no pasta, no life!) From my break I’ve learned to set up daily eating routines based on fresh fruits and vegetable. I can then focus my energy on when to say yes – to the chocolate, the glass of wine, or the delicious cheese course at the end of a dinner!
If all else fails, I always have my blender and juicer. If I can’t cook my vegetables, at least I can consume them in liquid form as a snack, or a meal, or both.
It is difficult to change habits, and once changed it isn’t easy to stay the course. I won’t be too hard on myself: I do this to make my life better and I’d invite you to try it. I’d love to hear how good you feel. Come and cook with us!