ExamineHealth

One of the things that the cleanse did for me was blow open my previous conceptions of cooking. Now I've always been, what I would probably call, your average cook. I could cook 10 or 15 meals really well. They were my specialties. I had perfected them to the point that I was proud of them. I also was stuck in a rut with them. However, having to follow the rules of the cleanse, and opening myself up to a new style of cooking (vegetarian) and several new cookbooks, provided a welcome variation to my standard meals. Many of the meals that we made during the cleanse, we're still making today. In fact, I'd argue a vast majority of them.

However, one aspect of this cooking style that we had a challenge getting used to, was the preparation of the ingredients. Primarily, beans and grains. Many of the recipes called for beans or grains. In fact, they opened my eyes to a whole new world of preparing beans and grains. The problem is that they take FOREVER to prepare and cook. Beans need to be soaked overnight, then cooked for 4 hours. Grains are better after being cooked for 6 hours. Now obviously you're not constantly tending them during the periods of time, but it certainly requires some careful planning. We had to get into the habit of shopping for meals that were two nights out, in case we needed to soak something overnight. It really takes the spontaneity out of cooking.

Luckily, I found the ultimate solution to this problem! Once I stumbled across this piece of equipment, it changed my whole world. We now use it every day, and it's by far the most important item in the kitchen.