Slow Cooker Whole30
For the past five years, I have done a post-holiday cleanse in January. These cleanses not 
only give me more energy and deeper sleep, but they offer the opportunity to slow down and savor the moment. I find that doing a deep dive into “food exploration and elimination” each year gives me unexpected observations into many areas of my life uk best essays.org. It’s like taking the time to clean off your eyeglasses so that you can see the world more clearly. But this year with a busy slow- cooking schedule and a last-minute trip to DC, my annual cleanse didn’t happen.
With the month of May being filled with two Zen celebrations, a college graduation, and a gastronomy tour with my family in Quebec, I’ve decided June is the perfect month for a reboot. From my previous food journeys, I know this will allow me the time for inquiry and introspection that I so enjoy.
Yet there is one roadblock—my fondness for summer entertaining that often features lemon drop martinis, fruit tarts, and brie cheese. I know that attempting essays services reviews.com a food-elimination diet this month will require a level of discipline that will be hard for me to commit to.
So with my family of five on board, I’ve decided to do something that would be less of a cleanse and more of a lifestyle change for all of us. I have heard rave reviews about the Whole30 eating program from my friend, Edie. After reading about Whole30, I realized it was worth it for me to forego a month of lemon drops. I’m also curious to see if this eating approach that eliminates dairy, gluten, alcohol, sugar, grains, and legumes will deepen my family’s commitment to better physical and mental health. This could mean big, permanent changes for all of us.
With a full house and full-time work on the Zen business, I turned to Jane for help and inspiration. She enthusiastically jumped into the challenge and created a series of Whole30 compliant recipes designed exclusively for the slow cooker. She has also used our spice blends to craft marinades for meat and dressings for use as protein toppers. I also asked her to explore the possibility of doing a series of “mocktails” with our whole spice infusions. We’ll share her recipes and our own personal experiences throughout the month on our Facebook page and would love all of you to join us on our journey.
In addition, each time you order three blends, we’ll add our Southwest Fiesta into your package for free. Jane created a delicious coffee cocoa rub using our blend for beef brisket—just in time for summer tacos.
If you have recipes to share, please send them our way to Jane@thezenofslowcooking.com.
Happy summer and I look forward to sharing my Whole30 insights in July.
Author’s note:
For any foodie friends who live in New York City, come and visit us at the Fancy Food Show from June 25-27. Our sofi Award-winning Sichuan Blend will be featured in a showcase at the Jacob Javits Center.
Throughout the next 30 days buy 3 spice blends* and we’ll include a Southwest Fiesta as our gift.
Zen “Whole30” moment:
“It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black is not hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only 30 days and it’s for the most important health cause on earth—the only physical body you will ever had in this lifetime.”
Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, co-authors of Whole30
