Although this is only the second year I've actually tried it, the Goop Detox has become a New Year's tradition for me.
It started with me scoffing at all the highfalutin ingredients that you'd never be able to get a regular grocery store.
But last year's Working Girl Detox was the first time I actually felt like some of the recipes were easy to shop for and make. I was pleasantly surprised again with this year's detox.
I actually kept up with it for the full five days!
Here's are my thoughts ...
Shopping Day
I was shocked by how much of the ingredients I actually had in my pantry. For the most part, all I needed to buy was the fresh food items, and I was able to get them from my local grocery store (!!!).
The one thing I noticed was the amounts of produce on the shopping list. It was a lot! I struggle with wasted food so I was definitely worried.
Day 1
It was weird to start my day with a hot cup of cof... *ahem* lemon water. I actually put a coffee K Cup in my Keurig before I realized caffeine was one of the things on the detox no-no list.
Grrr.
I'm not a breakfast person so I skipped the pumpkin spice and greens smoothie.
The lettuce cups were so good.
I was a little nervous about what I thought were strange ingredients going into the red curry almond sauce but it was a yummy-- like a spicy peanut soup. Maybe that's because I accidentally got peanut butter instead of almond butter. (Oops!)
I also substituted buckwheat soba noodles for the kelp noodles because I couldn't find it anywhere. Plus I already had those in my pantry.
I was really excited to make this soup because I actually already had a bag of cauliflower rice from Aldi in the freezer. So that's a great affordable cheat if you don't feel like making it from scratch.
Day 2
Today I decided to have breakfast so I had the sweet potato *one way. I didn't have dates so I had the avocado lime and cilantro topping. David really liked this breakfast.
I still had some lettuce cups left over so I had that for lunch.
Also there was a lot of chicken soup left. At this point I was really worried about food waste because my fridge was still jammed pack with food, but the recipes make so many portions.
Day 3
I'm really feeling the withdrawal symptoms from not having coffee. I'm also feeling strong cravings for junk food. It doesn't help that I am working in a news room with lots of donuts, pizza, and sandwiches lying around.
Thank God for the Goop Gorp! I shovel handfuls of it into my mouth when I'm getting cravings.
Today I decided that I would make the pumpkin spice smoothie so I would feel too full to even look at the free food at work.
I used frozen sweet potatoes I had in the freezer so I wouldn't have to buy canned pumpkin.
I've done a lot of substitutions because frankly I felt uncomfortable with the amount of food the detox wanted me to buy. Many of the substitutions --including sweet potatoes and butter lettuce in the shake instead of pumpkin and spinach-- actually tasted very good.
The soup is still good by the way!
Day 4
Ding Dong the soup is finally gone!
I'm so excited to be making something else on the Detox menu. I decided to make the salad and the lemon Salmon from Wednesday.
The salad was A- MAZ-ing! The fresh fennel with the radishes, carrots and the snap peas was yummy-yummy. And that Greener Goddess Dressing! I was nervous to use the Veganaise because I HATE mayo and the Veganaise looked and smelled so much like the real thing.
But the lemon, fresh dill, and cilantro really made it taste so fresh and delicious.
BTW I substituted kale for the spinach because I didn't want to buy three types of greens. Plus it added a nice peppery flavor to the dressing.
The lemon also made the salmon taste good. My only tweak to the menu would be not to bake the salmon with the sliced lemons because I think the bitterness of the peel starts to come out.
Day 5
By Friday I was seriously struggling with cravings. I miss sweets and for some reason I was not getting filled off the detox menu. Wednesday I had to get trail mix out the vending machine to quiet my gut. (I ran out of Goop Gorp.)
Then again, I never at the full menu -- meaning I wasn't eating breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner each day. I always had only two meals.
There was plenty of salad and salmon left over. So that's what I ate for the final day of the detox.
Final Thoughts
Pros
1. I loved how accessible all the ingredients were. I really only had problems finding the kelp noodles.
2. All the food on the menu tasted so good.
3. I also learned great new recipes to add to my diet. I definitely learned about fennel. I never cooked with the vegetable before, but now I don't think I'll ever make a chicken soup without it again.
I also think I will be making more of the Greener Goddess Dressing.
The gorp was a good writing snack.
I also love lemon water now. I drink it cold with torn up mint.
4. The detox exposed the things I'm addicted to: caffeine, sweets, and junk food. I hope to cut back on some those things this year.
5. I realized that I need to eat all three meal. I work primarily at night so I wake up later in the morning. So I often skipped breakfast.
6. During the holidays I felt very bloated from the heavy food. So during the detox, it was nice to feel light after a meal.
Cons
1. What I didn't like about the Goop detox menu was there was too much food on the menu. Day 2 was the only day that factored in the possibility of leftovers.
I think the people who put together the detox should make and eat their own menu to see if there are leftovers.
Or, pare back the amount of ingredients that go into the recipes so each meal makes two portions not four, or in some cases, eight.
2. I also want the detox menu makers to make the recipes use more of the same ingredients so I'm not left with so many random herbs and veggies in my fridge.
3. Speaking of the refrigerator, I had so much spoiled food after the detox. I didn't like that all. I would think that a website that is so concerned about chemicals in makeup and shopping from brands with a conscience would also be worried about food waste.
Have you ever tried the Goop Detox? Would you after this review? Let me know in the comments below.
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