Why We’re No Longer Offering Drop It Like It’s Hot + Roasted Garlic Lemony Quinoa

This has been a topic that I’ve needed to tackle for a long while.
But some topics are like soup, they need time to simmer and meld before they’re ready to serve.  This is one of those topics.

I’m talking about weight.

Weight loss.
Releasing weight.
Dropping weight.
Losing weight.
Dropping pounds.
Slimming down.

Whatever you want to call it.  I need to talk about it and its place in Dirty land.

One of the things that naturally happens for most people when they start eating a healthy Whole-Food Plant-Based diet is they notice their pants begin to loosen.  This is because veggies, beans, whole grains and fruit (the foods that make up the majority of a healthy plant-based diet) are packed with fiber.  Fiber has no calories and is super filling, so you feel full and satisfied with fewer calories and more nutrients per meal than when you eat meals that aren’t made up of plants.

For many people, this way of eating allows excess weight to release, and yet, within our own community, we hear from people who still struggle.

For some people, making the switch to eating a Whole-Food Plant-Based diet is driven by the desire to get healthier and live a fuller life. For others, it’s driven by the sole purpose of seeing a lower number on the scale. For most people, it’s a combination of the two.

There is no right or wrong reason for eating this way. Your motivation is personal and totally up to you, and no one has the right to judge you for it, one way or the other.

If you are wanting to release some weight, here’s what I know for sure: everyone is different and not everyone arrives at the same results at the same time, even if you’re eating a healthy plant-based diet. Some people drop weight fast and keep it off. Others release some initial weight and then they plateau. Other people don’t see changes in their actual weight but their clothes get looser. Some people have extra weight that just won’t budge, regardless of what they seem to do.

There are far too many factors and variables to have a predictable and identical outcome for everyone. Medications and medical considerations. A history of yo-yo dieting. Eating out often. Cooking with oil. Emotional blocks. Not enough fiber-filled plant foods. Drinking alcohol. Eating vegan ice cream at night. Stress. Not enough sleep. The variables go on.

Once upon a time, I created a training called Drop It Like It’s Hot to tackle some of these variables. This was helpful for people who were eating a plant-based diet and wanted a little extra help getting into smaller pants. This training was helpful for a lot of people and, indeed, they were able to get into smaller pants. And for some people, it wasn’t helpful. Again, lots of variables even when tackling the variables.

After giving it much thought and consideration, we have made the decision to quit offering Drop It Like It’s Hot. There are three main reasons why we have made this decision.

1. Clean Food Dirty Girl has always been about helping people eat more plants and less of everything else. That is our mission, our goal and our motivation. That is why we do what we do. We want people to eat more plants and find unadulterated joy in doing so. At this point in time, our weekly Plant Fueled Meal Plans are our core offering. And these meal plans are not intentionally designed to get people into their skinny jeans. Now, that’s not to say that it doesn’t or can’t happen, because lots of people end up releasing weight when they truly and consistently follow our plans. But that’s because our meal plans are packed with plants, not because we intentionally design them to be a weight loss program. So the core of what we do is all about health and enjoying the fuck out of eating plants, not weight loss.

2. I created Drop It Like It’s Hot over two years ago and it needs updating. I haven’t updated the Drop It program because it has had a life of its own so I haven’t made updating it a priority.

3. As much as I would like to, we can’t offer personalized support for Drop It Like It’s Hot. We get a lot of emails from people who have gone through the program or are currently going through it who have questions, need help, or just need extra support. At this point, we don’t have the people power to give each of these emails the attention they deserve.

I know this will be disappointing to a lot of people. Change is hard, even if it’s ultimately for the better. As the face and co-creator of Clean Food Dirty Girl, it is my responsibility and duty to stay true to our mission, to make sure our services are the absolute best they can be, and to be honest and transparent in doing so. We’re all in this weird little life together.

If you already purchased the Drop It program, you will still have access to the training as well as to the Drop It private Facebook group. For now. But starting today, we will no longer be selling it on our website or anywhere else.

Now for some good news, because this is what’s going down like a pair of panties:

I am currently working on a huge overhaul of our yearly Plant Based Reset and we are making some pretty massive and exciting changes. More about that later this year. For now, all you need to know is that I’m going to incorporate an updated, shiny new training that is similar to the original Drop It Like It’s Hot, as part of the new Plant Based Reset. If you want more info and future updates about the new Plant Based Reset, slap your name and email here and I’ll holler at you when it’s time.

One more thing about weight before I wrap up.

Life is but a blip and sometimes we forget that just to be alive, having this human experience is an insane miracle. We get to wake up in the morning. We get to hug the people we love. We get to look up at the night sky. We get to feel sunshine on our skin. We get to solve problems. We get to move and stretch our body. We get to breathe in and out. We get to feel our heart pump and our pulse race. We get to laugh with joy. We get to cry. We get to eat mangoes. We get to watch life. We get to participate in life.

And we have just one body to experience it all in.

Turns out my dear, the struggle isn’t with what the scale says.

The real bitch of a struggle is opening up that big beautiful heart of yours and experiencing the scrumptious beauty of life with awe and grace, regardless of what the scale says.

Take a deep breath and check out the goodness of this week’s recipe. It will bring joy to your kitchen and body.

Roasted Garlic Lemony Quinoa

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Author: Molly Patrick

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Ingredients

Instant Pot Ingredients

• ▢ 1½ cups uncooked quinoa (285 g)
• ▢ 1 cup red onion, diced (130 g)
• ▢ 1¾ cups water (415 ml)
• ▢ ½ cup parsley, chopped (10 g)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• ▢ 6-8 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped (see link to recipe below)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 2½ tablespoons lemon juice (zest before juicing)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (about 5 turns)

Stove Top Ingredients

• ▢ 1½ cups uncooked quinoa (285 g)
• ▢ 1 cup red onion, diced (130 g)
• ▢ 3 cups water (710 ml)
• ▢ ½ cup parsley, chopped (10 g)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• ▢ 6-8 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped (see link to recipe below)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 2½ tablespoons lemon juice (zest before juicing)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (about 5 turns)

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

• Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with water. Tap the strainer against the sink to remove as much excess water as possible. Set aside for now.
• Press the sauté setting on your Instant Pot (IP) and heat the inner pot for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa and onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the quinoa is lightly toasted and fragrant and the onion is soft. There should be enough excess liquid from the onions to prevent sticking, but if necessary, you can add a bit of water. 
• Turn the IP off, add the water, parsley, and red pepper flakes and stir. Lock the lid into place, making sure the nozzle is in the sealing position. Use the manual setting and set the timer for 6 minutes. Use the natural release method when the timer goes off.
• After all the pressure has been released from the pot, take the lid off and add the roasted garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Fluff the quinoa with with a fork to incorporate the ingredients.  

Stove Top Instructions

• Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with water. Tap the strainer against the sink and remove as much excess water as possible. Set aside for now.
• Heat a pot over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the quinoa and onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the quinoa is lightly toasted and fragrant and the onion is soft. There should be enough excess liquid from the onions to prevent anything from sticking to the pot, but if necessary, you can add a bit of water.
• Add the water, parsley, and red pepper flakes and stir. Bring the water to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down to super low and cover the pot with a lid.
• Gently simmer for 20-25 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and soft.
• When quinoa is done cooking, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the pot and add the roasted garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Fluff the quinoa with a fork to incorporate the ingredients. 

Notes

Click here to view our recipe for perfectly roasted garlic without oil.

Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with exploring your  body from another perspective.

Xo
Molly