Review: Clean Eating Magazine

You already know that reading and cooking are my two biggest hobbies, and the pairing of the two just gets me giddy. I've already shared some of my favorite books, subscriptions and blogs that are helpful resources for cooking (and eating). I'm always looking for new tasty texts to try; in fact, my Christmas list features two food books ("Twelve Recipes" and "Eat More Better"). So, you can imagine my excitement when my mother lent me three copies of the relatively new magazine, Clean Eating.

J and I immersed ourselves in the clean eating cult.. uh.. culture this summer, with a two-week challenge courtesy of Buzzfeed. And we continued to try different recipes sticking to the "clean ethos" that food is best (and best for you) when free of fillers, preservatives and chemicals - meaning fresh fruits and veggies, lean/varied proteins, whole (often gluten-free) grains, limited dairy and all-natural sugars. Our challenge had some bumps in the road; remember the fennel massacre? But overall, we enjoyed experimenting with new foods and bold spices, and we learned new techniques and recipes that we still use. 

All of which made this magazine find all the more intriguing. Yet, it fell short of expectations.

I cannot say that I entirely hate the magazine. I actually love that each issue contains a two-week calendar of meals (breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner) employing a large variety of proteins, fruits/veggies and allows for bread, milk and cheese (Buzzfeed's diet was much more strict). Being on a schedule is helpful for me at work and even helps calm some of my lunch-packing rage. The portions were ample and I wasn't hungry during the day.

The remainder of the magazine included several themed recipe sections with beautifully styled color photos. Everything looked really appealing at first glance and some of it was truly beneficial and delicious.

Just look at some of the tasty food we made from the calendar plan:

Orange tamari glazed chicken thighs with carrots & leeks

Seared salmon with quinoa and garlic sautéed spinach

I used ingredients I've never considered before, like barley and leeks; made interesting combinations like an avocado caprese sandwich; and discovered new favorite products like Pepperidge Farms' Ancient Grains bread. 

But despite the yummy food and great visual aesthetic of Clean Eating, I can't say I enjoy it and would never pay money for an issue. 

Let it be known that I have a BA in English (writing) and was a contibutor and editor to our college publication, am an avid reader and currently subscribe to three food/cooking magazines. You can call me an expert witness in this case of Cohesive Accuracy VS. Disjointed Errors. 

First, there is little direction in the content of the mag and literal directions for some recipes. Food Network and Taste of Home magazines have monthly features; charming narratives; anecdotes about family, fun or parties; and insight on products, techniques or resources. I pore over these issues and have to force myself to not read them cover-to-cover in one siting. But CE,  there might be pages 1-2 lines about, say the benefits of root vegetables, then a series of recipes - some of which don't even include the featured ingredients. Or there are quarter-page articles followed by large ads. Useful content seems limited here.

I don't feel welcome in the world of Clean Eating; I don't feel like anyone is making an effort to sell this lifestyle to me in a way that explains why this might be enjoyable, delicious or do-able. Instead of an inviting publication that excites me to try new things or shows me that I can relate to their chefs and writers. I feel like this is a scrapbook - a collection of quirky recipes (like red velvet cake made of beets) torn from various sources and devoid of context or heart; which doesn't mean they aren't good recipes, but what convinces you to try them?

And if you do try them, I hope you have some culinary skills, or at least the gift of foodie inference. For example, look at this meal plan "recipe" for pepper pork chop:

In a baking dish, pour 2 tbsp chicken broh over 3 oz. pork chop, sprinkle with 1/4 t black pepper; bake. 

 Bake?!

At what temperature?!

For how long?!

At what internal temperature is pork safe to eat?!

I set my oven for 350 and baked for around 10 minutes until they were at 145 internally (which is actually an updated temp standard). But I know people who would crank it to 450 and "bake" until all the broth was evaporated and you were left with nothing but "pepper saw dust."

And of course, the pre-planned grocery lists for ONE include a disclaimer to double ingredients when cooking for two etc. but some of the scheduled recipes are for FOUR servings, so when doubled, you buy $30 of pork tenderloin that you don't need! Taste of Home relies heavily on reader submissions, but they then take every recipe to their test kitchen to perfect it. They make it over and over until all components are properly cooked, the method is accessible to home cooks and the expense is reasonable. Costly mistakes to the reader are inexcuseable, especially if you're trying to inspire home chefs to prepare and eat more healthy meals or convince them that a healthy diet won't break the bank.

I'll happily share some of my successful clean recipes here; but for now, I'd recommend exploring someone else's copies or perusing their (free) website instead of purchasing a subscription. Save your $6 per issue and the $30-worth of pork.