Day 4 of Rice and Beans

It's a quiet evening here at the Holcomb house. Erin is straightening the Christmas tree, and Aziz is studying for his exams at PSU tomorrow. And we are on day 4 of the Rice and Beans diet.

It's been a really good experience so far. Here are the basics of what we are doing:

• During the month of March we are inviting a global movement of people to eat a diet of Rice and Beans. 
• We are doing this as a community for the following reasons: 
• 1. Solidarity - to stand with brothers and sisters in East Africa who can't afford basic food ingredients for their diets. 
• 2. Simplicity - those of us who live in wealthier nations often eat for pleasure and eat in excess. We are choosing to eat simply for a month. 
• 3. Sharing - we will figure out our monthly food budget, and anything saved by this diet will go toward the kids that we love so much in our East African partnerships.
• Erin and I are going through a week of Rice and Beans this week to do a test run.

What are the guidelines?

1. Rice & Beans - Eat only meals of Rice and Beans for one solid month. Rice and Beans form a complete protein, so it ends up being pretty nutritious. But you do need to add some vegetables to get your vitamins and fiber in your diet. Erin and I have also been using our spice cabinet to add some variety. It's actually incredible how many recipes are out there for Rice & Beans. There are also dozens of types of beans and many types of rice available in most grocery stores. You can get pretty creative with the meals. Because East Africans drink a lot of tea, we have also allowed this as the only other beverage other than water (milk is included in East African teas for a spicy milk Chai).
2. Challenge by Choice - It will most likely be quite challenging for most people to go through a month of rice and beans. This is good, I think we all need stretched at times. But make sure that you wholeheartedly choose to participate - and make sure that if family members or friends join you - that everyone is on board. 
3. Work with your situation - If you do have a lot of allergies or health problems, check with your doctor before diving in. Our East African friends told me recently that global food prices have gone up so much that rice is actually out of range for many. If you can't afford rice or don't have it available in your area, figure out another simple meal that works in your situation.
4. Include Community - Invite your family and friends to join in. Cook up some awesome meals together! Invite your school, college, or church to participate. It's much more enjoyable to do it with friends. And at the end of the month schedule a big feast to celebrate. 
5. Have Fun! - Make sure that everyone around you is loved and understands what you are doing. Ideals aren't any fun when love isn't present.
6. Share Online - Post how things are going on our blog or Facebook page. Take a picture of yourself enjoying Rice and Beans and send it to us to add to our Flickr Stream. Share your recipes with us! We want everyone to get involved.

We've been learning a lot. First of all, I feel great! The meals seem to be satisfying and delicious. I don't have the candy, processed foods, and fatty food hangover that I experience when not eating this diet. It just feels really healthy. At the same time, I realize how much comfort is found in food. At various points during the day - especially after something extra stressful or exhausting - I think I should go out and get some coffee, or buy some candy. I've rewarded myself with pleasure foods for many years. Also, we've found that by eating simple meals of Rice and Beans, we cut out 50% to 75% of our grocery and eating out budget. Our final cost for the week (for rice, beans, and vegetables) is going to be about $20. And that includes a good number of organic choices.

The toughest meal to figure out has been breakfasts. My mom used to make something that we called "Rice and Raisins" which is rice, some milk, cinnamon, and sugar and raisins. That's worked pretty well so far - and helps with the leftover rice from the night before.

It's great to be able to do something very practical and invasive to my regular schedule on behalf of my love for the kids in our East African partnerships. I am committed to these kids growing up healthy and having nutritious meals. In this simple act I can be connected and thinking about them several times a day.

So that's day four! If you are interested in joining the event - head on over to our Facebook Event page and sign up! Also, for more details you can visit EatRiceAndBeans.com. And at the end of this week I'll upload a little video of our experiences to show you how we did our week.