Some Days Are A Bitch!

Ok, it was the whole weekend. The whole weekend was a bitch for me. I was missing Jeff who was traveling for work again and Sam is starting to get exceptionally clingy while Jeff is gone. Not cute, sweet, cuddly clingy. Crazed, screaming to the point of nausea, banging, throwing himself violently on the floor the minute he couldn't see me clingy. Plus, I had book (wine :)) club Saturday at which my fellow book lovers chose a fondue buffet and a play date with a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs yesterday. I'm not going to beat myself up but I had a spoonful of cheese fondue, 4 shrimp and a touch of sangria on Saturday and I ate a meatball and the garlic bread that Sam didn't finish yesterday. Is it the end of the world? No! I immediately jumped to a self loathing place last night and then quickly stopped myself.

 

Just as one healthy meal doesn't make us healthy, one irresponsible series of bad food choices over two dinners, doesn't make us fat and unhealthy. I knew the friend with whom we were having the play date was making spaghetti and meatballs so I took a giant salad with my favorite Dijon Date Dressing, oven roasted broccoli, and what's soon to become an all-the-time fixture in our dinner repertoire. Baked cauliflower cheese sticks with marinara. They very nearly meet the nutritarian food choices I've been making. They do have one egg white which I'm not savvy enough just yet to know how to replace. Otherwise, I was able to modify the recipe ever so slightly to take out all of the oil with the exception of the spray I used so they wouldn't stick. Here's the recipe with my modifications.

 

Baked Cauliflower Cheese Sticks

1/4 of a large head of cauliflower “riced”

2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

1 large egg (white), lightly beaten

1/2 Cup Go Veggie mozzarella and cheddar style cheeses mixed

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning, divided

Marinara Sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 by 5-inch quarter cookie sheet (covered with tin foil) with cooking spray. Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. When you’re done, you should have about 1.5 cups lightly packed. Place the riced cauliflower and the garlic into a microwavable bowl and microwave until softened, about 5 minutes depending on your microwave (no need to add any water). When your cauliflower/garlic is softened, add the lightly beaten egg white, Italian seasonings, and 3/4 of your cheese mix. Be sure to leave 1/4 of the cheese for the topping! Stir and mix well, then spread onto your prepared pan.

Bake at about 400F for about 40 minutes. You may have to play around with your oven to find the right baking temperature. Bake until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, flip the loaf over so the bottom side is now on top, and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Now it’s time to add the remaining cheese and a sprinkle more of the Italian herb seasoning. Place back in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden. Cut into pieces and serve hot or warm. I did find that if you let them sit for a little, they will harden slightly and make them easier for dipping.

 

Commercial spaghetti sauce has an upsetting amount of sodium so I made my own spaghetti dipping sauce.

8 ounce can of no salt added tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

1 teaspoon of onion powder.

 

Here's the one I reheated for today's lunch and it was just as good on the reheat.

 

 

Okay, okay, they didn't stop me from finishing Sam's piece of bread but they stopped me from having more bread and meatballs. They were fantastic dipped in a little spaghetti sauce. I recommend them wholeheartedly for when you're serving Italian.

 

I slipped a little. I am not perfect. I am a work in progress. And that is okay. Delicious choices like these certainly help my progress. It's also okay to be a little weak sometimes. This is definitely something I struggle with. I'm not great at asking for help, question myself sometimes as I'm sure all humans must do, and bad days happen to me just like they happen to everyone. I'll admit, after Sam was asleep last night, I cried in the tub a little. I cried for his sadness, my inability to fix it immediately, what at the time felt like a much bigger deal than it actually is in my giving in to food, and just because I was overwhelmed.

 

Honestly, that last two sentences might have been the hardest thing I've written in months. And that's okay too!

 



Amazing Nutritarian Spinach Stuffed Mushroom

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my FAVORITE things! They're usually stuffed full of breadcrumbs, or cheese, or crab, or basically all kinds of things I'm not eating as part of my nutritarian food choices. Luckily, Dr. Fuhrman put out the Eat To Live Cookbook late last year that includes an absolutely delicious stuffed mushroom recipe!

 

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

12 large mushrooms, stems separated and chopped (I used 4 medium caps)

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup low or no sodium vegetable broth

5 ounces fresh spinach

2Tablespoons raw almond butter

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

Black pepper to taste

 

Water saute the onion with about 1 Tablespoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and thyme and saute until onions and mushroom stems are tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushroom caps and vegetable broth to pan, bring to simmer and cook 5 minutes (because the mushroom caps I had were kind of flat and thinner than smaller caps, I only left them in about 2 minutes so they would hold a little shape for stuffing). Remove caps from pan and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Add spinach to onion mixture and heat until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in almond butter, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Fill caps with onion/spinach mixture and bake 15-20 minutes.

Man it's hard to take pretty pictures of food. Here's my picture.

Dr. Fuhrman's Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

 

Here's the picture on Dr. Fuhrman's website.

 

 

Whatever, they were so good with a side salad of mixed greens, Cucumber Noodles with Coconut Lime Dressing, and sprouts, I don't care that they kind of deflated on the reheat!

 

On an exercise note: I very nearly wimped out today. Jeff had to get up and head to the airport at 3AM for a work trip and I rolled over while he was getting ready and pushed my alarm to regular time (i.e. no time for a run). When I finally got up and around, I was kicking myself in the ass for not getting with it. As the day wore on, it got easier and easier to think it was no big deal. Husband's gone, no help with Sam or around the house. Surely that grants me a pass right? Right?

 

Wrong!

 

Once I could no longer hear Sam singing to himself and knew that he was asleep, I put on my running gear and got to it. I even added 8 minutes from Wednesday. And I kicked it's ass! I think a lot of us get into trouble by thinking that we can just skip this once or that we don't have to be consistent with our healthy habits. It helps for me to know that this isn't a diet, it's my life and I want to keep on living it so I'll embrace my Friday night sweat with open arms!!! I made a promise to myself, to Jeff and Sam, and to this journey.

 

 

Yea buddy!

 

I Feel Better But How Do I Look?!?

As I've stated before, my particular journey is about health. Weight loss is just one wonderful part of that. I feel great. No more heartburn. No more drag assing at 3 in the afternoon. No more tummy issues. And no more feeling tired before I even got out of bed. My thyroid medication and my hormones are doing their jobs. My supplements are doing their jobs. And my food choices seem to be doing their job.

 

The scale is slowly but surely ticking down, down, down and it's nice to see. Just yesterday, I was able to wear a blazer at work that I hadn't comfortably worn in about 6 months. It was still in my work closet, thank goodness because my arms were freezing yesterday, where I'd hung it in the winter when it was so snug on my arms, I considered getting rid of it.

 

Check out how cute it is! It's like shopping for new clothes without spending any money.

 

 

Okay it's a little rumpled but give me a break, it was in the closet for months. Also, it's a bathroom selfie, something I promised myself I would never do. All in the name of the full disclosure I promised you from the embarrassing start!

 

My mini-victory got me to thinking, why are we so hard on ourselves when it comes to a fitness or health journey? If I say "It's only 9 pounds", then I'm totally setting myself up for failure with a defeatist attitude. The journey has to start somewhere. And not only that, if I walked into the grocery store and lifted a 10 pound bag of potatoes, I guarantee I'd think that was a lot. 9 pounds in 17 days is NOT TOO SHABBY. I allow myself to scream it from the rooftops and be proud!

 

I declare publicly, today, this very moment, to own my victories, all of them no matter how big or small. Own them, celebrate them, and share them. Today I will share that I ran 2 minutes longer than Monday. Not only did I not die, I felt great afterward. Ready to take today by the horns.

 

Don't wait another day. Start with a small victory if you need, just start!

I'm Back In The Saddle Again....Well My Running Shoes Anyway

I had a fabulous weekend. Friday night was my work bowling tournament and the pizza was a hard thing to just walk on by, BUT I did it (for the most part) and my eggplant roll-ups were awesome just as I knew they would be! Ok, I took one bite of my co-workers pizza and ate 2 pepperonis off of another. Interestingly, I bought a beer because it sounded like a good idea and come on, I was bowling, then drank less than half before I ended up tossing it. It just didn't taste as good as I thought it was going to taste. Too bad half a beer isn't available in those cases. AND in one game, I even came in second. That's me, player #2. I don't think I've ever come on second unless there were only 2 of us bowling! Turns out bowling is good exercise for the inner thigh of your lead leg. I'd forgotten that too. I'll take it where I can get it.

 

 

Saturday, we got up early and headed to the zoo about an hour East of home. We made some animal friends, saw some beautiful flowers, and I pushed the stroller up a couple of hills that felt like pretty good exercise to me. After the zoo, we found a wonderful lunch spot that had vegetarian options that were perfect for me. A grilled veggie sandwich on whole wheat pizza dough bread...ok! The bread had a seasoning mix already on it that clearly had salt in it, but this is the real world and I will do the best I can when someone else is preparing my meal. I even ate about 3/4 of the goat cheese that was on it. It was locally made and so, so, so, so good!

 

Sunday we got to FINALLY celebrate Father's Day with my Father-in-law. We had a cookout at the house and I found the most awesome vegan burger so that I could get the delicious, smoky grill flavor too. Voila, the Mushroom, Walnut, Quinoa Spicy Vegan Burger. Check out the rest of this fantastic recipe resource blog HERE. There are LOTS of recipes that can be tweaked slightly to fit the Eat To Live lifestyle.

 

 

Mine weren't nearly this pretty so I am using the photo from the website. I'm going to have to practice getting these to effectively stick together but they are so worth it. I will also grind the walnut in a mill the next time as well so that there aren't chunks of walnut in them. I love the walnut flavor but the texture was a little off-putting. I ate mine with a fat slice of purple onion, delicious black heirloom tomato, spicy mustard, a slice of Go Veggie. This is a new favorite line of mine. I'm just not sure I can have NO cheese most of the time. These are delicious products that melt wonderfully. The slices are thin but that's perfect so I can have the taste and mouth-feel without overdoing it! 

 

My modifications:

1) I used tap water because really, mineral water to boil quinoa....nope.

2) I don't care for teriyaki sauce but it did need the binder and moisture so I substituted stone ground mustard with a splash of low sodium worcestershire.

3) I didn't use any olive oil for frying. I used just enough spray to keep them from sticking, then water as needed when the pan dried out.

4) Instead of finishing them in the oven, I had Jeff pop them on the grill for me. Because they were slightly crumbly, I put them on foil first but I highly recommend this step if you're able.

 

I was also in the mood for a pretty dessert that was more than a bowl of mixed fruit. I found just such a dessert in the Raw Blueberry and Kiwi Tart on the fabulous Blissful Basil blog. Check it out HERE.

 

 

I was relatively sure my in-laws wouldn't want a piece, and thank goodness I was right, so I quartered the recipe and used a mini loaf pan instead of the full sized tart pan she used for the picture above. I only say thank goodness because we had some left-over that I intend to eat after dinner tonight! I ended up with a checkered pattern instead of a circle, and a convert in my husband. He said he especially liked the cashew cream and that he'd like for me to make it again.

 

So, to my title. I had given up running, after over a year of regular sessions, a few months ago mostly because of my energy level. I just didn't feel up to it after work, making dinner, cleaning up, bathtime, bedtime, preparing lunch for the next day, blog posts, laundry, and whatever else came up in the evening. First of all, once your body is back in maximum production mode, it's a lot easier. Seriously, if you aren't felling good, right, normal, whatever you want to call it, make an appointment with your doctor. I chalked it up to "just life", "busy mom", etc. for far too long. I've been feeling a lot more like I thought I should feel at 39 since I first started this journey.

 

Secondly, and maybe more importantly, I had the timing all wrong. Of course I didn't feel like it at the end of the day. I have really full days and I'd like my evenings to be spent with my family and doing other things I love like watching So You Think You Can Dance and reading. I decided to bite the bullet, wake up 45 minutes earlier and start my day off right! I think I might have been more excited than I thought. I woke up and hour and 15 minutes earlier than normal. I actually was only able to run for 18 minutes with 2 minutes of walking on either side today which made me sad because I used to run for 45 minutes no sweat. After I finished, I headed back upstairs and when Jeff woke up he put me straight. That is 22 minutes longer than I ran/walked any of the days in the last few months. He's totally right!

 

SO, I'm proud, energized, and down 8 pounds! Whatever it takes, don't wait another day to feel good. I'll even give you my phone number if it comes down to support. That's how much it means to me.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes It Really Is In Your Mind

I sort of can't believe this. I am hosting a bowling tournament tonight for my work and arranged for pizza, chips, and candy to be available to the bowlers. I knew the smell of the pizza would be tough for me so I packed the eggplant roll-ups from this post so that I would have a pizza-ish dish to eat with the bowlers. As I was packing it this morning, I realized that I was more excited for the roll-ups than the thought of the pizza.

 

I think it comes down to delicious food for me. If I'm not being deprived of delicious things, I don't feel sad about "missing out". Also, it's important to remember this is NOT a diet, it's my life, my health, and my dedication to living to be an old, old woman, for me, and for my family.

 

It doesn't have to be this way!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Remember that the Eat To Live food choices you make aren't always going to be the easiest way to give your body nutrients because it takes more time, preparation, and planning, than pulling into a drive thru or grabbing a quick bite from the convenience store, but your body will thank you. First of all, not to be a Debbie Downer but most of that food isn't actually food. It's a little scary to look at ingredient lists and research on fast food and prepackaged/processed items. More importantly, I haven't felt sluggish, or snacky, in almost two weeks. My energy is good. I haven't had any tummy issues, heartburn, or gastrointestinal yuck since I started eating FOOD. 

 

AND, to keep on track for my self reporting to my doctor at my next appointment (3 months away!!!!!), I am down 8 total pounds since June 9th. While eating MORE food than I did before. In the interest of keeping it fresh, I ordered Dr. Fuhrman's Eat To Live Cookbook (yay!) and I've been scouring Pinterest for yummy recipes that I can modify, try, and share with you. I found another one that is SOOOOO good, I couldn't wait to share it.

 

Cucumber Noodles With Coconut Lime Dressing

 

Due to the site's copyright, I can't print the recipe, but I highly recommend you click on the link and check it out. I found it at an outstanding blog called Rawmazing.

 

My Modifications To The Cucumber Noodles

1) I used a can of coconut milk + 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut instead of the flesh and water from fresh coconut because I live in Missouri and frankly, some ingredients aren't easy to find.

2) I used white sesame seeds because that's what I had.

3) I used 1/4 teaspoon Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos instead of salt

 

My Modifications To The Hot Chili Garlic Sauce

1) I only used 3 hot chilis so I could be less sparing than instructed :).

2) I replaced the salt with 1/4 teaspoon Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos.

3) I didn't used ANY sweetener.

 

Happy, Healthy Eating

 

 

 

Great News From My Doctor AND A Yummy Tomato Soup

I had a follow up for the thyroid and liver issues today and the news was so, so, so great. I am responding really well to the medications and Eat To Live food changes that I don't have to go back for three months!!!!!! And I can add a little bit of animal protein back into my diet. No more than 2-3 times a week but with a little planning, that should be easy peasey!

 

I know I said last week that I was going to continue to eat the same things that I liked from last week through the 5 weeks and I will continue to recycle some of my favorites but I need a little more variety now that I'm getting the hang of things.

 

I found a raw, vegan tomato soup recipe that very nearly subscribed to all of the Eat To Live program and modified a little to really fit because I LOVE tomato soup and the tomatoes at our farmer's market looked so good that I bought too many. What a happy oops!

 

 

Raw Tomato Basil Soup

 

3 medium ripe tomatoes

3 sun-dried tomato slices

2 stalks of celery

a pinch of onion powder

a pinch of garlic powder (or a giant pinch like I did ;))

1-2 sprigs basil

1/2 avocado

sea salt to taste

 

Cut the tomatoes in half and put in blender. Add sun dried tomatoes and blend until smooth. While the blender is still going, add the celery, sea salt, onion and garlic powder and keep blending until fully incorporated. Then add the basil and continue to blend. Finally, add the avocado and blend for just a few seconds to combine.

 

This recipe was adapted from Linda Wagner's fabulous blog, http://lindawagner.net/blog/. You should check her out. She has a wonderful site full of mind, body, and spirit advice and information.

 

Notes:

Linda used a Vitamix. I don't have one.....yet. It's on my wish list.

Linda used the heat from the blending of the Vitamix to warm her soup. I heated it for about 2 minutes in the microwave because I like, hot, hot, hot soup!

I didn't have any celery so I just left it out. I don't feel the soup suffered any as a result.

I left the salt out on my doctor's advice and added a teaspoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos instead.

 

I may have a new favorite breakfast!! Yep, soup is my favorite breakfast.

Four Dips And Dressings You Shouldn't Live Without

I like vegetables and salads! I also like dips and dressings. Commercial dips and dressings are full of fat, salt (so much salt), and chemicals that I just don't want, or need, in my diet or the diets of my boys. Luckily, there are delicious, easy alternatives to store bought.

 

All but one of these dips and dressings have been featured in previous posts but they deserve their own post with the few changes I've made to them. The changes I've made still subscribe to the Eat To Live philosophy so feel free to feel good about choosing to eat them. The dips are all great with raw veggies or homemade pita/tortilla chips. I made scads of the dressing and eat it on all my salads and steamed veggies!

 

Black Bean Hummus

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or otherno salt seasoning 

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 clove garlic, chopped

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash paprika, for garnish

Blend all the ingredients except the paprika in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth, scraping down the side as needed. Add more seasoning to taste. Add more water to achieve the desired consistency. Garnish with paprika.

 

Dijon Date Dressing

Serves 4

1 cup water [I added a touch more after blending because was too thick to pour]

1/3 cup raw cashew butter

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

4-6 dates, pitted

1-2 cloves garlic

 

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.

 

     Simple Guacamole      

Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

Using a fork, mash the avocados in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and chill.

 

Hell On The Border

Serves 4

1 large tomato

1 large onion

 4 ounce can of diced green chiles

2 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

 

Dice the tomato and onion. Add green chiles, lemon juice and Dr. Braggs.

Note: This is my own recipe, adapted from a staple of my house growing up. My parents lived in New Mexico before I was born and this was on our table as long as tomatoes were good!

 

These are real, good for you food, easy to make and delicious. They LIVE in our fridge now.

Enjoy!

Warning Tough Week Ahead

This is going to be a really tough week. Why? Because I have things going on tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Two of them are dinners with others, one of which should be pretty easy because I was able to arrange for a meat, cheese and crouton free salad. I'll have lemon juice in my purse, yay. The other is a work function at which I have arranged to give away pizza, chips, soda, and chocolate, EEK! I have no idea how I'm going to pull that off. I'll definitely HAVE to pack some of my eggplant roll-ups that have all the pizza flavor.

Tonight and Wednesday night should be okay because they're personal appointments. They are STRAIGHT after work so I'll have to pack something I can carry in like some of my delish soup. It's also my first week of switching the menu up. I'll be eating the things I really liked from last week BUT in my own order.

 

Todays breakfast was an apple and an orange with a Tablespoon and a half of organic peanut butter, yum! I used the peanut butter in place of the flax seeds because I was in the mood for creamy.

 

Lunch was the roasted mushroom and red pepper wrap referenced in my previous post HERE. I used a wrap this time instead of a pita because I was out of pita. Also, I think I just have to admit to myself that I DO NOT like tahini. I did buy a new kind to see if it was just the brand but I just think it's too bitter. I'm going to try the spread for this wrap with cashew butter or maybe sunflower seed butter next time. Maybe a little salty nut kick. Yikes, that sounds gnarly.

I had a hair appointment after work so I packed a soup thermos with my OMG good soup (recipe HERE) to eat while I got my hair done. Remember to add some Dr. Bragg's Liquid Aminos for some depth. I also left the mushrooms whole this time. I really felt like sautéed mushrooms in the soup. I also used sliced celery instead of celery juice. I think it adds another element of interest. I swear, this soup will never not be in fridge again! Write the recipe down, go to the store, make it, and ENJOY!

 

Week One, Day Seven. LOTS Of Food = Lost 6 Lbs.

My doctor asked that I weigh myself once a week to go along with the rest of my information in his chart and I couldn't believe it.......with all the food I ate, I lost 6 lbs this week. This is great but got me to thinking, you really need to make sure before you take on ANY major change that can affect your body this way, you should check with your doctor to make sure that the plan is healthy and makes sense for you. Since my journey is a medical one, as well as a general health one, I am happy to have the guidance, observation, and communication of a fantastic doctor!

 

Breakfast was mixed fruit with flax seed and unsweetened coconut. I've only ever had sweetened coconut and didn't like it so I was leary but you never know when your tastebuds are going to change so what the hell! Turns out, it was just the sugar in the sweetened coconut that I didn't really care for because yummmmmm. I am excited for when I run out of flax meal and can get some actual seeds for texture but I didn't want to be wasteful so I'm using up what I've got first.

 

 

Lunch was raw vegetables with Black Bean Hummus, tortilla crisps that I made, and an apple. To make the crisps, I cut up a whole wheat tortilla into strips and baked at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes but I would check it every 10 minutes because all ovens are different of course.

 

 

 

Dinner was Easy Three Bean Chili, Great Greens, and Banana Walnut Ice Cream.

 

 

So now, to sit down and plan my week's meals with the leftovers I have (I halved a lot of the recipes but I still ended up with a LOT of food), and new combos of the recipes I love from week one!

Week One, Day Six. Today Was A Toughie!

Today was the proverbial bitch. For no reason except Sam and I went to a friends house to hang out and for him to play with her little guy and against my better judgment, I didn't pack my lunch. I did eat an apple and peanut butter for breakfast so I wouldn't be too hungry. AND, I took a fruit salad just in case but then they were eating turkey and cheese sandwiches and all I could think about was the bread, and mayonnaise, and pickles, and cheese, and turkey!

 

The thing is, I realize that because of my body and it's particular processes and shortcomings, I will be confronted with delicious things all of the time that I can only have rarely. It was a good confrontation actually because she also had spinach, cherry tomatoes, and organic lemon juice. So I wasn't stuck AND that's what I had while they had their fabulous sandwiches and Snikiddy Cheese Puffs. Ok, I had one Cheese Puff, seriously, these things are great! If you eat organic and like cheese puffs, they're super light and crunchy and have no GMO, no MSG, are gluten free, have no trans fat, and are kosher. They're still cheese puffs, but as far as brands go, this is a winner!

 

We played hard enough that Sam didn't make it home without passing out.

 

 

I also knew that I has a Simple Bean Burger waiting for me in the fridge when I got home. I made two major changes to this burger. 1) I don't like ketchup, so I used yellow mustard instead. 2) Instead of lettuce and tomato, I had a Tablespoon of vegan cheese. The patties aren't super easy to keep together and aren't pretty, but they're delish!

 

Dr. Furman's Simple Bean Burger

 

Remember how I said they save the best recipes for after you're used to eating pretty bland? Yes again! Dinner was Eggplant Roll-Ups, a spinach salad and steamed asparagus. The eggplant roll-ups had ALL the flavors of veggie pizza and was TOOOOO DIE FOR! I squeezed lemon over the asparagus for a little extra kick and Sam and I ate it like it was going out of style with some leftover mixed fruit from lunch!

 

Dr. Fuhrman's Eggplant Roll-ups

 

 

Dinner totally made up for lunch AND I got a nap in. Overall, a win. Mostly because I had to be really honest with myself about the future and eating with other people. But also because the more recipes I find that are like yesterday's and today's, the easier this is because delicious, colorful food isn't sad, disappointing, or deprivation.

Week One, Day Five. My First Off Day But It's Not What You Think

About a month ago, as my work was nearing the end of it's fiscal year, I scheduled today off for a Mommy day. I like to have a day all to myself about 4-5 times a year and I always end up with a GIANT list of things to do. Today was no different. I dropped Sam this morning and jumped straight into my day.

 

Today's breakfast was supposed to be Blue Apple Nut Oatmeal but I just couldn't get excited about oatmeal so instead I ate the banana and apple I was going to use in the recipe with about a Tablespoon of the peanut butter Sam didn't finish with his breakfast. The nice thing about my breakfast is that it went in the car with me as I headed out.

 

I'm thinking that I might abandon the breakfast recipes for the most part. They are sweetening already sweet fruit up too much for my liking. I'm going to, pending approval of my doctor, just eat the fruit. Back to it.

 

First stop, our local organic, locally grown market. It's SO great, like a farmer's market that's open all year round. Look at this beautiful selection. Seriously, if you have access to a locally grown produce market, whatever it's format, GO THERE!

 

 

I got almost everything on my list including something I've never tried before, gooseberries. Look at these beauties.

 

 

The clerk at the market said "they're really tart, you may not like them". I thought "perfect, tart is what I have really been missing!". Let me tell you I tried one and they were indeed, crazy, deliciously tart.

 

I finished the rest of my shopping at a chain store and then ran some fun errands. Hello Hobby Lobby! Look at these cool flowers. Made me want tea in the garden with Alice.

 

 

Lunch was meant to be edamame with no salt seasoning, Bean Enchiladas, and papaya with lime. I had the edamame and enchiladas BUT replaced the papaya with a handful of gooseberries and about a cup of cherry tomatoes that didn't make it home from the market, oops. I used about a Tablespoon of left-over Simple Guacamole that was left from last night's dinner on top of the enchilada to dress it up a little.

 

 

Okay, WTF. ALL the best recipes are saved for the last couple days. Seriously, are they trying to get you so used to plain food for a couple days that days 5+ are extra jazzy?!? Suffice to say, dinner was fab! We had mixed green salad with the Tofu Ranch that was left over from the other day. I brightened it up with a little lemon juice. The entrée was Thai Vegetable Curry. I have to be honest, I was worried that I would be disappointed. Thai food is one of my favs and I just thought it wouldn't measure up. Shame on me for thinking that over it before I even tasted it. Apart from adding some Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos (less than 1/8 teaspoon), and about 1/4 teaspoon Sambal Oelek because I really wanted it to be spicy, it was perfect. Once again, I say, it really is lovely to taste food without all of the chemicals.

 

 

Sam wanted to eat on the patio again so pardon the tray. It's not to be fancy, it's to get it all out there. After we scarfed our dinner down (I didn't even try to make Sam something different tonight,  I just added raisins to his), we got a yummy treat. Sam said it was his fav-it ouce ceam. Cantaloupe Slush. It was SO perfect that this was on our Friday night menu because it felt special, like we were being naughty. I know it doesn't look pretty but I don't have any parfait glasses and if I did am I put it in there to take a picture and then didn't let Sam have it to drink out of, we would have had a meltdown, and possibly a broken glass for me to clean up.

 

 

This was all I saw of his face until his was all gone......and then he wanted mine.

 

So I was technically "off" the plan a little today but acceptable deviations and delicious meals. Keep it coming Eat To Live!

 

 

 

 

Week One, Day Four. I Love Feeling Full Without Feeling Regret(full)!

Author's Note: I realize regretful is spelled wrong but it's cute, give me a break. Artistic license and all........

I thought I felt great yesterday. I felt even better this morning. That was a surprise considering my dogs kept me up half the night growling at something. I don't love that, right in the middle of the night, when their ruffs are up but nothing is there, or is it? Shit, I don't know but they woke me up enough I finally closed the door and locked them out! I never do that. BUT then I was creeped out and wanted them back in to protect me. We watched Jimmy Fallon clips on Youtube, it was a good time.

 

I was definitely hungry this morning after the exodus yesterday and breakfast was really good despite my reservation of another sweet dish. It was dried apricots that I had soaked overnight in almond milk. The apricots sweetened the milk and the milk softened the apricots just enough that it all got kind of yogurty and perfect. Well, almost perfect. Next time, I'm going to blend it a little so it's just like yogurt. I may also try freezing it, will let you know how that turns out!

 

 

P.S. There has got to be something wrong with my camera phone. All of my photos this morning are turning out looking like they have filters circa 1984 glamour shots.

 

Lunch was supposed to be a mixed green salad with Dijon Date Dressing and berries/fruit of my choosing but I added a cup of last night's soup (Dr. Fuhrman's Anti-Cancer Soup) because YUMMMM! I literally threw every sweet dressing I had left this morning out and will be replacing all of them with this dressing!! It's that amazing. As I did last night, I added a touch of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos to both the dressing and the soup. Baby steps, baby steps.

 

 

Dinner was raw veggies with Simple Guacamole, Lisa's Lovely Lentil Stew, and Collard Greens with Carrots. The guacamole was awesome on the veggies. I liked it more than most restaurant guacamoles AND Sam learned how to say gack-a-molay, SO cute. He also ate most of it with his fingers while he ran around the table. Sheesh! The lentil stew was yum, of course with a little liquid aminos. I think that's just going to be a thing for me. But I figure an 1/8 of a teaspoon in a cup of beans isn't so bad. I DID NOT like the collard greens! The tahini/cashew butter sauce ruined them. I will not be making that again. I really rather just have steamed greens....or maybe some more of that Dijon dressing.

 

 

I'm glad to have my tummy back today exodus-wise and feeling a little less sad about pickles and cheese!

 

 

 

Week One, Day Three. Let's Just Call Today The Mass Exodus

I felt absolutely great this morning. I was worried about energy without animal protein but with beans and tofu, and ALL the spinach, collard greens, and kale I get to eat, energy is not a problem. I did wake up starving so I hurried through my morning routine so that I could get Sam ready and we could have breakfast.

 

I (we, that should just become and automatic exchange when I'm eating with Sam) had an Eat Your Greens Smoothie. I think what I loved most about it was that although it felt a little bit like a shake because of the banana and frozen blueberries, the spinach tamed the sweet factor down. I will be making this again!! Sam says "Sam loooves dis, all time!". I tried to get an adorable picture of his smoothie mustache, but as per usual, he would not slow down long enough to not be a blur across the screen!

 

 

Lunch was Black Bean Mango Salad and pineapple. I didn't actually have any black beans because Sam ate them all but I had red so I improvised. I also added 2 Tablespoons of oil free salsa. I specifically chose pineapple because breakfast was pretty sweet and there was mango in the salad. I wanted something with a little bite because I ate a lot of pickles before and I was missing the sour element. It was all delicious!

 

 

Before I tell you about dinner, let me tell you why I titled today's post mass exodus. If you are reading this you are smart enough to know what that means. Be prepared when your body responds to the huge amount of wonderful fruits and veggies, and beans you'll be enjoying. I was glad to be in my office without outside appointments today. Enough said. Just be prepared in case you respond similarly!

 

On to dinner. Dinner was a mixed green salad with Dijon Date Dressing and Dr. Fuhrman's Anti-Cancer Soup. If I said in either previous post that any meal was my favorite, I was wrong...this was my favorite! I LOVED the dressing and plan to always keep it in the fridge. The cashew butter led such a fantastic richness to the Dijon and the dates added a surprisingly welcome sweet note. The anti-cancer soup sounds very clinical, plain and bland I realize. They should name it veggie bomb or something because it was fantastic. I added about 1/8 teaspoon of Dr. Braggs liquid aminos just because I'm not sure I was ready to give up salt cold turkey. It gave it a little salty kick with low low low sodium

 

I heated up some chicken spaghetti for Sam but, big surprise, he wanted my food. We ate our soup in the dining room..........

 



 

  and then retired to the patio to have our salad. 

 

 

I'm happy that my guy is picking up some cleaner eating habits with me! I kind of makes me think I haven't really tasted food, just salt and preservatives and processing, in a long time because his taste buds haven't had all the years mine have had to get used to, and crave, things that are awful for me. I'm still waiting for that salt craving to wane............

Week One, Day Two. It's Gray Outside But I've Got REALLY Colorful Food!

I woke up feeling pretty great which was surprising considering it was still really overcast after the thunderstorms we had last night. I don't usually sleep well through storms, especially with Jeff gone. I noticed one thing right off, my wedding ring, which had gotten embarrassingly snug, felt a little looser on my finger. Can one day of no salt consumption really make that much of a difference? Who knows, but I don't think it's my imagination. I did resist the urge to weigh myself since it's ONLY BEEN A DAY and I feel good.

Breakfast was a Banana Breakfast to Go. I misread and only microwaved for a minute so the oatmeal was still pretty crunchy but I think this was a happy, fortuitous mistake because I'm not a major oatmeal fan and the thought of WAY mushy oatmeal is NOT appealing to me. Despite the fact that once again, it was slightly sweet for my taste, it was a yum breakfast. I promise it tasted better than it looks. It's not easy to get a pretty picture of oatmeal, blueberries, nuts, and bananas that have been microwaved with liquid.

 

Lunch was my favorite so far. Raw spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, celery, carrots, and peppers, cherries and a kiwi, and steamed broccoli with Sesame Ginger Sauce. The sauce didn't add much to the broccoli so I'm not certain I'd add it again. It might be better as a salad dressing or to mix with black beans for a kick! I made a month's worth so you bet your ass I'll find a way to use it.

 

 

Dinner was salad again with lemon juice and a pear, Chard and Vegetable Medley, and Jenna's Peach Freeze. I totally caved and salted the salad with a tiny smidge of a pinch. It really only added the illusion of saltiness but it psyched my tongue out so I'm happy. I was wrong about lunch being my favorite, the chard and veg was my favorite. That's going in the "Favorites" cookbook.

 

 

The Peach Freeze was totally better out of a zombie cup than it would have been in any other vessel, and as with last nights dinner, I didn't get the whole thing. My little dinner thief stole the last half of my drink and several bites of the chard and veg to go with his tacos and broccoli. His cuteness totally makes up for his thievery!

 

 

Couple notes for today.

I do have a massive headache but I think that's just because I just learned my roof is total crap and will have to be replaced, soon. Dammit!

Also, I think after this week, I may replace some of the fruit dishes with my favorite veggie dishes. I'm just more of a savory lover!

I'm definitely making extra next week since Sam seems to love most of the dishes. More than his own food in some cases.

 

Week One, Day One. How Ominous Does That Sound?

I made an absolute TON of food yesterday (Sunday). It turns out, if you aren't eating animal proteins, you have to (get to) eat scads of food! Just because I'm eating differently doesn't mean I'm suspending my "get it all ready while Sam naps on Sunday so I can enjoy the rest of the week without scrambling to make dinner" habits. Since my plan is to eat the same things for the first couple weeks since there's so much variety, I went ahead and made a couple weeks worth of most of the sauces, veggie dishes, and bean dishes. I also made extra because the veggie dishes sounded so good I thought they could be the sides for the boys, who do not want to give up their meat! Couple that with the chicken spaghetti, taco fixings, and pork chops I made for Sam (Jeff's out of town for work) and my fridge is PACKED. I honestly do not think I could fit anything else in there! I don't think I'll miss the meat much. When it's hot, I don't eat much meat anyway. We'll find out next Sunday when I haven't had animal protein in a week and I'm making the boys food for the week.

 

Right, on to day one.

 

Breakfast was about half a cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries and an orange sprinkled with ground flax seed. Flax seeds are full of Omega-3 fatty acids which are great for lowering elevated triglyceride levels! And, bonus, they added a nice texture. I didn't take a picture because if you don't know what cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries and oranges look like, you might not be ready to eat a fruit heavy diet :).

 

Lunch was a GIANT (as in, I couldn't fit it all on the plate) baby kale, chard, and spinach salad with 1 1/2 cups black beans and balsamic vinegar and a whole wheat pita with tahini spread, roasted red onion and portabello mushroom, fire roasted red peppers, and arugula. Get the recipe HERE. I don't think I got the tahini spread mixed up good enough because there were big chucks of tahini remaining which tastes a little bitter without the accompaniment of the other ingredients. Otherwise yummmm!

 

Dr. Fuhrman's Red Pepper Portobello Pita

 

Here's what was left (not including the cup of baby kale, chard and spinach mix that's in my work fridge). Honestly, I just can't, I'm too full!

 

 

Dinner was another mixed green salad (I used the same mix from lunch) with red peppers and tofu/dill/lemon juice, Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup, and strawberries sprinkled with cocoa powder. The lemon juice on the salad was a breeze because this was already my favorite "dressing" and the tofu and dill with it were a nice combo. The soup was a touch sweet for my taste, likely due to the ground cashew in it but it was not bad. 

 

 

I didn't get all of the peppers or hardly any of the strawberries with cocoa. My little food thief thought it was all too yummy. He even ate about a third of my soup. And this was all in addition to his own dinner!!! Observe......

 

 

 With the amount of food this boy is packing in, he may be 7 feet tall by next week.

 

Day one a success. The food is delicious if a little focused on the sweet side, I felt good and full all day and my little guy likes it all too. So far, I just, plain miss salt. Keeping my fingers crossed the craving is short lived. It IS interesting to taste food, really taste it without all of the salt. I'm excited for what this journey holds yet.

So it begins.........

Monday, June 9th, 2014

 

At 5 AM, when I woke up, a new journey began, a quest really. For health, for normalcy, to "feel right" again, and to live as long as I can for my son Sam, and for my husband Jeff, and for me. I want the footprint that I leave behind to mean as much as possible and not to be dragging behind for anything. My main reasons for wanting to improve my health in a major way?

 

 

Words have not actually been invented that can describe my love for these two, my boys! You can read lots more about them, our lives, our travels, our fun at redheadedmother.blogspot.com.

 

I recently began seeing a Doctor. Things didn't feel normal. It didn't matter what I did, how much I exercised, or what I ate (or didn't), after my pregnancy, things got out of whack.

 

 Will this disclosure be embarrassing? Yes, but I am committed to keeping myself honest by sharing the journey. I am starting out today at 221 lbs. This is unacceptable. Further more, and much more importantly, I don't really feel good, a lot. Not bad, just not great. I'm going to share my ups and downs because it's important for other women to know how to avoid having to take this journey too.

Almost immediately after delivering Sam, I was sick and my Doctors weren't sure why. My liver enzymes were through the roof and my platelet count was through the floor. A liver specialist was called in and I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome. HELLP Syndrome is a life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia. Both conditions usually occur during the later stages of pregnancy, or sometimes (as in my case) after childbirth. Read more HERE.

 

My OB/GYN and the liver specialist both said it would take a while to get back to normal but Sam is going to be three in November and I can still see the outline of myself on the sheets from the night sweats and despite several different lifestyle changes, my weight has actually increased about 20 lbs in the last year.

 

Was it possible that there were other things going on? Was it possible that the HELLP Syndrome played a hand in other issues? Does it really matter why when you don't feel right? Tell your Doctor and get well! My OB/GYN recommended I see a hormone specialist since late pregnancy/delivery complications can force other body systems into over/under drive.

 

I had a complete battery of blood tests and learned the following:

1) I have hypothyroidism.

2) My body is no longer producing estrogen/progesterone OR testosterone normally.

3) I have high cholesterol.

4) I am Niacin deficient.

5) Although not diseased (thank GOD!!), my liver is underprocessing which may be a result of the incidence of increased liver enzymes due to HELLP Syndrome.

 

I was certainly non-plussed, depressed even, to hear this news but my Doctor assured me that we could pretty easily get back on track. He prescribed the following (numbers correspond to numbers above):

1) 1-Grain for the thyroid

2) topical testosterone first thing in the morning and topical estrogen/progesterone right at bedtime

3) Alaskan salmon oil for cholesterol

4) Niacin (duh)

5) Sam-E to support my liver

 

One of the things I love about my Doctor is that he is passionate about ONLY the necessary prescription medications. 1-Grain and the topical hormones are the only prescription medicines listed, the others are supplements. In the interest of the "let's handle this without a medicine cabinet for of drugs" philosophy, he also recommended a diet change. A rather extreme (on the face of it) diet change.

 

This will be the primary focus of this blog. Dr. Fuhrman's Eat To Live program is usually meant for weight loss but my Doctor recommended it for me as a way to improve overall health. Weight loss should be a nice side-effect. The main tenant of the program is that the more nutrient-dense food you consume, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods.

 

As recommended, I will start out with six weeks of the strictly vegan part of the plan to see how it affects, along with my supplements, my LDL, HDL, triglycerides, etc. The worst part, no wine with dinner :(. I'm kidding, that's miniscule price to pay.

I will share the recipe information from Dr. Fuhrman's on a day-by-day basis because otherwise, this blog will be even ridiculously longer than it already is, phew! More information can be found HERE or buy the book HERE.