I have gotten pretty lazy lately about what I'm cooking and eating. We went on vacation last week and even though I was thoroughly rested and totally relaxed I still hurt. My lower back hurt, my hands and feet hurt, doing simple walks with the girls hurt -- I just hurt. So I decided to start "The Plan" again. Not because I want to loose weight - although that helps, but mostly because I felt good while on it.
I hate the flax cereal though -- so did some research and discovered a recipe that's an alternative -- Blueberry Pear Compote. Read through it and thought I could use my vitamix. It worked great and tastes wonderful too!!
Day one is off to a good start.
1/2 c frozen or fresh blueberries
1/2 pear
1/2 c water or milk (I used homemade rice milk)
1/8 c chia seeds
1 Tbsp almonds (I used maybe 6 or 8)
1 1/2 tsp agave or sweetner of choice
1/2 tsp of cinnamon or more to taste or cardamom or nutmeg or ginger, whatever you prefer
Whiz until blended to your choice of creaminess. I don't like any chunks of blueberry skins, so I did it longer than most people would. It turns out like pudding or a really thick milkshake. Next time I'll add some ice.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Day 3 - getting closer to normal foods
Down 1.4 lbs!!
Woke up feeling pretty good today!! Adding chick peas to lunch today!! Also not going to do chicken tonight for supper. Doing the brown rice from last night and then next time it's a protein I'll do the fish which I've already tested and then do pinto beans. Both of those are non reactive for me, so it shouldn't be a problem. Then when it comes time to test a new protein, I'm going to do egg whites or lentils -- probably lentils first. If the bread test works this time, then I'm going to also try gluten -- gives a few more options :-)
I know this is crazy rambling -- super super tired - can't wait until this week is over. Busy schedule.
Woke up feeling pretty good today!! Adding chick peas to lunch today!! Also not going to do chicken tonight for supper. Doing the brown rice from last night and then next time it's a protein I'll do the fish which I've already tested and then do pinto beans. Both of those are non reactive for me, so it shouldn't be a problem. Then when it comes time to test a new protein, I'm going to do egg whites or lentils -- probably lentils first. If the bread test works this time, then I'm going to also try gluten -- gives a few more options :-)
I know this is crazy rambling -- super super tired - can't wait until this week is over. Busy schedule.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Day 2 - Cheating - just a little!!
So first things first -- lost exactly 1 lb -- woo hoo!!!
Started with 24 oz of water -- ugh. The more I drink first thing in the morning, the less I have to deal with during the day. I don't know why it's so hard for me to drink water, I don't mind the taste of it, just have a hard time drinking it on an empty stomach, and remembering to do it.
Since today was Sunday, I slept in a little and had a late breakfast and an even later lunch, so I sort of combined lunch and supper with a little snack in between. It all works - I think :-)
I also cheated just a bit, well not really cheated, just had a piece of chocolate this afternoon. Since I've sort of done these days already, I know chocolate is fine and I needed a pick me up this afternoon.
Spent Mother's Day with my girlies, minus their dad - he was off on a work "play" date. He had the "job" of supervising a bunch of students on their trip to Carowinds amusement park. But that's okay, I'm not really a big one for commercial holidays -- Valentines, Mother's Day, birthdays, etc.... Anything that involves doing something for myself, I've pretty much learned to let it go. Now if it's for the girls or involves them (like Father's day or Kevin's b-day) I'll try to make a big deal out of it so that they can learn that making people feel special is important. But, I try to teach them to do that during the "off" season as well.
Headed off to bed -- I've been trying to finish a knitting project and wanted to get it done tonight, but I'm too tired to keep my stitches pretty -- so tomorrow it must be!!
Started with 24 oz of water -- ugh. The more I drink first thing in the morning, the less I have to deal with during the day. I don't know why it's so hard for me to drink water, I don't mind the taste of it, just have a hard time drinking it on an empty stomach, and remembering to do it.
Since today was Sunday, I slept in a little and had a late breakfast and an even later lunch, so I sort of combined lunch and supper with a little snack in between. It all works - I think :-)
I also cheated just a bit, well not really cheated, just had a piece of chocolate this afternoon. Since I've sort of done these days already, I know chocolate is fine and I needed a pick me up this afternoon.
Spent Mother's Day with my girlies, minus their dad - he was off on a work "play" date. He had the "job" of supervising a bunch of students on their trip to Carowinds amusement park. But that's okay, I'm not really a big one for commercial holidays -- Valentines, Mother's Day, birthdays, etc.... Anything that involves doing something for myself, I've pretty much learned to let it go. Now if it's for the girls or involves them (like Father's day or Kevin's b-day) I'll try to make a big deal out of it so that they can learn that making people feel special is important. But, I try to teach them to do that during the "off" season as well.
Headed off to bed -- I've been trying to finish a knitting project and wanted to get it done tonight, but I'm too tired to keep my stitches pretty -- so tomorrow it must be!!
Back on Track - Day 1
If you've been keeping up you know I started Lyn Genet's "the plan" anti-diet and loved it!! But then before I could really get it majorly going real life happened. (One of these days I'm going to figure out how to keep that from occurring!!) So between working 10-12hrs a day and trying to keep my family fed, it was just way too much to try and add time to cook another set of meals for me, so I put it on pause for a while -- 3 weeks. Good news is that in that time with all the craziness of whatever I only gained 2 of the lbs I had lost!!
After being on the diet for 12 days I could definitely tell a difference, not so much while I was doing it, but for sure after I quit. I didn't realize how much pain I actually lived with on a daily basis until it was gone and then back again!! So, I decided to go back to it and yesterday was the first day.
If I had known what the day would bring, I probably would have waited until another day, but I had already put it off by one day -- I had wanted to start Friday, so went ahead and took the plunge. Breakfast was right on track -- more "yummy" flax granola!! with fresh blueberries - another thing I'm not thrilled about eating. Lunch was going to be carrot soup, fresh greens, and steamed broccoli. I managed to get the broccoli part right. I spent the morning in the cafeteria helping with lunch, my family ended up going home to eat and I didn't bother to fix anything - just pigged out on the fresh steamed broccoli in the cafe. Supper was back on track with sauteed veggies in the coconut sauce - that has to be an all time favorite - and carrot beet salad. I am surprised I like the salad so much, but it's really good, especially when you add a little orange zest olive oil to it.
Here's to feeling good, eating healthy, and enjoying the added benefit of a little weight loss!! Will post results tomorrow.
After being on the diet for 12 days I could definitely tell a difference, not so much while I was doing it, but for sure after I quit. I didn't realize how much pain I actually lived with on a daily basis until it was gone and then back again!! So, I decided to go back to it and yesterday was the first day.
If I had known what the day would bring, I probably would have waited until another day, but I had already put it off by one day -- I had wanted to start Friday, so went ahead and took the plunge. Breakfast was right on track -- more "yummy" flax granola!! with fresh blueberries - another thing I'm not thrilled about eating. Lunch was going to be carrot soup, fresh greens, and steamed broccoli. I managed to get the broccoli part right. I spent the morning in the cafeteria helping with lunch, my family ended up going home to eat and I didn't bother to fix anything - just pigged out on the fresh steamed broccoli in the cafe. Supper was back on track with sauteed veggies in the coconut sauce - that has to be an all time favorite - and carrot beet salad. I am surprised I like the salad so much, but it's really good, especially when you add a little orange zest olive oil to it.
Here's to feeling good, eating healthy, and enjoying the added benefit of a little weight loss!! Will post results tomorrow.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Hitting the Pause Button
So I did restart a few days back from where I should have originally have been and it was great. But then life happened and at this point I don't have enough foods tested that make it super simple to just grab something and eat.
Because of the weekend and then next Wed - Sun being crazy days, well even Monday and Tuesday, I'll be putting in cafe hrs - it's just easier to not worry about it for a few days.
Thank you for all who faithfully read and are following my "plan." Don't worry, I do like it and am totally noticing a big difference -- The lowest my weight got down to was almost 8 lbs from where I started!! Not only is that awesome, but my joints felt better :-) So I am going to keep it up, just hitting the pause button while I work in the MPA cafeteria for the next week or so.
I'll let you know when I start again and how it all goes.
Because of the weekend and then next Wed - Sun being crazy days, well even Monday and Tuesday, I'll be putting in cafe hrs - it's just easier to not worry about it for a few days.
Thank you for all who faithfully read and are following my "plan." Don't worry, I do like it and am totally noticing a big difference -- The lowest my weight got down to was almost 8 lbs from where I started!! Not only is that awesome, but my joints felt better :-) So I am going to keep it up, just hitting the pause button while I work in the MPA cafeteria for the next week or so.
I'll let you know when I start again and how it all goes.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Day 11 Again
Okay, back on track!!
No flax granola this morning, instead a rye cracker with almond butter - thinking I like it better than peanut butter. I just need to get a vitamix and make my own :-) Also had a pear - they are so good right now and cheaper than most fruit in the grocery store. But don't worry - the flax granola is in the oven, so there will be more tomorrow - HURRAY - NOT!!
Lunch was sauteed kale with chickpeas, sunflower seeds and diced apple. Finished off with orange oil. Just me -- Kevin was busy with campus clean-up day.
Snack is salt-free potato chips. They don't taste bad, but you do notice the oil taste more without the salt. Think I like my own better, plus the packaged ones are a bear to find.
Supper is tilapia. I wish I could have the fish as often as chicken -- I enjoy the fish, the chicken is just kind of blah!! Tomorrow I'll do pinto beans as a protein - next protein test will be eggs - then I can have a frittata with all the yummy veggies.
Having a hard time with a massive headache today - think it's allergy related. The book suggests a supplement to help with allergies, thinking I might give it a try. Water intake still is a struggle. I just don't think about drinking water, not that I don't like it, just not in the habit of regular drinking.
Weight loss today = .8lbs
Total weight loss = 6.6lbs although I've lost and gained that a couple of times :-)
No flax granola this morning, instead a rye cracker with almond butter - thinking I like it better than peanut butter. I just need to get a vitamix and make my own :-) Also had a pear - they are so good right now and cheaper than most fruit in the grocery store. But don't worry - the flax granola is in the oven, so there will be more tomorrow - HURRAY - NOT!!
Lunch was sauteed kale with chickpeas, sunflower seeds and diced apple. Finished off with orange oil. Just me -- Kevin was busy with campus clean-up day.
Snack is salt-free potato chips. They don't taste bad, but you do notice the oil taste more without the salt. Think I like my own better, plus the packaged ones are a bear to find.
Supper is tilapia. I wish I could have the fish as often as chicken -- I enjoy the fish, the chicken is just kind of blah!! Tomorrow I'll do pinto beans as a protein - next protein test will be eggs - then I can have a frittata with all the yummy veggies.
Having a hard time with a massive headache today - think it's allergy related. The book suggests a supplement to help with allergies, thinking I might give it a try. Water intake still is a struggle. I just don't think about drinking water, not that I don't like it, just not in the habit of regular drinking.
Weight loss today = .8lbs
Total weight loss = 6.6lbs although I've lost and gained that a couple of times :-)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Going Backwards!!
Okay -- accountability time :-)
I have been doing really well with this eating plan, but on Friday Kevin basically decided he was done - well at least partway. He would eat what was fixed but was feeling very very free to supplement with whatever he wanted. Because of that I haven't been fixing the entire meals.I haven't eaten anything that wasn't on the plan, just haven't followed it to the letter. Life has been busy and it's just been crazy so I've decided to go back to day 11.
Day 11 was a rest day, so that will give me a chance to recover from not really eating as well as I should have and then I can move forward on day 12 testing another vegetable and on day 14 I'll test bread again.
The only downside is more flax granola!!
I have been doing really well with this eating plan, but on Friday Kevin basically decided he was done - well at least partway. He would eat what was fixed but was feeling very very free to supplement with whatever he wanted. Because of that I haven't been fixing the entire meals.I haven't eaten anything that wasn't on the plan, just haven't followed it to the letter. Life has been busy and it's just been crazy so I've decided to go back to day 11.
Day 11 was a rest day, so that will give me a chance to recover from not really eating as well as I should have and then I can move forward on day 12 testing another vegetable and on day 14 I'll test bread again.
The only downside is more flax granola!!
Day 12 - new vegetable
Today is another test day which means I'm totally going to be religious about what I eat so that there is no question as to a reaction or not. That also means being very diligent about my water intake -- UGH!! Still get tired of drinking so much water!!
Breakfast was more flax granola with a yummy yummy red pear!!
Lunch looked interesting - when I made it I wasn't sure it would be good or not, but it turned out pretty good. Vegetable Timbale -- layer zucchini, red onion, kale, soft crumbly goat cheese, carrots and mushrooms all shredded or thinly sliced. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It was good, we had it with rye crackers.
Supper was the new vegetable test. Kevin wanted to try tomatoes, so as the book suggested I got a roma to make a version of chicken parmesan. I took onions and garlic, sauteed them added some zucchini slices (I had half left over from lunch) and then the diced roma tomato. Let this simmer for a bit with some italian seasonings and then spooned it over chicken. It was fairly good. I'm not a big fan of chicken and we've had lots and lots of it lately. Can't wait to test a new protein!! We also had broccoli for supper. Trying to get in as many veggies as possible today so that the chances of a reaction will decrease.
No such luck -- I gained .8lbs today. Guess no more tomatoes for a while!!
Breakfast was more flax granola with a yummy yummy red pear!!
Lunch looked interesting - when I made it I wasn't sure it would be good or not, but it turned out pretty good. Vegetable Timbale -- layer zucchini, red onion, kale, soft crumbly goat cheese, carrots and mushrooms all shredded or thinly sliced. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It was good, we had it with rye crackers.
Supper was the new vegetable test. Kevin wanted to try tomatoes, so as the book suggested I got a roma to make a version of chicken parmesan. I took onions and garlic, sauteed them added some zucchini slices (I had half left over from lunch) and then the diced roma tomato. Let this simmer for a bit with some italian seasonings and then spooned it over chicken. It was fairly good. I'm not a big fan of chicken and we've had lots and lots of it lately. Can't wait to test a new protein!! We also had broccoli for supper. Trying to get in as many veggies as possible today so that the chances of a reaction will decrease.
No such luck -- I gained .8lbs today. Guess no more tomatoes for a while!!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Day 11
Blessed Sabbath -- what a fantastic day. I have been feeling better and better and the weather is gorgeous - well minus a few allergy issues.
Aside -- I have noticed that since I've been doing this plan I haven't had the terrible time with allergies that I normally do. There is still a bit of itchy eyes and sniffles, but nothing like years past.
We decided to take the girls and go on a picnic - Kevin's first question was "What about our diet??"
That's one of the awesome things about this plan, it's not any weird foods and is flexible enough to accomodate any plans you might have. I looked at the book, it's a no test day, and the plan for today was a kale salad with salt free potato chips for a snack, so we combined those two -- I made the dressing for the salad, put it in the bottom of a quart jar, added the sauteed kale, chickpeas and apple and we were ready to go.
Off to Deep Creek -- neither one of us had ever been there and wanted to check out the tubing and camping for future reference. Had our picnic, went hiking, drove and explored, and then headed home.
Supper was supposed to be an approved protein with a vegetable timbale - basically a layered vegetable dish with cheese. We had eaten a late lunch and weren't that hungry so I just decided to heat up the leftover vegetable soup and call it good with the addition of a rye cracker.
Weight loss for the day = .6lbs
Total weight loss = 6.6lbs
PS -- If you're looking for salt free potato chips in Asheville, the only place you will find them is Green Life. Trust me, I went all over Asheville Friday to find them!
Aside -- I have noticed that since I've been doing this plan I haven't had the terrible time with allergies that I normally do. There is still a bit of itchy eyes and sniffles, but nothing like years past.
We decided to take the girls and go on a picnic - Kevin's first question was "What about our diet??"
That's one of the awesome things about this plan, it's not any weird foods and is flexible enough to accomodate any plans you might have. I looked at the book, it's a no test day, and the plan for today was a kale salad with salt free potato chips for a snack, so we combined those two -- I made the dressing for the salad, put it in the bottom of a quart jar, added the sauteed kale, chickpeas and apple and we were ready to go.
Off to Deep Creek -- neither one of us had ever been there and wanted to check out the tubing and camping for future reference. Had our picnic, went hiking, drove and explored, and then headed home.
Supper was supposed to be an approved protein with a vegetable timbale - basically a layered vegetable dish with cheese. We had eaten a late lunch and weren't that hungry so I just decided to heat up the leftover vegetable soup and call it good with the addition of a rye cracker.
Weight loss for the day = .6lbs
Total weight loss = 6.6lbs
PS -- If you're looking for salt free potato chips in Asheville, the only place you will find them is Green Life. Trust me, I went all over Asheville Friday to find them!
Hurray for Pinto Beans!!
Day 10 -- determined to do this day right so there are no questions if I have a reaction to pinto beans or not!!
Breakfast was flax cereal with half an apple - I'm actually liking the rice milk.
Lunch was a new soup recipe. It actually wasn't that bad - onions, garlic, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, and kale all mixed with coconut milk, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. I do have to admit I'm getting a little tired of zucchini -- I don't mind it in little bits, but it gets old for me fast. I am liking the kale and the butternut squash though.
And finally, for this southern girl, PINTO BEANS!!! I was so looking forward to them, I wasn't even going to miss the cornbread - it's better eaten with milk anyway :-)
Unfortunately I was terribly disappointed. They were so salty, it was almost impossible to eat. At first I wondered if it was because I hadn't eaten much salt the last days, but then the girls had them and they were going on and on how salty they were. I had been busy in the kitchen and Kevin was helping me, guess I told him way too much to put in :-)
I was a little worried that because of the salt I wouldn't be down as much as I could, but I still ended up being down .6lbs!
That makes a total of 5.8 lbs so far
Breakfast was flax cereal with half an apple - I'm actually liking the rice milk.
Lunch was a new soup recipe. It actually wasn't that bad - onions, garlic, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, and kale all mixed with coconut milk, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. I do have to admit I'm getting a little tired of zucchini -- I don't mind it in little bits, but it gets old for me fast. I am liking the kale and the butternut squash though.
And finally, for this southern girl, PINTO BEANS!!! I was so looking forward to them, I wasn't even going to miss the cornbread - it's better eaten with milk anyway :-)
Unfortunately I was terribly disappointed. They were so salty, it was almost impossible to eat. At first I wondered if it was because I hadn't eaten much salt the last days, but then the girls had them and they were going on and on how salty they were. I had been busy in the kitchen and Kevin was helping me, guess I told him way too much to put in :-)
I was a little worried that because of the salt I wouldn't be down as much as I could, but I still ended up being down .6lbs!
That makes a total of 5.8 lbs so far
Friday, April 12, 2013
Day Nine -- no test
Today is a friendly day which is a good thing considering I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by a mac truck. My lower body did not want to work. My toes, ankles, knees and hips were all stiff and protested any movement.
I don't know if it was the bread I ate yesterday -- that was the test and I also gained .2 lbs - but I also have been on my feet a more than lately in the same position frying meatballs and I know my water was messed up as well. I also ate a couple trays of ice and I know that throws off my gut as well. I'm not going to totally give up on bread, I will try it again, but for now I'll leave it for Kevin to enjoy :-) Guess it's back to rye crackers for me.
I did the whole flax for breakfast, but today added a little flax nuggets to it.
Lunch was a massive salad with a little bit of cheese - we've discovered we don't like the goat's milk cheddar.
Supper was brown rice, sauteed broccoli and another - yep, you guessed it - salad!!
Good news is that I'm down the .2 lbs and slept very well with no pain :-)
I don't know if it was the bread I ate yesterday -- that was the test and I also gained .2 lbs - but I also have been on my feet a more than lately in the same position frying meatballs and I know my water was messed up as well. I also ate a couple trays of ice and I know that throws off my gut as well. I'm not going to totally give up on bread, I will try it again, but for now I'll leave it for Kevin to enjoy :-) Guess it's back to rye crackers for me.
I did the whole flax for breakfast, but today added a little flax nuggets to it.
Lunch was a massive salad with a little bit of cheese - we've discovered we don't like the goat's milk cheddar.
Supper was brown rice, sauteed broccoli and another - yep, you guessed it - salad!!
Good news is that I'm down the .2 lbs and slept very well with no pain :-)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Day Eight -- BREAD
Finally we were all able to get a good night's rest and everyone is back to normal schedule today - meaning my house is blissfully quiet this morning. Got up with the girls to get them off to school and started a batch of bread - it's now in the oven smelling quite wonderful :-)
Today's test is bread - plain wheat or white. I figured if I made it myself I would know exactly what went into it and hopefully it would be a little less reactive. Plus Kevin is so excited about trying bread that I want to give him the best chance of all.
Breakfast - the same old same old - flax granola
Lunch was a salad and then Kevin's coveted piece of bread with goat cheese and avocado.
For supper we had tilapia and zucchini with coco sauce. Yummy.
Went to bed last night and it was awful -- I was still awake at 2am and for the first time in a week or so I was hurting. My toes and ankles had aching joints. Finally I was able to get to sleep, only to awake in pain. My knees and hips made it painful to get up and down from a sitting position. The scale also showed a slight gain. Not the average gain that the book says should happen, but I'm thinking the pain is a positive sign of reacting to the wheat.
I'm not going to do bread tomorrow and see if some of this stuff goes away.
Weight gain = .2lbs
Today's test is bread - plain wheat or white. I figured if I made it myself I would know exactly what went into it and hopefully it would be a little less reactive. Plus Kevin is so excited about trying bread that I want to give him the best chance of all.
Breakfast - the same old same old - flax granola
Lunch was a salad and then Kevin's coveted piece of bread with goat cheese and avocado.
For supper we had tilapia and zucchini with coco sauce. Yummy.
Went to bed last night and it was awful -- I was still awake at 2am and for the first time in a week or so I was hurting. My toes and ankles had aching joints. Finally I was able to get to sleep, only to awake in pain. My knees and hips made it painful to get up and down from a sitting position. The scale also showed a slight gain. Not the average gain that the book says should happen, but I'm thinking the pain is a positive sign of reacting to the wheat.
I'm not going to do bread tomorrow and see if some of this stuff goes away.
Weight gain = .2lbs
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Day 7 - no test
So I need to figure my water intake out on the days I'm not at home. Both days that I've been at the cafe frying meatballs have been my worst loss days - NO, I haven't cheated :-) But the first day I drank an extra glass and only lost .2 so yesterday I didn't drink any extra and still only lost .2. But hey loss is loss, when it's gone it's gone!!
Breakfast was more flax cereal and pear.
Lunch was pretty ugh -- roasted squash/kale salad with manchego cheese on mixed greens with a rye cracker.
Snack was salt free potato chips - since I couldn't find any local, I made my own. Sliced them super super thin and fried -- not too bad, but I'm going to find some online and order them. Or maybe check locally at Green Life.
Supper was kind of uh too - I took the leftover chicken, shredded it, mixed it with some lime juice, cilantro and chia seeds and put that on mixed greens. We also had lemon garlic broccoli.
Dessert was the best part -- just plain chocolate!!
Kevin said again today how my skin was just glowing -- I told him it was because I was pregnant!!
Tomorrow is bread and Kevin can't wait!!
Weight loss for today - .2lbs
total loss = 5.2 lbs
Breakfast was more flax cereal and pear.
Lunch was pretty ugh -- roasted squash/kale salad with manchego cheese on mixed greens with a rye cracker.
Snack was salt free potato chips - since I couldn't find any local, I made my own. Sliced them super super thin and fried -- not too bad, but I'm going to find some online and order them. Or maybe check locally at Green Life.
Supper was kind of uh too - I took the leftover chicken, shredded it, mixed it with some lime juice, cilantro and chia seeds and put that on mixed greens. We also had lemon garlic broccoli.
Dessert was the best part -- just plain chocolate!!
Kevin said again today how my skin was just glowing -- I told him it was because I was pregnant!!
Tomorrow is bread and Kevin can't wait!!
Weight loss for today - .2lbs
total loss = 5.2 lbs
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
No More Flax!!
So now I know how the Biggest Loser contestants feel when they've had a really good week and then hit a 2 or 3 -- that's how I feel about the last couple of days. .6 and .2 aren't the biggest numbers, especially the .2 -- but I guess it's still a loss. I'm just trying to figure out why. I think I may have actually had too much water. Compensating for a little bit of sweat when I shouldn't have. Oh well, back on track for today.
Day Six -- New protein - tilapia
So breakfast is the same old, same old, more flax granola -- ugh. Can't wait until day eight to try a piece of bread so at least I can rotate between toast and flax granola. At least I get to add some fruit to the granola, otherwise I'd go crazy!!
Lunch was really good -- I'd forgotten how much I enjoy salad. And I'm not even craving any tomato!! It was spring greens with grated beets and carrots, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas. And just a little bit of orange olive oil and lemon juice.
We started late so no snack yesterday -- but supper was tilapia and roasted squash/kale salad. My girls have enjoyed trying the different cheeses we've been eating. Hannah likes the goat cheese - Jack was the one we got, while Rachel enjoys the sheep's cheese, both Parmesan and manchego -- although I can't figure out what the difference between the two is, maybe aging period.
For dessert last night, we had apple and pear slices drizzled with chocolate and then sprinkled with chia seeds. Well some of us had chia seeds - Kevin laughed when I put the chia seeds on - he said it was funny to eat healthy food with chocolate :-)
I've started to tell a difference -- while we were sitting at the table, Kevin kept looking at me and finally I'm like "what?" He said you look different, it's not your hair. Finally he said my skin looked different and then I went and looked in the mirror. I thought my jawline was tighter, so I started feeling it (as a massage therapist, touch is better than sight for me!) and sure enough, both my jawline and my neck feel much less puffy. My mom is coming up here on Friday, it will be two weeks since I've seen her, be interesting to see if she notices anything.
Weight loss today = .6lbs
total weight loss = 5 lbs
Day Six -- New protein - tilapia
So breakfast is the same old, same old, more flax granola -- ugh. Can't wait until day eight to try a piece of bread so at least I can rotate between toast and flax granola. At least I get to add some fruit to the granola, otherwise I'd go crazy!!
Lunch was really good -- I'd forgotten how much I enjoy salad. And I'm not even craving any tomato!! It was spring greens with grated beets and carrots, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas. And just a little bit of orange olive oil and lemon juice.
We started late so no snack yesterday -- but supper was tilapia and roasted squash/kale salad. My girls have enjoyed trying the different cheeses we've been eating. Hannah likes the goat cheese - Jack was the one we got, while Rachel enjoys the sheep's cheese, both Parmesan and manchego -- although I can't figure out what the difference between the two is, maybe aging period.
For dessert last night, we had apple and pear slices drizzled with chocolate and then sprinkled with chia seeds. Well some of us had chia seeds - Kevin laughed when I put the chia seeds on - he said it was funny to eat healthy food with chocolate :-)
I've started to tell a difference -- while we were sitting at the table, Kevin kept looking at me and finally I'm like "what?" He said you look different, it's not your hair. Finally he said my skin looked different and then I went and looked in the mirror. I thought my jawline was tighter, so I started feeling it (as a massage therapist, touch is better than sight for me!) and sure enough, both my jawline and my neck feel much less puffy. My mom is coming up here on Friday, it will be two weeks since I've seen her, be interesting to see if she notices anything.
Weight loss today = .6lbs
total weight loss = 5 lbs
Monday, April 8, 2013
Day Five -- Rye
Today was a good day -- I ate so much that I was full all day long!! It's crazy to think I can eat and still the 1/2 lbs come off :-)
I made more flax granola last night -- this time I cooked it to death, well not really, but instead of only cooking it the suggested 50 minutes I cooked it for 2 1/2 hrs. It made the flax crunchy instead of having soggy mushy spots. Definitely much more palatable. And the rice milk is way way better than coconut milk.
Lunch was super yummy - just a big salad with carrots, avocado, pumpkin seeds and Jack goat's cheese. I added a little cilantro and fresh lemon just for fun. We also had rye crackers with it.
Supper was yum too! A chicken breast with apricot glaze (apricot jam with water, ground ginger and cumin) baked in the oven for a while and then I took some red onion, sliced it real thin, sauteed it with a little olive oil, added some kale and then once it was done topped it with sheep's milk parmesan. I served it separately, but I decided to shred the chicken and mix it all together on my plate. Delicious!!
Drank all of my water today and even added 16 oz because I spent 2 1/2 hrs in the cafe frying 475 meatballs for alumni wknd. Upside of that is we're halfway done with the meatballs and still have two weeks until alumni! Hurray for planning ahead.
weight loss for the day = .2 ugh....but still a loss
I made more flax granola last night -- this time I cooked it to death, well not really, but instead of only cooking it the suggested 50 minutes I cooked it for 2 1/2 hrs. It made the flax crunchy instead of having soggy mushy spots. Definitely much more palatable. And the rice milk is way way better than coconut milk.
Lunch was super yummy - just a big salad with carrots, avocado, pumpkin seeds and Jack goat's cheese. I added a little cilantro and fresh lemon just for fun. We also had rye crackers with it.
Supper was yum too! A chicken breast with apricot glaze (apricot jam with water, ground ginger and cumin) baked in the oven for a while and then I took some red onion, sliced it real thin, sauteed it with a little olive oil, added some kale and then once it was done topped it with sheep's milk parmesan. I served it separately, but I decided to shred the chicken and mix it all together on my plate. Delicious!!
Drank all of my water today and even added 16 oz because I spent 2 1/2 hrs in the cafe frying 475 meatballs for alumni wknd. Upside of that is we're halfway done with the meatballs and still have two weeks until alumni! Hurray for planning ahead.
weight loss for the day = .2 ugh....but still a loss
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Hurray for Chocolate!!
Day Four -- For Kevin this was a good day because of cheese, for me it was ALL about the CHOCOLATE!! Dark chocolate at that :-)
Food today was pretty good -- I went Friday and got some Rice Dream -- it was way better than coconut milk. I was also able to find some flax cereal that met the guidelines -- sweetened with, of all things, raisin juice!!
The combination of this cereal and the rice milk made
breakfast easier this morning. I did look online and managed to
find this cereal much cheaper than the grocery store. So if it's
something you want to add to your plan, I suggest finding it online.
For lunch we had a yummy salad of mixed greens with warm sauteed veggies on top, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and Jack cheese made out of goat's milk. I didn't know until a couple of days ago that you could find goat cheese in any form other than the soft log type. This cheese was really good - added a little bit of salt - the first salt in a few days.
Snack was homemade carrots and hummus.
And for supper -- more salad, broccoli, and chicken with a really good salsa. The salsa was cucumber, mango, red onion and cilantro with a little lime juice and cumin to season. I chopped everything (especially the onions) super small and it was really good on top of the chicken.
Finally -- CHOCOLATE -- 1 oz. Amazed at how much 1 oz was - I almost couldn't finish it -- seriously, I would have been good with 3/4 of an ounce -- but it was a nice treat.
Kevin is looking forward to day 5 - he gets crackers. He's missed the salt much more than I.
I am actually enjoying the food, but will say that it feels like I'm in the kitchen all day - now granted some of that is my fault because I'm not making extra's so there are enough for leftovers -- I'd rather cook it two days in a row instead of heating up in the microwave -- plus our microwave is on the fritz - only took 13 years! I'm trying to decide if I want to replace it - we really don't use it that much. Anyway, it's cooking, cleaning, then fixing a snack, then cooking again. It would be a bit harder if I were working - but still possible to do.
Today was the big test of cheese -- we'll see how it goes with weight .....
Update -- I think my body is a little slow kicking in with the cleansing process. I was so tired that I ended up sleeping almost 14 hrs today and was grumpy when I woke up. I felt extremely cranky for a couple of hours but that did pass.
Weight loss for the day = .6lbs
total weight loss = 4.2 lbs
Not as much as previous days, but still on the losing side :-)
Food today was pretty good -- I went Friday and got some Rice Dream -- it was way better than coconut milk. I was also able to find some flax cereal that met the guidelines -- sweetened with, of all things, raisin juice!!
The combination of this cereal and the rice milk madebreakfast easier this morning. I did look online and managed to
find this cereal much cheaper than the grocery store. So if it's
something you want to add to your plan, I suggest finding it online.
For lunch we had a yummy salad of mixed greens with warm sauteed veggies on top, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and Jack cheese made out of goat's milk. I didn't know until a couple of days ago that you could find goat cheese in any form other than the soft log type. This cheese was really good - added a little bit of salt - the first salt in a few days.
Snack was homemade carrots and hummus.
And for supper -- more salad, broccoli, and chicken with a really good salsa. The salsa was cucumber, mango, red onion and cilantro with a little lime juice and cumin to season. I chopped everything (especially the onions) super small and it was really good on top of the chicken.
Finally -- CHOCOLATE -- 1 oz. Amazed at how much 1 oz was - I almost couldn't finish it -- seriously, I would have been good with 3/4 of an ounce -- but it was a nice treat.
Kevin is looking forward to day 5 - he gets crackers. He's missed the salt much more than I.
I am actually enjoying the food, but will say that it feels like I'm in the kitchen all day - now granted some of that is my fault because I'm not making extra's so there are enough for leftovers -- I'd rather cook it two days in a row instead of heating up in the microwave -- plus our microwave is on the fritz - only took 13 years! I'm trying to decide if I want to replace it - we really don't use it that much. Anyway, it's cooking, cleaning, then fixing a snack, then cooking again. It would be a bit harder if I were working - but still possible to do.
Today was the big test of cheese -- we'll see how it goes with weight .....
Update -- I think my body is a little slow kicking in with the cleansing process. I was so tired that I ended up sleeping almost 14 hrs today and was grumpy when I woke up. I felt extremely cranky for a couple of hours but that did pass.
Weight loss for the day = .6lbs
total weight loss = 4.2 lbs
Not as much as previous days, but still on the losing side :-)
Day Three
Still going strong -- today was a little different than the exact plan. Both Kevin and I are having a super hard time with breakfast, not sure if it's the flax granola or the coconut milk. But, seeing as I didn't have any different milk, I decided to do something other than flax. I took some of the leftover brown rice from supper, heated it up, added a bit of coconut milk, some nutmeg and cinnamon and then served it with diced pear and sprinkled some of the flax granola on it. Much much easier to eat breakfast.
Lunch was a salad with chickpeas -- YUMMY!!
Supper needed a little work - it was a small chicken breast with orange zest and italian herbs - not bad but the chicken needed some help. I cooked it according to directions - just putting it in the oven for 20 minutes -- tomorrow I will go back to cooking the chicken my way (within the seasoning limitations) and then covering it with the salsa when it's done.
The sauteed veggies were really good though and I'm finding the beet/carrot salad to be among my favorites.
Funny how the couple of things I was most worried about not liking are turning out to be a favorite.
Weight loss for today = 1.2 lbs
Total weight loss = 3.6 lbs
And tomorrow we get to have chocolate!!
Lunch was a salad with chickpeas -- YUMMY!!
Supper needed a little work - it was a small chicken breast with orange zest and italian herbs - not bad but the chicken needed some help. I cooked it according to directions - just putting it in the oven for 20 minutes -- tomorrow I will go back to cooking the chicken my way (within the seasoning limitations) and then covering it with the salsa when it's done.
The sauteed veggies were really good though and I'm finding the beet/carrot salad to be among my favorites.
Funny how the couple of things I was most worried about not liking are turning out to be a favorite.
Weight loss for today = 1.2 lbs
Total weight loss = 3.6 lbs
And tomorrow we get to have chocolate!!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Day Two - still going strong
So day two wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - mostly because I was so busy I didn't have time to think about what I was eating or spend any time in the kitchen. The menu was the same except that we added a handful of almonds to the mid afternoon snack and supper had brown rice with the kale.
I did feel like my body was trying to get rid of toxins -- my legs started itching and once I scrubbed them down in the shower they felt better, I also had a bit of a butterfly rash on my cheeks. Plus I felt really warm all day.
Weight loss for the day = 1.2 lbs again
Total weight loss = 2.4lbs
Not bad, almost 2 1/2 lbs in 2 days!!
I did feel like my body was trying to get rid of toxins -- my legs started itching and once I scrubbed them down in the shower they felt better, I also had a bit of a butterfly rash on my cheeks. Plus I felt really warm all day.
Weight loss for the day = 1.2 lbs again
Total weight loss = 2.4lbs
Not bad, almost 2 1/2 lbs in 2 days!!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The "anti-diet"
Day One --
A good friend told me about this cool book she started reading and I was instantly intrigued. The idea is that the foods we eat react with our individual body chemistry and even some of the "healthy" foods can cause inflammation -- which in turn causes all sorts of disease. Suffering from an auto-immune disease, inflammation is second nature to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I was so interested, I got the book on Kindle and then the next day went out and bought the actual hold in your hands copy :-) I just can't seem to get the hang of finding what I want on the Kindle, no flipping through the pages. Did a lot of reading, got some of the foods and yesterday actually started "the plan." Did I say how awesome it is that Kevin agreed to do it with me!!!!
Here's the link if you're interested -- The Plan
So day one starts with weighing yourself (on a digital scale), drinking 16 oz of water and taking a liver detox supplement. Then 45 minutes later, it's breakfast time!! Flax granola (just flax, water, cinnamon, and vanilla) with blueberries and unsweetened coconut milk. Lunch was pretty good - carrot ginger soup, steamed broccoli with orange oil, and mixed greens with a diced pear. Snack -- finally something normal, just an apple. Supper was steamed kale with a turmeric coconut sauce and shredded beet carrot salad with pumpkin seeds.
I honestly thought the beet/carrot salad was going to be the hardest thing to eat with the kale coming in a close second -- was I ever wrong. Both were delicious!!! Breakfast was by far the hardest thing to get down. Luckily, in a few days I can switch that up a bit.
Good news is that I didn't feel hungry, didn't have any cravings and am down 1.2 lbs.
A good friend told me about this cool book she started reading and I was instantly intrigued. The idea is that the foods we eat react with our individual body chemistry and even some of the "healthy" foods can cause inflammation -- which in turn causes all sorts of disease. Suffering from an auto-immune disease, inflammation is second nature to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I was so interested, I got the book on Kindle and then the next day went out and bought the actual hold in your hands copy :-) I just can't seem to get the hang of finding what I want on the Kindle, no flipping through the pages. Did a lot of reading, got some of the foods and yesterday actually started "the plan." Did I say how awesome it is that Kevin agreed to do it with me!!!!
Here's the link if you're interested -- The Plan
So day one starts with weighing yourself (on a digital scale), drinking 16 oz of water and taking a liver detox supplement. Then 45 minutes later, it's breakfast time!! Flax granola (just flax, water, cinnamon, and vanilla) with blueberries and unsweetened coconut milk. Lunch was pretty good - carrot ginger soup, steamed broccoli with orange oil, and mixed greens with a diced pear. Snack -- finally something normal, just an apple. Supper was steamed kale with a turmeric coconut sauce and shredded beet carrot salad with pumpkin seeds.
I honestly thought the beet/carrot salad was going to be the hardest thing to eat with the kale coming in a close second -- was I ever wrong. Both were delicious!!! Breakfast was by far the hardest thing to get down. Luckily, in a few days I can switch that up a bit.
Good news is that I didn't feel hungry, didn't have any cravings and am down 1.2 lbs.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Chemically Dependant and Proud!!
It's been quite a while since I posted --life has been crazy crazy. Lots of things happening on campus and in life, although none of them are worth writing about :-)
One of the major things is that I finally went to the Dr. didn't get a lot of answers that I wanted, but still all the same I ended up with an anti-depressant. Not the first time I've taken them. Shortly after Hannah was born I went through major post-partum issues and they really helped. In the 9 yrs since then I've taken them once, but only for six months or so.
I finally decided that my kids deserved a better mom. Not that I was a crying, despondent person, but I had absolutely reached the end of my rope. I had no patience and was constantly on edge, so I asked my dr. for a little chemical help. Within a week it had made a huge difference and continues to do so. It's been about six weeks and I continue to get better and better.
And now comes the soap-box part !! I hate that our society and I think more specifically our church frowns on such things. If you tell someone you're depressed you get this weird response. Some of the older generation go so far as to say that "you're relationship with God must not be all that is should be" or that "if you have enough faith in God, you wouldn't have problems." This really really bothers me!!! I feel that it's just as much of a chemical imbalance as someone who needs insulin or heart medication, etc....
So I'm proud to say, I'm a better person with meds and at this point will continue them for as long as needed. My family deserves the best me I can be and I'm a valuable enough person that I should feel the best I can.
One of the major things is that I finally went to the Dr. didn't get a lot of answers that I wanted, but still all the same I ended up with an anti-depressant. Not the first time I've taken them. Shortly after Hannah was born I went through major post-partum issues and they really helped. In the 9 yrs since then I've taken them once, but only for six months or so.
I finally decided that my kids deserved a better mom. Not that I was a crying, despondent person, but I had absolutely reached the end of my rope. I had no patience and was constantly on edge, so I asked my dr. for a little chemical help. Within a week it had made a huge difference and continues to do so. It's been about six weeks and I continue to get better and better.
And now comes the soap-box part !! I hate that our society and I think more specifically our church frowns on such things. If you tell someone you're depressed you get this weird response. Some of the older generation go so far as to say that "you're relationship with God must not be all that is should be" or that "if you have enough faith in God, you wouldn't have problems." This really really bothers me!!! I feel that it's just as much of a chemical imbalance as someone who needs insulin or heart medication, etc....
So I'm proud to say, I'm a better person with meds and at this point will continue them for as long as needed. My family deserves the best me I can be and I'm a valuable enough person that I should feel the best I can.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Mexican Tomato-Bean Soup
Every once in a while I get totally bored with cooking the same thing over and over again and decide to look through the multitude of cookbooks (seriously, I'm addicted to them -- have way too many and all with beautiful pictures! - that's a requirement) and find something new to fix, knowing full well that my family will revolt!!
Today was no different. I've been extremely sick for the past two weeks and have finally started eating and so was craving something different, but yet with the healthy stuff that helps with colds and flu bugs -- you know, lots of yummy garlic and onion and not creamy milk stuff :-)
So I started looking through the cookbooks and came across this soup recipe -- amazingly enough I had EVERYTHING I needed in my kitchen, except the cheese. Plus it looked really good and I thought the kids might like the dumplings. It comes from "Cooking Light - way to cook vegetarian." I actually followed this recipe almost exactly -- trust me that's a big deal at my house!! The only thing I changed was because I didn't have vegetable stock, I used half vegetarian chicken and half vegetarian beef seasonings to make the stock. Other than that -- to the letter :-) Well, sort of -- I didn't exactly measure the oil, onion, or garlic -- I just chopped and dumped!
Soup --
2 tsps olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion ( I used a medium sized onion)
2 tsps minced garlic ( I used two cloves)
2 tsps chili powder (yes, I used the whole 2 tsps. and it wasn't extremely spicy, just a little)
2 cups vegetable broth (I used 2 c water, 1 tsp chicken seasoning, 1 tsp beef seasoning)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
Dumplings --
1/3 cup masa harina (or cornmeal)
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp hot hot water
1 tsp olive oil
Remaining ingredients --
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 c. crumbled queso fresco
Soup -- heat olive oil in a large sized dutch oven or soup pot, add onion and saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and garlic, saute 30 seconds, add broth and remaining soup ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Dumplings -- combine masa harina and salt in a bowl. Add hot water and oil, stir until a dry dough forms - you may need to add just a touch more water. Divide dough into 24 pieces, shaping each into a ball, a little smaller than the size of a cherry. Put balls on a plate until all are formed, that way you can drop them into the simmering soup all at a time. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. The dumplings will float when they are done.
Ladle soup into bowls (recipes says 4 one cup servings), sprinkle a little cilantro and cheese on top and then squeeze a lime wedge before serving.
215 Calories per serving
Things I would do differently -- the consistency is pretty thin - I would take 2/3 of the tomatoes and whiz them up in the blender before adding to the soup. I would also double the dumplings -- my pot was big enough around to cook all at once, although I only made a single batch to start and after everyone had been served, I put the soup back on the stove and added another batch of dumplings :-) I might also cut back on the oregano just a little -- it wasn't overpowering, but it was a little strong for my liking - I'm not a big fan.
Other than that -- this was a keeper. I really like the chickpeas in it - something a little different than black beans or pintos that are more traditionally mexican.
It really doesn't need bread or crackers because of the dumplings, or chips and salsa because that's kind of what the soup is with the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. I would think a nice green salad would go nicely, or even a pineapple/carrot/orange or a citrus style salad would be nice.
Today was no different. I've been extremely sick for the past two weeks and have finally started eating and so was craving something different, but yet with the healthy stuff that helps with colds and flu bugs -- you know, lots of yummy garlic and onion and not creamy milk stuff :-)
So I started looking through the cookbooks and came across this soup recipe -- amazingly enough I had EVERYTHING I needed in my kitchen, except the cheese. Plus it looked really good and I thought the kids might like the dumplings. It comes from "Cooking Light - way to cook vegetarian." I actually followed this recipe almost exactly -- trust me that's a big deal at my house!! The only thing I changed was because I didn't have vegetable stock, I used half vegetarian chicken and half vegetarian beef seasonings to make the stock. Other than that -- to the letter :-) Well, sort of -- I didn't exactly measure the oil, onion, or garlic -- I just chopped and dumped!
Soup --
2 tsps olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion ( I used a medium sized onion)
2 tsps minced garlic ( I used two cloves)
2 tsps chili powder (yes, I used the whole 2 tsps. and it wasn't extremely spicy, just a little)
2 cups vegetable broth (I used 2 c water, 1 tsp chicken seasoning, 1 tsp beef seasoning)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
Dumplings --
1/3 cup masa harina (or cornmeal)
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp hot hot water
1 tsp olive oil
Remaining ingredients --
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 c. crumbled queso fresco
Soup -- heat olive oil in a large sized dutch oven or soup pot, add onion and saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and garlic, saute 30 seconds, add broth and remaining soup ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Dumplings -- combine masa harina and salt in a bowl. Add hot water and oil, stir until a dry dough forms - you may need to add just a touch more water. Divide dough into 24 pieces, shaping each into a ball, a little smaller than the size of a cherry. Put balls on a plate until all are formed, that way you can drop them into the simmering soup all at a time. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. The dumplings will float when they are done.
Ladle soup into bowls (recipes says 4 one cup servings), sprinkle a little cilantro and cheese on top and then squeeze a lime wedge before serving.
215 Calories per serving
Things I would do differently -- the consistency is pretty thin - I would take 2/3 of the tomatoes and whiz them up in the blender before adding to the soup. I would also double the dumplings -- my pot was big enough around to cook all at once, although I only made a single batch to start and after everyone had been served, I put the soup back on the stove and added another batch of dumplings :-) I might also cut back on the oregano just a little -- it wasn't overpowering, but it was a little strong for my liking - I'm not a big fan.
Other than that -- this was a keeper. I really like the chickpeas in it - something a little different than black beans or pintos that are more traditionally mexican.
It really doesn't need bread or crackers because of the dumplings, or chips and salsa because that's kind of what the soup is with the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. I would think a nice green salad would go nicely, or even a pineapple/carrot/orange or a citrus style salad would be nice.
PS -- the cilantro and lime really make this awesome - the cheese too, but I could do without it. Definitely don't skip the lime or cilantro! Even if it's just a little bit.
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