Discussion Board

Congrats on the new addition. I'm so gald your enjoying your outside projects. Sounds like so much fun

Here she is! Nadia! yayayaaay!

that's me holding her



isn't she just a doll? my sweet little angel darlin baby dolly face. That's me holding her. I have a couple others I want to post...sweet baby. Makes me almost want to move back to SLC.

Just look at those pink lips! gorgeous! And she has a grandma taking care of herself and who will have lots of energy to show her what's what in this big ole world! Congratulations!!!!!

A very good day today

B: bowl of non-instant oatmeal w/cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger added to the cooking water and chopped apple, nuts and dried fruits added plus some agave nectar over the top
L: chili and spinach
D: shepherd's pie
S: baked potatoes

I feel pretty good about the shepherd's pie. I made it up and it was really simple. my kids requested dishes without beans, so I made this for dinner.

1 lg onion, finely diced
1/2 lb baby portobello mushrooms, finely diced
2 c or so veg stock, heated in microwave to take the edge off
1/4 c. flour
rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste

variety of frozen vegs: peas and carrots; corn; french cut green beans

2-3 lbs of potatoes, cubed. Peel or not. I didn't this time. Red potatoes.
3-4 garlic cloves, skins removed

Put the potatoes in water to cover and boil until soft. Put the frozen vegs in a casserole and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, saute the onion and mushroom until onion is translucent. Sprinkle 1/4 c flour over and stir to cover onion and mushroom. Gradually pour the warmed veg stock over the onion mushroom mixture and stir while pouring. The sauce will thicken. If too thick, add more liquid.

While sauce is thickening, mash the potatoes. Use a little plain water, or potato water, to make them creamy.

When the mushroom onion sauce is the right consistency, pour over frozen vegs in casserole and stir together. Spread mashed potaoes over top of casserole. Put in 350* oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.

This was a hit! I over-did the rosemary, though. but the kids enjoyed it and I had two servings. I need to get more brewer's yeast in the house, and make that way yummy gravy. they'll eat anything covered with that!

no shampoo/soap experiment...

Looking at the picture of me holding my grandbaby, my hair looks shiny. Feeling it right now, it feels okay not greasy. But it took two days to get to this point. Probably I'll do a water rinse tomorrow when I take my shower, or nothing.

there's been some rain, which is softening the ground so when I go for another hour or so heavy work tomorrow or the next day, pulling stuff up won't be too difficult.

huh, and that's all. I may just sleep tonight, as my cough is pretty much gone. yay!

Hi Heidi, What a wonderful blessing for you to have a beautiful grand daughter! I'm going to become a grandmother (again) in February so your joy excites my anticipation!

Hey, I notice that you live in Utah. My son, DIL and my first four grandchildren live in the high mountains near Tooele, I think not far from you.

Thanks for the garlic tip. Since reading how you take it, I started cutting it into tiny pieces and putting it in water. Only I noticed you said you don't chew yours, but I'm chewing mine.

I've had asthma my whole life and now that I accidentally breathed the mold/dry rot in April of '09, I wonder if my lungs have mold spores in them because they ache in the autumn weather. I think garlic is an antifungal so I hope this is good for my lungs. I believe it is. Thank you for leading the way...

I hope you and yours have a wonderful day...

Hi Selah Tooele isn't super far away, but in SLC where I grew up, and here in Ogden which is further north than SLC, we use the word "toolies" when we want to say "middle of nowhere" as in "He lives way out in the toolies" (for those who don't know, Tooele is pronounced Tuh Will Uh so saying "toolies" is like saying "the boonies") But Tooele is quite a lovely city in its own right, where it used to be sort of a backwater kind of place.

Thanks everyone for all the adoration of my new baby sweety pie darling angel boo. you may continue as long as you like.

LET'S FINISH STRONG! 88 FAT FREE DAYS IN 2009!

Today is Monday, my 10 hour work day, the day where I must pack a lunch and a dinner. Both of those meals will be chili. I got out the one serving I have left of that veggie soup I made...nope, still don't want it. I put it in the freezer for another time. Maybe throw it in with the next stew or casserole.

Lunch will be at a client's house, where they eat almost 100% processed foods, hardly any veggies at all. The mom claims she can't eat raw vegs due to her IBS issues. Hmmm. But they also don't eat cooked veggies, you know? But she always asks "what do you have today?" when I heat up my lunch, and I tell her. She knows I feel so much better, and that my IBS is completely gone, energy levels way up, and depression virtually unheard of anymore. Maybe my eating this way in their house will help open her eyes.

Her son is my client, and he has teeth literally rotting in his head, but they have to feed him sugary foods or he won't eat anything. Appetite is an issue for him, but sugar foods? come on! However, there is something to be said for giving him lots of calories, because his entire left side is hyper-tonic so he burns calories at three times the rate of a healthy man. He is scrawny. I wonder what a diet of poatoes and veggies would do for him...probably energize him and his mom and dad are so down and unhealthy with zero energy, they would be even less able to keep up with his care than they already are.

My heart goes out to this incredibly sad family, but I also want to wring their necks. They balk at suggestions or have excuses, very typical I'm sure but I have to sit there and help this guy eat his freaking froot loops for brekkie. And i watch his sleep deprived mom with her obesity, neuropathy, IBS, mouth problems, fibromyalgia not to mention all the side effects she suffers from the fistful of meds she takes every day...she shuffles around the house, doing her best to take care of things, but boy howdy, she always makes sure the candy dish is well stocked and her freezer is packed with frozen entrees and microwaveable convenience foods, and gallons of milk, diet coke, regular coke keeping nice and cool, while there are no crisper drawers even in her fridge, let alone with any vegetables in them. I mean, eat meat...whatever, but at least make it from whole ingredients, not something you toss in the microwave...sheesh

sorry didn't mean to rant.

B: oatmeal w/a TBSP currant preserves and a sliced banana
L: chili w/spinach stirred in
D: chili over boiled potaoes, w/spinach stirred in
S: apple; dry puffed wheat cereal (sweet treat w/no fat and lots of fiber)

activity: took care of the big chunks in the kitchen; probably delivering dominos doorknob flyers but it snowed/slushed so maybe not (hope not) and I may just tackle the basement today. It needs it!

Ooh, what a beautiful new grandbaby!

How frustrating to have to watch sick people making themselves sicker. But all you can do is lead by example -- which you are! You're doing great!

Cute baby

Hearing about your clients just made me sad what's a person to do? Just lead by example, as you are doing--even if it is really hard and I do want to wring their necks. Ehh..Your amazing

toadfood and boots it was worse than ever yesterday. I left that client's house absolutely depressed. Usually i help this guy brush his teeth, and yesterday he wanted me to help floss...his teeth are in such horrible condition, I went into the TV/family room where his mom was, and sat down and told her he needs to get to a dentist. He is at risk of heart problems and blood infections and who knows what other life threatening illnesses...if this isn't dealt with. She totally agreed with me and then DIDN'T call to make an appointment. full of excuses (medicaid stopped funding dental treatments as of this year... etc) so I was literally crying when I got off shift with them...I want to feel sorry for them, yet when I told her "I won't go back to eating any animal product, ever" she got this extremely skeptical look and said "Why?" well, whatever. They are making their choices, aren't they?

LET'S FINISH STRONG! 87 FAT FREE DAYS LEFT IN 2009!

Overall a good day yesterday, except I had a few tortilla chips after work. Shouldn't let myself get so hungry.

Today I wanted to post about the changes since adopting this way of eating. Pounds lost? Okay...eight and probably a few more when I weigh in tomorrow.

But what about the fact that I have zero body odor, even after sweating hard and not using deodorant nor needing to use soap on my skin. That's mighty nice (less hair in the shower trap...because I'm not using shampoo? or because I'm eating healthy? but today there was ZERO hair in the drain)

How about this: I set aside my SAM-e, the supplement that I have been taking for depression for five years. ..haven't needed it in weeks. My mind is clear and focused, I have lots of energy and am in a terrific mood. Also, I put my Change-o-Life in the cupboard, which I've been taking for more than 10 years. It's a female hormone support blend which has helped hugely in PMS stuff and other "time of the month" things. I sort of neglected to take it, when I stopped the SAM-e and just got through a visit by Cousin Scarlett hardly even aware she was here.

Energy galore! I've been so active out in my garden and around the house. and at work hee hee. I'm the oldest member of the staff at my job, being in my late 40's and the next oldest in her late 30's. I'm even older than my bosses. But I am always up and playing with the clients, going for walks, outside shooting hoops, getting them involved in kitchen clean up or meal prep, dancing around when we put on music...even when I had that cough I was full of it! hahahaha!

Let's talk about kitchen clean up, eh? Not having to deal with grease is WONDERFUL! I don't have to use even 1/10th as much soap (I dilute my dishwashing soap anyway, and now I only put a tiny drop in for even my big pans) And stove top clean up is a breeze, really.

Money savings: already a very frugal food shopper, I now spend about $75 a week for a household of three, compared to about $125 a week when I was buying meat and now that I'm showering with no shampoo or soap, minimal dishwashing soap, and using 50% diluted soap for hand washing that cost will go down, too.

huh. Laundry volume will be going down as I don't get stinky and neither do my clothes! if I get a spot on a shirt, okay I'll wash it...but won't need to wash becasue of odor.

probably in the long run, I'll save beau coup bucks in doctor bills, too.

so when I get a skeptical look from a woman whose life is literally miserable and not living at all, but dying, I can say "because I'm healthy, energetic, clean, sweet smelling, living cheaper, and have no need for medications nor doctors for chronic illness." "Oh, and I might lose some weight along the way"

Heidi, what a wonderful testimonial! I love how easy it is to clean up after cooking McDougall food.

What a wonderful report of your successes and how delightful you are discovering the real you in so many ways. You just made my day!
f1jim

You're doing an awesome job! Congratulations!

Your positive news is really helping to keep me grounded right about now. I'm very happy to be able to read about how well you're doing.

Heidi,

Congratulations.


What a beauty. And, just think! you're going to have her for the next 100 years!

Thanks for showing us the pictures.


Mark

This little testimonial is definitely motivating. I'm compiling a list of reasons to eat this way so I can review it to keep my motivation up and your post added some things that I am looking forward to.

thanks for dropping in sksamboots, fjim1, ege bamyasi, and hazelrah

Mark, I love your handle...Watership Down is one of my favorite books. I'm gonna have to get it back out and read again. Powerful story! yes I think I will. Just the ticket.

I do feel fantastic, and today has been a very cool, productive day. Tuesdays are my day off, and I spent much of the day in the yard. In front, I trimmed back the long stemmed roses to hip height instead of 9 feet tall. It's supposed to be done in the spring, and I hope I haven't killed them, but it was time, you know?

and out back, I got some layers put onto a bed I want to prepare for gardening next year. Someone over at the Lounge turned me on to Lasagna Gardening and that reminded me of a book I've owned for years called The Wormhaven Gardening Book, all about naturally enhancing the soil with organic matter, humus, greens, etc and letting the earthworms do the softening of the soil (IOW, a non-tilling, non-plowing, non-fertilizing, non-pesticide variety of vegetable gardening) and I got on it as soon as I read the steps how to proceed.

Newspaper, dampen, peat moss, dampen, green stuff (comfrey leaves in my case), more peat moss, dampen and I put some trimmed branches over all. The four o'clocks, as charming as they are, are not going to be growing there anymore. I have a few seeds packets, of leafy and cold-hardy vegs. Maybe I'll plant them and see if they winter over. They will.

this is exciting! it feels good to have a passionate interest in something, and lots of energy to go forward with it!

food today:

B: an apple and a bowl of chili
L: leftover Brazilian Black Beans w/Marinated Tomatoes
D: an Indian dish "Bean Poriyal" made with green beans and chickpeas and brown rice. SO yummy! my first dish without just throwing curry in it
S: a little handful of honey wheat puffs

so, it's been a good day. feeling so SO good!