Discussion Board

My mom introduced me to the "health food movement" in the 70's, when it was hardly known at all, just beginning to be. She eliminated white bread and hot dogs, and from about age 12 on, she stayed committed to 100% whole wheat bread, and whole foods etc. You know, good whole foods, not made from the freezer section.

I raised my kids the same way, excluding the dairy for most of their younger years but still including eggs, meat and fats. They all insist on milk now, and venture into vegetarianism as I fix my dishes and they eat them, plus whatever else they want.

My mom still eats pretty much whole foods, but has never been able to give up her butter, Ranch dressing, and meat. She still doesn't shop on the freezer aisle, though, and only eats hot dogs when they are cooked on a stick over a campfire...so, maybe one every three years or so!


Today's Plan:

B: fasting (ate an apple)
L: rice and stir fry vegs; salad
D: fasting

hi deb

Actually, the fast lasted until about 8:30 am, when I had some bread at work. It was just an impromptu thought, not diet related, but spiritually motivated, and my heart wasn't in it, so I broke it due to a pretty bad headache. The bread was not McD legal, but the headache went away.

I'm at 177 right now, and sticking pretty well. A lot going on in my life.

There has been some closure with Bill, which is good. I've wept and wept, and there may occasionally still be some tears, but emotionally I'm in a really good spot. His good friend, who owns the bar where his band used to play every weekend, threw him a big party and raised some money to help his daughter with expenses. I had two beers there, played a game of pool, sang along to the music, and watched people dance and have been more peaceful since then.

I've chosen a year of celibacy: emotional, spiritual and physical. Until Easter 2012 (and probably beyond) I am "not available." Not looking, not wondering, not hunting for "the one"...instead, I'm going to center on my relationship with God, and get my kids through the end of their high school years without any distractions.

My grown son needs some help (sorta kinda intervention-ish) too, which will take a lot of effort and energy...so I need to be healthy, strong, clear headed, and calm for my kids...better eat right! ha!

Today's Plan:
B: cheezy steel cut oats with spinach
L: baked sweet potato w/salad and 321 dressing
D: rice n beans? and salad....hash browns? and salad...salad?

the recipe is here: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/hap ... tmeal.html

My version is:

SOAK TOGETHER IN A POT OVERNIGHT:
1/2 c steel cut oats
2 c water

About a half hour before eating, add all of the following:

1 TBSP of salt free seasoning (A good grilling rub works well for this, and I REALLY want something smoke flavored but there's lots of sodium in those. Just sayin)
2 TBSP of nooch yeast
1 TBSP turmeric

3/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips (I use a kitchen shears)
1 c. sliced mushrooms, broken
1 c. chopped frozen spinach (fresh would work, but frozen is faster)

bring it all to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 min. It does take steel cut oats that long to cook, and I soak them overnight to cut down on the cooking time

I put a few TBSP of rice milk on it, to cool and cream it a bit.

It is delicious, and became my favorite brekkie the first time I ate it. Now when I fix oatmeal with berries and honey, it's for dessert

speaking of which...YUM! I gonna have me some!

That does sounds very very intriguing to me.... to make the steel cut oats as a meal, with the veggies, and spices and not like a dessert with the fruit! Never thought it like that at all.
I keep frozen spinach all the time in the freezer and could do this...

Hi. Came by to see how you are doing and say hello. You are doing well even with the grief you are experiencing. So sorry.

I plan to make your oatmeal dish. Sounds wonderful.

Hi Anna! Thanks for dropping by, and Carrollynne, too and debbie.

Today's Plan:

B: cheezy steel cut oats w/spinach (making them w/zuke instead of shrooms today)
L: baked sweet pot w/salad and 321 dressing
D: Rice w/stir fry zuke, onion, and mushroom
Snack: hmmm...an apple?

I think I will make Mac n Not Cheese soon. I'm still wanting it, and my kids like it pretty well.

Today's Plan

B: hashbrowns and salad w/321 dressing :drool icon
L: cheezy steel cut oats w/spinach
Snack: orange and carrots
D: hm potatoes will be the starch. stir fry vegs? broccoli?

I love your menus. Would you be kind and share your salad dressing 321? I am having hard time eating salads without at least avocado in them.

Hi Dragana

321 salad dressing is a fat free homemade salad dressing. I think the E2 book has it, but I've seen it posted on these forums a few times.

There are three ingredients: tart something (vinegar), sweet something (honey), and good mustard.

3 parts vinegar
2 parts honey
1 part mustard

You can use lemon juice instead of the vinegar. I have also used agave nectar and maple syrup to replace the honey. Yesterday at work, I had to make a small batch since I forgot to bring any in my lunch...white wine vinegar, honey and regular ole French's yellow mustard worked just fine.

So, if I want a little bit, I use tablespoons, and if I want to make a jar, I use my 1/3 c measure.

put the ingredients in a bowl, cup or jar (for large amounts) and whisk them together.

This is a creamy "stick to your lettuce" salad dressing.

You might also check at the Recipes forum. There are two "sticky" threads at the top of the forum, "clickable list of recipes" or something like that. Each link in those two threads takes you to an edition of the newsletter's recipe section and there are lots of salads and salad dressings included in those newsletters.

have fun with it, and IMO...eat some avocado with your salad if that's the only way you can get salad in ya. when I started this, I had been in the habit of eating a large salad every day, with whatever on it. Seriously...pizza salad with ranch dressing...yes, a huge salad with pizza cut up in pieces on it as an ingredient.

that was how I STARTED, mind you. I'd never go that route now, but it was what I needed to do when I was first thinking about my need for energy and knowing that I needed more raw veggies. I spent the summer eating my salads with "whatever i wanted" on top, and then I was ready to launch into McDougalling in September.

You may eventually give up the avocado, eh? and if you don't, though they are a high fat food, your fats are at least included within the fruit, not separated and processed and bad for you. If it takes eating an avocado to get you to eat your salad, I say do it.

Yesterday was pretty good, though I ate some toasted walnuts in the evening. Ate on plan. Dinner ended up being baked red potatoes w/Vegan Brown Gravy over the top, and steamed broccoli.

Today's Plan:

B: cheezy steel cut oats with spinach (I'm making it with zucchini instead of mushrooms and it's less gloppy, more liquidy)
L: baked red pots w/vegan brown gravy; steamed broc; salad and 321 dressing
D: baked reds w/something ( I baked a bunch last night. gonna eat em for the next couple of days)

S: carrots

Hi Buns,
I caught up a bit on your journals. I'm sorry for your loss. It sounds like McDougalling is helping you stay balanced. Congratulations on your weight loss and approaching your goal weight! The cheezy steel cut oats with spinach sounds really unusual. I'm one of those "eat a piece of toast/drink a cup of coffee, and out the door" types. But the idea of eating a really hearty meal for breakfast makes sense. Maybe I'll try it over the weekend. Speaking of which, I hope yours is great!

Hi Buns,

Thanks you for the salad recipe, I made it yesterday but I think I will put some tofu and some water in it to make it taste less like balsamic vinegar, that is all I can taste in it! But it is not bad and quite edible. Thanks for the tip.

HI buns! love that 3-2-1 recipe and I have tried it with raspberry as the sweetener too, either real frozen berries, or the all fruit spread.
Keep up the good work, and make everyday count!

I hear you on the strong vinegar taste. That's why your mango dressing was intriguing to me...something to balance the tang. I also absolutely love the dressing for the Asian Noodle Salad (?) that Mary McD has posted...It's way good on grains, though it does have pnut butter in it, so not non-fat.

I flopped LIKE CRAZY yesterday. Went to a women's thingy at church, which I regret for more than just the foods that were there. I ate a salad with high fat (oily! oh my WORD...blch) dressing, a croissant with tomato and lettuce (there were cold cuts, but I didn't touch those) some terra chips (sweet potato chips...yum...I've always loved them, and had some yesterday) and a dessert: a brownie.

So I regret it for the foods, but the get together was overall lame. Maybe I'm just cranky due to hormones, but I didn't have fun. The fellowship was blah, there was an insipid little skit, the company I was with was negative and pretty joyless, (got into an argument over my not ever adding oil to my foods..."but you need fats" so I told her "so I will eat olives or an avocado, rather than add highly processed, nutrient void oil to my foods" which she seemed to agree with. I wasn't gonna get into a discussion about the 17% fat content of my oatmeal every day, eh? )

I had a headache (still do...sinus? strep? meningitis? brain tumor? see how I get?) (it does feel like the kind of headache you get with strep, though) I would have done better staying home and getting some sleep.

After i got home, i drifted a bit. Watched a cool video on Netflix called "God of Wonders" and fell asleep for just a few minutes. Then ate something...something not healthy, not McD legal. I know I ate bread and butter at home. Also, hash browns and salad, black beans and corn "wraps" (with wh wh tortillas)...and a double serving of instant oatmeal...IOW, I ate and ate. This is PMS for me FOR SURE, but I haven't had such high fat munchies in ages. Usually when I get this way, I just eat one potato after another, or munch on a bag of baby carrots, but not yesterday. Seriously...bread and butter?

Tried to sleep, but a stupid movie, that I've seen a dozen times, was on, so I had to stay awake to watch that. and finally zonked out at nineish.

today I'll do better, food wise. I slept in until 6:30, which is very late for me, and had a shower, and haven't been able to get the stupid women's fellowship thingy out of my head, so I better go sit quietly and pray and read until I'm feeling more peaceful.

Today's Plan:

B: a baked sweet potato and salad
L: cheezy steel cut oats and salad
D: ??? hm maybe something with quinoa and salad.

MMMMM, salad!