Starting MWL on the 28th

[Faith in DC]

I bet if you switch to the regular plan you will continue to lose at a good clip. It'll also help you feel more like you are doing a life long habit (so important in maintaining).

You have to be feeling the difference in your body. Way to go.

[Carl]

Phrase God I made it through the stress test with out problems and so now I can get on with the serious business of living and starting the program, but before I do I have a question for you all. As I have said I am not a cook so how do you cook a sweet potato or a yam? I know they are different roots and some people can fix a wonderful sweet potato pie which I love but that is why I am so fat. Do you bake, boil, broil, fry or slow cook them. Just the sweet potato/yam with out anythink else. Thanks. Carl

[KareninTN]

Carl, I like mine to be really soft when they're done. Assuming they are fairly large ones, I bake at 400 degrees for about an hour and 15 mins, shut off the oven and let them stay there till the oven cools down. Do several and then refrigerate, and you'll always have a tasty meal close at hand.

karenturtle

[Burgess]

As I have said I am not a cook so how do you cook a sweet potato or a yam?

I am not a cook either, at least not in the sense that I enjoy it as an art. But I have become a cook by doing what you are doing: asking questions about cooking so you can reach your goals.

I cook a lot of sweet potatoes and "regular" (Russet) potatoes because roots and gourds are my only starches ( www.aristotleadventure.com ).

I bake my whole (unpeeled) sweet potatoes and Russets in batches, each kind in its own flat pan (or something like a muffin pan that has little depressions in a row).

I bake them all (24 small or medium size at a time, for me) at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes, then I turn off the oven, but let them sit there still "cooking," without opening the oven door, for about another 50 minutes. Then I open the oven door and let them cool while still in the oven.

After they are cooled, I put them in the refrigerator in a paper bag or partly opened container (to let the moisture continue to escape), but I suppose you could freeze them. I don't know about that.

Then when the next meal comes up, I heat a few (number depending on size) in a little boiling water, the same water I use to steam vegs. I do that in a two-level rice cooker, but you could use separate pans or a microwave oven, I suppose.

When sweet potatoes are thoroughly cooked they are very sweet and soft and filling; and the Russets are crumbly -- the way I like them -- once I cut into them. I don't eat sweet potato skins, but I do eat the whole Russets.

Cleaning: sweet potatoes can be a little messy because they ooze a lot of moisture.

Also, with sweet potatoes more often than regular potatoes, some are "bad" in one way or another. You can tell by looking at them when you cut into them (or even sometimes before cooking them). I just toss the bad ones out -- maybe one out 15 or 20. (I always fix more than I know I will eat, because if there are leftovers, I can always reheat them.)

[Carl]

Hi KareninTN & Burgess & thank you for your replies. I thought baking the potato was the way to go but now I know. A fellow told me he wraps a Russet potato in a wet cloth and then microwaves it for 10-12 minutes depending on the size and you have a baked potato. I will try each type & find out if it works. Carl

[Carl]

Ok I think I have the "starches" part of this program understood, however I am having major challenges with the "vegtable" part. It is not that I dislike them I simply do not know how to cook them without destroying the benifits of them. I have a double deck steamer/rice cooker and do not know how to use it. Where can I find a chart or something to tell me how long to cook veggies and when to mix then for the different cooking times. I hope someone understands what I am asking because I am lost in the kitchen. HELP. LOL. Carl

[Burgess]

[...] I am having major challenges with the "vegtable" part. It is not that I dislike them I simply do not know how to cook them without destroying the benifits of them.

I think you are asking how long to cook each veg. The answer depends on the veg and on what you want -- still crunchy, very soft because of dental problems, or something else?

As you probably know, vegs in cans are cooked too much. However, according to what I read in one of Dr. McDougall's articles, he said that even if one has to eat only canned vegs, that is still a lot better than eating no vegs. Vegs have so many nutrients, that you will still gain a lot.

So, what that means for you is that you have lots of options:
- Eat vegs raw.
- Eat vegs cooked just until they are tender -- times varying with each veg and the temp used.
- Eat all vegs thoroughly cooked, e.g., in one big stew or soup cooked for a long time.

I steam mine in the top rack of my rice cooker until I can pierce them with a fork. That is about 20 minutes from startup with cold water to unplugging the cooker. (I don't vary the time with different vegs because often I am cooking mixed vegs anyway and I just go for the average.) I no longer check with a fork. I just set my timer to 20 minutes. That is good enough for me.

I have a double deck steamer/rice cooker and do not know how to use it. Where can I find a chart or something to tell me how long to cook veggies and when to mix then for the different cooking times. I hope someone understands what I am asking because I am lost in the kitchen.l

The instructions that came with the cooker should tell you the basics. Here is what I do:
1. Put water and rice in the bottom pan. (1C water, 1/2 C rice)
2. Put vegs in the top rack with lid on securely.
3. Set timer (you will need to experiment a few times but I use 18-20 minutes for white rice and tough but cut-up vegs like broc). Your cooker might be different from mine. Mine is so primitive it doesn't even have an ON/OFF switch.
4. Turn off when the timer sounds, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Carl, I empathize. I went through the same learning process. Think of it as a hobby like learning how to play chess. You can take the learning as far as you want to. "Basic" is usually enough for me.

When you have problems, ask here -- e.g., does the rice stick to the bottom of the pan? There is a solution.

[Carl]

Hi Burgess & thanks for the reply. I cheated-I was in one of the local everything for the kitchen stores and discovered a steamer model like mine. I got the lady to let me barrow the instruction book and went to Kinkos and copied out the cooking instructions. Now I have a starting point for this cooking stuff. Take care. Carl

[hope101]

Way to go, Carl. I was all set to start looking up tables but you had already figured it out.

[Caroveggie]

if you are short on time you can microwave potatoes or yams.

You can poke them with a fork or a knife (but be careful I poked myself with a fork doing this once) and then cook them 4-8 minutes depending on the size / number of potatoes / yams. For yams, because they can get pretty thick, I usually slice one and then put the pieces in a small casserole (with lid) and cook for about 6-8 minutes or so. I try to keep the pieces slender and even so it'll cook evenly. Sometimes I add water which makes the yam a little softer and less likely to dry out. You get the feel after a while. If you just poke holes in the yam / potato you don't need a casserole - just a paper towel to put it on.

This way I can buy a yam, sweet potato, or potato at lunch and pop it in the microwave and not pre-plan so much.

I hope things are going well with you.

[Carl]

Hi everybody and I am happy to be back. I have had a very interesting and challenging 4 months. I was going to start the MWL on the 28th of July and here it is the 28th of Nov and I am finally able to get started. Now that most of the major medical things are under control the only one remaining is my rotor cuff stuation and I go a day at a time with it. God is good to me but the world has been kicking my tail but I am still here and it is time to get trucking again.
My fat people program started today at the hospital and I will be going to that meeting once a week-they say it is simalar to Weight Watchers without the expense. I believe in using all the tools that are available to use. I go shopping for "Good food " tomorrow. I will keep you informed if you want to read that is. Take care. keep losing and God bless. Carl

[Faith in DC]

welcome back Carl. So sorry you've been on such a tough road. I use all the tools I ahve also

[Caroveggie]

good to hear you are back at it. I tried cooking a potato with a wet paper towel around it in the microwave (poked holes) and it worked well.