My Unprocessed February

[landog]

Happy Feb. 8th!

Lunch:
salad: iceberg lettuce
bag of frozen spinach
brown rice and black beans

mid afternoon snack
1 tangelo

late afternoon snack
1 apple

Dinner:
steamed kale
mashed potatoes

25 minutes on the treadmill

My wife cooked a batch of chili. It smelled great! I did not resist..
Late night snack:
chili over brown rice

[landog]

Thursday, Feb. 9th

Yesterday was not my typical day. It was colder than it's been, and I asked my wife to make some chili. She started cooking the chili at 7pm, and it was done by 9pm. I usually eat the chili over brown rice, so I cooked one cup of rice using Jeff Novick's How To Cook Perfect Brown Rice method. (one cup of rice yields two cups of cooked rice)

I wasn't thinking critically as to whether the chili should be off plan, as far as My Unprocessed February is concerned. Here is the recipe - it contains tomato sauce, so I would have to admit it's not unprocessed.

But, since I requested it, and my loving wife cooked it for me, I'm going to continue to eat it this month, until the batch is gone.

I went somewhat off the rails with the chili in one other aspect. After having one bowl as a late snack, I then had a second. Since there was not much rice left, I then had a third helping.

Overeating is not good.

Today, I wasn't hungry.

Here's what I ate today:

Dinner:
Steamed kale
Chili over brown rice (one helping)
one banana

Resolving to remain more cognizant of portions, I'll carry on. Lesson (hopefully) learned.

Be well,
-dog

[landog]

Feb. 10 - Back in the groove..

Lunch:
Salad - iceberg lettuce and spinach leaves
Bag of broccoli and cauliflower
Brown rice and black beans

Dinner:
3 boiled potatoes, smashed flat and baked.
steamed kale

20 minutes on the treadmill

Snack: 1 banana

[landog]

Feb. 11

Lunch:
plate of iceberg lettuce and spinach
chili over brown rice

Friends are in town, so we got to go out to dinner
My dish was brown rice and steamed broccoli, carrot, sweet potato, green bean, snow pea and baby corn.

Tomorrow I'm driving to Chicago. I'll be there all week. We'll see how this goes on the road...

Be well,
-dog

[landog]

Feb. 12

Drive from Cleveland to Chicago.

Drive snack: banana

Lunch: I heated up a container of mashed potatoes before I left, and put it in a styrofoam container. Three hours later, I ate it while sitting in my car a rest area.
It wasn't as warm as I would have liked

Drive snack: apple

Supper:
package of spinach
chili over brown rice

I'm taking a class in Chicago this week. I hope the place is equipped with a microwave!

Be well,
-dog

[landog]

Monday, February 13

I'm traveling in style...

I'm in Chicago for a week-long training class. The training venue is equipped with a dining room, they had the regular bagels, muffins, pop tarts, etc. out in the morning. They also have apples, bananas and oranges. They serve lunch and an afternoon snack (brownies, cookies). Most importantly -- they have a microwave, so I'm all set!

I'm able to stay in my friend's condo, which happened to be vacant. So, I'm equipped with a kitchen, and I'm well stocked with fresh salad fixins, frozen veggies, potatoes, rice and beans. All the comforts of home, save one. I was able to cook some mashed potatoes last night and pack them for lunch.

I've decided to get my exercise this week by walking the 2.2 miles each way from the condo to the class. Hope my legs hold up

Morning snack: orange

Lunch:
bag of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
mashed potatoes

Afternoon snack: banana

Dinner:
salad of iceberg lettuce and spinach leaves
bag of spinach (cooked)
chili over brown rice (last of the chili)

I hope that you all are having a wonderful February, which is nearly half over!

[landog]

Feb. 14th - halfway point

I started the day by walking to my class 2.2 miles. 45 minutes

Morning snack: orange

Lunch
salad - lettuce and cucumbers
bag of broccoli, carrots, snap peas and water chestnuts
mashed potatoes

What kind of lettuce is this? The school supplied it and the dressing was on the side



Afternoon: apple

Walked back to the condo.

Dinner
bag of spinach
microwaved potatoes, smashed flat and baked.
a little bit of the rice and beans that I cooked for this week's lunches.

Flying solo and doing all my own cooking....

Here are the potatoes before going into the oven. Some paprika and pepper on them:



Here is my upcoming lunches. Cooked the rice "like pasta" and threw in a can of black beans halfway through. Drained and added chili powder, paprika and pepper.



Dinner. I ate the spinach while the potatoes and rice were cooking.



I sent the pics to my wife. She says that I can do all the cooking when I get home.
"But, yours is much better, honey."

Be well,
-dog

[amandamechele]

Mmm, delicious! Those look like great traveling mugs. When the lid is on are they leakproof?

[landog]

Mmm, delicious! Those look like great traveling mugs. When the lid is on are they leakproof?

Yes - they do not leak. What I like about them is that I can pick them up by the handle when getting them out of the microwave. I use them for lunch just about every day.

[landog]

Feb. 15

Morning snack: banana

Lunch
bag of broccoli and cauliflower
rice and beans

Afternoon snack: orange

Dinner
boiled potatoes
bag of spinach

I had picked up some grapefruit the other day. Again, not thinking of my unprocessed goal. For an evening snack, I had a grapefruit with sugar. Delicious, but over the daily fruit limit and sugar...

[VeggieSue]

Sorry I'm late. I just started reading this thread today.

Super Bowl snack:
Couscous and kale salad

Couscous is a processed flour product- it's pasta, not a grain. Dr. McD admits its inclusion in the MWLP book was an error.

As for your salsa and the sauce in the chili, I wouldn't sweat it. I like Chef AJ's definition of "unprocessed" - made from a plant, not in a plant. If you can make it in your own kitchen, it's considered unprocessed, even if you buy it in a can, like diced or crushed tomatoes.

[landog]

Sorry I'm late. I just started reading this thread today.

Super Bowl snack:
Couscous and kale salad

Couscous is a processed flour product- it's pasta, not a grain. Dr. McD admits its inclusion in the MWLP book was an error.

As for your salsa and the sauce in the chili, I wouldn't sweat it. I like Chef AJ's definition of "unprocessed" - made from a plant, not in a plant. If you can make it in your own kitchen, it's considered unprocessed, even if you buy it in a can, like diced or crushed tomatoes.

Hi VeggieSue! Thanks!

[landog]

Feb. 17

Took the bus today, so I didn't get my walking in...
Went over with fruits, again. All the pastries have been out, the fruit was the better choice...

Morning:
banana, orange

Lunch:
salad of iceberg lettuce and spinach leaves
bag of broccoli and cauliflower
rice and beans

Afternoon
banana

Dinner
salad of iceberg lettuce and spinach leaves
rice and beans

Hitting the road tomorrow.

[landog]

Derailed...

Let's review the Top Ten reasons for Failure.

Page 2, from Jeff Novick. Specifically #7:

Not planning ahead. If you do not plan ahead for success, you will most likely not find it.

I did not prepare food for the drive home, so my choices were restricted by what was offered at the Turnpike Plazas.

I'll spare you the details.

Getting back to basics today.

[landog]

Sunday, Feb. 19

Breakfast:
hash brown potatoes
(yukon golds boiled, shredded, baked/broiled on parchment paper)

Snack: banana

Lunch:
bag of mixed vegetables - peas, carrots, corn and green beans
brown rice

Dinner:
mashed potatoes
broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Snack:
Honeybell orange

Exercise - A hike on the Ledges Trail of Cuyahoga Valley National Park!