Optimal Health Journey

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:52 am

Shouldn't fasting make things simpler? It sure puts a focus on the sense of hunger. Heightens feelings of panic because I didn't have the energy or desire to focus on cooking. I need to prepare early morning before it gets hot. I didn't want to boil potatoes in the heat of the day and we are heading for super hot few days, again. I think the last time the beans were burnt to hell.

I have to ask in the garden category about cooked foods, like potatoes, for the composter.I found a stash of about 4 small pieces and I dunno if they are compostable. I also wonder how long it takes for corn on the cob to be turned into....compost or soil. I really wish I'd get some soil on the plants to nourish and keep heat away.

So it took about an hour to do the garden, re-tie some tomatoes that are growing fast. I replanted a new guinea impatiens yesterday. This morning it was lemon something and cinnamon basil. I hope I gave them enough water because its going to scorch today. I wish I had some cloth to shield the beans some. The lettuce is getting too much heat also.

I've prepared the potatoes to boil and they are on the stove. I'll cool cabbage and potatoes today. If I get the energy I can slice the coleslaw too. I may have to pick up a friend from the doctor today and give her a ride to her home. Oh....the friend is going because of her heart disease, no doubt, to the doctor. Poor humans that can't seem to do good things for themselves or allow someone to do something good for them.

I can't remember what food I ate to break my fast with yesterday. wow. I ate something around two or three. Seems like I had a left over. I am not sleeping enough but trying.

B: boiled potatoes with half a fresh tomato and couple dollups of salsa. Too bad I can't do the dance, but the monument grounds are going to be hallowed to dance!!!! Yippie. Time for our own revolution like they did in the islands.
L: potatoes and cabbage
S: apple
D: Potatoes and guess!


OMG- Its Costa Rica time. [WRONG-THAT'S NEXT MONTH, IN JULY] Cheers to you all enjoying the pleasurable butterfly haven. Give the horses a pat for me Cheryl!! Ride those zip lines---wooooooo!

Wow, I just stepped on the scale and it read 159. I hope that, plus some, goes to the weigh in number this week.
Last edited by StarchBeet on Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:23 pm

I thought yesterday was a scorcher. Today is another record breaking heat. I woke up so early that I did the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, then went outside to water garden, came back inside to clean and boil potatoes, all by 7 am!!!

All that heat was gone before the day heated up the house. I also got the water barrels and put them in place (the fourth one I couldn't get to because of branches that broke this winter are blocking my way) since there is supposed to be a couple days of rain coming on Friday through the weekend. I would like to get that water for the trees and garden.

B: boiled potatoes, couple bowls when hungry
L: potatoes and salsa

I need to thinly slice that cabbage and I've been fighting doing it all week. Egads. I took care of paper work today too.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:05 am

I woke up too early and I've had some chills. I may have done too much yesterday. I'm worrying about the plants and garden and the heat. I think I had too much heat also. Its literally like a desert outside. The ground is splitting and it doesn't hold much moisture. The large trees cannot survive with this sort of ongoing moisture evaporation. :crybaby:
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:24 pm

I'm somewhat of a worry wart these days. I woke up about 2 am, after going to sleep about 9:30 and decided to go water the garden since temps are supposed to break records again today. By morning, around 8 the ground looked slightly moist and I watered again about 11 am. It didn't seem like the soil has been saturated deeply. Either that or the soil isn't holding the moisture. I will update my pictures to show progression of plants tonight.

This morning I bought sweet potatoes for 42 cents a pound and I also got red potatoes for 47 cents. I have my potatoes for the month.

For breakfast I remembered I had to cook the plantain I'd bought. It finally dawned on me what I could do. I sauteed and caramelized the plantain in sweet Marsala wine. Wow it was sooo good and pretty. I love the nice golden brown color of a perfectly caramelized veggie. I topped my oatmeal and flax seed with plantains.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28585497@N ... hotostream
S: grapes, 1/2 an orange
L: potatoes with Lizano sauce

I bought some pumpkin plants and I think I shocked them in the sun. I hope they come back today or tomorrow. I have this idea of planting pumpkins and sweet potatoes and maybe some more squash in the cleared of area that had rotting wood. I haven't inspected in deeply enough to see if things will grow there. I do have enough soil that I could make mounds for things to grow in. Maybe I could make 10 mounds if I'm lucky. I will have to do this before the rain starts.

I have veggies chopped to make many things with. I have rhubarb ready to cook. I was dreaming up a rhubarb and pineapple pie of some sort. Maybe I'll just stew it if I don't have the time. I need to put together the dressing for the coleslaw and finish the salad too.
Last edited by StarchBeet on Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:26 pm

I forgot to write something that made me smile deeply that happened last night. My son called me from his fathers house and asked me if I could give him some suggestions on cooking dinner because he wanted to make something healthy. So I thought out loud about Jeffs SNAP meals and shared how he could make several different things...then I thought about a 3 bean salad. I explained he can choose which beans he wants, dice up some onions and create a dressing for it. So he walked to the store, bought the ingredients and made dinner. He then called to say he felt so good that he ate something healthy for a change.

His father has High BP, diabetes, High cholesterol and well his mother died at age 63 and her father at the age of 54 from diet related choices. I suggested to our son that we give his father the Engine2 Diet book for his fathers to see if he could get motivated. I also have a couple extra copies of two of Mcdougalls books that I could let my son use to keep making things.

The beauty of this is that when he's with me he FEELS the difference eating well makes. He feels better when he eats with me and that is so good that he's acting on wanting to feel healthy. I just really enjoyed knowing he did what he needed to do.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:50 am

Though my scale looked like I was about 159 earlier this week I was about 160, on the needle, this morning.

Breakfast: boiled potatoes, few strawberries
L: carrots and boiled potatoes
S: 2 pieces of Jeffs oatmeal fruit bars and handful of beefsteak sweetpotato fries

This morning I had help preparing a lot of things for this weekend. We chopped things for the green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, and jicama salad. I need to go buy some cilantro, a mango, some lemons and a few other things. Right now I'm going to try that cooked oatmeal and fruit bar that people liked that Jeff's made.

Here is the picture of that awesome plantain and oatmeal bowl I made:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28585497@N ... hotostream
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:54 pm

I prepared a lot of salads for the past weekend. We had potato salad, colorful coleslaw, green salad, jicama with mango dressing as well as a few add ins (like grated raw beets). I made two casseroles for the kid since he especially likes the noodles. He had farfalle Florentine and mock cheese and macaroni. Saturday was good, but Sunday there was a company picnic and well I totally blew it. I had potato salad, greens and coleslaw and corn on the cob. The potato and coleslaw obviously had dairy. But the crabs that I ate were the big no-no. But also twice during the weekend we had shaved ice. I had a small passion-fruit and the second day I had half of a small cup. All this added up to way too much sugar and off-lifestyle eating. No surprise I gained two pounds this morning.

B: 1/2 bagel :shock: and potato salad (has some tofu dressing)
L: potato salad

I made sloppy mexican casserole for the kids for dinner. I think I'll make myself some beefsteak sweet potato fries and have some colorful coleslaw. I'm feasting and I need to rein in this high calorie density eating.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Tue Jun 14, 2011 1:29 pm

The good thing about eating too much variety and higher caloric density foods is getting back to simplicity. I can eat some potatoes for a few days and add some of the salads every day. Today the kids had some sloppy mexican casserole for lunch while I ate boiled potatoes, colorful coleslaw and jicama salad.

B: sauteed mushroom, garlic, kale and chayote on top of hash brown potatoes. Breakfast fit for a king, or queen!
L: colorful coleslaw, jicama salad and red potatoes.

Chayote is an amazing vegetable, or what ever it is.

The garden is loving cool weather instead of the brutal heat we've had so much of in the past few weeks. I think I'm going to rest.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:59 am

I've missed days writing here because I've been so busy and it's been a real Spring kind of week. I get up too early and don't sleep long periods of time so I've been tired too. I'll need to get back into cleaning and cooking at night because the heat will start in here next week again. I'm lucky this morning because the garden got a lot of rain in the night. I helped my friend (who's daughter graduated) a lot yesterday. She helps me and I help her.

I jumped on the scale this morning and it says the same. It even lingered on 159 for a second. I imagined it would have stayed higher. Somehow things balance out after the ups and downs of eating. OMG---I made the rhubarb pie creation. I need to get the picture. I'll do that now.

Carroll told me how to do this, lemme see if I can do it:
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Rhubarb pie topped with raspberries and peaches 2 by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people

YES!! Thank you Carroll!

Now i'm starving and I need to make some hash browns with kale and mushrooms!!
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:35 pm

B: boiled potatoes and oatmeal with sauteed plantains in marsala wine
L: boiled potatoes

This morning I had a stomach ache. We ate at the Greek place, I used to go to often, yesterday and I had plain salad and ordered some hummus and he said he wouldn't sprinkle on oil (though the tahini in it has oil), but the Gigantic beans (with onions and tomatoes) had to have had oil in it. I also drank a beer. Wow that tasted good. I hadn't had a drink in ages. I think my body is that sensitive to oil that I get a stomach ache soon after ingesting it.

I am going to make stuffed tomatoes tonight. I'm going to put some different things in them.

We had temperatures that were lovely this weekend. Today is supposed to be the last coolish day before hot temps finish off the week. So today I actually worked in my new garden area. Its new because the wood was removed and put into the woods and wow this soil is like pure heaven. I finally planted about 10 pumpkin plants (that were really needing to be planted) and I think I will move the green peppers that are being over-taken by the squash on the other half. I suppose the peppers will be over-taken by the pumpkin in a few weeks too. I had to move the top layer of large pieces of rotting wood, consider where I wanted to plant things and then I cleaned some trash out of the area and pulled up roots and growing weeds. Then I put in some soil I had delivered but the soil under those big pieces was the best possible soil. I mixed it around and then I planted. Then I put larger mulch sized soil around the plants. I think they are going to THRIVE, but I'm just guessing because this is only the second year I've planted. I have needed to do this for almost two weeks. I am so happy I did this before the unbearable heat came back.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:59 pm

ok, now whats in that great salad you shared? :lol:

Lemme try that...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28585497@N ... otostream/

nope

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/568 ... a5f7_s.jpg

test, hmm. I don't know what
"and then when you are writing a post here click on Img above the post and then right click and paste the link." means. I may take forever to get things but I figure them out eventually.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/568 ... a5f7_s.jpg

I give up for now

no pictures, just links.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/568 ... a5f7_s.jpg
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:51 am

Interesting, I'm getting closer to figuring it out...

I was looking into the greek "Gigantes" beans, since they really love those beans and I came across this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/healt ... ealth.html
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-beets and beans warms my heart (I always modify for fat free, etc meal)

B: boiled potatoes

After working the wood pile and making it livable for some plants I was so wiped out that I didn't even make dinner and now I have all these chopped vegetables I have to work on. At least they are ready for preparing.
My "check engine" light came on in my hybrid. So many things to take care of!

OHHHH, I figured it out!! Thanks to carroll that is :D
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby Chile » Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:23 pm

Ok, I want to try.
Image

Well, howdy do. That's how I eat bean burritos - grilled in my George Foreman grill until crispy (like a fried chimichanga without the oil!) and covered with salsa and lettuce.

Thanks for the easy pic instructions, although I had to modify them slightly. After right clicking on the photo, I clicked on Properties in the drop down menu, copied that, and pasted it here.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:12 pm

AWESOME Chile, I'm going to get the beans in the slow cooker for burritos tomorrow, and we are going to grill them. I dunno if he'll eat all the lettuce, but I will add that nutriyeast mashed potato addition. I hope my burrito looks like yours :-D

Here's a picture of a roasted stuffed-tomato I just created. It turned out more liquid than I anticipated. But the combination of flavors worked for me. It had kohlrabi, mushrooms, zucchini, celery, onions, garlic, chayote, watercress and a few other things. I see why people blanch the tomatoes and take off the skin, it's not that nice looking. Oh well it tastes good. I put it on (what else?) potatoes to soak up the juices.
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Re: Optimal Health Journey

Postby StarchBeet » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:49 pm

I'm struggling today. Last night I used some frozen bananas and added two pieces of fresh mango and a tablespoon of cacao powder (cacao mixed in 1/4 c. almond milk) to make some banana/mango ice cream. I woke up at 1 am with horrible stomach cramps and, though not as intense, that familiar panic attack feeling I've had several times in the past. I now think the connection is not mainly sugar but cocoa. I had this when I ate chocolate tofu pie for thanksgiving and again when I made chocolate/cherry ice cream (no dairy, just vitamixed fruit). I cannot believe what a physical reaction I had. I couldn't get comfortable all night. I'm fasting today and drinking only water. I'll have some potatoes ready for when I get super hungry but I want to fast for another 18 hours if I can. I would have called an ambulance if I had insurance. My stomach is still bad and I'm very weak and don't feel like doing anything. If I don't feel better tomorrow I'll call my doctor for an appt, even if that means I have more doctor bills I need to catch-up on. I will say good-bye to chocolate if I have to; just like I've said good-bye to coffee, butter, dairy, oil and anything else that makes me feel horrible. I should be in the 150's by July. Maybe July will rock and I'll get a real MWL plan going and get into the 140's :nod: in no time.

Hmm, it looks like my June weight loss was less than my average. I have to double check the figures. I may have mixed up some dates. :shock:
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