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Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:57 pm
by StarchBeet
B:Kim Chi Chinese Greens soup
L: potatoes and green beans curried on rice and corn and tomatillo salsa
D: rice and black beans topped with corn salsa and tomato salsa

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:43 am
by StarchBeet
Today I need to plan for next week and it could be a big week in learning some simplicity as well as losing in a big way.

B: Oatmeal with flax and dates
L: Colorful coleslaw

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:06 am
by StarchBeet
Monday meals:
B: boiled potatoes
L: Garlic bread, mini banana apple muffins (2)
D: Lasagna

Tuesday:
B: Oatmeal; slice of garlic bread and banana muffin
L: sweet potato fries
D: Lasagna

So much for Mary's mini. Life seems to pull me in other directions. I did get MWL McDougall book in the mail Monday.

Yesterday was in the 80's and I cleaned outside to be ready for a big rain storm especially (took care that things won't blow around, etc), but also doing Spring cleaning to get ready for the garden. I put together a composter so I can make use of all these veggie peelings, etc. I swept out the basement stairs of leaves so it won't flood the basement and found a bunch of worms making soil. I put those in the composter, added some soil, more leaves and threw in my first bag of veggie and fruit scraps. Maybe I should get some hens and sell fresh eggs too. (just kidding) I worked so hard this weekend and Monday that my back was spasming at night. That was scary.
Today I picked my first bunch of hyacinths, grape hyacinths and tulips and put them in a bowl in the kitchen. Oh Spring is such a lovely time.
I need to peel some sweet potatoes and put them in the oven.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:52 am
by StarchBeet
B: sauteed red and orange peppers in leeks with shitake mushroom mixed with potatoes O'Brien topped with kale
L:sweet potato fries and parsnip pedals- roasted; red potatoes boiled
D:mixed veggie stew

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:27 am
by StarchBeet
B: boiled potatoes
L: colorful coleslaw, veggie stew
D: mixed veggie soup

I feel good about the weight slowly coming off. I can say except for last week, when I began to understand where to focus for losing weight, I have not even been trying to lose weight. I'm not sure how easy it will be to lose faster now but I have the information if I can ever focus and make it happen in earnest. Either way things are fine and my body is feeling lighter and better every day.

Spring is coming slowly; and I'm trying to figure out how to compost all these wonderful veggie scraps so I can have a better garden. I'm tending to the compost and seedlings this week.

I am considering a worm box under my sink; but we'll see how well the composter can do its magic, or how well I can figure out the magic formula of warmth, mulch, soil, water and scraps.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 5:14 pm
by StarchBeet
B: arugula with potatoes Obrien with kale
L: sweet potato fries and 1 biscuit (oh my!!)

I am getting a head ache, maybe because of rain coming tomorrow (seems the pattern)

I have to make dinner, make plans for weekend and go shopping. I'm making a SAD cake this weekend. Someone better save me.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:35 pm
by StarchBeet
Well I lost another pound or more but I also ate cake and probably put it back on.

I've done excellent except for the cake.

Time for a marys' mini; hello red potatoes.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:28 pm
by StarchBeet
On Wednesday I made:
fennel, cucumber, pepper, apple salad topped with mango/lime/vinegar/agave dressing and with fruit I made jicama, pear, apple and strawberry with lime/mango dressing
I also boiled potatoes and roasted a bunch of veggies. They were asparagus, yellow zucchini, sweet potatoes, and golden and red beets.
I also made a sloppy mexican casserole for my youngest

I made macaroni and mock cheese today. I bought some chia seeds to try to use as a fat substitute in muffins and cookies and the like.

Rain on the way and I'm feeling like taking a break.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:07 pm
by StarchBeet
Its been a week of changes for me, my daughter, the weather with rain, then heat. My plants are sprouting and the beans grew about 5 inches in two days. I've worked more in the yard today and must work on planning for the many seedlings I've started. The composting is really coming along; it seems moist, I feel some heat and the scraps seem to be disappearing in there somewhere! This is all new to me but its interesting and I'm hopeful that I can help my garden this year. I have so many veggie scraps that it only makes sense I create some wonderful compost with them.

I've been struggling with hormones of my own and my daughters. She had some seizures and was out of it for a few days. Her endless eating may now be slowing down since she's off the last medicine that made her eat nonstop. There were days when all she wanted to do was search in the pantry and refrigerator. I am pleased with how the vegan diet is making her regular. I did this starchitarian lifestyle back when she was nursing so I'm sorry I didn't do it earlier for her bowel problems she'd had through the years.

I heard that probiotics could help me in various ways including my immune system, and since my digestive system was so bad that I had diverticulitis in July 2010 I figured I could try and see how they affect me. I think they have made my bowels better. I'm gassy though :-o

My struggles seem to be finding something for my sweet tooth (combine menstruation with a handy excuse like Easter and we could have problems, Houston). Then throw in stress from my daughter being out of it for two days, as well as grumpy, and a lot of rain and well it was a rough week because I didn't have time to plan and things get dicey when I don't. I did see my veggies sprout and then the rain changed to warm weather (90 degrees two days in a row :shock: ) so there has been improvements. By Friday it will be in the 60's and that's more expected this time of year.

So for that sweet tooth craving I managed by making peanut butter cookies and used chia seeds and some apple sauce, in place of ADDED fat (to the already fat PB), and my kid loved them. I loved the banana oat maple cookies. I cooked up a feast of salads and health-giving foods over the weekend. Then Monday I cooked all day again. Today I made absolutely nothing and worked outside mostly. I'll eat sweet potatoes tomorrow. I'll make another salad but need some more greens.

I especially loved the Tostada Salad with sweet pea guacamole which was refreshing and different. I also made some sherried rice and veggies which was nice.

The heats getting to me...I need to plan for the rest of the week.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 3:25 pm
by StarchBeet
If you don't record the things eaten daily, as well as the things that are going on, then its difficult to analyze and fix them. I stray here and there and struggle. I stray out of the MWL into questionable areas. I ate some bagels, drank some coffee, but I am back to trying to make it simple and to have options for times I'm not prepared.

May 1 has been:
B: strawberries
L: sherried rice and veggies
S: sweet potato fries

Dinner will be spinach rice. I got the newsletter today and I love the recipes in it. I'll make some black eyed-peas and maybe some fava bean soon. I have been talking to this great southern lady who keeps talking about NOLA red beans and rice. I will try that sometime too. All these option keep you going towards the superb choices in this starch-based lifestyle and sound very good. I also see Tiffany had an icing recipe, without fat, that I should have made a few weeks ago.

Good choices are always available during feast times. I also have to keep that bag of veggies around for when I go out. I did that last week. I had a bowl of boiled potatoes and bowl of rice that I took for dinner. I didn't get back until 11 pm, left at 2 pm, and I took care of what I needed to. I carry my water and need to carry options for keeping me fed too.

It's almost time for making some banana oat bran muffins. I'm enjoying experimenting with the mucilaginous properties of chia seeds for oatmeal, cookies and things that need to be thickened or have eggs.

I used some of my boiled potatoes for browning in the skillet last week for breakfast. I didn't chop them small, they were still good.

I made some great tomato spinach risotto yesterday. I need to make some more salad today. The rain drained my energy. I woke up at 4 am with a migraine and rain. The headache is gone but I still feel low energy from the pain.

I added another big bag of veggie scraps to the composter. It smells fresh and good in that container. There was some heat. I saw some seedlings. I think the green pepper seeds sprouted. The green peppers I tried to sprout for the garden look pitiful and most didn't come up. I think I'll use some seeds from the green pepper I will prepare today and see if they grow for the garden, since the bag of seeds didn't grow. I didn't know you shouldn't put seeds in the composter. I think I need to add some more soil too. I'll open it again when I need to (it's a cool day and that heat is important) or when the sun is here again which will be in 2 days. I think I live in the PNW or it feels like it this week.

This season I will take all my yard grass clippings and throw them in the corner of the yard against the fence and keep trying to produce compost and soil. I've used the lawnmower on left-over leaves and tried to compost them up where they lay, under trees and bushes.

I think I'll make a list of this weeks meals and get organized.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2011 10:42 am
by StarchBeet
B: fresh applesauce with cinnamon and strawberries
L: boiled red potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon and rice vinegar, more boiled potatoes


OMG these cookies look worth trying sometime:
http://veganepicurean.blogspot.com/2011 ... -give.html

I also loved the Einstein quote there.

"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions. " Albert Einstein
Maybe its a bit heavy but I think I may use it.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2011 1:53 pm
by StarchBeet
B: asian pear and cucumber
L: spinach rice
S: "beefsteak" sweet potatoes

Whats for dinner?? There is a storm brewing, there is tons of pollen and I'm feeling the brain fog.

I can always boil the rest of the red potatoes or make some more beefsteak sweet potato fries if I can't find something else. I could have a cup a soup of Pad Thai noodles, too.

I'll drink some water, take a break, look through the recipes and hope the brain fog goes away. Right now I should either choose the meds for stopping a migraine or wait (like I've done a million times and failed) to see if the headache goes away.

I took the pill and my headache is gone.

Here are some of my meals in the past year
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28585497@N ... 631038242/

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2011 11:36 am
by StarchBeet
B: home made applesauce, oatmeal with flax and chia
L: rice and veggies, 2 slices of pumpkin Thuk and some Kohlrabi
D: Chinese greens soup ( so many weird greens I can't even remember them all), and I passed on the noodles but I will have some tomorrow.

So I shopped at the HMart, Korean market, and something drew me to the Methi leaves. Here's what I found out about them ( I looked them up before I added them to Chinese greens soup):
http://www.myhealthguardian.com/food-an ... ical-methi
I'll add them to my soup now.

I also bought a kohlrabi and it tastes great raw. I've never tasted kohlrabi and it was a combination between a potato and cabbage. YUM. I need to make a salad along with the soup.

I had to make banana oat bran muffins since my banana's were really even too ripe to freeze. Here I'm trying to focus on MWL and I have the higher caloric density things. Of course I could WALK :lol: or eat some more chinese green soup. The banana oatbran batter tasted really delicious.
I was so tired two days ago and today I can't stop grazing. I haven't gotten to make the green salad. I need to make that after breakfast tomorrow.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:48 am
by StarchBeet
The sun is back out today and that does get the blood and energy flowing. Its cooled off 20 degrees though. I'm going to steal away for a walk. Then make a salad.

The dog especially enjoyed the walk. It was brisk cool breeze but the sun was marvelous. My old guy has been such a great dog; he's going on 14 now. Best dog I've ever known.

B:Potatoes Obrien with kale
S: pumpkin Thuk
L:Couple bowls of Chinese greens soup
S: carrots, boiled potatoes, few pieces of seaweed

I jumped on the scale (now i know why I had put it in the garage because it calls me over to it too much)and it looked like it was about 3 pounds down. I have not been in these numbers for a long time. I need to be super psyched that eating so well brings my weight down.

I'm going to read more on MWL basics and if I get to sleep early enough then I can get up early to walk. Funny thing when I was in Costa Rica no matter how late I got to sleep or how little sleep I got I was always up at 5 am. It was exciting to explore and the day always had some new adventure awaiting.

I so wish I could get away but that won't happen for a long while now. I'll enjoy the Spring right where I am then. If I really took my self serious then I'd get a walk in the morning and do some yoga at night or alternate days at least.

Re: Optimal Health Journey

PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2011 8:19 am
by StarchBeet
It feels nice to see the weight loss still going down. If I'm feeling this good now I can't wait to feel how good I will feel when I'm close to my goal weight.

I have not been this weight for at least 5 years and its a great feeling. I am feeling great and that's such an improvement. And I'm going to get better everyday.

I really didn't expect the weight to zoom down this week because I went from eating nothing and being tired to grazing like I was a bottomless pit. I threw in a few muffins and that Thuk (which is like processed rice with pumpkin, beans, sprouts and chestnut) and I am surprised the weight just slipped away. Maybe the exercise helped but I still need to build muscles.

So I managed another walk this morning; still brisk cool wind, just a bit less today. I still haven't gotten to eating (I stuffed myself so much yesterday!!) and I may have gotten to the point where I can go hungry without feeling a headache coming on or light headed. I hope so because I'll probably be out for the rest of the day and past rush hour traffic. I'm making sweet potato fries and maybe I can do a quick salad. I'll take some water and a piece of fruit, if I have some in the fridge.

B:Leftover oatmeal with flax and chia
L: Sweet potato beefsteak fries and parsnip chips roasted
D:Risotto primevera

Wow I love risotto. Those vegies were so light and fresh. Cutting vegies into matchstix is a lot of work and worth it.