100% Compliant September Challenge

[blondie]

And I was wondering if the canned food would expand and burst if it froze!

My food today was lots and lots, and I think I'm just stress eating because I had a major project due in one of my classes today that I had left until the last minute. I worked on it for hours today, and finally submitted it. Hopefully now I'll calm down and quit stuffing myself tomorrow!!

Today's food:
B: Oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, walnuts; green tea
L: Leftover veggie soup
S: Apple, whole wheat pretzels, wasa with peanut butter, and a banana I snacked all afternoon....
D: Oatmeal with banana

[Marla]

Did you wrap the beets or the garlic in foil or anything else? How long did you crock them, and at what setting? I'm going to have to try this right away!

Becky, I have been using my dry crockpot as an "oven" to "bake" potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beets. It is so easy, and because the small amount of moisture of the potatoes or beets is trapped in the crockpot, they don't dry out.

I make beets the same way as potatoes or sweet potatoes. I don't wrap them. I just scrub them, dry them, put them in the crockpot, and cook on high. The length of time depends on the size of the beets.....yesterday I made very large ones (almost grapefruit sized) and they took 3 hours on high. Beets do leak a little red liquid into the crockpot so I don't cook them at the same time as potatoes (but I do cook potatoes and sweet potatoes together -- they take about 2.5 hours on high).

The garlic, all I did was loosen and remove the outermost papery skin, leaving the head intact. I did not wrap in foil, although I am sure that would work fine (and would have protected them from the beet juice ). I put two heads of garlic right into the dry pot (along with the beets) and cooked for the same amount of time...3 hours.....I don't think you can overcook roasted garlic so I wasn't concerned. It squeezed out of the cloves in paste form, which is what it is supposed to do, and tasted great. If I include garlic with my potatoes next time I make them, I will cook it for 2.5 hours and I am sure that will be sufficient.

Now that roasted garlic is so darn easy, I am afraid I will want to start spreading it on toasted bread

[Chile]

One caution with roasted garlic: if you eat a LOT of it, you will start exuding a strong garlic odor. Your urine will smell like garlic and your sweat will smell like garlic. In other words, cut back a bit when you've got a hot date with your hubby coming up!

[Chile]

Got in a long walk with the dogs this morning and then did my strength-training and core workouts.

Took a cue from Marla and shredded a big bowl of carrots, zucchini, and daikon for salads for the next few days. Also sliced cucumber and mushrooms, plus cooked up a big batch of burdock root. Along with the salads, I'm going to be doing Asian stirfries so I can use all of the above other than the cucumber. Woohoo, easy meal fixins'!

Today's meals ...

Breakfast: hashbrowns with salsa/ketchup

Lunch: stirfry veggies with soba noodles

Snack: a few black pepper Mary's Gone Crackers; few bites of cucumber; couple bites of boiled burdock root

Dinner: BIG salad with lettuce, shredded zucchini, carrots, daikon, sliced mushrooms, cucumbers, a few toasted nuts, and a little Asian dressing

[blondie]

Chile your food always sounds so exotic -- mine is just plain-jane!

I had 1/2 hour on the elliptical this morning followed by 1/2 hour on the resistance machines.

B: Oatmeal with banana, cinnamon, walnut; green tea
L: corn tortillas topped with ff refried rice, peppers/onions/sweetpotatoes seasoned with garlic, cumin, and chile powder
S: Honeycrisp apple!!! YAY Walmart finally got them!!
D: repeat of breakfast

No frantic eating today like yesterday and had a productive day today. Took a test and did some studying (a couple of hours) and discussion board posting in one of my classes, washed curtains in bedroom and living room and took mini-blinds outside and sprayed them with 409 then hosed them off and rehung when they were dry. DH washed windows!! Curtains are back up and I have a nice feeling of accomplishment!

[PattyC]

2 corn tortillas w/FF refrieds; Mexican rice
Personal size veggie pizza, tomato sauce, no cheese
Sweet/white potato salad
Split pea/barley soup; red grapes

[Becky]

Did you wrap the beets or the garlic in foil or anything else? How long did you crock them, and at what setting? I'm going to have to try this right away!

Becky, I have been using my dry crockpot as an "oven" to "bake" potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beets. It is so easy, and because the small amount of moisture of the potatoes or beets is trapped in the crockpot, they don't dry out.

I make beets the same way as potatoes or sweet potatoes. I don't wrap them. I just scrub them, dry them, put them in the crockpot, and cook on high. The length of time depends on the size of the beets.....yesterday I made very large ones (almost grapefruit sized) and they took 3 hours on high. Beets do leak a little red liquid into the crockpot so I don't cook them at the same time as potatoes (but I do cook potatoes and sweet potatoes together -- they take about 2.5 hours on high).

The garlic, all I did was loosen and remove the outermost papery skin, leaving the head intact. I did not wrap in foil, although I am sure that would work fine (and would have protected them from the beet juice ). I put two heads of garlic right into the dry pot (along with the beets) and cooked for the same amount of time...3 hours.....I don't think you can overcook roasted garlic so I wasn't concerned. It squeezed out of the cloves in paste form, which is what it is supposed to do, and tasted great. If I include garlic with my potatoes next time I make them, I will cook it for 2.5 hours and I am sure that will be sufficient.

Now that roasted garlic is so darn easy, I am afraid I will want to start spreading it on toasted bread

Thanks Marla! I will be trying this out soon, especially the garlic! Good thing my hubby doesn't mind the smell of garlic on me, hehe!

[Rosey]

I will be trying this out soon, especially the garlic! Good thing my hubby doesn't mind the smell of garlic on me, hehe!

Mine doesn't mind me smelling like garlic either in fact yesterday he goes you smell like yummy garlic and started being lovey dovey.

[Chile]

Roasted garlic, the McDougaller's aphrodisiac.

[StarchBeet]

The McDougaller Buggelars Aphrodisiac

[Chile]

I dug in the freezer, saw chocolate chips, and ate them. Bad Chile.

Breakfast: steel-cut oats with a little defatted peanut powder stirred in and sprinkled with half a dozen mini-dark chocolate chips; non-dairy Teecino latte

Snack: 2 raw okra; bite of watermelon

Lunch: stirfry veggies with soba noodles; non-dairy Teecino mocha "frappucino"

Dinner: repeat of last night's big salad

Dessert: handful of pomegranate seeds

[PattyC]

2 corn tortillas w/FF refrieds; Mexican rice; cantaloupe
Split pea/barley soup; corn/wheat tortilla w/1tsp peanutbutter; banana
Minestrone soup; blueberries and red grapes

1 hour water aerobics

Two more days to see if I made a 10 pound loss! My body feels like it. I hope the scales agree. Whatever, I lost the extra summer gain and I'm thrilled with all losses! Thanks Chile for challenging us all once again to rethink what we were doing and all of you for helping each other to stay on track!

Oh, and Chile, I have to deal with a dessert today at a quilting day with my friends and then actually provide the dessert for a church group get together tomorrow night!! Dessert is the big one for me. I've been so good and not had ANY dessert this month - all good vibes are appreciated!

[Marla]

Just coming up for air and checking in quickly! This has been a really bad week in terms of my both schedule and also some unexpected stressful news about my hubby's job.

I have been doing well with my meals but due to the stress in my life I find myself tempted to eat sweets and snacks after and between meals. I don't have any out-and-out junk food in the house and I won't buy any, but there are nuts and dried fruit which I have dipped into a couple of times. And bread (plan-approved oil-free bread, but still....). Also popcorn which I guess is okay. I have learned a lot from this about what my Achilles heel is. It isn't failure to plan. It's wanting to eat other things in addition to my healthy meals, for the pleasure and comfort of it. At the moment I am trying to manage it by choosing fresh fruit, popcorn, leftovers, etc. when I can't resist the urge to snack or have a treat. I need to work on this some more. I have been doing really well for several months; it's just that the urges are stronger right now. I am seeing it as a learning experience.

I will be away from my computer for most of the weekend, organizing a charity event. I plan to check in here tomorrow, but if I can't, I will visit on Sunday to read all the end-of-challenge comments and results and add my own.

Be well everybody!

[Chile]

Well, I had a major slip-up today. I have an idea what triggered it and making the unhealthy choice was a completely emotional reaction to the situation. Eating unhealthy foods for emotional reasons is why I'm fat; I know this and yes, I know I should not eat them. I'm much better about not going down this road than I used to be and was actually a bit surprised that I did today.

On the plus side, it led me to brutally clean out the cabinets and the fridge. A few not-so-great (but not truly awful) foods had slipped in. Those are all gone now. I donated the unopened non-perishable food to the local food bank and threw the rest out. I hate "wasting" food but wasting my opportunities to be truly healthy is even worse.

I'm looking forward to Sactobob's October Challenge. If you think my challenge was helpful, I think his will really up the ante! Below is what he posted about it:

* I will be doing an October Challenge with Gypsy as my partner. We will be posting separate journals. Last year I had to field some flak, and I don't want Gypsy to have to deal with that. Anybody else is welcome to join what we are doing in a journal if they like. My plan is to try to focus on the details and to work on the common ground among John McDougall, Jeff Novick, and Joel Fuhrman. They have some differences, but very much common ground. I have been really impressed and helped by Dr. Fuhrman's revised "Eat to Live" book.

So I will try to integrate the teachings of these three great health professionals into a diet. I hope to document the experience with daily menus and pictures and notes discussing why we are doing what we are doing.

[PattyC]

1 corn/wheat tortilla with FF/refrieds and Mexican rice; cantaloupe
Split pea/barley soup; apple, baby carrots
1-inch slice of Margarita Lime Pie (WW recipe) more like a sherbert
Baked potato; fresh tomato marinara; broccoli; blueberries/red grapes


They were shocked that I, the sugar addict, asked them to cut the piece of pie into more or less a sliver! I was very proud of myself and there wasn't any ingredient in there that made me want more or tickle my sweet palate or my brain! Haven't figured out why I had to "test" myself and just did not say no entirely other than the fact that I wanted to join the group (to be brutally honest).

I have no intention of entertaining that thought process on a regular basis but I am glad I got through today relatively unscathed. One step at a time. I'm really working hard on the "perfect" syndrome because it can bite me in the behind sometimes. It's been years since I've made it 28-1/2 days without sugar or a dessert!! I'm hoping to find my pace in all of this and succeed!