Just checking in...
So many people here eat oats for breakfast. I have trouble with oats. I get terrible gas and abdominal pain when I eat it. It's worse sometimes that others. That's unfortunate because I know how healthy oats are. In that Cholesterol Down book, the author said that barley and oats have the same beneficial type of soluble fiber. So I thought I would give barley another try. The last time I made it (a few months ago) I choked down a bit and the rest sat in my fridge for a couple of weeks until I threw it out. So I thought I would try to make it the way people have made oats. I didn't have any cherries, so I cooked the barley with some apples. I couldn't find the cinnamon, so I added some pumpkin pie spice (which of course has cinnamon in it). I had to cook it for a while--about an hour--then I added a spoonful of brown sugar. It was so good! I got some zucchini today--oops! still forgot cherries--so I will add that to the next batch.
We had a family dinner today--a combination Easter/Passover affair. I took the herbed lentils and rice posted on the old McDougall site. That is one of my favorite dishes. And it makes my place smell great while it's baking! I also took a carrot jicama salad from the Cholesterol Down book. It had a dressing that called for nutritional yeast. I couldn't seem to get to a place that sold it this week, so I just used some fat free salad dressing I already had--Old Cape Cod Sesame Soy and Ginger. Also a favorite. I wasn't sure how people would feel about jicama. This was actually the first time I tried it myself. But it was a hit! My family is pretty adventurous with food. They'll try anything once. My mom (who is McDougalling with me) brought her world famous baked beans. They are vegan (since she no longer uses canned beans with bacon in them) but they ARE high in sugar--ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup. Still, it's a familiar favorite that everyone loves.
It's always hard to tell what is McDougall safe at a buffet. My aunt is always making salads, but she hoses them down in olive oil. Another person makes a GREAT tasting ceasar salad. I only just learned that IT is hosed down in olive oil too. There was a great looking orzo salad with asparagus, but it was much too shiny. One of my cousins, who is a vegetarian, brought a black bean salad. It didn't look shiny, so I took some. it was quite tasty. I asked her later what was in it. She said the recipe had been passed friend to friend and she didn't have any measurements. But it was black beans, red pepper, corn, cilantro, green onions moistened with salsa. So simple, and so good! And McDougall friendly.
One more thing...we had TWO kinds of Passover cake. One was made with 9 eggs and almond meal and covered in chocolate sauce. The other was made with 8 eggs and matzo meal. Yikes! And of course accompanied by 3 kinds of ice cream. Someone did bring a huge bowl of strawberries to go with the cake. I tried to tell myself that I could have a tiny piece of cake. It's only once a year, right? I could have lots of strawberries with it, right? Just a LITTLE piece. Well, my mother, bless her heart, encouraged me NOT to eat cake and just have strawberries. Thank you, Mom! Usually she would have a piece and encourage me to have "just a bite." She's really trying hard to follow MWL. We even went outside and walked around the yard a bit! Normally, she spends the entire family visit sitting. I'm so proud of her! And I can't tell you what a relief it is to have someone else around who is also following the same eating plan I am!