Super Salad September!

Mihani

It's a new month starting, and we're on the countdown now to the holiday season. I saw Halloween displays at the grocery the end of July. Really retailers? July is time to start prepping for Halloween? Ugh!

Thanks, Lia, for the inspiration for the September thread title, and let me be the first to wish you a Happy Birthday!

Time for me to buckle back down and get back to the 6 week plan way of life. I let myself go pretty crazy over the weekend, and I bounced up a bit, but overall I lost 7.8 in August, which is waaaaay better than I've been doing so I'm content with it. Going to work on doing the 6 week plan mostly, but allow one day a week off the plan so I can go out to dinner or whatever. Also need to start building up my walk time so I'm ready for my 5K walk for melanoma the end of September.

y'all!

Phoenix4me18

Morning all! LOVE the name of the September thread!! I am excited to report my first totally clean day in a really long time yesterday. :-) It was a tough day to get through (my grandma is back in the hospital with some heart issues), along with some very strange hubby behavior at home, super stress at work and it was Monday of course. I got home and was super tired only to find my oldest son had discovered Brownie Batter Oreo's at the grocery store and bought two packages. They were placed right in the middle of one of our counters. I walked in, saw them, walked past them. Unloaded my tupperware dishes from lunch, walked past them again and reached out and touched the package thinking "just one..." Then, thankfully, a voice inside said "nope. Don't you dare ruin today for one of those. They will taste wonderful, but, you won't have just one." So, I walked by them again and got changed for the workout I didn't want to do. I am still pretty sore from all the pulling, hauling and planting I did Sunday and for the first time in a while my knees actually hurt. I was finding a million reasons not to workout. In my workout clothes I had to pass the the dreaded Oreo's again. I finally looked at them, picked them up and put them in a drawer so they would stop staring at me! lol Anyhow, I got in a workout. It wasn't my best. Primarily walking. I tried some jogging, but, my heart just wasn't in it. So, after 30 minutes I decided doing the bare minimum was going to have to be ok today and hopped off. Even though I was disappointed, I am calling yesterday a WIN. I avoided the Oreo's, I didn't eat anything off plan and I got in 30 minutes of activity when I didn't want to. Whoo hoo!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIA!!!

With that I have got to get to work. Have great days!

liapr

Woohoooo!! September!! Thank you ladies, so nice of you. This is the most supportive group, you guys are the best! Love coming here to read everyone's tales and struggles and stories.

Mihani, 8 lbs is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats, we are so proud and impressed. That was a ton of hard work and you really stuck through it all. You've inspired me. I have birthday celebrations tonight and Saturday, but otherwise, I am really determined to get back to greens and ETL and more veganism in general.

NewMe, sorry to hear about your awful but awesome day. How is your grandma doing?? I always think the first ETL day is the hardest!! I think Brian Wasink wrote a really interesting book about food behaviour and he talks about how the brain rationalizes food and snacks, and basically every time you walk past the oreos and say no, you're training your willpower but also, it's easy for your brain to say yes the 4th time ("I've already denied myself 3 times today so this is my treat). Anyway, just wanted to say - good idea to just put them away!! Good for you for resisting

Last night, I got home to a beautiful box of fresh produce at my door, woohoo! It actually made me excited about cooking and veg again. I made some yummy curried lentil soup, smoothies, and prepped some other stuff. I even got a short treadmill walk in. Hope you guys all have a good first day of September

Mihani

Laura, great job on resisting those Oreos! I haven't been tempted by any of the new Oreo incarnations, but I admit I do like the classic Oreos. I will buy the small snack packs of them sometimes, that have like 8 cookies in them. Then I can indulge without having a whole package of them to tempt me on following days. I hope your grandmother is okay. Your family is definitely dealing with a lot lately.

Thanks Lia, I feel good about my (almost) 8 pounds. Not letting myself get bummed by the fact it wasn't 18 was huge. I need to continue that mindset, that the weight loss is not the most important part of this... health and energy is #1. I have been in a better mood, sleeping better, no acid reflux, no headaches, dealing with stress better. These are all things that I need to keep in the front of my mind as my goals, and let the scale be secondary.

So cool about your CSA... I did that for a while but when work started getting crazy I wasn't using stuff up so I dropped out. A Fresh Thyme store is opening up close to me though, I can't wait! They open the 16th I think, and they are all about produce and mostly organic, lots of local, also healthy packaged food and vitamins and such too. I'm planning to stick pretty close to the 6 week plan for September and see if I can lose another 7 or 8 pounds. But, enjoy the heck out of your birthday celebrations! I think that's got to be key doesn't it? To allow ourselves the flexibility to enjoy special occasions but get right back at it. I tend to let one "bad day" which really is just one indulgent day, snowball into a week or two or three of oh whatever attitude. I will have to look into that book, I'm interested in the motivations and how our brains work, and you never know what you will read that will click and help.

I had a good day today, didn't snack like I was, and took my big salad for lunch. No workout, had work to do when I got home and now I'm just tired. Like Laura, I'm still sore and tired from the yard work this weekend, and I think I'm going to go to bed extra early. I wish I had it in me to go ahead and work out anyway, but I don't seem to be able to lay my hands on some motivation at the moment lol.

Sabine_Stroehm

LOVE the thread title!

whats_her_name

Happy September, everyone! I'm gearing up for my trip. Tough mudder is on Saturday (uh oh...) My hubby was looking at the course map, and there is a section where we have to run through tear gas (sort of - it's a bit milder than the real stuff), and another section called "Electric Shock Therapy" where we have to run through a bunch of wires, and every 5th one is live... WTF?!?!? I did not realize these kinds of "obstacles" were what I was signing up for!?????? I told him to stop talking, because I didn't want to know any more. I just want to run up to it, mutter a couple of choice words and then just do it... Knowing in advance is going to make it much, much worse...

Kids are back in school - thank goodness!! Back to a routine. Ahhhh....... First after school activity starts tonight - water polo. I think it's my personal favorite. As a former lifeguard, I just love being at the pool...

My daughter tried guitar lessons a few years ago - she really was just too young and she didn't enjoy it. But since we have a guitar in the house that I bought and paid for, I'm thinking that I might sign up for adult lessons. I have played about a million instruments over the years (I did organ lessons - yes, I am a product of the 80's - and I was also a band geek: clarinet, bass clarinet, french horn, bassoon, and percussion). Ok, maybe not a million, but a few... I think guitar would be much cooler than all my other nerdy instruments!

I am totally loving roasted brussel sprouts right now. I am addicted!!! I wish I could grow a fall garden, but for us here in Saskatchewan, fall could be over next week and we could be right into winter. You never can tell. I always have my fingers crossed that the snow holds off until at least November 1st, but we aren't always so lucky. Fortunately for the kids, they have had some nice Halloweens the past few years - I hope that trend continues... So far, we are still enjoying hot weather (high of 32ºC today), but the mornings have cooled off considerably. It feels like fall for sure!

Anyway, I have to get to it. I wish you all a wonderful day!!

lisabinco

Ok, I'm going to try to hit this group more often. It's way more inspiring to me than anything else on MFP.
Mihani, I hope your smoking ban is going well. I'm a thankful non-smoker, too, although I kicked it cold-turkey in my early 20s, struggled on and off for about 5 years after that, and then "poof!" -- never had the urge again. I'm rooting for you!
NewMe9597, you thwarted that little voice in your head and won over those Oreo's!! Big victory! I can relate.
Whats_Her_Name, I was a band nerd many years ago (clarinet, flute, sax) but have been thinking about picking up a flute again. It's been a zillion years since I played any reed instrument, but I can still (sort of) read music. Playing music is supposed to be good for one's mind, and mine can always use help! Music AND a Tough Mudder… you are one complex person!
A brussels sprout addiction is a good thing.
I'm still thrilled about how easy it was to pass up SAD food last week while vacationing with SAD eaters -- my least favorite step-daughter who has put on at least 30 pounds in 3 years, my also-overweight step-son-in-law, and their three pudgy kids. This was the most stressful trip planned and I dreaded it three months out. Silly me. Maybe because I'm older it wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated. There was only one snide remark about how I wasn't eating like the rest of them (that I could hear, anyway) and I'm sure the fact that I actually look and feel good kept the comments to a minimum. I was still about 20 pounds overweight when they saw me last.
During this visit, I was pleased to notice that those little voices in my head that get all excited and start urging me with "oh, just a few bites won't hurt" were very much muted by the louder (more rational) voice in my head that said "you will feel sick if you try to eat that" and "your eyes will get all puffy in the morning from the salt" or "your joints will hurt from that stuff" -- my rational voices were drowning out those excited squeaky voices when the greasy, salty, fatty SAD foods were brought for everyone else. It made it easy to pass up stuff without feeling deprived. In fact, I felt good about it. A gift to my old body. Not smug or any of that "look how good I'm being" -- just comfortable with myself about what I was putting in my body and sticking with it. That sounds odd, I know, but that's what it was. Just being comfortable that I know what's best for me, and you all do what you want, I'm okay with that.
It was just so pleasant for a change. I didn't feel like I had to eat anything to be polite. Dr. Fuhrman is correct when he says knowledge is power; understanding the science of food and what it does for your body really helps me stay centered on ETL.
Two more trips this month, but I'm ready for them.

Mihani

Hi Sabine! Always good to see you.

Karrie, holy crap that tough mudder sounds like a tough mudder! I like your strategy of “what I don’t know won’t hurt me” lol. I played guitar sporadically and not very well, but I still plan to go take lessons some day and learn to play better. I did play piano, and was proficient enough, but I was never really inherently talented. It was sad because I loved music and I could sing, but my voice has gone downhill over the years, probably due to my smoking. One of my brothers is a musical genius. He can pick out a tune on just about any instrument he picks up, and for years he didn’t even know how to read music but he could play anything on the piano or guitar. He is a really good singer too. I’m so envious of his talent.

Lisa, I am always happy to see you posting here. You are definitely one of my biggest role models on how to be ETL for life. I still struggle with my ups and downs, but getting better all the time. I am just concentrating on not letting myself slide too far these days, and stay at it more consistently, and it is working. It has taken me a long time to get away from the “on” or “off” my diet mentality and embrace ETL as just the way I want to eat rather than a short term diet plan. It is so impressive, and yet so simple, that you just said no I don’t eat that stuff and managed all the temptations so well on your trip.

Today went pretty well. It was a crazy day at work, I spent most of it messing around with our website because my boss was getting a bit snarky about how long it had been since I updated it, so I said okay I’ll work on it today. I was in a mood anyway, and tired of slogging through the real work, so it was kind of a nice break. I love creating websites it uses a different, more creative/artistic, part of my brain. Now tomorrow when I realize just how little actual work I got done today I will probably be regretting it! A client sent me a beautiful basket of bright cheery yellow flowers as a thank you and that totally made my day. When I called to say thank you she said that I was like family and have helped her through some tough times, and she just wanted me to know how much it meant to her. Made me a bit teary-eyed, it’s nice to be appreciated, especially when you feel like you’re always behind and not meeting expectations.

Phoenix4me18

Hi all. It has been such a WEEK this week! Thanks for all the support regarding my Grandma. She went into the hospital last week due to some faintness, irregular heart beat and sweating. After she was admitted they ran some tests and found that she had a 90% blockage in one of her arteries near her heart so they put in a stint. (We had found out the week before that she had apparently had a mild heart attack at one point - which she remembered having - but, didn't tell anyone and didn't let my Grandpa take her to the hospital.) She was then released last Friday. Sunday morning she started feeling very light headed and had a lot of pain in her back and leg, so, they took her back to the hospital. Since then every day has had something different happen: her blood counts (hemoglobin especially) dropped suddenly, she had an aneurysm at the catheter site in her leg where they went in to place the stint, she has a UTI, there have been a battery of tests, limited mobility to keep the aneurysm from bursting etc...My mom has been trying to deal with all of it (she is the nurse in the family) while trying to deal with her own illness. Needless to say, it has not been an easy week at all.

We have just been making it through the days lately trying to keep things afloat in our own little house. I got in a really solid run yesterday morning which was nice to finally have after feeling like I was in a bit of a slump lately. Hopefully that trend will continue for a while. My food has been pretty good as well. I have been really focused on clean eating so, that has been really nice. My lunch box for work has gotten much simpler as well which makes packing it a breeze. I found myself kind of teetering a little bit, starting to research some other plans and nutrition and could feel myself getting overwhelmed with the information and figure I really just need to stick with this and not confuse things. I lost 4 pounds last month, so, hopefully I will see even more of a loss at the next weigh in. Why change it as long as it is working?

I would love to catch up on personal responses, but, work has gotten a bit back logged and since the morning time seems to be the quietest on the family front I better take advantage of it. Take care!

whats_her_name

Wow, NewMe, that IS a WEEK. I'm sorry to hear all this stuff has been happening with your grandmother. I hope they sort her all out so she can stabilize.

Music and a Tough Mudder and computer programming, and KNITTING!! I'm super complex...

Part of my reason for wanting to take guitar lessons is because my daughter is ALWAYS singing and she LOVES music. She asked to play guitar, but I knew she was a little young for it. I should have made her wait. But I am kinda hoping that if I manage to getg good enough to play the songs she likes, she might actually think "hey, I want to do that!!". So I'm hoping it'll motivate her to want to give it another go... That, and I've always wished I knew how to play a guitar. I wanna be around the campfire out at the lake, strumming out the tunes.

Tonight is packing night. I'm leaving for Alberta tomorrow, and likely won't have much internet access all weekend. I'll be back Tuesday to tell you all about it - wish me luck!!!

Mihani

Hang in there Laura! Sounds like you're doing quite well dealing with all the stress.

Good luck Karrie!! Can't wait to hear how it all goes.

A good day today as far as ETL goes, rather stressful at work though. And I didn't sleep well last night, there were storms and the boy dog gets freaked out so I gave him a pill to chill him out but by that time he had me wide awake and I had restless sleep then. I NEED good sleep to function properly.

Mihani

Hope you all had a nice long weekend. I worked it of course, but I figure that made it a real Labor Day. Not really feeling like I'm catching up much, but I'm at least not as far behind, so that's progress. I need to get back to way more strict ETL this week. I've let it slide far too much and for too long. I was using stopping smoking again as an excuse, but it's no excuse, it's merely sorry justification.

So with that in mind, I have loaded up on lettuce, kale, collard greens. I also have a few root veggies to roast, and a spaghetti squash. Going to get back to smoothies for breakfast, salad for lunch, and mix it up at dinner but make sure that it always includes lots of greens and other veggies. Will get in the beans either in my lunch salad or add to dinner. So mostly back to the 6 week plan but allowing a little flexibility for dinners out and such, but no more than one night a week.

I've also slacked off a bit on walking, it got super duper HOT this week. We had such a nice mild summer, and now that it is September it got hot. I need to get going though, so I'll be ready for my 5K charity walk the end of this month.

whats_her_name

WARNING: LONG POST COMING UP!!!

Good morning - I hope everyone had a great long weekend.

The Tough Mudder is NO JOKE!! We had miserable weather - it was only 7ºC and raining. SO COLD. I couldn't feel my fingers for much of the race.

I'll just run it down and give you the highlights.

- we had to climb a wall just to get to the start line
- the mud is so deep and so thick throughout the WHOLE course that you're slipping and sliding more than you're running (think pulled groin)
- my shoes were so caked with mud that I was probably lugging around an extra 20 lbs per leg
- I fell so many times I can't even tell you (and turned my ankle 4 times, too)
- at the 2km mark, the obstacle was called "Arctic Enema". You climb a ladder and then slide down into an ice bath, where you HAVE to submerge just to get around the netting that's above the slide. It is SHOCKING how cold that ice bath is.
- most other obstacles have water pits in them as well, but at least they're not filled with ice
- we had to repel down a 50 foot cliff - the mud on my gloves was so thick and slippery that I thought I would fall to my death
- we had to climb back up, of course, and that was HARD - I kept sliding down the hill and had to grab onto plants to prevent myself from sliding - a lot of the plants were thorny (my gloves were fingerless)
- after a few more km and a few more obstacles, we had to go down another rope. This time it wasn't steep or scary, but the mud was deep and slippery - took a long time to trudge through
- at about the 10km point, I stopped participating in the obstacles that had water pits in them because it was insanely cold
- the second time we had to go up a hill, I was convinced they were going to have to air lift me out. I kept having to go to my knees to prevent myself from sliding down. I clawed at anything on the ground to try to pull myself up. When I finally made it to the top, I started sobbing uncontrollably because I didn't think I was going to make it. They closed that section of the race after we finished it, because it was deemed too dangerous.
- the mud kept pulling at my shoes - although I never lost a shoe, both of my heels were bleeding from the friction
- after falling on my right arm so many times I cannot count, I hurt my elbow and could only run if my right hand was held to my chest - I could no longer swing my right arm.
- I skipped the electric shock therapy obstacle because it was right at the finish line, and my brain said "eff this, go to the finish!!!"
- The medic tent was overflowing and some people got hypothermic disorientation and wandered off course and ended up at the WalMart.
- Back at the hotel, after 2 showers and a bath, I STILL got mud all over my towel.
- I have a giant bruise the entire length of my thigh and I have no idea where I got that
- I could not get warm for the rest of the day. We had the heat in our hotel room cranked to 25ºC and we were under the covers. We refused to go anywhere that night and just ordered in room service.
- A friend who has finished 3 previous tough mudders said that this was the hardest one she'd ever done.

So I'm sure I am forgetting some stuff. But it was BRUTAL.

BUT WE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!!!!!
AND AFTER I LOSE 50 LBS, I'M GOING TO GIVE IT ANOTHER GO (but in July or August, when it won't get so freakin' cold).

mwah ha ha ha ha.....

So how was your weekend????

Mihani

OMG Karrie, that is insane!!! I would have never got through half of that, you should be incredibly proud of yourself! I hope you recover from all your bumps and bruises quickly. Awesome job!!!

tdh1991

Karrie that is fantantic. You must be in such great shape.

New me hope your grandma feels better soon.

As far me I have good news and bad news.

The good:
Back on strict ETL. I felt like crap when I fell off the wagon.
My Dad is helping me out at work now and I am finnally getting the paper work under control. Plus, has been a little slow with out super hot weather and people taking the end of summer vacations.

The bad:
starting last July I have been getting intense knee pain. So, I thought it might be from exercise. I took a break for a couple of weeks and it did not get any beter. I made an appointment with a rheumatologist. I thought for sure she was going to tell me it was osteoarthritis but the diagnosis came back Rheumatoid Arthritis. . I will be on steriods for awhile.


The ugly:
the xray came back with some bone damage

The next step: Strict autoimmune etl, vitamin supplementation, and what ever the doctor recommends. Will start back at the gym next week with a new plan. This challenge is just anohter reminder my sweet tooth is hurting my body. (also, my genetics)

Off to work everyone have a lovely day.

liapr

Karrie, just when you wrote that you sobbed during your tough mudder, my eyes were tearing up!! Holy shiza, that is insane. Like "my body hurts for you" kind of insane!! I actually thought to myself "Just get out, Karrie" while reading it, lol, like it was a horror story. Congrats though, that must be the most amazing kind of feeling of accomplishment!!

Terry, sorry to hear about your poor knee. Is it feeling any better yet? You're right, it's great motivation for ETL though.

Mihani, bah, sorry to hear you worked for so much of the weekend. Did you get any time to relax?? I am also screaming inside for your boss to hear me to hire a second person!!!

Lisa, great job sticking to ETL! Like Mihani said, you are our resident ETL-lifer and source of inspiration!

Sorry I haven't been around this week. My birthday celebration basically turned into a whole week celebration. I had out for food so much! I tried to make healthy choices but there was ice cream involved and oil on all the salads. Then I set Sunday as my re-start to ETL and I happened to get some sort of food poisoning or flu or something... I ended up staying home yesterday too. I'm feeling back to normal but the bad detox symptoms!! Still, I'm so happy to be putting good things into my body and not sugar. I feel pretty determined. Today is Day 3 for me!

whats_her_name

liapr wrote: »

I actually thought to myself "Just get out, Karrie" while reading it, lol, like it was a horror story.

Holy crap - that's EXACTLY what it was like. lol... That's hilarious!!!

I FINISHED. I DID IT. After all that horror!!! Yes, I'm proud of myself. I really nearly quit more than just once or twice. But then I just squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and pushed through.

And no, I'm not in terribly good shape. I'm just stubborn...

I can run a 10km, but I'm slow. And I can curl 20lb dumbbells, but not much more. That's really about the extent of it. I can do better. I can be better. And I will.

My focus for the next 8-12 weeks is gonna be all about nutrition. I've gotta get rid of my spare tire.

After I've lost about 30 lbs, then I'll start ramping up the workouts again.

My brother is getting married in January and I want to WOW everyone.

And I will.

whats_her_name

Terri, I'm sorry to hear about your knee. That stinks. Glad you caught it now, though, so it didn't get even worse. You take care!!

Mihani

Terri, sorry to hear about your knee, that really sucks. Steroids are so hard on your body too. I hope that you are feeling better really soon.

Lia, glad you enjoyed your birthday week! Boo on being sick at the end of it though. Glad you are feeling better. Woohoo 3 days!!! I really think it takes a full week to get my brain to stop trying to screw with my plans, hang in there through the weekend and I bet you’ll be on a serious roll!

Karrie, I still can’t get over that… I would never have made it. I probably would have quit at the wall before the starting line lol. I don’t think I have any wish to do a tough mudder, but I am totally in awe of you doing it! I’m also right about 30 pounds to lose, and man I don’t know why it is so hard. And just last year I only had 15 that I thought I needed to lose. Sigh. Now 30 seems so daunting. But we’ll do it, we have the skills!

Lisa, how’s it going? You gearing up for your next trip?

Laura, hope the family is doing better.

Sabine, how goes September?

And a shout-out to Peas, you still up north visiting family? We miss you.

I’m still struggling a bit, but back to better choices overall. Even snacking I’m going for fruit or fresh veggies rather than crackers and stuff. Although, this is so funny, I did grab a small handful of snack crackers to have with my lunch salad today, and while still in the kitchen I actually had one in my mouth when I glanced at the ingredients and they had milk in them. I thought they were wheat thins but they were a store brand wheat thin type cracker. I actually spit it out into my napkin. I am that committed to being vegan that I literally won’t knowingly eat something that has a non-vegan ingredient. Why oh why can’t I get my brain to have that reaction to every food that isn’t good for my overall health and goals?

I gotta get a walk in tonight. I have that 5K charity walk coming up fast and I haven’t done any real distance walking in a long time. I think my walks are a mile to a mile and a half, so not even half of what I need to do, although it’s not a race and I’m sure I’ll do fine. Still, I'd like to use it for motivation to increase my distance and speed.

tdh1991

Good morning everyone and thanks for the well wishes.

ETL is working The weight is coming off pretty fast. 3 lbs down since Friday. I would like to get back down to 140 so about 14 lbs to go. If my body would let me get to 125 would be even better, but I will accept what ever weight my body settles at. Dr Furhman says at some weight you will stop losing. I have not been on plan long enough to get to that point. Up and down the scale I have been but this time for good.

This morning I plan on doing some cooking, I will be making a broccoli mushroom bisque and a marinated mushroom salad. I would like to get into vegetable juicing but have found when i do I get really hungry. Maybe veggie juice for breakfast and make sure I have a big salad for lunch.

Lia: Happy Belated Birthday. Also, hope you are feeling better

Carrie: I am still in awe that you made it through a mudder. You got to be tough and strong enough.

Mahini: good walking goal, and your charity walk sounds fun.

Sabine_Stroehm

I found the BEST salad at my work! kale, garbanzo, cabbage, almond and feta. I'm loving it. It comes with a balsamic. Sometimes I add a can of sardines instead of the balsamic, or salmon (my menopause diet), sometimes I eat as is.

Mihani

Terri that bisque sounds tasty. Let us know the recipe if it's good.

Sabine the salad sounds delightful. I could make it with some cashews or something rather than cheese. I am not a fan of raw kale though (love it cooked), do they do anything to soften it up?

Met a friend after work for a couple drinks, so today was not totally ETL, but it was fun. I haven't seen her for months. We had a lot of catching up to do! But food-wise I was right on track today so I'm content.

coueswhitetail

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I found the BEST salad at my work! kale, garbanzo, cabbage, almond and feta. I'm loving it. It comes with a balsamic. Sometimes I add a can of sardines instead of the balsamic, or salmon (my menopause diet), sometimes I eat as is.

Sounds good! I like to add sardines to my salads too, especially with balsamic as a dressing. I find the balsamic goes great with sardines.

coueswhitetail

Thought you all might like this simple broccoli soup recipe. I hope to make it http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2KR44a_5v_A

liapr

Coues! Nice to see you, how are you doing? Thanks for the recipe.

Mihani, that sounds like a nice break in the busy week! I'm sure you're right back to it today.

I've had a good first week back to ETL and feel much better. The scale doesn't reflect that, which was upsetting, but I'm trying to take the high ground and just keep on. I do feel better and want to keep feeling better. I actually signed up for the Happy Herbivore meal plans for a month to try. Has anyone tried them? It's all plant-based recipes and she gives you a shopping list, recipes, and tells you how to batch cook for the whole week in a few hours. I'm going to try it out this Sunday. I love streamlining the process! And something new makes the food more exciting too.

Terry, let us know how the dishes turned out.
Sabine, awesome to find a go-to salad you love!

Karrie, I agree with Mihani, you have solidified my resolve to never do a Tough Mudder haha. But I am all the more impressed. I think it's a huge mental feat as much as physical by the sounds of it!

TGIF lovelies Anyone up to anything exciting this weekend? They are hosting the annual Vegan Fest this weekend in Toronto which I hope to check out (although it's supposed to rain, boo).

whats_her_name

liapr wrote: »

it's a huge mental feat

Yeah, that's really what it is... You have to stay focused and determined on finishing. It is very tempting to quit...

tdh1991

The Broccoli Mushroom Bisque is a big hit. We just finished it for dinner. I add thanksgiving spices,
fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, black pepper. Was very yummy.

Broccoli Mushroom Bisque
www.DrFuhrman.com

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest (or 2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning blend)
2 cups carrot juice
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup Mediterranean pine nuts or additional cashews
Instructions:
Place all the ingredients except the cashews and pine nuts in a soup pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

In a food processor or high powered blender, blend two-thirds of the soup liquid and vegetables with the cashews and pine nuts until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and reheat before serving.

Note: If desired, pecans may be substituted for the cashews.

Had a flawless fuhrman week. and down 3 lbs. Yeah!!!!! Starting to feel better so gonna try to go to the gym on Sunday.

Mahini: you night sounded fun.

Lai: hang in there the scale will budge.

Have a fun Friday night.

coueswhitetail

Liapr.....I am well.....I still check in periodically, its just hard to keep up with everyone's posts....I don't post much but I check in on you guys even if I am not posting.....thanks for the bisque recipe tdh!

sloth3toes

whats_her_name wrote: »

- some people got hypothermic disorientation and wandered off course and ended up at the WalMart.

karrie - Those people did not get 'wander' off course to end up at the WalMart. They just saw 2 choices. One, full of mud, ice and hills, and the other with all of life's comforts. All of them. Under a roof, with heat. :huh:

You are one tough woman. Congratulations. You now know you have no limitations. Except perhaps, for electric shock therapy.

tdh1991

Happy Sunday night

Had a really strict weekend. I am starting to feel much better. Back at the gym today for a light workout and I still feel pretty good.

Wanted to share what I made for dinner was a big hit. Super yummy.

Lemon Cauliflower Risotto
Chef Martin Oswald

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium or no-salt-added vegetable broth
6 cups very finely chopped cauliflower florets (tops of florets only, not stems)
1/2 organic lemon, juiced and zested (I used juice of 2 lemons should have added zest)
1 cup roasted red bell peppers, sliced
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 cups spinach, finely sliced
4 tablespoons raw almond butter ( way to expensive used teddi chuncky peanutbutter)
2 tablespoons sliced chives, divided
2 tablespoons raw almonds, chopped (did not add)

Add:

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp orange curry powder

In addition to the chopped almonds, add a sprinkling of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed, and a few "squirts" of Sriracha hot chili sauce.
Instructions:
Saute the onion and garlic in a stainless pot without water, stirring often until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and cauliflower and saute for 3 minutes. Add all other ingredients except the almonds and 1 tablespoon chives and cook for 3 more minutes or until cauliflower is al dente. Sprinkle the almonds and remaining chives over the risotto.

Per Serving:
CALORIES 245; PROTEIN 10g; CARBOHYDRATES 18g; TOTAL FAT 17.1g; SATURATED FAT 1.7g; SODIUM 88mg; FIBER 7.4g; BETA-CAROTENE 943ug; VITAMIN C 167mg; CALCIUM 134mg; IRON 2.2mg; FOLATE 137ug; MAGNESIUM 102mg; ZINC 1.6mg; SELENIU

Mihani

Recipes sound good Terri, thanks. Glad you're feeling better.

Busy weekend at the office, and a busy week coming up. It never ends. Or even lightens up a little.