Keeping Kosher Group

devash1762

Everyone knows how hard it is to lose weight but keeping kosher and being shomrei shabbos and shomrei yomtov is a blessing...but can throw regular food tracking and temptations off.
I am looking to start a group to discuss recipes, menu, ideas primarily for Shabbos and Yom Tov. Share tips, ideas, frustrations and successes.

estherdragonbat

I'd join! I'm a kosher ovo-lacto vegetarian married to a meat-eater. Most of my cooking ends up vegan in fleishig equipment.

devash1762

Hi Esther. So glad you joined. I hope others join too. I am curious, for Shabbos, what does an ovo-lacto vegetarian eat? How are you overweight? For me, portion control is what gets me. On Shabbos and YomTovim I really need to work hard. This Shabbos, we are going to spend it with my kids and grandkids so I will have to really watch. I made a butternut squash kugel, which I am bringing.

estherdragonbat

Well, I'm working my way through 1,000 Vegan Recipes. This week, the main is a curried chickpea-vegetable stew. I'm budgeting 2 slices of challah and guesstimating 4 oz worth. And I make a lot of lower-calorie salads, dips, and desserts. So, this week, it's hummus, mock liver (mostly mushrooms, green beans, and onions with 1/4 cup of walnuts for six servings) a Turkish Mandarin salad (i.e. 1/2 a Spanish Onion, two cans of mandarin orange segments drained, 1/4-cup each of green and black olives, and then seasoned with coriander, paprika, salt and pepper. No oil.), cucumber salad and homemade applesauce for dessert. I'll probably buy some pickled beets tomorrow.

Lunch will be the same salads and desserts. Probably another two slices of challah. I pre-log on Friday afternoon. I make a pareve cholent and kishke, but it pretty much amounts to my taking a chunk of potato plus whatever beans and barley stick to it and one piece of kishke. Plus the applesauce.

Mostly, I've cut way back on purchased dips and sides. When I buy them, they're either things that my husband will eat on his own and I can resist, or things like the beets, where I can get a good idea of the calories or it doesn't matter so much. ("Krogers" pickled beets, 4 slices are 30 calories. I get mine from "Hartman's". If they slice a little thicker and it's 40 calories, I'm not all that worried. Potato salad would be a totally different story.) I buy a bakery dessert that I can resist, mostly because I have a fear of being 'that' person who decides that because she's on a diet, everyone else at the table has to subsist on lettuce and boiled rice, too. So there's something low-calorie and usually healthier (in this case, the applesauce) and there'll be a cake or cookies that taste okay... like if I had the calories for a piece, I could take it and enjoy it. But it's not so good that I'd need more.

I'm overweight because I'm not very athletic, love sitting at the computer, and tend to be an emotional eater and given to mindless snacking. I'm doing my best to change because I've got circulation issues (refluxed veins in my legs) due to my legs having to carry too much of me. Also lymph edema (my weight was crushing my lymphatic system). The best treatments are compression stockings and weight loss and I'm doing both.

We're hosting at least two guests this Shabbos. We'll see about more at kiddush.

devash1762

Hi Esther: I really enjoyed reading your entry. This Shabbos we will be in Lakewood. I also preenter what I will have. Friday night: 1 slice challah, 1 piece gefilte fish, baked bottom, butternut squash kugel, salad. Plus it is a triple birthday, my son, his son and my daughter in law. I bought a pareve birthday cake and I will have a sliver of it. Shabbos Day: 1 slice challah, liver and eggs, salad, meat cholent, kishka, butternut squash kugel. Shalosh Sheudis, I will try to not wash for bread and have maybe cereal or something. My husband is Yeke so I hold to 3 hours. Your vegan meals sound awesome and I am sure they are labor intensive. I am a "big" portion" big appetite eater. My emotions when anxious I can't eat. That is how Hashem made us, we have to do our hishtadlus. Anyhow, I look forward to your next post. Gut Shabbos.

estherdragonbat

Shabbat Shalom! And happy birthdays!

Mostly, my meals involve canned beans and one pot. Once the chopping is done, the challenge is remembering "Um... the chicken has 24 minutes left on the timer. Once it goes, I have to remember to reset it another 21 minutes for the curry." Then I start doing something else. I try to avoid too many multiple-pot multiple-step recipes. Or I spread them out, like if I need a soup stock, I'll make it on Wednesday to use on Thursday. And if the dessert is being made in the crock-pot or the ice cream maker, then I'll do that on Wednesday, too.

Enjoy Lakewood. My sister lives there with her husband and my niece and nephew. (The surname is Lapp; they're in one of the townhouse developments off of Countyline Road).

devash1762

Hi Esther: Shavua Tov. Shabbos was great, I did my best to keep to my portions. The birthday cake was a bit hard, I had an extra sliver...iyh, it won't show on the scale. Shabbos was great. I am back on track with my food diary. How nice that your sister lives near County Line road. Small world. What sort of posts do you think could help each of us stay on track? Do you know any other frum women that might benefit from this blog? Tonight I am going on my 3 mile walk. I don't like the humid weather, but no pain no gain as they say.

estherdragonbat

Shavua Tov! Haven't met any other frum women on MFP as far as I know. Some of the women from shul have noticed and are starting to ask my 'secret'. I've given them the site, but I don't know if they've joined.

Shabbos was great for me, too. It helps that I've made Sunday my weekly weigh-in. Had my usual planned potato kugel and frosted cookie at kiddush, went for a long walk with a friend after lunch.

I'm not sure about posts beyond chizuk when the Yamim Tovim come along. We usually get invited out for at least two meals. On the one hand, that's great. We get to dine with friends and I don't have to cook as much. On the other hand... I can't very well plug in ingredients to the recipe builder and measure out my portions, so there's more guesswork involved, of course. Pesach I took a maintenance break for two weeks. It was easier than stressing over the seders. Shavuos I did my best and was, at least, able to avoid cheesecake.

It's been humid here in Toronto, too, these last few days. Hope you're taking plenty of water with you on your walks. Are you doing strength training, too?

devash1762

Hi Esther: Today, my food diary was good. It is amazing how much you can eat when you don't write things down thinking you are not eating much. In fact, for supper, I ate a leftover slice of pizza, a tomato, heart of palm salad, 1 tbs nibblets corn and 2 tbs Ceasar Dressing...doesn't sound like much, but it was close to 400 calories. Anyhow, I use a fiber filling powder with my liquids to keep me fuller longer. So far it is helping. I have to buy a scale since I have not gotten weighed since 6/11 when I had a checkup. I feel lighter, but won't know for sure until I weigh in. Here it was very humid. In NYC when it is sunny and humid it is quite stifling. We had a thunderstorm and it cooled off to 77 degrees. Any how, thanks for your updates.

estherdragonbat

So far, so good. I'm putting supper in shortly. I was working out on the fitness glider today. I find my breakfasts are usually the same: 1 cup of seedless grapes (I weigh them; they're about 155-165 grams) a Greek yogurt and a granola bar. Lunches are either a salad made up of corn, a veggie dog, and vegetables or a wrap or veggie burger. Supper is usually whatever I made for Shabbat. When that runs out, it might be a stirfry or Gardein. Or I'll saute up some vegetables in a sauce pan, pour some beaten eggs on top and when they start to set, stick them under the broiler. I'm pretty sure that's fritatta, but not positive. It's good, though; especially with some salsa.

Volunteering at my shul's golf tournament on Wednesday. Which means deciding whether to bring food with me or trust myself at the refreshment buffet. If I bring it with me, I won't have a place to refrigerate it; it'll be with me all day and it's likely to be warm. If I don't... so easy to overeat at buffets. And I won't be active; they'll likely sit me at a table by one of the holes with a display of some of the prizes (there's a silent auction involved) and signup sheets for people to enter bids. I'll figure it out.

devash1762

Hi Esther:
Your golf tournament sounds interesting. This is sponsored by your shul if I understood correctly. I hear you about the buffets, that is a danger zone for me too. Too many choices, too much temptation. I have a chassanah on July 10th. What I try to do is to eat something prior and I drink something and I add fiber powder to it so that I fill up. Tonight, I got home at 5:30 which is early for me so I put up to cook baked chicken thighs with sweet chili sauce. I also made chicken burgers and I have left over baked salmon so not sure what I will have yet. My worst part of the day is from supper until I go to bed...that is when I need my resolve. Last night i didn't go walking since it was a mabel out there and way too humid. I am hoping to walk tonight and put in my 3 miles. I also eat whatever I have leftover from Shabbos cooking. I do avoid any leftover cholent, which my husband is very happy to have. But if I made chicken, I will have that with a salad and such. We don't eat out, we haven't in a real long time, which is for the best, since when you eat out the portions are huge and it is so tempting to pick afterwards. Anyhow, I have to get a scale since I started my eating program on 6/11 I have no idea how much I lost. I am guessing, maybe 4-5 pounds, but as they say, hope springs eternal. Where in Toronto are you from? I use to have family in Bathurst a long while back. Last time I was in Canada was 2009 went to a wedding in Montreal and the time prior to that was Ontario when my now 28 year old was 2. Be well chat again tomorrow.

estherdragonbat

That's right. It's our shul's major annual fund-raiser.

I decided on tofu-and-sundried tomato wraps with mushrooms and onions.

Usually, I find that logging what I anticipate eating and exercising prior help a lot. It's true that burning more calories means you need more to feel satisfied, but I find that I'm less hungry and it's easier to stick to plan.

I hear you on the snacking. I'm a night owl. What works for me is keeping back enough calories for a snack or two; usually Skinny pop popcorn or cereal, maybe a piece of string cheese.

I'm about 40 minutes walk from Lawrence and Bathurst, near the Eglinton West subway. I'm a native Montrealer, though; grew up in NDG and Cote St Luc. My parents are still there.

Take care.

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Busy day at work, went food shopping. Going to my friends for both meals so I am going to make 1 gefilte fish roll regular and 1 baked with salsa. I will also make my butternut squash kugel.

Tonight for supper, I had 2 skin baked on thighs with Thai chili sauce, 1 cup vegetable soup, 1 slice of rye bread with 1 tsp margarine. I have snack calories left over too.

So neat that you are from Montreal. My mother in law OBM was born in Montreal and came to America with her parents in 1941. She was a big hockey fan, of course, the Montreal Canadians.

Tonight I am going to work with some dumb bells 5 and 10 pounds respectively. I want to tone my arms to keep the jiggle at bay.

What do you do work wise? Are you working or are you retired? I run a program for developmentally disabled adult women. I have been in this field going on 16 years. I love what I do. I work full time, and Friday's of course half a day. Looking forward to taking some time off here and there to just unwind, see my grandkids etc.

Do you have children? I have two sons. One is married, one is in the shidduch parsha. Have you ever been to NYC?

I hope you are enjoying these exchanges, I am.

Best,

estherdragonbat

Loving these exchanges!

I'm a freelance editor and I'm writing my first novel. (Not aimed at the frum presses, I'm afraid. It's young adult speculative fiction, set in a world where some people have powers, like in the comic books. My main character is the best friend of one of these heroes and is tired of being constantly targeted by villains seeking to use her as bait to trap her friend.)

I'm having a fritatta tonight.

Volunteering at the tournament was fun, but it was hard finding a lift home. Most people were staying for the dinner afterwards, which I wanted to skip because... calories and no way to pre-track. I ended up having some vegetarian sushi I hadn't planned on; not terrible, just left me with a need to exercise when I got home so I'd have enough calories.

I was going to do an hour on the glider but I just wasn't in the mood. So I did a cardio-and-weights workout.

No kids, sadly. I have a niece and three nephews, though. My niece and nephew in Lakewood are ten and four. My nephews in Toronto are five and three.

I've been to NYC, but not for a long time. I think the last time was about 20 years ago.

Kol tuv!

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Glad you are enjoying the exchanges.

That is so nice to be a writer. Do you find it difficult to find freelancing jobs? I have three manuscripts for children's books which were rejected over 75 times a long time ago. I am planning on retweaking them for the frum market where I think I have a better chance. The reality is, most children's picture books, ages 4-8 are bought by parents and that is who you are trying to get to buy your book. My daughter in law, has a sister in law that does illustrations, so I am going to approach her to see if she wants to collaborate in this endeavor.

I so hear you about these dinners that are held at many shuls and such. You can't pre plan. Sort of like a chassanh but even that is a bit easier. I stick with the meat carving section, salads that are not loaded with mayo, roasted vegetables, fruit and a dessert, that is if I am not staying for the meal. Then I don't wash for the challah, I eat the meal, and have 1 dessert if I had none at the schmorg.

Although I have a 3 bedroom apartment, it isn't big enough to have a treadmill or elliptical. I could obstensibly put it in the guest room, but when I have guests over, there would be no room to open the hi riser.

You are not missing anything not being in NYC. It is dirtier, louder, more congested than ever. If it wasn't for both our parnassas I would move to Monsey up in Rockland County. We just don't want to commute 1 1/2 hours each way. Now it takes me 20 minutes by car and it takes my husband 45 minutes by public bus.

I might get one of those personal thin crust pizzas with peppers, olives and such. They equal 2 slices of thin crust. I have over 600 calories left over for supper, so let's see what my mood says later in the evening. I am so happy tomorrow is erev Shabbos. Do you have guests over for Shabbos frequently? Are you a shul goer? Do you have any pets?

I daven at home. I am so tired by week's end, the thought of getting dressed, sheitel and all doesn't appeal. We are animal lovers. We have two cats and 1 Cocketeil. At one point we had 4 cats. I would love to have a small dog but the reality we don't have time to take for walks, plus the cats we can go away overnight for Shabbos and they are fine. For longer trips my friend lives to houses over and she is more than happy to feed and water them.

Anyhow, feel free to share or not. I do my best to not ask overly intrusive questions and if I ever do, feel free to let me know.

Have a Great Shabbos.

estherdragonbat

Hi, Devash

I'm afraid I do find freelancing hard, mostly because I'm not great at marketing and promoting myself. I have a certificate in publishing and took a course in Book Pub for children and you are spot-on about the audience you need to appeal to. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but in Canada, publishers usually prefer to assign an illustrator—at least for children's books. Comic books are a different story. Not sure if there are any frum comics now; Mendy and the Golem is no longer around, I think? Perhaps Amulet Books? They did this: https://www.amazon.ca/Hereville-How-Mirka-Got-Sword/dp/1419706195

Anyway, for comics, a writer does need to approach with artwork; they won't look at a plain script.

My first Shabbos on MFP, Friday afternoon, I sort of sat down with myself and admitted that I wasn't going to 'virtuously' nibble on raw veggies while looking at the cakes and kugel. I asked myself what it was going to 'take' for me to be satisfied that I got a treat and walk away. And admitted that one frosted shortbread cookie (probably about 3") and two pieces of kugel would be worth the calories. I looked them up, I pre-logged on Friday afternoon, and I stuck to it. So that's my go-to. If I know what to expect, I can plan. I don't eat out much, but I do my best to get my hands on a menu ahead of time and see whether there are good options for me.

We try to have guests over for Shabbat lunch. I'm a night owl most of the time, but Friday night, I let my lack of sleep catch up with me and I conk out right after supper. Usually, I'm at the table in a Shabbos robe over a nightgown, so if we have guests on Friday night, they tend to be people who are okay with that. I go to the Village Shul. It's under Aish HaTorah. I grew up Modern Orthodox and gradually became less modern and more Orthodox when I moved out. I love the shul, though; enough that when my husband and I were dating, I told him that I was willing to alternate weeks between his shul and mine, but I didn't want to give it up entirely. He came to check it out and they made him a gabbai... and he hasn't looked back since!

I feed feral cats in my back yard. One of them, I'm fairly sure, belonged to a family at some point. He's too friendly, too at ease, and in the winter, very eager to be a house cat. (He was 'trapped, neutered, and released at some point, though. Here, when the vet does the procedure on a feral, they crop the tip off of one ear, so they know that it's already been done and all three of the cats I feed have that sign.) Whether he was abandoned or ran off, I'm not sure. He was shy at first, but he's really warmed up.

My husband doesn't want animals in the house, but he's relented a bit: if it's pouring rain or blizzard conditions, 'Soot' can come in, but he has to stay in the basement. (When my husband is at work, though, I admit I let him upstairs and, after some snuggling, he just curls up in my office in front of the heating vent and naps.) When I go to Montreal, I have the neighbor kids put food out for them.

Sorry if I don't have a lot of questions for you. In real life, I'm pretty introverted. I tell people I'm missing the small-talk gene. I don't mind answering yours, though. So what are you making for Shabbos this week?

devash1762

Loved your post. It was nicely detailed. I suppose Hashem gave me the gift of gab, but you are doing just fine here. Here in the States, they want to add their own illustrators and just as you said, they are not keen about your coming on board with your own..we shall see what route I will take. Mendy and the Golem, sounds familiar. Here in NYC you can find any sort of frum reading, popular or not.

Sounds like you have planned your nibbles..good for you! My friend lives two doors down so we either eat there and potluck or she comes to me. For tonight, I made 2 types of gefilte fish, one regular, and 1 baked with salsa. I also made a butternut squash kugel. My friend is making the cholent, the potato kugel, strawberry baked chicken, salads and her sister makes homemade challah which are dangerously delicious.

I plan to have 1 slice of challah (so hard to do) 1 tsp of the lowfat dips I buy, 1 slice of fish, 1 bottom no skin and some of the sauce, 1 piece of butternut squash kugel and salad. I think she made brownies and i bring over a kokosh cake. Shabbos Day, 1 slice challah, 1 tsp dip, salad, 1 slice fish, 1 cup cholent and 1 2x2 piece of potato kugel.

I don't think I mentioned this but I am an eater, meaning, I love good food. I don't like junk food, fast food or eat to just eat. I really have to keep on track with portions, I eat like a man, no kidding, LOL.

Such a mitzvah to feed these poor kitties that have no home. We both grew up with cats so it was a non issue to have them in the house. Ours over the years we got as kittens, so we would sell them to a non jew, just like you sell your chometz for pesach, then we would pay for the spaying and buy him back from the non jew. Halachically it works out fine. Here in NYC, the nip the cat's ear too when they are ferral and caught.


What sort of things do you do for fun with your friends, and what sort of things do you do for fun with your husband. We both love to travel, go antiquing, shopping, etc. I have a bike I have to fix so I want to get back to doing that. I also learned how to ice skate 5 years ago, so I would like to skate indoors with my husband.

We own a TV, here in NYC, especially in my area, which is mostly black hat yeshivish, TV in the house is a no no but we walk to our own beat. I like watching certain shows on cable that are not only educational but fun. Many here use their laptops to watch TV, but for us, it is the same, you just don't have an actual TV set in the home.

I love Broadway shows. I go with friends sometimes, since many are not tznius for my husband vis a vis how people are dressed, but I went to see Wicked, Mary Poppins, River Dance, etc. I loved it.

Anyhow, I am going to rest a bit before getting ready for Shabbos. Do you do early Shabbos in Toronto? Here we do it at 7:00 pm.

Have a great Shabbos and if I am too verbose with my posts, I am more than happy to curtail. As you can see I love to write.

Best,

LilacLion

@devash1762 & @estherdragonbat I hope you don't mind my crashing in on your post, but I have a lay-person question about kosher food. I'm really not sure how to ask it so please forgive any intentional disrespectfulness. I'm vegan and I've been reading some frightening things about how some companies process white sugar. I've also seen the kosher label on sugar. Would a Rabbi consider sugar to be kosher if it used animal products? Thanks in advance.

estherdragonbat

I'm doing coconut-peanut chickpeas and vegetables this Shabbat (with light coconut milk, it's not such a calorie bomb). My challah is from a bakery, but still really good. I've made a bunch of lower-calorie salads.

I tend to eat when I'm bored or stressed. Mostly, I've been managing with lower-calorie snacks (a piece of string cheese; a serving of dry cereal; popcorn), deliberately keeping a few calories for after supper, and exercising—which really helps with my stress levels. However, being an introvert at a social gathering can be a problem; I naturally gravitate toward the food at that point. Trying to fight my nature, though. Since coming to MFP, I've tried to be more mindful of what's going on my plate. It helps, but I still prefer situations like kiddushes, where it's not rude to leave when you're done eating.

That workaround for spaying never occurred to me! Here, if you adopt a cat from a shelter, they won't release it without the surgery, so I'm not sure if it would work. I never looked into it, since my husband is opposed to having a pet anyway. It would if 1) at the time of adoption, the kitten was too young; in that case, they have you sign a contract committing to having it done in future. 2) the kitten/cat had already had the surgery, 3) we went with a breeder instead of a shelter.

Soot came in today while I did the shopping. It was pouring!

My husband and I go to movies a lot. I'm also a comics geek and we go to Toronto Fan Expo, me for three days out of four, him for one. (One of my FFB friends has told me I'm 'out of the box', which I don't mind.) We don't have a TV, but we do have Netflix. With friends, we often go for coffee. We also like to go on hikes in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area, about 90 minutes away. They're easy trails; no need for any equipment beyond decent shoes and a bottle of water.

I LOVE Broadway musicals (and London, off-Broadway, studio... not fussy). My parents have been going to NY since I was a baby. They were married in 1968 and went to the Catskills for their honeymoon. A friend aware of their plans gave them a gift of two tickets to Fiddler on the Roof. And they've been going back at least once a year since 1973. I grew up with original cast albums on the stereo and I've bought many soundtrack CDs since. Toronto often gets shows either on tour or on their way to Broadway. Ragtime was here before it hit New York. Dad's telling me I should see Beautiful. It's coming here soon.

We do have early Shabbos here, too. Mincha at 7, earliest candle-lighting 7:27 this week, latest 8:45.

I'm going to do my strength training and then probably shower and make the rice.

Shabbat Shalom!

estherdragonbat

LilacLion wrote: »

@devash1762 & @estherdragonbat I hope you don't mind my crashing in on your post, but I have a lay-person question about kosher food. I'm really not sure how to ask it so please forgive any intentional disrespectfulness. I'm vegan and I've been reading some frightening things about how some companies process white sugar. I've also seen the kosher label on sugar. Would a Rabbi consider sugar to be kosher if it used animal products? Thanks in advance.

I just did some checking online and found this: http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/555,2094084/What-are-the-Kosher-concerns-if-any-related-to-sugar.html

Hope that helps!

devash1762

Shavua Tov. I love cooking with coconut,peanut butter. Those are two of some of the ingredients for East African stews and Indian Food. I weighed myself today and I have lost 4 pounds. It is post Shabbos, so I will weigh myself again on Monday to be more accurate. I have 20 pounds plus to go. Slow and steady.

Today, we took our cat to the vet. He has a cold and perhaps a UTI. They put him on antibiotics and next week the doctor wants to see him again. I am so happy whatever he had was cureable. Cats can go from sick to dead in no time. Been there done that.

What a cool name for a cat "soot." My male cat is Zackadoo. My female cat is Adele. I am also shy in social situation when I don't know people, but food won't help me in that situation. The reality is, I am a foodie. I have to watch how much I eat, not as much what I eat. It may sound like emotional eating is harder, but at the end of the day, we all struggle.

Tonight will probably be leftovers from Shabbos. I don't cook on Sundays. Do you have any plans for vacation? What sort of places do you go to when you do go on vacation? Anyhow, going out to a street fair. Enjoying your posts. If you know anyone else that wants to join, the more the merrier.

Best

estherdragonbat

Shavua tov! I'm working my way through a vegan cookbook, one recipe at a time. Next week is a chickpea tamarind stew. I'm trying to turn tamarind pods into tamarind paste right now.

Down 1.8 lbs this week, which puts me 58.8 away from goal (65.2 gone, so past the mid-point!). I made Sunday morning my weigh-in day; it helps keep me on track on Shabbos. Got in over 3 hours of walking yesterday (20 minutes to and from shul, 35 minutes being... extremely meticulous... about the mitzvah of escorting Shabbos guests home. Literally walked them to their door and came home. 25 minutes to a Women's Seudat Shlishit; we have them in someone's house every other Shabbat from after Shavuos to September. Light refreshments, guest speaker. I hosted one four weeks ago. After that, my walking buddy and I took a 2-hour stroll.)

Zackadoo! I love that! Hope he's doing better. Soot's charcoal gray and, at first, I wasn't sure if he was male or female, so I went with a neutral name.

I mostly cook on Thursdays for Shabbat and do leftovers during the week. When they run out, I go with fritattas, stir fries, veggie burgers, and so on. I still have the fixings for one more wrap from the recipe I made for my lunch at the golf tournament.

Mostly, we visit my parents in Montreal at Pesach. A few years ago, though, we went up to Killarney, Ontario. It's about five hours drive north and west of Toronto on Georgian Bay. Gorgeous area, but not much to do if you aren't into hiking, fishing, and boating. We went up mostly for research; that novel I mentioned is set at a boarding school that I wanted in a remote area, but not so remote that students couldn't get emergency medical attention quickly. That area is about an hour away from Sudbury, Ontario. Plus it's sparsely populated enough that I can invent a fictional town without displacing a real one!

Take care!

LilacLion

@estherdragonbat Thank you very much. It addressed my question completely. The site was interesting and I'll add it to my bookmark list!

devash1762

Shavua tov! I'm working my way through a vegan cookbook, one recipe at a time. Next week is a chickpea tamarind stew. I'm trying to turn tamarind pods into tamarind paste right now.

Hi Esther: I decided to copy and past your post and write from within so I don't miss your wonderful details. I could not be a Vegan, Iove eggs, milk etc.

Down 1.8 lbs this week, which puts me 58.8 away from goal (65.2 gone, so past the mid-point!). I made Sunday morning my weigh-in day; it helps keep me on track on Shabbos. Got in over 3 hours of walking yesterday (20 minutes to and from shul, 35 minutes being... extremely meticulous... about the mitzvah of escorting Shabbos guests home. Literally walked them to their door and came home. 25 minutes to a Women's Seudat Shlishit; we have them in someone's house every other Shabbat from after Shavuos to September. Light refreshments, guest speaker. I hosted one four weeks ago. After that, my walking buddy and I took a 2-hour stroll.)


Wonderful!! Kudos to you!! Slow and and steady is the way. I know I get overwhelmed when I look toward 20 more pounds. I have to take it 5 pounds at a time.

Zackadoo! I love that! Hope he's doing better. Soot's charcoal gray and, at first, I wasn't sure if he was male or female, so I went with a neutral name.


Soot is a very cool name, love it!!

I mostly cook on Thursdays for Shabbat and do leftovers during the week. When they run out, I go with fritattas, stir fries, veggie burgers, and so on. I still have the fixings for one more wrap from the recipe I made for my lunch at the golf tournament.


I start cooking on Wednesdays for Shabbos in the winter, and on Thursdays in the summer. I also use the leftovers, mostly for my husband. I can't eat reheated cholent and there is so much chicken one person can eat daily.

Mostly, we visit my parents in Montreal at Pesach. A few years ago, though, we went up to Killarney, Ontario. It's about five hours drive north and west of Toronto on Georgian Bay. Gorgeous area, but not much to do if you aren't into hiking, fishing, and boating. We went up mostly for research; that novel I mentioned is set at a boarding school that I wanted in a remote area, but not so remote that students couldn't get emergency medical attention quickly. That area is about an hour away from Sudbury, Ontario. Plus it's sparsely populated enough that I can invent a fictional town without displacing a real one!

Fabulous...I always marvel at someone that write a novel, regardless of the content or genre. I write poetry and I have been doing so for more than 25 years. I have published poems in journals for poetry although obscure, it is a nice accomplishment.

Looking forward to more correspondance.

estherdragonbat

Hi! I still eat eggs and dairy. I just buy a lot of vegan cookbooks because I make meat for my husband and naturally want pareve for myself. And it seems like too many vegetarian-not-vegan cookbooks are over 50% dairy. I feel I get my money's worth more with vegan cookbooks. That being said, I just had an omelet for lunch and I'm meeting friends for dinner tonight. Having shakshuka. (I know the restaurant and I know that's one menu option that fits my plans with minimal juggling. Just so long as I ask them to serve it in a skillet instead of the bread bowl it normally comes with. I'm not sure the calories exactly, but it's a big bread bowl and some Googling told me that Panera's bread bowls are 590 calories and the image made it look about the same size. So without the actual nutritional profile, I'm going with that. There's an entry in the database for shakshuka from Hummus Kitchen. It looks similar to the one I'm having tonight, so I've got it at 350 calories.)

Right now, I would love to be doing my cardio, but hubby called from work to tell me the plumber would be here between 2 and 6 and I 1) don't want to be on the fitness glider in the basement when he rings the doorbell; I probably won't hear it over my music. 2) Answering the door in leggings and a t-shirt is not exactly something I'd like to do and I may not have time to throw on a skirt and longsleeve top before running upstairs. Worst case, I do it after the restaurant, but I hate eating in advance of calories I expect to burn in case it doesn't happen for whatever reason. At least I got my strength training in. It's slow; I've never been especially athletic and until a few weeks ago, I'd never done a lunge in my life. But I'm noticing some progress.

I do some cooking on Wednesdays, but it's usually 'prep' that takes up time. Example: the stew I'm making calls for broth. I used up the last batch. It's pretty simple to make a fresh one, but it's a 20-minute saute followed by a 90-minute simmer. I don't want to have to put my cooking on hold for 2 hours. If I'm doing a dessert that won't go stale/bad quickly, say sorbet or cookies, those might get done on Wednesday too. The tamarind pulp didn't go so well. I used too much water and when I tried straining it through cheesecloth... it got messy. I might try again tomorrow or use the substitute suggested by the cookbook and mix brown sugar with lime juice.

It's great that you write poetry. I used to when I was a kid and it was 'very good for my age'. I haven't really been inspired to write it in recent years.

Soot's curled up on my bed waiting out the rain. I'm sure he'll panic and run for the side door when the plumber arrives.

I'm enjoying this, too!

devash1762

Hi Esther: Hoping you had a great day.

Hi! I still eat eggs and dairy. I just buy a lot of vegan cookbooks because I make meat for my husband and naturally want pareve for myself. And it seems like too many vegetarian-not-vegan cookbooks are over 50% dairy. I feel I get my money's worth more with vegan cookbooks. That being said, I just had an omelet for lunch and I'm meeting friends for dinner tonight. Having shakshuka. (I know the restaurant and I know that's one menu option that fits my plans with minimal juggling. Just so long as I ask them to serve it in a skillet instead of the bread bowl it normally comes with. I'm not sure the calories exactly, but it's a big bread bowl and some Googling told me that Panera's bread bowls are 590 calories and the image made it look about the same size. So without the actual nutritional profile, I'm going with that. There's an entry in the database for shakshuka from Hummus Kitchen. It looks similar to the one I'm having tonight, so I've got it at 350 calories.)

I love Shakshuka! I agree, a bread bowl is way too tempting! I also order it without the bread, and when the bread comes, I take a small 2 oz piece.

Right now, I would love to be doing my cardio, but hubby called from work to tell me the plumber would be here between 2 and 6 and I 1) don't want to be on the fitness glider in the basement when he rings the doorbell; I probably won't hear it over my music. 2) Answering the door in leggings and a t-shirt is not exactly something I'd like to do and I may not have time to throw on a skirt and longsleeve top before running upstairs. Worst case, I do it after the restaurant, but I hate eating in advance of calories I expect to burn in case it doesn't happen for whatever reason. At least I got my strength training in. It's slow; I've never been especially athletic and until a few weeks ago, I'd never done a lunge in my life. But I'm noticing some progress.

The only exercise I am doing and sticking with is my 3-4 times per week 2-3 miles. It isn't a lot but since all exercise is cumulative and some exercise is better than none...A fitness glider, is that like an elliptecal? I love those. Although I have a three bedroom apartment, it is not big enough to have a treadmill or an ellip. If I give up the guestroom, perhaps, but then when my married kids come for yom tov, there would be no place to put it.

I do some cooking on Wednesdays, but it's usually 'prep' that takes up time. Example: the stew I'm making calls for broth. I used up the last batch. It's pretty simple to make a fresh one, but it's a 20-minute saute followed by a 90-minute simmer. I don't want to have to put my cooking on hold for 2 hours. If I'm doing a dessert that won't go stale/bad quickly, say sorbet or cookies, those might get done on Wednesday too. The tamarind pulp didn't go so well. I used too much water and when I tried straining it through cheesecloth... it got messy. I might try again tomorrow or use the substitute suggested by the cookbook and mix brown sugar with lime juice.

This week for Shabbos I am making, a Middle Eastern inspired spicy saucy meatballs which I will serve over basmati rice. Regular gefilte fish, oven fried bread cauliflower pieces, meat cholent, an overnight potato kugel, salads, vegetable kugel etc. I have guests practically every Shabbos, hence the amount I make..whatever is leftover, most of it my husband will have for supper. I will have a few things here or there, but at least it saves me from cooking after a whole day of work. Cholent I try to keep to 1 cup as a serving, a 2x2 piece of kugel, 1 slice of challah, 1 slice of fish, and I buy low fat dips and stick to 1 tsp and I have 2 different ones.

It's great that you write poetry. I used to when I was a kid and it was 'very good for my age'. I haven't really been inspired to write it in recent years.


Do you have any foods that you truly enjoy and you have it lets say once per week? Thursday is pizza for me. My husband and younger son run some errands for Shabbos and they pick me up 2 slices of brickoven thin crust regular pizza. I make a side salad and that is my special food.

Soot's curled up on my bed waiting out the rain. I'm sure he'll panic and run for the side door when the plumber arrives.

Zackadoo went to the vet this past Sunday. He has a cold which I think Adele my other cat caught. He is on antibiotics for a possible UTI. If Adele keeps sneezing we are taking her to the vet on Sunday. My husband and I took off this Monday and 4th of July. We need some R&R. We may head upstate Sunday, we'll see.

Looking forward to your entry. Have a great Thursday. I am going to weigh myself Friday morning, keeps me in line for Shabbos. If I lost anywhere between 1.5-2 pounds, I will be thrilled.

estherdragonbat

I hear you. I weigh in on Sunday morning. It keeps me from going off the rails on Shabbos. And as for foods I truly enjoy, that's when I have them. I think I mentioned upthread that I have two pieces of kugel and a frosted shortbread at kiddush. If they don't have the shortbread, I'll either take a different cookie that I 'know' is under the 160 I guesstimate the shortbread at (which basically means any cookie that isn't a jam sandwich type) or a 1x1x2 piece of sponge cake.

When I do the Friday morning shopping (bakery and deli salads mainly), I also get a vegetarian sushi for Friday's lunch and a bagel with cheese for either Seudat Shlishit or Maleve Malka, depending on whether there's a women's gathering. If there is, then I usually stick with the minimum. Veggies with a little hummus. Maybe a cracker or two. Melon.

Hope your kitties are okay. Soot just wanted affection and cuddles today. Or maybe he realized I was wearing a new outfit he hadn't had a chance to shed on yet.

I'm making tamarind-chickpea stew. I think calling it "tamarind" chickpea stew is more accurate; it looks like I'm using brown sugar and lime juice. Hubby wants juicy pineapple chicken (out of Spice & Spirit). I'm making a few salads and dips. Today I did a vegetable stock and a green tea granita for dessert.

A glider is similar to an elliptical. http://gazelleglider.com/shop/gazelle-edge/ It can be folded for easy storage, but I just leave it up in the basement. I got it from my old job as a 10-year anniversary milestone gift. Hadn't used it in ages but now there's a need.

So, tomorrow I will be trying to get my cooking done AND find time to exercise. I do cardio every day, but not necessarily the glider. I don't drive, so I try to do as many errands on foot as possible. Today that meant 2 1/2 hours of walking (one 90 minutes, one 60). Strength is every other day. Which usually means Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. With Shabbos out so late now, I don't feel like exercising after 10PM. In the winter, it might be another story.

Happy weigh-in!

devash1762

Hi Esther:

Pardon the hiatus, it has been rather hectic.

My secretary will be out of town for a month to help her daughter after she has her 2nd baby. Her daughter lives out of the country so my HR department was looking for a temp for me. I interviewed someone on Friday who I hope will fit the bill and she actually takes the position.

I attempted to weigh myself on Friday, but the scale's lithium battery is shot, so although I believe I lost weight this past week, I can't enter anything until I fix my scale.

How was your week vis a vis food?

Mine was not too shabby, like I have mentioned before, from supper until bedtime is my downfall but I am trying. Shabbos was great. I made Moroccan meatballs in a spicy sauce served over white rice. We had gefilte fish and challah. My husband bought the pull apart so I had one piece of that. We have so many wonderful choices here in Brooklyn with kosher foods, that I buy the low fat mayo pre made dips. Of course, portion control is still part and parcel. I bought Jalapeno, Shallot, LF varieties. So 1 tsp of each is still less than 1 tbs of regular dips. I made cucumber salad and a corn kugel.

On Shabbos day we had meat cholent, potato kugel, vegetable kugel, cole slaw, challah and fish. Like I mentioned I believe in earlier posts, I have guests, plus I try to not have to cook during the week. Mostly my husband eats the leftovers and I sparingly have some chicken, some leftover salad etc.

I took a four day weekend with Monday and Tuesday off. I really need the R/R. We are going to Ikea today to see if there are any sales on some things I need replaced for my home, such as diningroom chairs, light living room curtains, etc. Tonight, I am going to go see Dispicable Me 3..I am a true kid at heart and I saw all the previous ones. We like to go to the last showing, less crowded and since we are off tomorrow, why not.

Here the weather has been very odd. It has been cool, then hot and humid, then tons of rain, then hot again. I still prefer this over the unrelenting heat for days on end that leaves me bereft of koach.

Anyhow, I look forward to your replies. Hoping that you have had weight loss success, a wonderful Shabbos and even a better week ahead.

Best, Devorah.

estherdragonbat

Devorah! That's my mom's middle name in Hebrew: Shayndel Devora

Three pounds down! On the one hand, I'm over the moon; on the other hand, I'm now 55.8 lbs from goal, so consistent weight loss of more than 1.5/week is a bit too aggressive. Honestly, I think I can chalk this up to 'weight loss isn't linear'. Probably, next week will be a very modest change in the scale; it's happened before. Meanwhile, though... YAY!

Hatzlacha with the hiring. I know that can be rough.

The tamarind chickpea stew was a success! Here in Toronto, we have a LOT of kosher products available; many more than I can remember, growing up in Montreal, particularly of the ethnic variety. And yet, there are times where I still need to ask my parents if they can find me, say, Asian chili paste or hominy or canned bamboo shoots. Plattsburgh is just over an hour from where they live in Montreal and they usually head down there every Sunday morning; the prices are better, even with the exchange rate. And even the mainstream (i.e. not 100% kosher) supermarkets have things that are hard or impossible to find on our side of the border. Even so, it's getting better. I just find that I've memorized locations for certain products that have valid hechsherim, but aren't carried in the stores in my neighborhood. (Examples: canned chopped green chilis and canned chipotle peppers. Both are all the way downtown at St. Lawrence Market, about 25 minutes on the subway and a 10 minute walk away. If I want mirin, I need to go to a kosher sushi restaurant about ninety minutes' walk—or 20 to a bus and then 15 minutes north, assuming normal traffic. Mango chutney is about 2 blocks north of the sushi place.) It's just something I deal with. My dentist's office isn't far from St. Lawrence Market. I try to take stock of what I need down there when I've got an appointment coming up.

We had four guests over for Shabbos lunch. It went well.

It was Canada Day yesterday; many businesses are closed on the Monday instead or taking 3-day weekends. I know government offices and other places that wouldn't have been open on Shabbos are taking the Monday.

We're seeing Despicable Me tonight, too! I missed the first two, but I liked the trailer. First, though, some relatives from out of town are in town, so we're going to pop by the cousins hosting them around 7:30 and stay for a little while. The movie is at 9:10 and it's 11 minutes from the cousins' according to Google maps.

It looks like it's going to rain any second now. If it does, I'll see if Soot wants to come in. We haven't had much cool weather. It's mostly heat, humidity, and rain.

Let me know how you like the movie tomorrow!

Kol tuv!

Esther

devash1762

Hi Esther:

I lost another pound...so far, since June 11th total of 5. If I can keep up this weight loss pace, by Labor Day, iyh I should reach my goal of 25 pounds..and I for one would be very grateful.

Despicable Me 3 was good, but not as funny as the last two. And from the looks of the ending, there will be a 4th movie. All in all, had a great time.

Today, we are heading into the city and do what we like to call "tourist" walking. Heading towards Soho etc. We love to browse bookshops, all sorts of stores. There is a burger place that is kosher that everyone is raving about so we might check it out for lunch. I don't recall the name off the top of my head.

I battle with some free floating anxiety, which unless through the roof, doesn't help with weight loss, vis a vis I have to be wreck in order to not eat at all chas v'shalom. I downloaded this app called "calm" it is free of charge unless you want the premium package. I don't do well visualizing unless I am guided, and this app has calming scenery with nature sounds, breathing exercises, etc.

I wish, that davening alone would settle my anxiety at times, but Hashem knows I try. Sometimes, we inherit our families peculiarities such as anxiety, worrying etc. Anyhow, I digress. This is about a weight loss journey not "Dr. Phil's couch, LOL."

What sort of holiday is "Canada Day?" Is it similar to our 4th of July or more like our Labor Day? I have not been in Canada since my eldest was 2 and he is now 28! IYH, I would love to visit Niagra again. Also, I hear the mid western parts of Canada, like Calgary are awesome. As they say hope does spring eternal, and maybe, who knows, with Hashem's help we might just get to go there one day.

Yesterday's food monitoring wasn't bad. I even managed to squeeze in some popcorn! Anyhow, have a great Monday and looking forward to another post.

Best,
Devorah

estherdragonbat

Devorah,

Congrats on the weight loss! Hope yours happens as scheduled. According to one of the online calculators, I've probably got another year to go to hit my goal (slightly more; it said August of 2018). But eight months ago? I was almost 70 lbs heavier. I'm not in a rush.

I found that the first quarter of the movie was a bit slow-going. Like I said, I missed the first two, so I didn't have much to compare it to. I did get into it in the middle, though.

Today it's my husband's turn to pick the movie. He wants to see Baby Driver. Not really my kind of movie, but I drag him to Disney and Pixar and historical dramas, so I let him drag me to summer blockbuster action movies.

Not sure if I'll go for a walk or hit the fitness glider today.

I've got some anxiety issues, too. For me, the exercise has really helped me cope. I also find that substituting lower calorie snacks and measuring and logging before eating help. It just gives me that extra minute to check myself and verify if I really want it and, more importantly, keeps me from stressing and guilting more after I've finished eating it. (My problem has never been with having a cookie. It's been the disproportionate guilt and anxiety over eating the cookie that's going to undo all my progress to date and I can't cope so I need to numb the guilt with more food... which works as long as I'm eating, but as soon as my plate is clean I get that guilt on top of the previous. And eventually I conclude that the best thing to do is start over tomorrow... which means that tonight? I can throw caution to the winds and just keep eating. Logging gets me to calm down and get some perspective. Someone in another thread on cheat meals said that she never logs Shabbos food, that we're meant to enjoy it and there'll be no counting of calories in the next world. I used to think like that, but after Shabbos I'd immediately start beating myself up over how 'off the rails' I'd gone. Pre-logging lets me enjoy it with absolutely no guilt or anxiety after the fact. To each their own, I guess.)

Canada Day is like your 4th, but more low-key. Statutory holiday, fireworks, and barbecues. Canada flags are in abundance, but it's more... subdued. I guess, l'havdel, more tznieus.

I've never been to the prairie provinces. I flew out to Vancouver once when I was in university. I also spent a day in Victoria. But mostly, my travels have been along Highway 401, which runs from Windsor (I actually haven't been past London, ON) to the Quebec border, where it becomes Highway 20 and goes on past Quebec city. One day, I'd like to see the whole country.

Have fun walking today!

Esther