Dedicated in December??
sloth3toes
Posts: 2,212 Member
I took the liberty of starting the December thread. I used the suggested title, literally. 
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I love it! And what a great month to be dedicated for!0
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I noticed your cheeky, literal title (thanks, Karrie!) right away, Scott. Funny pic of dedication. If only I could garner that same level of dedication and ingenuity for the things that are good for me!
Sabine, you're right, it is the perfect month for dedication to healthy eating.
I had the McDougall Pad Thai soup for my first. It was good. I forget which one Joe had, but he liked it, too. It's not like they are amazing, but I wasn't expecting them to be. They are a great way to get something decently healthy, especially if the alternative is eating takeout. The quinoa salad wasn't great, at least not the first time around. It was supposed to be 'fluffed with a fork' after adding the water and letting it sit, but when we opened it, it was a watery sludge at the bottom, with the quinoa very chewy. After more time in the microwave it was edible but I don't think we'll be getting more of those. If I perfect the prep I'll update you all. It did give me a decent idea for a quick meal though...it's just quinoa in there and dehydrated veggies and seasonings. I bet I could put together something similar for much less money and not too much of a time investment.
Karrie, I'm rooting for you to get a fast sale! One with a closing date that suits you. I wonder how often banks screw things up when it comes to buying and selling a home. Our deal almost fell through at the last minute because the bank that was lending to our buyers screwed up and everything got delayed. Joe had taken a week off for the move and then we sat around in our packed up house with nothing to do but wait for the following week for possession. It would be great to get those renovations done before you move in! Good luck!
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Well so far we are still on track for Friday. Our lawyer is a friend of ours, so we're well taken care of on that end. Realtor is also a friend. Just wish we had a banker friend!!!
I'm excited to go to my new house on Friday and just hang out for a little while. All our walkthroughs have been rushed, so it'll be nice to stay as long as we like.
I was feeling really rotten last night, so I went to bed at 5pm. Didn't get a lot of sleep with a busy household still up and at 'em (and loud), but it did feel good to just relax and not do much of anything.
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Scott started a thread! I think that’s a first. Well done Sloth.
Hey Sabine… I think you have often recommended In Defense of Food. I am about 3/4 through it. Excellent book! Good info and humor.
Carla, that’s how I feel about the Dr. McD soups… they aren’t gourmet food, but for easy, healthy lunches (with little cost and no fuss) they are just fine. I ordered a bunch as I had mentioned last month, should be here tomorrow. I only ordered two of the quinoa salads, sounds like I am going to be glad I didn’t get too many of those. As I’ve had more of the soups I’ve learned to use a little more water in the black bean soup, a little less in the split pea and pad thai, etc. I use my electric kettle at the office to add boiling water rather than nuking them. I think they work out better that way.
Can’t wait to hear of a successful closing Karrie! I hope you are feeling better.
I think Donna’s off on her trip?
I’m swamped and have so many cases that MUST be done by end of year, not to mention end of year bookkeeping and planning. I’m going to be a little scarce the next week or two I’m afraid. I was working until 11 p.m. last night. Ugh.
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I love the title for December...I am going to be dedicated to maintain while on vacation. We leave tomorrow. 2 nights in Victoria, then two nights Vancouver and 6 nights in Whistler and then back one night to Vancouver. Victoria and Vancouver have lap pools so taking my goggles and swim suit. Hope to find a public pool in Whistler. Weather looks great.
I think it will be really good to give my hip a couple weeks break from tennis. I do love the game. It is frustrating because when I was heavier, I never hurt...now I am lighter and can move better but it hurts. The pain radiates from my hip joint to my mid thigh.
We have friends staying with us from Alaska that are moving to San Antonio. They have been great about all the vegetarian soups, chili and salads I have been making. The man went to Popeyes yesterday for lunch and had fried shrimp that gave him terrible heartburn. He was back to salads today when we went to Zoes for lunch. He actually recommended the ETL diet to his mother and the MFP site!
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Karrie, our realtor did an open house for realtors too. I thought that was a good idea. Having a banker friend might not be that useful..the lady that was buying our house when the deal almost fell through worked in management for the lending company she was going through, and she didn't have enough pull. (Unless she was looking to delay the sale for an extra week!)
Mihani, after having just 2 of the soups, I have to agree with you on increasing or decreasing the amount of water based on which McD soup it is. I had the tortilla soup yesterday that was flavorful but it is pretty salty. I also noticed on the label that the serving size is half of the container of soup. If determining the serving size is up to the company then that's pretty shady (although common). And ugh! I didn't know that you could get any busier! That sounds like an exhausting 3 weeks leading up to January.
Donna, I used to jog and had to stop because of knee pain. It is very frustrating to lose weight and find a sport or workout you enjoy and then not be able to do it! Have you gone to a doctor about your hip yet? Great news about your friends moving out your way and maybe getting on board with ETL! Hope you have a great trip! The weather is wonderful right now! Sunny and crisp.
I made the Festive Chickpea Tart you recommended, Mihani. I really like it! To me, it tastes like an entire Thanksgiving meal all in a slice of savory pie. I'm bringing it to a dinner we're having at my in-laws in a few weeks. I am going to make a mushroom gravy to go with it.
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Donna, hope you have a fun time! That is really cool in so short a time your friend is seeing benefits from ETL.
Carla, got my order from Dr. McD. I couldn't even remember what I ordered, I was just trying to get to the $75 minimum to get the free shipping and take full advantage of the 30% off sale. So it looks like I have 45 of them for $73 (after the discount). I will add either a small homemade salad or a bag of steamer veggies and an apple so I'm figuring $4 to $5 a day for lunches at 300 or so calories. Not bad! I got one tortilla soup, that's one I haven't tried. It is weird when they play with the serving sizes like that. It's still only 200 calories but in a quick look at what I ordered there are a couple that say 2 servings rather than 1. Not sure of the reason other than sodium. The ones that show 2 servings appear to have a lot more sodium. So glad you liked the chickpea tart! I need to make it for Christmas this year. It's so yummy and I haven't made it in a few years.
So, I'm feeling tired, fat, and depressed. I have to get myself together and stay on the right track. After a good stretch of time eating right, I've been on a 2 day free for all of triscuits, pretzels, blue corn chips. Made a pot of glowing spice lentil soup last night though and going to have leftovers for the next few nights. Plan a good grocery shopping trip this weekend and get back to a lot more greens, a lot less crap.
Oh, and I signed up to see Rip Esselstyn at Whole Foods in February! I am excited to hear him speak in person. He's like a WFPB Rock Star!! lol
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I'm sorry you're feeling bad, Mihani. Glowing spice lentil soup is the perfect healthy comfort food. Very cool about seeing Rip!
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Scott started a thread! I think that’s a first. Well done Sloth.
Hey Sabine… I think you have often recommended In Defense of Food. I am about 3/4 through it. Excellent book! Good info and humor.
Carla, that’s how I feel about the Dr. McD soups… they aren’t gourmet food, but for easy, healthy lunches (with little cost and no fuss) they are just fine. I ordered a bunch as I had mentioned last month, should be here tomorrow. I only ordered two of the quinoa salads, sounds like I am going to be glad I didn’t get too many of those. As I’ve had more of the soups I’ve learned to use a little more water in the black bean soup, a little less in the split pea and pad thai, etc. I use my electric kettle at the office to add boiling water rather than nuking them. I think they work out better that way.
Can’t wait to hear of a successful closing Karrie! I hope you are feeling better.
I think Donna’s off on her trip?
I’m swamped and have so many cases that MUST be done by end of year, not to mention end of year bookkeeping and planning. I’m going to be a little scarce the next week or two I’m afraid. I was working until 11 p.m. last night. Ugh.
Excellent! Glad you're enjoying it. Such common sense info and HUMOR! If you find his ideas interesting his family members have also come out with a cookbook.
http://pollanfamilytable.com
Did you know he is Michael J. Fox's brother in law? (Tracy Pollan).
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I love the title for December...I am going to be dedicated to maintain while on vacation. We leave tomorrow. 2 nights in Victoria, then two nights Vancouver and 6 nights in Whistler and then back one night to Vancouver. Victoria and Vancouver have lap pools so taking my goggles and swim suit. Hope to find a public pool in Whistler. Weather looks great.
I think it will be really good to give my hip a couple weeks break from tennis. I do love the game. It is frustrating because when I was heavier, I never hurt...now I am lighter and can move better but it hurts. The pain radiates from my hip joint to my mid thigh.
We have friends staying with us from Alaska that are moving to San Antonio. They have been great about all the vegetarian soups, chili and salads I have been making. The man went to Popeyes yesterday for lunch and had fried shrimp that gave him terrible heartburn. He was back to salads today when we went to Zoes for lunch. He actually recommended the ETL diet to his mother and the MFP site!
Your holiday sounds delightful! JEALOUS.0 -
Mihani - I am sorry for how you are feeling. Work seems to be taking a toll on you. You need some time for rejuvenation. If you can’t take a vacation take little mini breaks from work and be good to yourself. Who is Rip E. ?
Sabine - thank you. Victoria has been wonderful. Several good farm to table restaurants here.
Today 7 miles of walking and 30 minutes of swimming laps in a beautiful pool at our hotel. Forgot my swim goggles. My eyes are so red.
Carla - I might see a Dr. if hip is not better after this vacation. I think the break from tennis will be good.0 -
Good morning! Today we get the keys for the new house! Meeting the contractors this afternoon so they can start ripping out the basement kitchen on Monday. HERE WE GO!!
I've had an exhausting week. I am SO glad it's Friday.0 -
Happy Friday!!
Yay! Karrie! I'm excited for you. What are you doing with the basement after the kitchen is ripped out? / what are the reno plans in general?
I hope the break from tennis is all that your hip needs to heal up, Donna. Can you buy a backup pair of swimming goggles for your trip? I know they can get expensive, especially if they are prescription.
Sabine, I didn't know that about the author being related to Tracy Pollan / MJF. Interesting! I keep hearing good things about it. I'll have to give it a read!
I'm going to try the OSG red lentil and tomato soup today. I was going to do the glowing lentil one, but I don't have coconut milk. http://ohsheglows.com/2012/11/07/spiced-red-lentil-tomato-and-kale-soup/
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Guess who I ran in to (virtually) while looking for recipes...Dr F! Molly Patrick interviews him. Two of my favorite WFPB peeps together. yay!
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/dr-joel-fuhrman-and-i-talk-about-the-importance-of-nutritional-excellence-video-instant-pot-smoky-black-eyed-peas-plant-based-no-oil/1 -
Sabine, I didn't know he was related to Tracy Pollan either. That's fun trivia! I haven't had time to get back to it, but I hope to finish this week. Is the cookbook vegan? I don't think that Pollan is vegan or even recommends vegan, but it's still great info and a fun and interesting read. I have no desire to go back to eating meat, but I get what he's saying and can appreciate the omnivore outlook.
That's very cool the interview Carla... will check it out when I'm on my "real" computer. Anything with video makes my antique laptop choke and die in a heartbeat lol.
Yay Karrie! Congrats and hope all goes smoothly with renovations. I know it's a total pain, so I hope you can get some done before you have to move in and work around it.
Donna, hope the break and swimming make you feel better and glad you are enjoying your trip. Rip is Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's son, he created the Engine 2 plan, which is very similar to Dr. F other than a lot more starches (whole grains and starchy veggies), but no oil lots of greens, etc. He's really cool.
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Spent 5 hours in the office, almost all of it on ONE file... ugh. I'm really never going to get caught up. It is snowing and I brought some work home so if the roads are bad or I just don't feel like going to the office then I'll work from home tomorrow. I need to catch up some laundry anyway, so would be good to work from home.
I tried a new Dr. McD soup at lunch, it was Thai Tom Yum Rice Ramen. I really liked that one.
The roads are pretty slick, saw several accidents on my way home. People are so stupid though, if you just take your time and don't tailgate, you'll be fine. I am not worried about driving in snow, I'm only worried about the other people driving!
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Hi,
I think I am going to have to see Dr. When I get back. We went for 10 mile bike ride around Stanley Park in 40* weather, walked 6 miles and then 30 minute swim. Hip was okay but now hurting, radiating down my thigh. Does not feel like muscle pain...i don't think it is arthritis....not stiff in morning.
The bike ride was beautiful..had a great veggie burger made out of quinoa, mushrooms and walnuts. Vancouver Xmas lights are beautiful, people very friendly, dogs everywhere. I love it.
Mihani - working from home sounds safe. I will have to google Rip E when I get home and watch Dr F's interview that Carla posted.
Tomorrow we go to Whistler. Funny it snowed in San Antonio while we were gone. First time in over 30 years.
Brooks shared his goggles with me while swimming.
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I don't think I have that Dr. McD soup, Mihani. I've liked the ones I've tried so far well enough. I have a lot of quinoa salads to get through, and I haven't tried any of the others since the first disaster! They are taking up a lot of cupboard space though, so I better start using them up. Extra time in the microwave should help. Good call staying home with the snow! The snow here tends to be pretty wet and slick because the temp is usually barely freezing or just above when it is falling. It is treacherous!
Donna, a ride or walk around Stanley Park in the sunny crisp weather sounds divine! Here's a pic of Rip for your viewing pleasure
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I signed up for some CleanFoodDirtyGirl recipes. For $20, I get 4 weeks of meal plans. I figured I could use the inspiration right now. Once I have done for a few months, I'll probably cancel for a while and just rotate through our favorites.
I received the first set of recipes and here's my menu for this week:
Monday - Spicy Butternut Buddha Bowl with Garlicky Lemon Greens
Tuesday - French Onion Soup topped w/ crouton and mozza style cheese sauce & a Waldorf inspired side salad
Wednesday - Fiesta Burger Taco Salad
Thursday - Dirty Stir Fry
Friday - Butternut squash collard wraps with salsa fresca.
They all sound good to me! I don't usually bother making a different recipe each day, but the recipes are all super organized and you do a batch cooking day where you do most of the cooking. Then each weekday the work putting the meals together is pretty minimal.
I think it will be a good way for us to rotate through a variety of fresh fruits and veggies. This week we'll be having 2 bunches of collard greens and we haven't gotten around to eating collards in ages.1 -
Nice pic of Rip, Carla! I just heard about Ann and Jane's Women's Health Day in Cleveland. I can't go in March but will definitely go in 2019. http://www.hcissc.com/speaking-and-events-calendar/prevent-and-reverse-heart-disease-for-women/
Those recipes sound delicious. I love collards. I just got a big bunch yesterday and also some rainbow chard. I usually just saute them with a little onion and maybe some peppers and mushrooms, and add spices.
Donna, sorry to hear your hip is still hurting. Sounds like a trip to the doctor is the best idea.
I am working from home today, but took a long nap too. That's the biggest danger of working from home. Temptation to nap.
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Who is this good looking man? Looking forward to reading about Rip!
I love the idea about meal planning and recipes. I enjoy to food prepping and batch cooking. When I get home I will sign up and join you Carla.
Mihani - you deserve that nap. I hope you got it. I have had Swiss chard but must admit I don't have a lot of experience with it.
So after big exercise day and sitting in bus for 2 hour drive to Whistler...no hip pain. I feel the bike ride loosened it up. So weird.
I was looking through a book about restaurants in Whistler. The menus and ingredients are interesting. I found this kale salad: baby kale, roasted yams, beets, sweet red onion and toasted cashews. Had another great burger, this time black bean with portobello mushroom. We have a small kitchen where we are staying. So happy to not go out for a few days.
We are both enjoying Canada a lot. Brooks did a 1/2 Ironman in Switzerland last year and in July there is one held in Whistler. If he doesn't deploy to Turkey next year he is going to sign up! So we will be back!
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Sorry pics are so big.0
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Good morning!
Carla, the basement is already a fully finished suite down there, everything already matches the upstairs. So the renos are pretty small overall. The bedroom, bathroom and living room are all done. We are converting the full kitchen to a mini fridge and bar seating space (opening it up for games area), and then we are converting the den to another bedroom for my DS. (because my DD has already laid claim to the master suite down there - her closet is at least 3x the size of my walk-in closet upstairs!)
And then there are 2 steel doors separating the suites. Now that it's just one big house instead of 2 suites, we are removing the steel doors and adding trim to them to match the other doorways in the house. They'll just be finished openings; no doors attached.
So it's not a lot, but the kitchen work will be intense. They need to jackhammer the concrete floor to close off the water lines and drains for the dishwasher, sink and fridge. Then they'll have to fix the floor back up so it looks like they were never there...
Today is day 1 of my smoothie/salad challenge. I didn't get properly motivated last week to get myself started. But last night I made enough smoothies for the whole week. I'm good to go!!!
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Donna, that sounds great! We can compare notes on the recipes if you decide to join.
Batch day was yesterday. It took Joe and I two hours to complete it all, including clean up. I was ready for it to be over by the end, but I feel very good about being so prepared for the week! We cooked the beans and rice, washed and prepped some greens, roasted the butternut squash, and made 2 sauces/dressings and the french onion soup.
Good job on the prep work for the week, Karrie! What kind of containers do you use to freeze your smoothies for the week?
today's plan:
breakfast - smoothie (almond milk, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, 1/3 banana)
snack - mandarin orange and a handful of pumpkin seeds
lunch - wfpb corn chowder, side salad w/ lemon turmeric tahini dressing
dinner - butternut buddha bowl w/ garlicky lemon greens
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I wish MFP had a way to add to your food diary without having to track the calories. I just want a record of the meals I'm eating and I don't want to have to add each ingredient to arrive at some estimated calorie value when I don't care about that to begin with!1
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That's cool your hip is feeling better Donna. Maybe the impact sports are what is straining your hip joint and might be better to stick to non-impact exercise for a little while. Nice pictures! Sounds like a great trip.
Karrie, glad there's not too much awful disruption to the renovations you want to make, but it's always a disruption and the mess and having people in your house. Way to go getting all your smoothies prepped.
Well done on the prep work Carla! That doesn't sound too bad really, with two people working. When I do a full on prep session it take me a few hours, and it's just me, but then the following days are just minutes to throw dinner together so it's worth it. The food sounds yummy! Maybe you can just do a simple excel or word doc to keep track of your meals. Just thought too, you're getting this plan two for the price of one!
I am still struggling. Last night I could not go to sleep for hours. It was close to 2 a.m. before I fell properly asleep and the alarm goes off at 5 a.m., which I ignored until almost 6. I felt remarkably chipper today considering. I'm going to bed super early tonight though. I'm going to have to figure out a way to get through the next few weeks in a halfway healthy way. I'm too busy and too stressed, I hate the end of the year. We got in 6 new cases in the past week too. Yeesh!
I think I'm just going to have to make a priority of hitting the treadmill in the mornings. Evenings are too iffy on how late I get stuck at the office and whether I have any energy at all left when I get home. If I got up right at 5:00 and threw on some shoes I could treadmill in my jammies and then jump in the shower by 5:30. Lately I've been hitting that snooze button a lot! I did think about going upstairs at the office at lunchtime to do 15 minutes of yoga and meditation, but of course I didn't do it. Tomorrow I will make sure that I do. Exercise is so important for keeping my stress down.
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Carla, I use glass mason jars to store my smoothies in the freezer.
Mihani, we haven't actually moved into the new house yet (we've just hung out there a bit so far, and taken the cat to check the place out), so the renos aren't disrupting anything, just delaying when we move. And we've modified the plans a couple of times, so now we're saving about $5,000 from our original estimate, so that's nice too.
Anyone ready for Christmas yet? I've started, but I'm not really ready yet. Still have a lot of shopping to do. And then my DS's birthday is this Sunday; I haven't started anything with that yet. Got a lot of cupcakes to make!!
I'm down 2.6 lbs after my first day of smoothie/salad. I kinda raided the pantry when I got home last night; I had some bean chips and hummus, and then I had some peanuts and a banana. So I just called that supper. I'm going to try to be better today and start cooking as soon as I get home. I might eat my supper an hour earlier than normal, but I'd rather get more veggies into me than snacking on whatever I can scrounge up! Must. Do. Better.
Also swam 1km last night. Should have done more, but I was being lazy. I really wanted to get into the hot tub instead of swimming for another 10-15 minutes...0 -
The Butternut Buddha bowl was good! It took 20 minutes to put it together day-of, but only about 10 minutes of that was active time. Joe and I were both full after eating it, but we didn't have any leftovers. I think we're going to have to judge each recipe individually as to if we want to double it or not. A single recipe of the burgers for the week made 7, 1/2 cup patties. Or maybe we'll just make our lunches out of whichever recipes have excess. It is nice to feel so prepared for the week, and a rare treat that we get to eat a different meal for dinner each day.
Did you manage to get a good sleep last night, Mihani? It's such a bad feeling to toss and turn and look at that clock and know that you have to get up and really need that sleep! I always do better with exercise if I get it done first thing in the morning. Maybe because my brain isn't awake enough to make excuses! And if it happens first, it happens for sure, no matter how crazy the day gets. It helps me sleep better at night, too. (Now to make myself actually do it!!!)
I do most of my Christmas shopping on Amazon. My Mom is coming out for a visit today and we're going to get in a walk downtown while keeping an eye out for a few gifts. Electronics and games are great on Amazon, but for picking up clothing or home decor, it is nice to see it in person. I'm hoping my Mom will find something she likes while we're out.
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