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Hi all -
I took a little break from social media including MFP...I can just get sucked into looking at junk (not MFP) and spend hours on a computer instead of walking dogs or swimming. Weather here has been wonderful to bike ride in the mornings and then swim when it is getting warmer. Back to swimming laps outside which makes a huge difference in my attitude.
Still on ETL guidelines, no red meat or poultry but still seafood & eggs. Biggest struggle remains chocolate, wine and chips. I have first triathlon next month. I have been training on my mtn bike as it offers more resistance than my fast road bike. Can't wait to get on that bike. I am going to walk the run part...it is only 3 miles but having that hip pain again. Going to have an X-ray of my right hip and then PT evaluation as I have lost strength in certain movements now.
Best news: Brooks was promoted to Lt. Col. in the air force. He had been passed over once and we did not think it was going to happen. Still trying to get one more overseas assignment before he retires from military. He has a 1/2 Ironman in June in Victoria, BC! I only wish it was in July/August when it is 110* here.
Magic - I too have a very overly critical 76 y/o sister. She is just mean at times. Next time I am around her for any length of time I am going to say something about that not being nice. She was so critical of my vegetarian diet and went out of her way to serve meals with meat and veggies mixed (casseroles) that was almost impossible to pick out the meat and accompanied by tons of starchy food. I started going out for salads. It was such a strange situation...1 -
Hi Donna! I had wondered where you go to. Glad to hear you are doing well and yay for your first triathlon this year. Always so impressed with all your activity. And yay for Brooks! Congrats to him.
Magic, I hope you have fun at the party and if your sister starts that you can just ignore it. Yay for the scale responding!
Austin, that reminds me, I have one of those little handheld spiralizers somewhere! I think it was a stocking stuffer a couple Christmases ago. See what I mean about gadgets? I have so many I don't even know what I have.
Today's menu was a total repeat of yesterday except an apple with lunch instead of a clementine and no juice. I am happy with two meals a day when I'm totally on plan, although I like to eat breakfast on weekends when I have more time in the mornings.
Still really busy with work, but managing to avoid the snack monster that had hold of me last week. I usually only need to get through 2 or 3 days before I stop thinking about the snack cabinet at work. It only takes a moment to get the cravings going again though. Too bad it doesn't work the other way around!
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Thursday, April 18, 2019
Oatmeal with the usual suspects
Steamed cauliflower and broccoli with pasta (quinoa/brown rice) and sauce
Big salad: TJs herb salad with chopped romaine, celery, red and green bell peppers, scallions, cukes, cauliflower, broccoli, great northern beans, beets and one of Jill’s dressings
Fruit Salad
Had a nice time. The menu was not for us. I did my best. The sandwiches had very thin bread and I took off the meat and cheese and left the veggies and had that. Had a bit of cesar salad...not a lot. NO just plain fruit salad...none in sight. NO just veggies...none in sight. Did not have cake. Had iced tea. That was it.
I stayed calm and agreeable the entire time. Came home and loved my little Lulu (1 1/2 year old rescue mini schnauzer is is part giraffe. LOL...really tall.)
Anyway, thanks so much for the support. It meant a lot to me, knowing I had you guys here cheering me on to do my best.
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Welcome back, Donna! Grats to Brooks!!!
Glad you made it through relatively unscathed, Magic!
Getting the glucose monitor and using it has been helpful. Since I started tracking my numbers, they've been going down steadily and it has only been a week. I have 3 more weeks before my follow up appointment. It will be too soon for them to re-test me, but I am going to bring in my numbers, which hopefully by then will at least match the numbers expected for a diabetic on medication. I'm getting into the data and charting it, which helps me stay motivated.
I made these baked quinoa black bean falafel and they were tasty even though I forgot to add all of the seasonings until I'd already formed the patties. I just sprinkled the mixed spices on each side and rubbed it on. voila! They will be even better next time. https://minimalistbaker.com/baked-quinoa-black-bean-falafel/
B - green shake (frozen blueberries, almond milk, spinach, banana, flax seeds, cinnamon, amla)
L - 2 cups mixed baby greens, 4 mini black bean quinoa falafel, 2 slices baked tofu, dill dressing, strawberries
D - red lentil cauliflower curry, strawberries
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Nice job today Carla! I made the OSG red lentil cauliflower soup tonight, which is very similar to Isa's curry recipe in flavor. Good luck with the numbers!
Good to hear everything went well at the shower, Magic.
Another good ETL day here.
L - last of the lentil stew, raw broccoli and cauliflower, an apple, 2 brown rice cakes
S - lara bar
D - soup, salad, a few walnut halves
I think I'll probably get back to a small serving of oats or a smoothie for breakfast starting next week so I can be sure to get in my berries and chia seeds. Not going to get those in today.
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@bisky - Welcome back! And congratulations on Brooks's promotion! How wonderful!
I am sorry to hear about your hip, and hope PT is helpful.
Sisters can be complicated, can't they? And who knows if she meant to undermine your diet or if casseroles just suddenly seemed appealing? (I can imagine that being unconscious?) Good for you for just quietly arranging to have food that worked for you.
@magic71755 - Your Thursday menu looked great. And a huge congratulations on navigating the baby shopwer successfully. Staying calm and agreeable the entire time is so great.
Great days, @Mihani and @Carla_wfpb !
@Carla_wfpb - Thank you for the recipe! I just added Black Bean Falafel to my log of recipes to try!
I have family company for the next couple of days, but they are being fine with my eating differently. Phew! I am feeling super lucky for that!
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@AustinRuadhain Let me know what you think when you try them. I am happy with how they turned out. I am trying to get beans with lunch and dinner and they are easy to just heat and eat! I'm making a double batch tomorrow and freezing them. Nice that your company is accepting of your food choices. It makes such a difference.
Mihani, are you still loving getting your veggies prepped? How often are you having it done? Once a week?
Magic, do you always get the same 2 days off or does it vary?
Yesterday I ended up having more greens, tofu and falafel for dinner because I was hungry before the curry was ready. I'm eating this same meal several days in a row but I'm enjoying it. Going forward, the plan is to always have a batch of cooked beans and whole grains in the fridge, along with a dressing and of course greens.
Not in a creative zone right now with my art work, but instead have been making good progress with my food and housework.
Joe and I have had crappy desks since we got married over 10 years ago now. They are matching particle board beauties that were on their last legs some time ago. We finally ordered 2 new desks! They are shipping separately and one arrives today. Also on order is a love seat for the office and a book shelf that matches the desks. (We both work from home a lot of the time so this is a space we use a LOT.)
today:
b - 2 cups of coffee (oops!) Dr F blueberry banana oatmeal w/ walnuts
l - 2 cups mixed baby greens, baked tofu, 2 mini falafel patties, dressing, 2 Tbsp hemp hearts, 1/2 apple, cinnamon
d - red lentil cauliflower curry, rest of apple
Happy Friday!!1 -
Hope you have a nice visit this weekend, Austin. Awesome when everyone is supportive. It has been 7 years since I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan and nobody says anything these days, not that they really said much in the beginning either. Maybe a few comments.
Carla, that sounds great to have your office all spruced up with new furniture. My home office is pretty depressing and I really should do something about it. Your menu looks great! Yep, the salad prep is going to be a weekly thing. Last week was amazing, and I still have enough for tonight and tomorrow. It takes all the pressure off of making sure I get my "salad is the main meal" groove on.
L - red lentil cauliflower soup (didn't have time for anything else)
D - will be a big ol' salad and a bowl of mixed fruit (apple, clementine, frozen blackberries with chia seeds)
I want to make some salad dressing this weekend. I never got around to that and I am ready for a change from balsamic.
Just signed up for a free trial of The Daily Burn. I did my first video and it felt really good. It was only half an hour light workout, but boy did it loosen up a lot of tension in my neck, shoulders and back. Hopefully the variety will help me get back into exercise. I've been so sedentary that I'm too out of shape for the workouts I used to do and need to ease back into it.
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I already changed my mind about The Daily Burn and cancelled the free trial. There's too much free stuff on the internet, exercise DVD's in the closet, not to mention the treadmill and stationary bike collecting dust in the "exercise room" upstairs. I did get in a 30 minute workout last night and will keep up doing something every night
Hope everyone has a nice Easter. I'm heading to the office just for a few hours because I still need to go to the grocery, cook, do laundry.1 -
Hi Everybody... quiet here this week! I've settled into a routine of lunch being soup, some raw or lightly steamed veggies, and a fruit, a handful of nuts if there aren't any nuts in the soup. Dinner is a big ol' salad with a variety of veggies, some beans, some sunflower seeds or a nut/seed-based dressing, followed by berries with chia seeds and possibly another type of fruit too. I also might have a slice of sprouted grain toast or a grain with dinner. These two meals seem to be plenty to keep me going and I haven't had any real cravings for over a week.0
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Hi @Mihani , hi everybody!
I had a good ETL weekend, even with the family visit. I had lost 1.3 pounds when I weighed in on Monday, which was just what I was hoping for. I am within 5 pounds of 129, my goal, which is amazing. (I started at 265; heaviest was 270+.)
This afternoon I am busy baking ETL-friendly, allergy-friendly oatmeal-date-raisin cookies to take to a Boy Scouts event tonight. My son has already eaten six of them, which seems like a good sign!
Menu today is super standard for me, so you have seen it before. With all the Easter kerfluffle and then being busy with the start of the work/school week, I have been kinda back to my basics:
B - blended green smoothie (spinach, blueberry, flax seed, cold brew) plus a little extra coffee for the road
L - steamed greens, Mexican Pinto Beans (made a big pot of those on Sunday), raw pickled onions, some Mexican Carrots plus nooch and spices
S - apple slices plus 10 g walnuts
D will be a big salad plus homemade dressing. I have been experimenting with dressings that use blended fresh veggies. Last night I made one by blending a tomatillo, some tomato paste, a splash of cashew milk, plus some spices. I'll likely do that again tonight!
I got all my food planning done last night and this morning (usually do this on Sunday), and so need to get stuff at the grocery store tonight after Scouts. Falafel is still on my to-do list, after I get groceries. What a busy day!
Is anyone still reading/listening to James Clear? I was just looking at his article on motivation today.0 -
Did you have a nice Easter, Mihani? We didn't end up doing anything here. I am being very careful about what I eat and when, and we had my family over the weekend before to celebrate some birthdays so we decided to just relax by ourselves.
Congrats on your fantastic progress, Austin! wow!! Good article on motivation, thanks. I might sign up for the emails.
Today I'll be polishing off the last of the most recent batch of falafel. Joe likes it better than the store-bought frozen patties he's been buying for his pita at lunch, and it is far healthier and less processed. I have been eating them at lunch and dinner along with whatever I'm having.
I was just about to write down my meals for today when I realized that it is already almost noon here and I never got around to breakfast. Oops!
Lunch - greens & blueberries shake
Dinner - greens & pinto bean chili, apple w/ nut butter1 -
Wow Austin! Great job!!! So excited for you being so close to your goal.
The cookie recipe looks great, I'll have to give it a try after my 6 weeks of strict.
Carla, I just worked and did some cooking on Easter, but it was a nice quiet day. I need to try the falafel.
This is the soup I've been eating for lunch this week: https://ohsheglows.com/2010/11/16/holiday-soup-for-the-soul/ It is delightful. The salad goodies this week are romaine, radicchio, radish, carrot, yellow and zucchini squash, green onion.
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Hey there fellow ETL-ers,
I have been experimenting with salad dressings that are blended vegetables. I made one tonight that I thought was great. I buzzed all this smooth using an immersion blender:
- handful of fresh cilantro (about 1/2 oz)
- one medium tomatillo (raw)
- 1 T nutritional yeast
- 1 T Kirkland (Costco) No Salt Seasoning
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plain cashew milk0 -
When I read that it was "delightful" I just had to go and check that soup out, Mihani! I have a note on my grocery list so that I can pick up what I need on my next shop. I always like cinnamon and nutmeg in savory dishes. Looking forward to this one!
Austin, I do a lot of sauces and dressings using vegetables too. If I'm following a recipe that calls for soaked cashews for the creaminess, I usually find I can sub half the amount in cooked white beans. I'm going to rifle through my recipes soon so I'll keep an eye out for any that I remember being particularly good and post them.
This morning I used my IP to cook black beans, quinoa, and garbanzo beans, one after the other. Love that instant pot! I have the cookbook Vegan Under Pressure and I've mostly just used it for the cooking charts for beans, rice & grains. I'm going to thumb through and start trying a few of the recipes out. There are quite a few bean burger recipes and I find those so handy to have on hand.
b - 2 cups of coffee, greens & strawberries shake
l - greens, quinoa, beans, dressing of some sort, apple w/ nut butter
d - cauliflower curry or bean chili, apple with nut butter
yes i'm addicted to honeycrisp apples with nut butter! so good. need to vary my fruit but I'm going to enjoy them while they are available.
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@Mihani -I, too, want to try that OSG Holiday Soup! It's on my list.
@Carla_wfpb - Thanks for the congratulations! I am quite excited!
I'll try cooked white beans in a dressing. That sounds great!
Also - I am so SO fond of Kanzi apples, thinly sliced and served with walnut pieces. So not the same apple as you, but I so feel you on the addiciton. I may get tired of Kanzi apples and walnuts eventually, but so far they are a daily small treat.
I am reminded that I need to learn to make a vegan burger. So far, I have not done that. Falafel next, though. I am more excited about that than a burger.
I made an ETL (but not Aggressive Weight Loss) compliant dish today, and it was a win with my teenager. Passing this on in case anyone wants a vegan crowd-pleaser. You could decorate the top with olives and make this pretty enough for a potluck:
Layered Tex-Mex Lasagna0 -
I still haven't tried the IP, Carla! I've been busy, but I think there's fear of it in the back of my mind too. LOL I also love apples with nut butter. Yum! That's a good idea about the white beans.
That tex mex lasagna sounds great Austin. I'll give that one a try.
I am down about 9 pounds. I totally believe that contracting out the salad prep has turned the tide on my recent struggles to stay on track. I have been getting in some exercise here and there but not consistently.
And I misplaced ETL (the original book)... I have searched high and low and it cannot be found! So I ordered a new one from Amazon (mine had become pretty worn out over the years anyway) and also ordered Super Immunity, which I haven't read yet.
Worked really late and haven't even had dinner yet so I better get at it. Leftovers from last night which is spiced pintos, steamed kale and onion on a baked tostada with salsa and a side salad.
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Hey y'all. It's your favorite lapsed ETL'er.
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Sloth!!! Glad to see you stranger.
So I admit to a couple glasses of wine tonight, but other than that I've been 100% for a couple weeks and fully intend to be 100% for many more weeks. It has all seemed very easy lately for some reason. I didn't order anything at the restaurant because I wanted to get home to my ETL compliant dinner which is leftovers from last night.
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Sloth - nice to meet you!
@Mihani - congratulations on being down, and hurray to your ETL compliant dinner and eating so well in general!
I enjoyed Super Immunity.
I just sat down to MFP to log my dinner, and it has been a great ETL day:
B - green smoothie (spinach, flax seed, blueberries, cashew milk), coffee
L - steamed mustard greens, Mexican Pinto Beans, fresh vegetable juice (beet, carrot, cabbage, cucumber, ginger, lime)
S - apple slices and walnut pieces (about 100 cal total)
D - big salad (massaged kale, romaine, green pepper, cucumber, onion, tomato) with homemade green dressing (cilantro, tomatillo, cashew milk, nooch, spices), Brussels sprouts, mushrooms
Does anyone here like podcasts? I have been listening to some plant-based food ones, and been inspired.0
