John McDougall July
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@Bisky, Obi is adorable. Oh to be a size 10/12 again, sigh. Congrats to you for doing it.
I was at my sister's for 4th of July, and I think practically everyone there was either full on keto or something close to it. Needless to say, I had a lot of black bean chili left to bring back home, LOL.
@susmannie I'm a recipe user too. Things always taste better than if I just try to wing it with cooking. I still have my old Betty Crocker cookbook also, and a few vegetarian/vegan books. I've been trying to cook my way through them one book at a time so I can thin the stack out some, I' still on number one (Sundays at Moosewood). Thanks for sharing the burger recipe, I'm definitely going to try it.
@Mihani so glad to hear you're feeling better - colds are never fun, but they always seem worse in the summer. I agree about the frozen veggies; I buy mostly fresh because I find the frozen and canned to be too soft, I like my veggies close to raw (except corn).
@Carla_wfpb I'm getting back into posting also, was reading posts here and there, but not doing a lot of posting.
@CoffeeandHumblePie so glad to hear the surgery was a success! Sound like you're off and running for your return to WFPB.0 -
Coffee, so glad to hear all went well! Been thinking of you. I have read a number of stories over the years from people who reversed liver issues with a WFPB diet. Sounds like you are off to a good start with stocking up on groceries. Will be interested to hear what they say at your follow up appointment. I wonder if it might be worthwhile to look into a plant-based nutritionist although there are so many resources online and we're all here for you too.
Spring, me too on the veggies. I like them lightly cooked. Since getting the microwave steamer I am able to make fresh veggies in a couple minutes cooked exactly the way I like them. Took a little experimenting to find the right time for various veggies but it greatly increased my cooked veggie intake having the steamer. I like adding some steamed kale and broccoli to my salads too. My favorite breakfast is still oats with berries, but a few times a week I have a sweet potato with steamed veggies for breakfast instead.
I had the same experience visiting some cousins. I made a big black bean quinoa salad, and it was barely touched. Honestly, I think I was the only one who ate any of it.
Fell asleep on the couch and never cooked last night. I found out that everyone else is going to be in the office today and I decided I'm not going. The whole point of being in there on the weekend is not having everyone there interrupting me every 5 minutes. So I'll make the mexican lasagna tonight. The internet is still not fixed and they are sending another tech out this morning, so I hope that I'll be able to work from home. If they don't get it fixed then I will have to go to the office so fingers crossed. It works fine sometimes for hours at a time, then all of a sudden it is dropping every few minutes.
Plan for today...
B - ezekiel english muffin topped with a sliced peach
L - big ol' salad
D - mexican lasagna (really, I'm going to get it made!)
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Sue - I have been craving indian food and curries lately. Was going to try to find a recipe with my cauliflower “rice.” Happy Birthday to Jeff. We share the same date! I know…the popularity of the Keto diet is crazy. Similar to the gluten free craze. Keto is so high on saturated fats. Gluten free is high in sugar to make it palatable. In the 90’s it was low fats and no fat but also very high in sugar. What is so wrong with beans, nuts, fruit and vegetables? I swear it is all marketing. The big food companies pushing cereal, cookies and processed foods. When was the last time we saw a jolly green giant commercial? Okay, rant over.
Mihani - glad you tested negative and feeling better. I still haven’t found a good peach yet. I hope you can work from home more frequently to have less interruptions. You need an office co worker. The four legged kind to remind you to take breaks! 😊
Carla- a pool in your back yard would be awesome! Would it be dog friendly? Great way for Ruby to exercise. Are you still thinking about a place on the ocean? Ratatouille sounds delicious. Haven’t made it in years.
Coffee - I hope you have a fast recovery but don’t push yourself. You can easily reverse the liver tests with fruits, vegetables and beans…stay away from sugar, processed foods and high fat meats. Walks on the beach, swam laps yesterday and going to swim tomorrow am. My family celebrated my birthday yesterday at a Greek restaurant and a play.
Spark - how is your summer ? Can’t believe we are halfway through summer. I will take that black bean chili! I love anything with black beans. When I get back from HH I will put my black bean sweet potato chili recipe in recipe. It has been a very slow weight loss since starting with a nutritionist and an eating disorder therapist. I have lost 76 lbs in 18 months. Was 2X. Very slow weight loss but steady. My first goal was 4 lbs a month and now it is 1-2 lbs/ month.
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Today: Lots of food prep w/ sous chef hubby.
Breakfast: Chickpea omelet (need a new nonstick pan, it stuck badly, even with cooking spray on the second try.) It was okay, but bland. I'll increase the spices.
Lunch: Veggie sandwich w/hummus and fresh veg.
Supper: Veggie burger and air fried "pizza" fries, homemade ketchup.1 -
Your menu sounds great today, Coffee. I got one of those granite stone pans a while back and really like it. I still haven't tried a chickpea flour omelet. Need to do that one of these days. How are you feeling?
Bisky, looks like you are having a nice visit. Is that your sister's home? Beautiful views!
So now I have a cough mostly tickly throat kind of thing. I stopped and got some cough drops on the way home and going to bed early. I'm still kind of stuffy but feeling a heckuva lot better.
I kept it simple today. I was worn out yesterday and basically worked, napped, worked, napped. So I still never got around to my mexican lasagna. I need to do something with all these veggies but got home too late tonight to start cooking and I want to go to bed early again. I'll do something in the next day or two before everything starts getting wilty.
B - ezekiel english muffin with tahini, sliced peach
L - oats with berries and silk yogurt
S - Dr. McDougall soup
D - sweet potato with steamed broccoli and kale, sliced peach
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@CoffeeandHumblePie, husband/sous chef, that’s a gift. I assume he’s solely your right hand man and doesn’t do this as a profession? Mine sits on the coach and plays guitar while I prep. But he’s all on with the food choices.
@Mihani, Mexican lasagna sounds quite delicious. I’ve never made a chickpea omelet, either. I have chickpea flour, must try. We still eat eggs, I haven’t been able to give those up.
@Bisky, your photos were fun to view. Nice setting. Jolly Green Giant, there’s a memory. I had a JGG stuffed doll my mother got with an offer. Was regular size doll, LOL.
@SparkSpringtime69, I remember that Moosewood cookbook. I used to watch Mollie Katzen’s vegetarian cooking show on PBS years ago. I think she was part of Moosewood.
@Carla_wfpb, we were considering replacing our patio set, We have a small patio with our condo and it’s hard to find anything simple and small (and affordable) anymore.
I plan my meals through a list in Reminders on my IPad. I have a thing for vegan cookbook ebooks. So I keep a running list of successful recipes and which book they are in. I plan a week’s meals before shopping. Most make 4-6 servings, so I have leftovers a few nights. I throw in new recipes, too. I like cooking. Now that I am retired, I need to direct the creativity back into the drawing and painting that I didn’t have time for.
Happy Tuesday!
Sue, NY0 -
Quick check-in to report on my post-op lab. Two of my pre-surgery Liver Panel numbers were off the charts. Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) was 472 on July 8th and today was 77 (normal range is 8 - 45). The Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) was 185 on July 8th and today was well within the normal range at 26. Woot!
Breakfast: (non-wfpb) scrambled egg with a little chickpea flour and nutritional yeast, mushrooms and basil. Smoothie w/ 1/2 banana, 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, and 3/4 cup pineapple.
Snack to tide me over before doctor visit: a couple bites of bean salad (beans, corn, onion, tomato, cilantro), 1/2 slice of Great Harvest bread w/a little almond butter.
Lunch - big salad w/ arugala, sweet potato, avocado, pinto beans, onion, pico de gallo, and a drizzle of Trader Joe's Almond Chipotle sauce. Yum.
Dinner: Polenta with homemade Ragu (from a Jane Esselstyn video).
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I have a moosewood cookbook too. It's vegetarian not vegan but I should dust it off and see what is in there. Been years since I looked at it.
Coffee, that is awesome news! Very encouraging. Your menu sounds great too.
Had a busy and kind of frustrating day. Having sweet potato and steamed kale and broccoli for dinner then going to bed early. Glad to be back to a more veggie-centered diet after being sick and not wanting to eat much of them.
B - ezekiel english muffin with tahini, sliced peach (all the peaches are gone waaah!)
L - oats with berries and cinnamon
S - a handful of pretzels (regular ones stayed away from those dang PB pretzels)
D - sweet potato with steamed kale and broccoli, might cut into a watermelon that I picked up the other day
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Coffee, great news on your liver numbers.
TJ's Almond Chipotle Sauce sounds delicious. The nearest TJ to me is about 1 hour 45 minutes
Mihani, the Sunday's at Moosewood is supposed to be vegetarian, but it has some fish recipes in it also. I substituted tofu for the couple of fish recipes I wanted to try.0 -
Back at work - tired, but the day went well. It'll be an early night for me.
SparkSpring, the Almond Chipotle Sauce does have oil in it. It's the third ingredient behind water and almonds. We live 60 miles from our TJs - I try to go once a month.
The Moosewood cookbook comes from the restaurant? Mollie Katzen looks very familiar. I wonder if I saw her on PBS as well.
B- oatmeal w/ walnuts, raisins, and a drizzle of Date Lady chocolate date spread.
L- Veggie sandwich w/ hummus and guac., and a No-Bake brownie truffle bite from the Date Lady website. Yum.
Snack - blueberries
D-Polenta w/Ragu. (I ended up not having it last night)
Have a great evening everyone! Mihani, hope you're feeling better soon.
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Spring, I'm pretty good at throwing things together and often get inspiration from recipes with meat or dairy and sub ingredients. Even with a lot of vegan recipes I have to do that if they use vegan butters, oil, packaged vegan cheese, etc. Not that I never eat that type of thing but I try to avoid for the most part. I was thinking weren't you doing a lot of work in your yard last summer? How'd that all go?
Coffee, there's a brand called Good Foods that has nut based dips/sauces with no oil. I have tried several flavors and really like them.
The sinus infection turned into a cold which has now turned into a mild case of bronchitis. It has been making it hard to sleep because I keep waking up coughing. I am looking forward to having a hot toddy tonight though. Totally forgot about those used to always have one before bed when I had a cold or flu years ago. I'll drink that and head to bed early again. I don't feel so bad, just terribly tired.
B - ezekiel avocado toast with sliced tomato
L - oats with blueberries and yogurt
D - leftover sweet potato and steamed kale
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Mihani, summer colds can be so uncomfortable. Enjoy the hot toddy and feel better. I will check to see if the Good Foods brand is available here. We have a couple stores that focus on healthier options so I'll check those first.
**Editing to add - I just checked Good Foods store locator and several stores in our area have their dips! Fresh Thyme and Target to name a couple.
B- (non-WFPB scramble and a plant-based Butternut Squash/Pecan muffin - recipe from Krocks in the Kitchen.
L - Arugula & Spinach, w/leftover bean salad, avocado, hummus, a small yellow potato, pico de gallo.
D - Chickpea pancakes w/ strawberries & blueberries, a few walnut pieces, a drizzle of date syrup.0 -
Cool on the Good Foods dips, Coffee. I get them at Fresh Thyme as well. That's my favorite store these days. Small enough to run in and out for a few things and great produce so I stop once or twice a week to stay stocked on fresh veggies. I drink a lot of la croix and Fresh Thyme has it cheaper than Kroger. I only have to go to Kroger or the wholesale club store once a month or so to stock up on other things.
How are you feeling?
One of the other gals in the office is coming in over the weekend with me so we can work at catching up more. I really appreciate her!
Plan for today...
B - ezekiel avocado toast with sliced tomato
L - salad with sweet potato, steamed broccoli and kale, raw cucumber and tomato
D - stir-fry veggies and black rice
S - glass of wine or a bloody mary (if I go out)
Going out with friends after work if I feel up to it. Feeling pretty well this morning and hardly any cough now. Actually got a good night's sleep. It has been weeks since I've been able to make the Friday night gathering and I'd enjoy seeing some people outside my co-workers and having a cocktail or a glass of wine.
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Bisky, the pictures you shared are great. The river (canal?) looks so peaceful. My summer's been pretty quiet, boring actually - we haven't even gotten out to play a round of golf yet!!
Coffee, I don't eat oil-free, so a little oil in something doesn't bother me. I think I might make a list of things I want from TJs and take the drive down there one day this summer. Anyone have any other suggestions for stuff I should try (I already put the Almond Chipotle Sauce on the list
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The Moosewood book is from the restaurant. According to the book's introduction, Sunday night at the restaurant was "ethnic night" where they would serve food from one particular ethnic, national or regional cuisine, and the chapters in the book are broken down that way.
Mihani, glad to hear the cold is clearing up.
We got all of the brush cleared out last summer and had a number of trees cut down so it looks better, but sadly, some of the brush is growing back. I think we're going to try some kind of brush killer stuff on it.0 -
Spring, I remember now you had a a big chore to tackle all the brush.
I had fun last night. Stayed about an hour. Think I'm pretty well over the bronchitis just an occasional cough. Got up and hit the treadmill. Needed to get back at that now that I'm feeling better. Going to relax over a cup of tea or two, have an ezekiel english muffin, and head to the office.
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I finally made the mexican casserole/lasagna last night. It was good but not quite lasagna like. Too dry. I now recall that last time, I poured a whole jar of enchilada sauce over top before baking so the sauciness permeated the whole thing. I will try it again soon, and find a good recipe for homemade enchilada sauce to avoid the oil and sodium in the store-bought. Here's what I did:
Very thin layer of tomato sauce in a 9 x 13 casserole, a layer of corn tortillas, layer of veggie/bean mixture, a sprinkle of nooch, layer of baby spinach, another layer of corn tortillas followed by the veggie/bean mixture, nooch and spinach, final layer of corn tortillas and topped with dollops of salsa and sliced black olives. So next time I'd just save the salsa to top off when serving, and use enchilada sauce over top instead.
The flavors are great, just didn't bake up the way I hoped since there wasn't enough sauce. For the veggie/bean mixture I sauteed onion, several different color sweet peppers, corn, zucchini with fajita seasoning, then added black beans and a can of tomato sauce. I'd probably wilt the spinach in with the other veggies next time too rather than adding a layer raw.
Bake covered at 350 for about 20 minutes then remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. Serve with some salsa and cashew queso and/or avocado.
So with those changes, I think I will have the perfect tortilla lasagna.
Laundry is in the dryer, and once that is done I'll get cleaned up and head to the office. I think I'll be the only one there today which is always nice. Get a lot more done when nobody else is around. Visiting family late afternoon and will make a quick stop at Fresh Thyme since I'm out of greens.
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Just popping in to get back in the swing...nothing exciting...just trying to get my life back on track after a June that was bound and determined to see me go under. But just like Dora, Just Keep Swimming.
today
coffee
just egg/spinach/chao shreds into a flour tortilla
lunch: hmmmmmmmmmmm...thinking bean tostada
dinner: pasta dish with mushrooms, onions and broccoli...penne pasta...sauce is Lucini (I get it at Walmart)
dessert: Outshine popsicle.
Was shocked to hear about Dr. McDougal passing. Nice that you dedicated this month to him, Mihani!
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Magic - Good to see you back! I hope July is kinder to you.
Mihani - The Mexican casserole sounds delicious. Are you over the bronchitis?
Coffee- How are you feeling? Your meals look delicious.
Sue - I have a project for you as an artist and recipe collector….maybe print your favorite recipes and illustrate by painting or drawing?
Spark - I wish I had seen your post. We went to Trader Joe’s yesterday. I would have bought the almond chipolte sauce. I like to have the fire roasted peppers and onions for a quick veggie stir fry at all times in freezer. I also like the frozen mushrooms and frozen green beans and edamame. Plus if you like beets I love the peeled roasted beets found in produce section and the mini avocados. Also, because of my Celiac’s disease I buy the Norwegian seed crackers. I buy lots of raw nuts and toast them in the air fryer…plus good price on pinion nuts ( or are they a seed). Yesterday we had an arugula salad with beets, walnuts, red onions, garbanzo beans, balsamic glaze and tiny bit of lemon olive oil.
Having the last of our chipolte black bean soup. Will have to make more soup this week.
Brooks surprised me with veggie stuffed portobello mushroom last night. Delicious.
Aquarium store called and asked for 4 more cards, more plecos, snails and plants yesterday. With the money I made from cards I bought a female blue eyed lemon longfin pleco fo my male. He sells them for $50.00….so he will buy babies from me at a good price! My favorite fish. They are vegetarians by nature.
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2 cards I whipped up for aquarium store.0 -
Nanc, so glad to see you back! Hope things settle down for you and all is well.
Bisky, love those cards! Yes mostly over the bronchitis. Just an occasional cough. I ended up staying home yesterday and took a long nap before visiting with family. I kind of overdid it on the morning chores and wore myself out, and figured I was better off getting some rest and facing another week in the office. I put in 8 hours at the office on Saturday anyway and I have a goal of taking one day on the weekend to not think about work at all.
Back in the treadmill habit. I like to get a minimum of 2,000 steps in as soon as I get up, which makes it easy to reach 5,000 or more by the end of the day.
Plan for today...
B - oats with blueberries, banana, almond milk yogurt
L - spring mix, baked sweet potato, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, balsamic and dijon and Mrs. Dash
D - sauteed peppers, onions and broccoli with red rice
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Up and at em...today:
coffee
breakfast burrito
grilled tofu, broc and baked potato
penne with mushrooms, onions, spinach and sauce
watermelon for dessert
making my life deeeeeeeeeeeeeee licous! HAGDE!
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@mihani I have mixed feelings about corn tortillas - I prefer to eat them because they have very few ingredients for a packaged food, but they are very dry so I tend not eat them too often. I've tried a few different Mexican casserole recipes and had the same problem as you with most, too dry. There is one I tried that was good, but a little more time consuming than yours sounds because you have to make a cheese sauce to use on it, but if you or anyone else is interested here's the link:
https://diannesvegankitchen.com/mexican-lasagna-or-taco-pie/0 -
Magic, so good to see you back; I think I'm looking for the same July your are!
Bisky, thanks for the TJ suggestions I'll add some of those things to my list. I love beets but don't tend to use them often because they make such a mess - the ones you mentioned sound like a good answer. The cards are beautiful, so happy for you that you have the perfect place to sell them.0 -
Magic- I love watermelon for desserts and snacking! Does Lulu? My dogs except Obi are crazy for watermelon.
Interesting that I have started adding the purified water to dog bowls with a dental doggy mouthwash their plaque is decreasing. The tap water is very hard with high calcium content.
Sparkles - thank you! The aquarium store owner’s father who helped him 15 years ago set up his business BD was Sunday and he wanted the seahorse for him as the Seahorse is their store logo.
I think you will find Trader Joe’s beets easy to use and tasty. I love beets but they are a mess to prepare. I open the package with scissors in the sink and pour them into a small glass container with a lid with the juice. I have added them to my berry banana smoothie to get a really pretty purple smoothie. Oh, one more TJ’s item for freezer I always have on hand frozen berries…either the melody mix or organic ones, plus frozen cherries.
Mihani - Glad you are feeling better and taking good care. Yay for restart on treadmill.
I walked dogs in 2 different groups this morning. Laundry and dishes done. Now it is hot and humid. Staying in, making cards and 45 min break later this afternoon with yoga and peleton bike. Later pick up some watermelon and spinach.
Oh and stare at my baby blue eyed lemon pleco. Very shy right now. Will try to get a pic.
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The new female ( Lemon Drop)
my male, Lemony Snicket
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Awww... cute fish Bisky!
Hi, Nanc!
Spring, I think I looked at that recipe when I was trying to figure out what to do. Now that I remembered using a whole jar of enchilada sauce it was not dry at all that time. I'm with you though... sometimes corn tortillas are just irritating. I did find 12 seconds in the microwave (not 10 and not 15 LOL) is perfect for getting them a little soft but not so soft they fall apart when I use them, but can only do one at a time or they get mushy. There used to be some baked tostadas that I could get at Fresh Thyme but they quit carrying them. Those were really handy to have around. I have seen them on amazon but the reviews are mixed and mostly that they show up broken to bits. The brand is charras. I'll have to see if any other stores carry them. Probably Whole Foods but I hate going there.
Worked a long day and going to eat some rice and steamed veggies then chill until bedtime.
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Wowser, it's been busy here! I am feeling great - was able to go camping this weekend, trying out our "new to us" little camper. So relaxing, but I'm fighting fatigue today and not motivated to make anything. Thank goodness for leftovers!
Mihani, Fresh Thyme has the best produce in town. Great variety, fresh and the best prices. I'm swinging by after work tomorrow to restock.
Magic, I'm with you this month, "just keep swimming". I've been full throttle with Plant Based since surgery and I'm waning already - not giving in, though!
SparkSpring, how did the brush clearing go?
Bisky -you are a pet person for sure! Great pics. I cannot wait to get a pup again when the time is right.
Work was a bear today. Glad Monday is in the books!
I picked up some Organic Maple Syrup at Costco recently and finally cracked it open. It tasted like black strap molasses! I did some research and the later in the harvesting season it is, the darker and stronger the syrup is and can mimic molasses. Who knew? I use it in dressings and in baking on occasion, but I think I'll find a lighter variety. Too strong for me.
B - "omelet", plant-based Pecan Butternut Squash muffin
L - a bowl of greens, Yukon potatoes, hummus, onion, sauteed mushroom
D - Taco Salad - greens, black beans, brown rice, black olives, cilantro, lime juice and a drizzle of Almond Chipotle Sauce. My pico de gallo was over the hill so did not make it into the bowl.
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Hi, everyone. I’m Sue, from NY. I just joined in. Nice to see so many people involved here.
Found out I’m getting cataract surgery in September, and so thinking about ways to provide easy meals for husband and me during recovery.
I belong to Food Revolution Network, a site hosted by John and Ocean Robbins. Felt cut off from other plant based eaters, so joined during pandemic. I asked in forum there and got advice from their nutritionist:
“It sounds like you have a great plan with pre-making grains, beans, and baked potatoes. Here are a few more tips to help:
* Pre-make and freeze sauces: Prepare sauces for grain bowls and pasta ahead of time. They freeze well and are easy to heat up.
* Prep veggie burgers and casseroles: These can be made in advance and frozen for simple heat-and-eat meals.
* Utilize pantry staples: Cooked, unflavored canned beans and pre-chopped frozen veggies can save time and eliminate the need for cutting and chopping.”
Some all around good advice I thought I’d share. I need to simplify.
Bisky, if I created my own recipes I’d do as you suggest and combine them with drawings. Great idea, though!
Sue
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Sue- unless you plan to market it you can just make your own illustrated cookbook. You could always write the source. Love your pre tips. I had cataract surgery last year, both eyes at the same time..Had the trifocals lense insertion. Amazing! I was so surprised how bright the world appears a few weeks after.
Mihani - I wish had a Fresh Thyme!
Coffee where did you go camping? I am jealous. That taco salad sounds delicious. Must get the almond chipolte sauce! Latest fishy card.
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Welcome to all the newcomers...lots of you...very nice, indeed!
Workday (Tues-Fri 8-6)
coffee
"cheeze" sandwich for breakfast
pasta dish with loads of mushrooms and onions and tofu
Just Egg breakfast burrito for dinner...tastes better at home.
more watermelon for dessert...Lulu loves it.Making life deeeeeeeeeelicous and by the looks of it, y'all are doing the same. HAGDE!
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