Group LLC Holiday Challenge!

tammietifanie

Happy Friday everyone!!!!!!! I have one busy weekend a head of me which im looking forward too since i have been so down all week..
How has everyone been?? I see we have some new people WELCOME!

profjan6

Hi Everyone, Still hanging in there with the low carb thing. I would love to know what to do with cauliflower! Any ideas? Apparently, you can make it taste like mashed potatoes? I'm not buying that one! Always looking for new things. I've been keeping up with my exercising, and doing pretty well with the foods I choose. It is slow going, but I guess that isn't a bad thing.
After a terrible week, I am still in tears all the time about my dog. We are a real mess around here.
I hope you are all well and will enjoy a great weekend.

saverys_gal

YUMMY mashed cauliflower!!!! It doesn't taste quite like mashed potatoes but it's pretty damn good!!

1 cup cauliflower (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
literally, just a dash of cream or milk
salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro to taste

Steam the cauliflower well, VERY well!! Mash it down as much as you can with a fork, stir in your dash of milk and cream cheese and season with whatever you like. Put in a small oven safe bowl and pop in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top. So tasty! :drinker:

VJ150

I agree with Saverys, Cauli-tatoes are absolutely delicious. I make them a little different though. They are listed in the food database.

1 large fresh cauliflower
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place cream cheese and butter in medium bowl.
Steam cauliflower very well. Drain. Add cauliflower to cream cheese and butter. Mix well. (I use a hand mixer).
Season to taste. This usually makes 6-8 one cup servings.
For garlic flavor, I add garlic pepper.

I have also used cauliflower as a substitute for shrimp fried rice. I will have to look for that recipe. I can only remember to grate the cauliflower and cook it in a wok.

tatiana_13

The cauliflower ideas sound lovely. The perfect way to use up the try out the vegetables I can have next week. I've never been a friend of cauliflower---but that's mostly because I usually get it offered to me RAW on a salad! Cooked with butter and cheese...now that sounds delicious!

Tammie, thanks for the welcome. And profjan, my thoughts are with you about your dog.

I'm having a happy friday. Although I did have to turn down: fast food stir fry. won ton soup. candy. AND apple pie. All at work. In one day. Because induction sort of zaps the cravings, I wasn't physically hard to say no. But socially, its hard to be the person who always says no. They're starting to call me the health nut...and they don't mean that in a good way. I guess its going to be like this from now until January. With all the celebrating going on, I think when one person declines, it makes everyone else feel like you're trying to be "better" than everyone else....otherwise, I can't imagine why they'd care. If it were me who was really enjoying something and a few people said no thank you, I'd be thinking...you don't want it? *Yoink* MORE FOR ME! But...I guess that's how I got in this position in the first place

Anyway. I'm looking forward to the weekend. Looking forward to doing more cooking. And looking forward to my official weigh-in tomorrow, before the hormones have their way.

profjan6

thanks tatiana, saverys, vj....those recipes sound good. i'll definitely give it a try. the baking part seems to be a good idea! i'm not a huge cream cheese fan, but i'll use a little bit.
thanks!!

mom216

Saverys_gal - Thank you I will look for the stevia extract. I have tried splenda, sweet & low, etc - I am willing to try just about anything once.

And thank you all for the great cauliflower recipes. I bought cauliflower to roast. Very simple - and IMHO - tasty.

Set the oven to 400
liberally spray a baking sheet with Pam original
Cut cauliflower into small pieces - (as much or as little as you like) discard the tough core - I usually cut it into small pieces
toss the cauliflower with olive oil (again no measuring - just enough to coat the cauliflower)
place the cauliflower on the baking sheet
season with salt & pepper (or whatever spices you like)
roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. The cauliflower will be tender and the tops will have a golden color.

Edited to add: Savery's_Gal - Great news on the JOB - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

saverys_gal

Happy Saturday ladies! :flowerforyou:

I FINALLY slept! This is the first day in almost a month that I feel like my old self! I'm so glad to have the stress of job hunting over with!
Thanks Mom216!!

Glad to see everyone sharing cauliflower recipes! It's such an unappreciated veggie! Mom216 - I might try your recipe, but with frozen cauliflower instead.

Also, on the Stevia - I really hate Truvia and as Grokette will warn if she comes around, it's not pure! She recommend Sweet Leaf Stevia to me, which I was ok with, but it still had a bit of a funny after taste. So I picked up and am still using Whole Foods 365 Stevia Extract - it's fantastic! Great taste, reasonable price and I haven't noticed that I've switched over from Splenda. And as far as I can tell it's all natural, nothing in it.

So TOM finally visited last night! About time too, considering I've been PMSing since early last week!

profjan6

thanks for the roasted cauliflower recipe mom! that sounds good, as well. you have all given me some good tips and i'm going to try them this week. i love to try new recipes, so bring 'em on!!

CALIECAT

as long as I was posting my menu here everyday I stayed on the plan. So monday morning I will be back posting my menu. I have done badly this past 2 weeks. I will be on the Dr Dukan diet. Got to e change my menu up so I wont get bored. well heck i may start tomorrow.See ya'll Marie

elmct57

this seems like a fabulous and supportive group of people and i would love to add on, need some support for maintaining my loss thru the holidays--and you have some of the best low carb recipes & tips i've seen!

saverys_gal

Glad to see you back Marie!! *hugs* I've been off track the past couple of weeks myself, so I'm planning to get back on the wagon come Monday. Let's do this together!!!

Welcome elmct57! :flowerforyou: We're happy to have you! We try and support each other as best we can and with the holidays coming up, it's going to be tough on us all!

CALIECAT

Yes indeedy. we all need to gear up for the holidays.............. elmct57 .............
and welcome to our gang.

Thanks Savery gal. We can do it My menu for today.:

Breakfast 1/2 c greek yogurt oat brand muffin

Lunch: the same

Supper: grilled chicken

Bedtime snacks 1/ c yogurt with squirt of lemon juice and splenda


Lets have a good day. everybody.

ColetteDuchnowski

Hi all...just checking in. School has been hectic...well at least the homework has been...lol I read all the threads on cauliflower. I make it a bit different. I don't use the cream cheese, I use sour cream instead. You don't need a lot. I also add a bit of sharp cheddar to the mix and bake it in the oven till its nice and hot and bubbly. I also have been making scalloped turnips....yummmmmy. I take 4 small to medium turnips, peel and slice, 1 onion sliced thin, Italian seasoning, sea salt, and pepper to taste, butter, 1 cup of lightly scalded whipping cream (just enough to see the bubbles form on the sides) and some shredded cheese. I use sharp cheddar. You layer it all in a buttered baking dish and pour the cream over all, then dot with butter. Save some of the cheese to put on top. I also added some cut up chicken to the one I made last night. You bake it at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the turnips are soft and the cheese is browned. Great main dish casserole. You can also add other meat and other veggies to it. Really tastes good when you have a craving for scalloped potatoes.

VJ150

Hello Everyone and Happy Football Sunday!!

Welcome elmct57!! Glad to have you join our group!! :flowerforyou:

Marie - happy to have you back. You were missed. I have been off track this past week also - every since that cake for boss's day. I guess I won't celebrate him again LOL

cc - thanks for the scallop turnips. I will have to try them.

Yesterday we celebrated my sister's 50th birthday with a surprise party. The menu was great. I was able to eat everything on it except for the pasta. I didn't eat any pasta, but I had a small piece of the cake. It was a half sheet double layered homemade german chocolate cake. Today - I'm back on track. I have two weeks before my cruise so I have to be very mindful of what I put in my mouth. There will be an enormous amout of food including high carb foods so I will have to be extremely careful.

Well - back to my football game. Will check back in later.

VJ150

WHERE IS EVERYONE?!?!?

mom216

Hi VJ!!! Wow a cruise - I wanna go! Congrats on doing a great job at the birthday party! IMHO - being around family and a celebration makes it really hard to eat healthy!

For me there is nothing new and exciting. I'm eating low carb (could always do better) and watching the weight VERY slowly come off. I see very small physical changes, and my jeans are a little looser.

Tatianna - thank you for all your thoughtful support! It is very comforting! I hope you are doing well!

saverys_gal

Hi ladies! Hope everyone's Monday has gone well so far! My workday is just now winding down with an hour and a half left to go!

Great job on the birthday party VJ! What a great success! I think I would just pick and choose my battles on the cruise!

Mom216: if your jeans are a little looser, you're doing something right!! :drinker:

I'm recommitting today to my normal and healthy way of life. My body and ME are all out of sync from the past month of stress and not eating right and not exercising consistently. So now the stress is gone (YAY!) and today I've done pretty good with my eating and I'm planning to get in some exercise when I get home. I don't want to do anything too intense with TOM visiting since I'll get lightheaded, so maybe a walk with Leslie Sansone!!

I'm hoping that tomorrow the scale shows that some of my 7lb bloat is gone!!:ohwell:

VJ150

Hi everyone. Today has been pretty good. Just came back from my lunch walk and I think I got back just in time to miss the rain. It has gotten cloudy outside.

Mom216 - I guess we will loose the weight at a slower pace than others. I can see changes as well and everyone tells me I am loosing and my clothes are looser. So I am trying to ignore what that scale is saying and continue to eat low carb. I know one day soon I will go back to loosing 2-3 pounds a week. Hell at this point, I'll even be happy with one pound a week. LOL

Saverys - I will be careful with the choosing on the cruise. I am soooo excited and soooo ready to go!! :happy:

Well lunch is over. Gotta go.

tatiana_13

HI everyone. Its been a long day! I work close to home. Didn't have a chance to make and pack a lunch, so I thought, I'll run home and have something quick from my fridge. Got 3/4 of the way home and realized I didn't have my keys. So, it was coffee for lunch....there is NOTHING quick AND healthy around my job, and I had wasted most of my lunch hour walking back and forth. I WAS HUNGRY. Which made it harder to turn down the office birthday cake. But I managed it. But I hate it when you do go to the trouble to make a plan and through some dumb mistake, you sort of ruin your plan.

Anyway. Am leaving work in about 5 minutes. TO EAT. Hope you all had a better Monday than me!

saverys_gal

Great job on walking before it rained VJ! I'm looking outside right now and it looks like it's going to pour any minute and I just keep thinking, "please let me get home before it rains!!!" :laugh:

That sucks, tatiana!!! So sorry you've had a bad Monday and no food! This is why I always keep good snacks at my desk, since you just never know what will happen...

mom216

Tatiana - Great job walking!! Here are a few "staples" I keep on hand - canned tuna, boiled eggs ( I just made 1/2 doz eggs), all kinds of cheese, celery, Atkin bars, sugar free jello,marinated artichoke hearts, hearts of palm - even some canned veggies. I even pack a cooler when I have to travel overnight. I've gotten pretty good - I can always "make" a decent meal out of a couple of things - even from 7-11.:happy: However forgetting your keys....... well I've reached the age where I walk to the cabinet, open the door and have absolutely no idea what I want or why I opened the door:laugh:

ColetteDuchnowski

Congrats on the new job saverys!!!!

profjan6

Tatiana, that is great that you walked, and even better that you managed to resist eating something you didn't want. I admire that you can do that. Seems when things go wrong for me like that I turn to food and act like I don't care! But of course, I do. So bravo to you!

VJ150

Hey Everyone,

Here is another cauliflower recipe. It is from George Stella's LIving Low Carb. This takes care of my craving for Chinese. Thank the Lord for cauliflower!!!

Shrimp Mock Fried Rice

2 cups raw cauliflower
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely diced green bell peppers
4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup cooked salad shrimp
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoonssoy sauce
3 large eggs, beaten
salt to taste, if needed

Grate the fresh cauliflower, using the largest holes of a cheese grater. You can also use a food processor fitted with a grating blade.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pepper and 3 tablespoons of the onions and cook for1 minute.

Add the cauliflower, shrimp, and garlic nd cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Add the soy sauce and stir. Add the eggs to one corner of the pan but don't stir for 1 minute. This allows the eggs to cook for a bit, which will prevent them from completely breaking up and disappearing into the mix.

As soon as theeggs are soft cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and gently fold the eggs into the mixture. Add salt or more soy sauce to taste. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon green onion and serve.

Helpful Hint: In placeo f the cooked shrimp, try adding any equivalent amount of cooked pork or chicken.

My variations.
use canola oil instead of vegatable
chunks of bell peppers instead of dice
white onions instead of scallions
beef roast instead of shrimp
1 tablespoon soy sauce (too much soy sauce makes it too salty for me)
used garlic powder instead of minced garlic
omitted eggs
used creole seasoning which gave it a little kick.

This was my dinner tonight. My daughter was SURPRISED :noway: at how good it tasted. Leftovers will be for lunch tomorrow provided they survive the night (my daughter is a night person).

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

saverys_gal

Good morning everyone!!

Thanks Colette! I really could not have gotten through the past 3 weeks without you guys!! :flowerforyou:

Great looking recipe VJ! I could probably make that and omit the cauliflower and actually get my hubby to eat it!!

So my eating was a bit better yesterday and I did manage to get 43 minutes of cardio in! Today I've thoughtfully planned out my meals so I have a lower net carb count! I have managed to drop a pound of the bloat, only 6 more to go! I'm still puffy as can be. I'm trying to decide whether or not today is a strength training day or more cardio...guess I'll see how I feel later today!

I'll check in when I get the time; going to be busy today as I'm starting to shred a LOT of stuff that's hanging around the office and I can at least get that done before I leave next week.

CALIECAT

Good evenings all, I have not meet any of my goals... Oh woe is me. nobody fault but My own.

I have been looking at vegan diet. For I am not to have too much protein. on acct of my kidney problems. Therefor my food has not been satisfying me.


For lunch I had a veggie soup with beans and a cut up sweet potatoe A bowl of fresh cherries,

for dinner it will be the same except a baked apple

Bedtime snack....1/2 c greek yogurt with a quirt of lemon juice and splenda.


I will still keep my carbs pretty low..


You all seems to be doing so well. Why can't I.?????????????

tatiana_13

Profjan...I like to celebrate my successes. But I certainly don't have iron self control. In fact, I find that the only way I can stick to my food plan is through avoiding having to make decisions that test my self control through rules. So, one rule for me is that, when I'm at work, I just say no. I don't think...can I eat it? Should I eat it? Have I been "good" lately and can a just splurge this one time? I just say no thank you. Work is for working. Or when I'm at school and there is a "free lunch," I don't even look to see if there is something I can eat. Free food is never free. I don't even think of eating it.

Not thinking helps me a lot. I get into trouble when I start "thinking" too much. But that's partly because abstinence works best for me...low-carbing in general is healthier for me, but I don't seem to be able to eat wheat or wheat products in any amounts. I can do moderation with potatoes and corn products...so its not simply the carbohydrate aspect only for me. But one slice of bread and I'm a goner...

And Caliecat. Hang in there. Figuring out your "balance" and what's ultimately going to work for you is a process. It took me about 4 years. I tried the vegan (oh, the bloating), I tried Atkins (I got tired of meat!), I tried south beach, I tried whole foods. And although I used Atkins induction to get me on the right track, I found that my own balance is low on meat (you wouldn't be able to tell it from my diet in the last 10 days...but I eat a lot of eggs and some beans, usually), high on fat (helps me feel sated even when I'm not eating steak and chicken!), lots of vegetables, moderate fruit, and an occasional amount of whole starch (potatoes, wild rice)--no wheat.

I'm not sharing my diet because I "believe" in it or think anyone should follow it. I've known so many people who thrive on so many diets that I'm truly agnostic. Different things seem to work for different people. But I share it so that you can visualize all the trial and error that went into figuring that out. So, maybe its not simply that you haven't been able to meet your goals. Maybe your goals could be modified a little to match where you are. Trying out new, low carb and low protein meals may be a really useful goal, for example. Just a suggestion. I obviously don't know you well or your situation, so I don't want to seem like I'm giving you simplistic advice to what must be a complex issue. Just sharing my own experience and a few thoughts.

I hope everyone is gearing up to have a good Wednesday.

Stay motivated, stay strong everyone!

--Tatiana

tammietifanie

Im here I promise !!!!! I have been so busy and with my hubby coming home soon i have been extra busy and freaking out :laugh: Im going to pop in once in a while and hope everyone is doing great!!!

saverys_gal

Happy hump day ladies! :bigsmile:

@ Marie: you have to find what works for YOU. That is the hardest part in all of this! Don't get discouraged!! Have faith and keep working on it. You WILL find what works for you.

My bloat is gone-yay!!!! I'm back in the 153-155 zone again, thank goodness! So now that I've dealt with that small crisis, my goal is to keep up with my workouts and good eating habits and maybe at some point in the next few weeks finally see the scale say 152??