Check In May 14, 2014
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I just cannot get into fruit in a salad. Tomatoes are about my limit there. No strawberries, oranges, or other fruit... How do y'all do that? But I'm also kind of strange about not mixing sweet and savory very often... Is that related, do you think? Or maybe I just like to savor my fruits stand-alone? I also don't do sweetened nuts in salad.... Am I weird?
No, you're not weird and I do know others like this. It's just personal preference.
I, on the other hand, love fruit and nuts and do not mind mixing sweet and savory. My family thinks I'm strange because I love to mix things - within reason. I once saw my mother mixing 2 cereals together for breakfast, which I love to do myself, so I guess I got that habit from her. It's all going in the same place, right?! Doesn't help with the weight loss process.0 -
I too am boring with salad. Iceberg, cucumber, grape tomatoes with a teaspoon of olive oil light mayo and salad herbs is my standard go to. Then I add cheese, tuna or chicken usually for protein and if I have the carbs a baked or boiled potatoes. If I am making it bigger, have a fuller fridge, I will add roasted beets, love them. On occasion I will grate a carrot or chop a pepper, but I prefer peppers cooked. If MIL has a load of tomatoes spare and hands some over I will make a tomato, olive oil and feta salad, with some thinly sliced red onion if I have it. The pasta salad I make most often is a greek one, whole wheat pasta, Kraft feta greek dressing, peppers, red onion, cucumber, grape tomatoes, light feta and 3 or 4 black olives. Add a couple of ounces of chicken for protein if needed.
I too do not get the fruit and savory thing. But I do not even like fruit hot in pies either. I am more fussy about fruit than I realized!0 -
Because of my RNY, I very rarely eat salads anymore. The number one rule of gastric bypass is protein first and lots of it. That is the most important thing for me and salads tend to fill up important space in my pouch. Don't get me wrong, I eat them occasionally just not often. When I do have them it's basically a small amount of lettuce with my 4 ounces of whatever meat protein I'm eating. I also add a little cucumber, tomato and cheese. As far as dressing goes, I try to stick with the vinaigrettes as they have a lot fewer calories.0
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Hope everyone is having a great day. The sun is shining here and that always improves my mood.
As for salad, I usually make salad out of whatever is ready in the garden. Right now baby spinach, lettuce, mixed spring greens, scallions, kale raab, and sugar snap peas. I just noticed last night that some of the overwintered carrots should be used so I will probably grate some up.
One thing I like to do that is strange is add cooked food to a salad base. For example adding chili to hardy lettuce for a "taco" salad or warm Tuscan white beans mixed with baby kale. I really like minestrone on top of mixed greens. I do add cheese to all of them. My family thinks I am weird but they just don't know what is good. LOL
I like fruit in a green salad, too. Avocados and oranges add a lot.0 -
I think the world would be a better place if we could ban iceberg lettuce. For the longest time I hated salad because thats all my family (father) would make salad out of. Could their be a more boring leafy green. Theirs about 20-30 to choose from... ugh iceberg. But then I might be spoiled. I live in Northern CA so the produce we get is amazing and I never have to touch the stuff.
But no salad today for lunch, situations changes and I ended up needing to go with a subway sandwich.0 -
Finally home after a busy day of doctor's appointments. Good news from rheumatologist--one more month on 20 mg. of prednisone, and then I can start tapering down to 10 mg. This is a huge step. I haven't been below 30 mg. in a couple of years, so knowing that my Still's disease activity has finally stabilized enough to reduce the pred to 10 is a big YAHOO. Definitely weight loss will be easier at that dose!!! The other good news was that I finished my last nutritionist meeting today with flying colors. On Friday I do the final two nutrition units in a group class, then the nutritionist will sign off and I'll meet with my nurse practitioner again to discuss scheduling of my sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
I've been kicking around the idea of not doing the surgery and just continuing with MFP, but after 40+ years of yoyo dieting and binge eating, I know my stomach is stretched out. I'm always hungry. I can still eat HUGE quantities of food, and sometimes do. In the sleeve gastrectomy operation, nothing is re-routed. The surgeon removes 75% of the stomach, leaving a banana shaped stomach behind. This does two things--makes sure I am full with much less food; takes away a lot of appetite because my stomach will produce much fewer appetite stimulating hormones. If I didn't weigh 466 pounds, I think I would just plug on without it, but I really think another year carrying this weight, even if I am slowly losing it, will kill me. Between the Still's joint pain and weight, just doing regular activities of daily living can be so difficult, I just want to stay in bed or on the couch all day.
Anyway, that's where I am mentally today. Where I am physically is typing on my laptop at the kitchen counter. I'm about to open the fridge and pull out all the marvelous veggies in it to make a big salad for dinner. We're going chef salad tonight--will top it with some lean ham and cheddar cheese, sprinkle on a few sunflower seeds, and serve with hubby's fabulous garlic vinagrette. If you are not a fan of vinagrettes, try this one. It is delicious, so easy to make, and much better calorie wise than most of the creamy dressings (and believe me, I am a huge fan of creamy dressings!). Using a good seasons salad dressing shaker, fill to the normal lines with oil, water, and vinegar. In a small bowl, combine finely chopped garlic (3 or 4 cloves) with a sprinkling of salt. Crush the salt into the garlic with the back of a fork and let sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt will make the garlic "sweat" and that juice will flavor the dressing nicely. Pour a little of your oil/vinegar/water mix out of salad shaker into bowl, swirl around ot get all the garlic flavor, and pour back into shaker. Add a tblsp. of parsley flakes (we use dry, but you could use fresh). That's it! Variations--add fresh dill, some italian herbs, whatever you like.
Does anyone know how to post pictures to the message boards? I have a fabulous recipe for the cutest salad--I learned to make it in Belgium, so I only know it as "Paddestoelen." Basically, you cut off the top and hollow out 10 x-large hard boiled eggs, set aside some of the white, combine the egg yolks and cut out white with a large can of salmon (or two cans of tuna), add enough mayo, mustard, yoghurt, whatever to taste (however you mix your tuna) and mix, then fill the hollowed out eggs with this mixture. These will form the base of your paddestoelen, or toadstools (you know, the ones with white stems, red tops, and white flecks on the red tops?). Cut round tops out of tomatoes and fit them over the openings in the eggs. Cut small flecks of the remaining egg white you set aside to make the flecks on top of the red tops. I serve these on special lunches for company on a pretty platter with lettuce and parsley. They're adorable and yummy.
One trick I'm learning is that I can play with healthy recipes to make pretty dishes. I love to bake and make fabulous cakes and beautiful cookies. I love when food is like art! Now I'm playing with that same idea but using veggies or fruits instead of sugary stuff. Not so much for everyday cooking, but for company cooking. I have a screenhouse set up on my front deck overlooking our small lake, and summer is time for our "porch dinners." We hang fairy lights in the screenhouse and use pretty tablecloths on our beat up old craft table, light some candles, and enjoy good company, good food, and a great breeze off the lake as the loons call in the distance. Beautiful life!0 -
I think the world would be a better place if we could ban iceberg lettuce. For the longest time I hated salad because thats all my family (father) would make salad out of. Could their be a more boring leafy green. Theirs about 20-30 to choose from... ugh iceberg. But then I might be spoiled. I live in Northern CA so the produce we get is amazing and I never have to touch the stuff.
But no salad today for lunch, situations changes and I ended up needing to go with a subway sandwich.
Eeeek, no way!!! I LOVE iceberg for its crispy crunch. Do you use a salad spinner? Toss your greens in, soak in icy cold water, drain, and then spin, spin, spin, spin. Your greens will be super hydrated and so delicious.
I envy you your California produce (but not your fires... how are you doing?). Here in Maine, much of the year our produce is pretty iffy and goes bad very quickly. In summer, I buy all local stuff from farm stands, but the season is soooooo short. This year I'm going to can some stuff for winter, freeze some squash and zucchini too, maybe some ratatouille.0 -
Jicama? I keep meaning to try this... what does it taste like?
It tastes sort of like an apple without the sweetness, if that makes any sense. Like an apple and a potato had a baby. Really, as long as it's sort of juicy and not super hard, I don't really notice a flavor. I mostly like it because it adds a nice crunch. Sorry, I'm really bad at describing flavors!
Is it like water chestnut? That sounds like water chestnut's taste.
It actually does sound like water chestnuts - except I hate those and like jicama. Of course, my mother's always making fun of me for hating something with no taste, so maybe I'm just weird. :happy:0 -
I love salads of any kind also. Not sure if it really counts as a "salad" but I LOVE Caprese Salads! Fresh tomatoes sliced with fresh Mozzarella sliced on it and topped with Basil we grow ourselves that smells wonderful; then a little EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar on top and I am in heaven!! We have had these a few times this past week or so lol . I like fruit in some salads also, nuts strawberries with spinach and a nice Vinaigrette...yummy.0
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Another late check-in for me. Busy, busy, busy day, but the funerals done.
I stayed under goal but not the greatest choices, not bad but things could have been better.
I love salad. One of my favorite things to have in the summer is sliced cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes soaked in ACV And a little sweetener.
Blessings:flowerforyou:0 -
I think the world would be a better place if we could ban iceberg lettuce. For the longest time I hated salad because thats all my family (father) would make salad out of. Could their be a more boring leafy green. Theirs about 20-30 to choose from... ugh iceberg. But then I might be spoiled. I live in Northern CA so the produce we get is amazing and I never have to touch the stuff.
But no salad today for lunch, situations changes and I ended up needing to go with a subway sandwich.
Eeeek, no way!!! I LOVE iceberg for its crispy crunch. Do you use a salad spinner? Toss your greens in, soak in icy cold water, drain, and then spin, spin, spin, spin. Your greens will be super hydrated and so delicious.
I envy you your California produce (but not your fires... how are you doing?). Here in Maine, much of the year our produce is pretty iffy and goes bad very quickly. In summer, I buy all local stuff from farm stands, but the season is soooooo short. This year I'm going to can some stuff for winter, freeze some squash and zucchini too, maybe some ratatouille.
Hi Karen,
Just made the mistake of watching a video of a gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy surgery video. Looks terrifying. I can understand why it works and why you would want it but scared the hell out of me. I watched a few videos with younger people who had it, with less weight then me and it had me wondering. But I think in your case you make a good point, you've been trying for so long, have so much to loose and the medical conditions make it harder and aren't getting better. I hope all goes well for you, i'm sure you will let us know how its going.
I like crunch but I tend to get it from romain, cucumber or apples. I just always found it watery and bland (but then most people think my salads are bland since I don't like dressing and tend to hate the veggies they put in it).
Thankfully I am in the north and the fires are in San Deigo further south so I'm good, just hot (it's 9:30pm and I can finely go for a walk). We have plenty of fires here, just not as many further south where its hotter more often but the beaches are nicer. I'm more worried about earthquakes. But the months of strawberries are worth it. I love the farmers market, but man can I easily spend serious money their. But the fresh fruits and veg is worth it. It's so nice to have properly ripe fruit.0 -
I love salads of any kind also. Not sure if it really counts as a "salad" but I LOVE Caprese Salads! Fresh tomatoes sliced with fresh Mozzarella sliced on it and topped with Basil we grow ourselves that smells wonderful; then a little EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar on top and I am in heaven!! We have had these a few times this past week or so lol . I like fruit in some salads also, nuts strawberries with spinach and a nice Vinaigrette...yummy.
I had Caprise salad tonight when we went out for dinner. They also put baby bell peppers on top. A few to many bell peppers for me, but the salad was DIVINE!! First time I had ever had it so funny you mentioned it tonight. Served with warm Italian bread and garlic confit. It was "small plates" so just the perfect size for me.0 -
About an average food day. Had to pickup lunch and dinner, had a sandwich for lunch and a burrito for dinner. I was under my goal and made fairly good choices. I could have cut things out and have even healthier choices but I was happy and satisfied. Had a good walk today even though I had to wait till 10pm and it was still 79fah outside. My fastest yet, at 17mil/min, if I hadn't forgotten my water bottle I could have kept going. I was sweeting like hell but I felt good, my legs were happy and my lungs didn't hurt. I'm amazed how quickly one can progress in walking. I map all my walks and i was looking at tonights compared to my first 43 days ago and I was surprised at the difference.0
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[/quote] Had a good walk today even though I had to wait till 10pm and it was still 79fah outside. My fastest yet, at 17mil/min, if I hadn't forgotten my water bottle I could have kept going. I was sweeting like hell but I felt good, my legs were happy and my lungs didn't hurt. I'm amazed how quickly one can progress in walking. I map all my walks and i was looking at tonights compared to my first 43 days ago and I was surprised at the difference.
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That is awesome!!! Great to hear .0
