June is for Joining

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  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
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    Hi @Mihani - Thanks for asking! I dice a zucchini into fairly small cubes, and then zap the bowl of them in the microwave oven for a couple of minutes. I want cooked just past al dente, but not soft. While that is cooking, I cut quarter some grape tomatoes. Once the zucchini are cooked, I stir in the tomatoes plus some pickled onions and some kind of spice (have used nooch, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, Dr Greger's Savory Spice Blend, etc). I often pour a little of the onion vinegar on and stir that in as well.

    If you don't have grape tomatoes but do have regular tomatoes, that would work, too. Even canned diced tomaotos might work, I think.

    I am going to try your hummus!

    @Magic - Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and your cooking adventures!
  • bisky
    bisky Posts: 989 Member
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    Thank you for the cheers Magic!

    I wish I could get more creative in the kitchen but I am sticking to salads and smoothies probably until summer is over. Today was a break with a cool wind and 84* for the most part.

  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
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    @bisky - Salads and smoothies are fabulous! Hey, I tried grilling half a romaine heart yesterday. Kinda fun and different. I just put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
  • bisky
    bisky Posts: 989 Member
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    Austin - I love grilled radicchio! It was a seasonal favorite when we lived in Italy. I would even order this vegetarian pizza (except it did have cheese) with grilled radicchio, zucchini, pear, walnuts and onion. The pizzas in Northern Italy are thin crust and not loaded with cheese.

    Having my Tofu, blueberry, flax seed date smoothie (with a little ice and cold water). Loving it. I went overboard on green smoothies for a while and this is a nice break.b5wp7inyltit.jpg
  • magic71755
    magic71755 Posts: 3,794 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Tried the blueberry chia pudding this morning...just a taste. OH MY GOSH...where have you been all my life! So good.

    Today's plan:

    black coffee
    oatmeal
    kale salad
    peaches
    zucchini zoodles with marinara
    chia pudding
    good pop

    Have a super day everyone.

    @bisky we posted at the same time. LOL THAT looks amazing. I might need to make that. WHAT is it? ETA...that must be the pizza you had in Italy. 😋

    Later, mates.
  • bisky
    bisky Posts: 989 Member
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    Yes Magic it was. I miss Northern Italy.

    I am down today. The big lab that I have had for almost 2 months is going to his new home. Good friends of mine. She is a retired lawyer and he is an internal med Dr who is retiring next year. They bought a new home with 2 acres so he will have room to play. He is such a good boy. The vet said he was about 10months old. We had him neutered, microchipped and all his shots. He has learned so much in a short time and tries hard to please. I love him but he is going to a great home. We went for a 3 mile walk in the park this morning and then to the dog park one last time. He is Mr. sociable and loves to great every dog and person compared to my little independent terriers.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,914 Member
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    Thanks for the recipe Austin, I'll give that a try this week!

    Magic, you are so creative with your meals.

    Donna, that's wonderful you found the pup a good home. I'm glad you found him and took such great care of him too. I know you'll miss him though.

    My boy had a dental today so I left work early to pick him up. He's still pretty out of it. Poor guy.

    L - sauteed kale and onion, couple love beets, some grapes, grape tomatoes with a dollop of hummus for dipping
    D - big ol' salad, some fruit with chia seeds

  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
    edited June 2019
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    @bisky - That pizza looks and sounds amazing! Maybe I'll try to replicate it in some way. A deconstructed, no-crust version might be easy and delish. Hmmmm!

    As far as the pupper - you have all my sympathy. It is so great that you were such a good friend and family for him, and wonderful that he is off to a great forever home.

    My husband and I are feeling lonesome this evening, as our son headed off to Scout camp today.

    @magic71755 - I LOVE your description of trying blueberry chia pudding ("OH MY GOSH...where have you been all my life!").

    @Mihani - I hope your guy is perking up after the dentist trip.
    Oh, and you have me thinking about beets!

    Had a good ETL day!
    B - spinach, blueberry, & flax seed smoothie; side of golden berries
    L - steamed mustard greens, garbanzo beans, steamed mushrooms, zucchini and grape tomato "ceviche"
    S - 100 calories worth of apple slices & walnut pieces
    D - roasted romaine, massaged kale, red bell pepper, chopped raw broccoli, Orange Hummus Ginger Dressing (from an oil-free Engine 2 recipe; @Mihani , I made hummus to do this - thanks for the inspiration!); diced butternut squash and apple microwaved and then sprinkled with cinnamon and dried ginger for dessert (the dried ginger was new and fun; it's the little things)
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,914 Member
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    How long is camp, Austin? I think my basic hummus evolved from the Engine 2 recipe, but I have made it my own over time. I have seen a number of dressing recipes that use the hummus as an ingredient and should try some. How'd yours turn out?

    Another good ETL day.
    L - same as yesterday with the addition of some cucumber slices and celery sticks
    D - huge salad, a peach and blueberries with chia seeds

    G - salad greens, kale
    B - chickpeas in the hummus, black beans on my salad
    O - cooked onion with the kale, raw onion on the salad
    M - cooked 3 mushrooms in the microwave and threw on my salad
    B - blueberries
    S - tahini in the hummus, cashews in the salad dressing, chia seeds on my fruit

    Got 'em all.
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
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    Hi Mihani!

    Camp is 12 days, plus 2 days of travel. The Boy will be back the 24th. Sweetest/saddest thing is the lonesome pets. His bird, in particular, kept looking for him, craning his head and looking concerned. His cat meandered around yodeling this morning.

    My Orange Hummus Dressing (also an Engine 2 recipe) was great! My not-nutritarian husband pronounced it delicious! It's a mix of hummus, orange juice (I squeezed a couple of mandarins), balsamic vinegar, mustard and minced ginger. Yum!

    I had a great ETL day (it looked a lot like yesterday, but different salad dressing), and got in all my G-BOMBS!
  • magic71755
    magic71755 Posts: 3,794 Member
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    Morning glories!

    Off to the cleaners and Sprouts for a couple of things...the heat is on here...have to do everything early...and Lulu can no longer go along. Too hot even with the windows partially down.

    Going the route of smoothies and salads and eating everything cold. Even spaghetti.

    today...

    black coffee
    oatmeal
    massaged kale salad
    joe's mean green juice
    cold spaghetti
    blueberry chia pudding

    @bisky hope the transition for your foster little boy was easy for him...I know for sure you gave him the best send-off ...lucky for him he found you!

    Making tuna chickpea salad for work. I think. We'll see. Later, mates. HAGDE!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,914 Member
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    Awww... that's cute and sad your son's pets are looking for your son, Austin. When I would go away when I was a kid and would talk to my parents on the phone, they would complain all I did was talk about how much I missed our pets. I will have to give that dressing a try. I finally got burned out on plain balsamic and have really been enjoying trying different salad dressings. Haven't had time to cook this week but will try the zucchini dish this weekend.

    Magic, your menu looks great as usual. Stay cool. B)

    Today was good!
    B - apple and a dollop of sunbutter for dipping
    L - sauteed kale and onions, carrot sticks and grape tomatoes, ezekiel tortilla stuffed with hummus, broccoli slaw and clover sprouts
    D - big ol' salad (red and green leaf, radish, red onion, beet, carrot, celery, cooked mushroom, turmeric and black pepper, black beans, cashew based dressing), wasa cracker, chia seed pudding with triple berry mix and sliced peach

    ALL the gbombs!

    Wonder what happened to Devon?
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Aww, @Mihani ! So you have loved animals forever!

    If my kiddo could reach us by phone, I'll bet he'd be asking about the critters.

    Let me know if you like the dressing! I need to make a new one tomorrow morning. I may try a new one. For tonight, I just threw something together. I should have used some of my hummus in it, but forgot. I was a bit zoned after martial arts class.

    Your day sounded yummy, especially "chia seed pudding with triple berry mix and sliced peach." Zowie!

    @magic71755 - How did your chickpea salad turn out? It sounded yummy!

    I had a good ETL day today!
    B - spinach, blueberry & flax smoothie; golden berries; coffee
    L - steamed collard greens with garbanzos & fire-roasted tomatoes; steamed mushrooms; steamed zucchini with pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and spices
    S - apple slices, walnuts
    D - huge salad (massaged kale, romaine, a home-grown tomato from my in-laws); quick blended veggie dressing (tomatillo, cashew milk, vinegar, Dr G Savory Spice Mix, nooch, pepper); steamed zucchini with pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and spices; steamed butternut squash and apple with cinnamon (forgot the ginger until too late; oh, well!)

    Side note -- I had my son;s bird with me at dinner, and Birdie-Birdie loves both butternut squash and apples. He was very happy to help me eat dessert!
  • magic71755
    magic71755 Posts: 3,794 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Morning all...back to work...so will make this fast...gonna hop in the shower and get going...gosh, I so love the weekends.

    black coffee
    oatmeal
    massaged kale salad
    Ezekiel quesadilla...using Daiya mozza
    peaches
    green juice
    chia pudding

    I did not make the chickpea tuna

    I did make some oat clusters. I follow this guy on Well Your World YouTube. Here is the link for the oat clusters. Really good. I made them in the air fryer. I managed to eat all six.
    The recipe is:
    1 mashed very ripe banana
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 /2 tsp vanilla
    1 cup oats (I used GF rolled organic oats)
    3 dates chopped
    Flax egg 1 T flax meal with 2 T water
    1/4 c chopped walnuts optional

    Mash banana really well and then add all the stuff. Bake at 350 for 20 min and then flip.
    I baked in air fryer...they started to burn at 350 so I turned down to 300 and did not have to flip. Really good. Better cold from the fridge or some peeps freeze them. It made six. I ate them all. UGH.

    Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9mW2dXllbc this is his second one using the food processor

    The group is on facebook and he has a nice following ...very supportive and non-judgemental.

    Anyway, if you have to have something sweet...this totally fills the bill. Better than anything you can buy processed from the market. Next time, I won't be such a pig and eat all six. These would be great to take on the road, plane rides...after workouts.

    In the comments someone said this is a great base recipe...and for the fall pumpkin puree and fall spices would be great.

    PS This guy, Dillon Holmes, is on board with all the greats we follow, including Dr. Fuhrman. He has some wonderful interviews with all of them.

  • magic71755
    magic71755 Posts: 3,794 Member
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    I think it was the newness of the clusters that had me eating all of them.

    Will make a double batch next time using food processor and freeze them. Great little breakfast take along.

    In fact the people that make them in the group and post about them to say that they freeze them and that’s the way they like the best.
  • Cindy781
    Cindy781 Posts: 329 Member
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    Hi everyone! We just got back from a two week trip. We managed to stay on track with our eating for most of the time, we both lost a bit of weight and Hubby does not need to. When we couldn’t eat vegan we ate vegetarian.

    I was wondering if any of you have a protein goal each day. I try for 60-65 gram. Not easy some days.

    Making soy yogurt in my Instant Pot today, really missed it while we were gone.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,914 Member
    edited June 2019
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    What kind of bird do you have Austin? I need to pick up some collard greens. I love them and they are so nutritious.

    Your oat clusters sound really good, Magic. I would probably eat them all too LOL... better not make them yet here.

    Hi Cindy! Welcome back. Hope you had a nice vacation. I don't keep track of anything. If I get in all the recommended foods I figure I'm good.

    Speaking of macro goals and/or calories, I hadn't fully formed these thoughts before but I think I have a response for next time I get questioned about why this works for me or why I'm doing this, which boils down to:

    1) I hate dieting. I've been on or off a diet since I was a pre-teen, obsessing about food for 40+ years (and constantly gaining and losing weight), 2) I hate counting calories and weighing/measuring food, trying to figure out how much of this or that I can eat, and 3) I hate being hungry and I like to eat, so this way I get to eat lots of great food, I'm never hungry, and my weight takes care of itself, and 4) I believe this is the most healthful way to eat.

    Another good day...
    B - oats with triple berry mix, chia seeds, a few walnut halves, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon
    L - Big ol' salad with lots of veggies and some black beans, an apple
    D - the rest of my salad I couldn't finish at lunch, a hummus and broccoli slaw sammich on ezekiel bread, an orange

    GBOBS (forgot the mushrooms today)
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,914 Member
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    In all honesty, thinking about this, I doubt I would actually say any of that, but I had an odd conversation earlier this week and it made me consider my "why" and that's what I came up with. I generally don't care what people say or think about how I eat and if it comes up I try to steer the conversation away. It's never a problem with the people I deal with day to day, but it seems to bring about a certain amount of judgment in others.
  • magic71755
    magic71755 Posts: 3,794 Member
    edited June 2019
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    I need to enter all the ingredients into a recipe thing a ma jig. But those clusters have nothing bad in them at all. One banana, 1 cup oats and 3 dates, flax egg, 1/4 cup walnuts...divide that into six. One cluster...ok, let's say two...pretty smart eating. I am going to make them again and freeze em...and take two to work.

    It is 6:55 and I have an hour to go...can't wait to get home.

    Thinking about my menu for tomorrow.

    black coffee
    green juice
    kale salad
    oatmeal
    cold spaghetti
    plums & grapes
    Ezekiel quesadilla

    That should be good. Later mates.
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,574 Member
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    Hey @magic71755 - The Oat Clusters sound delicious. I may make them for an event at our martial arts school next weekend where a healthy plant-based treat will be just the thing. They do sound like something I would find too tempting to have sitting around the house for long!

    @Cindy781 - I was super impressed at your healthful vacation trip! It sounded lovely and restful and relaxed!

    In answer to your question about macros -- no, I do not currently have a protein goal. I did for a long time, and when I did that, I had to eat a fair amount of tempeh or tofu to make it happen. I ended up switching gears a bit and focusing on eating plenty of nutrient-dense, low calorie vegetables, at which point for me, the weight dropped off. I do track what I am eating, but I am more interested in whether I am hitting the general Dr Fuhrman checklist -- especially G-BOMBS, the raw veggie (big salad) and cooked greens and veggies goal. I generally run 55-65 g protein a day. I got 67 g protein today.

    How did your soy yoghurt come out? That sounds delicious!

    @Mihani -- We have a green-cheek conure that looks a lot like this. He's smart, cuddly and opinionated!

    Another good ETL day today!

    I tried a new recipe for dinner, chickpea vegetable tagine. It's from Dr Greger. I upped the fresh ginger, fresh garlic and cayenne, and also accidentally skipped the apricots/raisins. Also, I made it without including the chickpeas, and then had chickpeas, brown rice and chopped cilantro as optional add-ins. My husband ate all of the elements. I had just the veggies at dinner. We both loved it!
    https://nutritionfacts.org/recipe/chickpea-vegetable-tagine/

    B - spinach, blueberry & flax smoothie; golden berries; coffee
    L - steamed mustard greens with garbanzos, spices and pickled onions; steamed mushrooms; sliced red bell pepper; steamed zucchini with pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and spices
    S - apple slices, walnuts
    D - huge salad (massaged kale, romaine, roma tomato, red bell pepper); quick blended veggie dressing (tomatillo, cilantro, vinegar, Dr G Savory Spice Mix, nooch, pepper); steamed zucchini with pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and spices; vegetable tagine (the new recipe!); steamed butternut squash and apple with cinnamon and ginger