Juicy Joyful July!
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today
black coffee
romaine salad tahini lemon dressing
roasted veggies cauliflower broccoli onion mushrooms tahini lemon dressing
forager plant yogurt plain frozen berries hemp seeds maple syrup OMG SO GOOD
fresh cherries
GREEN JUICE
LEFT OVER VEGGIES
NICE CREAM0 -
Today is going to look a bit like this:
black coffee
green juice 16 oz
oatmeal
roasted veggies with lemon/tahini/date dressing
fresh peach and frozen blueberries and Forager yogurt and hemp seeds
pasta with sun dried tomatoes, bag of spinach (I have so many TJs organic baby spinach bags in the freezer...I have to start using em up...no room for anything else), some of the roasted veggies, fresh tomatoes, Follow Your Heart Parmesan and fresh lemon.
nice cream (I made up a batch last night and portioned it out into these cups: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KC2J7HT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I froze them and one is perfect for after dinner. Also, thinking of taking one to work and putting in the freezer there. I have a tough time at about the 10 -11 hour mark...Friday and Saturday. This will be perfect to keep me away from the pretzels at the vending machine.
Have a great day everyone!
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Hi all! First of all, reading about all of your ETL plans is really inspiring and appreciated. THANK YOU!
I'm going to swing by TJs today and a few items on my list are lots of greens, veggies (anyone eat zucchini noodles? I'm gonna try them!), hummus, tahini, frozen cherries (LOVE snacking on these) and edamame.
I have new health goals and I'm excited to be focusing on eating whole foods plant based (rather than junk food vegan - my favorite!). I recently got a blender for the office so if I'm stuck hungry in a pinch, I can make a quick smoothie (from freezer staples) rather than grabbing a bag of corn chips or dark chocolate.
I'm really disciplined about working out but go into calorie excess with stress/emotional eating. I work with my family and my job can be really high stress. Daily meditation is helping! And I keep a yoga mat in my office and will close my door for 5 minute yoga breaks (super lucky to have a private office). No one has walked in on me yet...
My reward for when I achieve my goals will be a day off work to go hiking with my husband. Here goes nothing!1 -
Hi @LizLovesVeggies ! Yes, I love zucchini in many forms, including noodles! I hope you enjoy them!
Your TJ shopping list sounds delicious! And I love that planned reward of a hike!
@magic71755 - Am I right that your nice cream is blended frozen fruit? I have made something likely similar with a frozen banana and a few frozen strawberries. Very summery!
@Mihani - I hope work is calming down a bit as the week progresses!
My ETL day is going well today:
B - blended green drink - cauliflower, beet, spinach and flax seed; cup of coffee
L - steamed turnip greens and diced turnips with a shake of Smoked Chipotle Tabasco; zucchini, tomato & pickled onion salad; roasted Brussels sprouts; savory baked tofu; apple slices
S (planned) - apple slices & walnuts
D (planned) - kale and romaine salad with beets and onions; avocado, cilantro, lime & tarragon dressing; steamed diced butternut squash and apple0 -
Nice cream...
Frozen Banana
Unsweetened cocoa
Tad of oat milk
Once blended and put into cups ...teaspoon on PB swirled in...
Then freeze
Also planning strawberries, peaches, blueberries with other toppings added in. 😋1 -
Hey Liz!!! Long time no talk. So glad to see you back posting. Sounds like you have a very solid plan.
Austin and Magic... great plans for the day.
I'm sad to say that I had to take kitty in last night and say goodbye. She got very sick the night before last and I knew I had to do it. It was hard and I cried my eyes out after, but I feel good about it now. It was time and I didn't let her suffer. We had over 16 happy years together!
It did result in a rather wildly un-ETL couple days though lol. I drank some wine last night after I got home from the vet's office and didn't eat. This caused massive headache this morning and I was grazing rather a lot at work trying to cure my hangover. I had some Mary's crackers, a rice cake, a Dr. McDougall soup cup, some baby carrots dipped in cashew ranch, and a luna bar throughout the day. Tonight I'm having a big salad and hitting my bed early. I'm not too worried about it from a progress standpoint. My "cheat days" aren't too terrible these days. I stick to ETL compliant foods but too many nuts/seeds and starches on my "cheat days".
It has been another super busy week but I am seeing progress. The new employee is working out well and hopefully by next week we can spend more time showing her office procedures, but for now it's awesome she's just diving in and getting work done.0 -
made 7 quarts of juice...the organic celery at sprouts was on sale...next time passing up the sale...too hard on me standing that long. sooooo
changed menu...
black coffee
green juice. celery cukes apples lemon ginger
amy’s rice crust veggie pizza. no dairy no meat.
Follow your heart non dairy yogurt and berries and hemp hearts
dinner...roasted veggies pasta tahini lemon dressing
nice cream
@LisaLovesVeggies welcome to our very caring, sweet group. I make zoodles using my inspiralizer...love em!
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Oh my gosh, my dinner was so good...
roasted cauliflower, broccoli and onions in the air fryer.
Pasta was Tinkyada Pasta Joy Rice pasta...found it at Sprouts. I used macaroni shells...the best rice pasta I have found...so good.
drained pasta
added one bag organic baby spinach (TJs), veggies and Follow Your Heart parmesan...and the juice of two small lemons...mix mix mix...and YUM O !
Made two portions so leftovers tomorrow...but man, I wanted the second portion.
That pasta is so good. The little bit of parm and lemon made a great sauce.
This will be a go to for several days so I can use up all my frozen spinach and herb salads.
Night all.1 -
RIP sweet kitty...your job here is complete...now run free and play hard over the rainbow bridge...and know you will always be loved.
I'm sorry for your loss @Mihani1 -
Mihani - 16 happy years together is a wonderful thing. I am so sorry for your loss.
Austin & Magic - Thanks! What do you put on your "zoodles?" I'm at a loss. Do I treat them like salad greens or like pasta? Do I eat them hot or cold? Both?
Last night was taco night and I like to really do it up: black beans, quinoa, lightlife crumbles, red cabbage slaw, roasted potatoes and peppers, mango salsa, guacamole, corn tortillas and hot sauce. I made so much that my husband and I will be having taco bowls for lunch for the rest of the week!
Yesterday for lunch I made a dressing with apple cider vinegar & tahini instead of something creamier w/ oil. Felt very ETL! It's a goal to eat more big salads... What are some of your fav dressings?0 -
@Mihani - I am so, so sorry for your loss. I am glad you had her for so long, and that you were able to take care of her at the end of her life.
@magic71755 - Thanks for the notes on your nice cream! Your pasta and spinach sounds delicious!
@LizLovesVeggies
Your taco night sounds great and healthy!
One way I particularly like "zoodles" is with sauteed vegetables. I have done a number of variations on this:
In 1-2 T water, saute
- 1/2 onion (sweet Vidalia, regular, red -- whichever you have or are in the mood for)
- 4-6 sweet mini peppers or 1/2 bell pepper (either way, I cut into thin strips)
Once onions are soft, add
- 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, diced
- 1 T basil (to taste, really; I add more)
- Salt/Bragg's, if desired
- Pepper to taste (I add at least 1 t)
Cook just a couple of minutes, until mushrooms are ready. Serve the veggies over warmed zoodles.
My current favorite salad dressing is a variation of the Avocado Dressing from Dr Greger's Eat to Live Cookbook:
- 1 small avocado, pitted
- 1 scallion (I add more)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 c parsley or cilantro
- 1 t dried tarragon
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 2 t lemon or lime juice (I use lime in my cilantro version, and up the amount)
- recipe calls for a little bit of something sweet, like a date; I skip that
- 1 T nutritional yeast
- 1/2 t white miso paste (I got a tub of this at an Asian market; if you don't have it, add more nutritional yeast)
- 1/2 t of your choice of savory spice blend
- add water to get desired consistency (I usually add 1/4 c)
Blend (I use an immersion blender) until smooth.0 -
Hello Eating to Livers! New guy here - planning to start the 6 week challenge on Monday.
First, sorry for the poster who's just lost their cat. I've said goodbye to two lovely cats over the years and know it can be hard. My thoughts are with you.
Second, I often eat vegetarian just because, but am expecting the 6 week bliz to be difficult. I feel committed to this, but guess time will tell if I really am! Any tips?1 -
Welcome @00markw !
I have never followed the 6 week challenge...the others have, I believe. I arrived here by way of juicing and switching to a whole food plant based diet gradually.
BEST TIP...if you can (depends on your household situation) KEEP ALL FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE YOU NO LONGER WILL BE EATING.
Taste buds change...give yourself time to get used to the change.
I watch lots of vegan WFPB You Tubers for inspiration
The Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show is based on ETL. She has loads of great ideas!2 -
Hey, thanks for the welcome and that YT site, magic- and for the WFPB terminology. Her recipes look really good.
I definitely like spicy food, so I'm hoping to disguise the lack of salt with spices and stuff. Is Braggs Aminos worth investing in?
Another question, when you're making a curry or soup with onions, do you just boil them instead of frying them to soften them?
Great tip about clearing the temptations out of the house - which I will do to the extent the rest of the family will let me!1 -
I have and use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Note that it does contain sodium. It's naturally occurring sodium from soybeans. It's a great choice if you are transitioning and want to eat less table salt. If you need to watch your sodium intake of any kind for medical reasons, you still need to pay attention to it.
As far as spicy -- I love flavorful food! I use lots of different spices and make sure I enjoy plenty of flavor.
When making a curry or soup, I start by sauteing onion in a little bit of water rather than oil. They soften up nicely. It seemed like a very strange thing to try, but it does work!0 -
Thank you for the recipes, @AustinRuadhain! Both sound great.
Good luck @00markw ! I second what magic said - taste buds do change, and quickly! I remember thinking a specific airport meal being bland and boring and then a week later thinking it was the most delicious thing in the world so there ya go! That said, I hope you don't find any of the food you're eating bland and boring. Also agreed re: removing food you don't eat anymore as much as possible.
I have a Q for the group - What are some non-eating activities that you turn to instead of food if/when you want to stress/emotionally eat? I'm working on finding activities to do instead of eating when I'm not actually hungry. Thx!0 -
LizLovesVeggies wrote: »Thank you for the recipes, @AustinRuadhain! Both sound great.
Good luck @00markw ! I second what magic said - taste buds do change, and quickly! I remember thinking a specific airport meal being bland and boring and then a week later thinking it was the most delicious thing in the world so there ya go! That said, I hope you don't find any of the food you're eating bland and boring. Also agreed re: removing food you don't eat anymore as much as possible.
I have a Q for the group - What are some non-eating activities that you turn to instead of food if/when you want to stress/emotionally eat? I'm working on finding activities to do instead of eating when I'm not actually hungry. Thx!
Great question! I am looking forward to hearing what other people say!
- Walk outside for at least half an hour.
- Housecleaning/organizing/decluttering. Anything -- a closet, a desk, a drawer, a cabinet. Sounds odd, but it is distracting and productive!
- Soak in a bath with Epsom salts and a good book or a show.
- Make and then sip hot tea. Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice is an intense flavor that seems sweet because of the cinnamon.
- If it isn't too late in the day, make and then sip a cup of hot flavored decaff coffee.
- Weed something in the yard.
- Study. I have done a lot of reading books and articles, watching relevant YouTube videos.0 -
Welcome to the group Mark!
Thanks all for the kind words re: kitty. The reminders the past few days have been hard, but I know it will get easier as time passes.
I'm still pretty off the rails here diet-wise. Always vegan of course, and mostly WFPB but I do indulge in the junky stuff now and then when I'm stressed or unhappy. Like pretzels and rice cakes and overdoing starches. Emotional eating sucks! I'm making the Happy Herbivore smoky black bean enchiladas tonight. I am not crazy about most of her stuff, but those (from her first cookbook) are really good and super quick and easy.
Have my handy guy coming tomorrow to help me with some projects so I need to get a start tonight so we're ready to roll when he gets here. Office Sunday. I sure hope eventually there will be very few weekends in the office, but even having one day out of there on the weekend is improvement.
y'all 0 -
Thanks for the welcome, Liz and Mihani - and thanks for the tips about Braggs and sauteing onions, Austin. I'll definitely give that a try.
I'm sure hoping my taste buds change! I'm planning on using things like sun-dried tomatoes, extra garlic and lemon for my hummus, black pepper, bay leaves, extra chilies etc. to compensate - but it will be trial and error at first!
I'm just planning out the whole first week now - and drooling while I'm doing it (sorry, tmi?). I never eat fruit right now, so 4 pieces/portions a day will be one big difference. I got Rajasthani red lentil curry and Moroccan chickpea soup set up already, and am looking for a cabbage soup that's not too bland. Oh, and things to do with a pound of salad a day, lol.
Non-Eating Activities for when I'd normally reach for the chips and peanuts? I find doing the family ironing is a great distraction from some too emotional moments
Doc Fuhrman's advice sounds good to me in terms of snacking - in theory, I haven't started yet! - eat as much veg and fruit as you like. So when the munchies come, my plan is to just switch out them dorittos for an apple, chop up a melon, prep some salsa? Yes, and tea, like Austin says. 0 -
Mornin' ETLers. I had to throw out the enchiladas. I must have accidentally added too much chili powder because they were awful. Ugh. I hate wasting that much food, but they were inedible.
Having a big breakfast to power through my day of household chores. Oats with my usual additions (chia seeds, turmeric, black pepper, walnuts, berries), and a cup of lentil soup. I'm sure I won't stop for lunch, and dinner will probably be more soup and a great big salad.
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