Back to Phase 2

The last 2 days were fun because I let myself be challenged by the food limits rather than hampered;I woke today hoping to apply that same attitude to Phase 2.

Some of the fun came from playfulness like creating the fruity sugar skull and the spider salad.  Other fun came from resourcefulness… figuring out how to capture the essence of a special food without the availability of all of the traditional components.  I wanted hot chocolate but couldn’t use the almond milk I prefer because it isn’t on Phase 1 and didn’t have any of the allowed rice milk; I put some thought into it and remembered the recipe for oat milk.  As a vegan I use a lot of this type of creativity and it isn’t just about straight exchanges or substitutions;  sometimes it’s important to think about the essence of the food you desire too… what makes it special to you?  For some people the comfort quality of lasagna comes from the gooey quality of the cheese, but for me the color was more important so when I figured out how to swirl a little mashed sweet potato into the top layer of sauce to get that perfect orangey-red that browned up a little in the oven… I was thrilled!  I think about the texture, the color, the temperature… sometimes it all comes down to one ingredient that recaptures an essence.  When my husband has garlic rosemary chicken, I have rosemary on navy beans and it’s perfect for me.  The last 2 days I have used the limitations of The Fast Metabolism Diet as a framework and put my creativity to work.

Dia de Los Muertos is still going on (source), so I may find room for a little playfulness, but I also plan to utilize the 2nd type of creativity and see if I can enjoy Phase 2 a little more than the last few weeks.

As I log my food today I’ll try to note where the creativity came into play.

6:00 Hot Tea

6:30 Edamame Radish Salad (edamame, radishes, Broccoli Slaw *with the carrot slivers removed, green onion, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and Bragg’s) with a Bonus Radish Skull

 

9:30 Chocolate Tofu Pudding (when I went to make my pudding last night I realized that the Tofu I had bought this time was labeled Super Soft instead of silken and was not the same texture; I knew that the silken has a higher water content so added a little water to the blender and it seemed fine)

12:30 Jicama Slaw (Jicama + yellow bell peppers + lemon juice + cilantro) and a Tempeh “Burger” ( Browned Tempeh with mustard, red pepper ketchup, pickles, onion, and lettuce) * I thought about making a tofu based mayo but didn’t have enough tofu so I thought about other Burger topping and came up with the idea of making ketchup out of bell peppers  (roasted red bell pepper, cider vinegar and homemade worcestershire )… Delicious but very messy to eat with a fork (would be great on a bun 🙂  )

No Snack…. I make no excuses… it just didn’t happen.  The chocolate tofu pudding was in the fridge but work got stressful; I was in a bad mood and busy and when I finally remembered the pudding, I just didn’t care.  In addition to my emotional state squelching my desire to eat, I just wasn’t physically hungry either….. I’m letting this one go.

6:00 Seltzer with lemon

6:45 Green beans and Konjac  noodles with Edamame pesto (basil + edamame + garlic + nutritional yeast + tad water)… I was excited last week when I discovered these noodles were ok on Phase 2 (in fact all phases) so I started considering possible sauces but with no tomatoes the options seemed drab until I devised this mock pesto.  I’ll say it was edible, but not the amazing pasta dish I imagined either.

8:30 Hot Tea

 

Día de los Muertos

The fun continues…

“Day of the Dead is a beautiful, spiritual family holiday to honor the memory of dead relatives. It’s not really the memory of their death but spending time thinking about and feeling the essence of their life. It’s a bonding time and respectful time that brings generations together within a family and the entire community. Continuance of these ancient traditions, getting everyone’s sleeves rolled up to work on food preparation, tomb cleaning and building an elaborate ofrenda in the living room brings solace to older folks that might otherwise fear that they will be forgotten after their death. And for those of the religious persuasion, this is a very sacred encounter with dear missed spirits that have been released from heaven for a day, allowed to return to enjoy the visits, offerings and foods of their family.” (source)

This is a 2 day holiday. You can read about some of the  foods for Day of the Dead if you like.  And here are a few ideas that would work on the Fast Metabolism Diet. You may have to tweak a few of the actual ingredients; just think of them as a starting point to get your own creative juices flowing.

• sugar skull fruit idea  (dairy is out, but a skull made of fruit would be perfect for Phase 1)
• beans & rice (simple but always satisfying, Phase 1 and 3)
• skull sandwhich (Phase 1 and 3)
• skull pie idea ( I love the skull cut-out! How about a savory veggie pie with a sprouted tortilla skull cut-out?)
• marigold salad  (marigolds are not on the approved list but it IS a salad… maybe a few symbolic decorative flowers then LOTS of greens… All Phases)
• Marigold sheppard’s pie (These look like marigolds to me; Phase 1 and 3; filling can be altered as you like)
• 3 Bean Mole ( Phase 1 and 3) (This is a VERY simple version of Mole but yummy)

My day’s inspirations

1. Pan de Muerto:            “Pan de muerto, also known as bread of the dead or dead man’s bread, is a traditional Mexican sweet bread that is eaten during the Day of the Dead.In the days and weeks leading up to the Day of the Dead, the inviting scent of pan de muerto wafts through the air of local markets and bakeries all throughout Mexico. It’s an ancient culinary tradtion of the Day of the Dead, and it’s often seen as a symbol of the holiday, like candy canes at Christmas.”  (source)   I usually make a vegan version of pan de muerto, but this year I decided to focus on the flavors instead…  “the bread is typically flavored with anise seed, but cinnamon and orange zest are also used.” (same source).  I missed having a slice of this yummy treat, but I created Pan de Muerto Oatmeal to start my day.Oranges in oatmeal was a first for me and quite delicious!
2. Sugar Skulls:                 “Called “calaveras de azúcar” in Spanish, these sugary sweets are sold everywhere on the days and weeks leading up to Day of the Dead. Market stalls are lined with rows and rows of colorful skulls, created from sugar and decorated with multi-colored icing, shiny foil, sequins and glitter. These festive treats are also made at home. Sugar skulls are given as gifts to both the living and the dead, often with the name of the recipient written on the skull’s forehead in icing. When they are offered to the dead, they are placed lovingly on an altar for the deceased along with other ofrenda, such as the person’s favorite foods and drinks when they were alive.” (source)  And…Just look at all the fruit on the ofrenda!   I decided to make my Sugar Skull from fruit. THIS felt like an awesome way to honor Phase 1!
3. Marigolds:                 “Why marigolds? It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and scent. Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.” (source).  I honored the marigold tradition with a special marigold themed lunch and the casserole combination was so delicious that I will definitely repeat it!
4. Mole:                           “The whole point of an ofrenda (altar offering) is to show the dead that you care enough to give them the very best. Mole, which contains anywhere from 20 to 50 ingredients, is representative of this. Since the dead only require a small portion, the living must finish the dish in order not to waste the food.” (source)  Mole is a must-have.  I served the traditional family mole for the chicken eaters in the house and a more simple version over beans for myself.  I always have to serve calabacitas too. “Technically, calabacita is Spanish for squash, but … we use the word generally to mean this dish made from squash. Calabacitas recipes are like green chili stew recipes out here in New Mexico – everybody has one and it is the best.” (source) My own calabacitas are vegan and worked perfectly for Phase 1.
5. Chocolate:              “At the customary cemetery evening-watch, families will drink hot chocolate.” (source) Champurrado is also very popular during Día de Muertos; similar to hot chocolate, this hot drink also has ground corn and special touches like vanilla, anise, and cinnamon.  How could I not find a way to include a hot chocolate in my day?

5:45 Hot Tea

6:15 Pan de Muerto inspired Oatmeal: oats made with anise seed, cinnamon, & fresh orange slices; I also steeped an orange tea bag in the water I used for the oats.

9:00 Fruity Sugar Skull  (used  the free template here  on Parchment paper)

12:30 Marigold Casserole (mixture of spinach, rice, and leftover veggie chile topped with marigolds of piped sweet potato) and Marigold colored mango sorbet

3:30 leftover fruit from making my Fruity Sugar Skull

6:00 seltzer with lemon

6:30  Mole on Beans and Rice and Calabacitas (roasted zucchini, yellow squash,  and onions tossed with lots of chopped cilantro) PLUS a Hot chocolate for  dessert: made with oat milk from this great book + cocoa + sweetener + grated orange rind

8:30 Hot Tea

Halloween

Happy Halloween!  I’ll start with a trick and eat with a treat.  The trick?  Well I weighed this morning and to my dismay… lost nothing.  I did feel tricked! So that makes my total loss for the 28 days= 4 pounds.  sigh…. Oh well, onward to the Treat.

Now that I have the hang of The Fast Metabolism Diet (vegan style) and have completed the first 28 days, I decided to have a little fun.  Today’s menu was planned with Halloween in mind.  I started by finding some ideas to inspire me that would work for Phase 1, but I found a few others that might work if you are on another Phase too.

• Mandarin Orange pumpkins: recipe  (phase 1)
• Bell pepper jack-o-lanterns recipe (Phase 1 or 3… can create own filling; just fill it with beans, veg, etc. that work with the Phase) (Phase 2 could be filled with tempeh, spinach, and onions).
• pumpkin oatmeal recipe (Phase 1 and 3)
• pumpkin smoothie recipe (Phase 1)
• pumpkin mango idea for ice cream (This recipe is not ok but the idea of pumpkin ice cream is a good one… maybe try adding pumpkin to frozen fruits and blend) (Phase 1 or maybe 3)
• pumpkin spread with nut butter (could do this if you use stevia or skip the sweetener) (Phase 3)
• pumpkin chocolate cherry smoothie recipe (just skip the banana)(might work as a sorbet!) (Phase 1 or 3)
• falafel spider  balls  (this idea could work with many types of beans or a combo of beans and oats which is the way I make a veggie “burger”; they can also be baked instead of fried) (Phase 1 or 3… maybe Phase 2 with edamame)
• skull shaped pickles idea  ( another good image here): could use this technique for Phase 2 with cucumbers and all other phases with cucumbers or zucchini or maybe yellow squash (pickle style, steamed, or just raw)
• Orange & Black fruit skewers  and a few other fruity ideas (Phase 1) (could also work in a bowl)
• Spider web soup idea (I loved the idea of this… In phase 2 a blended spinach soup with a tofu + vinegar sauce web could work… )

It was lots of fun figuring out fun meals to create and helped me feel less focused on the “trick”.

 

5:45 Hot tea (This flavor looked festive but had caffeine so I stuck to my normal one)

6:15 Pumpkin Oatmeal: oatmeal with pumpkin& pumpkin pie spice stirred in, plus a Jack-o-lantern face created with a bit of cocoa + sweetener + water   and a side of black and orange fruit: blackberries and mandarin oranges

9:15 Orange and Black Sorbet (my usual mango-lime with a few blackberry sprinkles)

12:00 Beany Spider Salad ( Bed of spinach and beets dressed with mixture of mustard, apple cider, vinegar, and Bragg’s; served with Baked Beany “spiders” made from black beans mashed with a fork + oats + chipotle  with bell pepper legs and carrot eyes ) and a Pumpkin Orange (mandarin orange with a celery stalk)

  

3:30 Chocolate -Cherry and Pumpkin Parfait (frozen cherries blended with cocoa and layered with pumpkin)* If I re-did this idea I would think about freezing the pumpkin and adding spice to it too

6:15 seltzer with lemon

7:00 Jack-o-Lantern Stuffed Pepper (I filled mine with  veggie chile leftover from several weeks ago when we had the hurricane and brown rice) and skull zucchini (I ate 2 helpings of these!), PLUS a dessert of a baked cookie (oats + pumpkin and icing of cocoa + sweetener + water )

8:30 Hot Tea and a good book

 

 

 

Day 28: Phase 3 Decadence

Phase 3 usually feels so decadent to me… not like deprivation at all.  Yet, even so I miss the freedom of eating without a list of foods.  It’s a challenge to have some foods allowed only on certain days but not on other days.  Also some things are totally out…and not just the corn, potatoes, and biggies that she highlights in her description.  There are also lots of little things that I notice when I want them like Tomatillo salsa (tomatillos are not on the list).  I can have beans and guacamole in Phase 3 but not my favorite salsa.

Of all 3 phases I still find Phase 1 to be the most comfortable choice-wise.  On Phase 3 I miss the selection of other fruits.  Also, even after all of these weeks, Phase 3 still feels like too much food… I suppose I need to get up earlier and space it out more, but sleeping a little late is a weekend treat too.  Following The Fast Metabolism Diet is not just a change of patterns; it is a very precise routine.

Today is the 28th day.  I will wait to weigh until tomorrow morning since I have been weighing each Monday.  Without even weighing though, I know I still have further to go.  The cover of the book suggests it’s possible to lose 20 pounds in 28 days; I knew that was not likely, but it would have been amazing to lose a year’s gains in one month.  Many of the blogs I checked out before giving this plan a try, talked about losses of about 14 pounds in a month; that would have been nice too.  My guess is maybe a 5 or 6 pound loss for me; I’ll know for sure tomorrow.  Even with all of the struggles with the schedule, the water, the food restrictions, etc. I have felt happier with my diet than I have for a while. The happiness comes from feeling good about the healthy foods I’m eating and the lack of junk I’m not eating.  My plan is to continue  The Fast Metabolism Diet at this week and probably longer, with one exception… next weekend (Saturday and Sunday) I will divert from the plan to celebrate my anniversary.

 

8:00 Hot Tea

9:30 (whoops!  late!) sprouted bread with almond butter and smoothie (blueberries, spinach, ice, water, almond milk, cocoa powder)

12:30 Last of the homemade cashew cheese spread and dab of homemade Hummus (no Tahini) + olive relish (like yesterday) with snap peas

2:30 Taco salad: shredded romaine, diced tomato, pickled jalapeno, guacamole, and refried beans (no oil)… I was planning to make a little peach salsa but forgot all about it! (I guess the tomato is today’s fruit)

4:45 celery with a mixture of homemade olive relish and homemade hummus (like yesterday)

7:30 Navy beans and a salad with spinach, broccoli sprouts, beets, raw sunflower seeds, and a mustard shallot vinaigrette

8:30 Hot tea

 

 

Feeling Thinner

Today I had plans to see a friend at lunch whom I haven’t seen since last month.  I looked for something to wear and was happy to discover I could wear a top that had been looking frumpy just last month due to the extra weight.  I got dressed and realized that I was feeling thinner!  I know it’s really just a mind-set, but an important one.  That feeling of joy in my skin is one of the things I have been missing this last year.  When I got to my friend’s house she remarked that she could tell I had lost weight; it’s possible she was just being nice, but never-the-less I felt thrilled.

Some difficulties today in drinking the required water… I guess I just didn’t work hard enough at this task.  Also after dinner, I was still feeling hungry so I went back for a rice cake with beans; I justified it by telling myself I chose not to have the optional grain with dinner.  Sometimes for me feeling successful (like this morning) can lead me to act over confident and make poor choices, so tomorrow I will be extra careful about my intake.

 

 

7:30 Hot Tea

8:00 sprouted bread with almond butter (only 1 Tbs so I can also use the cashew milk) and a chocolate, blueberry. spinach smoothie

10:45 celery with cashew cheese

2:00 Lunch with a friend: Chocolate Cherry sorbet  and homemade hummus with olives, pepperocini, parsley, & capers with veggie dippers (carrots, celery, and snap peas)

3:00 Guacamole with carrots, celery, and snap peas

7:00 Taco Salad: Romaine, diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, guacamole, refried beans (no oil), chipotle, and a dab of a sauce made with blended cooked cauliflower, nutritional yeast, and tahini

9:00 Hot Tea

9:30 Rice crackers and refried beans

 

Remembering to Be Grateful

Days with too much time away from my desk can be difficult.  I had a hard time drinking all my required water today.  I also had some difficulty with my lunch. I needed it to be portable, so I packed  a salad made out of the last fresh vegetables in the house… mostly parsley. The only Phase 3 fruits I had were frozen and I do not like the softness of thawed fruit, so I decided to run by the store while I was out and grab some fresh raspberries. I picked out the prettiest box and knew I was getting a special treat since the one tiny serving of fruit was almost $5!  Unfortunately, when I went to eat them, there were a bunch of molded berries in the box, so I didn’t really get my fruit at lunch.  Pomroy does say that tomatoes can count for fruit occasionally so I guess that’s what I’ll have to rely on.  Needless to say I am going back to that store tomorrow for a refund.

Even with the difficulties I managed to stay pretty unruffled.  I enjoyed my salad in the car and I tried not to worry about the water; I figured the stress was not good for me and I would do the best I could.  Long lines, some teaching challenges, and a large “to do” list were just part of the day, rather than a laundry list of complaints. Some days I would have let life get to me, but today I managed to stay calm.  I got the perfect spiritual quote today to help me keep my perspective: “If we want to keep the blessings of life coming to us, we must learn to be grateful for whatever is given.” (Harold Klemp, The Language of Soul)

 

6:45 Hot Tea

7:15 Sprouted bread with almond butter and peach sorbet (blended frozen peaches) with carrot bits stirred in

10:30 celery, carrots, and snap peas with homemade cashew cheese spread (same recipe as before)

1:30 Packed Lunch to eat on the road: Tub of salad: chopped parsley, cucumber, and tomato with tahini and lemon juice and kidney beans and fresh raspberries (sort of)

5:00 celery with homemade cashew cheese spread

8:00 baked sweet potato with chipotle, black eyed peas, and a salad of celery, chayote squash, mustard vinaigrette, & walnuts

8:30 Hot Tea

Phase 2 Ideas

Yesterday I thought a lot about how I would like Phase 2 to be.  Then today I was forced into some small changes right away because when I went to have my breakfast soup, I realized I was out of edamame!  I went ahead with the soup and also had 1 of my tofu chocolate pudding cups.  Luckily, due to last week’s trip, I had to stick a pudding into the freezer; perfect for my tofu “ice cream” experiment for afternoon snack today.

Additionally, I brainstormed for snacks to have on hand, recipes to try, and ways to make eating in Phase 2 more pleasurable. I don’t know how long I will follow The Fast Metabolism Diet but came up with lots of ideas that could make the Vegan Version of Phase 2 more tolerable.  Here are some of my ideas:

• Look for more types of pickles without additives like these
• Would this pasta be ok?  It contains ONLY Edamame!!!
• While looking for the answer to the above pasta, I saw this and I already really enjoy these type Konjac “noodles” so they will be an awesome addition to Phase 2!!!… especially yummy in Asian style soups
• maybe try a pesto made from edamame + basil + garlic + nutrional yeast on the above Konjac noodles
• I also saw this FB post about Kelp noodles which makes me think since the Edamame noodles above only contain edamame, they are probably fine.
• Try making some pickles myself with celery, rhubarb, cucumbers, and asparagus
• Make some Kale chips spritzed with Bragg’s or cider vinegar (have made these before but it’s been a while)
• fennel ideas roasted or carmelized (both skip the oil and use dab of veg broth instead); I also have a recipe for Fennel with onions that sounds good
• red pepper sauce over canned green beans (I love the limp texture of canned french green beans as a sub for pasta and I like a sauce made from these)
• Tempeh crumbles 1 (skip the oil) or crumbles 2 alone or in a pepper sauce over noodles or vegetables
• stewed rhubarb with a vanilla tofu sauce (make like the chocolate pudding)
• cucumber water
• pickled limes or these but use stevia or these spicy ones, Indian style
• Make a salad inspired by Tabbouleh (parsley + cukes + lemon)
• Leek and fennel soup (skip the potatoes and oil) here
• Fennel and pepper slaw (skip the oil & cheese) here
• leeks and radishes (skip the butter) here
• roasted radishes
• roasted jicama
• jicama and pepper hash (skip the oil)
• red cabbage slaw (without mayo) * I love my regular red cabbage cooked with onions and balsamic too
• Edamame gucamole
• Use tofu in Cream of Broccoli soup
• tweak my recipe for Tempeh Goulash (has peppers, tempeh, and cabbage… would need to leave out the tomatoes)
• tweak my recipe for chickpea tuna by subbing it with edamame (has celery, fresh dill, pickles; would be great with a salad or as a spread on veggies like jicama or peppers or maybe this recipe for tempeh tuna salad with tofu mayo (would it work without the soy milk???)
• I also have a great recipe for a cilantro chutney that would be yummy over tempeh and vegetables
• Other recipes I already have that would be good for Phase 2: Ginger Slaw, Slaw made from Kale dressing + Angel Hair Cabbage, Eggroll Stle roasted Vegetables, Faux Thai Soup, Vegan French Onion soup, Kale Salad Lite, and Cucumber & Onion salad

 

Today was less creative than my brain-stormed list since I used things I already had planned for, but I did incorporate the  new “ice cream” as well as that marvelous noodle I discovered are acceptable!  One of those new dishes was great and one was not, but I’m glad I tried them both.

6:30 Hot Tea

7:00 Phase 2 Soup without Edamame (just veggie broth with kale and green beans + Tabasco) and Chocolate Tofu Pudding (same as always)

10:00 Chocolate Tofu Pudding

12:30 Leftover’s from last night: Green beans with Cumin seed and garlic, Bell peppers & onions, and Browned Tempeh

3:00 Rhubarb Snow (yesterday’s Rhubarb sorbet was a tad sweet so today I blended up some plain ice and then added the frozen chunks of Rhubarb, ginger, and sweetener… it has the texture of snow but is less sweet)

4:00 Chocolate Tofu “ice cream” (last week I froze the remaining portion of tofu chocolate pudding before my trip; today I let it thaw just barely then blended it up)***NOT YUMMY… freezing made the texture grainy 😦

7:30 Asian Noodle Soup: Broth made with Nutritional yeast, ginger, garlic, lemon, red pepper flakes, and Bragg’s Aminos + Konjac noodles + cabbage + Browned Tempeh (delicious… definitely one to repeat)

8:30 Hot Tea

 

Meeting the Challenges of Phase 2

Here it is week 4 and I still find Phase 2 challenging; these 2 days require the most willpower for me.  They are the 2 days when I have the most restrictions and the lowest caloric intake.  Pomroy stresses that, “What really matters, much more than the number of theoretical ‘calories‘ you do or don’t consume, is how you burn the food or otherwise distribute the energy, once it gets inside you” (p 23).  Even so, for me I feel hungry with less calories and I have done the calorie logs so can compare my Phase 1, 2, and 3 days.  In truth, Pomroy states that she doesn’t want us to be  hungry… if I am hungry in Phase 2, I should eat more of the approved free foods… which happen to be mostly green vegetables. THAT’S the challenge.  When I am hungry I should have some sliced cucumbers, a bowl of mustard greens, steamed green beans or broccoli… so, why don’t I?  Well, for me it isn’t completely about the food choices (although that also contributes).  Schedule also plays into my food intake; I can’t sit around eating all day.  Availability is another factor; I fill the fridge once a week thus have limited resources available.  If I have already planned for that cucumber to be on Friday’s breakfast menu, I can’t have it today.  Am I whining and making excuses?  Perhaps.  I am also still following the plan.  Phase 2 is tough.  It’s more restrictive than the other phases and a little boring, but I am hopeful that Phase 2 will do it’s job in helping to get my metabolism back on track.

So I decided today that I need to meet Phase 2 challenges head on.  I need to remember that I shouldn’t allow myself to be hungry and that feeling deprived and bored can contribute to gaining weight.  Here’s my plan:

• Find some Phase 2 appropriate snacks and keep them on hand
• Eat vegetable snacks as needed rather than allowing myself to feel hunger
• Increase my Phase 2 recipe repertoire so that I don’t feel bored (even though last week I talked about how repetition can be a good thing)
• Find recipes, seasonings, etc. that help me celebrate the pleasure of eating

 

6:45 Hot Tea

7:15 Phase 2 Soup (veggie broth with green beans, edamame, kale, and hot sauce)

9:30 Cucumbers, celery, raw green beans, and a few slices of dill pickles (extra snack in response to feeling hungry)

10:30 Tofu Chocolate Pudding (same as week 1)

1:30 Cooked Green Cabbage and edamame with salt and pepper

4:30 Tofu Chocolate Pudding (same as week 1)

6:00 seltzer with lemon

6:30 Tempeh with habanero sauce, roasted bell peppers and onions, & green beans with cumin seed

8:00 dessert of Rhubarb Sorbet (rhubarb cooked with sweetener, blended, frozen in a flat tray, then scraped and fluffed with a fork)  **MUCH better than the cucumber one I tried last week

8:30 hot tea

 

 

A Routine Day

Much of the Fast Metabolism Diet is becoming routine for me… the portions, general schedule, and food lists.  Today was a hectic day and yet I managed to stay pretty much on track.  One unexpected bonus today was that the indoor temperature was much cooler from morning through mid-afternoon; when I’m a little chilly I tend to drink herb tea non-stop so the water requirement was easily met.

I’ve also been dealing with a limited larder this week.  Last Friday when I bought groceries I knew I would be away for that conference so I shopped for 2 weeks… this week’s menu features mostly frozen fruits and vegetables or sturdy things like celery, carrots, and apples… no lettuce, baby spinach, raspberries, etc.  It took a little thinking to plan out the meals that would work, but has been a good thing in terms of saving me the stress of squeezing in another grocery store run as well as broadening my normal food choices.

6:30 hot tea

7:00 oatmeal with cooked apple and cinnamon

10:00 pineapple

12:30 black eyed peas, green beans, and Brown Rice/Wild Rice Mix with Broccoli and Carrots and Mango Sorbet (blended mango and lime)

4:00 Chocolate Mango sorbet (blended Mango and cocoa) (inspired by a Jeff Novick’s mango dessert found here )

6:00 Seltzer with lemon peel

7:00 Pasta Primavera: Brown rice pasta + Frozen California Medley (Broccoli/ Cauliflower/ Carrots) + Sauce made from diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and herbs + Nutritional yeast

8:00 Herb Tea

 

Taking Stock for Week 4

I am SO happy to be back home; I am much more appreciative of the ease of meal preparation on my own turf now. Since today was the first day of week 4 here is a general update:

• I did the big weigh-in this morning and lost another 2 lbs so that means so far I’ve lost 4 pounds
• Overall I think I feel more energy
• I seem to sleep really well too
• I do think the extra soy each week has impacted my hormones a bit (but I can’t be certain that the changes I have noticed are indeed caused by the soy).
• My top goal of breaking the bad habits I had formed seems to be going wonderfully!
• My weight goal was 20 pounds so 16 more to go… slower than hoped, but at least still moving towards it.

 

6:00 hot tea

8:00 ( a LOT late… “catching up” on tasks and lost track of time)  oats with blueberries and cinnamon

11:00 1 cup pineapple

12:30 a sliced zucchini + leftover pasta sauce (diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and herbs) + 1 cup Brown Rice/Wild Rice Mix with Broccoli and Carrots + nutritional yeast and garlic powder and a cup of Mango sorbet (just blended mango and lime juice)    (afterwards I realized that I forgot to eat any beans!!)

4:00 Chocolate Cherry-raspberry Sorbet (just blended cherries, raspberries and cocoa powder)

5:30 seltzer with lemon

6:30 brown rice, black eyed peas, tomatoes with green chili, butternut squash, mustard greens

8:30 hot tea