The new lifestyle is still paying off! I have lost five more pounds! That's 25 pounds total, folks! YES!
Ok, let's face it, that's just a start, I have a long ways to go and, anyway, weight loss is not my primary goal. Being healthy is my goal.
So guess what? I'm feeling healthier too! How about that? My blood sugar readings have gone down, thank you very much. I'm moving around more easily, which is very important to me.
You know that tired old saying "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels?" Pfft. Because chocolate tastes pretty good. Focusing on weight loss is not going to motivate me to eat right, it just isn't. But the idea of not dying young, not incurring some life-threatening disease, yeah, THAT is motivation to skip the chocolate and sugar and meat.
I want to suggest again that everyone view the documentary called "Forks Over Knives". I watched in on Hulu, for free. It's available lots of places, just google it. It's got a lot of facts and figures but lots of WOW moments, too. Like seeing a man adopting the Forks Over Knives plan and being able to ditch all but one of the multiple medications he had been on. Like the woman who had breast cancer and her doctor sent her home to die. Then she found the doctors who advocate Forks Over Knives. Years later, she is healthy and hale and cancer free. (I'm not saying FOK cured cancer. No. It made her healthier, though)
And, the one that hit me closest to home was a young single mom who had been diagnosed with diabetes. So, she was going to be on insulin. She had kids to raise. She was overweight. A couple months on the FOK plan, her diabetes was under control, she had lost weight and she had energy and verve. Yeah, that's what I want -- verve!!
Last year, my blood sugar reading was a smidge over the top number. A smidge, like .1, that's all. My doctor prescribed Metformin, which helps control blood sugar, and sent me to a diabetes educator. She spent an hour and a half showing me all the dangers of diabetes and, over my objections, fitted me out with a blood sugar monitor, to be used twice a day. WHY? I'm .1 over the limit. How about I try changing my diet first? Welllll, it seems that when someone is obese (which I am) you're so much more likely to get diabetes, that's it's a good idea to just scare the hell out of you, slap you on meds and punish you with twice-daily bleedings.
I went with it for a few weeks. My readings were uniformly regular, and right in the healthy range. Imagine that. Soon I was freaking out. I would dread that stab in the finger, I don't really like seeing my own blood and if my "numbers' were the least bit elevated I was panicking.
I was convinced they'd have me on insulin injections if I didn't toe the line.
In total frustration I went back to my doctor and told him I was stressing out. He looked puzzled and said "You don't need to check your blood sugar daily. I just wanted them to give you some information so you would be aware. Stop taking your blood sugar readings if it's upsetting."
Oh boy. Torn between anger and relief, I stopped doing the readings. And I was pretty darned miffed at having went through that for weeks, for NOTHING. Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing!
Since I started the FOK plan, I do occasionally pull out the blood sugar meter and check my levels. They are lower than they were last year, of course, so that means they are very good. My goal is that I can quit taking Metformin and just control this with diet and exercise.
I know some people really do need the daily blood tests, they do need insulin, they are in grave danger if they do not control their diabetes. But do we have to scare every overweight person with the specter of a lifetime of diabetes, even when they are not showing signs of diabetes -- other than being overweight?
When I visit my doctor, and I've done this for years, I explain to him that I realize I'm overweight, hell, I'm obese. It's not a surprise to me. I have had heart tests, my ticker is just fine. I have high cholesterol, yes. I have high blood pressure. I am not dying, nor am I close to dying. Both the cholesterol and the blood pressure are likely to be controlled through diet and exercise. I'll take the meds for those problems, but if FOK can help me control those issues, I want off those drugs!
I had a hysterectomy a few years ago and my doctor warned me that my weight might impact my recovery from surgery. What? How's that again? The surgery was vaginal, so there would be no cutting through my layers of flab. I don't have asthma or anything like that. How would weight impact my recovery. He really didn't give me a good answer but he asserted: That weight is gonna kill you!
He was sitting a foot away from me, in a rolling desk chair. By the time I got done explaining to him just how offended I was by his weight-blaming, he was backed into a corner and saying "well, that's a good point" and casting desperate looks at my husband. After the surgery, as soon as the doctor came to see me, I told him "And my weight didn't cause any problems, did it?" He laughed and said no, it didn't. HA! And I loved my doctor, he was gentle and my surgery was amazingly easy. He just follows the health community's "FAT IS A KILLER" line.
Don't assume all your problems can be measured in pounds. If you want to lose weight, bully for you. It's probably a wonderful idea. But if you lose weight by eating unhealthy, processed foods, are you getting healthy or just putting bad food into a smaller body? When you have tried those fad diets, have you kept the weight off?
Watch the documentary, think about what you REALLY want for your body, then make a decision to become a healthy person, who just so happens to lose weight and feel better all over!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Green smoothies and cookies
Part of the adventure of our new, healthier lifestyle is trying out recipes. Some go straight into the trash can but some are keepers. Some recipes we've even shared with friends, who aren't vegan, and they love the recipes!
We make a green smoothie from the Forks Over Knives book and it is really delicious and satisfying. What a great way to get a big dose of veggies and fruit in one tasty drink! Especially since it includes kale, one of those veggies that are incredibly good for us but not so easy to fit into our diet. Blueberries, spinach, flax seeds -- all good for you and all contained in one simple, quick drink.
So we have a green smoothie several times a week and my husband bragged about them at work so much that a coworker has now started making them for her teenaged sons and herself. She even makes them ahead of time, puts them in the fridge (with a lid on the container) and her sons drink them when it's convenient.
Our most recent find is a recipe for cookies that are to die for! They're sweet, they're moist and chewy and it is suggested that you eat them while they're warm, so hey! Good excuse for eating ALL the cookies at once! Well, maybe not. You might do better to freeze the ones you don't eat immediately, then, when you want one, just pop it out of the freezer and into the microwave for about 30 seconds (or use your oven to warm them up, I just like the speed of the microwave). Warm and gooey deliciousness in no time!
I took some over to my parents and they enjoyed them, especially the gooeyness. These would, I think, be good for anyone on any kind of eating plan, except of course someone allergic to peanuts. They're called Chick Pea Cookie Bites and they're made from chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), peanut butter and chocolate chips.
These cookies do not contain flour, sugar or eggs and they're very simple to make. I won't claim they're low-calorie, because they do contain peanut butter and chocolate chips. But everything in these tasty tidbits is allowed on the Forks Over Knives eating plan, so we are extremely happy about them!
Here's the recipe for Chick Pea Cookie Bites (from the website texanerin.com)
1 1/4 cups canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey (we use agave nectar, same amount)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt in peanut butter is unsalted
1/2 cups chocolate chips (we use semi-sweet)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a food processor and process until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chick peas and process again until they're combined. Put in the chocolate chips and stir by hand if you can or pulse once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place onto a Silpat or parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't rise much, so they look pretty much the same going in the oven as they do coming out. Bake for about 10 minutes. Yields about 14 cookies.
As I said above, these are best eaten warm.
*One note: The recipe calls for natural peanut butter and I thought I'd let you all know that we now make our own peanut butter, in our Vitamix blender. Cheaper than store-bought peanut butter and absolutely delicious. Not as creamy as Jif or Skippy, but plenty creamy enough to spread on toast. We buy unsalted, dry roasted peanuts. It takes 3 cups to make a pint-sized Mason jar full of peanut butter. Very simple to do and good for us.
Here's the green smoothie recipe from Forks Over Knives:
Gene's Green Machine Smoothie
(makes 2)
2 cups plant-based milk (we use soy)
1 banana (optionally frozen)
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 large leaves of kale
1/2 cup spinach (raw)
1/2 cup English cucumber (optional)
1/2 Tbsp. flax seeds and/or 1/2 Tbsp. hemp or chia seeds
1 date, optional
Ice (optional, but it makes the drink colder, so we use it!)
Blend all the ingredients until smooth and no chunks remain. Add more milk or water to get the consistency you prefer.
And when it says "no chunks remain", listen up! You don't want chunks of kale or spinach in your drink. So blend, blend, blend. We do not use the date or cucumber, we do use flax seeds but not the hemp or chia seeds. I prefer to give you the original recipe and you can adjust to your tastes, but just so you know, we have made a couple changes.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and if you try them, please let me know!
We make a green smoothie from the Forks Over Knives book and it is really delicious and satisfying. What a great way to get a big dose of veggies and fruit in one tasty drink! Especially since it includes kale, one of those veggies that are incredibly good for us but not so easy to fit into our diet. Blueberries, spinach, flax seeds -- all good for you and all contained in one simple, quick drink.
So we have a green smoothie several times a week and my husband bragged about them at work so much that a coworker has now started making them for her teenaged sons and herself. She even makes them ahead of time, puts them in the fridge (with a lid on the container) and her sons drink them when it's convenient.
Our most recent find is a recipe for cookies that are to die for! They're sweet, they're moist and chewy and it is suggested that you eat them while they're warm, so hey! Good excuse for eating ALL the cookies at once! Well, maybe not. You might do better to freeze the ones you don't eat immediately, then, when you want one, just pop it out of the freezer and into the microwave for about 30 seconds (or use your oven to warm them up, I just like the speed of the microwave). Warm and gooey deliciousness in no time!
I took some over to my parents and they enjoyed them, especially the gooeyness. These would, I think, be good for anyone on any kind of eating plan, except of course someone allergic to peanuts. They're called Chick Pea Cookie Bites and they're made from chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), peanut butter and chocolate chips.
These cookies do not contain flour, sugar or eggs and they're very simple to make. I won't claim they're low-calorie, because they do contain peanut butter and chocolate chips. But everything in these tasty tidbits is allowed on the Forks Over Knives eating plan, so we are extremely happy about them!
Here's the recipe for Chick Pea Cookie Bites (from the website texanerin.com)
1 1/4 cups canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey (we use agave nectar, same amount)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt in peanut butter is unsalted
1/2 cups chocolate chips (we use semi-sweet)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a food processor and process until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chick peas and process again until they're combined. Put in the chocolate chips and stir by hand if you can or pulse once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place onto a Silpat or parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't rise much, so they look pretty much the same going in the oven as they do coming out. Bake for about 10 minutes. Yields about 14 cookies.
As I said above, these are best eaten warm.
*One note: The recipe calls for natural peanut butter and I thought I'd let you all know that we now make our own peanut butter, in our Vitamix blender. Cheaper than store-bought peanut butter and absolutely delicious. Not as creamy as Jif or Skippy, but plenty creamy enough to spread on toast. We buy unsalted, dry roasted peanuts. It takes 3 cups to make a pint-sized Mason jar full of peanut butter. Very simple to do and good for us.
Here's the green smoothie recipe from Forks Over Knives:
Gene's Green Machine Smoothie
(makes 2)
2 cups plant-based milk (we use soy)
1 banana (optionally frozen)
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 large leaves of kale
1/2 cup spinach (raw)
1/2 cup English cucumber (optional)
1/2 Tbsp. flax seeds and/or 1/2 Tbsp. hemp or chia seeds
1 date, optional
Ice (optional, but it makes the drink colder, so we use it!)
Blend all the ingredients until smooth and no chunks remain. Add more milk or water to get the consistency you prefer.
And when it says "no chunks remain", listen up! You don't want chunks of kale or spinach in your drink. So blend, blend, blend. We do not use the date or cucumber, we do use flax seeds but not the hemp or chia seeds. I prefer to give you the original recipe and you can adjust to your tastes, but just so you know, we have made a couple changes.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and if you try them, please let me know!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Ups and downs
My life has been very jumbled up lately. A number of things happening, but nothing really getting accomplished. And as my life goes, so goes my eating habits, as you have seen. So it's been a sort of mixed results week -- some good work on the new lifestyle, some conscious decisions to veer from the path.
I don't enjoy telling you all about my less-than-perfect eating; I'd love to be able to say "I'm doing great on this eating plan, never even miss my old favorite foods!"
It's been a couple months and I have missed certain foods. And I have indulged in comfort eating, self-medicating with really bad food. And I've had days where only the BEST foods, the healthiest, the tastiest, the freshest, have passed my lips.
Changing your eating is no small feat. You have to re-learn to grocery shop, re-learn to cook, re-learn to think about food. It's not two vegetables and a meat anymore. You aren't going to just grab a donut on the way to work, or fast food after a long day. You have to plan to do well, to eat well.
Being humans, we don't always have time or energy to plan well. So we mess up, we find ourselves half way across town, hungry, knowing when we get home we'll have at least 30 minutes of cooking ahead of us before we can eat. So it becomes a struggle.
I am determined to keep fighting and moving toward my goals. I plan to eventually be 100 percent vegan. I know the junk food doesn't do my body any good. I know I feel better when I eat healthier food. Now, I just have to keep my feet on the ground and keep heading in the right direction.
I'm going to try in the next few blog posts to share with you some tips on grocery shopping, planning meals, finding recipes. But the goal of this blog is always going to be sharing my experiences as I transform from an enthusiastic meat-eating, soda-drinking slob, to a more health, grain-eating, vegetable-loving vegan.
On another note, but sort of related, I ran across this very funny blog post and really need to share it with you all. It truly expresses the confusion I've felt since beginning this whole foods adventure.
Here's the link:
http://www.nwedible.com/2012/08/tragedy-healthy-eater.html
And, for some fun while learning new recipes, check out the Vegan Black Metal Chef. This guy has a great sense of humor and his recipes are great. He shows on video how to create healthy, vegan dishes. You really ought to check out his "Hail Seitan" video. Hilarious.
Here's that link:
http://veganblackmetalchef.com/videos/hail-seitan/
Have a great week and remember -- EAT YOUR VEGGIES!
I don't enjoy telling you all about my less-than-perfect eating; I'd love to be able to say "I'm doing great on this eating plan, never even miss my old favorite foods!"
It's been a couple months and I have missed certain foods. And I have indulged in comfort eating, self-medicating with really bad food. And I've had days where only the BEST foods, the healthiest, the tastiest, the freshest, have passed my lips.
Changing your eating is no small feat. You have to re-learn to grocery shop, re-learn to cook, re-learn to think about food. It's not two vegetables and a meat anymore. You aren't going to just grab a donut on the way to work, or fast food after a long day. You have to plan to do well, to eat well.
Being humans, we don't always have time or energy to plan well. So we mess up, we find ourselves half way across town, hungry, knowing when we get home we'll have at least 30 minutes of cooking ahead of us before we can eat. So it becomes a struggle.
I am determined to keep fighting and moving toward my goals. I plan to eventually be 100 percent vegan. I know the junk food doesn't do my body any good. I know I feel better when I eat healthier food. Now, I just have to keep my feet on the ground and keep heading in the right direction.
I'm going to try in the next few blog posts to share with you some tips on grocery shopping, planning meals, finding recipes. But the goal of this blog is always going to be sharing my experiences as I transform from an enthusiastic meat-eating, soda-drinking slob, to a more health, grain-eating, vegetable-loving vegan.
On another note, but sort of related, I ran across this very funny blog post and really need to share it with you all. It truly expresses the confusion I've felt since beginning this whole foods adventure.
Here's the link:
http://www.nwedible.com/2012/08/tragedy-healthy-eater.html
And, for some fun while learning new recipes, check out the Vegan Black Metal Chef. This guy has a great sense of humor and his recipes are great. He shows on video how to create healthy, vegan dishes. You really ought to check out his "Hail Seitan" video. Hilarious.
Here's that link:
http://veganblackmetalchef.com/videos/hail-seitan/
Have a great week and remember -- EAT YOUR VEGGIES!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tough times
The past week has been rather hectic and we have slid right back into some of the bad eating habits we had before starting the Forks Over Knives diet plan. We have had fast food twice, restaurant food three or four times and generally struggled to eat well. Not the kind of news I enjoy reporting on this blog, but I can't lie to you all, we are having a tough time being vegans.
All is not lost, of course, because we can just get right back on track at the next meal. One burger from McDonald's has not undone all the good we're doing by eating a plant-based diet. And most of the restaurant food we've eaten has come from restaurants that provide vegan menus. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we are doing SO much better than we were two or three months ago, I refuse to be discouraged.
Yes, I am a little frustrated that we didn't stick with it, but I'm not ready to give up.
One thing I do that helps me see what I need to work on and where my weaknesses are, as well as what things I'm doing RIGHT, is keeping a food log. It's just a notebook where I list everything I eat, not calories or anything else, just a list of food. And I try to keep track of my emotions and physical symptoms, just to see how those factors are affected by diet.
I also make a quick note of any exercise I do. Because of ongoing back problems, I am starting over, doing a series of stretches every day to get me to the point of walking on a treadmill every day. I need a lot more exercise than I'm getting.
I believe a food log is a good idea for anyone, on a diet, needing to diet or whatever. We do not realize how much food we eat in a day, and some days, we've found that we didn't eat much at all! And surely not enough to get all the nutrients we need. Try it for a week, or even a couple days, write down absolutely everything you eat, then you'll see why it helps us so much.
Basically, with this lifestyle change, I have three goals: First, get healthy enough to be able to reduce the amount of medication I need; second, feel better, physically and emotionally; and third, lose weight. And that is in order of importance. I know I am healthier -- I just feel better for one thing, but I've also been tracking my blood sugar levels and they're significantly lower than they were six months ago.
I've lost over 20 pounds since starting FOK, but I've lost 32 pounds since when I was at my heaviest. That's great, but I do have a long ways to go to feel fit. I have promised myself a little treat (not food!) when I have lost 50 pounds, and I plan to keep those little treats going right until I reach my goal weight.
I will admit that some of my "slips" were more in the form of "little rewards" because I've been so good about watching my diet. Dumb! It's not a reward, it's allowing myself to veer off a path I have set for myself. And I will also admit that every time I've eaten fast food, I ended up with an upset stomach. It is so completely not worth it!
I have managed to resist one thing -- Pepsi. I love Pepsi. Nothing better on a hot day than an ice cold Pepsi. And I haven't had one since I started the FOK plan. It's been incredibly tough at times, because everyone in my family drinks Pepsi. I am drinking a lot of water and iced tea, but it ain't Pepsi. I'm hoping that if I ever do succumb to Pepsi's siren call, it will taste terrible to me. I'm afraid it won't though, so I'm doing my best to just stick to water.
On the positive side of the last week's insanity, we did find a couple new dishes we can make quite easily. We've started using a meat substitute from Yves Veggie Cuisine (available at Whole Foods). It looks and tastes like ground beef that has been browned. It's made of soy and a serving provides 10 grams of protein, which is very important.
Getting enough protein is essential and to eat vegan, one must keep track of their protein intake, even though it's quite simple to get protein from beans and other foods. This week, we used the Yves meatless ground product to make tacos. I could not tell the difference between these tacos and traditional hamburger tacos.
My two nieces were at our house when we cooked these and they both ate two tacos. A sure sign of approval! We also use the meat replacement in our pasta sauce. My husband said it was nice to eat something that was familiar, even though we've enjoyed the tofu dishes and other meatless dishes. We were meat eaters a long time, and we still enjoy at least pretending we're eating meat. That's probably silly, but, hey, it works!
The biggest lesson we've had from this lifestyle is not giving up. Some days I'd really like to just eat a freaking candy bar, and some fries, and a pepsi, then some pizza . . . . and on and on. But I know that what I really want, in the long run, is to reach my three goals: get off the meds, feel healthier, and lose weight.
Reaching my goals is going to be far more rewarding than any candy bar or pizza. Still, if I indulge, I'm not giving up. I'm committed to this lifestyle plan and, along with my husband, I'm sticking to it!
All is not lost, of course, because we can just get right back on track at the next meal. One burger from McDonald's has not undone all the good we're doing by eating a plant-based diet. And most of the restaurant food we've eaten has come from restaurants that provide vegan menus. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we are doing SO much better than we were two or three months ago, I refuse to be discouraged.
Yes, I am a little frustrated that we didn't stick with it, but I'm not ready to give up.
One thing I do that helps me see what I need to work on and where my weaknesses are, as well as what things I'm doing RIGHT, is keeping a food log. It's just a notebook where I list everything I eat, not calories or anything else, just a list of food. And I try to keep track of my emotions and physical symptoms, just to see how those factors are affected by diet.
I also make a quick note of any exercise I do. Because of ongoing back problems, I am starting over, doing a series of stretches every day to get me to the point of walking on a treadmill every day. I need a lot more exercise than I'm getting.
I believe a food log is a good idea for anyone, on a diet, needing to diet or whatever. We do not realize how much food we eat in a day, and some days, we've found that we didn't eat much at all! And surely not enough to get all the nutrients we need. Try it for a week, or even a couple days, write down absolutely everything you eat, then you'll see why it helps us so much.
Basically, with this lifestyle change, I have three goals: First, get healthy enough to be able to reduce the amount of medication I need; second, feel better, physically and emotionally; and third, lose weight. And that is in order of importance. I know I am healthier -- I just feel better for one thing, but I've also been tracking my blood sugar levels and they're significantly lower than they were six months ago.
I've lost over 20 pounds since starting FOK, but I've lost 32 pounds since when I was at my heaviest. That's great, but I do have a long ways to go to feel fit. I have promised myself a little treat (not food!) when I have lost 50 pounds, and I plan to keep those little treats going right until I reach my goal weight.
I will admit that some of my "slips" were more in the form of "little rewards" because I've been so good about watching my diet. Dumb! It's not a reward, it's allowing myself to veer off a path I have set for myself. And I will also admit that every time I've eaten fast food, I ended up with an upset stomach. It is so completely not worth it!
I have managed to resist one thing -- Pepsi. I love Pepsi. Nothing better on a hot day than an ice cold Pepsi. And I haven't had one since I started the FOK plan. It's been incredibly tough at times, because everyone in my family drinks Pepsi. I am drinking a lot of water and iced tea, but it ain't Pepsi. I'm hoping that if I ever do succumb to Pepsi's siren call, it will taste terrible to me. I'm afraid it won't though, so I'm doing my best to just stick to water.
On the positive side of the last week's insanity, we did find a couple new dishes we can make quite easily. We've started using a meat substitute from Yves Veggie Cuisine (available at Whole Foods). It looks and tastes like ground beef that has been browned. It's made of soy and a serving provides 10 grams of protein, which is very important.
Getting enough protein is essential and to eat vegan, one must keep track of their protein intake, even though it's quite simple to get protein from beans and other foods. This week, we used the Yves meatless ground product to make tacos. I could not tell the difference between these tacos and traditional hamburger tacos.
My two nieces were at our house when we cooked these and they both ate two tacos. A sure sign of approval! We also use the meat replacement in our pasta sauce. My husband said it was nice to eat something that was familiar, even though we've enjoyed the tofu dishes and other meatless dishes. We were meat eaters a long time, and we still enjoy at least pretending we're eating meat. That's probably silly, but, hey, it works!
The biggest lesson we've had from this lifestyle is not giving up. Some days I'd really like to just eat a freaking candy bar, and some fries, and a pepsi, then some pizza . . . . and on and on. But I know that what I really want, in the long run, is to reach my three goals: get off the meds, feel healthier, and lose weight.
Reaching my goals is going to be far more rewarding than any candy bar or pizza. Still, if I indulge, I'm not giving up. I'm committed to this lifestyle plan and, along with my husband, I'm sticking to it!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Vitamix Value
I'm not a cheapskate, really. I like expensive things, like really nice handbags, good shoes, a wonderful restaurant meal. All kinds of spendy things. But when it comes to my kitchen, I get all 1950's housewife-ish and start worrying about my "pin money". I've always bought those $10 mixers at Kmart, $30 blenders at Wally World, stuff like that. Even when I was a Pampered Chef representative, I bought only because I got a discount. Without the discount, I would have been buying their wonderful carrot peelers for $5.
Then, my dad bought a really nice Mixmaster at a garage sale and it was fabulous! I was so jealous! But the odds of me finding a nice Mixmaster at another garage sale were slim. That Christmas, my hubby bought me a brand new Mixmaster! Woot! Woot! It was worth every penny.
So when I started preparing for my new vegan lifestyle, I knew I needed a new blender (I used mine so little that I had given it away!). We wanted smoothies and we did have a nice smoothie machine. But it couldn't handle veggies and denser fruits. Not if you want a really smooth smoothie. My friend Chance, who has been my mentor in all this healthy living, told me his family had a Vitamix and loved it.
I checked it out on the Internet and nearly lost my mind. A Vitamix, brand new, is about $400. That's $400, yes. Wow. And that's just a basic version. There are more expensive versions.
My little 50s housewife thought "Oh, dear! this will eat up all the money I've been saving for a new pair of kitchen curtains!" And then some!
But my husband did some more research and he dug into it and, ultimately, he determined the Vitamix was the way to go. OKAY, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? He really is a cheapskate so this amazed me. He then showed me all the positive reviews the machine got from users, showed me all the capabilities it had, assured me we could afford it, and before long, convinced me we indeed needed a Vitamix.
He found one on Vitamix's website, vitamix.com, that had been reconditioned and check this out -- it was RED! I love red! It cost about $350 but we were determined by then.
When the Vitamix arrived, we were like little kids getting a puppy on Christmas. We praised it's attractiveness, we pored over every detail, we took it for a little test run and then praised it for being so darn smart! One of the first things Chuck made was peanut butter. Just roasted unsalted peanuts, whirled around in the Vitamix then slathered on your toast! We keep it in a jar in our fridge and it is so good!
And of course we make smoothies. Fruit smoothies, fruit and veggie smoothies, green smoothies and even a chocolate smoothie. One night Chuck made orange sorbet and it rocked! In other words, the Vitamix has met every expectation we had and was totally worth the money. It also juices, shreds veggies, blends, does all sorts of handy things.
Please go to the website to check out all the facts and features, but they really are great. And we use it at least once a day, sometimes more. It comes with a great cookbook that you can find on ebay for a whole lotta money. The cookbook tells you how to make soups, sauces, juices, smoothies and many other healthful dishes.
The machine itself is amazing. It's really a simple machine, easy to use, not a bunch of crazy settings. It's easy to clean up, easy to use, just very useful. Of course, a Vitamix isn't just for vegans, it would be a huge asset in any kitchen.
Here's our favorite Vitamix smoothie recipe (pictured above):
Banana, Orange and Carrot Smoothie
1/2 banana, peeled
1 orange, peeled and halved
1 baby carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. Select Variable 1. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.
See? Really simple! If you're trying this recipe in another blender, you need to chop up your fruit into smaller pieces. You might have to blend it longer, as well.
Then, my dad bought a really nice Mixmaster at a garage sale and it was fabulous! I was so jealous! But the odds of me finding a nice Mixmaster at another garage sale were slim. That Christmas, my hubby bought me a brand new Mixmaster! Woot! Woot! It was worth every penny.
So when I started preparing for my new vegan lifestyle, I knew I needed a new blender (I used mine so little that I had given it away!). We wanted smoothies and we did have a nice smoothie machine. But it couldn't handle veggies and denser fruits. Not if you want a really smooth smoothie. My friend Chance, who has been my mentor in all this healthy living, told me his family had a Vitamix and loved it.
I checked it out on the Internet and nearly lost my mind. A Vitamix, brand new, is about $400. That's $400, yes. Wow. And that's just a basic version. There are more expensive versions.
My little 50s housewife thought "Oh, dear! this will eat up all the money I've been saving for a new pair of kitchen curtains!" And then some!
But my husband did some more research and he dug into it and, ultimately, he determined the Vitamix was the way to go. OKAY, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? He really is a cheapskate so this amazed me. He then showed me all the positive reviews the machine got from users, showed me all the capabilities it had, assured me we could afford it, and before long, convinced me we indeed needed a Vitamix.
He found one on Vitamix's website, vitamix.com, that had been reconditioned and check this out -- it was RED! I love red! It cost about $350 but we were determined by then.
When the Vitamix arrived, we were like little kids getting a puppy on Christmas. We praised it's attractiveness, we pored over every detail, we took it for a little test run and then praised it for being so darn smart! One of the first things Chuck made was peanut butter. Just roasted unsalted peanuts, whirled around in the Vitamix then slathered on your toast! We keep it in a jar in our fridge and it is so good!
And of course we make smoothies. Fruit smoothies, fruit and veggie smoothies, green smoothies and even a chocolate smoothie. One night Chuck made orange sorbet and it rocked! In other words, the Vitamix has met every expectation we had and was totally worth the money. It also juices, shreds veggies, blends, does all sorts of handy things.
Please go to the website to check out all the facts and features, but they really are great. And we use it at least once a day, sometimes more. It comes with a great cookbook that you can find on ebay for a whole lotta money. The cookbook tells you how to make soups, sauces, juices, smoothies and many other healthful dishes.
The machine itself is amazing. It's really a simple machine, easy to use, not a bunch of crazy settings. It's easy to clean up, easy to use, just very useful. Of course, a Vitamix isn't just for vegans, it would be a huge asset in any kitchen.
Here's our favorite Vitamix smoothie recipe (pictured above):
Banana, Orange and Carrot Smoothie
1/2 banana, peeled
1 orange, peeled and halved
1 baby carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. Select Variable 1. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.
See? Really simple! If you're trying this recipe in another blender, you need to chop up your fruit into smaller pieces. You might have to blend it longer, as well.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Top 5 Discoveries
Big news for this week: I've lost five more pounds. Yay, me! And that makes a total of 15 pounds for me and nearly 30 for my hubby. And my blood sugar ratings have went way down. Amazingly so! As I have said before, it would be great to lose weight, but my main goal is to get off of some the medications I take -- for instance the medication which is intended to help prevent me from getting diabetes, Mitformin. I don't want to take it. I want to manage my food and exercise so that I don't need that pill every day. One step closer!
Okay, with the personal stuff out of the way, I want to talk about some of the products I've adopted in the past few weeks. In trying to adopt the Forks Over Knives way of eating, my husband and I have explored a lot of websites, a lot of recipes, a lot of nutrition labels. We still have so much to learn, but we have found some things that, even if we totally failed at going vegan, we would still use those items.
Let me tell you about them:
Agave Nectar-- Agave nectar is a product of the same plant from which tequila is made. (Got your attention, didn't I?) The agave nectar has an appearance similar to honey, but it has a thinner consistency and a light taste. We use it a lot in smoothies and I even made a quick fruit salad and drizzled just a tad of agave nectar over it -- delicious! It contains some good minerals and vitamins and I found this explanation on a website: "The carbohydrate in agave nectar has a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant "sugar rush" and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars. Agave nectar is a delicious natural sweetener that can be used moderately - by dieters, some diabetics, and health conscious cooks - to replace high-glycemic and refined sugars." http://www.allaboutagave.com/health-benefits-of-agave-nectar.php
Soy Milk -- To tell the truth I've been drinking soy milk for a few years, but my husband only came on board when we started the Forks Over Knives plan. We both think soy milk tastes better on cereal with a hint of sweet that keeps you from missing all that nasty processed sugar. We also use it in smoothies, recipes, anywhere we would have used cow's milk before. We like Silk brand soy milk. http://silksoymilk.com/
Vegetable Stock -- You know about chicken broth and beef broth. They're yummy. They have that wonderful meaty flavor. I was pretty dubious about what a vegetable stock would taste like. Never should have worried! It has a full, healthy flavor and works in soups and other dishes that need a little more juice. Best thing is it comes in resealable containers, unlike the old cans of chicken broth I used to buy. This is the link to the brand we buy: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/178
Tamari -- Tamari is made from soy beans, as is soy sauce. However, Tamari has a lighter, less salty flavor. Right from the first taste, we both agreed it was much better than traditional soy sauce. It is used in recipes and as a condiment. We use Sang-J Organic Tamari, gluten free. Check out this website for a very complete explanation of Tamari: http://www.san-j.com/faq.asp
Earth Balance Spread -- This has been my very favorite "substitute" food yet. At first I was just doing without butter, because of the no-dairy restrictions of the Forks Over Knives plan. That got old fast! My husband found Earth Balance Spread at the store at about the same time as I was discovering it on the Internet. It comes in a tub like margarine, but the taste! It is very creamy, a tiny bit sweet, and completely NOT greasy. It is made from soy beans. We use it on toast and bread and just anywhere we would use butter. I have not baked with it or cooked extensively with it. I've seen recipes using Earth Balance, though. You really need to try this stuff. http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/
I hope our experiences help you out as you explore a whole food, plant-based diet. My advice, always, is that you research these suggested products on your own and not just take my word for it. I have researched them but, hey, we are all different, I don't know what your particular needs are. And I'm not a doctor or any kind of expert. I am simply sharing my journey, hoping to inspire and to encourage others to try a healthy diet.
Okay, with the personal stuff out of the way, I want to talk about some of the products I've adopted in the past few weeks. In trying to adopt the Forks Over Knives way of eating, my husband and I have explored a lot of websites, a lot of recipes, a lot of nutrition labels. We still have so much to learn, but we have found some things that, even if we totally failed at going vegan, we would still use those items.
Let me tell you about them:
Agave Nectar-- Agave nectar is a product of the same plant from which tequila is made. (Got your attention, didn't I?) The agave nectar has an appearance similar to honey, but it has a thinner consistency and a light taste. We use it a lot in smoothies and I even made a quick fruit salad and drizzled just a tad of agave nectar over it -- delicious! It contains some good minerals and vitamins and I found this explanation on a website: "The carbohydrate in agave nectar has a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant "sugar rush" and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars. Agave nectar is a delicious natural sweetener that can be used moderately - by dieters, some diabetics, and health conscious cooks - to replace high-glycemic and refined sugars." http://www.allaboutagave.com/health-benefits-of-agave-nectar.php
Soy Milk -- To tell the truth I've been drinking soy milk for a few years, but my husband only came on board when we started the Forks Over Knives plan. We both think soy milk tastes better on cereal with a hint of sweet that keeps you from missing all that nasty processed sugar. We also use it in smoothies, recipes, anywhere we would have used cow's milk before. We like Silk brand soy milk. http://silksoymilk.com/
Vegetable Stock -- You know about chicken broth and beef broth. They're yummy. They have that wonderful meaty flavor. I was pretty dubious about what a vegetable stock would taste like. Never should have worried! It has a full, healthy flavor and works in soups and other dishes that need a little more juice. Best thing is it comes in resealable containers, unlike the old cans of chicken broth I used to buy. This is the link to the brand we buy: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/178
Tamari -- Tamari is made from soy beans, as is soy sauce. However, Tamari has a lighter, less salty flavor. Right from the first taste, we both agreed it was much better than traditional soy sauce. It is used in recipes and as a condiment. We use Sang-J Organic Tamari, gluten free. Check out this website for a very complete explanation of Tamari: http://www.san-j.com/faq.asp
Earth Balance Spread -- This has been my very favorite "substitute" food yet. At first I was just doing without butter, because of the no-dairy restrictions of the Forks Over Knives plan. That got old fast! My husband found Earth Balance Spread at the store at about the same time as I was discovering it on the Internet. It comes in a tub like margarine, but the taste! It is very creamy, a tiny bit sweet, and completely NOT greasy. It is made from soy beans. We use it on toast and bread and just anywhere we would use butter. I have not baked with it or cooked extensively with it. I've seen recipes using Earth Balance, though. You really need to try this stuff. http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/
I hope our experiences help you out as you explore a whole food, plant-based diet. My advice, always, is that you research these suggested products on your own and not just take my word for it. I have researched them but, hey, we are all different, I don't know what your particular needs are. And I'm not a doctor or any kind of expert. I am simply sharing my journey, hoping to inspire and to encourage others to try a healthy diet.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
True Confessions
Most people I know would tell you that I'm a pretty honest person. Sometimes, too honest. I tell the good and the bad, even if it makes me seem a little crazy. I was going to just skim over this past week and tell you all about the yummy meals we made and my first ever shopping trip to Whole Foods and then you would say "My goodness, that girl has her stuff together. She is really grooving on this vegan stuff." And that would make me happy because, for one thing I freaking love it when people say "grooving".
However, that little angel on my shoulder clobbered me upside my head and said "Tell the whole story, girlie, or I'll smack you again." One tough angel.
So here's the truth. I ate meat this week. More than once. And french fries. Twice. And I felt guilty about it. And slightly nauseated. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. But damn, I wanted that greasy, salty food soooo badly!
Okay, now you know the horrible truth: I'm not perfect. Surprised? Yeah, me neither. It's just frustrating when I find myself wanting to veer off of my vegan path. I have so far to go to get healthy! And these stumbles aren't making the journey any shorter. Since I've always been rather pessimistic, a stumble can become a huge step backwards in my head. And I start thinking about giving up on the changes I've started making.
It's only been a month or so that we've been trying to adopt a vegan diet. We've had our ups and downs. We don't understand all the ins and outs of what we're "supposed" to eat or even how to cook it. We're still learning a lot.
My husband has lost nearly 30 pounds. I've only lost 10 and, yes, I know men tend to lose weight faster. But it's another little chink in my armor. So I think "Why am I doing this? I am not losing weight, I keep craving junk food, and I can't keep my pantry stocked because I don't always know what to buy! I'll just quit, just go back to eating whatever sounds good at the moment."
Luckily, my husband is an optimist and when we eat meat or french fries, he just sees it as "we ate meat" or "we ate fries". It is not a catastrophe. He does not fall into a dark, deep funk. He just goes right back to eating the "good" stuff at the very next meal. Without any freaking out. When I told him I was considering just giving up, he was puzzled. "Why? We're doing great!" Um, are you eating the same food I am? Yes, he is. But he sees us eating healthy about 75 percent of the time. That's not "screwing up 25 percent of the time", like it appears in my mind. He is excited because we have went from eating healthy zero percent of the time to eating healthy 75 percent of the time.
Well, damn. That's pretty good thinking there, husband. So I am going to go right back to eating veggies and fruit and healthy proteins and healthy carbs, etcetera. I'm not going to beat myself up over eating ONE cheeseburger. After all, I used to eat two or three cheeseburgers every week. Wow! I am doing so much better! I had vegan soup for lunch today, full of great vegetables and legumes. For dinner, I made a tofu and veggie stir fry served over brown rice.
Good for me! And for my hubby. We want to be healthy and have a long, happy life together. So we will do it. It just takes time and dedication and a lot of research. We're working on it!
Oh, and my first trip to Whole Foods was amazing, but overwhelming. That is one huge store! So many options, so many choices. Lots of good healthy food, but I realized I still need to do some research -- I wanted to buy some protein powder, to add to smoothies. So I envisioned these jars of protein powder, maybe the size of a jar of instant tea? Um, no. All we found were these BUCKETS of protein powder, like I've seen in health food stores at the mall and figured only bodybuilders eat. I need to do a little more reading about protein, as you can see.
And today I discovered the Whole Foods website, which contains a ton of recipes. Check them out if you're looking for healthy recipes. Here's the address: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
However, that little angel on my shoulder clobbered me upside my head and said "Tell the whole story, girlie, or I'll smack you again." One tough angel.
So here's the truth. I ate meat this week. More than once. And french fries. Twice. And I felt guilty about it. And slightly nauseated. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. But damn, I wanted that greasy, salty food soooo badly!
Okay, now you know the horrible truth: I'm not perfect. Surprised? Yeah, me neither. It's just frustrating when I find myself wanting to veer off of my vegan path. I have so far to go to get healthy! And these stumbles aren't making the journey any shorter. Since I've always been rather pessimistic, a stumble can become a huge step backwards in my head. And I start thinking about giving up on the changes I've started making.
It's only been a month or so that we've been trying to adopt a vegan diet. We've had our ups and downs. We don't understand all the ins and outs of what we're "supposed" to eat or even how to cook it. We're still learning a lot.
My husband has lost nearly 30 pounds. I've only lost 10 and, yes, I know men tend to lose weight faster. But it's another little chink in my armor. So I think "Why am I doing this? I am not losing weight, I keep craving junk food, and I can't keep my pantry stocked because I don't always know what to buy! I'll just quit, just go back to eating whatever sounds good at the moment."
Luckily, my husband is an optimist and when we eat meat or french fries, he just sees it as "we ate meat" or "we ate fries". It is not a catastrophe. He does not fall into a dark, deep funk. He just goes right back to eating the "good" stuff at the very next meal. Without any freaking out. When I told him I was considering just giving up, he was puzzled. "Why? We're doing great!" Um, are you eating the same food I am? Yes, he is. But he sees us eating healthy about 75 percent of the time. That's not "screwing up 25 percent of the time", like it appears in my mind. He is excited because we have went from eating healthy zero percent of the time to eating healthy 75 percent of the time.
Well, damn. That's pretty good thinking there, husband. So I am going to go right back to eating veggies and fruit and healthy proteins and healthy carbs, etcetera. I'm not going to beat myself up over eating ONE cheeseburger. After all, I used to eat two or three cheeseburgers every week. Wow! I am doing so much better! I had vegan soup for lunch today, full of great vegetables and legumes. For dinner, I made a tofu and veggie stir fry served over brown rice.
Good for me! And for my hubby. We want to be healthy and have a long, happy life together. So we will do it. It just takes time and dedication and a lot of research. We're working on it!
Oh, and my first trip to Whole Foods was amazing, but overwhelming. That is one huge store! So many options, so many choices. Lots of good healthy food, but I realized I still need to do some research -- I wanted to buy some protein powder, to add to smoothies. So I envisioned these jars of protein powder, maybe the size of a jar of instant tea? Um, no. All we found were these BUCKETS of protein powder, like I've seen in health food stores at the mall and figured only bodybuilders eat. I need to do a little more reading about protein, as you can see.
And today I discovered the Whole Foods website, which contains a ton of recipes. Check them out if you're looking for healthy recipes. Here's the address: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
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