Exploring Veggie Recipes

                                              Veggie Shepherd's Pie

Along with juicing, we're also trying out veggie recipes as we do want to make vegetables the mainstay of our eating regime.   The one in the photo above is a real winner!  It's Veggie Shepherd's Pie - delicious and oh, so filling!   I'll tweak it a bit next time by adding an additional leek and probably one more carrot.   We used almond milk since we're avoiding dairy and parmesan cheese for the cheese  (see notes below in red).  We used cream of mushroom soup so we might try it with cream of celery soup next time.  (I will add WW plus points for this after I put it in the online recipe builder.)

Here's the recipe:

Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

4 medium potatoes, peeled, cut & large diced Boil for 15 minutes or until done. (we used red-skinned potatoes and left the skin on)

1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic, crushed 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 leek, halved and sliced Soak in water to clean off dirt. 1 carrot diced 1 Cup cauliflower florets.  Add all 6 ingredients to small amount of olive oil and sauté for 10 minutes.  (we had to use our largest saute pan for this as there are so many ingredients to this recipe)

Add cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup.  Add small amount of potato water if it dries out.

Add: 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 1 can drained beans.  Meanwhile, mash drained potatoes until smooth.

Pour ½ cup milk (almond milk) over mixture.  Add ¼ cup grated cheese (parmesan cheese). Season to taste

Spoon vegetable mixture into oven-proof dish.  Top with potato mash.  Add ¼ cup cheese on top Bake 350° for 20 min.

This coming week, we'll be having this has our one solid meal, and we will be juicing the other two meals.    This past week, we've been jucing only at dinner and eating 2 solid meals - mostly scrambled eggs and potatoes sauteed in olive oil for breakfast and veggie, bean and barley soup  (home-made) for lunch.   We also snack on fruit throughout the day.  When we return from San Antonio, we may attempt to a five day juice fast - that means only juicing throughout the day - 4 to 5 juices are recommended.

The results are phenomenal.  We've each lost nearly 10 pounds.  I was up from our trip to Albuquerque just a week ago - and I've lost 3.5 pounds within one week! (see addendum below) And that's mostly from juicing just once a day!  We're anxious to see the results this week after replacing two meals a day with juicing!   

Of course, this is not just about losing weight - it's also about becoming healthy.  We both feel more energetic, have seen positive changes in our skin tone, and have little or no joint pain - and Ralph's blood sugar has been in the normal range.   We also no longer feel sluggish and bloated.    

As I stated in a previous post...since this paradigm shift in our eating lifestyle is working well for us,  our mantra is Keep Moving Forward!  : )

Addendum:   February 25 - official weigh-in day - now down 11 pounds.  I went down five pounds in just the past week (though I had been up nearly two pounds from the week before when we spent the weekend in Albuquerque). Still feeling great, and virtually no cravings!   

Update : Our Juicing Fast

Note:  Joe Cross, the producer of "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", has been our number one motivator on why we've gotten into Juicing.  His documentary about how juicing transformed his life is inspiring and has been life-changing for others who have done the same.

Just found out the entire documentary he produced is free on the internet on HULU. Here is the weblink:  "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" - produced by Joe Cross  Once again, if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend it - especially if you're not only wanting to lose weight but also are suffering from autoimmune illnesses, migraines, diabetes, skin diseases, and other such ailments.

He also has his own website:   Reboot With Joe


Our Juicing Fast Update:

We tried out juicing a few times before actually starting a "fast".  Even so, we're only doing a "partial fast" this week - i.e.  juicing one to two meals a day.   We will probably do a full-fledged five day Juice Fast in March when we return from our trip to see the kids.  

So far, here are the results of our partial Juice Fast:

Both of us are feeling great - our energy level is creeping up by the day, while the pounds are creeping down!  :)    We're actually enjoying our juices - and having fun experimenting with recipes!   Our favorite so far is a concoction of the following:  kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, green apples,  carrots - flavored with lemon, lime and ginger! I can't begin to describe how yummy it is!   Our dinner juices have been large - 20 oz or so.   We also snack on juices or eat fruit during the day.  We're enjoying the juices so much - and they are so filling - that it's difficult to really think of it as a "fast".

Weight loss is both astounding and encouraging!   I'm now down about 9 pounds since January - partly from "clean eating", partly from "juicing".   My husband really only started this month and he's down 5 pounds already!   Of course, we will need to continue with clean eating after our 'fast' in order to make the weight loss permanent.  

If anyone has questions about juicing, I can try to answer them as I did a lot of research before we actually started juicing.  I also researched the type of juicer we got as it is quite an expense.   However, if it improves our health as it already seems to be doing,   it will be well worth the cost!

Sharing a Video that has Transformed Lives

  

                                FAT, SICK and NEARLY DEAD - Video

Just want to share the trailer of this transformational video - as it has influenced us greatly to add JUICING to our regime!   If you haven't seen the film, I strongly recommend it.   It is truly amazing!

Here is a synopsis of the film:

     100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well— with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health.

     With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long- term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

     While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it's at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 lbs; a cheeseburger away from a heart-attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well.

    What emerges is nothing short of amazing – an inspiring tale of healing and human connection.Part road trip, part self-help manifesto, FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD defies the traditional documentary format to present an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them is themselves.

Keep Moving Forward

As long as I know I'm on the right track, why would I do anything else but MOVE FORWARD?   For the last six weeks, I have been faithful in following what works for me - tracking, eating mindfully, and adding juicing to my eating regime.  That's not to say that I can't continue to make improvements my program - in fact, I will most likely need to tweak my program when I hit a plateau.   Even now, I want to increase the number of times a week I replace a meal with juicing - up to a meal every other day.    I've done some exercise (walking) but can certainly add more.  I also want to keep up with my blog - my goal is to update my journey at least twice a week.

I've lost a total of  7.7 pounds since I re-started my journey at the beginning of January which translates to an average of 1.3 pounds lost per week.  If I continue at this rate, I will be back to the 100's by the end of this month or early March!  For me, that spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S!   :)    In the past, I've lost very slowly - about .5 per week, and usually I hit plateaus very early on - mainly because I've been inconsistent with tracking and not faithful to mindful eating.   This time, I've been very faithful to tracking my food intake daily - only missing once in the past six weeks or so.   Best of all, I've not felt that tracking and eating mindfully are burdensome - probably because I like the results I'm seeing and I especially like how I feel as I take off the weight, and nurture my body with healthful eating habits.  I'm also setting up mini-goals for myself as thinking about how much further I have to go to get to a healthy goal weight is at times overwhelming!  My son has once again challenged me - but it is a do-able goal as it means losing 25 more pounds at which time he says he will take me on a trip to "someplace nice".  As he's moving to Hawaii soon, I can well envision where that "someplace nice" might be!   : )

Besides my body, I am also nourishing my mind by reading books that are helping my journey - specifically, the books I'm reading are A Course on Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson and Women, Food and God by Gineen Roth and several books on Juicing such as The Complete Book of Juicing by Michael T. Murray. Another book I've downloaded on my Kindle and have started to read is Weight Loss Boss: How to Finally Win at Losing--and Take Charge in an Out-of-Control Food World   by David Kirchhoff, the CEO of Weight Watchers - his own weight loss journey like so many others is motivating and his humility and candidness are refreshing.   In addition, I keep up with blogs by friends who are also on healthy eating journeys.  I also share and receive lots of support from family as well as friends.   Such support is vital - as it serves to remind me over and over again that "I am not making this journey alone".  

A Week of Dining Out - and Our "New" Kitchen!

This week has been more of a challenge than most.  Our kitchen was out of commission the entire week as we had a team of workers re-painting, tiling the floor, and putting up a backsplash.  I love the results - but I did have to deal with dining out every day and still stay OP (on the program).   According to my tracker, I went over about 2 points each day - honestly, it's hard to keep to 26 points when one is constantly having to eat out.   I know it would have been much worse if I hadn't at least looked up the nutritional values of food items before heading out to various restaurants.   I've made the mistake in the past of not looking up the nutritional information until AFTER we dined out - finding out what the nutritional values of foods that appear to be  healthy can be a real shocker!  

So what did I learn from this experience?  It does indeed pay to "plan ahead" by looking up nutritional information prior to eating out.  For example, I found out that Denny's Fit Fare menu items are generally point-friendly - with a few exceptions.  I ordered the Fit Fare veggie skillet which comes out to 8 points - though I did not eat all the potatoes.  Very tasty dish, indeed!   I also found out that the Power Panini Thin sandwiches at Corner Bakery Cafe - even though Panini and "thin" may seem a bit like an oxymoron - are not only delicious, but also very point-friendly, especially the avocado and spinach sandwich.  I also ordered their yogurt parfait - but without the granola.   We also ate a local place called Buon Giorno Caffe  - which focuses on healthy menu with organic items.  It doesn't have the nutritional value of its menu item - so I played it safe and had a veggie salad with balsamic dressing on the side.   All in all, it's about "mindful eating" and making healthy choices.  Nevertheless, since I know that nutritional values posted online are not always accurate, my results for my next WI (Monday) may not be what I would like it to be.  Whatever it is, I'll simply take it and move forward.

Now that I've gotten my kitchen back, and I love the new look,  I'm even more motivated to try out new recipes, and continue experimenting with our newly-established juicing routine.  In making room for the juicer on the counter, I had to change things around.  I actually ended up with a lot more "food prep" space on my counter than I had before!

Here are a few photos of our "new" kitchen:

New floor tiling, backsplash and paint

Close-up of new backsplash