Monday's Health Update for Lynn and Happy Holiday Wishes

Eating out, eating in, always a challenge to stay on track. My TRACK is my new (of the past six months) LIFE TIME health track regarding preparing vegan dishes, exercising, and living a healthy and happy life style.

 

A fruit smoothie seen before pressing BLEND is still the thing that kicks off my morning:

raspberries, banana, Fuji apple, grapefruit, coconut flakes and non-dairy coconut milk *unsweetened

 

First of all let me tell you TODAY that I honestly DO NOT MISS ANYTHING I no longer eat, but did, grow up on in fact. We were big meat eaters in my childhood home. Every Sunday was Roast Beef that bled on the platter; middle of the week was steaks, lamb chops, chicken, turkey, fish. I do remember my mother trying to get me to eat LIVER, and rebelling loudly. I finally got lamb chops instead. I did like the sautéed onions that went over the liver. My grandparents came to visit with corn beef and tongue from the deli where they lived.

This Saturday we ate out in a Mexican Restaurant and I was able to order steamed vegetables in a bed of lettuce.

In the past there were desserts: ICE CREAM, CAKE, CANDY. My mother baked beautiful to look at and delicious to taste confections and baked goods. She even baked bread. Well, I did too in the 1970's.

But today since SUGAR, FLOUR, DAIRY, EGGS, are things I NO LONGER EAT, I am happy to say that FRESH FRUIT, and an occasional raw cocoa/coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract treat satisfies me just fine.

My new mantra is: "I NO LONGER EAT THAT!"

one I will be bringing with me to a family Thanksgiving this week along with some

beautiful vegan main dishes and desserts.

More pictures and recipes from that next week.

But I do eat:

Last night I stir fried in a dollop of olive oil, mushrooms, red bell pepper, yellow onion, and julienned zucchini. And topped it with some left over cooked lentils in marinara sauce. A perfect dinner.
With enough left over for lunch or dinner tomorrow.

It was a busy weekend. We went sailing yesterday afternoon, a short, free sail offered by the CAL Sailing club in Berkeley, CA. Before the sail we stopped at a sandwich shack near by. What could I order there? I asked the woman what they had that would be vegetarian. She said they had an avocado sandwich. I said, "But I don't eat bread." She offered to wrap it in a big lettuce leaf. It was avocado slices, tomato slices, bean spouts, and pickle in a big dark green lettuce leaf. Delicious and very vegan! I didn't ask if the veggies or pickle were organic. Sometimes you can't be too choosy.

Last week I wrote about my commitments and you can read that here!

I continue to live up to those commitments, and have exercised every day since last Monday. My weight continues to decrease slowly over time. I found myself getting disappointed if it went up a few tenths or stayed the same, as it has for the past three days in a row. But I keep reminding myself that this is a  LIFE TIME GOAL and HABIT so I trust my body will let go of it's unneeded fat in a fashion that will assure it going and staying gone over time. In the meantime I feel ever so good in my NEW BODY! Walking is easier, It just feels good to look down on myself and see less of me there! ;-) And knowing that things on my insides are doing better too.

I am giving away two very good pairs of Cabella's jean's that I have out grown! They used to be tight, they are now too loose fresh out of the drier. That my friends is SUCCESS!

Books!

I bought a new cookbook: The Occasional Vegetarian 100 Delicious Dishes That Put Vegetables at the Center of the Plate by Elaine Louie 2011.  by Hyperon NY
It is full of vegan and vegetarian recipes!

I also follow Sonnet Lauberth's blog and have her just out E-book:  The Seasonal Comfort Food Cookbook on my iPad.

Have a healthy week!

 

Wishing you and yours a

Happy Thanksgiving

and

Happy Chanukah

Food Condiments, Morning Choices and Health Successes Continue

I found these adorable glass shaker bottles at a thrift store recently for $1 each.

I knew they'd be perfect for my chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds.

I call these my "brain food" and keep them on the stove, as I can easily shake them into anything I am making, but especially my morning smoothies and/or hot grain cereal.

 

That yellow label in the back is Nutritional Yeast. It too goes into stir fried vegetables and other cooked dishes. And it's great on organic popcorn.

 

Mim's girls over see my cooking every day.

 

I like this sea salt container from Costco, as it has a built in grinder! I use very little salt in my cooking. I've never had high blood pressure, but I don't want to temp the fates.
A little olive oil adds flavor to stir fried vegetables too.
Nice that Paul Newman had a hand in making mine!

This morning I start the day with a fruit smoothie. Walnuts, one small banana, hands full of blue berries, strawberries and raspberries, the above mentioned seeds (hemp, chia and flax). Cinnamon too. Toss in the blender and mix and fills a 16 oz glass!

Or I cook whole grain steel oats with the same seeds, nuts and cinnomen and have a nice comfy bowl of hot cereal.

Up date on my health: exercising nearly every day: 20-30 minutes on the treadmill; floor exercises; 50 crunches; weights for biceps and triceps every other day; have added weighted leg lifts.

Weight loss of 15 pounds since beginning of May! 148lb < 133lb today! Starting to see the changes.
4" off belly. 2" off waist.

DH is exercising too and eating less although not vegan. He's managed to get off meds for diabetes, has lost 20 lbs in 2 months (men loose so fast!) and is looking slim and trim! I am so proud of him.
He works out on exercise bike, treadmill and nordic trac. Also lifts weights.

Have a good and healthy day!