Diet Fiction Movie

Diet Fiction is another movie starring many of the WFPB heroes we know and love. No Dr. McDougall or Dr. Esselstyn, but there's Drs. Ornish, Barnard, Williams, Davis, McMacken, etc., plus people like Adam Sud, Rich Roll, and Chef Del.

It's not out yet, but the official web site links to iTunes where you can pre-order it when it is released.

Jeff's Almost Instant Soup

Back in August, Jeff Novick posted his thoughts on emergency food, now that hurricane season was starting up, and since he lives in Florida, there's always a chance they lose power. He and I corresponded on his forum about dried/dehydrated foods a year or so ago, too. Since then, I always had some dried veggies around the house. After this thread, I invested in even more of them. My favorite place to buy from is Harmony House - I've been buying dried veggies from them for over 20 years and never had a problem.

In that thread he shared his recipe for what he called Almost Instant Soup. I finally had all the veggies it called for and made a batch earlier this week. He's right - it does make a lot of soup and lasts a long time in the refrigerator! I made this up on Monday morning, and still have enough to last at least 4 more lunches after today.

Here's the basic recipe. The posts in the link above gives all the details:

1.5 cup dehydrated (not dry) lentils 
4 cups dehydrated vegetables. (Some of my favorites are carrots, onions, broccoli and green beans)
1 gallon of water

- Place all ingredients in a 6 -8 qt pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10-20 minutes. 
- Adjust water to make it thinner or thicker as desired.
- Add desired herbs, spices to taste.

Along with those ingredients I added a quarter cup of dehydrated soup vegetables blend from Frontier Co-Op. Even though there's nothing else in this, just the dried veggies, it has a unique taste, as if there are added spices or herbs. And since I'm unimaginative when it comes to spicing foods, I also added 3 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash Table Blend, too. I should have left this out and just gone with the added flavor of the soup mix. I used my 8 quart Instant Pot on Sauté then Keep Warm to make this - it was the only pot I own that was big enough.

It's delicious! And since I bought the gallon sized jug of all the ingredients that Jeff recommended, I can have this for every lunch all winter long without having to go out shopping and never be bored! If I want a change of taste, I'll add a can of diced tomatoes or choose one of the many other versions of Mrs. Dash I have in the kitchen. 

What else can I say about this soup, but YUM!

Thanks again for a delicious recipe, Jeff!

OK, Mother Nature, bring on Winter! Between those dried veggies, all the canned tomatoes, bagged beans, boxes of broth, bags of pasta, and all the other staple items stuffed every nook and cranny of this little apartment, we're ready if you want to start dumping a few feet of snow on us every few weeks. Of course, I'd much rather you didn't, but I'm ready if you do.

Ann & Jane - Snacks!

Warning - the only thing here safe for those on MWLP or the Esselstyn Reversal version of his food plan is the suggestion to eat veggies dipped in hummus, or having orange or apple slices already cut and on hand. Of course, with only 2 fruits allowed a day, they're usually incorporated into meals and not used as snacks.

Also, a lot of these suggestions are for super hard flour products. Be careful of things like Mary's Gone Crackers, and especially Ann's suggestion of eating the unpopped corn kernels at the bottom of the bowl I've broken a tooth on those crackers and I'm sure others have chipped teeth on unpopped popcorn!

And Brian's exciting new find of unsalted whole wheat matzos? I suggested those decades ago!

Also note, some people commenting under the video have said the code Jane gives for the pretzels does not work, so beware.

Ann & Jane - Magnificent Chocolate Cake

And here is Jane's site to order the cake mix, if interested. If you don't want to shell out $10 for the convenience, the mix is the Adonis Cake recipe from Rip's My Beef with Meat/Plant Strong book.




But remember, this is fine for people looking for prevention of heart disease or those who just want to follow the Engine 2 food plan for general health. If you already have heart disease, this cake is not safe for those on the reversal food plan because of the added maple syrup and tofu in Ann's frosting and the walnuts and syrup in Jane's, and the maple syrup/sugar (depending on which recipe you use) in the cake itself. I really wish Jane or Ann would mention that fact in their videos, especially when using the Prevent and Reverse book or cookbook itself.

Ann & Jane - Badass Banana Bread

Next McDougall Webinar December 13, 2018

Dr. John McDougall, MD, returns to his bi-monthly webinars.

Scheduled Webinars: Free Webinar for All

Thursday, December 13th at 11:00AM PST:

Register Now

Title: Dr. McDougall interviews Neal D. Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C.,

Description: Dr. Neal D. Barnard is a physician, clinical researcher, author, and an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Ann & Jane - Three Quick Meals

A commercial for Engine 2 products.

 

The Return of Dr. McDougall Webinars

FREE WEBINAR FOR ALL

Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 11:00 AM (PST)

New Webinar Series Begins with Dr. McDougall and Guests

Dr. John McDougall, MD, returns to his bi-monthly webinars.
Want to know what Dr. McDougall has been up to? This first webinar of the series will feature Dr. McDougall with a warm welcome and a candid interview (followed by a Q&A session). 

Sign up below to watch live or to watch the REPLAY later on!

• Thursday, 29 November 2018, at 11:00 AM

Happy Thanksgiving

Ann & Jane - Mommy's Mushroom Gravy

EPIC: The Best of John McDougall, MD

Ann & Jane Stuff for Thanksgiving

Those mushrooms look like they needed a good washing before they got dumped in - so much black mulch still on them! I always wash them, even if the label claims they're pre-washed. 

I really wish I could find a nice whole grain, oil-free, gluten-free bread. I loved stuffing and would make a whole meal out of the leftovers, some years taking stuffing sandwiches into work for lunch the next few days. Thanks to my auto-immune diseases and pains whenever I eat bread, those days are long gone.

Where's Dr. McDougall

Back in June, a thread was started on the McDougall forums asking where Dr. McDougall was. The webinar page had a note saying the McDougalls were travelling, that the webinars would continue in July.

It's now well after July and no webinars yet.

Then yesterday afternoon Jeff Novick, who now seems to be the public voice of the McDougall program, posted this:

Re: Where's McDougall?

by JeffN » Thu Nov 01, 2018 3:46 pm

As an FYI, this is going up on the Webinar page in the next few days

As you may know, Dr. McDougall retired from practice this past June of 2018. He is no longer seeing patients and is working more with legislation, healthcare systems, and education projects.

https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=5e5 ... 5NBiWx8kP8

After over 40 years of tireless working for the cause, he and Mary have recently taken some time off for some long deserved R&R.

As of this moment, we can’t say definitively whether we will continue the webinars or not. If we do, they will be announced in the mailings, along with any other McDougall updates, news, recipes, etc, which we will continue to send out on a regular basis. Make sure you are subscribed to them, which you can do here:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/mailings/

In addition, please make sure you are taking full advantage of our website and all of the resources that are available for free. You can see a full listing here:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... resources/

Thanks again!

Best of Health,
The McDougall Team

Well, I guess that's the end of the webinars. I really don't think he's coming back to them.

I'm not surprised, really. Dr. McDougall has not seemed the same since that fall he took a few years ago, when he broke a few bones, including the strongest bone in the body, a femur. Then came the fire that turned all their lives upside down. And in the last webinar he did he mentioned Mary had shoulder surgery. I would be a whimpering fool if all that happened to me, and for him it was probably the last straw. Since then he stopped doing newsletters, retired from seeing patients, and a few weeks ago the office said he's no longer going to reply to emails. People have said he does make an appearance at the 10 Day programs, but doesn't do the lectures like he used to.

Thanks, Dr. McDougall - and Mary. It was a fun ride while it lasted.

Ann & Jane - Sweet Potato Hummus

Lima Bean Comfort Soup

Long time readers of this blog may remember I have no love for lima beans, and even quit the Rancho Gordo Bean Club (three times now) because of all the lima beans they would send. I buy the Birdseye brand mixed frozen vegetables because, unlike store brands, they do not contain lima beans. When a recipe calls for lima beans I leave them out or substitute something like cannelini beans, instead.

Recently, I got a bug up my butt to rip some of the many WFPB nutrition DVDs that I have using a freeware software called Handbrake. My son fiddled around with various settings and we now have 2 custom settings, one for him and his stuff, and one for mine. His is higher quality to watch on his computer monitor, mine set for a lower quality for mobile viewing because I've been transferring them to my iPad Mini. For weeks I ripped most of my McDougall videos, all of Jeff's lectures and his Fast Food series, the Essesltyn and Fuhrman seminars. OK, I did a few movies, too.

What I did these last few weeks were the VegSource Get Healthy Now DVD sets that I bought a few years ago when they had the bundle sale. Of the 9 years' worth of DVDs, 3 discs to a set, 3 to 5 lectures on each disc, I may have watched 4 talks before this, I'm embarrassed to say. Why? Well, someone else would be using the tv when I had time when I first got them, or life happened and there was no time to watch. Eventually, I just plain old forgot I owned them when they got buried under stuff on the shelf where I had them.

But I recently dug them out and started copying them. Today, I'm working on the last one, 2014's Black case. As I did them all, one lecture at a time, I was amazed at how many great presenters they had at these VegSource Healthy Lifestyle Expos over the years. Dr. McDougall did a number of lectures, as did Jeff Novick and the Esselstyns. Dr. Fuhrman appeared at least twice, and many more.

The one thing each year that attracted my attention, the only ones I've been watching the past few days, are the cooking demonstrations. Each year, Sabrina Nelson would apron up and join 2-4 other people to demonstrate their favorite recipes. Jeff cooked a few times, as his Fast Food series discs were released; Ann and Rip Esselstyn each appeared a few times each, as did Chef Tanya of Native Foods restaurant. But the one whose recipes really caught my eye this time were the ones Sabrina Nelson herself did. She was demonstrating recipes using the pressure cooker years before the Instant Pot came out, back when I had my own stovetop PC. As far as I know, these recipes were never printed anywhere or included in any cookbook. She shared some of her family's recipes on their website, and I plan on making the Semi-Cajun Black Bean Soup (minus the sausages) from that page soon, and Randa's Corn Chowder from that page is already one of our favorites. Some of Sabrina's others made their way into the Twins' Clear Skin Diet book.

But this one, Lima Bean Comfort Soup, as far as I know, has only been shared on the Get Healthy Now Orange set from 2007.

In the demo, Sabrina talks about how lima beans have always meant "comfort" to her, as her mom would make lima beans when she was small and in need of comfort, and now that she's a mom, it's her turn to make them, hence this soup.


Lima Bean Comfort Soup 

Pre-soak 1 pound Lima beans a few hours. 
She said there was no need to soak them overnight. I did a quick soak this morning by bringing the rinsed bag of Rancho Gordo Classic Cassoulet beans I've had since 2015. They're no longer on their web site so I can't link them. These beans look exactly like limas - and when I made them in the past, they tasted exactly like limas, too, so to me, cassoulet beans are lima beans.

Sauté 1 diced onion, some garlic, and a stalk of chopped celery in water.
I diced up a large Vidalia onion, tossed some minced garlic, and about 2-3 tablespoons of the dried celery I bought from Harmony House. While that was cooking up the kitchen smelled so amazing my son actually poked his head out of his room asking what I was cooking. He's been eating a lot more of the WFPB meals I've been making lately, especially Jeff's Fast Food meals. He might even surprise me and ask for a bowl of this for his lunch today.

Add herbs to taste, maybe half teaspoon each of Rosemary, sage, about a teaspoon Muchi curry, garlic pepper. 
Sabrina mentioned during the demonstration that she really doesn't do exact measurements, and used her hand and the spice caps to dole out the spices. The amounts written here are her estimates of what she used. As for the curry, she explained how there are many different types of curry out there, and she prefers the Muchi curry for much of her recipes. I looked on Amazon and see it in one pound bags. The smaller jars can be had if you belong to Amazon Pantry or Amazon Fresh. I'll look around elsewhere, like Penzey's or our local health food store (They carry Frontier, the brand Amazon has in bags), and see what I can get. Today, I used the Madras Curry that I used for one of the chili recipes I have. I added some plain old black pepper and plan on grabbing some garlic pepper when I go grocery shopping this weekend.

Add water by tablespoon as needed to prevent sticking.

Add a quart of broth and a cup of water.
In the video she used Pacific no-chicken broth, a product I've never seen. I used the usual Kitchen Basics Unsalted Vegetable Stock that I use for everything.

Add a quarter cup red lentils, a cut up red potato.
No red potatoes so used a Yukon Gold.

Add the lima beans. Cover the pressure cooker and cook at pressure for 9 minutes.
That's the easy part, now that I have an Instant Pot that I can set and forget. After it cooked then cooled for a half hour I released the remaining pressure.

After it's cooked, add some balsamic vinegar.
This part she just said, not showed, so I estimated about a tablespoon of vinegar. It's so little it doesn't add to the flavor.

The final result:

Well, I have to say, it does taste pretty good. The lima beans are nice and soft and taste like beans, not something dry and wood-like. But this is mostly a pot of beans, not really a pot of soup. Most of the broth got absorbed by the beans and lentils (which vanished - I couldn't find a red lentil to save my life!). I wish I could eat bread - what little broth there is in this dish is very tasty.

I still have a few more bags of lima beans, from big limas, baby limas, Christmas limas, as well as more of these big cassoulette beans. With winter rapidly approaching, this will make a nice cold weather lunch.

I wonder how many of the recipes in the Clear Skin Diet book are also Sabrina's and not concoctions tossed together by the girls. I copied a few using the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon or their YouTube channel, but not too many looked all that interesting. I was hoping Jeff Nelson himself would post a few of his wife's creations to his channel. Maybe I'll make that suggestion on his VegSource Facebook page. :)

Ann & Jane - Kickin' Corn Muffins

Kickin' Corn Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1 cup water
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 1/4 cups oat flour
1 1/4 cups corn flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

Book Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the water and flaxseed meal in a small bowl and let sit for at least 5 minutes, until it starts to gel. (This is not the usual flaxseed-to-water ration used in baking: We are saving steps by using all the water for the muffins with the flaxseed meal).

In a mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, corn flour, and baking soda. Add the flaxseed mixture and maple syrup and mix until well combined.

Scoop the batter into the cups of a 12-cup non-stick muffin pan. Bake for 18 minutes, until lightly browned. These are best when served warm with salsa or hot sauce.


The Engine 2 Cookbook
page 111

Video instructions:

Do NOT mix the water and flaxseed together. Add the dry flax meal to the flours in the bowl.
Use any grind cornmeal.
If 1/2 cup maple syrup is too much, use less syrup and increase the water.

Chatter on the MWLP Forum on the McDougall Web Site

Recently there was a discussion on what is and isn't allowed on the Maximum Weight Loss version of the McDougall program (Page 216 in the Starch Solution book). Some of the posts were removed because the thread was about the weekly weigh-in, and what was written had nothing to do with the weigh-in (That was the excuse I was given via PM when my post was removed), but as the discussion continued by others, Jeff Novick eventually posted the following:

There have been a few (not many) changes to the program over the years, as with recommended supplements for heart disease, probiotics, etc. Yes, you can refer back to the newsletter on supplements but it does not represent our current position. Several things have changed since the original MWL book has come out and since the MWL newsletter which updated the book.
If you have questions about what we are doing at the program right now (and/or about what I have said or not), the best thing to do is to ask me. I am right here.
We do allow pasta, but like tortilla's, it is one of those very rare "gray' areas on the MWL.
The original MWL guidelines said "No flour products," however, from the beginning, corn tortilla's (made from corn flour) have been allowed in spite of the fact that they have a calorie density of around 1000 cal/lb. Ironically, I have never recommended them as part of my weight loss guidelines because of the calorie density. The same for puffed cereals.
On the other hand, whole grain pasta, also a flour product, was not part of the original MWL program in spite of the calorie density of only around 550-600, almost half of corn tortilla's. However, for 30 years of my career, (including 10 years at overseeing the food and nutrition at Pritikin), I have always allowed WW pasta and people successfully lost weight. In the same study that showed the potato to be the highest in satiety per calorie, whole grain pasta was right behind it (and oatmeal) and above brown rice.
Some say they overeat on it and if you find that to be true for you, then just leave it out, but then again, some say they overeat on brown rice, so, if so, just leave it out.
Currently, at the 10-Day program, whole grains pasta is marked MWL while corn tortilla's are not.
In Health
Jeff

Sometimes I'm not sure what's going on over there, who is in charge, who to believe. For a while now, emails are coming from the program's/Dr. McDougall's address, and they're just links to the old stuff - newsletter articles and videos from years ago.  But others, such as changes to the guidelines, have been written by Jeff, some with his name on them, but sometimes not, like this one, which was just an email of a post by Jeff with his guidelines for MWLP. People on FaceBook didn't believe me when I said that was written by Jeff, not Dr. McDougall, because it was sent from the official "John McDougall, MD" email address. Even after I posted the link to the forum message where Jeff wrote it out, many still didn't believe it. I gave up.

At least now it's official that pasta is allowed on MWLP. But it's also official that corn tortillas no longer are, gone the way of popcorn and rice cakes, which were banished a few months ago. 

Star McDougaller Esther and Her Nutritional Journey

A few months ago, Dr. McDougall posted about his new Star McDougaller, Esther Loveridge, how she lost over 100 pounds while in her 70's.

Prior to that, she was interviewed on a cruise, where she also told her story:



And even before that, she started her own Facebook community called Esther's Nutritional Journey. I like this site - she sticks to 100% McDougall and takes no nonsense from others, is very supportive of all who write, and she even posts a Word of the Day and explains how it works in living a healthy McDougall lifestyle.

She also has a YouTube site, although there isn't much there at this time.

Her most recent accomplishment occurred last week when she was interviewed for Corinne Nijjer's podcast, When Life Gives You Lemons, Go Vegan! Esther's episode, podcast number 54, is titled "How A 73 Year Old Avoided Having Both Knees Replaced." I just downloaded it, and as soon as my iPad recharges I'll give it a listen.

She's now down 114 pounds from her highest weight. And at age 73, too. That a girl, Esther! 

Speaking of Kurt Kohler . . .

OK, so it's not in his Aunt Cassie Rolle persona, but here's Kurt in his teeny part in an episode of The Big Bang Theory from 2016:

Ann & Jane - Chocolate Filled and Lime Kissed Strawberries

Ann says that mini food processor is a Cuisinart, but it looks more like the Chop 'n Prep Chef portion from the Power Chef system from Tupperware that Chef AJ has been pushing for a few years. You can also see it in action in this Tupperware party done by drag queen Aunt Cassie Rolle (a.k.a. Kurt Kohler). No matter where in the country you live, you can order anything from Tupperware through his Tupperware page. People who have ordered through him have nothing but praise for the personal attention - and speedy shipment - to their orders. He even leaves his phone number in case you have any questions about any of the products.

Super Gentle Qigong

I've mentioned Dr. Robert Bates and his Fun With Qigong videos in the past. Now he has 2 of his videos from his latest DVD, Super Gentle Qigong, up on YouTube. This page from his blog explains what it is and what the movements on the DVD are.

When I bought this DVD he was selling it directly from his professional website, but I don't see it for sale there or on Amazon where I got another of his DVDs. Maybe that's why he posted these videos on-line?

This first one explains what qigong is, what the basic movements in this video set entail, what they're supposed to do for you, and how you're supposed to feel while doing them.


The second video assumes you now know how to do the movements and is a 14 minute run-through of the practice.



These are all VERY simple movements that can be done by anyone, at any level of fitness. They're perfect for people with limited movement because of age, illness or even body size. If you or anyone you know can benefit from even the smallest increase in movement, give this video a try. 

As you progress and get more flexible and stronger, look into either more of Dr. Bate's videos, or those from Lee Holden, the ones I do the most now. The videos from this selection are those I use most frequently, and on this site you can find some of his on-line/streaming videos, including the 30 day 7 Minutes a Day program.

Dr. Doug Lisle - The Perfect Personality

Back when Dr. McDougall was still having those twice yearly Advanced Study Weekends, Dr. Doug Lisle was a regularly scheduled speaker. Back in September 2011 he did a talk called The Perfect Personality, that eventually made its was to his website, Esteem Dynamics, and is available free for all to watch.

He did the same talk for one of the weekly McDougall webinars on March 9, 2017:



He recently appeared at Fasting Escape Retreat Center, a health center opened up by former True North doctor Nathan Gershfeld. It's like True North for the folks in Southern California. Here it is, once again:

 

His artwork hasn't improved one bit. LOL

Ann & Jane - Yonanas Nice Cream

I never understood the allure of this stuff. It's bananas - lots and lots of bananas! It takes around 3-4 bananas to get less than a cup of the creamy concoction, and over half a banana is stuck inside the machine in the blades. And without a dish washer, I've read complaints about what a pain it is to clean.

People on MWLP are limited to 2 servings of fruit a day. People on many other food plans are reminded that there should be no snacking between meals - if you're hungry soon after a meal then eat more of what you had at the meal, ideally having another salad or steamed non-starchy veggies, or, for die hard McDougallers, another potato. Other food plans - and Jeff Novick - really push sequencing your meals, to start with low caloric density foods, either a salad, soup, or a piece of fruit before your starchy meal.

I can see having this snack food as a special treat, on a birthday or holiday instead of higher calorie snack foods. But if you need to lose weight, or have any health condition where you need to restrict sweets, then loading up on frozen desserts, even if they're made of only frozen fruit, isn't for you. But people like the Esselstyns - all thin and in presumable excellent health - more power to them! They can indulge all they want! People like me - no way.

Beauty in NJ

All this within a 15 minute drive or less from home.

Ann & Jane - Crowd Pleasing Black Bean Salsa

Thank-You, Wayback Machine Web Site

I was looking at some old posts trying to find exactly how I made some of the old Engine 2 recipes based on Jeff Novick's SNAP/Fast Food meals. There were 5 of them I used to make a lot from an article entitled 1 Dish Baking Meals, printed back in 2012. Well, many of the recipes are basically the same, with just a different starch used. I just wanted to refresh my memory of what, if any, changes I made.

I noticed not only were some of my linked photos to products used gone, but the link to the article itself was broken. (sigh)

Off to the Engine 2 web site to do a search to get the new link. I know they revamped the site and gave The Daily Beet a new url, but I was so saddened to find they removed many of the old recipes. The site used to have hundreds of them, and now the Daily Beet lists only 33, all fairly recent. I suspect the old ones are now only available in the Engine 2 Meal Planner and the occasional post to the blog.

So, like Mr. Peabody said to his boy, Sherman, so many times in the past, "Let's go to the Wayback Machine"!

I found it! Here is the link to the article, 1 Dish Baking Meals, from The Daily Beet blog, originally posted on June 14, 2012.

And here's the entire article, in case even that page vanishes in the future:

1 Dish Baking Meals

June 14, 2012

We like to batch cook food in the beginning of the week, so that the rest of the week is easy. We have a few dishes that are similar to casseroles, they are easy to make and last the entire week in the refrigerator.

You can make these in any size baking dish. If you have a large family, simply use a larger baking dish, if you are cooking for 1 or 2 you will want to use a small baking dish, it’s really that simple. You will want to cover these so they don’t overflow in the oven.

Oatmeal crisp: (Great for breakfast or dessert)

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a baking dish layer the following:

1 layer of frozen fruit (any kind you like, you can use 2 different fruits if you like as well, we like peaches and blueberries)

1 layer of quick cooking oats (about an inch thick)

Next add: No oil/unsweetened Non dairy milk. You can do half water/half non dairy milk if you like.Pour non dairy milk over the oats so they are well covered.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the non dairy milk has absorbed into the oats (there shouldn’t be any liquid).

This works in any size baking dish, you can have it for breakfast or dessert and it will last in the fridge for a week.

Kids LOVE this one!

Mexican Casserole:

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a baking dish:

1 thin layer diced tomatoes

1 layer frozen brown rice

1 layer chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

1 layer frozen spinach

1 layer black beans

1 layer mixed veggies or corn

1 layer of chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

Sprinkle with chili seasoning.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until it’s hot 

You can serve it on corn tortillas or whole grain tortillas or just plain 

Polenta bake:

Pre-heat oven to 350

1 thin layer of chopped tomatoes

1 layer of sliced polenta rounds

1 layer of sliced mushrooms

1 layer frozen spinach

1 layer chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning

Bake for 35 minutes or until the mushrooms look done.

Potato Nachos Bake Pre-heat oven to 350

1 thin layer diced tomatoes

1 layer sliced cooked  potatoes (we slice them in rounds)

1 layer black beans

1 layer frozen spinach

optional: 1 more layer of sliced cooked potatoes

1 layer diced tomatoes

sprinkle with chili powder

bake for 35 minutes

Baked Ziti – Pre-heat oven to 350

1 layer chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning

1 layer cooked whole grain noodles (gluten free works just fine)

1 layer of sliced mushrooms

1 layer of frozen spinach

1 layer chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or you can grind cashews for the top. (it is not needed, and if you have heart disease, diabetes or are trying to lose weight, you are best to keep this off)

Bake for 35 minutes

Breakfast Quinoa Bake: Pre-heat oven to 350

1 very thin layer of non dairy milk

1 layer cooked quinoa

1 layer of any frozen fruit and cinnamon

Bake for 25 minutes

Enjoy!

2 Pictures of Esselstyn Recipes

Well, I said the other day that I bought a cauliflower to make those Cauliflower Steaks. Here's the proof:

I finally made them up yesterday, using the Pizza Hummus. They took 40 minutes in the oven to get them to where I liked the texture. Is it so bad that I ate the entire thing by myself for lunch? I guess not, because I was still hungry after eating it all (it made this full tray and half of another) so I had a sweet potato afterwards.

And since it's been such gloomy, rainy, and sometimes chili weather here in NJ the past week, I decided instead of my usual old-fashioned oats with a banana and spinach for breakfast I would make Ann Esselstyn's version of steel cut oats, as she made them in this video. I've made steel cut oats before, but usually with fruit. I've made savory old fashioned oats before, too. But somehow this particular combo - the steel cut savory, made with kale and nutritional yeast (I forgot the mushrooms. Oops!) - is so tasty and hearty, it just warmed me up and gave me hope that we'll eventually see the sun again.

Another good thing about this meal - I followed the directions on the package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats and used 3 cups of water to 1 cup of oats, so besides this bowl, I also have Mason jars of breakfast for the next 2 days in the refrigerator now.

More recipe photos as I make them. As mentioned a few times already, I haven't really been cooking anything new, but with the weather changing, I hope to switch some of my current weekly meals to hearty soups. I have a few hundred soup recipes I haven't tried yet and hope to do at least one new one per week. Keep your fingers crossed I don't back out and just stick with the super simple tried-and-true meals I've been doing all summer. 

PROCESSED PEOPLE - Plant Based Documentary 2008

For some reason, Jeff Nelson is allowing this movie and extended interviews to be viewed in their entirety on YouTube. You'll find a  number of our heroes in here, including Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick!

Thanks, Jeff, for doing this.


The 40 minute documentary



The extended interviews.

Ann and Jane - Cauliflower Steaks

Darn! I KNOW I made these more than once at home, and would have sworn I did a blog post on them with photos, but I'm wrong - the only trace of this meal on my entire computer is the written recipe itself.

Cauliflower Steaks
makes 4 steaks, plus pieces

1 head cauliflower (find a large one)
1/2 cup Our Hummus
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (white works best for color)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut a head of cauliflower in half, then cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch "steaks" about 4 or 6 in all, and place them flat in the prepared pan. Lots of tiny bits may fall apart; that is okay. Place them all on the pan. (2 pans may be needed if cauliflower is large)

Make the sauce. Combine the hummus, nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons water, green onions, and parsley and stir. Spread this sauce over the cauliflower steaks and over the extra pieces. Sprinkle the remaining balsamic vinegar in thin lines over the top of all the coated cauliflower. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Check, and continue to bake longer if the steaks aren't soft enough. The steaks should be soft and browned on the top and bottom. Actually, the longer these cook, the better.

These things are delicious! I've made them using plain hummus, Pizza Hummus, even did them once using a can of refried beans instead of hummus, and they're delicious either way. Then again, I love cauliflower even roasted plain with nothing on it, so I may be a bit prejudiced.

I like Ann's idea of adding some red pepper to it, and next time I make it I might use the Pizza Hummus that I always have in the refrigerator (Hubby's daily lunch preference) and toss in a bit of pimiento or finely diced roasted red pepper. 

Mmmmmm! 

Today is grocery day - I hope they have some nice cauliflower, because now I have a hankering for this! With a few days of below 90º coming up, I don't mind lighting the oven again.

Dr. Goldhamer and Dr. Lisle in Vegas

It was supposed to be a Q&A session. People for months were told on the private UWL FaceBook group and during weekly Weight Loss Wednesday webinars to "save their questions" to "ask the doctors themselves during the Q&A in Vegas."

Sunday, September 2, 2018
9:00am-10:00am – Chef AJ – “Eat Up, Slim Down & Get Healthy”

10:00am-10:15am – Break

10:15am-11:15am - Dr. Rosane Oliveira “Reset Your Skinny Genes With Diet”

11:15am-11:30am – BATHROOM BREAK

11:30am-12:30pm – Testimonial Session #2 with JP or lecture 

12:30pm – 2:00pm – LUNCH and VISIT VENDORS 

2:00pm-3:00pm- Joint Q & A with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Goldhamer 

3:00pm-3:15pm – BATHROOM BREAK

3:15pm-4:15pm – Healthy Eating Made Easy and Delicious – Panel with Cathy Fisher, Kathy Hester, Christin Bummer and Faith Scott

Breakout Session – JP – MEN ONLY GROUP (supporting your spouse even if you don’t understand food addiction) – room TBA 

4:15pm-4:30pm – BATHROOM BREAK

4:30pm -5:30pm - CHEF AJ & JP “ Making it Work at Home”

SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT

THIS is what it turned out to be:



A bit entertaining, yes, but nothing new, and certainly not a Q&A. People were asking questions during the live stream but Gustavo said there is no way to ask the doctors a question.

By the way, the quality of this person's cellphone (?) recording is much better quality that what Gustavo was able to record using the equipment (laptop, wireless mic, and webcam?) he had.

I'm glad I won one of the FaceBook/blog drawings and got access to this year's conference for free. I had already decided I was never going to pay another cent for these amateur quality recordings that could neither be seen or heard during the live streams or replays like was sold last year.

Getting Ready for Hurricane and Blizzard Seasons

A number of things occurred this past week to remind me that the most dreaded season of the year will be upon us all too soon - Winter.

Various crafting communities are already heavily into making winter holiday gifts and decorations.

Articles are appearing in newspapers and magazines about the hot new toys of the upcoming season.

Ditto holiday recipes and cooking tips.

A few stores are starting to put out holiday merchandise.

The Hallmark Channel won't stop talking about their Countdown to Christmas programming, even though their Summer Nights and Fall Harvest promotions are still going strong.

Harmony House is having a 20% off sale on their dehydrated food products if you use code 3831 before September 4, 2018.

But before winter, we still have the 2018 hurricane season to get through. Hurricane Sandy is still very fresh in our minds, so I'd rather be over-prepared than under.

So, what have I been doing to prepare?

Well, I'm going through our cold weather clothing to make sure everything is in decent shape - zippers working, buttons on tight, hats, gloves and scarves in good shape and cleaned.

I'll soon be dragging the quilts and blankets back to the laundromat for freshening up so when it comes time to put them on the beds they'll be ready.

I've already started to stock up on things like paper towels, boxes and rolls of tissues, dry foods like brown rice, pasta, and oatmeal, and cans and boxes of tomato products, and beans, both canned and dry. I also went through the last of the canned goods in the current hurricane/blizzard box and was sure to use up things that were near expiration dates.

I don't want so many canned vegetables for the upcoming seasons. I don't use canned vegetables as a rule, only the occasional creamed corn in one of Mary McDougall's soup recipes, and kernel corn in a cornbread one. The canned veggies I'm using up now (mostly tossing them in pasta dishes) I bought over 2 years ago - that's how rarely they're used.

Jeff Novick has been writing a lot about using the dehydrated and dried vegetables in some of his recent cooking. I've been a fan of Harmony House products for a number of years now and have a few things for items I don't use too often on hand at all times, like scallions, red and green pepper mixes. I also have some dried blueberries at the moment, and in the past had purchased diced carrots (good) and diced white potatoes (not so good). After Jeff's recent post about the soup that he makes and keeps on hand, I put the veggies he recommended into my Harmony House shopping cart. I popped a few more of my most used veggies in there, too, and waited. I know they have sales now and then, usually for 10% - 15% off. Then this morning I open my email and found the notice for the 20% off sale! Wow!

And now, a few days later (I started this on Thursday, and now it's Sunday) I unpacked the package that arrived yesterday afternoon:

These big ones are the ones Jeff suggested for that soup - green beans, onions, broccoli, and carrots, as well as the dried lentils. The smaller containers have dried mushrooms and celery, replenishing what I already had in stock. One you can't see is another small container with diced sweet potatoes. If they're as good as I hope, I'll be ordering the gallon sized container of those, too. Luckily I had already cleared out a place to store the big ones and will carry them all over into place tomorrow. They'll join their cousin, dried pinto beans, that already moved in. The small ones already have a home in one of my kitchen cabinets.

Looks like I'll have no excuse not to eat super healthy SNAP meals this winter even when buried under a few feet of ice, snow, and sleet.