McDougall EXTRA Webinar - Implementing a Healthy Diet for Children

Remember, there will still be the regular weekly webinar on Thursday March 16, 2017 on the Digestive Tune-Up book.

Jane Esselstyn at the Plant Based Cooking Summit

There's a Plant Based Cooking Summit going on right now, hosted by Kelley Williamson. She's already had such guests as Chef AJ and Wendy Solganick. You can still register and get these Skype talks that already aired.

This morning we received the link to Jane Esselstyn's talk. Lots of great information on how to eat WFPB, especially for families with kids, and all her tips, hints - and meal ideas - are perfect for those following the Engine 2 Seven Day Diet Rescue. Everything is also McDougall-legal, too, of course.

And great news - she's coming out with an Engine 2 Cookbook January 2018! That 10 months is going to DRAG!!

Jill McKeever's LIVE Thanksgiving Palooza Announcement

27 Recipes being prepared in her LIVE broadcasts in early November (Schedule below). In the video above she says all the recipes will be available in PDF and even Kindle format before the holiday, but didn't specify when, but in one of the comments to the video says this:

I'm hoping the Kindle will be ready for download by the following Tuesday (Nov 8th) Amazon takes 24 hours to approve ebooks. And I'm planning to photograph every finished recipe as I go and have it included in the ebook. Can't have a cookbook without photos. It's just wrong. ;D

JILL'S LIVE THANKSGIVING PALOOZA SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
(CENTRAL TIME)
11:00AM 
MAKE AHEAD RECIPES
Baked Eggy Tofu
Jill's Trusty Cornbread
Fresh Cranberry-Chia Jam
Cultured Cashew Cheese, Part 1
Buttermilk Bread Rolls, Part 1
Jill's Trusty Pie Crust 


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
11:00AM 
PIES & SNACKING 
Max's Fancy Apple Pie


11:45AM 
Charlie's Pecan Pie
Maggie's Pumpkin Pie
Jill's Sweet Potatoes


1:00PM 
PARTY FOOD
Cultured Cashew Cheese, Part 2
Ranch & Onion Cheeseball
Party, Party Cheese Log
Hot Veggie Dip


SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016
9:15AM 
THE BIG DAY
Cornbread Dressing
Savory Spinach Muffins


10:15AM
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Buttermilk Bread Rolls, Part 2


11:00AM
Cream Gravy
Steamed Broccoli


11:30AM THANKSGIVING MUKBANG! 

National Grouch Day

What a wonderful birthday present! Even my husband said it was appropriate, considering the kind of year we just had.

Sesame Street magazine declares Oct. 15 ‘National Grouch Day’

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sesame-street-magazine-declares-oct-15-national-grouch-day-article-1.1486562#ixzz2hsh4YC2Z

 

My husband returns to work in just a week and a half, and we have a lot to accomplish in these 12 days/8 business days, hence the scarcity of posts.

Since VeganMoFo ended I've been making a lot of Jeff's SNAP meals, and so far only one of them was new to me, and I'll post on that after the 28th. Tonight I'm making the New Orleans Jambalaya, another new to me one, so that's at least 2 posts with pics to look forward to. 

And wait until Jeff releases his next Fast Food DVD in November! It's only a year and a half since he first announced it, and it was supposed to come out the same time as Shopping School. I can't wait to work through those! I still wish he would post a sample recipe so I can get started!

I'll also have a very grouchy post about doctors, too. My family doesn't call me "Oscar" for nothing!

VeganMoFo Day 22 - Overwhelmed

I'm overwhelmed with a refrigerator full of leftovers and fruit, so I'm not cooking today.

I'm overwhelmed having my husband home all day, every day. At least he's starting to do things by himself, getting out of the house alone, giving me a few minutes of blissful peace.

I'm overwhelmed dealing with Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company and bills from doctors, labs, and hospitals, both my husband's and my own.

I'm overwhelmed at how darn hard it is to get lab results from blood work drawn back in July sent to my doctor's office.

I'm overwhelmed at the results of that lab work, showing not only did my cholesterol and triglycerides go up over the spring and early summer, but I now have a diagnosis of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, a fairly rare autoimmune disorder. I just had even more lab work done, and after I see my primary care doc again in another week I'll have to bring all these lab tests with me to a rheumatologist and find out not only what my disease is but what to do about it. 

I'm overwhelmed doing my own research on this disease, on its effect on the body, and especially on the medications used to treat the symptoms (There's no cure). I'm overwhelmed finding out that the majority of my complaints for the past 30 years, the same complaints my PCP blamed on my weight, are actually the results of having this disease, even the rare heart condition I got in 2009. Everything I read about it says it appears when a woman is in her 20's to 30's, and here I am, suffering for 30 years and about to turn 60 in less than a month, and just being diagnosed now. It's one of the hazards of being fat - everything is blamed on weight! I 'm overwhelmed thinking of all the damage that has already been done to my body because of medical prejudice in treating fat patients.

One thing I'm sure of is that I do NOT want to be on things like prednisone and methotrexate for the rest of my life and want to look into dietary treatment, like Dr. McDougall and Dr. Fuhrman suggest but rheumatologists advise against.

We're taking today as a day to decompress, to do nothing except go grocery shopping, reading the Sunday papers, and watching crap on television. We're way behind in our bad movie viewing (SyFy Channel movies, Roger Corman horror movies, the Tremors series, etc.) so we'll do some catching up this afternoon. We may even take a nap, something we haven't had the time to do lately, with all the doctors, lab and lawyer appointments and hubby's rehab schedule. One thing I'm not going to do today is read any medical/dietary books, visit any research sites on the Internet, or, as stated above, cook. Today is a total drop out/turn off day for both of us. See you tomorrow!

VeganMoFo Day 16 - Doctor Day

It's my turn to get some medical attention for a change. Nothing serious, just a follow-up and new blood draw.

Back in July, the same day my husband saw the doc for his chest pressure, I had my own appointment for my yearly lab work. We both had our blood drawn the same afternoon. His was fasting, mine was 7 hours after breakfast, but the lab tech assured me it was good enough to count as fasting blood work.

Well, we all know what my husband has gone through since that doctor visit. As for me, the day before my husband's stress test I saw the doc for the lab results, but only a handful of the tests were back. The cholesterol panel was one of them, and it showed my number up higher than the last few times and trigs over 220. I told the doc that this wasn't fasting, and besides, I'd been following the eating program quite strictly and really don't believe these results and wanted a repeat. He said after the rest of the results come back we'll talk about it.

Then my husband had his cardiac interlude that he's still recovering from.

In the meantime, every week or so I would call the doctor's office to see if the rest of my labs came back, and they never did. 2 weeks ago I made an appointment for today, my doc's first day back from vacation. I reminded them I need those bloodwork results. I was assured they would get it all. I called this past Friday to see if it they got then and no, they didn't. I blew up. I reminded her that I've been waiting 2 months for these results, that the dosage of some medications depends on these results, like my Synthroid, and future treatment depended on the results of the slew of auto-immune tests that were done. The nurse was now a bit apologetic instead of snarky and promised to track them down and would call me back later that day to let me know they were in my chart. I was out of the house when she called over 6 hours later and the only message was "Her labwork is complete." I guess I'll find out in a few hours if they're all there or not.

I did get some of those results the day my husband was doing his pre-admission work before his cardiac cath. The nurse in the out-patient admissions office got his lab work and found mine on the computer and printed out the screen capture. It didn't have any of the "comments" or specific results on the auto-immune tests, only if they were positive or negative, that the comments that would appear on the official copy the doctor would get would give the actual titers and other specifics. I did find out my Vitamin B-12 levels were on the high side of normal, so I cut that pill down to twice a week, and that my Vitamin D level dropped once more into the low 20's, so I increased that to 5 days a week from the 3 I was already taking it.

So, I guess I'll find out if the doc thinks I have lupus or not in a few hours, and I want a repeat of at least the cholesterol panel and Vitamin D, now that it's been 2 months since the last ones were drawn and today will be a definite fasting, not just 7 hours without eating.

What I cook today will depend on how long I'm stuck in the office and what time I get home. If it's late, we may just have pasta; if we get in earlier, another recipe from The McDougall Program for A Healthy Heart. You'll find out in the morning. :)

Unbelievable!

Hubby is home. Still running a low grade temp (between 99 and 100), is puffy, has low potassium, and is slightly anemic, but he's home.

Dietary instructions? "Go home and have a big, bloody steak. You can use the iron and protein. Eat plenty of red meats."

His first meal home was a salad with the Esselstyn 3-2-1 Dressing and a bowl of Tinkayada pasta with homemade sauce, mushrooms, kidney beans, and plenty of spinach. Later on he had a nice ripe banana. Next time I make the dressing I'll use blackstrap molasses instead of the maple syrup and when we have the pasta leftovers tonight I'll toss in some more spinach and a ricotta cheese made with tofu (This recipe, minus the salt and oil, from Isa's first book.). Bloody meat, my fat ass!

Now comes the healing and recuperating. If I try any new recipes I'll post about them, but for now, only tried-and-true until he gets his appetite back. Thanks again for all your well-wishing and prayers.

Hubby Update

Yesterday (7/22/2013) morning he had his by-pass surgery, with 4 arteries grafted. The surgeon said they were positioned in a great place, that they didn't need to put him on the heart-lung machine, avoiding the "post bypass surgery cognitive dysfunction" that Dr. McDougall spoke of about Bill Clinton. No pump, no heart stoppage, no problems. Also, because of this, his surgery was completed in 2 1/2 hours instead of the 4-6 hours we were originally quoted.

He was awake and looking around within a half hour of the completion of the surgery while in the CTICU. The nurses didn't want him ripping anything out so sedated him again.

When I called this morning I was told he was off the respirator since last evening and the breathing tube was removed this morning. Later today not only will they get him out of bed but will make him walk a few steps at the bedside. He can't go far because he's still connected to chest tubes, IV's and other assorted tubes and wires.

The doc said he'll be home in 5 to 7 days.

In the meantime, while all of this has been going on, one car developed transmission trouble, the other had a dead battery while parked on the roof deck of the hospital parking garage on the day it hit 102 (Heat index 110), and my son wound up in the emergency room with an asthma and anxiety attack 2 days later. Oh, and today we have flood warnings out, and 2 of the roads between here and the hospital always flood, so my husband already directed me the other day NOT to come visit him if thunderstorms were even predicted. It's already been raining all night, so those roads are probably flooded already. My son and I will use today to do the laundry, some shopping and cooking, have three meals for the first time since last Tuesday (Heck, ONE hot meal that wasn't leftovers!), and generally decompress. If it's not too hot later (Ha!) I may even make some muffins with the very brown bananas in the refrigerator. I have the phone number to a direct line to the nurse caring for him (ratio is one on one in the Cardiothoracic ICU) and can call any time, day or night and speak directly to her, and when hubby is strong enough, to him, too. The nurse at 5am said he may be strong enough to talk to me later, that his throat was too sore from the trache tube to talk when I called, but he did give a thumbs-up when he heard we may not be coming because of the storms. That did help relieve some of the guilt I was feeling about my decision. :)

So, off to do the first Richard Simmons video for a few days, a nice hot breakfast, a long hot shower, then off to the laundromat with 2 weeks of laundry. 

Thanks again for all those good vibrations and prayers.

Thanks, everyone. 

As it turns out, he has 9 blockages in 3 of the major arteries, one 100%, and a few smaller blockages in other ones. He was immediately admitted after the cath and the doc made arrangements to have him transferred to a larger area hospital this morning for further tests during the weekend while the Plavix gets out of his system, and is scheduled for his surgery Monday morning. The doc told me this is the worst case he's ever seen, the extensive blockages, which is why he wants this taken care of ASAP by the best guy around. One of my husband's uncles had similar blockages in his carotid arteries back in the 1970's, long before all these miracle meds and treatments were developed. Another uncle, with no prior history of cardiovascular  disease, dropped dead while riding the snowblower, and each of these guys had completely different lifestyles than we do, so there must be some genetic component to this. 

The surgeon doing the procedure is the Chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery for Barnabas Health and a former head of a similar unit in Cleveland Clinic, so hopefully he believe in the Esselstyn way of eating, or at least heard of it, as opposed to every doctor here.

His first meal after the cardiac cath, while still having to lie flat on his back, was a turkey sandwich with chicken noodle soup. At dinner, his tray contained a chicken cutlet coated in congealed globs of some yellow sauce, 6 (I counted) green beans, mashed potatoes with the butter already congealing on top of the mound, tomato soup (again, with congealing grease goblets on the surface), and chocolate pudding. Both meals were served with a can of ginger ale soda and contained salt and extra butter with the silverware and condiments pack. (sigh) I'm glad I had my container of rice and veggies on me!

So, today I'll arrive at the hospital around 8am to catch the doctors and await the ambulance that's transporting him. My husband said he doesn't want us to go to the new hospital today because  1) the heat (It hit 102º yesterday, heat index 112, and the same is forecast for today), 2) traffic is a bitch in that area of Newark, NJ, 3) He doesn't want MY heart over-stressed (My BP is up this week, no surprise), and 4) they'll probably keep him busy with those other tests as soon as he gets settled in. Whether we honor that request or not is still up in the air. Ditto tomorrow, when thunderstorms so severe have been warned of since Tuesday of such intensity that The Weather Channel has had a red warning box around the day in its 10 day forecast. We do know the roads between us and the hospital flood severely in any rain, so as much as it pains me I may have to listen to him and not visit. At least we'll have all day Sunday together, and you can bet your bippy that I'll go with a bag full of already-cooked potatoes, some already cooked veggies, and a few pieces of fruit to munch on, because I certainly don't trust any hospital cafeteria and know the only places to eat around there are fast food joints.

Scribbles, I was so surprised yesterday just going to the stores to get him some PJ's and slippers at how many people we ran into, that either they or their spouses had bypass surgery, one guy as young as age 42! I don't know how all of you (spouses) survived the stress! I know this is just the beginning of a long road ahead, and it's beginning to feel over-whelming already. And this heat!! Not even 5am and it's already 85! I'm stressed enough over just that because it affects my asthma and BP, causing me and my son (also asthmatic) chest discomfort! Now add my husband's situation on top of that?!?! 

The Dangers of Moderation - My Husband's Stress Test Results

For those who bothered to read my post regarding my husband's chest pains the other day, here's a follow-up.

He failed his stress test.

He got extremely short of breath within seconds, his blood pressure spiked and the nurses said he showed EKG changes which indicated cardiac damage and he needs a cardiac cath done ASAP, so it's scheduled for tomorrow. He has the same cardiologist as I had back in 2009 and he and one of the same nurses who assisted in my cardiac cath back then explained that there most likely is some blockage, that the cath will will show how badly and where. If it's in a not-too-bad place and less than 75% blocked the doc said he can first try lifestyle changes, meaning 100% adherence to the food plan of Drs. Esselstyn and McDougall and a strict, strenuous exercise program; but if the blockage is in another area or too solid, he may need an angioplasty, with or without a stent, or even bypass surgery as worst case scenario. The doc & nurse both said that the whole foods, plant-based, no SOS food plan for dinner, his biggest meal of the day, certainly helped and may have prevented this from happening sooner, but those cheese and pepperoni pizzas and cheese sandwiches and potato chips did their own share of the damage.

In either case, my husband is now committed to 100% (Dr., not Rip) Esselstyn/McDougall, and as soon as he's allowed to, a steady exercise program.

We plan next week on packing a box of all the cheat foods that are still in the house and finding a food pantry to donate them to. I'm sure those folks in need would love to have jars of natural peanut and cashew butter, boxes of macaroni and cheese, maybe even bags of potato chips (Unless our son refuses to give them up himself and hides them in his room). We may have a jar or 2 of marinara sauce that have a tiny bit of oil in them, so those will have to go, as will the semolina pastas we have left (only 2 boxes right now because I already stocked up on Tinkayada brown rice pasta when the store had a sale a few weeks ago). Of course, his "emergency" cans of SPAM will have to go. I've been tossing them out as they got outdated (and when they started to swell on the pantry shelf. No kidding!) so there are only 2 of those left, too. Those cans have been here since long before Hurricane Sandy so that tells you how long they've been around.

Of course, if they feed him after the cath tomorrow they'll give him a typical hospital tray of SAD food. After mine they gave me greasy breaded veal parmesan coated with at least a half inch thick layer of mozzarella cheese, as well as very salty broth and ice cream for dessert. I have a cooker of rice going right now and plan on bringing a container of it with veggies to eat for my own breakfast at the hospital tomorrow while he's having the test done. I brought brown rice krispies today but never had a chance to eat them. I'll bring another container for my husband to eat instead of the crap food they give him after the test. Our hospital dietary department has no idea what even "vegetarian" means, much less "whole foods plant based no sugar, oil or salt!"

I hear him stirring about in the kitchen so I guess his nap is over and it's time for lunch. I'll reheat that Awesome Almost All Orange soup for us. It was delicious, BTW. 

Keep your fingers crossed, candles lit and rosary beads humming tomorrow around 7:30am, okay? Thanks.

Confessions of a Low Class Vegan

I discovered this video a few weeks ago when someone on either the Fuhrman or McDougall forums mentioned it. I had no time and/or energy to watch it then, so saved it, burned it to a disc, and put it aside for future viewing. I do this with lectures I really want to see because things tend to vanish on-line, and what's there today may not be there tomorrow.

I started watching it in the afternoon and had to pause it to get supper going and take care of a few other things, and didn't get a chance to get back to it until after dinner. By then my husband had collapsed into the bed next to me and was watching along with me.

He was impressed. He said as much as he loves all these new recipes I've been trying out, he wouldn't mind if we went back to the old way of eating we used to do. That was really easy - I made the same foods each day of the week, week after week, with only slight variations. I did as Dr. McDougall says to do - one starch was the centerpiece and the rest of the meal evolved around it. For instance, Monday was usually a casserole with rice or potatoes as the base or a Jeff Novick SNAP meal; Tuesday was rice with veggies and each person chose which sauce between all the soys and terriyaki we have to add to their own bowl; Wednesday was a non-tomato-based pasta dish; Thursday was a potato-based meal; Friday pizza, made with homemade whole wheat crust and either nutritional yeast-based cheese or cheeseless; Saturday was pasta with tomato-based sauce; Sunday was burger or other sandwich day on whole wheat rolls.

Plain and simple. Many potato meals were just baked potatoes with a bowl of veggies on the side and maybe some gravy. Many Wednesday pasta meals were pasta with veggies and either gravy or a nutritional yeast cheese sauce. Saturday pasta was pasta and jarred sauce, nothing else.

When the flu hit, the schedule went out the window, and we had lots of pasta meals, lots of rice and veggie meals, and (big confession here) delivery pizza or Chinese food on days neither of us felt energetic enough to cook.

In-between all this, the elderly relative I mentioned many times before started going downhill fast, and every few days we would get a call from the nursing home, sometimes at 2 am, telling us to meet her in the local hospital's emergency room. After some blood work was done they would admit her with IV fluids running to rehydrate her, and the next day the doctor would send her back to the nursing home. This was repeated a number of times, even after the doctor told the staff at the nursing home her kidney's are failing, there's nothing to be done for her at any hospital. They finally had us sign a DNH  - Do Not Hospitalize - form and hospice care was started. Finally the nursing staff at the nursing home realized the end was near, and a week after starting hospice care she died a peaceful death at age 94. So we now had the wake, funeral, and probate details to run around with. During all this my husband and I were still coughing with the flu, and more than once I had to leave the church to go outside with a coughing fit as not to disturb the other mourners.

But now that all this is over with, including the flu (knock wood, cross fingers, say a novena) I started cooking more elaborate meals again, as you saw in the the other posts in this blog. It was nice, getting back in the kitchen, and the meals are definitely tasty. Aside from some of chopping, can opening and bag cutting, they went together pretty easily. But one thing most of these meals have in common is the  large number of ingredients. 8 to 12 ingredients in some of these "quick and easy" recipes!

Then we watched this video:



And now we're thinking of going back to our simpler meals. It'll certainly save time in the kitchen and grocery shopping, and may even save us a bit of money, too. Go back to making up pans full of roasted veggies, mashed potatoes/Caulipots and gravy, pasta with some jarred sauce and a handful of kale or spinach tossed in, even a loaf of homemade whole grain bread and roasted red pepper hummus. Good, decent food.

Maybe it's time we returned to eating like the low class vegans that we are.

Engine 2 Mexican Casserole

Remember the other day when I mentioned how sick I was with the return of this blankety-blank flu? Well, it hit me a bit harder this time than the last, probably because I still wasn't fully recuperated. I can't eat, sleep or breathe because of the sneezing, coughing, and tsunami of - - - well, you get the picture.

My son feels sorry for me (and doesn't want me near his food) and volunteered to make dinner tonight. I figured it's about time he wants to learn how to make more than pasta or frozen pizza, and printed out the recipe and put all sorts of notes on the page.

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 :)
from Engine 2 Daily Beet blog

My changes:
Each layer of tomatoes was one canned of diced, with juice. The bottom and middle layers were no-salt added tomatoes. My guys did the grocery shopping Sunday and one of the items I asked them to get was no-salt added or lower sodium flavored tomatoes, explaining a type that has onion, peppers, and/or garlic, like Rotel. My husband brought home a can of Hunts Spicy Red Pepper.

The sodium count of this is a little higher than I usually like (320 mg per half cup), but at this point of this flu I can probably need the salt, and the spiciness (I *hope* it's not too spicy!) will only help the sinuses flow, so this is what I he used for the top layer of tomatoes.

I already had 3 cups of cooked brown rice in the refrigerator so all he had to do was dump and break up the lumps.

I make my own seasoning mix using this recipe and skip the added salt and use Bryanna's unchicken broth powder so all he had to do was open the jar and dip in with the spoon.

We're corn lovers so I told him to use a whole small bag of frozen corn. 

When ready, it all barely fit into the 2 1/2 quart Corningware casserole dish! Whoops! I guess I should have had him use the gigantic Pyrex bowl. Oh, well - next time. At least as the frozen foods cook they shrink down.

I'm so grateful he's willing to help out, even though he's not over his cold 100% yet, but he sees how awful I feel and insisted. Tomorrow's casserole is even easier, so hopefully he'll be willing to do that one for me, too.

VeganMoFo Day 28 - More Sandy Blatherings

We're as prepared as we're gonna get. Because of the gloomy weather, I'll be making a nice big pot of bean soup today using the Whole Grains and Beans Soup mix from Bob's Red Mill and tossing in oodles of fresh veggies, including some greens. For dinner I'll cook up the remaining curry burgers from last week's batch, mainly because I ran out of freezer room and had to defrost them yesterday. No fries with them this time because hubby said by eating the fries he had no room for the second burger, and he prefers to eat that than potatoes. Okay with me.

We'll be spending the day trying to avoid looking at weather reports and catching up with movies we either bought on DVD, recorded on VHS or want to stream from Netflix. Well, *he* will. I'm in the process of re-reading a cozy mystery series before reading the newest installment that arrived in the mail a few weeks ago.

And for today's "Sandy" video - Travolta!

VeganMoFo Day 6 - Good Idea, Bad Idea

Remember the old bits on the Animaniacs cartoons, Good Idea, Bad Idea?

Well, making all those SNAP meals is kinda like that. Good Idea: Making these gigantic meals that require your largest pot and one batch makes enough for a hearty dinner (with seconds) for 2 hungry adults, plus enough for lunches the next day.

Bad Idea: Making these gigantic meals that require your largest pot and one batch makes enough for a hearty dinner (with seconds) for 2 hungry adults, plus enough for lunches the next day, and STILL having at least one 3-cup container full left over so there's enough for even more days of lunch.

Here's what's left over in just this one week of SNAP meals:

And this is after 2 more containers-full were eaten for lunches and one more dinner!

Some people love lots of leftovers. Those are the people who don't mind eating the same thing multiple times in one week. My husband isn't one of them. He gets annoyed when he has to eat leftovers and grumbles through the whole meal. Those people who like leftovers also may have a large refrigerator with plenty of storage space in the cooler and freezer sections. I don't. I'm lucky to fit a week's worth of frozen veggies in my freezer at one time. There's no room for a big modern refrigerator in a pre-WWI urban apartment.

My husband currently is battling a flu, and although that's usually a bad thing, it's good at this point in time. When he's sick he really doesn't care what he eats. When we were both sick this past Spring and our son was in charge of cooking for the 2 of us because we were so weak we could barely lift our heads off the pillows, we ate a lot of rice and pasta meals and more than a few hummus on toast  sandwiches. We didn't care what it was because we couldn't really taste anything. While not as bad as in April, right now my husband can't taste all that much, and said it's alright to have one or 2 leftover meals to use these up. I'll be sure to add some extra spices in his and maybe he'll be able to taste something. I'm gonna be so sick of these things by the time they're all gone!

Too Busy to Blog

I'm sorry I'm such a bad VeganMoFo-er this year. In less than a week we had to make 4 trips to the elderly aunt's house, 2 emergency car repairs, 3 trips to the real estate agent's, 2 trips to the nursing home, countless shopping trips, and 3 doctor appointments. Before the week is out there will be another doctor appointment, another trip to a hardware store, another nursing home visit, another trip to the aunt's house, plus our weekly grocery shopping. If all goes well the house will be sold soon - we have a buyer and the closing is scheduled for December Second. After that we can breathe a little easier, have a bit more time for ourselves.

Have leisurely dinners again.

Yesterday was a pot of soup and a loaf of bread. Sorry, but by the time we sat down to eat we were starving and I forgot to take pictures once again. I SAID I was a bad VeganMoFo-er.

My Cheezy Broccoli Soup is a variation on a number of veggie/nooch soup recipes I've gathered over the years from places like the Fat Free Vegan blog, PPK and McDougall forums, as well as numerous cookbooks. It's super simple to put together.

Sauté in a bit of water 1 or 2 chopped onions and some garlic, either minced, sliced or even whole, for about 5 minutes.

Pour in 6 cups of liquid - broth, water with no salt added bouillon or broth powder, or a combination of the 2. Turn the heat up to boiling.

In a jar or bowl with whisk, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot in cold water and shake or whisk until lump-free. Slowly add to the boiling water, stirring to prevent lumps.

Add a cup of nutritional yeast and a bag of cut or chopped broccoli. Return to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the veggies are soft. Most recipes say 20 minutes, but I like the veggies near-dissolved so this soup sits for over an hour when I make it.

Now you have a choice: Serve it as-is, if the veggie are chopped small enough, or take an immersion blender to it and blend all or part of the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste at the table.

You can always dress this up by using other vegetables, like cauliflower, carrots, add frozen peas, use a combination of these or other veggies.

For the bread, I used my mini-Zoji bread machine and made their basic loaf using white whole wheat flour and Lighter Bake as the butter substitute. To dress this up a bit I added a half cup of Jalepeno-flavored Daiya cheese at the Add beep. The cheese isn't exactly McDougall-approved because of the fat, but the rest of the meal is fat-free and my husband doesn't need to lose any weight, so why not? He's the one who eats 99% of the bread, anyway.

Tonight is something even simpler - rice and veggies. I'll boil up 2 bags of Success Brand brown rice, nuke up 3 small bags (a pound each?) of frozen peas and carrots, and when done, mix together and serve. I sometimes fry up some marinated tofu, too, but not today. We each put our own condiments on at the table - my husband loves that Kobe brand hot Chinese mustard, our son uses plain soy sauce, and I use either a lower sodium ginger-garlic sauce, watered down soy sauce, or just some salad dressing. I'll see what I feel like when the time comes. With an eye doctor visit first thing tomorrow morning - the opthamologist, so it's a real in-you-face examination - there will be no onions or garlic, or even beans, tonight.

And because I won't be able to see clearly for hours after that exam, there probably will be no VeganMoFo post tomorrow, either. Dinner for the boys will be their favorite (non-vegan) frozen pizza and I'll toss on some hash browns for myself. Ho hum, but filling.

Saturday we'll be busy at the aunt's house getting last minute things ready for the buyer's home inspection and emptying out the rest of her and our stuff still there, like some tools and boxes of knickknacks. Dinner Saturday will be plain old pasta with jarred sauce and I'll nuke up the last of my Trader Joe's veggie meatballs.

With any luck, we'll be able to stay away from that house on Sunday and do our weekly grocery trip and do what WE want for the rest of the day. We may finally take that $12 toll trip to the land of Trader Joe's, or may even take advantage of the down time and just veg out in front of the tv. Either way, dinner will be our usual - non-veg burgers for the guys and more hash browns for me.

So far we have no plans for Monday. No house visits, no doctors, no shopping trips. Maybe I'll be able to make a nice, slightly more elaborate, meal then.

VeganMoFo Day 30 - Change of Plans

Sorry, nothing new or exciting food-wise today. My young adult son woke up with a medical possible problem that required doctor intervention ASAP, and now the doctor ordered some tests to be done ASAP, so right now we're killing time between the lab and radiology. When we finally get home later this evening I'll toss on a pot of spaghetti.

It's nothing life-threatening, and the doctor feels it's nothing to worry about at all, just a sprain of some sort from the recent rash of exercises he'd been doing, but ordered tests to cover his butt and all that. But hey, a medical test is a medical test, even if they don't find anything wrong. It's good to have a mom around for moral support, no matter how old you are.

VeganMoFo Day 23 - Spanish Rice

Well, the kid thinks he flubbed his interview yesterday. He felt like George Costanza on Seinfeld, knowing he gave the wrong answer to questions, getting vague responses to questions asked by the interviewer (Who happened to be the co-owner of the company), and walked away not really knowing if he was being offered a job or not and was told to call back in 2 weeks when the partner is back from China. He said it would be too good to be true if he did get the job - it's work he enjoys in an area very easy to get to by light rail train. He sent her a follow-up email thanking her for her time, so keep those fingers crossed.

Today's dinner will be Joan Mershon's Spanish Rice, one of our favorite Crockpot meals. I always make a double batch because we're big eaters, and besides, the leftovers make great lunches. As-is, it's really not that spicy, so if you like things hot, use a hotter version of the salsa and add more chili powder.

To accompany it, I'm debating between the cornbread and corn pudding, both from Isa and Terry, or the cornbread by Jan Tz, which is more McDougall-acceptable and makes a smaller dish. Better yet, her Sweet Corn Cake, that uses creamed corn for the liquid. Yeah, that's it!

I miss Jan. She was one of the first Star McDougallers and she always had the best recipes over on the McDougall board when it was on VegSource. Luckily the McDougall recipe board is still there - it would be a shame to lose all those great recipes, like Jan's quickbread recipes file. Oh, how my family loves those little cakes! Many times I've topped one of those with an icing of soy cream-cheese thinned with a bit of rice or soy milk and presented as a birthday cake, never letting on that it's whole grain, fat-free or even vegan, and everyone loved them. Jan had posted a bit over on the new forums, but soon after she moved cross-country left the boards. I last saw her posting this spring, when she posted her return to McDougalling for Lent, but I don't remember any follow-up posts after Easter. I hope she sees this and comes on back. I know I'm not the only one who misses her and her loves for all things connected with spuds and Weird Al.

Hmm, I tried to link to Jan's Star McDougaller page and see her bio has been pulled. I just wrote a message on the forums asking why. I know of another bio that was removed about a year ago, Barbra LaPointe. In that one Dr. McDougall mentioned the National Weight Control Registry in his comments are and how the McDougall program is much like what the participants in the NWCR :

http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/star08_barbra_lapointe.html (This link no longer works)

The proof of this low-fat/exercise approach is demonstrated by the record of the National Weight Control Registry. This registry is simply a database of people successful at maintaining a weight loss of at least 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) for at least one year. The average registrant has lost about 60 pounds and kept it off for more than five years. To date, there are over 2,000 people, from all over the United States, enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry.

On average, registrants report consuming about 1400 kcal/day (24 percent calories from fat) and expending about 400 kcal/day in physical exercise. Approximately 80% of the registrants eat less than 30% fat, and 35% eat less than 20% fat. The McDougall Program diet is about 7% fat when followed strictly. Although they may have lost their initial weight by a variety of methods, including liquid protein diets, on their own, or through an organized program, all are currently maintaining their weight losses by eating low-fat diets and engaging in regular physical activity. You can learn more here: http://www.lifespan.org/services/bmed/wt_loss/nwcr/

I wish I had saved the entire Star McDougaller biography. In fact, I should probably go to the Star McDougaller page now and start copying them all in case any more that I want to refer to in the future disappear.

VeganMoFo Day 22 - Pea Soup

Specifically, the Double Pea Soup with Roasted Red Peppers from Veganomicon. Again, I like to run an immersion blender through the pot before adding the frozen peas. I'll make up a loaf of bread to go with it.

Sorry, but foods lately have been pretty basic and simple, like yesterday's veggies and rice and tomorrow's Spanish rice. Between feeling punky from the hypo spell the other day, wishing the doc would increase my thyroid dosage because I'm starting to fall asleep right after breakfast again, and the change in weather, I just don't feel like making anything more elaborate. Many people say hypoglycemia and hypothyroid go hand in glove, and I believe it. Add the shorter days and there's a recipe for depression if I ever saw one.

The one bright spot on the menu? My son, who has been unemployed since he graduated with his M.S. in Electrical Engineering this past May, has a job interview today. If everyone can send positive thoughts towards Jersey City's financial district (right across the water from downtown Manhattan) around 2pm we would greatly appreciate it. :)

Vegan MoFo Day 15 - Birthday Post

I could have anything in the world to eat for my birthday dinner tonight, but instead of some greasy take-out or elaborate dish that takes hours to make I chose Chickpea Broccoli Casserole from Vegan with A Vengeance. Instead of bread crumbs I crumble up crackers, and it tastes so delicious! This was the first official vegan meal that my son ate, and even he loved it so much he asked for seconds.

I'm still undecided whether or not to make a soup, too. If I do, it'll be the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, also from VWAV. I really should use up that squash before it goes bad.

The cake, I have no control over. My husband is going to "surprise" me with one from the local bakery on his way home from work, even though I told him not to. I'm pretty sure it'll contain eggs and possibly even dairy. I guess I won't be sleeping tonight, as even the smallest amount of dairy lately causes me to snore so badly I wake myself up. It's only once a year, and he does mean well, so I'll make the sacrifice and eat it. LOL For everyone else's birthdays I make the cake and make sure it's low fat, whole grain, and almost vegan — I usually use honey as the sweetener.

VeganMoFo Day 4 - Quick and Easy

We spent the day with an elderly relative who kept pushing sweets (non-vegan) on us, so it's nice to come home to healthy foods. Dinner will be a mixed green salad with honey (agave instead of honey) mustard dressing (McDougall recipe), brown rice, broccoli and cheese soup (another McDougall recipe), and baked beans consisting of a can of Bush's vegetarian baked beans, a can of no salt added diced tomatoes, and a can of fat-free no meat chili (check labels - some have dairy). I have some leftover spinach & garlic in the refrigerator so I'll reheat that, too. Hmm, looks like a lot. Perhaps I'll skip the rice and if The Boss (a.k.a. hubby) wants something more substantial there's always some baked corn chips in his snack closet.

Snack tonight will be bananas. Again. The kid is learning how to drive (He's had his license 6 years but hates to drive) and is finally making local solo runs, and decided he'd hit the grocery store for me the other day and grab "some" bananas. He came home with 2 bunches of 5 each. For three people. Looks like I'll be making a banana bread tomorrow or Monday.