[TempleBody]

I read a few different books to help me decide what to eat. I read Eat to Live (Joel Furhman) and Disease proof your kids (less extreme family ideas for healthy weight..the other book is for losing weight). I also read "The Garden of Eating". I'd recommend reading both and deciding for yourself what you think is best. I do something in between both of them.

For whole foods, I keep my cupboard stocked with dry beans and a few can beans for when I'm in a hurry or haven't planned ahead. I also keep my freezer full of frozen beans that I've already cooked and seasoned partially.

I keep brown rice, multigrain pastas (they have more fiber and less calories then the rice), wild rice mix (it's a blend of wild/brown rices). I'm not into bread really, but we do have whole grain tortillas once in awhile.

What we aim for is a PRODUCE based diet. Both the two books I mentioned contradict each other some what, but they don't in this area.

The trick here is trying new veggies and trying different methods of cooking them. You really have to think about buying new cookbooks, taking classes, and sampling around. We eat a WIDE variety of styles of cooking for our veggies/beans etc. Some days we are eating Indian, Arabic, Persian, Mexican, West or East African.... diversity is the key so you don't get bored!

When it comes to what am I actually eating... I love ONE DISH meals. I just made this simple dish last week.

I chopped an onion, and put them in a pan with an entire red pepper, a can of chick peas(or chickpeas I've precooked and put in the freezer), and some shrimp. I add fresh garlic and a couple fresh basil leaves. I seasoned it with curry and when it was almost finished I added a big bag of spinach to it.

[nelie]

I just remembered something. After I read superfoods RX, I made a list of the superfoods and their sidekicks (foods with similar properties). I keep it posted on my fridge at home so I always have a list of good foods in sight:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90444

[RitzyFritz]

Wow! This is awesome! I am excited (and a little apprehensive too) to try this. I know it will be better for my family and me but just doing it "right" and making sure we are satisfied both from the hunger standpoint and taste standpoint. Thanks again! I appreciate all these wonderful tips!!

[TempleBody]

Oh and "eating from the rainbow" is a good idea when it comes to veggies too. It will help you out. Eat lots of green but add the rainbow to it. i.e. red peppers, eggplant, squash, etc. You don't have to eat only green veggies.

[RitzyFritz]

Okay....I guess this is "normal" but a few questions come to my mind again for those who are eating this way...

1. Do you not bake anything (breads, biscuits, healthy cookies, etc?)
2. Do you saute anything (using cooking spray)?
3. Do you even use recipes or just put together some vegetables with meat and not add anything "processed"?

I really do want to get the hang of this! Thanks for being willing to bear with me on my questions and help me learn!

[Mrs Quadcrew]

I do not bake anything for us right now. I may down the road ~ but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. (I am a cake baker/decorator, but all of that goes OUT of the house!) We really do not eat any bread per say right now. I have ww english muffins, and ww pita bread (which I keep in the freezer) for if we want sandwiches.

I do saute - I use olive oil when I do. (just a tiny bit - a teaspoon or so) For example this evening we had chicken stir fry. I fed 5 of us with one chicken breast - I used zuchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, carrots, broccoli, & garlic (which made a HUGE pan full of vegies & chicken) I served it over brown rice which was cooked in chicken broth, onion & garlic. That is one of our favorite meals, very quick to make if you cut the vegies up earlier in the day or the night before. I make enough of the rice that I can freeze it and it reheats beautifully.

There are lots of recipes out there that don't have prepared foods in them - or you can keep it simple. (a meat, a vegie & sweet potatos!) Our plates are always very colorful now, and everything just LOOKS wonderful (along with tasting good too!) Another thing I love is to make a huge salad, toss some of that brown rice and a chopped chicken breast in it. Toss with some EVOO and balsamic vinegar - YUMMM.

I go through a ton of garlic and onion now, and I go after fresh vegies a couple of times a week. That way I am not throwing any out from going bad. Our meals have been so much better and filling since we have been eating this way. We have actually saved money becasue we are not eating out - I have the meals planned and there are not any "last minute" stops for dinner because I forgot to take something out of the freezer.

I do a lot of stuff with couscous and barley too - they are very filling and make some great side (and main) dishes.

[Janis427]

Something I noticed today when I went grocery shopping was that I hardly went down any ailses. Since I am sticking to whole foods, there is really no reason to do the every ailse like I used to. BUT it doesnt make my shopping any shorter on time, because I am reading so many labels. I am so careful now adays about HFCS and other bad stuff. Since reading the YOU book, I feel like I will die if I eat something bad. That book really scared me into eating the right foods.

[avsfan2]

I'm so surprised to hear so many people say they don't like the taste of Stevia! This has been a life saver for me! Truth is, it only tastes bitter if you use too much which is easy to do. If you buy liquid stevia it might literally only take ONE drop to sweeten your dish enough. It's anywhere from 200-400 times sweeter then sugar. However, if it's not your thing then Agave Nectar definitely works.

As for baking, I've done a lot of experimenting...some good, some not so good! Keep in mind you can always use whole grains for baking but they tend to lack the "rise" that white flour gives. If you really want to bake something you can start with half whole wheat pastry flour, for example, and half UNbleached white flour and move your ratios from there once you get used to the denser, nuttier flavor of the whole grain. You can also use applesauce in place of sugar or even a mashed banana. I've done this several times with good results. You can even just cut back on the sugar and supplement with applesauce or banana. Canned pumpkin (not pie filling, just straight pumpkin) also is a good substitute for oil in a lot of recipes. Trust me, I've had a LOT of recipes that have been a total bust but part of what I like about this new lifestyle is the experimenting. It's kinda fun. You will have to see what works with what recipes and what doesn't. I love to bake so I am determined to work at it until I get something that I like!

Just look at it as a fun adventure and remember that you can pretty much eat anything you used to eat but it will just need to be altered a little to make it healthier.

[TempleBody]

I do whole foods, but not 100% of the time. If my husband and I go out to dinner, I eat what is on the menu. If I'm at a party, I eat what is there. Allll in moderation though (at least that's what I'm tryin to always do).

Some people who do whole foods avoid fat and may avoid using oil. Other whole fooders may use cooking oils. Some whole food eaters might employ lots of different oils like Palm oil, coconut oil, almond oil, and olive oil.

Baking is entirely possible!! The thing you have to keep in mind is you will have to readjust ur taste buds...

There are tons of whole foods recipes online! I don't know if I'm allowed to post links for stores or not some forums dont like it... so google "whole foods" and u get to the whole foods store's website and click the recipe section and there are tons.

[Mrs Quadcrew]

I still bake, I just don't ever eat any of it! (It all goes somewhere else, and that is fine with me. I get the satisfaction of baking, without the weight gain from eating it.)

and yes, you can bake wonderful breads with whole grains, just as stated above, they do not rise nearly as well as their bleached white flour cousins.

[nelie]

I don't bake, I don't care for it.

I sautee using a little olive oil.

I use recipes as well but sometimes it is easy to put a little meat, little beans, little brown rice and veggies to make a meal.

[rockinrobin]

RitzyFritz,

I used to bake all the time, now not at all. I've said many times, for me this was a TOTAL transformation. It is much easier for me to resist packaged cakes and cookies, not that we have them in the house, but homemade, absolutely no way I could resist that. It is just not a part of our lives anymore. I would bake for the weekends. Now as a treat for the weekend I cut up a pineapple. We have fresh berries and a little fat free whipped cream. The good thing about it though is that I put my big Kitchen Aid stand mixer away and now I have more counter space. The only time I bake now is a cake for my kids' birthdays. What I have gained from this lifestyle is much, much more then I have given up. By the way if you DO come up with a healthy cookie recipe let me know. I'm there. I rarely, rarely eat bread now. For me it's not worth the calories. I'd rather have a huge bowl of veggies then one slice of mediocre bread. My fridge is packed with all kinds of vegetables. Another treat for the weekend, I make a big serving platter with veggies - baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumber spears, celery sticks, grape tomatoes, red pepper slices. I serve it with a small bowl of chumus. And I make a small bowl of guacamole. Everyone loves it.

I do saute. At first I used just the cooking spray. I have since started using olive oil, sometimes I combine the 2. I use sooo much less oil then I used to. It's amazing how much extra oil I used to put in the pan to saute then I do now.

I basically make up my own recipes. Either that or I will adapt some recipes that I see. Recipes give me ideas, I kinda revamp them to work for me.

You really will be amazed when you get into this all the delicious, tasty food there is to be had. I would never consider going back to my old ways. I truly think my food is just as good now as it used to be, if not more so. I think you need to try new things. I never had spaghetti squash until a few months ago, now it's a staple around here. I hated, hated, hated tomatoes. I always like tomato SAUCE, but not the raw tomatoes. So I started broiling them, and I add put them on top of a chicken breast or a piece of salmon. I also add them to spaghetti squash. It tastes just like tomato sauce, only better. It's so fresh tasting.

The only thing that I miss is this absolutely delicious Sesame Chicken that I used to make. It was chicken cutlets, cut up and dredged in flour, then in eggs, then in a bread crumb/soy/sesame seed mix, fried and then baked in a pan with a delicious apricot/garlic sauce. I would make that a lot, especially for company. It got rave reviews from everyone including my kids and hubby. I don't even want to venture as to how many calories and grams of fat there is in it. And trust me I was not using the anything in moderation method.

[Charbar]

So what do you do with these beans.. ?? duh.. but honestly.. I've only ever tried canned baked beans.. and GROSS!!

[RitzyFritz]

Mrs Quadcrew: I'm a cake decorator also! But, I have actually put that on hold for now, as even doing it for someone else is hard for me (I am terrible about licking fingers and spatulas!). So the "all-or-nothing" approach is what I have to do. I thought it was too cool that we have one more thing in common! Thank you, again, for your wonderful tips and all your help! I can definitely tell you believe in what you are doing....and you, along with the others here, are making a believer out of me. Now....can you work on my husband and kids for me? LOL!! Just kidding...they are "trying" to make the change but it is harder for them than for me.

Robin: I was curious about the below cookie recipe. Granted, I know the flour would have to be WW and the Splenda replaced with maybe Agava, but what do you all think about this recipe? I have been wanting to try it but now I'm not so sure I should. I want to tell you that you have been a tremendous help to me in this transition as well!! I have saved your list of meals that you shared yesterday so I can have some ideas that are actually healthy! I bought some lentils last night; alas my store doesn't carry red. Will the "regular" (kinda green) lentils work okay in your soup?
__________________________________________________ ____________

Breakfast Cookies

1 1/4 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
1/4 Cup Flour (substitute with whole wheat?)
1 1/2 Cups Non-fat Dry Milk Powder
1 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Splenda Granular (substitute with Agave?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil (dull side up) and spray with butter flavor non-stick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly blended. Spoon 4 large mounds (1/2 cup each) onto the sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove from oven and let cool. Keep in mind, these things are BIG!

Serves: 4
Per Serving: 258 Calories; 2g Fat (6.6% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 325mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 1 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. WWP: 5. This is from Aimees Adventures.
__________________________________________________ ____________

Nelie: I wish I DIDN'T care for baking!! It is my weakness. I have always loved homemade breads...well, just about anything baked. I will continue to bake, just change to the whole grains....sparingly! Thanks for the list of superfoods! I used it last night in my shopping as well.

I spent $225 at the store last night after reading this thread! I tried to stick to the outside aisle and very little from the inner aisles, but goodness.....$225 worth!? Then again, I could have just as easily spent that much on not-so-good-for-us stuff too.

I'm with Charbar....more bean ideas would be appreciated too! I bought a 5# bag of pintos last night so I can cook them up a little at a time as I go and freeze some too.

Anyway....sorry for the long post. I just have a lot on my mind about this and am excited to try this wholesome way of eating. Thanks again to you ALL!! Now wish me luck...mostly in getting my husband completely on the band wagon! LOL! He is very easygoing but has his eyebrows raised a little on this (even though he sees the benefit of it...it is just hard to break habits formed since childhood).

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by RitzyFritz

1. Do you not bake anything (breads, biscuits, healthy cookies, etc?)
2. Do you saute anything (using cooking spray)?
3. Do you even use recipes or just put together some vegetables with meat and not add anything "processed"?

I definitely don't bake on a regular basis--only really for certain occasions or when I'm really in the mood (which isn't very often). For baking, I do have whole wheat flour in my cabinet, and I often replace oil/butter with all natural applesauce to lower the fat/calories.

A stir-fry in a wok is similar to sauteeing, I think. I use either Pam when I cook something on stovetop, or I use macadmia nut oil (difficult to find, but it's supposed to be healthier than most other oils). I even lucked out once and found garlic-infused and chile pepper-infused mac nut oils on clearance at one store, so I use them when I want a kick of garlic (but am out of crushed garlic) or a little spiciness to my meal.

I sort of get ideas from recipes--I don't really follow them. If something sounds good that I see a recipe for, then I adjust it according to what ingredients I have handy or am willing to use. I do have a small box of Splenda in my cabinet, but I use it so rarely that it literally takes me MONTHS to go through just a small box. It will probably take me even longer now since I found a bottle of powdered "Super Stevia Extract" to try.