Just thought I would throw this out there- Its pretty easy to always have something on hand as most of the time frozen veggies are as good if not better than fresh ones. They are usually frozen as soon as they come off the plant and don't sit on a truck for days liek produce does losing nutrients all the while... I generally don't care for a lot of frozen produce but soups from frozen veggies are good to me, and I always have some tomatoes canned and frozen veggies on hand! I don't think it is hard to maintain eating this way being plant based I mean... I have the hardest time not adding things in. I love my rice and rice pastas, corn tortillas, etc... I have a hard time just not buying them- but that is what it comes down to- If I don't buy them I wont eat them!!! lol
Tonight I made ff refried beans seasoned myself with spices no mix... put that on top of corn tortillas dry pan fried, with some shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalapenos, black olives, and some pico. DELISH. I think I will start a new thread for all of us to post in to help each other with meal ideas! Look for "Plant based meals- What's on your plate?"
Hope to see yall there!!!
Yesterday I was sick but managed a salad for lunch (with flaxseed sprinkled over it! Furhman would be proud) and this for dinner: Vegetarian Hot Pot. I just make it without the noodles. The hot-and-sour thin ginger broth feels so good when you have a cold
I also picked up some mustard greens by accident the other day. I wasn't sure what to do with them so I just steamed them and ate them with a bit of dijon and honey on top. Do you guys have any ideas? It's the first time I've really seen good "greens" here and I'd love to take advantage of it!
rdw That's a very similar bean-taco salad to one my fiance and I make- YUM!
Also, I assumed we were using this thread to share meals and support- do you think we need a separate one? Have you checked out the Vegetarian Thread and Vegetarian Recipes section of the forum? Lots more inspiration for yummy veggie meals.
Those tacos sound good. Will have to make some. I've got most of the ingredients. I also love to make my own corn tortillas. Haven't had one since I started eating 'this way'.
I also use great amounts of frozen veggies in my soups. They are cost effective, already cleaned and chopped, and 'always' on hand. As it is, I spend far more time in the kitchen than before.
Indiblue, glad you found some fresh greens. I don't eat mustard greens however - too strong - so I have no clue how to fix them.
I've been doing relatively well, but the easy weight loss seems to have stopped. I had hoped the magic poundage melt would go on longer, but I guess I'm in for the long slog from here. No matter. I'm doing this primarily for my health, and if I stick to it, even my way, the weight loss will follow.
Today I've had two large salads, one mostly lettuce, the other far more fancy. Also a plate of steamed mixed veggies with a bit of rice, and for lunch a super yummy veg soup w some rice. And a banana with a wee bit of peanut butter. Also 3 small tastes of things at Costco.
So this is my current plan. It seems to keep evolving. I am eating somewhere mid-ground between Fuhrman and McDougal (and Atkins ). Meaning, I've added tremendous amounts of vegetables of every shape and form, both fresh and frozen, plus lots of legumes, fruits, some whole grains, eliminated almost all dairy, greatly reduced fats, but still eat meat (for flavor), avocados, olive oil (measured), red wine (5 oz), chocolate (1-2 squares) in very limited quantities when I want them. Also I drink tea.
This diet must be something I can live with forever and not feel deprived. I will not get the results of purists, but it would be no good for me to start only to stop in a couple months. Or feel as though I was failing...
Yeah jansan they definitely were strong! I had to steam them to eat them. I just mixed them into my salad with some honey-dijon dressing I made (no oil). Not great- I was more hiding them in my salad than showcasing them. I'm sure there are better things I could have done with them
Your plan looks great. I'm very close to your plan, although I don't think I get as many vegetables as I should and I don't eat any meat except for fish on occasion.
I have found that making one meal 100% Furhman (in other words, tons of veggies fresh and cooked) and one meal "sensible" works very well. That usually means lunch is a salad, cooked greens, roasted beets or cauliflower, etc. Dinner is a little more lax, usually mostly legumes, tofu, with some grains every now and then. Snacks are dates and dried figs, fruit, and almonds. I don't eat breakfast.
I like having one strict meal and one a bit less structured. I haven't been calorie counting so it's been quite a bit more relaxed than the past year of CCing. Scale seems to be up a pound or two... I'll have to wait a couple more weeks to see if it keeps creeping upwards. I'll have to start CCing if it does.
I haven't made any fantastic veggie meals lately... just the usual. I have been loving beets with mustard and a bit of salt and pepper. Warmed up slightly... yum!
I went grocery shopping and bought all fruits & veggies. I'm going to try to follow Fuhrman's plan 100% this week. I had a strawberry smoothie with 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk & flax seeds this morning and I brought in a huge salad for lunch.
I'm just hoping I can be strong with all of the baking/candy making I need to do over the next 3 weeks.
Hope everyone is doing well. Mustard greens I simply can't eat, but I'm lucky and have a full array of both fresh and frozen of many other things. It would be far more difficult to eat this way without that. I don't envy you indiblue.
Good on stocking up jenjen, being prepared is the ticket for success.
I also have a cookie bake coming soon, but I don't worry much about it. If I have a couple, so be it. I'm going to try not to, but most likely that will happen if past cookie bakes are any indication. Life will go on, and January 1 will be here soon.
I've been eating pretty well the past few days - lots of veggies and legumes.
I did make a large taco salad yesterday and it was yummy. No tortillas however. I was too hungry to make them. It was easier and more healthy to just chop more lettuce.
Good luck to you and to jansan on your cookie/candy bakes coming up. Be strong
Everyone's taco salads sound wonderful. I may cook up some pinto beans tomorrow for my fiance and I to do taco salads of our own.
I've been throwing caution to the wind and eating huge lettuce salads. There is only one place I've found to get really good green and romaine(ish) lettuce and I haven't gotten sick from it yet.... so fingers crossed.
I'd love to hear everyone's ideas for salad dressings. Usually I do the following:
- Balsamic vinegar with a little salt and pepper.
- Dijon mustard with honey (and a bit of water)- warmed up
- If I'm doing a red cabbage salad I'll make an Asian-style dressing: rice wine + fish sauce + crushed ginger + lemon + some brown sugar
- In the US I used to chop up tomatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli, drizzle a tiny bit of oil and seasonings, and then put it in a tupperware to sort of let the flavors blend together. The tomatoes were juicy enough that it created a delicious juice that the veggies marinated in.... then after a day I'd pour the whole thing over my salad. Here the tomatoes are really bland and not juicy at all!
I'm getting a bit bored with these three choices so I'd love ideas. Any thoughts?
Hello! I am back I'm still on soup but am easing in more solid foods again and plan to grocery shop this weekend for all sorts of green goodness
Indi, your red cabbage salad sounds delicious! I don't think I've ever had anything like that.
I usually just use balsamic vinegar and a crack of black pepper on my salads and sometimes I add a little splash of smoked olive oil I also like to use a good salsa for a Mexican themed salad.
Thanks for all of the support. It's going pretty well. I did used canned pinto beans last night (and will finish them tonight). Next weekend, I must do better menu planning!
Last night I made a "taco salad" minus the taco - TONS of lettuce with sauted onions & peppers, the pinto beans and about 1/2 cup of rice. It was yummy and filling. I will probably have the same tonight.
I'm also going to prep all of the raw veggies I can tonight for lunches & ready to go suppers. I've also made a rough outline for the meals through the end of the work week.
I can't really say I'm missing the eggs, meat, or dairy that much. Caffeine, I'm missing.
Suzanne, that Kale salad looks amazing!
Indiblue, I bought some no salt seasoning (Mrs. Dash) in different flavors. The garlic & herb is great on salads. I also bought a Mexican blend, but I haven't tried that yet. Maybe I'll add some tonight.
Jansan, I'm with you on the greens. I LOVE spinach, but any type of strong greens, I just don't like.
Suzanne welcome back! The Asian salad dressing is delicious. I toss shredded red cabbage, shredded cucumbers, and shredded carrots in it. It's even better the next day after marinating. It's more Thai/Southeast Asian than anything else because it has the balance of sweet-salty-sour-acidic. That and the fish sauce, instead of soy sauce.
I've also crumbled dried seaweed over it and placed a sunny-side up egg over-easy on top. Then it starts to resemble Korean bibimbap.
I think Asian food, from Indian to Korean, gives great inspiration for veggie-based meals. They do veggies very well there, as they often tend to be the center of the meal instead of an afterthought.
jenjen So many good ideas for taco salads! I didn't even think of doing a more fajita style salad. I ended up cooking pinto beans last night, which I put over a bed of cabbage and top with diced onions/cilantro/tomato. I'll definitely have to try the onions and peppers next time.
Bad news for me is that I went to my favorite vegetable shop to get good, dark lettuce and there was none. The woman who manages it told me there was a shortage. Nooooo! Who knows when I'll get my dark leafy greens back in? Yesterday I had to do cabbage, which was..... bleh.
Regarding greens, I'm not a fan of them all. Spinach is easy, and I also love swiss chard. I'm still trying to learn to love kale simply because I know I should. Mustard greens were way too strong and off putting. Plus I let the rest of the bag rot and they smelled like something dead and I'll never trust a mustard green again
Beet greens were a very pleasant surprise! I've always heard we should buy beets with the greens attached and eat those as well, but I've never seen a bunch of fresh beets that didn't look like the greens had been run over with a truck. I recently saw beet greens for sale on their own and they looked so fresh and perfect, so I gave them a shot. They were really good! Unfortunately they are hard to find like that. But they will be in my own back yard next summer
Jenjen, I also need to work on my menu planning. In fact, I won't be shopping again until Saturday morning so I'm going to work on a detailed menu and list. My goal is to try all new recipes over the next week.
Indiblue, that's awful about the lack of salad greens! Can you get other greens for cooking? Maybe frozen, or canned? I know that sounds icky, lol. I've never tried canned greens before but who knows, maybe they are good.
Prior to 'eating this way' I am not sure I have ever even tried kale or collards. Now I have, and don't find them too strong. But I do mix them with other things. I do think mustards, arugula, and brussel sprouts are simply too strong for me no matter what I do to them.
I have read that steaming kale and collards longer both tenderizes them, and makes them taste milder. I do wonder however if cooking longer removes any of the nutrients.
I have purchased frozen collards at our local grocery and find them very convenient.
Bok choi is also a green leafy veg that is packed with nutrients- it's right behind kale and collards. Some of the baby bok choys are quite mild tasting. I've seen those both at costco and the grocery store. These would be about 6 inches.
I've been doing OK, but not great. I keep eating too much. Nothing horrible as in the proverbial cake, and probably not enough to gain, but just too much and too often to lose weight. But then the last few days have been a bit nutso. Maybe when things calm down so will I.
Last edited by jansan; 12-07-2011 at 10:39 PM.
Reason: add photo
Oh man I LOVE arugala, mesculun, and all those amazing wild greens!
Those I can't even dream of getting here. Lettuce- good, leafy green lettuce- is as good as it gets.
Michael Pollan has great arguments about why wild greens are so important in one's diet. They are jam-packed with more antioxidants than other greens because they are wild and thus have to fight off disease harder than lettuce grown domestically. That's one of the reasons they are so bitter.
When I lived in Washington, D.C. I have very fond memories of walking to Eastern Market every weekend and buying lbs and lbs of wild greens from the farmers there... mixing them and trying different ones each week. So good and so fresh!
Have you guys tried mixing wild greens with regular lettuce- perhaps 50/50? If you find them too bitter that could be one method of "diluting" them.
jansan the bok choy you posted... mm. That's something I can get here, on occasion. I don't really enjoy it in a salad, but in stir fries and hearty soups it's wonderful.
Also good news for me- yesterday my vegetable shop had lettuce! It is so leafy and beautiful! Granted, it takes about 25 minutes for me to wash it (I have to hand wash each leaf one-by-one) but it's so worth it. Had a huge salad for lunch today
Yay for the good lettuce! Indi, I don't know what the climate is there right now, but could you grow a windowsill garden of mesclun?
Funny you should mention the extra antioxidants in wild greens, as I was just reading about that yesterday! Well to be more precise, I was reading about organic vegetables having more antioxidants than conventionally grown. I watched Dr. Weil's Healthy Aging and he mentioned that so I had to look it up. Basically plants use antioxidants the same way people do, so when they have to do a little fighting they develop higher levels of antioxidants. Apparently up to 40% more than conventional produce.
Jansen, I'm sorry you had a few rough days. Hopefully the weekend will bring some sanity back to your life The baby bok choy are beautiful! I've only bought them once and I don't know why I haven't bought them more.
I also like to use a good salsa for a Mexican themed salad. 
