Yo!
 

Hmmmm. As thou knowest, I be a novice with whole wheat flour ... what does unrefined mean in regard to whole wheat flour?

I'm with thee, Eydie, I don't think I'd buy saurkrat as a substitute for a pb cup! :s:

But I do think thy recipe soundeth good, Kaylets. Mayhap I shall try it. I've never had saurkrat. I even have trouble spelling it.

Ceara, thanks for the discussion of sourdough starter. I had a friend who did this and made the most astonishing things. I've never had the nerve! :hungry:

The cottage cheese is really good in the brownies I made now that they're in their second day. Gives an interesting texture. Beginning to think I must always have ff cottage cheese in the house.

Was going for another 1500 day but had to do the high cal day today ... involved pb cups, better not talk about it, I did try to stave it off by eating oranges on the road, but ... Too much traveling and reporter stress to write down everything so just did the calories. Do plan to post my menus as much as possible because I so enjoy reading the ones posted her. So many great :devil: Food Slaying ideas ... hope the "slaying" word offendeth not ... just for fun, although I do think pb cups should be slain, sorry, they must be removed from the planet. They are EVIL! :rollpin:

Have sinus :headache: ... must sleep, report below:

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 1, Day 3, My High Cal Day, calories: 1795, Day 3 exercise 60 minutes, on to Day 4, no more high cal days allowed in my challenge until next week!

Onto day 4!
 

Pyrex
 

Yes...I too be leery of the plastics...I use only microwavable ones but I think they can break down over time too....or else why would they stale date bottled water? It is the bottle they are dating not the water...Jeez.

Ceara

Feb. 11--Wednesday
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
ww bagel w/ chopped hard-boiled egg, cream cheese, spinach, carrot
clementine [this is my new favorite breakfast.]

2 ww toast w/ soy 'ham', ff cheese, mustard
tomato-red pepper soup
Slim-Fast bar [the peanut butter crunch ones taste like butterfingers! :devil: ]

Mexican veg-bean soup
1/2 c. ff chocolate pudding

snax: apple
1 btl. caramel frappicino

Calories: 1510**fiber: 21 grams**fat: 23 grams
water: 8 cups
exercise: 3 miles treadmill**15 min. yoga**40 pushups**200 crunches**25 min. dumbells

Made breakfast and lunch for a group at work today and I didn't indulge in any mindless nibbling in the kitchen. Victory! :D

Yo! Kudos to DFS Eydie for passing on the mindless nibbles at work whilst having to cook! Yowza! :cheer: Good job, Eydie!

OT on the subject of spam I brought up on the other thread: Now I'm getting spam with the word "devil" in the subject line ... oh, well! Nevertheless mine challenge today be an :angel: although my sugar consumption is still way high ... but reducing sugar is not the subject of my challenge; it's about calories in and calories out, with an emphasis on health where possible.

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 1, Day 4, calories: 1440, exercise 43 minutes, weights in gym, 2 min. cardio, on to Day 5

Ateth the following: 1/4 cup Scottish oatmeal (75)
1 T turbinado sugar (45)
Butter Spray, count for day (10)

1 T barley malt syrup (60)

Healthy German chocolate brownie bar (55)
EAS Carb Control Vanilla shake (100)

Grilled salmon w/dill/butter spray (120)
Corn (70)
Brocolli w/lowfat cheese sauce (70)
EAS Carb Control Vanilla shake (100)

:devil: 3.5 ounce maple iced glazed donut bar, no filling (455)
EAS Carb Control Vanilla shake (100)

1 slice sprouted bread toasted in oven w/butter spray (80)
EAS Carb Control Rich Dark Chocolate shake (100)

Total: 1440

Going back to calorie counting is making it easier to see where the problem lies. The donut would be approximately 9 points, which I was not seeing as very high on Flexpoints, but looking at my menu now, it's more readily apparent that the one donut that took two minutes to buy and eat was 32 percent or so of my whole day's food. A pb cup or two would have been better (115 cal each). :doh: It's ok to have a donut now and then (I do know it's not spelled donut, but I like it), but a couple of oranges would have been better for this sinus infection I have. :yes:

Tomorrow, determined to make muffins sometime. Will post the recipe. Elberta Crone hath now locked Amarantha out of the kitchen, the better to save her from herownself!

:wave:

P.S. The sprouted bread is flourless and totally delicious ... I remembered that Wood Nymph had posted something about this last year and when I saw it in the health food section, I decided to try it. I froze half the loaf as it has no preservatives or anything ...

Thursday!
 

Yo!
 

Ah, Ceara, I have fond memories of butter tarts from when I lived across the river from Ontario ... well, no, these were called raisin tarts, now that I think of it, so forget that ... anyway, they were definitely :devil: Food! Off with their heads! But your day looketh great nevertheless!!!!

Amarantha's Day With a Sinus Infection and People Standing Her Up For Appointments and the Like and the :devil: Foods All Over the Friggin' Countryside:

1/4 cup Scottish oatmeal (75)
1 T turbinado sugar :devil: (45)
Butter spray for day (10)

EAS Carb Control Vanilla shake (100)
Orange (70)

EAS Rich Dark Chocolate Carb Control shake (100)

:devil: 2 packages (of 2 each) pb cups (460)

Ouevres Rustico ala Ceara*
*1 container Eggbeaters (30)
1/2 serving asparagus (10)
1/2 serving bottled mushrooms (15)
1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese (45)

2 slices sprouted bread toasted in oven and sprayed w/butter spray (160)

1/2 serving Scottish oatmeal (75)
1 T turbinado sugar (45)
EAS Carb Control shake (100)

EAS Carb Control shake (100)

**Editing: Adding some more food. Didn't realize I was hungry so am having another EAS. Rich Dark Chocolate ... :s: ... not enough calories to add a carb, though. Oh, well!

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 1, Day 5, calories: 1440, exercise 55 minutes between treadmill/recumbent bike, on to Day 6

Feb. 12--food/exercise
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 c, brown rice w/ corn, onion, egg sub. 1 oz. gouda
apple

ww bagel w/ hard-boiled egg, cream cheese, peppers, onion, carrot
cucumber slices w/ humuus

Brown rice and beans w/ salsa, corn, cheese, lo-fat sour cream
ff fudgesicle

snack: yogurt 'cheesecake' w/ pineapple

calories: 1500**fiber: 21 grams**fat: 37 grams
water: 5 cups
exercise: 4 miles treadmill**15 min. 'thighs' video**15 min. 'abs' video** 20 min. Pilates**40 pushups

Help is on the way ...
 

Eeeny, meenie, chile beanie, the spirits are about to speak!

Yo! It is, I, the ghost o' Questar the Culinary :queen: who roamed this land on :devil: Food Missions many centuries ago before being called to the Cloudy Climes o' the Heavenly Mountain of :angel: Food Not Cake, where I flash my Magik Sward on nights when the :devil: Foods roar their siren song against the innocent and slender folkettes o' the :queen: dom. Each year on the Eve o' St. Valentine's Day, I reappear to REMIND you :queen: s that :devil: in heart shaped boxes be abroad at this season and are best avoided. Summon me if you need backup when faced with the color RED, the shape o' HEARTS filled w/marshmallow lace or FLOWERS made out o' chocolate!!!!! Just closeth thy eyes and say, "Questar cometh!!!! Nay, nay, come out, Questar, come out 'n play; I don't need no friggin' chocolate TODAY!"

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 1, Day 6, calories: 1500, exercise 60 minutes, TB in gym w/trainer.

Going to bed! :)

Forgot, menu today was quirky as feeling ill. Ate mostly oatmeal, sprouted grain bread and EAS. No healthy vege or fruit, but no candy. No problem keeping calories low.

Friday the thirteenth
 

Amarantha, I was feeling ill yesterday too, and I admit I sought out the creamy comfort of chocolates, didn't overdo it too much though. Weird disjointed food day and not much exercise because of my pitiful state. :( Heres the sorry tale:

Coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
2 ww toast w/ egg, cream cheese, carrots, peppers

baked potato w/ sour cream and ketchup [at Wendy's]
fruit-yogurt parfait [at McDonald's---taking the fast food tour!]

2 ww w/veg. burger, mustard, ketchup, ff cheese
Slim-fast bar [130 calories]

snax:1 ww toast w/ cheddar
4 pcs. Whitman's chocolates [you know the little box?]

Calories: surprisingly only 1600
exercise: 1/2 hour bellydance video
water: 5 glasses

It be I, Questar the Culinary :queen: Ghost. Just dropping in from the :angel: Food Cake Not realm to point out that TODAY IS THE DAY!!!! Amarantha, the still-ailing :queen: hath summoned me to give warning again about those :; shaped boxes (yea, :queen: E, we do knoweth Whitman's little boxes, also Stover's little boxes, thou we usually shun them in favor o' pb cups :yikes: :fr: ).

Amarantha hath told me that she be still ill but working, yet wants the DFS contingent to know that she also be still on her challenge and be declaring a ST. VALENTINE'S DAY CANDY NOT CHALLENGE for herself ... no candy of any kind shall pass the honeyed lips o' the amazing Amarantha! This, she saith, doth not include turbinado sugar on her oatmeal, which be the only fun she hath left in life.

Havin' delivered the message and my warning, I, Questar the Culinary :queen: and veteran :devil: Food Slayer who hath departed to the cloudy climes o' only :angel: Food Not Cake, shall take my leave.

Be careful out there today, all denizens o' the Land o' Fit Folk. The universe hath morphed into a chocolate scented jungle wrapped in crinklly red 'n pink paper. P.S., the Easter candy's out as well, so remember to take thy Magik :devil: Food Slaying Swards along for trips to the store. :yikes: :fr: :rollpin:

Thanks to the Dear Departed Questar for her wise words--altho they fell on deaf ears in my case. I take comfort in the fact that at least I don't blindly just chunk it down my throat like I did in days of yore!

I was out in the big world all day and that can be dangerous for me and I had another "odd" food day, but I intend to be without blemish tomorrow. Time will tell....

Here's the Valentine's Day menu:

Coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
2 ww toast w/ cream cheese, hard-boiled egg

[At Thai rest.] lovely curry w/ tofu, vegetables, coconut milk, sweet potatoes
and rice

chocolate-raspberry heart
brownie w/ cream cheese icing
tiny cup of coffee

4 crackers w/ cheese

If we'd stayed home I would've been 'safe' and the cherubic demons would'nt have gotten me, but as I said, we were out in the big bad world and it was simply in the air today. The shops were crazy with people frantically buying all the V. Day stuff. The good news is my faithful body lets me know when it's had enough or too much. After the brownie I had the distinct feeling that it was just too much--and next time I'll get something smaller, and less rich. Live and learn, I hope! :) :) :) :) :) :) It does get easier!

Questar hath gone away again as it be St. V's night and sugar/fat in the shape of hearts, cupids and Elvis be now officially old news. Amarantha be still on her 21-dayer and her candy NOT challenge for today went well EXCEPT she did have a package of 460 calorie poptarts instead of the 230 cal pack of pb cups she wanted from the convenience store where she stopped to get gas and noticed that her blood sugar was dropping, so mayhap she be not ready to give up pb cups.

Yes, it does get easier, :queen: E, but not much! :)

Methinks all these hearts will turn back to regular smilies tomorrow.

I didn't write down my exact menu today, only the calories, but as I said, it involved poptarts ... still came out with a perfect 1500 ... weigh in tomorrow will tell the tale as to whether this is doing any good.

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 1, Day 7, calories: 1500, exercise 50 minutes between treadmill and recumbent bike in gym; total exercise minutes for week: 360.

Happy, happy, joy, joy, joy ...
 

On the occasion of my first successful week on my 21-dayer plus LOSING 1.5 pounds, I would like to reiterate:

Amarantha's February Food Quest

I, Amarantha, pledgeth this day, Sunday, Feb. 8, to set forth on a 21-day quest to banish the Binge Demon :devil:, a particularly evil member of the Demon Food gang :devil: that be seemingly forever loose in the royal neighborhood. To accomplish this banishing, I’m pledging to eat in a range of no more than 1500 calories six days a week and no more than 1500-2000 one day a week so’s my metabolism will stay strong!!! :strong: :rollpin:

Though this be not about eating, but in a way is, I further pledge to exercise 360 minutes each week of the three week challenge!

Day 8 and counting! I am making muffins for breakfast and will post a menu and the recipe tonight!!! Thanks be to the Slayers for their inspiration on this thread!

Hmmm. Decided to go ahead and post this recipe as it turned out really well. I'm freezing some for traveling later in the week:

Chess Pie Muffins
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 T turbinado sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp. baking powder
2 T buttermilk powder
2 tsp. Just White egg white powder
6 packets Splenda
1/2 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla Praline protein powder
1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
3/4 cup water

Mix, spoon into 8 muffin cups sprayed with zero cal canola oil spray. Bake at 400 for approximately 12 minutes, turn off oven and let muffins sit in oven for a few minutes. 101.25 cal, count as 105 w/butter spray on top. :)

Editing: Working on healthy pear-gingerbread bars now, will post in my menu this evening, though they don't look promising.

amarantha-congrats on the 1.5 lbs. down!

i did fine yesterday op, and then today, ate too much at lunch (had a sundae for dessert, which was not on my meal plan and did not need!) ok, so---for dinner, back to pre-planned meal and no extras. also, haven't finished doing my exercising yet for today either, so will get to that now. well, wanted to keep myself honest here. take care, all.

Yo, Wsw!!!!
 

Found fresh cauliflower very cheap at the veg market today-- they were getting those little black spots so DH cooked up nearly all I bought tonight and he did another version of

ZERO POINT SOUP!~!!!!

Cauliflower Zero Point Soup

2 heads caulilfower ( these were aprx 2.5 lbs each)
4 cloves of garlic
1 big onion
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
salt and pepper to taste

saute the garlic and onion.
Cut up the cauliflower and add to garlic and onion. Cover w/ water.
Add carrot rounds.

Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer till tender.
We cook till the cauliflower breaks down and looks almost like mashed potatotes.

YUM!


----

Empress, the chess muffins... wondering what the flavor is like... showing my ignorance here but not sure why the are called "chess"... ( They don't have a checkerboard pattern do they??)


Speaking of flavor... we are reconfiguring as quickly as we can... DH has developed a sensitivity to aspertame.. blinding headaches...
Which means, my favorite water will now be bought much less, and our favorite yogurt is a problem, .......

Anyone make their own yogurt??? I have a small Salton maker WITHOUT directions which holds six glass cups and a what appears to be a warming tray w/o a thermostat...also found this thermos type of container that you put warm ingredients and keep closed for 6-8 hrs... I am very interested in learning...Need some expert advise... all the books say its amazingly easy to do with the "makers" or tricky to do in an oven, slow cooker, skillet....

NEED ADVICE!

thanks !

Empress-- CONGRATS on 1.5 down!

Pear gingerbread might be yummy....

anyone interested in apple/oatmeal crisp?


Apple Oatmeal Crisp

2 large cooking apples cut into small slices
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup unflavored rice syrup
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons Splenda
Cinammon
Nutmeg

Place apples in pie dish, sprinkling Splenda evenly. Add Cinammon and Nutmeg to taste.
In a bowl, mix pastry flour, oatmeal, rice syrup, baking powder, and milk.
Mix in Cinammon and nutmeg to taste.
Spread flour mix on top of apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for aprx 20 minutes or until apples are cooked and crust is brown.

Very good w/ yogurt! Especially vanilla yogurt!
Top that w/ Coolwhip and even better!

This may or may not be true, but it's a charming story:

Kaylets, you were asking about chess pie--it's eggs,sugar, vanilla, maybe some butter, mixed and poured into a pie shell, and baked to a a firm custard.
The story goes that someone asked what kind of pie it was---is it apple, cherry, berry? Answer: Nope, it's 'jes pie! and over the years it became 'chess pie'. One of those stories that if it's not true, it should be.

Hope this was enlightening.
Your Friendly Neighborhood FoodLore Maven ;)

Yo!
 

Thanks for the info on chess pie, Maven ... I always thought it was a version of cheesecake ... my mom used to make it with cheese. Your take on it sounds even better ... probably could make it without sugar ... hmmm.

Kaylets, Elberta thanketh thee kindly for the recipes and she's cutting up some caulif. as we speak. Amarantha be eager to try the apple crisp ... mayhap pear crisp would also be good? Only we've been unable to buy brown rice syrup in this neck o' the woods ... none of the places I used to get it has it ... going to trek down to Wild Oats if I have time tomorrow and if they don't have it, I'll go online. The barley malt syrup would be too strong for your crisp recipe, methinks.

I never use asparmante anymore as I don't think it's healthy and do believe thy dh could easily get headaches from it. I know I do.

My mom used to make yogurt in the 50s with a yogurt maker ... it was a popular pastime then. So neat to think that someone still does this. It's got to be healthier than the stuff in the store.

Amarantha's Sunday Menu:

2 Fake Chess Pie Muffins (210)
Rich Dark Chocolate EAS Carb Control Shake (100)
Butter spray count for day (10)
Gym Drink count for day (30)*
*A B vitamin powder I buy in the gym so I can stand to drink water

1 Fake Chess Pie Muffins (105)
RDC EAS Carb Control Shake (100)

Grilled salmon w/dill & butter spray (120)
Corn (70)
Brocolli w/lowfat cheese sauce (70)

RDC EAS Carb Control Shake (100)

2 Fake Pear-Gingerbread Bars** (180)

**1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup self-rising flour
2 tsp. Just White egg white powder
8 packets Splenda
1 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla Praline protein powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 T barley malt syrup
4 T turbinado sugar
1/2 cup water
1 T canola oil
1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese

Coarsely chop pear and mix with all ingredients except 3 T of the turbinado. Pour in 9x12 baking pan that’s been sprayed with canola spray. Sprinkle the rest of the turbinado evenly over top of cake. Bake at 350 until knife inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes. Cool and cut into 12 squares. (90 calories eachs).

RDC EAS Carb Control Shake (100)

2 Fake Pear-Gingerbread Bars (180)
RDC EAS Carb Control Shake (100)

Total: 1475

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 2, Day 8, calories: 1475, exercise 30 minutes walk/run inside house.

This is posted early w/three hours to go on Sunday but Elberta Crone hath closed the kitchen so I won't eat anymore food. Avanti, all! :wave:

Feb. 15--Sunday
 

Coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
english muffin w/ egg and cheese

Mexican bean soup
2 ww w/ egg, cream cheese, onion
ff yogurt 'cheesecake' w/ ff caramel sauce

low-fat mac. and cheese
steamed brocolli
ff yogurt 'cheesecake' w/ strawberries

snack: ff choc. pudding

exercise: 80 min. walk
calories: not sure--didn't really measure today.
water: 4 glasses [3rd day in a row I haven't gotten enough water]


Kaylets and Amarantha, Thanks for the recipes! I bought a ton of organic granny smith apples, so I need to get creative with those.
I'll post my yogurt cheesecake recipe late!

Monday
 

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
omelette [egg sub., cottage cheese,spinach, onion, ff cheese]
2 soy sausages
clementine

small baked potato w/ low-fat ranch dip
lo-fat ice cream sandwich
apple

salad [lettuce, peas, carrots, onion, peppers, cucumber, almonds, 'chik' patty, lo-fat ranch]
lo-fat ice cream sandwich

snack: Slim-Fast bar

calories:1415***fiber: 28 grams***fat: 31 grams
exercise:1 hour walk**20 min. dumbells***40 pushups***200 crunches

Yogurt Cheesecake
 

First, you need to know how to make yogurt cheese! Line a colander with cheesecloth or paper towels [whatever's handy], place over a bowl and dump a 32-oz. container of plain yogurt into the colander. Let the yogurt drain overnight. The next day the yogurt will have the consistency of soft cream cheese--more or less. At this point you could use it like cream cheese or flavor it with anything--honey and nuts, herbs and garlic--it's very versatile. Just make sure that you start with yogurt that doesn't have gelatin added.

This is a great recipe---try it at least once! :D

Yogurt Cheesecake

2 cups yogurt cheese
2-4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 eggs or 1/2 c. egg sub.
1 tsp vanilla [or any flavor you'd like]

Combine all ingredients until well-mixed. Pour into an 8 or 9" pan. [You can also bake this in a graham cracker pie crust.]
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate before eating. It'll set up and have an amazing 'cheesecake' consistency. Serve with fruit.

Yo, :devil: Food Slayers Ceara and Eydie, thou be stalwart in the yogurt department. I need to try all these things. It's surprising how much I like yogurt, when I had such an aversion to it in the past. But I don't like the highly processed stuff that's in the market. These recipes are just the ticket to get back my flagging challenge spirit.

Today wasn't good, though I'm still in the ballpark for my challenge. This is my high cal day! Re exercise, drove to the gym but had so much on my mind and still didn't feel well, ended up just sitting in the car and then coming home to finish work. Anyhow, tomorrow's another day, Amarantha say(eth)!!!! Yay(eth)!!! I'm not posting a menu as somewhere along the line I reverted to just writing down the calories ... think it was the pb cups or maybe the donut ... anyhow, I did a 15-minute walk and am calling it good. Will do the gym thing tomorrow and play catch up on weights. I have a long way to go to 360 minutes this week!

21-Day Challenge Report: Week 2, Day 9, calories: 2000, exercise 15 minute walk.

P.S., the Fake Pear-Gingerbread bars are gone!!!! I ate them all! :yikes:

These are really good, if I do say so!

Dear Amarantha, I feel your pain. My calories have been 'up' the last few days. What's going on? With me, I think when I allowed the Valentine's Day Sugar Demon entrance into the temple, it wanted to stay. Time for an exorcism, maybe? :mad: Just a little taste and I want MORE! I always think that I can handle it........ :o

Anyway, here's today's efforts:

coffee w/ ff 1/2 and 1/2
2 ww toast w/ egg sub., ff cheese, 'bacon'
clementine

ww tortilla w/ humuus and vegs.
tomato soup

soy 'chicken' marinara
steamed brocolli and cauliflower
low-fat ice cream sandwich

snax: apple
shape-Up bar
peanut butter and crackers [this is where it fell apart for me!]

calories: 1660
fiber: 36 grams
fat:52 grams
water: 4 cups [still not enough]
exercise:40 pushups***200 crunches***15 min. yoga***3 miles treadmill

I didn't even mention everyone at work getting girl scout cookies---open boxes everywhere! So far, so good.

Hello all!

Extra bread last night... managed to control the portion and put half back...
and then took an orange with me to bed...orange is still there on the bedside table ... but it did feel good in my hand taking it to bed.... the brain, very interesting...

Eydie-- notice you're listing an "egg substitute"... we have a chicken flu here in Delaware and we are even afraid to buy Egg white brands.... was wondering what you were using ....

must dash!

Kaylets, I don't really favor one brand of egg sub. over another. I ususally get whatever's on sale. They basically all have the same ingredients and the same amount of calories. What's this about a chicken flu? Something I should be aware of?