B: one slice almond and flaxseed bread—toasted with butter; coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: three slices Applegate humanely raised bacon; big plate of power greens with evoo and vinaigrette dressing
S: 1/3 cup nuts — macadamia, walnut, pistachio, pecan, hazelnut, brazil nut; 2 squares 85% dark chocolate
D: 2 tacos — grass fed ground beef, red and green shredded cabbage, sour cream, avocado, Sriracha sauce, cassava flour tortillas; one glass red wine
I went out to lunch today with a new friend. We went to Sharkys and sat outside. The weather has cooled off a bit and is so pleasant now. There was a little breeze blowing and it was a lovely peaceful lunch. The time passed quickly. That's the way it is when you are with somebody you really like.
B: one green banana, one slice of Applegate humanely raised ham, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: 4oz wild caught salmon, roasted organic veggies with walnut pesto
D: 4oz grass fed burger with mustard, almond flour bun, chard with evoo and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, two glasses red wine (I tried out a new red wine tonight and I liked it so much, I had to have two glasses! I'm only supposed to have one glass of wine per day, but I gotta splurge every now and then.)
I forgot to put sesame seeds on top but it tasted really good without. The dough was a little sticky so I added about a quarter cup of ground flaxseed and that helped to absorb some of the moisture and fluff up the buns a little. I did have to cook them for 20 minutes total instead of 15 like the recipe says. They needed the extra five minutes. Interestingly, the bun tasted a lot like whole wheat bread. lol! I enjoyed it immensely.
Last edited by magistra17; 11-06-2017 at 11:44 PM.
B: one green banana, a few hazelnuts, one slice of cassava flour and flaxseed bread, coffee with MCT oil, cream, and a little bit of coconut sugar
L: one slice Applegate humanely raised ham, big plate of chard and avocado slices with evoo and vinaigrette dressing
S: 1/4 cup nuts, half of a Quest chocolate chunk power bar
D: wild Alaskan salmon baked with lemon, evoo, garlic and spices, baked asparagus spears drizzled with evoo, garlic, parmesan cheese, one glass red wine
Last edited by magistra17; 11-08-2017 at 11:54 PM.
Ack! I'm so annoyed! I have to stay up later than usual because I have some things that have to be done by tonight. And I am feeling stressed and I just want to eat! It's taking all my willpower not to go into the kitchen and eat a bunch of nuts, chocolate, who knows what I'll find in there . . .
I just had to complain. I am feeling so vulnerable. If anybody is reading this, thanks for listening!
Last edited by magistra17; 11-09-2017 at 01:15 AM.
I'm thrilled to say that I am down another pound today. I'm officially changing my ticker after a whole month of plateau. I feel so good, but trying not to get too excited. lol!
As I had planned, I spent this week sleeping more. I tried to get to bed early, take a nap every day and sleep in when possible. I love getting all this sleep! I also avoided fruit and ate a lot fewer dates. I did put some coconut sugar in my coffee a couple of times, but it appears that I cut back the sugar enough and slept enough for my body to go into "it's winter now" mode and stop storing fat for the winter.
Forgot to post my menu yesterday:
Thursday's menu:
B: coffee with MCT oil, cream, coconut sugar, olives, dates, nuts (I didn't have time for a proper breakfast so I just grabbed a few of these things)
L: spinach, and chard salad with one whole avocado, one pastured egg fried in evoo, three slices of bacon, evoo and vinaigrette dressing.
S: baby carrots, hazelnuts and 85% dark chocolate
D: Sharky's - 2oz wild caught salmon, double order of organic roasted vegetables (took the other 2oz salmon home and had it for breakfast this morning), water to drink
A few people have told me that I don't eat enough. lol! I don't know . . . I am so happy eating this way. I think I often just don't feel hungry, although I do get in the mood to eat. But I want to keep eating well. I don't want to deviate so I do carefully think about what I eat before I set out preparing a meal.
I was reading Dr. Gundry's first book "Diet Evolution" and he says in there that when you eat mostly green plant food, that actually removes your sugar cravings. I believe it because I have experienced it.
Last edited by magistra17; 11-10-2017 at 02:16 PM.
B: two pastured eggs scrambled, one green banana sliced up and sprinkled with cinnamon, 2oz wild alaskan salmon (left over from dinner), coffee with MCT oil, cream, coconut sugar
L: (couldn’t decide on lunch) 3 medjool dates, 1 square 85% dark chocolate, small handful of hazelnuts, 3oz of swiss cheese, one green banana
D: almond flour pizza with buffalo mozzarella, avocado slices, grated parmesan cheese, grated Swiss cheese
D: walnut butter (recipe below), apple slices
Walnut butter (delicious on apple slices)
2 c. walnuts toasted (Spread on cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes in 350 degree oven. Allow to cool before processing.)
2 tsp avocado oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Put toasted walnuts in food processor. Grind until they become like a paste. Add oil and process a bit more. Add salt, cinnamon, and honey and process until buttery.
B: one green banana, flax-seed muffin in a cup, coffee with MCT oil, cream and coconut sugar.
L: 4 cups baby spinach, one whole avocado sliced up, 3 pieces of bacon, evoo and vinaigrette dressing; two apple slices with walnut butter
D: meatballs, gravy, Cappello's fettuccine, Brussels sprouts seasoned and sautéed in butter
Last edited by magistra17; 11-12-2017 at 12:47 AM.
B: one green banana, handful of pistachios, walnut butter spread on warm cassava and coconut flour tortilla (this was like eating a little crepe—yum!), coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: flaxseed muffin in a cup, 2 medjool dates
D: Egg Roll in a Bowl using Quorn, two squares 90% dark chocolate, a few hazelnuts
I've been having a busy week. I didn't have time for breakfast three days in a row so I ate power bars every morning. I'm not very happy about that choice. I was so tired last night that I fell asleep right after dinner, which is not good for me. I need to have that three hour fast between dinner and sleep. I think tomorrow is going to be another busy day. I think it's my last busy day and then I have a week off, yay!
I finally got a salad spinner. Although it doesn't completely dry out the salad, it sure beats drying the salad with a paper towel or just eating it completely wet.
Today's menu:
B: one green banana, Quest bar, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: big plate of spinach and chard with evoo and vinaigrette dressing, baked wild caught salmon
S: 1/3 cup of nuts, two medjool dates
D: chicken cooked in butter, rosemary, thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper; mushrooms sauteed in butter and romaine and chard salad with evoo and vinaigrette dressing
I've had a chance to rest over the weekend, so things are going better for me now. I'm down .2 this week. I'm just so happy that the scale is still moving downward.
I'm back to eating greens and wild caught salmon for breakfast, Yay! I got some really good fresh pressed olive oil, and I just want to eat that all day. It's amazing how different the taste is from store bought olive oil. I found a little farm not too far from home where they make the olive oil right there. It's a little bit more pricey than stuff that I buy in the store, but totally worth it.
I recently learned that most of the olive oil sold in the stores in the United States is questionable because it's possibly fake olive oil made by the mafia. Also, the olive oil sitting on the shelves of the supermarket is very possibly stale. Now that I've tasted quality olive oil, there's no going back for me. I will continue to buy from the local farms.
I've been so busy this week, I have been forgetting to post my menus. I'm going to get back to that this week.
1 cup blanched almond flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup coconut flour (also Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp aluminum free baking soda (Trader Joes)
1/4 tsp iodized sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I didn't have unsalted, so I used salted butter, but it did not ruin the taste one bit!)
3/4 c. organic coconut sugar (Trader Joes)
6 Tablespoons white blanched almond butter --I used Wellbees --
bought it on Amazon -- https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large pastured egg at room temperature
1 1/4 cup bittersweet 85% dark chocolate chips (Pascha brand - Whole Foods)
1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric stand mixer, beat together the butter and coconut sugar at medium speed until well combined.
3. Beat in the almond butter and vanilla extract on medium speed and mix until combined.
4. Beat in the egg on low and mix until well incorporated.
5. Add in the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Remove bowl from mixer.
6. Then stir in 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips.
7. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
9. Roll the dough into 8 balls pressing down lightly with the palm of your hand, and place the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies. (These are big Costco sized cookies so make sure you place them 3 to 4 inches apart on the sheet or they will run into each other.)
10. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the surface of the center of the cookies no longer appears wet. They'll be very soft but will continue to cook as they sit on the cookie sheet.
11. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You really do have to allow them to cool before eating. I put them in the refrigerator overnight and they tasted even better the next day after being chilled. They were soft and chewy and the flavors had had the night to blend together. Even the bitter dark chocolate tasted sweeter the next day. Although it's nice to have hot cookies, I really liked these chilled better than hot. And they were amazing because I couldn't tell they were made from almond flour and they were not cake-like, but truly chewy and cookie-like.
Last edited by magistra17; 11-19-2017 at 06:00 PM.
Woke up not feeling very energetic today. Don't know why, but as the day wears on, that is going away.
I pulled out a pair of brand new jeans that I bought four years ago. They still had the tags on them. At that time I bought two pairs, one larger and one smaller. The larger ones fit, the smaller ones didn't, but I liked them so much I decided to keep the smaller size in hopes that I would someday shrink into them. Well that day finally arrived yesterday. I am officially giving away the larger size and wearing the smaller size.
My new/old pants fit so well, and I felt so young and thin in them. I wore them to run a bunch of errands and then met up with a friend for lunch. It was a late lunch so we decided to have a glass of Cabernet with our lunch. The waitress looked at me as I ordered my wine and asked me for my I.D. I started to tell her my age. I am 35+ years beyond age 21. LOL! But I decided that it was quite the compliment to be carded at my age! I got a big kick out of seeing her face as she checked out my I.D.
One of the things I worried about when I started this diet was losing my round face. I worried that as I lost weight, my skin would sag and my face would thin out and look old and tired. Most diets have caused me that effect. But not this one. Although my face is getting thinner, I am not looking older, but rather I am looking younger. I attribute this phenomenon to another great benefit of eating mostly plant food.
Today's menu:
B: one green banana, one pastured egg fried in coconut oil, coffee with MCT oil, a little coconut sugar and coconut cream
L: one bunch of rainbow chard, one whole avocado, pecans, evoo and vinaigrette dressing, two medjool dates
D: chicken and rice, with carrots, onions, garlic, avocado oil, organic chicken broth -- made in pressure cooker
At this point in my diet, I am starting to experiment with adding foods back in that I eliminated in the beginning. The lectins in rice can be pressure cooked out. After not eating rice for five months, I enjoyed this chicken and rice meal so much! It's definitely a fall/winter comfort food for me!
Last edited by magistra17; 11-22-2017 at 12:29 PM.
I'm feeling back to my normal self today, full of energy and ready to start cooking for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't know why I felt so wiped out yesterday. The only off thing I had was the California non-organic wine at the restaurant yesterday. I'm very sensitive to chemicals and recently there was a report published that said there have been traces of roundup found in non-organic California wines. Perhaps it was the wine, but I really can't be sure.
Today's menu:
B: one green banana, handful of pistachios, two slices Manchego cheese, 4 green olives, coffee with MCT oil, honey, and cream
L: one bunch of chard, one whole avocado, evoo and vinaigrette dressing, two slices of apple with walnut butter
D:shrimp scampi, almond flour fettucine, arugula salad with evoo and vinaigrette dressing, two medjool dates
Last edited by magistra17; 11-23-2017 at 03:31 AM.
This is probably the first Thanksgiving ever that I have stepped on the scale the day after and seen a loss. I'm down another .2 today.
I spent the whole day cooking yesterday. Omg! It was so much fun! I made traditional wheat bread stuffing and pumpkin pie for those who are not following my diet, (I don't eat wheat or pumpkin) and millet stuffing and pecan pie for me, and the rest of the meal was all stuff I could eat and some of it tasted better this new healthier way than the old traditional way. Since I'm avoiding processed foods, especially ones that contain any kind of wheat, corn, or soy products, I basically had to make my own cranberry sauce, caramel sauce, marshmallow cream, whipped cream and pies that I would have normally purchased. I used a lot of honey and didn't really like that honey flavor in some of these things. The two recipes that I really loved were the caramel sauce and whipped cream in which I used a combination of coconut sugar and Swerve to sweeten. I also really liked the cranberry sauce which I did sweeten with honey. I had never made my own cranberry sauce before and didn't realize how super easy it is to make. I really enjoyed doing all this cooking. I jumped out of bed yesterday morning and couldn't wait to get to the kitchen. This is actually a small miracle for me who never liked to cook before, especially on Thanksgiving day.
Here's my menu from yesterday. I'll post today's menu a little later.
B: one green banana, a slice of Manchego cheese, coffee with MCT oil, honey, and cream
L: a slice of Manchego cheese, and a whole bunch of baby carrots, a few olives
D: turkey, gravy, millet stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams with caramel and marshmallow cream, spinach and arugula salad with evoo and vinaigrette dressing, pecan pie with whipped cream, one glass of wine.
Today's menu:
B: 1/2 of a green banana, 2 slices of bacon, spinach with evoo and vinaigrette dressing, two slices Manchego cheese, coffee with MCT oil, honey, and cream
L: leftover millet stuffing with turkey gravy
D: yams with caramel sauce, spinach and chard with evoo and vinaigrette dressing, one glass of wine
Last edited by magistra17; 11-25-2017 at 12:27 AM.
I started adding in some light muscle building exercise. I have been keeping up with my stretches, but I have now added in squats and a plank. Today I'm going to pull out the 2lb weights and do some arm exercises.
Eventually, I would like to do a daily 10 minute walk. My problem is shoes. I have a morton's neuroma in one foot and a bump on the back of the heel in the other foot. At the moment I am wearing low heeled mules which are pretty comfortable. I have to experiment and see if these will work for walking.
B: 4oz turkey, a small scoop of cranberry sauce, coffee with MCT oil, honey, cream
L: Quest chocolate chunk power bar, small chunk of Manchego cheese (busy working today, no time for lunch)
D: tacos - grass fed beef with spices, shredded cabbage, sour cream, avocado slices, sriracha sauce, 2 cassava flour tortillas
Last edited by magistra17; 11-25-2017 at 09:59 PM.
