Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My Menus...Finally!!!

Despite wanting to go whole-hog into this new dieting thing, I'm not. I am, however, following pretty closely to Perfect Weight America, with one (major) exception: I am not going organic! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to. When we move to Colorado in the next few months, I will be able to do my shopping at a Whole Foods market; the closest thing I have to that right now is a Trader Joe's that is about 45 minutes away. The produce section is tiny and that is a major reason I would even venture in, so I am not taking the time. I am looking for real food now, instead of the processed junk. Instead of buying chicken stock, I am making some, right now!

My meal plan consists of several "basics" that I can just pick and choose from at will. Dinners will be more extravagant but I don't have the budget for much of that. I am building a repertoire of simple, easy to cook, healthful recipes suitable for dinners and appealing to children! The major dinner change is replacing the ever-present starch (usually potatoes) with a smaller amount of rice (keeps longer/cheaper) for the kids and my husband and the addition of a large salad with some new dressing selections. I am not a particular fan of most dressings, so I am searching for something new. (I admit it- I love RANCH!!!)

Breakfasts:

Egg dish- two eggs cooked in coconut oil or butter served with sauteed peppers and onions or homemade salsa (store bought for now, but I will get the ingredients on Friday for the good stuff), piece of fruit (if I am still hungry...I won't be!)

Fruit smoothie- frozen fruit, whole milk yogurt (that I am also going to begin making for myself, it's very easy- here's a link. She also tells you how to make cream cheese and whey from the yogurt, check out her recipes on the left sidebar.) goat's milk protein powder, some coconut oil and honey. Blend.

Starchy breakfast- Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat with a tbsp of real maple syrup mixed in, piece of fruit. I am making a soaked, whole wheat sourdough bread, also courtesy of the website above, but that takes a week to get the sourdough starter started. This bread is actually very good for you, I will spread with the cream cheese mixed with a little honey and cinnamon. This is something I only want to eat less than once a week.

Dairy breakfast- Cut up fruit mixed into some yogurt or cottage cheese. I don't care for this idea so much, but it is part of the Perfect Weight America regime, so I'll try it- the kids will like it!

For the kids- They can choose to have what I'm having or they may have cold cereal (I know it's not good for them!)

AM Snack, if needed: Fresh fruit or one of the "PWA" items listed in the book (Perfect Meal Shake or FucoBars), I didn't care for them when I tried them before, though the shakes smell fantastic! I am willing to give them a try again. The goal is to reprogram my taste buds anyway!

Lunchs:

A large salad mixed with whatever fresh veggies are on hand, and a protein, either two hard-boiled eggs, a can of fish or a chicken breast.

A nourishing soup. One I want to try is Coconut Chicken Soup. I've tried it before, but did it wrong...it was still edible, but I am looking forward to trying it again.

Kids will either eat with me or eat a sandwich with fruit and veggie "dipping sticks" - I make a dip out of the cream cheese, good brain food for kids!

PM Snack: veggie sticks or a "PWA" item (Perfect Meal shake or the FucoBars)

Dinners:

Though I already mentioned what I plan on doing, I want to pull from Dr. Rubin's own words on the subject:

From Perfect Weight America, pg. 86:
"Build family dinners around:
*Healthy salads (romaine lettuce, radicchio, escarole, and endive) with tomatoes, celery, red onions, peppers, and avocados
*Healthy grains like amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and quinoa
*Healthy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes.
*Grass-fed meat, free-range chicken, and wild-caught fish, all served as a vital ingredient, not necessarily the main course."

I know this isn't really an adequate plan, but it a loose guide to follow. I am hoping that I can stick to this (more or less) until the New Year, where I will begin with The Perfect Cleanse, ala Perfect Weight America and then move into a closer following of this diet plan. I will be using Nourishing Traditions as my primary cookbook, but I will also be using the recipes from the PWA website.

Also of note is my water consumption: Per the recommendations in PWA, I will be drinking about 50% of my body weight, in ounces, per day. That comes out to about 110 ounces, or about 9- 12 oz. cups. Let's see: wake up, breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, dinner, after dinner, before bed? That's only 8, and I don't like the idea of drinking so much before bed. I will probably increase the amounts earlier in the day, especially when I first wake up. In the end, I just want to be well-hydrated, so if I'm feeling well, I will probably drink less than 110 ounces of water.

The final note is that I will also be taking three supplements. The first is a Garden of Life brand (Jordan Rubin's company) Woman's multi-vitamin. It is whole food based and really good for you. The next is a dose of FucoThin, also a JR item and finally, some Cod Liver oil in the evenings, I take the capsules.

So there you have it!!! It all seems to be good, but we will see how many days I stick with it versus how many days I "splurge."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds wonderful! I'm glad to see you getting started even without the organic stuff. And I'm jealous of your upcoming Whole Foods store!

It's great that you are giving your kids a choice, you'll have much more tong term sucess that way, in feeding them a healthy diet in the long run!

I found organic fresh baby spinach today at Walmart for 99 cents a bag! I got four bags, and blanched and froze three of them. I put a handful of fresh baby spinach in my chocolate protein smoothie. It changed the color a bit, but did not hardly change the taste! My husband had a huge serving of fresh spinach today and didn't even know it!

Shhh!

Mary in TN

Anonymous said...

How's it going?

I've had a horrible eating day. Cookies, junk, too much coffee. I feel like sludge. TOmorrow I'm starting a three day protein fast to get the carbs out of my system.

How is your eating plan going so far?

Seems like starting is the hardest part!

Mary in TN

Kristi said...

Hey Mary,

I didn't do so well today either. I wanted coffee, but my coffee pot was dirty and I was too lazy to clean it...I ended up making some oatmeal (with too much brown sugar in it) but on the cap of the oatmeal can was a recipe for oatmeal cookies. I made those and proceeded to eat about half a batch for lunch, followed up with some chips (never keep junk food in the house!). I didn't get any better for dinner because we ate at Costco (after spending a fortune!!!) and therefore ate a hot dog and soda...BLECH!!!

I am still planning on doing a cleanse after the holidays, but today is my anniversary (what am I doing on the computer???) so I am not going to worry about it. I know I need to do better, but just because I'm having a bad day doesn't mean I'm not trying still. I might give a try at a 24 hour juice fast one of these days (before Thanksgiving), with lots of water and my good vitamins.

BTW, your spinach in the smoothie sounded good! I have a good "meal replacement" powder to use in shakes and smoothies, but I have such a hard time getting going in the morning. I think I am going to have to have everything ready in a container so I can just blend in the morning. I am NOT a morning person...

Hope your fast goes well; what are the guidelines?

Anonymous said...

We used to drive 40 miles to get to a Sam's Club just to eat their hot dogs and soft serve ice cream. It was the best! Ah, the good old days, when I used to eat whatever I wanted and did not know a thing about nutrition. (and weighed over 260 lbs.)

My protein fast is easy. I buy Lean Dessert brand protein shake mix from Vitacost dot com. They have the best prices and best shipping I've found. One protein shake has 130 calories and 23 grams of protein, 3 carbs and about 3 grams of fat. I add in a slice of banana, canned pumpkin, or now spinach for extra nutrition and to change up the flavor a bit. The banana or chocolate coconut flavors are great. So is the whipped vanilla. Well, they're all good! Anyway, I drink 5 or 6 of these a day. I am not hungry at all. The protein keeps you feeling full and satisfied. The added ingredients meets other nutritional needs and just tastes good. After 2-3 days of milkshakes, carb cravings are gone and I feel much more in control. Today is the end of day one, and I feel fine. Hopefully in the next day or two I will lose that bloated feeling.

I've added spinach to another chocolate protein shake for my husband, but served it in a clear glass and he noticed the color change. He drank it anyway and said it tasted like grass. It was the same stuff he had last time and he did not notice a thing, but it was in a dark green glass! LOL

Now if I could just get a handle on exercising. Ihad a great chance to walk at least 2 miles today, and did not. I should have. Maybe tomorrow.

Don't give up on your healthy eating plan. It may not go perfectly the first time you try, or even the second time. Sucess is a process. You'll make it!

Have a good night!
Mary in TN