"Fuhrmanized" Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

Little makes me happier than a particular kale, almond, and Brussels sprouts salad I find at a local, fortuitous grocery store. However, I found in the ingredients list a couple items that really don't fit into the Eat to Live mindset, namely asiago cheese (yum!), dried cranberries, and canola oil (boo).

Here's my take on the awesome salad:

Ingredients:
1 bunch lacinato "dinosaur" kale
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, fresh
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup shallots or minced red onion
2 T olive or coconut oil
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T lemon juice
1 T minced garlic

Directions:

1. Rinse and slice the sprouts (start with 1/2 lb, or 10-20 sprouts) by chopping off the bottom and cutting about 1/4" thick. Feel free to simply chop, if desired. 
2. Place oil and garlic in saucepan, heat until garlic starts to caramelize. Add sprouts and saute for 2-3 minutes, but not so long that they get soft. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and Dijon, stir. 
3. Rinse and cut kale into small strips, removing the hard stalks first, as the sprouts cool. 
4. Transfer everything into a large serving bowl or container, "massaging" the kale as you add. This will help it become a little more tender. 
5. Add minced onion, shallots, nutritional yeast, currants, and almonds to the mix, and toss. The salad should be covered lightly with dressing. 

Given this was my first attempt at making the salad, I had way too much of the dressing in place. The sprouts should have a greenish-yellow tinge to them, while the kale should stay vibrant and green. Ideally, there should also be a 2:1 ratio of kale to sprouts.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

My daughter loves mac and cheese. A lot. Probably more than anyone should.

Given this, I can't bring myself to make boxed, prepackaged varieties for her, regardless how easy they are and how tired I am after work. Today, in a pinch, I decided to make a variety on my own, with only the ingredients I had in my refrigerator.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups whole grain noodles, uncooked
 2 cups cauliflower, chopped small
1 block extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces 2 Tablespoons flax seeds
 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
 1 teaspoon ground mustard
 Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions
Put everything in a crock pot and cook on low for two hours, stirring occasionally. Once complete, season to taste. I particularly like adding dill.

The only ingredient I want to eliminate is the heavy whipping cream, but it was all I had in lieu of regular milk. I will post an update next time!

Two Month Check-In

Two months in, and I'm now thirty pounds down. I could never dream of these kinds of losses in the past. I'm still not exercising a whole lot, but I'm trying to add some extra walking to reach my 10,000 step goal daily.

I start my day with a green smoothie, blended using a Nutribullet. If you don't have one of these, invest in it or a similar blender with a 600-watt or stronger motor.

Morning Green Smoothie

(use a large smoothie cup)

2-4 handfuls of greens (I use Swiss chard, dinosaur kale, and Russian kale from the farmer's market)

1 c. frozen fruit (tropical, berry, anything)

1 banana, apple, or both 

1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk (carton, not canned)

1 T. milled golden flaxseed

1 t. spirulina

1 pill biotin 

water to fill line (or less, if you like a thicker smoothie)

Mix until delectable. The biotin is a neutral tasting supplement, so I have no problem throwing it in. Plus, it's helping my brittle nails and it delivers some extra B-vitamin goodness. The coconut milk is fortified with B12, so that also helps. I also aim for 50-75% greens in every smoothie. 

I typically find this holds me over until lunch, which consists of:

1/2 bag frozen broccoli (about 3 cups) or other vegetable

1 c. cooked beans

seasoning to taste, no salt (I recommend dill, garlic, allspice, mustard seed, and onion powder)

1 piece fruit, typically an orange

When I come home around 3:30, I'm always ready to eat. I start with:

Indulgent Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie

(use a small smoothie cup)

50% greens mix

1/2 c. frozen dark sweet cherries

5 grapes or 1/2 banana or 1/2 c. mixed berries

1 c. unsweetened almond or coconut milk

1 oz. almonds

1/4 t. vanilla extract

1 T. chocolate powder (I like Hershey's Special Dark baking cocoa)

1 t. cinnamon

Blend until delicious. Yum. If I'm still hankering for something in the evening, late, I'll have chia seeds and Egyptian Licorice herbal tea and rooibos.

So far, that's what is working. I have a goal of working into my smoothies and meals the following:

• Celery
• Beets
• Carrots

Aside from my fruit, I get all vegetables from my local farmer's market. This week I picked up red okra, some long purple string beans, and a 5lb bag of schoolboy apples, perfect for freezing (yay smoothie stuff!). 

I'm excited to eat!

First update: 1 month in

There's a common saying in a fitness magazine I read: "Abs are made in the kitchen." If abs are, then it can also be assumed that the rest of the body is also made in the kitchen (bearing in mind the body loses weight in its own idiom, we can't spot train it or tell it what to drop first). We are also what we eat. According to Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live, research analysts can biopsy hip or abdominal fat and identify fat from pork, chicken, dairy, or olive oil. Not much motivation to eat meat or oils, from my perspective!

The greatest thing I did was cut meat, wheat, sweets, and dairy (salt too) and completely retrain myself to thrive on veggies -- up to 1 lb cooked and 1 lb raw daily. I've lost 20 lbs in 30 days, my clothes are fitting well again, and I'm on my way to my goals, without having to bust my butt in the gym. I drink a green smoothie every morning, beans and greens for lunch, and usually a "splurge" smoothie in the evening along with more veggies. I'll also drink a mug of Egyptian licorice tea with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, soaked overnight if possible or at least for a couple hours.

I had to allow myself a transition period--that it's okay if I slip up, just get back on the horse right after. Cold turkey never worked for me, I always failed in the past. It took a couple weeks to wean myself off the weight loss shakes and chemicals I was used to ingesting on a regular basis (sugarfree gum, anyone?).

Thing is, if you're eating non-starchy veggies and fruit, you don't have to worry about calorie counting. They're unlimited, free to feast on whenever you have that sugar craving (like me). Within a couple weeks the cravings go away, and followed faithfully, once you allow yourself to splurge on things you used to love, you'll find they are a) overkill in flavor and b) usually disgusting once your palate has shifted. I discovered this with some garlic parmesan wings at a restaurant I used to love. You'll also find that when you splurge, you won't want as much. My husband and I now split dishes at a restaurant, rather than each of us ordering an entree. We used to clear out a sushi joint with 6-8 large rolls between us, plus seaweed salads and drinks. Last night? We each had a seaweed salad and split a single roll and we were stuffed. We look forward to salads, not burgers and fries or pasta.

This is truly the best thing we have ever done. I'm monitoring his loss through inches, until he's light enough to use our scale. His blood pressure dropped from 120/90 to 120/70 in a week of eating only veggies and fruit.

For those who say "I can't give up my meat," give it a shot for six weeks and see how you feel. You never know until you try, and you'll likely experience some withdrawals at first, but I'm sure you'll find you need a lot less protein than we've been led to believe. Your heart will thank you. I used to eat an 8-12oz steak every time I went out to eat, and had meat at every meal. With occasional sushi (once or twice a month, tops), I've gone vegan and it is amazing.

This is my story, this is my song.

I'm starting a documentation of my transformation from stressed and unhealthy to vibrant and fit. I am following Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live, and while I will try to not sound like a walking advertisement for it, I'm still pretty excited. I'm not paid to promote it.

I'll cover a variety of things, including:
1) How to eat locally
2) How to eat vegan
3) How to dabble in raw
4) How terrible the Standard American Diet (SAD) really is
5) My weight loss journey, start to finish

I'll post status updates and pictures along the way.