Of course! Here it is: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/pumpkin-pie-banana-nice-cream/ It's so good! This is my dh's favorite dessert. I make a couple small changes (I use one Medjool date instead of maple syrup, and soy milk instead of almond milk).

Thursday - Breakfast - A lemon poppyseed WellBean bar while running errands. Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with French lentils, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, kiwi, guava, banana, blueberries, pomegranate, passion fruit, apple, pear, fig, apricot, lemon and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Mixed greens. Whole grain pita filled with odds and ends from the fridge…quinoa, edamame, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, scallions, cashew mayo, mustard, sriracha. A Sumo orange. Dinner - Leftover cauliflower fiesta tacos with red lentil tortillas and guacamole (we decided that of all the many taco variations we have tried over the years, this combo is the winner). Dessert - Pumpkin pie banana nice cream sprinkled with chopped pecans and cacao nibs.

Erythritol is the topic of the latest Exam Room Live podcast from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Also includes interesting discussion on other artificial sweeteners, dates, and whether there is an association between sugar consumption and type 2 diabetes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqPMzuY2Oto

Wow, well done!!

I would be beyond furious. The loss of the plants is terrible enough, but to have nasty chemicals in close proximity to your house…ugh.

Wednesday - Breakfast (my morning got busy and I only ate half of my breakfast bowl) - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with adzuki beans, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, kiwi, apple, pear, blueberries, pomegranate, passion fruit, dragon fruit, pineapple, fig, apricot, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, banana, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - The other half of my breakfast bowl and a big bowl of mixed greens. Dinner - Monkey & Me’s Cauliflower Fiesta Tacos (tweaked a little bit - I added shiitake mushrooms and bok choy and omitted liquid smoke). I was out of corn tortillas, so I tried a recipe for red lentil tortillas from a site called Powerhungry.com. So good! The only ingredients are lentils and water (salt is optional). They are like a cross between corn and flour tortillas. I made them in a nonstick ceramic pan and it was a little tricky to get it right at first (my first batch was ugly!) but then I got the hang of it and the rest turned out great. Now I can’t wait to try the black bean tortilla recipe from the same site.

Sounds like a good plan! I hope it is beneficial!

Awesome! In the Neuro Academy brain health nutrition course I started this week, we just covered anthocyanins (pigments) found in plants. We learned that they are very protective against cognitive decline, in addition to their many other health benefits.

Ooh, nice! I’m envious whenever I hear about amazing finds at Trader Joe’s because we don’t have one nearby. The closest one is about two hours away. One of the downfalls of living out in the middle of nowhere!

It's March! 🌷 Everyone is welcome.

Tuesday - Breakfast - A lemon poppyseed WellBean bar on the way to an early appointment. Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with Moro beans, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, guava, kiwi, banana, pineapple, blueberries, passion fruit, dragon fruit, apple, Asian pear, pomegranate, fig, apricot, lemon and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Big salad with mixed greens, seaweed, carrots, tofu, tomato, lentils, avocado, pistachios, acorn squash, sesame peanut dressing. A Sumo orange. Dinner - A bowl of French Thyme White Bean Potato Stew. Two pieces of Ezekiel toast and steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini).

You’re at a better starting point than I was - mine was quite a bit higher than 24. I aimed for 20 because Dr. Fuhrman had drilled it into my brain that studies show that the healthiest BMI for females is under 21 (he is my favorite, brutally honest and blunt motivator!). Dr. Greger said the same, and then Dr. Kristi Funk mentioned it in reference to breast cancer risk as well. It seemed like an impossible number at first, but here I am, and it seems to be the weight my body is meant to stay at.

Here are some random, scattered thoughts on what works for me: I don't count calories or macros or measure portions. I have seconds often. The foods I eat (whole plant foods) are high in nutrients but low in calories, and that allows me to eat as much as I want without gaining weight (I lost a ton of weight when I started eating this way and am now comfortably settled at 20 BMI, which seems to be where my body is happiest). Dinner is my lightest meal (often soup) and I finish eating for the day by 6pm. I started doing this after reading about how beneficial it is to go to bed with an empty tank - it allows your body to focus on cleaning up and repairing DNA damage, rather than on digesting food. I don't snack for that same reason. Eliminating added salt, sugar, and oil from my diet was a huge game changer for me. Doing that banished my food cravings and accelerated my weight loss. It also changed my taste buds so that salty, sugary, and oily foods are now very unappealing. My general rule of thumb is that I only put foods in my mouth that are in my body's best interest. Good luck! It took me a few years to figure out what works best for me. It was only when I started focusing on optimal health and longevity, rather than just weight loss, that it all clicked.

Here’s one of our favorites, which is totally delicious and healthy. Chocolate hazelnut (or whatever kind of nut you like) nice cream: 1/3 cup unsweetened plant milk 2 T unsweetened, non-alkalized cocoa powder 2 ripe bananas, frozen 1/3 cup raw hazelnuts or other nuts such as macadamia, cashews, or walnuts 2 medjool or 4 regular dates, pitted Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Takes about 5 minutes to make.

Monday - Breakfast - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with vaquero beans, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, guava, kiwi, banana, blueberries, apple, Asian pear, fig, pomegranate, apricot, lemon and orange zest, passion fruit, dragon fruit, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Big salad with mixed greens, seaweed, acorn squash, tofu, edamame, lentils, buckwheat, tomato, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, sesame peanut dressing. An orange and a lemon poppyseed WellBean bar. Dinner - An artichoke and a bowl of French Thyme White Bean Potato Stew served over rice blend.

It is delicious! Here's the recipe (it isn't a crockpot recipe, but that's how I made it and it turned out great). https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/french-thyme-white-bean-potato-stew/

I will definitely post a pic when I (finally) get it done! Another thing I'm planning is shelves just for fruit. Right now, my kitchen counters are covered in all kinds of fruit, and I want a better way to corral it all. On one of the YouTube shows I watch, they have these gorgeous open shelves that are full of fruit in various stages of ripening. I thought that was genius and am totally stealing their idea!

Sunday - Breakfast - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with French lentils, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, banana, apple, Asian pear, guava, kiwi, blueberries, fig, pomegranate, apricot, passion fruit, dragon fruit, lime and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, pineapple, Galia melon, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Big salad with mixed greens, tofu, quinoa, tomato, cucumber, spaghetti squash, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, sesame seeds, cashew ranch. Dinner - Monkey & Me’s French Thyme White Bean Potato Stew - yum. I used cannellini and butter beans and added mushrooms and kale. Served it over a rice blend (wild, brown, red, and black rice).

An algae-derived DHA + EPA supplement for brain health A multivitamin with a conservative dose of D3 (I was advised on this by Dr. Fuhrman, who recommended a conservative dose since my level was in the 40s. He says levels below 30 and above 50 have both been shown to be detrimental.)

Saturday - Breakfast - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with beluga lentils, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, kiwi, banana, guava, pineapple, Galia melon, blueberries, pomegranate, dragon fruit, passion fruit, apple, pear, fig, apricot, lemon and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Mixed greens. Ezekiel toast with avocado, mushrooms, scallions, cucumber, beets, cashew mayo, mustard, sriracha. Dinner - BBQ tofu wrap with pickles, sauerkraut, and onion. Roasted baby potatoes seasoned with nutritional yeast and herbs. Steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots).

You can make all kinds of grilled and crispy tofu. Google it and there are tons of ideas.

Friday - Breakfast - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with mayocoba beans, oats, barley flakes, banana, guava, kiwi, pineapple, Galia melon, apple, Asian pear, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon and lime zest, fig, apricot, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk. Lunch - Mixed greens. Roasted veggie sandwich on whole grain pita (summer squash, mushrooms, scallions, beets, edamame, cashew mayo, mustard). A lemon poppyseed WellBean bar. Dinner - I tried Monkey and Me’s Pizza Chili recipe and it is a keeper. I used three kinds of beans (pinto, kidney, and black soybean) and added my usual mushrooms and collard greens. I made my homemade oil-free tortilla chips to go with it.

I always mess up multi quote, hence the separate post to answer this…🙃 No, I haven’t seen it, but I will look for it! Your soup sounds amazing and I am so glad you are enjoying your beans! This would sound crazy to most people, but I know you will get it…I have been revamping my pantry just so that I can display all my beautiful beans in glass jars. I call it my bean closet, lol. I just love looking at them, and being able to see what I have, rather than sorting through bags upon bags that are crammed on the shelves. It is slow going because life has been so busy lately, but I’m going to post a pic if I ever get it done!

So sorry to hear you haven’t been feeling well, and I hope you are doing better now. I am just finishing up the last of the three classes in the program and will be sorry when it ends. Initially, I wondered if it would be worth the cost, since I don’t have plans to use the certificate professionally, but it has been absolutely phenomenal and I’m so glad I did it. Dh isn’t enrolled but has been watching all the classes with me, and he has found it all extremely interesting, too. In addition to the doctors that I’ve already blabbed on about in previous posts, recent highlights have been Dr. Brooke Goldner (who taught the section on autoimmune disease), Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai (on brain health), and Dr. Doug Lisle (on the psychology behind why people have trouble sticking with a healthy diet). What makes me very hopeful is that so many of my classmates are medical professionals who realize that nutrition education was missing (but very much needed) in their medical training. They’ve all expressed the desire to do more than prescribe meds to manage their patients’ chronic health problems. They want to learn how to help people regain their health through nutrition and other lifestyle changes, and that is great to see. About DHA - I’ve heard Dr. Fuhrman talk about that in relation to Parkinson’s, too. Have you had your omega 3 index tested? I had mine tested through OmegaQuant and it was at the low end of Dr. Fuhrman’s acceptable range (his range is different than OmegaQuant’s - he thinks their acceptable range is too high). I bumped up the amount of algae supplement I take and am going to retest to see if my level has risen.

Ezekiel bread is an option for anyone looking to avoid potassium bromate. It’s a flourless sprouted grain bread that is organic, non-GMO, and high in nutrients. It is located in the freezer section at grocery stores.