Tammy Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Abbey, I checked out THE book ....and I am confused about the 'beans'.....what kind of beans are 'acceptable'? My favorite is black eye peas...... Can you give me some of the things you eat....from this book? The recipes looked...well....not very appetizing, LOL! Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I agree that the recipes weren't very tempting. :) Maybe if they were on glossy paper with colorful photos, but as it was... Um... No, thank you. Black-eyed peas are totally acceptable (assuming you aren't cooking them with pork fat, lol). So are black beans, pinto beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, petite kidney beans, navy beans, um, what else can you think of? The challenge is cooking them without additional fat or serving them in such a way that you would want to eat tons of grain. (I mean, I want cornbread with my black-eyed peas or rice with my red-beans, etc, etc...) We've found that soup-and-salad meals are one of the easiest and most appealing ways to follow the diet. And if you don't mind eating the same thing for a few days (I don't mind -- dh thinks it's miserable), it's easy enough to make a generous pot of soup and eat from that for a few days. Either a bean soup or a veggie-and-bean soup... Like black-eyed peas with onions and tomatoes and maybe some peppers... Or lentils with onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsnips, maybe cauliflower and tomatoes... Vegetarian chili is a yummy option. A (pasta-less) minestrone with lots of veggies and some beans... Serve any of these with a large salad (and maybe an additional cooked vegetable), and you have a filling meal that meets all of Fuhrman's requirements. He allows unlimited onions, garlic and tomatoes, so that ends up being a base for a lot of things. I also found a low-sodium, vegan boullion cube which helped provide flavor to a lot of things. (I can't go as low-sodium as he recommends -- it's just not possible, lol -- but I tried to reduce my salt intake a bit...) Finding some dressings that we liked that basically fit his criteria made a huge difference for us. We found a low cal balsamic vinaigrette that's actually pretty yummy, and also a sesame ginger dressing that we use on bags of pre-shredded slaw (either the cabbage kind or the broccoli slaw kind). I add extra sesame seeds to that, and it's actually a yummy EtL-friendly meal. Another meal for us is a take on the Indian dish saag paneer. It's a spicy spinach with paneer cheese cubes in it, and something we like in Indian restaurants. To make it EtL-style, I'll drain (and place on paper towels and squeeze to get out the excess water) extra firm tofu, cut into rectangles (about the size of a domino and twice the thickness), then spray a cookie sheet lightly with olive oil spray and spread out the tofu rectangles. Bake at ~350 for um, uh, while you're doing the other stuff... ;) Sauté onion and garlic in a skillet with a little water, then, when the onions are translucent and the garlic is softening, add a bag of frozen spinach. Cook the spinach, adding in cumin powder and Indian curry powder (I use Madras hot curry) and maybe more garlic powder as necessary. Salt the spinach to whatever balance of taste and conscience you can manage. Take the tofu out of the oven and stir it in with the cooked spinach. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. For myself, for a quick meal, I'll take a bag of frozen broccoli florets and spread them around a wide, shallow pan, then top with sliced fresh mushrooms. Bake at ~400 for um... however long it needs to be cooked. (I guess I should put a clock in the kitchen, huh?) The broccoli roasts and gets some crispy brown at the very edges, and the mushrooms are just lightly cooked. Oh, and we found an indulgence we don't feel too bad about! Papa John's new 100% whole wheat crust pizza with any veggies you like (or the "garden fresh" pizza) with no cheese. It's got a lot of grain, but I figure if you avoid grain for the rest of the day, one or two slices are just fine. I also eat at Chipotle sometimes, because it's one place I feel I can eat very happily and still within my EtL parameters. I get the "salad" (burrito bowl with lettuce instead of rice), black beans (pintos would be fine too, and you could add the onions and peppers if you want), pico de gallo, hot salsa, guacamole, and I always ask for an extra handful of lettuce on top. I don't know if you have Chipotle where you are, but finding *something* I could eat out and not even feel like I was fudging anything helps keep me sane. Does any of that help? A lot of it has just been experimenting... And having tons of fruits around helps. I literally eat clementines like candy... But it seems to be working out anyway. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 When I looked at his recipes....I thought for sure it wasn't going to work for me...LOL. After looking at your recipes.....well....I feel better about the whole thing, LOL. I agree with the rice and beans....it will be hard to cut out rice for me.... I plan to start with just one meal (the doctor's way)....and add to it gradually.....that way my body won't go into shock, LOL! Thanks a bunch for all the great suggestions!!! Tammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Just saw these posts. Thought I'd just add - my dh has lost about 45 lbs on this plan. It's his life plan now - not a diet. Anyway - when he's at work and I haven't made something that fits his ETL plan or is at least marginally healthy - he buys a can of black beans and a can of mixed veggies from the little convenience store and eats that. I truly think dedication and diligence is huge in sticking to this plan - me? Gained 30 lbs since he's been on it - ok I'm pregnant - that was a joke ;) Anyway - the recipes aren't the greatest but he was soo sincere about changing his diet - he didn't budge in it's requirements and said the loosing weight was awesome (everyone comments on it) but the biggest benefit was how he feels now. Hang in - eat veggies and beans. You'll do great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I'm glad to find this post, too. I gave up on EtL after a while because I found his recipes so unappealing, but I think I just need to be more creative. I did feel great and lost weight on his plan and have been thinking it's time to go back to it. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who can't go entirely salt-free. Thanks for the inspiration, Abbey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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