March Healthy Eating

[Faith-manor]

Okay, so I am behind because yesterday got away from me.

As is our evil morning ritual, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, the absolute slaughter of coffee beans occurred with no remorse whatsoever for their demise. I really should start playing "Rite of Spring" as the first pot is brewing since it is so appropriate.

All three days we got up a bit late so we had more of a brunch than breakfast and lunch. Scrambled eggs with lots of veggies and many, many mushrooms, with salad and some cottage cheese.

Sunday dinner - Roasted chicken thigh with carrots, green beans, and cauliflower.

Monday dinner - meatless chilli and baked potatoes

Tuesday dinner - scalloped potatoes, steamed broccoli, and stuffed mini bell peppers

Sunday I had a little dark chocolate to satisfy a craving, about an ounce.

[Selkie]

10 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I can see you have an interesting array of beans. Making them in advance and freezing is smart. Do you bother to individually freeze them (like on trays first) or do they just go into a bag?

I poked around the PowerHungry site thanks to your mention. Looks interesting.

Bill

No, I just use silicone bags and lay them flat in the freezer. That way they don’t freeze in a big blob. If they do freeze together, a good whack on the counter will bust them up.

[Spy Car]

15 minutes ago, Selkie said:

No, I just use silicone bags and lay them flat in the freezer. That way they don’t freeze in a big blob. If they do freeze together, a good whack on the counter will bust them up.

Have you ever made Lupini beans? I purchased some (dried) on Sunday and it seems the typical prep is quite different than I expected (with multiple days of salt water soaking/rinsing to rid them of bitterness.).

Bill 

[Spy Car]

Also (and sorry for all the questions) what is this rainbow day? I'm assuming it involves eating some minimum number of different colored fruits and vegetables in a day?

Trying to eats all sorts of "colors" has been an intrinsic part of my cooking aims since I was a kid. What counts as a rainbow day?

Bill

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tuesday 

breakfast- keto blueberry cinnamon crunch granola with coconut yogurt 

lunch-  scrambled eggs with onions, mixed greens; 1/2 flaxseed muffin, two squares of chocolate 

dinner- Saw a new kind of gf pasta at the grocery store- made out of cauliflower, pea and lentil flour and it was gross  🤢 Had it with slightly burnt chicken apple sausage, peas, carrots, corn, green beans; df cheese  Not my best supper  

two eggs before bedtime

[Jean in Newcastle]

Just now, Spy Car said:

Also (and sorry for all the questions) what is this rainbow day? I'm assuming it involves eating some minimum number of different colored fruits and vegetables in a day?

Trying to eats all sorts of "colors" has been an intrinsic part of my cooking aims since I was a kid. What counts as a rainbow day?

Bill

 

There is an app that records the colors of your intake of fruits and vegetables. And yes, the point is to get all the color categories for a rainbow. 

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

There is an app that records the colors of your intake of fruits and vegetables. And yes, the point is to get all the color categories for a rainbow. 

Are those red, orange, yellow, green, and blue-purple? 

Bill

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

Are those red, orange, yellow, green, and blue-purple? 

Bill

Red

orange

Yellow 

tan/white 

Green 

Blue/purple 

 

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Red

orange

Yellow 

tan/white 

Green 

Blue/purple 

 

But only from fruit and vegetables? For example, feta cheese would not count as "white?" Pasta? 

Bill

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

But only from fruit and vegetables? For example, feta cheese would not count as "white?" Pasta? 

Bill

Just fruits and vegetables. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

6 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

But only from fruit and vegetables? For example, feta cheese would not count as "white?" Pasta? 

Bill

My pasta tonight would have counted as white for the cauliflower, green for the peas and red for the lentils (I assume since the pasta itself came out pink). 
 

They do list wheat berry, wheat germ and sprouted wheat on the app under tan and wheatgrass under green. 

[Spy Car]

2 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Just fruits and vegetables. 

And to have a rainbow day requires having one serving of each color per day?

Bill

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

And to have a rainbow day requires having one serving of each color per day?

Bill

Yes. Though you can list more than one under a color. I usually had about 20 plus things listed on the app. Though yellow was a color that I had to consciously add. The others colors end up being used in some form every day. 

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

Have you ever made Lupini beans? I purchased some (dried) on Sunday and it seems the typical prep is quite different than I expected (with multiple days of salt water soaking/rinsing to rid them of bitterness.).

Bill 

Just once, and I made the mistake of not soaking them long enough. They were SO bitter, just awful!

[Spy Car]

10 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Just once, and I made the mistake of not soaking them long enough. They were SO bitter, just awful!

I'm seeing a 6-7 day process. I was about to cook a batch. thinking they were like any other bean. Glad I looked (unlike me).

People online swear they are worth "the process."

Bill

[73349]

11 hours ago, Spy Car said:

But only from fruit and vegetables? For example, feta cheese would not count as "white?" Pasta? 

Bill

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, pulses and legumes, and some herbs and spices. No animal products count.

Yesterday, I had

• tomatoes; red lentils; strawberries
• carrots
• corn
• buckwheat, pecans, cashews, cauliflower
• spinach, artichokes
• raisins, prunes.

 

In the Android app store, the app is called Eat the Rainbow Food Journal by Laura and Matt. It's free.

[Soror]

Popping in-- my period came last Friday a week early, no wonder I was starving last week. Ya for perimenopause surprises.

My appetite is much more normal this week. I'm really needing groceries but we'll see when I get a chance. 

b: blueberries/ground flax/hemp seeds/cocoa nibs/raisins/ gf rolled oats/greek yogurt/soy milk

l: jasmine rice+ quinoa/ baked tofu/mixed greens/carrots/ other veggies depending on mood and time- kimchi

s: probably a peanut/chocolate protein bar + oranges I'll be out and about

d: red lentil pasta/chicken/tomatoes/greens

dessert: banana pb nice cream

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, 73349 said:

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, pulses and legumes, and some herbs and spices. No animal products count.

Yesterday, I had

• tomatoes; red lentils; strawberries
• carrots
• corn
• buckwheat, pecans, cashews, cauliflower
• spinach, artichokes
• raisins, prunes.

 

In the Android app store, the app is called Eat the Rainbow Food Journal by Laura and Matt. It's free.

Thanks to you (and to all) for the explanations. I had a rainbow day yesterday. I've always been drawn to eating and cooking with lots of colors.

Wishing good health and good eating to all.

Bill

[Indigo Blue]

5 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Thanks to you (and to all) for the explanations. I had a rainbow day yesterday. I've always been drawn to eating and cooking with lots of colors.

Wishing good health and good eating to all.

Bill

Bill, what did you have for your rainbow day?

[Spy Car]

3 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Bill, what did you have for your rainbow day?

It was a very uneventful day in culinary terms, as I served as a cat-warmer for the entire rain-soaked morning (and guess who's back?), and my wife was out all day and had dinner plans with friends.

Eventually, I had a pita sandwich with some hummus stuffed with a salad left over from last night (which had romaine, fresh greens, sliced radish, feta, (home) pickled beets and red onions, red and green bell pepper, tomatoes, fresh dill, black beans, and lightly roasted carrots & broccoli with a dressing of EVO and lemon juice spiked with a bit of the brine from my lemon pickle.

I also snacked on a few nuts. A couple of brazils, a few cashews, almonds, and a few pistachios. 

Also had two (small) Thai bananas. An orange (fresh picked from our tree) and a small piece of dried (rolled) Syria apricot with the nut snack. And a small apple for dessert.

"Dinner" was small bowl of split pea soup, made from dried peas and a fresh bone stock.

I guess I ate more than I realized? 

Bill 

[Faith-manor]

I don't consistently eat the rainbow though I try. One issue is that I only eat very low glycemic fruit due to type 2 diabetes running on the maternal side of my family. Generally sour/tart apples, lemon and lime, kiwi, avocado. And mostly I don't like avocado because to my taste buds it tastes like dirt so it is just an occasional small dollop of guac on an enchilada. This makes it hard to get purple. I do not have a consistent source of purple kale or purple carrots. I eat some eggplant, but am not a fan of it. I do eat a lot of black beans and some websites do list those in the purple list.

I use a lot of bell peppers in my cooking so orange and yellow are easy to get as well as red since we use red peppers of various kinds plus tomatoes all the time. I love numerous green veggies.

I use a wide variety of herbs and spice though so in small amounts, I might get the rainbow more often than I actually count.

[Spy Car]

51 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I don't consistently eat the rainbow though I try. One issue is that I only eat very low glycemic fruit due to type 2 diabetes running on the maternal side of my family. Generally sour/tart apples, lemon and lime, kiwi, avocado. And mostly I don't like avocado because to my taste buds it tastes like dirt so it is just an occasional small dollop of guac on an enchilada. This makes it hard to get purple. I do not have a consistent source of purple kale or purple carrots. I eat some eggplant, but am not a fan of it. I do eat a lot of black beans and some websites do list those in the purple list.

I use a lot of bell peppers in my cooking so orange and yellow are easy to get as well as red since we use red peppers of various kinds plus tomatoes all the time. I love numerous green veggies.

I use a wide variety of herbs and spice though so in small amounts, I might get the rainbow more often than I actually count.

I have never thought to "track" my daily consumption, but as far as my memory extends I've always had an internal proclivity to making meals inclusive of an array of colors. In part from feelings that food should delight the senses--and that colorful ingredients contribute hugely to that end--but also a "hunch" that doing so helps maximize nutritional diversity.

What about beets as a "purple." I love beets. I was making so much borsch during the initial stages of Putin's war of agression (as my own form of solidarity protest) that my son finally had his fill. You know dad, we're not Ukrainians?

My herb garden is exploding with this years highly unusual rains. As are the "locally sourced baby greens" (aka dandelions from the yard). I thought I'd pushed the limits on those, but on Monday night I got a specific request fro Mrs Spy Car to include some in the salad that night (that was then incorporated in yesterday's pita). The "greens" are reproducing faster than I can pick 'em   

Bill

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Spy Car
Because one "Bill" is plenty

[Jean in Newcastle]

I got the Rainbow app and tracked for a couple of months.  I did it just to satisfy my curiosity as to whether I was really eating the rainbow or not.  I quickly realized that my unvarying breakfast and lunch got me over half of the rainbow every day.  And dinner is usually some variation of meat and veggies and so often gets me the rest of the way.  The one color I've had trouble with is yellow because I don't eat a lot of fruit due to blood sugar issues.  So unless I'm having a yellow bell pepper, I often don't get yellow.  I stopped tracking the rainbow after a few months because I had met my goal for doing it.  However, I know that some people really struggle with getting enough fruits and veggies on the plate.  Any tool that helps them do that is a great thing and I applaud them for finding a way to expand their palate and nutritional intake. 

[Spy Car]

@Jean in Newcastle I'm obviously new to the idea of tracking such things, but when looking around, I see some sites listing turmeric as a "yellow."

In recent years fresh turmeric root (aka "haldi") has become a regular produce item at local markets in my neck-of-the-woods.

There are many claimed benefit to consuming haldi, at the least is makes things look pretty.

Bill

[Jean in Newcastle]

9 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

@Jean in Newcastle I'm obviously new to the idea of tracking such things, but when looking around, I see some sites listing turmeric as a "yellow."

In recent years fresh turmeric root (aka "haldi") has become a regular produce item at local markets in my neck-of-the-woods.

There are many claimed benefit to consuming haldi, at the least is makes things look pretty.

Bill

Since I take tumeric in a pill daily, I guess that I meet my yellow requirement!  It just isn't always making my food pretty.  🙂

[Spy Car]

I enjoy making stuffed peppers. I will make up a batch, and then have easy-to-serve leftovers to pack as lunches for my wife, etc. 

Currently have a "rainbow" batch in preparation.

To that end, I've roasted a little cauliflower that will be chopped into the mix, and a tray of carrots, brussel sprouts, and sweet corn is roasting now, tahw ill also me cut up and included.

The mix will include lentils (which I've cooked until they are just "on point), some Egyptian rice (also boiled until just "on point" and drained), and some wild rice. Not being whole grain, I suppose the Egyptian rice doesn't count for anything under these game rules, but it is a nice variety for dolmas/stuffed foods.

I will add some fresh dill, fresh Syrian oregano (aka biblical hyssop aka za'atar) from my garden, lemon, walnuts, perhaps some seeds?, a sprinkle of sumac, and whatever else moves me to the mix, later. I will wipe out my latest batch of red onion/beet pickle for the blue/purple.

I should have a single-unit little rainbows in the end to help keep Mr Spy Car's lunches healthful and delicious.

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Since I take tumeric in a pill daily, I guess that I meet my yellow requirement!  It just isn't always making my food pretty.  🙂

So, you are golden!

And if you take enough, that's both literal and figurative 

I'm not sure how far haldi is spreading as an easily sourced produce item, but they are roughly finger-sized, slightly resemble ginger, but uglier and an earthy orange on the exterior. When peeled, the flesh inside is quite vibrant!

One could dye robes with haldi juice, I'm guessing.

I think I will grate some fresh haldi into the stuffed pepper mix. 

Bill

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Spy Car
Because one doesn't "die" fabrics, but one might "die" of embarrassment

[Spy Car]

About the stuffed peppers. Have had very good success replacing the white rice with homemade cauliflower rice <which as easy as hitting flowerlets with the steel blade in a food processor, pulsing until desired fineness.

Before stuffing the peppers, I saute the cauliflower rice with the other ingredients and season.

I had a huge cauliflower and could have easily made a "rainbow-like" version today--and thought about it--but Mrs Spy Car popped in just now, wet and cold from picketing all day in the cold and wet (our public school workers are on strike) and--the poor dear--has no meat on her bones. So a little rice. When summer comes, drop the rice.

Not sure where she puts it, loves food just as much as Chester and Desmond. Who am I kidding, she never stops moving.

Anyway, ince feeding loved ones is my "love language," I got really lucky to have ones who appreciate it and who are willing (and able) to eat anything. That is a gift. 

[Faith-manor]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Since I take tumeric in a pill daily, I guess that I meet my yellow requirement!  It just isn't always making my food pretty.  🙂

If memory serves, onion is considered a yellow veggie. I am not certain though.

I cook with turmeric all.the.time. so I count it!

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

If memory serves, onion is considered a yellow veggie. I am not certain though.

I cook with turmeric all.the.time. so I count it!

Yes. I do cook daily with yellow onions or red ones. 

[Spy Car]

Where does garlic fall in therms of "color?"

Bill

[Faith-manor]

17 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Where does garlic fall in therms of "color?"

Bill

White

[Selkie]

Wednesday - 

Breakfast - A sunflower fig WellBean bar on the way to an early appointment. Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with adzuki beans, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, kiwi, banana, longans, dragon fruit, passion fruit, pomegranate, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, fig, apricot, sour cherries, barberries, apple, pear, pineapple, canary melon, lemon and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk.

Lunch - Mixed greens, a veggie burger patty (All American burger from Tracy’s Real Foods), a handful of edamame, and the last of the canary melon from the fridge.

Dinner - A bowl of last night’s spicy butternut soup, topped with mushroom ravioli, steamed broccoli, and hot Italian crumbles from Nutcase Vegan (made from good things like quinoa and brown rice and hempseeds).

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

Where does garlic fall in therms of "color?"

Bill

Tan, brown according to the app. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Jean in Newcastle

[Harriet Vane]

Wednesday--still in the throes of a random virus, soooooo much decaf tea today

Breakfast - tea with honey, df yogurt with low-sugar granola

Lunch--half a bowl of chicken soup, later also had chicken with coleslaw in a cassava wrap, tea with honey, tea

Dinner--Baked cauliflower buffalo bites and a bowl of vegan chili, tea

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wednesday 

breakfast- keto blueberry cinnamon crunch granola with coconut yogurt (nuts and seeds are all brown.  Blueberries are blue.  Raspberry coconut yogurt was red.  )

lunch-  scrambled eggs with onions, mixed greens; 1/2 flaxseed muffin, two squares of chocolate  (today’s onions were red onions- or is that purple?  Mixed greens are baby spinach, baby kale, red chard, frisée, arugula, red/purple cabbage; flaxseeds are brown.  The chocolate included some red tart cherries.)  

dinner- salad with mixed greens, yellow corn, peas, orange carrots, green beans; carne asada with some chili peppers that I’m not really supposed to eat.  Poppyseed dressing  

two eggs before bedtime

Edited March 23, 2023 by Jean in Newcastle

[Kela]

Wednesday

Breakfast: 8 oz of carrot, celery, beet, spinach, bell pepper, ginger juice; smoothie with banana, coconut water, strawberries, and coconut shreds, Dandy Blend

Lunch: Dr. Fuhrman's cabbage and kale casserole, tabouli, coffee, 3 medjool dates

Dinner: Dandy Blend, lentil and collard soup, 2 mandarin oranges

[Selkie]

Thursday - 

Breakfast - A sunflower fig WellBean bar on the way to an early appointment. Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with vaquero beans, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, passion fruit, dragon fruit, guava, kiwi, apple, pear, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranate, longans, pineapple, fig, apricot, barberries, sour cherries, lemon and lime zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk.

Lunch - Big bowl of mixed greens with farro, garlicky white beans, WFPB creamy Italian.

Dinner - There was a head of romanesco that needed using up in the fridge, so I made the cauliflower wings and cashew ranch from Neuro Academy (both recipes are from Dr. Ayesha Sherzai). This is dh’s favorite of all the cauliflower wing recipes I’ve tried.

I also made some wraps using root beer leaves, which we had never tried before. They are leaves from the Mexican pepper leaf plant, and the flavor is described as “complex, with elements of licorice, sassafras, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and mint”. Really phenomenal! Inside the wraps were hummus, carrot and beet matchsticks, tofu, sorrel sprigs, gold pea tendrils, and baby watercress. Peanut dipping sauce, too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thursday

breakfast- keto blueberry cinnamon crunch granola with coconut yogurt 

lunch-  scrambled eggs with onions, mixed greens; 1/2 flaxseed muffin, two squares of chocolate with dried cranberries 

dinner- gf pancit bihon (millet/rice noodles; chicken breast, pork; julienned carrots and green beans, celery, red onion, garlic, green and purple cabbage, lime because I couldn’t find calamansi, gf soy sauce, some chicken broth because despite telling my phone to put fish sauce on the list it didn’t  actually put it on there so I didn’t buy any  )

two eggs before bedtime

[Kela]

Thursday

Breakfast: Dr. Fuhrman's Butternut Blueberry Breakfast

Lunch: A fantastic wrap using a Forks Over Knives recipe. Even my little one loved it and chowed it down. It has white beans mashed with braggs and white wine vinegar, mashed avocado with smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder. You spread it on a wrap and then add sliced tomatoes and baby spinach, roll up and enjoy. Also, tabouli.

Dinner: Enormous baked potato with brocolli and salad.

I went way over what I usually and probably should have for grains/starchy vegetables, but i am fat full.

[Harriet Vane]

Thursday

Such a sore throat. So much decaf tea today, some without sugar and some heavy on lemon and honey.

Breakfast--Sauteed potato with onion and 1 organic no-sugar breakfast sausage crumbled into bits for flavor.

Lunch--2 cassava wraps with organic turkey lunchmeat and purple cabbage/carrot slaw and lettuce. 

Snack--Low-sugar granola with df yogurt, also some leftover buffalo cauliflower (just a tiny portion leftover from last night's dinner). Had some dark chocolate later as well. 

Dinner--Spicy sauteed chicken with green beans and plain quinoa. 

[Soror]

I got in Fiber Fueled from the library and am reading it now. I'm going to be trying out some of the recipes. I like that it has a 4-week plan and am considering trying it out-- but I'm thinking of doing more batch cooking than they have. So, instead of having 5 different breakfasts throughout the week with just 2 repeats-- maybe just pick 2 recipes to try for breakfasts and do those and the same for lunch. For dinner, I want to see how I can modify the family's meals to cut down on cooking for me. I'll be making April's menu next week so I have a bit of time to think about it. 

b: nf greek yogurt (1/3 cup)/ blueberries/raspberries/ honey mango/ gf rolled oats/hemp seeds/cocoa nibs/ ground flax/ raisins

l: Thai Rainbow Bowl w/ Peanut Tofu (from Fiber Fueled)  (I'm using a combo of jasmine rice and quinoa instead of the brown rice)

d: baked eggplant and some sort of salad

perusing the snack options in the book  and will also have some dark chocolate at some point today

 

[Faith-manor]

Yesterday, Thursday, was a crazy day. Apart from slaying the evil java beans, I ate salad and baked potato at lunch, and salad at dinner. I didn't cook, and really didn't have time to cook. So it wasn't an unhealthy day at all, but it wasn't much food or variety.

[Kela]

Friday

Breakfast: tofu scramble, pancake

Lunch: black beans and rice, small hamburger patty

Dinner: lentil collard soup

[Selkie]

Friday - 

Breakfast - Watercress with mixed greens and microgreens. Breakfast bowl with golden lentils, oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, apple, guava, banana, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, Galia melon, fig, apricot, sour cherries, barberries, longans, lemon and orange zest, mulberries, goji berries, goldenberries, walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soy milk.

Lunch - Big salad with mixed greens, quinoa, edamame, tomato, carrots, beets, pistachios, sesame seeds, garlic, cashew ranch. A Cara Cara orange.

Dinner - Spring mix with lemon balsamic vinegar. Pizza with artichoke hearts, red peppers, and mushrooms. A few roasted baby potatoes and sunchokes.

Dessert - Butter pecan banana nice cream (Dr. Fuhrman recipe).

[Harriet Vane]

Friday

Lotsa tea, some with no sugar, some loaded with lemon and honey.

No breakfast. Slept long and didn’t feel like eating yet.

Lunch—leftover spiced chicken, banana

Snack—dark chocolate 

Dinner—roast pork tenderloin, roast Brussels sprouts, sautéed onions, plain wild rice

Later an apple with peanutbutter

[Jean in Newcastle]

Friday 

breakfast- keto blueberry cinnamon crunch granola with coconut yogurt 

lunch-  scrambled eggs with onions, mixed greens; 1/2 flaxseed muffin, two squares of chocolate with dried cranberries 

dinner- khatti gosht (not sure if I spelled that right)- lamb, onions, green peppers in a tomato tsmarind sauce if I am seeing what’s in here correctly.  And a very long grain rice. We had to laugh because the waiter overruled our original order and told us what was “better” for each of us .  My dish is much much spicier than what he chose for my husband  

two eggs before bedtime

[Eos]

Veggies stir fried with rice

an egg and avocado toast

pork and veggies

[Indigo Blue]

I just want Selkie to come to my house and bring me one of her breakfast bowls with all the things in it. 

[Eos]

18 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

I just want Selkie to come to my house and bring me one of her breakfast bowls with all the things in it. 

I've thought about doing a homeschool science experiment of re-creating one week's worth of her breakfast bowls.  It would take some prep...I don't eat much fruit in the winter so I'd wait til summer to attempt.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Eos