The Jana/Dr. Joel Project--Blogging Julie/ Julia style

Happy birthday to me!

2010-07-26T10:18:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to show you the amazing birthday cake I made for myself! This recipe is one of the many incredible recipes located on Dr. Fuhrman's website (you have to be a member but it is TOTALLY worth it). The cake is called Banana Flag Cake and it was sooooooooooooo yummy! It is a 4th of July celebration cake--and my birthday is 5th of July so it was just perfect. It is topped with a nut based creamy frosting sweetened with dates, and tons of fruit. Fabulous and A+!!

Jana

2010-04-18T17:07:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,
Sorry for deserting all of you! My number one goal by doing this blog was to complete Dr. Furhman's Eat for Health (which I did). The recipes in that book just rocked! We absolutely loved them and have been repeating so many of them for our daily meals. Dr. Fuhrman is currently updating his book Eat to Live--adding new testimonials and stuff. I don't know if there will be new recipes, but if that is the case--I will blog them for you I PROMISE!! Not sure what the release date is on that book. So check back periodically!! Thanks so much for reading!!

2010-03-05T11:34:00.002-07:00

Hello my friends! Just a quick note to tell you that life is grand and I have been doing some other things lately--like working hard on my artwork. I will slowly make my way through Eat to Live and post another recipe soon. I have been cooking lots of meals from Eat for Health--I barely remember what I used to eat before I learned all of those great recipes!! When I eat out my goals are 100% whole foods, no sugar, no or low salt, no white flour--and I stick to that. If I slip up and eat sugar, it is generally 4-5 boxes of cookies later before I can get myself back on track! So I make damn sure that I eat Dr. Fuhrman desserts every day. The fruit ice creams, oat bars, cupcakes--and even just some luscious fruit! Hooray for tangerine season!! This totally helps me to stay on track.

Last Sunday I did the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Stair Climb to the top of the tallest building in downtown Denver!! I participated in the fund raising event with my boot camp group (Bonza Bodies) There were over 2,000 people in the race--56 floors and 1,098 steps to the top! One breath and one stair at a time, we took steps to raise money to help prevent lung disease and promote lung health. I had a blast!! My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes, and it took me only 14 minutes. I was so proud! I bet there is one in your city--so check it out! It's a great cause!! My father-in-law lost one lung to cancer, and I am ashamed to admit that I smoked cigarettes for about 15 years--(I quit over 6 years ago) so I was very proud to make it to the top. http://www.lungusa.org/donate/events/fight-for-air-climb/ BONZA!!

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Eat to Live/ Day 7

2010-02-24T11:31:00.003-07:00

Yesterday for lunch I made the Broccoli and Red Pepper Soup from Eat to Live and neither of us liked this one at all. d:O( d On the bright side it was very easy to make--but just not enough going on. It had a strange flavor--I think we did not like the vinegar. I'm not even sure what you could add to cheer it up a bit! I may try it again because it was very easy to make and very healthy! Just didn't like the flavors. But here is the pic and I know we will have better luck tomorrow!!

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Eat to Live/ Day 6

2010-02-23T08:55:00.004-07:00

Hello,

I am back! Took some time off from cooking, and we are ready for some good ETL food again! Dr. Fuhrman's article called Are You a Food Addict? really affected me. (here is the link again if you did not read it) http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/hurtful-food-are-you-a-food-addict.html In his book Eat to Live, Dr. Furhman talks about following his food plan for the most part (90%) but then if you want have a small "cheat" (10%) then get right back on the plan. This might be one small cookie, or maybe some pasta. I think for some people this is a good idea. But for me, it is not. I don't seem to stop with one cookie! Maybe one box of cookies!! Sugar and it's cohorts profoundly affect me (white flour, white rice, alcohol). I am even discovering that salt has a negative affect on me as well. I do not drink alcohol (and have not for many years), and now I think I finally see that processed sugar has no place in my life as well. I have found so many wonderful dessert recipes from this whole food adventure, and I just need to keep on making them and eating them. It is a little difficult in our world because they put sugar and white flour in everything. So I will be vigilant!! Last night for dessert I made Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce from the book Eat for Health. They were sooooooooooo good and so pretty too! And they could not be easier to make. Here is the latest recipe that I made from Eat to Live:

Grandma Tillie's Eggplant Dip

This was really yummy! It was warm and creamy--I could have almost eaten it as a soup! I served it with cut up veggies, but I think it would be better served on top of some steamed spinach or other greens. We gave it a B+

Eat to Live/ Day 5

2010-02-16T09:38:00.002-07:00

So, Haze and I ate out quite a bit over the weekend. We mostly stayed on track for breakfast and lunch, but come dinner we were like King Henry the VIII at the restaurants. More butter! More sauce! We just don't quite get the concept yet of eating out and staying true to the food plan. We both pretty much felt crappy and both of our eyes were all swollen and puffy from the salt and excess food. Did anyone read Dr. Fuhrman's Disease Proof post yesterday called, Are You a Food Addict? (here is the link: http://www.diseaseproof.com/ ) Well I read that, and yes--I love all of those things! Canteloupe, mango, greens, kale, salad. I truly do! I crave my Eat Your Greens Smoothie every morning and have been adding kale to it. But I also love junk food too. And I don't know where I stand. Yesterday, all I wanted was the Smoothie for breakfast and lunch, and then a HUGE salad for dinner (plus the spinach dish that I made). It felt really good and it tasted really good after falling off the wagon over the weekend. This blog has been so good for me because I am teaching myself how to get back up after I fall down, as I teach myself how to cook great tasting healthy food. Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey!! Here is what I made yesterday:

Spinach and Mushroom Sauce

I served this dish with a giant salad and it just could not have been better. It was warm and creamy and I just almost wolfed it down! It kind of reminded me of a warm comfort food like mac and cheese! It was soooo good and sooooo simple. I ate a big bowl of it and will definitely be making this again. I gave it an A.

Eat to Live/ Day 4

2010-02-12T09:13:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone!

First of all--someone asked for the recipe for Jana Banana Chocolate/ Peppermint Ice Cream, so here it is!

Ingredients:

2 large Bananas

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 cup Soy Milk (or more)

2 medium Dates, chopped

1 T Cacao or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Peppermint Extract (a few drops to taste)

Instructions:

Cut up bananas into small one-inch pieces, place in a baggie and freeze for 24 hours. To high-powered blender, add soy milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, dates, peppermint extract, and blend. Drop frozen banana pieces in slowly. You may need to add more soy milk to get the right consistency.

So last night I made Cara's Apple Cake from Eat to Live--and it was pretty good. I was hoping it would be a little better!! I think it is one of those recipes that I know it's good for me, and it satisfies a sweet tooth--but I'm not bananas over it. I topped it with some icing (I used the recipe from Healthy Chocolate Cake from Eat for Health--I added cinnamon instead of the cocoa) and icing helped!! It is very appley--and I think I wanted more of a "cake." But it will definitely get eaten!! We gave it a B+ The pics show the cake with and without the icing.

Pics are:Cara's Apple CakeCara's Apple Cake with Icing

Eat to Live/ Day 3

2010-02-11T08:08:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I made the Eat to Live recipe called Bean Enchiladas. It's one of those recipes that sounds way to simple, and you wonder how on earth it will taste good with hardly any ingredients? Even while I was making it I was thinking, hmmmm--not looking like it will taste good!! But wow did it fool us! Both Haze and I gave it an A+ We will be making this easy recipe lots!! If you wanted you could swap out ingredients and add spinach, zucchini, cauliflower or whatever you like--but the veggies he selected were just perfect. The only change I made was to add some soy cheese on top (just a little!) and I served this with a large green salad with the Eat for Health dressing Dijon Date. It was a great meal!
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As far as the taco sauce in the recipe--here is what I did. I mixed 1/4 cup of of regular canned red enchilada sauce (can't find any low sodium--so this was just the lowest sodium one I could find) (it was La Victoria brand) so I took a 1/4 cup of that and mixed it with about 2/3 can no-salt tomatoes (I used those fire-roasted ones) and I blended that together. Then I took the corn tortillas and dipped all of them one-by-one into this sauce (completely submerged). Then I rolled them up with the filling and poured the rest of the sauce on top. Try to stuff as much filling as you can into each one--I stuffed a lot and even had some left over. These are so easy and so good!!

Filling for Bean Enchiladas

Bean Enchiladas (with soy cheese on top)

Pics are:Bean Enchilada filling

Eat to Live/ Day 2

2010-02-10T10:01:00.004-07:00

Hello All,
I've read Eat to Live cover-to-cover at least 5 times. And so I've read this recipe (Apple Pie Salad) over and over again and while I always wanted to make it, I just never did!! And so FINALLY, I am taking action!! It feels really good!! And I must say that the Apple Pie Salad was just as tasty as I imagined all those years!! As you can see from the picture, I added a ton of cinnamon in the dressing--plus I added half spinach for the lettuce. It was sweet (but not too sweet), cinnamony, and I just felt like Superwoman when I was done eating!! I made the Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup (from Eat for Health) to go with it--and it was just a perfect supper. Haze gave the salad a B+/ I said A-

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Eat to Live/ Day 1

2010-02-09T10:33:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Eat to Live alive and in color!! dThanks for the great comments! I'm happy to be doing ETL too. It will be cool to see it come alive and in color!! I've read the book so many darn times--it's time to take action now! We have found that Dr. Fuhrman's portions sizing in his books are really pretty huge! I love this because you really get to eat a lot, and you are filled up! Through the 30 days of Eat for Health Haze and I both lost weight (7 pounds for me, about 15 for Haze) and never even measured any portions--we just ate what we wanted. We are lucky to have found Dr. F! So here is what I made yesterday.

A Gathering of Vegetables (that is my title!)

Tasty Hummus

Strawberry Freeze

A Gathering of Vegetables. The first recipe was not really a recipe. In the book Dr. Fuhrman just sort of mentions for a quick meal that "greens taste great with onions, garlic, mushrooms, and stewed tomatoes." So that is what I made! I sauteed the onions in a tsp of olive oil (plus about 2 T of water later so it would not dry out), added zucchini, mushrooms, garlic and cooked it a bit--then dumped in 2 big cans of San Marzano tomatoes and 2 giant bunches of chopped Swiss chard. It was FABULOUS! You do not even need any seasonings for this--the garlic and the flavors of the vegetables is enough. As far as the recipe title, this is how our conversation went:

Haze--What is this?

Jana--Um, not really sure--its not a real recipe, recipe.

Haze--"Is it a soup?"

Jana--"No it wasn't a real recipe--just a sort of suggestion."

Haze--"What is it then, it looks like soup?"

Jana--"I think it's just sort of a gathering of vegetables."

Haze--"Sure looks like soup to me."

He liked my title though--so now we call this non-recipe A Gathering of Vegetables. We give it an A+

Tasty Hummus: I love any kind of hummus--and this one is very tasty!! I added a bit more tahini and liquid than was required, and pureed the crap out of it in my VitaMix. Then I added some paprika on top. It is soooooooooo easy to make. And, you can spice it up however you like! Extra lemon, cayenne, herbs--it is really yummy any way you slice it. And, it was perfect as a side dish with the Gathering of Vegetables!! We gave it an A

The Strawberry Freeze was wonderful as usual. We have had this before. It is an A+ dessert. For Haze I made Chocolate "Ice Cream" (with the frozen bananas) and added some peppermint extract. He said it was his new favorite!

Pics are:A Gathering of Vegetables (my title for greens, onions, mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, and garlic)Tasty Hummus and VeggiesStrawberry Freeze and Chocolate/ Peppermint "Ice Cream"

Disease-Proof Your Child

2010-02-07T10:52:00.003-07:00

I've been slacking on cooking the last few days!! We have been kind of floundering, and not eating very well and are feeling the effects. Haze and I have decided on a slight change of plans. Haze's colitis symptoms are still there--we knew it would take awhile to go away--but he has requested more Dr. Fuhrman recipes. So we are going to do the book Eat to Live next. We will still do Engine 2 Diet--but slightly later than planned. I've read Eat to Live cover to cover probably 5 times, but have only made a teeny/tiny handful of the recipes.
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So, as far as Disease Proof Your Child--I think I am about done with the recipes! The remaining recipes are ones that are either very similar to ones that we have already made or are just far too rich. We found that we did not like the very rich desserts. But we definitely found some keeper recipes in Disease-Proof!! But for now, we want to get some more of that super healthy/ cleansed and alive feeling back! We are starting Eat to Live tomorrow (Monday) so bon appétit and stay tuned for Eat to Live in color!!
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Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 9

2010-02-05T14:29:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone! Working on art projects--so I've been busy last few days. I spent a glorious morning at the Denver Art Museum. What a great place to get lost!!
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So let's have a drum roll please for the best dinner in the whole DPYC book!! This is what we had:
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Purple Potato Salad
Veggie Meat Loaf/ with BBQ Sauce on top

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My Purple Potato Salad was not purple--but it was still awesome!! They only had green cabbage at the Whole Foods Salad Bar, and I only needed a little so that is what I got. I admit that I added a tad more mayo than was required, but this dish was FABULOUS!! We both absolutely loved it and gave it an A+.
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The Veggie Meat Loaf recipe called for ground steak--and I didn't want to use meat, and I didn't have some of the ingredients, but I had lots of stuff on hand--so I just started tossing stuff in the bowl! It actually turned out great! Here is the recipe I used--which is different enough from the book to share with you! I know I'm supposed to make the recipes as is, but I am getting a little cocky with my new cooking skills!! ha he!! A+ meal!! The BBQ sauce is a MUST!!

Jana's Veggie Lentil Loaf
1/2 cup minced walnuts
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 onion minced
1 cup minced portabello mushrooms
2 cans lentils (one pureed/ one whole)
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups minced spinach
splash of low sodium v-8
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup parsley minced
1/2 cup red pepper chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
lots of black pepper
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I sauteed the onion, garlic, mushroom, red pepper, celery in a smidgen of olive oil then mushed all ingredients together, put it in a loaf pan and I baked it at 350 for 50 minutes.
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It was really good!! I served it a nice salad with Dr. F's Balsamic Vinaigrette from Eat for Health, and I YES, I made cupcakes again!! Great combo dinner platter!! YUM!
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Disease-Proof Your Child

2010-02-04T10:37:00.003-07:00

No post today! Had too much going on yesterday to cook. Whole Foods Salad Bar is such a treat!! See you tomorrow...
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Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 8

2010-02-03T08:01:00.005-07:00

What a fantastic dinner last night!! Disease-Proof Your Child is definitely not a weight-loss book. I did not expect to lose weight on this book, but I have also not gained any weight back. Not even one ounce. My problem in the past has been losing weight and then gaining it right back. So this blog is my attempt at teaching myself how to cook, how to maintain a healthy weight--but in a fun and totally satisfying/ tasty way! So far, so good! This has been an incredible experience!! I have learned so much--just by picking up and doing it. Not just reading, but doing. Come and join me!! I love to hear your comments, and again thank you all for reading!!

Last night we made:

Eggplant Sicilian

Wild Rice and Broccoli

Fuhrman Fudgsicles

The Eggplant Sicilian was out of this world yummy--and pretty easy to make. I didn't quite understand from the instructions how I was supposed to layer, so I sort of winged it. But it turned out great! Very tasty, very filling--we gave it an A. The Wild Rice and Broccoli was super easy and really good too. Very simple side dish. Not alot of flavors going on--which was good. The wild rice and broccoli were enough. We gave it an A. They went very well together!

The Fuhrman Fudgsicles were super rich--and just not our thang. I had to run them under hot water a long time to get them out--and they were sort of melty by then. And, we are more ice-cream-in-a-bowl type people, than ice-cream-on-a-stick type people. It was super rich from the nuts and I think overall we like the lighter ice creams--with more fruit. I did however, throw some tangerine juice into a few of the popcicle makers and they were super yummy!! I called them Tangerinsicles!!

Pics are:Plate of Wild Rice and Broccoli, and Eggplant SicillianFuhrman FudgsiclesTangerinsicles

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 7

2010-02-02T10:30:00.008-07:00

Hi All,
A friend on the Dr. Fuhrman website discussion board took the time to figure out the nutrition content of my Jana Banana Carrot Cupcakes!!
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Below is the complete nutritional information she got with % daily values in parenthesis. The sodium content is based on using low sodium baking powder (which I did not know existed), and regular baking soda, however if you used a low sodium baking soda substitute it would be less:
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Nutrition Facts/ Jana Banana Carrot Cupcakes
Serving Size 113 g (1 cupcake)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 251/ Calories from Fat 89
%Daily Value*
Total Fat 9.9g(15%)
Saturated Fat 0.9g(5%)
Trans Fat 0.0gCholesterol 0mg(0%)
Sodium 180mg(7%)
Total Carbohydrates 39.3g(13%)
Dietary Fiber 4.6g(18%)
Sugars 24.8gProtein 4.8g
Vitamin A 37%
Vitamin C 9%
Calcium 5%
Iron 8%
*Based on a 2000 calorie diet
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Very interesting!! I ate 3 of them yesterday!! Ha ha ha!! But I worked out pretty hard, so I guess I am even. They are so good--I gave a few away to a friend and now I think there are 2 left. We will savor every crumb! Sooooo back to Disease-Proof Your Child--here is what we made yesterday:
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Carrot Cream Soup
Sushi for Your Tootsie
Flax/ Oatmeal Bars
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Ok, the Carrot Cream Soup was just very bland. It was not unpleasant, just very bland. I'm not quite sure how you could wake it up? Maybe some herbs? But I guess it was good with the sushi because we used tons of wasabi so it was good having something mild to eat too. I gave it a C, Haze refused to comment, but on the upside--Alfie, Dingo, and Violet (our family dogs) gave it an A+!! So none of it will go to waste!!

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Sushi for Your Tootsie was yummy!! We just love sushi and this was fun to make. I went to Whole Foods and got edamame, nicely shredded carrots from the salad bar, plenty of wasabi, and some salmon to go with it. We also made Chef AJ's Hail to the Kale--yes again. Great meal!! A+

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The Flax/ Oatmeal Bars did not turn out right. From the recipe you are supposed to "dehydrate" them in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. And mine were still a soggy mess even after an hour. I think the recipe called for too much liquid. And I am not sure from the recipe how they are supposed to be at the end? Dry? Formed together? Anyway, they tasted pretty good--but could never get them cooked or "dehydrated" right. I gave them a C- We were ok with that though, because we were forced to eat more of the Carrot Cupcakes!! The picture looks pretty good, but underneath they were mushy...
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Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 6

2010-02-01T07:51:00.004-07:00

Aaaaah what a nice weekend!! I worked out with my group at Red Rocks (sooo fun), Haze and I worked on our artwork, we watched movies--and I took a small break from cooking!! So no recipes from Disease Proof today. We went out to dinner with friends on Friday night--and had soooo much fun! We had sushi! We started with edamame (no salt) and a big salad. Then we had a variety of vegan sushi, and some fish too--all made with brown rice. It was fabulous! I took the wasabi, and instead of blasting it with soy sauce like I normally would--I mixed it with water and then just a pinch of low-sodium soy sauce. Really good !! Saturday we had lunch at Whole Foods Salad Bar--and I am really starting to see Dr. Fuhrman's influence there. (He has been working with Whole Foods.) The Salad Bar had more whole grains, no salt beans, and some really nice kale dishes too. It was such a treat!! Last night we heated up some frozen soup (The African Lentil from Eat for Health) and I was craving carrot cake so I took Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Chocolate Cake recipe from EFH--and came up with my own Carrot Cupcakes! I think it is ok to post the recipe since I totally changed and modified it around and made it my own. If you make them--let me know what you think!!
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Jana Banana’s Carrot Cupcakes with Cinnamon Raisin Icing (makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcake Ingredients
1/2 + 1/3 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-3/4 cups pitted dates
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup pineapple chunks in own juice, drained
1/2 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 small carrot, cut into chunks
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup dry currants or raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Icing Ingredients
1/2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup soymilk
1/3 cup raisins
10 brazil nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Caramel Extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix first six ingredients in a small bowl (from flour to nutmeg). In high powered blender, add next 7 ingredients (from dates to small carrot cut into chunks) and puree. In a large mixing bowl mix all ingredients together and blend well. Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin (lined with paper cupcake liners) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

To make icing puree all icing ingredients until smooth using a high-powered blender. You may need to add a few extra nuts or a little more soymilk to get the proper thickness. Spread on cooled cupcakes. Bon appétit!

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 5

2010-01-29T08:39:00.003-07:00

I had a nice conversation with my friends on the Dr. Fuhrman Website yesterday (on the discussion forum). We decided that they need a good vegetarian show on Food Network. Chef AJ? Let's get it done!! I also got a request to post my grading scale again--so here it is!

A+ Totally enjoyable meal--can't wait to make and eat again! Guest worthy.

A or A- Will happily make again and it will be a staple in our house.

B+ or B I know it's good for me and it tastes really good too--will be a good week-night meal

B- Will make again but I won't be that excited about it!

C+ or less Will probably not make again, or I will try to modify more to my liking

I don't think anything has been a D or F, well, except maybe the Nutrient Rich Chocolate Pudding from Eat for Health!! But actually--Haze ate that!! But it was just not to my taste at all. Oh well--I think overall Eat for Health is a FANTASTIC set of recipes and will be making those dishes for a long long time!! Dr. Fuhrman gets an A+ for EFH!! Hooray!! Here was yesterdays dishes:

String Beans and Almond Dust

Quinoa in Color

Quick Soy Cheese Pita Pizza

Vanilla-Carob Fudge

For the String Beans and Almond Dust I used haricot verts (love those) and I had no almonds so I used pine nuts. It was very light and easy to make. I thought it needed some zing so I squeezed some lemon on mine. Haze liked them as is. We gave them an A-

I can't believe how much I love Quinoa! I had never had it before until I started this project. I have loved every recipe with it! I did not have all of the "colors" for the Quinoa in Color so I used the veggies I had on hand (asparagus was one) and it was just really yummy! A-

I pretty much like any kind of pizza--so the Quick Soy Cheese Pita Pizza was no exception. Whole wheat really bothers me and I had no idea what to use for the crust so.......I took some Ryvita Rye and Oat Bran Crispbread crackers (like Ryecrisps) and used those! Not sure if these are Fuhrman Friendly, but they actually worked pretty well. They got just a tiny bit soggy in the middle--but it was pretty good!! I am excited to have a pizza "crust" that is not whole wheat. We gave this an A-

The Vanilla-Carob Fudge was pretty darn tasty--but I felt like I gained 10 pounds just licking my fingers while I was making it! It is super rich--and I am finding that I prefer the fruity/ lighter desserts much better. Also--I used cacao powder (instead of carob). The fudge got

a B.

Pics are:Plate of String Beans with Almond Dust/ Quick Soy Cheese Pizza/ Quinoa in ColorVanilla-Carob Fudge

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 4

2010-01-28T09:48:00.005-07:00

Want to be as strong as a Texas firefighter? Chef AJ, whose recipes I cooked right here from her DVD Healthy Made Delicious, has a friend named Rip Esselstyn. Rip Esselstyn has a very popular book out called The Engine 2 Diet. As you know, I am a nutrition bookworm, so I just had to get this book to read it. I am only a few chapters in, but I think it's motivating and fun and I have decided to blog through it next! One of Rip's mottos is: Melt away the pounds, look terrific and become bullet-proof to Western diseases. I love that!! The food sounds hearty, manly, and totally yummy. Haze is very excited about this one!! So stay tuned for The Engine 2 Diet! For more information, you can go to Rip's website: http://www.theengine2diet.com/
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Here is what we had yesterday:
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Broccoli with Garlic
Squash Fantasia
Quinoa and Nut Loaf
Banana Nut Cookies
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The Broccoli with Garlic was simple as pie to make and really just so good!! It really just took a few minutes! Haze and I both loved it and gave it an A+ We will be making this easy recipe lots.
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I think I have decided that I just don't like sweet squash that much (like Butternut or Acorn types) But I do LOVE yams And Haze is just the opposite--does not like yams, but likes squash. So... the Squash Fantasia was not my favorite--but Haze liked it!! He gave it a B. I would have liked it more with yams, I think.

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The Quinoa and Nut Loaf was really good, but a bit of quinoa overload. It could have used more ingredients like more veggies. Also--it really didn't need to be a "loaf"--it could have just been a mixture. It was a little odd--guess we are used to a different type of loaf now--like the Lentil Loaf. Anyway, it tasted really good! Next time we will add more veggies and just serve it as a mixture/ salad type dish. We gave it an A-

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There are some ingredients even in the Dr. Fuhrman books that I refuse to eat, and I usually just omit or add something else. Like, for example...shredded coconut. I do not eat shredded coconut ever since I was 6 years old and there was ... let's just say... an "incident" involving me, a very large German Chocolate cake, and then me barfing. So I just work around it. That being said, The Banana Nut Cookies were supposed to contain coconut, and I think I pretty well explained above that I do not eat shredded coconut. So instead I added a few more nuts, and a few handfuls of oatmeal, and a few currants too!! These dessert recipes are really almost impossible to screw up!! They turned out fabulous and we gave them an A!

Pics are:Plate of Broccoli and Garlic/ Squash Fantasia/ Quinoa and Nut LoafQuinoa Nut Loaf

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 3

2010-01-27T08:48:00.007-07:00

Here was yesterday's menu:
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Cabbage Raisin Soup
Veggies with Hot Russian Dressing
Apricot Brown Rice
Banana/ Pineapple Sorbet
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Soooo... I think I need to stick to the planned out menus because this meal just did not harmonize together--which was my fault! I may have got a little spoiled on Eat for Health which I think was really beautifully all planned out. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
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The Cabbage Raisin Soup is just fantastic. It was a solid A. I did not puree all of the cabbage--I left some chopped up in the soup--I love the velvety texture of cooked cabbage. And it was a bit sweet, but in a raisiny kind of way--not a carrot juicy kind of way (which I liked). I had to add a bit more liquid than called for--actually a lot more. But overall it was really wonderful and easy to make, but looks and tastes like it was really hard!! I did not add the nuts--but just sprinkled some on top. I think it should be served with a nice big salad with a creamy dressing (not sweet), and/ or some lemony greens.

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The Hot Russian Dressing first of all, is not hot. And I kind of wished it was hot! I've had Dr. Fuhrman's Russian Fig Dressing so much (from the Eat for Health cookbook)--that this tasted to me like an early version of that dressing. I think the Russian Fig is much better! I did not like the Hot Russian Dressing and gave it a C. My pic for this did not turn out--sorry! I took 3 and they were all 3 fuzzy!
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I think I am not a good judge of the Apricot Brown Rice so I am not going to grade it. To me it tasted sort of like an Indian brown rice pudding dish, which I do not like anyway. I think lots of people do like brown rice pudding--and if so, you will probably like this dish very much! It was definitely not the right side dish for the Cabbage Soup because it was also a bit sweet. But do try it!

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Banana/ Pineapple Sorbet--what can I say but A!! I swear this "ice cream" method works with any fruit you can think of. You can add cinnamon, dates, nuts, vanilla, other extracts--there are just endless ways to make this. They are all wonderful!!

Pics are:Raisin Cabbage SoupApricot Brown RiceBanana/ Pineapple Sorbet

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 2

2010-01-26T08:19:00.005-07:00

My kitchen is tiny! They did not make em big back in the 1920's. All they needed room for back then was one pot, one pan, and a big spoon (I think--don't quote me on my facts.) Everything is crammed into cupboards and I think it's time to clean out. One cupboard down below is filled with various layers of pots and pans and glassware. Every time I pull something out of there it makes a loud "CLANG!" and sends my manly dog Alfie running to the back bedroom to hide. But the sad part is the loud clang scares my deaf dog Violet as well! Maybe I will just pull it all out, then put it all back in a neater stack. I need all that stuff!

Here is what I made yesterday:

Tomato Tornado Soup

This recipe was super easy to make (which I love!) and it tasted great! I love anything tomato. It would be easy to add other veggies like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini--I can see it will be very versatile. I gave it an A- (the ease of the recipe pushed it from a B+) I served it with Chef AJ's Hail to Kale (yes again) but this time AJ suggested it with (instead of kale) broccoli and/ or qinoua--and so I just added all 3! Will show you a pic too!! (Chef AJ's Hail to the Kale recipe was posted here on the blog--let me know if you can't find it!)

Whipped Banana Freeze with the optional strawberries

Holy cow these are all just so wonderful. A+! It's soooooo much better than ice cream--it feels wonderful after you eat it too. There is no guilt, no indigestion, no 5-pound weight gain!! It is just pure pleasure!!

Pics are:Tomato Tornado Soup(Chef AJ's Hail to Kale with Quinoa and Broccoli)Banana Whip with the optional strawberries

Disease-Proof Your Child/ Day 1

2010-01-25T09:21:00.006-07:00

Hello Everyone and bon appetit! I want to start by saying that I am going to take my time going through this book!! I did Eat for Health in 30 days--and that was about 130 recipes. Wooohoo!! That had to be a record. DPYC has about 50 recipes, and I will be doing them sort of randomly--not exactly in the order in the book. In between books, we cooked lots of our favorite recipes from Eat for Health. After cooking like a lunatic for 30 days, the easier/ faster recipes were top on our list --like Vegetable Burritos and Yummy Banana Bars. They are easy to make and oooooh soooo good. We also ate the California Creamed Kale, and AJ's Hail to the Kale Salad almost daily!! (Chef AJ graciously gave us her delicious Hail to the Kale Salad recipe and it is posted on this blog.) And then over the weekend we went to one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants. I ordered my favorite dish as is--just to see how it tasted to me now, and it tasted really very salty. Next time I will be more careful and ask for sauces on the side as we do love the food there and want to be able to continue dining out! It kind of makes me sad to know how much salt I was happily and unknowingly eating before--and how unnecessary it is. It seriously took me only a few weeks to not even notice the low sodium anymore. If you are curious about the dangers of salt and why I keep bringing up salt, go to Dr. Fuhrman's website and please read: http://drfuhrman.com/faq/question.aspx?sid=16&qindex=1

Here is another article that just came out today (as I was typing this!) on Dr. Fuhrman's blog...
Summary: On Wednesday, January 20th, about a week after NYC Mayor Bloomberg proposed his controversial salt reduction initiative, evidence was presented in the New England Journal of Medicine that salt reduction truly can save lives.
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/hurtful-food-salt-update.html
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So to begin--here is what I made yesterday!
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Split Pea and Tofu Dog Soup
What is up with cooking peas, beans and lentils in the state of Colorado!!?? I soaked the crap out of the split peas PLUS I cooked them for an hour longer than the recipe said--and they were still not done. I know it takes longer because of the altitude, but that was ridiculous. I do have a pressure cooker--I will definitely use that next time. Anyway, my tofu dogs got waaaay over cooked, so Haze and I fished them out and started over. I cut up 2 new tofu dogs, and sauteed them in a tiny bit of olive oil and then sprinkled them on top. Beside the fact that the split peas were still slightly undercooked--we gave the recipe an A-

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Healthy Potato Fries
The Fries were a nice treat with the soup! We added a big sprinkle of Mrs. Dash to them, and they were very tasty!! We gave them an A. I served this meal with the steamed kale version of AJ's Hail to the Kale Salad--and it was all just a perfect combo. (You seriously have to try this kale recipe!! Kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet!!)

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Dessert
For dessert I made Eat for Health's Yummy Banana Bars, and added pureed raspberries to the center (per Haze's request). They were awesome!! Will show you a pic of those too. All for now and have a happy day!!

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Disease-Proof Your Child

2010-01-23T11:21:00.003-07:00

For me, my sugar addiction has not gone away until I completely eliminated processed sugar, and starting adding desserts to my life! But the desserts are made from whole, unprocessed foods. It sounds contradictory to add desserts, but it's true. Haze and I ate dessert almost every night when I was working through the Eat for Health cookbook. They were all different and exciting! We always ate them right after dinner--so we always made sure to leave some room. It was such a treat!! In the past I have always tried to eliminate all desserts. But it never works. I am looking through my Eat for Health cookbook—and there are almost all A’s next to every one of the desserts!! We truly enjoyed them. You just can’t even believe how wonderful they are! I feel like I don’t even need processed sugar anymore. They are that good. So the book I have chosen to work on next is Disease Proof your Child—Feeding Kids Right. It’s filled with FUN sounding meals, lots of desserts (hooray!!) and I we are both so excited to get started! Take a second look at these amazing, delicious, and NUTRITIOUS desserts!!

Disease-Proof Your Child

2010-01-22T08:16:00.003-07:00

Sometime around 1971 my Mom turned “Health nut.” As I remember it, that meant whole-wheat bread (or as we called it “brown bread”) instead of white bread, skim milk instead of whole milk, brown sugar instead of white sugar, and no packaged desserts or cereals. It was a big deal for 1971. We had to take BROWN bread sandwiches for our lunch at school with non-hydrogenated peanut butter. Try explaining that to your friends when you are 6 and it’s 1971. They thought I was nuts. I remember telling a classmate in the lunchroom that the baloney sandwich she was eating contained “cancer-causing nitrates.” I was like 9 years old! She called me a Liar. I was like, “NO—you don’t understand, my MOM told me this. It’s true!” She told the teacher and I got into trouble for causing lunchroom panic and lying.
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My mother had another Health-nut house rule: dNo desserts unless you made them yourself, from scratch, and only on the weekend, and only if Mom said you could make something. d
It was becoming harder and harder for me to get my sugar fix. On Halloween I would stay out until I could not carry my candy-filled pillowcase another step. Then I would take 2 or 3 days to eat ALL of the candy until it was gone. Even the gross stuff that I didn’t like would eventually get eaten. Like the Candy Corns. (What on God's green earth are those by the way??) I would nibble all the chocolate off of the Mounds Bars and toss out the coconut part. (I hate coconut) Candy Cigarettes got eaten too. Those have got to be outlawed by now. I remember “smoking” mine before eating it. (And yes, I was a smoker too for many years.) I could eat a TON of sugar.
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The sad part is I remember LOVING fruit as a child! I would come home from school grab an orange, some grapes or an apple and watch cartoons. And my Mom did her very best—she really did. We always had lots of fruit in the house, homemade meals, and big salads with every dinner. We all loved to cook—each person had a specialty. There were always homemade whole-grain breads—and no processed foods really ever. But still, there was that nagging sugar addiction...
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To be continued…

Disease-Proof Your Child

2010-01-21T10:19:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone!
I am going to start blogging the recipes from Dr. Fuhrman's Disease-Proof Your Child next and will start posting the recipes on Monday, January 25th. So I thought I would take a few days and tell you why I chose that book—even though I do not have children. I also wanted to give you a glimpse of what my own childhood food life was like! I am the youngest of 4 girls and everyone in my whole family—including my Dad—can cook!
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“Someday you will thank me!” my Mom used to say. Well, thank you Mom!! She started me on this path of thinking about food, thinking about what I was putting into my body from a very young age. It wasn’t exactly a Dr. Fuhrman health-food plan, but she did her best with what was available. She read books like Diet for a Small Planet, and Laurel’s Kitchen. She started shopping at a health-food store, and she improved the quality of our food. This began in 1971 when I was 6 years old.
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But as early as I can remember my serious addiction to sugar began. Some of my earliest memories involve sugar. I remember sneaking into the kitchen and stealing the container of Tang, which is basically orange-flavored sugar that you mix with water to make a sugary orange drink. Apparently, Tang became popular when NASA used it on Gemini flights in 1965—that was the year I was born. Can you imagine being up in space and drinking orange-flavored sugar water? They must have been bouncing off the walls—literally. Only with me, I wouldn’t mix it with water—I would just eat it straight from the container. I would also nab boxes of Jell-O from the kitchen cabinet and just eat it. Finally, after my Mom kept finding me with an orange or purple tongue, and little trails of different colored sugar all over the place she stopped buying it. It was a sad day. I also remember stealing money from my sister’s piggy bank to buy candy from a neighborhood boy—when I was like 4 years old! I got caught. Sugar totally had a hold on me—and it’s been an ongoing problem my whole life.
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To be continued tomorrow…

Day 3 Healthy Made Delicious

2010-01-20T09:44:00.005-07:00

This was a fun project--thank you Chef AJ! All of the food on your DVD is fabulous and we will be making the recipes often. Next I am going to work on the recipes in Dr. Fuhrman's Disease Proof Your Child. There are about 50 recipes in the book, and while we do not have children, the recipes look tasty and fun! And we love fun food!! Here is what I made yesterday:

Nutrient Rich Chocolate Smoothie

Smokey Black Bean Soup

Dream of Tomato Soup

Chocolate Mousse Torte

The Nutrient Rich Chocolate Smoothie was very yummy! I've said before that I am very used to a berry based smoothie, but trying these new flavors has been fun! I think I made it a bit runnier than I like, so next time I will add a bit more frozen banana. But it's very tasty--I gave it an A.

The Smokey Black Bean Soup was FABULOUS!! We gave it an A+. I added some guacamole on top--but you could add cilantro, nuts--lots of different flavors. Next time I will puree it a bit more--but we absolutely loved it. Tons of flavor!! I served it with some corn tortillas squeezed with lime. Really yummy meal.

In Chef AJ's DVD, she says that the Dream of Tomato Soup can be used as a topping for veggies--so that is what I did. I steamed some broccoli and cauliflower and added the dreamy tomato on top! It went really nicely with the black bean soup. We gave it an A-

Ok, I completely botched the recipe for the Chocolate Mousse Torte! But Haze still gave it an A+ + + so I guess you totally do not have to know how to cook to make this recipe taste great!! I ran out of nuts--so I had to make a completely different crust (I used the crust from Eat for Health's Bluevado Pie--which is Swiss Familia Cereal and dates). I also turned them into cupcakes--which is becoming a standard for me! The mousse is creamy and chocolatey and delicious!! You could serve this recipe to anyone and they would love it.

Day 2 Healthy Made Delicious

2010-01-19T10:03:00.005-07:00

I haaaaated meatloaf as a child. I hated when my Mom would serve it (sorry Mom!) It would literally make me gag. Not like the saying--"it makes me gag" but quite literally-----I... would... gag. Meatloaf is probably one of the reasons I became a vegetarian!! I have been a vegetarian for about 20 years now, and only very recently did I try a veggie "loaf." Dr. Fuhrman has a recipe listed on the Recipe Guide on his website called Thanksgiving Non-Meatloaf that we made for Thanksgiving and absolutely loved it!! And yesterday, we tried a new recipe by Chef AJ called Hearty Lentil Loaf, and again LOVED it!! Check out AJ making Hearty Lentil Loaf on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABtdPdkBhro It is a clip from her DVD called Healthy Made Delicous. You can order this DVD and get these recipes by emailing Chef AJ at: chefaj@att.net Here is what I made yesterday:
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Wake up and Smell the Kale
It's Easy Being Green Smoothie
Hearty Lentil Loaf
Nutty Buddies (A Fundue variation)
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If you read my first blog on Dr. Fuhrman's Eat for Health you will know that Haze and I don't like veggie juice very much. But the Wake up and Smell the Kale was a nice surprise! Chef AJ adds a tropical twist to this juice and it really hides the kale taste nicely. I was not feeling well yesterday and this was sort of like an elixir that brightened me right up! I gave it an A- Haze gave it a B

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For lunch (along with a big salad and some leftover soup) I had the It's Easy Being Green Smoothie. It is definitely a new favorite! Rather than a berry base that I am used to in smoothies, this one had again--sort of a tropical spin that made it very tasty. I felt like Superwoman after eating this!! This is a great way to get your kale!! I gave it an A.

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The Hearty Lentil Loaf is just completely yummy and filling! It is totally different than the Thanksgiving Non-Meatloaf--a nice new addition to our recipe cache. We both gave it an A. There are tons of variations that you could do with this recipe--like top with BBQ sauce, ketchup, cranberry relish, gravy, slice it and make a sandwich. But we had some leftover guacamole and decided to top it that way. (Actually, Haze wants credit for the guacamole topper!) I couldn't find low-sodium ketchup, so I bought canned, no-salt, fire-roasted tomatoes. We spooned it over our slice of Lentil Loaf and then topped with guacamole. Wow! It was fabulous!!

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For dessert I made a variation on the Fundue that Chef AJ calls Nutty Buddies. We absolutely LOVED these! It tasted like an ice cream bar!! We both gave it an A+. YUM!!
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Day 1 Healthy Made Delicious

2010-01-18T10:31:00.010-07:00

Chef AJ received an Easy Bake Oven at the age of 7 and has not stopped making food since. Following a plant based diet over 32 years, AJ is currently the Executive Vegan Pastry Chef at Sante in Los Angeles. She has been a Culinary Instructor in the Los Angeles area for the past 10 years. For 3 years she volunteered at the Braille Institute teaching healthy cooking to the blind, many of whom lost their sight due to Type II diabetes.A graduate of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute,Chef AJ loves to inspire people to eat healthier by showing them that it can be easy, delicious and fun!!! She uses primarily organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and beans (her favorite bean being the cocoa bean). All of AJ's vegan creations are free of all processed ingredients including sugar, flour, oil and salt. AJ lives in Los Angeles, CA with her handsome vegan husband Charles and 2 rescued mutts, Ginger & Sparky.She has had the opportunity to cook for many celebrities and television shows. In her spare time, she designs T-shirts, her favorite one proudly saying "My IQ is higher than my cholesterol". She will be teaching in Austin with Rip and Dr. Essesltyn several week for the Whole Foods Immersion program, proudly wearing her new T-shirt which says "I am hotter than Rip and funnier than Jeff Novick".Chef AJ is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and a speaker for the National Wellness Institute where will be giving monthly webinars for them throughout the year. In November she will be speaking to 350 health professionals at the Cardiac Health Inprovement Program in Loma Linda.In her spare time, chef AJ volunteers teaching healthy food preparation classes for Black Women's Wellness and many other churches and organiztions where she inspires people to eat healthier.She just released a cooking DVD called Healthy Made Delicious with Matthew Lederman, M.D. of Exsalus Health and Wellness Center where she is the Consulting Chef.

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After spending 30 days blogging (and eating) our way through Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat for Health, Haze and I felt fabulous. Then, Saturday night we ate at a restaurant with no Fuhrman Friendly choices on the menu. The food was good but we could definitely taste lots of butter, salt and sugar! So we spent Sunday recovering from the very rich food. I am sooooooooo excited to get back on track--and what better way to start then with some yummy Chef AJ/Dr. Fuhrman Friendly food!! Here is what we had:

Creamy Corn Chowder

Chocolate Fundue

And a very special TOP SECRET recipe called Hail to the Kale Salad

The Creamy Corn Chowder was soooooooooooo incredibly easy to make and, in Julia Child's words, simplicity itself! It literally takes about 5 minutes to make. On her DVD, AJ says that she usually serves it cold, but we decided to warm it up. We topped it with some sun dried tomatoes, and some spicy guacamole and it was just luxurious and rich. Very hearty. We gave it an A-

The Hail to the Kale Salad was absolutely tasty, creamy and luscious!! TONS of flavors going on there. Dr. Fuhrman has 2 kale recipes that we loved (California Creamed Kale and Orange Sesame Kale)--this one is right up there--if not better! WOW!! This recipe will be in Chef AJ's vegan cookbook that will be out soon. But she has agreed to let me share this wonderful recipe with you. (See below) We both gave it an A+ This is a recipe for everyone--kids included. It is that good!!

It's good to know that even though we eat healthy--we are NOT missing out on treats. The Chocolate Fundue is rich, chocolatey, and just shamelessly good! I loved dipping the apples in it, but you could use any other fruit too (strawberries would be good in the summer!) What a creamy good treat!! We gave it an A+

Chef AJ's Hail to the Kale Salad

This recipe will appear in Chef AJ's upcoming vegan cookbook, but she has agreed to give us a sneak peek!! This recipe is awesome and very easy to make. We will be making it lots!!

Ingredients:

2 large heads of curly kale (about 24 ounces)

sesame seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts, almonds or cashews (optional)

Dressing:

1 cup raw almond butter (raw, unsweetened and unsalted)

1 cup coconut water (or regular water)

¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2) and zest

2 cloves garlicf

resh, peeled ginger (approximately 1” or ¾ of an ounce)

2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari

4 pitted dates (soaked in water if not soft)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

In a high powered blender combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Remove the thick, larger stems from the kale and place in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups of the dressing over the kale and using an Ulu blade, massage the dressing into the kale while using the Ulu to finely chop the kale. Sprinkle with seeds or nuts before serving, if desired. Like a woman, this only gets better with age. This dressing also makes a delicious peanut dip for fresh veggies but you need to cut way back on the water and add some cilantro. http://www.chefajshealthykitchen.com/

Day 29!

2010-01-15T09:16:00.005-07:00

This is sooooooooo much fun!! I'm definitely going to contine, but a little slower next time! We need time to eat the food!! Haze is spoiled by having a completely different recipe for each and every meal--going to have to introduce him to leftovers!! ha ha!!

I learned sooooo many things by doing this project. I LOVE brussels sprouts and collard greens! That alone just floors me! I CAN cook great tasting/ healthy food! And I learned by doing and taking action. Dr. Fuhrman is telling the truth when he says that you will not lose pleasure in life by eating this way. I swear--I just did not believe him until now. Salt is not necessary in life! Adding salt does not "bring out the flavor of food" but rather it brings out the flavor of salt! bleah! It is important to add side dishes and desserts to your life. They make the meal sooooooooo much more pleasurable and satisfying. DON'T skip the side dishes and desserts!!

Monday I will start blogging Chef AJ's DVD called Healthy Made Delicous. Chef AJ is a vegan chef from Los Angeles. This will be a short 3-day project. Her recipes look fabulous--can't wait to get started! Check out this clip of AJ making her yummy Lentil Loaf! This is a sneak preview of her awesome DVD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABtdPdkBhro

So here are the recipes that I missed making over the last month. Hope this is everything!!

Breakfast:

Creamy Greeny Blended Salad

I made this two ways--once with spinach only, once with spinach and romaine (like the recipe says). I liked it better with spinach only--it's amazing how well you can hide the taste of spinach! But as is I gave it a B so it was pretty good! I told Haze he had to taste it and he goes, "I'm all good!" He is a chicken! He just doesn't like the juices or smoothies that are green colored--but that's ok. He loves the Eat Your Greeens Smoothie--so I'm all good!!

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Lunch:

Mishmash Salad with Orange Cashew Dressing

Spinach and Brussels Sprouts Delight

Neither of us liked any of the cashew/ orange type dressings--just not our taste. So for this salad I made the Cashew Currant Dressing and it was wonderful!! We loved the mishmash part!! We gave it an A- I LOVED the Spinach and Brussels Sprouts Delight!! I just can't believe how much I love brussels sprouts now!! I gave this dish an A+/ Haze said A-/B+ It makes a really good lunch with a nice big salad. Love the tomatoes and onions--I will be making this one lots!

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Dinner:

Vegetable Shepherds Pie

When I was making this, I thought it did not look very tasty. But it was surprisingly good! I made half with white potatoes for Haze and he loved it! I didn't have any tofu so I added red beans instead. It was very good!! We both gave it an A-

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Dessert:

Berry Cobbler

Sooooo simple, and soooooooo good. I don't know what happens to bananas when they get all warm, but it totally turns them into a dessert! This is a totally feel good dessert--really pretty too. This totally tasted like cobbler!! Yum!! We gave it an A

Day 28/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-14T09:55:00.003-07:00

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I played softball as a kid. This project was sort of like sort of like swinging two bats in the on-deck circle!! I mean really!! I cooked anywhere from 4-7 recipes per day. In real life, cooking 4-7 recipes per week should feel easy as pie!! But we made it!! Can you believe it?? I have one more day to sort of finish up though. There are just a few recipes I did not make, so I will post that tomorrow. This was an amazing experience.

One thing I have to say is that there were TONS of meals that I never ever would have tried just by reading the recipe. It just did not "sound" good. But SURPRISE!! I have a literal freakin cache of recipes now that I will make over and over again. Haze is on board with this--he really truly is now. He asks for a little bit of salt, and a little bit of meat on occasion. But overall, he loved the food. I did too. We were flipping through the book last night looking at our grades--lots and lots of As!! I am encouraged now to keep doing this! I am going to do another book after Chef AJ's project--maybe not at the breakneck speed in which I did Eat for Health! This was so much fun! Here is what we had yesterday:

Breakfast:

Garden Eggs and Tofu with Salsa

This had tons of veggies in it, and Haze loved it. (He pretty much loved all of the egg dishes!) He gave it an A-. This is a great weekend breakfast dish. (sorry no pic)
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Lunch:

Broccoli with Red Lentil Sauce

Raisin Collards and Carrots

The Raisin Collards was our first real taste of collards--just on their own (not in soup). I left some of the raisins whole (and forgot the carrots!) but we love love LOVED this dish! We BOTH gave it an A+!! It's kind of sweet and nice and creamy from the nut butter. Really yummy!! The Broccoli with Red Lentil Sauce was not our favorite (I think I made the lentil sauce way too thick!) It was kind of time-consuming to make. We both gave it a B. But it was nice with the Collard dish. We also had brown rice and some salad. Nice lunch!

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Dinner:

Raw veggies and Bean Dip

No Pasta Vegetable Lasagna

Ok, the Lasagna was fabulous!! I said A+/ Haze said A-. It took awhile to make--so just settle in, put some music on (or Judge Judy like I did!) and start chopping. And when you make it, make LOTS! The tofu ricotta tastes sooooooooo yummy. It's just a perfect fancy schmancy dinner. I added some no-salt canned San Marzano tomatoes to my low sodium pasta sauce--we like things extra saucy. Big YUM.

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Dessert:

Healthy Chocolate Cake

A+ and a big WOW. I hardly know what to say. This was by far our most favorite dessert--Haze cannot believe he gets to eat this wonderful treat!! I read all of the comments in the Recipe Guide (on Dr. Fuhrman's website) and learned that there was a little trouble with the cake being "too moist" and not quite cooking right. So...(this seems to by my cure for everything!) I made them into cupcakes!! Here are the changes I made: I pureed all of the dates into the "wet mixture." I minced all of the vegetables very fine and I chopped the nuts extra. So I left nothing really "chunky." (that is how we like it) Then I made them into cupcakes and baked them for 45 minutes (but make sure to test the time on your own--I live in Colorado and the altitude affects baking times.) They are so fudgey and moist--so freakin good!! These are amazing!! A MUST try!!

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Day 27/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-13T08:43:00.003-07:00

Life took over yesterday (we sold artwork and had to deliver! hooray!) and so I missed making half the recipes. Plus there are a few other recipes I missed here and there and I want to finish strong!! So...I am adding an extra day (Day 29) to my little project! After Eat for Health I will be moving on to Chef AJ's DVD, Healthy Made Delicious. It is a 3-day project filled with yummy all-vegan recipes!! That will start Monday, January 18th! See you right here!!

Yesterday's menu:

Breakfast:

Creamy Greeny Blended Salad

(See Day 29)

Lunch:

Mishmash Salad with Orange Cashew Dressing

Spinach and Brussels Sprouts Delight

(See Day 29)

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Dinner:

Raw Veggies and Tofu Ranch Dip

Filet of Sole with Mango Salsa

Chard and Vegetable Medley

I like how Dr. Fuhrman's Eat for Health plan slowly weans you off of animal products and allows fish once in a while (if you choose). Otherwise, he always gives you a vegan substitute. But Haze and I both were very excited to be having fish last night! We both enjoyed it very much! Haze said that along with the Chard Medley, it was a meal that you would see in a gourmet restaurant! It was a perfect combination!! A+ on the whole meal!!

Day 26/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-12T09:59:00.003-07:00

I am totally over salt. I know this for a fact now. In the past, sweet potatoes without salt TOTALLY gagged me. And I thought I was going to hate yesterdays sweet potato dish, but I ACTUALLY LOVED IT and gave it an A+!! And it had NO salt!! This was a first for me! Haze on the other hand is not over salt. I received a tip from a friend on Dr. Fuhrman's website Discussion Forum (another great reasong to join his website!) who said to not add salt to the dish while you are cooking it, and let him add a little at the table via Spike. This way, he gets a salty taste right on the top of the food. I know if he would just give it two more weeks tops, he would be over salt. He just won't do it!! Anyway, we talked about it and both agreed that he could have the salt version of Spike on the table IF he agrees to measure the serving with a 1/4 teaspoon. So I think we are back on track. If a tiny bit of extra sodium will help someone to continue eating high nutrient food, then that is what you have to do. I know this is hard for him--even though someone wants to change, it's still not easy doing it. We both have had to sort of "give" here and there. This was yesterdays menu:

Breakfast:

High Cruciferous Juice

I totally forgot to take a picture of this juice, but it looked suspiciously just like the last juice! Anyway, I liked this one slightly more than the Mixed Veggie Juice--this one was slightly sweeter (more carrots and more apple). I gave it a B-/ Haze hopes that veggie juice in general is not served again anytime soon!

Lunch:

Greens and Brown Rice Salad with Pine Nuts, Apples and Currants

Leftover soup

I LOVED this salad. I had some of Dr F's Balsamic Vinaigrette in the fridge so I used that instead of just plain balsamic for the dressing--but it would be good either way. I gave it an A/ Haze said A-

Dinner:

Garden Stuffed Vegetables

Hawaiian Sweet Potato Pudding

I also LOVED this dinner!!! And Haze just "liked" it. And this was funny --I thought the Low Sodium Pasta Sauce was tooooo salty!! For the Garden Stuff I minced the vegetables very fine--I loved it that way. You had a choice of stuffing zucchini, bell peppers or portobellos. I think next time I will only stuff the portobellos--as that one was our favorite. You get more of a mushroomy blast. And the Hawaiian Sweet Potato Pudding was surprisingly good! I can't believe how much I loved it--AND with no salt. It was soooooooooo creamy and went very well with the stuffed veggies. I gave both items an A+/ Haze said B. So I made Chocolate (Banana) Ice Cream for him and all was well!

Day 25/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-11T09:12:00.004-07:00

Haze wants to know if he gets to have a giant chicken and mashed potatoes after the 28 days is over. He was joking (sort of) but I made a deal with him. He can eat chicken and steak if he promises to read a few pages that I select from a few websites and/or books. I am thinking GoVeg.com, and the book Skinny Bitch. The chapter called You Are What You Eat made me cry. (Skinny Bitch is a great book by the way!!) He is still craving meat, even though he is full, even though he likes his meals, even though he gets desserts. BUT, he did not agree to the deal--I think he knows better! He loves animals just as much as I do (we have 3 dogs and if I would let him we would have 10) So we are plowing forward, and doing our best! Haze has lost a total of 16 pounds and I have lost 8!! He looks soooooooo good!! We both feel sooooooo good! I am totally over the whole salt thing--it's amazing how great food tastes when you can actually taste the food. And I know Haze will eventually be over it too--because we are forging ahead!!
;
Yesterdays fare:

Breakfast:

Chocolate Smoothie

We reviewed this smoothie in Phase 3, so instead we had our favorite Eat Your Greens Smoothies

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Lunch:

Eggplant Hummus

Whole-grain tortilla, romaine, red pepper, tomato

Raisin Coleslaw

I used Smoked Paprika in this hummus--and it was fabulous! I made my wrap with lettuce, pepper, and tomato and it was great! Haze used the leftover Greek Chickpea Salad in his wrap--with the Eggplant Hummus on top. We both gave it a B+. I did not love the Raisin Coleslaw dressing. (I LOVED the salad mixture--but just not the dressing) (I would give it a C-) So... I used the coleslaw dressing recipe called Sunshine Slaw from Phase 1--which I love!! So Raisin Coleslaw salad + Sunshine Slaw dressing = A+ coleslaw!!

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Dinner:

Asparagus Shitake Salad

Creamy Sesame Dressing

Hearty Vegetable Stew

This salad was truly FABULOUS. The warm mushrooms and asparagus on top of the salad sort of "melted" the creamy dressing and it was just soooo good. Total comfort-food salad. We gave it an A. The soup.....not so much. Our dinner conversation regarding the soup ended in, "Just shut up and eat your food." (ha ha ha!!) It called for cinnamon (which I added) but even without, I don't think we would like it. It was not very exciting, and sort of time-consuming to make. I gave it a C/ Haze sort of generously gave it a C-

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Dessert:

Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet

I totally read this recipe wrong, and purchased frozen (fresh) pineapple instead of dried. But it was still great!! Haze love love LOVED it and gave it an A+!! Me too! I used frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, dates, and soy milk. YUM!

Day 24/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-10T09:34:00.006-07:00

I had a dream last night that Haze was really trying to be supportive of our food plan (which he really is!!) but in my dream he went out and purchased 3 GIANT-sized sacks of garlic because they were on sale. We are talking like trash bag size--and 3 of them!! I was trying to be nice because I knew that he was all excited about his bargain garlic find! But secretly I was thinking, what the hell am I going to do with all of this garlic?? Anyway, we do use tons of garlic!! We absolutely love it!

One of the recipes that I cooked yesterday was Southwest Vegetable Chili and it is not listed in the EFH recipe index for some reason. I was supposed to cook it a few weeks ago, but couldn't find it! Anyway, I found it! The recipe is on page 239 and it's really really good!! Here is what we had yesterday:

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Breakfast:
Mixed Vegetable Juice
Special Oatmeal
We reviewed the Special Oatmeal back in Phase 3, and again it is a favorite!! This was our first real taste of a fresh vegetable juice--and it was...not bad! I admit that it would take some getting used to, but overall it was pretty good. I can definitely taste the kale in the background--and maybe a simpler mixture of veggies would have been better to start out with. I think next time I would add more apple to make it sweeter, but all in all it was pretty good. I gave it a C. Haze on the other hand, could barely take more than a sip and did not like it. But hey, he is drinking the Smoothies every day--so I am happy!!

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Lunch:
Mixed Greens and Fruit
Blueberry Dressing
French Minted Pea Soup
Let's start with the soup. Both of us gave it an A+!! It was sooooooooo easy to make, sooooooo yummy good!! Haze did not want the lettuce added to his--he liked it better all creamy. I added the lettuce and really liked it. I actually forgot to add the dates (I was looking at the recipe as I ate it), and so I have to say it's good without the dates! I don't even think I would add them when I make it again. I think this soup would be really easy to change flavors--you could make it spicy, or add paprika, or spinach. It's super easy to make--We highly recommend this one! The Blueberry Salad was really good too--there is a lot to be said for "pretty" food! It was really tasty--not too sweet. We gave it an A-.

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Dinner:
Orange Sesame Kale
Southwest Vegetable Chili
The dinner was supposed to be Spaghetti Squash Primavera--but since I already made that back in Phase 1, I decided to make the recipe I missed which was the Southwest Vegetable Chili. It was heavenly good! Right away Haze gave the whole meal an A+. I did too!! He LOVED the Orange Kale soooooooooo much and said he would eat it every day if I made it! (I made the kale with almond butter but I told Haze it was peanut butter because he always says he hates almond butter! ha ha ha!! ) The Chili recipe seemed to be lacking some liquid, so I just added double the canned tomatoes and it was perfect. It had big chunks of potato and some corn too--it was very filling and very tasty. I also added some Spicy Mrs. Dash (I am digging the Spicy Mrs. Dash!!). It was fantastic. A+ meal!!

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Dessert:
Supposed to be Berry Cobbler but we ended up having Jenna's Peach Freeze. I will make the Berry Cobbler in a few days and let you know how it is!

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Day 23/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-09T10:14:00.006-07:00

I am a bookworm. I admit it! And I've been a total nutrition bookworm for about 20 years now. For me it all started way back with Fit For Life I and II by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, which lead me to Dr. Fuhrman, William Esser, Susan Smith Jones, Herbert Shelton, Dr. Alan Goldhammer and many many others. So if you know who any of these people/ doctors/ authors are, you know that I've never really been far off the track with what I believe about food. I mean, I've never subscribed to anything like Atkins, Southbeach--none of that nonsense. It's always been a focus on whole natural foods: Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts/ Seeds, Whole Grains, and Beans/ Legumes.

So the question is...how did I get to be overweight? And the answer is....I have no idea!! I worked and had a ridiculous commute and did not have time to cook--so we ate out a lot at restaurants. And spent tons of money too. And we ate junk food. Potato chips are vegetarian, right!!?? But I still read my nutrition books and vegan cookbooks. I would be on the couch reading Eat for Health and Haze would be like, "Are you reading that book again?? GEEEEZUS. Just close your eyes and pick a fricken recipe and make it!!" So this is my year of action/ vs just reading about it. I am DOING rather than reading. But don't get me wrong--reading is good! But it has to be followed with action. Last night I was on the couch again with Eat for Health and Haze was like, "Seriously, what can you possibly be looking at in that book?? I mean, come on, really--what are you looking!!???" I was writing little grades next to all of the recipes! And at my feet (aside from Violet the dog) was another little stack of books!! The Engine 2 Diet, Eat to Live, Julie and Julia... I told you I'm a bookworm!!

And Haze, I know you are struggling. I know you are not feeling well because of the Collagenous Colitis. But hang in there--I promise it will get better!! You are doing great!! Let's have a round of applause for Haze for totally sticking with this!! I am so proud of you!!

Yesterdays menu...

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Breakfast:
Eat Your Greens Fruit Smoothie
Well FINALLY!! I can't believe this is a Phase 4 breakfast--because it seriously tastes like ice cream. I've been eating this smoothie for years now and I am hooked. Chef AJ, on her DVD Healthy Made Delicious says that once people start eating these green smoothies they become addicted to them (in a good way!) And if you miss a day, you actually feel worse. This is sooooooooo true. I neeeed my smoothie every single day. I CRAVE this smoothie and absolutely totally love it! In fact, this could be my most favorite recipe in the whole book!! A+ + + + + Try it!! (But remember--you need a high-powered blender for this--but trust me, it is worth every penny.) Haze is not a breakfast person, but loves this smoothie too!!

Lunch:
Greek Chickpea Salad
Leftover High Cruciferous Vegetable Stew
Haze and I were split on this lunch! He loved the Chickpea Salad and gave it an A. I, on the other hand......hoped it would not be served again real soon. But since Haze loves it I will be making it again! I was out of Spicy Pecan vinegar so I used Pear vinegar. I think maybe it just needed a squeeze or two of lemon on top (which I did not have). The soup was even better the second day!

Dinner:
Indian Mango Salad
Asian Vegetable Stir-Fry
Neither of us loved the Indian Mango salad--we both thought it needed something else. Like beans? Lettuce? Not even sure. But it just felt like something was missing. We gave it a C+. I had made the Asian Vegetable Stir-Fry about a year ago, and neither of us liked it. Maybe we were just not ready then! But this time, I made a few changes. I used a little Garlic Rice Vinegar instead of Balsamic, I used Table Mrs. Dash and SPICY Mrs. Dash, and I added a Phase 1 amount of sodium (via Low Sodium Soy Sauce) and I absolutely LOVED it!! The sauce is peanut-buttery and slightly spicy/ sweet--really yummy and filling. I gave the dish an A+!! Haze said B+.

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Dessert:
Leftover Bluevado Pie "Cupcakes"
Still yummy!

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Day 22/ Phase 4/ Week 4

2010-01-08T10:09:00.003-07:00

Helloooooooooooo Phase 4.

NOW...THIS...is getting interesting!! Yesterday's food was surprisingly good! I felt really wonderful at the end of the day. Remember--part of liking the food is liking how you feel too. I am getting very excited for my next project with Chef AJ from Los Angeles. Her new DVD, Healthy Made Delicious is awesome! The recipes are super fast and easy--and look soooooo yummy. They are all vegan and very high nutrient--and lots of desserts too! Contact her at: chefaj@att.net to order the DVD. Here was yesterday's menu:

Breakfast:
Quick Banana Breakfast To Go
This was fast/ easy and oooooooooh soooo good. Both Haze and I gave this an A+!! I used a few extra oats (and juice) than the recipe called for--and it was just friggen yummy. VERY simple to make. We will be making this lots in the future!

Lunch:
Raw veggies
Russian Fig Dip
Black Bean Lettuce Bundles
Loved the veggies and dip! We may have crossed the line of weirdness with the Bundles, but seriously they were good! I added salsa on top plus a few extra tomatoes--and they were just great!! I know this all probably looks suspiciously like "rabbit food" to you--but there is nothing rabbity about this lunch. There is almond butter mixed into the dip--and tons of black beans on the bundles--plus avocado mixed in. It is hearty and very filling! We gave this lunch an A!!

Dinner:
Quinoa Bean Salad
High Cruciferous Vegetable Stew
I was a little nervous about the Quinoa Salad as I was mixing it up. I've never really had quinoa before--and the salad did not look like it was going to taste all that great. So after I prepared it (which was super easy by the way) I tasted it. And then, I could not stop!! I had 4-5 huge mouthfuls before it even hit the table! Haze LOVED it too--we gave it an A. I made a few changes to the Stew recipe: I added low sodium veggie broth instead of water, doubled the tomatoes, added 1 cup of low sodium V-8 juice, and added 1T of SPICY Mrs. Dash. It was fabulous!! I absolutely loved the soup and gave it an A. Haze (who was having a hankering for chicken) loved it too, but gave it a B+.

Dessert:
Leftover Bluevado Pie "Cupcakes"
YUM!! Again--A+!!

Day 21/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-07T09:02:00.004-07:00

You should see my overly fat Eat for Health cookbook! It’s almost 3 times the size it’s supposed to be. All the pages are getting crinkled—and every other page has something dripped on it and/ or some type of food particle stuck to it. Wait a sec--here you go...

Aaaaaaaaaaah! Just the way a good cookbook should be!! I may however, need a fresh copy once this project is over!!

This was the last day of Phase 3! Hooray!! And on to Phase 4. I reeeeally hate to admit this, but I think that whenever I eat whole wheat, my sleep apnea comes back. I had it bad last night (sleep apnea) after eating whole wheat pasta. And the other day too when I had whole wheat pita. I loooove whole wheat!! I am going to have to ask Dr. Fuhrman about this. Am I allergic to whole wheat?? Although Haze's GERD and all symptoms of that are completely gone, his colitis is still no better. But after reading all of Dr. Fuhrman's information about bowel diseases, I think it will take a little while longer. So he is still hanging in there!

As I go along here, I find that I am just naturally becoming more creative! I am experimenting a little and learning a lot! I am even creating some of my own recipes! I am not a chef/ not a cook--just a regular person. And I am learning how to cook by cooking. This is great! Here was yesterday's menu...

Breakfast:
We had Eat Your Greens fruit shakes, and Haze also had toast and nut butter. In Eat for Health, Dr. Fuhrman gives you a plan to slowly wean you off of animal products (if that is what you want). Today was supposed to be an egg and veggie scramble dish/ but we chose fruit shakes!!

Lunch:
Greens and Berries Salad
Cashew Currant Dressing
Leftover Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup

YUM!! This was a super lunch! The soup was even better the next day. The salad was sooooooooo creamy and good. I loved it with the addition of strawberries. You will never get sick of salad if you just rotate all of Dr. F's recipes. They are all different and all yummy in their own way. We gave this an A-

Dinner:
Crazy-About-Carrot Salad
Pasta with Artichokes
The carrot salad was very carroty--but tasty with the cinnamon and OJ. I think a different salad would have been better alongside the pasta. Maybe one with the Balsamic Dressing? As a result, we did not eat much of the carrot salad, and then ended up overeating on the pasta! I made the pasta without the optional shrimp (Haze had shrimp), and then added spinach and zucchini. See how creative I am!! It was good! But we felt really super full afterwards (too full). We both gave the meal a B+.

Dessert:
Nutrient-Rich Chocolate Pudding
Haze liked this better than me--I just really did not like it! I hate saying that. But it was really--like I totally knew what went in it (because I made it) and it just did not seem like something I wanted for dessert! I would much rather have one of the fruity and lighter desserts! I would much rather have an orange! I did not even take a pic for you because I was supposed to have a beet to help with the color and did not have one. So it turned out like olive-green colored and it was just not pretty! Sooo... I ended up inventing my own chocolate dessert! It's called Jana Banana Chocolate Ice Cream! It was yummy!! I used frozen bananas, soy milk, dates, vanilla, and a small scoop of the unsweetened chocolate. Haze ate half of the pudding and all of the ice cream!!

Jana Banana Chocolate Ice Cream

Day 20/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-06T10:29:00.004-07:00

Time Well Spent

Hello All,

I'm getting soooooo many questions about how much time this diet requires and how much time I am spending in the kitchen. Since I am doing all 130 recipes in only 28 days--I am spending a boat load of time in the kitchen right now! So it's hard for me to answer. I asked some of my friends on the Dr. Fuhrman website to chime in here--so I will tell you what they have to say!

I can however tell you all that this is time well spent!! I listened to one of Dr. Fuhrman's teleconferences yesterday (they are on his website and you can download to iPod--you can also find some on iTunes) and this one was called Planning for Success. Dr. Fuhrman says you have to have a business plan. Yes, this takes more time than eating fast-food. But time well spent on shopping and cooking your own healthy food will save you time (and money) down the road. You will spend less time at the doctor's office, less time being sick, less money on expensive medications, and it can add years to your life! You will feel better, look better (and sexier!), and you will have more energy! Plus, I promise--this food tastes really really good!! Dr. Fuhrman suggests that we cook a big pot of soup or stew, and make a couple of salad dressings two times per week. The rest of the time, you are eating leftovers--and adding a quick side dish or two to your meal. The salad part is easy if you plan in advance. There are bags of pre-washed lettuce that you can just toss into a bowl and, if you want, add some chopped up carrots, cherry tomatoes etc--whatever you like. Always keep a supply of dried fruit and raw nuts that you can throw on top too. And once you start--it can be really fun and rewarding! For me, this is the year of action vs. just reading about it. The year of doing! Just remember to plan plan plan! Use a shopping list and plan your meals in advance. Once you get going it gets easier and easier--just like anything! And you are worth it!

Hooray!! This was one of the BEST food days all the way around!! And can you believe it--at the end of Phase 3!! We ate like kings yesterday. And here was the menu:

Breakfast:

Lisa's Favorite Green Smoothie

Ok, this was NOT what I was expecting at all! (I was expecting a total "health food" taste). First of all, it is really pretty, it's very creamy, and it's sweet! It almost could be a dessert! I ate it with a spoon. I am very used to the frozen smoothies--so that was something that was an issue for me. Next time I may try frozen bananas in place of the room temp banana. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this--I think you should. I don't have kids, but I think a child would really like this! It's bright green and sweet! Isn't that what kids like!!? Haze's comment was, "It's really good but I hope we don't have it again real soon!" :O) I would say B+, but I also think this could grow on me.

Lunch:

Southern-Style Mixed Greens

Brussels Sprouts Polonaise

I totally screwed up the recipe for the Southern Style Greens--but it turned out to be a happy accident! When I read the recipe--I thought it was a totally cooked dish--didn't realize the "greens" meant it was a salad. So I bought Swiss Chard for this. And it turned out awesome! I went ahead and just put everything into the sauté pan (less water) and it was fantastic! We put a little salsa on top and it was soooooooo yummyl!! We gave it an A.

Both Haze and I have spent 44 long years hating brussels sprouts--until yesterday. These are out of this world tasty--and you must try them--even if you think you hate brussels sprouts. I just couldn't believe how good they were! The dressing is creamy and perfect on top. I admit I added a small spoonful of vegan mayo into the dressing--and they just could not have been better. We gave them an A! Can you believe that?

Dinner:

Tossed salad with choice of dressing

Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup

I know, I know--this soup looks suspiciously like the Anti-Cancer soup. But it tastes totally different and oh my gosh good. I gave it an A+/ Haze said A. It was that good. I cannot wait to make this again--I will make an extra huge batch! It's creamy (from the small amount of pureed nuts), mushroomy, and completely satisfying. Wow--nice job Dr. Fuhrman!

Dessert:

Banana Fig Ice Cream

Once you master this EASY art of making frozen-fruit "ice creams" there is just an endless way to be creative! I can't believe that gourmet restaurants have not scooped up this amazing idea--because they are absolutely mouth-watering good. And this one is no exception--I said A+/ Haze said A. What a perfect end to a perfectly wonderful food day!!

Day 19/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-05T09:50:00.012-07:00

Hello, Fellow Eat To Livers

(Dr. Fuhrman hates when we say that!! ha ha) (Eat to Live is another of Dr. F's books)

Thank you so kindly for all of your comments. Nothing feels better than to know that I am inspiring people! Wow. That is amazing. A year ago I was 40 pounds overweight and now I am inspiring people. This project will definitely continue and I will be selecting another book soon! But whatever I choose, they will be Fuhrman Friendly recipes, as he is my inspiration. Right after this current project is over I will be doing Chef AJ's Vegan cooking DVD called: Healthy Made Delicious. The DVD will be available at Whole Foods at some point (not yet), so if you would like to order this DVD, please contact AJ at: chefaj@att.net There are about 12 recipes on this instructional DVD, plus a booklet. And be sure to tell her that you will be following along here!

Regarding yesterdays post and "no negative comments about food" a reader gave me this longtime favorite family tip. She says instead of negative comments in her family, they use this line: "That was really good, but lets not have it again real soon." Now that is funny!! I think we will be using that one in the future. In my family the joke was, "It's not burnt, it's just dark brown!" ha ha ha!! Remember the grade we give the food will give you a true idea of how we felt about the meal!! So here was the menu for yesterday:

Breakfast:

No recipe so we made Special Oatmeal and Eat Your Greens Smoothies

Lunch:

Asparagus with Black Fig Dressing

Leftover Anti-Cancer Soup

This was a great lunch! I packed it all up and went to Haze's office. The Asparagus had a reduced fig vinegar dressing and was very tangy and tasty. Haze gave it an A/ I said B+. It was a really nice contrast with the milder flavored Anti-Cancer soup. I also brought whole grain bread (Haze was craving bread) and sliced blood oranges. Very nice lunch!!

Dinner:

Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Eggplant Roulades

Again--this is one of my most favorite EFH salad dressings. We have had this one several times throughout the phases. Definitely an A+!! The Eggplant Roulades were smashing!! My eggplant ended up being to small to "roulade" which is just a fancy way to say "roll." So... I cut the slices in half (after pre-baking) and then stacked them up sort of lasagna/ stacked-up/ mountain-pile style. (but of course nothing sounds as fancy as roulade). Anyway, they were very good!! I love anything with pasta sauce pretty much!! I gave them an A-/ Haze said B+.

Dessert:

Bluevado Pie

Just when you think something is going to be weird--it turns out to be an A+ dish!! Haze said this is his favorite dessert so far!! I did not want to make an entire pie-so I cut the recipe in half. But I did not have half a pie plate so what I did was to make tiny little Bluevado Pie Cupcakes! I took a muffin tin and filled it with 7 paper cupcake liners. Then I added crust to each one and molded it with my fingers--then added the pie filling and stuck the whole thing in the freezer. They turned out great! Wow! The "crust" is crunchy and sweet and sooooooooo good--and the pie filling is just the perfect softness--not too frozen hard. What a treat!! A+!!!

Day 18/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-04T10:16:00.008-07:00

I was kind of joking on Day 0 when I said: "Risking her marriage (no Julia Child cuisine for him)" but we had a "food fight" last night (and not the fun kind). Acutally, looking back, maybe I should have flung some food at Haze!! Ok, it was not actually a fight--Haze was just a little bit bummed that we were not going out for dinner on our anniversary--ok alot bummed. His colitis is no better--and that was making him very sad too. But I think we finally worked it out and have some new house rules: No one is allowed to say anything negative about the food. We can only say positive things, plus a grade. Even when we like the food, it seems that the critiques come first--how it could have been better. And it sort of secretly crushes me because I have worked so hard. This should be a house rule for everyone! Rack your brain if you have to--but only come up with the positive comments. Even if they are: I feel so good because I have completley nourished my body! Always try to come up with what you do like rather than don't like. It makes for a more peaceful life in everything you do! That is my thought for the day! Also--I contacted Dr. Fuhrman and he gave us some advice on Haze's colitis, so we will be following his instructions! Hooray! So all is well in our happy house again, and here was the menu for yesterday:

Breakfast:

Special Oatmeal

This recipe called for Coriander--which I could not find in my spice cupboard (it's a complete disorganized mess right now). So I just used Cinnamon and Vanilla. But it turned out to be one of the best oatmeal dishes I have ever had!! I loooooved the addition of bananas and dates--it was fabulous! I will definitely make this again with the Coriander and let you know how it goes. We gave it an "A"

Lunch:

Whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato, avacado

Tomato Almond Dressing/ Dip

Healthy Slaw

I used a whole grain wrap instead of pita, and this was ooooooooh soooo weird, but oooooooh sooooooooo good!! The dressing has pasta sauce as the main ingredient--and so I was not quite sure how it would taste. But it was really yummy!! The Healthy Slaw dressing (I thought) was not as good as the Carrot Slaw's dressing from back in Phase 1. (of course it had no veggie mayo!!) But I did love the combo of veggies in the Healthy Slaw. I admit I went back and added a small scoop of the vegan mayo and liked it much better. And again--loved the combination of the Wrap/ plus the side dish. I gave this meal an A-.

Dinner:

Citrus Salad with Orange Peanut Dressing

Dr. Fuhrman's Famous Anti-Cancer Soup

I have made both of these recipes in the past when I first got the EFH books. The first time I made the salad I accidently added only half the OJ, and now I can't go back! I just like it better that way--it's thicker. I absolutely loooove this salad and gave it an "A." And now, a drum roll please...we have finally made it to the Holy Grail of soups!! Dr. Fuhrman's Famous Anti-Cancer Soup!! I have made this before and so I made a few changes this time. As is, the recipe for me tasted too sweet. So this time I added half carrot juice and half celery juice. I also added almonds instead of cashews. And last (for Haze) I added an amount of salty Spike comparable to a Phase 1 sodium level. And I thought it was fabulous! I gave it an A-/ Haze gave it a "B"

Day 17/ Phase 3/ Week 3 Happy Anniversary Haze!

2010-01-03T07:08:00.010-07:00

Hi All,

What is it about salt?? People always say that salt "brings out the flavor" of whatever you are eating. But doesn't it just bring out a salty flavor? And cover up all of the other flavors? Haze is having a waaaay harder time with the whole "no salt" thing than I am. I mean, I like salt! But I'm ok with not eating it right now. The low-sodium is making me feel really good--I've said this before--in a way I can't quite put my finger on. I think my body really likes it! But Haze is having salt withdrawels--and it's making him slightly cranky. (when I say "slightly cranky" I mean totally crabby!!) I may have to go back to the tiny bit higher sodium levels in Phase 1 or 2 for him. I mean, I want him to stay with this! He has definitely done a good job so far! We are getting plenty and I mean plenty to eat, plus the desserts help too. After dinner is over we are entirely full and our bodies are totally happy and have everything they need. And so we are not even thinking about food anymore. That is how you lose weight and maintain weight loss. NOT by starving yourself. When you "portion control" all you are thinking about is food food food. Talking about his high-nutrient foodplan and losing weight Dr. Fuhrman says, "The more you eat, the more you lose!" And I completely understand this now!

Thank you readers for all of your wonderful comments! It makes it all very worthwhile and rewarding!! I want you to know that I have another project coming up after this 28-day program ends! It will be with Chef AJ's new cooking DVD called Healthy Made Delicious. They are all "Fuhrman friendly" recipes--more on this to come!! Here was the menu for yesterday:

Breakfast:
Chocolate Smoothie
Ok, we did not love this smoothie and gave it a "C". I am not a huge chocolate person anyway. Both Haze and I prefer fruity smoothies--in fact we love fruity smoothies!! I think maybe I did not make it quite right--again I only had the melted bar chocolate (not the powder) and so it made it kind of runny--not ice creamy. And I am definitely just stuck on the Eat Your Greens Smoothie because it is so damn good!! I absolutely LOVE that one. I think I just don't looooove chocolate that much to need a healthy version. I've never been one of those chocoholic type people. In the past I worked with a girl who had a "chocolate drawer" in her desk--and anyone who was stressed out that day could come by and get a fix (including herself). And she would re-stock it weekly with HUGE bags of chocolate candy from Sam's Club. Bleeeaaaaah!! It was like a feeding frenzy on "Stock The Chocolate Drawer Day." I wonder if she would like this Chocolate Smoothie?

Lunch:
Salad with leftover dressing
Roasted Vegetable Pizza
Hooray for PIZZA!!! I absolutely loved this Roasted Vegetable Pizza!! It was soooooooooooo good. I baked the pita (crust) to get it a little crispier--and it was just really yummy. I mean, what could be better than pizza!? I used a high-quality/ low-sodium pasta sauce, and the roasted veggies were flavorful and perfect on top. It totally hit the spot! I gave it an "A"/ Haze said B+ (he thought it needed a little sausage and pepperoni!)

Dinner:
Salad with Dijon Pistaccio Dressing
Southwestern Chicken
Vegetable Bean Medley
Cauliflower Spinach Mashed "Potatoes"
Actually, the salad dressing for this menu was supposed to be the Caesar Dip again, but I had to change it because I missed one a few days ago called Dijon Pistaccio. Dr. F made this dressing on his DVD (Secrets to Healthy Cooking) and I know he really loves it! So please try it for yourself! But we gave it a B-. It called for flax and I think that really altered the consistancy of the dressing and made it not so creamy. I will have to make it again without the flax because the flavor is tasty good. The Southwest Chicken and Veggie Bean Medley will make for a hearty week-night meal and we gave them a "B." They were healthy and filling. The Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" were really pretty good--we gave them an "A-" I would not have liked the Veggie Medley half as much without the Cauliflower "Potatoes" to go with it. Again--don't skimp on the side dishes!!

Dessert:
Mixed Berry Freeze
Aaaaaaah dessert! You suddenly forget that your meal did not have a ton of salt in it, and you just relax inside a bowl of fruity/ lucsious ice cream! And you are full and happy and don't even think about food again until the next day...

Day 16/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-02T11:31:00.014-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I want to start out first with a BIG thank you to Dr. Fuhrman for all of his hard work. The Eat For Health books are amazing--as are all of his other books. He has changed my life! I may have lost 6 pounds over the last 2 weeks, but I also lost a grand total of 39 pounds over the last year. Thanks to Dr. Fuhrman, and my wonderful trainer Jamie Atlas (see his link!) And also a big thank you for all of you reading my blog--and all of your wonderful comments! I feel great today!! But yesterday actually sort of started out kind of crappy...

Haze and I both did not feel well--we both had headaches. Maybe still detoxing? Hazes GERD is gone at this point, but his colitis has not slowed down at all. We were both really grouchy!! (especially him!!) Haze wanted steak, lobster, chicken and eggs for dinner and I told him "NO"!! Neither of us was excited about the dinner--it was called Thai Vegetable Curry and I thought to myself, "Ugh--I don't like yellow curry." Haze went to lay down in the bedroom while I started cooking dinner. I was standing in the kitchen reading the recipe and saw that it called for freshly-juiced carrot juice--and I just started to bawl my eyes out! It's not a big deal to make carrot juice--I swear it's not! But it seems like I've made carrot juice and cleaned out my fricken juicer like every day this week!! I took my melt-down to the couch to cool off and saw that there was a Bugs Bunny Marathon on TV which cheered me up right away. Yes I'm 44 years old, and yes Bugs Bunny still cracks me up!! (I mean seriously, it was The Rabbit of Seville) Anyway, I finished making dinner and we sat down to eat and were pleasantly surprised! Then while my wonderful and chivalrous husband cleaned the kitchen (and the juicer), I popped on to my blog here and found that I suddenly had like 900 hits for that day alone! I was linked to Dr. Fuhrman's own blog--and voilà, I'm famous!! Ha ha !!! Check it out:

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives...or-health.html

Since this whole idea started from watching the movie Julie and Julia, I seriously think it's time that I contact Dr. Fuhrman and ask him who he would like to play himself in our upcoming movie, Jana and Joel. Kevin Spacey perhaps? Ha haha :O)

Dr. Fuhrman / Kevin Spacey

Anyway, the day ended on a high note and here is what was on the menu for yesterday:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal and Fruit Compote
This was tasty and super easy to prepare. I soaked the fruit in soy milk, then made cinnamon and vanilla oatmeal to accomany the Fruit Compote. We gave it an "A"

Lunch:
Leftover Speedy Vegetable and Bean Soup
Raw Veggies and Leftover Dip

Dinner:
Mixed GreensTahini Dressing
Thai Vegetable Curry
I thought the Tahini Dressings was one of the best dressings I've ever tasted! It is definitely a favorite--creamy and very flavorful. It was wonderful on a simple green salad. I gave it an A+/ Haze said A-. The Thai Curry was waaaay better than I thought it was going to be. I loved the velvety base and thought it had tons of flavor. Plus it was really pretty. I do prefer a "burn your face off" red curry--I think I will try to make something like that next time--but I will definitely make this one again. I gave this a B+ (leaning towards A-) and Haze gave it a "B." He thought it needed salt--but still really liked it alot!

Dessert:
Fresh fruit
I had a banana which I gave an A+!

Day 15/ Phase 3/ Week 3

2010-01-01T09:31:00.007-07:00

Hello and welcome to the start of Phase 3!! Haze has lost 12 pounds in just 14 days! HAPPY NEW YEAR!! It's going to be great!! I want to say thank you so much for the nice comments. I just could not be happier to be inspiring people! It makes this all worth while!! One comment I had was regarding my grocery bill. And what I planned to do was total up the bill after the 30 days is over. I have to say, I think it's going to be a little high!! But don't freak out when you see the total bill because keep in mind a few things:

A) I am doing this wrong!! This is not the way Dr. Fuhrman intended. I believe his intent is to show you beautiful planned out meals--"soup to nuts" as they say. And I must stress again how wonderful these meals taste when accompanied by the side dishes and desserts. Don't skip those like I've always done in the past! I think Dr. F put alot of time in making these meals harmonious. Entree/ side dishes/ dessert--they all go together like peas in a pod. But he also intended you to have leftovers!

B) I have tons of leftovers frozen away for after this project is over!

C) I am kind of a crappy and un-thrifty shopper. It's only me and my husband, and so I've never really had to "buy in bulk" and I admit I don't really shop at the cheapest place on earth. I mean, I'm sure you all have heard of Whole Foods! Not exactly bargain basement prices! But I am getting better at this shopping thing--and slowly learning!

D) While our grocery bill went up/ our restaurant bill is at zero!

E) There were alot of things that I had to buy the first week, that now I have. And they will last a long time. So that is why I want to wait until the end as the first week will be much higher.

Here was the menu for Day 1 of Phase 3:

Breakfast:

Banana-Cashew Lettuce Wrap

I know, I know--this sounds weird. But it's really really good! I didn't have cashew butter, but I did have almond butter (remember to buy raw/ no-salt nut butters). I mean, what could be better than nut butter and bananas?? And the lettuce is just the "holder" for all of this. I kind of rolled it sideways--burrito like--and it was very good. We gave it an "A"

Lunch:

Broccoli Vinaigrette

Vegetable Garbanzo Wrap

Here is a perfect example of how Dr. Fuhrman planned these meals out perfectly. I would not have liked the Garbanzo Wrap nearly as much if I didn't have the tangy broccoli accompanying it. And part of my high marks for this meal was how completly fast and eeeasy it was to make! I gave it an "A-"

Dinner:

Tossed Salad with Dijon Pistachio Dressing

Speedy Vegetable and Bean Soup

I had a little trouble making this salad dressing--I was trying to make a smaller abount (I have a few extra dressings piling up in the fridge!). And it just doesn't work in the Vita Mix if you are making a smaller amount with this one. So we had some other leftover dressing and I will try this one again today. The Speedy Vegetable and Bean Soup was surprisingly good! Haze tasted it and said, "I could eat this every day." It is ultra healthy (keep in mind it's a Phase 3 recipe) but even with our taste buds still back at Phase 1--we both really enjoyed it. And it was our first taste of collard greens--which we both really liked. The only change I made (which I generally do to every soup)--is add half carrot juice/ half celery juice so it is not too sweet). It's warm and comforting--and very filling. We gave it an "A-"

Dessert:

Fruit topped with Strawberry Dressing

Do not skip the desserts! A tiny bowl of fruit with a sweet delicious dressing feels like you are eating dessert at a fancy schmancy restaurant. And like Dr. Fuhrman says--it completes the meal. We gave this an "A"

Day 14/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-31T07:51:00.009-07:00

Hi All,
Take a minute and scroll through this blog and just look at all of the wonderful food I have prepared and enjoyed over the last 14 days! I ate as much as I wanted, I did not measure any portions. I had dessert every day--I thoroughly enjoyed this food!! And in just 14 days I lost 6 pounds. And this food is not even considered Dr. Fuhrman's "Aggressive Weight Loss Plan." This is considered "Moderate." Ha! I am impressed!! Especially since they are the hard pounds to lose as they are part of the last 10-15 pounds. I weighed 129 this morning and just couldn't be happier. It was the easiest weight I have ever lost! Ok yes, I have had to shop, cook, and clean the kitchen about a million times--but again--I am doing it "the hard way" and there is an easier way! It's called leftovers!! So here is what was on the menu yesterday:

Breakfast:
Vegetable Omelet
This omelet is really tasty--Haze prepared it and gobbled it all up. He gave it an A. I of course had the Eat Your Greens Smoothie--my favorite breakfast on earth!

Lunch:
Romaine, Spinach Salad with Fruit and Nuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Vegetable Burrito
A+ lunch!! The salad just couldn't be tastier. In the past a salad has always been lettuce and cut up vegetables. And sometimes I get tired of that. So it's nice to be allowed to eat a salad with yummy shredded fruit, currants, nuts--it's a nice change! When you read the Vegetable Burrito recipe it sounds like it will be sort of dull. But surprise! It is ooooooh sooooooo good and satisfying. It's a very simple recipe--and the lime squeeze is a must. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal!!

Dinner:
Veggies and Tofu Ranch Dip
West African Lentil Okra Stew
Haze and I were split on this meal. I loved the stew/ let's just say he did not love the stew. I gave it an "A-" and thought it was savory and yummy! I loved the creamy peanut butter base--loved all of the veggies. I made a few changes. I added half celery juice, some broccoli, and some butternut squash. I omitted the sweet potato. I also added a squeeze of lime when I was eating the stew--I really liked it alot! We were split again on the Tofu Ranch Dip--Haze gave it a "B" and let's just say I did not like it! But I think I will try making it again. Next time I will add less date, and mince everything green with a knife and then stir it in the white base. It was sort of unappetizing looking to me with all of the blended green. But I will try again!!

Dessert:
Yummy Banana-Oat Bars
Mmmmmmm yummy!! I had one shortly after they came out of the oven and it was heavenly! (Then I had another one later!!) You can't even believe how good a date tastes after not eating processed sugar for a few weeks!! I gave them an "A"/ Haze says "B+" There are only like 2 left!!

Day 13/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-30T08:19:00.007-07:00

Does anyone know what Chili Sauce is? One of the recipes called for Chili Sauce--and the only ones I found had tons of sugar and salt in them. Anyway, we improvised! It's kind of fun to scroll through here and look at all of the tasty food I have eaten over the last 2 weeks--especially all of the desserts! This has been an amazing experience so far! I'm starting to see how much fun ETL/ Dr. Fuhrman desserts can be!! (Remember Eat to Live is another book by Dr. Fuhrman--and ETL is how his food plan is sometimes referred to). I've always said "no" to dessert when I am eating ETL. I have always thought I will lose weight first, then someday I will allow myself these desserts. But they are totally part of the plan--part of the path to losing weight. I got a little creative with the dessert today! See below! Menu for yesterday was:

Breakfast:

Pomegranate Muesli

This dish looked kind of weird, but it was actually VERY tasty and sweet! It is served cold--but I think warm would be good too. I didn't have any canteloupe so I used peaches. Very good!! A-

Lunch:

Veggies with Caesar Salad Dip

Leftover Hearty Ginger Soup

Ok, we all know how I felt about the Hearty Ginger Soup--so I obviously didn't have that for lunch! I had some leftover Portobellos and Tahini Spread so I made the sandwich from the day before. I also made the Caesar Dip which is very tasty!! We gave it a B+

Dinner:

Red Pepper Salsa

Creole Chicken with Spinach and Brown Rice

Roasted Mixed Vegetables and Brown Rice

The Red Pepper Salsa was flavorful and very easy to make. We gave it an A-. The Creole Chicken was the recipe that was supposed to have "Chili Sauce" so Haze used some hot sauce instead. He thought the recipe was just "ok" (maybe it would have been better with the Chili Sauce?) He gave it a "B". The Roasted Veggies were kind of dry--there was another recipe back in Phase 1 called Steak and Roasted Veggies--I liked that one much better (minus the steak of course). I gave this one a "B-". Pics below are Creole Chicken and Red Pepper Salsa on top, and Roasted Veggies below.

Dessert:

Banana Walnut Ice Cream

We obviously have made this one before as you can see from the pics! It is soooooooo good--you just can't even believe how something that is this good can be so good for you. I got a little creative last night and made Banana Walnut Strawberry Date Ice Cream, (I added one small date). It is sooooo quick, so easy and soooooooooooo devine!! A+ + +

Day 12/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-29T11:21:00.008-07:00

Hello everyone... bon appetit! I received a comment from a reader who was curious about all of the high marks I was giving everything. She thought it was encouraging, but also wondered how I compared this food to the SAD (Standard American Diet) food I have eaten in the past. The comment sort of made me chuckle, first of all, because if you read below you will find a meal that I did NOT like!! And I was actually thinking yesterday (before dinner) that yes, I am really enjoying all of these meals--and giving them high marks. So I thought I would explain my thinking on the grading:

A+ Totally enjoyable meal--can't wait to make and eat again!

A or A- Will happily make again and it will be a staple in our house. Guest worthy.

B+ or B I know it's good for me and it tastes really good too--will be a good week-night meal

B- Will make again but I won't be that excited about it!

C+ or less Will probably not make again, or I will try to modify more to my liking

As far as my SAD meals, there were (and are) lots of things that I like but when "grading" food you have to take into consideration how you feel after eating them as well. Not just how good they taste sliding down your gullet! And after eating my favorite SAD meals I feel like I just ate a salt-lick, depressed, disappointed, greasy. And the next morning when I look in the mirror I see poofy eyes and no glow. Part of the reason I like to eat ETL is vanity!! I want to look rosey and healthy--I want to glow!! These ETL meals that I give an "A" to feel good before, during (sliding down my gullet), and after!! So here is what was on the menu yesterday:

Breakfast:

Blueberry Orange Smoothie

This smoothie was on the menu in Phase 1, and it was not our favorite. So again I made my most favorite breakfast...Dr Fuhrman's Eat Your Greens Smoothie and Oatmeal for Haze

Lunch:

Tossed Green Salad

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Portobello Red Pepper Sandwich

Tahini Spread

WOWEE BOB was this a good lunch!! A+ all the way around. The salad is my favorite with Dr. F's Balsamic Vinaigrette. And the Portobello Sandwich was pretty easy to make and soooooooooooo delicious. It was perfect with the creamy Tahini Spread. And the combo with the salad was just heavenly. I kept piling some of my salad onto the sandwich and sopping up the vinaigrette with the pita. This is a must try!! Restaurant worthy and guest worthy!!

Dinner:

Green Velvet Vegetable Salad

Hearty Ginger Lentil Soup

Ok, here we go--let's start with the salad. We gave it a B. It was pretty decent. Neither of us like dill but we thought we would give it a shot. I think next time we will leave out the dill and add the tarragon instead and it will be much better! And...I don't want to discourage anyone from trying the Ginger Soup--it was just not my taste at all. It was waaaay too sweet for me. I took a few bites and then could not even eat it. Thank goodness for the leftover Vegetable Milanese in the fridge! I heated that up and suddenly it rose to an A+ in my book!! Haze, however, sort of liked the Ginger soup and ate it all up! He gave it a B!! He requested that it all be pureed (which I did) and then froze it in small containers for him to take for lunches.

Dessert:

Banana Pumpkin Pudding

This was sort of weird, and sort of good! I totally loved the spices, the consistancy and the coolness of it--but it was also very pumpkiny. I think if you love pumpkin--you will love this dessert! We gave it a “B”.

P.S. I also received a comment from a reader that said there is a No-salt version of Spike! Hooray!! I will definitely be purchasing some. And I did not add a whole bunch to the Cuban Black Beans (I know this because Haze made his usual comment of "needs salt”)--and I know I would love them without any of the salty version Spike. They were that good!!

Day 11/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-28T08:37:00.007-07:00

Hello everyone,

Another day, another recipe or two! This is definitely getting easier as I go. It's always a fun surprise at dinner time because I have no idea what I am eating or what it will taste like (I haven't been tasting as I cook). So here is what we had yesterday...

Breakfast:

No recipe--so we had Eat Your Greens Fruitshake (as always) and oatmeal.

Lunch:

Black Bean Hummus Dip

Raw Veggies

Gazpacho Summer Soup (that I turned into Gazpacho WINTER Soup)

I had to make some changes on this lunch. First of all, we have had this Black Bean Hummus before and it is very good. I added lime juice and cilantro for more flavor--it's quick and easy. But...we had some extra Cuban Black Beans leftover from the night before so I decided to just put them in the blender and make Cuban Black Bean Dip!! VERY yummy!! Also on the menu was Gazpacho Summer Soup. It's like 16 degrees outside right now!! We did not feel like ice cold soup--and so I made a cooked version of this soup. I used zucchini instead of the cucumber and just sort of sauteed everything and used canned tomatoes. It was fast and easy--and very good!! I served with guacamole. Very yummy lunch!! We gave it an A.

Dinner:

Seasoned Edamame

Turkey-Vegetable Meatloaf

Vegetables Milanese with Navy Beans

Dinner was good! The Vegetable Milanese did not look very appetizing--but it actually tasted pretty good. There was lots of flavor with the added dressing (fig vinegar, olive oil). This is a good dish for a cold week night--nothing fancy, but warm and filling. We gave it a B+. Haze really liked the meatloaf--he gave it an A-. The seasoned edamame were great because I accidently put Spike on them--which I did not realize has salt in it. I thought Spike was like Mrs. Dash! Oops!

Dessert:Chocolate Dip

Ok--you would not even believe the weird ingredients that go into this dip. Just to name a few: spinach, beets, bluberries (those are just the weird ones) but then you whip it all up and voilà! You have this creamy concoction that tastes exactly like chocolate pudding! I could not find cocoa powder at Whole Foods, so I used Ghirardelli 100% Cacao-unsweetened (baking bar). I melted it and poured it in as the last ingredient with the blender going. We did not have any strawberries, so I made the Banana Walnut Ice Cream--and put the Chocolate Dip on top. It was really really good! We gave it an A!

Day 10/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-27T10:22:00.006-07:00

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for the comments!! A few people were worried about the giant Christmas mess and my husband definitely helped to clean up!! The food was great but I was actually happy to get back on track yesterday in the Eat For Health book. Even though the holiday dinner was ETL (Eat to Live is another book by Dr. Fuhrman and so "ETL" is how alot of people refer to his high-nutrient food plan)--it was very rich because of all the nuts added to everything. There is a line in the movie Julie and Julia where Julie's husband is asking her, "Now tell me again, WHY are you doing this?" And she replies that she needs a regimen in her life. When I heard that I thought to myself, yes that is exactly what I need! A regimen! A regulated system--a daily routine. So that is where this idea was born. And I admit--I have more time than your average person as I work from home and do not have children. But Dr. Fuhrman even says in his book that this menu plan is just to show you all of the different and beautiful meals you can put together. He is not advocating that you make a different dish for every meal. Most of the time you will have enough for leftovers. But for me, committing to this regimen is really helping me to grow some really healthy habits. Lots of these recipes I never even would have tried because they did not sound good enough to me. But I am so happy that I did because I have a whole new cache of recipes that I will definitely be making in the future! So here is what we had yesterday...

Breakfast:

Blueberry Nut Oatmeal

So breakfast was really yummy! We used Steel Cut Oats (because we had them on hand and wanted to try them). They were chewier than regular oats--a nice change. I also added cinammon and vanilla to this recipe. It was very good! We gave it an "A"

Lunch:

Raw veggies with leftover dips

Turkey/ or veggie on sprouted wheat bread

Lunch was tasty--no real recipe. I made a huge salad and used the leftover dressings we had in the fridge. We also made a veggie sandwich with soy cheese.

Dinner:

Walnut-Pear Green Salad

Cuban Black Beans with Brown Rice

Dessert: Fruit and Nut Bowl

Oh My!! This could be my most favorite meal in the whole book so far!! Cuban Black Beans with Brown Rice. WOW. A+++ It calls for tomato juice and tomato sauce--I had neither so I used low sodium V-8 in place. I also used extra extra garlic and some Spike (a no-salt seasoning), and the San Marzano variety canned tomatoes. We served it with guacamole spiced up with jalepenos. Soooooo friggen good. This is a MUST TRY!! The salad was really incredible as well. It was made with Dr. Fuhrmans's Pear Vinegar (or you can just use another fruity type vinegar), currants, pears (I used half apples), and it was really tasty. A nice "sweet" next to the Cuban Beans. A+ meal!! For dessert, the recipe was supposed to be Fruit and Nuts, but we made Jenna's Peach Freeze. We had had plenty of fruit and nuts with the salad and wanted something cool (I sort of added alot of jalepenos to the guacamole!!) All in all it was a great day!!

Don't forget to become a Follower of this blog!! And please pass along to friends. The more the merrier!!

2009-12-25T12:23:00.009-07:00

Christmas Eve, 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner yesterday, and plenty of leftovers for today! Yum!! We went off the Eat For Health book and cooked a few recipes from the Dr. Fuhrman website (www.drfuhrman.com). I am sooooooooo proud of myself, and so proud of Haze for sticking with this. My Mom and Dad finally watched the movie Julie and Julia yesterday (they loved it) and then they called me to find out what I was cooking! My Mom laughed as she heard my tiny little electric chopper spiinning away in the background while we were talking. I was in the middle of chopping some mushrooms! Anyway, it was great fun cooking yesterday and here is what we had:

Three Greens Salad with Fruit and Nuts with Creamy Pumpkin Salad Dressing

Stuffing Stuffed Pumpkins (I used Acorn Squash)

Thanksgiving Non-Meat Loaf, with Vegan Version Gravy

Mashed Red Potatoes with Wilted Spinach

Delicious Guilt-Free Pumpkin Pie w/Oat & Almond Crust and Cashew Whipped Cream

Wow--what a spread! The salad was spectacular--it had some raisins and pear added. The Pumpkin Salad Dressing was not as weird as it sounds (or as it looks). It has almond butter, soy milk and dates along with the pumpkin (and a few other items), and so it was not as pumpkiny as you would think.

The Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash was soooo yummy. It has whole grain bread, cranberries, mushrooms--lots of other tasty ingredients too. I added Poultry Seasoning as the main spice (because that is how Dad makes stuffing). Next year I will add some type of cornbread--I think that would be better--again cause that is how Dad does it!

The Thanksgiving Non-Meatloaf was spec-friggin-tacular!! OMG was it good. It was made with brown rice, tons of mushrooms, walnuts, celery, onions and lots of other things. And the Vegan Version Gravy was perfect on top!! YUM!! We added tons of shitake mushrooms to the gravy and then pureed the whole thing at the end. The Mashed Red Potatoes were wonderful as well--totally guilt-free. They were made creamy and delicious using only soy-milk! Really yummy!

For the grand finale we had Guilt-Free Pumpkin Pie with Cashew Whipped Cream. Sooooo good! I added a whole banana instead of half of the tofu to make it a little sweeter, and it came out just beautiful. I covered the whole thing with foil while I baked--it was really pretty!! It was made with pumpkin, lots of dates, raisins and spices all pureed and poured into a crust made from oats and ground almonds, with tiny amounts of oil, water, and whole wheat flour. What a treat!

We were completely stuffed and totally felt Christmassy and full!! IT CAN BE DONE!! Happy holidays to everyone!!

Day 9/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-24T09:21:00.006-07:00

So, I sort of had a small meltdown yesterday. No tears (ok maybe like 2). I wondered if this was the right time to do this project. I mean, I started this like one week before Christmas. And every time I go to the grocery store I am bombarded with smells, free sample pushers, and treats everywhere you look. But is there ever a good time to start anything? There is always something. Does anyone remember Roseanne Roseannadanna from Saturday Night Live? "It's aaalways something, Jane. If it's not one thing, it's another." There is always going to be a holiday, a birthday, a party--some special event. And I guess if we can make it through Christmas, we can make it through anything. Phase 2 offers less desserts (sometimes he wants you to just have plain fruit for dessert), but we are still making dessert after dinner (the same ones that were in Phase 1). I have my Christmas menu all prepared--all recipes from the website. So I will let you know how it goes! (You have to be a "member" of Dr. Fuhrman's website to view the recipe catalog--which is quite extensive! There are also Discussion Forums, Ask the Doctor--and many other benefits. It is well worth the small monthly fee!) Here is what we had yesterday...

Breakfast:
No recipe--fruitshake and oatmeal

Lunch:
Raw Veggies
Orange Cashew Dip
Leftover bean soup
Fruit and Berry Compote
Ok, I just do not like the dressings made with orange and cashew. For me (and for Haze) they are just too sweet. It called for 2 oranges and I only used 1--so it was thicker, but still we did not like it. We gave it a C-. This is not to say that you should not try it, I think it is just not our taste. The leftover Quick and Creamy Vegetable Bean Soup was even better the 2nd day! And even better--I didn't have to make it!!

Dinner:
Salad with Sesame Fig Dressing
Salsa Salmon over Wilted Spinach
A+ dinner all the way around. We LOVED this salad dressing. It was creamy and very flavorful. A perfect match for the Salsa Salmon. I was very worried that I would not like the salmon--we usually prepare it "blackened" which means tons of salt. I thought it would be bland. But surprisingly after over a week with no salt, the salmon tasted very salty just on it's own! The salsa topping was sooooooo good. It was just a fantastic dinner.

Dessert:
Supposed to be grapes but we had Banana/Walnut Ice Cream--a recipe from the website. It was a very simple mixture of frozen bananas, a small handful of walnuts, and vanilla soymilk whipped up in the Vita Mix. OMG it was good. I swear--you have not tasted anything until you have tasted one of these frozen "ice creams" made from fruit!! They are truly heavenly!!

Happy Holidays!! Thank you for reading my blog!!

Day 8/ Phase 2/ Week 2

2009-12-23T11:45:00.010-07:00

So it was the first day of Phase 2--and we made it through! I feel wonderful!! Haze's issues have still not subsided at all--he is getting a little annoyed. But he is sticking with it. In case you haven't noticed it is Christmas Eve tomorrow and so here is what we are doing... We are taking a 2-day break from Eat For Health and we will make some of the holiday recipes listed on the website. I will still post and let you know what we had and how it looked!! Here is what was on the menu for yesterday...

Breakfast:
Creamy Fruit and Berry Smoothie
The breakfast shake was dynamite!! YUM!! I have not had one of these fruit shakes with soy milk added--and wow did it taste good. A+

Lunch:
Tasty Hummus
Whole Wheat Pita with Veggies
I didn't have any pita so I used whole grain bread, toasted and spread the hummus on top. Excellent! "A"

Dinner:
Mixed baby greens
Dijon Date Salad Dressing
Quick and Creamy Vegetable Bean Soup
Haze said that the Dijon Date Salad Dressing was the best salad dressing he had ever had in his whole life!! Wow!! I thought it was very tasty too--we gave it an A+! The bean soup was fabulous and very rich with the added puréed cashews. Very tasty. We gave it an "A". We also had some leftover dip from the artichokes so we used it with steamed asparagus.

Dessert:
Supposed to be fruit but actually we made Jenna's Peach Freeze again!! YUM!!

Day 7/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-22T13:20:00.008-07:00

So...the other day Haze said to me, "Wow, you are looking extra skinny!" and I said to him (trying to be nice) "Your face is looking slimmer!" (it really is) and he said, "OH GREAT, I've lost face weight! Now I can tell all my friends I've lost 10 pounds of ugly face weight!" We laughed and laughed! Ok, mostly I laughed!! But seriously after only 7 days I can feel a difference in myself (I did not weigh myself yet), and Haze truly is looking slimmer. Not just his face!! he he he !! So here is what we had on the last day of Phase 1...

Breakfast:
No recipe so again it was a delicious fruit shake and oatmeal

Lunch:
Mixed Green Salad
Marian's Tofu Chili
This was very good! This time however, we both said that it needed salt! ha ha. I think we are both just used to really salty chili. But we had brown rice with it and it was warm and filling. We were both starving--we got home late for lunch so it was really perfect! We gave this a "B"

Dinner:
Artichokes with Dipping Sauce
Steak and Roasted Veggie Salad
Balsamic Vinaigrette
This was a solid "A" meal. Really yummy! I did not have the steak but the roasted veggies were fabulous. I love roasted vegetables, and this was a combination I am not used to and so it was really extra speical tasting. It had fennel in it--which I had never had before. Really great!! The artichokes were yummy too with the dipping sauce. Great combo!

Dessert:
Berries with Macadamia Whipped Cream
Wow--this was fabulous. The Whipped Cream was made with just macadamia nuts, dates, and soy milk (whipped up in the Vita Mix). It was thick and creamy--a perfect topping for mixed berries. Really exotic! Solid "A"!!

Day 6/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-21T08:22:00.008-07:00

I can't believe we started this over Christmas!! I went to Whole Foods yesterday and they have free samples at every corner of EVERYTHING!! (I did not taste anything--except for a carrot) But really, to be perfectly honest, this has not been very hard. We have had delicious meals and scrumptious desserts. We are always full and totally satisfied. There is always plenty o food--really huge portions. The hardest part is getting in the rhythm of shopping and cooking. But I can already tell that Week 2 shopping trip will be much smaller (and cheaper) because I already have a lot of the items. So.... this is what was on the menu yesterday:

Breakfast:

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Tomatoes

The breakfast egg dish was sooooooo yummy! Haze actually used the same ingredients and just made it into an omelet. He also used some vegan cheese. It was really yummy! A+ breakfast!!

Lunch:

Speedy Vegetable Wrap

Tropical Fruit Salad

Lunch was FABulous. Dr. Fuhrman said to take a whole grain wrap, broccoli slaw, vegan cheese, and a dressing of your choice. I was not sure what type of dressing to use, so I chose pasta sauce and made these into pizzas! They were soooooooooooo good!. I sprinkled garlic powder on whole-grain pita with and baked them until crispy. I used pasta sauce with tons of added fresh chopped tomatoes. Then I steamed the broccoli slaw. And used vegan mozzerella on top. I assembled them and then put them under the broiler to melt the cheese and they were soooooooooooooo good!! We were in a huge hurry and this was very fast. We had fruit for dessert. A+ lunch!

Dinner:

Raw VeggiesGarbanzo Guacamole

Tuscan Pasta and Arugula

Dinner was pretty good. I loved the Garbanzo Guacamole--Haze said he does not like tomatoes in his guacamole. Too bad for him! The Tuscan Pasta with Arugula was just a little bland, but it was warm and very filling. HUGE portions to eat! I think next time I will add more garlic, more crushed red pepper, and maybe some sun-dried tomatoes. We gave the whole meal a "B".

Dessert:

Frozen Banana Fluff

Dessert was heavenly!! It is made with only frozen bananas, vanilla, and vanilla soymild. But it is creamy and sweet and tastes like banana ice cream!! YUM!! A++

Day 5/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-20T10:18:00.007-07:00

Hello! Hooray for Day 5!! There were some comments that I received telling me that I should have told Haze to take his healthy lunch to the restaurant and join his friends! And I tried to get him to do that but he would not. But all is well and he loves me again!! ha ha!! He laughed when he read the blog entry!! But as far as taking food to restaurants--I do it all the time too. I will bring brown rice if they do not have any, or whole grain bread/ tortillas etc. I'm not shy!! My purse is a leather backpack--and it will hold just about anything!

We were so happy that Day 5 fell on a Saturday--because it was a perfect Saturday night meal. I worked out at my Red Rocks Boot Camp ( http://jamieatlas.wordpress.com/all-about-atlas-boot-camps/ ) and Haze skiied all day and so we were both starving for dinner which was good because there was tons of good food! Here is what we had...

Breakfast:
Blueberry Orange Smoothie
Oatmeal with leftover dessert
Well, we did not like the Smoothie so much. I think we are so used to my fruitshake that any other kind of tastes weird. The Blueberry Orange shake was kind too orangey for us. We gave it a C+. The oatmeal however, was spectacular! I just made regular oatmeal with some vanilla and cinammon, and then we poured the Mango Reisling dessert from the day before on top. Yum!! New recipe!!

Lunch:
Leftovers from the night before

Dinner:
Balsamic Mixed Greens with Apples
Dijon Chicken
Spaghetti Squash Primavera
Baked Potato Fries
California Creamed Kale
Lemon Zest Spinach
Let's just start with the grade--the entire dinner was an A+!!! Wow!! The salad dressing was so easy to make (balsamic, olive oil, fig preserves) and was a perfect topping for the greens and apples. Haze loved the Dijon Chicken--of course he commented that it "needed salt!" But really I think it is getting better for him. The Spaghetti Squash Primavera was really yummy--I think it tastes better than it looks! Make sure to follow Dr. Fuhrman's directions by mixing the squash with the pasta sauce because it made all the difference. I was supposed to make one or the other (Lemon Spinach or Creamed Kale) but I'm glad I made both of them. I thought the kale needed lemon so I kind of ate them both together and it was wonderful! Now I don't think I can ever make one without the other!

Dessert:
Jenna's Peach Freeze Ice Cream
If there was a score higher than A+ we would give it to Jenna's Peach Freeze! OMG it was soooooooooooooo good!! We put it in pretty little ceramic cups and ate it on the couch while watching Elf!! Just like a creamy bowl of peach ice cream!! Wow that was good!! If you do not own a Vita Mix, I'm telling you that it is worth every penny. I seriously use mine every single day if not twice a day!

What a great day of food! Can't wait to find out what is next!!

Day 4/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-19T12:03:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone,

We are really enjoying this project!! Well...except for yesterday... My husband called me at lunch and said, "Everyone is going out to lunch and I want to go too. And I don't want to eat the lunch you packed. How do you feel about that?" And I said, "Noooooooooo!! Please!! This is important for us!!" I told him to be strong!! It's only Day 4 and he can do it!! He agreed to stay in and eat the packed lunch, but he said, "I don't like you very much right now!!" His digestion issues have not really been any better--in fact they are worse. So he is a trooper for sticking with it!! There is a healing process, so it is perfectly normal for it to feel worse now--but we are confident that it will improve. So here is what we had yesterday:

Breakfast:
No recipe so we had fruitshake and oatmeal

Lunch:
No recipe--just leftovers (which we had a variety so it worked out great!)

Dinner:
Romaine, Spinach, and Watercress Salad with Fruit and Nuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Tomato Bean Barley Soup
First of all, let me say that I did not have high hopes for this meal but was pleasantly surprised! The ingredients for the salad dressing sounded kind of weird to me, but oh my gosh! What an elegant and perfect dressing. It will go great with soooo many salads. Definitely an "A". It was not too sweet, perfect consistancy--and so delicious. The Tomato Barley Soup was really warm and thick and very creamy. It sort of reminded me of a creamy risotto. Definitely creamier than soupier. (is that a word?) And since it reminded me of risotto I really wanted it to have mushrooms in it. Next time I will definitely add some mushrooms--like shitakes. Haze's comment (this is been his comment on practically everything so far) was that it "needs salt". It's sort of a joke now! Haze gave it a "B+"/ I say "A-"

Dessert:

Mango Riesling Compote
Haze loved the dessert--he gave it an "A". I did not like it quite as much--just not my taste (but hey, I ate it all!). But I was very happy he liked it. In fact, he liked it so much that he poured the rest over his oatmeal this morning!

Day 3 / Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here is what I have learned in just 3 days. Dr. Fuhrman is totally and completely right when he says that the most successful people are the ones who jump in with both feet. For YEARS I have had one (or two) toes out of the water. And I can now see just what he is talking about. If you are on the edge, not fully committed--I recommend you try this even for a few days!! I am sold!! Here is what else I have learned--these recipes are totally satisfying when made into an entire meal--just like they are laid out in the book. A salad, an entrée, a few tasty side dishes, AND a dessert. This is a whole new eating experience for us!! Here is what we had yesterday...

Breakfast:
(No recipe) So we made fruitshake and oatmeal

Lunch:
Orange Sesame Tossed Salad
Fast Black Bean Soup
If there was ever a time that I wanted to swear like Julie Powell it would have been yesterday at lunch. Due to a time crunch, I had to make lunch and pack it up and bring it to my husband's office. I also had to make a kind of gross and SAD hors d'oeuvre for a Christmas party to which I had already committed. AND the Fast Black Bean Soup is not fast--it's sorta fast, kinda fast. But not really fast. Anytime that I have to make fresh carrot juice in a recipe, it's not fast. Anyway it's a good thing the soup turned out tasty because I would have been really bummed!! Because we both kind of did not like the salad. It was too sweet (for us) and the dressing was kind of watery. But we ate it all up so it couldn't have been that bad. We gave the salad a "C" and the Sorta Fast Black Bean Soup an "A-"

Dinner:
Turkey Spinach Burger
Simple Bean Burgers
Sunshine Slaw
Hot Pepper Salsa
Baked Garlic Pita Chips
Dessert: Very Berry Ice Cream
Haze loved the spinach burger--I used fresh spinach and it turned out fine. The bean burgers were fabulous! I love veggie burgers of all kinds and this one was totally different and very tasty. The sunshine slaw was really pretty and yummy. It would be good too with half cabbage. I added a little apple cider vinegar (thought it needed some) (that's how mama makes it) and it was perfect! The salsa was better than any I think I've ever had. I again used the canned San Marzano tomatoes, plus some fresh. Totally satisfying and filling meal!! The Very Berry Ice Cream was a beautiful final touch. A+ for the whole meal!! Pictured below is the Bean Burger. Yum!!

Day 2/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-17T11:31:00.001-07:00

You know, I really wanted to call this the Jana/ Joel project--just like Julie/ Julia but I also wanted to be respectful to Dr. Fuhrman!! Oh well--it's still a good title! We are having lots of fun so far.

Here is the menu for Day 2...

Breakfast:

When he does not post a recipe (like today he just had yogurt and fruit), we just decided to have a favorite Dr. F recipe on those days. So today I made my favorite Eat Your Greens Smoothie and Haze had the same oatmeal from yesterday.

Here is my smoothie recipe (it's a little different than his). This is for one serving:

3 oz spinach

1 T flax

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup water (room temp)

1-1/2 cups frozen berries (I love blueberries and cherries)

5 1-inch slices frozen banana

Blend in a Vita Mix (you have to have a Vita Mix for this--they are amazing and I use mine several times a day!!) in that order (spinach on the bottom) and blendsoooooooooo good!! it's like friggin ice cream for breakfast!!

Lunch:

Turkey Sandwich on whole-grain bread

with veggies, mustard, and vegan mayo

1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds

Fruit

Need I say that Haze loved lunch today! He is a turkey sandwich kind of guy. He normally has whitey, doughy wonder bread type bread and about a cup of mayo, but today it was on Ezekiel Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Bread, and he used a little vegan mayo. Overall he gave the lunch an A. I think it's good to have several different things to nibble on--it makes meals more fun! I don't eat turkey so I had a big salad and the rest of the sweet potato stew...YUM!

Dinner:

Raw Veggies

Tasty Hummus

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Very yummy and very filling meal. The hummus is really good! I used extra lemon juice (I just like it that way), and sprinkled some paprika on top to make it pretty. The pasta was soooooooo good. I actually used canned (no salt) San Marzano tomatoes (I had them leftover from the Sweet Potato Stew). The canned San Marzanos are a tad pricey--but really worth it.

Dessert:

Wild Apple Crunch

The Wild Apple Crunch dessert was heavenly. I cut the recipe to about 3 servings, I ate one servings and Haze at all the rest--he loved it!!

On to Day 3!!

Day 1/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-16T11:03:00.003-07:00

If you are a member of Dr. Fuhrman's website, you can also follow along there under Discussion Forums/ Cook To Live/ The Jana/ Dr. Joel Project.

So... I spent about 2 hours over the weekend planning my shopping list for the entire Week 1, and then about 2 hours at Whole Foods yesterday buying everything (except the meat items for the end of the week). I will freeze leftovers, otherwise I will make smaller amounts (it is only my husband and me). Hopefully I will not have to cook for the month after this! I will have a stocked up freezer!!

Here we go!!! Phase 1/ Week 1/ Day 1

Hello All! Well let me just say that Day 1 was spectacular! I am not new to this whole Dr. Fuhrman thing, so I am already feeling great. Haze however, had a headache pretty much the whole day (which is totally understandable as he is detoxing). But on the upside he commented that his stomach felt really good after each meal. He is normally uncomfortable after eating anything--so he is really excited about this!

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal

We started the day with Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal which was hearty and filling for a chilly Colorado morning. It made the whole house smell like apple pie! Haze couldn't believe how big the portion was! He totally hates breakfast in general, but he ate it all and gave it a grade of "A"

Lunch:

Russian Fig Dressing/Dip

Whole-wheat tortilla stuffed with avacado and veggies

This makes a really nice and easy lunch. The almond butter in the dressing and the avacado make you feel like you are not just having "rabbit food." We had mixed fruit with it and it was very filling. We gave it a "B"

Dinner:

Tossed Green Salad

Spiced Tilapia

Chunky Sweet Potato Stew

Brown Rice

Braised Bok Choy

Dessert: Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce

OMG!!! and HOLY COW was this a yummy and tasty dinner!! I cannot wait to make this again!! (I will have to wait 4 weeks though!!) It was truly restaurant worthy and most definitely worthy of a dinner party. Every element was perfect. I won't ever make one of these recipes without the other--it was an absolutely perfect combination. We both gave it an A+ Haze always claims that he hates sweet potatoes--but he totally chowed on the Chunky Sweet Potato Stew (I actually used a yam instead). It was awesome! Make sure you have enough liquid when cooking the stew--I had to add a little bit of water while cooking. Haze's only complaint about the meal was the lack of salt, but he ate it all like a champ. Next time I make it I will add the topping for the Tilapia only for about the last few minutes of broiling. The topping sort of got too well done and I had to flip it over half way so it would not burn. Other than that it was an absolutely delicious and beautiful dinner. I did not think I would like the Poached Pear with Raspberry Sauce--but tasted absolutely heavenly.

Hooray!! On to Day 2...

Day 0/ Phase 1/ Week 1

2009-12-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Jana/Dr. Joel Project--Blogging Julie/ Julia style

Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia? Or read the book? Julie Powell became an internet celebrity with her 2004 blog recording her yearlong adventure of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I would like to take on a similar challenge, only I will blog my way through a very healthy cookbook called Eat For Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. It is a 2-book set, Book 1 is an explanation of this fabulous way of life, and Book 2 is a cookbook. So... starting December 15, 2009 I will begin this 4-week project! I will cook every recipe start to finish from Phase 1 to Phase 4 in four weeks just as they are laid out in the book--breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I will write about them. I will also tell you how my SAD (Standard American Diet) eating, carnivorous husband likes them too. He is behind me 100% (actually encouraged me) as he has some very uncomfortable illnesses that desperately need attention.

Please visit Dr. Fuhrman's website at http://www.drfuhrman.com/ for more information and to purchase these books.

So to begin Julie Powell style:

The Book:
Eat for Health Book 2--first edition, 2008. Author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D. The book that helped us to shed millions of pounds, helped cure diseases, relieved depression, saved untold thousands of lives.

The Contender:
Jana Diedrich. Artist by day (and by night), floundering but hopeful food addict. 44 years old, no children, 1 husband, 3 dogs and looking for a challenge. Risking her marriage (no Julia Child cuisine for him), she has signed herself up for an inspirational and enlightening assignment, hoping to re-direct and commit to this way of life.

28 days, over 128 recipes. One woman and a "pretty ok" kitchen.

The Goals:
1. To help my husband with his severe stomach issues: Gastro Esophageal Reflect Disease a.k.a. GERD and Acid Reflux, and Collagenous colitis. To help him lower his out of control cholesterol, and to help him lose 25 pounds.
2. The Standard American Diet (SAD) just makes me feel depressed and joyless. I want to feel light and happy all of the time! My other goal--to rid myself of my sleep apnea.

How far will it go? Tune in each day for the next 28 days and see... This project starts now!!