Day 5 & 6 - Hello Hummus!

Yesterday was a pretty typical day...nothing too exciting to report other than a new mushroom dish I tried.  It was sauteed mushroom, onions and then you make a sauce with a little red wine vinegar, almond milk and wheat flour.  It turned out just ok.  Next time I will try different seasonings.  The red wine vinegar was kinda nasty.  We served it over whole wheat noodles.  Which brings me to another question about the whole wheat belly craze and how much truth there is to it if you are ok with gluten.

We tried to juice a little last night.  I have a crappy Jack Lalane juicer that clogs all the time so we didn't get very far with that.  It basically just made a mess.  So this morning Margaret and I went to target in search of a new juicer.  We found an affordable one and it works great!  We made a mean green mixture with kale, cucumber, green apple and carrots.  It was delicious!  We can't get Paul to try ANYTHING yet.  He likes to rot downstairs on the sofa and watch TV.  BLAAAHHH!

I also got a ninja express that is great for chopping and processing stuff on a small scale.  I made my first batch of hummus and added a little sweet to it.  It contains:

1 can of chickpeas

1 tbsp olive oil

1tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

a handful of craisins

2 tsp of agave

a little water

 

 

It tastes awesome!  I spread some in a whole wheat tortilla and topped it with greens and shredded carrot, rolled it up and YUM!

 

Now we are attempting almond butter in the ninja but I think we are burning out the motor!  Might be too big of a job for that little machine.

 

Anyway, we are having a BLAST experimenting!

 

 



Day 4 - What the?

Funny story....

I was running late this morning and didn't have time to pack my lunch so I figured I would stop at the Pick n Save in Waupaca and pick up a salad. (I work in Waupaca)  Most Pick n Saves now have an open salad bar with all sorts of fruits and veggies.

Noon rolled around and I headed to the store to find they did not have a salad bar.  I looked around in their produce area and located a pre-made salad with romanine lettuce, tomatoes a little crab meat and egg slices.  It looked pretty fresh and healthy so I grabbed it along with a container of mixed raspberries.

I got back to work and gobbled it down like I usually do during a lunch hour and thought to myself, "Hey that was pretty good!"

I then proceded to collect my empty container for the garbage and noticed the ingredients label on the bottom.  Glancing at it, I expected to see "romaine, tomato, crab, egg, carrot..."  To my suprise I found something quite different...

 

WHAT THE?????

I was amazed at all the wierd stuff listed.  I sure didn't "see" that stuff in it. 

Where did it come from?

Lesson learned. - Don't buy pre-packaged even if it looks fresh.

 

When I got home from work I decided to try a black bean burger recipe.  The ingredients were simple:  black beans, salsa, carrots, and oatmeal - blenderize it, patty it, bake it.  They turned out really good but the majority of the household was afraid to try it.  Finally Margaret tried it when I told her it tasted like refried beans - which she loves!  She ate it.  SCORE!  She was then rewarded with a glass of rich, chocolately almond milk.  :)

 



 



Day 3 - American Heart Association Go Red Event

 

Today was the Oshkosh Go Red for Women Event at The Waters in Oshkosh.  I was on the planning committee along with about 6 other women.  We had a lot of fun setting up the wine wall and silent auction items.  Today was about raising awareness for women about knowing the signs of heart disease and being an advocate for your own heart health.  I was on the speaker panel today and got to tell my story to the audience.  There were other women there too who have heart disease...all in their 30's and 40's.  All too young.

Symptoms of a heart attack:

• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort.

• Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

As with men, the most common heart attack symptom in women is chest pain or discomfort. But it’s important to note that women are more likely to experience the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

What to do during a heart attack

If you experience any of these signs or symptoms:

• Do not wait to call for help. Dial 9-1-1, make sure to follow the operator’s instructions and get to a hospital right away.
• Do not drive yourself or have someone drive you to the hospital unless you have no other choice.
• Try to stay as calm as possible and take deep, slow breaths while you wait for the emergency responders.

Why it’s important to know the symptoms of a heart attack

Women who consider themselves healthy often misdiagnose the symptoms of a heart attack because they don’t think it could happen to them. That is why it’s crucial to learn about heart disease and stroke, know your numbers, live a heart-healthy lifestyle and be aware of the risk factors of heart disease.

Here is a comical video called "Just A Little Heart Attack

Day 2...Experimental.

The girls and I woke up and decided to try a "Big Delicious Bowl" for breakfast.  It consists of a handful of grapenuts, a handful of dry oatmeal, a handful of shredded wheat, a small handful of almonds and a mixture of strawberries and bananas topped with some almond milk.  It was very filling and very fiberous!

The girls happily packed whole wheat tortillas filled with greens and veggies along with cut fruit and a few more almonds AND some new fabulous HEALTHY chocolate cookies that I made last night.  When they came home from school I asked how their lunch was and they liked it!  Score!

Tonight we all helped make veggie pizza (on a corn tortilla).  Well, Anthony hated it, Anna didn't like the sauce or the tortilla and Margaret just tolerated it.  I thought it was just fine but I may need to tweek this one a bit!

I feel pretty good today.  I had energy (didn't feel like sleeping during my work meeting).  I am guessing that as I eat healthy each day, I will continue to feel better.

Here is the link for those wonderful cookies!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2390317

BTW - I also add 1 cup of dry oatmeal to the cookie dough and it is out of this world!
 

 

A Much Needed Change

As most of my family and friends know, I was diagnosed with Diastolic Dysfuntion (a form of congestive heart failure) about a year-and-a-half ago.  I was told that I am in relatively mild stage of the disease and the goal is to slow or even halt its progression.  How do I do this?...with medicine and a TON of weight loss!  This is much easier said than done.

A year-and-a-half ago I was doing pretty well with the weight loss.  I lost 50 lbs in about 3 months.  Most of it came off fast because I was such a worried wreck and I hardly ate.  The rest came off with diet and exercise.  But...as the months rolled by, I got careless with my diet and exercise and the pounds are creeping back on again (which is pretty much par for the course for me).

Yesterday, my girls and I watched Forks Over Knives on Netflix.  If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you watch it.  This is a documentary about how Americans are so ill from living on the SAD (Standard American Diet).  Dr. Esselstyn worked on a huge study about how eating meat, dairy, eggs, sugar etc. is killing America.  He proposes a plant-based diet which has been proven in his and others studies to prevent, reduce, halt and even reverse CAD (coronary artery disease). 

I don't have CAD (yet, as far as I know) but a plant-based diet with exercise, I believe, will assist in my desire to lose weight and maybe not cure the heart failure, but strengthen other areas of my heart and arteries and halt my disease.

I have also enlisted the help of Carla Huizenga, a board certified health and nutrition counselor.  Her son is in my daughter's 4th grade class and I think she is a local treasure!  Her website is http://www.foodforthought-oshkosh.com/

So tonight we have stocked our house with leafy greens, vegetables, fresh fruit, beans, nuts, whole grains, and almond milk to get us started.  Our whole family needs to lose weight (not just me) and what better way to do this than include everyone in the planning and preparation of healthful meals.

Wish us luck and check my blog occasionally for updates on our successes, struggles and recipes.