As for weekends - the only long-term commitment I have is to take my daughter to her gymnastics class every Saturday morning from 0900 to 1100.

Outside of that my weekends are pretty open. If you all give me enough advanced notice I will meet you all there for lunch or dinner.

Now - are you all talking about the Sunflower in Falls Church or the one in Vienna? My guess is that it would take about 1 hour to get to the Falls Church location, and another half hour after that to get to Vienna.

Originally Posted by RogersDA Now - are you all talking about the Sunflower in Falls Church or the one in Vienna? My guess is that it would take about 1 hour to get to the Falls Church location, and another half hour after that to get to Vienna.

We've gone to the one in Falls Church, but Travis mentioned Vienna might be easier on him and Schmoo. Since they came to the one close to me, I offered to make the long hike out to Vienna if it's easier for them.

Going to PM you my e-mail addy so we can coordinate Sunflower goodness.

160 pound weight loss.

Kerry, Steph, Travis: Great lunch today. It was good to finally put faces to names.

We'll have to do it again!

Originally Posted by RogersDA Kerry, Steph, Travis: Great lunch today. It was good to finally put faces to names. We'll have to do it again!

Definitely! It was great to chat and eat and meet your family. Sorry it rained so much!

Next time I am totally getting that chocolate ice cream.

I finally did it for real. I started the 6-week plan on Monday and things are going great! Tuesday was VERY hard, i guess my body was angry because of the lack of refined sugars and fats. I was feeling really cloudy-headed all day which eventually turned into a full-blown migraine by bedtime. I still fought and stuck with the ETL plan, though I didn't end up eating much at all because of the headache.

Anyhow, so today is day 4 and things are going well. I'm trying out recipes from the book and have actually found some stuff my carnivorous husband said "can we have this every night?"

I've given the book to 2 other people so far, though I have little hope that they will follow it - just having read the information i think will help in the long run (as they will hopefully try to eat more vegi and less meat).

Made my first fruit+spinach smoothie just about 15 minutes ago. It turned out very dark, almost black but tastes amazing. I don't have a great blender yet so I used my food processor and it worked like a charm. "mixed fruit" frozen fruit, spinach, blueberry, and some oat bran. Ended up having to use a little Soy Milk to get the processor to mix it up right.

I used about 1/2 or 1/3 bag of baby spinach, how much spinach do you useually put in?

Originally Posted by darkdragon I used about 1/2 or 1/3 bag of baby spinach, how much spinach do you useually put in?

I usually use about a 1/2 lb., but that's for me and my wife.

I've pretty much settled on something like this (for a double batch):

water
1 banana (sometimes 2 if they're starting to go off)
seasonal fruit (peaches, melon, apples, pears, local kiwis, figs, etc.)
5 oz. approx. frozen blueberries
maybe some frozen mango or pineapple, depending on the seasonal fruit
raw, brown flax seeds, about a TBS.
tsp. bee pollen (helps my allergies)
sometimes some raw cacao
1/2 lb. frozen spinach
occasionally a carrot

Also, lately I've been trying some frozen wheatgrass juice I get at Whole Foods and frozen pure Acai juice, also at WF. I like both a lot in my smoothies.

Originally Posted by darkdragon I finally did it for real. I started the 6-week plan on Monday and things are going great! Tuesday was VERY hard

Starting is the hardest part. Congrats.

Now in terms of how much to use... that always depends. Part of it to me is the taste. If I get too much spinach in there it does not always have the right mixture of flavors - it just tastes like a spinach shake. While not bad per se not exactly something I like to drink.

Funny, I have never tasted the spinach, and I put quite a lot in. Now, Kale, yeah Kale overpowers fruit in a smoothie!!!
on the flax
on the acai juice - I love the stuff!

Originally Posted by BradfordBenn Starting is the hardest part. Congrats. Now in terms of how much to use... that always depends. Part of it to me is the taste. If I get too much spinach in there it does not always have the right mixture of flavors - it just tastes like a spinach shake. While not bad per se not exactly something I like to drink.

thanks everyone for your tips. I put more spinach in today's smoothie and more blueberries. I also found that with a dash of cinnamon gives the smoothie a really nice hint to it.

Dang, i'm starting to run low on vegies already (thats good, usually they just go bad in the fridge )


I am thinking about getting a dehydrator for some items and for making quick fruity snacks i can take on airplaines and stuff. Does dehydrating an item make it totally useless as far as nutrition goes? Do any of you use one to make your own "sun dried tomatoes" and the like?

Dr. Fuhrman was on the radio today in Atlanta. I did not hear it, but had a friend tell me all about it. I let her know I had read his book, but hearing him seemed to motivate her, so perhaps it will motivate a lot of others to eat healthier.

Over halfway done with week three and going strong! Yesterday though, i just couldn't eat my lettuce (spring mix). I am not sure if I am tired of it or if I had expired freshness date. Dunno, but today I can't even think about eating lettuce. However, I need my vegis for lunch so I threw some stuff in a pan and it came out delicious. Thought I'd share.



Warm Vegetable Medly

Ingredients:

• 4 large carrots, sliced (raw)
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• 6oz sliced black olives
• 1/3 purple onion, diced
• 1 small baked potato
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 clove garliced, diced
• various Italian seasonings

First, dice the garlic and onion, toss in a frying pan with some water or oil to simmer. While the onion is simmering, slice the carrots and bell pepper - toss those in the pan. Peel and cut up the potato into smaller chuncks (i got 8 pieces from 1 tater), toss it in the pan. Add the olives and your seasonings and "stirfry" it for 5 minutes.
When adding the tomatoes, make sure you don't get too much juice, this isn't a soup (of course it would be more like stew if you added more juice). Put the tomatoes in and mix. Let it cook on low/med heat for 10 more minutes.

The carrots come out warm and soft but crunchy (not actually cooked through or steamed). Everything is just warm and yummy with a nice crunch but not "raw".

If anyone tries this, let me know what you think.

Oh yeah, it's fall! Scrumptious warm-food weather. Below is a recipe for Velvety Squash Soup. I made this once last year for Christmas dinner, and my mother loved it (always high praise). I made it again this afternoon for lunch, and it was just as yummy as I remember. The original recipe called for chicken broth and half-and-half, but I substituted veggie broth and soy creamer. The soup was a bit sweeter than I recall, so I might halve or eliminate the molasses or cider when I make this again.

This is a rich, very thick soup. Absolutely delicious.

* 1 (3-pound) butternut squash
* 1 (2-pound) acorn squash
* Cooking spray
* 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons canola oil
* 5 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
* ⅔ cup apple cider
* 2 tablespoons molasses
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* ¾ teaspoon salt
* ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
* ⅔ cup soy creamer
* Chopped fresh thyme (optional)


Preheat oven to 425°.

Cut each squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place squash, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

Combine onion and oil, tossing to coat. Spread onion mixture onto pan around squash. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until squash and onion are tender. Cool slightly. Scoop out squash pulp from skins; discard skins.

Place onion and squash pulp in a Dutch oven. Stir in broth and the next 5 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in half-and-half. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with thyme, if desired.


Yields: 10 servings (1 cup)

Time to make: 1.5 hr

I have a confession. After starting this thread, taking the advice to heart and losing 20 pounds because of it, I let stress and work and poor planning skills knock me off track. 6 months of that and I put 12 pounds back on.

However, I finally woke up. I re-started in earnest last week and am on my way again. A few days ago I was coming home late from work and I almost pulled into a fast food place - but I decided that I'd rather be hungry than put that crap in my body.

Here's to second chances, it's never too late to correct a big mistake!

Originally Posted by Llywellyn Oh yeah, it's fall! Scrumptious warm-food weather. Below is a recipe for Velvety Squash Soup. I made this once last year for Christmas dinner, and my mother loved it (always high praise). I made it again this afternoon for lunch, and it was just as yummy as I remember. The original recipe called for chicken broth and half-and-half, but I substituted veggie broth and soy creamer. The soup was a bit sweeter than I recall, so I might halve or eliminate the molasses or cider when I make this again. This is a rich, very thick soup. Absolutely delicious. * 1 (3-pound) butternut squash * 1 (2-pound) acorn squash * Cooking spray * 2 cups coarsely chopped onion * 2 teaspoons canola oil * 5 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth * ⅔ cup apple cider * 2 tablespoons molasses * 1 teaspoon curry powder * ¾ teaspoon salt * ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper * ⅔ cup soy creamer * Chopped fresh thyme (optional) Preheat oven to 425°. Cut each squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place squash, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Combine onion and oil, tossing to coat. Spread onion mixture onto pan around squash. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until squash and onion are tender. Cool slightly. Scoop out squash pulp from skins; discard skins. Place onion and squash pulp in a Dutch oven. Stir in broth and the next 5 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Place half of squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in half-and-half. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with thyme, if desired. Yields: 10 servings (1 cup) Time to make: 1.5 hr

YUMMY. I am going to make this as soon as I have all the ingredients. I'm getting a bit weary of old standbys and this is the perfect time of the year for a nice, hearty, sweet warming soup.

Originally Posted by DJ-S1 I have a confession. After starting this thread, taking the advice to heart and losing 20 pounds because of it, I let stress and work and poor planning skills knock me off track. 6 months of that and I put 12 pounds back on. However, I finally woke up. I re-started in earnest last week and am on my way again. A few days ago I was coming home late from work and I almost pulled into a fast food place - but I decided that I'd rather be hungry than put that crap in my body. Here's to second chances, it's never too late to correct a big mistake!

It's never too late, you're right! I hear you, it's hard to focus when you're busy and can't plan ahead but sometimes all you need is a little kick in the pantz.

I have been traveling most of this month and it's just so easy to slip...

Let us know how it goes.

Originally Posted by schmoo I have been traveling most of this month and it's just so easy to slip...

They were all fairly minor slips, I think?

Originally Posted by ivar They were all fairly minor slips, I think?

It was until the end when I just gave up struggling. I don't think goat cheese omelette paninis on buttery, salty foccacia bread counts as ETL.

Originally Posted by schmoo It was until the end when I just gave up struggling. I don't think goat cheese omelette paninis on buttery, salty foccacia bread counts as ETL.

I missed goat cheese omelette paninis on buttery, salty foccacia bread

Originally Posted by ivar I missed goat cheese omelette paninis on buttery, salty foccacia bread

That's what she had at Love Muffin when you had the waffle with fruit!