Marsha's MWL journal

[Trinity]

Hi again. Jeff deleted my previous post because he said I said it was okay to eat flour tortillas that have a little oil in them. Of course this is a no-oil program but I just wanted to let you know I was not judging you. I don’t love corn tortillas and so I just rarely eat tortillas period because I’ve never found an oil-free flour tortilla and I’m not willing to make my own but you do what works for you as there is always room to tweak later. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say and that this post doesn’t also get deleted…

[deweyswakms]

Hi Trinity,

no worries! I wasn't worried about the small amount of fat in the small (taco sized) flour tortillas.

Marsha

[deweyswakms]

Happy May Day,

does anybody remember celebrating May Day?

Here in the soggy NW, we had more rainfall in April than in 83 years; last April, we had the driest in decades. Embrace climate change! It is here.

I am still doing my thing. I haven't lost more weight, but not really trying to either. Lately I love making my own 'steak fries' by slicing up a russet potato, then baking them. Yumm. Today I must prep food. The brown rice is already cooked. I'll make my version of the 'no tuna' sandwich filling; I have some taco sized flour tortillas I will use. I will also make a JN fast food with drained can of black beans, mild Rotel tomatoes (I do like some spice), some frozen corn, diced up bok choy for crunch and greens, seasonings; will be good over the brown rice.

I also am loving the frozen 'California' veggies (broccoli & cauliflower); I just fast steam them, season and eat. Oranges and carrots are other things I am eating. Shouldn't be long till we have delicious Oregon strawberries!
Take care, EAT healthy, move the body...It all works. Marsha

[deweyswakms]

5/4/22

I am so close to dropping into a lower weight #; very motivating. I came to say how much I LOVE my veggie soup. It is so easy to make; hope everybody tries it. Even if family members aren't eating our way, starting a meal with a cup of soup is cheap, nutritious, tasty and filling. Could even add some to a thermos and take to work.

I make my own veggie stock by adding water to the frozen veggie bits and peelings; add seasonings (I use salt, pepper, a few red pepper flakes); bring to a boil and turn down to let it simmer. I like my stock dark and rich so I let it simmer maybe 30 minutes. Drain, return stock to soup pot (may need to add water). Then I add a package of frozen peas/carrots/green beans; I add some (1/2 cup?) of shelled edamame and frozen corn; also any leftover vegs I might have. Sometimes I add tomatoes. I add some chopped up greens, this time I used collard greens. I also added some whole wheat spaghetti! Bring back to a boil, adjust seasonings you like, return to low heat and let it simmer for awhile. In the last few minutes, I added a diced up stalk of bok choy. It is delicate and I didn't want it to cook too much. Sometimes I add potatoes in the last few minutes.

My next experiment is going to be spaghetti sauce using French blue lentils, some canned marinara sauce with a couple tablespoons of tomato paste + Italian seasonings, over whole wheat spaghetti. YUMMMM, Marsha

[Daydream]

Marsha, thank you for sharing your soup recipe. I love soup! I'm always looking for my holy grail soup recipe.

[deweyswakms]

Thursday May 26, 2022

Hi all,
I have dropped more weight but not going to claim it yet; want to see if it sticks. Lately my meals center around my yummy vegetable soup* with either rice or pasta in it; it is so good and filling. My other main meal is something with potatoes; sometimes I top a baked russet potato with some of my bean/tomato/corn/quinoa meal. If I need anything else, I'll have oatmeal; always have 1 piece of fruit a day too. My soup has some kind of leafy greens in it.

Simple, fast, easy is best for me. On to JUNE! Marsha

*my Veggie soup: I make my own stock from veggie trimmings, add seasonings to the stock, I let it simmer for a good 30 minutes because I like a dark stock; then in a soup pot add the stock, corn, shelled edamame (or black beans), a can of tomatoes (I like some heat so tomato sauce with mild green chilies), 1 pkg of frozen veggies (carrots, green beans, peas), I always add some kind of dark leafy green (collard greens my favorite), may need to add more water. Season to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for awhile; not till veggies are mushy though. I might add whole wheat pasta in the last 5-7 minutes.

[VegSeekingFit]

I have dropped more weight but not going to claim it yet; want to see if it sticks. Lately my meals center around my yummy vegetable soup* with either rice or pasta in it; it is so good and filling. My other main meal is something with potatoes; sometimes I top a baked russet potato with some of my bean/tomato/corn/quinoa meal. If I need anything else, I'll have oatmeal; always have 1 piece of fruit a day too. My soup has some kind of leafy greens in it.

Simple, fast, easy is best for me. On to JUNE! Marsha

Hi Marsha!!

Hope all is well with you!!! Claim it!!!

Thanks for sharing your recipe!! You go girl!!!

Best,
Stephanie

[deweyswakms]

Saturday 6/11/22, from the VERY soggy NW; we are breaking rain records all the time now. Need SUN. At this point, hoping July brings summer.

I am still here, doing my thing. Have been trying to drop another pound since April; I dance around it, but clearly I am at the sweet spot between calories in/out.

Yesterday I made a new split pea soup recipe, which was surprisingly tasty. It took 2.5 hours in total but I have T I M E on my hands, so no problem. Simmer 1 cup of split peas in 8 cups of water for 2 minutes, then let sit for an hour. Drain and put the peas back in the soup pot with 2.5 cups of water, 1 cup of tomato juice (I just juiced a can of seasoned tomatoes), salt & pepper; simmer for 45 minutes or till the peas are soft. Then add these veggies to it and cook till they are soft or al dente: 1/2 cup of diced carrots, 1 cup of rough chopped cabbage, 1/2 cup small diced turnip (my one turnip was $2 a pound! so silly for a turnip). I added a few red pepper flakes, a bit more salt & black pepper.

I wound up with too much liquid so I saved some of it for a future soup base. Very tasty BUT better after sitting overnight.
Really good.
Keep trucking! Marsha

[Ruff]

Its amazing how many soups are better after sitting all night.

I hope all is well with you Marsha.

[deweyswakms]

Friday July 8, 2022

Hi all,
still here! still doing mostly MWL, determined now to lose a few more pounds.

I have success with my yummy veggie soup with red lentil pasta (or whole wheat pasta) added to it, potatoes or basmati rice (love this rice), sweet potatoes, and some dish with beans; frozen veggies. Enjoying some summer fruits now too (purple plums and nectarines are so good!).

I want to find some new recipe to add to the mix; hard to conceive of just eating the same foods all the time. Would love to hear what you are cooking.

The next week 'should' bring OUR FIRST really warm & sunny temps this year; very cool, rainy NW season.

Marsha

[Ruff]

Hi Marsha.

Cooking. my meals are really basic and we rotate them. yesterday we had potato and mushroom hotpot. You might like to try that...its a winter meal really though, very warming so pick a cook day.

Slices of potatoes, onions and mushrooms in layers in a deep pot (I use a deep enamelled cast iron pot casserole) with a lid, start and end with potatoes.

Make a white sauce (roux sauce..but no butter of course). here is how I make it. I mix the flour, just whiolewheal flour but you can use brown rice flour if you prefer...with some plant milk in a bowel carefully stiring and then whisking until no lumps. you need about a cup or so of flour as you need a lot of sauce to fill the hotpot. then put it into a deep saucepan and heat gently stirring all the time, add more milk and lots of water to make a runny sauce, it will thicken as it heats, add water to keep it thickly runny. Add pepper. Add nutritional yeast if you like it. Pour the sauce over the potato/onion/mushroom layers. Bake in a hot oven until it comes to the boil, reduce heat to simmering and cook for 1 hour after it has boiled (it takes me about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in total but this is a very forgiving dish, it improves with longer cooking long as it doesn't dry out).

enjoy. reheat any leftovers in a non stick fry pan, but add water because the potato starch thickens it overnight.

[deweyswakms]

Saturday 7/23/22

Happy weekend, deliciously cool here in the NW but HEAT returns in a few days.

I am still here, living the (mostly) MWL life, have built a camp at my current weight with occasional side trips to a lower weight. I can lose more but it requires dropping calories, tolerating a little hunger, and I find I just don't want to do that.

Yesterday I made a delicious Egyptian Red Lentil soup, with carrots, celery, onion, lots of spices. Very filling too. Otherwise, I just love my veggie soup (edamame, frozen peas-carrots, diced collard greens, spicy tomatoes, corn (lately fresh off a cob), red lentil pasta I add at the end. Sometimes I add basmati rice to it.

Summer fresh fruits are so good right now! Nectarines and dark plums, plus watermelon!

I checked out a couple of vegan cookbooks at the library to get new ideas. Exploring some Asian flavors with frozen stir fry veggies.

Enjoying SUN and warmth right now. Have a great day, Marsha

[Ruff]

Morning Marsha, I think, looking at the numbers at the bottom of your post, that you are under the magic BMI 25? I thinking 'making a camp' at this weight and simply following the guidelines for SS and mostly MWL is a great idea. If you follow the guidelines you might find your weight drifting very sloooowly down over the months. Or not. But its now more about this becoming your way of life, just the way you actually choose to eat.

Summer fruits sound amazing. Here its cold and dank and the middle of winter.....

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Marsha!!

Great to "see" you here!!!

Sounds like you are doing great --- and that is awesome!!!

Your Egyptian Red Lentil soup sounds delicious... I am also so eating these summer fruits. Blueberries and nectarines are DELICIOUS here --- especially from Farmers Market.

Take care,
Stephanie

[deweyswakms]

Friday, 9/9/22

Hi all,

Well, August was TOO MUCH FOOD FUN, and I am climbing back out of the food trap this month. Time at the coast with family and friends was wonderful, and I fell into justifying that "I never have chips & onion dip etc., so once a year won't hurt me." Well, for me, I can't indulge this thinking because it is too hard to turn off.

I also learned new respect for all of you who try to eat this way, often by yourselves, while feeding a family who demands other foods. It is hard to stick to these principles in the face of other temptations.

I just reviewed the points on 'satiety' because I too often am hungry, which leads me to make the wrong food choices.

So, the 'beans & berries' recipe is in the crock pot, carrots have been cooked, broccoli steamed, basmati rice cooked, nectarines and apples on hand.

Keep calm and carry on carry on, was a British motivational poster as they prepared for WW2, always a good thought.

Marsha