Interesting Alternative

I am rather addicted to having either oats or an oatmeal pancake in the mornings..

Now that I'm trying to keep my grain servings to 1-2 per day, I sometimes want to eat something non-oat in the morning. I read on Dr. Fuhrman's website about "lentil pancakes". I soaked 1/4 c raw lentils overnight, then rinsed and drained them in the morning. I whirled them in my food processor with a small banana (84g), 1 T ground flaxseed, 1/4 tsp champagne vinegar, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Then I cooked it like a pancake. It actually tasted pretty good after I drizzled on some almond butter and some Crofter's Fruit Spread. Here's how it looked "naked".

Lentil Pancake = tasty!

You Can't Beat Beets

I roasted some golden beets and WOW, I thought they were FANTASTIC! I will say, though, that the leftovers weren't quite as delish.

Roasted Balsamic Golden Beets

serves 4

6 large golden beets, scrubbed clean, trimmed of any rootlets, and halved

1/2 T extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

balsamic vinegar

Stick the beets into a large ziploc bag with the oil and shake to coat. Put them cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast at 375 degrees until beets are tender, 40-45 minutes. Cut the beets into smaller chunks and place in serving bowl (if you want, you can let them cool a bit to be able to handle them better). Sprinkle with salt and a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Filling and Tasty Meal

I originally made this for dinner, but ate leftovers for breakfast two days last week (along with a banana and 8g of natural peanut butter) and it was quite satisfying. I lasted until past noon easily both days, in spite of eating at 6am.

Southwestern Tofu Potato Scramble
serves 4 - about 170 cal per serving
2 med red potatoes, diced
1/2 med onion, diced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds and core removed, minced
8 oz mushrooms
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
squirt of Sriracha, if you like hot and spicy
14 oz firm tofu, crumbled (I didn't press it first, and it took FOREVER for the liquid to cook down, so you may want to press out the water before crumbling)
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz prewashed baby spinach

Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and saute the potatoes, onion, jalapeno, mushrooms, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and Sriracha for 3 min, stirring often, over med-high heat.

Add the tofu and salt and stir to combine. Add 1/2 c water (if needed) and cover the pan. Cook for 5 min. Add 2 more T of water if the pan seems dry.

Add the spinach to the top and cover til it wilts, a couple of minutes.

Stir to mix in the spinach, and continue to cook, uncovered, until as much liquid as you like has evaporated.

Deliciousness for Dinner

My 12-year-old found this "too spicy", but I thought it was wonderful. I'd never bought fennel in my life, but figured the recipe wouldn't taste quite right without it. This came from a Cooking Light cookbook originally, but I changed it a bit. The recipe book gave the nutritional info as 217 calories per serving, but I figured it as more like 300. I don't know if I had more caloric cheese or polenta or ?? Anyway, it was yummy, and the leftovers reheated well.

Italian White Bean Polenta Pie

Serves 6 - about 300 calories per serving

1/2 lb fennel

2 c water

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 c instant polenta

1 tsp olive oil

3/4 c finely chopped carrot

3/4 c finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 (14 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 cup (4 oz) shredded provolone cheese

Wash fennel, trim off the outside tougher stalks. Cut the interior bulb in half the long way and dig out the core to throw away. Cut the rest into matchsticks, which will hopefully make about 3/4 cup. I want to try chopping the fennel next time - it didn't incorporate very well into the dish.

Using an oven safe skillet (I just put foil over the handle of my nonstick skillet before I put it into the oven and it's fine), combine the water and salt and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta, stirring to prevent lumps. Turn the heat down and cook, uncovered for 3-5 min (til it pulls away from the sides of the pan). Take the pan off the burner and smooth the top of the polenta evenly. Let stand 5 min.

In a second skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, cook the fennel, onion, carrot, and garlic in the tsp of olive oil until tender. Stir in the beans, sage, and red pepper; then spoon over the polenta. Bake at 400 degreens for 10 min; then sprinkle the top with cheese and bake 5 more min (til cheese melts). Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Still Chugging Along

I had to modify the Eat to Live plan to suit my status as a mom and wife. I was trying to cook two meals on many evenings, and it was just getting ridiculous. So, I have compromised with making a vegan dinner for my family 4-5 times a week, and cooking them something with meat on the other 2-3. On those nights, I eat leftovers or simply a salad with beans. It seems to be working well. My dh definitely does not LOVE any of the vegan dishes, but he also isn't complaining. My kids are iffy on some, but have enjoyed others. I'll post some of the tastier things later this weekend.

I am trying to keep my grain servings to 1-2 a day. I usually have oats in the morning, and a grain serving at dinner. At first, it was really difficult. I really wanted to eat bread. Somehow, it's gotten easier, and there have been several days when I ate only the oats. I have been stuck on one particular salad at lunchtime:
spinach
broccoli slaw
an orange, cut up
romaine
black beans
dressing made with 1T orange juice, 1 T flavored vinegar, and 1/2 T jalapeno mustard
I eat other veggies too, but keep them separate because I just like the above combo so much. Yum. If I haven't had my serving of nuts with my oats, I put some nuts in there too. Good fat, you know.

I have lost a few pounds -- was 155.8 on the scale this morning. I went months without weighing myself last year, so I'm not sure when I've been down to this weight, but it's been a while.