HEAL THYSELF

Having to deal with chronic pain makes one think of ways to either drug themselves out so they do not have to feel.. or Stand up.. Take charge and find something that works with out drug intervention..
I have gone the drug path.. and it was a disaster..that was a couple years ago.. Most often I just suck it up and move on.. but sometimes the pain just screams.. I try not to listen to it.. but the ear ringing can drive me bonkers.. the ringing in my ears is related to the Fibro I believe as well the IBS and the other side issues I deal with when I have a flair up  It can be very depressing...
Recently I have decided to take the depression and turn it around.. in other words.. why let the dark cloud take over.. why not just take charge.. even if it is not the norm. I have been exploring other forms of treatment for my PTTS. as well as my Fibro. since my orthopedic doctor is moving on and I have to start over anyway.. he wants to send me to a doctor he likes.. which is fine however I would basically be starting over treating my foot.  but I wonder if going the way of a physiatrist (a medical doctor who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) .. might be a good path.... so I am not sure but its  something I will explore. I find it  interesting because here is one doctor that can treat all of my chronic pain from the PTTS to the chest wall pain to the Fibromyalgia.
Our Dinner was great last night.. baked potatoes with vegetarian Chili spooned on top.. yum.. I added a little fat free Greek yogurt to give it a more creamy texture and sprinkled a little 2%  shredded cheddar cheese on it.. absolutely wonderful.. and very filling... its kinda strange in that we have found we eat more types of what would be considered Starches  and a lot more fruit and vegetables...than ever before yet we are losing weight.. I guess all this whole grain , whole food ... plant based goodness is true.. if you follow it.. and again  it is not easy.. Its hard to pass up all the other stuff.. but sometimes feeling better outweighs something that might taste good for a few seconds.. I am also exploring foods that reduce inflammation.. that may be a lot of hokem I do not know yet.. but supposedly you can eat certain things that help reduce inflammation.. ..
Well time to get into the world and start working..  Protein shake  for breakfast and apple for mid morning snack and water through out the day.. coming up.. not sure about lunch..
 Oh one thing i wanted to share...  I was at the store and noticed aside from regular vegetarian frozen fair .. Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice are venturing into the market.. here is some info I found:
VEGGIE CUISINE  and some photos

I bought the Tuscan Style Lasagna to try for lunch one day... Sometimes these products are hit or miss will let you know what I think when I try it.
Have a great day !

GOING FORWARD

So much going on... I keep thinking we are going to have some down time but it does not look like it..
We did some great cooking over the last week,, Vegetarian Chili... OUTSTANDING,  Vegetable Soup OUTSTANDING.. Baked Eggplant Parmesan a hit to the last bit...
I have been silently reading a lot of blogs lately..  Seems most everyone has the same story they had a year or so ago... and out of that dust there are Success stories... some are very inspiring...
I think reaching the point in  your life where you can truly lose weight and get yourself healthy takes  time.. preferably not your whole life...
IT IS REALLY NOT EASY~
  We are going into 2 months of eliminating certain foods and changing the way we eat.. both of us have had significant weight loss... I hate saying with out trying.. but it feels like we have not been trying..  I guess its more that we are doing new things and that occupies the hard factor...the hardest thing we have had to deal with is the hunger issue.. however we are finding there are more recipes than not that yield meals that are filling and stay with us.. 
It is a learning experience~ we just purchased the Idiots guide to plant based eating....and that is a great basic guide following Dr. Mcdougall and Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn... now they really want you to go VEGAN..  but we are taking it one step at a time...
SO we go forward with our transition..  Got a lot going on this week with the holidays approaching later in the week ( Erev Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Hashanah Day ) we only have two big meals to contend with  as opposed 3 or 4  like others I know... My aunts are great  about having lots of salads and veggies to choose from... so we should have not problem.. we probably will eat the chicken...
We were looking at definitions last night... as we go forward with  exploring being vegetarian.. and found one that fits us for now. Flexitarian.. that is one who eats primarily a plant based diet but will eat Chicken and Fish on occasion. They break down Lacto and ovo vegetarians as well.. being people who will eat dairy ( lacto)  to people who will just eat eggs ( ovo)  or both..
Well off to keep working on Monday..
Have a great day!.

A DIFFERENT MENU

When you change your way of eating a lot of things happen, you might go through withdrawals , you might feel not so chipper until the new way of eating sets in... You might feel anxious  etc...
Well I am happy to say the only issue we have had to deal with is excessive hunger... in other  words  yes we are eating  good veggie meals.. but we never quiet get full.. and learning to live with that new feeling... Comfortable but not stuffed.. is ..... different... Its not horrible but it does take time to get used to...SO we are learning.. yesterday I   got to try an  artisan bread  sandwich stuffed with cold grilled squash, grilled onion , tomato, arugula, cucumber and other seasonal veggies... we had baked beat chips with a few baked sweet potato chips as well.. for dinner I had a caprice salad and that was it.. the hunger was there but it was not terrible.. and I slept well too... still learning new things every day.... which is very very good..
Not sure how far into this we will go .... but we still are heading that way... here is a breakfast recipe  we have found interesting and plan on trying  soon for a sunday family brunch..:
THIS is from  E2

INGREDIENTS Serving Size      spelt flour - 2 ounces oat flour - 2 ounces baking powder - 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal (ground) - 1 ounces milk substitute (soy) - 3 ounces applesauce - 1 ounces honey (or agave nectar) - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 teaspoon blueberries - 2 ounces

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flours, baking powder, flax seed meal, and salt together in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened; it will seem very thin, but it will thicken. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes (spelt flour takes a little longer to absorb liquids). If you can’t wait, your pancakes won’t be as crisp. After the batter has rested, fold in the blueberries. Cook according to directions for E2 Basics Pancakes. here they are: Combine the mix and the liquid in a large bowl, stirring to remove lumps. Heat a dry skillet until a drop of water dances on its surface. Spraying the skillet once should allow for three batches of pancakes. Ladle a large scoop of batter into the pan. Several pancakes can be cooked at once if you’re using a large skillet. Cook until the batter begins to bubble and the bottom of the pancake is golden. Flip and cook on the other side until both sides are golden. enjoy... here is the link to the E2  recipe site...ENGINE 2

 

OCD

I don't talk about it often ... My sister has OCD... in the early days over 28 years ago... she was obsessed with cleanliness.. I would pull her out of the shower, I saw the skin on her hands peel off....
Now its ritualistic... for example she can not turn on and off a light switch with out a routine.. with out a ritual set of steps she has to do... getting dressed , same thing... basically every aspect of her life is affected... she can not throw out a coke bottle or can with out a specific set of steps.. ( I learned this today and the light switch as well.. )  I watch her and it makes me sad... her battle with in..
If you saw her you would not see it... and if you watched her... you might see it... but if you know what to look for... well as I said it just makes me sad..  She is here visiting..
It makes me think about those of us that are working to change our bodies.. or are trying to get healthier for whatever reason.... We.. as a whole are fixable... for us the solutions are many and somewhat simple.. for my sister not so much....
Well still have some work today.. busy week ahead...
Have a great one.. not sure how much I will post this week due to the shows...

FOOD SHOW TIME

SERIOUSLY BUSY WEEK... not sure how much I will be around...
Had done a super post and the stupid thing never saved... will try and work on it again later.. damn...

SERIOUS RESEARCH GOING ON HERE

FOR  a week now We have been researching  the Forks over Knives programs.. and reviewing each of the doctors plans.... the jest is eating Plant based foods.. Whole foods.. NO meat, NO Dairy , No Animal Fat and in  a couple of the plans no OIL whatsoever not even olive oil...  the two easist plans to follow are the Engine 2  plan and Dr. Mcdougalls plan.. they allow for the most variety and creativity in the kitchen and explain in easier terms what to eat and what not to eat... lots of recipes as well.. and shopping in places like Costco Walmart and Publix and going to Specialty stores like health food based stores as needed for certain but not neccessary product... so its a bit easier to follow.. It will be a a HUGE HUGE HUGE thing for Steve to stop eating meat... its how he grew up, he was a butcher growing up... and meat was all 3 meals in some form... since we have been together he eats a lot less meat... and since he had prostate cancer even less.. so I am hoping as we come up with meat substitutes he adapts.. all though he said  that every now and then he will have to have a steak... I know how he feels giving up Dairy is a MASSIVE thing for me... but for both of us a lot of the substitutes so far we like.. Steve loves Lentils... I love soy based products like light soy milk.. ... the week after next ( after the 3 food shows this week) .. we are  going to cut out the meat.. , Steve is not ready to give up fish or chicken yet... but he said he would.. eventually ... He does not want to jump 1000 percent into it and then quit.. we both know thats how we would do it and have had to stop ourselves from jumping right in and being obssessed with it.. .we are eliminating things   so far white bread is gone, so far meat is has been cut out by 3/4ths... chicken and fish are still there... most cheese is gone ( THAT IS HUGE) and we are looking for soy replacements for that as well..  instead of snacking on chips today we snacked on cauliflower with a special homemade light dressing.. . I love that Dr. Mcdougall gives you a list of foods to use.. to help you... and most are foods you can find anywhere... This is a huge serious step for us... to totally change our way of eating and be in the food business selling items that are .. less than healthy.. but this is something that is very livable and can be done... I dont know if we will ever go to the extreme end of the program..Nothing that has a mother, or eyses , no dairy, no fat whatsoever, no Nuts,  we might .. but for now. the other  2 programs are pretty intense.. and that is  going to be our starting part.. Steve has said he would like to be totally on board  no meat at all by  next spring... that means no chicken or fish either... its easier for me because I really like the idea of a vegan way of eating... simply because I feel better.. ... ..we shall see where this takes us....

FAIR FOOD ITS THAT TIME AGAIN

Follow this link .. .its an older post but well worth checking out... what in the hell is fried PEPSI ... lol... 
great article from the blog novice chef... THE NOVICE CHEF
Well  I was taking a quick break... back to work..


Have a great day!..