What are you eating? - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[berrymama]

Originally Posted by OtherMother 

Today's eats:

Breakfast- grapefruit and RRT w/ raw honey and lemon

Snack- protein shake (2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 frozen nanner, 1c soymilk, plus 1/2 scoop hubby's protein shake) and 4 carob-spirulina energy chunks

Lunch- garden salad (organic spring mix, cuke, green pepper, tomato, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and french vinigarette) and a bowl of brown rice & chickpeas topped with nutritional yeast, tamari, and a tsp miso

Dinner- grilled cheese (on whole wheat bread w/ reduced fat cheese) and tomato soup, plus an additional small slice whole wheat bread topped w/ earth balance, plus a handful of those awesome licorice bites  :D

Dessert: small handful dark choco chips, 3 figs, plus sprinkle of sliced almonds

Hey OtherMother, I have a few questions for you :) Based on your meals, I am assuming you are vegetarian? Have you been for a while? I have been doing a good amount of reading/documentary watching about nutrition lately and find myself leaning toward a more vegetarian lifestyle (with very little dairy as well), but it is all new to me. My questions:

1. what are those carob-spirulina chunks? something you make or buy? I have been adding spirulina powder to smoothies (along with hemp seeds and ground flax)

2. are your daughter and partner vegetarian? My DH is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and not a fan of beans (though hasn't been complaining about the frequent bean and lentil soups). I am wondering how to find a balance of meatless dinners while also not forcing him to charge his eating habits. The idea of making 2 dinners is NOT appealing. Luckily, my kids eat pretty much everything, so this is not a concern for breakfast and lunch (my kids and I have been eating these meals almost completely raw for the past few weeks as well). 

Just curious, as you seem to eat very similar to what I have been doing/craving.

[OtherMother]

Originally Posted by berrymama 

Hey OtherMother, I have a few questions for you :) Based on your meals, I am assuming you are vegetarian? Have you been for a while? I have been doing a good amount of reading/documentary watching about nutrition lately and find myself leaning toward a more vegetarian lifestyle (with very little dairy as well), but it is all new to me. My questions:

1. what are those carob-spirulina chunks? something you make or buy? I have been adding spirulina powder to smoothies (along with hemp seeds and ground flax)

2. are your daughter and partner vegetarian? My DH is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and not a fan of beans (though hasn't been complaining about the frequent bean and lentil soups). I am wondering how to find a balance of meatless dinners while also not forcing him to charge his eating habits. The idea of making 2 dinners is NOT appealing. Luckily, my kids eat pretty much everything, so this is not a concern for breakfast and lunch (my kids and I have been eating these meals almost completely raw for the past few weeks as well). 

Just curious, as you seem to eat very similar to what I have been doing/craving.

Hey there!

So it's funny you ask- I actually wouldn't describe myself as vegetarian, since I do eat meat on occasion. I've been vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, and even fruitarian in the past, and found all those labels to be constricting and ultimately something I want to rebel against. This pregnancy has led me to eating intuitively, though, and my intuition (through trial and error) has led me to a very much plant-based way of eating- I don't even think about it, it just feels right. (It helps that my brain very much likes the idea of eating less/no animal products and lots more plant-based stuff.)

So- the carob/spirulina chunks I buy at the local health food store. They have all different sorts, they're called "energy squares" I think- they have lots of different kinds but I know spirulina is high in veg protein and iron (there's also a bunch of seeds and raisins squished up in there). 

I am in the same boat with you with meals too, since I'm the cook and meal planner in the family. It's taken some time to balance our needs- DP is not a vegetarian or plant-based guy, and DD sometimes wants meat. I cook a side of chicken in the form of organic chicken tenderloins (which I sometimes eat) or chicken sausages 1-2x a week. I keep eggs in the house, and DP will make egg sandwiches for lunch or dinner. So that's how I handle it- I make a meat 'side' once in a while, as a protein side, and I also make a veg protein side for myself- tempeh or tofu.

But I try to make the veg meals different and exciting, or DP gets bored and complains, and I get witchy. I guess I can't blame him- for a long time dinner was often sauteed collards with tempeh, or brown rice and tofu. Classic boring veggie fare. Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet" is the best book/cookbook I know of to inspire and inform on veg health and cooking. Lots of yummy stuff. 

I've found making a new exciting veg dish at least 1x a week, plus some classic comfort-type veg dinner (with a healthful spin on it) helps keep everyone happy. I also let DP do dinner 1x a week if I don't feel like cooking meat- he can whip up some chicken sausages in a pan or on the grill while the sweet potatoes cook in the oven. 

And big salads have helped- the base is the same, but they can add chicken to the top if they want, or I can add tempeh or tofu. I think if it's yummy, has enough protein and mass to fill everyone up, they end up happy. Especially if once in a while you make a fun veg dessert  ;)  The Kind Diet has lots of those. Her choco-pbutter cups are divine, and there are brown rice squares in there that will knock everyone's socks off.

But it's nice to hear from someone who eats alike! It's been an interesting journey, but I've finally gotten to a place where I'm not eating from someone else's recommendations and instead eating instinctually. 

[berrymama]

Originally Posted by OtherMother 

Hey there!

So it's funny you ask- I actually wouldn't describe myself as vegetarian, since I do eat meat on occasion. I've been vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, and even fruitarian in the past, and found all those labels to be constricting and ultimately something I want to rebel against. This pregnancy has led me to eating intuitively, though, and my intuition (through trial and error) has led me to a very much plant-based way of eating- I don't even think about it, it just feels right. (It helps that my brain very much likes the idea of eating less/no animal products and lots more plant-based stuff.)

I feel kind of the same way about 'labels'. I just find myself being more and more turned off by meat and chicken, and pretty much all processed food (but not seafood) over the past few weeks...something that has never happened to me before! I have also found that my heartburn, which was terrible, has settled down almost completely since cutting back on cheese (I don't drink cow milk) and eating a more raw veggie diet. So this has led me to start l looking for alternative protein sources. I am a bit leery of using too many soy products, but have a tempeh recipe to try out this week. I am sure it will be a process, and maybe pregnancy is not the best time to change things up, but I feel so much better eating this way.

[Loogiejane]

I have an awesome cookbook called The Flexitarian Table which gives recipes for meals that cater to vegetarians and meat eaters, with one component of the meal being different without having to make a whole separate meal. http://www.amazon.com/Flexitarian-Table-Inspired-Vegetarians-inBetween/dp/0618658653

I have The Kind Diet too and it definitely does have some yummy recipes. A lot of the recipes call for soy based products though and I don't really cook with soy (except for the very rare tofu/sauteed veg/brown rice/peanut sauce meal I make) because my body doesn't react well to it. 

OtherMother I always see those chunks at the natural foods store and they look so yummy I dont know why I dont ever buy them. I think I will this week :) I feel like I used to eat them way back when in college like a thousand (12) years ago. 

These snacks are really delish for anyone looking for a raw, savory snack. DH is disgusted by them but I find them to be delicious. They're nut based filling wrapped in nori. They sort of look like....slimjim-ish. I only like the curry flavor. http://gopalshealthfoods.com/power-wraps/vegan-curry-powerwraps Interesting, they just changed the label and they look so mainstream now! They're hard to find in stores (I have only found them in one store in Northampton, MA and one other in NYC that only carries them randomly) so I've ordered them online before. You can google image "gopals power wraps" to see what they look like. 

[Loogiejane]

OtherMother do you ever make your own sprouted legumes/seeds? 

[OtherMother]

Originally Posted by berrymama 

I feel kind of the same way about 'labels'. I just find myself being more and more turned off by meat and chicken, and pretty much all processed food (but not seafood) over the past few weeks...something that has never happened to me before! I have also found that my heartburn, which was terrible, has settled down almost completely since cutting back on cheese (I don't drink cow milk) and eating a more raw veggie diet. So this has led me to start l looking for alternative protein sources. I am a bit leery of using too many soy products, but have a tempeh recipe to try out this week. I am sure it will be a process, and maybe pregnancy is not the best time to change things up, but I feel so much better eating this way.

I think pregnancy is an awesome time to change things up because we're almost forced to listen to what our bodies really want. I've spent the past 2/3 years trying to tell my body what it needs- I've tried every "way of eating" there is, and it's exhausting! They were all ultimately too polarizing. I feel so much lighter eating less/no meat and (to a lesser extent) less dairy. I know what you mean about soy- I stay away from those really processed meat-replacement type soy products, but I don't worry about tempeh (because it's fermented) and I don't mind tofu once in a while. I drink soymilk when I am desperate for a milk replacement- coconut milk/almond milk are decent, but soy just has so much more protein. I always get organic to stay away from GMO soy and unsweetened to watch the sugar. 

Interestingly, eating this way has led to only 12lb weight gain w/ this pregnancy at 27 weeks as opposed to probably 25/30 lbs by now with DD, when I ate meat and dairy regularly.

[OtherMother]

Originally Posted by Loogiejane 

OtherMother do you ever make your own sprouted legumes/seeds? 

I have in the past- I soak all my grains and beans for a good while before cooking, but I don't sprout them. I've sprouted seeds (sunflower) in the past, and yeah they're good, but a holistic nutritionist once told me it was 50/50 as to getting any health benefits, since if they're chipped or compromised at all they're not going to sprout properly and will go rancid. I do stick with raw nuts/seeds though. 

[berrymama]

Originally Posted by Loogiejane 

OtherMother do you ever make your own sprouted legumes/seeds? 

I know this wasn't directed at me, but...I have been sprouting (have in the past and just started up again). I love having fresh sprouts available for salads and wraps. I have been doing this blend http://sproutpeople.org/french.html

I have had less luck with nuts and sunflower seeds (they do seem to get moldy too fast). They do better with just a soak for a few hours and then eating them right away.

[pastormama]

I haven't experimented with sprouting (although it sounds awesome!) - I just try to soak all grains and legumes for awhile before cooking.  

Here's what's on the menu for today, after several days of off-track.  

All day:  2 quarts pregnancy tea with RRL, nettles

Breakfast:  1/2 C hawthorn berry infusion; 2 eggs mixed with a little milk and cheese and scrambled in butter; slice of homemade toast with butter and jam; coffee with milk

Lunch:  this was basically just a long series of snacks, which was kind of fun.  Strawberries & grapes; 1/2 a cucumber with homemade ranch dip; green salad with half an avocado and more ranch; cheese and homemade yogurt-dough crackers.

Supper:  potluck at my grandmother-in-law's house.  I know she will have an Asian slaw, which I love, and other stuff, not sure what. 

One thing that has really been cramping my style WRT eating well is how much we eat with family!  I love that they want to make life easy for us right now by providing supper a lot (like 2-3 x/week), but it is not always best nutritional quality, and frequently leaves me feeling poorly.  But I'm not sure how to say no without coming off wrong (these are all in-laws; we live in the same city as my husband's family), and plus - the convenience IS really tempting after a long day at work!  And it's not like we're spending money on eating out, so I don't have that impetus.  I guess I just shouldn't complain.  

Edited by pastormama - 3/5/13 at 9:48am

[berrymama]

Today's eats:

No special teas, just water all day long.

Breakfast: homemade granola with greek yogurt, blueberries, topped with ground flaxseed and hemp seeds

Snack: half a banana

Lunch: kale salad topped with cooked wild rice, shredded carrot, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, feta, homemade dressing (olive oil, raw cider vinegar, dijon, honey, diced shallot). 3 bite-size dove chocolates.

Maybe snack (I don't always have one): kalamata olive hummus with a few crackers

Dinner: Tomato orzo baked in oven, topped with shrimp (may throw some edamame or broccoli in there for a green), with small salad. We are in the middle of a blizzard, so may have some snow 'ice cream' for dessert (a big bowl of snow with vanilla and milk mixed in)

[CoBabyMaker]

Breakfast:  Eggs with baby kale and one piece breakfast sausage

Earl Gray with almond milk

Chocolate cream pie.  I blame DH.  He wanted it so I made it for him. I like to blame him for my treats.

Lunch:  Salad with greens, carrots, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, avocado and ACV dressing ( I just saw something on pinterest that you can regrow your romaine by sticking it in water so I'm going to try it!)

Dinner will be homemade chicken soup 

Hopefully I can stop myself from eating anymore pie.  Stinking pie.

[Loogiejane]

Originally Posted by pastormama 

 1/2 a cucumber with homemade ranch dip; 

yum how do you make homemade ranch?

[pastormama]

Originally Posted by Loogiejane 

yum how do you make homemade ranch?

I made up a big jar with powder spice mix, and then when I want a little dressing I mix it with sour cream and a little whole milk with a squeeze of lemon (buttermilk would be best, but I hate buying a whole thing of it just to make a little dip).

The spice mix is:

2 T black pepper

3/4 C parsley flakes

1/4 C garlic salt

1 T salt

2 T garlic powder

6 T onion powder

1 T dill weed

Mix it all up and save in a jar.  Mix 1 T of the powder with 1 C sour cream and 1/2 C milk or buttermilk with a squeeze of lemon (or just start with the sour cream and then add milk until you reach your desired consistency).

It's much better with fresh herbs - parsley, dill, maybe chives.  But they're out of season and I despise paying $3 for a little bit at the store, so I go with dry.  Plus making up the bulk mix saves a lot of time!

[OtherMother]

Today's eats:

Breakfast- grapefruit, nettle tea with raw honey and soymilk

Snack- carob spirulina chunks, green protein shake (peanut butter, soymilk, kale, and 1/2 scoop protein shake mix)

Lunch- salad (mixed greens, cuke, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, french vinegarette) and hummus/carrots

Dinner- nonfat greek yogurt with 3 figs and organic dk choco chips, pregnancy tea w/ raw honey

Snack- 2 slices 7 grain sourdough w/ earth balance butter

I am feeling okay with the fact that I am being redundant in my eating  :)

[Loogiejane]

Originally Posted by pastormama 

I made up a big jar with powder spice mix, and then when I want a little dressing I mix it with sour cream and a little whole milk with a squeeze of lemon (buttermilk would be best, but I hate buying a whole thing of it just to make a little dip).

The spice mix is:

2 T black pepper

3/4 C parsley flakes

1/4 C garlic salt

1 T salt

2 T garlic powder

6 T onion powder

1 T dill weed

Mix it all up and save in a jar.  Mix 1 T of the powder with 1 C sour cream and 1/2 C milk or buttermilk with a squeeze of lemon (or just start with the sour cream and then add milk until you reach your desired consistency).

It's much better with fresh herbs - parsley, dill, maybe chives.  But they're out of season and I despise paying $3 for a little bit at the store, so I go with dry.  Plus making up the bulk mix saves a lot of time!

Great, thanks! I hear you on not wanting to buy a whole thing of buttermilk. What do the milk packages think people are doing with that whole thing??

I make my own when I need it for pancakes, or baking, or soaking chicken in it for oven "fried" chicken. Have you ever made your own? You mix some white vinegar in milk and let is sit for 5 minutes. It's not exactly the same but it's a fine substitute. 

[Loogiejane]

Originally Posted by OtherMother 

Today's eats:

Breakfast- grapefruit, nettle tea with raw honey and soymilk

Snack- carob spirulina chunks, green protein shake (peanut butter, soymilk, kale, and 1/2 scoop protein shake mix)

Lunch- salad (mixed greens, cuke, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, french vinegarette) and hummus/carrots

Dinner- nonfat greek yogurt with 3 figs and organic dk choco chips, pregnancy tea w/ raw honey

Snack- 2 slices 7 grain sourdough w/ earth balance butter

I am feeling okay with the fact that I am being redundant in my eating  :)

Haha, OtherMother I was literally just going to ask dont you get a bit bored with eating so much of the same? But then you answered for me :)

[Loogiejane]

Breakfast/lunch: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 mini biscuit w/butter+jam, 2 clementines, preggie tea

2nd lunch?: piece of my oven "fried" chicken, cucumber salad, red cabbage slaw

some OJ with my vitamins

snack: 2 mini biscuits w/butter+jam, way too rich decaf iced latte with whole milk and simple syrup. Why did I order it with whole milk? It legit tasted like a glass of melted coffee ice cream. Whole milk was stupid, I wasn't thinking. I think maybe I just didnt specify the milk and thats what I got. I dont remember. 

Dinner: a melange of Korean foods. God bless NYC, I will never get food like this when we move to the burbs. We shared pork bibimbop, cellophane noodles w/beef, tofu and seafood stew and lots of yummy fermented sides like kimchi and other things that I dont what they were. 

Dessert: shared Pinkberry w/ strawberries, blueberries and mochi with DH. And clementines at home. 

Such a random day of eating. Yikes, and like, no veggies. Oh....some pickled ones with my chicken, like that counts. 

[pastormama]

Originally Posted by Loogiejane 

Great, thanks! I hear you on not wanting to buy a whole thing of buttermilk. What do the milk packages think people are doing with that whole thing??

I make my own when I need it for pancakes, or baking, or soaking chicken in it for oven "fried" chicken. Have you ever made your own? You mix some white vinegar in milk and let is sit for 5 minutes. It's not exactly the same but it's a fine substitute. 

Yep - I usually make my own as well, using lemon juice and milk rather than vinegar.  

Today:

All day:  2 quarts pregnancy tea with nettles and RRL

Breakfast:  smoothie with frozen banana, peach slices, strawberries, yogurt and milk.  Homemade bread toasted and topped with grassfed butter, cinnamon and sugar (a treat for DD, and one of my childhood comfort foods).  1/2 C hawthorn berry infusion.

Snack:  at the coffee shop.  Big coffee with some of DD's homemade chocolate milk (nothing fancy, we just mix cocoa powder with simple syrup and put it in her milk), half an everything bagel with a little cream cheese.

Lunch:  grilled cheese on homemade bread, fried in more grassfed butter, with pickles left from the summer's harvest.  Carrot and celery sticks with homemade ranch.  Clementine.  Pregnancy tea mixed with seltzer and lime.

Snack:  four homemade graham cracker squares.

Dinner:  will be takeout from Whole Foods that I got this morning (gift card from our shower!).  A cup of their clam chowder and a salad with romaine, spinach, feta, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and a little bit of their lemon-herb dressing.  Maybe also a slice of homemade bread.

Not too bad - heavy on the carbs today and lighter on protein than I normally am.  I'll do more tomorrow - eggs for breakfast and I've got a lemon chicken soup planned for supper.  My midwife told me to eat a lot of watery fruits and veggies (cucumber, celery, ripe melon) to combat swelling, so I'm trying to do a big serving of at least one of those per day!

[nstewart]

This weekend was a write off, eating wise (frozen lasagna one night, chinese take out the other, lunches weren't much better...).  So glad to be home and in charge of my diet!

Today:

Breakfast - vanilla greek yogurt with half cup blueberries.  Cup of half-caff coffee with cream

Snack - triscuit crackers with PB

Lunch - romaine and spinich topped with kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, red onion, feta, yellow pepper and a balsamic dressing

Snack - Apple, cheese portion, small turkey pepperoni.  (I have another snack I may or may not get to, garlic hummus on triscuits).  Half-caff americano with cream

Supper - some yummy bacon and blackbean soup I pulled out of the freezer last night, along with maybe homemade spinich cheddar or spinich feta biscuits.

I haven't been as hungry during the evenings, so we'll see if another snack is warranted.  Last night I had a rytva cracker with PB and a half glass of milk right before bed.  I slept well, so maybe the milk/small snack combo did the trick.

[OtherMother]

Originally Posted by Loogiejane 

Haha, OtherMother I was literally just going to ask dont you get a bit bored with eating so much of the same? But then you answered for me :)

Lol I tend to get into a routine I'm really comfortable with, and go with it til I'm sick of it.

Today wasn't much off base from that, except I had a prenatal and a weigh-in, and hadn't gained anything in the past month, probably from eating fairly strictly and losing fat/gaining baby. So I sent DH out for brownies and vanilla swiss almond hagen daaz. I like to reward myself with whatever the hell I want after prenatal weigh ins (normally I don't eat sweets like that) and then I go back to 'normal'. Keeps me from feeling deprived.

I do feel lame posting my hum-drum little food diaries, but it really helps me stay on track (somehow!)

Soooooo ...

Breakfast was (you guessed it) grapefruit with nettle tea, with raw honey and soymilk

Followed by a green protein shake later in the morning (kale, soymilk, peanut butter, banana, 1/2 scoop choco-flavored protein shake)

'Lunch' ended up being a 100 calorie panda licorice stick and four or so of those carob spirulina chunks everyone's probably sick of hearing about by now  ;) because I had a crazy errand running day

And 'snack' was a few more chunks on the way home from the midwife's (and a chocolate kiss there)

Dinner was chicken in thai simmer sauce over farro with a side of collards and sliced apricots plus pumpkin seeds sauteed in coconut oil, plus two slices seven grain sourdough topped with earth balance butter

And I'm expecting my dessert (a warmed up brownie topped with vanilla swiss almond ice cream) shortly    ;)

So yeah, boring, but it's really working for me  :)  Those morning green protein shakes are delish and so filling, I have them at 10 or so and have to make myself eat lunch at like 2. And they taste like a pbutter-chocolate-banana shake   :D