Back on track.  I am off a medication that caused weight gain, have gone plant-strong with the E2 and lost 11 pounds so far.  I love eating plant strong!

Update

Well, due to a very stressful year and a half, and poor choices by me, I have gained back some (not all) of the weight I lost. So, time to get back on track and back to goal.

Hanukah - fat free potato latkes

I survived Hanukah. I didn't lose any weight, but did maintain it. One thing I made was fat-free potato latkes. They were not too difficult and were tasty with unsweetened applesauce.

5 cups grated potatoes
1 medium onion, grated or chopped finely
1/2 tsp salt (or less, you can always put some on at the table)
1 tablespoon dried parsely
2 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp matzo meal
1/8 tsp black pepper (optional)


Potatoes should be either grated. You can chop them finely in a food processor (the bits should be fine, like rice if you chop it), but you will need to add more mato meal then. Add the onions, corn starch, and matzo meal, parsely, salt, and pepper. If it seems too dry, add up to 1/4 cup of water. If it seems too moist to form patties, add a bit more matzo meal.

Form into patties and fry on a non-stick skillet at medium heat. You may use a bit of non-stick spray if you wish. Let cook for 8 minutes before turning and cook 8 minutes on the other side.

This is not core, but when made with amounts above, 1/2 the recipe is 8 points. If you divide it into 4 servings, then each is 4 points. You could possibly make this core by using corn meal to bind it in place of the mazo meal.

Mom's baked corn bread

The below recipe is the veganized version of my mom's baked corn bread. Mom was from Kentucky. Mostly, she ate fried corn bread, but occasionally baked.

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
1/4 cup beet sugar
2 tsp baking powder (Rumsford)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup soy milk
1/4 apple sauce
1 egg worth ener-g egg replacer as directed on the package, wisked with a fork

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together. Put the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients. Bake in a square (8 x 8) baking dish at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean.

This is great with chili or pintos or just by itself. It is not Core, due to the flour and sugar. Makes 9 servings. When made with whole wheat flour, each serving has 182 calories, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber (3 Points)

Enjoy!

Thai Green Beans

This recipe is adapted from Keo's Thai Cuisine. I made it healthier and used ingredients I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1/2 package frozen cut green beans, or one package fresh green beans
1 medium onion, cut in half length-wise then cut into strips
2 Tbs water
1/8 tsp salt
one dried hot chili, crushed
1 tsp dried lemon grass
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or try rice milk)
1/8 tsp coconut flavor (optional)
scant 1 tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon grated ginger (fresh or jared)
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

Put the 2 tablespoons of water in a nonstick skillet or wok, add the onion, ginger, lemon grass, and chili pepper. Heat and saute in the water for 30 seconds. Add the green beans, and cook for about half their cooking time, adding a bit of water as needed. Add the coconut flavor to the soy or rice milk, stir and add to the skillet. Heat until it starts to bubble. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, salt, and the soy sauce. Stir. Cook, stiring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the green beans are tender crisp and the sauce is thick and bubbly.

This is mildly spicy and absolutely delicious.

Core

My Goal

It has been a while since I posted. Life is like that sometime. Since my last post, I reached my official goal of 128. My unofficial goal is still a bit away. At my last weigh in, I was 127.4. I want to reach 120-123. This would make my official weight loss 40-43 lbs, but my total weight loss 47-50 lbs. Progress is made, but slowly. Still, I must remember, slow and steady wins the race. Even now, my weight and BMI are in the healthy range. That is something to celebrate.

Reached 30 lbs of weight loss today!

Okay, it is really 37, but only 30 lbs are official. I am definitely going in the right direction. I have a way to go until I reach my personal goal of 120 (which I will then have to maintain), but this is the result of a long time sticking to a program and eating healthy. I am pleased to have achieved this :-)

Easy Chili Cholent Soup

Definitely a soup, sort of a cholent, sort of a chili, this is good hot as is or served cold with a small amount of soy milk (unsweetened).

9 cups water
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes with chilis
2 14-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup brown rice
1 packet Ortega Chili seasoning mix
1/2 a 5-lg bag of Idaho or Red potatoes, peeled and quartered

Put all ingredients in a large pot, except the brown rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook one hour. Add the brown rice. Cook 1 more hour. Yummm...

Core. If on Flex, this is no more than 3 points per 1 cup serving (since the most pointly ingredient is 3 points per cup)... it might even be 2 points per serving.

Tandorri Califlower and Tofu

1 lb of firm tofu
1 bunch of califlower, separated, cleaned, and checked for thrips
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 cups of water
2 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 T curry powder (not garam masala)
1 T coriander
1 T (or a bit less) cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper

Place the spices in the water and tomatoes, add the vegies and toss. Cook for about 10 minutes, add the tofu, toss, and cook until califlower is tender and crisp. Serve over brown rice.

You can try other vegies instead of the califlower if you wish.

Progress report

As of 11/14/06, I have lost a total of 27 lbs. Since I started this odyssey at the start of November last year, this represents one year of weight loss. Not bad. I still have 16 lbs to go to reach my personal goal of 120 lbs. I have 8 lbs to go to reach my official WW's goal.

Mohican State Park

This summer, at the end of August we went to Mohican State Park. We camped out in a tent, so we were able to spend more time there than if we had stayed at the lodge or a hotel. We had a great time canooing, hicking, and playing put-put. We did a lot of walking, both in the campground and around the town of Loudenville. We also toured Malabar Farm.

All food was made without added fat and with lots of vegies, even though we only had one pot to cook in and a single burner.

Aside from the nightly visits by racoons to our neighbor's campsite (which meant going the other way to the bathroom), we had a great time.