April 7

Lemon Water

Breakfast - egg, sauteed mushrooms topped with feta and basil, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado with Jane's mixed-up salt and red pepper flakes, tomatoes

Lunch - leftover Mongolian bbq, avocado, sf carnation with milk

Dinner 1. sweet potato pancakes, dave's breakfast with yogurt, chia, pear, hemp, peanut butter, and this new Daily Boost trail mix that's super good

Dinner 2. Gyudon (sugary so I didn't eat much) - rice, thin sliced beef, onions, soy-sugar-ginger sauce; clementines

April 4

Lemon Water

Breakfast - 2 toasts, pero/postum

Bike Ride / Zumba / Bike ride

Protein shake with banana and almonds
Lunch - smoked chicken, roasted veggies, carrots, avocado
Dinner - sweet potato pancakes, chia strawberry "jam," bacon, 3 sausage links, milk

Breakfast - Avocado toast and PB & Chia Jam toast

154

April 3 - Six Weeks

It was my goal to have no sugar or flour for six weeks.  I did it!  Results: I've lost some weight, I have more energy, my knee, hip, and IT band have felt way less pain than before.  All good things!  I'll allow myself an occasional bit of sugar or flour now.

Lemon water

Breakfast - sweet potato pancakes, oatmeal, bananas, dried blueberries, peanut butter

Bike ride to library and back

Protein shake with bananas and almonds

Lunch - Roasted veggies, turkey burgers, tomatoes, bell pepper, milk; yogurt mixed with chia jam

Dinner - mashed potatoes with marina sauce and meatball.  This was weird.  I won't do it again.  I'll do a different pasta substitute next time it's Italian night.  Slice of ham, green beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, milk.

Snack - strawberries, raspberries, nuts

Breakfast - sweet potato pancakes, oatmeal, fruit, PB

After-workout protein shake with banana and almonds

Lunch - Turkey burgers, roasted veggies, raw tomatoes and bell pepper

More lunch - yogurt mixed with chia jam

March 30

Lemon Water

Breakfast - peanut butter and strawberry chia "Jam" on toast.  I mashed strawberries and mixed them with chia seeds and a little water to make me a jar of jam.

Lunch - Another breakfast. :)   Sweet potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, greek yogurt, strawberries

Dinner - turkey burger with ezekiel bread bun, lettuce, tomato, onion; roasted and fresh veggies

Breakfast - peanut butter and chia jam toast

Lunch - sweet potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, yogurt, granola, strawberries

Dinner - turkey burger on an ezekiel bread bun, roasted veggies, bell pepper

March 29

Lemon Water

Breakfast - chia soaked in coconut water, yogurt, hemp, strawberries, apples, mixed nuts, 60% cacao chips

Snack - peanut butter toast, dates, milk

Lunch - zoodle salad with chicken sausage (recipe below), mixed greens with onion & apple

Dinner - chicken salad, salad, another salad... carrots, grapes.  Pretty sure I came home and ate more -- baked sweet potato and something else.

Dave's breakfast minus the peanut butter - chia, yogurt, hemp, fruit, nuts

Stirred together, it isn't nearly as pretty. :-)  Just as delicious, though!

Snack - peanut butter toast and dates; milk

Lunch - Zoodle sausage salad (recipe below), mixed greens salad

Dinner - Relief Society dinner.
I didn't eat the croissant, but I ate the chicken salad inside it.

Mealthy: Zucchini Noodles with Chicken Sausage, Tomato, and Basil

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
• 4 chicken sausage links, sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 4 zucchinis, spiralized using the 3mm blade and trimmed
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage in hot oil until heated through, about 5 minutes; remove sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate.
2. Fry garlic in oil remaining in skillet until fragrant, about 30 seconds; add tomatoes and stir while cooking for 1 minute.
3. Toss zucchini with the tomato mixture and cook until softened, about 3 minutes; season with basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Remove skillet from heat. Divide zucchini noodle mixture between four bowls; top with sausage, red pepper flakes, and grated Parmesan cheese.

March 28 - Turkey Burgers

Lemon Water

Breakfast - Chia seeds soaked in unsweetened coconut water, unsweetened coconut, strawberries, unsweetened granola, unsweetened pure cacao.  This didn't taste as good as it looks.  Add stevia next time.

Lunch - Sweet potato pancakes, fried egg, roasted brussels and potatoes, avocado, egg, apples & strawberries

Dinner - turkey burgers, ezekiel english muffin toast, avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell pepper

Breakfast - chia bowl

Lunch - sweet potato pancakes, roasted veggies, egg, avocado

Turkey Burgers - I made 34 for now and later! Recipe below.

Dinner - turkey burgers, ezekiel english muffin toast, avocado, veggies

Turkey Burgers from rachaelsgoodeats.com

March 17

March 17

Dave's breakfast - yogurt, strawberries, grapes, peanut butter, chia, hemp; pero/postum

Chicken, roasted onions, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit

Toast & milk & sweet potato chips for a light dinner

Sweet potato chips fail.  I ate all the good ones.

Day 18

March 9

Breakfast - Greek yogurt, plain mixed nuts, peanut butter, apple, grapes, hempseed, chia seeds, stevia.  Thanks, Mom!

Lunch - Salad from Mangos restaurant - chicken, lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado.  Chicken was gross and the salad was generally flavorless.  Won't try that again.  I didn't eat the taco bowl.

Dinner - avocado toast, sweet potato pancakes, cutie, pero/postum

Super Satisfying breakfast invented by Dave, made by Mom.
Usually sweetened with honey but I threw a little stevia in there instead.

Mangos salad from Mangos restaurant Mesa.  Just no.

Dinner - more like a nighttime snack really - avocado toast, sweet potato pancakes, cutie, pero/postum

Day 12 Quinoa + Meal Prep Chili Lime Chicken

March 3

6:30 lemon water
8:00 sweet potato pancakes, egg, sauteed spinach with Jane's mixed-up salt and red pepper flakes
I don't normally like cooked spinach but something bitter sounded good this morning and was tasty with the egg.

12:00 Chopped spinach salad on a bed of slightly sauteed spiraled yellow squash - spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, cucumber, celery, italian dressing; greek yogurt mixed with frozen berries & stevia

4:15 Ezekiel bread peanut butter toast with bananas and chia seeds.  Pero/postum

7:00 Roasted garlic rosemary potatoes, roasted asparagus w/ adobo seasoning, meal prep lime chicken (recipe below - it's good!), bell peppers, milk.

Breakfast - Fried egg, sauteed spinach, sweet potato pancakes

Quinoa works great in the rice cooker - 2 cooker cups-full of quinoa.
Rinse thoroughly, fill to the #3 line with chicken broth and water.

Lunch - Chop spinach salad on a bed of spiralized
yellow squash and a side of quinoa

Lunch, cont.: Berry Greek yogurt

Snack: Peanut butter toast with bananas, pero/postum

Dinner - Roasted potatoes, chili lime chicken, vegetables

Did a little meal prep today - brussels, chicken, potatoes,
quinoa, asparagus, butternut squash (just the little bit I had left over in the fridge).

Meal Prep Baked Lime Chicken Bowls

https://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/meal-prep-baked-lime-chicken-bowls/

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large resealable bag, combine olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2. Cut chicken into cubes and add to marinade. Toss to coat. Marinate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pour marinated chicken onto baking sheet (large cookie sheet size) and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve with cooked quinoa and Lemon Green Beans Amandine or Roasted Brussels Sprouts (or other green vegetable). Enjoy!

156.2

Day 9 Nutritional Yeast

February 28

6:30 lemon water

8:00 Ezekiel English muffin avocado toast and peanut butter toast with berries and chia seeds, pero/postum in milk

12:00 Cottage cheese topped with pineapple and blueberries.  Cucumber, baby bell pepper.  Zoodles sauteed in butter and garlic, mixed with black beans and some Nutritional Yeast.  The Nutritional Yeast gave it a cheesy flavor.  I'm pondering all the other uses for it...

4:00 Clementine, blueberries, 3 dates, string cheese.  Wow, dates and string cheese are really good together.

Pilates

6:30 Homemade pizza - ham, pineapple, mozzarella, marina sauce, basil, tomatoes with spaghetti squash on the bottom instead of a crust.  I just heated it all up together (minus basil and tomato) and it was surprisingly a great combination.  I will definitely make that again.  Milk to drink.

7:45 Handful of trailmix at the church (mixed nuts and raisins)

10:30 sf hot chocolate

Breakfast - Avocado toast and peanut butter toast with berries and chia, pero/postum

Lunch - zoodles and black beans, cottage cheese & fruit

Dinner - pizza with a spaghetti squash "crust" :-)

156.8

Notes to Start

Drink more water throughout the day!

No added sugar.  Examples: cereal, desserts, candy & mints, choc milk & hot chocolate, flavored yogurt


No flour.  Examples:  bread, pasta, tortillas, chips, crackers, breaded fried food


Eat vegetables, fruit, lean protein, nuts, corn, legumes dairy, eggs, brown rice, oat groats


Quit snacking all day!  Eat 3 meals a day with small snacks in-between
If you're hungry before a meal, eat a healthy fat.

Some good fats:
Olives
Olive oil
Avocados
Nuts
Nut and seed butter
Flax
Chia
Salmon
Tuna
Edamame
Sunflower seeds
Eggs
Tofu

Notes from Bold New Mom webinar:

If you're overweight it's because you overeat, consume too much food or the wrong kind of food

What if we ate only when we're hungry and stopped when we were full?
We'd be disappointed, bored irritated, etc
Recognize that it's ok to have these negative emotions

Why do we overeat?

1. Over hunger
A healthy body with calibrated hunger is fat adapted i.e. your body knows how to utilize it's own body fat for fuel instead of you feeling you hungry all the time

Train your body to use your own body fat so you can get 'fat adapted.'

Do mild, not intense, exercise until you are at the weight you want to be. Don't use intense exercise to lose weight. It's all about the food.

Cutting out flour and sugar will be the key for most people
Any kind of flour creates over desire and over hunger
When we take these out of our diet we need to replace them with healthy fats, whole grains, protein, veg

2. Over desire (crave junk food)
Desire is an emotion that is created by your brain
We can unlearn our desire for junkfood

Circumstance - out of our control
Thoughts - we have thoughts about what to do with that food
Feeling - we have feelings about what to do with food
Action - can use will power but it's better to change your thought process in the desire before you get to Action
Result

Our brain is wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and continue doing what's kept you alive so far.

When you crave a cupcake: "I notice I keep thinking that thought, 'i really want to eat that cupcake.' I know it's possible to not crave that cupcake."
**Be willing to feel what's real and not eat to escape it.**

Food is fuel for your body. Not entertainment. Not joy. Not escape.

'i want your food to be boring and your life to be exciting'  - your life joy should not revolve around food

Hungry and don't think you can make it until dinner? Eat a scoop of a healthy fat like cream cheese

Cut out all flour and sugar for six weeks, then have it once a week

Weight set point
The weight you've been for a long time
Your body is trained to stay there
To break that, you need to train your insulin level to be low by cutting out sugar, flour, and snacking