Dori
315 posts
Mar 09, 2006
6:19 AM
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Just thinking of you this morning. I haven't lost anything in the past three weeks (inches maybe because I've been exercising, but not pounds). I have been using Bryanna's Fiber for Life cookbook and find it all very WW point friendly. I have a general target of 6-8 points per meal and when I plug in Bryanna's recipes into the point calculator I ALWAYS hit my target and am stuffed... I like this! The desserts are high, but the regular meals aren't.
I recently made Bryanna's green bean guacamole from the ALMOST NO FAT COOKBOOK. I ate a whole cup of the stuff with celery (5 stalks) and it cost me 1 point on the flex plan, it would be a filling low calorie core food too.
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"To cook is to create. And to create well...is an act of integrity, and faith." - author unknown
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Debbie
1041 posts
Mar 09, 2006
9:56 AM
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Hi Dori,
I lost 13 lbs. and then stopped loosing for the last 4 weeks but I maintained. That's a good thing. I still go to the WW meeting and vowed not to quit. If I quit I will gain it all back. I tried the Walk Away the Pounds DVD this week. That too, the exercise, I got tired of walking so I changed my exercise routine with the DVD now.
I have been craving ethnic food in the past weeks and ate out more. So some of the dishes we had were greasy. Right now, I am tired of bland American food and in search for hot and spicy dishes like Thai, Indian, or Indonesian dishes. I even crave for food with coconut milk like curries...hhmm...yum! That's bad because of the loaded fat. I guess my Indonesian blood is boiling right now, you know, we tend to crave for the food that we grew up with. I have been cooking Indonesian dishes recently and tried to cut down the fat. Indonesian soups are great too. Maybe in the future I will come up with an Indonesian Vegan cookbook. ;-) There is not one in the vegan cookbooks market, I believe.
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Debbie
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne
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cv
145 posts
Mar 09, 2006
10:01 AM
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Go for it, Debbie! You'd be the perfect author! Catherine
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Debbie
1043 posts
Mar 09, 2006
10:19 AM
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Catherine,
You think so, huh? :-) I don't have the time now to write and create the recipes. I also realized how much fat Indonesian dishes have in it. We use a lot of coconut milk in our dishes. I also notice that we use a lot candle nuts that have a lot of fat also. If I make the recipes, I have to do it 2 ways, the original and the lower fat versions.
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Debbie
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne
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Dori
316 posts
Mar 09, 2006
10:38 AM
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With your passion for cooking Debbie, I think you would enjoy such a project! Bryanna once posted recipe for coconut milk replacement.... I think it is in the ALMOST NO FAT COOKBOOK, maybe this can give the taste without the high fat. I am beginning to be "daring" and try indian food. I am not a hot fan, but curried dishes are growing on me.
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"To cook is to create. And to create well...is an act of integrity, and faith." - author unknown
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JulieH
266 posts
Mar 09, 2006
10:54 AM
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Hi Debbie,
I know what you mean about craving ethnic food. Everytime I've done Weight Watchers I always drop out because the food always seems too plain. Okay for a while but then I want more. Plus they really encourage the use of fake sugar and non-fat dairy products, both of which I don't eat. I always seem more satisfied with my meals when they're hot and spicy and full of flavor.
So I'm thinking about doing WW again, maybe doing the core plan. Any advice or input? I really think my main problem is snacking and eating too much. It's hard since my office is in my kitchen.
Julie
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Debbie
1044 posts
Mar 09, 2006
12:30 PM
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Dori,
Yes, I tried the Mock Coconut Milk last night but was having problem to find a good Coconut Extract so I didn't like it. I think it was due to the yucky imitation coconut extract I bought from the market. I may have to buy it on-line to get a good one. Anyone has other suggestion beside Frontier brand? I went to 3 markets and didn't find any. I ended up buying the Schilling brand. I don't know why Whole Foods didn't have the Frontier Coconut Extract. There are so many vanilla, lemon, and almond flavors. I think the mock coconut milk will be good depending on the coconut flavoring.
Julie,
True about Weight Watcher, I feel like an odd member because I don't use dairy products and the leader keep talking about the importance of drinking milk. I just ignore it. I don't usually follow their recipes and use my own or my vegan cookbooks. Same thing about the fake sugar, I use agave nectar and Stevia in my coffee or tea which I don't use much. So I just ignore their suggestion for Equal or Splenda. But I cut out sugar completely and only have a dessert once a week or once every 2 weeks. Somehow, I don't have problem craving sugary food. I am more a chips and nuts eater.
But what I like about WW is the meeting and to keep going to weigh myself every week. The support from them to keep track what I eat is what I need and to exercise. If I don't go to check with them once a week (which is actually to check about myself) I just let loose of everything. I just don't have the self-discipline to be my own weight watcher. I just love food so much that I need someone else to remind me to limit them. I also tend to stop exercising if I don't have them to remind me. I also like their tricks and suggestions that they recommend for the environment at home. For example, I love nuts and chips. I used to snack on nuts all the time. Their recommendation is not to have it around at all. It works because there are candies at home and I don't touch them because they are not my weakness. Time to time, I am looking for snacks and ended up eating fruits which is available (on purpose). Then, if you have kids, they teach you what to do to avoid eating your kids' food, things like that.
The meeting and the group support is the most important, I think. My leader is very funny so I am entertained when I go to her meetings. You really need to find a good group and a good and funny leader so you will enjoy going to the meetings. There are 15 men in my meeting group. It is a very unusual group. They joke a lot with the leader and the rest of us are very entertained on top of learning things. My leader is also very good to keep all of us on track. So the leader and the meeting is the key.
The Core plan is very easy for us as healthy vegans to follow. It is what we eat and cook everyday. My leader said that you cannot eat processed food if you are in Core plan and you have to cook your own food (versus buying frozen food). That's us. We don't eat processed food. So that's easy to follow. In fact, I am sorry for those people who follow the Core plan and don't know how to cook grains.
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Debbie
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne
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Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
1451 posts
Mar 09, 2006
1:20 PM
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Debbie, you can order things straight from the Frontier Naturals website-- here's the baking flavors (which are flavoring oils) page:
http://www.frontiercoop.com/dspCatPct.php?ct=ssbfbf
According to Cook's Thesaurus;
"These [flavoring oils] are highly concentrated essences of a wide variety of flavors... They're often used to make hard candies and lip glosses, but they also make excellent substitutes for extracts--just use much less than the recipe calls for. Look for flavoring oils near the spices in large supermarkets or in candy supply stores or pharmacies. You can store them indefinitely in a cool, dark place." and
"One part flavoring oil is roughly equivalent to four parts extract, but this may vary according to the products used. To be safe, begin by substituting 1/8 teaspoon of oil per teaspoon of extract, then add more drops of oil until you're satisfied with the flavor."
But most of the flavoring oils you find contain artificial ingredients, just like the extracts. Frontier's products are natural. Some of the oils on this page are natural (marked wit a green leaf), and some are not (unfortunately, the coconut is not):
http://www.faeriesfinest.com/extracts.html
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"To look like a goddess, eat like a peasant." Karen Andres
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JulieH
267 posts
Mar 09, 2006
2:55 PM
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Debbie,
Thanks for all of your input. I am going to give it a try and see how it goes. My downful is definitely salty/crunchy foods (like my kids Salt and Pepper Kettle chips).
I have the Frontier coconut flavor (extract) and I don't like it. It smells very fake to me. Maybe there are some better tasting/smelling brands out there.
Julie
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JulieH
268 posts
Mar 09, 2006
2:55 PM
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Debbie,
Thanks for all of your input. I am going to give it a try and see how it goes. My downful is definitely salty/crunchy foods (like my kids Salt and Pepper Kettle chips).
I have the Frontier coconut flavor (extract) and I don't like it. It smells very fake to me. Maybe there are some better tasting/smelling brands out there.
Julie
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Bryanna
Owner/Moderator
1453 posts
Mar 09, 2006
3:25 PM
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That's a shame, Julie-- there has to be one out there!
Here are some American sources-- anyone want to try them?
This one is supposed to be naturally-flavored and organic:
http://www.naturesflavors.com/product_info.php/cPath/82/products_id/3764
http://www.americanspice.com/catalog/20569/Flavorings_&_Extracts/Coconut_Oil.html?DEPT=5&PAGE=CF&_ssess_=5188eca6600acd427724204f3accd7f1
http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/detail.jsp?id=1748COCNUT&pv=1141945765828
http://www.lorannoils.com/Productsdetail.asp?ProductName=COCONUT+FLAVOR
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"To look like a goddess, eat like a peasant." Karen Andres
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Debbie
1045 posts
Mar 09, 2006
3:30 PM
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Thanks, Bryanna! I ordered it on-line from Frontier. I was aggravated that none of the markets carried the Frontier brand or other natural extract because I wanted to use it last night.
Julie,
I love that Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips. Isn't that the best? YES, I gained weight eating those last Summer. I was serving it to guests and ended up eating the leftover myself. Yes, it is dangerous! It is hard when other family members eat it too and have it around. They may have to hide it from you. Mitchell likes Planters mixed nuts which is my downfall too but he is pretty territorial with his snacks and made me guilty when he found out that I ate some.
I already ordered the Frontier Coconut Flavor on-line. I will try it in the mock coconut milk. If I don't like it then I will keep searching for one. I am thinking maybe the Asian or Indian markets will have something like that.
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Debbie
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne
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JulieH
269 posts
Mar 12, 2006
6:38 PM
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Thanks Bryanna for all of the coconut extract suggestions. I will give those a try.
Debbie, Yes, they are the Kettle Chips salt and pepper flavor (you should see and taste some of their newest flavors too). Yikes, they are TOO good! But, I have to retrain myself with my snacking. Actually, after being out of town for the past 4 days, I am craving salads and veggies. So this might help me get back on track. It's funny, because I usually have close to 25 pounds of chocolate in the house (for work), but I don't have the urge to snack on it. But leave a bag of crunchy salty snacks near me, and...
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