Sunday, June 10 -- Catching Up!

Jennifer here...

Wow, can't believe a week has passed since I last posted.  I don't even know if anyone reads this so chances are, no one missed a few days of no posts.  If you actually do read these posts, maybe chime in and say hi.  Please add your name so I know who is posting.

Tomorrow, June 11, is 3 weeks that Emily and I have been doing the no-sugar-no-flour (NSNF) eating.  Emily has had one "no-no" in 3 weeks; I have had NONE.  Not one "cheat".  At this point, I have done this so long that even though I have huge cravings to be bad, I have not been bad once.  Dr. P said that if we "cheat" once, it's like starting back at day one.  If you read the first 3 posts I made a few years ago when I explained what we were doing and why Dr. P said it would work, starving our bodies of sugar will cause it to have less sugar to burn, which is fast immediate fuel, and it will have to burn stored fat (please excuse my layman explanation -- there is surely a more scientific way to describe this but it's my interpretation).  This process will also reset my metabolism and get it going again.  So knowing that, I don't want to start over and have the past 3 weeks be for nothing.  Sugar will not pass these lips.

Note that I said it has been 3 weeks that "Emily and I" have been doing NSNF and I want to clarify that the entire family is doing NSNF *but* Carly, Emily, and I are the ones doing it 100%. Tom probably could use a few pounds added on him so he will indulge in a couple things every now and then, and the boys have been invited to birthday parties and going out-to-eat with friends this week so they have note been as diligent as the girls. Just wanted to clarify that it's a family effort but the boys have had a few no-no's that I have allowed.

The last time I posted, I shared that I went in for an annual physical and my doctor said I had *extremely* low B12 levels.  She actually said I had the lowest B12 levels of any patient she's ever seen.  So, I have to have a B12 shot once a week for 4 weeks then a shot monthly for 6 more months. I have not felt any different since the first one.  The nurse showed me how to do them at home and Carly excitedly volunteered to give the shots to me at home.  My scientist.  Monday, tomorrow, will be shot #2.  Fingers crossed that this is an easy process.  I guess I am thankful that my insurance company required me to go in for a physical because it actually has been 4 years since I've had a general physical.  I go to my OB/GYN yearly for an exam and I have been getting a mammogram every year for a few years but I haven't not had a full work up in years. And I would not have gone this year either if my insurance didn't require it.  I have felt fine so I never saw a need to go for a physical.  It's scary to think all the damage going on inside my body, slowly over the years, and I was unaware.  I bet that by the time I actually started to feel bad, I would have been a mess.  I probably would already have diabetes and who knows what else.  I'm sorta glad I just had all this blood work done because I'm having it all repeated in 6 mos when they retest for my B12 and I know that everything will have gotten better by following this way of eating... and the way I know that is because that's exactly what happened last time we did the NSNF.

After I got the results for the B12, I also had to go back to the doctor and do a glucose tolerance test (I think I mentioned that too), and I got those results this past week and the results were not as good as they should have been.  Even though my sugar limits were within the "normal" range, the doctor said my numbers were on the high side of normal and she was concerned.  She said that if I didn't get this weight off immediately, I could expect to be diabetic within 3-4 years.  What crappy news to get.  Three to four years??  Wow.  I also have high cholesterol and low levels of the "good" cholesterol (can't remember if it was LDL or HDL -- I just know the bad was bad and the good was bad.).  I have to go back this week and have a consult to go over what to do with all these test results.  She said there was a med out now to help with the sugars and I might start a cholesterol medicine temporarily to help while I work on losing weight.  I'm anemic too.  How in the world I have functioned so well is beyond me.  The doc said the body just keeps adjusting and adjusting as well as it can. What I can't wait is for all my numbers to get back up to "normal" and then get my energy back!  HAHAHA!  Sometimes I don't know where I find the energy to do what I do so thinking that I might get MORE energy makes me laugh.  I'm guessing that as soon as I feel better, I'll look back and realize how bad I actually am feeling now.

I must admit that I had a few day long "pity party" for myself after all this crappy news. It still is depressing to think about but I cannot focus on the negative.  I just can't function like that.  The doctor said this surely explains memory issues, depression, exhaustion, and more.  So, I guess I need to emphasize to everyone to go get a physical and get a work-up.

I've started walking this week.  That is probably harder for me than NSNF.  I hate exercise.  Hate it.  But, I'm trying to change that attitude. I put in 10 miles this week. My youngest son is 11yo and in Boy Scouts and is working on his Personal Fitness Merit Badge.  He has to do an exercise routine for 90 days and I'm earning the Personal Fitness MB with him.  Trying to do it with a smile but everything hurts.  My arm pits hurt!!  My shins, my shoulders... it's just easier to be fat.  Bennett is liking "directing" me to do my exercises and he's charting my progress right next to his.  If I stop posting again, it's probably because my fingers hurt too bad to type. :-)

Another depressing thing this week to add to my pity-party is that I have not lost one more pound.  In 3 weeks, I am still at only 6 lbs lost.  I'll be honest that I'm PISSED!!  That is the most aggravating news of the week.  The last time I did this, I was losing about 4 pounds a WEEK.  I should be at about 12 pounds lost and I'm sitting at 6.  Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!  Very, very unhappy.  Seeing that scale unchanged wanted to make me quit more than anything.  I have NO idea what is going on.  I even added walking this week and nothing more lost!!  It makes me want to cry.  If this does not work, I just don't know what else to try.  Emily and I are going back tomorrow to weigh-in again.  Please Lord, just let it move by 1 pound.

So food journal...

I have tried a couple new recipes this week that were really good!!  Definitely will do them again.  Anything that gets thumbs-up from the family will be made again.  I don't have exact daily menus (sorry!!) but I'll give you an overview.

Breakfasts this week have included 
2 eggs with 1 piece of Ezekiel toast;
Half an Ezekiel muffin with a hard boiled egg sliced on top with a cheese slice, heated in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheese;
Half Ezekiel muffin with peanut butter

Snacks this week have included:
apple with peanut butter;
raisins;
pickles;
popcorn;
nacho chips and salsa and guacamole once;

Lunches
Lunched have been the "snack" food listed above instead of a sandwich

Dinners this week included
Nathan Hot Dogs (no buns) (Nathans doesn't have sugar added), deviled eggs, corn on the cob, fruit
Turkey / Quinoa meatloaf (see recipes), veggie stir fry (red cabbage, zucchini, walnuts with soy sauce) (see recipe), peas, fruit
Spaghetti and meatballs, green jacket salad, Ezekiel garlic toast, fruit
Leftover night, which we lovingly call YOYO Night (your on your own!)
Shrimp Pasta (see recipes), ediname

Desserts
It's summertime so we have Edy's "no sugar added" ice cream in the freezer to have every now and then.
Bennett loves making the frozen banana ice cream - made another big batch tonite (see recipes)

Wow.  Long post.  Thanks for following along.  I'm still encouraging the girls to get back to the blog and fingers crossed they will post this week.  Check back in the next day for all the recipes I mentioned above.  And I'd love to know if I'm talking to someone or just typing for nothing so say hi if you read this! :-)

Mon., June 4 - Doc follow-up

Jennifer here...

Had my follow-up appointment today with my doc to have my first B12 shot (along with a lesson on how to give them to myself) and a glucose tolerance test.  It wasn't as bad as I remember when I was pregnant.  I'll get results by the end of the week.  Had to fast before the test and then the glucose test was over a 2-hour period so it was almost 1pm before I got home.  Don't know why but I was so tired!  Snuck in a restless short nap and finally got a chance to eat about 3pm so today was not a good "food journal" day, but I have stuck to the NSNF for 2 weeks now -- no exceptions!  That doesn't mean that every step inside the grocery store doesn't pull me toward something I should not eat but I have resisted.  Today is the 2-week mark and I'm still at a 6lb loss.  Sorta frustrated since I was at 6lbs since day 10.  Will need to pick-up the exercise, which I despise.  Doc said that since my B12 was so low, that there's a good chance that when we get levels back up, my metabolism will pick back up.  It looks like I'll get an increased dose of thyroid meds too so that might help as well.  Seems I've been pushing against a wall trying to lose weight with these 2 issues. 

I made the crock-pot chicken tacos last night with a few alterations.  It was not my favorite so I won't make it again.  The salsa made it too runny so it was a mess.  I'll just stick with the chicken breast shredded and the taco seasoning/water as the taco recipe usually calls for.  It ended up being just a regular taco night after all was said and done.  We have chicken left over so it was saved for lunch today.  Regardless of what we eat, I love sitting down with my whole family to eat.

So here's my crazy food journal for today (Monday) -- no new recipes.  Will be making shrimp and grits tomorrow!!

Breakfast/Lunch - (First meal today was at 3pm because of the fasting for the doctor appointment)
- Chicken nachos -- used Kroger nacho chips with leftover chicken from last night with grated cheese melted in the microwave, then a "dollop" of low fat sour cream and about a tablespoon of leftover guacamole.
- 2 dill pickle slices (I know that does not go with Mexican but I was CRAVING them and I can't remember the last time I had a pickle spear!!  They were fabulous!!)  Guess I needed something salty to offset all the sugar that glucose test gave me.  It is probably why I am craving sugar again as well.  It takes me about 3 days to get over the initial sugar craving when I start eating this way so hoping this urge will be short lived.

Snack
- Apple with peanut butter
- 3 strawberries

Dinner
- I froze macaroni/cheese/chicken casserole I made about a week ago so I pulled that out to reheat for dinner. 

I'm really dragging tonite.  I have been dragging all day today so I'll be calling it a night early to see if I can get back some of my energy.  Many carpools for kids tomorrow and somewhere in there, I am going to get a haircut.  It's about 2 inches too long for me!!  And I'm hoping Ms. L'Oreal will be visiting this week as well!!  heehee!

Thanks for following along!
Jennifer

Sunday, June 3 - Pancakes - DELISH!!

Jennifer here....

For summer being so slow and lazy, how do I get behind on posting??

It's Sunday morning and we just tried a recipe that was soooo good that I had to go ahead and share now.  Kids LOVED it too!!  I'm so thankful for the people who experiment with recipes and share them so I can find great ideas that work for us


NSNF Pancakes!!
2 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 packet Stevia (we use Stevia drops, not powder, so I used 2 drops, BUT I did a batch and skipped the sweetener all together and it was great too.  I will skip from now on.)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
** I added blueberries as well though recipe did not call for it.  I bet you could add bananas too!  I did one batch with blueberries dropped onto the cooking pancakes and one batch with blueberries added to the bullet so they were blended into the mix.  Batter was purple-ish.  Your choice.

In your blender or bullet, blend all above ingredients until smooth (or you can choose to sprinkle cinnamon on the pancakes as they bake).  Let sit 2 minutes for bubbles to fade.  Pour onto pan sprayed with cooking spray, 2 min on one side, 1 min on other.

Serve with sugar free syrup.

Looked like a regular pancake

TASTED like a real pancake too!

I cannot believe how good these were!!!  THEY TASTED JUST LIKE THE REAL THING!!!  All 4 of my kids AND Tom loved these!!

Here's the link to the original recipe:  http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/cream-cheese-pancakes.html




For dinner tonite, I am making the crock-pot chicken tacos but not using flour tortillas; I'm using corn taco shells instead.  Will let you know how it goes!

Thurs., May 31 - Slow lazy day

Jennifer here....
Not much to thrill you with today.  One child had a doctor's appt and I sorted through junk that has piled up... but I could do that forever and still might not get to the bottom!  Worked on editing some photos too.  Just sorta a ho-hum day.

I got some of the results from my doctors appt yesterday and seems I have a severely low B12 level and I have to go back for a glucose test to see how well my body is handling sugar.  Doc said I have the lowest B12 numbers she has ever seen in a patient.  Hmmm.  Not the thing I wanted to have a first place in.  I know that Emi and I are both insulin-resistant (one of the prices we are paying for being overweight so long) so my doc wants to do a glucose test to see how my numbers look after drinking that *yummy* orange syrup - gag!  All you moms out there will remember that stuff you drank when you were pregnant to check your sugar tolerance??? Same test.  Praying for a good outcome.  Doc said I will start getting B12 shots once a week for a while and they can be given at home.  Not sure if I want to give myself shots but without hesitation, Carly excitedly volunteered.  My scientist in action.  I envision the kids fighting over who gets to torture mom this week with a needle.  Tonight google will be my friend to figure out what I can about B12 or the lack of it. Do any of you deal with B12 deficiencies?  Did you even know you had a problem?  I sure didn't.  The upside is that she said I'll get some energy back so I'm wondering if that will help with my weight loss?  Will let you know what google says.

Breakfast/Lunch
This is going to be bad but it was almost noon before I made it to the kitchen so my breakfast/lunch was nacho chips and salsa and guacamole.  I just have not been hungry in the mornings.  I make my own guac with just avacado, salt, and lemon juice.  We eat the Kroger brand tortilla chips for $1/bag and I buy Pace Picante Sauce.  Regardless of the brand you buy, check the label for sugars - the Kroger brand salsa has added sugar, Pace Mild Picante does not.


Snack
handful of raisins and later in the day I had 3 pieces of the brown rice California Roll sushi that never got eaten yesterday.  Yum!

Dinner
Mac & Cheese with chicken breast cut up as a casserole
Edename (one of my favorites!!)
Cut fresh fruit

I just can't explain enough how NOT-HUNGRY I am all day.  Now if I would exercise a little more than 1x a week, I could speed up this weight loss process.

Tomorrow I'll tackle another new recipe.  Think I'll shoot for experimenting with new recipes every other day - ish.

Thanks for reading along!
Jennifer

Zucchini Pizza Crust and Banana Ice Cream

Zucchini Pizza Crust 

(from Donna Klein’s The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen)
2 to 2 ½ cups grated raw zucchini (about ¾ lb)  [Note: I used 5 large zucchini and it was 2 3/4c)
Salt
2 eggs
1 cup shredded gluten-free part-skim mozzarella cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease a standard-size nonstick baking sheet with sides. Place the zucchini in a colander set in the sink and sprinkle liberally with salt; let drain for about 15 minutes. Rinse under cold-running water and drain well. Transfer to several layers of paper towels and squeeze to thoroughly dry. Transfer to a large bowl and add the eggs mozzarella, and pepper; toss well to thoroughly combine. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, pressing mixture evenly into the sheet with your fingers. Bake in the center of the oven until light brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Use as directed in recipe.

2 3/4c shredded zucchini

Spread on cookie sheet

Cook til golden brown.

Add your own toppings and cook!

It’s really important to squeeze as much of the liquid out of the grated zucchini as possible before mixing with the other ingredients.  Even after I drained, and squeezed in paper towels about 4x, I spread it on the cookie sheet and drained it still 3 more times!  Just keep squeezing!  The dryer the zucchini, the crispier the crust, which is what you want.
* http://aglutenfreeguide.com/zucchini-crust-gluten-free-pizza.html

Banana Ice Cream - 

EVERYONE LOVED THIS!!!!

1.  Get some bananas.  We used several "extra ripe" ones that I found marked down at the produce market, but any ripe bananas will work.

2.  Peel the bananas, cut them into approx. 1/2" slices, and put them on a tray.  

3.  Pop the tray in the freezer for a few hours until the bananas are frozen.  (Once they're frozen, you can also put them in a bag to use later).

4.  Put your bananas in a food processor or blender.  (NOTE:  I used a blender because that's what I have, but I think a food processor would have worked much better.  I had to keep pushing the frozen bananas down in the blender so the blades could reach them and it took a little longer for them to reach the right consistency)   

5.  Start mixing.  First the bananas will just get chopped up.

6.  But as you keep mixing and scraping down the sides, it'll get creamier and creamier.

7.  You can eat it right now, just out of the blender/food processor, and it'll be like a soft serve custard.

8.  Or you could put the mixture back in the freezer where it will get harder and more scoopable like regular ice cream.  [this is what the Crow's did!!  Put it in the freezer a few hours and it scoops just like ice cream!}

** I had a frozen a few strawberries yesterday that were starting to get soft so I added them to the banana puree and it was wonderful!!  The kids and I are going to experiment with adding different things to the banana puree and see what we can come up with.  Things like peanut butter, unsweetened coconut, other fruit... will let you know how it goes when we try!  ALSO, we did NOT eat this on a cone -- just straight out of a bowl.

http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/05/banana-ice-cream-made-from-bananas-only.html 

Wed., May 30 - Tried 2 New Recipes!!

Jennifer here...
Day 10 and going strong.  Trying new recipes makes this more fun!  I tried 2 new ones today and unanimous LOVE from the family!  That is such a relief!!

Weighed myself a little early and I have lost 6 pounds as of today.  It's frustrating in general how long it takes to lose weight.  I guess that I should look at it that in a month, it could be 15 pounds, and by the end of the summer, it could be 30 pounds... those are the numbers that make me happier than just 6.  It makes me want to pick up my exercise pace too.  Carly and I went to water aerobics today and we were the youngest in the class by 20+ years. :-)  Definitely stretched that age bell curve.  If water aerobics is such good exercise, why do only older people tend to take it?  Hmmmm...  Emi has a weigh in tomorrow at her doctors appt.  Fingers crossed.

Also did another run to the grocery store to get ingredients for the zucchini pizza I was making for dinner tonite and to get more fruit.  We go through $6 - $10 of fruit PER DAY in this house.  Huge part of our food budget.  But I guess it's better to spend more on the front end than pay for the medical care to fix it on the back end.  I have to keep reminding myself of that. Kroger had a HUGE "manager markdown" sale on 99% fat-free ground turkey breast -- halfprice!! -- so I bought them all!  On a hunt now for turkey recipes.  I have a great recipe for spinach turkey stuffed shells that is amazing!!  I'm sure I'll make and freeze a couple batches of those, maybe make some meatballs and freeze them, and we only have taco night with turkey meat instead of beef.  I'm sure it will be gone quickly.  Kroger also had boneless, skinless chicken breasts marked down to $.99/lb and I got the 6 remaining packages.  We eat chicken all the time.  It was a good savings day at Kroger!

Food journal for the day...

Breakfast/Lunch (I had a doctors appt today and had to fast for a blood test so I didn't eat until LATE)
triscuits and swiss cheese (one of my fav snack meals)

Snack
3 pieces of brown rice sushi (I love sushi and Kroger sells a brown rice sushi.  I was nice enough to share it with my 2 girls and Tom since they love it too, thus, I only got 3 pieces. *sigh*)

Dinner - NEW RECIPE!! (next post)
Zucchini crust pizza - unanimous thumbs up from the family -- all of them!!  I've already been asked to make this again.  Easy and I got more veggies in the kids with this pizza than I do in a week!!! :-) heehee!

Dessert - NEW RECIPE!! (next post)
Homemade banana strawberry ice cream - they LOVED this too!!  Am making more tonite.  So healthy that they can eat it whenever they'd like.

I really can't say enough how full I feel all the time.  This is coming from a person who likes to eat just to eat, regardless of "hunger".  Being hungry was never a criteria for me to eat.  But with NSNF, I just feel full all the time so I don't eat.  Really different feeling to not want to eat. :-)

Thanks for checking in to this wonderful day in the life of a Crow!
Jennifer

Tuesday, May 29 - Happy Birthday April!

Jennifer here- for Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Oh how the day got away from me and I didn't post last night.  My 3-hour nap at 5:30pm got in the way. :-)  And since that nap ran through dinner, it was YOYO night at my house ("your on your own"), aka LEFTOVERS.

We've now been going NSNF for 9 days.  My cravings are gone except I get the munchies in the evening.  A big glass of tea (unsweet with stevia) usually fixes it or I'll have a few raisins -- maybe 2 tablespoons-ish.  And I am not hungry as often, which is good. I guess all the fiber keeps me feeling fuller longer.  No cheating for me though!!  Just wanted to make sure everyone knew I have not cheated once!

I also want to say 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SWEET FRIEND APRIL B.! 

HUGS FRIEND!!

I'll get to the point -- food journal for Tuesday

Breakfast/Lunch - loving sleeping late these summer days.

1 slice Ezekiel toasted
1 hard boiled egg sliced on the toast with 1 piece of cheese on top, melted in microwave

Snack
apple with peanut butter and raisins

Dinner - LEFTOVERS!
pork tenderloin
quinoa
"mock" mashed potatoes (mashed garlic and cheese cauliflower)

Follow my "no sugar no flour" recipe board on pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/jennifercrow/no-sugar-no-flour-nsnf/

"Mock" Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Black Bean Brownies

"Mock" Garlic Mashed Potatoes

From the Food Network - Chef: George Stella

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon straight chicken base or bullion (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about
6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower
very dry between several layers of paper towels.

In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot
cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, chicken base, and pepper
until almost smooth.Garnish with chives, and serve hot with pats of butter.

Hint: Try roasting the garlic and adding a little fresh rosemary for a whole new taste.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-
recipe/index.html#dialog 

Black Bean Brownies

*Note: I have made a few changes to this recipe showing the ingredients I used
 that I had on hand.  The original had organic and raw options that I didn't use. 
To see original recipe, link is below.

Tools

• Blender or food processor
• 8″x8″ cake pan

(These come out only about an inch thick, so if you like them thicker, double
 the recipe, change to a 9″x13″ pan, and add a little more baking time.)

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1-½ Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt
• walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse beans very thoroughly and drain them completely. Now do it again.
   You really don’t want any “beany” tasting liquid in your brownies!
3. In your blender, add rinsed and drained beans, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, sugar
   or honey, and cocoa powder. Blend until smooth, then add the salt and pulse
   until well mixed. Batter will be thin.
4. Grease an a 8″x8″ baking dish liberally with coconut oil, and pour batter into
   dish. Top with optional walnuts or other toppings.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top and sides are set, and the insides are just
   a little soft.
6. Cool before serving and enjoy!

http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/grain-free-brownie-recipe 

Monday, May 28 - The boys are home!

Jennifer here...

Tom and Bennett are home from backpacking with the Boy Scouts.  Lots of excitement as a bear was in their camp Saturday night.  The bear didn't get any of their equipment but got the "bear bag" of a neighboring campsite. Bear bags are where you put all your food and supplies overnight so the bear DOESN'T get it...  guess theirs wasn't high enough??  Like a good fish story, I'm sure by this weekend, the bear story will have grown to a full-blown attack with all the 11yo scouts beating him off with their "bear" hands!! :-)  I've heard all about bear poop, claw marks, and that the bear peed on one of the adult tents!! Totally cool!!  But it was also a bummer that they didn't get to actually see him.

We didn't get to cookout with our friends as I hoped today but I did get to experiment in the kitchen.  I am really having fun finding all these possible recipes!!  Pinterest has really been awesome for that!  I didn't have near as many options when we first did this a couple years ago.  I made a no-sugar-no-flour (NSNF) recipe board on my pinterest page if you want to follow me.

I am remembering now from the last time we did NSNF that after a few days into it, I am not as hungry during the day as when I do not eat this way.  When I look back at everything I eat during the day, I surprise myself that I didn't eat more.

Here's what today held for my meals and recipes.

Breakfast (another late start today - the joys of sleeping in during the summer!! breakfast wasn't until noon)
2 scrambled eggs (leftover from yesterday morning)
sausage (leftover from yesterday morning)
1 piece Ezekiel bread, toasted, with raspberry Polaner jelly


Snack
small handful of raisins (probably about 2 tablespoons??)

Dinner
Meatloaf  (my kids LOVE meatloaf.  We eat red meat about 1x a month and it's usually this.)
Corn on the cob
Cut fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, and grapes today - we go through a LOT of fresh fruit every day)
"Mock Mashed Potatoes" (aka mashed cauliflower) - RECIPE TO COME
** The mock potatoes were a HUGE hit!!  The fam LOVED them and I did too!  I have already had a request to make them again.  We had some leftover so I'll let you know tomorrow how they reheat.  I loved the slight garlic taste and adding a little salt and butter after serving really did give the feel of mashed taters.


Dessert
Black Bean Brownies (NSNF brownies) - RECIPE TO COME
No-Sugar Added Breyers Vanilla ice cream (about 1/4 cup)

 I just laugh at myself as I set up these "photos".  It feels silly to pose food for you to see so someone tell me the visuals help.  HA!  But, above are the ingredients for the Black Bean Brownies.  I might have to get Kroger to sponsor me since that's where I get 80% of our groceries and their name brand stuff will be in most of my photos.  I'll post the Black Bean Brownie recipe in another entry but it's also pinned on my NSNF pinterest board.  There is a "follow me on Pinterest" link on my blog home page.

And here are the finished brownies with walnuts sprinkled on top before baking:

So how did they taste??  I must say I was pleasantly surprised!!  I made a double batch.  Next time I will use a little less cocoa powder.  I think I had too much.  They are a little dry (more cake-like, not fudgy or gooey), thus adding the no-sugar-added Breyers ice cream.  But there was enough hint of "sweet" that I think this did really well for a healthier alternative to a traditional brownie.  I'd make it again!!  And all the kids gave it a thumbs up -- and THAT is what it's all about!!  Of course, this will be a limited treat. I am just having fun trying new things to see what the possibilities are.  Tomorrow I am going to try a BLT Pasta salad. The recipe looks YUM!

I guess I need to say that we have done no exercise.  That is NOT good but just the way the days have gone on this long lazy weekend.  We'll do better tomorrow and will update you.

We will be doing weigh-ins every 2 weeks so next Monday I'll post our changes.  Thanks for following this day in the life of a Crow.
Jennifer

May 27 - Memorial Day Weekend

jennifer here...
I'm missing Tom.  Am waiting for he and Bennett to get home.  They have been backpacking with the Scouts this weekend. Hope they had a great time.  I love that Tom has always enjoyed doing scouting stuff with our boys.  He's such a great dad.

And it's Memorial Day weekend - this photo is amazing.  I actually followed the blog of the photographer that made it where she showed what she did to create it.  Very neat process.  Photo that says a thousand words...  One of my boys has always wanted to go into the military so this photo makes me pause.  It sure is a special person who has this sacrifice laid on his or her heart by God to be willing to serve and be willing to give their life if asked.  It is humbling to walk by a serviceman/woman and know that next week, month, year, they may be called from their home and family and would be willing to do this for me... for the concept of freedom...  so that I can blog about a different way of eating.  We take so much for granted.  What is the quote about the 2 people willing to die for each of us... Jesus Christ and the American soldier??

Since it's Memorial Day weekend, some friends have invited us over for a cookout tomorrow afternoon.  I'm soooo grateful that she knows all about the NSNF venture we are doing and supports it because we can join them for dinner and stay on track!! I'm going to try the black bean brownies on my NSNF pinterest board.  Will let you know how that turns out.

One thing I really love about NSNF eating is that you really are never hungry. I may WISH I could eat a cookie or some junk food, and I might CRAVE something unhealthy, but there's always a lot to eat.  For our family, I remove EVERYTHING from this house that doesn't qualify for NSNF.  My neighbor laughs when we show up at their door with bags full of our groceries that I don't want in the house and says, "your diet is making me gain weight!!"  There is just too many temptations to eat something "wrong" if no one is looking, so if the only food I have in the house fits in NSNF, it keeps me from following them every time they walk in the kitchen to make sure they are eating the right stuff.  It's nice knowing that whatever they pick-up to eat fits NSNF.  Takes the pressure off me and helps minimize slip-ups.


So, my food journal for the day... :-)

Breakfast (really brekkie/lunch -- we slept late today!)
2 scrambled eggs with cheese
sausage


Late Lunch/snack-
swiss cheese and cracked pepper triscuits  (this is one of my fav snack/small meals.  fast and filling. watch the amt of cheese. lotsa calories.)

Dinner
pork tenderloin (thx Ed!! it was yum!!))
quinoa cooked in ckn broth with some soy sauce
canned corn
no sugar added fudgesicle for dessert - i love those.

Carly didn't get her post up last night.  I'll encourage her to finish tonite.  My sister called from the grocery store today and is back on NSNF with us too and needed to know what to buy.  It is more fun when we all share recipes and are eating the same foods.  It's even more fun when we do a weight check in 2 weeks and have dropped weight!  I love that she will call my girls and support them - helps everyone on bad days.

You can post questions here as comments if you want and I'll be happy to answer.  I'm not an expert but can share what we've learned so far.

Happy Memorial Day friends!  Please shake the hand and thank the men and women in uniform you pass this weekend and any day of the week.
Jennifer

Jennifer here!
Wanted to give you a menu update for today.  I felt like I was running a taxi service today - 4 different pick-ups and drop-offs for kids so it was not a regular breakfast/lunch/dinner day.

My Breakfast
A big ol' glass of unsweet tea with Stevia with a NSNF Strawberry Muffin. (see recipe tab)

Lunch
In between 2 carpools, lunch was a snack - I had a handful of Tostitos chips (not "nutritious" but allowed on NSNF since they are made with CORN, not flour - always check the ingredients label.)

Dinner
Baked chicken and homemade macaroni and cheese. (and to be honest, it was the *worst* mac and cheese I have ever made!!!  Threw all the leftovers away. I usually can ROCK some mac and cheese!)  I always make mac and cheese from scratch since the store bought stuff is full of chemicals.  My mac/cheese is elbow noodles, eggs, milk, and cheddar baked in a casserole dish.  I put a whole chicken in the oven during carpools and it was all ready when I got home.

I drink a LOT of ice tea every day - unsweet with Stevia drops added - and that takes care of many of my cravings.  Tea is my coffee.  When I brew it at home, it is half regular Lipton black tea bags, and either half white tea bags or green tea bags. White tea bags give it a light taste and white tea is super healthy!

I want to mention Stevia.  We buy the bottle of Stevia DROPS.  Kroger sells it in the natural section in a dark brown glass bottle and sometimes there are flavors.  I always buy plain and we add the drops to our tea.  I do NOT use Truvia because there is sugar in that.  I use straight Stevia which is a natural sweetener made from a leaf, not chemicals.  I have not tried to cook with it, though you can.  The drops are super concentrated so I'd have to do some research to figure out how much to use.  I could not live without Stevia drops for my tea.  The bottle is about $12 but it lasts us a month with most of the family using it many times a day.

~~~~~~~~
Emily's eating schedule was abnormal today too mainly since she slept until 1pm.  Her "breakfast" wasn't until mid-afternoon.

"Breakfast after lunch" - 2 pieces Ezekiel toast with butter

Snack - Apple
Dinner - Baked chicken and macaroni and cheese with a sugar-free popsicle for dessert
Snack - She has a friend spending the night so they are now making air-popped popcorn and playing cards.

Sugar-Free Popsicle and No-Sugar Added fudgesicles are items I will "splurge" on for the kids. They fit into the NSNF plan.  Even though these have artificial sweeteners, it's an exception I make so the kids aren't completely deprived from "ice cream".  Occasionally, I will also purchase Breyers "no sugar added" ice cream as a treat too.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I try not to buy "sugar-free" items regularly since that really means chemical sweeteners take the place of sugar and I don't want to add all the chemicals to our bodies but the ice cream/fudgesicles are the exceptions I make.  Here's what I get:
 

Emily created a YUMMY lemonade today that I'm EXCITED about!!  I love it when we find new things made in a healthier way.  She added lemon juice to water (about a 3-to-1 ratio) and then she added Stevia to sweeten it and it was really good!!  It is tart, but I like it that way. 

Thanks for following us!  Would love your comments and questions!
Jennifer

Strawberry Muffins - NSNF

This is Jennifer.

Found this on another website (http://dashingdish.com/recipe/strawberry-shortcake-muffins/) and made them with my 11yo son who loves to bake!  The kids were happy with the results!!  We tried 2 batches experimenting with different sweeteners -- one batch used honey and one batch we used applesauce.  The family definitely preferred the honey batch -- sweeter taste, darker color.  The applesauce batch was bland.  We'll try stevia at some point.  You'll see her note about using a foil liner - I didn't use them since I didn't have them on hand and the muffins really did stick pretty bad to the paper liner.  Take her advice on that!  I put these in a zip-lock in the fridge and we've warmed them up for breakfast the past couple mornings with a banana.  Also had one as a snack one day.  This is a nice substitution for a traditional muffin.  I'm on a mission now to see what other recipes I can substitute oatmeal for flour.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

http://dashingdish.com/recipe/strawberry-shortcake-muffins/

2 1/2c	Oats (old fashioned kind, not quick cooking)
1 cup	Plain low fat greek yogurt
2	Eggs
3/4 cup	Sweetener of choice, (that measures the same as sugar) or 1/4 cup (about 12-15 packets) baking tbs stevia sweetener1
1 1/2 tsp	Baking powder
1/2 tsp	Baking soda
1 1/2c	Strawberries, diced, and patted dry + (optional 1/2 cup strawberries, diced to place on top of muffins)
Optional	1 tsp lemon juice
*Note	The paper liners don’t work well when baking with a base that does not include flour (which is the case with this recipe), they always seem to stick to the paper. If you don’t have a silicone muffin tin or liners, I recommend buying the foil cupcake liners at the store, and removing the paper inserts so you are only using the foil part of the liner! That way no sticking will occur!

		The estimated total time to make this recipe is 30-35 Minutes. 1 -Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with silicone or foil liners, (or just use a silicone muffin pan). 2 -Place all of the ingredients (except the strawberries) in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. Pour mixture into a medium sized bowl, and stir in strawberries. Divide remaining 1/2 cup diced strawberries over the top of each muffin. (This step is optional, but it really makes the strawberries burst with color and flavor on top of each muffin!) 3 -Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Nutrition Breakdown 12 Servings (muffins) 93 Calories Per Serving 2 WWP+* *Weight Watchers Points per serving

Hey! This is Emily...

This is the Ezekiel 4:9 bread we eat. We get it from Kroger in the frozen case in the natural section.  It's at Earth Fare too. We also buy Ezekiel wraps.  Not every Ezekiel bread is flour-free but the orange bag is.

Hi everyone! Emily here. if you've read my mom's posts you know what is going on with the whole NSNF diet. Ive tried this diet before and lost 40 pounds with very little exercise. i am excited to start it up again, and even though its hard as mess to say no to the slice of birthday cake, But just thinking about being 10, 20 or even 50 pounds lighter makes me want to walk a little bit farther and eat a little less. I am going to keep my entries short and sweet cause even my head started to hurt after reading everything my mom posted! lol love you mum!

I am excited to spend these 2 months working my lazy butt off and i am glad you guys are here to support me.

I might as well do a daily food update while im on here!
Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast
(i know this is bad but i was awake for quite a while and i had 2 lunches.)
Lunch: Bologna Ezekiel wrap
Lunch2: Chicken enchiladas made of Ezekiel
Dinner: Orzo pasta

Uhh thats about it. i keep myself from being crazy ravenous by chewing gum! there's a tip for you! GUM! SUGARFREE GUM WILL BE YOUR FRIEND! except for the fact your chewing it... its not nice to nom your friends.

I want something sweet so bad... -.-
~Emily

So, where to start... again.

This is Jennifer.  I'm the mom.  I only introduce myself because hopefully there will be 3 of us adding to this blog - my 2 daughters, Carly (16yo) and Emily (14yo) have said they would post too.  I'm super excited they are willing to share because they are such amazing kids and that I just know their story and experiences will help someone else. 

I'm actually a little hesitant to start this blog again because I'm embarrassed that we didn't complete our goal the first time.  But my sweet friend April told me a while back that if failing is part of the process, I needed to share that too.  So here's to failure... but more importantly, here's to trying again.

It's been almost 3 years since I last posted.  It sure doesn't seem that long.  So that you know what in the world we are doing, PLEASE stop now and go back and read my first 4 posts starting in August 2009.  It will help you understand what we are doing in detail, but in a nutshell, I am overweight.  Emily is overweight too. We each have 90 pounds to lose.... but I bet dropping 100 would be even better.  It makes me sick to think of what a crappy role model I have been for my kids when it comes to nutrition to let one of them get so overweight.  The boys have weight to lose too.  It's not just Emily, but unfortunately, that sweet angel has a huge mountain to climb and I'm going every step with her.  Her weight is not her fault, it's mine.  I believe parents of overweight kids are completely to blame. You'll find me hating myself a lot for this... until I help her change it.

This change in diet - no sugar no flour - works for us when we follow it so we are starting again... but it only works for us when we are committed *completely*.  Oh how much importance is in that one word - completely.  90% doesn't work for us.

When Carly started NSNF with us 2+ years ago, she caught on quick!!  What little "chubby" she had, fell off quickly, and the way she looked at food completely changed.  It was the best thing we could have taught her.  Her will-power is amazing.  NSNF helped her weight BUT 18mos ago, she was diagnosed with arthritis. It sucks that she's only 16yo and has arthritis.  Specifically, she has ankylosing spondylitis (AS).  AS is a chronic, inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune disease.  Tom (my hubby, her dad) has it too.  She'll talk about AS in her future posts.  Her pediatrician specifically recommended this diet change as one way to manage the arthritis. Carly is part of a Facebook group with other teens with AS and there are always questions about how diet changes help.  Hopefully her sharing will help some of them who also want to see if this can minimize their pain too.

OK, now that I've caught you up, what I want is for one of us to post DAILY.  We will post everything we eat every day, including any recipes we find.  I'm hoping that if we do that, you all will have something to follow in case you want to do this too.

I'm going to try and figure out how I can divide this blog into sections where we can post recipes or food journals in one area, and have another section where each of us can post so this doesn't become jumbled.  Have patience if we move things around.

To get her motivated, and it *has* motivated her, I told Emily that if she kept the blog going and "talked" to other teens who might also be overweight to help them, so they could see they could do this too, that we'd figure out how to make this into an e-book to sell.  I want her to write "from a teen to a teen".  I've asked her to share her good thoughts and the ones where she was mad at me too for not letting her cheat.  Not every day is a good day. She could tell everyone that even though she REALLY wanted an ice cream cone, she ate air-popped popcorn instead (which she is doing at this moment!).  I want her to tell other teens that this is not a cake-walk but if you know ALL the things you can eat, you are never hungry.  I want her to educate others like Dr. Pendergrast educated us.  It's a simple as reading the ingredients on the box... or better yet, eat the things that don't have an ingredient list - like an apple.

Holy moly!  I'm rambling!  I'm a talker.  So, here's what I ask you...
- First, thanks for reading. We hope this helps someone so share this blog with a friend who might want to lose weight or help their child lose weight.  Invite others who could benefit. I don't want to have "followers" just to have followers; I'd rather have a dozen people who are benefiting from our experience. :-)
- NO NEGATIVE TALK.  I will NOT allow negative comments or bad vibes here.  You might not agree with what we are doing, and that is fine, but you are not allowed to share that here.  If you do not agree with us, you go do your thing on your blog and we'll do our thing on our blog.  Me, and my teenage girls are putting it out there for everyone to see and they are to be commended for that.  Please support them. Encourage them. Pray for them... us. Be POSITIVE!!
- Be sure to sign-up and "follow" this blog so you get notified when we post.
- Lastly, if you haven't gone back yet and read the first four posts I ever made on this blog in 2009, do it now so this begins to makes sense.

Today is Day 4 since we started back.  Every minute of the first 3 days were hard but it gets easier.  I rarely eat ice cream but for some reason, that's all I have wanted the past 3 days when I could not have it!!  The craving for sugar dies down.  The food diary will start tomorrow of the past few days.

So here's to one day at a time...  a day in the life of a Crow...
Jennifer