Who's doing "back to the basic's" challenge?

And just to prove it..... I am having a clementine orange for breakfast and a few triscuits. Lunch is a pear and small salad with cukes, tomatos and greens.

I am guessing dinner at tuna steak......... broccoli and brown rice.... and water.

I have teddy grahams for snack and an apple....8-|

What do you think for a beginner?


This is oh so much harder than I thought.

Usually I just starve to diet. You can sse how successful that is?

Thanks for such a great site!!!!!
Lizbeth

Had a REALLY BAD WEEK, but I've picked myself up, dusted myself off and have climbed back in the saddle again. Even with the slip ups, I'm not throwing in the towel.

Kiddo

I am doing the challenge. I have had a fruit salad everyday since this started. The one I made yesterday has Peaches, grapes, sweet bing cheeries, watermelon, and fresh pineapple.
I also always eat a salad of leaf lettuce, green onions, mushrooms, carrots, cucmbers, tomatoes and celery with Fat Free Itialian Dressing. Plus I have had broccoli 3 times this week. I love this time of year when fresh fruits and veggies are so abundant.

Judy2

I'm here too. :wave: Trying hard to fit it all in. I can see why we are focusing on this for a month. I like the changes i am seeing in terms of feeling healthy. I have more energy, sleep better, and am losing weight a a better rate. Thats enough reasons to stick with it. :x

I'm in for the long haul!! I envy you guys with gardens, but we do have the Farmer's Market on weekends and I get a pretty good selection at my Supermarket.
I love the veggies and am working on the fruit, so am still at the low end of two a day.
I do a lot of frozen as well vs. fresh as I don't cook every day. Living alone I can DO that! I cook once a week and freeze portions for the week ahead.
That broccoli and brown rice sounds good!!
I have two more large bags of asparagus and two of cherries, thanks to my Mom......who didn't want them. What can I do with the cherries? Any ideas?

Brenda

Me, I had two apples yesterday, they were so good. Someone bought me Mcdonalds cause they felt bad for me. I ate it cause one I was straving and two, well It was just a happy meal. But it didnt stay long with me. I have noticed since I dont eat alot of fatty foods anymore. Anything greasy, pregnant or not makes me sick. Does anyone else notice that.

That is what I've been waiting to hear... yea smallfri....

yes, that is one of the benefits, IMO. I have not craved anything since I've added a lot of fruits and veggies and there is enough natural sugar (natural sugar burns faster than "other" sugars) in the fruits to keep my body happy.

YOu have been waiting to here greasy food makes me sick. Or that because of it I am eating better. Well any way you look at it. Tis the season for the biggest variety of fruits and veggies and I am going to take advantage of it. I may even take out a few bucks and head to the farmers market.

That's part of it... I've found that once I eat healthy with fruits and veggies, I tend not to have cravings for sugary items and I tend to get a woozy stomach on greasy food.

IMHO, its great that your seeing that. Your the first person that metioned it for the challenge and that is exactly what you should be feeling, IMO.


Originally posted by smallfri
YOu have been waiting to here greasy food makes me sick. Or that because of it I am eating better. Well any way you look at it. Tis the season for the biggest variety of fruits and veggies and I am going to take advantage of it. I may even take out a few bucks and head to the farmers market.

Cool thought I was getting wierd or something. LOL. But great to understand its natural.

John,
Me too I am eating 3 or 4 fruits a day and 5 or 6 veggies. Was doing great then I ate blueberries and got very sick. Now I am still eating seedless fruits and have to cook my veggies for a while. Did notice I wasn't as hungry as before and eating a lot less of other food but still eating a well balanced diet!

Won't be long till I have veggies from my garden!!:D

Love and hugs,
Lizzie

:wave: :up: Count me in! This way of eating I have always found to be a lot cheaper than the fast food routine. Mind you I was never big on that. :D I got big on my joy of cooking and eating rich food! But getting back to basics just means to me eating the old fashioned way. Used to be a time in my life when fruits and veggies were the norm and the other stuff was for fancy folk. :D

Never been a fancy folk myself. :D

Sorry to hear you got sick.. but your doing great. I feel less hungry as well.


Originally posted by Lizzie B
John,
Me too I am eating 3 or 4 fruits a day and 5 or 6 veggies. Was doing great then I ate blueberries and got very sick. Now I am still eating seedless fruits and have to cook my veggies for a while. Did notice I wasn't as hungry as before and eating a lot less of other food but still eating a well balanced diet!

Won't be long till I have veggies from my garden!!:D

Love and hugs,
Lizzie

That's great Vxxxt .... I find it costs less or about the same as buying junk foods but its much more healthier way to eat.


Originally posted by Vxxxt
:wave: :up: Count me in! This way of eating I have always found to be a lot cheaper than the fast food routine. Mind you I was never big on that. :D I got big on my joy of cooking and eating rich food! But getting back to basics just means to me eating the old fashioned way. Used to be a time in my life when fruits and veggies were the norm and the other stuff was for fancy folk. :D

Never been a fancy folk myself. :D

I think it is.. how about everyone else?


Originally posted by smallfri
Cool thought I was getting wierd or something. LOL. But great to understand its natural.

Carrotts are always cheap, celery is never too expensive all year 'round here, cabbage is reasonably priced though I do remember when it cost a lot less. 8-| But then that is just showing how old I am. :D

And at this time of year I can eat a foot long cucumber for just over a dollar, not that I would; but try to fill up on a dollar's worth of junk food! Not going to happen for me that is for sure.

Fruit is a little more expensive but I still find bananas, oranges and apples, and even plums a good deal, and all the melons are on special now as well as blueberries which I have always loved.

Junk food here is taxed. A large bag of chips is three dollars and tax on top of that. A case of cola may be priced at four dollars for twelve but then add on the environmental charges and taxes and it costs almost six dollars a case. Could it be that junk food in the states may be less expensive? I don't know for sure. At any rate it works out to the benefit of my health! :D

Junk food is a little less expensive in the state. The cheapest way for me to ffed my family is a box of pasta and sauce($2)!

Fresh produce for me is expensive even in season. I just paid $3 for two nectarines. Cherries are still 3.99 a pound.

The farmer's market with the less expensive things hasn't arrived this year!

Of course, most expenisve is buying a new wardrobe if I get any bigger.

Any ideas on low calorie seasoning ideas for the more affordable frozen veggies?

Lizbeth

You can probably get these for a couple of bucks.

Fruits:
- bag of apples
- bag of oranges
- grapes
- bananas
- fruit juices --- but you have to be careful not to get the sugary kinds.

Veggies:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- lettuce
- spinach (good in salads)
- radises
- celery
- carrots

Can anyone add to this?

you could also get onions, yams (athough I believe they are a starch but are very nutritious - and great for homefries in the morning).

also.. tomatoes, squash and cucumber.

This doesn't have to be expensive. Many Fruits and veggies are in season and are a great value. Check out the selection. I spent a little over $13 at the store today. This is what I got:

3 pounds of apples $1.49
mango $1
2 pounds bananas $1
1 pound asparagus $1.49
2 bags romaine lettuce 2/$1.99
2 pints blueberries 2/$1.69
1 pound green beans .79 cents
3 pounds onions $.99
3 green peppers $1.49
3 oranges $1.00
1 pound carrots .49 cents

I thought that was great enough to share with you all. Have a great fruit and veggie day!!:x

Okay John how do you make homesfries with sweet potatoes/yams? Do you have a recipe you can share??Hope so I love yams!!
Lizzie

Hi John :wave:

Am I late to answer roll call. I can't remember if I officially joined you or not, but I'm eating this way just the same, so I might just as well be a part of the gang here too.

Between walking myself thin, the snow angels trek to December, back to the basics, and what all else, I darn sure better be doing something right. I keep this up, I'm going to need a map to find my way around...........hahahahha

Hey John, you forgot to mention a favorite of mine, Kale! I love it in salads, and I understand it's pretty good cooked too, but I've never tried it that way.

Well, gonna go check out a few other things now. Toodle Loo

Sandie :)

Hey Lizzie,

Look at that! You and me were posting at the same time in the same place. Coincedence......................again?????????


Hahahaha
sandie

I am telling you Sandie this is getting crazy!!!:laugh: 8-} Just too funny!!

Lizzie

Hey John :wave:

If you could see the size of this salad I'm having for dinner, you'd die laughing, but I'm really hungry...........hahahaha

Got a little tip for you all.

Put your measured salad dressing in the bottom of your dish before putting your salad in it. That way you know exactly how much dressing you used, and it will spread better and you won't be left with a pool of wasted dressing in the bottom when you are finished eating. I read this somewhere, can't remember where, but it works great.

sandie :)

Canned tomatoes and even tomato sauce is good for us, as well as onions and garlic. Onions are a good 'anti viral'. Fresh parsley is cheap up here and like celery is a good duretic.

Frozen veggies are cheap here in the winter, as well as canned fruits packed in their own juice. I know lots of people frown on canned soup but Campbell's vegetable soup is an inexpensive way for one to get some veggies into them if all else fails. Oh yes and canned mushrooms have been cheap lately here as well.

As for seasoning veggies, fry some onion or garlic in some olive oil add it to the cooked vegetables with your favorite herb or even some fried mushrooms. Try boiling carrots with chopped celery, it is a different way of serving carrots, add a dash of olive oil before serving, my dh will actually eat carrots this way!

Roasted garlic or onions or peppers added to just about any vegetable is good. Chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on the dish before serving adds eye appeal and another dimension to the taste. Knox beef chicken or vegetable cubes can also perk up a recipe. I could go on here but I should be in bed. Good night all. :D

Hey Sandie. :wave: Just come kale facts here: The curly leaves of kale are among the most nutritious vegetables. One 3.5-ounce serving of kale provides all the adult daily requirement of vitamin A and C and 13 percent of the calcium requirement. Kale is used as a green vegetable, steamed and served with a bit of butter or vinegar, or in soups. It is one of the oldest members of the cabbage family.

kale? I've always seen that as a "decoration", not food.. :(

Yam fries... well, you just do the same thing as you would for potato fries... fry them up in a little bit a spray of canola oil and onions.. delicious.

Better late than never...

I would suggest that anyone who comes in late does the full month.. so you will always be about a month behind everyone but each month challenge should be a full month.


Originally posted by sandielynne
Hi John :wave:

Am I late to answer roll call. I can't remember if I officially joined you or not, but I'm eating this way just the same, so I might just as well be a part of the gang here too.

Between walking myself thin, the snow angels trek to December, back to the basics, and what all else, I darn sure better be doing something right. I keep this up, I'm going to need a map to find my way around...........hahahahha

Hey John, you forgot to mention a favorite of mine, Kale! I love it in salads, and I understand it's pretty good cooked too, but I've never tried it that way.

Well, gonna go check out a few other things now. Toodle Loo

Sandie :)

Yes, there is "ornamental" kale too John... :) there is a difference.

Also, did you know that a yam and a sweet potato are not related at all. I thought they were.

yes, although I can't tell the difference.

Nobody has anything to say?

Yes Lindasue I know they are different. I had an article on my refrigerator for a long time defining the difference. I thought since most people always use the sweet potato and yam name interchangeably that most people don't care.:tomato: Okay watch the tomatoes they are to good to waste!!!!!!:D :tomato:

Love and hugs,
Lizzie