High Cholesterol? Not Anymore!

Today is a banner day in my life! So, the blog is short and sweet, just like my news.


I went to see my doctor yesterday for my annual exam and to have him check my cholesterol numbers since I've been eating a vegetarian diet and before I start my vegan diet. 


I wanted a data point as to the success, if any, I've experienced since cutting out meat and limiting my dairy intake.


I just got off of the phone with my doctor and the numbers are staggering. I couldn't be more pleased and I am absolutely convinced that I am doing the right thing and headed in the right direction. He's agreed that we should check them again after my 21 day vegan kickstart, so I'll be sure to post those numbers once I've received them.


Here's the numbers to date;


November 2010
Total cholesterol: 250
LDL (bad stuff): 169


December 2011
Total cholesterol: 169
LDL (bad stuff): 95!!!
HDL: 58
Triglycerides: 81


An apple a day, does keep the doctor away - and so does cutting out meat and dairy! Interestingly enough, there was an article published in the NY Times just yesterday, suggesting the same thing. You can read it here for yourself. Good stuff.


Thanks for celebrating with me!

Perspective for Free! Get Yours Today!

per·spec·tive

: the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed.


  I've been thinking a lot about perspective as I approach the start date of my 21-day vegan kickstart diet. What has changed in me and my views that I am willing to do something like this?
  Up until five years ago I held a perspective on how I should live my life. Mind you, I wasn't conscious about this perspective, but it was there.
  I suppose it was formed by my upbringing, my culture, my religion and my center of influence with friends and family. However it came to be, it drove virtually all of my decisions. Decisions relative to my career choices, my political choices, my friend and spouse choices, my church choices, my spending choices, even my food choices. Sadly, my perspective was skewed. And because I wasn't even aware that I had one, I was in a sad place.
  It wasn't until I was forced to grapple with really tough issues in my life that I was able to recognize that almost all of my choices were coming from the perspective that everything in my life centered in, on and around me! And I mean the most base part of me. 
  Even though I claimed to be a follower of Christ, and had given up pursuit of self, I was far from it! If I was hungry, I ate. If I was cold, I sought warmth. If I was lonely, I sought companionship. But I never sought to question why any of those things were so. So, I went through most of my life just making sure that my belly was full, my hair looked good, I lived in the 'right neighborhood', and so on. The road began and ended with me and there was no serious thought as to the rationale or potential consequences resulting from most of my choices.
  I'm thankful for the difficulties that came barreling down on us five years ago, else I fear I would have lived my whole life thinking only of me, my comfort and how things 'felt'. 
  Motivational speaker Brian Tracy says, "I found every single person I've ever spoken to had a turning point. The turning point was when they made a clear, specific, unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore; they were going to achieve success. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50, and most people never make it at all".
  I was 45 when that moment of clarity came and I found myself making a clear and specific decision that, "I don't want to live like this anymore". My perspective came in to view and I recognized that I really could make changes that would not only change my life but those potentially those around me.
  It started out slowly but I began to question why I was doing the things I was doing and the choices I was making. It's taken quite a bit of tweaking and I expect that it's a lifetime ahead of learning but this idea of living with the proper perspective of how life is and what my part in it is life changing!
  If anyone had ever told me five years ago that I would be a vegetarian, I would have told them, they were out of their minds. However, prior to this decision I never thought about what I ate before; where it came from, how it was processed, what it did or didn't do for my body. It wasn't until I started asking the questions 'why' that I made the choice to change my diet. The same is true for our finances. The idea that we will be debt free in 10 months is staggering to me. We would have never recovered had we not asked the question 'why' as to how we were spending (er, wasting) our money.
  All of this to say, perspective is a good thing. Everyone has one and some of us can even say what they are!  

Quick Curried Tofu & Day One Exercise Routine

Quick Curried Tofu
3.5 Stars

Lunch time came far too quick this afternoon. We are in the midst of several home renovation projects, so the kitchen is a complete mess. With that said, we need to eat so I forced myself to squeeze between all of the furniture in the middle of the kitchen and see what I could come up with.


I had half of a package of tofu left and a few vegetables so I thought I'd create another quick scramble but add some fun seasonings. What came out was a really flavorful dish but there are some definite improvements I'll suggest when you give it a try. First, I'll say what I loved about it. It was spicy, colorful, tasty and filling. You'd think that would be enough, but I believe that by adding a few additional items, it would be incredible. Therefore, as I made it, Larry gave it 3.5 stars. The recipe below should bring it up to a five star lunch.


Both Larry and I felt that adding something sweet would make all of the difference in this recipe so I've added apples and golden raisins to the recipe below. Also, I sauteed my veggies in vegetable stock but I think coconut milk would go a long way to make the dish even better. 


I didn't have rice made and we needed to make something quick so the other improvement would be to serve over rice, quinoa or rice noodles.


Quick Curried Tofu (over brown rice, quinoa or other grain)
1/2 container of firm tofu, drained and browned
1 can light Coconut Milk (use only as needed to saute and make gravy)
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 c. mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper
1 carrot
1 t. curry powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. turmeric

1 small red apple (sweeter, the better)
1 handful of golden raisins
1/4 c. Unsweetened coconut flakes
Salt and pepper, as desired


1. Drain and brown tofu over medium-high heat in a dry skillet
2. Slice and dice vegetables and apples
3. Saute vegetables in coconut milk (reduce milk until a gravy forms)
4. Stir in spices
5. Add raisins and apples once veggies have softened
6. Plate and sprinkle with coconut flakes


If you have other ideas or try this recipe, let me know. I'm excited to make these changes next time around. Now, on to my re-cap of our first day on our new home-based exercise boot camp!


Day One Exercise Routine

This cartoon by Randy Glasbergen pretty much summarizes our motivation behind eating well and adopting a regular exercise routine. At 50 and 60 years old, we recognize time is not on our side for getting our acts together.


Our son Christopher and his fiance Chelsea have just started a new home-based exercise plan and suggested we give it a try. The name of the company was enough to scare me off (Beachbody) but I was encouraged by their results and was assured that we could do this at our own pace. Did I mention that they are both physically fit and my son just left the Navy? What was I thinking?


The package arrived yesterday so Larry and I mustered up the courage to dedicate a room in our house as the 'gym' and got it prepared for our first 40 minute regimen this morning. We had a morning cup of tea and then 'hit the gym'! LOL. This turned out to be the first bad idea. For whatever reason, the green tea bothered me the entire time. I have fondly renamed the exercise program we are on from P-90 to Puke-90! Just the same, we hung in there and when I say 'hung', I mean it quite literally. Most of the time we were hanging on for dear life-that is when we weren't clinging to the floor for dear life. Even our dog, Lucy, thought we had lost it rolling around on the floor!


The truth is, I feel great. It was my first attempt at exercise since my recurring battle with back problems. I was able to customize the routines to accommodate my back and I actually did quite well. Just to make sure we don't have problems getting out of bed tomorrow, we've been drinking lots of water and took Lucy for a walk around our meadow. We'll be taking 'before' pictures tomorrow and I also see my doctor to get my updated numbers for cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. This is a 90 day plan so our hope is that with our food changes and exercise plan, we'll see some tangible results we can talk about.


I'm actually looking forward to Day 2!


Jan

Fruit Smoothie with Mixed Berries and Spinach

Healthy-Happy-Smoothie
5.0 Stars

I love a good fruit smoothie for breakfast. Sadly, most of the smoothies out there are not that healthy. I know this because we used to make them according to a famous smoothie store recipe and it called for a couple scoops of ice cream!


Many nutritional health benefits are provided by following good fruit smoothie recipes. Most fruits contain 80-95 percent water, which is what keeps the calorie content of fruit smoothies so low. Pectin, the ingredient found in the flesh and pulp of many fruits, can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.  Berries and dried fruits are considered good blood builders, while oranges, bananas and pears are known to balance the fluid in the body's tissues.



All kinds of fruit (prunes, apples, raspberries, etc.) contain fiber that coaxes the intestines into activity making it easier to eliminate regularly and helping to maintain a healthy digestive track. Studies have shown that diets high in fiber (and low in fat) also help to prevent high blood pressure. Fruit also contains naturally occurring enzymes that help with digestion. Fiber and enzymes provide significant benefits since the foundation of health begins with a good digestive and elimination system.


This recipe is not only delicious, but it's also nutritious. We start with a non-dairy milk product, like Soy or Almond, add mixed fruit, varied in color, and use a natural sweetener like Agave. 


The way we ensure added nutrition is by adding a healthy handful of fresh spinach and a couple of tablespoons of protein powder. Having spent a lifetime of hating most green vegetables, this was huge for me. Yet, you really can't taste the spinach in this smoothie. The same is true for the protein powder. Have you ever tried a protein shake and felt like you were drinking a glass of chalk? Nasty! You shouldn't have that experience with this recipe at all.


All told, this is a delicious, lower calorie option for your morning meal.
Larry rated this smoothie as a five star recipe. He loved the texture, the color and the taste! Give it a try! The recipe below will make 2-16 oz smoothies.


Healthy-Happy-Smoothie
2 cups of Soy or Almond milk in blender
2 cups of mixed frozen berries
1/2 medium banana
1 handful of fresh spinach, stems removed (you can use kale as well)
2 T. protein powder (Soy or Whey, depending on preference)
2 T. Agave sweetener
5 ice cubes


1. Pour milk in blender
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend on medium-to high setting of blender until desired consistency is attained


Pour and Enjoy!

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Pine Nuts - Super Easy

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Pine Nuts
4.5 STARS

We woke up this morning rested and excited about the new year filled with new beginnings. We decided to reel back some of our food celebrations and get back to healthy eating for breakfast. Mind you, we stayed on a vegetarian diet, but just because it's vegetarian, doesn't mean it's healthy. (I confess I got a little amped up about the holidays and used them as an excuse for excess sweets and fats).

This dish is one of our favorite-quick stand-by's. It varies based on what we have in the fridge, but the idea is the same. It's a quick scramble sure to warm you up and please the tummy. If for no other reason than to have your house smelling INCREDIBLE, give this dish a try.


First a word about my recipes and my personal rating scale. I believe that cooking should be an art, rather than a science. While there are basic rules to cooking, it should be fun and it should appeal to your individual taste. 


Therefore, my recipes are open for modification. If you do make changes, let me know! You may hit on the winning formula. Most of the recipes will also be for two people (unless otherwise noted). Just increase accordingly if you are cooking for more than two.


Also, my husband Larry is a self-proclaimed foodie so he has a great palate for the subtle nuances of food. I've asked him to be the judge on the recipes I post. We'll use a common five star rating with his commentary, just for fun. He's given this recipe 4.5 stars. I asked what would make it better and he said that he felt the dish lacked color and texture variety. Although the pine nuts gave it some nice crunch, he thought adding carrots would give it additional texture and some nice color. I would julienne the carrots and agree with him. Sounds yummy. You could also try roasted red peppers for a nice pop of color.


For those of you new to using tofu in your recipes, I thought I'd throw in a couple of tips that took me a while to figure out. First, when making scrambles, stir fry's or otherwise frying the tofu, use firm or extra firm organic tofu. Also, tofu is very wet, therefore you must extract some of the moisture before attempting to cook with it. There are tofu extractors out in the market, but I don't currently have one. I've referenced one in the link, so you have an idea what they look like.


However, because I don't have one, I cut the loaf into several thin slices and compress the slices between a paper towel and extract as much liquid as possible. Then, you'll want to brown the tofu in a dry skillet over medium-medium high heat. This will continue to dry out the tofu, while giving it a nice brown color. Any remaining tofu should be put in a container with water and stored in the refrigerator.


OK - here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!


Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Pine Nuts
1/4 slice of extra firm tofu - drained, browned and cubed
Small handful of roasted pine nuts (these babies are expensive so increase to your budget!)
1/4 c. sliced mushrooms
1 clove of garlic-chopped or pressed
1 small cubed red potato, ready for frying (I throw mine in the microwave for three minutes)
1/4 of a sliced medium-sized yellow onion
2 T. pesto
Enough olive oil to wet pan before cooking (you could also use vegetable stock if you want to cut the oil)
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Drain, slice and brown tofu in dry skillet over medium-high heat.
2. In separate skillet, roast pine nuts over medium heat. Cook until they give up their fragrance and start to brown.
3. Add onion, garlic and stir until they start to glisten.
4. Add diced potato, mushrooms, browned and cubed tofu and stir until potato starts to brown.


Here's a quick shot of these ingredients in the pan just before adding the pesto;

5. Stir in the pesto and let it cover all of the goodies and has a chance to warm up in the skillet!
6. Add salt and pepper (if needed) to taste.


Again, make the dish your own and have fun experimenting with different ingredients. Please share if you have a variation you think others would enjoy.


On a final note, there are only a few more days until we start the 21 day diet with friends around the world. It's not too late to sign up and join in the journey. I've provided the link once again should you like to learn more.


Thanks for reading!


Jan

Christmas Eve

We're home from Salem and enjoying time around the tree. The weather was beautiful once again today. We stopped at Suttle Lake to enjoy a snack in the lodge. They had a yummy portabello and balsamic vinegar appetizer and a really enjoyable tomato basil soup (my personal favorite). We also shared a shared a pint of Deschutes Brewery Jubelale - Oh Yum! After lunch, we took a stroll around the lake holding hands and enjoying the majestic views all around.


I wish I had my actual camera with me at the time. This shot was taken with my cell phone-doesn't do it justice. If you have the chance, put Suttle Lake Lodge on your list of places to go. The trails are unbelievable and it's fairly close to the town of Bend and closer still to the quaint town of Sisters. They have really cute log cabins or you can stay in the lodge. The restaurant was lovely and the food was really good. I wish they would have had more vegetarian and vegan options but we made out ok. The trail walk was the highlight! Lucy thought she died and went to doggy heaven. She didn't stand still for long but I was able to grab a quick cell phone shot between darts and dashes.


We made it home by 4, grabbed a light snack for dinner and poured a wonderful glass of 2006 Kunde Zinfandel. Our son and his fiancée gave us a fancy Vinturi Red Wine Tower so we could thoroughly enjoy our red wines. Wow, what a difference! I'm avoiding going to bed tonight, knowing that when I wake up, I won't have any of my kids or grandkids with us to celebrate Christmas. It's going to be really quiet! Yet, this remains my favorite time of the year. I'm so thankful for the gift that God gave us over two thousand years ago, when He humbled Himself and came in the form of a babe! I'm also thankful that it's my birthday on Christmas so I always feel a little extra special. In light of Christmas, I won't be posting a blog tomorrow. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. However you celebrate this season, may you experience insurmountable joy!

Jan

Location:Crooked River Ranch

New Website and More

We headed over the Santiam Pass today to see Larry's mom in Salem Oregon. The weather was fabulous and the state capital was just as Larry remembered it working there so many years ago.


After hunting for a place to meet up with family for dinner, we selected the Old Spaghetti Factory. It's not so difficult to find a place as a vegetarian but once we cross over to a vegan diet, it's another story. We look forward to the journey that starts on January 2nd, but anticipate that there will be a period of adjustment. Now we're back in the hotel and ready to settle down for the night. I caught Larry and Lucy (our boxer) getting cozy on the couch!


On another note, I have reserved the domain, Day-Twenty-Two.com as an additional resource for my blog. I look forward to providing a full suite of resources for readers who are on similar journeys, attempting to downsize, live with less and create healthy and happy lives. More on the new site once it's up and running. For those of you traveling over the holidays, be safe on the roads. I was surprised how busy it was out there. Of course, we live in the boonies so we don't have to travel too far to feel overwhelmed! More tomorrow, Jan

Location:Salem, Oregon