Week 4: Day 2

I'm feeling super annoyed because I have gained 2 pounds. I don't know why, I started exercising a few days ago and I gain weight? We will see what it does, maybe just a fluke. I'm pretty sure I could lose another 10 pounds. I'm thinking maybe too many nuts and high fat foods, and not enough veggies.

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal cooked, 1/2 apple, 1 date, 1/2 tbs walnuts, some blueberries

Lunch:
Chipotle burrito bowl, tofu and guacamole

Snack:
A pear
Some leftover baked beans and a few sweet potato chunks

Dinner:
Vegetable curry with coconut milk
Tiny bit brown rice

Week 4: Day 1

I've decided I need to seriously cut back on nuts. I'm going to make low fat salad dressings and try to make lower fat and less nut heavy dinners. I did better today.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal, apple, 1 tbs walnuts, 1 date

Lunch:
Large salad, beans, fat free dressing, veggies
Banana

Dinner:
Baked Beans
Roasted sweet potatoes
1/2 lb steamed kale

Dessert:
Chocolate cherry ice cream

Week 3: Day 7

Almost half way there! I'm doing pretty well, enjoying the food, feeling full and satisfied most of the time.

Breakfast:
Early, I had a banana with a little almond butter before I did Cycling for an hour at the gym.
After that, I had oatmeal with 1/2 an apple, a date and a sprinkle of walnuts.

Lunch:
Went to a birthday party for the kids around noon, I just ate a few grapes while there.
Once home, I had a huge salad with cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, red onion, chickpeas and tahini dressing. And 1 orange for dessert.

Dinner:
Oh so good cauliflower pizza crust, made with cauliflower, flax, almond flour and water.
Topped with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onion and cashew cheese.

* I think that was a pretty nut heavy day when I look at it all. I think I will try to cut back to 1 oz if I can, but when I do cycling I get so hungry during the day!

Week 3: Day 6

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with apple, walnuts, date

While shopping, I had a soy latte with 1 pump peppermint from Starbucks. I will try not to do that again! Felt really weak today, having cravings for sweets.

Lunch:
Large salad, SO hungry. Also had 1 healthy oatmeal waffle I had made the kids.
Banana

Dinner:
Little brown rice
Loads of roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Some tofu
Cashew tahini lemon sauce

Week 3: Day 5

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with apples and blueberries, walnuts

Lunch:
Large salad

Snack:
Banana and almond butter

Dinner:
Sunny bean burgers wrapped in lettuce
Creamed kale

Dessert:
Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

Week 3: Day 4

Breakfast:
An apple chopped, 1/4 cup oats, 1 date, 1 tbs walnuts

Lunch:
Large salad, veggies and cashew caeser dressing. Plus chickpeas.
Tea

Snack:
Banana and almond butter

Dinner:
Lots of steamed broccoli, green beans and carrots
Little brown rice
Baked tofu
Cashew cream sauce

Dessert:
Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

Week 3: Day 3

Last day of traveling! I can't believe I was able to primarily stick to Dr. Furhman's Eat To Live plan during a week of travel and holiday food all around me. I will be more strict once I'm home, such as no wine, only 1 cup starchy foods, limit nuts to 1 oz and be more careful about sugar. And mostly focus on getting about 1 lb of both raw and cooked veggies.

Breakfast:
Starbucks blueberry oatmeal with nuts

Snack:
Little fruit smoothie, some peanuts and sunflower seeds

Lunch:
Panera- large classic salad and cup of black bean soup

Snack:
Apples from Panera

Dinner:
Chipotle bowl again, only ate around 1/2
Tea for dessert

Week 3: Day 2

Breakfast:
1/2 apple, 1/4 cup oatmeal, little walnuts, 1 date

Lunch:
Salad out, lots of lettuce, veggies and chickpeas. Calorie free ranch I brought with me. Not bad, but I miss my nut based dressings.

Snack in the car, driving back home (16 hour drive):
Half an all fruit smoothie, a banana, a pecan larabar

Dinner:
Chipotle burrito bowl, tofu and guacamole
Plus a few squares of sugar free chocolate (I will not do that again...)

Week 3: Day 1

Breakfast:
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/2 apple chopped and 1/2 banana
1 date
Walnuts

Lunch:
Large salad with green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, chickpeas and a calorie free ranch.
Little bit of cooked veggie stir fry in Teriyaki sauce (someone else made it, I'm sure it had sugar so I didn't eat much)

Dinner:
Few bites of cucumber and hummus
Large amount steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and green beans
Some baked tofu
Tiny amount of wild rice mix
Leftover cashew cream sauce

Dessert:
1 tangerine

Week 2: Day 7

Breakfast:
Apple Pie Oatmeal with some banana

Lunch:
At a Thai place- Vegetable curry made with coconut milk and some brown rice + a fresh salad roll

Little snack:
A few macadamia nuts and almonds

Dinner:
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower
Some tofu
Cashew cream sauce

Week 2: Day 6

Breakfast:
About half a honey crisp apple with a tiny bit of oatmeal 1/8 cup cooked
Few walnut pieces
(Not that hungry so I only ate half of what I made)

Lunch:
Large salad with various veggies and a little black beans and corn. Tiny bit of raspberry dressing from a restaurant.

Snack:
Leftover from breakfast, mostly an apple. Small handful almonds.

Dinner:
A Mexican restaurant- Bowl with black beans, salsa, tomatoes, guacamole, various veggies like peppers, onion and zucchini. Two corn tortillas.

Week 2:Day 5

Breakfast: around 8:00
Apple Pie Oatmeal

Snack: around 11:30
Banana and peanut butter

Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner: around 2:00
Kale salad
Roasted brussel sprouts
Thanksgiving loaf
Sweet potato casserole
Little mashed potatoes

Dessert: around 4:00
No sugar apple pie, this recipe:
Dutch Apple Pie

Then, around 6:30 I had another serving of sweet potatoes and a a smaller piece of pie. Plus a glass of wine.
It was a pretty good day, I didn't eat anything with sugar and any oil was minimal. I used a tbs of olive oil for the brussel sprouts and a few for the kale salad. I just over ate, I got too full and probably didn't need that extra meal late in the day. And certainly had way too many nuts! But for Thanksgiving, it was a great day. Usually I consume so much oil/butter and sugar. I was really thrown off by not having 3 meals, that really helps me stay on track.
Just a few more days on vacation. I am actually going to do this!

Week 2: Day 4

Breakfast:
Apple Pie oatmeal with walnuts

Lunch:
At a Mexican place- salad with a lot of lettuce, black beans, salsa, guacamole.
Half an apple

Dinner:
1 1/2 bowls Creamy Cauliflower Kale Soup
Few carrots/ cucumbers with hummus
1/2 glass wine, not much

Week 2: Day 3

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with apples, blueberries, walnuts
Few grapes

Lunch:
Panera- Large salad with low fat dressing
Cup black bean soup
Apple
Pecan larabar- When we got back, I was just still hungry. It was a pretty low fat and calorie lunch, and I exercised in the morning.

Then I made these cookies for tonight's dinner with friends and ate a bit of dough... Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Dinner:
Medium green salad with balsamic glaze
Spaghettic Squash
Mushroom, onion, zucchini veggie mix cooked
Some tomato based sauce, some cashew based white sauce
1 cookie

Week 2: Day 2

Breakfast:
Starbucks blueberry oatmeal, no sweetener

Lunch:
Whole foods salad, no oil tahini dressing. So good.
Soy latte
Handful raw nuts

Dinner:
Vegetable Curry
Salad

Dessert:
Banana and grapes

Week 2: Day 1

Today is the first day of our family vacation, we're on the road for a couple days, and then out of town for 8. And of course Thanksgiving is in the middle of the week. I'm determined to stay on plan, except for some minor allowances. A little oil if I can't avoid it (like someone else cooking for me), and occasional snacking if I need to to keep from eating SAD food. For Thanksgiving, I have all healthy recipes planned, including a fruit sweetened apple pie.

I'm also down 3.5 lbs now! I haven't even worked out all week because I've been busy.

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal, apple, banana, walnuts, a date

Lunch:
Huge salad, veggies, balsamic dressing, chickpeas
Small black bean brownie

Dinner:
Banana
Chipotle- Bowl including a little brown rice, black beans, tofu, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, peppers and onions

Week 1: Day 7

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal, apple, date, walnuts

Lunch:
Had some broccoli, carrots, melon and pineapple at a kid's birthday party, then ate lunch at home:
Big bowl of veggie chili from yesterday
A black bean brownie

Dinner:
Large romaine salad, cucumbers, shredded carrot, red onion, chickpeas maybe 1/2 cup, and vegan ranch dressing. Sprinkle sunflower seeds.

Dessert:
Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

Week 1: Day 6

Breakfast:
Apple Pie Oatmeal, walnuts on top

Lunch:
About a cup of leftover Chana Masala with 1/4 cup brown rice
Some grapes
I had brought my food to a friends house for a play date, then I had to run errands with the kids, otherwise I would have had a big salad. I was out of lettuce so I had to go get more!

Around 3:30 snack:
Large green smoothie- 1/2 bag spinach, half banana, mango, almond milk and water.
I was seriously hungry.

Dinner:
Dr. Furhman's Easy 3 Bean Vegetable Chili, a large bowl
Medium sized salad with romaine, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and ranch dressing

Dessert:
Black Bean Brownie (just 1) from the Eat To Live Cookbook, it was very satisfying.

Week 1: Day 5

I've lost 3 lbs already! Feeling great, doing pretty well not snacking except for today. I had to take my daughter to ballet at 5, and was ready for dinner at the time. I had a few dates with PB. Not too bad, but not a habit I want to make.

Breakfast:
Dr Furhmans Quick Blueberry Banana Oatmeal to go

Lunch:
Large romaine salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, chickpeas, and this dressing- Sanctuary Dip So, so good. I did not add salt.
1/2 apple with a Tbs peanut butter, I was still feeling hungry

Snack: 2 dates, peanut butter maybe 1/2 Tbs

Dinner:
1/4 cup brown rice
Quick Chana Masala
3/4 lb steamed broccoli

Dessert:
Few bites of mango sorbet I made in the Vitamix. Decided I was too full so saved it for today.

Week 1:Day 4

Breakfast:
Maybe 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 of an apple, 1 Tbs flax and walnuts.

Lunch:
Large romaine salad with Chickpea Tuna
1 Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie

Dinner:
3/4 lb steamed broccoli
2 corn tortillas, black beans, guacamole, lettuce, salsa

Dessert:
Banana soft serve- frozen bananas, little peanut butter, almond milk, vanilla

Week 1: Day 3

Breakfast:
Apple Pie Oatmeal, 1 tbs flax and walnuts

Lunch:
Roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar, almost an entire pound.
Small amount of Cheezy Cauliflower Kale soup from yesterday
1 persimmon
1 cookie from yesterday

Dinner:
Medium amount romaine lettuce, few tomatoes, few cucumber slices
Chickpea Tuna with cashew mayo

Dessert:
Chocolate peanut butter ice cream- Frozen bananas, cocoa, date, peanut butter, almond milk.

I wasn't very hungry today, it was a strange day. Feel like I'm detoxing or something.

Week 1: Day 2

Breakfast:
About 1 cup cooked oats, flax, blueberries, apple, date, little walnuts.

Lunch:
Bowl of this soup: Creamy Cheezy Vegan Cauliflower Kale Soup
Leftover stir fry from last night, no rice though
Little frozen mango

Dinner:
Restaurant- Huge green salad with veggies and a little avocado. Brought Walnut Balsamic salad dressing.
Few pieces steamed broccoli

Dessert:
My daughter really wanted cookies, so I made these, amazing. Little off plan, I had 2. Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Plus cup of tea

Week 1: Day 1

I am doing Dr. Furhman's Eat To Live 6 week challenge in pursuit of new habits and better health. I have been eating a fairly healthy plant based diet for a few years now, but I still have some bad habits. Too much sugar, white flour and oil. And not enough veggies and fruit. I could also probably lose 10 lbs, so if that happens then great! I will be posting what my meals look like each day. My focus is also on doing this as frugally as possible while loving the food I eat. I can't buy everything organic or from Whole Foods. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joes and Winco. Ok, on to what I ate on Day 1 of the challenge. I felt so great eating this food!

Breakfast:
Green smoothie- 1/2 bunch kale, blueberries, mango, banana, flax, unsweetened almond milk

Lunch:
Huge Salad- romaine, shredded carrot, cucumber, tomato, red onion, chickpeas and this dressing:

1/4 cup water 
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 nutritional yeast 
1/4 cup miso 
1/4 date syrup or maple syrup
1/4 cup dijon mustard 

Honey crisp apple with cinnamon

Dinner:
Fresh Broccoli Teriyaki Stir Fry with tofu
1/2 cup brown rice

Dessert:
Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream (frozen cherries, date, cocoa, almond milk)