So...whats for dinner?

chisandy - have you tried a number of cauliflower crust pizzas? I have not yet and am also not sure I want to mess with making my own, so am looking for suggestions. I stopped eating pizza quite a while ago because it is really the perfect storm - in a traditional iteration of regular crust with tomato based sauce, cheese and any kind of pepperoni or sausage - of food that I should not be eating with a gluten/dairy sensitive system and longstanding GERD situation. I had Nissen surgery many years ago but I have found that over the last couple of years I am back to having some issues, I presume my surgical fix has relaxed enough that I sometimes experience problems. I never had heartburn, but rather esophageal spasm - which when first happened in the 90's caused investigation into a cardiac problem - which I didn't have. It was frustrating because much time was wasted and it took an acute reaction to a caustic antibiotic to be properly diagnosed, but I am now experiencing the same response, particularly if I eat the wrong things or eat too much volume. I favor vegetable pizzas with pesto as the sauce and can deal with non-dairy cheese but I feel like the vegetables can also make some crusts a bit soggy, so have given pizza up in the interim but still make flatbread pizza for DH.

illimae - I can taste your photo...

carole - I too have leftover pork tenderloin and also not sure what I am doing with it yet. I am considering a Chili Colorado type thing, maybe over pinto beans or red beans and brown rice. Call me a wild one, but I cook my tenderloin to 145 F and rest it under foil to let the carryover cooking bring it to a slightly higher internal temp. to try to keep it moist. One of my complaints about leftover tenderloin is that reheating it can cause it to overcook and dry out so finding a leftovers solution can be problematic. I also have a recipe for a thick spicy bourbon/apricot/mustard sauce and have sometimes used leftover pork tenderloin on baguette slices brushed with garlic infused oil and toasted under the broiler then topped with that sauce because you don't need to reheat the meat much.

I will use the leftover pork tenderloin in a vegetable stir fry, adding it at the last minute to warm up. I was feeling almost a sense of dread at the prospect of stir fry until I thought of soba noodles. Because oil has so many WW points I will do more hot steaming of the vegetables with chicken broth than actual frying. I was thinking of parboiling the broccoli and cauliflower to make them less hard. We don't like mushy vegetables but don't favor them raw. I will add cooked soba noodles to the mixture to warm it up.

This is Day Five of the WW venture. Since dh is allocated a lot of points because of his gender and weight, he has been eating pretty much his usual diet. I am so hoping he loses some weight. In the past he has always become discouraged when he tried to slim down.

Oh that just sucks illimae. Absolutely best wishes for a positive outcome. Xoxo.

Well, I spoke too soon--as soon as we sat down, my usual flute of cava and Bob's vodka martini (twist, no olive) magically appeared. No shrimp cocktail on the menu tonight. So I had a bowl of "steakhouse chili" soup (with black beans & veggies) and a grilled asparagus salad with avocado, grape tomatoes, field greens and juniper (probably de-alcoholized gin) vinaigrette. (I knew it was juniper because I bit down on what turned out to be a juniper berry). No croutons. Bob had a cup of the chili and seafood risotto. He will be home late tomorrow night, so--speaking of juniper berries--I will probably make myself a choucroute with chicken bratwurst for dinner. Trying my darndest to avoid starch & sugar (except the wine dinner on the 29th). The weight-control NP wants me to make 2/3 of every plate consist of vegetables--even breakfast--and intermittently fast (16 hrs between the last meal of the night and the first meal of the next day). Hoping that can keep me down around 150 lbs. on 5/4. (I got reamed out badly enough in Feb. for 148, when I'd been 142 in Nov. before throwing my back out and then dealing with winter).

ONE keto brownie tonight after "Real Time with Bill Maher," no other snacks after that except perhaps a half-sour kosher pickle. Bob brought home a gift from a patient who'd been to Poland: one package each of chocolate-covered "candied plums in chocolate cream" (what some people won't do to disguise prunes!) and booze-filled chocolate "barrels." Gotta stay away from that: Lindt truffles and Joyva jelly rings have been my undoing ever since Passover ended.

Illimae, add my heartfelt wishes for a positive outcome.

Lacey, those slices must have come from a large eggplant. Cute toddler!

My "dreaded" stir fry turned out good. My veggies were bok choy, asparagus, yellow bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli. As intended, I added the strips of cooked pork tenderloin at the final stage when I was also adding the cooked soba noodles and the home-made sweet spicy sauce. I decreased the brown sugar and the chili sauce in the recipe. The soba noodles absorbed the sauce and were my favorite part of the dish along with the pork.

We had a fresh fruit salad on romaine, with a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt, for a side.

I found the meal satisfying and DH greatly enjoyed it. He had seconds on the stir fry dish.

Today I plan to make a cauliflower potato salad. In my recipe notebook I have a recipe I've used before. Otherwise, not sure what dinner will be tonight.

I thought of you all today and thought I'd pop in. Doing well and now with second grandchild. I see that you are all looking at some form of diet, well I'm going to be bad and make a suggestion. Try Dry Farm Wines. They're on line and are keto friendly, organic, low sulfite etc. I'm still working and have this job for 3 more weeks, then will take the summer off. I've already had covid and am fully vaccinated. Well now that I've set you all on the wrong path by suggesting wine, I'll bow out, lol. My best wishes to all of you. xoxo

Hey Bedo! So good to hear from you! Good news on the grand and that you’re doing well. Don’t be such a stranger!

The eggplant is gorgeous Lacey and very appetizing. DH is not a huge fan but will eat it if smothered in tomato sauce and cheese. I like it in most forms but find it too much trouble to prepare.

We finally got scheduled for the new flooring next Thursday and the materials were delivered today. Now I have to start packing up boxes with items removed from shelving and bookcases. Like Minus, I have no idea where these boxes are going to go in this small house. I’m hoping to be able to move the orchids and other plants out to the covered screened deck but we’re supposed to be below freezing Thursday morning so I don’t know if that will work. The master bath may just be turned into a greenhouse for two days. Minus - hope things are going smoothly for you.

Tonight is mini meatloaves, steamed baby potatoes and either baby peas or roasted carrots. I have some asparagus that needs using too so maybe I’ll roast a mixture.

Good luck with the MOHS Special!

Bob made it home in time for dinner, just as I was starting the choucroute, so I made a bigger batch (rinsed sauerkraut with bacon, white wine, juniper berries, caraway seeds, chicken bratwurst and kielbasa--we had one brat each and split a small kielbasa). Hit the spot!

I had considering doing WW online (I'm actually a "lifetime member," having first hit goal in 1970) until someone here mentioned that oil costs points. While it is commendable that fiber subtracts points, insisting on non-or-low-fat is obsolete nutritional science. Per current medical nutrition advice, points ought to penalize sugars and simple starches--which have been proven to cause insulin to spike and promote fat storage rather than fat burning and glycogen storage. Some oils--such as olive, peanut, and avocado--are beneficial because they are monounsaturated, containing omega-3 fatty acids. (Polyunsaturated seed oils such as corn, sunflower, safflower, canola and grapeseed are high in omega-6 fatty acids that promote release of inflammatory cytokines and cortisol--the latter of which can actually spike insulin as much as can simple carbs). Fats of all kinds--even saturated--can blunt the glycemic load from simple carbs. (You're better off eating your bread with butter or olive oil than plain). Diets that demonize fats across the board while promoting grains & white potatoes and ignoring sugar are all the product of the grain--especially corn--lobby.

The Weight Management clinic of NorthShore Health System (part of the Cardiology Dept. at Skokie Hospital) uses one of four diet plans, all low-carb: keto meal-replacement bars & shakes; pure keto; low-carb near-keto; low-simple-carb (no added sugar but up to one serving of a whole-grain or dairy product per day) for its weight loss phase; and its maintenance plan is a low-starch no-sugar version of the Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on fish, leaner meats and occasionally legumes as protein sources. All plans strongly suggest that 2/3 of every meal plate should be a non-starchy, non-sugary vegetable. No fruits except berries, cantaloupe, honeydew (the melons should not be too ripe) and occasionally citrus. No pomes, drupes, or tropical fruits--and no dried fruits other than unsweetened freeze-dried berries.

WW never did fully shed its Jean Nidetch roots (the original diet she promoted prohibited ANY added fats or ANY starches other than 2 required slices a day of cheap plain white bread; it mandated 4-oz. lunch and 6-oz.dinner portions of animal protein, requiring one liver meal and five fish meals a week and counting salmon as "red meat," which had to be eaten no more nor less than 3 servings per week. Pork in any form was forbidden. It limited eggs to 4 per week and required 3 fruits--but no bananas, cherries or grapes and only one serving of apple or pear--a day, as well as 2 servings of instant powdered skim milk per day. Blecch. There were unlimited ("#3," aka "free") and limited ("#4") vegetables, one serving the latter of which (no more, no less) was mandated daily. (Tomatoes, carrots, peas, green beans other than canned French-cut, winter squash, okra were among the #4s).

In 1972 it cut back protein portion sizes, allowed liquid skim milk and actually required 1 Tbsp. of oil or margarine per day. Whole grains (including unsweetened cereal) and even potatoes (plain) were added, and eventually--based on gender--allowed up to 6 servings per day. (Jenny Craig & NutraSystem copied that, using the term "exchanges" borrowed from diabetic diets--and on JC, men could have up to 10 grain exchanges a day). In the 1990s after Weight Watchers enlisted celebrity spokespersons like Oprah, Lynn Redgrave & Sarah Ferguson, it switched to the "points" system similar to today's (i.e., fiber good, fat bad). I recall that at one time when I was on it in the early "aughts" it even assigned point values to various Krispy Kreme & Dunkin' donuts and sweetened yogurts. There were so many calculations--including cheat points--that it became more trouble than it was worth.

Any diet that demonizes fat, looks the other way on carbs (other than green & red veggies), and still uses the tired (and since disproven) simple "calories in vs. calories out" trope is simply no longer sound science.

Tonight is a BL (no T) and it’s wonderful. The iceberg lettuce is extra special too, seems crispier than usual. So yummy.

Bedo, Bedo, Bedo - oh how I've missed you. Congrats on the 2nd grandchild. Glad you're taking the summer off. PLEASE d0n't be a stranger. We miss you.

Mae - the news about the new lesions is the pitts. Glad you're approaching it with shrimp & lobster & a positive guess it's the same thing as last time.

Lacey - love the grandbaby. Carole - when do you expect to head North? Special - good luck with the re-excision. Nance - ho, ho, ho - boxes everywhere but they're not surprise presents.... Hope it goes smoothly.

I get to sleep in my own bed tonight. And I have a computer re-connected after 48 hours. The pace of trying to keep up with 4 & 5 guys working full bore SEVEN days a week is a real challenge. Not to mention I have to be up by 7am (and I'm a night person) and then get rooms ready for the next day after they leave, so don't sleep until 2am. Yup - I'm not 35 anymore so I'm tired. Food is catch as catch can. Friday I forgot to eat at all and then was too tired by 8pm. Yesterday the contractors brought me a Whopper with Cheese since the fridge was covered for sheetrock repair. Today I had a handful of dry roasted peanuts for breakfast and dinner was two flour tortillas with cheese melted in the micro at 8pm. Real excitement!!!

Good work, Carole! Last night was the first in several days when I didn't get up in the middle of the night to carb my way back to sleep. Maybe having gone to bed at 3 and sleeping till 11 was the key--I am a shameless night-owl (having inherited the gene from my mom, and even 23&Me confirms it). I get up at 11 because that's the kitties' first wet-food meal of the day (whether fed by me or my HK). I don't need to set an alarm, because loud purring and persistent furry-face-bumping does it for me. Seems as if they have timers in their tummies.

Bob had office hours tonight, so I was on my own for dinner. Had briefly thought about picking up some Popeye's from the drive-through en route home from picking up a couple of new masks, but decided to raid the freezer instead--and grill before it gets too wet & cold to do so. I defrosted and seasoned a grass-fed beef patty, which I grilled with a slice of sweet onion and sharp cheddar, on a keto-friendly bun with lettuce & heirloom tomato. It felt so good to eat a cheeseburger on an actual bun, instead of between portabella caps that fall apart or wrapped in lettuce and dripping all over me.

I keep looking with morbid fascination at the bag of Polish chocolate-covered "candied plums in cocoa creme" Bob brought home (a gift from a patient). On the one hand, they're really prunes. On the other, though, they're....prunes. Does the chocolate make them candy, or does the fact that they're prunes cancel out the candy factor? (Sort of like those fast-food "Asian chicken salads," which are loaded with canned mandarin orange sections, gooey sweet dressing and fried wonton strips--do the chicken breast & lettuce lessen the carbiness...never mind you bought them at Wendy's)?

We will join our first family gathering since last spring, when the Covid fear struck. On Sunday we plan to go to my sister's house for a potluck noon meal. Only four of the six siblings will be there. One brother lives in OK and one sister lives about three hours away but a combination of circumstances will keep her away. Too complicated to explain. The four of us and spouses have been vaccinated. There will possibly be a few younger relatives that aren't vaccinated.

I need to discuss the menu with my sister. I'm thinking of bringing a couple of salads. Conversation will steer clear of any controversial topics. It will be good to see these family folks in person. We touch base at least weekly with a text thread.

Last night I wolfed down my beef burger and sweet potato oven fries. DH enjoyed his meal, too.

Chicken and dumplings. Yum.

Minus, how are you faring with the home improvement? You asked about our departure. We plan to head north on May 20 so that we can arrive before the Memorial Day holiday. We will detour for a visit with my youngest brother and his wife in OK on the way up.

Our big challenge is packing up DH's bowls and other turned items like big S & P shakers and candlesticks. He has been very productive this year and has produced some beautiful things in his workshop. You would think he has a job judging from the hours he puts in. It's wonderful to be so engrossed in an interest. We have already paid our dues for the Park Rapids Farmers Market which takes place on Saturdays throughout the summer.

Dinner last night was potluck--the last Buffalo wing in the freezer, plus Mediterranean dips (hummus, babaghannouj, tzatziki, red pepper), tabbouleh, and a low-carb tortilla. Later, tuna salad in lettuce cups.

Tonight I'm grilling a big (1/3 lb.) grass-fed burger from the freezer--with sweet onion, heirloom tomato, homegrown basil, and aged Provolone. No bacon, as I made a BLT on low-carb/high fiber bread with homemade guac for brunch, Had tomato & basil salad as an app whlie the grill heated (no mozzarella, since I have enough protein & fat for the day). Had it on a keto bun: 1 gm net carb, acc. to the package--but honestly, it tastes too good for me to truly believe that--I still remember the 1968 "Skinny Shakes" scandal--as well as Natural Ovens' Hunger-Filler bread being "outed" as having more calories than they claimed, and Dreamfields Pasta's claim of having only 5 of their 41gm per serving as "digestible" debunked by websites...staffed, no doubt, by people who were classroom tattletales when they were kids.

I have my MO appt tomorrow and am terrified she'll insist I get weighed. Besides the weather sucking and my sore back, I've not exercised. (And I HATE all exercise except cross-country skiing--it's the only physical activity where I look at my watch and think "uh, oh, I'm late for my next appointment" rather than "how much longer do I have to do this?" My days are mostly taken up by my cat Happy (who is almost 14, with IBD which could turn to lymphoma) occupying my lap whenever he's not nagging me for food. I don't want to reject him: it's happened twice before that the day after shooing a cat off my lap so I could enjoy my own food, one had a debilitating stroke and the other died suddenly.