getting serious about healthy eating

I have been not feeling the best lately and i think it is from eating too much junk food over the past few weeks so starting yesterday i am really trying to get back in the groove of eating healthy. I went to visit my mom at work and i ate half a cup of tortellini soup that was loaded with veggies, a bánh mi sandwich loaded with veggies and grilled chicken breast, and an Asian mixed veggie salad with orange spice tea.

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I have been trying to drink more teas, speaking of teas several weeks ago I received a box of teas from teasenz that i want to review on this blog. i have tried 3 of the flavors so far but want to give a thorough review so it might be a few more weeks before i post the review.

this morning for breakfast i ate five spice carrot and almond salad, with a slice of toast with smart balance omega 3s and an orange. I think i am going to fix myself a cup of tea in just a sec and i am going to try to eat mostly fruits and veggies for the rest of the day.

Thanksgiving Buffet and Vegetarian Feast

On thanksgiving day I went to 7 Feathers casino in Canyonville with my mother and father and we ate the all you can eat buffet it was AMAZING!

I ate lots of prime rib, ham, turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, pecan pie, cheese cake, coconut cream pie and other goodies!

After that I went to go play the slot machines and won 3 games, the 1st game I won $24, the second I won $127, and my last I won $27. I started out with only $1 and won my first game and ended up walking out with $160!

My brother is in town visiting and since he is visiting we have been fixing some super yummy vegetarian meals (he is vegetarian.)

Our first meal was Vegetarian Pizza.

It is topped with parmesan and mozzarella, artichoke hearts, green chillis, pepperoncinis, olives, and garlic and it has a artichoke pizza sauce.

For breakfast the next day we had rutabaga and potato latkes with parmesan cheese.

We went to the gym and I went swimming and did my water aerobics. 

After the gym we fixed some thai green curry flavored popcorn as a snack.

For dinner we made another pizza again with all the same toppings except my half had asparagus on it.

The next morning we had banana waffles with a warm brown sugar banana sauce for breakfast.

For dinner we made tostadas

We topped them with a mix of black beans and refried beans, parmesan and queso fresco, arugula, fresh homemade pico de gallo, and some fresh homemade plain yogurt.

For dessert I made some kheer which is an Indian spice rice and yogurt dessert.

Now I am getting ready to go out to eat with my brother and mom at a local Indian restaurant  

And I have a Thai curry in the crock pot slow cooking for later tonight.

Holiday Feast

I have kinda been taking fitness easy right now tis the season to indulge, but I am still trying to make healthy choices. I celebrated an early Turkey day with my mother today because I am going to a casino for Thanksgiving. I spent all monday night and tuesday evening cooking. This is what I made.

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
Chicken Liver Pate
And Fresh cut veggies

I also wanted to make caraway crackers but I ran out of time

Herb Rubbed Roast Turkey
With a traditional bread stuffing

Green Bean Casserole

Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes

I also made sweet potato oven fries

For dessert I made Blueberry Cobbler

Pecan Caramel Rum Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Fig and Nut oatmeal cookies

And Salted Caramel Corn

Right now I am enjoying a bowl full of Turkey garden salad with cranberry balsamic vinaigrette


The holidays are always full of feasts and fun for me and I don't tend to focus much on exercising until the new years. So check back then for work out routines, until then it will mostly be food updates and maybe an occasional weigh in.

I'm Back and I've lost Weight!

I am back from a few weeks break from blogging. I have reduced my medication with the assistance of my psychiatrist from 2,000 mg to 1,750 mg and I have already lost 12 lbs!

Yesterday I went swimming and did water aerobics for the first time since my injury and you would never have known it.

So Thursday is my usual cheat day so I did go to McDonald's for lunch today and get my usual, a large 2 cheeseburgers meal with a sweet tea. I can't really remember what or if I had breakfast, oh yeah I ate a can of chili for breakfast. And for dinner I made an amazing Japanese feast!

seasoned natto on sticky rice with sweet and spicy shiitake baked tilapia and sweet onion, beet, and sweet potato salad.

Rice and Natto
sticky rice
natto
soy sauce
Japanese hot mustard

Tilapia
sesame oil
garlic powder
salt

Shiitake Sauce

Salad
2 small yams
1 medium beet
1 medium sweet onion
rice vinegar
mirin
lemon juice
fish sauce
soy sauce
sesame seeds

Cheat week :(

One cheat quickly led to another and this week seems to have turned into a cheat week. It started out with my mother bringing me home a bunch of tasty treats from Portland, then yesterday i baked a donut pudding.

And today i went to McDonald's and bought 2 medium fries and a large sweet tea.

But i had a tasty healthy high protein bbq for dinner tonight.

with a pork chop, steak, drumsticks, corn and kebabs.

And i did get a good walk in going to McDonald's and back, my first long walk since my injury.

Despite my slip up several people have been telling me it looks like i am losing weight so i must be doing something right.

What I've been eating and improved mobility

Yesterday I finished up the trip-tip having several yummy tri-tip sandwiches using my home made bread and home grown tomatoes. I also ate lots of fresh pineapple and a peach. I drank water, coffee with stevia and cream, and banana caramel tea with vanilla rice milk.

For breakfast this morning I wanted something quick and I was with my case worker so I had her take me to McDonalds. I got a large coffee with 4 splenda and 6 cream, a cheese burger and a McChicken. Later on this afternoon I had a yogurt for a snack and for dinner I made a delicious dinner, Thai cat fish curry and Pineapple coconut rice.

Pineapple Coconut Rice
2 cups long grain rice
1 can cut pineapple and juice
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 yellow onion diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsps of ginger minced
1 tsp galangal powder
2 tbsp shrimp powder
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 cups water
garnish with cilantro, tomato wedges and coconut flakes

Thai Cat Fish Curry
3 tbsps coconut oil
1 larg onion sliced
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 inches ginger sliced
4 stalks of celery sliced
1 chili pepper sliced
2 carrots sliced
1 bag of small cat fish fillets
4 tbsp dashi powder
2 tsp galangal powder
2 tsp pepper (or long pepper)
4 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 can coconut cream
3 cups water
3 baby bok choy sliced
garnish with tomato wedges and cilantro.


I am walking around very steady with out the cane now and can even sorta support a little weight on my bad knee when I am on the floor.

Diagnosis and Beefy BBQ

So yesterday morning I had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor. Before the appointment I needed something quick to munch on so I ate one of my mom's dried sweet potato slices.

After a lot of X-Rays the doctor determined I tore my right meniscus. He is impressed with how quickly it is healing and thinks all I will need is physical therapy.

After the doctor appointment I went to the hospital cafeteria and ate a piece of pepperoni pizza with three slices of fresh tomato, a chili relleno, and a small amount of Mediterranean salad with olive, artichokes, feta cheese and tomatoes. I had a small pint of chocolate milk as a treat.

Then I did some grocery shopping. Winco had an amazing deal on Tri-Tip and I scored a 3.15 lb roast for only $6.24! I also found some good deals on chicken drumsticks and a couple vegan jack fruit frozen meals. While shopping I drank one bottle of water and one can of pineapple coconut water.

For dinner I had the vegan frozen meals I purchased.

This Teriyaki bowl tasted pretty decent but was a tad too sweet.

This curry bowl was super delicious and my fave but it could have been a little spicier.

All together each meal was about 300 calories and very satisfying.

The neighbor gave me a bunch of tomatoes so I needed to bake some bread to make tomato sandwiches.

I baked a whole grain bread using lots of different grains and it is super tasty. I even added caraway, mustard, and sesame seeds too it.

I ate 2 oranges and a few slices of fresh baked bread as a snack yesterday and I drank some water and a little bit of coffee before bed.

This morning I had some yogurt and buttered bread for breakfast. Than for lunch I had vegetarian sandwiches with my probiotic butter pickles and tomatoes.

I met with my Psychiatrist today and we are going to start trying to ween myself off the medication that made me gain over 70 lbs,  very slowly, only 250 mg a month. Currently I am on 2,000 mg. She says if I show symptoms of mood disturbances she'll put me back on the med until she can switch me over to the mood stabilizer I would like to try that is not known for typically causing weight gain.


For dinner I decided to grill that tri-tip.

I thought it turned out pretty good though it was just a tad too rare for my liking, I will do better next time it was my first time grilling tri-tip. I seasoned it with lots of garlic powder, lots of steak seasoning, and 2 cubes of beef bullion. For sides I made sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans sauteed in spicy Italian dressing. I could only eat half my plate so far though I am so full!

Now I am sipping on some coffee with cream and a tall glass of cold water.

Walking with Confidence

I am walking confidently now without the aid of a cane, I am still very careful going up and down my stairs. Hopefully soon I will be able to stand in the shower.

Yesterday was my cheat day because I had lab work done at the hospital so I ate a delicious breakfast of hash browns, chicken fried steak, bacon, and sausage gravy.

My lab results were unpleasant, cholesterol and triglycerides are still high and now my ammonia levels are up. I am positive it is because of the mood stabilizers I am going to work with my psychiatrist to start switching in a few days.

Other than that I ate left over lamb penne pasta , tomato soup with whole wheat crackers, and 2 yogurts. I also drank plenty of water and tea yesterday.

For breakfast this morning I had yogurt with dark chocolate granola. I also had some left over penne pasta and some more tomato soup and one more yogurt.

But it was dinner tonight that was absolutely delicious.

I had steamed mussels with toasted olive bread that I topped with olive oil, garlic powder, salsa verde, and red pepper flakes. And then I topped everything with Italian dressing. It was so good.

As for what I have been drinking today is mostly tea and water.

Wholesome Foods and Speedy Recovery

This is the crab cakes I had for dinner last night with the corn, peppers and onions.

They were pretty tasty but I think they would have became more crisp if I had fried them in a little bit of oil on a skillet instead of baking them like the instructions said.

Nutritionally they seemed very sound, the first ingredient listed is crab meat so they really pack the protein, and the zinc, two nutrients that help ligament healing and recovery.

For breakfast this morning I had some pork fried rice and a jar of yogurt. I have been very mobile making my way up and down the stairs easily and faster than ever before.

For lunch I had a ham sandwich on wholegrain bread, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I also had another yogurt.

Then my mom called and wanted me to try her Chinese pork and eggplant in black bean sauce. AND WOW it is delicious!

For dinner I made penne pasta in a lamb and bell pepper sauce. It was pretty tasty, so tasty I had to soak up the sauce with three small pieces of olive bread.

The beverages I have drank today are:
2 cups Ito En Hoji Cha
1 cup Yogi Green Tea Energy
1 cup Tazo Green Tea Lemon Grass
2 cups Yogi Green Tea Echinacea
16 oz Thai Ice Tea With Coconut Milk

Daily Dose of Dairy

I have been eating 2 to 3 servings of yogurt every day now that I got my yogurt machine and honestly it is probably one of the best investments I have made.Not only can I make yogurt in it but I can eventually make natto, quark and kefir.

Two people today said it looks like I have lost weight. I will know for sure after my period when i can get a more accurate body weight.

I am walking around great with just a cane now. and can slowly but surely make my way up and down my stairs.

For breakfast today I had a turkey sandwich with whole grain bread. mayo and lots of pepper. And a jar of yogurt.

For a snack I had some more yogurt.

For lunch I had a ham sandwich on whole grain bread with mayo, lettuce and tomato. And a side of fresh pineapple.

For drinks I had 3 cups of coffee, splurging with a flavored vanilla caramel sweetened creamer.
Also I have been sipping on diet Snapple Peach Tea all day.

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For dinner I will probably have crab cakes and maybe sauteed corn and onions.

I have some trail mix left I may snack on and maybe some fruit too.

Belated Update

I have been healing quickly. I still need physical therapy but I am walking around pretty good now with out a brace. Foods that I have been trying to eat are high protein and calcium rich foods along with veggies.

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For breakfast this morning I had 2 Filipino pork sticky buns and for dinner I had two delicious Korean BBQ pork ribs.

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I have been drinking lots of tea and eating lots of my home made yogurt. My muscles get sore every night from having to lift myself out of bed using my walker. My sense of balance has really improved.

Healing quickly

I had hardly any pain when I woke up this morning and thanks to the aid of my walker I am much more mobile and can almost bare weight on my injured leg. My apatite has been insatiable all day probably because my body is healing.

For break fast I ate home made yogurt i prepared in my new yogurt machine. Some pear crisp my mother made and a BLT salad from walmart.

For snack I had turkey and beef jerky,and a baby bell white cheddar.

For lunch my mother made me a salmon salad sandwich with pickles, mayo, tomatoes, lettuce and basil on whole grain wheat berry bread and I ate it with tortilla chips and some fresh salsa verde my neighbor gave me.

I drank lots and lots of unsweetened ice tea nearly half a gallon.

For dinner I had a lean cuisine Salisbury Steak and Mac n Cheese microwave dinner, I was not at all impressed with it. And another piece of pear crisp for dessert.

Post dinner snacking I had a serving of trail mix, some more beef jerky, another piece of cheese and another yogurt. I am also sipping on the last of the tea and a mango lassi my mother made me.

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Healing and Foods

Yesterday i pretty much slept all day. my mother came over several times to help out. last night for dinner i had pork fried rice and watermelon and lots of water. for a late night snack i had triscuits and a cliff bar.

today i am feeling much more mobile and am in far less pain. i got a walker and a wheel chair to help me get around. It is definitely a full body work out to be mobile on one leg. 

I went shopping at walmart today and I got lots of healthy easy to prepare foods like pre made salad, frozen meals loaded with lean meat and veggies, beef and turkey jerky, trail mix, cheese and milk.

I got papaya enzyme and zinc supplements to help boost my recovery.And I got some cute comfy night gowns and loose fitting shorts and a pair of slippers that will make going out in public more presentable.

For breakfast today i had more pork fried rice with cantelope, and peach oolong tea. for snack i had elk and bison jerky.  for lunch i had an apple walnut green salad from Walmart. for a snack I had a baby bell white cheddar cheese, a serving of turkey jerky, 2 servings of beef jerky, and 2 servings of my favorite great value trail mix.

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Beneficial foods for healing torn ligaments.

I have been researching different food that help with healing ligament injuries. I will list what I've found.

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Foods high in proleolytic  acid:
Pineapples
Papaya
Ginger

Protein:
Meat
Dairy
Nuts
Legumes

Zinc:
Shellfish
Leafy greens

Vitamin c:
Citrus fruits

Asian buffet and injury

I was getting major protein cravings so I headed to a local Asian buffet for tasty all you can eat protein. At the restaurant i ate 18 pieces of sushi, a small plate of edamame, a small plate of seaweed salad, a plate of rice noodles cooked on the grill with mushrooms, cabbage, onions, broccoli, shrimp, beef, an egg, and garlic teriyaki sauce. I also had 3 crab puffs, 4 potstickers, one stick of char siu, Jack fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe green tea and water.

I decided to walk to my mother's home since she lived not too far away, about a hour walk, and when I got there her gate was locked. I really wanted to see her though because i wanted to repay her the thirty dollars I borrowed from her so I tried to climb over her five foot gate. I ended up falling and injuring myself so I had to go to the ER.

After X-Rays showed no injuries the doctor diagnosed me with a probably torn ligament in my knee and a contusion on my elbow.  He sent me home with a knee brace and crutches and a referral to an orthopedist. It was an incredible work out getting to my apartment on one leg and climbing the stairs. I couldn't have did it without the help of my mom.

I have been in bed pretty much all day today. I have drank lots of water. For lunch my mom brought me a diet Pepsi, a grilled tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwich on whole grain bread, and sweet potato fries.

work out and lunch

I have lost 4 lbs since my previous measurement! finally starting to see some results. Today at the gym was leg day.

I started out by pounding the eleptical for 1 minute at max force

next i went straight to the squat rack. since it was my first time in months i started my first set with just the bar 10 reps to warm up and test my form.

next i added 50 lbs and gave it 10 more reps

by the 3rd set after adding 10 more lbs the 10 reps were really feeling more natural.

and on the final set with 10 more lbs 10 reps I was feeling like practically a pro again.

next i went over to do lunges and did my first set at 30 lbs 10 reps per leg.

followed by 40 lbs with another 10 reps per leg. 

and finishing with 50 lbs, 10 reps per leg.

I made my way over to the machines and alternated between the leg extension and the leg curl for 3 sets each.

the first set on the extension started at 110 lbs. 10 reps.
 
then over at the curl i did 75 lbs for 10 reps.

back at the extensions i bumped it up 5 more lbs. for 10 reps

and over again at the curl adding 5 more lbs for another 10 reps

returning to the extension with an added 5 lbs for 10 reps

and ending at the curl adding the last 5 lbs for the final 10 reps

I went over to the seated calf raise where I lifted 90 lbs 3 sets of 10 reps.

then I finished my work out back at the squat rack doing standing calf raises by adding 90 lbs to the bar for 1 set of 10 reps.

After I got back downstairs a lovely lady had brought beautiful basil, tomatoes and fresh grapes from her garden. While waiting for my group to finish working out I ate 1 bunch of grapes and 3 vines of cherry tomatoes. 

Back at home I made a smoothie, a pair, and a sandwich for a post work out lunch

Berry, Basil and Poppy Seed smoothie.
3 ice cubes
1/3 cup berries
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 steam of basil leaves
1 cup berry protein water

Tomato basil sandwich
2 slices whole wheat bread
mayo
2 tomatoes
1 steam or basil leaves

Catch up on where i have been, what i have done and what I have been eating

So i have been incognito the past couple days mostly editing and filming videos for my YouTube channel. Yesterday was my weekly mental health meeting and it was a pizza party and I decided to make it my cheat day instead of Thursday so I had 2 slices of mushroom pineapple pizza and 2 slices of pepperoni and I got the whole 2 liter of diet coke all to myself because nobody wanted it so i took it home and will finish it off today.

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 I also had a hamburger yesterday. Other than that i have pretty much been eating the left over Indian food. I already finished off the salad and about half of the watermelon. I have one serving of rice left, 2 kulchas and tuns of curry. When i finish this curry I plan to make a Thai catfish curry.

Indian Feast

I prepared a huge Indian feast tonight cooking for at least 3 hours straight so that was kinda a work out in itself plus washing the dishes for about an hour. I made Salmon curry, cumin rice, carrot cucumber and mango salad, watermelon, whole wheat kulchas, and chai tea.

For the Salmon curry my alterations were:
5 salmon steaks
3 cans salmon
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
black salt and long pepper to taste

omit fresh tomatoes if they are not available

For cumin rice:
2 cups long grain white rice
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vegetable broth
4 cups water
black salt and long pepper to taste

for salad:
long pepper and black salt used

for kulcha:
whole wheat pastry flour used for half of total flour
whole wheat flour used for other half
1 cup plain greek yogurt
black salt and long pepper

For tea:
Twinings Chai

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Bigelow Cinnamon Stick

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Yogi Vanilla Energy

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Whole  milk
A dash of nutmeg
a dash of cardamom

Foods and Exercise

I have been very sleepy the past few days and low energy and I am beginning to think I may have Hypothyroidism. But since my last post I have eaten some yummy food.

tuna and pickle sandwich
1 can tuna
1 tbsp mayo
pickles
2 slices whole wheat bread

1 pear

tomato and pickle sandwich
1 tomato
pickles
2 tsp mayo
2 slices whole wheat bread

Crab Salad and Asian Chicken Salad from a local deli

I cut up a watermelon and saved all the rinds to make a Thai Curry soon. If you want to be frugal save your watermelon rinds and saute them like a vegetable, or make pickles with them. Just be sure to peel off the hard green skin.

Now I am prepping a huge Indian feast.

Here is a photo of my current fruit bowl from my mother's fruit trees and local orchards

As for exercise I have been super fatigue and in pain from my Achilles tendonitis but I found this great video for physical therapy for Achilles tendonitis and have been practicing the exercises.

I walked to the grocery store for about a 30-45 minute walk to shop for groceries yesterday

this afternoon I felt like a cheat so I stopped by McDonalds and got a large fry but I was good and also got a large unsweetened tea.

I have drank about 4 cups of coffee with cream and stevia since my last blog post and lots of water.

Dinner

I made a Blueberry protein smoothie for dinner
3 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3 tbsps oats
1 tbsp almond butter
1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup milk or nondairy beverage

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Also i drank about 18 oz of water.