RittenRemedy

Or shakshuka.  Not actually fast, not much of a meal.

(Wow, she's really picky...)

THAT DONT INCLUDE CHICKEN BREAST, STEAK, OR ZOODLES.

Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but Holy Pinterest, I need some variety.  And walking around money.

Whoops I crashed early yesterday.  Haven't been sleeping all too well.  I should honestly turn in about 20 minutes ago.

1.  Yoga/PT 5 times a week

Did basic PT with red bands.  

2.  Food journal in Cronometer (gotta fit that dress!) daily

Coffee with cream, pancakes made from King Arthur's gluten free mix and blueberries, butter, maple syrup, orange juice, 2 sliced bacon, 2 small potatoes, 3 eggs, (that was separate breakfast and lunch not the world's biggest breakfast) salad with cranberries, pecans, blue cheese, steak, baked potato.  A little high at 2145, but yesterday was 1708.

3.  Floss! daily

Will be done before bed.

This is on topic I swear.  On Netflix there is a show called the Indian Detective.  I'm only on episode 3, but it's grown on me, kinda like a nail fungus (you'll get that by episode 2).  It takes place partially in India, and his family is constantly drinking chai.

I really want some chai.

The show is worth a look.

1.  Yoga/PT 5 times a week

Didn't do yoga, but the dog and I did all the parallel stairs in the neighborhood.  Obviously not fast because this was remedial don't pull mom down the stairs training. Did basic PT with red bands.

2.  Food journal in Cronometer (gotta fit that dress!) daily

Coffee with cream, leftover homemade pear cobbler, leftover beef stew and mash, homemade crab cakes eggs bennie, a double margarita.  All gluten free.  Way way over calories at 2506kcal.  Oops.  That's the trouble with alcohol.  It's expensive, calorie rich, and I don't even get a buzz from doubles.  Anyone know some good virgin mixed drinks?  This is a waste.

3.  Floss! daily

Will be done before bed.  Promise.

Goodnight, druids.

Current achievements:

1.  Yoga/PT:  1/20

2.  Food:  2/28

3.  Floss:  2/28

That's actually a really good idea, I think, starting with morning routines.  Kind of like how diet coaches tell you to start with breakfast or dinner or whatever meal.  Do you think you'd prefer a hot breakfast?  They tend to keep hunger away longer.  For a paleo option, crustless quiches keep well and can be filled with vegetables.

We watched The Producers (both versions) recently, so I've had Springtime for Hitler stuck in my head for days.  I don't know whether to feel like a horrible person or not.

Hello, I'm hanging out with the druids this challenge.  I've thought about it before, and due to the nature of life at the moment, I decided to do it.  January was not nice to me.

I like tea.  Black, strong, with a spoon of cream?

I also write only for myself.  I used to share more, and I still do with close friends, but thinking about publishing was making me change how and why I wrote what I wrote.  Not caring about anyone else reading has really helped, which is important, because I use that story as a soundboard for myself.  It's nice to have somewhere to go that is guaranteed private.

1.  Yoga/PT 5 times a week

WILL be done after the fiancé goes to sleep.  Because its 82F in here and I can't sweat in peace around him.  Not that I'm complaining about a single part of that situation.  Didn't get done after all.  But I did get to bed on time.  I think for stress's sake, I'll allow myself to make up on the weekend.  That way I still get the PT and I only have two days of weekend to mess up.  If I don't do it then, there isn't going to be another makeup.

2.  Food journal in Cronometer (gotta fit that dress!) daily

Coffee with cream, leftover homemade pear cobbler, leftover homemade (supposed to be crispy but we tried a new bread that doesn't make bread crumbs well at all) chicken sandwiches, homemade potato salad with too much (if there ever could be such a thing) herb oil based dressing, homemade beef stew, mashed potatoes, wine.

All gluten free.  A less colorful menu, minus the potato salad and stew, and over my calorie budget at 2312kcal, though I was hungry, which isn't a common feeling for my severely messed up digestive tract.  I'll call it okay.

3.  Floss! daily

Will report in the morning.  I did do this one.

Goodnight, Druids.

Current achievements:

1.  Yoga:  0/20

2.  Food:  1/28

3.  Floss:  1/28

On 2/6/2018 at 4:09 PM, Plazmotic said:

Welcome! And congrats on your upcoming wedding! Don't worry, lots of druids don't do yoga, myself included. You can make this challenge an opportunity for healing and recovery as you get in tune with your body.

I must admit, my only previous experience with druids has been wannabe high school "majickaal whitches," stoners, and game-breaking wild shape abuse.  So no yoga there either lol.

On 11/10/2017 at 12:55 PM, PaulG said:

Oh no, I didn't realize how old THIS thread was.  0_0

I've worked 12 hour shifts, but that is just madness.  And teaching?  Much respect for your hard work!  You definitely deserve better health.  When I went to work a shift, I ate lunch and dinner there.  I have a couple suggestions, most in the "bulk cooking" style.

Typical bulk cooking is easy, but variety will keep you sane and more likely to stick with it.  I would actually prep breakfast on the weekends too, because while work was 12 hour shifts, work actually started 3 hours before that.  Most weeks I made crustless quiche, because I rarely got bored of different fillings.  You could do something similar for one of your meals.  They keep really well and don't need a microwave.

I'm assuming because you're working two jobs, budget is an issue, and quick cooking meals like steak and fish are often a budget drain.  They can also suffer from a long wait time before eating, making that hot burger look really good.  Luckily, traditional foods of the poor, like ratatouille, keep just fine in a good thermos.  I love my pressure cooker now, but working shift I used a slow cooker, and that may be easier and more suited to a super busy lifestyle.  For variety, each week switch between stew-type meals and roast-type meals.  Some of my favorites are beef stew and pulled pork.  Azukmul gro-Dragnar just posted a recipe for chicken, sausage, and lentil stew that looks amazing.

So by now, you have two great budget friendly recipes going, hypothetically, in the oven and slow cooker.  Another super easy way to add variety is different sides.  Raw veg is great because it requires no prep, or just a knife and cutting board.  Starchy sides can really change the way a meal eats.  Beef stew is great with potatoes or rice, and pulled pork can be made into sandwiches or mixed with marinara and pasta for something completely different.  With funds saved, oven going, slow cooker going, and starchy sides boiling, you should have just enough for some good steaks or nice salmon on the other half of the stovetop.  I like to prep these in ways that don't get overcooked by reheating and are tasty to eat cold.  If you like Chipotle, rice bowls are one of my favorites.

No cook ideas can be more than snacks or sides.  I used to love the Starbucks box things.  I can't even remember what they were called, but they're way cheaper and tastier if you make them yourself.  They're a great way to use canned salmon, cheese, and other cheap, nutritionally high value foods.

That sounds like a lot, but start small with a few meals:  crustless quiche, pulled pork, salad or slaw, and salmon salad.  Make sandwiches from half the pulled pork, and mix the other with a jar of store-bought marinara and pasta cooked that morning.  The sandwiches and salmon salad box will keep in a lunchbox with an ice pack, and the pasta will be fine in a thermos if thoroughly heated that morning.

You can do it!

On 11/10/2017 at 12:55 PM, PaulG said:

And only now do I realize this thread is over a year old...

 

Haha, I was wondering what one of my oooold posts was doing on the front page!  Still, good suggestions and still an unresolved issue in our house.

I love broccoli raab.  So superior to regular broccoli.

Oh man, this looks good.  I had meatloaf for breakfast and didn't even bother to put an egg on it first.  No judgment here.

The beginning of this year has been rough.  We moved to North Carolina, which is not a nice place to live.  It has work and schools (an hour drive away), so there's that.  Hopefully I can make the end a lot better, because I'm getting married in October!

I'm not certain that I do a lot of Druidy stuff, but I plan on using yoga to attempt to rehab my shoulder.  It's not that physical therapy doesn't work.  I'm going to school to be a therapist, so I obviously believe in it.  However, the VA will only pay for a couple months of therapy, and it takes more time that that to even get an appointment.  Last time I went in thinking that it would be a final step to getting well, but we found some pretty severe inflammation in the joint, so it was back to square.  I let moving totally disrupt my workouts, so yet again, I have to start over.  I'm hoping that yoga will help with mobility and strength in a more gentle way than pushups.

1.  Yoga/PT 5 times a week

2.  Food journal in Cronometer (gotta fit that dress!) daily

3.  Floss! daily

If you need a semi-serious proofreader for Guide to Daydrinking, I offer my services.  I learned a lot about both while in Korea.

Oh and this Monday's dessert (because Monday is a good day for a sweet treat) is Bojon Gourmet's blood orange cornmeal cake.  Thank gog for citrus season.

LAST WEEKS MENU

Sunday:  crab cakes, salad, steak and fries

Monday:  leftover crab cakes eggs benny (I'm getting okay at these!), salad, seafood stew, potatoes and cabbage

Tuesday:  cod (terrible quality! Like a sponge!  Gross!), balsamic roast sweet potatoes, blueberry apple crisp

Wednesday:  salmon, rice, crunchy salad (with lime fish sauce dressing)

Thursday:  leftover salmon fried rice

Friday:  cheeseburgers and oven fries

Saturday is always leftover or dinner out day.

THIS WEEKS MENU

Sunday:  red shrimp chowder, crab cakes (getting good at these too!), potatoes, celeriac apple slaw

Monday:  tuna, rice, crunchy salad

Tuesday:  I'm recipe testing for Domestic Man's new cook-anthology:  Irish stew

Wednesday:  salmon, another recipe test:  champ

Thursday:  leftover lamb stew and champ pie

Friday:  salmon salad sandwiches and sweet potato fries

Okay, overly dramatized title aside, this isn't really rock bottom, but I want it to be the bottom for me.  So I'm making it so.

RIP Marks Daily Apple Forum!  It was a good, what, six years for me?  It really helped keep me sane in the army and my digestive health suddenly hitting the crapper (unfortunatly, less often in real life!).  Over the passed year, I hadn't posted much, and the forum was pretty much dead.  I hope the friends I made there continue to improve and maybe stumble over here.

Since I was here regularly, I got out of the army and moved to Washington state, started college, and moved again to North Carolina.  I loved Washington, well most of it, but I fell into the trap of healthy junk food.  After years of suffering with IBS and food intolerances, I just wanted to feel normal.  It didn't make me better, and while I hate North Carolina and every grocery shopping day is a stress of hunting for healthy choices that aren't spoiled, we have a little extra money that I can use to turn this restriction into an opportunity to do better.

I haven't done New Years resolutions in years because I think they're crap, but it was a good time.  I've got a messload.  Sticking to a regular cleaning schedule, acting like an adult (a put together one who flosses daily), cooking and being active daily.  It's a lot, and right now it's kind of a mess, but I know it's not too much to handle now while I wait for school to start again.  It's okay if I mess it up, because not being perfect won't make time go backwards.

Now for cuteness!  We have a big furry sleepy baby boy!

I have a recipe for wedding soup that has some killer looking meatballs.  The boyfriend doesn't eat soup but loves comfort foods, so I wanted to do more of a meatballs and red sauce thing.  We're not particularly low carb, just gluten free, and I wanted to up the nutrient content by adding some vegetables that will go with the noodles not just replace them.

Because I'm not looking to hide them or replace something bland with bland veg, I'd prefer to use something more nutrient dense than zucchini.  Any ideas?

Strong flavored pork pairs really well with strong flavored liver.  I like to add chorizo, peppers, and a little paprika to the usual liver + onions.  On the simple side, sliced liver wrapped in bacon is as insanely good as anything else wrapped in bacon and very offal-noob friendly.

Strangely enough, even though I haven't visited this site in probably a year, this is the second time tonight I'm recommending you check out a blog called Stonesoup.  It's about minimalist cooking (though you don't have to be a minimalist, just use it for the techniques and uber-simple recipes).

What are some of the things you like to eat?  Learn to cook them (check that site to see if she had a recipe: it will be easy and attainable).  Think about your five favorite meals.  Learn to make them.  If they are complex, like a roast dinner or ravioli, take the base ingredients (chicken + veg, pasta + filling) and apply them to an easier technique (tray baked chicken, potatoes, and carrots; pasta with broken up sausages, greens, and cheese).

Some essential tips if you are super new to cooking:

- buy a meat thermometer.  Use it.  Seriously.  It seems like a pain, but it's $5 (probably less) and 5 seconds to see if your meat is safe or properly medium rare.

- buy a good knife.  Learn to use it right.  How you cut your food determines how quickly and evenly it cooks.  Make your cuts uniform, and not burning or undercooking your food will become much easier.

- don't stress.  Watch some YouTube videos on how to dice an onion (you'll do that a lot), how to fry and egg (or whatever your favorite way is), or whatever is hard.  Food is food.  Don't let some burned chicken or slow dinners get you down.  S*** happens, milk spills, and sometimes you order pizza.  Keep trying.

My favorite, incredibly simple recipe that will really pay off:  pan fried salmon fillets + greens and potatoes.

Add a handful of new potatoes per person (1/4-1/2 pound) to a pot and add water from the tap to inch inch above the potatoes.  Bring to a boil (large bubbles) over high heat, then reduce to a simmer (small bubbles).  Simmer until you can stick a fork into one, 5-8 minutes.  Drain the water, and add a bit of butter and salt.

Heat a frying pan big enough to fit your salmon, but not so big there's a ton of empty space (prevents smoking) over medium high heat.  While the pan is preheating, rub your salmon fillets with oil and salt.  You want enough oil to where you can feel it, but not so much that it pools up.  If you salmon has skin (good), cook the skin side first.

"But fish is hard to cook!"

No.

Don't be scared of cooking fish.  Just watch the side of the fillet.  When it cooks, it turns lighter pink.  When it cooks halfway (usually about 3 minutes), use a thin spatula to carefully lift the skin side from the pan.  When it's cooked, it will detach easily.  If it doesn't want to come up, let it cook for another minute and try again.  This is why fish isn't hard; you have two built-in timers, color and detaching.  If you use nonstick pans, they won't stick at all (I don't because you have to replace them often, I don't have that kind of money, and they are not safe at high temperatures anyway).  Cook the other side until the color meets in the center.  If the pan ever starts smoking or sizzling too violently, remove the pan from the burner until it calms down and turn the heat to medium.

Throw some salad greens + dressing on a plate next to your salmon (with crispy skin) and potatoes (you can also pop these under a broiler for a few minutes to get them crispy too).  You will get a lot of mileage (the same method could be applied to steak) and confidence (you *can* cook fish!) out of this dish, and it's really tasty, fast, and healthy.

You should see a gastroenterologist and get tested.  Forums are a great place for support and minor tweaks, but we can't diagnose what appears to be a seriously life affecting situation.

Best of luck and hang in there.  I know how bad the gut stuff can be.

8 hours ago, travis1221 said:

Naruto inspires me to push harder every time I slack back into my old habits. Watch Naruto.

He loves Naruto and is trying to get me to watch it.  Maybe I'll only watch an episode after he eats his protein...

Idk the more I hear responses about what *I* could do, the less I care.  Maybe that's cold, but I just want to help him help himself, not bribe him or do it for him.

1 hour ago, tyrannosaurus rose said:

Raincloak is right that your boyfriend has to choose to eat better himself. 

 

That said, I have some experience with this problem. My roommate/best friend is an extraordinarily picky eater, but since it's cheaper to buy groceries and cook for two I do my best to encourage her to try new things. 

 

My roommate is a vegetarian because she "doesn't like the texture of meat" (nonsense to me, since most meats have very different textures: how could you call the texture of salami even remotely similar to that of a pork chop?), and on top of that grew up with unhealthy eating habits, so rather than a vegetable-heavy vegetarian diet, she mostly eats pizza-flavor goldfish and breakfast cereal when left to her own devices. 

 

Basically what I'll do is just pick something I like that I know is within her parameters (and often similar to something I know she eats) and tell her, "I'm just going to go ahead and make this and I want you to try it. If you hate it, you don't have to eat it." She often says things to me like, "I don't like [particular food]" but what she means is, "I've never tried [particular food] and am scared of new things." For example, knowing she loves broccoli, I decided it was time for her to try cauliflower. She told me in advance she doesn't like it, but when I fed it to her she was really happy to add it to her approved foods list. It seems like maybe knowing I've already "vetted" the food item makes her more willing to try it. 

 

The trick with her seems to be to just take charge for her and make her try things -- especially if I make it for her, she doesn't have to put any more effort into it than actually eating the final product (by effort I mean planning the meal, prepping, cooking, etc). It sounds like your boyfriend is interested in doing better, and you're interested in helping him along that path, so maybe that would help? 

We had some a similar experience to that with leeks.  The first time I ever made chicken noodle soup, he didn't even try it, but I love leeks so I just kept using them.  He still doesn't eat noodle soup though, even when he makes it lol.

Thanks for the advice.