First Instant Pot Trial

Although I've had my I- pot for a week now, I've just made my first meal in it. The recipe for this vegan, no oil stew was found on Simple Daily Recipes.  I didn't use the faux meat though as I prefer my food not to look like meat.  I tweaked other things to my tastes and adjusted spices including omitting salt. The family loved it. The liquid smoke gave it depth and authenticity as a stew. I felt that the broth was delicious although somewhat thin for a stew. I will play with this in the future to try to achieve thicker consistency.  Delicious.

It has taken me a week to start using this amazing appliance due to hurting my wrist last Friday. I currently do not have use of my left arm below the elbow.  No definitive answers from the ER on Saturday and with very little improvement with pain or mobility, I plan to see a doctor again tomorrow. Treating the pain is one thing, but I really want to know what is causing the pain and address that.

The steroids definitely mess with body weight and I'm thankful that the pharmacist mentioned that or I'd be freaking out right now. The high dose is making my heart beat wildly so I will not take anymore. The force of it was so strong that I could see my hand on my chest go up and down to the rhythm.  Scary stuff.

I am hoping tomorrow brings some answers regarding my injury and subsiding side effects from Prednisone.  I'm a terrible couch potato and just want to get back on track with all I need to do.

Nostalgic Recipe Purge After WFPB Transition

I have spent time over the last month going through the desk and kitchen and gathering a huge pile, about 8 inches tall, of recipes from magazines, printed from online resources, and from friends.  This stormy Saturday seemed like the perfect opportunity to purge the pile of those recipes that didn't support my new WFPB way of eating. I figured I could breeze through the whole pile in about 20-30 minutes.  I was wrong.

I didn't expect nostalgia to hit.  Oh, remember this Chicken Enchilada Casserole I made for several potlucks at school? Everyone loved it.  What about this stuffed cabbage recipe that reminds me so much of the ones my mom made during my youth?  There's that carrot cake recipe I wanted to try.

I have always cooked but didn't realize how much my recipes meant to me.  So over one and a half hours later, I am through the stack and more than half did end up in the recycle pile.  I did keep many stir-fry recipes that called for meat just because I wanted the sauce part of the recipes.  Stir-fries are one of my favorite things to make and eat and I like variety in my sauces.  After I try them and write the sauce part down, I will recycle them.

I kept a couple dessert recipes that can be adapted without eggs and oil.  I found some good recipes from Vegetarian Times.  Sadly they no longer have a printed magazine.  Online is a good resource but there is something about a magazine, a cup of tea, and birds chirping in the garden.

All of the ones I kept are now in a file folder waiting to be tried, then transferred into my recipe boxes.  The boxes themselves have not been purged.  That is for another time.

I also gathered up several diet books that I know I will no longer use.  I can't picture myself ever using/needing them again.

I still have many cookbooks to go through.  That will be hard also as I love books of any kind. It is a necessary process, however, in order to really make a permanent change.  It is sort of like donating the clothing that becomes too big as you lose weight.  Ahhh, that will be another thing I will have to purge and hopefully soon.

Enjoying WFPB/Starch Solution Weightloss and More

To say that I am pleased seems to be an understatement.  I have been eating the WFPB/Starch Solution way since April 2nd.  Nineteen days and nine pounds gone.  Those are real pounds.  I have been drinking lots of water each day and have not put any back on.  I have not been perfect.  Some Belgian Easter cookies found their way into my cart the other day and I ate several of them.  That was just my major blunder this week.  I was tempted by a Scor bar in the store today but resisted.

How I feel is just as important as the weight loss.  Energy up to levels I can't remember. Sleeping better.  Less fibromyalgia pain.  I feel lighter and more flexible.  Current jeans zip very easily and are very loose a few hours later.  Another 10 pounds or less and I will try the next size down.  I feel calmer and clearer.  I don't feel deprived or that I am on a diet.  

I love eating this way.  It corresponds with my beliefs.  I am always working on removing hypocrisy from my life and this does that in the area of nutrition for me.  Blood pressure reading today: 121/79. I find my mood calmer and I am happier.  I always have something I can eat when I get hungry and it's food I enjoy.  

The first day I started I had a headache bordering on a migraine.  A week later, I had another headache that seemed like it was more from congestion.  A week later, swollen tonsils and an earache.  Seems like incremental detoxing to me.  Hopefully, the next weeks will not see any issues.

I keep meals simple. Here's an example:  Red and green lettuce, brown rice, black beans, homemade pico de gallo, roasted red peppers, green chile  So good; so simple.

I am ready to branch out a little and make some 'special' meals.  I plan to begin cooking every recipe in the Starch Solution.  Reading through them, they all seemed doable.  I like that they do not rely on a soy protein, seitan, or other fake foods or meat impostors.  I have been gathering ingredients and will sit down tomorrow to make a structured lists so I will have everything on hand for at least five of the recipes this week.  I'll posts pics and comments on the recipes when I prepare them.

I know each person has to find their own way of eating, exercising, and making self-improvements.  I feel I have found my way and WFPB is it.