Hi all,
I have really been slacking with posting any new recipes. With a toddler around, my excitement for food and new recipes has not changed, but with how much time I have in a day, posting new things I've been trying has been put on the back burner for right now at least.
I want to write about something I am really excited about. On Friday, August 23rd, I drove to Fargo to hear Dr. Neil Barnard speak. If you don't know who Dr. Barnard is, Dr. Barnard is adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George
Washington University School of Medicine and founder and president of
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). He's a doctor who is also a health advocate (shouldn't they all be?). His organization has sued the food industry many times because of the poor quality of foods these companies are supplying to use of Public Schools. He focuses on strongly encouraging a whole grain vegan (no animal products) diet, without the use of any added oils, to reverse Type 2 Diabetes. This diet Dr. Barnard recommends, also helps to maintain a healthy weight by taking in fewer calories, helps to strengthen and protect the heart by clearing out and keeping the arteries clear of any saturated fat build up, and this diet also helps the brain to function clear and properly.
Here's my story. I have been a vegetarian who only cooks vegan at home, but occasionally has some dairy while dining out. I have seen Forks Over Knives, I am well aware of Dr. John McDougall, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Rip Esselstyn, and others. I have been aware of an oil-free diet, and I have owned vegan oil-free cookbooks, ever since I chose to stop eating meat in 2006. I have prepared countless recipes that use no oil or animal fat in the past 7 years, but I was never very interested in completely cutting out all added oils from my diet.
Up until the past 6 months or so, I never really thought about how much oil I was actually consuming on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, and on a monthly basis. Its been a slow eye-opener with one thing after another, after another, the past 6 months. Sometimes I would think in my head, "Boy, Courtney. That's a lot of oil! Do you think all of that oil is okay to eat just for this dish?" I would justify it in many ways, but lately - especially the past 6 months or so - I've been very convicted about how much oil and fats I have been eating.
Hearing what Dr. Barnard said on Friday night hit me right between the eyes. I honestly left that place determined to make something happen in my life for the better. And I didn't know what, exactly. But I had bought 2 of his books (the 21-Day Weight-loss Kickstart & Power Foods for the Brain). This had to be it, I knew deep down. Something to help me loose and keep off the weight I've been trying to loose, and to give me more energy to chase after a toddler.
Its been 48 hours with no added oil. Let me share what I've been eating:
Saturday night: Air Popped Popcorn with (only a couple spritz of) safflower oil - just to get some Nutritional Yeast Flakes to stick - and a few pinches of fine Celtic grey Sea Salt.
Sunday Breakfast: Breakfast burritos - tofu scramble with seasonings and onion, green and orange pepper sauteed in a little water. Wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with organic diced tomatoes, organic cilantro, and a little Garlic Sour Cream on top. And a small Silk Soy Strawberry Yogurt.
Sunday Lunch: Cuban Black Beans (without the Spanish olives and oil to saute the veggies in) over short grain organic brown rice, with organic tomatoes, organic cilantro, a few sliced Spanish olives, a spoonful of diced avocado, a little Garlic Sour Cream, and some freshly squeezed lime juice, and Tapatio mild hot sauce. Also, can't forget the sweet potato fries (tossed with a spritz of oil, salt, and fresh garlic) baked and broiled. Those were amazing, and went REALLY well with the beans and rice.
Sunday Dinner: We usually do something light for dinner, like popcorn or a smoothie depending on the day. But, I baked some vegan Gardein Chickn Strips last night and served them with homemade agave-sweetened BBQ Sauce! That was a nice treat, because I don't buy veggie meats very often. And, I was excited to try an agave-sweetened chocolate cake with apple sauce instead of any oil. It turned out good, and I made a chocolate tofu whipped topping for the top. I still have more experimenting to do, but I will post a recipe soon.
Monday Breakfast: Breakfast burritos again with some soy milk to drink.
Monday Lunch: homemade Vegan BBQ Ribz with homemade agave-sweetened BBQ sauce. And some organic oil-free yukon gold mashed potatoes. They were very, very yummy.
I have already started detoxing. My body is saying, "Whoo-hoo! I are glad to not have to worry about newly consumed fats to process, so we can expel all of this extra fat sitting around! Yay!"
I felt impressed to share the start to my journey that will go to 21 days and beyond!
I hope you benefited from reading this blog post! Here's to FEWER CALORIES!!!
Sincerely,
Courtney
