Posts by steeninco

I'm not sure how this would work on a baked item, but for a great mayo alternative that is egg free, I love this stuff. It's from a book called Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. Yeah, that's her name. Anyway, the flavor is fabulous as is the consistency but you can't leave out the umeboshi paste - you'll find it in the asian section of your health food store. It's a little pricey but it lasts forever in the fridge. The mayo lasts for a week or so but it's only a pint so indulge in some creamy salads while you've got it.

Tofu Mayonnaise: 

Ingredients

1 (10½ ounce) box silken tofu, preferably soft, reduced fat

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ to 1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard

Juice of one lemon (or 3 Tbsp bottled lemon juice)

1 heaping tsp umeboshi plum paste

½ to 1 tsp sea salt

Several grinds of black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and buzz until very smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
2. Transfer to a storage container or jar. Use immediately or refrigerate. If water accumulates, drain off.

Great question, Pamm915. I've wondered myself. I just went to the Ask Mary portion of the site and retrieved the following by asking a few questions... hope you find it helpful, I know I will.

FAT/PROTEIN/CARB RATIOS:  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends this distribution for the energy nutrients - Fat: 20 - 35% of total calories (average 30%), protein: 10 – 35% (average 15%), and carbohydrates: 45 – 65% (average 55%). Some healthy diets, like the Mediterranean Diet, promote 40% of calories from fat, as long as it's from healthy olive oil while saturated fat from meat is low and fiber from beans is high. Alcohol is the fourth energy-producing nutrient and it is recommended in moderation, if at all.

FIBER: The RDA for fiber is 25 gm/day for females and 38 gm/day for males. Certain individuals may need up to 50 gm/day. Too much fiber causes frequent loose stools and gassiness, and so, for this reason, excess eating is thought to be self-limiting. At very high intakes, fiber can combine with certain vitamins and minerals to make them unavailable to the body in a chemical process called "chelation". However, if you eat a balanced diet, the chelating effect is not great enough to cause nutrient deficiencies. Fiber does carry water out of the body, which could be dehydrating. It is important to drink extra fluids to help fiber work.

SODIUM: The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for healthy adults is 2300 mg of sodium per day. People over age 50 and anyone with high blood pressure should aim for 1500 mg/day according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. An adequate amount of sodium for adults is 250-500 mg/day, but the average American adult consumes about 4000 mg.

CHOLESTEROL / SATURATED FAT:     Cholesterol: 300 mg/day      &nb sp; Saturated fat: 10% of total calorie intake

SUGAR: The guidelines regarding sugar refer to added sugars, not the naturally occurring sugars in fruit and milk. Added sugars are added to foods and beverages in processing and preparation. Foods high in added sugars include soda, fruit drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, ice cream, sweetened yogurt, sweetened cereal, etc. The World Health Organization recommends limiting added sugars to 10% of total calories. For instance, if you need 1800 calories a day, your sugar limit is 180 calories. Divide 180 by 4 to find your limit in terms of grams. Unfortunately, The Nutrition Facts Panel on the food label provides information about total sugars but does not list added sugars separately. You need to check the ingredient list to find added sugars. Names for sugar include dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup and others. Your goal should be to use as little added sugar as you can.

Another former WW here... something I haven't seen mentioned yet but which is a big thing for me is the real life info that I get from CC that I didn't get from WW. WW is a good program and they try to simplify it but for me that backfired. I find knowledge empowering and instead of just saying "x" points and it's veggie or meat, with CC I can look at all the values and analyze so much more, protein, fat, fiber, sodium... It's just so much more informative to me and I feel like I've learned to make even better choices. I also find the database to be more extensive with CC and the recipe builder/analyzer seems to be a lot easier to use. I'm totally sold on CC - I love it! I feel like I finally have the tools I need to make a lasting difference in my health.

I think it's significant that you said it started with what your mother fed you. I would suggest you approach your veggies from a very different direction than what you were force-fed. If it was warm veggies, then try eating them crisp and cold. If it was spoonfuls of something, try turning them into finger foods. If they were sweet (like canned peas), try some that aren't. You get the idea. I would suggest trying to eat them in another form morese than covering them up with things. Maybe you could start by incorporating more of them into other dishes if it's also a flavor thing... add a handful of frozen veggies to a casserole. Toss some fresh spinach into a lasagna. Dice 'em up and add them to a rice dish. Etc. Good luck!

I hadn't heard of it, I'll look for it tonight at my Natural Grocers. Thanks for sharing!

This is one I gave... Our family has a tradition of each person opening one gift on Christmas Eve. I knew my daughter (at 20) would still go for the largest, heaviest gift under the tree. So I wrapped a large box of coal (yup, big dirty chunks) and sure enough she was drawn like a bee to honey. But I'm not all terrible, the next day when she opened the long, very light, tube that rattled (wrapping paper tube with dry beans inside) it contained the iPod she wanted.

I'd say to give them away. I never did and I have been down and up. And I know that the only reason I havn't gained in the last year is because I refused to get yet another larger size—so I would feel things getting tight and lose a few pounds to be comfortable again.

This time, I will be getting rid of each size as I "under-grow" it. That way I won't have a recourse when my jeans start to pinch and my shirt buttons strain. I'll get right on it and keep my weight in check.

Yeah for you!! I hope you have tons of fun shopping for new clothes!