asquirrelandheracorn-blog
A Squirrel and her Acorn
KR on TQI: one gal's journey to quiet inflammation and lose weight.
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Yum, yum, yum!
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TQI Week 6
It’s week 6 on the TQI diet. I did stray a couple times for special occasions this week, but I’m still feeling good, and I think I’m down just about 10 pounds now. I got a little lazy with cooking this week, and had several cans of “Amy’s” soup for meals. I had a few different selections of her veggie soups, and she’s got some good ones!
The zucchini crusted pizza was delicious!!! I’ve been hooked on grapes ever since they made their appearance at the grocery store a few weeks ago. I tried out some zucchini slices with garlic hummus for a snack one day last week; it was okay. I did another butternut squash hash with fried eggs this weekend. I also had banana strawberry pancakes this morning with the fresh strawberries I got at the market yesterday. I smashed some of those tasty strawberries and added them to my peach tea yesterday and that was delightful! It’s amazing how different peach tea tastes to me now (since I haven’t been adding sugar) than it did several weeks ago (when I was adding some type of sugar, I think it was honey). It’s so refreshing! No sugar needed. Today, I made that crockpot black bean chili again that I made the first week of the diet. It’s in the crockpot right now and it smells so good and I can’t wait til it’s done to eat some! Don’t black beans just look beautiful after they’ve been soaking? Such a pretty purple color!
A note from the weekend: A really great evening with friends also does a lot for energy level and mood. I just had the best time at my good friend’s cookout last night and I’ve been in such a great mood today, even with treating myself last night. Eating healthier has really made a positive difference in my life, but laughter, good conversation, and great friends are good medicine for the soul, too :D
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All my food pics from the past two weeks didn’t fit in the last post, so here’s so more!
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I’m getting better and better at making solid pancakes that don’t fall apart, so I keep taking pics of those. I used to not heat the pan up for much time before, which I realize now is why my first batch of pancakes always turned out kinda funky. Now I heat the pan up when I start making them and the pan is perfectly hot by the time I pour the batter in.
Oh, I also roasted some broccoli. I didn’t use the red pepper flakes or the lemon juice: http://paleogrubs.com/roasted-broccoli-recipe It turned out decent. That pasta in the image with the broccoli was not so great, though. I had run out of sauce that I made and had a little leftover pasta, so I bought store sauce to go with it and it was rather disgusting.
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TQI Weeks 4 & 5
Two more weeks have gone by on the TQI diet and things are still going well! I’m down 9 pounds now and have been enjoying being able to wear so much more of my wardrobe! It’s so very exciting! I’ve been trying some different foods, pictures will follow. It’s been fun to get out of my comfort zone and try new things!
The easy banana and egg pancakes with blueberries are my normal weekday breakfast. I’ve made veggie-packed pasta, butternut squash hash with fried eggs, pumpkin pancakes (these were pretty good, but I left out the sugar element and I think they would have been much better with at least just a little sugar), butternut squash/black bean/veggie mixture, chili baked sweet potatoes, an incredible quiche, and today I’ll be making a zucchini-crusted pizza!
Pumpkin pancake recipe (I used almond meal in place of the crushed flax seeds. I think if I had used sugar, they would have been delicious; even if they had no sugar, but had a little maple syrup on top, they would have been delicious): http://madetoglow.com/2013/11/29/flourless-pumpkin-pancakes-gluten-free-dairy-free/
Butternut squahs/black bean/veggie mixture (this was extremely tasty. I took some stuff out (I don’t like spicy stuff) and added stuff in, it’s quite flexible to what you want.): http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/butternut-squash-black-bean-skillet/
Sweet potato crust quiche (this quiche is the best I’ve ever had. Seriously, so delicious. With this recipe, I also add and take out what I want. I especially like broccoli and mushrooms in it. I use feta instead of the goat and asiago cheeses. I have not used the miso, either, and for my taste buds, I find it does not need any salt or pepper.): http://www.fourteenforty365.com/2014/04/weekend-meal-prep.html
Zucchini crusted pizza recipe: http://www.muchtaste.com/2015/01/zucchini-crust-pizza.html?m=1
I’m not sure what I did with the sweet potato recipe, but I basically just baked them according to the temp and time on the recipe, and kinda went off of the black bean skillet recipe for the topping.
I’m still noticing the other benefits I’ve mentioned before (less dry skin, more energy, better sinuses, and losing weight). Another benefit I’ve noticed is lack of craving sweets. I crave bananas with almond butter or grapes these days when I want something sweet. The chocolate ice cream commercials don’t even entice me anymore :)
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Yummy food!
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TQI: Week 3
I am coming to the end of the first three weeks on the TQI diet. I know you’re probably not surprised to hear this by now, but things are still going great! If I read the scale right this morning, I’m down about 8 pounds. I just can’t even believe it. Last week I wore pants that I hadn’t been able to wear in probably about 6 months. It was quite exciting! I also noticed something new: my skin is much smoother and way less dry and itchy. I have always had issues with dry, itchy skin; so much so that my hands would crack in the winter, but there were a few nights in a row last week that I didn’t even put lotion on after I got out of the shower. I’m just so impressed with this diet, not only the results, but also the regimen. It’s so easy to do and my energy level is so much better, enabling me to do more in a day.
As for food, I tried making plantain chips this week. Had those with guacamole and salsa. Also tried fried plantains. Those always come out so much better in my head than in real life. I love them when I get them at a restaurant, though I just clearly don’t know how to cook them myself. They were edible, so I did eat them. I had them with red beans, guacamole, and salsa.
Plantain chips recipe: http://africanbites.com/?p=995
I also tried those banana pancakes that are just banana, eggs, and baking powder. Added blueberries into the mix. Tried raspberries, as well, one day. So easy. So tasty. Those have been a great weekday morning go-to meal, as the name of the article/recipe suggests.
Banana pancake recipe: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/two-ingredient-pancakes-just-won-weekday-mornings/?cmp=SMC%7Cbbl%7Csoc%7CPIN%7CBabble%7CInHouse%7C111614%7Ctwo%7C%7CfamM%7CSocial&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SMC%7Cbbl%7Csoc%7CPIN%7CBabble%7CInHouse%7C111614%7Ctwo%7C%7CfamM%7CSocial
For breakfast this weekend, I did a butternut squash/leek hash with fried eggs and grapes. I love a good runny yolk over this hash! When I made the hash yesterday, I didn’t let it cook long enough, but it was much tastier today with the longer cooking time. I think I probably had a bit more salt and pepper in it today, too. I was SO excited to see grapes at the grocery last week. I’ve already almost gone through 2 bags of them.
Butternut squash and leak hash recipe: http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/10/leek-butternut-squash-hash/
Both of the recipes listed here are delicious. Seriously, so good! And very simple to make, as well.
Tonight I had brown rice with veggies and an organic, gluten-free soy sauce. It was quite tasty! I also had a few grapes for dessert. YUM!
On a side note, my tomato plants have grown at a ridiculous rate and are now huge. This is awesome, as they will soon be bearing little orange, tasty tomatoes!
Looking forward to the changes week 4 will bring! :)
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Yummy food, my tomato plant looks like it’s starting to make a tomato, and Eddy chilling out with me while I eat breakfast :)
#yummyfood#tqi#quietinginflammation#theabascalway#losingweight#asquirrelandheracorn#hownatureintended
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TQI: Week Two
I’m a bit overdue for a post, I know. I’m finishing up week two on the TQI diet and things are still going well. I was tired last week, but I’m quite sure that was because I started off my week going to bed too late, and when I do that, I just can’t catch up til the next weekend. It’s no good. Although I was tired, I did not feel exhausted, as I normally would have felt in that case. So that was nice.
I’m done another pound or two. I’m starting to notice a slight difference in how my clothes are fitting, which is super exciting! I’m looking forward to being able to wear my old wardrobe again.
And on to food: After my chicken dish, I did some salads. I finished off the veggies much earlier than I did the chicken. I’m not much of a meat person and when I get too much of it, I start to be repulsed by it. I don’t think I’ll be making another meat dish anytime soon, I’ve had my fix for quite some time. Needless to say, I was quite happy when all the chicken was finally eaten up! I had boiled some eggs for my salads, and had a few of the eggs with breakfast, too.
Later in the week, I made a black been/fajita veggies/guac/salsa bowl. That was quite tasty. I SO love black beans! One summer I worked with teens in gardens in the mornings and they had a class in the afternoons. Every once in awhile, we had a lady come work with us on mindfulness (which I LOVED! She was so awesome and I still use the deep breathing technique she taught from time to time). We all went around and said what food would be the hardest to give up as part of an exercise, and mine was black beans. True story. Love those things.
Yesterday, I made some delicious banana/blueberry pancakes with fruit/coconut milk drizzle for the top! Oh baby, those were good. This morning, I made a veggie hash, which primarily consisted of mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and hash browns with a couple fried eggs and a banana. I love having the time to do delicious breakfasts like that on the weekends! I’m trying to get up early enough to make and eat breakfast before going into work during the week, but I really only get up early enough to do scrambled eggs and some fruit. Still good, but the weekend breakfasts are the best!
Tonight I made some delicious pasta. I got this super tasty gluten-free pasta. I believe it has brown rice flour, quinoa flour, and flax in it. I made a great sauce (sauce is one of my specialties, if I do say so myself) that included red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and carrots with crushed tomatoes and basil. SO good! I made a whole lot of sauce, too, so that will take care of the next several meals. I’m wanting to also try out a berry pie. I was going to make it tonight, but time got away from me. Soon.
#tqi#quietinginflammation#hownatureintended#asquirrelandheracorn#losingweight#theabascalway#yummyfood
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Tasty dishes from the past few days :)
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TQI: The First Week
Today is the seventh day I’ve been on the diet, and things are still great. I got so much done over the weekend: my energy level is off the roof! It’s awesome. The potluck on Friday went well and I had my guacamole/salsa lettuces. Two of my co-workers brought food that I too could enjoy, which was super awesome! I very much appreciated that. So I also had some hummus and veggies, and some watermelon. So tasty!
My eating habits get a bit out of whack on the weekends. Since I sleep in a little later, and usually do a bit of clean-up before anything else on Saturdays, I don’t eat til a little later. I’ve been having scrambled eggs with fruit most days for breakfast. Yesterday evening, I made a baked chicken dish with asparagus, carrot, and sweet potato. It was delicious! It had a lemon/garlic marinade. The recipe can be found here: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pan-roasted-chicken-lemon-garlic-green-beans I do not put the lemon slices in the bottom (made it once before and the green beans were super intense, and not in a good way). I did double the size of the marinade though, because the first time I made this, I ran out and had to make more anyway. And then instead of the green beans and potatoes, I thought I’d switch it up with asparagus, carrot, and sweet potato. Super tasty!
I had that again today for dinner, with banana raspberry blended together with some ice for dessert.
No new news as far as things I’ve noticed. The same improvements are still present and I’m loving it! And you know, it wasn’t even that hard to steer clear of the desserts at the potluck on Friday. Normally I would have had at least 3 of them. My sweet tooth is so bad. But I feel so great eating the way I am currently, that right now I don’t have any desire to go back to my past habits. And it’s not like my taste buds are deprived, either :) I think that’s one of the most impressive things to me about this so far: how easy it’s been to transition to this way of eating.
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The last two morning’s breakfasts and my guacamole and salsa lettuce “wraps” all ready for tomorrow’s potluck!
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TQI Days 3 & 4
It’s nearing the end of day 4 and things are going great with the diet! Yesterday morning I woke up early and made scrambled eggs. Had them with an apple, a kiwi, and blueberries. Quite tasty. I had an apple and a banana with almond butter for a morning snack. I had black bean chili again for lunch, with orange little tomatoes and chives, and a kiwi for dessert. I had cashews, raspberries, and blueberries, and I think another piece of fruit, for an afternoon snack and the same thing for dinner as for lunch, except a blended cold banana instead of a kiwi for dessert.
Today, I woke up early again and had scrambled eggs. I had them with an apple, a banana, and blackberries. My morning snack consisted of an apple, a banana, and almond butter. My lunch was the same as yesterday, except a few blueberries and raspberries as a dessert instead of a kiwi. My afternoon snack was cashews, blackberries, raspberries, and a pear. For dinner, I had lettuce leaves with guacamole and salsa.
I’ve got a potluck at work tomorrow and I was needing to come up with something that I could take that I could eat. I thought guacamole sounded good, but I’m not eating corn chips right now, so I didn’t know what to pair it with. Then a spark flew through my brain: what about lettuce rolls with guacamole and salsa?! And they’re quite tasty, too :)
More things I’m noticing: sinuses are still better than the norm. My tummy is already starting to shrink a bit and the ticker on the scale is moving down! I also think my skin might not be quite as dry. I feel that that is a little harder to gauge than the other things I’m looking for improvement in, but it seems to be better. My energy level is still great! I drank coffee nearly every day for quite a long time. A little while before starting the TQI diet, I decided to switch to tea. It’s been around a month. I thought this would be harder than it was, but it was not. I switched during a really busy time at work, so I think the busyness distracted me from not having my morning coffee that I used to look forward to so much. I also felt I needed it to get through the day. Truth be told: I have way more energy not drinking coffee than I ever did drinking it. Great realizations being had over here, y’all. Also, it’s Thursday, and although I am tired right now (getting close to my bedtime), I wasn’t tired during the day today like I usually am by Thursdays. I have been getting to bed a bit earlier, too, so I’m sure that helps some, as well. But seriously, I’ve struggled with energy level for as long as I can remember and this is just great :) Also, I’m just amazed that I’m not craving sweets. This has not been a difficult adjustment and I’m delightfully surprised by that :)
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Yesterday’s dinner: black bean chili with some chives and blended banana dessert; today’s breakfast: baked avocado eggs with blueberries and a banana; and tonight’s dinner: black bean chili with chives and orange cherry tomatoes. YUM!
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TQI: Days 1 & 2
Day 1:
If you could have just smelled the black bean chili cooking in the crockpot. My oh my, did it smell incredible! And it tasted amazing, as well!
Yesterday, I had two breakfast muffins for breakfast. I wasn’t terribly fond of them, but I did quite like the blueberries in them. I had a choice in one of the ingredients and I went with butternut squash. I usually love butternut squash, but I think next time I’ll pack them with more berries and use pumpkin in place of the butternut squash.
I had a snack of an apple with a little bit of almond butter in the morning. Quite tasty! Though not sure it was big enough of a snack. Maybe two apples next time?
I had a taco salad with no dressing for lunch (we went out for a co-worker’s going away and it was probably the best option on the menu for the diet. That chili sure had a kick to it! My mouth was on fire. My taste buds don’t much like spicy things.)
For my afternoon snack, I had some raw cashews-SO tasty! And also some blackberries and raspberries. The raspberries were just delicious. Again, I’m not sure it was quite big enough. I planned my snacks in the morning and took them to work and I wasn’t quite sure how much I’d eat. I’d add a few more of each and/or maybe a banana or another piece of fruit to this snack.
For dinner, I had black bean chili. It’s some of the best chili I’ve ever had, and let me tell you, I’ve had a lot of chili. It’s one of my favorite dishes. Recipe can be found here: http://www.acouplecooks.com/2013/01/slow-cooked-black-bean-chili/ I also partially froze a banana and put it in my blender for a sweet treat right after dinner. Just the banana, you don’t really need more than that, unless it’s super frozen, and then I think it’s helpful to have a little almond or coconut milk added.
So far, so good. I felt satisfied last night. There was a small inkling of a craving for something sweeter or a later night snack, but I’ve given that up for now, and it wasn’t that bad. I’ve mentally dedicated myself to this, so I think I prepped myself enough.
Day 2:
I woke up early to make baked eggs in an avocado. Did you hear that? I woke up early. By my own free will. That’s big time right there. And it was so nice! It was so nice to have more time in the morning and to make a more substantial breakfast. I’m so used to taking breakfast to work with me, but I think I’m going to try to get in this habit of getting up early and making something. I had blueberries and a banana with my eggs in an avocado. I think I let the eggs bake a little too long; I’ll have to remember that for next time.
For my morning snack, I had an apple and a pear with some almond butter. Have you ever heard of Opal apples? I never had til I saw them at the grocery recently and they are delicious!
Black bean chili again for lunch, with a kiwi for dessert. More raw cashews with berries, and a banana this time, too, for my afternoon snack. And black bean chili again for dinner-this time with some orange cherry tomatoes thrown in for funsies. I love those little orange tomatoes! With a little blended cold banana again for dessert. I should mention, I’m one of those people who can eat the same thing several times in a row if I like the taste. I often will make one big meal on Sunday and have it for most of the week, so black bean chili will show up a good few more times this week as a meal item.
I’ve realized that now that I’m actually preparing snacks for work, that that is just great. I love it. And I love eating this type of stuff more than I realized. I think I just get lazy sometimes and think, oh I’ll just eat an ice cream bar, it takes too much effort to wash some fruit off and break out the almond butter. It does not take too much effort, I am telling you. It takes hardly any time at all. And since I’m prepping and brining snacks with me to work, I’m not tempted to go buy junk food that is not only not good for me, but also costs me too much money. And might I add that I felt pretty great today? I woke up without a severely stuffy nose for the first time in a good while and I didn’t have that afternoon low energy lull that I typically have. I was wanting it to be 5 o’clock at around 3 o’clock, don’t get me wrong, but not because of low energy, I really just couldn’t wait to get home and have some more black bean chili for dinner! Already feeling better and it’s only day 2.
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Breakfast muffins and crockpot black bean chili prep!
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TQI
Sunday I started my prep for the beginning of my journey on “The Abascal Way: To Quiet Inflammation for health and weight loss” diet, otherwise known as TQI. I am excited, and at first I was a little anxious about it, but the first two days have gone quite well.
Sunday night, I made breakfast muffins to prepare for breakfasts this week. I also prepped a black bean chili, packed with veggies, to plop in the slow cooker Monday morning. On Monday, my official start day, I stopped drinking my morning honey lemon hot water that had become a ritual. I’ve just stuck to my tea, minus the normal honey I used to add.
My reasons for starting the TQI diet? I have a friend who told me about it and has had lovely things to say, and the book has rave reviews. It seems to have helped a lot of people and I am confident that it will help me, too. The things I am learning from reading the book are just fascinating. I halted reading the other book I was in the middle of and am quickly reading through this now. I’ve even started reading on my walk from my car to work and back. It’s that good, folks. I also find that I concentrate/retain information better when I read for short periods of time here and there. Personally, I am looking to quiet inflammation pertaining to seasonal allergies, mild asthma, a knee injury, dry skin, heartburn, an often low energy level, and I would like to lose the weight I gained while stress eating during grad school.
My reasons for blogging about it? I want to make sure I stay on track and if anyone is following this, I won’t want to let them down. So I’m hoping this will help me stay on the diet. I’ve never been able to do much of a diet before, other than a few small changes here and there. It will also help me keep track of what I tried and what I liked or didn’t like; how I’d do things differently for future meals. I also want to help others that may want to quiet inflammation and guide them to the Abascal way. Info on the diet and where to purchase the book can be found here: http://toquietinflammation.com
In the words of Rhino the hamster from “Bolt,” “Let it begin, let it begin, let it begin!”
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