need suggestions for a shakey starter

[Sandra]

You guys have tons of great suggestions and lots of support and I feel like I'm throwing myself out there with lots of hope.

I've been a McDougal cycler for a long time... more off than on. I keep running back in hope that something will click enough for me to get with it again. I have picked up on some great habits along with all my bad ones.

Water is my beverage of choice, but I don't drink enough of it. I actually LIKE regular oatmeal with raisons...no milk no sugar. My favorite omlet (I know.. eggs) is a simple spinach mushroom with nothing else added. I ordered some McDougall big cups a while ago, and I haven't run into even one I don't like. I am no longer a volume eater... I actually stop when I'm full.

My biggest issue is that I eat the wrong things... because I have a hard time cooking stuff. I have some limitations... can't use my hands very effectively, or stand for long times, or lift much. I've been able to overcome some of this.. but I've gotten WAY out of the habit of cooking, and tend to grab what is handy when I'm hungry. No prep which is a real downfall.

Has anyone ever exisited totally on McDougall big cups??? Can someone tell me what I NEED to eat in a day for nutrition? I need whatever crutch I can grab just to get started.

I seriously considered gastic bypass.. but then researched it. It is no easy fix and sent me running back to McDougal...but now that I'm here again.. I can't seem to start. help...

Someone please give me an EASY little prep reasonable menu for day one. Then I'll go onto day two.

[sksamboots]

Hi Sandra

Well I can cook but I don't like to cook. So I keep everything simple! I don't follow any recipies.

Here is what I do:
- I cook up a bag of baked potatoes for the week so I always have some handy
-- I cook up a pot of beans for the week so I always have some ready
--Then I just make sure I always have large amounts of fruits and veggies on hand, so that anytime I'm hungry I have them.
-- And if you want to make it even easier. I know some people who use the canned beans, which you can find low sodium and rinse/drain....There is also pre-made potatoes which you can pop on the stove.

Think simple and keep it simple. I never bore of what I'm eating. I've adjusted too it and actually crave eating the food that I've been eating. I hope you find a path that works for you. Keep on keepin on

[Letha..]

Hi Sandra,
I ate a lot of McDougall soup cups last spring when I wasn’t feeling well. After about a month they do get a little tiresome. Let me give you some other ideas for super easy food.

Eden’s Beans & Rice

Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash

Success Rice

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables

Bush’s vegetarian baked beans on whole grain toast.

Precut veggie platter and prewashed packaged lettuce

You can also eat cold cereal topped with rice milk. Check out McDougall’s list of approved packaged foods for a list of acceptable cereals.
http://drmcdougall.com/packaged.html

If you can afford it, I’d also recommend a Zojirushi Rice Cooker.. I can measure the rice and water into the cooker before I go to bed and set the timer so that there is hot brown jasmine rice when I wake up in the morning. Plus it stays warm and moist in the cooker all day long so anytime you’re hungry you can go get a bowl of rice and top it with a little soy sauce or with some rice milk and a little cinnamon & sugar.

Best wishes.
Letha

[Sandra]

wow... already some great ideas. Letha, I really like the idea of that rice cooker and I see it does steel cut oats, too. I like oatmeal but have never tried the steel oats.

Sksamboots, thanks for the ideas. You do a whole bag if Potatoes??? Do you just refrigerate them? They last the whole week? How do you usually use them?

I think I'll be more motivated to do more a little later... but I need to actually start somehow right now!

Letha I've been inspired by your success! Using the brown rice and or potatoes what would you eat for 1 day... easily done?

Sandra

[Griffin]

I agree that having a rice cooker is a great idea but if you want to save a bunch of money and you have a microwave, this microwave rice cooker works great http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16574414 -- just need to double the times and add a little more water when cooking brown rice.

[Letha..]

Letha I've been inspired by your success! Using the brown rice and or potatoes what would you eat for 1 day... easily done?

Sandra

Hi Sandra,
If you're interested in what I eat, I have a blog with my favorite recipes.
http://mwlfood.wordpress.com/

There are some easy recipes on my blog but if you scroll through you’ll see a lot of my recipes require peeling and chopping veggies, so that might be something you’ll do when you get to feeling better.

My menu has varied over the past year. This past month I’ve been eating a lot of soup or stew served over rice. I make a huge pot and eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 2-6 days in a row. Then I make a new pot of soup or stew. It works for me because other then rice, I only really cook about twice a week.

There are a million ways to McDougall. What you do depends a lot on what you like to eat, how much time, money, energy you have and/or if you are eating alone or trying feed a household.
Best wishes.
Letha

[Sandra]

OK... I'll go check out your blog. You are right that I can't peal or chop much right now, but hopefully my hands will improve over time.

As soon as I get a few groceries that I need I'll try my first day and see how it goes.

Thank you all for giving me suggestions...

Sandra

[Starchyme]

Letha, which model rice cooker or rice steamer do you have? Do you add water to the rice or is it like a steamer basket with the water underneath? Thanks.

[sksamboots]

Hi Sandra,

Yup I usually go through a whole bag of potatoes in a week. I usually pop them in the oven and then I'm set. Yes, I refrigerate them and then I just take them with me. Sometimes I put some beans on them. Sometimes I put salsa on them . Or sometimes I put the 3-2-1 dressing on them (3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablepsoons dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of honey and mix all together) ..And of course there are times where I eat them plain or with ketchup only. They are a great thing to eat on the run. I love potatoes. Good luck :O)

[Sandra]

Sksamboots... Yes, I'll try the potatoes. I really like them too. Thanks for the 3-2-1 dressing. It sounds good. Do you do sweet potatoes too?

Letha...I'm interested in which rice cooker you use also..

Sandra

[Clary]

Hi Sandra.
"Welcome Home". Hope you will keep coming back for sharing and support.

Have you seen these posts and threads yet?

http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10924

http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5046

http://www.geocities.com/sandieb101/tators2.html

http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10519

http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7168

[Letha..]

Letha, which model rice cooker or rice steamer do you have? Do you add water to the rice or is it like a steamer basket with the water underneath? Thanks.

Here is a link to the rice cooker I have.
http://www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/ri ... p_htc.html

Here is a YouTube video that shows a Zojirushi rice cooker that looks just like mine only a little smaller. I have a 5.5 cup model and the model in the video is 3 cups.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz4D7j_-vO8

I put rice and water into the pot, close the lid, and select the menu option and or timer. You can set it up to start cooking hours later so you can walk into the house after work and find hot freshly cooked brown rice. It will also stay warm for many hours which is helpful if you have a busy family. Unlike many rice cookers, it has a setting for brown rice.
Letha

[MaryW]

One of my favorite quick foods is black bean salad. 1 can black beans, half a bag of frozen corn, salsa to taste. Mix and eat. If you are feeling fancy or energetic you can add diced red pepper, diced red onion and chopped cilantro, but really all you need is black beans, corn and salsa. You can also heat it and eat it as a soup with extra salsa or a little water.

Other quick helpful things:

--frozen veggies in microwavable bags or Glad or Ziploc steamer bags
--microwaved potatoes
--Success instant brown rice
--bags of baby carrots and pre-washed greens for salad (or just snacking)
--some people eat their oatmeal uncooked, a la Caldwell Esselstyn
--rice cookers and crock pots are helpful. dump stuff in and let them cook

So a day's menu might look like this:

Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal (cooked or uncooked) with fruit and/ or rice milk
Lunch: microwaved potato with microwaved veggies topped with seasoning or your choice
Dinner: black beans, corn, salsa

Snacks: apples or grapes or baby carrots.

The links Clary posted are really good!

[Sandra]

Wow wow and triple WOW! I knew I was at the right place. I ask for a few crumbs and get the whole cookie!!! (vegan of course!)

I love tomatoes in any form, also potatoes. I've been pretty poor at getting my veggies.. but I like veggies. I can open cans, bake potatoes, and add various combos of topping, fresh and frozen. I might even have some of those ingredients on hand!

I'll have to plan for a grocery run but my spirits are getting higher and higher. I can DO this!!!

Letha, I'm going for one of those rice cookers. I like the white version on amazon.com... it is even a tad cheaper. I really like the idea of waking up to a breakfast already made! I do like oatmeal, and the main problem is not having it ready WHEN I'm hungry. Can you add stuff like raisins to be cooked right in it.. or wait until after it is done in the cooker?

OK... I'll try the black beans, corn and salsa right now and go on from there. I even have some organic potatoes from a friends garden!!! I know.. those are like gold.

THANK YOU EVERYONE

Sandra

[Sandra]

OK... I did the black beans, frozen corn and salsa and it was pretty good. I'm about ready to bake a batch of potatoes and may add the remainder of the beans stuff on top.

Ah... I sort of remember people doing oatmeal in a Crockpot overnight??? Does anyone do that? I imagine it is steel cut oat that cook longer... not Old Fashioned Rolled Oats? Just wondering how it went for ya...

Sandra