Mary's Mini

So I've done a Mary's mini once before. I was stuck on my weight loss journey and thought it would move me along. In case you are wondering what a Mary's mini is read this blog post and this post by Dr. McDougall. I started my mini on Monday, June 1st and have been posting what I eat each day on Instagram and Facebook. I chose potatoes as my starch.

My thought is to share this information here on my blog- so let's get to it.

Monday's breatkfast Day 1 - store bought frozen hashbrowns (no oil) cooked in waffle iron.

Lunch - roasted new potatoes and steamed broccoli covered in cheese sauce.

Dinner - large baked potato covered in cheese sauce, salsa, homemade pickled jalapenos and some broccoli shoots with a side of steamed spinach and mushrooms sprinkled with a little nooch. (I baked 8-10 potatoes to have for the week.)

Tuesday's breakfast Day 2 - leftover hashbrowns

Lunch - same as Monday

Dinner - crockpot pizza potatoes with a side of zucchini/squash and onion sauteed in water with garlic.

Wednesday's breakfast Day 3 - I took a cold roasted russet (from Monday) and cut it into french fry wedges. Took the tines of a fork and scored the top, just gently push the tines into the top of the wedge. Cooked it in the toaster oven, set to toast until they started to brown. Cook about 10-12 minutes. Keep you eye on them so they don't burn. These were amazing. I did add a slight sprinkle of salt to the final product.

Lunch - last nights leftovers (same pic).

Dinner - mashed potatoes with brown gravy (apparently the gravy is not mini compliant, but it's amazing) side of boiled cabbage covered in yellow mustard and a few slices of awesome tomatoes slices.

Thursday's breakfast Day 4 - had another leftover potato turned into fries.

Lunch - leftover pizza potatoes and squash

Dinner - I made this potato leek soup (but forgot to take a pic) !

Photo from Brand New Vegan site w/recipe above

Friday's breakfast Day 5 - you guessed it fries with a sliced tomato

Lunch - these leftovers but without the tomato.

Dinner - I know I ate dinner but I have no idea what we had since I didn't take a pic or post it. I know it was some leftovers with a side salad.

Saturday breakfast Day 6 - made potato hash with a bag of Simply Potatoes potato cubes, added fresh cubed red bell pepper and cooked in cast-iron skillet til nice and brown. Add ketchup.

Lunch - leftover pizza potatoes and squash

Dinner - a leftover baked potato with cheese sauce, salsa and jalapeno (no spinach) and a small side salad.

Sunday breakfast Day 7 - oven baked fries with a sliced tomato. I love these and could eat them every morning for breakfast.

Lunch - I finished off the mashed potatoes & gravy and cabbage (no tomato).

Dinner - I'll come back and finish this post after I'm done with day 10. We will be  having freshly baked potatoes with cheese sauce, salsa and jalapeno with a side of steamed broccoli w/cheese sauce.

Monday Breakfast Day 8 - Potato Hash with homemade ketchup

Lunch - French fries with homemade ketchup and a side salad with homemade dressing

Dinner - Roasted red potatoes, sliced tomatoes and Buffalo Cauliflower with homemade ranch.

Tuesday Breakfast Day 9 - Fries cooked on toast in the toaster oven.

Lunch - Potato Soup with Green Chilies from BNV

Dinner - Leftovers roasted potatoes with cheese sauce, sliced tomatoes and Buffalo Cauliflower

Wednesday Breakfast Day 10 - I think the fries were my fav breakfast

Lunch - leftover soup

Dinner - sauteed squash and zucchini with nooch, leftover potatoes/broccoli with cheese sauce and sliced tomatoes.

I only lost 1.8 pounds and it was probably due to all the cheese sauce (but it's made out of carrots and potatoes!!!) But that put me at 60 pounds lost since October 2018. So I'm not complaining.

I hope  you have enjoyed seeing what we've eaten on the Mary's mini. It is supposed to be boring so you don't overeat. I love potatoes and find that this isn't really boring to me, but I'm seeing all types of dishes I want to cook. So I am ready for the 10 days to be over so I can make some different dishes. I'll also report how much weight I lost on the Mary's mini 10 day starch diet.

Enjoy!

No more Cholesterol Meds!!!

Okay everyone, happy dance. As you know we've been vegan for 9 years. At the end of last October I decided to kick it up a notch. Although we were eating healthy and sticking to eating vegan (no cheating). I felt like we (hubby and me) were eating too much processed food. Now don't get me wrong,  I love Gardein, Field Roast, Tofurky, etc. including all the vegan cheeses. Even some ice cream. But I felt we could do better. I do a lot of reading and research and decided to go Whole Foods Plant Based No Oil (WFPBNO). I thought this was going to be a hard transition but honestly, it's not been that much different and I am reaping the benefits! My HEALTH!

To date I have lost 17 pounds!!! Today I met with my doctor to go over my blood results - I am no longer on cholesterol meds!!! I was stoked when I received my blood work copy, my over all cholesterol went from 204 to 183, my HDL (good) went from 73 to 81 and my LDL (bad) went from 100 to 78. I am beyond excited to continue on this path.

My Dr. asked what I ate and asked if I would include it on my blog so she can send/show patients a better way of eating. During the week I usually alternate Avocado Toast and Overnight Oats. On the weekend I usually cook a Tofu Scramble or Breakfast Burrito.

Today was Avocado Toast. I use Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Flourless Bread, which can be found in the freezer of most grocery stores.  I keep the bread in the freezer and just take out 2 slices and let them come to room temperature, top with 1/2 of an avocado and few slices of tomato. But you could top it with other things, just Google "avocado toast" for other ideas.

This is a pic of today's breakfast. I follow a lot of the Forks Over Knives recipes and this is the Overnight Oatmeal that we love. I just make it in a pint mason jar and you can make 4 at once. That keeps Jack and I in oatmeal for 2 days. 

Lunch, as a general rule, is leftovers from the night before. Dinner is usually something that I can whip up after I get home from work. Friday night I made the Brand New Vegan's Cauliflower Tacos and they were amazing.

It is so easy to cook my dishes without oil. Instead of putting oil in your pan to saute your onion and garlic prior to making your dish, just add a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth to the pot.  Then proceed with your recipe.

There are many recipes on this blog and yes a lot of them use processed products. But I am hoping to remake them without those products and re-post them.

I am posting all of this in hopes that it will encourage you to eat a healthier diet for yourself. You are worth it!!!

Here are a few of my go to sites:
Forks Over Knives
Brand New Vegan
Engine 2
Clean Food Dirty Girl