Mushroom Sandwich Anyone? A Low Calorie Burger Alternative

I am still on my weight loss plan and have found a few more things to add to my meal options. One of them is a "mushroom burger" without the meat.  Many restaurants serve hamburgers topped with mushrooms and cheese, which are very high in fat and calories.  The version that I created has mushrooms as the main "attraction", flavored with teriyaki sauce and pineapples.  I marinate some sliced portobella mushrooms in teriyaki for 30 minutes or more, then grill them in a saucepan with some crushed pineapple until the mushrooms are tender.  Next drain the excess liquid and load the mushroom mixture onto a toasted whole wheat bun along with low calorie mayo, sliced tomatoes and lettuce.  It's very yummy!

As an update on the weight loss progress, I gained about a pound during my vacation week in Myrtle Beach--not too bad!  I returned on October 23rd, and since then I have lost that pound again and an additional 2 pounds.  I have now lost a total of 17 pounds in about 3 months and I am just 3 pounds away from my original goal. I would like to lose those 3 pounds by November 20th. 

I have been sticking with very light breakfasts of fruit or whole grain toast, and soups and/or salads for either lunch or dinner, plus lots of low starch veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, etc.  For added flavor I sometimes add in some corn with the veggies.  I also eat an occasional small potato which I cook until tender and mash up with a bit of vegetable margarine (trans fat free) and some kind of seasoning.  I use a variety of spices and seasonings on the veggies, such as cajun spices, dried garlic with red chili, taco seasoning or caribbean jerk seasoning. 

Protein sources are the veggies, beans that I add to salads or include in soups, and various tofu dishes and whole grains.  I have an occasional serving of seafood such as sardines, shellfish (shrimp, clams or scallops), tuna or salmon.  Other than seafood I have been avoiding all animal products including dairy.  My energy level is staying very high and my appetite has decreased substantially so that I don't feel an urge to overeat as much as I have in the past.

Three Quick Veggie Meals

Here are some ideas I have come up with for really easy and fast veggie dishes:

1.  Tempeh with Thai Peanut Sauce and Veggies

I used some multigrain tempeh and satay peanut sauce that I found at Trader Joe's for a tasty dinner.  For veggies I used frozen green beans, cauliflower and broccoli.  First I cooked the veggies in the microwave until they were cooked but still firm.  Then I cut the tempeh into bite sized pieces (about 1/2 cup per serving) and stir fried it in a skillet that was coated with olive oil cooking spray.  When the tempeh was lightly browned, I added the veggies (about 2 cups per serving) and enough peanut sauce to thoroughly coat everything.  Once the ingredients are heated through, the dish is ready to eat!

2.  Green Salad with Mexican Style Beans

I started with a nice green salad, including romaine lettuce, bell peppers, cucumber, onion and tomato.  Then I took a can of low fat refried beans and added taco seasoning (to taste) and some diced green chilis.  Once the beans were well seasoned I heated them in the microwave until they were just warmed, and tossed them into the green salad along with some nice salsa.  Sort of like a taco salad, but without the extra calories of  taco meat or tortillas.  For one serving I used about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture over a large bowl of green salad.  You can adjust the amounts depending on how hungry you are.

3.  Mixed Veggies with Lemon Hummus Dressing

We have a new Fresh and Easy grocery store that recently opened in our neighborhood.  I went there for the grand opening and found a few items that were new to me.  One is a salad dressing under their own brand called "lemon hummus vinaigrette".  For me it is a little bit too strong on the lemony taste for a cold salad, but I decided that it might be good with hot veggies.  So tonight I took some frozen broccoli, cauliflower and spinach and cooked the veggies in the microwave until almost done.  For the last minute I poured in the dressing and finished cooking them.  It was quite delicious!  The dressing contains garbanzo beans (pureed), cider vinegar, cilantro, canola oil, lemon zest, lime juice concentrate, garlic and salt.  It is low in calories at only 35 per serving (2 tbsp).  I had a large bowl of the hot veggies with dressing and was very full.  For a heartier dish it would be good served with brown rice.

If you try any of these dishes, let me know how you liked them.

For those trying to transition to a more plant based diet like me, here is an interesting cookbook:

Making Adjustments In Your Weight Loss Plan

It has now been almost 3 weeks since I started on my plan to lose 20 pounds by mid-October.  I am following a primarily whole food plant based diet and trying to stay away from processed and refined foods.  I don't eat any animal products with the exception of some seafood maybe 2 or 3 times a week.  I have been working on increasing my exercise levels gradually, although exercise is not a major part of my strategy.

Right now I am down 5 pounds from my official starting point but also down around 8 pounds from my highest point in August. So I feel that I am making pretty good progress overall.  I have discovered in the past that when I initially start a new weight loss plan, it takes a few weeks for my body to adjust to the process and get into fat burning mode.  After every pound or two my body seems to try to resist and get stuck at the new level for a few days or more. 

So, I have found that I also need to resolve to not only stick to my plan and not give in to the temptation to overindulge in foods I enjoy (even healthy ones), but also make adjustments to portions, eating more foods that are less calorie dense, until the weight loss kicks in again.  The positive side is that as I stay with smaller portions my appetite eventually decreases as well and I am satisfied with less, along with the satisfaction of seeing the scale move down again.  I bounced around for the first 2 weeks, so the bulk of the 5 pounds I have lost in the last three weeks has come in the last 7 days.

For breakfast I am eating some fresh fruit and/or a light fruit smoothie made with some frozen fruit, rice milk or fruit flavored water and some ground flax seed.  That seems to be enough to hold me until lunch, which is usually a large green salad with a low fat dressing and some veggie or bean soup.  Sometimes I add whole grain crackers (e.g., Wasa or Akmak) with hummus, but if I'm satisfied without the crackers I save them for a mid-afternoon snack. 

For dinner I usually eat a variety of cooked veggies with beans or soy meat (tofu, tempeh or meatless "chicken, etc.) and flavor them with Indian curry sauce or Thai peanut sauce or another such concoction--I tend to like the spicier sauces.  Cajun seasoning is also a good option, and I like any kind of beans with tomatoes/tomato sauce and chili seasoning mix.  I also make bean tostadas using taco seasoning with low fat refried beans over a sprouted whole grain tortilla and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and salsa. 

I like to have some dark chocolate for my evening snack, along with tea or decaffeinated coffee.  If I feel I need a little more I add a few raw nuts or seeds.  I also take daily vitamin/mineral supplements including extra B12 and D3.

I am not using any dairy products, but tostadas and meatless tacos or burritos are actually surprisingly good without the cheese.  I have always been a big cheese lover but haven't found any nondairy cheese that I like that well.  I found that going without cheese and dairy products is not as difficult as I expected.  The Eat to Live Diet book is adamantly against cheese and suggested only small amounts of nonfat dairy products if you feel you want them.  We are taught to believe that we need dairy products to get enough calcium in our diet, but if we eat the right kinds of veggies we will get more than adequate amounts without all the unhealthy fats or the lactose sugars. 

After all, what animals in nature continue to drink their mothers' milk after the first year or so?  And the milk from cows or goats is not the same as milk from human mothers anyway.  So it is more likely that we eat dairy products because we just like the taste and have been brought up with it, not because we really need it.  We have to look at the whole picture and see what the real benefits are, and what happens to the animals who are being used as the source of our indulgences.  That's my view now, after giving it a lot of consideration.