Food for Thought

Before I start I have a post-script to yesterday's post regarding the medicinal horseradish.It was because the horseradish was in a glass jar that it was being questioned, a person could potentially break the jar and use the glass as a weapon. From Rod's response to the horseradish at supper last evening the horseradish itself could also potentially be used as a weapon; his eyes and nose both ran - making him a very happy man, exactly the way he likes his horseradish :).

Now I will qualify today's post. It may be very uninteresting for some. Many people have asked about the diet that Rod lost his weight on and how we are able to stay on it even while on vacation so I thought I would incorporate some of that information into my post on our first days in Victoria.

When we landed in Victoria I was so glad that we had arranged with Vic and Barb to stay overnight.Vic and Barb's hospitality was wonderful to 'come home to' at the end of the flight and a long day. Vic's brother Phil and his girlfriend Sherry were also spending the weekend there so we got a nice chance to all visit together - all four of us are from Calgary but we had to go somewhere else to get a chance for a good visit ;)

In church the next morning I had a lovely alto voice singing directly behind me to harmonize with and I took full advantage of it, thanks Kylie-Ann :). I found it interesting that Phil shared Phillippians chapter 4. My recent observations on verse 4:13 fit right in.

Back at Vic and Barb's we changed clothes and I rested while the others prepared lunch. We all sat on the deck and visited in the beautiful sunshine until close to three at which point Rod and I said our goodbyes and went off to get groceries at Costco and a whole foods market in Langford. I will itemize what we bought and how we used these items during the week. The diet allows for a cheat day once a week, we had one on Sunday and one on the last Saturday;  we stretched that a little during the week for a couple of really good meals out.

We invited Vic and Barb out to the cottage for Saturday lunch where we either used up the remaining perishable food or sent it home with them along with a few extras. The menu for Saturday lunch was butternut squash soup, make your own wraps (fillings described in food list), followed by 'fill your own' waffle bowls with two types of ice cream, greek honey yogurt and blueberries as fillers. As an additional treat, Saturday lunch was very much enhanced by some of the food items gifted to us by my on-line friend that we met on Wednesday.

Protein 

• one package of six sirloin steaks (two steak dinners, two steaks broiled and sliced thinly for Saturday - wraps)
• two cooked rotisserie chickens (supper for night we arrived at cabin, Curry Lentil Chicken Soup - 2 meals, remainder cut up and frozen for Saturday wraps)
• 2 1/2 dozen eggs - 8 hard-boiled, omelettes for one meal, three breaksfasts and egg salad filling for wraps)
• six cans of tuna - two cans used in Asian Coleslaw salad for one meal, two cans used for tuna salad filling for wraps, two cans sent home with Vic and Barb)
• one package bacon - used for omelettes and with eggs for three breakfasts
• one container mixed nuts - snacking
• one container cottage cheese - used as side dish  with Curry Lentil Chicken soup
• two containers (Costco) Greek Honey Yogurt - cheat day treat with blueberries, part of Saturday lunch dessert
• small pkg. shredded Parmesan - sprinkled on omelettes, curry soup and available for wraps

Fruit and Vegetables

• one package of avocados - used in protein shakes - four mornings
• one package of frozen organic wild blueberries - protein shakes, cheat days with Greek honey yogurt
• tomatoes - salads, sliced for Saturday wraps
• one large bag garden salad mix - salads with chicken and steak dinners, filler for Saturday wraps
• one large bag coleslaw mix - Asian coleslaw salad, filler for Saturday wraps
• container of cubed butternut squash - 1/4 used mashed as side for steak dinner, remainder used in Saturday's butternut squash soup
• one large clamshell baby spinach - used in protein shakes, omelettes and salads
• one package sweet red peppers - used in omelettes, salads, wraps and Curry Lentil Chicken Soup
• one package frozen mixed vegetables - steamed and used for sides 
• one small package sliced mushrooms - omelettes, sauteed and served over steaks, salads

Other items

• one small jar organic no sugar mayonnaise
• two small containers different flavored hummous - Rod mixed with cooked lentils, available for spreading on wraps
• one package dried red lentils - large casserole dish made up for use with egg/bacon breakfasts, side dish; remainder used in Curry Lentil Chicken Soup
• one six pack container low salt chicken broth - Pacific brand - used for soups, cooking lentils, three containers sent home with Vic and Barb
• one six pack container of almond milk - used for protein shakes, two sent home with Vic and Barb
• cream - used in coffee and drizzled in Butternut squash soup
• ice cream - one quart chocolate chip mint, one quart caramel nut - Saturday lunch dessert
• waffle bowls - Saturday lunch dessert
• three packages of black licorice (Costco) - cheat days :), one package brought home, one package sent home with Vic and Barb, one pkg left at cottage)
• two packages of wraps - spinach and plain - Saturday lunch - wraps, remainder sent home with V & B
• salsa - used as condiment - eggs, omelettes
• balsamic vinegar - salad dressing
• olive oil - salad dressing
• no salt seasoning

We brought some stevia and protein powder from home for our protein shakes.

There you have it. I reserve the right to edit this post if I realize I forgot something in my lists - I'll blame chemo brain, it's a wonderful excuse ;)

Take care everyone.