With apologies to Bob Dylan’s lyrics and Rod Stewart’s voice...Y’all! Yesterday Your Elf turned 71. That’s only 10 in dog years, so we are pretty pumped at this revelation. Our reflections at this event naturally have turned to making sure we maintain our health as these years continue to accelerate. And by health, we mean on all levels…physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Our little bloggery of last week drew a lot of response from our neighbors and people who know Big Solid. We want to share a little more of our journey this week. Big Solid has long been interested in ‘fasting’ as a means of keeping the body functioning at high levels. He’s been his usual investigative self by reading (or listening to) several books detailing the positive aspects of fasting as well as internet research. Two of the links that have been most helpful to us are listed:
As usual, the guidelines, recommendations and suggestions vary wildly, so one just has to decide which would work best for them based on conclusions made from the information gathered. We have selected to 5:2 option which means we will fast two days out of seven. And our fasting days are Monday and Thursday. The science behind the benefits of fasting is more related to the control of insulin rather than weight loss. We’ll encourage y’all to do the research and decide if this is something you’re interested in. Interstingly enough, the November edition of Consumer Reports is chock full of information related to healthy eating AND one of the most compelling articles has to do with the enormous amount of sugar that is consumed and the correlation to obesity and diabetes. If you are a subscriber to Consumer Reports, you have the capability of accessing the magazine online. Otherwise, you are S.O.L. That being said, we encourage folks to read the articles related to eating for some real eye-opening information. While there is acknowlegement that a plant-based diet is a good one, there are still recommendations related to animal product consumption that we just don’t agree with.
One of the books that has been helpful as well to describe the fasting/insulin connection is The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian physician and nephrologist.
We’ve now been on our 5:2 fasting regimen for 3 weeks. And to be completely frank, it takes some getting used to. However, we find ways to occupy our minds and bodies during those times you are accustomed to a meal and it’s gotten easier. We have selected different options for our 500 calorie intake in the evening…which means that we do not piece out our 500 calories all during the day. Big Solid has a small baked potato with steamed broccoli and shredded cheese: Your Elf is exploring the world of Amy’s Bowls as reviewed in last months Consumer Reports (got some pretty good reviews). Not all of them are vegan, so you have to read the ingredients. Here are those that we have found totally-plant based and well within the 500 calorie limit.
Not only are they nicely done small meals, they taste really good!! One we did not get to photograph (we ate it already) is a Baked Ziti Bowl with Vegan Cheese. LOVED IT! Plus, we have enough calories left to enjoy a toddy or a glass of wine! A couple of things we actually DID cook this week…we made some seitan, which we haven’t done in a while. We did tinker a bit with the Bob’s Red Mill recipe to elevate the taste a bit; but by and large, it turned out beautifully.
We sautéed the seitan in some avocado oil to get a nice crust and set it aside. We then wiped the pan, added then added EVOO to heat. We seared some artichoke hearts and some julienned sun-dried tomato.
Next we added our portabello slices and thinly sliced onions
and finally the sautéed seitan.
At the last minute, we threw in some frozen green peas and let that cook until the peas were just barely done.
Our sauce consisted of a bit of EVOO, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash or two of a golden soy sauce. This was served over pasta and lapped right up. Big Solid wanted Daiya shredded cheese on his
while Your Elf stuck with Vegan parmesan. It was so YUMMY!! AND EASY!!
We have some nice recipes to make this week but our time in the Kinky Elfery Kitchen will be a bit limited. We are having some updating going on that will curtail our cookin’ time but we’ll have SOMETHIN’ to show you!!
So, as we plunge headlong in to out 72nd year, we leave you with a shot of Big Solid and Your Elf at our birthday dinner last night. Champagne, a great salad embellished with our plant-based meat analogue chicken shreds, and a hug from Big Solid at our go-to restaurant, Anjou. It was EPIC!
You know the drill, always remember to Look for the GOOD, be an EXAMPLE of the GOOD, and ACT for the GOOD as HARD as you can, in as MANY WAYS as you can, EVERY DAY that you can.’ DO EPIC!
Your Elf
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