the weight loss papers

I finally had a chance to get some hemp milk. It was a pain finding some locally. I wanted to try it before I ordered it from Amazon on their auto ship feature to be sure I actually liked it. Even though I could have cancelled the auto ship if I didn’t like it, I wanted to check it out beforehand mostly so I could read the ingredients and other nutrition information.

The natural foods co-op had 2 brands, both from Canada (of course) - the Living Harvest as well as the Manitoba Harvest - and both came in plain, vanilla and chocolate. I bought both in vanilla. I haven’t tried the Manitoba Harvest yet, but the Living Harvest is delicious! It’s very smooth and flavorful. I think I like it better than the almond milk, even. And I definitely like both the hemp and almond milks better than soy. Neither of them seem to cause gas which is a nice bonus.

Smoothies are incredible with the hemp milk as are protein shakes. I do plan plan to try the other flavors - well, the chocolate, anyway. Probably not the plain. I also plan to start using it in place of regular milk when cooking and see if the kids notice a difference. Actually, in that case, maybe I will get the plain. Macaroni and cheese with vanilla flavoring might taste a bit odd.

The final conclusion is that if you’re looking for an alternative to soy, try hemp. Technically, hemp is a seed (like sunflower seed) so those with allergies to tree nuts might be ok with it. Be sure to check with your doctor if you do have such allergies to be on the safe side before you try it, though.

What do you use instead of regular milk? Do you have a favorite? Please share!

Talk to you next time!

On the menu this week:

Note that during the week, the kids will either have cereal or oatmeal for breakfast and I will have a protein shake so I’m only listing lunch, dinner and snacks.

Monday:
AM Snack - Nectarines
Lunch - Tuna on homemade oatmeal bread, spinach salad w/raspberry vinaigrette
PM Snack - Avocado slices
Dinner - Grilled salmon filets, roasted baby red potatoes w/asparagus, spinach salad w/Asian sesame dressing

Tuesday:
AM Snack - Bananas
Lunch - Lentil soup w/homemade oatmeal bread (toasted), spinach salad w/diced tomatoes, garlic, green beans and roasted red pepper and tomato vinaigrette
PM Snack - Whole wheat Ritz crackers w/homemade red pepper and garlic hummus
Dinner - Crockpot chicken, steamed carrots and peas, wild rice

Wednesday:
AM Snack - Applesauce
Lunch - Ham and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread w/mustard, raw baby carrots
PM Snack - Peanut butter and celery
Dinner - Tacos w/beans, extra lean ground beef, onions, diced tomatoes, cheese

Thursday:
AM Snack - Peaches and Pears
Lunch - Individual pizzas w/sauce, onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese
PM Snack - Graham crackers
Dinner - Grilled pork steaks w/applesauce, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes

Friday:
AM Snack - Strawberries
Lunch - Split Pea soup w/sourdough bread, spinach salad w/roasted red pepper and tomato vinaigrette
PM Snack - Popcorn
Dinner - Stir fry chicken w/carrots, broccoli, pea pods, celery, slivered almonds, and cauliflower

Saturday:
Breakfast - Crockpot hashbrown casserole, homemade oatmeal bread w/strawberry jam
AM Snack - Apple slices
Lunch - Macaroni and cheese
PM Snack - Plums
Dinner - Pot stickers w/wild and brown rice

Sunday:
Breakfast - Frittata w/broccoli, onions, peppers
AM Snack - Oranges
Lunch - Turkey meatball sandwiches on rolls w/vegetarian potato salad
PM Snack - Popsicles
Dinner - Grilled chicken tenderloins w/herb seasoned penne pasta, squash, spinach salad

Yum! It’s going to be a delicious week. I’ll also be baking bread several times throughout the week including oatmeal bread, sandwich bread and whole wheat. I may even try to make some sun dried tomato and basil french bread.

My mom doesn’t eat eggs or dairy products due to food allergies so she cooks a lot vegetarian dishes (although she is not vegetarian in any other way, lol) and this is one of my favorites.

Vegetarian Potato Salad

• 1/2 cup of vegan mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup of dijon style mustard (you can cut this to 1/4 if mustard isn’t your thing)
• 3-4 large potatoes, cooked but still firm and cubed
• 1 package of penne pasta, cooked to desired doneness
• 3-4 green onions, minced
• 3 tbsp Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric

As noted in ingredients, cook potatoes and cut into bite size cubes. Cook pasta to desired doneness. Once potatoes and pasta have cooled, toss together with remaining ingredients and let chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving.

And that’s it. It’s very good. Not sure it’s entirely diet friendly if you’re trying to stay away from “white” foods like potatoes and such but it sure is good.

Hope you’ve been enjoying your summer. I’ve been busy with lots of things and am currently participating in the 2008 Thirty Day Challenge. You can read my progress here and if you really can’t enough of my writing, you can peruse my main blog for everything from real estate to writing to design and even more.

See you again soon!

Bye for now!