Day 3 on Plexus Slim

Day 3 was good - I lose a little weight - even though I ate TOO much!

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Day 2 on Plexus Slim

Day two on Plexus Slim and so far so good

It is strange what you think when you watch your own videos - what is going on with my bottom teeth?
lol - they sure look weird - I guess when I look in the mirror I am not talking to myself - over the years they have sure gotten wonky looking :)

http://lauralei.myplexusproducts.com/

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Plexus Slim Challenge

I am taking the 60 day Plexus Slim Challenge

and here is my first sip :)
http://www.plexusslim.com/Lauralei

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Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1/2 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 16 oz package small macaroni noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid from noodles
• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes (if you don't have time to soak, don't sweat it!)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp tumeric
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Add butternut squash and onions to a pot and cover with water by at least an inch or two. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid once noodles are done cooking and before draining. Place noodles back in pot and set aside.
3. When squash and onions are tender, drain, and add them to a high speed blender with the cashews, lemon juice, salt, dijon, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, turmeric, nutmeg and reserved macaroni cooking liquid. Blend until completely smooth. Use a tamper if necessary to push ingredients to the bottom of the blender.
4. Add butternut squash sauce to the macaroni noodles and stir, making sure every noodle is covered in sauce. Warm through if needed.
5. Dig in!

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Dr. McDougall Comments on Today's Headlines Got Milk, Got Disease

Dr. McDougall Comments on Today's Headlines Got Milk, Got Disease The British Medical Journal reported in the news on October 29, 2014 on “Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies.” This observational study found higher death rates for men and women who drank 3 or more glasses of milk daily, compared to less than a glass a day. There were also more fractures in general, and hip fractures, in the higher milk-consuming women. The researchers from Sweden focused on the milk sugar, D-galactose, as the trouble causer. They believe that oxidative stress and inflammation all over the body is caused by D-galactose. An accompanying editorial in the British Medical Journal, as well as the worldwide lay press; have tried to put these findings in perspective for the consumer.  In reality, this balanced reporting has kept the consumer from making sensible decisions that would undermine the dairy industry. Cow’s milk is not only unnecessary for strong bones and healthy bodies, but this category of food is a more important cause of obesity and illness than is red meat. Seemy article: When Friends Ask: Where Do You Get Your Calcium? May I remind you of some of the harmful qualities of this product? 1) The milk sugar, galactose, is toxic. As far back as 1981, cow’s milk was reported to cause cataracts of the eyes. 2) The fat you eat is the fat you wear. (Overweight and obesity.) Whole milk is 50% fat, milk advertised as 1% (low fat) is still 18% fat, and cheese is 70% fat. 3) Risk for heart attacks and stroke is most strongly tied to animal fats also called saturated fats. Dairy fat is 97% saturated fat. Dairy is loaded with cholesterol. 4) Milk is loaded with people poisoning chemicals. High levels of pesticides and herbicides are present in these foods. They cause cancer and brain damage. 5) Milk is filthy with microbes. Cow’s milk drinkers consume bovine leukemia viruses, bovine immunodeficiency viruses, listeria bacteria, mad cow prions, and much more. 6) Osteoporosis and kidney stones are from bone loss caused by eating animal proteins and dietary acids. Hard cheese is the greatest source of dietary acids. 7) Constipation is caused by lack of dietary fiber. Dairy products contain no dietary fiber. Plus cow’s milk protein causes allergic reactions, which paralyze the bowels making it almost impossible for children and adults to move their rock-hard stools. 8) Cow’s milk protein is the most common dietary cause of allergy and autoimmune diseases, including nephritis (kidney disease) and severe forms of arthritis. 9) Lactose, the basic milk sugar, causes the majority of people worldwide to become sick with diarrhea, stomach cramps, and gas (lactose intolerance). 10) The factory farming of dairy cows is considered to be animal abuse and production of dairy foods is a leading cause of environmental pollution and climate change. Hopefully, today’s headlines will cause you to eliminate all cows’ milk products from your life. John McDougall, MD www.drmcdougall.com

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Foods Born in St. Louis

St. Louis Originals

• Toasted Ravioli - invented in 1943 or 1944 at Oldani's on “The Hill”, a predominantly Italian neighborhood, though others also claim the invention. As the story goes, the delicacy was stumbled upon when a raviolo was accidentally dropped into the fryer by Chef Fritz. "Mickey Garagiola, older brother of Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Joe Garagiola, was actually at the bar during the mishap and was the first to taste the accidental treat.
• Gooey butter cake - legend has it that in the 1930s a German baker got the proportions wrong (reversing the proportions of sugar and flour) and the rest is history - available at most area bakeries and grocery stores.  
  
  The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission includes a recipe for the cake on its website, calling it "one of St. Louis' popular, quirky foods"; the recipe calls for a bottom layer of butter and yellow cake batter, and a top layer made from eggs, cream cheese, and, in one case, almond extract. The cake is dusted with confectioner's sugar before being served. 
• Pork Steaks - Pork butt sliced as a steak, often Bar-B-Qued - a cook at home favorite.  St. Louis is said to consume more barbecue sauce per capita than any other city in the nation. St. Louis-style barbecue sauce is described as a "very sweet, slightly acidic, sticky, tomato-based barbecue sauce.
• The Concrete - Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (Ice Cream) mixed with candy, fruit, and/or nuts. "concrete" - custard blended with any combination of dozens of ingredients, served in a large yellow cup with a spoon and straw. The mixture is so thick that a spoon inserted into the custard does not fall if the cup is inverted. A history dates back to 1929.
  
• Peanut Butter - In 1890, an unknown St. Louis physician encouraged a food products company owner, George A. Bayle Jr., to process and package ground peanut paste as a nutritious protein substitute for people with poor teeth who couldn't chew meat. Peanut paste was sold for six cents per pound.
• The Slinger -  Breakfast of champions.  The Slinger is considered to be a St. Louis late-night culinary original. It is described as "a hometown culinary invention: a mishmash of meat, hash-fried potatoes, eggs, and chili, sided with your choice of ham, sausage, bacon, hamburger patties, or an entire T-bone steak.
• Provel cheese - Developed as a shelf-stable cheese often found as topping for the next entry (St. Louis style Pizza), it's name may lead some to think it is a shorthand name for provolone.  It is in fact a processed cheese of cheddar, swiss and provolone. Provel is rarely used elsewhere.
• St. Louis style Pizza - A thin crusted pizza with Provel ™ Cheese, slices cut into rectangles instead of the pie-like wedges typical of many pizza styles.
  
• Brain Sandwich - a sandwich with sliced calves' brains on sliced bread.  Became popular in St. Louis after the rise of the city's stockyards in the late 1880s, although demand there has so dwindled that only a handful of restaurants still offer them.
• Gerber Sandwich - The Gerber sandwich originated at the locally famous Ruma's Deli.  It is an open-faced sandwich, with Italian or French bread, garlic butter, ham, and provel cheese. It is sprinkled with paprika and toasted.
• St. Paul Sandwich - an Egg Foo Young Patty served with Salad between bread. They're still available at a lot of St. Louis "Chop Suey" restaurants. 

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Limit My Binges!

Well, things are getting better..... I have been limiting the binges to 1 day a week ..... not perfect, but at least I am able to stop and get back on track.

I guess there are benefits to having a weekly planned binge.  The main one seems to be the lack of guilt over the binge.  But I don't know if this is the best thing to do.

Oh well, for now it is what it is..... onward and upward....downward

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