Veggies for Breakfast?????

      I have been reading a book called The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss, Author is Chef AJ.  It's an interesting read.  When I first started this journey my plan was to lose a lot of weight.  At first I lost 30 pounds probably because I didn't know what to eat, and I was learning what I could eat.  Now a year or two later, I have figured out this program, and my weight loss has stalled big time.  I can eat vegan foods, but they still contain lots of calories.  Not necessarily good for me.  Now that I'm reading her book, things are starting to make sense.  You really have to cut out a lot in order to lose more weight.  You don't necessarily have to not eat delicious foods, but less calorie dense foods.  I wrote an article about it in a previous article, but didn't really come to understand it until now.  I guess listening to things over and over and studying information, it really start to sink in.

     She suggests to eat 2 pounds of non starchy veggies per day.  She is very thin, and eats 4 pounds a day.  I ate a pound of broccoli the other day, and my tummy didn't feel all that great.  It was cooked, and it still gave me a tummy ache.  I need to gradually eat more and more non starchy vegetables, so my body gets use to it.  It's important to eat starches to and legumes and fruit, but your big portions should be non starchy.  It may take some time for me to really embrace this.

     One thing that she does suggest is to eat your veggies in the morning.  It really is the easiest time to get that much in.  Face it, our lives are busy!  Before I started eating veggies, I would usually start with oats, and fruit, toast and peanut butter, but veggies????  This sounds ludicrous!  I thought I would try it, which is when I got a stomach ache.  I love broccoli with balsamic vinegar that I get at Costco, Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast.  I know this is going to sound weird, but it gives it a kind of meaty taste, and roasting it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes insures that it will be chewy.  Today is the third day in a row that I have had veggies for breakfast, and I can honestly say I'm starting to enjoy them.  I have also found that for myself if I eat anything sweet in the morning, I crave sweets all day long.  This is also mentioned in her book.

     I'm not perfect at this.  This whole lifestyle is a learning curve.  Just when I think I have things figured out, I get a new book and learn something new.  I totally love this lifestyle, it has changed my life.  I'm grateful that my oldest son introduced it to me almost 3 years ago.

  Broccoli with the balsamic glaze, well what's left of it.  I forgot to take a picture at the beginning!  LOL

Steamed cauliflower and kale.  Important to get your greens in everyday!

Water sauted zucchini, onions, mushrooms.  Hashbrowns, with nootch, (nutritional yeast) and smoked paprika.