Have been away on a long w/e camping with grandchildren and am only now catching up, so, sorry to be late to the party Verano, but many congratulations on such a wonderful result. Fabulous achievement!

Hope you had a good holiday SunnŷB. Thank you! I’m just bemused at the moment! See you on ‘Spring ….. ‘tomorrow

So exciting Verano – and you are definitely ‘reviewed, renewed and refocused.’ Many congratulations. Sorry I’m late to the party, was working yesterday. Onwards and upwards – you’re excitement is rubbing off onto me for sure!

Again thanks for all your support and congratulations.

Yesterday, to celebrate, I made my go to tomato sauce which I use for courgetti puttanesca, chicken, meat balls, fish and almost any other dish. It’s so easy and tastes so good I thought I’d share it. The recipe is adapted from ‘Made in Spain’ by Miriam Gonzalez Durantez

This makes loads which I freeze in small portions in small fairy cake size tins (1 large serving spoon size ) and then transfer to bags. I do weigh the ingredients and work out the carbs/calories per portion. It can be a little heavy on the carbs but I think it’s worth it.

4 tins of tomatoes or if you have good flavoursome fresh tomatoes 2kg. (I use tinned cherry tomatoes and Italian chopped together)
3 large onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper. chopped
2 chillies or more to taste, chopped
3 cloves garlic or more to taste, crushed
Plenty of salt and black pepper
1 carrot grated (optional) for sweetness or a little sugar or ‘stevia’ to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
3 tbsp. olive oil or rapeseed oil
2 bay leaves

Fry the vegetables in the oil until soft, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, seasoning and bay leaves and simmer for 1 to 2hrs until ‘gloopy’. Whizz. Remove the bay leaves before whizzing because they make the sauce bitter if whizzed!
I don’t add any other seasonings until I use the sauce then I can flavour it as desired.

If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

That sounds good Verano – I’ve been looking for a tomatoey sauce for my courgetti – good idea to make a lot and freeze, Don’t know about you, but sometimes I can’t be bothered to cook and this is almost a ready meal if frozen beforehand. Thanks mucho.

Hi there everyone, Im also not doing well Ive been very stressed and as usual binging on carbs. I didnt even weigh in today as I know its going to be up a lot. Never mind tomorrow I will start again.I must keep going. Im working tomorrow so that will help.I must control what I eat..Im determined.I will let you know how it goes.

Butterlover we all go through rough patches hence this thread to review, renew and refocus. Don’t know if you have read the thread through but there are so many lovely ideas for different food to help build a little enthusiasm back into the plan.

We all get into a rut from time to time but we can help each other through. Never give up and do weigh because in a bizarre way when the scales go up you get more motivated to move down again! Make a small goal and work towards that first one even if it’s just a pound or so to get you into the next stone, the next half stone, into a lower band of pounds, whatever. Just make a small goal.

Most importantly just keep posting!

HI All.Verano , thanks for the support.I had a better day . weigh in at 83.2kg and fasting BGl 5.7 mmol this morning.kept to plan most of the day .slipped up with bread once but feeling more in control.. Tried on a few dresses today for my sons wedding.I need to get at least 5kg off to fit nicely into the next size and some serious new underwear to contain the flab. This is my new motivator I have 8 weeks so its possible but I will definitely need to work hard..I will post more often to stay on track.

Looks like you have really found the determination you need, Butterlover. I have found when I’m struggling, that posting more frequently really helps, as the lovely folk on here help to buoy you along and give you the boost you need to keep focus and keep plugging away.
Best of luck for shifting that 5kg for the big day.

Looking back, I notice I didn’t report back on the kefir experiment. Have reintroduced it and have had no bloating or gassy problems. From this I deduce, that something else must have been going on when I had this issue before. I’m back to producing and eating kefir. Have a big batch on the go at the moment, with the intention of making some labneh with the resulting product.

Also, whilst reviewing this thread, I was reminded about Esnecca’s shashuka – that’s lunch for tomorrow sorted! It’s amazing how quickly one forgets about the options and variations, getting stuck in a rut with the same old things. My next project, is to try making my own tofu – will let you know how that goes in due course.

Hope everyone who is still dipping into this thread is benefitting from the ideas and inspiration.

That’s so cool, Sunny. So far I’ve been too chicken to make my own kefir, which is very uncharacteristic of me because as you know, I make a great many things from scratch. I just bought some konjac powder, as a matter of fact, to use as a thickener and am now contemplating making my own konjac lasagna noodles from it. I need to find a good recipe first. I’ve already used it to thicken turkey chili and it’s amazingly effective.

Making kefir is so easy, Esnecca. It’s just a case of putting the culture grains in milk, leaving it to stand in a warm place for 24hrs or more – depending on the prevailing temperature – then strain the grains out of the kefir and begin again. Didn’t know you could get konjac powder, might have a look at that as a thickener myself.

Shakshuka for me tomorrow for breakfast as well! The last few days I’ve missed breakfast and then I find by mid afternoon I’m really hungry. So today, I went back to yogurt and berries for breakfast and I have been struggling today, starving and eaten all sorts of naughties!

The protein for brunch really works for me so together with my new batch of tomato sauce I will be making my version of shakshuka tomorrow. So looking forward to waking up!!

SunnyB have you ever made labneh from kefir before?

I got the konjac powder at one of my favorite online low carb stores – http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-staples/konjac-glucomannan-powder – which ships internationally but I suspect is very expensive. You can get it on Amazon UK for a more reasonable price. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/257-1407359-8679659?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=konjac+powder

You have to dissolve the powder in a cold liquid before adding it to the sauce or gravy or whatever it is you’re cooking that needs thickening. The only sightly tricky part is that you have to sprinkle it and whisk quickly. You can’t just dump it in or you get sludgy clots that take forever to break up. It thickens very, very quickly. Whatever cold liquid you used (I used a teaspoon of powder in a cup of chicken stock) will gel up within a minute. By the time I was done whisking, that chicken stock was thicker than aspic. It wasn’t even a gelatin so much as a solid. The whisk stood up in it without falling over. Then I dumped it in the chili which was burbling away in the slow cooker and stirred it all up. A few minutes later, all the watery bits of the chili were transmuted to a lovely creamy texture.

About the kefir, what kind of milk do you use? Did we ever sort out how to count the carbs of the finished product vs. the initial carb count of the milk? Do you think it would work with non-dairy milk like a nut milk?

I’ve used whole cow’s milk, both pasteurised and raw, goat’s milk, sometimes organic and sometimes skimmed milk mixed with a little heavy cream. Below is a chart I found online, regarding the calorie and carb content of kefir. Apparently it is possible to use milk kefir grains to make coconut milk, but to make other nut milks you need to use water kefir grains, but I have not tried this at all.

Using 1cup of milk (240ml)
Milk Used Milk Cals Cals in Kefir Fat g Carbs g Protein g
Skim Milk 90 46 0 1 8
1% Milk 103 59 2.5 1 8
2% Milk 124 80 4.9 1 8
Whole Milk 148 104 8 1 8
Raw Milk 150 106 8.5 1 8
Goat Milk 168 128 10 1 9

This will be my first attempt at making labneh with kefir, but apparently it is possible, so as the kefir I have been producing is quite thick I’m going to give it a whirl. Will let you know how it turns out.

I’ve looked into the water kefir grains and you have to use sugar water to make it. Even though the fermentation process is supposed to eat up all the sugar, I have a mental block about making simple syrup, a block that has been very useful to me this past year. I’d have to add refined sugar, or at least honey, to a nut milk to activate the grains. So dairy milk kefir it is, then. Thank you!

Indeed, I gave up making kombucha for the same reason and I found that although the majority of the sugars were eaten in the fermentation process, there was still a residual amount and you can’t use honey as a sweetener, because of the natural enzymes in it. I guess it might be possible to use maple syrup (which though lower in both cals and carbs than honey, is higher in both than simple syrup, but at least it’s natural I guess).

Anyway, as I said I’ve ditch kombucha and haven’t tried water kefir for the same reason – just been sticking to the milk kefir. Have a batch of kefir labneh draining as I type. It seems to be developing okay, but think it is going to be a creamier consistency than the labneh I’ve made previously with yogurt – won’t know for sure until it done draining though. Will keep you posted.

Enjoy making your kefir, Esnecca.

Thought I would report that the kefir labneh is fabulous. I flavoured it with a little salt and a hefty pinch of saffron strands and it’s delicious. It’s softer and creamier in texture than the one I made with greek yogurt, but has a sharper in flavour.

Also made a pesto with watercress, walnuts, walnut oil and garlic. Lunch consisted of a small piece of poached smoked haddock, a poached egg, two pieces of sun dried tomato, a spoon of the watercress pesto and a spoon of saffron labneh – was fab! Chock full of flavour and nice and filling.

Dinner is going to be shawarma Lamb with veggies and a spoon of courgette chutney. But right now I need to go strain today’s kefir and set up the next batch.

Have a good w/e everyone.

That sounds delicious, Sunny! I bet the labneh would make a fantastic base for my tzatziki. Even better than Greek yogurt.

Good morning all

That pesto sounds really very good SunnyB I have some watercress that I need to use so will have a go at your recipe.

Esnecca I was reading your ‘seaweed’ debate and it made me think of sushi, which I used to adore, before BSD. So I looked up rice free sushi and up came with dozens of really exciting recipes. I have never used nori and was just wondering if you have any suggestions about the best type to buy. I assume roasted nori would be best but would appreciate any advice.

I was baking yesterday for the family, ginger cake and bara brith and my goodness the mixtures were so sweet, just a tiny taste of raw mixture! I realise just how much my taste buds have changed over the last year and I do find I’m in need of far more salty flavoured foods. I think the seaweed snacks will make a great substitute for crisps which satisfy both my crispy and salty needs at the moment!

Welcome back, V, seems you have your positive head back on. Hope you are feeling positive again and have review and are ready to renew and refocus. Know what you mean about the taste buds changing. We had an unplanned meal out last night and I wanted a really dry sherry, which they didn’t have, so I opted for a Pernod and was surprised how sweet it tasted. So much so, that’s is now off my list of alcoholic drinks, which is getting shorter and shorter these days.

On the rare occasion I bake these days, regardless of who it’s for, I reduce the sugar. Had some pears given to us, so I ade some pickled pears yesterday ready for the festive season. The recipe called for 500g of sugar, but I decided not to use sugar at all and instead used approx. 100ml maple syrup, as it comes out better on cals and carbs than refined sugar. Also added in a little vanilla and cinnamon, as these give the illusion of sweetness.

Would be interested to hear more about the non-rice sushi options, if you have time to post some options that would be great – or maybe a link?

Have a good w/e everyone.

Verano, I use roasted nori for sushi. You can get plain dried, but it softens to its original texture very quickly when exposed to any moisture. That makes for a great seaweed salad, but won’t do as a proper wrap for rolls. I’ve tried making sushi with konjac rice and with caulirice. I wasn’t thrilled with either option but if I had to pick one, it would be the konjac, surprisingly enough. It can be glued together relatively effectively with a mixture of tofu mayonnaise and sambal oelek or any other chili paste. If you don’t add something to make it stick to itself the way sushi rice does, it just falls out as soon as you cut the roll. Very annoying.

Nowadays I don’t use rice at all. I just fill the center of the roll with spicy tuna, avocado, green onion, sprouts and occasionally some chopped up omelette. The spicy tuna I make using thinly cut slices of sushi-grade yellowfin tuna dressed with toasted sesame oil, hot chili oil, soy sauce, ginger, fresh if I have it, powdered it not, garlic and sambal oelek. I either thicken the dressing with a touch of guar gum (I haven’t tried using my latest find, konjac powder, in this application yet) or add a tablespoon of my tofu mayo. Once dressed, the tuna sits in the fridge for a half hour to absorb flavor and solidify for easier rolling.

It’s great to have you back and motivated again, V. 🙂

Thank you both …. but sorry to say my motivation is still pretty low. I’m not counting, weighing or logging at the moment but I am eating according to BSD principals and trying to be mindful. I just feel that I need a break from contributing to the forums for a while. I’m sure, as avid and long standing contributors, you probably understand better than most, that sometimes you just need a change. I haven’t given up on this WOE, and nor will I. I really enjoy eating this way and I so appreciate your new food ideas. They say variety is the spice of life and that’s just what you are helping me with now!

Sometimes it is hard to find motivation. I have reached my main goal which was to be completely drug free ( although I only took metformin!) before my next birthday in December and while I do still have quite a lot of weight to lose it seems less pressing just now. In saying that I need new clothes. At the moment I look a bit like a ‘bag lady’ wearing somebody else’s ‘fat clothes’!!! So it will be onwards again in the not too distant future once I get my surgery out of the way next week.

I have never made sushi before but I am going to give it a try. I’m not a lover of raw fish unless its smoked but thanks for that recipe Esnecca. I found so many interesting recipes on the internet and as soon as I try some, and they work, I’ll post them. I have to admit I don’t really fancy cauliflower rice there seem to be so many other different options using a ‘spread’ and vegetables, avocados and even canned fish. So I am still here but only quietly in the background!

Verano, sounds like you need to take care of yourself and focus n next week, before you get back to the BSD proper. You’re valuable contributions will be missed here, but right now, it’s more important that you put your own needs first.

Hope your op goes well and you make a speedy recovery. You know of course, that we’ll still be here when you’re ready to return to the forum properly.

Take care …..we’ll be thinking of you.

As you’ve found, you don’t have to use raw fish at all. I’ve use the same dressing with cooked shrimp and canned tuna, and I’ve used smoked trout undressed because it is perfect on its own.

I’ve been on forums since the late 90s and everybody needs a break sometimes. You’ve just achieved a goal you’ve worked for for a long time and it’s only natural that you need to compress. Just don’t let the principles slip out of your grasp while you’re offline. Tell every digestive biscuit you come across to pound sand! We’ll be here when you’re ready. 🙂