I mainly like the way Brett and I eat now. We’re eating what we like, and I’m enjoying menu planning and cooking because nothing is off the menu and we’re not following any special type of diet. Brett has never been a picky eater – I don’t think there is anything I have fixed ever that he has said he hasn’t liked, although the first time I served him an artichoke he couldn’t figure out what the big deal was (he loves them now). He has no allergies or intolerances either, so anything is fair game as far as he’s concerned. The only things that could said to be missing from our meals are lettuce and potatoes. I can’t eat lettuce, and although we can eat potatoes, they’re not a favorite for either of us other than the occasional serving of buttery mashed potatoes (yum).
If I had to pick my biggest challenge when doing meal planning it would be variety. It was easy when I was cooking for the family to fall into a rut and cook the same dishes over and over again, but for the two of us I like to mix things up a bit more. The same items do show up again and again, but I try to put a few weeks’ distance between when they’re served. I also limit my menu planning to using what’s on hand, and as we’re on a budget there are certain types of protein that I either avoid or don’t buy very often.
However, we’re talking about decreasing the amount of meat we eat. We’re not ready to go full-on vegetarian or vegan, but we want to add more plant-based meals to our menus. A few years ago I went full vegan, or tried to, but it was very difficult as Brett, YaYu, and WenYu still wanted to eat meat. Brett has said he’s ready now though to cut back or eliminate meat, so it’s something we’re going to look into and segue into gradually as we still have quite a bit of meat in the freezer. We don’t eat a lot of meat, only three ounces or less per serving, and a little goes a long way for us, but it’s something we can let go of.
Below is what we ate for dinner this past week:
Sunday: Cheese tortellini with marinara sauce; steamed artichoke
Monday: Grilled fish (ono) tacos; honeydew melon
Tuesday: Slow cooker chicken adobo with bok choy; steamed rice
Wednesday: Grilled beef Polish sausages with sauerkraut; wilted cucumber salad
Thursday: Barbecue pulled pork sandwiches (the mystery meal from the freezer); coleslaw
Friday: Barbecue pulled pork mini pizzas
Saturday: Stuffed peppers; roasted zucchini
Here’s what planned for next week. I’m especially excited about the charcuterie board – we’ll probably have that on Friday and enjoy a glass of wine with it:
- CookDo chili shrimp
- CookDo pork & pepper stir fry
- Mississippi pot roast
- French dip sandwiches
- Leftover stuffed peppers
- Mini pizzas
- Charcuterie board
Last week was a great week for walking, and we walked the golf course perimeter three days: Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday as we figured out how to get out there without getting called back or yelled at. First, we went up to the park later than usual, and timed our course so we would arrive at the club house a full hour after the last tee time (making it hard to rationalize that there are golfers on holes 1-4). As an added precaution we also cut down and around the corner of the miniature golf course, a shortcut that took us out to the main course without having to walk by the clubhouse. These two changes made all the difference.
Rain chased us out of the park on Wednesday after one loop around the pavilion, and on Thursday we walked the Waiokapua Trail at Barking Sands. It was much nicer than our last time there as was a breeze was blowing and it wasn’t as hot as it was before. Kukuiolono was great almost every other day and the perimeter walks gave us a good workout, reminding us of our walks through the fields in England. Friday’s weather was unpredictable so we stuck to the Pavilion loop and walked nearly four miles there; our golf course walks were three and a half miles each.
Views from the golf course perimeter walk
I think my body must like what it weighs now because I’ve been stuck at the same place for a long time now. I’m starting to think I may not lose any more this year. I’m hoping though that it’s only a plateau and things will start moving again someday. However, I’m very happy with how much weight I’ve lost (32 pounds) in the past year, and how strong I’ve gotten, so if this is what I’m meant to weigh, so be it.
The Occasional Nomads 
‘Set point’ is a thing for weight:) Once reached, it is a tad harder to get past. But, if you are feeling good..sounds right:)
On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 5:35 AM The Occasional Nomads wrote:
> Laura & Brett posted: ” I mainly like the way Brett and I eat now. We’re > eating what we like, and I’m enjoying menu planning and cooking because > nothing is off the menu and we’re not following any special type of diet. > Brett has never been a picky eater – I don’t think there is” >
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I forgot about the set point! That may be exactly where I am right now, and it’s going to take awhile to start going down from there. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing in the meantime, although some changes are coming up. Whether they make a difference re. weight control, who knows? but I think overall I will feel even better.
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If you’re interested in some vegan inspiration, I started a new Instagram “neecie.is.vegan.at.home”. After my vegan March and a trip to Virginia in April, I was struggling to keep it going. I loved how I felt, and figured out some things about my body and how it works best. Crazy after 56 years! Making good food and posting pics is a fun creative process for me. So I decided to be vegan at home, and pescatarian when out. It strikes a good balance.
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Thanks, Denise. Changes coming up will be in next Monday’s post, but what you’re doing sounds pretty similar to the direction we are going.
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Yum. I’m popping over to join you for dinner! When I was much lighter than I am now but wanted to lose 5 kg, I bought a book entitled “How to lose the last 5 kilos”. After reading the menus and exercise plan, I worked out I wouldn’t be losing those last kilos. Now I need to lose the first 10 or 12 kilos.
I’m always scared walking on golf courses. Not from being yelled at. From the balls.
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I remember the days when I could lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in a week. Now it’s more like a year, if I’m lucky. I like the way the walking has helped me change shape more than anything. As one of my daughters said, “Mom, you’re toned!” Not really LOL, but I am smaller even at the same weight.
We only walk when and where there are no golfers out. We find golf balls all the time, and have nearly 50 of them now. We’re planning to sell buckets of balls when we get ready to leave!
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Well done on the weight loss. I’m trying to refocus on the 5:2 so I can lose the pandemic 15lbs I gained. Do you have a link for the stuffed peppers as they look tasty and I’m always looking for new recipes to add to my rota.
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I used this recipe from Skinnytaste, but substituted ground beef for the ground turkey. They were super easy to make and very flavorful – I’m looking forward to having them again this week!
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Artichokes, ono fish, bok choi, and stuffed bell peppers – man, I could show up as a dinner guest at your table every night🤣. Artichokes are in season now, we find huge ones at Trader Joe’s for under $2/piece.Incredible!
Maybe in the future, you could share how you cook bok choy. I steam it but I don’t have a good sauce for it.
We’ve been meatless 2 days a week for a long time. It’s set for Tu and Th so I don’t think too much about it. Vegetarian stuffed bell peppers are also delicious…yum
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I was so surprised to find these big globe artichokes at Costco, and for less than $2 each – as you say, incredible! They were DELICIOUS, but there weren’t any more available when we shopped on Sunday.
The bok choy is typically steamed at the end of the adobo recipe. Other ways we’ve fixed it is to grill it (!) – cut a head in half, wrap the top leaves lightly in foil, and the grill, turning frequently and watching carefully. I also like to cut it up and put into soups.
We’re getting ready to go meatless more – updates next week.
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I am definitely off my game here in the UK. We have had a fair amount of rain, although I have gotten some good walks in. But I do find myself eating cheese and biscuits as well as some Italian tarallini that I can’t find at home. The good news is the produce here…so good and so inexpensive. Overall, I figure if I can stay steady, I can resume my normal pattern at home. And we are having two birthday cakes while I am here by some amazing cake lady my DD found. 🤷♀️
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I’m glad to hear that produce is so plentiful and affordable – much of what we saw when we were there was imported, and with Brexit in full swing I wondered if there would still be plentiful produce and lots of variety.
Cheese, biscuits, scones, Cadbury hot cocoa with marshmallows, a G&T every evening, etc. – all good/wonderful stuff but it’s no wonder I gained so much weight there. British cakes are to die for as well. Coffee-walnut was my favorite, with lemon drizzle not far behind. Have you ever seen the M&S cakes? Just amazing, and not too expensive (not cheap either though).
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We are easy walking distance from an M&S Foodhall and they have an AMAZING bakery. Their breads are amazing and I have seen but not purchased their cakes. We are almost finished with the baby’s BD cake and it is time for round 2 to arrive in a couple days. 😬
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I absolutely love M&S – I was first introduced to them back in the early 90s because they had stores in Hong Kong, and Brett and I would always do a couple of swings through the Foodhall whenever I was there to meet his ship. My favorite thing then (still is) was their muesli – I would buy boxes of it and ship them back to Japan or Brett would bring them home on the ship. They are still in HK – we bought lunch there one day, and I picked up a couple of boxes of that muesli to carry along.
Since it’s your granddaughter’s birthday, there is no such thing as too much cake!
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I enjoyed this post very much. Your menu gave me ideas! Congratulations on your journey of lost weight~it seems in the losing, you’ve found such a peaceful and enjoyable slice of life! The pictures are beautiful too!
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Thank you! Getting the weight off this time was easy with all the walking we’ve done, but my BIG goal now is to keep it off! That’s always been the hard part for me, but I like how I feel now and they way we’re eating now.
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After having a heart attack last August at 60! (healthy as a horse until then…) my cardiologist recommended a whole food/plant based lifestyle. We have adapted well and have found many meals, snacks that do not make us feel left out or missing anything, even at gatherings or eating out.
If you make that choice, I can offer you a couple of websites/blogs that offer a myriad of recipes!
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First, what a wake up! But, glad to know you are well now. I would love to know the websites you have used for recipes. Our son adapted well to becoming vegan. It’s a difficult diet choice in Japan, but he’s managing well so I know it can be done. The health benefits have been remarkable.
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