Meal suggestions

[Cindyh1958]

Can I get some meal ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I feel like I need help in this area.

[hippiehistorian]

Hi,

I make homemade yogurt in my instant pot (it is literally the easiest thing in the world to make.-Get a starter and add a quart of milk to the starter in a quart jar with lid/ring. I use soy milk.) Hit the yogurt button and in 8/10 hours you have yogurt! I use Trader Joe's soy milk which is low-fat and super low-sodium. Non-fat milk has no fat but is higher in sodium. Mixed with a few berries or a banana and homemade granola (oats, raisins, chopped almonds, cinnamon, allspice, a little date syrup (or other natural sweetener like agave, bake at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes.)

Diestel makes a sugar-free/salt-free turkey in several deli departments (I get it at Whole Foods.) Great sandwich with low-sodium, whole-grain bread. I also use no-salt mustard.

Healthy Valley makes low-sodium soups that are also really good (for when you can't do homemade.) Many are low-fat.

I cook super lean ground turkey mixed with tofu (drain until very dry and put in a blender for a hamburger-like texture.) I also add mushrooms chopped finely. Mix all of that together and cook in a skillet. I split the bath and make half with Mexican spices and the other with Italian seasoning and then use them for low-fat tacos, chickpea pasta, etc.

It is really about adapting what you already cook. Use lots of herbs/spices instead of salt. Use olive oil and occasionally avocado oil instead of any other kind. We love pizza and there are several brands of low-sodium, fat-free pizza crusts. I like olive oil better than marinara for sauce, but there are some really good low-sodium pasta/pizza sauces. You can top it with so much! Use low-fat/low-sodium cheese and lots of veggies.

1:1 ratio of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some chopped, dried, organic figs and you have an amazing salad dressing.

Peanut butter (100% peanuts, no sugar) and fruit spread (jam but no sugar) make a great PB&J. Dehydrated apple chips instead of chips and you have a great lunch.

Grill chicken and add low-sodium bbq or lemon pepper. Serve with grilled zucchini or other veggies and riced cauliflower. You can also grill tofu (add lots of seasoning!) instead of meat.

Low-sodium canned tuna with non-fat Greek yogurt, a little light mayo, chopped celery, chopped apple, celery seed, dried dill, and chopped onion make a great sandwich or stuff it in a tomato.

I hope that helps!

Peace,

Cindy

[Rosebud1027 in reply to hippiehistorian]

Nice Cindy! I’ve been thinking won’t it be wonderful to find a way to create an online liver friendly cookbook, adding recipes we could share with each other. I find cooking the biggest challenge right now but I’m retired so have plenty of time to adapt and experiment. I stay away from simple carbs and focus on complex carbs. I try to use the least processed foods. I use Ezekiel Bread for toast and sandwiches - it’s flourless and made from seeds but has the texture and taste of a country bread. I occasionally use dates and stevia as sweeteners but sparingly because as my gastroenterologist said sweet is sweet the pancreas and liver can’t tell the difference.

[Bloomwithgrace in reply to Rosebud1027]

Yes! That would be a huge help to everyone. I struggle with this too. The insights on name brands and the store names where the items can be purchased would be extremely helpful. Cindy you did a great job with that. Maybe there can be a specific site on the page where people can post their original recipes and they can be easily accessed by category.

I would love that!

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Bloomwithgrace]

That sounds perfect! Somewhere we could all go to read each others recipes. If the moderators are listening could we make this happen?

[AfternoonCoffee Administrator in reply to Cindyh1958]

Hi Bloomwithgrace and Cindyh1958, this is a great idea! We're actually sourcing liver friendly recipes from different health bloggers to live in one place on thewellnessleague.org. But I've also enjoyed reading an interest in sharing recipes from one person to another. I will take this idea back to our team and see what a project like this could look like. Excited to see where this goes! : )

[Cindyh1958 in reply to AfternoonCoffee]

Thank you so much for looking into my suggestion. I think it would be great to have liver friendly recipes all in one place! 😊

[Rosebud1027 in reply to Bloomwithgrace]

Bloomwithgrace - That would be so great! Finding creative and tasty recipes to help us live with this disease would make all the difference in the world.

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Rosebud1027]

Yes this is my biggest challenge! Thank you for your suggestions.

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Cindyh1958]

Mine too! 😊

[hippiehistorian in reply to Rosebud1027]

What a great idea! I was hoping to work on a cookbook but have not had the time. Online is a great idea! It is always better when we can crowd source. I will keep on eye on this space to try and see what Afternoon Coffee and others come up with. Love this group!

[Cindyh1958 in reply to hippiehistorian]

Wow thank you for your many great suggestions! I really appreciate your input. 😊

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Cindyh1958]

Your welcome! 😊

[Herman7275]

Not sure if you in the states but I have been on low carb diet since 2019 , eggs are low in carbohhydrates but high in protein, and low carb yogurt,strawberries, they even have some appitizing keto bread lately but I have fatty liver & NASH which through low carb diet and exercise have been improving.

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Herman7275]

Yes I am in the states and thank you for your suggestions. Do you eat eggs often?

[Herman7275]

yes, check in to "My Fitness Pal" app,I used this you can check food from your kitchen or most well known restuarants, I keep track of 50 carbs, 139 grams of protein & 93 grams of fat and calories figure out about 1600. yes I eat eggs 3 or 4 times a week. 2 large fried eggs come in about 1 net carb. fry with olive oil.I eat alot of chicken & baked fish. I eat broccolli,cauliflower,green beans, and cabbage. I have been listed of being allow 50 net carbs a day, and exercise .

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Herman7275]

Awesome, thank you so much. I have that app so I’ll start tracking everything to help me stay on track. There is so much controversy about eggs so I only eat them a few times a week. Veggies are always in my diet but I struggle with breakfast and lunch ideas.

[Herman7275 in reply to Cindyh1958]

I was told only eat when you are hungry, I don't eat lunch most of time, let my fitness pal work for you .. any other questions give me a shout

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Herman7275]

Thanks for your help.

[Herman7275]

Sure , anytime 😊

[Oldliver]

I cook with lots of olive oil, as I'm trying to eat 1/2 cup a day. For lunch or dinner I cook every kind of green veggy you can imagine, garlic, olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, Garlic Gourmet (no salt seasoning), and a lean meat or salmon. I prefer the salmon patty and it has more omega 3s than a piece of salmon. Cook to preferred softness. Delicious!

[Cindyh1958 in reply to Oldliver]

Thanks I love olive oil too!

[Banditsmom09]

Cindy,

I take low fat ground turkey, chop up red pepper, and add chopped spinach, use one egg per pound of turkey. I use a Mediterranean blend of spices and a Tbsp of feta cheese. Fry mixture in olive oil. The veggies add flavor so I don’t measure, but like lots. I make Pattie’s and freeze some of them.

Quick lunch or breakfast: one egg fried. One piece of toast. I use a gluten free seeded bread. Guacamole (I buy in store in individual servings. I butter toast with guacamole and put egg on top.

Lunches or dinner: I use packaged chopped cabbage or broccoli slaw as a base for stir fry.

Those are my easy fixes for meals. Need more of the easy meals as I am not a cook. I agree that we need more recipes that others have tried.

[Cindyh1958]

Thank you very much!

[NYLassie]

Unlike some, I find a wide variety of food choices make it harder to stick to an eating plan. My go to dinner is tofu with steamed broccoli and mung bean sprouts, seasoned with a sauce made of low sodium soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and turmeric, in an olive oil base. Soy, broccoli, and mung bean sprouts are all very good for the liver. I also make chili and curry using soy and mung beans.

I make a breakfast smoothie with 3 cups chilled white or green tea, 1/4 cup almonds, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 of one small avocado, 1 Tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil, and a scoop of soy protein.

I make my own yogurt with soy milk, and will have that with blueberries and walnuts.

I don't eat any animal products, baked goods, or pasta.