Broth for USD
Submitted on Fri, Jul. 20th at 1:22 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism 
Doing the UltraSimple Diet 
I was expecting the broth to take about an hour or so to cook, but in order for mine to taste like I wanted it to, it took almost 6 hours to cook, and I was up all night. So if you make your own broth, be sure to allow plenty of cooking and preparation time. I bought a huge rutabaga, and if I do the broth again, I will buy a smaller one, as the large one I bought was extremely tough to cut up(had to use a very sharp knife, "husband muscles", and a HAMMER for that one!) It also takes awhile to clean and chop the vegetables. It is extremely helpful to have an extra pair of hands for the process. I made 4 recipes of broth at once, and had to use a huge container deep enough for waterbath canning, plus my largest stainless steel stockpot to accommodate everything. I probably put more green things in mine than I had to, but since I didn't know how much to buy, I bought a lot and decided to go ahead and use them in the broth. I would have added more water if I had realized that I would get a larger yield. My broth has a strong taste of rutabaga in it, probably due to the huge one I added, but it is a pleasant taste, so I would use one again next time. Oversized vegetables seem to have a stronger flavor when cooked. I eventually was able to combine the contents of the 2 pots after cooking for awhile. I wish I had remembered to stir the entire batch after skimming off the vegetables, so that the taste would be uniform. Someone suggested using cheesecloth in a large strainer for straining, after squeezing the cooked vegetables to extract as much "juice" as possible, and I would probably try that, as well.
I decided to store my early-cooked broth in quart canning jars and freeze it, thawing as needed. I cooked early because I shopped early and I wanted the expensive organic produce to still be fresh at the time I made the broth. I cooled the broth and put it into the jars, leaving an inch of head space at the top. That was not enough. It needs more head space than that. I also put the jars of broth on the door shelf in an upright freezer, touching each other, and that was a huge mistake, since the jars cracked and eventually disintegrated during the thawing process. I think opening and shutting the freezer door contributed to the cracks, since the 3 jars that I put in another chest freezer haven't had any problems other than some oozing. The oozing might not have happened if I had filled the jars less full, but I am not absolutely sure of that, since the jar that was half-full had some evidence of oozing, also. Someone suggested wide-mouth jars for this, also. I also used old canning jars and they may not have been suitable for freezing. The ones currently made are suitable for that, as far as I know. I think I would try using new wide-mouth canning jars the next time. I got an 8.5 quart broth yield after adding 12 quarts of filtered water. If I had squeezed the cooked vegetables after skimming, as someone suggested, the yield would probably have been higher.
Good luck with making your broth! I hope this prevents you from having the near-catastrophe that I had when the jars broke. I was able to salvage the broth, and I am enjoying it. I bagged it up in heavy freezer bags while still frozen in the shape of the jars, and put it back into the freezer.
Random question
Submitted on Fri, Aug. 3rd at 9:31 pm by MCS510
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
I have a rather random question. I've never had rutabaga. What does it taste like? I've been eating food that I ordered from Ultrawellness for these past two weeks but now I'm going to be making my own and I'm a bit nervous about the broth. There are so many ingredients in general in this diet that I've never had like quinoa and parsnips and rutabaga. I've now had the quinoa which I detested at first but surprising kind of like now but I've never had some of the veggies like parsnips, kale, seaweed, rutabaga and numerous others listed in the book and guide. What do you recommend for someone who isn't too familiar with these foods. I did enjoy the broth I got from them by the way. I drink tons of water so it didn't offend me like it did some others. Interestingly the second weeks batch tasted very different from the first week, alot more bland. I'm a mind over matter person. I'll do what I need to do. I've never cooked fish either and don't eat it much. I do know that I'm not a fan of salmon but I did order the cod, with much nervousness, and actually really enjoyed it. Since I'll be preparing my own foods during week three I know I can add beef. Do you have any recommendations as to how to prepare it while keeping with the restrictions during phase I (Ultrasimplediet). Any fish recipes would be welcome too. Actually any direction at all would help since I've never cooked fish EVER!
Also, have you done the Ultrametabolism diet? If so, what did you think? I'm considering doing it after I go through phase I and II of the USD. Although my husband and I are trying to get pregnant (we took a break so I could do the diet) so I'm not too sure I'll do it if the don't recommend it while pregnant. I want to be in the best shape physically and mentally since I'll be dealing with, hopefully, a pregnancy combined with a back injury so it may be in my best interest to do it. People think I'm crazy for trying but at 36 and 3 years of trying with no success my clock is ticking and there isn't a fix for my back for at least another 5-10 years (I'm currently waiting for the flexicore artificial disc to be approved by the FDA for surgery) and by then it'll be too late biologically. Sorry I'm babbling. I just took some medication and I've been on this computer for hours reading and researching so I may be a bit loopy now. Back to the point, any info on those veggies would be greatly appreciated as well as info on the UM diet. Thanks!
Melissa
Your questions
Submitted on Sat, Aug. 4th at 2:15 am by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
When I went "broth shopping", I made a special effort to buy ingredients that I had never eaten before, figuring that I needed the additional nutrients that these new items would provide. To me, rutabaga has a very pleasant taste--sort of "sweet" as mentioned somewhere in the USD list about the broth ingredients, I think. I haven't tried it alone yet, but now that I have tasted it, I might consider doing that.
I feel strongly that part of the reason most of us probably got the way we are now is due to what we did not eat earlier in life(or due, perhaps what we did eat that wasn't so nutritious.) I'm a former "sugar junkie", myself--a life-long habit until several years ago when I found out that my triglycerides were elevated. We have all sorts of opportunities, when we go shopping, to try new and different foods, but as creatures of habit, we tend to buy things that we have eaten all of our lives. Part of the "beauty" of this program is that it encourages us to consume some new and different things. As a matter of fact, the things that I didn't eat all that often, during earlier years, actually don't even taste all that good to me right now! I'm still working on how to make steamed broccoli taste good, and we have eaten a lot of that in the past 34 years of our marriage. I tried something else today, but still didn't like the flavor. But I will continue to try different things until I come up with an end product that tastes good to me.
I plan to cook my thick organic ground sirloin pattie on our gas grill(at least, have my husband do this.)
Continued--I somehow sent that last one earlier than intended
Submitted on Sat, Aug. 4th at 2:27 am by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
For fish, my husband also grills that on the gas grill. I mix up a concoction of EVOO, minced fresh garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper for that. I think I use 2 T. of EVOO, juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove of freshly minced garlic per "batch", then add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. I usually make multiple batches when I make it, and I refrigerate it to use on salads or steamed vegetables. This is the "special sauce" that I have referred to in several posts. I love lemons, but the lemon flavor in this concoction tends to "fizzle" after it is stored for awhile. I tried a recipe for fish that had some old dried rosemary in it(some I had already before starting the USD), and I thought my "special sauce" mixture was just as good, but the fish might have tasted much better if I had used some fresh herbs. I was in a hurry that time, and didn't want to take the time to properly prepare the fresh organic rosemary that I have on hand.
I have not been on the UM program yet. I am trying to read about it as time permits, but I really don't know enough about it to comment. I'm still trying to do the USD right, before progressing to "Week 2".
Please change a word in the previous post
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 5th at 3:19 am by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
To whom it may concern:
I just re-read the sentence which begins with "As a matter of fact" in my previous post(2nd message backwards of this one), and I think that the word I intended to use was "did", instead of "didn't". The sentence that is in the posted message makes no sense to me. I must have accidentally clicked on "post comment" before I was able to re-read and edit the post.
Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience.
rutabega
Submitted on Sat, Aug. 4th at 8:08 am by ginnyf
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
Melissa, have you ever had pasties? (It is like a meat pie, and seems to be a specialty of the Finns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). They have rutabaga in them, and it makes them really good. Many years ago I made pasties on occasion, and they didn't taste right without the rutabaga. I put it in, but it was hard to do because they are so hard to cut. Like trying to cut an acorn squash into little chunks. But delicious. I bought a rutabaga for this diet, but I haven't tried to cut it yet! I don't know of any other recipes with them, but I would assume any kind of vegetable casserole (perhaps with round steak chunks once we can have beef again) would be wonderful. Maybe I'll use mine tonight with chicken.....
pasties
Submitted on Sat, Aug. 4th at 10:46 pm by MCS510
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
Hi Ginny, No I've never had pasties nor have I heard of them. Too bad, I do love to try new things. Are they like empanadas? I must say that I chickened out today when I went to whole foods. I found the rutabaga but it looked so odd to me. I have to go back tomorrow because I forgot a few things so maybe I'll just go for it. As Grandmaof3 said this seems to be all about trying new things so I think I'll do it. I did buy other new things today. I'm pretty well prepared for next week so we'll see how it goes.
Grandmaof3, I'm also trying to figure out a good way to enjoy the steamed broccoli. I love the carrots, in any shape or form but broccoli has to be done just right. Those are two veggies that I have always steamed and served at dinner. It'll be nice to try some of the USD recipes. The Morrocon carrots were really good, I just hope I can prepare them the same way. If not, maybe I'll experiment and find a new tasty way. Your special sauce has been noted and will definitely be used! Do you put the fish directly on the grill. We have this wooden block thing that came with a grilling set I gave my husband once, should I use that instead? I bought two sirloins for next week as I'll be in Phase I transferring to Phase II, I CAN'T WAIT! I'm from Pennsylvania and grew up as a meat and potato girl. As for the "as a matter of fact" comment, i read it as you intended it and not as it was written so it was funny to me to look back and see how you really wrote it. I knew what you meant!
Ginny, let me know how the rutabaga and chicken recipe went. If it was good please pass it along, I'm getting inspired to try new things the more I read!
Thanks to both for the suggestions. If I come up with any good recipes this week I'll be sure to pass them along. Take care!
Thanks for the feedback
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 5th at 4:06 am by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
Thanks for the feedback.
I have been trying something different with my steamed vegetables: steaming them lightly first, then putting minced fresh garlic into a skillet, and sauteeing that in 2-4 T. of organic EVOO(the taste of organic EVOO seems to be much better than other non-organic olive oils that I have tried), then adding the mostly-cooked steamed vegetables, tossing to coat them with the mixture. I still don't have the herbs "right" just yet, but I'm still trying to achieve the taste that I want. So far, I have tried some "old" dried rosemary for steamed broccoli, but I still haven't found the right combination. I also add iodized sea salt and freshly ground pepper to this, and use some fresh lemon juice or my "special sauce" at the table. I would like to be able to not have to have the "extras" at the table, but just incorporate them into the recipe; but these fresh lemons have been so expensive, that I have tried to use them sparingly. However, I made an exciting discovery yesterday at Whole Foods Market--they sell bottled organic lemon juice, so I bought some of that to try. I opened it last night, and the flavor is very good. I plan to keep the organic lemon juice in the refrigerator just as I do with my "normal" lemons, since I have had problems with lemons molding, even while in the refrigerator. They make great garbage disposal fresheners, though. Now, when I buy lemons, I ask whether I am buying a fresh shipment, since I suspect that the ones which molded were almost "gone" when I bought them at a lower-than-current price.
I did a vegetable medley the other night, with diagonally cut organic carrots, yellow and zucchini squash, minced garlic, EVOO, iodized sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and I added some cayenne to that. It was delicious, but the next time, I will be sparing on the use of cayenne--my GI tract sort of rebelled with the amount that I used. But it was very tasty and I enjoyed eating it(except for the too large amount of cayenne)!
Not sure what to tell you about the fish on the grill, since my husband has been experimenting with that. I will try to remember to ask him at a time when he is awake. I took a nap early tonight, so I'm "up" for awhile.
BTW, we like "meat and potatoes" around here, also, so I have been baking my husband a Russet potato while I bake my sweet potato--(see my post under USD "recipes" for "simultaneous baked potatoes" for how I do that.) I haven't been eating organic sweet potatoes, but somehow, the normal ones that I have been baking taste much better without butter or margarine than I expected them to; so as long as the taste is good to me, I will probably continue to eat them. There is a list somewhere of which foods are best to buy organic, but I haven't been able to re-locate that yet. Meanwhile, I'm using Veggie Wash and rinsing my vegetables twice in filtered water. I just discovered that that is necessary, even for organic vegetables.
Organic veggie list
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 5th at 9:43 pm by MCS510
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
Carolyn, the list you're referring to is in the USD Guide. I just used it when I went to Whole Foods the other day. If you still can't find it I'll email the info to you. I also use veggie wash regularly. I couldn't live with out it! I've been trying to convince my Safeway to stock it but they won't. I even tried to special order it from them and it's been a at least 6 months and it still hasn't come in. Oh well. I'll just have to make an extra trip. I actually shop separately for my husband and myself. He just lost a ton of weight without even trying. Men just have different metabolisms, it's so frustrating. Thanks for the new ideas. I start with my own cooking tomorrow and i'm looking forward to it. I'll try the steam to saute trick and try a few different herbs. I'll let you know if I come up with something good. By the way, what do you do with the lemons and the garbage disposal? Do you just slice them up and throw them in? I'm always afraid to put things in my disposal so I usually just compost food scraps but that sounds like a good idea.
Ginny, sounds like you made a delicious rutabaga meal. I'm making steak tomorrow, yeah, so maybe I'll try that out if we have left overs. I'm much less afraid of rutabagas now! You mentioned the pomegranate molasses and that you had a source for it, where do you get it? That sounds like it would be really good with fish. As for the smoothies. I made one myself today and it came out so thick. Do either of you have recommendations? I don't know if it was the ground flax or almond nut butter or what but it was too thick. It did taste good though...
Thank you both for the cooking ideas, they will be put to good use this week.
Your note
Submitted on Thu, Aug. 23rd at 6:47 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
[I just re-read this and realized that I failed to thank MCS510 for her comments--so thanks MCS510!
]
I spent much of this afternoon and tonight finally reading the rest of the USD Companion Guide, where I found the list. I also went to the www.ewg.org website and printed out a copy of the information about which organic foods to buy. I bought organic strawberries yesterday at WFM, and they are very sweet. I just put them into the freezer for later. Wish I had realized that I didn't need to buy an organic avocado, though. I thought I would start re-intro with organic foods, then change to "normal" of the same type of food and see what happens, so my re-intro process may take awhile.
Before I put the lemon halves into the dishwasher, they need to be cut into smaller pieces. My disposal will eventually grind the halves, but it takes awhile, and the process is noisy when the pieces of lemon are larger.
Do you put ice in your smoothie/shake? When my shake is too thick, I leave it at room temperature for a few minutes, and that usually takes care of the problem.
Later(I am starting to try to put [brackets] around things when I edit a post):
[I found Veggie Wash at a local grocery store, so I stocked up on 2 large refill bottles in addition to the spray bottle that I bought at first. Later, I may try to use the vinegar wash for foods, but probably not until I can re-introduce citrus into the USD. I have to be very careful to rinse the Veggie Wash off of my produce thoroughly, since I tend to react to it if it is still there, especially if I don't peel things before eating them.]
how was the steak?
Submitted on Mon, Aug. 6th at 8:44 am by ginnyf
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
Here is the url for the pomegranate molasses:
http://www.daynasmarket.com/index.html
when you were a kid, did you have a portion of a pomegranate, sharing with half the neighborhood? You'd suck on the seeds then spit the seeds out? Well guess what the pomegranate molasses tastes like: a pomegranate! But no seeds to spit out.
Thanks, Ginny
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 4:20 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
Yes, to your pomegranate question, except that we shared them at school! I like the taste of pomegranates, but the seeds are a pain! Thanks for the link. I still see pomegranates in stores occasionally, but I haven't bought any more of them in years.
My classmates also shared quinces, a very sour, tart "fruit". I liked those so much that I wanted to plant a quince tree/bush.
I'm glad that there is a form of pomegranate liquid that is "legal". Before I knew about the USD, I bought some of the pomegranate juice that was combined with something else. How does the pomegranate molasses compare to plain pomegranate juice? Is it thicker? I presume that it is just plain thickened juice, without a sweetener.
pomegranate molasses
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 7:58 pm by ginnyf
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
It is a syrupy consistency--maybe a little thicker. If you refrigerate it, it is definitely thicker. And it is sticky--I am constantly wiping off the bottle because I use it on my salads and veggies...a little goes a long way.
rutabaga
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 5th at 8:20 am by ginnyf
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
I made the rutabaga last night. I just did the olive oil fry and then used the vegetable broth to cook them in. Included an onion, potato, garlic, and red bell pepper, and some jalapena slices, everything chopped. Then I had some frozen left over steak which I put in with it for my husband, and cooked it covered for maybe 45 minutes (well, the steak wasn't in for that long). It was delicious. No leftovers. I had forgotten how good rutabaga is. Its consistency is more like a regular potato (as opposed to a sweet potato). It was not as hard to chop as I had remembered, but maybe it was riper than I have had before. I know I am not getting stronger!
I'm going to buy the pomegranate molasses today now that I have a source for it, but I forget what it was used for. Someone mentioned that they use it on grilled fish. mmmm, sounds great.
Today I made the smoothie with the almond milk and it was the first smoothie I've made that I really enjoyed. I also used frozen banana and blueberries, whereas before I had not had frozen ones. Made a huge difference.
Rutabagas & pomegranate molasses
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 4:22 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
I may have to try some cooked rutabagas after enjoying the one that was in my broth. I think I will buy a smaller one the next time, though.
That pomegranate molasses sounds good. I may have to check into some of that. Maybe it would take the place of my "special sauce" that is such a pain to have to make so often, since I use it for everything. That sauce should be easier to make, using the bottled organic lemon juice, though.
How my husband grills fish
Submitted on Fri, Aug. 24th at 1:01 am by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
MCS510,
Sorry it has taken so long to post this, but it has taken me awhile to find where I wrote the answer to your question.
He heats the grill, then cleans the grids, then brushes the grill grids with my "special sauce", then puts the fish on the "sauced" grid. He says that this usually causes a flame(I put EVOO in the "sauce".) He usually cooks the fish 6-7 minutes on each side on medium heat.
Hope you enjoy this! Again, sorry for the delay!
Broth options
Submitted on Thu, Aug. 9th at 6:10 am by ckmom
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
As I read the 3 books from Dr Hyman, I understood that we did not have to follow precisely the recipe for the broth. I have made mine 3 times now, a fresh batch every 3rd a.m. I include the following and hope to hear from someone in the program if I am NOT doing this correctly. Carrots, potatoes, onions, green beans, celery, parsley, bay leaf, garlic clove, whole ginger, oregano. This is in 10 cups of water which after bringing to a boil, I simmer for 3-4 hours more. I find it pretty tasty I have 2 qt. pitchers from pampered chef that have "plunger" lids in them. I am able to mix it easily before I pour a cup. Then I just warm it to luke warm.
Question about the Broth
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 9:27 am by Chloe
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
I don't have the time or patience to make the broth weekly. Has anyone found the broth that tastes good that has been prepared commercially. I bought some once at our Kroger in the Organic section but it was horrible. The broth that I had made was pretty good. But again I don't want to have to make it every week. Any suggestions?
Broth substitute
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 4:10 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
Hi, and Welcome to the UW message boards, Chloe!
You might try searching for some of the posts on the message boards which talk about using juicers as an alternative for the cooked broth. I don't have a juicer, myself, so I haven't tried this yet. But I think that that would be quicker than doing the cooked broth. I have about 1/2 quart of broth left(out of a total of 8 1/2 quarts) and I'm saving the leftovers for "emergencies". Sometimes I feel much better after drinking a cup of broth.
I found some "Vegetable Cooking Stock" yesterday at a health food store, and it doesn't contain tomatoes. I've had a hard time finding "tomato-less" commercial broths. I haven't opened the "stock" yet. I was in a hurry when I bought it, and I had not noticed that it was a "stock" instead of a broth until you posted this. So you may have done me a favor!
I plan to return to the store where I bought this soon, so I may return it then.
broth
Submitted on Sun, Aug. 12th at 8:01 pm by ginnyf
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Not yet begun the UltraSimple Diet
I bought a bag of veggies at Trader Joes, and thought it was a bagged salad and served it as one. It was awful, real thick pieces. Then I read the bag. Washed and cleaned and ready to cook. Oh, I think I found a bag of future broth. It also had rhubarb stems in it...I don't know if they're okay to use or not.
PS to this post
Submitted on Thu, Aug. 23rd at 7:02 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
I just read a note to myself that says that Pacific brand has a canned vegetable broth. The "stock" that I purchased was in a carton, similar to almond milk. I may try to check on this during my visit to the health food store. I don't know the ingredients in the Pacific brand, though.
[Later: I found something specific about Pacific broth the other day: that it needs to be the low sodium version. So now I will look for that one.]
My tomato-free vegetable stock
Submitted on Thu, Aug. 23rd at 11:38 pm by grandmaof3
Not yet begun UltraMetabolism
Doing the UltraSimple Diet
After I arrived at the health food store, I decided not to return the tomato-free vegetable stock, since I found a note to myself that said to not return it. I have no recollection of why I wrote that down. I still have the vegetable stock.
I returned other items at that store later, and the cashier on duty issued me a store credit. So that is like "money in the bank" for the next time I shop there! I was told that I will have to mention to them that I have a store credit, since that is not automatically included in their store computer when they ring up a sale. Now, I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with this stuff!
[Later: I just found a way to use it--to flavor my quinoa cereal when I get to that point in the USD! ]