Dear Reader,
The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is going well. I’m two weeks in, and everything is moving in a good direction. My parameters include body mass, waist and thigh measurements, blood pressure, and heart rate.
At the end of the twelve-week program, I’ll make an appointment with my GP and seek a pathology referral for multiple biochemistry analyses and a full blood examination. I expect my GP will also suggest a urine albumin/creatine ratio.
The reassuring thing about this diet is that I can find something in most restaurants that will be suitable. I went to a Turkish restaurant on Tuesday for a farewell lunch for a workmate and enjoyed a duck thigh and salad. Usually, I’d enjoy zucchini puffs with yoghurt plus Turkish pizzas.
I still have leftover lamb rump steaks and thought for tea tonight; I’d eat it with shredded cabbage, Brussels sprouts, fennel, and red onion.
Recipe
Equipment
- No special equipment
Ingredients
- Lamb rump steak. The steak’s mass is about 100 g. I’d previously cooked it and kept it refrigerated.
- Drumhead cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Fennel
- Red onion
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Steak
- Because the steak was thin and I had four of them, to save time, I cooked the lamb under a vacuum in a water bath at 52 °C for one hour. Because I’m not eating the lamb like a steak, I’m not bothered to sear the meat.
- For this meal, thinly slice the lamb for the soup.
Soup
- Finely shred the cabbage, Brussels sprouts, fennel, and red onion.
- Gently sauté the vegetables in a saucepan until some colour develops.
- Add a couple of cups of water and bring it to a roiling boil.
- Season with iodised salt and freshly ground whole black peppercorns (I pound my pepper with a pestle in a mortar).
- Add the shredded lamb and turn off the heat.
- Serve in a bowl.
- Give thanks to the Lord.
- Eat with a spoon.
Finals thoughts
The soup is the sort of meal I make on nights after work. The great thing about the CSIRO TWD is that it’s perfect for those making meals for one. Everything can be prepared well in advance to make the cooking part simple.
You may look at this and think, where is the flavour coming from? Trust me, when you add freshly pounded pepper and salt plus the flavour from the sautéed vegetables, you get the flavour.
Photographs
Congrats on the diet so far! If this is an example of the sorts of things you can eat, then it sounds like a good diet! I love lamb and cabbage both, although I’ve never had them together.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks. The core of this is understanding and measuring intake for greater awareness. It is mostly low carbohydrate and low fat and fairly free with protein.
My eldest eats more lamb than beef and it needs to be something for me to try this next year! Your eating plan doesn’t sound as hard as some out there. Way to go on the staying stuck to it!
Hi Kris
Thanks. Lamb is distinctive but I like it. Give it a go and see what you think.
definitely will!
I really like the look of that soup Gary! And that’s great that the new eating structure is working well for you too! 😀
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks. So far so good. I’m steadily losing weight and feeling better every day.
Lovely to hear your meal program is going well, Gaz. That duck thigh salad looks great. Looked like a good job with your lamb and cabbage soup, simple and easy. I like the generous helping of red onion. Red onion can make a dish so tasty. Hope summer is going well 😊
Hi Mabel
Thanks
I agree about red onion
So far there hasn’t been enough summer
Have a good one
Agreed. Not enough summer so far. May it be an extended summer. Hopefully 🙂
Hi Mabel
I’m hoping February will get warmer. It didn’t get warmer than 20 °C here today.
It was cold here yesterday today too. Like winter and a lot of us have been complaining about the cold. I am also hoping it will get warmer soon. Now your comment on your blog is coming up in my WP notifications. So strange.
Hi Mabel,
It’s meant to be warm today. I’m hoping so.
Looks like warming up later this week for you. Enjoy, Gaz 🙂
I absolutely love cabbage in a soup–and this recipe looks fantastic. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing this idea .I should make this soup. I found your site and let’s follow each other .Anita
Hi Anita,
Thanks. I’m following.
Thanks..so happy seeing your site. Anita
A soup made with lamb and vegetables sounds like it would have lots of flavor. Good luck with your diet. 😊😊
Hi Karen,
Yes, thanks, it did have great flavour and mouthfeel.
Quite an unusual soup, but looks like it worked really well. Glad you are still getting to eat nice foods/go out for meals while on your eating plan.
Hi Emma,
While I’ve been able to stave off glucose control problems, this diet I think will be good to keep type two DM away for as long as possible.
Great! Am glad you have made the CSIRO dietary recommendations work your way! Always thought you would. As I have not had any tests since coming home nearly three months ago we are almost on the same page as what to ask of our pathology departments – with my kidney history those pertaining are the most important of all – methinks I have a longer list of requests than you . . . 🙂 ! Your lamb is a little too expensive for the soup but no doubt makes a very good one! Methinks garlic and various spice choices would not add any calories . . . . bestest . . .,
Hi Eha,
Yes garlic and some other herbs add flavour at no “cost” and will be useful additions.