#MushroomMakeover - Week Two Recap (Day 15)

This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.

How long is it that people say you need to do something daily before it becomes a habit? After Week 2, this Mushroom Makeover feels more like a habit which is fantastic. In fact, I think both Duc and I are starting to get the hang of it, eating mushrooms often and filling our days with healthy foods. If you are just tuning in on this post about the #MushroomMakeover, I'll give you a brief rundown - for 30 days starting March 10th, I have been participating (along with other bloggers) in a weight loss "challenge" by the Mushroom Council and Mamavation where I have to replace four meals per week with mushrooms, follow a dietitian's food plan, and participate in a workout plan. It was a tough start at first just because I had to find ways to add in workouts to my already jam-packed days but it has been great since I need that kind of structure to get back into shape!

For Week 2, we found some beautiful mushrooms in a local Asian supermarket that we know as a good source of great produce. This resulted in our abundant shopping cart that held several varieties of mushrooms typically used in Asian cuisine so I decided to do an Asian Week for the Mushroom Makeover! Luckily for us, there is already so much umami in mushrooms and a lower salt content that I didn't have to worry too much about seasoning my dishes. I was also surprised at how quickly these dishes came together, and I absolutely recommend working some mushrooms into your meals. As for the physical progress, I've lost a total of 1.4 lbs since the last weigh-in last week so whoohoo for that! Our dietitian, Corinne Dobbas, has been a fantastic and supportive resource these past two weeks. Anyhow, recipes below!



One of the steal-of-a-deal finds I came upon while shopping for mushrooms was a healthy and hefty five-pound bag of oyster mushrooms for just $7! Can you believe that? These were gorgeous specimens as well, meaty and clean. Their whiteness made me think of tofu which guided my first dish into a combination creation. I put together Tofu and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps making sure to use loads of fresh produce for tasty flavors. The wraps were a perfect way to make dinner fun and to scoop in plenty of tofu and mushroom goodness.


The next dish took advantage of how fun beech mushrooms could be in look and feel. By combining regular beech mushrooms with white beech mushrooms, I was able to get more color into the pictures as well as to the hungry eye. This dish of Mushroom and Asparagus Chow Mein was simple to put together and complex enough to enjoy. It is most certainly for someone who loves garlic and sesame oil. It is also a perfect base to start with and to which you can add more sauce as you'd like.


The next mushroom was the stringy and slender enoki mushroom which holds up well in anything requiring long cooking times. Because of this, we decided to use it in a soup as part of an Enoki Miso Noodle Soup to add some texture to the broth and flavor. The noodles happened to also be shirataki noodles made from plant fibers so they went along hand in hand with the enoki mushroom in terms of crunchiness. Because Duc had also finished up his last kale harvest for the season, we tossed those into the mix as well. Talk about a healthful soup, eh?


Lastly, but not least, was what Duc and I considered to be a great breakfast dish since it had egg, something savory, and a textured grain. We grilled some maitake and placed it on top of bulgur wheat. A fried egg nicely rounded out the meal in this Grilled Maitake and Egg dish. The maitake was the perfect meaty addition to the menu. I would be happy to share its simple recipe:

• Mix 1 Tbsp mirin with 1 Tbsp roasted garlic olive oil
• Break 1 cluster of maitake (hen-of-the-woods) into three parts
• Brush maitake with mirin and oil mixture & grill until crispy along the edges
• Fry three eggs until yolk is just runny
• Place both on top of cooked bulgur wheat
• Season with shredded nori, garlic salt, and sesame seeds

This upcoming week excites me, and I can't wait to share with you all what has been happening. For now, I will do my best to continue shedding these foodie pounds!

This post is one of several as part of the Mushroom Council's 30-day weight loss challenge called the #MushroomMakeover. I am being financially compensated for my participation as an ambassador for this program but the opinions and anecdotes posted are my own.