Chickpea Burgers, teenagers, and recommitment

I have finally started losing again! 169.2 lbs this morning, which is 8 1/2 pounds lower than my post-Christmas high of 177.8. Last week I fell off the wagon a bit after 4 days of no weight loss. But for the last two days I've been really strict on the 6-week-plan, and everything's going great.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

1 cup of shredded wheat with 1 cup soy milk

At least 7 or 8 pieces of various fresh fruits

A large "everything" salad for lunch: Romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, avocado

1 T sunflower seeds and 2 T chopped craisins on the salad

1 cup cooked frozen peas with about 1/4 tsp margarine (I hate it when peas dehydrate!)

About 1/2 cup cooked mushrooms

1 cup frozen green beans

Another big salad

Chickpea Burger--Recipe to follow, and it was completely delicious

Hot cocoa made of water, cocoa, and Splenda

Just so you know, our teenagers actually liked the Chickpea burgers quite a lot. They also are saying, "Yay, salad!" every time they sit down for dinner. Don't know what's gotten into them. Peter, our three-year-old grandson, has also been heard to say, "Yay, salad!" But his best line is unfortunately a tearful, "I don't love beans!"

Chickpea Burgers--try them, they are really good:

2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained

4-6 green onions, diced

4 egg whites

2 T oat or flaxseed flour

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

2 T sesame seeds

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

about 1/2 cup water as needed

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend, stopping often to stir, until a coarse mixture forms.

Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and heat pan for a few minutes. Be careful not to overheat. Spoon mixture into pancake-sized portions and cook 4-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Flip carefully and cook other side. Serve with yogurt and pita bread if desired (I like mine plain with cooked mushrooms). Makes 8 large burgers.