# Really having trouble meal planning.  Please Help!



## CharlieS17

Hi everyone. After nearly succumbing to a life threatening illness, I have made it my mission to become as healthy as possible and a large part of that is eating healthy. But there's a problem.

I'm fairly new to cooking and was never really taught how growing up and now that I've started, its proven to be a little challenging. My main problem is this: I don't know how to meal plan well so that I don't wind up wasting a bunch of ingredients or have to buy a ton. 

I want to be able to use up the leftover ingredients from one recipe and use them in another but I don't know how to do this without searching through a million recipes to find common ingredients. I'm just really struggling with this.

I've come across some websites that allow you to search for recipes by ingredient but none of them seem to be healthy recipes. I have found some great sites with healthy recipes but none of them allow you to search by ingredient. So I don't know what to do. Do you have any tips for me? or know of any website, app, or software I can use to help?

If you can help, that would be sooo awesome and I'll be extremely grateful!!!

Thanks.


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## creative

Here might be a useful website

Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com

(you can type in which healthy food you want and it goes to suggestions)

Re. how much to buy in order not to waste food - are you buying just for yourself?  I don't know your lifestyle pattern, i.e. whether you do a once a week food shop or (better) shop daily or every other day.

It's easy to buy loose vegetables i.e. select what you need for one or 2 meals (if you know what those meals might be).  Are you thinking stir fries, salads etc?  These are fairly easy to plan for.  It helps to visualise what it will look like on a plate (in case you are likely to buy too many salad ingredients).

Also, (it may be stating the obvious) but check the sell by dates before buying.  I always go for the food at the back of the shelf since the date on that may well be fresher.


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## Aunt Bea

I would start with this website.

ChooseMyPlate.gov

Also I would encourage you to keep it simple in the beginning.

A plain piece of meat or fish, a salad, a vegetable or a piece of fruit and a glass of low fat milk.

A couple times a week shake it up with the healthiest grab and go sandwich, Chinese takeout, slice of pizza, etc... and always, yes always, add a salad.

It will probably take a couple of years to change the habits of a lifetime, be patient and stick with it.

Good luck!!!


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## GotGarlic

Hi, Charlie! Welcome to Discuss Cooking 

You can use parts of fresh ingredients in different recipes. For example, I typically buy (or grow) bell peppers in various colors - red, green, yellow and orange. I also have onions, garlic and celery on hand most of the time. With these ingredients, I can make a Chinese stir-fry, an Italian meat and tomato sauce for pasta, Mexican fajitas and sloppy Joes with veggies added to the meat. 

I just cut up as much as I need for a recipe and refrigerate the rest. They will last for at least a week. Celery and root vegetables (onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, etc.) keep even longer. 

There are lots of recipes you can use for extra veggies at the end of the week, like veggie stir-fry, soup, pasta salad and quiche or frittata. 

Hope this helps.


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## taxlady

Welcome to DC Charlie. Bravo for wanting to eat healthy. It would be helpful if you told us what you consider healthy. It varies for different people, by special needs and what one happens to believe. E.g., do you have high blood pressure so salt is an issue? Are you diabetic or pre-diabetic, so sugar and carbs are an issue?

I personally believe that a person can learn to listen to their body to know what it needs, especially in the way of food. It will tell you when you need more protein or vegis or fat or dairy, etc. I also think that ancestry plays a role in what a person's healthy diet should be. For example, I have northern (Scandinavia) ancestors and Arctic (Saami) ancestors. I find that a vegetarian diet doesn't work for me. I need meat and/or fish. For some people a vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy.


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## Cheryl J

Welcome to DC, Charlie!   Glad to hear that you're recovering from a big medical issue.  

I was just going to ask the same thing Taxlady did.  Do you have restrictions?  It would also be helpful if you'd let us know your personal likes and dislikes....do you eat meat?  Chicken is always a good thing to incorporate into your meals.  You could broil or roast several pieces of chicken, remove the skin if you'd like, and chop up leftovers into a stir fry with veggies.  Eggs are loaded with protein, too - as others have mentioned, fritattas or even just scrambled eggs - add chopped veggies and you've got a decent meal. 

Just keep in mind that this will be a learning process and you're not going to change a lifetime of habits overnight, so don't get discouraged.


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## Josie1945

Hi Charlie
Welcome to DC.

Josie


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## Addie

Welcome to DC Charlie. It is good to hear that you are seeking a healthier lifestyle. You have already found two sites that are not suitable for your needs. You have started out on the right foot. 

There will be plenty of excellent advice here at DC. You have hundreds of combined years of experience at your fingertips. All you have to do is ask. And EVERY one wants to help you. But we do need a wee bit more personal information.


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## jseymour84

There have been a lot of good replies, but the thing that really helped me stretch my creativity in the kitchen was to join a CSA program.  In the program I joined, I paid a lump sum to get a bushel of vegetables and 3-5 lbs of meat each week.

I also shop once a week at a farmer's market, and I buy enough vegetables to can up a decent batch to put away for winter.  For me, it's about re-connecting with my food so that I know where it comes from, how it was treated, and how it was grown.

Next year I will have my own vegetable and herb garden as well as the CSA program and farmer's market, and my goal is to be nearly supermarket free by the end of next year.

Edit: Forgot to include that I am working on losing 135 lbs as well, and so far so good (down 10 lbs) from just eating fresh veggies and high quality proteins, such as free range chickens and grass fed beef.  My doctor suspects my weight problem is a result of estrogen poisoning.


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## jseymour84

Cripes, it's been a long day.  I also forgot to mention to learn where you can make substitutions.  One example for be olive oil for canola oil, as I think olive oil or EVOO is healthier than canola or vegetable oil (maybe a more knowledgeable person can clarify that).

Also, learn some recipes for healthy sandwich spreads and dips, such as a good humus recipe and pair that with some roasted seasoned chick peas.  Personally, I love a good humus on a wheat cracker so my cooking journal has a humus recipe I want to try out.

Overall though, the closer you can eat to whole foods, the better you will because there will be fewer preservatives.  Another thing to get is a vacuum sealer, worth their weight in gold in my opinion.


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## GotGarlic

84, that's mostly good advice but preservatives are not a bad thing. Their purpose is to help prevent food from spoiling, which prevents food poisoning. 

And while it might be nice to eat free-range chicken and grass-fed beef, not everyone can afford it. Using fresh ingredients is more important, imo.


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## jseymour84

I guess I am more blessed than I realize to live in the country.  Free range chicken is not hard to come by, I think I paid $5.00 plus a few hours of labor, and grass fed beef direct from a farmer can be had for as little as $5.00 / lb cut and wrapped.

Totally agree on the fresh foods part.  If free range and pasture feed meat is too expensive, then try to get the best meat you can that fits your budget. I have to go free range meat because the commercial grown meat that big companies sell is full of estrogen and other hormones that is causing issues in my body.

I always encourage others to try to get free range (technically, organic I suppose) as well too, just because of the hormones that are used in commercial beef.  Check out this article here - https://www.organicconsumers.org/scientific/growth-hormones-fed-beef-cattle-damage-human-health


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## GotGarlic

It's not estrogen; it's bovine growth hormone, which is broken down into separate amino acids by the digestive system. Little to none is absorbed. If any were absorbed, the cell receptors in human cells don't match, so it has no effect in humans. Also studies have shown that there are similar amounts of BGH in cows' milk and meat treated or not treated with BGH. Finally, the government did experiments decades ago trying to treat dwarfism with BGH and it had no effect. 

http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2012/06/19/growth-hormones-in-milk-mythfact/

Don't be misled by Big Organic


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## CharlieS17

creative said:


> Here might be a useful website
> 
> Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com
> 
> (you can type in which healthy food you want and it goes to suggestions)
> 
> Re. how much to buy in order not to waste food - are you buying just for yourself?  I don't know your lifestyle pattern, i.e. whether you do a once a week food shop or (better) shop daily or every other day.



Hi Creative. Thanks for the response! That site is pretty helpful so I'll definitely be using it but I wish it would allow you to input your own recipes.

(I'll have to check the site some more but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have that option)

for a long time I would just go shopping whenever we needed food 
(2 people in my household) but since I have started planning out a weeks worth of meals, I think it makes more sense to have a weekly shopping trip
and it works better for our schedules too. So that's what I'm doing now.
Plus, I don't really like to shop to much.

I'm not really to concerned with freshness because I have a chart that tells me how long the different veggies and fruit last and how to store them so they last longer and I just use that to help me schedule which meals need to be in the beginning of the week (so everything stays fresh) and then the meals with ingredients that last longer are towards the end of the week.

what I really mean is, lets say I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup of spinach and 1/4 cup onion. Well I can't buy those ingredients in those portions, So I will have extra spinach and extra onion that needs to get used before it goes bad. 

How would I find another recipe(s) that specifically calls for those ingredients? and then lets say I do find a recipe(s) that calls for those ingredients, but then it also calls for a bunch of other ingredients that I don't have or that were not in the recipes I started with. How could I avoid that?

hope this makes sense. sorry. I'm trying to explain myself the best I can.


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## CharlieS17

Aunt Bea said:


> I would start with this website.
> 
> ChooseMyPlate.gov
> 
> Also I would encourage you to keep it simple in the beginning.
> 
> Good luck!!!



Thanks Aunt Bea!

I'll have to check out that site some more. 

I agree, it will likely take some time to get this all down but its something I gotta do.

I did start out as you suggested and I have a cheat night worked into my plan too but my problem is planning meals with recipes that fit together or compliment each other.

like for instance, lets say I have recipes for Mon-Wed but I have leftover ingredients from those recipes, how would I find recipes for the rest of the week that can use those leftovers while at the same time, not calling for a whole new giant set of different ingredients?

that's my main problem.


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## GotGarlic

Use Google's advanced search options. You can search for specific words and phrases and include words that you *don't* want in the results. 

http://www.google.com/advanced_search

We have a forum here called "What can I do with these ingredients?" Ask and ye shall receive many suggestions  Experience will also help.


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## CharlieS17

GotGarlic said:


> Hi, Charlie! Welcome to Discuss Cooking
> 
> 
> Hope this helps.




Hi GotGarlic! thank you for your response.

I'm aware of that but my problem is finding those other recipes to use up the remaining ingredients.


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## CharlieS17

taxlady said:


> Welcome to DC Charlie. Bravo for wanting to eat healthy. It would be helpful if you told us what you consider healthy.




thanks taxlady!

I have slight high blood pressure and my roomate is pre-diabetic. We both need to lose weight as well.

Here's what I consider healthy:

1.) Preferably Organic 

2.) fresh and home cooked/homemade

3.) very little or zero processed foods

4.) I'm trying to eliminate as many chemicals and additives as possible
and eat as natural as possible. (within reason)

5.) Grass fed dairy and meat

I'm not trying to go completely meat or dairyless but I am cutting back on both and most of my meals will err on the side of vegetarian.

hope that helps.


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## GotGarlic

CharlieS17 said:


> Hi GotGarlic! thank you for your response.
> 
> I'm aware of that but my problem is finding those other recipes to use up the remaining ingredients.





GotGarlic said:


> With these ingredients, I can make a Chinese stir-fry, an Italian meat and tomato sauce for pasta, Mexican fajitas and sloppy Joes with veggies added to the meat.
> 
> I just cut up as much as I need for a recipe and refrigerate the rest.



So search for recipes for those four dishes above. Plus soup, frittata, quiche, tacos or enchiladas or quesadillas, pasta with various sauces, Thai curry. They all can be made with the same set of ingredients.


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## CharlieS17

Cheryl J said:


> Welcome to DC, Charlie!   Glad to hear that you're recovering from a big medical issue.
> 
> Just keep in mind that this will be a learning process and you're not going to change a lifetime of habits overnight, so don't get discouraged.




Thank You Cheryl. Those are some good suggestions.

I answered taxlady if you want to have a look at the response.

I pretty much covered your questions in that post.

Yeah I agree, definitely a learning process! but I'm in it to win it. I will not give up!!


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## GotGarlic

Also, all of those can be made with beef, pork or chicken and sometimes fish or shellfish. Just because a recipe calls for pork loin doesn't mean you can't use chicken.


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## CharlieS17

Josie1945 said:


> Hi Charlie
> Welcome to DC.
> 
> Josie



Thanks Josie


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## Aunt Bea

CharlieS17 said:


> Thanks Aunt Bea!
> 
> like for instance, lets say I have recipes for Mon-Wed but I have leftover ingredients from those recipes, how would I find recipes for the rest of the week that can use those leftovers while at the same time, not calling for a whole new giant set of different ingredients?
> 
> that's my main problem.



This is a difficult question to answer without knowing the specific ingredients and your likes and dislikes.  I live alone and I use various strategies to use leftovers and eliminate waste, I'm always learning.

I use my small freezer compartment to hold meal size packages of raw and cooked meats.  

I cook ground beef with various vegetables added and then freeze it in meal size packages. 

I buy shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix in one pound packages and use part of it in a cabbage salad, a handful in a pot of soup, another handful in a stir fry, etc...

I shop where I can buy individual fruits, vegetables, bulk food etc... so I can get the amount I need.

I buy frozen vegetables in one pound bags so I can pour out just what I need for a meal and toss the remainder back into the freezer.

and sometimes I just eat the same thing over and over and over until I get bored with it!  

Hang around DC and you will get several ideas that you can adapt to your situation.


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## CharlieS17

Addie said:


> Welcome to DC Charlie. It is good to hear that you are seeking a healthier lifestyle. You have already found two sites that are not suitable for your needs. You have started out on the right foot.




Thanks Addie!



Addie said:


> There will be plenty of excellent advice here at DC. You have hundreds  of combined years of experience at your fingertips. All you have to do  is ask. And EVERY one wants to help you.



That's good to hear!! looks like I came to the right place! 



Addie said:


> But we do need a wee bit more personal information.



I gave some pretty detailed info in the following responses:

My Response to creative: (post #14)

http://www.discusscooking.com/forum...planning-please-help-93549-2.html#post1432434


My Response to taxlady: (Post #18)

http://www.discusscooking.com/forum...planning-please-help-93549-2.html#post1432447

If you need any more info, Just let me know. Thanks.


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## Cheryl J

CharlieS, I was just going to say some of the things Aunt Bea suggested.  I live alone too, and it can be challenging to use up perishables before they go bad. 

You mentioned using up an onion, for an example.  Onions and bell peppers freeze well - many of us here chop up onions, peppers, even celery, spread them on a cookie sheet to freeze separately, then toss them into a freezer bag, getting all of the air out that you can.  You grab a handful when you need them for a recipe, and restore the rest.  I wouldn't eat them raw from the freezer, but they're fine for soups and stews, or any cooked dish.

Beans have lots of protein, and freeze beautifully.  Same with rices - wild rice is a healthy option, and will freeze nicely.  

I think one of the most helpful and most used kitchen items I've ever bought was a *vacuum sealer*.  I think I paid $140 for mine 7 years ago - it gets used very frequently and it's still going strong.  

Allrecipes also has an ingredient search, and will pop up many recipes with that ingredient.  Best of luck to you, and keep on coming back with as many questions as you need to ask.  There will always be someone here happy to help.


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## CharlieS17

jseymour84 said:


> There have been a lot of good replies, but the thing that really helped me stretch my creativity in the kitchen was to join a CSA program.  In the program I joined, I paid a lump sum to get a bushel of vegetables and 3-5 lbs of meat each week.



Hi jseymour84!!

yes I agree. good replies!! I didn't know what a CSA program was but I looked it up, and it sounds like a good idea. I'll probably end up doing that at some point. Where I live, there are some farmers markets too.



jseymour84 said:


> it's about re-connecting with my food so that I know where it comes from, how it was treated, and how it was grown.



Yeah I definitely agree with that philosophy 



jseymour84 said:


> Next year I will have my own vegetable and herb garden as well as the CSA program and farmer's market, and my goal is to be nearly supermarket free by the end of next year.



I would like to have my own garden at some point but I need to get into a house again. I know there are ways that apartment dwellers can grow food but Its just not for me.



jseymour84 said:


> Edit: Forgot to include that I am working on losing 135 lbs as well, and so far so good (down 10 lbs) from just eating fresh veggies and high quality proteins, such as free range chickens and grass fed beef.  My doctor suspects my weight problem is a result of estrogen poisoning.



congratulations!! That's awesome. I've lost some weight since my treatments but I have a ways to go. Treatment made me put on 50 pounds and I was already overweight when it began. Your doc could be right. Lots of estrogen mimickers in the environment.

Thanks for your comment. I wish you well on your weight loss journey!!


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## CharlieS17

jseymour84 said:


> Cripes, it's been a long day.



Its ok. we all have them. 





jseymour84 said:


> I also forgot to mention to learn where you can make substitutions.  One example for be olive oil for canola oil, as I think olive oil or EVOO is healthier than canola or vegetable oil (maybe a more knowledgeable person can clarify that).
> 
> Also, learn some recipes for healthy sandwich spreads and dips, such as a good humus recipe and pair that with some roasted seasoned chick peas.  Personally, I love a good humus on a wheat cracker so my cooking journal has a humus recipe I want to try out.
> 
> Overall though, the closer you can eat to whole foods, the better you will because there will be fewer preservatives.  Another thing to get is a vacuum sealer, worth their weight in gold in my opinion.




Great suggestions. Thanks. I have another good chart that has a list of good substitutions! and I was looking into healthy veggie dip recipes and homemade dressing for salad (stuff like that)

I've been thinking of getting a vacuum sealer for a while but I'll have to save up for one. Glad to hear some confirmation that its a good idea.


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## CharlieS17

GotGarlic said:


> 84, that's mostly good advice but preservatives are not a bad thing. Their purpose is to help prevent food from spoiling, which prevents food poisoning.



I'm definitely gonna have to disagree with you on that one but that's o.k. that's not what this thread is about. The purpose of preservatives may be good but I personally believe that a lot of preservatives are very bad for us.
Just my opinion based upon past research. We all need to be very weary of our sources. Lots of deception on all sides.

Editor In Chief Of World’s Best Known Medical Journal: Half Of All The Literature Is False | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

Thank you for all your other posts though. They are certainly helpful!


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## CharlieS17

GotGarlic said:


> Use Google's advanced search options. You can search for specific words and phrases and include words that you *don't* want in the results.
> 
> Google Advanced Search



That's actually a fantastic suggestion!! Thank you. 
I can't believe I didn't think of that but now that you mentioned it, I remembered I can use google to search an entire website and search it using the ingredients as keywords. So that should help a lot!!

I can have it search specific sites that I already know have healthy recipes!



GotGarlic said:


> We have a forum here called "What can I do with these ingredients?" Ask and ye shall receive many suggestions  Experience will also help.



Thanks for letting me know about that forum. I'll check it out! and I agree, experience will help a lot.


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## CharlieS17

GotGarlic said:


> So search for recipes for those four dishes above. Plus soup, frittata, quiche, tacos or enchiladas or quesadillas, pasta with various sauces, Thai curry. They all can be made with the same set of ingredients.



O.k.


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## CharlieS17

GotGarlic said:


> Also, all of those can be made with beef, pork or chicken and sometimes fish or shellfish. Just because a recipe calls for pork loin doesn't mean you can't use chicken.




Good tip.


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## CharlieS17

Aunt Bea said:


> This is a difficult question to answer without knowing the specific ingredients and your likes and dislikes.  I live alone and I use various strategies to use leftovers and eliminate waste, I'm always learning.
> 
> I use my small freezer compartment to hold meal size packages of raw and cooked meats.
> 
> I cook ground beef with various vegetables added and then freeze it in meal size packages.
> 
> I buy shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix in one pound packages and use part of it in a cabbage salad, a handful in a pot of soup, another handful in a stir fry, etc...
> 
> I shop where I can buy individual fruits, vegetables, bulk food etc... so I can get the amount I need.
> 
> I buy frozen vegetables in one pound bags so I can pour out just what I need for a meal and toss the remainder back into the freezer.
> 
> and sometimes I just eat the same thing over and over and over until I get bored with it!
> 
> Hang around DC and you will get several ideas that you can adapt to your situation.



Thank You for your input and suggestions!


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## CharlieS17

Cheryl J said:


> CharlieS, I was just going to say some of the things Aunt Bea suggested.  I live alone too, and it can be challenging to use up perishables before they go bad.




Thank You. Those are great suggestions!!


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## GotGarlic

CharlieS17 said:


> The purpose of preservatives may be good but I personally believe that a lot of preservatives are very bad for us.



A lot of anything can be bad for us. Moderation in all things


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## CWS4322

Welcome to DC! It sounds as if you have made some great choices about getting fresh ingredients that do not have preservatives. If you have suffered medical problems, I would hope that you would have access to a nutritionist/dietician who could help you figure out what to do with the stuff in the CSA basket. I eat out of the garden all the time--and I flipped when I eat my main meal to the morning. Dropped bread and white sugar, white grains (rice) from my diet. I shrunk 4 sizes--I don't weigh myself--haven't since I was 21 years old and I'm ancient now. I do, however, still have a couple of pairs of jeans I wore in high school...and they now fit (they were in the rag bag). Real food tastes great. Portion control is important. 2/3 of my plate is covered with veggies. Protein is 3-4 oz. Starch is limited to whole grains. Check out the breakfast lately thread---you'll find a lot of great ideas for how to start your day with enough protein to keep you satisfied throughout the day.


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