Day 11.

Today was my hubby's bday so lots of desserts were flowing through the house for the guests. Lemon cake, berry pie, ice cream, etc. They looked amazing but it wasn't terrible passing them up. I certainly don't crave the sugar but the idea of eating it is was what I wanted. I ate a little extra fruit and called it good. 

As I have said before, food is psychological. We eat emotionally. We eat socially. Changing the way you eat is a study of the mind. You truly have to change the way you view food. You have to view food as lifesaving, nourishing, healing, powerful. Food is also beautiful and gracious. If you respect it, you are less apt to abuse it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good dessert and will be happy when I can have one again now and then but I enjoyed being at the party with my family and the fact that I didn't get the cake didn't ruin it. It has been interesting to me to see how this past 11 days has affected my thought process. I have done the  no sugar challenge before for 30 days. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Now, I have added several other "no's" to the list and it has been easier. Why? Because I have changed the way I think. I reward myself with other sources of joy and love the way my body feels by feeding it nourishing foods. It is so worth it. I know this will be something I will always have to remind myself of. Food is just so addicting!

I have tried really hard to listen to what my body wants. When you are addicted to sugar, your body will be craving sugar but when you clean that out and reset the signals, you are better in tune with what it wants. At first, I craved more proteins; eggs and meats. Now, I am craving lighter foods and greens. Some mornings I need eggs. Some mornings I want light grains and smoothies. When I listen, I feel good. 


Breakfast: French toast oats, again. I love these! So easy and so filling. See the recipe on day 8. 

Lunch: Knowing we were having an early dinner, I went light with some hummus and cucumbers. I really was still full from the heavy meat the night before.

Dinner: Burgers would have been fine, sans the bun but I opted out of the meat. Instead, I enjoyed several tasty side dishes: 

My favorite thing at Liberty Market is the roasted sweet potato salad. Kara Bagley recreated this a few years ago and hit it dead on. I haven't made it since last Thanksgiving so I made a big bowl for my little treat. I ate it up! You can see the recipe here. I didn't have the chives but it was still great. 

My family loves coleslaw. I have always made it with raw milk and buttermilk but they didn't even say anything after it had been changed out with coconut milk and honey. There was a slight difference but still good. 

Dairy free Coleslaw

1/2 C. healthy mayo

1/4- 1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 C. coconut milk
2 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 T. white vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/4 C. shredded carrot
2 T. minced onion

Chop cabbage finely or shred. Combine mayo, honey, coconut milk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

Add cabbage, carrots and onion. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.

I enjoyed a big salad with some fresh strawberries and some herb roasted potatoes as well. Side dishes are great for a meal. 

Thanks for the recipes you are sending me. I look forward to trying them out. Here's to a good week! It is gardening day for me. I will post about that tomorrow along with some pest control info. I'm getting a little bored with these diet posts!