Saturday, September 29, 2012

Day 10.

 Too much meat. Without bread and corn, I have eaten more meat and my body was craving it which I don't usually do. But, tonight I had enough. We went out to Joe's BBQ and I had the meat plate, as the options dictated. The only other thing besides a plain green salad, no dressing, was the beans. I came home and wanted to purge. Way too heavy. Also, they I realized when I got home that the beans probably had some sugar in them. Duh. That explains my grumbly stomach. It doesn't feel as good as it did. The moral of the story is no eating out for a while. I just can't control it all. I know there are some options out there but if I can't see it, I won't know it is there.

I don't have any knew recipes today as I had planned, the day went too fast. Sorry. This next week will be better. I am craving new, flavorful recipes so I am googling away. 

Breakfast: I made pancakes, again but used brown rice and millet in place of the buckwheat. Got to rotate those grains! Instead of the cup of whole buckwheat, I used half brown rice, half millet. It was great. You can really use any gluten free grain here. 

Lunch: I just came home from Costco and had a few treats:



Organic strawberries. Have you tried them at Costco? AMAZING! These were actually picked on 9/26. How long do you think the ones at the store have been sitting there? They are so sweet and perfect. I had a few with some coconut water. Costco has a six pack of the Vita Coco. Yum. I am still trying to limit that since there are still fruit sugars.

I then had this: 



Guacamole with some organic potato chips. I missed the salty, crunchy things. It tasted just fine with potato versus the corn. I age almost a whole cucumber and a few blueberries. I intended on making a sweet potato but I was full. I probably ate one too many potato chips with guac. 

Dinner: You know the story; Joe's farm grill. Pulled pork and beans. It takes the fun out of Joe's when that's all you can have. Joe, we will have to put off our friendship for a while. You understand. 


If you are just gluten free, or just dairy free, dining out would be fine. Both and corn, not easy. 

As it usually goes, I have been flooded with info about gluten and sugar while doing this. If you didn't watch that little clip I put on my previous post, you need to go back and watch it. It helps you understand what wheat is doing to us and why it isn't what our grandma ate. I am convinced that the world will never change. We must change. We must be in  control. If we want to be healthy, the only way will be through controlling what we eat and becoming educated. It is simple. We just always want to make it complicated. Just after a short 10 days, my stomach feels so good, other than what I ate tonight. It is calm and happy which means it is doing it's job. The stomach is the gateway. It is the dictator. We need to pay attention.

When you do a diet, sometimes you focus so much on what you can't eat that you will eat about anything that you can eat. Meaning, sure, I can't have corn chips but I can have potato chips. Should I really have very many potato chips? No. They still aren't healthy. I am eating more meat since I can't eat bread,but I don't really believe that is very healthy. I need to change that a bit. This is a learning process. But, I know that feeling good is so much better than anything there is to eat. Nothing taste as good as healthy feels. Unfortunately, we often don't realize it until we are truly unhealthy. 

On the home front, my boys just reported that they made it out of the Grand Canyon alive. 25 miles in 12 hours. They won't be walking much tomorrow. Good job, boys! 

Friday, September 28, 2012

Day 9.

The world was trying to sabotage me today. But day 9, I did conquer. I came out of it with cute red toes and a red pencil skirt. The dessert.

I enjoyed a lovely breakfast of coconut crepes with unsweetened apple sauce as the filling. It didn't need anything else.

I then went to my grandparents house to visit and they promptly served me a glass of OJ. I told them thanks, but I am not eating or drinking citrus right now. After explaining that one to them, a few times, they pulled out the four separate containers of Costco sweets. Cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies, etc. I explained that I am not eating sugar, dairy or gluten as well. As with most people, they said, "then what do you eat!" There is more than sugar, gluten and dairy in this world. 

By the time I got home, I was starving. I am still amazed how hungry I get right now. I do eat my fill at breakfast but it just goes through me so quickly. I am adjusting to needing to eat a lunch. I walked in the door and found a cute note from my daughters friend on the counter with a donut for me. Lovely. How dare she. I promptly put the donut out of site and made a BLT as fast as I could. I ate it, rather inhaled it and that was that. 

Now, I had promised my little boys that we would have a date night as papa bear has taken the two oldest boys to hike the Grand Canyon. They wanted Macaroni Grill. They have gluten free pasta. It would work. Wrong call for sure. Totally disappointed.

I was mentally prepared to not have their amazing bread. I usually pound down a loaf myself. They gave me a allergy menu and as suspected, I knew I was going to have the marinara sauce dish. However, the only GF pasta they had was penne. Not my favorite with marinara. How hard is it to also carry spaghetti noodles? Really. I ordered it with a vinaigrette side salad. 

It came and I couldn't even put my fork through it. It was more than al dente. It was barely even cooked. I sent it back and it came back slightly less crunchy but horrible none the less. The sauce tasted like water and the noodles were thick and chalky. I told them to take it away and I would just eat my unappetizing side salad. Going out to eat isn't easy dairy and gluten free. I am starting to feel bad for those who have to live like this all the time. I am a foodie and I love to go out to eat for date night. The options are limited and why in the world can't they figure out how to make it taste good as well? 

I came home and ate my old stand by, an apple and peanut butter. 

I thought about what I would eat If I could eat anything. The first thing that came to my mind was a sweet potato. I wanted that more than the donut, more than a good dish of pasta or the hot loaf of bread. Crazy. Unfortunately, I was out of sweet potatoes so the apple had to do. 

I am surprising myself at how the thought process has changed. You can treat yourself by something other than food. My dessert today was getting my toes painted, picking out a cute pencil skirt that looks great on my more slender frame ( hope it stays for a little while) and having Jayme squeeze me in for a hair cut. I even took a 1 hour nap today. I haven't had a nap since the 90's. A day of indulgence. I should have worked out and cleaned the showers. Oops. 

I am going out again tomorrow night. It's pretty rare for a girl like me to go out two nights a week but with the honey gone, I am partying it up. I will make a better choice this time. I need some flavor! 

If you have a good recipe to pass my way, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email.I am going to need a few for the next few weeks! 

On to day 10. Can you believe it? I'll make sure to have a recipe and some pictures for you tomorrow. Stand by.


Day 8.

Not a whole lot to report here. It went well. I am finally starting to really feel good. My stomach felt good after the first little bout of stomach whatever but the rest of me wasn't feeling great yet. Yesterday, I started to really feel good. I know if I ever slept more than 6 hours, I would be top notch but I am at least sleeping straight through those 6 hours. 

Today was mostly a repeat of yesterday's food with the exception of breakfast. I had left overs which was nice so I didn't have to cook all day.

Breakfast: Thanks to my friend, Marie, who is also doing this diet, I have a new breakfast recipe. I would have never thought of the combination but it was delicious! 

French toast oats. 1/4 cup gluten free oats (I use Bob's red mill) 1 cup water, dash of salt. Cook as usual. When it is done, add in 1 egg, beaten and cook until the egg is done. Add in whatever you want. Blueberries, pumpkin, spices, chia seeds, etc. I just added a little cinnamon, coconut sugar and coconut milk. Just a little. It was perfect. 

Thanks, Marie!

Lunch: Tuna salad, again.

Dinner: Costa Vida Salad, again!

In between: Apple with peanut butter. Coconut water.

Today begins the weekend. I have a hot date with my two little guys. They want Macaroni Grill. Gluten free pasta, marinara sauce, salad and NO BREAD. Ugh. No Macaroni rosemary bread? Rough one. I can do it. It was their pick. Saturday might be another day out with my girlfriend so who knows where that will be. Tough pickins. Sunday is a party at my house for my Husbands Bday. 

Stay Strong. I haven't weighed myself in a few days. I am trying to make it a surprise for myself but my clothes are getting loose. My stomach is as flat as it was pre kids. Maybe I will go buy a new pair of skinny jeans today! A pedicure is on taps for sure! I can't celebrate with desert so my toes will have to reap the benefits instead of my taste buds. 

Have a good friday! Here's a little gluten free, encouraging video for you. Click on this.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Day 7.

There was a little bit of a seven day itch this day. I sort of had the thought process of "why did I say a month" type thing. However, I pulled through and today has been fine. The problem was my hunger from the day before and a weak breakfast on day 7. But, my dinner made up for it and I feel just swell today. I even came home this afternoon to the smell of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, thanks to my daughter, and did just fine without them. The smell almost did me in. It was like fall and the holidays in one cute little muffin wrapper. 

The struggle with this diet isn't so much not being able to eat certain foods, it is the time it takes to plan it and cook it. I cook all the time but since I am also cooking for my other kids, I am making a few different options. I am a super busy lady right now so it can be hard if I am not on my game plan. Everything is homemade. I do that most the time anyways but this seems like it kicked it up a notch even more so. I am sure that if I did this long term, it would get easier but without corn, it cuts down so much more. I could have a taco for Pete's sake. I am glad this isn't a lifestyle for me. I will continue to eat less gluten and very rarely dairy or refined sugar but corn would be missed. Chips and salsa are important. 
As I was out and about shopping with my daughter this day and thinking how nice it would be to get a treat with her, I realized that it is the idea of the treat that I wanted and not the actual treat. There really wasn't one thing that my mouth wanted. Food is just such a social event. You have to change your thought process. I just focused on how nice it was to be out with my daughter and enjoyed a nice cup of ice water.

Day 7 food:

Breakfast: Way too busy. I had toast. 

Lunch: I had tuna salad on romaine. It was filling and flavorful. I used albacore tuna, Vegenaise, shredded carrots, onions, dill, salt and pepper, cucumbers and chopped apples in the tuna salad. I had a big bowl full.

Snack: Green smoothie

Dinner: Mock Costa Vida Salad. There is a little bit of a sad story here. I had been thinking all week about this salad and how I was going to get the gluten/dairy free sweet pork from Costa Vida and make the rest at home and when I got up to the counter, I realized, duh! It has sugar in it! Ugh. My craving was shot down. I ordered me the grilled chicken. I could have done that at home easily. But, it did save a minute. Not the same flavor but still wonderful.


Here's how it went down in minutes:

Costa Vida grilled chicken (by the way, all their meats and salsa's and sauces are gluten free and most dairy free)
Black Beans
Romaine
Lime Cilantro rice. Recipe here. (substitute butter)
Creamy tomatillo dressing. (half vegenaise, half roasted tomatillo salsa. I used Fresh and Easy brand. It is sugar free.
Avocado
Tomato

I ate it again for dinner tonight. It was sooooo yummy! Dairy, corn, gluten, sugar and soy free. You are not missing a thing. Well, chips and salsa would have been nice. 

Another little thing I like right now is:


Since I have only been drinking water, a little something different is welcome. I am now craving this all the time. It is such a good drink and is only pure coconut water. No sugar. No additives. It replenishes electrolytes and gives you a little lift especially after you have spent hours outside at ball games. 

I am writing this so late that day 8 has already happened. I will catch you up tomorrow. My belly is full. I feel good. 




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Day 6.

The hard thing with this diet is that if you don't have things prepared and you run out of time, you don't get to eat much. Today I was hungry. I had my preschool all day with no time in between. I had only minutes to eat before going to two back to back ball games so I didn't get to eat as much as I wanted then as well. With this food, it doesn't hold long in your stomach. Glutenous and dairy laden food sticks to you since it is harder to process. I would very rarely eat lunch when I had a big breakfast of whole wheat pancakes. Gluten free ones only last in my belly an hour or two. It is great that the food is processed so quickly. That's what we want but it is hard on a girl who ran out of time to eat. I think I should have dropped some weight yesterday but my monthly friend came and shot that one out the door. I usually shoot up a few pounds during that special time but I at least held steady. Speaking of monthly friends, a couple things:

1st, with B complex and a healthy diet, I don't have any cramps. Super. The other thing is , with a hysterectomy scheduled in a couple weeks, this is my last monthly visitor. I am both excited and nervous! I am calling on you, my friends who have had their wombs removed, what is your success/horror stories? Do you recommend it? I have wrestled with this idea for years and finally decided to bite the bullet for several reasons I won't get into. Everyone I have talked to has sang  praises of their hysterectomy. I would love to hear other stories as well. Please share. 

Back to my day 6. I have no desire at all for sweets! Last time I did no sugar, it took me two weeks. This is much better. 

Breakfast: Apple blender waffles.



These are light and fluffy with a hint of apple cinnamon. You can eat them plain. I did. They are easy as pie. You can find the recipe here. They also freeze well so next time I will make a few extra. 

Lunch: Nothing. Poor me.

Snack: I had a small cup of green smoothie

Dinner: The kids call this breakfast stir fry. It would have been completely satisfying but I didn't get enough. I was in a huge hurry and was worried I didn't make enough for everyone so I skimped, you know how moms are. I have lots of  peppers in the garden so I try to use them up as much as possible.




I cubed some organic potatoes and fried them up in a little coconut oil until tender. I added chopped sweet bells and onion and added it to the potatoes along with some cubed zucchini. I again sauteed them until all were tender but not mushy. I added a couple crumbled slices of bacon for some flavor, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. The eggs were scrambled and cooked separately and then added together for the flavors to mix. I have done this and just added the raw eggs right with the cooked potatoes and peppers and it works fine, just not as pretty.I put some avocado slices on the side and served with a topping of Chalula sauce. The kids had fruit and toast as well. It is a quick dinner in a pinch or a great breakfast.

Tonight I am planning on a big, filling dinner. You will like it. There is a little bit of cheating to it (just in preparation, not in cheating on the diet) but with ball games every night and preschool in the day, I am entitled. Tune in tomorrow. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Day 5.

Day 5 was still pretty easy. It was a busy day so I didn't have much time to eat a whole lot. I am down another 1/2 pound, seems to be my thing, at least for now. A few more would be great.

My itchy arm has absolutely no traces of itchiness. Amazing. I am a little nervous to find out what I need to keep eliminating to keep it from reocurring. I am hoping I don't have to do any permanent elimination. I have started talking Milk Thistle to cleanse the liver and I am feeling a little flu like today. I know I am not sick but I am not sure I want to detoxify this quickly. I might back off a little. I would prefer to feel good while doing this little challenge.

Here was today's meals:

Breakfast: I made the Buckwheat pancakes again per Tate's request. I had two. 

Lunch: I had leftover broccoli soup from Saturday and an apple.

Dinner: Baked Spaghetti. I used brown rice noodles and it actually was better than the whole wheat noodles I used before. I have tried other brands of Brown rice noodles before but these were amazing! You would swear they were regular white flour noodles. 



I bought them at Sprout's and will be stocking up next visit. The only ingredients are brown rice and water. 



I could eat a bowl of this right now. I wish I had any leftovers but no such luck. You can add as much sausage as you want, I just add one link for the flavor but try to keep it as vegetarian as possible. I have made it without sausage a few times but it isn't as good.


Baked Spaghetti

1/2 lb of gluten free hot Italian Sausage (I use one link)
6 oz. Brown rice spaghetti
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped sweet peppers
2 T. Earth balance buttery spread
2 c. spaghetti sauce (I used the organic jar from Costco)

Cook and drain spaghetti. While still hot, toss with Earth balance until melted and add in beaten eggs. Toss noodles to coat. Spray glass pie pan or 8X8 pan. I double this recipe. Spread noodles in pan.

Cook onions and peppers with sausage until done. Add in spaghetti sauce and simmer a few minutes. Top noodles with the sauce and Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes when done. 

We served this with a big Italian Salad and some fruit. I sat out the fruit on this one. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Day 4.

Good morning to you all. First news, I passed up the hot fudge. I wasn't even really tempted even though I had some on my fingers from stirring it. I washed them off without a lick. The thing that saved me was the delicious brownie I had. I will get to that. Soooo good! 

I am down about another 1/2 pound. Creeping along. I did eat a big dinner and the brownie so no surprises there. 

My arm did not itch at all yesterday. Usual when I get near my garden, it flares up or at night in bed. Not a bit of itch yesterday. After a month of it, it was a welcome change. Now, what food was the trigger? Hmmm.

I am loving being gluten and dairy free. I feel so good in the belly department and I don't feel like I have sacrificed anything. Even when the month is up, I will still continue to eat mostly gluten free. Hopefully. Remind me if I don't. We over populate our diet with gluten. There are so many more grains and if we don't rotate, we can build up allergies. Not to mention, gluten can be inflammatory. Also, if we are eating commercial grains, we are getting all the good GMO and pesticides that go with it. No thanks. 

Breakfast: Running late to church. I had a piece of toast and an egg.

Lunch: I just nibbled a bit. I had a smoothie, a celery stalk with some peanut butter and the rest of the quinoa salad. I could eat that at every meal.

No snack. We had an early dinner.

Dinner: I made Greek Chicken Shish kabobs and Greek lemon potatoes. We also had fresh fruit, of which I only had a couple strawberries. I guess using the lemon violated the "no citrus" clause but it wasn't like I was eating a whole orange or anything. I went with it!



Sorry for the iphone photo. They were delicious and super filing. 

Greek Marinade:

1/2 C. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 T. dried thyme
1/2 T. dried oregano
2 lemons, juiced
1 1/2 t. sea salt.

Cut chicken into chunks and marinade 4-8 hours or overnight.

Greek Lemon Potatoes

4 russet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch rounds with peel on
1/4 C. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp lemon zest
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp salt

Pre heat oven to 450. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except for potatoes and cheese. Toss in potatoes and turn until all covered in marinade. Spray baking spray in 9 X 13 pan and layer potatoes. Cover with 1 cup boiling water. Bake uncovered until almost all liquid has evaporated and potatoes are tender , about 40 min.

And for Dessert:The Brownie.


Now, these are a treat. However, they are grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free. They only use coconut sugar. They are so wonderful but they are still just a treat. Don't think you can go and pound them down because the ingredients fall under the permissible food group. Eat one and walk away. Run if you have to. 

You can find the recipe here.

Time to get out and get the lymph system working with a good brisk walk. Maybe a little P90x, ab ripper x to top it off, plant a few new garden plants and do lots and lots of laundry. Happy day. May your day be every bit as exciting!



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Day 3.

I wasn't very hungry today. My youngest threw up so I am thinking I had a little bug but it was very mild. I am glad I was eating well so I didn't have to suffer too much. I lost 1/2  a pound so I am at 3 1/2 pounds in three days. Not bad for not trying. 

My itchy arm isn't totally better but I haven't woken up to itch it in the past couple days. In addition, the Keratosis (the little bumps on the back of my arm) are gone. I have suspected that is an allergy. I believe all skin conditions are usually allergy/yeast related. So far, I have always proven it true. I am thinking it is dairy since when I was 100% dairy free they seemed to go away as well. 

I am not tempted by eating off the plan at all. In fact, I think about what good food I am going to eat all day. I love fresh food. It is funny how we think getting rid of dairy, gluten and sugar are so restricting but really there is such a huge world of food out there that has nothing in common with these food groups. We sure limit ourselves. 

Breakfast: Yum. I was making crepes for my family so I tried out Kara's crepes (see her blog link) for coconut crepes. Loved them. A lot. 



Fresh berries and an ever so little drizzle of fresh maple to moisten them. I will absolutely be making these again. You can check out the recipe on her blog here.

Snack: Wasn't hungry.

Lunch: I had left over quinoa salad from yesterday and steamed some sweet potatoes. I topped them with a little Earth Balance Buttery spread and salt and pepper. A perfect little lunch. 

Dinner: Kept it light for my tummy and made cream of broccoli and potato soup with some toast. It did the trick.


Cream of Broccoli Soup


1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 C. chicken stock
1 large head broccoli, cut in flowerets and chopped
1 ½ C. Almond milk or milk of choice, unsweetened. 
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all vegetables with the chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until tender. Transfer soup and half of the broccoli into a food processor and blend until only slightly chunky. 
Return soup to the pan and blend in the milk. Bring to serving temperature and season with salt and pepper. If it is too thin, boil out a little liquid while stirring constantly. 

I did this in my pressure cooker on high pressure for 2 minutes. Lucky me.


This new bread is amazing. It is soft and doesn't crumble. It isn't cheap but I found it in the bread section at Sprout's. I think it has cornstarch so I shouldn't have eaten it but it was the best GF bread I have ever tasted. 


At night, I went to an awesome lecture by Tosh Black on edible and medicinal plants in the AZ desert. I LOVED this class! I wish I knew ahead of time to invite you all. He had a branch of the Desert Willow which is powerful against Candida. I took it home and made some tea out of it. Sick as heck but I drank it down. Hope those Candida bugs enjoyed it. I didn't. I always say this but it has been reaffirmed that the Lord has given us all we need to heal on this earth if we search and learn. Thanks for teaching me Tosh! I know what to do if I get bit by a rattle snake in the desert and how to eat the flesh of a cactus. I'm set.

Day 3 down. Today is really day 4. It's going rather well as well. Dessert at my house tonight. I am actually really looking forward to my dinner and not really caring at all about the dessert. So weird for a girl like me. 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Walking the Walk, Day 2.

Another great day. I have eaten tons of food, lots of flavor and I have lost 3 pounds already! Like I have said, I am not doing this to loose weight, although that would be great, but when you eat right, that just happens. I might chalk that up to, and excuse the potty talk, the cleansing out effect of my colon. I am a regular gal but getting rid of the hard to digest proteins has caused me to visit the bathroom regularly. I feel cleaned out. I used to have a regular full feeling which made me not want to eat a whole lot and never really feel totally empty. That sounds like it should work in my favor, but it really just meant that my gut was not emptying properly. Now food moves quick and I feel famished! 

I have had lots of questions and I will do my best to answer them for you. Ask away if I have missed something.

Why no citrus? I am doing this to reduce inflammation in the body. Citrus can be a high inflammatory food. I also drink too much orange juice in the morning or in my smoothies so I thought I should eliminate it for a while. It is also high in sugars. Berries, pears and apples are much lower in acid and sugars so they are in but I try to not eat too much. I favor them for breakfast as I have always been a sweet breakfast girl. I feel good when I eat them. 

What else do I eliminate? My big no's, as I said before are refined sugars, dairy of all kind, soy, corn and gluten grains. This means that you need to check all labels of anything you are using to make sure it is clean of these foods. Many dressings will have dairy or gluten. Your best bet is to make it yourself but there are some dressings you can get that are fine. I am eating some meat but I don't eat lots of meat so I keep that down to a few times a week. However, I am finding that my body is craving meat right now which I never do. I don't like meat but I am going to listen to my body. My body is healing and repairing and sometimes it needs more protein. Also, since I ambeliminating more starches, I will probably add a little more meat to fill the void. I will listen to my body as I go along.

To get rid of yeast, you try to get rid of the foods that feed the yeast. Sugar and starches of course are the worse but moldy type foods, like pistachios and peanuts can be offenders. I love natural peanut butter so I will eat some of that but make sure it tastes fresh and not rancid. Mushrooms and vinegars can also be moldy type foods but just use them sparingly. You need them in dressings and a little isn't going to hurt you. There are good benefits as well.

I am using a little honey, coconut sugar and real maple. A little. 

Am I having a cheat day? No. That won't work in an anti-inflammatory diet. However, we are having a group over tomorrow for dessert so instead of the brownies, hot fudge sauce and ice cream they are eating, I will be making me a brownie with coconut flour and coconut sugar. There is not too much coconut sugar and they taste like a dark chocolate. They are delicious. It will be my little treat. I plan on only indulging like that maybe once a week, if I feel like it. So far, I don't want it. I will post that recipe tomorrow.

Where to get arrowroot flour? I have gotten mine at sprouts in the baking section. Ask them if you don't see it. If you can't find it, I get lots of stuff online. Anyone can chime in here if they know where to get it. 

D3 dosages? I can tell you what I do for my family here. Kids under 3 about 1000-2000 IU's daily. 4-12 5000 IU's daily and over 12, 8000-10000 IU's. You can overdose D3 so don't exceed the limits. D3 is important for the healing process and for energy.

Yesterday's meals were great. I look forward to what I am eating. I am NOT deprived in anyway!

Breakfast: I have gotten ahead of myself and posted that yesterday. It was the buckwheat and blueberry pancakes. See yesterday's post. Super yum. I ate 4 of them.

Snack: I made a green smoothie with produce I picked from my garden; an Armenian cucumber, chard and a very small little cantaloupe. I didn't use much of that since I don't want all the sugars. I added ice and water. Not super tasty but I felt energized.

Lunch: I normally don't eat much lunch. I am usually pretty full from a big breakfast but since it moves pretty quickly now through me, I was famished. I ate a good sized lunch this day:



For starters, I had an egg, a couple slices of a previously cooked potato sliced and fried in coconut oil and a little spinach. Getting good fats is important. So many diets don't do this. You don't feel full if you don't have fats and your organs need it. Coconut oil and olive oil are great to use.

Then....



I made a quinoa salad. Quinoa is the only grain that has all the amino acids. It is a complete protein and gluten free. I steamed it in my pressure cooker, although you can cook it easily on the stove then added chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and Italian dressing. I added a little salt and pepper and ate up.

I was full! 

Dinner: Date night. I was not going to cook. We went to Pei Wei's since they have a gluten free menu. It was pretty limited, unfortunately. I had the gluten free sweet and sour chicken, which you need to specify gluten free. I don't love sweet and sour but I didn't have to cook it, so I was grateful. I had the brown rice with it and water. I was beyond full.

Last night I had a sick stomach. I felt this way before dinner so I am not sure why but I feel good today. Maybe detox? Maybe a bug. But, all is well. I had a fabulous breakfast but I won't get ahead of myself. You will have to wait till tomorrow. 

I am not spending all day in the kitchen. These meals are quick. They have flavor. I am happy. 

I hope I have answered your questions. I am so happy that many of you are jumping on board. When you don't sacrifice flavor, it isn't hard. You will start to feel so good that you don't want to cheat. 



Friday, September 21, 2012

Walking the Walk, day 1.

I have had lots of emails asking me to do an blogging food journal for you all about my progress and what I have been eating. I know many of you are starting or are on the same journey so maybe we can help each other and share. By blogging about it, I will have to be accountable so this will be an important part of it for me as well.

Day 1.

Easy. It usually is. I am motivated and actually have a calm, happy stomach as I awoke this morning and after breakfast. I don't feel bloated or over full. I feel content. Physically and Mentally. There is something about feeling control that gives you peace. Being able to control what you eat is about the hardest thing to do. If you can do that, you can do anything; at least for me! I am only into my second day but I think I can do I it. I know so many who have done this for so long and hats off to you all! For me, it is going to be a  day to day challenge. I am hoping that I will feel so good that I don't want the offending foods. Today I feel that way. 

In order for this change in lifestyle to be successful, it needs a successful working plan. It needs to be doable and that means I need to be realistic, well planned and well prepared. I reevaluated yesterday and decided that I would allow for some fruit daily but only berries and maybe an apple or pear on occasion. This allows a little variety and berries are lower in sugar than some of the other fruits. I know I don't have a problem with berries so I am going with that. I will also allow a very small amount of natural sweeteners but sparingly. Nothing refined. Nothing in excess. Other than that, no dairy, no citrus, no corn, no soy, no gluten. 

Yesterday I dived in without any pre planned menu plans so I made what I had around the house. 

Breakfast: Sauteed some chopped zucchini, onions and fresh garden bell peppers in coconut oil and some natural fajita seasoning. I added in some eggs and stir fried it. A little more seasoning and it was a great and filling breakfast. Flavor is important!

Mid morning snack: A handful of pistachios. Pistachios are one of the more moldy nuts, along with peanuts so I need to limit those but that is what I have on hand.

Lunch: I had cucumbers and carrots with lime cilantro humus and celery with peanut butter. I had a few more nuts. I didn't have much time for lunch so it was a quick bite. 

Dinner: I made the kids one of our family favorites, as I had planned, Proscuitto and spinach pinwheels. I love these. I decided to make something to compare to this dinner and I was super satisfied. Maybe not the healthiest but a good and satisfying meal, non the less. You dont' have to sacrifice flavor at all! 



I made a yummy BLT, heavy on the L and T and light on the B. I used some Rudi's gluten free bread, healthy mayo and grilled the bread with some olive oil. I added some carrots and cucumbers on the side and a few blueberries. I had to eat it with a fork since the bread doesn't hold together too well but it was every bit as good as the real deal. 

Today is a new day. I made the kids some honey and spice blueberry pancakes. For my hubby, Tate and I, I made some Buckwheat and blueberry pancakes.



These are so easy and so tasty. You don't sacrifice texture or flavor without gluten here. They are light and fluffy and perfect. There were blueberries cooked into them on the underside so I didn't need syrup. The blueberries burst into your mouth to give you that extra moisture and sweetness you need with pancakes. Delicious! Here is the recipe below:


Gluten/dairy free Buckwheat Pancakes

In a good blender, combine:

1 cup whole buckwheat
1 cup coconut, rice or almond milk

Blend until completely blended.

Add:

1 heaping T. of coconut oil
1 T. maple syrup
1 1/2 t. baking powder ( make sure it is gluten free)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
2 eggs 
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend just until mixed.

Pour on a hot griddle and add a few blueberries on the top.


I will do my best to blog daily but it may depend on the day. Here's to a great weekend! Date night tonight...I have a few gluten/dairy free restaurant ideas on hand. I let you know my decision tomorrow. Here's to a good one!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Walking the Walk

I give out lots of advice. I can tell you what to do to fix lots of problems and kick your health up a notch. I know what herbs to take and what foods to eat. I know sugar is poison and we eat too much starch. I know that our bodies slowly become contaminated and we need to listen to the little signs or they will become huge billboards screaming our health degradation. It is so very easy to hand out advice. However......

I need to listen to my own advice and walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Sure, I eat pretty well and keep it natural and healthy for the most part. I don't binge eat or overdue sugar or sodas. But, to be honest, I haven't felt really great this last year. I did turn 40 and I chalk lots of it up to old age but really, age shouldn't be an excuse. We should be able to feel good at any age. Look at the late Jack LeLang for Pete's sake. He was the picture of health but he nourished it. He walked the walk. 

I have lots of little things going on that are starting to pile up. They are screaming for attention. I have had horrible allergies this last year. Puffy eyes, itchy skin, drowsiness. It kicks into high gear when I go outside near my garden. No bueno. I have an area of extremely itchy skin on my arm that keeps me up at night. There is nothing visible on my arm, no rash, just itchiness. I get bloated easily. Food sensitivities are increasing. My throat gets sore easily. I don't sleep as well. I have joint aches in my hips. I have to get a hysterectomy because my women parts are falling apart. I just have a general sense of not feeling great. I have come to the realization that it is up to me, and only me to change this. That, my friends, is the hard part.

I am thankful to those who inspire me. I am thankful for a husband who will walk the walk with me as he too is feeling old age creep in and the discomforts of it. He wants to grab it by the horns as well. I know with all my heart that food is the best medicine and we can cure through strict obedience.

This is going to be hard. I am blessed that I like good food but I also really like the principle of moderation and enjoy a good treat now and then. I like all food and limiting it for a while is going to be really, really hard. I am not great at follow through but I know I have to do this. I hope some of you will go on this journey with me. I will keep you all updated on my progress. I am expecting big things but I know it is going to be a constant reevaluation along the way and I will rely heavily upon prayer and personal revelation for guidance. No two people are the same and my body needs something different than the next guy. I need to stop and listen to what my body is telling me. Today it is saying that enough is enough. I am listening.

I thought about it all night as I was up with my itchy skin. As I prepared for my class on Candida tonight, I went over lots of great info that pertained to me. I know yeast has to be part of it and that has created lots of allergies in my system. I need to calm it all down. You need to do that through eliminating inflammatory foods. This is what I decided I need to do for the next month and is always a good idea for anyone to do to kick things up a notch:

No sugar. No gluten. No corn. No dairy. Very little fruits for at least the first two weeks and then in moderation  for a while after that. No citrus. Limited legumes. 

Moderate exercise. While the body is healing, it is best to not overdue it.

Lots of water!!!! No fruit juices.

Green Smoothies.

Vitamin D3, Cod Liver oil, Aloe Vera Juice, yeast killing supplements in rotation and probiotics, B complex.

Sleep. Hopefully. 

After the first month, I will see how I feel and see if I am ready to add in some sprouted grains or a a little more fruit. I will listen to my body.

Today I started off with an egg with zucchini, onions and bell peppers. It was yummy. I know this will take some big time preparation so that food is ready and on hand. Otherwise, I will reach for something that is quick and that isn't always the greatest. I can't just grab a banana or apple so I need to have the game plan written down.

I CAN DO THIS!

I will check in with you regularly and tell you what I am eating. I want to be able to not only just tell you what to do but to tell you what it did for me. I have cured lots of issues I have had and my family have experienced but I want to feel my best. We serve better when we feel better. We are much more enjoyable to be around. Let's face it, us mothers and wives need to be at our very best. Our little worlds depend on it. Health is everything. I am not ready to sell out in that department.

I was reminded of this quote this last week and it is so applicable here:


"Don't give up what you want most for what you want now!" 

If you apply that to your health, it makes that candy bar seem a little less appealing. I want to feel good. I am not willing to trade that for the bite of candy bar now.

My goal is to be able to eat in moderation again. I believe in that principle but every now and then we need to step back and do an exam on ourselves. We need to take control before it takes control of us.

Ready. Set. Go. 

Wish me luck! You can join me if you want.