After walking the dog on this chilly day, in the snow, it was nice to have a huge pot of Beef Stew simmering away for supper tonight. Used the recipe from my Chef Michael Smith cookbook; very yummy!

I have been doing a little better lately with my eating habits but haven't really gotten back to my AIEP full-time. I am still trying to note what I eat and how I feel as well as trying to avoid foods I suspect of being problematic.
​It has been a busy week getting ready for the last week of Pre-K classes and parties for the holidays, getting ready for Christmas myself, as well as having a new addition to the family :) I admit I have been a little more stressed with dog training but on the bright side we have a lovely new family member and I am getting out and walking most days now :)

Not sure why but I keep doing this. I find a plan to follow, do pretty good with it, feel better, and then self-sabotage. By self-sabotage I mean I start slowly sneaking things back in until it starts to get out of control. I was doing very well following AIEP. Yes, it was difficult giving up some loved foods at times but I was feeling so much better. Than I had a few slips, eating things I shouldn't eat yet, a little on the weekend. Than a little more the following weekend. Now I'm back to eating something practically everyday, foods that I haven't reintroduced properly yet. Even foods I suspect are problematic for me. Don't know why I do this but I always do. I've had coffee drinks out, bread/toast, chocolate, cheezies, party mix, battered chicken, Piatto pizza, corn chips, breakfast sandwiches out. That's what I can think of off the top; and I am feeling it :( My feet and knees are paining and stiff a lot lately, pretty much every morning again now. My stomach is still having really bad episodes. I am getting tired again throughout the day. My skin is getting irritated, very itchy, and sore  :(

I feel like the old, negative dieting mentality creeps back in and takes over. I start having thoughts like:
-Just one is fine.
-A little won't hurt me.
-Maybe this won't bother me now.
-I deserve a treat, I've been doing so well.
-I just want it so I'm going to eat it.
-Screw it.
And the most popular thought for me:
-I've already eaten something I shouldn't have, so just as well to eat everything now before I have to get back on track.
Sigh.
Why is eating well/better so difficult for me? I know I can't be the only one dealing with this, so hoping my problems can help others see it's not easy and we are all trying. No one is perfect.
Oh well, new day tomorrow I guess. I still have a meal plan done for this week and did the grocery shopping already.

Sorry all for not posting this past week but I've been a little busy with our new addition among a few other things :) Meeka joined our family last Sunday, she is a rescue and we have fallen in love :)

I have been still following AIEP although not 100% on the weekends. I am still trying though as I am feeling better and don't want to slip back into eating everything and feeling horrible again.
​I did cook some good meals this past week. We had Paella Primavera (vegan), Orange Chicken with rice noodles, and Chicken Soup with Wild Rice. I also had a sandwich from Rupert's, Indian food from the Farmer's Market, and a feed of McDonald's. Not all were the best choices but I was still having cravings and was short on time and not in the mood to cook. I need to be careful of that slippery slope though, and I am aware of it :)

Tonight I made Stuffed Peppers, sorry seems the recipe link for this one has disappeared. I will try to type it up soon and share it.

I have been having a lot of cravings lately so I ended up doing some splurging over the weekend. I had some wings at Wing N' It on Friday. Had toast for breakfast one morning and one evening for a snack, and had a Starbucks Latte on Saturday, so yum. It was all great but I am paying for it now. My hands hurt a little on Saturday but a great deal on Sunday and my stomach is not happy with me today, not one little bit. Getting back on track with AIEP today and will wait a few days before reintroducing anything new. 
Breakfast: Decaf coffee with Nutpod creamer and a couple of boiled eggs.
Lunch: Leftover Shrimp & Quinoa; a new recipe I tried yesterday for supper. It was pretty good. See, everything was a splurge :) lol
​Supper: Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut with Roasted Veggies; very yummy.

Had butter again today so we will soon see if butter is back on my can eat list or a no-no for now.
Breakfast: Larabar and orange juice (mixed with water).
Snack: Banana.
Lunch: Leftover Prosciutto Chicken with baked potato and butter, and green peas from the other day.
Snack: Popcorn.
​Supper: Swiss Chalet quarter chicken dinner with rice pilaf and shrimp.

Still following my AIEP and even had a cooked turkey dinner at my parent's today to celebrate my Sister's birthday!
Breakfast: Eggs.
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Soup with Wild Rice from the freezer.
Snack: Larabar.
Supper: Turkey Dinner!!!!!!! A little excited as a cooked turkey dinner by my Mom is one of my favorite meals :) Even though I am following my eating plan for inflammation I still get to eat turkey dinner with a few minor changes. Mom made me gravy using cornstarch instead of flour so now it's gluten-free :) Also, didn't have any dressing, and I love dressing, sigh. Other than that everything else was fine for me to eat. It was all delicious! I also had a tiny piece of birthday cake, not following my guidelines there but I make my choices :)

Decided to try reintroducing butter as my second reintroduction food for this phase of AIEP. I don't think butter will be a problem for me but it is dairy, and I think dairy is a big problem for me, so better to check it and see for sure.
​Breakfast: Leftover Orange Pecan Rice from the other day. Breakfast can be anything, doesn't have to be only typical breakfast type foods.
Lunch: Leftover Glazed Pork with a salad, same as yesterday.
Snack: Larabar.
Supper: Chicken & Prosciutto (Pancetta) recipe with green peas and baked potato with butter. I used prosciutto instead of the pancetta, and used onions instead of leeks. Also used chicken broth instead of white wine. Again, recipes are simply guidelines. Use what you like and what you have on hand :)

Haven't had coffee in over a month. Not because coffee was a food to eliminate but what I use for creamers was on the eliminated foods list (cream or soy creamer). I can't even stomach the thought of black coffee. I don't drink coffee for the caffeine either as I drink decaf (due to caffeine sensitivity), but I really enjoy a creamy, tasty cup of coffee most mornings. I bought a new product at Simply For Life; Nutpods. They are a mix of almond and coconut. I bought the unsweetened hazelnut flavor to try and it was really good. They have limited ingredients, which I liked, and no palm oil or carageenan :) Coffee is back on the regular rotation! Woohoo!

No new food reintroductions yet this week for AIEP. Seeing I was having coffee and a new creamer this morning I decided I'd wait to try anything else new.
Breakfast: Coffee with new hazelnut creamer. Oatmeal with pineapple, nuts, and coconut.
Lunch: Leftover Orange Cod with Orange Pecan Wild Rice and brussel sprouts from yesterday. Still not a fan.
Snack: Larabar.
Supper: Pork with Balsamic Glaze and a lovely salad. Don't get me wrong, I am not usually a salad lover but if they are loaded with the right ingredients (grapes, olives, tomatoes, peppers)  I do really enjoy them.

I will admit it's a big let down when you try a new recipe, that you have high hopes for, and it just doesn't turn out, sigh. Tried a new cod recipe for supper and it is not a keeper :(
Will get to that in a minute. First of all, I'm feeling much better, head-cold-wise. Still not 100% but coming around. Feeling good enough to plan reintroducing another new food tomorrow for AIEP :) Yay!
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs served with avocado and fried tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. Very yummy!

Snack: Larabar.
​Lunch: Leftover Turkey Soup from yesterday. 
Snack: New quinoa crackers, prosciutto, olives, and tomatoes. Very good.

Supper: New recipe: Seared Cod with Blood Orange Glaze, don't recommend it. Had it with Orange Pecan Wild Rice, which was a meal saver, and some steamed brussel sprouts. The cod recipe just didn't turn our for me, The glaze didn't really thicken and it ended up tasting bitter, especially the orange pieces. I used regular orange instead of the blood orange, but doubt that would have made much difference. I had high hopes for this as it looked so nice in the picture and all the ingredients sounded great. Was really looking forward to a new, great way to have cod.

I am taking a little break from any more food reintroductions for AIEP at the moment. A couple of days should do it. It seems I have a full-blown head cold (or preschool cooties as I loving call it, lol) and I simply feel too bad to truly know if how I feel is from my cold, my cold meds, or the new foods I try. I will try to stay on track for the next few days, although can't taste much of anything at the moment, and hope to start reintroducing new foods again soon :)
Managed to get some good "sickie" soup tonight (from Dough By's).