So after being back on real food for over a month and not feeling any better health-wise I decided maybe grains and/or dairy was my problem. It seems dairy free and grain free diets are becoming more and more common (I have already eliminated most sugars). Many people seem to be living much better lives after going grain and/or dairy free. Losing lots of weight, having more energy, feeling better overall, reducing needs for medications while turning around illness. I figure maybe I'll try it again, but instead of going all or nothing which I tend to fail at, I decided to start slow and just eliminate wheat and milk for a week. I lasted 3 days without milk and 4 without wheat :( Sigh. I have found out that tea without milk is....well...... (wait for it).....not my cup of tea :) Heeeheeee. Now that's it's Friday I am having a beer (not wheat free, I have tried gluten free and they are horrible) and we are having homemade pizza for dinner. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and Monday is the start of a new week :)
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A good real-food day :) All meals and snacks were 100% real food today.
Tried two new recipes today for dinner and am very happy with the results. Of course I will tweak them for next time :) To start we had Tomato Soup made in the Vitamix blender. This is so great. You don't need to chop everything up small and you don't need to boil everything for a long time. I put everything in the blender and in 5 minutes it was hot and done :) Will be making this again but next time I will use a little less celery. We also topped it with some grated Parmesan. It was really nice and so simple. The second new recipe was Mediterranean Chicken. This was really good as well but the vinegar was a little overpowering; next time I will cut it back and likely use the balsamic from O'Leva which is nicer tasting (sweeter) and better quality. I didn't serve this with anything tonight but think it would great with some pasta tossed in the sauce after cooking. I often hear from people about how hard it is to eat healthy. It takes too much time, energy and money. I agree it's not always easy and there are definitely bumps in the road. Check out my Wagon Burnin' Post recently :)
As I have said many times before, it takes a lot of planning and prepping; and healthy foods can and often cost more. Start slow and do what is most important to you and your family; it is worth it in the long run. Here are some great sites that have helped me along the way by providing information, motivation, recipes, meal ideas and planning help, ideas for cooking on a budget, and, most of all, inspiration. There are tons of meal ideas and recipes here and remember you can always change recipes up to better suit your own likes and needs. A recipe is merely a guideline. The most important site for me (the one that got me started on my real food journey over a year ago): http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ Other helpful sites: http://thenourishinghome.com/ http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/category/recipes/ http://thecoconutmama.com/ http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/ http://www.stacymakescents.com/ http://foodformyfamily.com/ http://www.jsyfruitveggies.org/Recipes/BreakfastLunchDinner.html Hope these sites are helpful :) Still doing well with my new plan of no wheat, no oats and no milk. I do have a headache today though. Not sure if food related or not. Breakfast was the same as yesterday. I had a smoothie (homemade almond milk, coconut water, ice, matcha tea powder, frozen pineapple and frozen berries, banana, and spinach) and then has a simple omelet (eggs, tomato, cheese). Snack today was a banana with the kiddies in preschool. Lunch was leftover Chili from last night. Second snack was dried figs and macadamia nuts. Dinner tonight was pan-fried Hoki, roasted asparagus and steamed carrots. The fish was done with a butter caper sauce that is on the hoki box.
Made almond milk today for the first time. Used the vitamix blender and it turned out really well. Plan to use it for smoothies because I can't find any almond milk that doesn't contain additives such as guar gum and carrageenan. Didn't use it today in my smoothie because it was hot after making it so will use it tomorrow. I did taste it today and it's pretty yummy. I simply added 1 date and some vanilla for flavor. Breakfast this morning was a smoothie made with coconut water, coconut milk, matcha tea powder, frozen pineapple & berries, banana, and spinach. Then I made a simple omelet with tomato and cheese. Lunch today was leftover Shepherd's Pie from the freezer. Snack was some dried figs along with some macadamia nuts. Dinner was a pot of Chili made in the slow cooker. I added Smoky Tea-Aki spice from Steeped Tea and it was delicious :) I topped mine with cheddar cheese and avocado. Today I have went wheat, oat & milk free and not sure if it's a mind thing but not feeling so dragged out and exhausted today. Fingers crossed.
I decided to eat whatever I wanted on Friday and not worry about blogging it. I didn't do too badly....at first. I had a cooked breakfast at Smitty's with my Mom (breakfast skillet) and some snacks (chips and dark chocolate) that evening with a friend for a scary movie night. I had chicken soup for lunch and homemade meatballs, pasta and sauce for dinner. Unfortunatly for me (as Hubby says) when I fall off the wagon I do not simply get right back on. First I set fire to it and run away screaming "I'm free, I'm free!". My "free" day on Friday turned into a free-for-all weekend. Had a Rupert's sandwich and cheesecake on Saturday for lunch. Went to Adelaide Oyster House for dinner on Saturday. It was amazing; had some tacos (a fish and a beef) and chips and guacamole. Also had dessert of chocolate torte and gelato with candies. Today we went to The Sheraton Hotel for breakfast (we had a gift certificate from Christmas). I had the eggs benedict with a side of bacon. It was really good; they do their eggs benny on a croissant. The day is not over and have no idea what I will have for dinner tonight.
Since getting back on track in January with the real food challenge I have not been feeling better and losing weight as before. It was much easier last year to eat better when you were consistently losing weight, sleeping better and feeling better overall. This year is different. I lack motivation because I am feeling pretty exhausted, unwell, and am not losing weight. I admit, eating well takes time, energy, motivation, and money. If you are not getting anything from it health-wise then it becomes more difficult to continue it. I have had blood work done and will see if it shows anything and I am considering cutting some things out of my diet that may be causing me problems. Starting tomorrow I will try eliminating wheat, oats and cows milk, and see if that helps me feel any better at all. Some pics from my weekend of some really great tasting food :) Not all these items are bad (of course some are worse than others) but at least most choices this weekend were homemade items (instead of overly processed and chemical laden) and very little of which was deep-fried. Taking a day off from obsessing over food, worrying about what I eat and blogging about everything that passed over my lips today :)
Another good day. Breakfast was Paleo Granola with extra almonds and coconut along with milk and a cup of tea. Lunch was leftover Veggie Quesadilla with salsa and avocado. Still delicious although they are a little soggy as leftovers. Dinner tonight was homemade Chicken Soup, without the noodles. Used frozen chicken stock I made, frozen leftover chicken, carrots, onions and peas with salt, pepper & savory. Finally getting back to our meal plan for the week. Tonight was the first night I actually cooked a planned meal for this week. Breakfast was a smoothie (coconut water, matcha tea, frozen fruit, apple, cocoa powder, chia seeds & vanilla). It was good but not great. Still playing around with smoothie ideas. Lunch was fried eggs in toast (egg in a hole) and a cup of tea. Tried the Vanilla Dream black tea with maple syrup and milk; it's delicious. A new favorite. Dinner tonight was Veggie Quesadillas. For the veggie filling I used chopped onion and green pepper, grated carrot and sweet potato, and some frozen corn. I stir-fried it all in avocado oil and added chili powder and lime juice. They were really good; especially topped with salsa and avocado. Today started out well food-wise but didn't end up as well. It could have been worse though, and wasn't too bad overall. I am trying to remember the idea of moderation as well and today was good for that.
Breakfast was a smoothie (fruit, matcha tea, coconut water, chia seeds), some Paleo Granola with milk and a cup of tea. Snack was some apple with the kiddies in preschool. No lunch today. Dinner was a birthday dinner for my nephew who turned 6 today. It was a bbq. I brought pork chops marinated in Tea-Aki spice, olive oil and balsamic. That was fine. Then I caved and had some of Mom's delicious potato salad (contains mayo) and I shared a piece of birthday cake (white flour, white sugar & colour), Not the best choices but not the worst by far. |
AuthorMy name is Michelle and I am tired of struggling with my weight. I am stopping the struggle. Archives
September 2020
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