Trying to eat healthier can be daunting. It does take more time and effort but some meals can still be quick and easy. Tonight we had Pasta & Sausage for dinner; a delicious meal but very simple to make and not too bad ingredients-wise. I found a great tasting corn pasta at Dominion, the only ingredient is corn flour. I am still on the fence regarding corn but I know gluten bothers me, so I would rather eat a 1 ingredient gluten free pasta that I know tastes good. The sauce is from Costco and tastes great. I like the fact it's in a glass jar instead of a can and the only ingredient I am unhappy with is the calcium chloride. This was recently added to the ingredient list so I may have to look for another brand :( The sausage are great tasting and not too bad for ingredients. I prefer local sausage but couldn't get any this time. These do have added sugar but it isn't really high and the other ingredients are not too bad. I like that when you cut them up you can actually see the bits of cheese and peppers in the sausage :) The Parmesan cheese is from the deli section of the grocery store. I stopped buying cheese from the cheese aisle as most of those seem to be more processed and often have added colours and other ingredients. I read the ingredient list and go for simple. So, even though I try to eat less processed foods I still eat things from packages and boxes. It's not all from scratch 100% of the time and this works for me :) I do read ingredient lists and try to make better choices.
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Just trying to get back to eating, simple, real foods. Spending to much time and worry trying to eliminate too many foods at once that MAY be problematic for me. Need to get back on track, feel good about what I am eating, enjoy my food, and stop going berserk on the weekends.
Today was a good day :) Had plain oatmeal with maple syrup along with blackberries this morning. Lunch was Chicken Soup from the freezer. Snack was strawberries, a pretty big bowl. Dinner was pan-fried fresh trout with a baked potato and some tomatoes (tomatoes may seem like an odd choice but I wanted some colour on my plate and they are really tasty and super simple). So far so good :) Time to make things a little more simple again. I feel like I spend most of time worrying about what I can't eat, feeling sad about it, and then losing my mind and eating EVERYTHING on the weekends. I have spent most of the last year trying to eliminate a lot of problem foods and ended up rebelling a little (a lot some days). Maybe I am trying to cut out too much for too long and need to get back on track but in a more simple way. I am getting back to real food but without the wheat/gluten. That's it. No more eliminating all grains, all dairy, most or all fruit, nightshade vegetables, beans, potatoes and corn, all sugars, caffeine, and alcohol. Whew, feel better already :)
Have a meal plan ready to start tomorrow and went grocery shopping this weekend. All ready to start tomorrow :) Have some old favorites on the menu this week for dinners and I am very excited about it; pretty giddy actually :) I will admit I love food and love to eat; it makes me happy :) Chicken Fried Rice is a favorite here. I follow a simple recipe that I have made for years and we really enjoy it. Decided to try it tonight for dinner but changed it up a little to see if I could make it a little more gut-friendly for myself. It isn't necessarily healthier or unhealthier than my original as it depends on what you can eat/tolerate, but it tastes just as good :)
The changes I made were to use a long grain white rice instead of brown because the brown is harder for me to digest with my stomach issues. I also used a little less rice but upped the amount of veggies and eggs. I used 4 eggs instead of two to increase the protein. I didn't use onion at all because I have come to realize that even though I love onions they do not like me, sigh. I did use some green onion instead, increased the green peas to 2 cups and added diced celery and carrots. Finally, I used gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce. It was different from what we are used to but still great :) I roasted a duck for dinner tonight; first time and likely last time. I like roasted duck breast but found the whole duck way too tough; likely because I overcooked it but it was still bloody when I checked it so I cooked it longer. It tasted ok but just not my thing. It was also lacking in the amount of meat; I'll stick with chicken I think.
Wasn't sure what to have for dinner tonight so took a pork tenderloin out of the freezer. Thawed it out and then thought, now what? Decided to throw a few items together in a roasting dish and see what we get. It turned out pretty good. I added carrot, sweet potato and apple to my pork. Topped it all with salt and olive oil and topped the pork with a little red apple balsamic and cinnamon. It was really good :) I topped the pork with a little more vinegar and oil once cooked as well.
I love fried trout but I will admit I don't like it as much when it isn't fried in flour. The flour makes it nice and crispy. I have tried it lots of different ways but it's just not the same. Tonight I tried dredging it in coconut flour and frying it as I would normally in butter and olive oil. It was great, no coconut taste but still crispy, the way I like it. Yay!
Having a great Monday :) After completing 7 days of BFF (Bloat Free Forever) I am trying to stay on track this week to continue feeling better. I am hoping to continue to eliminate gluten, dairy (except butter) and stay low FODMAP most days. Two out of my three meals today were meals from the BFF meal plan. Some of these meals were so good I will continue to eat them. Breakfast was the Banan'oatmeal, really enjoy this because it is filling and so quick and easy. It's simply mashed banana, nut butter, coconut, cinnamon, and blueberries. It tastes better than it looks :) Lunch was leftover grilled sausage (found a brand with pretty good ingredients-Schneiders pork with apple) with baked potato. The sausage are not 100% for ingredients but one of the best I have been able to find that tastes really good. Dinner tonight was baked chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. This meal is great as well and what we consider comfort food :) Looking at my meals pics I see that lunch should have had a green veggie, or at least another veggie. I am still learning and trying :)
I have completed the free 7-day online BFF course offered from Aglaee Jacob. I highly recommend this course for people who are having bloating issues, as I was, and would like to start improving their health through diet. I thought this course was great; it was well organized and easy to follow. No weird foods to eat and recipes are provided for all meals and snacks. It is great for people who need structure and like a plan to follow. It is also flexible as you can rearrange meals and/or days to what works best for you. There was also a BFF Facebook page where you can get advice and support and chat with others following the plan :)
My results after 1 week was definitely less bloating and a general better feeling overall. I measured my waist daily while following the plan as well as a few days prior to starting. I measured at morning and at night and times when I felt particularly more bloated. Overall my bloating seems to have decreased by at least 2 inches overall. I only lost about 1 pound during this week so the waist decrease is definitely bloating and not fat loss :) Overall, I feel more energetic and not as achy as I normally feel. This is likely due to the elimination of gluten. I know from previous eating experiments that when I eat gluten my knees and feet hurt often and a lot. Also, gluten and sugar seem to greatly affect my energy levels; the more I eat the more tired I get. I also suspect dairy is having more negative effects on me as I get older :( This plan eliminates gluten, dairy, and added sugars; common triggers for bloating and other health issues. Some of my favorite meals during the past 7 days :) Check out the great food pics below, not what people normally consider diet foods by any means. So this is the last day of the 7 day BFF meal plan. I have to admit it was a great plan; very informative and helpful. My bloating has greatly subsided the last few days, and I feel better overall. The plan gives you a 7 day menu and recipes, and best of all, it was free :)
Today will be a shorter plan day as I have a fundraiser dinner tonight and can not follow the plan exactly. I knew this going into it but didn't want to wait a whole week to get started. Instead I stuck to the plan for the beginning of the day. I have requested a gluten-free and dairy-free meal for tonight. There is also a dessert table which is unlikely to have any desserts I can eat, so I picked up a gluten-free lemon tart from Nourish for myself tonight :) Yay! Breakfast today were great banana pancakes. These are easy and delicious and you don't miss the flour :) I didn't use the coconut cream with them just blueberries with a touch of maple syrup. Planning to have them again tomorrow for breakfast, they were that good :) Lunch was a leftover burger from last night with a simple salad (mixed lettuce, tomato, olive oil, and balsamic). |
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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