I Love Waffles!

I love waffles! They are probably my favorite breakfast item. But since I have been trying to avoid gluten and dairy, waffles have been difficult for me to have until recently. I also didn't have a waffle iron either, which complicated things, but my parents' gave my husband and I one for a wedding gift. I have a cook book that has recipes from my parents' neighbors. There is a recipe in there for basic waffles. I took the recipe and swapped out the flour for gluten free flour, the sugar for coconut sugar, and the milk for almond milk. I left everything else the same. Yummy waffles this recipe made! These waffles are delicious with just about anything. I have tried them with maple syrup, fruit syrup, fresh fruit, homemade jams, almond butter, and nutella! And if you like savory waffles I am sure these would be delicious in a "chicken and waffle" recipe. I have enjoyed all of these various toppings! I think sprinkling some nuts on top would be good to! Below is the recipe. If you are good and swapping in egg replacements, you could easily make these vegan as well.

I like recipes that are easy to swap out the less healthy item for a more healthy alternative. I am not a fan of these healthy recipes that tell you to add in xantham gum, this and that of one item or another. I believe that health conscious recipes taste better when we can keep them as close to the original as possible by swapping out a few ingredients - not all of them. Tonight I will be trying my hand at a taco casserole that will have ground turkey in it instead of beef. I am looking forward to it!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffles

2 1/4 cups gluten free flour of choice
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut sugar or regular sugar
2 large eggs (if you know how to substitute chia seed or other ingredient for eggs, you could easily swap that in for vegan waffles).
2 1/4 cups dairy free milk of choice
3/4 cup oil of choice

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Put in pre-heated waffle iron and cook to waffle iron specifications. Eat. Enjoy.

A New Chapter

So today I had another doctor's appointment, but I actually went to the doctor's office instead of having the appointment via phone. I learned today that I lost another pound which brings my total weight loss thus far to 16 pounds! Oh yeah! I haven't lost weight at all in like that last two years and I have been steadily gaining, so to see this kind of dramatic weight loss is very thrilling to me! The doctor was very pleased with my progress. I honestly cannot tell that I have lost weight, but the doctor said that he can tell after not seeing me for like three weeks as all of my appointments until today were done over the phone. YAY!

I am starting some new supplements and was also given the go ahead on trying corn in my diet. I have been successful with the brown rice, so I was able to get some bread made from brown rice flour. I have tried it a few different ways already and I decided that I like it toasted best. I toasted some of the rice bread for dinner tonight and I couldn't even tell that it was rice bread instead of wheat bread. I will definitely be having some for breakfast!

If all goes well with the corn, it will mean I can have corn chips (as long as they are cooked in sunflower oil), corn tortillas and anything else that has corn in it so long as everything else is diet friendly. I have learned from this journey that our bodies are amazing things and if we feed it the right things, it can heal itself. For the first time in almost eight years, I finally have some control over my digestive issues that have plagued me for so long. They are almost completely eliminated and I am so thankful for that. Of course, if I eat things I shouldn't then they come back almost immediately.

Well, that is where we are at with the progress so far. This week is Christmas and I am bound and determined to be a good girl! We will see how it goes. I will keep everyone updated! Have a great Christmas, an awesome Hanukkah, and a fabulous Kwanzaa everyone! And Happy New Year!

Day 15: I Can See The Light At The End Of The Tunnel!

In many ways I am very glad I started this diet right before the holiday season! Why, you ask? Because the less money I spend on take-out and other eating establishments means I have more money to spoil people for Christmas! :-)

But really I am glad I am working on this diet during the holidays because this time of year is always accompanied with good food and a lot of it! Cookies, cake, ham, turkey, and all those other yummy things we all love to eat during this time of year! I am thankful to be on this diet because I am learning how to enjoy different foods and not feel deprived. I can honestly say that I have not felt deprived on this diet. I thought I would feel deprived but in all honesty I have not. I get chocolate every day which is very important and with my almond milk and my frozen bananas, I can make fabulous smoothies that are almost as good as my beloved oreo shakes!

This diet has also allowed me to develop my cooking skills even further. I have been getting creative as of late with my meals too! So if anyone needs healthy yet delicious ideas for meals, let me know. I have had some real winners as of late such as roast chicken and carrots, stuffed peppers, and mashed sweet potatoes.

I will admit, though, that I am so glad the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer, because I am looking forward to having a few more things back in my diet. What I am mainly hoping for is to have dairy and eggs back in my diet and pork too. The gluten I honestly won't miss as there are other things out there to replace that and I am also hoping to be able to have rice back in my diet too. I love rice and hope I can eat it again as well as tomatoes. How I have missed my salsa and ketchup!

Overall, I am not feeling any sicker or worse than I was before. I don't necessarily feel any better, but I don't feel worse and I am thankful for that.

Today I have another appointment with the doc and we will see if anything is going to be changing. We may even discuss my custom diet plan a little today. I am hoping so, because I plan to eat something fantastic after this diet is over, but I also will not eat anything that could screw up all of the work I have done either. But if he says I can have dairy, I am so celebrating with some sugar free frozen yogurt!

Day 9: I Can't Eat That, Or That, Or Even That

Yesterday went fairly well. I had my sweet potato and turkey sausage for breakfast. And I had my leftover white chicken chili for lunch. The caffeine headaches started yesterday and they got so bad I went home early from work. I laid down and was out like a light bulb. My calendar notification on my phone woke me up and reminded me I had a wedding reception to go to. I love going to wedding receptions, but not when I am on a restrictive diet. I went to the wedding and the bride and groom were lovely. As I made my way to the food table, everything on the table looked fabulously yummy and delicious but there was not one thing on the table I could have except for the water spiked with fresh orange slices, so I got a cup of that.

We sat down and I watched my mother eat a plate of yummy food and even have a very positive reaction to a chocolate cake ball. For a fleeting moment I was a little jealous. I did make it through the wedding without breaking my diet though. This is the first major social function I have been to since starting this diet and it helped me realize I am my own master and conquer this! Tomorrow (Thanksgiving), will be the ultimate test, however. I made some mashed sweet potatoes today for our work potluck and I think they will be good. I tried some of them last night and they were pretty tasty, so now I can have at least turkey and potatoes for lunch. Yay!

Tonight I am venturing my way to my grandparents cause my aunt and I are going to the movies and she wants to go to dinner, so tonight I have to be strong again and order a salad or grilled chicken. Wish me luck!

Day 4: My Resolve Is Weakening

Well, I had my first follow-up appointment with the doc yesterday and was able to report that I am doing okay on the diet, but I must say my resolve is weakening!

I don't know what is causing my resolve to weaken. It could be what I discussed with the doc yesterday or it could just be my body craving certain foods and the cravings are almost more than I can stand.
I had a couple of questions about some specifics on the diet - mainly if there were some foods I could have since the diet guidelines didn't clarify on them. The first one I asked about was honey. I know I was told I couldn't have sweeteners but I thought maybe honey was different as it is nectar and bee spit. The doctor said no honey. So basically the only sweet thing I can eat is fruit and I can use spices and herbs and there are some spices like cinnamon and vanilla that are kind of sweet. The next thing I asked about was rice. I know the diet said no rice, but I wasn't sure if that meant white rice or all rice. Doc said it was all rice. And then I asked about oatmeal as I wasn't sure if this was a grain or what. Apparently oatmeal has gluten in it - who knew? So since I can't have gluten, I can't have oatmeal and I love oatmeal. The doc said I could have fruit juice, but only if I juiced it myself and made sure the pulp from the fruit was put back in. But I can buy orange juice at the store, but have to buy 100% juice with lots of pulp. So, that was nice to find out.

The doc then asked me how I was feeling overall. He asked if I was getting any headaches. I had told him I hadn't had any headaches, but then last night one hit me hard. Let the caffeine withdrawals begin! He also asked me if I had any brain fog - well, I didn't yesterday but my brain is a little fuzzy today, but I think it is just because I am tired. I didn't realize that when you are going through a detox how hard it can be on your body.

The first thing I thought about doing this morning was cheating on my diet. I was craving a breakfast sandwich from the sandwich shop that is literally a half a block from my home. They are so good, but I persevered and didn't fall for the craving. I had my "protein" shake this morning and then I had some almond butter with celery sticks and apple slices for dipping. I also ate an orange too. So, I have survived this morning so far.

For lunch I have packed a sweet potato which I plan to "bake" in the microwave. I also have some grapes and cashews. But I am thinking of running out on my lunch and getting a grilled chicken breast from like Wendys or Chik-Fil-A (or as my nephews call it: the Chicken-Cow place).

So, this brings me to my next point. I LOVE to eat out because I enjoy trying to new foods and I really enjoy a few places. Last night I found myself in the food court at the mall. I always knew mall food wasn't very good but when you are on a strict diet what do you eat? I was able to order a chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A and I ditched the bun and just ate the chicken breast with the lettuce. Not as filling as I had hoped, but I did feel satisfied in that I got to eat out. I also have plans to eat out for dinner tonight too. I am thinking I am going to get the steamed veggies and mandarin chicken from Panda Express, or I will get a salad from Subway. I will decide when I get there.

So, here is to the rest of the day - I hope I survive. And if anyone is interested in nut butters, check out this site for more information on how to make them yourself. I am exploring this new world of food and nut butters and so I am willing to share what I find. Click here for the information on the nut butters.

And since the doc told me I can't have the traditional Thanksgiving dishes other than Turkey and Veggies, I am going to be finding a rice stuffing recipe but substitute quinoa in place of the rice and I am going to get some buckwheat flour so I can have gravy and I will be attempting to make some mashed potatoes from sweet potatoes as well. And I think I will make enough in case other people in the family want to try it.

Day 3: Breakfast

Oh the humanity! I am sure some question my motives in posting a blog everyday about this diet I have to follow. Well, it helps in so many ways! Whenever I have tried to do a diet for weight reasons or health reasons in the past I have always failed miserably as I have never felt like I have had to be accountable to anyone. I know a lot of people can diet and do what they need to do without sharing it with anyone, but I need people around me to know what is up and to encourage me in my goals. It also helps me be more accountable.

My boyfriend has been very supportive in this diet. He has even decided to try and give it a go. I didn't ask him to, but he felt it was a way he could be supportive. And my mother and my grandmother have both been talking to me about Thanksgiving and have been brainstorming on what to make for me so I don't feel like I am going without. So yeah, my boyfriend and my family are awesome!

Today I just really wanted to throw in the towel on this diet. It has been very difficult and I am only on Day 3, but then I remembered I am speaking with the doctor today. I want to be able to tell him that I have been doing my best and have only faltered once since Monday. I plan to let the doctor know I have a blog so he can check my progress if he so desires as well. But this diet will not get the best of me - I will win and be triumphant!

This morning I got up early and got ready for work, so I had a little more time to make breakfast. I was able to get some free apples yesterday so I decided to cook up some chicken sausage and add the apples at the very end. I typically don't like sweet and savory together, but I have always enjoyed the combination of apples and sausage. I was going to make them into a breakfast burrito by wrapping the sausage and apples up in some romaine lettuce, but that didn't work out, so I ditched the lettuce and just ate the sausage and apples with a fork. I also had my "protein" shake which I have found stirs up more easy if I put in the almond milk first and then the powder. Yesterday I put in the powder first and then the milk and I had a big gloopy mess on my hands.

So I know when the doc calls this afternoon I will be able to report my successes so far. For my mid morning snack I have brought some celery sticks and an apple to to dip into some almond butter. And then for lunch I will be having my leftover taco stuff from last night. It will be delish!

Chicken Sausage and Apples (I ditched the lettuce after I took the picture, but at least it makes it look pretty): 

My Love Affair With Paul Newman

I love Paul Newman! And not for the reason you think. While I enjoy watching him in movies (like "Butch and Sundance" - fantastic movie; highly recommended), I enjoy his food better!

Paul Newman's company, "Newman's Own" makes quality, all organic products. They make everything from Salad Dressing to Salsa to cookies! Probably the line of products I buy the most are the salad dressings and pasta sauces. But I have also tried the salsa and few other things. I have yet to have one of their products that I hate. I love everything! The best part is that all of their products are organic and all natural which means there are no fillers, no preservatives, and no artificial ingredients. And the products are no more expensive than the non-organic counterparts.

What I love about Newman's Own is that the food products are very versatile and can be used for other things than the original intended purpose. For example, tonight when I got home from spinning class I wanted a delicious dinner, but I didn't want to put much effort into it! This is where Paul Newman comes in! He gives inspiration! His salad dressings make great marinades! I thawed out a boneless pork chop and marinated it (actually, I put the pork chop in the pan and dumped the dressing on top) in Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing! It's like eating Chinese food and I didn't have to go out! I paired the pork chop with some peas and some pasta (you know the Pasta Roni kind).

I could go on about my love affair with Paul Newman. I like this love affair because it is healthy (literally).

I have decided to add yet another "section" to my blog. It will be a question about something food related. It will be something open for discussion and I would love ideas and comments. So to start off, I have been thinking a lot about healthy eating. I know a lot of us get discouraged and kind of groan when someone mentions healthy eating, but really we all need to do it to live a long life. And it makes us feel better overall. So, my question is, how do you find ways to eat healthy, while still enjoying the foods you love? Newman's Own is one way I eat healthy!