Crock Pot Monday - Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Chick Pea Curry

My co-worker and friend, Fast Eddie, was telling me last week about his wife's DELICIOUS white chicken chili. I've never made white chicken chili, but until right now, I forgot that it was going to be my crock pot Monday meal this week...

So alas, I will have to save it for NEXT Monday, as I have the pot going today with curry. The autumn hasn't QUITE set in here in Georgia, but after reading a delicious-sounding recipe in a Clean Eating FB group I'm in, I decided Chicken Curry would be our Crock meal this week.

I did a hybrid of two recipes I found online:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-curry-with-coconut-milk-43-pts/
http://www.5dollardinners.com/31-days-of-slow-cooker-meals-sweet-potato-chicken-curry/

Also, I'm not positive how the servings will work out for this, but I hope to have either 2 servings for leftovers, or leftovers and a freezer meal. I'll update after we've eaten to reflect the servings.

**NOTE on Garam Masala - You can purchase it already mixed, or you can make your own at home! It's a spice blend, and uses spices you most likely already have in your pantry. Recipe here.


**UPDATED! I found the original recipe a bit bland, so I made some adjustments. Also, the recipe easily serves 8. We each had a serving last night, packed two leftovers, and have 4 servings leftover, which I put in the freezer for future yumyums!


Amber's Crock Pot Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Chick Pea Curry

1/2 Large Onion, diced
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Cumin
1Tbsp Garam Masala
1/4 Cup Curry (adjust to your liking)
4 Chicken Thighs, Boneless & Skinless (you could also sub breasts. Use about 1.5 #)
1 Can Chick Peas (15.5 oz)
3 Small Tomatoes, diced
3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, diced
2 Cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Salt

1) In a small skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over Medium Heat, sauté the Onions and Garlic for about 1 minute, until they become fragrant. Add spices, and stir for one more minute. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, and scrape the bottom of the pan, releasing any cooked-on spices, and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
2) Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray (you can skip this if you use those liners).
3) Add diced tomatoes, and sweet potatoes to the bottom of the crock pot. Top with the Onion/Spice Mixture. Add can of Chick Peas, and remaining coconut milk.
4) Add chicken thighs to the mixture, and mix, so they get covered in the sauce/milk and spices.
5) Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (ours usually goes about 10, just due to how long we are away from the house).
6) About 30 minutes before eating, add the yogurt, and taste, adjusting spices as needed (I found it bland and had to add salt and more curry!)
7) After the full crock time, if you find the sauce too thin, remove the lid, increase to high, and allow it to simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the sauce is the consistency you're looking for.
8) Serve over Jasmine or white rice, or for a healthier option, brown rice.

I usually shred the chicken in the sauce, but you could also remove the thighs and cut them up and put them back in, if you prefer.

Oodles of Zoodles!

So, after talking for MONTHS with my friend Michele about Zoodles, and Vegetti, I caved and purchased one. They had the Vegetti spiralizer at Marshalls for $7.99! Score.

Well, I intended on embarking on a Whole30 this week, after Labor Day ended. Then, when Mike saw I brought home a Vegetti, and was talking about making Zoodles, he went on a rant about how people should just "eat the food we're meant to eat", and how he didn't like it when foods are presented as food that they're not. Translated: he doesn't want to eat a f*ing zoodle. It's not a secret he hates veggies, but simply not eating so much hasn't resulted in any weight loss for me. I'm not a picky eater, and I love veggies, so simply eating more veggies/better food would probably be beneficial to me, but I don't enjoy preparing food that he hates or will bitch about eating.

So, my fix was to make a zoodle salad for at work! and he won't have to eat it! This way, I can eat healthy while at work, and then eat delicious/less healthy at home for dinner. Seems like a good compromise. And that's what marriage is all about (she says after it took her 6 years to figure out).

I made a variation on this recipe, from www.tasteandsee.com: http://tasteandsee.com/chicken-satay-zoodle-salad-recipe/
These are the changes I made:
- Instead of doing tenderloin strips, I had full chicken breasts, so I chopped them into bite size pieces, marinated per the recipe, and sautéed. Also, after it cooled, I tossed the bite-sized chicken bits in with the rest of the salad.
- I did half the dressing recipe, and of that half, I only used half of *it* in the salad. I put the rest in a small container and took it with me for lunch. The salad actually turned kind of "runny" before I got it to work at lunch, so I drained off the watery stuff, and then put about a tablespoon of the additional dressing on top. Mucho bueno.
- I zoodled BOTH the zucchini and the cucumber! One can't have to many noodle-shaped items, after all.
- I also omitted these items: bell pepper, snap peas, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro. I didn't have all these items, except cilantro, but knowing that I intended on stretching this salad all week, I know the cilantro would have a tendency to wilt, and become off-flavored, so I left it out.

I actually make Mike taste it, and he liked it! Not enough to eat, say, a full portion, but he did eat some, and didn't make gagging noises, so all in all it's a win.

Mostly, I typed this blog so I can make it again.

We both agreed that we should zoodle a sweet potato and make fries. Cuz, yum.

End of Indulgence - Day 2

End of Indulgence Day 2 - Not bad, though I did indulge in the last piece of birthday cake, and one *TINY* Almond Joy. But now that crap's out of the house, so there are no excuses.

Menu - Day 2:
Breakfast:
Publix Blended Greek Coconut Yogurt
10 Fresh Blackberries

Lunch:
Leftover Stove Top Mac n Cheese
Caesar Salad

Snack:
1 cup Fresh cubed pineapple

Dinner:
Pan Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
White Rice (1 cup - should've had less. but it's my weakness)

Bad Girl/Slap my hand:
1 slice coconut cake
1 tiny Almond Joy

Here's to day 3!

Also, pool is looking good! I'm already researching healthy pool snacks for poolside this weekend. Stay tuned!

Month-Long Indulgence ENDS NOW! Day 1

I'm *THE BEST* at starting meal plans. Breakfast, Day 1 is always PERFECT. If you've been here awhile, you know I did a month (4 weeks) cleanse and stuck with that, but I've been struggling since. I've not GAINED any, but in particular, the past 3 weeks, what with birthday celebrations and abandonment of (most) adult responsibilities, I feel way off. We ate out every single dinner meal last week.

ENOUGH!

Mike got the pool opened yesterday, and well, that means swimsuits, which means body self-loathing, and well, instead of just bitching about it, I'm going to do something about it. Again.

So, not just to lose weight, but to get more workout time in, and eat well, but also eat ENOUGH. I think my biggest problem is night time snacking but I feel I'd be more likely to avoid night time eating if I ate enough during the day. So I went to the store yesterday, and got lots of fruits/veggies and snackables. Not those processed meat-cheese things, but some healthy crackers, healthy dip, and Kashi bars (my BFF got me HOOKED).

As always, this is my accountabili-place. And this is why I'm here. If it works, we should be able to refer back to it, right?

Today:

Breakfast:
1/2 cup 2% Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 cup quartered Strawberries

Lunch: (See picture!)
Shrimp Caesar Salad Kit:
1 cup lettuce
1 TBSP shredded Parmesan
2 TBSP croutons
1 1/2 TBSP Cardini's dressing
5 oz boiled shrimp

Snack 1:
3 celery sticks
5 carrot sticks
2 TBSP Marzetti Cucumber Dill Feta Dip

Dinner:
Mojo Grilled Chicken Breasts
Black Beans

Snack 2:
Chocolate &Almond Sea Salt Kashi Bar
Blueberries


Exercise: Derby practice!

This is my Shrimp Caesar Salad Kit! Note: That is way too much lettuce. I used about 1/2. Apparently a sandwich bag of romaine is enough for two. Who knew?!

4/18/16 - Overnight Oats (PS: I hate oatmeal)

I've been MIA on here for awhile, but I've GOT to pull it together. My cholesterol was "high" again this year, despite all my efforts to cook at home and eat healthy. I read that oatmeal (which is NOT my favorite food, by far) can help lower your cholesterol, so I've been trying to eat more.

I've been turned-off to Overnight Oats, because all the recipes call for milk, which I cannot have. However, I finally realized I can do the same with coconut milk (duh). I'm still tweaking the recipe, but this is where I landed today:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut milk (I use Silk, Unsweetened)
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Soak the above overnight in the fridge.
- I added in about 8 each of raspberries and blueberries
- The vanilla is in red italics because this tasted like I was eating booze. I'm guessing the vanilla was the culprit, so when I try this again tomorrow, I will omit the vanilla. I think the syrup adds enough sweetness to keep it from being bland.

That's all for now. I'm still sitting at 10 lbs down since I started the candida cleanse. I need to lose about 20 more. 10 more is my first goal. Fingers x'd.

Days 1-7 - Budget Diet

This is where we start.

I've started checking the ads, for my grocery stop home, and I'm definitely stopping at Sprouts on the way home for the butchery!

Sprouts:
Pork Loin Chops - $1.79/lb
Boneless Chicken Thighs - $1.77/lb
Cut-Up Whole Chicken - $1.69/lb
Split Chicken - $1.49/lb
Boneless Pork Butt - $1.79/lb
Home Run Inn Pizza (our fave) - BOGO

Budget recipes:
Friday:  Price per serving: $2.50
      Home Run Inn Pizza              2 servings     $5.00

Saturday:
       Breakfast Burritos (Chicken Chorizo)
                 Chicken Chorizo         3 servings        $3.43
                 Eggs                            4 -  
                 Tortillas                       6
       Refried Pinto Beans              3 servings      

Sunday:
      Roast Chicken with Root Veggies
      Pilaf

Monday:
      Crock Pot Pulled Pork
      Cole Slaw

Tuesday:
      Pork Chops au Poivre
      Roasted Sweet Potato Slices
      Green Beans

Wednesday:
      Oven Fried Chicken
      Mashed Potatoes
      Corn and Zucchini Medley
     
Thursday:
      Lemon Rosemary Chicken
      Rice
      Steamed Broccoli











Groceries: 

Green Pepper - 1                      $.48
Zucchini - 2                             $1.03
Kobocha Squash                     $2.72
Lemons - 2                              $1.00
Red Pepper - 1                        $.48
Red Onion - 1                         $1.06
Sweet Potato - 1                      $.89
Yukon Gold Potatoes - 6sm    $1.28

Refried Beans                         $.99
Pilaf                                        $2.50


Milk (Mike)                            $2.79
Sour Cream                             $1.69


Pork Shoulder                        $5.01
Pork Chops                            $2.85
Chicken Chorizo                    $3.43
Chicken Thighs - 6                 $4.85
Cut Up Whole Chicken          $3.90

Tortillas (20ct)                         $3.99
Frozen Pizza - 2                      $9.99





 

Thanks! Next up...

Thanks to those of you that read/kept up with the Candida portion of my TMI Dieting Adventure. We're on to a new adventure which I'll elaborate on shortly, but I'll say after a week of being off plan, I've gained only minimally (due to Valentine's sweet treats and delicious eating), and where I didn't really notice before, I apparently had a kind of persistent (Sorry TMI) Athlete's Foot situation which has COMPLETELY cleared up. I may as my doctor for a Candida Test in my next visit, just to be sure, but otherwise, I'll be going back to the drawing board trying to figure out these hand issues.

In other news, I'm on day 4 off Lexapro. That's been a bit of an adventure on it's own, but I did 12 days on 1/2 a pill (5 mgs), and then cold turkey starting Sunday. Other than some minimal withdrawals, and some tears last night I couldn't really control, so far, so good.


My next adventure is of the BUDGET kind! I'm going to take the next 30 days to cut our food budget, and hopefully cut some other budget pieces, as well. We will see.

30 Day Challenge - Cut food budget starts SATURDAY!

Goals
Lower food budget to $100 a week (for us both). We usually average about $200 a week, $150 for our Su-Th groceries, and $50ish for our Friday/Saturday. Obviously there's some carry over from the two, but I will document all food costs, what we have on hand already, and hopefully I can find a way to feed us healthy, and cut some costs.

This will also entail coupons, reviewing weekly ads, and going to multiple places to shop.

Of the stores I will use:
Sprouts - I'm really looking to find out how they compare in prices to the other stores.
Trader Joe's - As much as I don't really care for that place, I'll go in if savings will happen.
Walmart Neighborhood Market - Only packaged foods (canned, spices, etc.). No produce or meats
Publix - Standard go-to. Not always the best prices, but they do have good sales.
ALDI - My husband hates their store-brand items though, so probably only minimally.

Wish me luck! And I'd love to hear any tips you might have!

Back to reality.

I took a work from home day yesterday, as my sinuses were acting up, and I wasn't feeling 100%. I prefer not to share potential germs with my coworkers. I feel like that is a common courtesy. However, thank GOODNESS I was at home as (TMI coming) I spent the entire day in the bathroom! Was it the cheese? The pear I ate before bed? The ONE beer I had after our derby bouts Sunday? No idea, but the discomfort has passed, and I'm on day two of back to normal eating. It's DEVINE. We had REAL white rice with our stirfry last night, that contained SOY SAUCE. So far, I feel great!

We had THIS last night for dinner, no SUBSTITUTIONS! Served over Jasmine Rice
Kung Pao Chicken

Though I did omit peanuts. I'm kinda skeeved by them due to learning they contain mold. Gross. No one needs to eat mold. I also have the Kung Pao for lunch today. With another pear! So we'll see if that is the culprit.

Tonight is this: Grilled Chicken with Chorizo Confetti

I have more of that chicken chorizo I got from Sprouts, so I'll be using that.

Happy Tuesday! We're calling it Bon Jovi Wednesday, as Friday is a VACATION DAY!! WOOT WOOT! Mike got our Deadpool tickets for Thursday night, and I'm counting down the hours.

I've also started relearning math for my upcoming GRE test. I used to ACE this crap, and a lot of it is escaping me. I did do math problems last night for 3 hours before bed, though, and that was super fun. I've always loved math, assuming I can figure out how to do it.

Ooh! Also, shout out to the Cobb County Libraries, in particular the East Marietta Branch. It's not the closest one to my house, but I like it's tiny quaintness, and the modern design of the building. Though, the parking lot full of dead Christmas Trees scares and confuses me. Oh well. They're keeping me from spending money on Amazon on books about math and the GRE. No one should spend money on those.

Days 27/28 - I QUIT!

So, I didn't make it 30 days. It became too much for both myself and my husband. I got to Saturday night and didn't want to THINK about making anything restrictive, and where I abandoned the Candida Cleanse, I'll call it a success. 4 weeks is a long time to do anything, and not drinking in that time was also a challenge (not because I'm an addict, but because I love to have drinks!)

At the very least, I've succeeded in the following ways:

1) I ended my CoffeeMate creamer addiction. I know that stuff is filled with garbage, and even though the flavor is my FAVORITE, I will limit its inclusion in my diet for road trips, or special occasions (guests). I drink my coffee black again, which I know my body is thanking me for, even if coffee isn't the best for me. At least I've cut out consuming the chemicals.

2) I lost 10 lbs. My goal wasn't necessarily to lose weight, but it was an added bonus. I actually haven't weighed since last week, so it might be more, but that is a long-term goal, not a short term one, and if I can cut back on my portion size, and add exercise, then I feel like it will fall off. I'd rather be happy than skinny anyway.

3) I cut out dairy for 4 weeks. That is huge for me, and I could for sure feel the difference. What I miss the most is CHEESE. I've never handled milk that well, and other things like ice cream have also caused me problem, but I've never been able to figure out why cheese doesn't bother me. I had parmesan last night with NO problems. So I googled it. Duh. This is what I found. So, apparently I can eat SOME cheese and not feel the issues in my tumtum that I feel if drinking milk. I'll probably continue to sub coconut milk when a recipe calls for milk. It seems to have been an adequate substitute. And those around me with noses will thank me. In case you didn't read the article, basically, harder/aged cheeses are safer than softer and processed cheese. Don't eat Velveeta. No one needs those chemicals. I'll stick to cheddar, especially sharp, parmesan, and swiss, and then also fresh mozzarella (yay caprese!), cream cheese (hooray for my homemade pimento cheese!), and ricotta, you know, for lasagna. I think I can manage the lactose discomfort by being aware of what I put in my mouth. I should be more aware of this anyway. It looks like I should also be okay with sour cream, so that's also good news. Ummm, okay mac and cheese will be in my future - Homemade of course.

I will continue the journey of good eating, and I think once we're back from our Valentine's trip next weekend, I will continue some sort of paleo/whole30 situation during the week, and then a moderated free for all on weekends. What can I say? Food makes us happy. We've not been too happy about our foods lately.

Where I did go off the plan, I've been trying to keep it moderated. This is what I did as a "reintroduction", and how we are easing back into it. I'll continue to share our recipes, just because this has been a good way to journal my eating, which they say is good for having moderation. It give accountability, which frankly, I need.

Day 27 Menus:

Brunch: Leftover Quinoa, 1/2 an avocado

Dinner: Rotisserie chicken (lemon pepper), baked sweet potato


Day 28 Menus:

Brunch: Cobb Salad, no blue cheese, no dressing

Dinner: Parmesan Polenta and Spicy Sausage Sauce
I used the Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage I got last week. Delicious.

Thanks for following my journey! Please share any successes you have yourself!

Day 26 - TGIF

I'm officially burned out on this diet. It could be that it's Friday, and that it's been 26 days (Holy Shnikes!), and that I've not eaten ONE single meal out. That means for 26 days, every single thing I've eaten I've prepared. No wonder I'm burned out!

It's also been 32 days since I've had any adult beverages. I know it'll be pre-30 days, but we have a double header bout Sunday, and you can bet your bottom dollar I will have some beers after to celebrate. Then, next week, only a 4-day work week, Deadpool movie Thursday night, then to Blue Ridge on Friday for a 3-day weekend. VD Dinner at one of our favorite restaurants on this planet, Harvest on Main. The last time we ate there was our anniversary last summer, when I had the duck. SOOO FREAKING GOOD. They typically keep up on their menu based on what's locally available, but I'll tell you right now: if they have the duck, I will be getting it. Alas, that is 9 long days away, and there are more immediate concerns at hand.

I have NO clue what we're doing for dinner tonight. I will spend a portion of today figuring that out. The steaks from Sprouts last Friday were SO good, I'm considering those again. But who knows. The internet will help.

Here's what's on tap (so far) today. I'll update as I figure stuff out:

Day 26 Menus:

Breakfast: Chicken Chorizo with 2 Scrambled eggs

Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fajita Bowl

Dinner: WHO FUCKING KNOWS?!

Day 24 / 25 - Holy crap

My life just exploded right in my face, so sorry I'm late with yesterday and today's post!

I've decided to apply to a graduate program. It's an all online program, and assuming I pass the GRE and get my letters of recommendation, I will start this summer, and should graduate in 2018. WOOT!

So exciting, but a bit stressful. BUT, it's allowed me to focus less on the lack of the delicious foods I'm missing.

Yesterday was a bit unorthodox as far as eating. I got that delicious chicken chorizo from Sprouts last week and instead of just using roasted chicken in the stuffed spaghetti squash, I used the chorizo. It turned out AWESOME.

Also, I picked up Chicken Italian Sausage from Trader Joe's last week and have that for lunch today. Jury is out.


Paleo Chicken Fajita Bowl:
Mexi Cauli-Rice (based loosely on this recipe)

Sautéed Sliced chicken, onions, bell pepper, and sliced zucchini with Chili Powder, Cumin, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder.



Day 24 - Menus
Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs, Diced tomato, cumin and chili powder

Lunch: Leftover Paleo Chicken Curry

Dinner: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Subbed chicken chorizo for the cooked chicken



Day 25 - Menus:

Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs, leftover Chorizo Mix from dinner

Lunch: 1 Chicken Italian Sausage, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 onion, sautéed

Dinner: Chicken Fajita Bowls

We're supposed to have Chicken Korma with Cauliflower rice, but I'm really not feeling it tonight, and I have practice. OR I'll just make chicken fajitas, and make mexi cauli rice. But we just had curry two nights ago, so I think I'm skipping the Korma tonight. Will update :)

Day 23 - I have a confession...

I've been eating the leftover homemade cheese. I put it on my eggs both yesterday and this morning. The taste is actually growing on me! I wish I had some warm sourdough bread to smear it on. That would be perfect. 

Last night's dinner was GREAT. The new recipe I used for Cauli Mash was SO much better than the last one I tried. And the crock pot chicken was SO good. The gravy was magical. I'm so looking forward to the leftovers today for lunch. 

Not feeling wordy today, so I'll get right into it:

Day 23 Menu:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomato, cumin, chili powder, shredded Vegan Cheese

Lunch: Leftover Slow Cooker Roast Chicken and Gravy, Cauli Mash

Dinner: Paleo Chicken Curry

Day 22 - End in Sight!

I deserve a f'ing medal for resisting the 20 pizzas that were delivered to my work event last night. They smelled SO good. And there were brownies. I resisted ALL, and stopped by Kroger on the way home because I was starving. We needed coffee at home anyway, but I wandered the hippie section looking for anything I could eat. I didn't find a thing. It was probably for the best, as we had leftover pizza at home. It saved me money, and got rid of a leftover. So my biggest fail was that I ate it a 1 in the morning. No one should eat that late, but I was STARVING. I was even still hungry after I went to lay in the bed, but resisted going through the kitchen looking for more snacks.

My pinched nerve/spinal stenosis is back. It's not full force - I still have all feeling in my fingers, and I'm not having the arm pain I did last time, but I'm torn about what to do. The Doctor said last time I saw him, if it didn't go away, to just schedule another injection. I continued with Physical Therapy, and all the pain went away. That was the week after Thanksgiving, and now the neck pain is back. I've been doing the stretches I learned in PT, hoping it'll go away, but each day, it's gotten a little bit worse (since Friday). Hopefully it'll go away as quickly as it arrived. In the meantime, I'll think about whether I go back to PT, schedule an injection, or make an appointment with the Doc for an appointment.

Enough musings for today.

Despite working from home, I'm putting food in the crockpot for dinner tonight. I still have derby practice tonight, and it's always nice not to have to cook and then go to practice. I'm trying this Roast Chicken and Gravy recipe, with Cauliflower Mash. Well, now that I think of it, I will have to cook the cauli. Oh well. At least I'm working at home today.


Here's what's to eat:

Day 22 Menus:

Breakfast: Pizza Eggs

Lunch: Sliced Cucumber,

Dinner: Roast Chicken and Gravy, Cauliflower Mash

Day 21 - My favorite invention, EVER

So, last night's pizza and cheese experiment was so-so. My desire for pizza was satiated enough that I will not cave tonight when I'm working, and everyone around me is eating Domino's. But I'm also content knowing that there are only 9 days left in this Cleanse, and I can have REAL pizza again soon.

The crust ended up too dry for my liking, but I'm guessing that gluten keeps bread items moist and chewy (in a good way). The flavor was good, though. The cheese? I think I'm too much of a cheese lover to be eating this fake cheese. I could taste the coconut. And the lemon. It didn't taste very mozzarella-y. All in all, I'm happy to have taken the chance and tried it, but I think I prefer no-cheese to what we ate last night. I'll likely end up tossing what's left in the trash.

Coconut butter, however, is DELIGHTful, and i'm going to be researching other ways to use it. Really, I just want to keep myself from consuming the whole jar with a spoon.

What made up for the lackluster pizza night was this morning's brunch invention: Pizza Eggs. I heated the leftover onions, green peppers, and sausage in a skillet, coated with olive oil. Once heated through, added two scrambled eggs, cooked them in, and put in a bowl, topped with leftover pizza sauce. SO GOOD. Would've been awesome to have added mozzarella and/or parmesan, but that's okay. They were great.

We also had a birthday in the house yesterday! Rhuby turned 2, so Pupcakes were made and consumed by all furkids in the house. 

I don't know what I'll end up eating later. I went to the store so I have lots of options, but I have to do a work thing tonight, so I'll end up eating before I go. I'll update with where I end up. 

Day 21: Menu

Brunch: Pizza Eggs

Lunch: Steamed Brussel Sprouts with Salt and Pepper, Sliced Cucumber

Dinner: Leftover "Pizza"

Resisted Pizza at work!!!

Day 20 - Pizza, Try Again!

I intended on coming home from work last night and making cheese, and then pizza. I went out at lunch and was able to get coconut butter, and nutritional yeast, and then I found some chicken Spicy Italian Sausage links at Trader Joe's, but I was on a manhunt for some Turkey Pepperoni. I went to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's at lunch, then on the way home I stopped at Fresh Market, and Sprouts. Despite all being listed as carrying it, none of the places I stopped carried any Turkey Pepperoni. I see now that Applegates Farms' website merely lists the stores that carry any of their products, and not this product in particular.

I did end up at Sprout last, where I found two beautiful New York Strip Steaks, and some bulk ground Chicken Italian Sausage. I decided that would work in lieu of pepperoni, and that our Supreme Pizza would be fine without the pepperoni.

They also had some chicken chorizo in bulk, which I cannot wait to try. I don't have any eggs currently though, so boo there.

I'm excited to try the Mozzarella cheese recipe I found, on the pizza. I've never made cheese. Mike is skeptical but I read reviews that seemed favorable. Mike will be the true test. Only 10 days left but if we can find some new favorites we like, that would be rad, too.


Breakfast/Lunch: Leftover Tortillas, heated and slathered with Almond Butter


Dinner: Paleo Pizza Margherita, Dairy Free Mozzarella
     Toppings: Chicken Italian Sausage, Onions, Green Peppers, Black Olives

Week 3 - Menus

Sunday:
Dinner: Leftovers

Monday:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Green Onions
Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce
Dinner: Coconut Curried Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Green Onions
Lunch: Leftover Coconut Curried Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker
Dinner: One Pot Chicken Drumsticks, Quinoa

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Cumin, Chili Powder
Lunch: Leftover Paleo Beef Kebabs, Quinoa with Caramelized Red Onions
Dinner: Chicken Divan

Thursday:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Beef tacos using Grain Free Coconut Flour Tortillas, Mexi Quinoa

Friday:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Cumin, Chili Powder
Lunch: Leftover Taco meat, lettuce, sliced cucumber, 1/2 avocado, 2 TBSP Salsa
Dinner: New York Strip Steak, grilled onions, roasted brussel sprouts

Saturday:
Breakfast: Eggs, scrambled
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Paleo Pizza Margherita, Dairy Free Mozzarella
     Toppings: Chicken Italian Sausage, Onions, Green Peppers, Black Olives

Sunday:
Breakfast: Leftovers
Lunch: Leftovers

Week 3 - Groceries

Sunday Dinner - Sunday Lunch

(We had leftovers for Sunday Dinner!)

Staples: 
Almond Flour: 2 cups
Arrowroot Flour: 1/2 cup,
Baking Powder: 2 1/2 tsp
Basil: 2 tsp
Chili Powder: 2 tsp,
Coconut Flour: 1/2 cup
Coconut Oil: 1 cup, 1 TBSP, 2 tsp,
Cumin, ground: 2 tsp,
Curry Powder: 1 TBSP
Garlic, Minced: 1/4 cup
Garlic Powder: 4 tsp
Ginger: 1 TBSP
Marjoram: 1 tsp
Onion Powder: 3 tsp
Oregano: 3 tsp
Paprika, Smoked: 2 tsp
Pepper, Black: 1 1/2 tsp
Poultry Seasoning: 1 TBSP,
Salt: 3 1/4 tsp

Misc. Grocery
Almond Butter: 2 TBSP,
Almonds, Sliced: 1/4 cup
Chicken Broth: 6 cups
Coconut Butter: 1 Cup,
Coconut Milk: 4 1/4 cups
Curry, Yellow: 1 TBSP
Eggs: 14
Egg Whites: 1 1/2 cup
Lemon Juice: 2 TBSP,
Nutritional Yeast: 3 TBSP,
Quinoa: 1 cup, 1 cup
Salsa: 1/4 cup
Stevia, powder: dash,
Tomatoes, Crushed: 14 oz
Tomato Paste: 6 oz.,
Vitamin C Crystals (optional): 1/2 tsp

Produce:
Broccoli Florets: 4 cups
Brussel Sprouts: 8 oz
Lime: 2 1/2
Onion, Red: 1
Onion, Yellow: 2 1/2
Pepper, Green: 2
Spinach, Baby: 8 oz
Tomatoes: 5
Zucchini: 3

Meat: 
Beef, Lean Ground: 1 pound
Chicken Breasts, Boneless/Skinless: 3
Chicken Drumsticks: 1 pound,
Chicken Thighs, Boneless/Skinless: 1 1/2 pounds,
Chicken, Ground Italian Sausage: 1 pound
New York Strip Steaks: 2

Day 19 - Officially 10 pounds down!

Yup yup! I'm not doing it for weight-loss, but I'll take the fact that I'm down 10 lbs, with the SLIGHTEST of effort. I guess the effort has been a little more than slight, given all the ingredients to avoid, but I don't feel like I've been starving, I actually feel like I'm eating more. It'd be nice to lose 10 more in the next 11 days, but I'd be satisfied with 5. A pound a day seems a little extreme, but 1/2 a pound a day seems normal.

My no Zyrtec experiment failed. By 3p yesterday, my right hand had broken out in hives, and by the time I went to bed, (warning - TMI to follow), I was itching ALL over. Like, in my pants, itchy. So, I'm guessing I'm not yet clear of Candida, and if this continues AFTER the cleanse, I'm going to talk to my Gyn to order a true test, and see if she could give me an RX for Diflucan or the like. I'd prefer to go the natural route, but if it takes a prescription to get me baseline, I'm down for that.

I also think I'm going to cut out cow's dairy, as much as possible, and to replace it with goat's. And even then, probably only on special occasions (weekends), and that's assuming I get the candida under control. We might even eat paleo during the week, as I'd still like to lose about 20 lbs. We shall see.

Hubs ended up making dinner last night, after I had to do some snuggly sewing. The tortillas tasted like delicious coconut pancakes, so I'm not sure I'd call them a win. In most of the other coconut-flour applications, the coconut flour didn't come through as much, so I'm actually wondering if he accidentally used the fine flaked coconut instead of the flour, but he's no dummy, so I'm sure he followed the recipe as it was listed. They'd be delicious covered in syrup, but I'm not sure that they serve well in place of a corn or flour tortilla. Nonetheless, taco meat is delicious.

What I'm MOST excited for is PIZZA TONIGHT!!! I mean, I should probably say, "pizza", as this is paleo/gluten free, and of course, no cheese (though I'm on a hunt for some vegan cheese that's candida-safe, so if I find that, then winner, winner, pizza dinner!). I think I'm going to go for a 'supreme' pizza flavor, assuming I can find some turkey pepperoni and Italian sausage. As always I'll keep you posted. I'm still on the hunt for something delicious tomorrow night for dinner, but may just end up getting steaks. Who doesn't love a steak?

**OOH! Found this recipe to try, to make "cheese" for the pizza. I'll keep you posted!

**Updated! I had to go on such a scavenger hunt looking for turkey pepperoni, that I didn't get home early enough to make the things for Pizza. We wouldn't have eaten dinner until 1130p. We had steaks and brussel sprouts, instead, and will make pizza and cheese tomorrow.

Here's the game plan for today:

Day 19 Menu:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, with diced tomato and green pepper, cumin and chili powder

Lunch: Leftover Taco Meat Salad, with cucumber, avocado, and 2 TBSP (no-vinegar) salsa

Dinner: New York Strip Steak, grilled onions, roasted brussel sprouts

Day 18 - Not a lot to say...

My day was off to a shit start, so I'm not feeling very wordy today.

Last night's dinner was okay - I bet the real version is delicious. The one with the mushrooms, cream soup, cheese, mayo, sour cream and bread crumbs. Maybe I'll make it once this cleanse is over.

I DIDN'T take my Zyrtec last night. Slept through the night. Didn't itch at all. I'm having some slight itchy hands today, but NOTHING like usual, and I think it's mostly due to dryness, because of it being winter and the heat being on. I'm going to apply lotion all day and see how I'm doing by tonight.

Note: I'm a bit upset today, and I tend to lose my appetite in this state, so I don't really have as much to eat as I usually do. If you're following my plan, feel free to add more, as I'm sure you're not having the shit-ass day I am.

Oh also, we do Taco Thursday at our house. Really, on Thursday night's we always have some kind of Mexican. I'm not following a recipe for the taco meat, as I don't use one, but I am posting the Paleo tortillas I'll be making. I hope they're good and not gaggy. I also just tried to scour the internet for a suitable "sour cream" type substance, but there doesn't appear to be one that's Candida-safe. SIGH. I guess I will just have to chill.

Here's today's game plan:

Breakfast: 1/2 avocado

Lunch: Leftover One Pot Chicken Drumsticks, Quinoa

Dinner: TACOS!!! Grain-Free Coconut Flour Tortillas

Day 17 - I take it back!

I added about 1/8 tsp of cumin and 1/4 tsp. chili powder to my eggs and tomatoes this morning, and it made them like a delicious Mexican treat! I'm not sick of them, yet. And Mike said this morning, "enjoy your fancy breakfast". "Fancy". As if. It's eggs and a chopped up tomato. I'm glad tomatoes are allowed on this diet - they're my favorite. Always have been.

In TMI, I did wake up SO gassy today! I have no idea why. We all know I've not had dairy in over 2 weeks, and that's usually the culprit. I'm not bloated feeling, like I would be when I had dairy in the past, so that's a good thing.

Last night's dinner was good, but a bit boring, in my opinion. Hubs didn't say it was salty, so that's a win, but overall, I was unenthused.

Looks pretty though, right?

 


I made the quinoa with that fancy broth I found at TJ's, but it still didn't have a lot of flavor. This truly tasted diet-y. I opted to bring leftovers from Saturday for lunch today instead, just to get them out of the fridge.

Not a lot happening other than that! Just work, as usual.  I did get a boost in dog sweater orders which is AWESOME. I'm saving up to get the Jamberry Trushine kit. I've done a real number on my nails in the past 6 months or so, and I think the Trushines will help get them healthy again. I LOVE my Jamberries, but due to the damage I've done to my nails, I've had trouble getting great applications lately.

Here's the game plan for today:

Day 16 Menus:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with chopped tomato, cumin and chili powder

Lunch: Leftover Paleo Beef Kebabs, Quinoa with Caramelized Red Onions

Dinner: Chicken Divan (Dive In)
    Omit mushrooms, add spinach


Happy Wednesday!

Day 16 - I may be sick of eggs soon...

I have a tendency to find something I really, really like, and then eat it every single day, until I can't lay eyes or have it cross my lips again for an extended time. That may happen soon with tomato eggs. Or it may not. I wasn't a fan of eggs until college (the same time I decided I liked raw onions). Recently, as in the past sixteen days, I cannot get enough of them. Are eggs still bad for your cholesterol? It seems that that piece is offset by the fact that eggs contain lots of good stuff for you, especially protein, and Vitamins B12 and D (for which I take a weekly supplement). We'll see what the doc says later this year. I did throw a bit of a high cholesterol last year, but my doctor said it could be due to my birth control pill (TMI), which can cause elevated cholesterol. I'm NOT going on cholesterol pills at 37. No sir, thank you very much. But, I've also not had any dairy products in 16 days, so I would think that would work in my favor as well.

I'm actually wondering if I can keep the dairy out of my diet as a semi-permanent thing. I think I have a touch of lactose intolerance, so not having any dairy at all has really helped how I feel. I think that's what it is. I'll miss cheese most. But I'm sure there are replacement cheeses, right? Is it even worth it? I will have to splurge every now and then on grilled cheese sandwiches, my homemade pimento cheese, cheese grits, parmesan rice (I've always had stomach issues, and parm rice is one of my easy go-tos), and quesadillas.

Ooh and pizza. Oh how I miss thee, pizza. Maybe that's my challenge for the rest of the week - Come up with a "pizza" type dinner for Friday night.

Challenge accepted.

Last night's soup was ... okay. Mike liked it, but once again thought it tasted too salty (despite my not adding ANY salt). I had to add more curry powder, as always. I must like curry more than most people. I also added more lime. I'm wondering if the fish sauce I used was coming through? Usually it tastes good though. Maybe it will be better for leftovers today. You know how some foods are better the next day? Like lasagna. And chili. We will see.

The Sriracha turned out good, but I think the soup could have used a bit more. I'm also not sure why we added almond butter, and would likely omit that if I made it again.

And, holy buckets, I need a nap. So sleeeeeepy today. I've had two nights in a row of going to sleep after midnight, and that just doesn't work for me! I've had a boost in my Snuggly business, so tonight will be go home and cook dinner, sew snugglies for the mail tomorrow, bed by 9. The last part might be wishful thinking, but I'm crossing my fingers.

**Update: I wanted to share this. I have a raging headache right now. I looked up Candida and ibuprofen, and found this hilarious study article, filled with words that sound like some sort of instruction manual. However, the last sentence confirmed that ibuprofen is okay to take, and can even be beneficial in fighting Candida. Great news!

Here's the dealio for today:

Day 16 - Menus:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomato and green onion

Lunch: Leftover Coconut Curried Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker, Celery, 1/2 avocado

Dinner: One Pot Chicken Drumsticks, Quinoa

Day 15 - Officially Halfway Through!

I really can't believe we've made it this far. And by we, I mean me. Hubs cheats, so it's not as hard for him. I have to say I was able to overcome two giant obstacles last night. First, I was at a bar all night for a burlesque benefit for a friend of mine (Rhuby's Aunt Jen, who has two of Rhu's brothers, Moby and Bunny). I spent the evening at the raffle/silent action booth with a lovely lady named Marnie, and we had a great time selling tickets. It was REALLY hard for me not to have a drink. Note: Not because I'm any sort of alcoholic, I just really like to imbibe like the rest, and it was really hard to see everyone having a great time drinking and hanging out, but I stuck to water. I *almost* got a vodka soda, but I reminded myself that that first drink Valentine's weekend in the mountains with Mike will taste SO much better when I've given myself the full 30-day cleanse. INCLUDING booze. Go me.

The second challenge was NOT stopping at Taco Bell (or Wendy's) on my way home. I ate dinner really early, around 515p, before I left for the event, and driving home at 1130p, I was STARVING. I persevered, and ate more leftover grilled veggies/quinoa/steak once I got home. No Tacos for me! Both decisions were equally difficult, but I feel good about where I ended up.

I'm 1/2# up from Friday, but given that I made cookies, and that I ate so late last night, I think it's okay. It's a marathon, not a sprint (right?).

Also, I have derby practice tonight, which is going to be a real struggle because I'm SO tired today after staying up past my bedtime. Yawn.

OH! Also! I made Paleo Sriracha sauce yesterday! I haven't tasted it yet (honestly I'm scared), but I will be using it in tonight's Curried Chicken soup, so I'll give you the results tomorrow. Hubs tasted it and said it was good. I'm not usually a fan of really spicy stuff, but Sriracha and Wasabi are two exceptions. I hope mine holds up.


Day 15 - Today's Menu:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomato and green onion

Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce

Dinner: Coconut Curried Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker
     Omit Carrots, replace Red Bell Pepper with Green

Week 2 - Menus

Sunday:
Dinner: Leftover Chili


Monday:
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs with diced tomato

Lunch - Chili Salad (Chili over Lettuce, with Salsa)

Dinner -  Paleo Coconut Chicken Fingers, Baked Eggplant Fries
     - Use Coconut Milk instead of heavy cream
     - NO GOAT CHEESE DIP!


Tuesday:
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs with tomato and garlic

Lunch - Leftover Chili Salad
     - Added Diced Green pepper and 1 TBSP Salsa

Dinner - : Crock Pot Thai Beef Stew (I halved this recipe)
        - Omit Carrots, Jicama, and Fish Sauce


Wednesday:
Breakfast - 2 Scrambled Eggs with Tomato

Lunch - Leftover Crock Pot Thai Beef Stew and Celery

Dinner -  Paleo Ginger Chicken, Quinoa with Asian Flavors


Thursday:
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 avocado

Lunch - Paleo Ginger Chicken, Quinoa with Asian Flavors, Cucumbers

Dinner - Paleo Chicken Enchiladas (halved) made with Paleo Tortillas


Friday:
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs

Lunch - 4 tsp Almond Butter, handful pecans

Dinner - Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce
          With these changes:
          - Ground turkey instead of ground beef
          - Omit mushrooms and red pepper
       

BONUS: Coconut Yum Yum Cookies

Saturday:
Breakfast - 2 Scrambled eggs with tomato, cumin, chili powder, and avocado

Lunch -  Leftover  Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce

Dinner - Paleo Beef Kebabs, Quinoa with Caramelized Red Onions
          With these changes:
          - Omit orange juice and red bell pepper


Sunday:
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs with tomato, 1/2 avocado

Lunch - Leftover  Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce

Dinner: Leftover Grilled veggies, scrambled into two eggs, Salsa

Day 14 - TWO WEEKS!

Two weeks down! Really?! It hasn't been that bad. Now, I did "cheat" with the "chocolate" chips. But other than that, I feel like things are good.

I will say, I reverted to a bad, bad habit last night. I mentioned that I bought some almond butter. I'm usually good about consuming it sparingly, given its price, but last night. I did eat about a 1/4 jar in one sitting. I didn't realize I was missing this kind of thing, but it felt great to eat with a spoon out of the jar. I found this Barney Butter Bare Almond Butter at the Walmart Grocery (I know, shut up. Once I'm rich, I will avoid, but for now, they're good for my budget) by my house, and it is SO good. It's on my list to pick up more today. I think it was around $5.00 for 10 oz, which compared to Peanut Butter is CRAZY! It's another thing I will use, though sparingly moving forward, to keep on plan.

Tomorrow is the halfway point! Already! So I will confirm it' snot that bad, at all. I mean, it was hard to get used to, and I think hubby is still struggling a bit, though I'll say he's taking it like a champ, but I feel like it's really making a difference. I didn't take my Zyrtec until 330a last night, as we fell asleep on the sofa watching TV, and I felt zero itches at that point. Maybe I'll try to cut back to 1/2 a pill tomorrow, at the halfway point and see if I can make it through the night. That should help wean the sleep dependency, too, though last night, it clearly wasn't an issue.

As for meals today, it's all leftovers. There's a benefit tonight for a friend of mine who's in treatment for breast cancer, and has had an all around hard time of it lately. It's burlesque, which I LOVE to watch, but it's also at a bar, and will be really hard not to at least have one drink. I'll do my best.

Hubs will be on his own for dinner, so I'll leave him the leftover steak from last night, and will eat the grilled veggies in some form. Oooh, maybe scrambled in some eggs. IDK yet. Like I said, I need to get the groceries for this week today, and have an errand to run for the benefit tonight, and well, meals are going to take a backseat for once. So, I will provide a suggested menu, and what I would eat if I were going to take the time to be thoughtful about food today:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomato, 1/2 avocado

Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce

Dinner: Leftover grilled veggies, scrambled into two eggs, Salsa

Week 2 - Grocery

Sunday Dinner - Sunday Lunch

Staples:
Almond Flour: 2 1/2 cups
Almond Meal: 1 cup
Arrowroot Flour: 5/8 cup,
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Basil, Dried: 1 TBSP
Cayenne Pepper: 1/8 tsp
Chili Powder: 2 TBSP, 1 tsp
Coconut Aminos: 2 TSBP
Coconut Flour: 1 tsp
Coconut Oil: 3/4 cup
Coriander, Ground: 1/2 tsp
Cumin, Ground: 3/4 tsp
Garlic, Minced: 3 TBSP
Garlic Powder: 1/8 tsp
Olive Oil: 7/8 cup
Pepper, Black: 1 1/4 tsp
Red Pepper Flakes: 1 TBSP
Rosemary, chopped: 1 TBSP
Salt: 3 3/4 tsp
Onion Powder: 1/8 tsp
Oregano, Dried: 1 tsp
Stevia: 2 pkts
Thyme, Dried: 1 tsp

Misc. Grocery:
Almond Butter (no sugar): 2 TBSP
Chicken Broth: 4 cups
Coconut Milk: 2 cup, 1 TBSP
Coconut, Shredded: 1 1/4 cup
Eggs: 16
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
Pecans: 1 pkg.,
Quinoa: 2 cup
Red Curry Paste: 1/4 cup
Tomato Paste: 1/2 cup
Tomato Sauce: 4 oz.
Tomatoes, Crushed: 24.5 oz,
Vanilla Extract, No-Alcohol: 1/2 tsp

Produce:

Broccoli Florets: 1 cup 

Celery: 1 bunch

Cucumbers: 2

Eggplant: 1 med or 2 small

Ginger: 3 TBSP

Lettuce (I like Romaine): 1 sv.

Onion, Green (Scallion): 6

Onion, Red: 2 1/2

Onion, Yellow: 4 

Tomato: 4 

Avocado: 2

Pepper, Green: 3

Squash, Spaghetti: 1

Squash, Yellow: 1
Zucchini: 2

Meats:

Beef, Sirloin Steak: 2 pounds, 

Beef Stew Meat: 1 1/2 pounds

Chicken Breast, Boneless/Skinless: 2

Chicken Legs, 1 1/2 pounds

Chicken Tenders: 1 pound 

Turkey, Ground: 1 1/2 pounds, 

Day 12/13: Weather Emergency, But Not Really

I didn't get to my post yesterday, as I was sent home from work as soon as I got there, due to impending winter weather. Nothing actually started until 9p, but I think we all have PTSD from the storm two years ago when we were all stuck in our cars for a million hours. These little dustings always make me miss the real stuff up north, but I always remind myself that come March, when we're in the 70s and there's still snow up north, I'll be ever so happy.

My schedule got all messed up yesterday so eating was weird. I made a couple of stops on the way home from work, because I decided if I wasn't going to be drinking, as is customary during a Georgia "Snow Storm", I would do my best to make safe cookies at the very least. What I came up with satisfied my longing for a "sweet treat", but hubby was less than enthused. I picked up Peanut Butter for him, and some safe almond butter for myself, and that helped.

A note about the ingredients: I was in a rush to get the ingredients and found that my selection was limited. I ended up getting Stevia in the Raw, which contains dextrose which can feed your candida. I've stated before that I weigh out options that I feel like work for me. If eating a tiny amount of Stevia with dextrose keeps me from drinking a beer or glass of wine, I feel like it's worth it. I also got Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips which contain evaporated cane juice, and now that I've read more realize that this is basically eating sugar. I used exactly a TBSP of the mini chips, so I don't feel HORRIBLE about the decision (again, better than sugar-filled alcoholic adult beverages), but I'll be saving these to use again once I'm past the 30-day mark. In the meantime, I've updated the recipe below, omitting the chips. I also added that lovely coconut I got from Sprouts, which I think helped with flavor.

A note about the recipe: It wasn't perfect. And I'll be trying to make them again to see if I can fix the main issues which were 1) Being much too crumbly/dry, and 2) needing more sweet and a bit of salt. I'll update the recipe as I learn more, but basically, this is my jumping off point:

Here's the recipe (adapted from the recipe here)

Coconut Yum Yums

Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Flour
1 cup Almond Meal
1/4 cup Sprouts Shredded Coconut
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 packets Stevia (I used In the Raw, but find one that is pure Stevia)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp No-Alcohol Vanilla or Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment or foil.
In a medium bowl, combine almond flour and meal, coconut, and baking soda.
In a small bowl, combine egg, melted coconut oil, Stevia, and extract, if using.
Pour wet ingredients into dry, and mix until combined.
Scoop dough onto cookie sheet(s), and bake in oven for 12 minutes, or until they are brown around the edges.
Let cool before removing from pan (they stay together better once cooled)


If you read this, and try them, please let me know what you think, or any feedback you have. Thanks!

Okay, now for meals. I'm on a constant search for things that aren't one food mimicking another. But I made an allowance for Spaghetti Squash, since it appears that its intended purpose is to mimic spaghetti. Funny about the meat sauce though: The cap fell off the basil top, so we ended up with REALLY basily sauce. I'm not complaining.

I guess I should also get to the store for this coming week's recipes! I guess that's what I'm going to do today, as long as the roads clear up. We shall see.


Day 12 Menu:
     Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs
     Lunch: 4 tsp Almond butter and a handful of pecans
     Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce
          With these changes:
          - Ground turkey instead of ground beef
          - Omit mushrooms and red pepper
          - Note that my squash only yielded 4 servings. Definitely 8 servings of sauce though, so modify as needed


Day 13 Menu:
     Breakfast: 2 Scrambled eggs with tomato, cumin, chili powder, and avocado
     Lunch: Leftover  Spaghetti Squash with Paleo Meat Sauce
     Dinner: Paleo Beef Kebabs, Quinoa with Caramelized Red Onions
          With these changes:
          - Omit orange juice and red bell pepper

Day 11 - What's a Girl Gotta Do?

Our potential winter weather never materialized yesterday. At all. It was just rain. That's the difference between living down south and up north: Here, just the TALK of snow can send everyone into a panic, dashing out for gas, bread, milk, eggs. Up there, they're all "It's gonna snow", and people are like, "well duh, it's January." The up north in me still longs for the white stuff every time they threaten us with it. More often than not, nothing happens. SIGH. We may be due for some tomorrow night, so in order to avoid long lines after work, I'm going to do my customary weekend grocery shop tonight after work. That means I've already picked dinners through Saturday night! And it's only Thursday!

I've been down in the dumps for the past 24 hours or so, and I can't quite shake it. I know it's not diet related, but I had my first full on panic attack last night, and that was the first in a while. I'm not panicky anymore, but I feel just kinda blue, and wish I could go home and sleep all day. But grown-up duties call, so here I am. Hopefully it'll turn around at some point

I went to Trader Joe's yesterday at lunch to pick up the Candida Safe broth I mentioned yesterday. It was $1.69 a carton for the organic free-range chicken broth. There IS a difference in the ingredients, and the non-organic one, which runs $1.49 is NOT safe for our purposes here. I think it would work for just Paleo or Whole 30, though. I also picked up a pack of raw pecans. They're truly my treat each day. I may have eaten half the pack last night before bed. There are worse things. The broth was very tasty and worked great in our Quinoa.

Short post today, as I'm getting a late start, but here's the game plan:

Day 11 Menus:

Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs, 1/2 avocado

Lunch: Leftover Paleo Ginger Chicken, Quinoa with Asian Flavors, Cucumbers

Dinner: Paleo Chicken Enchiladas (halved) made with Paleo Tortillas

Day 10: I sense some progress!

So, I'm down 7# since I started. 7# in 10 days seems super healthy and normal, and I feel like I'm making progress!

I did have an incident last night - I realized when hubs was snoring next to me in bed that it was 1130p, and I wasn't at ALL tired. It then occurred to me that I didn't take my Zyrtec before bed. The good news is, I had only a very slight itch on my left foot, and I did fall asleep, but I was awakened when hubs got up to pee at around 2, and was WIDE awake. I took a Zyrtec and moved to the sofa.

This is yet another reason I need to get off the Zyrtec. It appears as though I'm a bit sleep dependent on it. I don't like to depend on anything, except maybe coffee, so this is super unacceptable to me, and yet another reason why I'm sticking to this cleanse, and hope it solves this itchy problem.

Let's talk Arrowroot again! I mentioned yesterday, I was only able to find the tiny spice-sized portion at Sprouts, for $4.99 (it may have been more like $4.69, but close enough). I had to run an update on my machine at work, so I went for a quick trip to Whole Foods (aka Hell on Earth) hoping to find it in bulk. They didn't have it in bulk, but they did have the Bob's Red Mill 1# package for $5.99 (and as I'm typing this, I realized I forgot my dang coupon!). So for now, that will do. I'm super excited for all the possibilities, and a little nervous I'm assuming I can do more stuff with this than is realistic.

I'd also like to discuss Chicken Broth! Now, it's been used quite sparingly thus far, but after a convo with a friend, I checked the ingredients in mine, and it contains BOTH sugar, AND MSG! Not good! So I'll be purchasing an alternative to use for tonight's dinner. I did some research, and these are the brands I'll be looking for:
     Imagine Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
     More Than Gourmet Chicken Stock
     Trader Joe's Organic Free Range Chicken Broth

You know me - I'll stand in the broth aisle for like 20 minutes reading all the labels, and will let you know what I learn or if I find another alternative that is suitable. I'm sad to ditch my Mexi-broth though! I loved the convenience of the powder. Oh well.
  
Short post today, I know, but we may have impending winter weather possible, so I wanted to get this out, and get some work done, in the event we are sent home early to watch it rain (we freak out down here a bit with this winter stuff. My inner Michiganer/Pennsylvanian thinks it's redic, but the reality is that Georgia doesn't have the proper equipment to pre/treat the roads, and it can become a mess very quickly).

OH! I do want to say last night's Crock Pot Thai Beef Stew was SO good. Mike said he thought it was salty, but I've been CRAVING salt lately, so it didn't bother me any. I'm actually wondering if it was the Red Curry Paste that was salty, but I actually added double the coconut milk the recipe called for, so I would think that helped some. At any rate, if you find it to be too salty for your taste, chop up 1/2 a zucchini and toss it in when you add the broccoli. That should take some out (the way a potato does, but we all know potatoes are no-no right now).



Day 10 Game Plan:
Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs with Tomato

Lunch: Leftover Crock Pot Thai Beef Stew and Celery

Dinner: Paleo Ginger Chicken, Quinoa with Asian Flavors (Assuming I can find suitable broth)

Day 9: Been slacking on the TMI...

So let's talk #2! Now, if you know me in real life, you know that I'm not really one to talk about stuff like this. Poop, periods, peeing, any of that stuff just grosses me out. But given that I'm a 37 year-old woman (REALLY? How did I get so OLD?! I still feel 19!), let's be adultish and talk about some TMI.

I noticed last week that my trips to the bathroom for #2 had decreased to only once a day! I figured that had to due to the diet changes I made, but I have to say, that all went out the window after I had that popcorn on Saturday. Fiber? IDK. But I assume it'll continue to even out as I progress through the diet.

Got that shit out of the way. GET IT?!

Let's talk Coconut Chicken and Eggplant Fries!

A couple things about the chicken: It was really bland. I added salt, but I think it needed even more. It also needed twice the time listed in the recipe, and turn them over halfway through (I'll add that to the recipe notes). Hubs dipped his in a sweet/spicy condiment we have at home, and I was tempted to try it, but the first ingredient listed was sugar! No ma'am! I think I will save this recipe to try again when we're not sugar restricting, and add some sugar and salt to the batter. I got this AWESOME coconut from Sprouts that worked out perfectly for it, and now I'm DYING to make a coconut cake. It's like the perfect consistency to use on the outside and the inside. Coconut cake is my FAVORITE.

Speaking of Sprouts, you know I was on a mission yesterday to find two things: Almond Flour that was less than $12.99, and Arrowroot powder. I stopped at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on my way to Target, and found they carried Almond Flour for $10.48! I had it in my paws to purchase, but alas, they didn't carry Arrowroot, so I elected to keep shopping.

This is of note about Walmart Neighborhood Market: The same brand of Red Curry Paste that I purchased at Publix for $4.50 sells for $2.50 at Walmart. I shall be doing a trip to Wally from now on, for packaged items,  before I go to Publix for meat and produce. Every penny counts!

A new Sprouts market opened in our area just last week, so I took yesterday as an opportunity to check it out. I LOVED it. LOVED IT! However, I was less than pleased with the people shopping there. Weirdly, they're the same group of asses that I normally shop with, however, this kind of organic, hippy-shit brought out a level of impatience and pretention I just couldn't handle. I realized I live in one of the snobbier parts of town, but Jeezus, these people really like to sniff their own farts. You know the kind of people that couldn't be bothered that they're taking up an entire aisle to pick out which kind of gluten-free chip to purchase? Or to wait in line while the cashier rings up my THREE items? If I ever go again, it will be at 8 or 9 in the morning, as I cannot handle the snobby asses that I ran into on a more frequent basis. Note: The same reason why I won't go to the Trader Joe's in my neighborhood.

Sprouts had that LOVELY coconut I mentioned above, but I was also able to get almond meal for $5.99! And I'm pretty sure they have it in bulk, which I will check out the next time I go. I also got Arrowroot, however, I wish I'd paid closer attention to the amount I needed for my recipe. I got a spice-jar size, and really, I need to get like a pound of it. I'm going ot make a trip to Whole Foods at lunch today to see if I can find in bulk there (Read: another one of my least favorite places to have people be pretentious asses). I paid around $4.00 for that jar, and I'm hoping I can find it at a better price point, but will do what I have to.

I should also mention that the Eggplant Fries were GREAT. Not great as in my hubs liked them - he still didn't. He doesn't like it when foods try to masquerade as other foods. I get it, but really, I like a lot more foods, especially veggies, than he does. I LOVED the "breading" on the outside. Although they didn't really get crispy, I think the almond flour breading gave them a fantastic consistency. I dipped them in some leftover sauce from the meatloaf, which tasted a bit like ketchup, and all in all, it worked for me. Call it Fancy Fast Food?









I also did all my prepping for the week yesterday. I was fortunate to have the day off, because otherwise, I'd have had to do it all on Sunday, and there wouldn't have been movie time. Got my snacks (not SNAKES, WTF?!) for the week made:

And I ate breakfast, which is a rarity when I'm at home. I do SO much better when I'm at work. Scrambled eggs with Tomato has become my favorite breakfast of late. I've never really been the biggest eggs fan, but I've always loved tomato. Look how cold it was in my house when I took this picture! I forgot that the thermostat was on the weekday mode, and we've had quite the cold snap lately! We may even get "winter weather" tomorrow!

Finally, I also made the Paleo Tortillas I've been talking about, and what I needed the Arrowroot for (Though the eggplant fries also called for Arrowroot). I think it's a bit of a stretch to call these tortillas, but I'm interested to see what they add to the enchiladas on Thursday. It's quite a versitle recipe actually, depending on how thick you make them. The recipe claims to only yield three tortillas, however, if you make them smaller (picture below, upper left), I think you could easily get 6 out of the recipe. If you do them bigger/thicker, (like the upper right below) you'd only get 3. If you do them thicker, they'd EASILY pass for pancakes, or crepes. She even says you can modify the recipe to add vanilla, for a sweeter treat (though you need to get non-alcohol vanilla extract, for our purposes). I definitely want to try to make these again, and if I'm able to score some bulk arrowroot, I will! I'd love to wrap my egg scramble in one of these bad boys some time soon.

Okay, let's talk plan! That's what you're here for, right? We're on day NINE! Can you believe it? Only 3 weeks left! I think the no-booze piece is going to be the hardest part. Friday night hits me like a ton of bricks. Only 3 more sober Fridays left, and then my liver will be back to work!

Day 9 Menu:
     - Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with Tomato and Garlic. Breathing Fire.

     - Lunch: Leftover Chili Salad: Added diced green pepper and 1 TBSP Salsa (non-vinegar).

     - Dinner: Crock Pot Thai Beef Stew (I halved this recipe)
        - Omit Carrots, Jicama, and Fish Sauce

Have a great, short week!

Day 7 / 8: The weekends are HARD!

I knew this weekend would be a challenge, in more ways than one, but I managed to make it through, and I'm STILL down 4# from when I started. This week is a super special one because I'm home from work today (Monday), so I have time to do stuff at home! Don't worry - I have a list of stuff to keep me busy all day today, and the jury is out on whether there is derby practice tonight. If not tonight, then I will go Thursday for sure. Our first bout is in two weeks, and I need to get more skate time in before then. Get my "land legs", or in this case "track legs" back after off-season.

I did get this week's menus through Friday done, and made it to the grocery store, but I still have a couple of things I need to get today, so I can fully prep for this week.

First, I found Almond Flour at my Publix grocery, but it was $12.99!! Now, I'm fully aware that eating well cost more than eating poorly, but I figured since I paid $5.99 for the Coconut Flour, the Almond Flour would be around the same price. WRONG. I did print a $1.00 coupon from the Bob's Website, but I got home, and did some research and found that I can get it at my nearest Target for $9.79, then, dollar off coupon, and my 5% Red Card discount, and that puts me at $8.35. That's a savings of $4.64. I call that a win. 

Next, I'm on a mission to find Arrowroot Powder. I thought it would be with the Bob's Red Mill stuff, but, alas, I couldn't find it. After researching the Almond Flour online, I did the same for Arrowroot and it turns out you find it with the spices! Durf. Lesson learned. 

One of my fun things for today, after I get the appropriate supplies, is to make Paleo Tortillas. I've been using the heck out of my Coconut Flour, but I was wondering if I would get a better result, especially from "baked"/pastry items if I used Almond. So, I'm going to give tortillas a shot today for enchiladas on Thursday. 

Yesterday I went to the movies with my friend. I ended up sharing a large popcorn with her, no butter. I know it wasn't my smartest move, but I also felt like I deserved a treat. It was worth it. Though, I have to say, my left hand, middle finger, broke out in a rash last night, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was due to "feeding" the candida. I took my Zyrtec a little early last night, and applied a coating of cocoa butter before bed, and it's not itchy anymore, just sore from the feelings last night. So weird. 

As far as Menu for yesterday, I really just ate leftovers and seeds/nuts to snack on. I put together the entire plan for last week here, so you can see what Sunday was like for me. You'll see I'm finishing off the chili today for lunch. I hope you can make your leftovers go as far as we apparently can!

A note about salsa: I stood in the "Ethnic" aisle at the grocery store for 10 minutes looking for a salsa that doesn't include vinegar. That's nuts, right? I think I'm going to challenge myself to make a homemade, vinegar-free salsa recipe that holds up. In the meantime, the Herdez Salsa I found does not contain vinegar. It DOES contain Citric Acid, which is also not allowed on the Candida diet. I'm going to pick my battles and again, rely on my supplements to counteract any negative issues with the citric acid in the salsa, of which I'll use about 1 TBSP. I think I can allow myself this small joy. 

I'm also excited for Dinner tonight, though I'm hoping not to be let down. No Spoilers. Keep reading

Here's what's up for today (which I need to get a jump on!): 

Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs with Diced Tomato - This has become a favorite

Lunch: Chili Salad - Chili over Lettuce, with NO-VINEGAR SALSA 

Dinner: Paleo Coconut Chicken Fingers, Baked Eggplant Fries

     - Use Coconut Milk instead of heavy cream

     - NO GOAT CHEESE DIP! But you knew that, right? 

One week down, and three to go! And this all ends in our epic Valentine's Day Weekend! YAY!

Week 1 - Groceries

Here's the grocery list for my first week. Note: This is groceries for Sunday Dinner - Sunday Lunch. Pay careful attention to the "buy by" dates, especially when buying the meat, to make sure your meat will still be good when you play to use it.

Staples (Items I have on hand in my pantry, you may too!): 

Apple Cider Vinegar*: 1 1/4 cup

Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp

Basil, Dried : 2 tsp

Basil, Fresh: ~20 leaves (or sub dried)

Chicken Stock: 2 1/2 cups

Chili Powder: 2 2/3 TBSP

Cocoa, Unsweetened: 1 tsp

Coconut Aminos**: 3/8 cup

Coconut Flour: 1 1/4 cup

Cumin: 4 tsp

Garlic (I get the minced, jarred kind): 3/8 cup

Garlic Powder: 2 tsp

Ginger***: 3 tsp

Olive or Coconut Oil: 1.25 cups

Onion Powder: 2 tsp

Oregano, Dried : 3 tsp

Paprika: 2 1/2 tsp

Parsley, Dried : 2 tsp

Pepper, Black Ground: 2 1/2 TBSP

Red Pepper Flakes: 1 1/2 tsp

Salt: 1/4 cup (est.)

Thyme, Dried : 3 tsp

Turmeric: 1 1/2 tsp

*Get Organic ACV with the "Mother", like Bragg's.

** I purchased Coconut Aminos on Amazon, because I couldn't find them anywhere. I use SPARINGLY because it's expensive!

***I get the tube of ginger, in the refrigerated section.

Misc Grocery: 

Canned Pumpkin: 1 cup

Coconut Milk: 1 cup

Eggs: 18

Pecans
Pepitas
Sunflower Seeds
Quinoa: 4 cups

Tomatoes, Crushed: 28 oz

Tomatoes, Sauce: 48 oz.

Tomatoes, Stewed: 58 oz.

(Remember that Pomi brand is ONLY tomatoes!)

Produce: 

Avocado: 3

Brussel Sprouts: 8 oz

Cabbage, Head: 1

Cauliflower, Head: 2

Celery: 1 package

Cilantro: 1/2 cup

Cucumbers: 2

Lettuce/Mixed Greens: 2 cups

Mustard Greens: 4 c

Onions: 9

Onions, Green: 6

Peppers, Green: 4

Rutabagas: 2

Spinach, Baby: 8 oz

Squash, Yellow: 1

Tomatoes, small: 12

Zucchini: 6

Meats: 

Beef, Ground, Lean: 4 lbs. 

Chicken, breasts, bone/skinless: 1 lb

Chicken, thighs: 1 lb.

Steak, Flank: 1 lb.

Turkey, Ground: 1 lb

Find your weekly menus HERE.