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?!

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 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 - 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 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

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

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 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. 

Week 1 - Menus

Here's a straight-foward guide to what I ate Week 1, in an easy to use list. I'd love to hear your feedback and comments!

I grocery shop on Sunday afternoon and Friday on the way home from work, so my plan goes Sunday Dinner - Sunday Lunch. It just works for me, because we only have so much storage space for ingredients both in the cabinets and refrigerator. You'll also notice, on the weekend, I tend to try to eat up any leftovers we've got hanging around. I've combined all of the ingredients into one list for ease, and apologize if it doesn't work perfectly for you and your family:

MEAL PLAN: Sunday Dinner - Sunday Lunch

Sunday:
     Dinner - Paleo Cabbage Rolls, Mashed Rutabaga
         With these adjustments:
     - Boil the cabbage longer than 2 minutes - I think like 5 should work. You want the inner leaves to get cooked, too. I had to put the inner part of the cabbage in the micro to get them to steam. Not ideal.
     - Cut the thick spine out of the cabbage leaves before stuffing them. Pro-tip from my hubs, the expert.     - Use toothpicks to keep the rolls shut, if needed.      - Cover with foil before baking: my leaves got a little charred. They should be more "steamed" than broiled.     - You should only need about 1 1/2 hours to bake them. They were done at the 1 1/2 hour mark, even though the recipe said 2 hours.

Monday:
     Breakfast -  2 scrambled eggs with garlic and spinach.
   
     Lunch - Leftover Paleo Cabbage Rolls and Mashed Rutabaga
     - I picked the beef out of the cabbage.
   
     Dinner - Paleo Crock Pot Lasagna
    -  Do not add honey to the marinara. I added an equal amount of ACV instead.

Tuesday: 
     Breakfast -  2 scrambled eggs with garlic and spinach.
   
     Lunch - Leftover Paleo Crock Pot Lasagna
     - I added a 1/2 a takeout portion of salt.

     Dinner - Easy Paleo Chicken Curry, Quinoa
     - Omit the mushrooms to be candida-safe
     - Use coconut oil instead of ghee 
     - Add 1-2 tsp of Curry powder


Wednesday: 
     Breakfast -  2 scrambled eggs with garlic and spinach. 
     
     Lunch - Leftover Easy Paleo Chicken Curry, Quinoa

     Dinner - Dinner: Steak with Cauli "Rice" and Mustard Greens (scroll down to find this recipe)
     - Omit Pineapple Juice
     - Marinating as one whole piece, and will cut into strips before cooking.
     - Use coconut or olive oil instead of peanut oil
     - My grocery didn't have any mustard greens, so I used collards. You can also use kale.

Thursday: 
     Breakfast -  2 scrambled eggs with chopped tomato, and 1/2 an avocado

     Lunch - Leftover Paleo Crock Pot Lasagna, 1/2 an avocado
     - I added a 1/2 a takeout portion of salt.

     Dinner: Chicken Fajita Bowl, Mexican Quinoa
    - Use only green peppers - no red or yellow (they contain more sugar, supposedly)
    - Top with a sliced avocado instead of making the cream. 

    - Omit aminos.

Friday: 
     Breakfast -  2 scrambled eggs with chopped tomato, and 1/2 an avocado

     Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fajita Bowl, Mexican Quinoa

     Dinner: Paleo Italian Meatloaf, Mashed Cauliflower, Roasted Brussel Sprouts
     - Sub Green Pepper for the Roasted Red Pepper
     - You may use coconut flour instead of almond flour. 
     - Add 2 TBSP warm coconut milk to cauliflower in food processor.

Saturday: 
     Breakfast: Leftover Steak with Cauli "Rice" and Mustard Greens
     - Picked the steak out and only ate that.     
     
     Snack: Hand full of seeds (sunflower/pepitas)     

     Lunch: Leftover Paleo Italian Meatloaf
     
     Dinner: Chili, Paleo Cornbread
     - Use 1 lb lean ground beef, and 1 lb stew beef
     - Add 1/2 c. diced celery and 1 diced zucchini to step #1
     - Add 1 t. unsweetened cocoa in step #3
     - Simmer for about 2 hours.  

Sunday: 
     Breakfast: Leftover Mexican Quinoa

     Lunch: Treated myself at the movies, and had popcorn, no butter. Not on plan. Oh well.  

     Dinner: Leftover Chili


**Note: I also kept celery sticks and cut up cucumbers on hand for snacks throughout the week. Snacks are where I fail on diets, so it's vital to my personal success to have these on hand, along with seeds and nuts, or I will fall off the wagon entirely. I've included these in the grocery list, but swap out as you see fit.

Get your grocery list HERE.