Taxes - DONE

Yeah! We just submitted our taxes. It's a great feeling to have that over with. Plus we got a little something back. :)

1 Week

This morning marks 1 week of being wheat, sugar, and dairy-free. Well kind of, Garrett and I went to dinner last night at a new restaurant and I forgot to ask about the dishes enough. So I ate flour in the appetizer, cream/butter in the entree and by the end of the movie I was so thirsty that I had to have a sip of Garrett's Sprite (so sugar!). What a crazy night, but I'm back on the wagon with my brown-rice (sugar-free) cereal with Almond milk. I hope I can last a few more days so I can figure out what my "go forward" diet will be.

I'm not sure how much sugar, wheat, and dairy to bring back into my life. Any ideas?

PS - I've lost 1 lb, so there is lots of support for me to continue this a while longer.

Day 5

I've successfully started my 5th day of no sugar, no wheat, and no dairy. It is still hard especially if I don't think a head about what to eat. Finding meals that don't have these ingredients isn't as hard as it would seem, but it does require thought and energy. I guess that's an important part of any diet or life change. Some day (maybe sooner than later) I will go back to these items but in more moderation.

So here are just a few things that I've eaten...dried pears (love them!), almonds (yep - started to eat nuts), many clementines, grilled chicken with vegetables and barley, gluten-free vegan pancakes with fruit, and warm chocolate soy milk. For lunch I'm going to make french fries (with olive oil and salt).

48 hours!

I'm happy to announce I've been 48 hours (2 days) dairy-free, wheat-free, and sugar-free. Natural sugars are okay. :) It's been a long journey of cleansing, so I thought I would share the food journey for anyone who is thinking about this. It may be foolish or very wise to start this around Valentine's Day, but I got enough support last week with ideas that I just had to start right away.

Last week I became aware of all the dairy, wheat and sugar in my life. Though I tried to just cut it out, that was not the correct way. I needed options before I went completely free. So Garrett and I went to Whole Foods and went crazy. All the milk substitutes and bread ideas. With plenty of options to eat, I started on Sunday.

It wasn't too bad on Sunday but I really wanted a cookie or hot chocolate. I did eat lots of almonds, clementines, gluten-free bread. For lunch I made a ham sandwich with soy-cheese. Rice cheese is not that good. Then we ate a lovely lamb and brussels sprouts with frozen fruit for dessert. I survived!

That gave me great motivation for my second day. Egg whites with spinach and mushrooms greeted me for breakfast. Then I had 2 gluten-free, soy-cheese, ham sandwiches (not a good thing for a second day). Handful of nuts. This did not help me since it was Valentine's day with tons of chocolate and cookies outside my door. I was so sad to not partake. I ended up getting a headache.

So to save me from going off this, I went to Whole Foods and found their naturally sweetened soda - yummy! Once there I found the perfect dinner - tomales. And I was inspired for tomorrow's lunch - sushi. The journey is tough but everyone says that in a couple of days I will feel fabulous and not miss all of these things. Fortunately this is not a complete life change but a cleansing diet. Wish me luck!

Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Surprising but Garrett really loves Brussels Sprouts, so I've learned different ways to cook them. Our favorite is to lightly coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in the oven for 30-40 min. After my cooking class I learned a twist to make it even better. Yeah and thank you Myra Kornfeld!

Title: Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon mustard

1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

black pepper

1/2 C pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400F. Peel the outer leaves off the Brussels Sprouts. Trim the stems, leaving just enough on to keep the leaves intact. Cut the sprouts in half.

Toss the sprouts with the olive oil and salt in a medium bowl. Spread on baking sheet and roast in oven for 30 min (stirring a couple of times until tender and browned). While sprouts are cooking start on the glaze. Remove sprouts and place in shallow dish.

Glaze - add the maple syrup, mustard and butter/coconut oil to a small saucepan or skillet. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking another 2 min or so until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Pour over the Brussels Sprouts and toss to combine. Sprinkle with black pepper and pecans.

Garlicky Braised Kale with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers

I went to my first cooking class with Myra Kornfeld. It was so much fun and I loved learning how to cook different vegetables. This is definitely in line with my goal to each more veggies that I started last year. :) This reminded me of southern greens, and I knew I had to make it for Garrett. So we had it for Sunday dinner tonight with Salmon - big hit!

Title: Garlicky Braised Kale with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers


Ingredients:
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon capers, drained
1 lb Kale (stemmed, washed and torn into 1-inch
pieces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Whack the garlic with the side of a heavy knife to
lightly crush each clove. Slice each smashed piece
in half.

Warm the olive oil in a medium (to large) pot over
medium heat with the garlic and saute, stirring until
the garlic starts to brown (2-3 min). Add the capers
and saute for another minute. Add the kale, salt,
pepper, and water. Toss the kale with tongs,
pushing the uncooked leaves to the bottom until all
the greens are wilted. Reduce the heat and simmer
covered until the kale is tender (10 min).

Uncover and turn the heat to high and boil away the
remaining liquid stirring frequently until the liquid has
almost all evaporated. Remove from the heat and
stir in the vinegar. Serve immediately.

Number Of Servings:4

Preparation Time:30 min

Rome - My First Visit

Garrett is now in Rome, NY for the summer. He's working with AFRL on a research project, so I only get to see him on the weekends. :( But like my coworker stated - if you can't get quantity time then go for quality with the time. That's what we are going for. Every weekend will be full of memories and bonding time. Sounds like an okay summer.

So this is my first visit to Rome. We also went to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Comorah Pageant. It was so beautiful.

A beautiful lake at Rome

The Hill Comorah Pageant

Palmyra Temple

My Hero :)

You might not be able to see it but the Victory USA on the concrete block is made out of pennies.