Thursday

Gabriel's cutting 2 molars right now. Poor baby's been MAD. He doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain but I think his anger is mostly from those teeth :(

Breakfast - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Before supper - couple handfuls Froot Loops
Supper - Creamy Black Bean Soup; funfetti cake

I've been craving those stupid Froot Loops! And they were good :P

The thought of eating this morning turned my stomach and I was out of juice. I picked up some today though so I have it as an option again :)

Creamy Black Bean Soup

CREAMY BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 cans black beans, undrained
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
Handful fresh parsley, chopped fine
4 huge garlic cloves, chopped fine or pressed
2 cups puffed millet cereal
Cream
Salt (if needed)
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped avocado

Combine black beans, celery, bell pepper, parsley, and garlic in a pot. Heat until warm. Stir in cereal. Add cream and simmer about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Top servings with tomatoes and avocado.

Little Sleep, Much to Eat

I've been having trouble sleeping at night again :( I don't take longer than usual to fall asleep, but I'm not sleeping good. Vivid dreams, waking up, tossing and turning, etc. Last night I decided that since I wasn't sleeping good anyway I would read a bit. I ended up being up till almost 4am but at least I slept soundly when I finally went to sleep ;) Other than waking up at 5am with a terrible thunderstorm that is... Gabriel woke up at 8am so I really didn't get close to enough sleep! I got a short nap on the recliner with Gabriel and was STARVING when I woke up! I ended up picking up lunch and eating a LOT of food. But I never felt overfull, and was hungry again for supper but not as much as usual. Maybe I needed all that food?

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch - Popeye's - couple spoons each of red beans & rice and mashed potatoes & gravy; biscuit; chicken - breast, thigh, 2 wings (ate a good bit of the fried skin, not just meat); chocolate chips melted w/coconut
Supper - salad w/a little bit of 1000 Island dressing and a few crackers; herbed potatoes

Tuesday

Breakfast - 1/2 cup of coffee w/usual; dried fruit (apple and mango) later
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - brown rice pasta; white sauce; mushrooms; homemade cinnamon tortilla chips; cccd

I noticed I'm getting hungry around 4:00 no matter what I've eaten for lunch (unless it was a cheat meal). Guess it's a good sign that my food's digested by then! I need to have some juice or fruit ready to go to snack on! Maybe I can make some fruit-only smoothies and freeze them in ice cube trays and just take out one or two...

Herbed Potatoes

Years ago we did a Passover Sedar at church. Our pastor did it the traditional Jewish way, but interspersed the Christian symbolism throughout. We've done it a few times since, but that first time will always be special! This recipe is supposedly part of a traditional Passover feast. The original recipe calls for layering the potatoes with the herbs, but it's much easier the way I do it, and comes out just as good!

HERBED POTATOES

1 2/3 lbs potatoes, sliced thin (I use russet)
4 shallots, chopped fine
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp dill
Salt
Pepper
6 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. Grease an 11 x 7 inch pan.

Combine herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix in a big bowl with potato slices until slices are evenly covered. Place evenly in pan. Brush butter over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the top is crispy.

Monday

Breakfast - plum (plus the 2 peels off the boys'!)
Lunch - Greek-seasoned 93/7 ground beef in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Before supper - cccd
Supper - green beans w/oo and salt; Herbed potatoes; chocolate shortcake (no fruit) w/Reddi-wip

Picking Back Up Again

Breakfast - few Cheerios (upset tummy last night)
Lunch - turkey stew (leftover turkey, carrots, onion, seasonings); Ghirardelli square
Before supper - few bites of cccd
Supper - broccoli w/butter and salt; the usual fries w/ketchup and mayo; chocolate strawberry shortcake (homemade) w/whipped cream

Bye-Bye Whole Wheat

I've had some tummy troubles I started suspecting were caused by whole wheat. My mom can eat white bread, white pasta, etc and not have any problems. But she has a respiratory reaction to whole wheat. If I didn't know about her reaction, I don't know that I would've figured out what was causing mine! But knowing that, it was easier to track down.

I stopped eating whole wheat for a few weeks and my stomach got a lot better. Then Wednesday I ate a wheat bun with my burger. Oh. My. Goodness... Within 2 hours I was bloated and in pain! Three days later my stomach still isn't back to normal. So I'd say that was a pretty successful test. Just not at all pleased with the result :(

So, I've been making adjustments. Instead of whole wheat pasta, we've been eating brown rice pasta. And it's actually pretty good! I've eaten white bread (homemade and french) a couple times, and white flour tortillas with no problems. I've also had some Townhouse crackers. I'm really trying to minimize the amount of white flour I eat though. When I make pancakes, I use 100% oat flour instead of half oat and half whole wheat. I don't think it's a gluten problem since I have no problems with white flour. In fact, when my stomach acts up I eat white crackers to settle it and they work great!

I'm really thankful that I have other healthy options besides whole wheat! Not too long ago, I wouldn't have been able to get oat flour or brown rice pasta easily. Now I can drive about 2 miles and just grab it off the shelf when I need it! And of course I can eat brown rice and potatoes.

Monday

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - turkey breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Before supper - cccd
Supper - pumpkin smashed taters; cccd w/Reddi-Wip

Sunday

1/2 cup of coffee w/usual
Breakfast - apple
Lunch - Italian buffet incl dessert
Supper - little bit of turkey breast w/mayo; couple bites cccd; Reeses PB egg

Saturday

Breakfast - juice
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - broccoli (frozen) w/butter and salt; homemade (white) bread w/butter and salt; Nilla wafers

Food This Week

Monday I don't remember if I had breakfast. Lunch was tuna salad salad w/celery instead of bell pepper. Ghirardelli square for dessert. Supper was Mom's Night Out. I had pasta w/crawfish cream sauce and fried shrimp and a roll. I also had a few bites of cheese fries and fried pickles. One of the ladies brought strawberry creme eggs so I had one for dessert. Later I drank a decaf coffee w/a shot of chocolate and whipped cream.

Tuesday, no clue about breakfast. Lunch I had 93/7 ground meat w/seasonings in the usual salad. Ghirardelli square for dessert. Supper was oven fries and broccoli w/butter. Don't remember if I had dessert.

A little after 8pm Tues I got the call my sister-in-law was in labor! I drank a medium coffeehouse coffee w/a shot of chocolate and whipped cream on the way there. About 1am I got an apple juice from the hospital cafeteria. I sipped on that and got another later. Lunch was 1/2 grilled chicken from McDonald's and 1/2 medium fries. Supper was at the hospital cafeteria - roast beef w/gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato w/butter, and a bit of cherry cobbler. Sipped on an unsweetened iced tea the rest of the night.

Thurs I had juice for breakfast. Lunch was (organic) peanut butter (peanuts and salt only) mixed w/blueberry all-fruit jelly with plain potato chips. Ghirardelli square. Supper was 93/7 ground meat w/seasonings and broccoli/cauliflower. Ghirardelli square.

Today (Friday)'s food is on its own post.

I ended up being awake straight through from 10am Tues morning till after I got home Wednesday night. In all, it was just over 37 hours... The boys and I slept for almost 12 hours but I was real out of it when I got up and for the whole day. Last night (Thurs) I got about 9 hrs sleep and I feel almost back to normal today :)

Friday

Breakfast - juice
Lunch - rotisserie chicken breast in Romaine salad w/1000 Island dressing; Ghirardelli square
Later - 1/2 cup decaf coffee w/usual
Before supper - oatmeal chocolate chip cookie
Supper - vegan refried beans mixed w/canned chilies and olives w/white flour tortilla; avocado; chocolate chip cookie dough w/Reddi-wip

So...

Things have been a bit crazy. My brother and sister-in-law have a new baby and I went to the birth and stayed a while after. Hope to be back to posting my food journal tomorrow :)

A Quick Note About the Family's Meals

What I post is what I eat. Sometimes everyone else eats the same as me, sometimes not. Like today for instance. Here's what lunch and supper for the whole family was:

Lunch:
Me - rotisserie chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Jesse - rotisserie chicken (dark meat) in Romaine salad w/bleu cheese dressing; Ghirardelli square
Ethan (3 1/2) - grilled cheese; peas (frozen w/butter and salt) - he's been on a vegetarian kick again so he has the choice of cheese, eggs, almond butter, etc
Gabriel (15 mths) - rotisserie chicken breast w/honey mustard; peas (frozen w/butter and salt)
The boys get a Ghirardelli square if they eat good at lunch - Ethan a whole, Gabriel a half. And yes, they both eat the 72%!

Supper:
Everyone - "Burrito Salad"
Mine had avocado mixed in. Jesse's didn't. Ethan and Gabriel's had cheese melted in. Ethan had a slice of avocado on the side.

I try to make sure Gabriel gets some protein with supper, and usually a bit of carb with lunch. But he has the option of snacking on dry cereal and/or crackers during the day so he's getting his carbs there too.

Hmmm... Guess that's it for now. Just mainly wanted to mention that we don't always eat the same thing!

"Burrito Salad"

"BURRITO SALAD"

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Cream
Handful sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and drained
Small can diced green chilies, drained
4 celery ribs
1/2 small can black olives
Chili powder
Salt
Ranch dressing
Tortillas
Avocado chunks

Puree beans with just enough cream to thin. Puree tomatoes, chilies, celery, and olives. Mix in seasonings to taste and consistency. Tear tortillas into individual servings and mix. Top with avocado.

Sunday

Ethan was still sick today so the boys and I didn't go to church. I had planned lunch accordingly.

Breakfast - juice
Lunch - rotisserie chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - "Burrito Salad"; chocolate chip cookie dough w/Reddi-Wip

Saturday

After feeling so bad Friday, I felt a little better today. Despite being up off and on with a sick kiddo :( The kitchen was (and still is) a disaster so we finished off the pizza for lunch. We had a ladies' fellowship this afternoon for church and I snacked a bit there.

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch - leftover pizza
@Fellowship - various snacks; homemade root beer (made unsweetened, sweetened my cup a little with simple syrup)
Supper - leftover red beans and rice; regular french bread w/butter; oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Friday

I got up to bring my mom to PT and was EXHAUSTED! That exhaustion where you're tripping over yourself, lightheaded, can't function, etc. I did NOT feel safe to drive so Mom had to miss her appointment :( I was dropping everything still at lunchtime so we ended up just ordering in. It was one of those days that had I tried to cook, I would've burned me, the food, or both! Unfortunately know this from experience...

Breakfast - cup of coffee w/usual; think I had some juice later
Lunch - Pizza Hut - chicken supreme pan pizza; 2 Ghirardelli squares w/almond butter and peanut butter
Supper - can of tuna w/mustard (was late but I was starving and needed something high protein and lowfat and quick and easy!)

Thursday

Breakfast - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual; juice later
Lunch - chicken breast; sauteed mushrooms; Ghirardelli square
Supper - leftover red beans, rice, garlic crescent rolls; chocolate bunny grahams

How'd I Do with All That Produce?

When I got it all home, I wondered if I'd really use it all! Here's how I did:

red and green bell peppers - eaten
tomatoes - eaten
carrots - eaten (all 3 lbs LOL well, some is in the leftovers :p)
avocadoes - ate 1/2 of 1, other 1/2 went bad, other 1 is still in fridge waiting ;)
celery - used about 1/2 so far
limes - bought to put in water - got an upset tummy the first time I used them so haven't again
green onions - used 1 bunch, other is still in fridge but only about 1/2 of it is usable
grapes - ate some, rest in fridge - weren't that sweet
dried apple rings - boys have been snacking on them
peeled garlic - used some, Ethan spilled almost the rest (he was so upset!), last few cloves are in the fridge
sun-dried tomatoes - haven't used
potatoes, fresh parsley and shallots for the herbed potatoes - potatoes went bad before I could make it :( and shallots are bad now
Romaine - eaten
apples - ate some, rest in fridge
red potatoes - made pumpkin smashed taters with all of them, froze leftovers
ETA mushrooms - forgot about them! - ate Thurs lunch

So overall I think we did pretty good! I'll probably make another trip to the produce stand Friday. Don't know if I'll get as much, but we'll see. Tonight I did decide supper based on what was still in the fridge, and if I hadn't had all those veggies in there, we probably wouldn't have eaten as healthy!

Another Food Processor Supper

I used up a lot of the produce I still had in the fridge today. Stir-fry is good for that ;) And I wanted everything chopped fine - perfect job for my 7-cup Cuisinart!

Breakfast - juice (mixed berry)
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - stir-fry (carrots, celery, onions, bell pepper, green onions, water chestnuts, reduced-sodium soy sauce, garlic powder) mixed w/brown rice (>50% veggie mixture); leftover pancakes w/bittersweet chocolate chips and Reddi-wip

Tuesday

I was doing good with food but those leftover hot dogs have been calling my name... We finished them off tonight so they're gone!

Breakfast - nothing (boys and I slept in)
Lunch - sirloin steak in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - leftover chili cheese dogs; bar cookies
Later - Ruffles; Ghirardelli Espresso Escape square

Yup, can ya tell that-time-of-the-month hit?!

Nontraditional Traditional Monday Supper

LOL

Red beans and rice is a traditional Monday meal. Here's what Emeril says about it in his book, Louisiana Real and Rustic - "Monday wouldn't be Monday in Louisiana without red beans and rice. Legend has it that since Monday was traditionally wash day, an all-day affair before electric washers and dryers, a pot of red beans spent the morning simmering on the back of the stove. If there was a ham bone left over from Sunday's dinner, it was thrown into the pot of
beans. The marrow from the cracked bone and a good amount of herbs and spices made the beans tasty; long cooking made them tender and creamy. When the laundry was done, so were the beans. Red beans ladled over fresh steamed rice with a pile of French bread for sopping up every last drop, this is the dish and the day of the week that trans-
planted Louisianans miss most..."

I didn't plan on eating them today because it was traditional. It was a combination of having all the ingredients and the time this morning to get them going. Every time I've tried to cook them lately, either my garlic was bad, or I was out of a seasoning, or... So I finally got them made today ;)

So why nontraditional?
1. Mine were vegan
2. Mine were served with brown rice
3. Mine were served with garlic crescent rolls

And they were yummy!

"Breakfast" - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual (spent the morning prepping the beans LOL)
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - vegan red beans; (instant) brown rice; garlic crescent rolls; roasted carrots; Rice Dream "ice cream" w/Reddi-wip and homemade chocolate syrup (will post recipe later)

Ice Cream

So... Ice cream is definitely a cheat! And my stomach has issues with ice cream, frozen yogurt, really anything in it with regular milk. I take a couple lactase tablets when I eat it, but it still bothers me a bit.

I bought some Rice Dream "ice cream" last week and tried a bit tonight. It's not bad! Especially with whipped cream and homemade chocolate syrup on top ;) Definitely not real ice cream though.

I want to pull out my ice cream maker soon and experiment with rice milk-based ice creams. My best friend is diabetic and is having issues with milk so I'd like to try some almond milk and Splenda ones for her too.

First I need to clear out enough room in my freezer to stick my ice cream maker bowl in there. Then I need to devise recipes and actually find the time to make them...

Update on Hormone Issues

Wow, that was quick! As soon as I lessened my dose of the wild yam extract, my symptoms got a lot better :) And I lost 3 lbs! On the bottle it says that taking more than the recommended dose will cause weight gain, so maybe my dose was just enough to prevent weight loss?! Whatever the reason, I'll take it ;)

While on the higher dose, my cycle was staying at 27 days. Today I'm at day 30. I'd say a "normal" cycle for me is 30-35 days so I'm curious what it will be like this time... And if the cramps come back.

Sunday

"Breakfast" - wheat crackers
Lunch (late) - homestyle buffet incl dessert

Saturday

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch (early) - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Later (on the way to baby shower) - coffee w/shot of chocolate and whipped cream
Later (at baby shower) - roast beef finger sandwiches; broccoli and celery w/ranch; cake
"Supper" (on way home) - McDonald's fries]
Late night (after the "usual" Sat night upset tummy :p) - wheat crackers

Satisfied a Craving

Not a good food day for me... Oh well... I had been craving those dogs for weeks! And Ethan's assessments started today and hot dogs are a big treat! So I took care of rewarding him and satisfying my craving in one shot ;)

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch - chili cheese dogs - all-beef hot dogs, canned turkey chili, cheddar, mayo, mustard on lite hot dog buns; Ghirardelli square
Later (not all at once) - 1/4 Twix; bar cookie; piece of kingcake w/bavarian filling

Thursday

I was gone for almost 12 hours today, starting with a dead battery in the car this morning. It was an ordeal to get it jumped but God sent the right person at the right time and the day got better from there :) It was errands, lunch, more errands...

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - homestyle buffet (incl salad and dessert)
Supper - McDonald's fries

(I wasn't that hungry for supper but knew I needed to eat SOMETHING and I was still out and it was late and it was the only thing that sounded good :p )

Tues - C25k Wk 1 Day ???

I finally got another workout in! I have people looking for a used double jogging stroller for me since childcare for the boys is the only thing stopping me from going as much as I want.

Two observations that stuck out to me:
1. It doesn't matter how strong (or not) I go out, interval #5 is the toughest! If I'm going to have any aches, that will be when it is. Today it was my left ankle.
2. Saw a guy with vff's. He ran by too fast for me to see which ones they were. Either KSO's or possibly Bikila's.

I didn't feel very strong. Could be because I didn't get a lot of sleep, got up early to go to a funeral, drank a full cup of coffee...

Wednesday (I'm sure this time LOL)

Breakfast - raisins
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - buttermilk pancakes w/grade B maple syrup

Buttermilk Pancakes

There are mixed opinions about buttermilk when doing a food combining diet. The book Fit for Life, which is the one that was originally recommended to me, uses buttermilk as an ingredient in one of its cornbread recipes. So I take that to mean it can combine with starches :)

I usually quadruple this recipe with good results! (Yes, we have some leftovers, but not many LOL)

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
adapted from Saco cultured buttermilk blend (dry)

1/4 c. buttermilk blend
1 c. oat flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg (1/2 Tbsp. Ener-G plus 1 oz water)
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl to remove lumps. Add egg substitute, water, oil, and melted butter. Beat just until batter is smooth. Cook on a hot griddle sprayed with Pam. Serve with grade B maple syrup.

Tuesday (I think)

Breakfast - cup of coffee w/usual; raisins later
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - pumpkin smashed taters; bell pepper and celery w/ranch; Ghirardelli square