# GrainFree/SugarFree Support?



## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Anyone else grainfree/sugarfree(or at least sugar-light- I am ok w/ occasional raw honey)? I have been in the past but since pregnancy had let it slip, but desperately need to get it back together! For one thing I feel better, sleep better, have more energy and a better mood- and for another if I don't I will gain 2-3 lbs a week in pregnancy- I gain 1 lb as it is and am on track for 35- would rather not make that 70 +- especially as it is just excess weight and not what my body or baby needs.

Desperately need the support! I have tried to get back on the wagon a half- a- dozen times, but keep failing miserably! I bought lots of salad fixings this week, as I have been craving that and even bought some commercial dressing- I had kept making myself some but just not getting the taste right. Tried to get somewhat better brands and no hcfs for sure.

Anyone out there?


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Crunchy_mama, I'll join you. When I was trying to lose weight several months ago, I went mostly grain free and I felt great. I had salads everyday for lunch, meat and veggies at night, frittatas for breakfast. Oh, I also ate oatmeal for breakfast frequently, so I guess I wasn't totally grain free (I feel pretty good eating oatmeal). Anyway, aside from having energy and losing weight, I think I also correlated that with my kp going away and my skin in general looking better.

I've fallen off the wagon recently since I've been doing a lot of gf baking for my kids. I've been snacking way too much on that stuff. And I've put on a few pounds







:

So, yeah. I'll join you. What do we post in this thread? What we're eating?

What salad stuff did you get? I'm always trying to think of new ways to toss together a salad. Makes it seem more interesting


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I really need to work on this, myself. I have to admit that I have been giving into my cravings far too much during this pregnancy. Yet at the same time I'm not eating nearly enough every day. I'm losing about 1/2 a pound a day - and my DH is getting on my case about it.

Wheat is my big trigger - bread, pasta, whatever. And it causes reflux pretty darn quickly at this point.

So I'm not going to be perfect, but I will strive to join in.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Oh, goodie! I am sure not perfect either, I think it is about figuring out works for you, we all have different triggers. I eat corn, which is considered a grain, but I still feel great eating them, so I think it works for me.

I thought it would be nice to post meals to share idea, share struggles, triumphs- withdrawals and anything else!

I made it my "first" day, not too bad as far as withdrawal and such. I was a bit grumpy but not bad.

breakfast: HUGE salad(like the bowl that everyone is supposed to serve from is what I used :0- the kids did help eat it)- Baby spinach, romaine, bell pepper, carrots, purple onion, almonds and then I sauteed some shrimp(had some already cooked and thawed in the frig) w/ sesame and hot oil- ginger- cayenne and another spicy mix along with a big handful of sesame seeds. It was super yummy! Topped w/ poppy seed=- this was commercial, so it had sugar, but not hcfs- tried to be conservative w/ it.

snack- fruit leather(but all fruit)

lunch- ham and beans- was at mom's house and a bit of steak

supper- will be chili haystacks- chili over tortilla chips topped w/ lettuce and tomato

My big struggle will be breakfast- being df/gf- grainfree- I am not sure if eggs bother me and it is hard to do smoothies that taste good w/o too much carbs(I am having crazy pregnancy taste bud issues)

cristeen- I can so relate to the pregnancy cravings, it is so hard!!

CP-I so relate on the baking-I like to try stuff for the kids and I can so not resist!!


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## Kino (Jun 18, 2006)

I am! 100% grain-free as I have what seems to be an autoimmunity to the entire grass family. I don't really care what the exact problem is as my health improved dramatically without the grain.

I am also sugar-lite as I enjoy the occasional raw honey in my tea. Recently I began craving choco like crazy so I added a daily, small piece of raw choco into my diet until I satiate the need. Choosing to listen to my body than the general advice of 'sugar is bad.'

I hope I will be of some help









Concerning breakfast I eat a chunk of raw liver with my glass of squeezed lemon + sea salt first thing out of bed. Then a bowl of broth. Then usually a small helping of rare, red meat, some vegetables, maybe an egg, or once in awhile a filet of salmon. Lots of butter with both. I follow a TF diet with emphasis on raw foods.


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## blueridgewoman (Nov 19, 2001)

Count me in too! But... I have to wait until a week from Friday to start- I'm having an allergy panel done and everything needs to be in the mix.

I feel great when I'm GF/SF.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

So great to see a few more people!

Kino- I really admire rawfoodists- but I have tried raw liver a few times and well I just cannot stomach it, as it is all my liver got lost in a horrible freezer acciden







I will be interesting in reading your food ideas though! I totally agree about not following anyone's rules, everyone's body is so different.

blueridgemama= look forward to seeing you well- hope you get some good results from the test!

cristeen- I was curious- have you tried eliminating gluten and see what happens? Seems like it is probably a good place to start. I cannot imagine losing weight eating grains or in pregnancy, but it can effect everyone differently.

I made it through day 1- woot- now I have the awful detox cold that I get everytime, sigh, was really hoping to miss it this time! I am sleeping hard though, so I guess that is good. Off to go back to bed and hope the kids sleep in today!

Edited to add:
Sigh- this is going to be a rough detox day. I forgot the first day is usually the easiest. I am in mean-mommy withdraw mode, not good. I am all out of whack and my coordination is horrible. I almost dropped my salad twice- then did drop and spill part of it and dropped and broke my glass of water. I hate this part.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Well, I cheated last night. I made some oat bars for the kids and ate two. They weren't super sweet ones (had a little maple syrup and brown rice syrup for sweeteners), but I could definitely have done without them.

For lunch yesterday, we didn't have any lettuce, so I threw together a salad of beets, hearts of palm, cucumbers, red peppers, and olives. It was good, but not as filling as a big green salad (I love those huge ones, too).

I'm really missing legumes. Baby ds reacts to pretty much all of them that I've eaten (maybe not lentils, but I'm not willing to trial them right now). The jury is still out on eggs, too. So, it's meat and vegetables for now.

This morning I'll probably make a salad.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
I made it through day 1- woot- now I have the awful detox cold that I get everytime, sigh, was really hoping to miss it this time! I am sleeping hard though, so I guess that is good. Off to go back to bed and hope the kids sleep in today!

Edited to add:
Sigh- this is going to be a rough detox day. I forgot the first day is usually the easiest. I am in mean-mommy withdraw mode, not good. I am all out of whack and my coordination is horrible. I almost dropped my salad twice- then did drop and spill part of it and dropped and broke my glass of water. I hate this part.

I'm sorry







I'm rooting for you







:


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

hi there! I'm pretty much grain-free/sugar free, though today is my 4yr anniversary so I am making ice cream out of coconut milk and raw honey. (okay, and I made dark chocolate covered apples :-|

I have really been craving salads with deli meat as of lately, and that has been great for keeping me on track-- fresh greens, meat, mayo, a little tomato- yum!

This morning, I made a huge casserole-size fritta of pancetta and leeks (and eggs), then refrigerated the leftovers which make a great cold snack, or warmed in the microwave/toaster oven.

here's a link to that recipe on my blog: http://sugarmagnolia.wordpress.com/2...allium-family/


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

I am grain free and sugar free. I do have the occasional honey, but it's part of my plan. I've been following the paleo diet since January.







This is my way of eating for life. I've had great success with my health and also significant weight loss...though that was more of a side effect (a very welcome one!







).

Glad to see I'm not the only one here who is grain free.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 

I made it through day 1- woot- now I have the awful detox cold that I get everytime, sigh, was really hoping to miss it this time! I am sleeping hard though, so I guess that is good. Off to go back to bed and hope the kids sleep in today!

Edited to add:
Sigh- this is going to be a rough detox day. I forgot the first day is usually the easiest. I am in mean-mommy withdraw mode, not good. I am all out of whack and my coordination is horrible. I almost dropped my salad twice- then did drop and spill part of it and dropped and broke my glass of water. I hate this part.

In low carb circles, you have what's known as "the induction flu". My carbs have never been Atkin's low, but I still went through the detox. It lasted at least a week or two (sorry to tell you that it went on so long), but afterwards my energy skyrocketed. The active low carber forums are a great place for support in giving up grains/sugar. Everyone's been through the detox, so they can all be a great source of knowledge. Hang in there!


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chinese Pistache* 
...Anyway, aside from having energy and losing weight, I think I also correlated that *with my kp going away* and my skin in general looking better.

whats KP?
keratosis pilaris?


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bella_stranger* 
whats KP?
keratosis pilaris?

Yep.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
cristeen- I was curious- have you tried eliminating gluten and see what happens? Seems like it is probably a good place to start. I cannot imagine losing weight eating grains or in pregnancy, but it can effect everyone differently.

Not lately. I did when I was GF/SF before - for about 9 months and I felt fabulous. I don't know if it's the gluten or the wheat that's the problem - I do know that wheat affects me far more than say a true black rye (with no wheat in it) does. But right now I'm not sure what the problem is... this is literally the first time in my adult life I've lost weight without having to *really* work at it. Even doing hard core low carb, I wasn't losing weight like this.

Although I will say my diet must be pretty out of whack judging by the edema I've had since yesterday. I'm working on increasing my salt and protein intakes - hopefully that will help. Right now I don't have a single pair of shoes I can put on and even my slippers are tight. Ugh - and now I have a bruise on my tailbone to go with it... my yoga ball just burst out from under me. Maybe I just need to go crawl back in bed and make today go away.







:

Anyway - as for induction flu, try increasing your fruit intake if you can. That's a sign that your carb levels are really low right now - increasing fruit and dairy can help with that.


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

Hi







Can I join you guys? I eat mostly tf and have slowly been putting on the pounds since starting it last fall, so I'm going grain free and lowering my sugar intake to see how that works. I started last week then fell off the wagon rather spectacularly yesterday when I had naan bread one of the girls at work brought in, then a horrible take out tray I grabbed at the deli for supper with rice and noodles, then home made ice cream with home made chocolate sauce for dessert. I feel like CRAP today.

So for breakfast today I had a kefir smoothie made with an orange, a banana, some frozen strawberries and kefir, then a handful of cashews a couple hours later to tide me over for lunch. Lunch is in about an hour so I'll post what I end up having - I'm planning on salad. I find if I post whatever I eat it holds me accountable and I'm less likely to do what I did yesterday.

One huge challenge for me is that the hubby refuses to give up his carbs and always wants them at meals. A typical meal for us when I make it is meat, salad and a carb, with me doubling up on the salad and eating another veggie besides sometimes and passing on the carb. But when he cooks it's invariably something carby, like Sunday he did BBQ'd store bought smokies with these huge buns he bought. So I just prefer to cook myself. Smokies in a bun are bad enough, but all by themselves I just can't stomach them. Or he'll do a pasta or rice one-dish meal that it's impossible to take the rice out of.

I have to do this though! I need to drop about 40 lbs. I also need to get off my lazy butt and exercise more, but that's another story.


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## Zenzero (Feb 10, 2009)

I will be following this thread with interest as it is something I've been considering doing. I've already almost completely eliminated sugar and drastically reduced grains but would like to take them out all together for a bit to see if it makes any difference to how I feel or helps me lose some more weight.

I've been doing TF for a few months now and feeling good on it but would like to take this next step and up until now it has seemed a bit too difficult but it is starting to feel more doable!


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

So glad to see everyone! I am trying to increase my carbs,but honestly didn't think I was *that* low. hmmm. I sure hope the induction flu doesn't last a week or two, if I remember right it is usually about 3 days or so for me. Had a big handful of prunes today after lunch for a snack though and I think that would be pretty carb heavy. I try not to be a counter though as I try to just go w/ what feels right I am prego so I have to be careful. I do expect to lose just a couple of pounds of water weight that I have put on, but obviously nothing more.

I did salads for breakfast and lunch today, some curried shrimp tonight for supper I think- I have a bunch of garden fresh potatoes and squash and I wanted to serve mine over some steamed cauliflower.

cristeen- sorry that you are having swelling issues and I know the fun of a bruised tailbone(had one after Luke's birth) not cool- that must have been very scary to have it bust on you like that. Not that you have to answer I just thought you have a couple of signs of undiagnosed Celiac (if not at least ncgi) ie inability to lose weight and infertility issues are related to Celiac's. I am sure you probably know that though- just throwing that out there. I hope whatever the issue you are able to resolve it quickly.

CP- that makes it so hard to have to eliminate so many things. I am cautious about eggs now, but I used them so much in the past when grainfree. I am going to try my raw egg smoothie tomorrow(with just the yolks) and see how that goes as I know that I used to have a lot of those in the past and they seem to fill me up well and were so easy- have you tried just the yolks? It is a thought anyway.

bella- your salad sounds yummy! I love mayo and tomato! I will have to have dh pick up some good ham! MMMM = icecream! I need to make some more too, that would sure help w/ the intro period!

Hi karlin! Welcome! I have done paleo and pseudo paleo. Right now I am on beans, potatoes and corn though and they are not paleo approved. do try to keep dairy free though as it bothers me. Had recently been df for 2 yrs, but Lily just weaned, so I have cheated a bit. Was pseudo-paleo before the pregnancy, but man the cravings are sooo hard!

I would love meal plan ideas from everyone! Just trying to take it one day at a time here!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
So glad to see everyone! I am trying to increase my carbs,but honestly didn't think I was *that* low. hmmm. I sure hope the induction flu doesn't last a week or two, if I remember right it is usually about 3 days or so for me.

Yeah, it's usually about 3 days for me, too.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
I did salads for breakfast and lunch today, some curried shrimp tonight for supper I think- I have a bunch of garden fresh potatoes and squash and I wanted to serve mine over some steamed cauliflower.

Oh! I forgot that I love curry over cauliflower. Thanks for the reminder. I have half a quart of coconut cream sitting here needing a purpose - think it'll be curry now. DH can have the rest of the leftover rice with it.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
cristeen- sorry that you are having swelling issues and I know the fun of a bruised tailbone(had one after Luke's birth) not cool- that must have been very scary to have it bust on you like that. Not that you have to answer I just thought you have a couple of signs of undiagnosed Celiac (if not at least ncgi) ie inability to lose weight and infertility issues are related to Celiac's. I am sure you probably know that though- just throwing that out there. I hope whatever the issue you are able to resolve it quickly.

Yeah - freaked both me and DH out a bit. I was sitting there and started hearing a hissing, and was just adjusting to stand up when it went *pop* and I landed on my butt and shoulders (I arched my back apparently, willing to take the damage to my head rather than my abdomen). It's a little tender, but not as bad as i was expecting.

I've wondered about celiac a time or two - never enough to do the testing though. Even DH has mentioned it in the past... maybe I should talk to my endo about it.

As for food - I made some chocolate custards this morning. Coconut cream, eggs, a spoon of honey and some unsweetened chocolate. Makes a great snack - being sweet without being *sweet* - rich and full of fat and protein for the baby. Dinner will be a pork roast and I don't know what else yet - although I have a bunch of broccoli in the fridge intended for broccoli salad - it's just a matter of bringing myself to stand for that long.


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

My lunch was a very yummy salad with home made dressing - it had half an avocado in it and so has kept me full all afternoon! Normally I get hungry after a couple of hours if I just have salad.

For supper it's just the kids and I so I'm making BBQ'd steaks, grilled asparagus, and salad.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Oh geez, I just ate my weight in cherries. Kind of stretches the meaning of no sugar, no?

Feeling sick. . .


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chinese Pistache* 
Oh geez, I just ate my weight in cherries. Kind of stretches the meaning of no sugar, no?

Feeling sick. . .

Ooo... don't get too far from the bathroom for the next day. Cherries, apricots, plums, can all have a um... *movement* effect on the bowels.










And actually, I have no problem with including fruit when SF. I had an apricot for a snack and am contemplating a peach, myself. Cherry season is pretty much over here.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

mmmm.... cherries! Hope the sickness doesn't last! I say eat what you want though if it is real food. I had some cherries last night- I just go by what works when it comes to sugar from fruits and things like honey. I did have major bs issues, but that seems to be much better since gf.

I just had a snack- half an avocado- some raw honey- coconut cream concentrate- and cocoa powder- it was good a bit rich to finish, but plenty of calories there.

I am feeling to yucky to whip up curry- so it is sphagetti w/ meat sauce- served over some veggies or something for me-

cristeen- your choc. custard sounds awesome, don't know why but it never occured to me to make it choclate- I always do fruit!

Bedhead- please share your dressing recipe- I am always trying new ones!!


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

I started paleo due to massive ezcema that I couldn't get rid of that popped up around the winter holidays. I also was gaining lots of weight and dealing with elevated blood sugar on occasion. I just kept with paleo after the rash went away because I felt so good. It is a really restrictive diet, but it really is the best diet for me to follow. For those that don't know, the paleo diet is meat, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. I don't eat grains/sugar/dairy/legumes. I have my little cheats, like stevia and a tiny bit of ketchup on occasion (I try not to eat nightshades either due to family history of arthritis and autoimmune disease).

What's ironic is that a paleo food is what was causing the ezcema....eggs! So obviously I don't eat those either. I think it will help me stay away from grains in the long run, since many baked goods contain eggs.

For breakfast I'm going to have homemade turkey breakfast sausages, pineapple, and strawberries.







:

Any of you ever read marksdailyapple.com? It has some fun stuff and neat recipes.

As for my detox period...I think it was because my diet was terrible before going paleo. I was super carb woman....so going down to 75 -100 carbs a day was drastic for me. I still feel a little icky if I accidentally go too low. I try to keep bananas or dates handy for those occasions.







:


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

karlin- thanks for sharing your story, very interesting- I am very jealous of your breakfast! That is too bad about the eggs, especially w/ lots of other protein options out, eggs are so easy! My favorite grainfree pancake recipe is chock-full of eggs- and they sure helped to make a nice treat on the weekends. Man, I need to stop torturing you! So glad that you found something that works for you! I think as long as we follow our bodies than we cannot go wrong(unless say that craving is for soda and twinkies







).

I am doing a raw egg smoothie today(yolks only) to see how that goes, it was a staple before when grainfree:

4 egg yolks
1 small banana
blueberries
maca powder
a bit of orange juice
ice
coconut cream concentrate

I am now down 1.5 lbs, I knew I was bloated though, it always amazes me that I can eat so much but still lose.

Yesterday, was not a stellar day as far a the quality of my food as I just didn't feel well, but it was mostly grainfree(save for a handful of corn tortilla chips) and only sugar was maybe 2T of raw honey- I did try to up the carbs as obviously I don't want to be too low being prego I had:
2 slice bacon(TJ's nitrate/hormone/anit- free)
LARGE salad- spinach romaine
sliced almonds 1/2 cup
1 tomato, small cucumber, handful carrots, part of a bell pepper and sliced onion
4 T or so of dressing

Lunch:
chicken breast over mixed greens salad w/ cheese- don't usually do cheese but I was stuck on options- tired and hungry

snack- 1/2 c or so of prunes

snack2- 4 Hotdogs (HN's better than some but not great at all I know-!!) cup or so leftover chili w/ barb-que sauce and some corntortilla chips(more like a meal !)

snack3- my avocado- coconut cream-cocoa - raw honey

supper- spaghetti sauce w/ org beef- just ate this as soup as I was lazy- commercial sauce but added a ton of zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and carrots.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Yeah, the egg thing makes me sad sometimes, but my dad is also allergic so we can sit and complain about it together.







I work at my local food co-op, and we have a lady come in once a week that brings duck eggs. She swears I can eat them, but I'm afraid to try. I wonder if I can handle a yolk?

I do smoothies sometimes, but my favorite thing to do is make fruit "ice cream". I freeze my bananas whenever they get too ripe (I also freeze berries since I buy them in bulk when they're on sale). I throw a banana and some berries into the food processor. It comes out very creamy and is perfect on hot days.







:

For those that eat chocolate and dairy, I have a great recipe for fudge bars that I make for my son. It's unsweetened almond milk, heavy cream, whey protein powder, cocoa powder, and some liquid stevia. Whip it up good and then freeze. My son loves these, and they are low carb, moderate fat, and high protein. I like to feed my son a higher protein, lower sugar diet. It really balances out his moods.

I think the HN hot dogs are fine. We got sick recently off of uncured meat from my co-op, so we've switch to conventional. We just choose the best stuff we can get. I think conventional meat is still way better for us than grains or sugar nutritionally speaking. Plus, we are trying to save money since our son is going to kindergarden at a montessori school this fall. Our meat budget used to be huge...but I had to cut it.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
cristeen- your choc. custard sounds awesome, don't know why but it never occured to me to make it choclate- I always do fruit!

Bedhead- please share your dressing recipe- I am always trying new ones!!

I usually do fruit too... but one of the ladies on my DDC was complaining yesterday about a chocolate craving and trying to control blood sugar issues - so I suggest custard or cheesecake. And then decided it sounded good.









I'm not Bedhead, but I do make my own dressings... my "fall back" dressing is a honey-dijon vinaigrette. I use a french dijon, just put a dab in the bowl (1/2 tsp maybe) followed by maybe a tsp of honey. Whisk it together, and drizzle in some white wine vinegar (this loosens the honey up), and then drizzle in walnut oil until it's the right flavor (I have to keep tasting it until I have the right oil/vin balance), and add a pinch of salt. If I'm having lamb (which baby doesn't seem to like), I like to make pomegranate vinaigrette - the pom matches really well with red meats. Basically following the same recipe as for the honey-dijon but using pomegranate molasses instead of the honey. I just make enough of this for the current meal - it tastes best fresh.

If I'm in an indulgent mood or want something to dip my veggies into, I make blue cheese dressing - equal parts sour cream, yogurt, mayo and crumbled blue cheese (sometimes I measure, sometimes I eyeball it), 1 clove of finely chopped garlic and a splash of white vinegar. A large handful of fresh parsley if I have it. This usually makes a lot, so I have it around for a few days.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I could really use some ideas, ladies... it's a bit late for today, but for future reference. Today's our LLL meeting, and every month the food table has bagels, croissants, muffins, crackers, etc. I have no problem bringing food with me, but have no idea what to bring. It needs to be finger food, since utensils and dishes are sorely lacking - but I get really frustrated because I get hungry at these meetings and the only things on the table are all guaranteed to make me miserable an hour or two later. Any thoughts?


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

I did pretty well yesterday, but that much fruit does not agree with me. My belly was so bloated. Besides all the cherries I ate, I also had a mange-blackberry-spinach smoothie.

For breakfast, I had leftover pork green chili. I made it for dinner last night and it was even better today. An onion, a lg can of tomatillos, a small can of green chiles, and a couple huge handfuls of spinach, blended in the food processor, mixed with some chicken broth, some leftover cubed pork tenderloin, and 2 potatoes cubed. It made a huge pot.

For lunch, I'm having a salad, of course. I'm going to try that french honey dressing. Sounds yummy.

I'm going grocery shopping today, and I'm going to pick up a bunch of salad stuff, including avocadoes. I still haven't figured out dinner. Maybe a chicken-vegetable soup.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I could really use some ideas, ladies... it's a bit late for today, but for future reference. Today's our LLL meeting, and every month the food table has bagels, croissants, muffins, crackers, etc. I have no problem bringing food with me, but have no idea what to bring. It needs to be finger food, since utensils and dishes are sorely lacking - but I get really frustrated because I get hungry at these meetings and the only things on the table are all guaranteed to make me miserable an hour or two later. Any thoughts?

Cut up fruit or fruit shish-kabobs or raw vegetables with peanut butter, hummus, guacamole, or yogurt for dipping?


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

I have just started to make my own dressings, and the recipes I'm using right now are on the side of the bottle I bought to make them in







I can copy them out at home later - right now I'm at work. It's a really cool bottle - has lines drawn on it and everything so you don't even have to measure - it can't go in the dishwasher though.

Yesterday was a good day







Today has been good too - had a mango/strawberry/banana/kefir smoothie for breakfast and so far have no need for a snack - I did boil some eggs and bring them just in case. I don't know what I'm going to do for lunch though- I used the last of my lettuce last night and the stuff in the garden isn't ready yet. Maybe open a can of tuna and mix that with some tomato and black beans.

Darnit, I just realized I forgot to give myself salad without croutons last night. Must be more careful!!


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

Subbing. I've been doing Eat to Live, which is very much a low grain/no sugar diet.

I'm having oatmeal with a little almond butter and a grated apple for breakfast, and following the plan of at least a pound of raw greens, at least a pound of cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit and at least one of beans. Really like how I'm feeling!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BedHead* 
I have just started to make my own dressings, and the recipes I'm using right now are on the side of the bottle I bought to make them in







I can copy them out at home later - right now I'm at work. It's a really cool bottle - has lines drawn on it and everything so you don't even have to measure - it can't go in the dishwasher though.
!

Not making my own dressings







: but wanted to share that my favorite dressings right now for raw or cooked veggies are Asian sauces that you buy jarred at supermarkets. President's Choice green curry mmmmm....anyway, I'm eating a wilted cabbage and spinach salad with low-fat butter chicken sauce from Safeway, right now...

I've frozen them in in 2 tbsp portions and I warm the portion up till it's hottish before tossing the veggies. You can add a little water, rice vinegar, tomato sauce, or soy sauce to get the right consistency if necessary, too

I don't like cold salads, so this works for me.


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

cristeen, you could try making crustless quiche in a muffin tin. yum! I don't suppose meatballs or mini sausages on toothpicks would be appropriate? I know I would be excited to see that at any type of meeting though! lol

ooh, and that pom. dressing sounds delicious.


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

My lunch salad consisted of a can of tuna, half an avocado and half a tomato, chopped up and topped with a bit of dressing. It was really good!

Supper is going to be a bit of a pain - we're going to a football game and my hubby wants to stop for take out on the way. There's a place that just opened up near us that advertises 'make your own burrito' and their menu says you can get the burrito without the wrap, so it looks like that will be the way for me to go.


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## Samm (Oct 30, 2005)

Hi everyone -

I think I need to be here. For those of you who have done this before, I have a couple of questions.

1. Were you able to notice a difference going gluten-lite as opposed to free?

2. I just picked up Norishing Traditions and in it I thought I read that sprouting grains may make them tolerable to people who are intolerant (but at the moment I can't find where in the book I read that). Any experience with this?

3. I'm having difficulty finding a breakfast replacement - I'm a toast and pb kind of girl. Any suggestions?

Thanks tons!
Samm


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## Intuition (Sep 15, 2004)

I'm going to join you all. I was diagnosed (finally!) with Celiac disease in November, and have been really ill, with my vitamin/mineral stores very low and a whole lot of toxic fat to lose. I have tried many, many diets in the past to no avail, but after trying the candida diet from Bee (www.healingnaturallybybee.com), I lost 10 pounds the first 5 days! However, I totally fell off the wagon.










Anyway, basically the diet is paleo, with meats, vegetables, healthy fats and oils and that's about it. No fruit, very low GI veggies. It is hard, but I have never felt healthier in my life. I NEED to get back on track. However, I totally can't eat eggs as I have a really severe reaction to them, so that makes it a little trickier. Hopefully as I heal my gut I will be able to have a bit of egg again, because I adore them.

Today I had some turkey sausages for breakfast and some lemon/ginger tea, and for lunch I had a salad with baby arugula, tuna, radishes and cucumber. I had a coffee with some sugar though, which was a bad decision, but I was up all night and barely slept last night. I never drink coffee, so now I have the shakes. Dinner will be a grilled chicken breast with a salad and some asparagus with onions and butter.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

For lunch I had a green salad with beets, artichoke hearts, palm hearts, olives and some canned salmon with the honey-dijon dressing.

For dinner, more pork green chili.

I feel SO much better already. My stomach bloat has already gone down quite a bit (thanks in part to no fruit today, too).







:

Tomorrow for breakfast, I'm planning to have a hash of vegetables and sausage. For lunch, salad with more salmon and some different vegetables than today. I'm going to make vegetable-chicken soup for dinner tomorrow night. The kids can eat it with bread or some added rice, I think. I'll probably throw a chicken carcass into the crockpot tonight for stock and use it for the soup tomorrow.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Samm* 
Hi everyone -

I think I need to be here. For those of you who have done this before, I have a couple of questions.

1. Were you able to notice a difference going gluten-lite as opposed to free? I've never gone gluten-lite, just complete gf, but I've gone light with some other grains and found that I can tolerate oats really well (like once a day), but other grains not so much. It may be because I tend to binge on them instead of just eat in moderation, though. But that's just one more reason for me to avoid them for now.

3. I'm having difficulty finding a breakfast replacement - I'm a toast and pb kind of girl. Any suggestions?Hash with vegetables, and eggs and/or other meat, omelet, frittata, yogurt, smoothies with fruit, veg, peanut butter, etc., fruits and veg dipped in nut butter, etc.

hth


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chinese Pistache* 
I'm going to make vegetable-chicken soup for dinner tomorrow night. The kids can eat it with bread or some added rice, I think. I'll probably throw a chicken carcass into the crockpot tonight for stock and use it for the soup tomorrow.

mmm, that sounds really good.

I am out of homemade chicken stock, and even frozen carcasses, too.

First cooler day, I need to roast something!


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## Sasharna (Nov 19, 2008)

Joining!

DP and I are eating a modified paleo diet. For now we're including dairy, but we may exclude it later on. We've dabbled with it in the past, but I just finished reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes and it has me more convinced than ever that we're headed in a good direction by going GF/SF.

I have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and my symptoms almost completely disappear when I'm grain free. Sugar is a bit less problematic for me, but still not good.

Thought I'd share some of my favorite paleo blogs since Mark Sisson was mentioned. I get a lot of cooking ideas from some of these.

At Darwin's Table
Caveman Food
Cooking in our Cave
Elana's Pantry
Fathead
Free the Animal
Girl Gone Primal
My Paleo Kitchen
Pay Now, Live Later
Primal Wisdom
The Blog of Michael R. Eades, MD
Son of Grok
Whole Health Source

...and I am also craving chocolate. Not for the sugar though. If I had plain baking cocoa here right now I would totally eat it. Might go get some...


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

The paleo diet sounds interesting - thanks for the links Sasharna!

Here are the salad dressing recipes from my bottle. I leave out the sugar where called for and use extra virgin olive oil where it calls for veg oil

SESAME SCALLION
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 diced scallions
4 oz rice wine vinegar
2 oz apple juice

HONEY MUSTARD
6 tsp honey
6 tsp hot chinese mustard
3 tsp veg oil
pinch s&p
6 oz rice wine vinegar

CREAMY CITRUS GINGER
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground pepper
dash salt
4 oz orange juice
2 oz plain yogurt

FRENCH VINAIGRETTE
2 tbsp minced parsley
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
pinch s&p
4 oz rice wine vinegar
2 oz olive oil

ITALIAN HERB
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp dried basil
3 tsp ground oregano
3 tsp ground thyme
dash of s&p
6 oz balsamic vinegar

CREAMY CAESAR
1 egg yolk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp anchovy paste
dash s&p
4 oz plain yogurt
2 oz grated Parmesan cheese


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Wow! It is so great to see everyone! I love hearing how everyone feels so much better as well. I am feeling so much better as well. I am now on the tail end of the "cold" and mentally it is amazing the difference. I have done this so many times you would think eventually it would sink it but it doesn't sigh...

*cristeen*= snack ideas- I love the frittata or quiche in muffin cups idea. Or you could do some grainfree baing if you wanting to have something similiar- some almond flour muffins- do banana nut or something else that is naturally sweet and just add a bit of honey. Think of whatever it would take for you to feel not deprived and withstand the craving. The meatballs sounds scrumptious too- I think it would be great to do a big protein- ie the quiche or meatballs and then maybe a sweeter treat to make sure you stay balanced out and not too many carbs.

*cristeen* and *bedhead* Thanks for the dressing ideas ladies- they all sound so good! Perhaps I can finally try one that I like- I have such a horrible track record for making my own- it seems so easy....

*Sasharna*- love the blogs! I see a few on there I haven't seen before thanks, will have to check those out!! I have never read Taubes book but have watched him lecture and read a few articles online it is so darn interesting and for people that have already figured out that just counting calories isn't good enough it is such a nice validation. Oh- and I see Elana's Panty on there I love her blog!

*samm*- breakfast ideas- smoothies- meat and veggie stir-fry, eggs and meat, yogurt(plain-whole milk for the fat and protien)w/ some fruit and nuts for more umph,
gf vs gluten lite- yes I noticed a difference! Oh, and on the soaked grains yes, it can help as it breaks down the phytic acid, but for some of us even soaked grains don't sit well, unfortunately. I say you never know how good you could feel unless you try!

Supper last night here was curry- again feeling lazy by the time supper time came around so I ate it as soup instead of over steamed cauliflower. It was still super yummy though! I have tons of leftovers as well so the kids and I have lunch! And hopefully I can get around to doing the cauliflower as well! I think part of the feeling better for me is that when go more grain or carb heavy I tend to cut out the vegetables and the beginning of pregnancy I had a huge aversion to them, now I am craving them so much(thank goodness).

Weight is steady today, so wondering if I have got rid of all the bloat - I have noticed that my ring that was getting tight is now looser again. *Cristeen*- how is your bloat doing?
*CP*- you sound like you are in such great spirits! OH, and you reminded me I used the last of my chicken stock as well!! Oh, and I am totally making a hash for breakfast! Fresh fried potatos and squash w/ some bacon,mmmm! Maybe a fruit smoothie as well for extra carbs!

*Intuition*- Welcome! Happy to hear you finally have a diagnosis. It looks like my son has Celiac's- genes and antibodies present, but we haven't done testing. I wonder for myself as well,but i feel so bad eating gluten that I cannot go through the trial to do testing either- even if I had the money for it! It is a shame that it takes so long to be diagnosed.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Good morning no-grainers!









I'm feeling pretty good today. I've been trying to cut down on the coffee, so I've been a bit tired and headachey lately.









Breakfast is pretty much the same as yesterday, homemade sausages, strawberries, and pineapple. Lunch will probably be hamburger with carrot fries (sliced baby carrots sauteed with hamburger) and some strawberries and blackberries. No idea about dinner since I am way overscheduled tonight. I will try to make myself something to take with me, or I will eat a larabar and eat some protein when I get home (around 8:15pm).

Fruit and coffee don't really taste good together.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

*Crunchy-mama*, for dressing, I just mix it per serving. For me, I put 2 T acid (balsamic, white balsamic, red wine, lemon juice, etc.), 1 T oil, and 1 tsp sweetener (honey, agave or maple syrup). Mix it all up and pour over my salad.

*Sasharna*, those are great websites. I LOVED that the Son of Grok guy used grated cauliflower for stuffing peppers and in stirfry. What a great idea!

I need ideas, ladies! I need to pack a cold dinner for an outdoor concert tonight (which I'd completely forgotten until this morning). No nuts, dairy, or legumes. Thx


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chinese Pistache* 
*Crunchy-mama*, for dressing, I just mix it per serving. For me, I put 2 T acid (balsamic, white balsamic, red wine, lemon juice, etc.), 1 T oil, and 1 tsp sweetener (honey, agave or maple syrup). Mix it all up and pour over my salad.

*Sasharna*, those are great websites. I LOVED that the Son of Grok guy used grated cauliflower for stuffing peppers and in stirfry. What a great idea!

I need ideas, ladies! I need to pack a cold dinner for an outdoor concert tonight (which I'd completely forgotten until this morning). No nuts, dairy, or legumes. Thx









(safe of course) Hot dogs, coldcuts, precook some chicken- do a chicken salad or tuna salad bring some romaine or ice berg leaves to use for a wrap for them. Some other chopped veggies and fruit- dried fruit. some potato chips maybe if you want a splurge







You need some kind of fat in there one way or another. Hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs. I like to wrap some ham around a lettuce leaf w/ some mayo down the middle and tomatoes if I have them. Yummy, just like a sandwich without the yucky sideeffects.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Thanks, crunchy. I think I will do a wrap of some sort. I forgot to add that I couldn't have eggs, so I'll do cold cuts. Or maybe even a salad. We had the chicken soup for lunch and it was SO good.


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## Kino (Jun 18, 2006)

I found that meal planning does not work for me. I need to eat based on my cravings/intuition for the day.

In the beginning of the month to coincide with the local farms I do the meat shopping and feed the freezer. So I always have a nice variety of meat on hand. And I do the pantry shopping as well - legumes, nut butters, seeds...

Then twice a week I do the vegetable and fruit shopping. That keeps a fresh variety on hand too.

I figured this all out by writing a master list of the foods I buy. Then at the end of the month I look through the fridge and pantry and write my grocery list.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

ugh, I am craving hard, what I don't know exactly, but something I cannot have I am sure.... just made some "icecream" w/ frozen bananas, blueberries and strawberries. I am thinking maybe some refried beans w/ some corn tortilla chips and some salsa might hit the spot! I am seriously craving cookies, but I don't even keep them in the house, but I might make some almond flour muffins for breakfast tomorro2.


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## Sasharna (Nov 19, 2008)

Glad people enjoyed the blogs.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
(safe of course) Hot dogs, coldcuts, precook some chicken- do a chicken salad or tuna salad bring some romaine or ice berg leaves to use for a wrap for them. Some other chopped veggies and fruit- dried fruit. some potato chips maybe if you want a splurge







You need some kind of fat in there one way or another. Hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs. I like to wrap some ham around a lettuce leaf w/ some mayo down the middle and tomatoes if I have them. Yummy, just like a sandwich without the yucky sideeffects.

Great ideas! I especially like the wrap thing. I'll be doing that for sure.

Had a bit of a bad day here. I broke my 18 hour fast with a delicious salad (cucumber, tomato, and roast beef with mayo and sriracha) but I accompanied it with too large of a serving of veggie chips plus some dates. The carbs made me really foggy and icky feeling. Lesson learned, I guess.

Also whipped up some coconut cream for the first time ever. Yum!


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sasharna* 
Glad people enjoyed the blogs.









Great ideas! I especially like the wrap thing. I'll be doing that for sure.

Had a bit of a bad day here. I broke my 18 hour fast with a delicious salad (cucumber, tomato, and roast beef with mayo and sriracha) but I accompanied it with too large of a serving of veggie chips plus some dates. The carbs made me really foggy and icky feeling. Lesson learned, I guess.

Also whipped up some coconut cream for the first time ever. Yum!

Are you an IFer? The thought intrigues me. I was actually wondering everyone's thoughts on this today. When I was eating some grain I was feeling the need to eat less often, now I am back to wanting to eat more, although not near as much as previously. I do still eat 5-6 times a day though, not always huge meals though. It is so confusing w/ all the conflicting info out there. I guess if I am hungry I should eat though, especially being pregnant, so that is what I do, trying to listen to my body. I think I am regulating my carb intake pretty good.

Oh, and I love whipped coconut cream w/ some blueberries and strawberries! Yum! I made some last week and layered it w/ some chocolate muffins and it was so good!


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

good morning everyone









I am sitting around waiting for a large grocery delivery (first time we've ever tried this--don't have a car and we live in the city-- they are over 6 hours late now!). we were completely out of anything resembling how I eat now except for a little canned salmon and leftover shredded pork ribs. ... so we popped popcorn in coconut oil. It was delicious, like movie theatre-style. But I have felt a bit naseous and bile-y (in the throat) since I ate it.

... now if only the meat, eggs and berries would show up! will be feeling better and back on track, I'm sure.


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

Good morning - I hope your food gets there soon!

Yesterday was pretty good till 10 pm when I caved and had a piece of toast with home made jam. I should have gone to bed instead. For breakfast yesterday I had eggs fried in bacon grease, for lunch I had leftover veggies, and for supper I had a burger patty and some peas with butter. Today I started with a banana/strawberry/mango smoothie.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
Weight is steady today, so wondering if I have got rid of all the bloat - I have noticed that my ring that was getting tight is now looser again. *Cristeen*- how is your bloat doing?

It's improving. The edema is really going down, thanks for asking. I was reading in one of my books last night that it can take up to a week for your kidneys to flush excess liquid out of your body (it was talking about excess water intake effecting milk supply) - so I'm wondering if that was the root of the edema. We went to see grandma on Saturday, and spent 6 hours in the car - not to mention the heat up there (about 15 degrees hotter than here) - so we were drinking a LOT. I gained 5 pounds in one day. Then all of a sudden last night I saw a 2 pound drop in weight (in a day) - and DH was gonna get on my case about it, but I'd been with him all day, so he knew I'd eaten... so I gotta figure it's the water flushing out of my system (and I was peeing every 10 minutes yesterday).

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
Are you an IFer? The thought intrigues me. I was actually wondering everyone's thoughts on this today.

Oh, and I love whipped coconut cream w/ some blueberries and strawberries! Yum! I made some last week and layered it w/ some chocolate muffins and it was so good!

What's IF?

And how do you whip coconut cream? I have 2 c of it sitting in my fridge looking for a use... and whipped is an excellent one.

I got my CSA delivery this morning - fruits and veggies out my ears... and I ordered extra beets so I could pickle them. Beets are so expensive to buy, something like $3/bunch, but through the CSA I got 4 bunches for $5.







:

As for food... yesterday was okay - except for the piece of chocolate cake I had. And was regretting within minutes. I could have gotten the satisfaction out of a piece 1/4th that size, and not gone into the sugar shock I did. It was DH's last day at his job and his boss baked him a cake - so at least it was all homemade (from scratch). But within 30 minutes I was sweating profusely and then I wound up in the bathroom most urgently. We were at Target and I think I was in the bathroom 4 or 5 times before we managed to get out of there.

I did discover last night though that I was craving salmon. Which is interesting because I've always HATED salmon. We went out to eat and I actually listened to my body and ordered the salmon appetizer and actually ate it. It was on a pancake, so there was definitely grain involved, but I found it most interesting that of all the things on the menu, that's what I wanted/needed. I think maybe baby's trying to tell me something.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Good day. I ate something yesterday that didn't agree with me (strawberry soda thing? dried mango?), so today I don't feel 100%. Also, I ate some yogurt to try to settle things, and since I don't eat dairy on a regular basis, I feel a little odd. I absolutely hate stomach problems...I had problems pretty much all of the previous month and thought I had it solved...so I'm feeling down about it. Plus, we're having a garage sale tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to getting it all together today.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Good (late) morning. I went to the gym this morning, so I ate a banana before I left. Now I'm eating applegate farms beef hotdogs.









For the concert yesterday, I ended up just taking a banana. I drank a large smoothie (blackberries, blueberries, mango, coconut oil) before I left so I wasn't really hungry. I definitely think the coconut oil helped. I need more fat in general, but I've been a little fat phobic because I'm trying to (loosely) count calories and lose some weight. I'm trying to back off that thinking.

For lunch today, I'll have a salad with salmon or turkey. I need to use up the canned salmon I have. For dinner, I'm making an Indian dish called Lal masale wali murghi (chicken in red sweet pepper sauce). You make a sauce of pureed sweet peppers with a bunch of indian spices and onion. Then, you braise cubed chicken in the mixture. I would normally eat it over rice, but I'll make that for the kids and serve mine over cauliflower.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hey All!
cp- can you share your Indian recipe- we love Indian and that sounds awesome.

Cristeen- IF- is intermittent fasting. Not fasting for days but some people fast for 16 hrs a day and then do all their eating in the 8 hr window- just one example there are lots of examples. I think you are getting some HUGE flashing signs that you are definitely gi if not straight up Celiac- I would get tested if I was you!!! Good to hear the edema is going down. That is curious about the edema taking a week. I lost 1.5 lbs of water weight almost immediately, but today it was back- I knew it this morning before I weighed though as my ring was tight. I had some corn tortillas last night, so I wonder if that was it- I eat the chips w/ no problems though- sigh.

today I have kind of been bad- not off my plan but not stellar- almond meal muffins for b-fast- but I did eat some bacon and potatoes before them. Then for lunch I had a low carb burger and french fries- NOT homemade- eek!

whipped coconut cream- I take full fat coconut milk- skim the top part off and leave the liquid for something else put it in the frig for a good while and whip it. Not as fluffy as the real stuff but pretty good.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Here's the recipe: http://www.pixelmap.ca/recipes/red_pepper_chicken.html

I use whatever chicken I have on hand. If I use less thatn 2 1/4 lbs, I just reduce the water, but I keep the other amounts the same.


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## tanyalynn (Jun 5, 2005)

Subbing for what sound like amazing ideas! Will try to add something useful within a day or two, so I'm not just a parasite.


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## organicmidwestmama (Apr 27, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
...As for food - I made some chocolate custards this morning. Coconut cream, eggs, a spoon of honey and some unsweetened chocolate. Makes a great snack - being sweet without being *sweet* - rich and full of fat and protein for the baby. Dinner will be a pork roast and I don't know what else yet - although I have a bunch of broccoli in the fridge intended for broccoli salad - it's just a matter of bringing myself to stand for that long.

yum, that custard sounds so good, could you share your recipe?


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

I tried making the sweet potato chips from marksdailyapple, but I used ghee as my frying medium. Very delicious!! I cooked some chicken in the leftover ghee and will make some baked apples soon (with honey and cinnamon). I just couldn't resist after reading about the recipe. It's not exactly the same as Mark's, but it sure hit the spot.

I'm feeling better today and our garage sale was a big success! We're sending our son to kindergarden at the local Montessori school this fall, so we're using the proceeds from our sale to go towards his tuition.









Tomorrow is me and DH's 8th wedding anniversary, so we'll probably eat a bit off plan. Should be fun to actually go out to eat.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *organicmidwestmama* 
yum, that custard sounds so good, could you share your recipe?

I used 2 c of coconut cream (not milk - I can get coconut cream in aseptic quart pkgs), but usually I just use heavy cream. 3 oz of unsweetened chocolate (Ghirardelli), about 1/4 c of honey (I didn't measure, I just spooned out 4 spoonfuls), and heated that together until the chocolate was melted and I could beat it together into smoothness, along with a big pinch of salt, a dash of cayenne and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Then I slowly beat that into 8 beaten eggs. Divide it between 4 - 1c custard dishes, put them in a water bath and bake at 300 for 60 minutes. Chill.

The texture was not as smooth and creamy as I usually get with my custards - not sure if that was from the coconut cream or the chocolate. But this turned out super rich... I can only manage it by topping it with berries and fresh cream to cut the richness - and even then my limit is about 3/4 of one. I think a little less chocolate next time would be a little better, since I'm not a chocolate fiend.

We had our anniversary dinner last night, and I didn't do too badly, considering. Asparagus soup with a poached egg, duck breast and confit with a huckleberry sauce and greens, and then dessert was berries with a shortbread top "crust" (and 1 1/2 rolls with dinner). I did have an Arnold Palmer with the meal also. So while it wasn't stellar, for a celebration dinner it wasn't too bad, either. I also got an hour and a half of walking in, which really helped burn off the sugar I did eat - by the time we got home I was dead on my feet.


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## Kino (Jun 18, 2006)

I want to know what IF is too


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

hey all! many thanks Cristeen for the recipe!!mmmm!

Wow, 2 anniversaries here! Happy Anniversary Cristeen and karlin!

I had a horrible day Friday, after my hamburger and fries I came home and had some cereal(corn ) and rice milk. My first none corn grain food. I don't know if it is the rice milk or just the sugar from the cereal or a combination, but I crashed hard and my bs went crazy. I almost passed out and felt so sick to my stomach.

So, yesterday was a detox. I had some bacon TJs and homemade hashbrowns(like 3 potatoes worth w/ zuccini and onion) snacked on that half the morning and had a bit of pb and raw honey w/ some. Then didn't eat until supper- had copious amounts of steak a huge spinach salad and 1/2 a baked potato. I felt pretty good all day. I am hoping some of my bloat goes back down and I can stay on track. I hope all are making it through the weekend ok! Sometimes those can be tough. I am staying off of eggs currently, I think


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

IF is intermittent fasting. You choose a window (usually 5 or so hours) to eat all your food for the day. Then you fast for the remaining hours. It's good for the metabolism and mimics how our ancestors probably ate on most days. Some people find it can break a stall in weight loss.

I've decided to eat dairy until my tummy troubles go away for good...so my plan is changed a little. My tummy has only been bad one day in the past 6, but it still doesn't feel normal...but hopefully it won't be too much longer. Since I am eating dairy, it shouldn't be hard to stay on plan when eating out today. Not sure where we're going, but it should be fun. I just hope I don't wake up with hives tomorrow.









I think today is a popular day to get married.







:


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

Well, other than the few fries I couldn't resist last night I've been doing pretty good







This week we're going camping and I spent the whole weekend preparing things so I don't get caught off guard.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

I'm having serious carb cravings. I worked out today and I think that's why. I feel like eating a heaping bowl of jasmine rice with coconut oil







: but that would be bad, so as soon as my lo is done nursing, I'm going to go make a salad.


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

I'm PMSing today....and fantasizing about carbs. Especially chocolaty ones.

I did not eat the alfredo chicken pasta I made for my kids for dinner.

Instead of the nachos I wanted, I put in some extra effort and made myself a comforting but still sugar-free, grain-free ok-for-my-diet dinner of refried beans, carmelized onions, fresh salsa, and homemade avocado and cilantro guacamole.

Going to have a hot bath and strong cup of tea with stevia now...and try to ignore the treaty food in the pantry calling my name. Which I won't even describe because it would come out in such a mouthwatering way that it might tip the balance in favor of me eating it.

It would just make me feel sickly, I'm sure.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Good for you mamas for staying strong!!! I am so impressed! Aubergine- your meal sounds awesome- I wish I had some guac and cilantro here,mmmm! CP- that is awesome you worked out- you will have to figure out a more carby post workout snack- to keep you satisfied- I would not worry about those cravings I think it is normal to replace the glycogen stores. Maybe a piece of fruit and some nuts would satisfy it? I did have nachos last night, but I do allow corn. Corn tortilla chips don't ever seem to have a bad effect on me, so I kept them in. I had nachos w/ chicken, refried beans, and salsa- then later a tomato salad. Lunch was ham, tomato, and mayo sandwiches on lettuce w/ a little bit of corn and mashed potatoes and b=fast was sweet potatoes w/ a bit of sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. My bs seemed to stay pretty stable all day and I felt good and had great energy, so I guess it worked ok for me.

I have noticed that my appetite is way less than what it was. It had decressed when I got pregnant so I thought it was due to increasing my grains, but it is still pretty darn low, although I am still gaining the same weight- which seems not fair- my body must be on an auto switch for pregnancy weight gain. I have also figured out if I can manage it the days I don't eat breakfast until later I feel better and do better, don't understand that at all.

Tonight's supper I am doing baked spaghetti- with spaghetti squash and topping w/ a homemade df "cheese" . I am so excited. Lunch will be last nights leftovers and breakfast- eek- who knows. I think I will try to do a spinach smoothie- I had been green smoothie averse this pregnancy so we'll see how that goes.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
I have noticed that my appetite is way less than what it was. It had decressed when I got pregnant so I thought it was due to increasing my grains, but it is still pretty darn low, although I am still gaining the same weight- which seems not fair- my body must be on an auto switch for pregnancy weight gain. I have also figured out if I can manage it the days I don't eat breakfast until later I feel better and do better, don't understand that at all.

At least I know I'm not alone with the decreased appetite and increased weight gain during pregnancy. I'm 27 weeks and have gained ~20 pounds (when by rights I shouldn't have needed to gain any)... but I think I finally reached the point where my body is happy where it is - I've been gaining and losing the same 2 pounds for a few weeks now.

Dinner last night was decent but not great... and I couldn't really tell you what I had for lunch yesterday - I was so nervous about my first prenatal with my new MW.

So far this morning has just been fruit (fig and honeydew - not together), but I meet with our lawyer in about 2 hours (over the lunch hour), so I'm going to need more fuel than that to get through... maybe some of last night's leftover chicken. I did get in an hour's walk last night though.

I was discussing BS with the MW last night and she said she has boxes of test strips at home that she's happy to give me a box if I want to test, but that she doesn't require it. I've actually been feeling a lot better in the last week since I started working on getting rid of the grain, even though I'm not 100% yet. She did suggest lentils as a good BS stabilizer, so I'm going to go look up some cold lentil salads for lunches.

Aubergine - good for you! Keep it up!


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Cristeen- I love that you are pregnant as well. Not a lot of support for "diets" when you are prego. For me I am already small so I think people think I am trying to diet while prego because I am neurotic.

I have gained 13 pounds here at 19 weeks so I am running fairly close to you. Generally I gain 4-5 lbs the first 12 weeks and then 1 lb a week thereafter. I think the gf makes a HUGE difference on the blood sugar as well. I haven't had any issues except for a couple of days I went too long before eating. I had horrible issues my first pregnancy but I ate very heavy on grains(Brewer diet) second pregnancy was better and even better this time.

today I have hardly ate due to just a run of bad luck. Had a small amt of smoothie and a small amt of leftover nachos. I am actually getting pretty hungry now. I am going to have to think of a good snack and hopefully get dinner at a decent time tonight. I really want some kind of sweet treat, thank goodness I don't have any around.


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks for the support! I think yesterday was the worst day....


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## painefaria (Jul 4, 2007)

Haven't posted yet, just lurking...
Started grainfree/sugar about 2.5 months ago and really was feeling great, but I fell off the wagon this past weekend and I am hurting today.
brownies, diet soda, and coffee oh my! Oh I feel like poo. I should know better. Well I am in for a week of cravings, but I should get through it. On an up note DP is making zuchinni "pasta" with fresh pesto (from the basil in OUR garden) and tomato salad for dinner


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *painefaria* 
Haven't posted yet, just lurking...
Started grainfree/sugar about 2.5 months ago and really was feeling great, but I fell off the wagon this past weekend and I am hurting today.
brownies, diet soda, and coffee oh my! Oh I feel like poo. I should know better. Well I am in for a week of cravings, but I should get through it. On an up note DP is making zuchinni "pasta" with fresh pesto (from the basil in OUR garden) and tomato salad for dinner









Welcome! The sad things when you cave to the cravings almost never is it worth it, yet we still do it, sigh! Having "pasta" here as well and I am so stoked! Yummy spaghetti(squash) w/o the nasty side effects.


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## painefaria (Jul 4, 2007)

Thanks Crunchy mama ~ I hope you dinner was as excellent as mine was.







I am looking forward to talking to you guys more often


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Well, I just whipped up a lentil salad with a bunch of the veggies from my CSA box. I'm going to let it sit a couple hours until lunch time. It's yummy now - we'll see how well it ages. It made a BIG bowl, so it should last me through the week (for lunches). I didn't add olives or cheese to it, but I may still decide to (for the extra fat).

And I'm making tzatziki for the potluck on Friday - I figure I can eat it with meat and veg and I'll take some cut up pita also for others. Good source of fat and probiotics.

Dinner tonight is going to be pork chops - in some way, not sure yet. And probably corn on the cob and maybe a green salad. Since DH started this new job his appetite is increasing at dinner, since he's getting more exercise. So I'm trying to find ways of increasing his veggie/fat intake since the meat budget is already ridiculous. I'm hoping the extra exercise will help combat the last 5 years of sedentary job. Luckily he doesn't complain when I go GF/SF - he just goes along for the ride. So long as I keep him fed he doesn't much care what I feed him.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Mamas, I caved last night and it wasn't pretty. I really need to get enough carbs/calories now that I'm exercising again. For dinner, I think I'm going to make something with chicken and cauliflower.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Bananas are good when you work out.







:

I had a pampered chef party here today, and we had a paleo meal. It was a spinach salad with radishes, avocados, grapefruit, chicken, and a weird honey dressing that we just kind of made up.







:

Things have been going pretty well. I am looking forward to giving up dairy again soon (my stomach problems seemed to be related to stevia







). M only cheat has been hummus, since it has beans in it. Not a huge deal though in the whole scheme of things.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hey All!
sorry to hear that CP! Exercising can take it out of you! I would plan for a big SAFE carb intake afterward to head off the cheating.

karlin- sounds like you are doing great! I admire paleo dieters. I have never done full on paleo, but love the principles behind it. I agree though of all the cheats I think beans would be one of the least harmful.

cristeen- PLEASE give a recipe for lentil salad! I have boatloads of lentils and am always looking for good new recipes!

Things are going ok here on the no grain front, although I am allowing some corn however that is ok in my personal plan. I had a bit of an upset stomach but so did Lily so I think it was something we ate. I have ate some raw honey but not excessive amounts and it feels like I am doing ok on that front. I am figuring out though that I need to watch the soy. I don't generally eat it a lot as it is something of a problem but I had a couple of dishes w/ just a bit and I think it still affected me- so I am cutting it out completely.

I am struggling hugely w/ meals though. I don't know what is going on w/ that. I have cooked this way before but my mind is struggling this week coming up w/ ideas. However, on the positive front my house is looking awesome! I am keeping up w/ it well. My mood has been pretty decent, certainly better than it was. I still have some bad periods, but not bad overall. Sleep has mostly been good but I had 2 nights were I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I need to track that better and see what it is related to- perhaps the bit of sugar that seems ok is bothering me on that front. That has been a suspicion in the past.

*Hey to everyone else- check in*!!!!!! How are you doing? Having a hard time staying on the wagon? Need Encouragement! doing great- hand out some tips and recipes then please







!!


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

hiya there







today was a grazing day for my daughter and I : pepperoni slices, fried eggs, hamburger, apples and I made these almond flour cookies: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...4&postcount=10
I froze half the batch of "dough" and made the leftovers for breakfast. Even though they are sweetened with just maple syrup and honey, I am not going to be making them for awhile as they remind me too much of real cookies! yikes! but they will be perfect for parties and get togethers and special occasions, so I was pretty excited they turned out well.

anywayyyyy....
I've been craving beef brisket after I saw a thread posted about it







My slow cooker is in america though







so I think I'm going to try making this version:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2.../brisket_baby/

I've also been craving italian beef, anyone have a good recipe for that?

crunchymama, last time I was pregnant I struggled so hard to come with anything that sounded appetizing to cook so we just had smoothies and pizza from the pizza shop around the corner from our apartment! at least you are not going down that road


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks for the link to the cookie recipe! Hmm...I've done almond flour pancakes, but never with 100% almond flour, just subbing part of my usual recipe.

I am feeling tired from not enough sleep today and I think that is a huge trigger for comfort eating for me. Busy week -- school ends here tomorrow for my dd, preschool ended this week for my 2 sons and my home daycare shuts down for the summer after this week, too. And lots of activities for the kids, year end parties, paperwork....not so much sleep.

I am trying to gear myself up to go in the kitchen and make some more fresh salsa and guacamole. And dinner for the family.

Dh and I are trying to figure out our anniversary dinner out this Sat. I am willing to compromise a bit on my diet, but don't want to throw it out the window totally....
I think something Asian would be best for me but he wants Italian


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crunchy_mama* 
cristeen- PLEASE give a recipe for lentil salad! I have boatloads of lentils and am always looking for good new recipes!

I just cooked up about 1 1/2 c of green lentils (I overcooked them a bit, but they were still good) with a few bay leaves and a couple cloves of garlic (sliced). Drained and chilled. Added diced carrot, red onion, fresh tomatoes, parsley... I think that was it. And whipped up a basic oil and vinegar (heavy on the vinegar). It needs plenty of salt and plenty of vinegar (use a wine vinegar) to taste right - and I made sure to add plenty of oil also, so that it was more satisfying (it doesn't really affect the taste though). I did chop up some kalamata olives and stir them into a bowl, and that was really yummy, also. As would some feta cheese, if I had any.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aubergine68* 
Dh and I are trying to figure out our anniversary dinner out this Sat. I am willing to compromise a bit on my diet, but don't want to throw it out the window totally....
I think something Asian would be best for me but he wants Italian



















Italian doesn't have to mean pasta. Most Italian places will have meat main dishes - and ask for it without any pasta on the side. I would be sure to check out the menu beforehand though, since there are some Italian places that ONLY serve pasta.







: You're still liable to wind up with breadcrumbs in your dish, but that's better than a plate of pasta.

I whipped up a grain free cake the other day, and I've been eating on that. With a base of cream cheese, butter, eggs and almonds, I have no trouble eating as much of it as I want. I even used it to make a PB&J sandwich yesterday for lunch. I used honey in it, but cut it down to just enough to counter the slight bitterness of the almonds, rather than the full amount the recipe called for.

Then we have a potluck today, and we're having guests on Sunday for dinner... still trying to decide what to serve them. I can't settle on an appetizer - I'm thinking jalapeno poppers (homemade, wrapped in bacon), or BLT bites (plum tomatoes stuffed with bacon and arugula)... but DH is NO help when it comes to decisions like this. Then corn on the cob and some other veggie dish (they're bringing the meat) for dinner, and we're having chocolate fondue for dessert... yes, it'll have sugar in it, but I'm providing the dippers, so I'll be able to avoid the grains.

Oh, and I'm debating the merits of turning the super-ripe peaches I have sitting here into a batch of ice cream.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Doing well today. I don't like the way dairy makes me feel, but my digestion likes it. I'm getting sick of my stomach issues lately. I was fine for my first 4 months. I don't know how to solve it, but I really just want to be 99% paleo again.


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

i'm mostly grain free - have been since last October, 99% gluten-free for well over 2 years now. we do rice usually once per week or so. i also restrict potatoes and sweet squashes. my tastebuds love carbs but my figure doesn't, so i try hard to stay away from them. it's terrible though - right before AF visits, i get a huge carb craving...

my indulgence is the Endangered Species chocolate...


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aubergine68* 

Dh and I are trying to figure out our anniversary dinner out this Sat. I am willing to compromise a bit on my diet, but don't want to throw it out the window totally....
I think something Asian would be best for me but he wants Italian









Mark's Daily Apple had a post about eating out the paleo way including what you could do at Olive Garden. the big salad (hold the croutons and cheese), grilled meats and veggies... pass on the bread... other higher class Italian restaurants would be similarly accommodating - you don't have to eat pasta or pizza!


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

Good points on italian, thanks, bluets!

Right now, I have some apple and banana quickbreads cooling on the counter, made for and at the request of a relative who is under the weather. They are calling to me.....I'm putting a spoon of honey in my tea and trying to ignore them....already had a nibble of my son's slice to taste, which was a bad idea. I'm better with premeditated "cheating" than with impromptu "tastes".

Anyone else cooking for family who are definitely not on the diet...


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

coconut flour! i do most of my baking with coconut flour (using the Coconut Flour Cookbook - there is only 1 as far as i know)... but i adjust the sweetness factor by about 1/4 what the recipe uses.

fruit-based quickbreads work really well because you don't really need to add so much sugar. though coconut flour goodies use a LOT of eggs (so you're screwed if you can't have eggs).


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karlin* 
Doing well today. I don't like the way dairy makes me feel, but my digestion likes it. I'm getting sick of my stomach issues lately. I was fine for my first 4 months. I don't know how to solve it, but I really just want to be 99% paleo again.









Have you tried something like kombucha or water kefir?


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

Yes, kombucha doesn't help. I believe I had food poisoning, and now I'm just having some trouble healing everything up. It's pretty common on paleo to have such, oh how should I put it, easy and fast digestion.







I'm working on upping my fats and lowering my protein slightly to see if it helps.

I just had a really good salad. Spinach with ground beef, a little cheese, some carrots, and hummus over the top.







:


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karlin* 
Yes, kombucha doesn't help. I believe I had food poisoning, and now I'm just having some trouble healing everything up. It's pretty common on paleo to have such, oh how should I put it, easy and fast digestion.







I'm working on upping my fats and lowering my protein slightly to see if it helps.

I just had a really good salad. Spinach with ground beef, a little cheese, some carrots, and hummus over the top.







:

have you tried bentonite/pascalite clay or activated charcoal? either of those work like a charm (and pretty fast) for slurping up the toxins from food poisoning or acute GI infections.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hey all! Have been busy! I had 2 cheats. I had rice noodles friday. We had a very, very, very long day and I hadn't got much to eat. I won't bother you w/ the details but I had a pre-meditated cheating. I had some rice chips yesterday. I plan to get back on track today. I could tell I was feeling just a hair yeasty yesterday. Sigh...

I am going to try my damndest to plan meals this week. I really struggled last week and it made it so very, very hard. WE weren't eating until late which is not good for any of us.


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## karlin (Apr 8, 2004)

What effect would the clay have on digestion? Also, how do you take it...is it in a capsule? Thanks!

Yesterday was a good day. Upping my fats has made my mood more stable. I just feel good in general. Decreasing my protein hasn't really bothered me too much either. I've been able to tolerate egg yolks okay (yay!!!!!), so I've been experimenting with almond meal pancakes. Sooooo good!

As far as cheats go, I think rice is probably your best option crunchy-mama.


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karlin* 
What effect would the clay have on digestion? Also, how do you take it...is it in a capsule? Thanks!


the clay would probably slow down digestion to some extent. the stuff i bought is suspended in liquid and you're supposed to add it to yet more liquid.

of course, i haven't felt the need to use it since i bought it. however, i do know someone who uses pascalite clay regularly, mixed with konjac and psyllium. she claims that this mixture spares her from accidental glutening when she eats out (she is a celiac) - she doesn't get the "oops i ate gluten" effects so long as she uses the mixture pre-emptively at the start of her meal.


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## bella_stranger (Nov 2, 2006)

whoah, went overboard today making a spelt loaf!
I was trying to clear out the pantry before our groceries arrive tomorrow (late again!)... it made me nauseous and I threw up! It had been a really long time since I had a bread product, bah... only good thing about it was it reinforced my desicion to be wheat-free---even spelt makes me ill now.
Looking forward to all the good quality meats and vegetables and berries coming tomorrow--feels like christmas


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hey All! We have been slacking around here! How is everyone?

I am doing good and on the wagon, yipee! Feeling pretty awesome! House is looking awesomely clean and I am working out again(whenever I go back on grains I loose the energy to work out).

Monday was my b-day and dh made me burgers w/ hotdogs(I used lettuce buns) french fries and some chocolate cookies made w/ coconut flour!

I made a meal plan this week and am sticking to it fairly well.
Monday- burgers
Tuesday- stew
WEdnesday- beef curry(served over cauliflower for me)

Now I cannot remember the rest of the week but I have it wrote down somewhere!

Supper was 2 hrs ago and now I am craving a snack big time but trying to think of something safe!


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

I have GOT to get some coconut and almond flour! I think a health food store in town might carry it.

I am actually contemplating roasting some cauliflower and doing a curry on top for dinner!

Had a very active day, pulling a wooden wagon with 2 kids around the Canada Day parade and festivities and home again for 4 hours.

Had about half my usual apple/banana/almond butter/oatmeal for breakfast because we were rushed, a taco salad w/beef for lunch, and a beet/carrot/apple juice. I need something substantial. Um. Now. Time to get off the computer and chop something....


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Oops! Never replied- glad to see you still hear!

My planned meals went much better this week. I have felt great overall but the last 2 days I have had a horrible headache and I am not sure why. I will be really, really happy when it is gone- I can hardly think at all.

I made some coconut milk yogurt and had that w/ some blueberries and raw honey(just a bit) this am I got good probiotics in but it didn't hold very long, but my appetite is SO sporadic it is hard ot say.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hey all-
Still trudging along here. Doing well on the grain front, but not as good on the sugar front. We had a b-b-q yesterday so I made food to take(as I cannot trust the family to have ANYTHING safe for us). I made typical bbq fare as it was a potluck so the dishes I brought needed to be "shareworthy" and the family here HATES anything different. So, I made homemade baked beans and potato salad. For just us I made some plain burger patties and then some grainfree chocolate chip cookies(sweetened w/ raw honey). They were supper yummy! A definite treat and surely not something I need to eat a lot of at all! They had a wonderful buttery taste- I think because of the high fat content of the almond flour and the coconut oil I used- the texture was great and they just looked perfect.

OH- and just as I suspected the only meats there was hamburgers(ALL brushed w/ bbq sauce - made w/ beer(which of course has gluten/wheat)- why they couldn't have made any plain is beyond me- it would seem as horrible as they are about things that there is no way they can never manage to have any safe food unless it was on purpose.

Today we had a play date and I cooked lunch for everyone- I made it according to all of our diets- gf/df/grainfree for us- gf/nutfree for 1friend and Feingold Stage one for the other! It was a great playdate and we all ate well. I made roasted chicken(legs and thighs), df mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes- squash- onions- and beets, fresh corn on the cob- watermelon and homemade mashmallows(these are pretty much pure sugar but I couldn't help but try them I just had a few though!). The kids LOVED the marshmallows! And no one felt deprived at all. OH- and we had a big spinach salad- salad bar set up! Best part is I have leftovers for supper!

Oh- my big indiscretion- I had a shake this weekend- dairy and copious amts of sugar. Man I am stupid. The hands have stopped itching, but my neck still is and my breasts and vagina are very yeasty- my breasts are so itchy it isn't even funny. It so wasn't worth it!

Here is the cookie recipe for anyone interested:
(btw I love this lady's blog and I see she has a cookbook coming out very soon- an almond flour cookbook!)
http://www.elanaspantry.com/video-tu...-chip-cookies/

Oh- and I also did a lovely orange dark chocolate bar cut into chunks for the chocolate- man it was yum! Thankfully I had the forsight to only do a halfbatch so between me and the 2 kids there was only 12!


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## nym (Sep 6, 2003)

Can I bump this up? How are you ladies doing?

I am going grain and sugar free and I was hoping that there were some others around here that are doing it as well, I need the support!

I have been slowely making changes in my diet to decrease the amount of grains and sugar and I feel I am ready for the next step of eliminating them all together.. hopefully lol


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

Hello! Still trudging alone! Certainly not perfect, but I do try, some days are better than others! I have decided to let myself have corn as it has never bothered me and - a couple servings of gf grains a week for breakfast. I went to a new breakfast schedule as I needed to cut the budget and get it more organzied and that is how it came out. Not saying it is ideal, but it is what it is right now. More than anything though I need to watch the sugar- natural or not that is the big thing that gets me- it means little to my body if I am eating grain free cupcakes w/ loads of raw honey- still not good for me!


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