I kinda hate to even call it a diet because that always messes with my mind. But I thought I would update you on this week's progress with our new eating plan (sound better than diet?).
First of all, thanks so much for all of your feedback. I very much enjoy hearing advice and tips from others who have experimented with the different health options out there.
I know that you are not coming to this blog for health or nutritional information. Sorry. For you, here are a few pics of the monkeys from Sunday morning.
See how much they are loving this diet!
My main goal in this endeavor is to purposefully try to eliminate sugar and white flour by focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and natural foods. In doing this, however, I want to stick with budget- and schedule-friendly meal and snack options.
And it was a great first week! Here are some of my favorite finds:
Natural fruit spread. We have always eaten natural peanut butter (no sugar, just peanuts) but I bought some natural blueberry jelly at WF and it is great. This will definitely stay on the master grocery list as we all love a PB&J.
Whole wheat flour. I finally read up on the differences between white flour and the other options and now understand what all the hype is about. So I purchased some whole wheat flour at WF to have in the pantry just in case.
When I decide to cut out white flour and sugar, the first thought that goes through my head is NO MORE PANCAKES. This is heartbreaking for me. If you've been reading this blog very long, then you have recognized the overabundance of IHOP references. I love pancakes. Love them. So I thought I was going to have to end this love relationship for ever.
Not so. I purchased a "healthy" cookbook at Walmart and found several whole wheat pancake recipes. Expecting them to taste like bricks, I nevertheless made a batch this Saturday morning. They were stinkin awesome!
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons baking powder
Serves 7
I did make them in an iron skillet, used butter, and topped them with some honey. They definitely did the trick and gave me a whole new excitement for this lifestyle change. I know there are other recipes that use applesauce instead of oil or make other substitutions, and I will try them out in the future. But these are a keeper. My kids devoured them too after turning their nose up at the WF frozen whole grain waffles I served them earlier in the week.
So our week's dinner menu consisted
MONDAY: chicken and broccoli casserole; wild rice; fruit
TUESDAY: Italian chicken breasts, baked sweet potatoes, salad
WEDNESDAY: white chicken chili (recipe here)
THURSDAY: turkey meatloaf, polenta, green beans (I made up this recipe for the meatloaf and it was delicious. Simply added chopped fresh mushrooms, onions, green pepper, herbs and seasonings, and one egg. Topped it with some mozzarella cheese and salsa [no sugar as compared to ketchup]). And polenta was also a new thing for us to try, but it will become a regular side.
FRIDAY: taco salad (black beans, corn, avocadoes, salsa, served on greens)
SATURDAY: gingered chicken stir fry and long grain rice; fresh pineapple
SUNDAY: roast, potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms cooked in crockpot while we were at church
For my weekend "treat", I had some sugar-free vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit. Yummy!
The main struggle this week will be continuing to find meal options without making a major grocery store run. My bill last week was equal to 2-weeks worth. I'm hoping to stretch it for another week so we can achieve the budget-friendly requirement!
I'm not watching my weight, for obvious reasons. But I have been able to tell a great difference in how I feel and have even noticed some changes in my waistline (minus the baby bump!).
Thanks again for all the tips, and please keep them coming!
Project 52 - 2011 is underway!
My main goal in this endeavor is to purposefully try to eliminate sugar and white flour by focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and natural foods. In doing this, however, I want to stick with budget- and schedule-friendly meal and snack options.
And it was a great first week! Here are some of my favorite finds:
Natural fruit spread. We have always eaten natural peanut butter (no sugar, just peanuts) but I bought some natural blueberry jelly at WF and it is great. This will definitely stay on the master grocery list as we all love a PB&J.
Whole wheat flour. I finally read up on the differences between white flour and the other options and now understand what all the hype is about. So I purchased some whole wheat flour at WF to have in the pantry just in case.
When I decide to cut out white flour and sugar, the first thought that goes through my head is NO MORE PANCAKES. This is heartbreaking for me. If you've been reading this blog very long, then you have recognized the overabundance of IHOP references. I love pancakes. Love them. So I thought I was going to have to end this love relationship for ever.
Not so. I purchased a "healthy" cookbook at Walmart and found several whole wheat pancake recipes. Expecting them to taste like bricks, I nevertheless made a batch this Saturday morning. They were stinkin awesome!
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons baking powder
Serves 7
I did make them in an iron skillet, used butter, and topped them with some honey. They definitely did the trick and gave me a whole new excitement for this lifestyle change. I know there are other recipes that use applesauce instead of oil or make other substitutions, and I will try them out in the future. But these are a keeper. My kids devoured them too after turning their nose up at the WF frozen whole grain waffles I served them earlier in the week.
So our week's dinner menu consisted
MONDAY: chicken and broccoli casserole; wild rice; fruit
TUESDAY: Italian chicken breasts, baked sweet potatoes, salad
WEDNESDAY: white chicken chili (recipe here)
THURSDAY: turkey meatloaf, polenta, green beans (I made up this recipe for the meatloaf and it was delicious. Simply added chopped fresh mushrooms, onions, green pepper, herbs and seasonings, and one egg. Topped it with some mozzarella cheese and salsa [no sugar as compared to ketchup]). And polenta was also a new thing for us to try, but it will become a regular side.
FRIDAY: taco salad (black beans, corn, avocadoes, salsa, served on greens)
SATURDAY: gingered chicken stir fry and long grain rice; fresh pineapple
SUNDAY: roast, potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms cooked in crockpot while we were at church
For my weekend "treat", I had some sugar-free vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit. Yummy!
The main struggle this week will be continuing to find meal options without making a major grocery store run. My bill last week was equal to 2-weeks worth. I'm hoping to stretch it for another week so we can achieve the budget-friendly requirement!
I'm not watching my weight, for obvious reasons. But I have been able to tell a great difference in how I feel and have even noticed some changes in my waistline (minus the baby bump!).
Thanks again for all the tips, and please keep them coming!
1 comment:
this is awesome lauren....
i love polenta, we eat it a lot over here, along with whole wheat couscous. i will heat up some sugar free apricot jam and some olive oil to poor over the top, or put craisins, feta cheese and scallions in the couscous, excellent!!
i also have an AWESOME recipe for whole wheat banana bread, i think it is better than regular, i will email it to you!
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