Oh my goodness - I just read an article about how exercise won't help you lose weight unless you diet. Last week I read an article about how dieting won't let you lose weight unless you exercise. I mean, really! Can't they make up their minds?

As a fat woman, I can tell you that I'm well aware that I need both a healthy diet and regular exercise. I don't consistently do either, but I consistently try to do both. From the look of me, neither is working. 

I'm still mostly wheat free and it feels great. My mind is much sharper and my energy is up. It's important to me to feel a clearer mind because I live in terror of Alzheimer's - my mother and my mother-in-law developed it despite not having a single risk factor and leading their lives in the way all the articles say you should if you want to avoid the ugly A. Well, they got it despite healthy diets, healthy lifestyles, and lots of exercise. If I'm going to get it, it will have started by now so the best I can hope for is a medical miracle - anyway, that's a digression.

My point, and I do have one, is that all of the disagreeing articles on how to lose weight make it obvious that there is no real understanding of obesity. Most of us fat people don't really eat all that badly - we just don't eat or exercise right for our bodies. I keep my calorie count low - and I monitor it daily - I guess it's just not low enough to do the job. Whatever - I'll work on it as always. In the meantime, I'll continue to stay as wheat free as possible and enjoy all the new recipes I'm trying.

Here's one you might like.
Butternut Squash Soup... tasty and not too difficult or time consuming to make.

     
2 tbsp olive oil

·         1 onion, diced

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         4 carrots, sliced

·         3 stalks celery, diced

·         2 small or one large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

·         5 cups gluten free vegetable broth

·         2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

·         1/2 cup soy milk

·         salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large pot, saute the onion and the garlic in olive oil or coconut oil until the onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots and the  celery and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the squash and stir just to coat it and then add the vegetable broth and sage. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Allow it to cook for at least 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Use a potato masher and mash the squash until smooth or you can puree the soup in a food processor or blender.

I'm amazed at how my local grocery stores have stepped up their wheat free products. In fact, last Saturday when I was shopping I was stunned to see that *gluten free* notes were sticking up all over the shelves. I could buy gluten free just about anything!  What a change in only a few months. I assume this is a trend that will die like all others, but maybe the mainstream stores will keep stocking gluten free items anyway.

I'm still doing fine with wheat free most of the time, but I just can't organize my life to manage 24/7. Too much going on and too many occasions when I don't have control over what is available to eat. I'm improving on that daily, but still have a way to go.

I'm also not losing any more weight - too bad - that was nice incentive - however I didn't go wheatless just to lose weight - I did it because when I read the Wheat Belly book it just hit me as right - and I have noticed a better clarity of thought as well as more energy. And, since it's so easy to be wheatless most of the time, I might as well keep going with it.

Here's a tasty wheat free recipe you might like.



12 Wheat free corn tortillas
2 cups chopped tomato
1 cup chopped green onion
3 cups of ground beef
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 cups of chopped lettuce
1 cup of wheat free commercial tomato sauce
1 cup of wheat free, low fat sour cream

Fry the corn tortillas in the coconut oil. Fry the ground beef and mix the tomato sauce into it. Spoon a layer of  the ground beef mixture on a tortilla, then add a layer of lettuce, a layer of cheese, some sour cream, and some green onions. Very quick and easy to make, and the kids will love it. Add some raw veggies on the side for munching and you've got a full meal.

Wind and rain can stop me...

Well, the rain storms have dampened my determination to walk nightly (pun intended). Actually, I would have gone last night but my dogs, who generally leap to the leash, refused to step foot out of the door so I decided that they were likely smarter than me. We've been having near gale force rain storms that would have blown away the two of my dogs that are under 10 pounds, but even the big dog refused to step into last night's maelstrom.  I can't get to the gym either because of my problem with their schedule - however, I can make sure I take a few extra trips up and down the stairs and that I keep myself active in the house. Anything is better than nothing.

Look at what I found!  I had no idea these even existed. Who would have  thought that Betty Crocker would be putting out gluten free cake mixes? I bought one so that I have an easy cake when I need one. Sounds suspicious, right. I mean who ever needs a cake. Well, with 8 kids still at home  - I do. Sugar has never been my problem. I can eat one cookie or one slim piece of cake. Still, if I'm going to eat even a small piece of cake, it might as well be gluten free.

My problem, among many, is carbs and that noxious/addictive combo of fat, salt, and carbs. I mean really, my brain doesn't signal *time to stop* if I allow even one potato chip to cross my lips. I'm finding it easier and easier to not take that first deadly bite of most carbs since I've been (mostly) wheat free. I can leave out the potato in any form, and even though I finally found a wheat free bread, I'm only using it when I really need a sandwich to eat on the run. So very liberating. Still no further weight loss, but that's the way it's always been with me and I 'm not going to go back on wheat regardless.

Here's a great recipe - easy to make and very tasty.

Parmesan-Squash Cakes

 

4 servings

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This goes great with a baked chicken or with a broiled or bar- b-qued halibut. It's also nice as a main dish with a salad on the side. 

INGREDIENTS

·         1 large egg

·         2/3 cup finely chopped shallots

·         1 tablespoon chopped parsley

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·         2 cups shredded seeded summer squash

·         1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

·         1 tablespoon coconut oil

P

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Beat the egg in a large bowl and then stir in shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Place  the shredded squash in the center of a clean kitchen towel and gather up the ends so you can twist to squeeze out any liquid. Add the squash and cheese to the bowl and stir to combine.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pack a 1/3-cup measuring cup with the squash mixture and unmold it into the pan then gently pat it down to form a 3-inch cake. Repeat the process to  make 4 squash cakes. Cook them until they are browned and a bit crispy on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve them hot.

 

Almost through the holiday season and looking forward to getting back to a routine and some more control over my food. We've got back to back hockey tournaments and one of them meant we had to pack up and go to a hotel in Victoria for a few days. It's soooo hard to shop and eat wheatfree when I don't have my own kitchen and am reliant on whatever we can fit into the hotel room fridge and grab to eat at the rink. This isn't an excuse - it's a reality. However, an interesting thing that I've realized is that I am greatly looking forward to being totally wheat free again. Eating wheat products has felt like a burden and I don't get the same enjoyment from wheat things anymore. Bread is now boring to me, and that is something I would never have thought possible in my life. Even treats that once enticed me are easy to leave alone - who would have thought, eh?

Here's a recipe that I got from the Wheat Belly Blog . If you don't subscribe to it, I strongly suggest that you do. The Wheat Belly Blog provides a lot of helpful tips and recipes and links. The blog is done by the company of Dr. William Davis,  the man who started all of this ,so it's got a very positive energy that I really enjoy.

Here's the recipe:Mocha Walnut Brownies

Richer than a cookie, heavier than a muffin, brownies are ordinarily an indulgence that leaves you ashamed of your lack of restraint. Have one . .  . or two or three, and you will surely pack on a pound of belly fat. 

But these mocha walnut brownies, as with other recipes that Dr. Davis provides, will not pack on the pounds. With no wheat to trigger appetite, nor any readily-digestible carbohydrate to generate blood sugar highs and lows, you can have a nice brownie or two or three and nothing bad happens: You don’t send blood sugar sky-high, don’t trigger formation of small LDL particles and triglycerides, you don’t trigger appetite, you don’t gain a pound of belly fat. You simply have your brownie(s) and enjoy them.  

Serve these brownies plain or topped with cream cheese, natural peanut or almond butter, or dipped in coffee. 

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (100% chocolate)

4 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted

2 large eggs, separated

½ cup coconut milk (or sour cream)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups ground almonds

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons instant espresso

Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar or to taste (e.g., liquid stevia, Truvía, erythritol)

Preheat oven to 350º F. 

Melt chocolate using double boiler method or in 15-second increments in microwave. Stir in melted coconut oil or butter. 

In small bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add egg whites, egg yolks, coconut milk, and vanilla extract to chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly by hand. 

In separate bowl, combine ground almonds, coconut flour, walnuts, cocoa powder, espresso, and sweetener. Mix thoroughly. 

Add dry mix to chocolate mix and mix together thoroughly. If dough is too stiff, add additional coconut milk, one tablespoon at a time. 

Place mixture in 9-inch baking pan and bake for 25 -30 minutes or until toothpick withdraws dry. 

If you enjoy sweet things, this recipe will make you happy. 

Have your best day possible. 

First steps...

Today I was sent a link to the Wheat Belly book by William Davis MD. It hit me like a rock on my hard skull. I've been fat for a long time now. Not just overweight, not just fluffy, I mean fat. I've also developed the curse of fat people - Diabetes type 2. It runs in my family - we all have it, even my skinny relatives - but that's no excuse - I may have had a genetic disposition to D2, but I wasn't likely to avoid it with my weight no matter what my ancestors passed on to me.

Anyway, back to my fatness. Like most fat people, I've failed every diet known to human kind - twice or three times on most of them. Doctors never believe that, they all seem to think that we fatties sit around eating bon bons all day. Well, I'm the mom of 14 - 8 still at home, and I work full time - and I have a mom with Alzheimer's- so how many minutes in a day do you think that leaves me to sit around stuffing myself. Sure, I eat the wrong thing at times, and I eat too much at times, but so do slim people. So - what's my problem? Am I doomed to this weight and an early death by food?

I figured I was, and I was grieving that. Then, my cousin sent the link to Wheat Belly and I looked up the web page. My oh my ..... I know that's it. I always knew I craved bread and pasta and as I read the Wheat Belly book (which of course I ran straight out and bought) I felt like every word was written to me.

So, the next logical question is - why do a blog about this? Well friends, I blog about other things too - it's a great way to meet other people who walking the same path, and to keep myself honest. If I do well, I'll let you know. When I fail, I'll write about that too. I'd love to hear from you and what you are doing on your journey  - whether it's with food, or wheat, or life in general.

That's my intro to me - have your best day possible.