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

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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.

 

Bread...or no bread... that's the question...and a Curves warning...

I have been struggling with the issue of whether or not to keep all breads out of my diet, or to include wheat free breads. That's a tough one for me because like most wheat allergy people, I'm addicted to bread. I also have a busy life, as do you, and so taking a sandwich to eat when I'm out of the house at meal times is the easiest thing for me to do.

Well, over Christmas and New Year I have eaten wheat - two concurrent of out of town hockey tournaments requring hotels stays, and now another out of town hockey tournament this coming weekend as well as the younger kids regular activities back on track and me back at work - well, I just can't organize my food to the extent that's needed. So, I've had some wheat products and I feel the unpleasantness of it. I hadn't realized how much wheat dragged me down emotionally as well as physically!

Anyhoo - back to the topic - I finally caved and bought some rice based bread and I'm eating that when I need a sandwich on the go. I don't know how it will impact me - likely not a at all - but I'll be monitoring myself to see if I get the bread cravings back.  I have to say - it's been such a liberating feeling to not crave bread - to see it and not feel that *gut wrenching* pull to consume every crumb.

I've also returned to my evening dog walking - 30 minutes in chilly weather - good for the dogs and good for me. In a couple of weeks I'll start going back to Curves - they changed their hours so that it's next to impossible for me to get there - but I'm going to see if extreme dedication can make it possible. I really think it's silly of a gym to have such short hours and when my membership runs out there I'll definitely be looking at other gyms that have better hours. These guys open early, but I do my writing and course work at the pre-dawn times, and they close early - so that I can't go after my office hours. When I joined Curves the hours were longer, but they changed the hours and wouldn't give me my money back - so ladies - be warned about Curves - check out what they intend to do with their open hours and their money return policy before you sign on.

Okay - that's it for me today - have your best day possible. In the meantime, here's a bread/wheat free lunch alternative for those who, like me, eat lunch at an office desk while doing 10 other things.

1	tbsp      coconut oil
1	large	onion, chopped
1	tsp	cumin
1	tsp	turmeric
2x400	g	cans chick peas, rinsed & drained
2x400	g	cans chopped tomatoes
		freshly ground black pepper
1	tbsp	lemon juice throw in some chopped spinach or kale, and maybe a little chopped pesto or garlic to perk this up according to your tastes
1.	Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the chopped onion until it is softened, but not browned.
3.	Add the chick peas, chopped tomatoes, spinach or kale, pesto or garlic, and freshly ground black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
4.	Add the lemon juice and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold later.

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. 

Back on track..

I've been thinking about my weekend - I had some bread - it was really good bread, but then all bread is really good bread to a wheat addict. I didn't *pig* out - just a sandwich because I was unprepared and didn't have access to any food that would be good for me (one of my sons had 7 hockey games at his weekend tournament, and a daughter had a bottle drive, and then there was the usual stuff that goes with having a large family). So, I learned that I always have to be prepared with food I can eat easily at hand when I'm in out of home locations. Not hard to keep some nuts in the car - and some fruit.

The positive part of this was that I didn't beat myself up emotionally and surprisingly, it was very easy to not jump back on the wheat wagon. I've had no trouble getting back to my food plan and I'm not actually missing wheat products at all.

So, why couldn't I do this when I tried Atkins so many times? I could always stick with it for a while but the intensity of my commitment to the diet always wore me out. I don't feel that way at all this time - instead, I just  think about avoiding wheat. Weird - and I can't find a single neuroscience piece to help me understand this.

A nice side effect of my wheat avoidance life style is that my face seems less puffy and the pants I put on for work this morning are a bit loose. Not a dramatic change for most people, but if even a half inch is gone, then I'm doing the happy dance. However, I'm determined not to focus on weight but to keep my mind on health. Still, I'm sure all would agree that a little less of me would be a good thing!!

Oh well, no point in thinking myself into a stupor - just continuing on. Hey, have your best day possible.