Finally.....
Hello folks. Wondering what happened to my daily posts? How could I stay away so long? Have I been sticking with the "Wheat Belly Diet?" I won't load you down with a million excuses (I do have about a million legitimate excuses), I will give you a quick rundown: kids sick, upload problems, internet problems, computer problems, my own case of head colds and allergies, a stray dog showing up and adopting us as its new family (which means that along with the 5 people who live here, we have 1 inside cat, 3 outside cats, and 2 dogs who are both inside and outside), baseball season for my boys and softball for my girl, and just life in general. I would happen to think about posting as I was just falling asleep or just waking up. Understand please, I am truly sorry. And I am sure you have ups and downs within your own life that throw your well orchestrated routines into chaos.
Now, let's get back to the topic of the "Wheat Belly Diet."
Would anyone want a gently used copy of the "Wheat Belly Recipe Book?" Because the recipes did not work for my family. Allow me to be more specific: the "bread" recipes did not work at all for my family. My first stumbling block came while trying to fix something for my children to put in their lunch box. After a few days of cut up veggies, fruits and lettuce wraps, their palates became bored. And each Wheat Belly bread recipe was failing miserably in the category of edibility for the whole family. So I compromised. I said to myself: I will buy "regular" bread and only use it for their lunches occasionally. This worked out quite admirably for quite some time. Then, I ran out of "Wheat Belly"recipes that my family would eat. That is when I decided to dig through my other cookbooks and do a little more research. The "Wheat Belly" basic premise boils down to eating foods with a lower glycemic index. By avoiding "Franken-wheat," you are also avoiding carbohydrates. In a brief flash of brilliance, (trust me, it was very brief and not that brilliant, actually) I figured out that I could use Weight Watchers and Atkins Diet as guidelines in conjunction with "The Wheat Belly Diet." That helped open up so many more options and so, so many more recipes. Yippee!!
So here is a list of some of the recipes that have made appearances at my table in the last couple of months: It's Chilly Chili Soup, Tacos in a Bowl, Creamy Ham Chowder, Simple Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Delicious (chicken with broccoli-chesse soup), Chicken Marseilles (chicken with leek soup), Cheeseburger in a Pot, Slow Cooker Lasagna, Mushroom Beef (mushroom/sour cream sauce for sliced steak or stew meat), Beef Burgundy, Slow Cooker Pork Roast, Hamburger Veggie Soup, Barbecue Roast Beef, Pork Chops with Dried Fruit and Onions, Pizza Soup, Asian Beef with Broccoli, Louisiana Style Shrimp, Asian Barbecue Skewers.
I made adjustments to the recipes when I needed less wheat, substituting rice for noodles, or just using a vegetable side instead of any wheat items. And the truly beautiful thing about the recipes that I listed.....they are all slow cooker recipes!!
In my kitchen, I have 4 slow cookers of varying sizes. Most of them are stowed away since I usually only need them during parties. But the largest one has earned its spot on my countertop. It is wonderful to put in the ingredients, set the timer and temperature and walk away knowing that your meal will be ready when it is time for supper.
So have I eradicated wheat from our table? No, it was not the best choice for my family. We still have whole wheat crackers, I buy whole wheat bread, and I will bake a conventional cake. Do we have less wheat than 6 months ago? Yes. Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased along with our consumption of proteins. Sometimes our main source of protein comes from dried beans that I use in bean soups and vegan chili.
Have I noticed a change in our health? Can't really answer that definitively since we still suffer from an occasional cold, allergies or upset stomach, which I believe is normal. But yes, I do believe we have a healthier constitution than we had before I became more proactive about our health and eating habits. Do my children eat junk food? Yes, they do have occasions, frequently, that we allow junk. Easter is an appropriate example. They had ample opportunity to over-indulge in all sorts of candy creations. Did they? Nope. They know that their bodies work better when you put real food, healthy food, into it. They collaborated on a plan that I was quite proud of: they asked that I put a few pieces of the Easter candy in their lunches each day. At this rate, they will still have Easter candy in their lunches when school is over in late May, but I think that was awesome for them to make a choice of moderation on their own.
Today, I am sitting down with 3-4 of my favorite cookbooks to make out our menu for the upcoming week. I will post my menu and pictures each day for your viewing pleasure.
Spring has sprung here in Southwest Mississippi and today's weather is beautiful. I wish I could embrace the day fully, but I have suffered with a nasty head cold for the last 4 days. I sent my children to church without me. I didn't want to spread germs to everyone else. I hope this week will be great for you and I hope you will check in with me again as I keep aiming for a better life.
