On My Way

I am starting to think that even though it is going to be a huge undertaking and I will have many set back (trying to use words that make less of a negative impact) and also times that I do good, I am ready to make some major changes to my diet.  I think it is time to start eliminating certain foods to see if they are things that I have a reaction to.  I know that I can't tell if I have a reaction unless I actually eliminate them, but I am ready.  My husband needs to follow a similar diet that I want to follow, only he doesn't need to be gluten/yeast free.  We will be pretty much be a vegan family.  He needs to cut out meat and I want to.  I need to cut out dairy and so does he.  The kids don't eat dairy. 
For dinner tonight, I made this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/chickpea-quinoa-pilaf-vegan-295639 and substituted amaranth for the quinoa.  It turned out pretty good.  It will certainly be in my dinner rotation and fits the diet that I want to be eating.  I really need to get my cookbooks/diet education books together so that I can prepare my meal plan based on the foods I should be eating.  I love my iPad.  I look up recipes, most often from blogs, and use the iPad as my own little cookbook.  I love it, but I also still love having actual books, not just the internet.  I may even start to put together binders so that I can keep hard copies of recipes from the internet, like the one above, so that if the recipe goes, I still have a copy.

Any vegan/gluten free/ yeast free websites, recipes, blogs are very much welcome.  I have a few favorite blogs that I visit and try recipes from, but would love any and all suggestions!  I will be certain to post what recipes I am trying and where they come from.  I am loving trying out new healthy recipes, I just need to maintain my health and my resolve!

Amy

Diet and Exercise and a Healthier Me

I have really been trying to follow what I believe in regarding my diet.  Have I been able to really follow it?  No, not really.  For some reason, I tend to give up rather easily on diets.  And by diets, I mean more like what am I eating vs a diet to lose weight.  By diets, I mean, life style.  At this point in my life, so close to forty (so scary to think it is only 2 years away), I am beginning to realize thta I don't need to diet, I need to change my eating habits for life!  I need to not make short term changes, but rather long term changes that are going to see me through the rest of my life and keep me as healthy as I can be.  I need to get back to eating mroe vegetarian/vegan.  I really need to give up dairy!  Every time I eat it, I tend too eat way to much way too often.  Then, I start getting digestive issues and I end up not feeling extremely comfortable.  What I really need to do is follow through with the elimination diet so that I can really figure out what my triggers are and stop eating them.  I have a feeling that I have food intolerances not food allergies.  Why this is hard for me is, I don't always get sick right away.  Sometimes it takes a few days for me to feel the effect.  By that tiemI have eaten more because pretty much everything that I have an issue with are things that I love to eat.  As difficult as it is, I will get to a point where I am only eating what I really should be eating, not eating things that I love to eat that make me feel sick.  I hope that I will also end up really enjoying the way I eat since I will be feeling healthier.

As for exercise, my goal is to run a 5K by the summer.  I started the couch to 5K last week and am on week 2 day 2 next.  I ended up skipping week 1 day 3 by accident, but felt good at the week 2 day 1 pioint so I am just going to move forward.  I was hoping to run today since it was marathon Monday, but alas, I don't think I will make it.  I am at work til 7:30 and then I have to put the kids to bed.  I may try to go out after, but I'm not sure that my husband would like me running that late by myself..  There's nothing worong with waiting til tomorrow or even the next day since tomorrow we have a few doctor appointments with the kids.  I am going to finish the C2 5K this time and I will run a 5K.  My goal has always been to run.  I remember in junior high school my gym teacher mentioned that I should run cross country.  I was too afraid to try out and ended up in the marching band.  I was still exercising, but I so wish it had been running.  Now here's my chance to run and do it on my terms.

Even though I keep writing about getting my diet right one day, I really will start eating the way that I want to.  Unfortunately, I may just need to keep writing about my failures or set backs as my husband calls them, until I actually meet my goals.  At least I know what my goals are, now I just need to follow through.

Amy

Who Am I? Food/Diet Related

To continue with the "Who Am I?" theme, I decided to write a little about my diet/foods I like to eat and foods that I should eat versus foods that I shouldn't eat.  I've written a lot about wanting to eat a more vegan diet.  There are many reasons for this some of which include but are not limited to: health, food intolerances, and animal cruelty.  I have been eating a lot of beans lately, not to say that I haven't had my share of junk food and I wondered if I had a big juicy steak, would I still want to eat beans?  This weekend, my husband decided that he would like to have a piece of steak.  We also thought that maybe the kids needed to have a bit of meat protein.  So, Saturday we went to a large butcher store.  I would much rather have eaten a more healthy version of steak, but this is what we can afford right now.  We went home and cooked it and it was pretty much cooked perfect.  I was good, but I definitely didn't get that "OH MY GOD" feeling when I ate it.  For me, that is a good thing.  I was a little afraid that if I ate a good piece of steak, I would be done for.  I have had a ham in my freezer that one of the neighborhood ladies gave to us.  I wanted to use it before it went bad because I forgot about it so I threw it in the crock pot today and I timed it so it would be ready for me to take to work.  I have absolutely no desire to eat it.  I actually took left over beans and butternut squash casserole type dish to work for dinner.  I have had a huge cheese and bread craving though.  I am working my way through eating a more healthy diet and in the process I am hoping to lose a few pounds.  I did make vegan cupcakes, so healthier, but still junk food.  I am going to eat some baked brie and crackers.  I am resolved to get my eating under control and hopefully, I can do the whole gluten-free, dairy-free, wheat-free diet.  I am also trying to cut out sugar, especially refined sugars.  The cupcakes that I made today are so not refined sugar free, but I can't waste food and I stupidly bought white sugar and white flour over the holidays for holiday baking.  Small steps right?  I will get there, it just may take me a few wrong turns and a few twists in the road, but my diet will ultimately be the way I want it to be!

Amy