Day 3

Energy

The first thing I have noticed since cutting wheat three days ago, is the increase in energy! I used to wake up groggy and it would take an hour before I crawled out of bed. This morning I woke up practically jumping out of bed feeling super rested and full of energy! It is incredible! 

I am willing to believe that thinking my diet changes will make me feel better might have some part in the burst of energy I have been having, however, I have better proof of the positive impact it has been having in my life. When I first decided to remove wheat from my diet, I was hoping that it would improve my stomach problems since I have suffered with chronic constipation. After only three days I am already noticing an amazing difference! I no longer feel constipated and have been visiting the throne a few times a day. I know this might be TMI but I feel like it is a confirmation of how wheat was negatively affecting my life.

Food Choices

Finding wheat free foods has not been as difficult as I first imagined it would be. Yesterday I ate the same blueberry pancakes for breakfast and had a sandwich with homemade flax seed bread. I will post more about the bread below. Dinner was a bit difficult since we went to a Mexican restaurant in my area. I love their tortillas and I had to use all of my willpower to not eat any. Also, it was nearly impossible to keep my hands off of the tortilla chips that they serve while you wait for your food especially since I was starving!  The bright side of not eating any chips was that, for the first time while eating at a Mexican restaurant, I was still hungry when my food arrived. I had their wonderful Ceviche and I snuck fajita chicken from someone else's plate. In the end I felt very proud of myself for not having any wheat.

Today I started with the blueberry pancakes. I need to look for other breakfast options but I love the pancakes so much I don't feel very rushed to do so. I have been including Nutriblasts during snack time a few hours before lunch and a few hours before dinner. I will usually include spinach and different fruits in them with coconut water. Sometimes I do almond milk and fruits for a healthy smoothie. For lunch I had a Kirby Salad from Beck's Prime and it was delicious! Dinner consisted of steak and some more salad. I also tried out a few wheat free desserts that I will be including on my next post! I don't want to get too into it now but I will say that they came out so tasty that someone suggested I should start my own wheat free bakery!

Flax Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups flax seed meal

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener

• 5 beaten eggs

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/3 cup oil (Iused grapeseed oil)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Mix dry ingredients.

2) Add wet to dry, and mix.

3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.

4) Pour batter onto pan. Spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan.

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want.

So I'm not sure that I got this recipe just right. The bread was a bit salty and I actually think I mistakenly used baking soda instead of baking powder... ops. It came out with a cornbread consistency and it looked darker than the picture from the website I found it on.  

I am going to try it again with a few tweaks because I do think this recipe has potential. I bought some golden flax seed meal to use instead of the dark one that  had. I will let you know how it comes out and I will take picture next time. 

The recipe and image are from Low Carb Diets

First Day

Today was my first day going wheat free! I discovered a delicious breakfast recipe on Pinterest that was easy and only took about five minutes to prepare and five minutes to cook.

Blueberry Banana Pancakes 

Ingredients:

• Blueberries
• 1 large egg
• 1 banana

-Peel and slice and mash the banana

- Add egg

-Mix until fully combined

Pour 1/4 cup per pancake.

Add a few blueberries.

Spray a skillet and cook them just like you would a normal pancake. Be gentle because it can break apart. 

Recipe and pictures from the Undressed Skeleton

These do not taste like normal pancakes, however, they are a great substitute! The whole recipe is only 200 calories which is a bonus. The whole house smelled delicious as I cooked them!

My lunch was not very exciting... I had chicken fried rice. I'm not even sure it is totally wheat free but it was very greasy and did not leave me feeling very well. 

Dinner however was amazing!

Not exactly low in calories but I came up with this eggplant concoction. I guess I will call it Eggplant Casserole. 

Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 Large Eggplant
• Sausage
• Tomato Paste
• Ricotta Cheese 
• Goat Cheese 
• Feta Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Cube the sausage and cook it in a skillet.

- Add tomato paste into sausage and mix it.

- Cube the eggplant and place it in a casserole dish.

- Add the sausage with tomato paste and mix it with the cubed eggplant.

- Layer the ricotta cheese on top of the eggplant mixture. Just add enough to cover it all

- Sprinkle the goat and feta cheese on top of the ricotta. 

- Bake for about 35 minutes or until the eggplant is nice and soft. 

Serves about 4

My family LOVED this dish! Everyone was raving about it. The flavors work really nicely together. This will definitely be a repeat dinner!

I feel like my first day wheat free went very well! I still have a ways to go as far as balancing my diet but I went to the grocery store today and was still able to come home with a trunk-full of wheat free foods. I am now in the search of alternative flours such as almond and coconut flour. I was not able to find it at my local grocery stores and am still on the hunt. I found some on amazon and was quite surprised at the price! I plan on going to Whole Foods tomorrow to see if I can find a better option.

I'll keep you posted!

-J

Deciding to eliminate wheat

I have recently been researching different ways to change my eating habits. My concerns are not only weight loss, but I also a relief for my constant stomach problems like bloating, heartburn, and constipation. After going through many different diet options I have decided to eliminate wheat from my diet to see if that helps with my stomach problems as well as experience some weight loss. I will not only be eliminating wheat from my diet but I will also be trying out healthier food choices.

Join me on my journey for healthier wheat free living!