New Recipes and Ideas

I'm still on this restricted diet; it's been two months now! And I must say, it's gotten harder ...and easier.

Easier because it's more of a habit now. Harder because my mind keeps telling me "you've waited long enough! It's time to got back to regular food now!" while my body says, "no you haven't healed all the way yet."

I'm so ready to just be DONE. Really. truly. Can I gripe for a minute? Thank you. Some days I'm so SICK of self control. "Unhealthy" food isn't the biggest temptation. It's the other stuff. Like the bowl of rosy, crisp pink lady apples on the counter. And the crunchy, luscious granola everybody else has for breakfast. And the steamed peas, salted and buttered to perfection. And homemade bread, with cheese. And cheese. And...you know...granola. And chocolate. And granola. ...And cooked carrots, the sweet things. And molasses on my oatmeal! And cream cheese. And butter. Oh, butter is good. 

So I'm ready to be done. I wish my body would hurry up and heal. But even after all this is over, I'll definitely make some changes to my "regular diet." My system has become extremely sensitive to sweetness and carbs. Tonight, my sister made a DELICIOUS looking (and smelling!) three layered pumpkin-caramel-marshmellow-meringue pie. (Calories? 500+ per serving! But that's besides the point.) She's practicing for Thanksgiving - this is not a normal dessert in our house. :) :)

After everyone else was served, I licked the pie server (the utensil, not my sister!), and ran a spoon around the edge of the dish. (Yes, I've started allowing myself to cheat once in awhile, just to keep sane. But that's my "cheat;" licking the spoon, not eating a whole slice!)

As soon as I finishing licking, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't actually get sick, but I felt like it. Wow. So. Sweet. Overpowering.

So I guess that's a good side effect of this diet. No doubt I will be less able to handle sugar. That's a good thing.

I've also lost weight - in the double digits. That's kinda cool, although I'd better not lose too much more. I think I've leveled off. Haven't lost any more in a couple of weeks.

But I think my favorite part (other than the healing that's going on, of course!) is the new recipes I'm coming up with or finding. Seriously, I love, love, love kitchen challenges, and I love creating healthy dishes!

So far in this adventure, I've done the following... Oh - for those of you who missed my earlier post, these recipes have to be sugar-free, grain-free (aside from oats), dairy-free (aside from kefir), no oil except olive and coconut, no starchy veggies like corn and potatoes, no sweet potatoes, no sweet squashes like butternut, no fruit except berries and citrus, no distilled vinegars, no citrus acid, limited beef, no peanuts, no cashews, no cheese except tiny amounts of mozzarella, no peas, no carrots, no beets, and no coffee or cocoa. I did used to cheat early on in the game, with that last item. :)

So, with those limits to drive my creativity, I have:

- Made my own apple cider vinegar; raw, unpasteurized, with the "mother." SO good for you - and SO easy and cheap to make! Having vinegar I can eat also opens up a bunch of new recipe opportunities.
- Learned how to use dried beans to make gluten-free baked goods, like savory muffins and pizza crust. LOVE how cheap that is compared to "gluten-free" mixes in the store!!!!!
- Accidentally made an alcoholic beverage on our kitchen counter (but that's a looong story!)
- Made homemade mayo that was actually yummy! (sugar-free, of course)
-  Tried 1,001 ways to fix lentils. (Not really 1,001.) :) :)
- Made sausage out of lentils. (honest)
- Invented/Discovered fried oatmeal. (Seriously good!)
- Become a total convert to the benefits of oregano oil
- Soaked, sprouted, and toasted raw almonds from our almond tree
- Made sugar-free tomato sauce
- Cheated and watered down pumpkin puree into a delicious hot drink not unlike hot apple cider, with cinnamon and allspice.
- Sprouted, cooked, and eaten approx. 30 lbs. dried beans and lentils. :) Not kidding.
- Made hummus from chickpea sprouts and kefir. So yummy!
- Made subs using cucumbers as the loaf of bread.
- Made lasagna using zucchini sliced thinly instead of noodles. It was really good!
- Eaten about 24+ zucchini.

Upcoming ideas:
- Making Pumpkin-Seed butter (I miss my peanut butter!)
- Get my homemade sauerkraut to finish ripening so I can eat it!
- Try making other condiments, like ketchup (though what I'd eat it on, I don't know!)

I've also made pumpkin donuts, pasta dishes, apple danishes, helped with pumpkin pies, and various other goodies....but those weren't for me. :) I know I really love my family when I can bake for them and not eat it myself! Oh well. Good exercise in self-control.

So, tell me, would you be interested in some recipes? Tips for how to cut up a pumpkin and make pumpkin puree? How to use dried beans to make cheap gluten-free food? How to make apple cider vinegar? Are you interested in that sort of thing, or would these "healthy recipes" be boring?

And do you have any suggestions for how to keep one's self from going into hysterics at the smell of granola? My sister took one look at my red, teary face, my fluttering hands, and promptly pronounced me crazy. :)