Elimination Diet Week 3

This week the sadness of not being able to eat out hit hard, and prompted us to plot out the rest of our diet on a calendar so we know when we can officially look forward to being done. March 16th, just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

We tested tomatoes and potatoes this week. Tomatoes seemed to give me a bit of a stomach ache but nothing major, Sean has not been feeling great during the potato phase. Today we're starting peppers and I can already tell it's not going to go very well for me.

One thing I have been loving about this diet is the new foods it is forcing us to cook. This week we made homemade tomato soup for the first time and loved it. I'm sure we'll make it in the future, along with nori rolls, stuffed squash, and some of the other great soup and curry recipes we have been using for the diet.

I've realized that we weren't eating so badly before we started. When we actually cooked at home, most of the recipes were heavy on vegetables, beans, and whole grains. However, it's very easy to go out to eat, order in, or eat food that isn't great for you just because it's there (ahem, candy drawer at work, I'm looking at you). I'm hopeful that after 6 weeks of NOT eating out, the habit of cooking most meals at home will stick.

This week after peppers, we are adding beans and all nuts other than peanuts. I'm very excited to make some of my favorite chickpea recipes, and to pull the walnuts and almonds to the front of the cupboard.

In non-food related news, Downton Abbey! Great show, you should watch it. The episodes are available on PBS.org. Do it. Now.

Week 2 Update

Brown rice nori rolls

The second week of the Elimination Diet was an interesting experiment in some good meals and some pretty bad ones. We added lemon, lime, and tamari.

Monday night we made a delicious kale salad with a lemon/garlic dressing. Unfortunately the next day at lunch I felt like I was eating grass.

Tuesday night was a really good lentil soup that made a big pot, big enough for our dinner guest, Sean's Dad, and two lunches the next day.

Wednesday night things went very badly with a rice salad and too many scallions that left a horrible taste in your mouth.

Thursday night we created a bok choy, napa cabbage, carrots, and onion stir fry. It was ok, but when you're used to spicy peanut sauces, it's hard to get excited about a little lime juice and tamari.

Friday night we made an interesting dish with kale and coconut and discovered that the new kind of quinoa we bought tasted horrible.

Stuffed acorn squash, fabulous!

This weekend we made our own sushi filled with avocado, cucumber and other fresh veggies. It was delicious and not at all as difficult as you'd imagine. Definitely something we will do again! We also discovered fried sweet potato breakfast "hash" with some cooked beans and collard greens, and tonight are making a lentil/sweet potato Shepard's pie while we watch the Superbowl on our computers and avoid drinking the one beer that is left in our fridge.

I've noticed this week that I have been in an overall better mood and am not feeling as stressed about various situations. Sean and I have been nicer to each other. However, we are both sick of cooking every single meal.

This week we are adding tomatoes, peppers, and then potatoes. These are the foods I am expecting to be sensitive to, so in few days I'll know for sure!

Elimination Diet Week 1

Sean and I successfully made it through the two day smoothie fast and our first week of the elimination diet. It was actually not as difficult as anticipated and we have both been surprisingly caffeine headache free!

Here's what we made this week:

Brown rice and veggie stir fry with broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and carrots

Baked sweet potatoes with avocado topping

Quinoa cabbage soup Yum

Coconut beans and rice with adzuki beans (our first time cooking this type of bean since no typical starchy beans are allowed)

Kale with carmelized onions and quinoa (this was also great, but took way longer to cook than the recipe says)

Coconut lentil soup


Breakfast has been a big challenge but we happily discovered that we don't hate quinoa and it tastes especially great topped with apple slices that have been sauteed in maple syrup and cinnamon.

I have noticed that I am sleeping better. I also haven't been getting dizzy/angry/sick feeling if I don't eat every two hours. That's a pleasant change! Sean has not felt as great and we're both missing the refined sugars and carbs that we usually eat.

Starting Monday we are adding lemons, limes, and tamari (gluten free soy sauce). This won't be a huge change but will make for a much tastier stir fry.

The Elimination Diet

This weekend Sean and I will be beginning an elimination diet. This isn't a diet in the common use of the word, as in, a way to lose weight. Instead it's a way to de-tox and test for food sensitivities. You can read more about it here. I was inspired by my sister's use of this diet and Sean is just along for the ride.

Unlike many people with food sensitivities, I don't suffer from horrible stomach aches on a daily basis. But I do have seemingly endless congestion that has been going on for the past two years, which I've heard can be connected to food. I'm interested to see if this is the case for me and what foods might be causing it. I'm also interested to see if I might sleep better and have more energy while cutting out processed foods.

Of course, I am nervous about sticking to such a strict diet in a city where any food I want is practically always available for delivery. Through not being able to eat out, we'll likely save money, but what I really hope to get out of this is a better understanding of what is in the food I'm eating on a daily basis. After the 6-8 weeks are up, I'm sure that Sean and I will not continue to eat this way, but I do hope that we can take some of the new foods and recipes we gain and keep them in our repertoire for a more diverse and healthy diet.

I've spent the last few weeks trying to prepare for limited meal options with extensive menu planning. I already have the first two weeks mapped out. (Thanks to my sister, Miriam, for all your help with recipes!) I want to make sure we have enough variety so we don't get bored, and enough healthy snacks around so we don't get hungry. Both Sean and I rely heavily on yogurt and snack bars each day, so swapping for fresh fruit and veggies and other approved items will definitely be a challenge. But I think with careful shopping and prepping ahead of time, we will be able to do it.

The last big challenge....no caffeine. I love coffee. I don't mind being addicted to coffee at all and I have no intention of giving up caffeine. But for the sake of the diet's success I'm giving it a try for the next 6-8 weeks. In the grand scheme of life, this is not that long. Last week I made sure to only have one cup of coffee a day and this week I'm only drinking one cup of tea. I already miss coffee.

You're also supposed to give up alcohol. Well...dry red wine doesn't have added sugar, right?

Winter Weather

I'm not one to complain about a high of 59 degrees on January 7th, but it is messing with my perception of what "winter" means.

Nothing like the smell of spring in the air to lull you into a false sense of hope that January/February/March aren't actually happening this year.

New Year

We rang in the new year at our favorite Astoria bar, Sweet Afton. Delicious drinks, fried pickles, and friends. It was a fabulous way to end 2011. It's not often that I'm actually happy to see a year end, but I definitely was last night. Here's hoping that 2012 is filled with more peace, happiness and joy than 2011.

Christmas in Michigan

Looks like we only broke out the camera to capture Jack in action. Typical. Jack wasn't so sure about opening presents but he did love his new rocking horse (which Ryan proceeded to get stuck in) and bike trailer. He also enjoyed being stuffed into his stocking.

Nicole and Stephanie came out to Detroit for lunch which was a great way to end our very short trip to Michigan.