Eat grain free? Why would anyone do that!

Hello! It was a lovely stay at home and get work done kind of day. I started out with a morning four mile run then did some lifting, and followed up with a good stretching session – I’ve been so sore the last couple of days! I felt so good afterwords! Isn’t it amazing how a good workout can change your whole perspective on the day…and life? That’s how my workout was this morning. I’m also happy to report that now at the end of the day I feel very little soreness.

After working around the house and doing a bit of writing I experiment with a new recipe for dinner. I don’t know if you guys have noticed or not but most of the recipes and food stuff I post on this blog are grain free. Why? Am I a grain hater? Heck no! I’m actually the opposite which is why what I’m about to tell you is so sad 😦  (Just an fyi, I’m about to be a bit TMI but what the hey, maybe someone else out there might find this useful.) Anyway, I have been struggling with IBS-C for the last year. It was so bad that I often missed work and couldn’t function like a normal human being. No doctor seemed to have any answers or solutions so, as usual with my health, I started looking for my own solutions. I won’t get into the details but we’ll just say I tried a lot of stuff to no lasting effect….until NOW! Drum roll please!

I decided to go grain free a couple weeks ago after reading a few articles (here’s one) over at Whole Health Source about the effects of gluten on people’s health. Well, knowing that I had a number of digestive problems I decided I’d give the grain free diet a try. Can I say that I’ve had almost a COMPLETE reversal of my symptoms?!?! You heard me right! No more IBS symptoms! If you suffer from IBS you know what I’m talking about and why I’m so happy.  Now that doesn’t mean I’m still not tweaking things here and there, but my life has improved amazingly in the last month since I cut out grains. I will keep you guys informed as I find out what works!

*clears throat*

The point is….heck…here’s what I had for dinner:

Grain-free Chicken Parmesan!

Looks good, right? Yes…but it needs something…..

Better! A little green is all it needed!

We had this yummy thing for dinner along with a fresh garden salad. This was one of the easiest meals I’ve made in a while.

Now I’m off to do a bit of reading and then early to bed because I have an eight mile run planned for the morning! Then off to my favorite restaurant for breakfast with the hubby!  😉

What are your plans for this holiday weekend?
Have you made any big changes to your diet or health lately? How is it working out?

what I had for dinner: beef stew on a rainy day!

In honor of the rain outside today…..

I made beef stew!

Every time I make stew it’s a little bit different. I tend to throw whatever veggies I have in the frig into the pot. This is a great way to use up “stuff” that looks to be on its way to turning bad.

This seriously took less than a half hour to throw together. And then about an hour until it is ready to eat. I always kinda dread making soup because it seems like such a hard thing to do! And after I’m done throwing everything in the pot I always REremember how easy stew is!

Recipe:
1 lb. stew meat (I brown it in a skillet with coconut oil)
2 boxes of beef broth (I use Imagine’s Organic Beef Flavored Broth)
2 potatoes
2-3 carrots
2-3 cups green beans
2 cups cauliflower
1 cup green onion
1 cup leek (this was a new addition, I liked!)
salt, pepper
fresh thyme (I put a lot!)
fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic
splash of wine (if you have it)
splash of Worcestershire sauce

Pretty much the basic idea is: throw in some meat, veggies and seasoning, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a good meal!

Dessert was…..

and…..

Yeah, I had already eaten like three of them….so. good!

no noodle spaghetti!

Not that I have anything against noodles, but I try to sneak in as many veggies as I can. One yummy way I’ve found to do this is to make spaghetti with spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Guess what, it’s SO GOOD!

Here was dinner tonight….

Try, try, try this! You won’t be disappointed I can promise you!

dinner idea: browse the deli!

I often stop by the food deli at my local coop for ideas when I’m trying to figure out something to eat for dinner. The green beans in the picture below happen to be the result of last night’s deli browsing! I steamed the beans and then drizzled a bit of tahini, olive oil and tamari, then mixed with my fingers. For the finishing touch I sprinkled sesame seeds, yum! This was a winner! I love beans but lately I just haven’t had the heart to eat them as I usually just steam them and add butter, this added some variety to one of my favorite veggies!

Dinner. Simple.

Dry salami, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Yum!