It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times!

Last time I wrote, I told you about the 3 week vegetarian eating plan I was embarking upon. Today marks day 22...and finally I am back to a regular diet. I'm not gonna lie, it was tough. Especially when confronted with BBQ ribs and chicken, pizza and food from cookout. But I made it without cheating once, and it was well worth it!

Physically, I am very pleased. I've lost 7 lbs in 21 days and I feel cleansed and healthy. Our bodies long to eat food that is unprocessed, in the form God gave it to us.

I've discovered a new appreciation for beans, vegetarian chili, canned diced tomatoes and home made, pan-fried polenta. I've also discovered that I need to find an effective remedy for gas.

I've realized that my high sugar intake had made me tolerant of the taste of overly sweet things. After being on sugar detox for 3 weeks I notice a huge difference. I am going to continue to try to keep my sugar consumption to a minimum.

I can drink and enjoy black coffee.

A Few Food Ideas

I mentioned in my previous post that I've chosen to go on a very restricted diet for a few weeks in order to purge my body of all the junk I put into it over the Holidays. I'm trying to get the New Year off to a good start. Basically, I've eliminated meat, dairy, sugars and all processed foods & chemicals. I'll admit, the first few days were tough! But, after getting through detox shock, I'm really adapting well. I feel good. The hardest part was figuring out what I can actually eat. But, I've found a few easy and good things that work well for this eating plan. If this is something you're interested in doing, here are a few recipes & meal ideas, which also work for the "Daniel Fast":

Breakfast:

• Soy Milk (check the label...no sugar)
• Grape Nuts Cereal
• Post Shredded Wheat (Original or Spoon Size)
• Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs Cereal
• Protien Shake made with soy milk and powdered soy protien.

Lunch & Dinner:

• Organic or Homemade vegetable soup (make sure the base ingredient is vegetable broth, not beef or chicken-recipe below)
• Plain or lightly salted rice cakes w/Smuckers All-Natural Peanut Butter and Polaner All-Fruit Spread
• Celery sticks with all-natural peanut butter
• Salad w/ Olive Oil and Lemon Juice
• Home-made polenta (recipe below) topped with all natural or homemade spaghetti sauce or salsa (again, beware of sugar or preservatives in the ingredients
• 100% Whole Grain Pasta w/ all-natural tomato sauce
• White beans w/ crushed tomatoes

Recipes: There are many more out there, just Google "Daniel Fast Recipes". Here's a link to one great resource I found: http://www.therockofwilmington.com/downloads/rockdanielfast.pdf

Angela's veggie soup
1 28oz. can diced or crushed tomatos

1 6oz. can tomato paste

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can (drained)of corn, green beans, potatoes, english peas, carrots

salt and pepper to taste

2 medium onions diced

1 tsp garlic

4-5 bay leaves

Add water to cover items cook in slow cooker for 3-4 hrs or on stove top. Could also add mushrooms or other veggies you enjoy-just be creative.

Hot Water Cornbread (or Fried Polenta)

2 c. Cornmeal (yellow or white)

Kosher Salt

Pour cornmeal in 2 cups of boiling water. This produces a firm mound of dough. Set the dough aside and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes.

After the dough is cool, pinch off a piece of dough and pat into small round cakes. You may either fry the cakes immediately or refrigerate on wax paper for later cooking.

Pan fry in 3-4 Tbsp of Olive Oil (not extra virgin) until cornbread has a crisp crust on the outside, yet is soft on the inside. Sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Serve warm--great with tomato sauce or salsa.

White Beans and Veggies

1 Can Organic Tomato Soup

1 Can White Beans

1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (Frozen)

Add your favorite spices and heat everything in a pan until vegetables are at a consistancy you like (5-10 minutes).

Holiday Success

I saw Fuzz yesterday for a check up and a fill. I'm finally back to the fill level I was at before my Italy trip unfill. I needed it, because I was eating waaaayyy too much, and alot of the wrong foods. But, here's the great news...I made it through a 10-day trip to Italy, Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a less than perfect fill-level and LOST 1/2 pound! God is good!

I'm back on track now. This past Monday, I started a very restricted three-week diet (no meat, dairy, sugars or processed foods of any kind--basically vegetables and whole grains only) in order to purge my body of all the junk I've been putting in it for the past few months. And, I'm feeling really good about that. Anytime I've been on a diet in the past and gotten off track, I've gained a bunch of weight and then, a year or two later would go on another diet and repeat the same thing all over again. Ahhhh....the world of yo-yo dieting, I know it all too well. With the band, I feel empowered and equipped to stick with it, even if I slip up from time to time. Actually, it was nice to enjoy the Holidays and eating, knowing that I wasn't ruining the progress that I've made.

Yes, I'm still loving my band. Even though I've had a couple of small bumps in the road ( a flipped port that had to be surgically repositioned and then an infection at the incision site), I have no regrets whatsoever.

Please pray for a good friend of mine who is having her band surgery on February 3rd. I'm excited for her and I hope that the procedure is as successful for her as it has been for me.