2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 13

Finally back at it after the wedding...

Crock pot clam chowder (sans potatoes and flour)

Velveeta Rotel Main Dish 

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 4

This week (week 4):
Moose: Crustless Spinach Quiche with Turkey Sausage - $22.07, 10 servings at ?? each

Dri: Bacon Explosion with Cauliflower - $26.34, 10 servings at 385 calories each

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 3

This week (week 3)
Moose - Chicken Stir Fry - 10 servings for ~$20, 250 calories each

Dri - Comforting Ground Beef and Cabbage Casserole 10 servings for ~$18, 450 calories each

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 2

Last week (Week 1):
Moose- Shepherds pie (10 servings at 369 calories a piece) = $25.71
Dri- Spicy chicken and spinach casserole (10 servings at 418 calories a piece) = $23.10

Ran into some issues last week.  Something in the shepherd's pie made me sick all week, had to make Moose give me his spicy spinach casserole.  Oh well.  Hopefully this week is better.

This week (Week 2):
Moose- Grilled chicken breast with asparagus and Parmesan cream sauce (10 servings at 525 calories a piece) : $29.01
Dri - Mushroom and Goat Cheese Meatloaf (10 servings at 511 calories a piece) = $32.71

Up a bit on calories, up a bit on cost, but still about on track.  We should try to aim for 400 calories, but this week, we ended up a little higher.  Still pretty good, though!

We still ended up spending about $125 at the store total.  We did buy some other things like toothpaste, etc at the store this week, so hopefully we can still get the bill down as we get used to this new eating plan.

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 1

Moose and I have decided to diet before our wedding in February.  In addition, we've decided to attempt to keep to a real budget.  Turns out we spend a lot of money on food.  Like a lot.  We buy full groceries, eat out a ton, and end up throwing leftovers and unused food away.  We had some success last year with a diet that involved making casseroles and portioning them out.  So, combine the two and you've got the bulk-food body and wallet diet.  Goal is to make two meals with 8-10 portions each on Sundays, keeping the week's food cost around $50-75 at the grocery store.  We're still going to do our traditional Monday night dinner with friends, but hopefully we can make enough to eat lunches and dinners through Friday, and perhaps Saturday.

Goals (listed cleanly):
1.  Go grocery shopping Sunday.  Buy only what is needed for the week and keep it to $50-$75
2.  Sunday afternoons, make two meals with 8-10 portions of each, making enough for lunches and dinners through at least Friday.
3.  Lose weight.
4.  Save money.


Week 1 recipes

Low Carb Shepherds Pie

Low Carb Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

123 Gluten Free

O. M. G.

123 Gluten Free products on Amazon

Food and Diet

I've made a lot of changes in how I eat over the last year.  I think all of them make me feel a lot better, a lot healthier, and just less sick in general.  Turns out finding out about all of the things that have been making your sick does a lot for your physical well being.  It sucks, but it's worth it.

But... I'm left with very few "vice" or "comfort" foods.  I turn to eating excessive amounts of Old Dutch potato chips and ice cream.  These things are fine in moderation, but once I have a taste, I want the whole bag/pint/etc.

The best I have ever felt would have to be when I was following an extremely low carb diet.  I would love to get back to that.  Bonus: I could lose that last 15-20 pounds I have hanging around before I'm back in the "normal' BMI range.

Using the keto calculator, I can determine what sort of calories, protein, fats, and carbs I should be following.  It gives me the information below (for a 6.5lb loss per month).  Also, I really just like the round numbers.

1400	kcal Net Calories Consumed
25	g Carbohydrates (7%)
100	g Protein (29%)
100	g Fat (64%)

I'll eventually need to tweak this, but I think these are good guidelines for me to follow. 

I may still splurge a bit over the holidays, but it's hard when you can't eat flour, corn starch, or soy...  I might be able to have some treats if I make them myself, but I'm not hopeful.  I did find an awesome recipe I could make keto-friendly.  Maybe I'll try it for the christmas party.  Substitute sugar for sugar-free sweetener, sub cool whip for heavy cream, use dark chocolate/unsweetened cocoa for the chocolate. I think it has great potential!  Heck, I might even make it with normal sugar if I feel up to it.  It only has 1/3 cup as it is... that may or may not be taking into account the sugar from the cool whip, though.  WORTH A SHOT!

Crock Pot Indian Cuisine

Gotta try this!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html

Nightshade

So, I was told at the allergy doctor that I am allergic to tomatoes.  Generally, a tomato allergy is a nightshade allergy.  Generally, this type of allergy causes joint pain, inflammation, and/or stomach discomfort.  I've been valiantly avoiding tomatoes since I got the results, but apparently I should also be avoiding:

• eggplant
• potatoes
• bell peppers
• spicy peppers
• cayenne
• paprika
• pimentos
• tomatillos

I haven't had bell peppers or anything for a while, but I have been eating potatoes and bell peppers and spicy things rather heavily.  I can't really be sure if these things are affecting me or not, but it probably can't hurt to cut them out for a while as well.  I know I had a really bad reaction to a meal a while ago that involved a baked potato, possibly undercooked. I should really be avoiding potatoes all together.

Not sure I can live without potato chips - might have to eat lots of pork rinds again.

Alfredo Sauce

Since I can't eat tomatoes or canned alfredo sauce anymore, I need to get good at making alfredo sauce.  Here's an easy recipe I found that I want to try.

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/2 pound of butter
• tablespoon of granulated garlic, or really finely minced fresh stuff
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese (buy it whole, grate it yourself!)
• 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsely

Simmer the heavy cream and butter on low heat.
Add garlic and pepper and keep whisking throughout remainder of ingredients
Add 2 cups of grated parmesan, a little at a time, remembering to whisk/stir throughout
Top with parsley.

Why a low-carb diet is perfect for me

I've been struggling with serious digestive issues for about three years. (If you asked my mother, she'd say I've been fighting with them my entire life: stomach aches, heart burn, etc.) At the age of 23, I had a colonoscopy and upper GI. They diagnosed me with lymphocytic colitis, told me I did not have celiac, gave me a prescription for steroids and sent me on my way. (I had previously been trying a gluten free diet, which seemed to work, but they said it wasn't the issue.) The steroids made my life a living hell for a few weeks (I assume this was some sort of allergic reaction) and I gave up. I fought with stomach aches off and on for another year, before trying a low carb diet with Moose in May. I felt great. It was during a planned cheat weekend that I realized gluten really is the culprit here, and have been pursuing a completely gluten free diet since then. In addition to gluten intolerance, I also have mild allergic reactions to most fruit (tree fruits) and raw nuts.

Considering that I cannot eat fruit and grain, a low carb diet is perfect for me. What am I really giving up that I haven't already? Rice. Potatoes. Sugar. Things that you probably shouldn't be eating on a normal diet anyway. I feel so much better not eating gluten. My awful acne has mostly cleared up. I have more energy. I don't have constant stomach aches. I am not constantly hungry. Plus, I have lost about 25 pounds doing this low carb diet, which is about 10 pounds shy of the weight I gained when I started having these stomach issues. One thing is for sure, I need to make this a permanent thing. Even if my gluten intolerance hasn't been diagnosed, it doesn't matter. This is how I want to feel.

(blah blah blah)

Blue Cheese

For some reason, I've been eating a lot of blue cheese lately. I've been craving it. Blue cheese used to be a rarity for me.

I think I've found a new favorite food:



Found these at Sams Club last night. Didn't realize they existed. They are a smooth creamy cheese with just the right amount of blue cheese taste. Yum yum.

Chocolate cake made out of beans?

Apparently, there is a way to make a gluten-free chocolate cake out of black beans. I need to try this. I don't know if I can wait til my birthday to try it!

Here's the link.

For Moose's birthday, I made a cake out of ground pecans. It turned out pretty good. Other than the fact that I accidentally added red food coloring thinking it was vanilla extract. Oh well. Red cake.

Muffins in a Minute

OH MY GOD THESE ARE DELICIOUS. I think Muffins in a Minute are darned near the best thing ever.

These are gluten free. These are low carb. These are incredibly fast. These are easy. These are delicious. The possibilities are limitless.

Screw buying gluten free bread. These come out hot and fresh and you can make them whenever you want them.

This morning I made one with cinnamon and vanilla in it. Tasted amazing. This is a great, quick breakfast that I can get used to.

Now I need to figure out a way to save the other half of it for lunch!

Fortune Cookie

"Embrace change, don't battle it."

The best study food found at Wally's

I go to Wally's often. I sometimes buy pop. I sometimes buy delicious puffcorn.

Today I bought these.



Now I know when I need something sweet, I will spend a whopping $4.69 on these bad boys. They're like shortbread cookies with coconut cream in the middle.

Mmm.

What was I supposed to be studying again? Cookies, right?