Going Gluten-Free: Weeks 3 and 4

I finally finished my gluten-free month.  And while I have mostly kept gluten out of my diet, I've allowed a little in here and there. Honestly, I didn't notice anything dramatic, but overall I did feel pretty good.  But I think that was because I kept out most refined sugars and limited dairy as well.  Basically I plan to keep my diet as clean as possible, but not be super strict about it. 

March 3
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potato

Nourish bowls are our go-to for daily lunches.

March 4
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Leftovers

March 5
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Zuchini Lasagna from here

March 6
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Oatmeal

March 7
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Falafel burger with sweet potato fries from here

March 8
B: gluten-free banana bread
L: lentil patties, beet falafel, brown rice
D: tofu walnut burger with red rice

March 9
B: oatmeal
L: lentil patties, beet falafel, brown rice from here
D: Crock pot beef, sweet potato and mushroom stew

March 10
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Leftovers

March 11
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Oatmeal

March 12
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Crock pot chicken curry

March 13
B: protein shake
L: Nourish Bowl
D: Falafel

March 14
B: protein shake
L: oatmeal
D: chicken cashew curry and pomelo salad from here

March 15
B: hard boiled egg and gf banana bread
L: oatmeal
D: vegan biryani

March 16
B: hard boiled egg with oatmeal cranberry bar
L: beef burger on tomato salad
D: Spaghetti: gluten free quinoa/corn pasta with turkey sauce and quinoa oat flat bread

Going Gluten Free: Week 2

2/24
B: protein shake
L: nuts and dried fruit
D: Beef tenderloin, potatoes, red cabbage slaw, Paleo brownie

2/25
B: protein shake
L: nuts and dried fruit
D: Nourish Bowl

2/26
B: protein shake
L: nuts and dried fruit
D: Nourish Bowl

2/27
B: protein shake
L: Greek salad
D: cauliflower crust pizza and caesar salad

2/28
B: protein shake
L: green smoothie (spinach, walnuts, coconut milk, banana)
D: Bibimbap

3/1
B: protein shake
L: beet falafel with marinated tofu (from Salcedo market!)
D: gluten-free spaghetti with turkey sauce

3/2
B: protein shake
L: nuts and dried fruit
D: spaghetti leftovers

Maternity Leave in Numbers

Days: 86

Miles Ran: 31

Yoga Classes: 20

Massages: 6

New Recipes: 19

Closets Organized: 3

Pounds Lost: 20

Baby and Toddler Kisses: Lost Count

Going Gluten Free: Week 1

Breastfeeding gives me lots of iPhone research time. Recently I have been reading about the Paleo diet. I used to puke in my mouth a little when I read about it because of words like bone marrow, but I have been considering giving it a try. As a little prep, I have decided to go gluten-free for 30 days to see if I notice any improvement in my health or energy levels. Granted, I have been getting up every four hours to nurse and change Baby Genki, but I also have random pains, frequent tiredness, and occasional anxiety. Probably all normal, but wouldn't hurt to cut out processed foods, refined sugar, and gluten to see how I feel.

Here's what I had this week:

Feb 17
B: Vegetarian omelette, hash browns, coffee (duh, assume that for every day)
L: Protein shake*
D: Tofu red curry with brown rice, raw chocolate nib brownie

Feb 18
B: Protein Shake
L: Oatmeal with banana
D: Roasted portobello, roasted butternut squash, spinach salad with goat cheese and carrots

Feb 19
B: Protein Shake
L: Leftovers from dinner
S: Frozen yogurt with granola, strawberries, and coconut
D: Vegetarian chili with quinoa corn bread

Feb 20
B: Protein Shake
L: Leftovers from dinner
D: Julienne vegetable stir fry
S: apple paleo cookies  

Feb 21
B: Protein Shake
L: Leftovers from dinner
D: Spaghetti and herb flatbread
S: Vegan PB cookies

Feb 22
B: Paleo burger (what?!)--thank you Down to Earth Farms
L: Protein Shake (can't go a day without my witch's brew)
D: Vegetarian chili and quinoa corn bread (still had leftovers!)

Feb 23
B: Oatmeal with dried fruit
L: Protein Shake
D: Corn chips, salsa, hummus, and veggies (that's because I hosted a baby shower and couldn't eat the cupcakes)

*Witch's Brew: almond milk, banana, spinach, berries, tumeric, peanut butter, honey, Amazing Green

Easy Veggie Soup

It is never cold in Manila. Never. But when it rains I start getting that cozy soup feeling. I came across this recipe on my favorite food blog and it reminded me of all the times my best friend and I ate way too much unlimited soup and salad at Olive Garden. This can be made vegan with veggie stock, or chicken stock. It was simple to make and Toto loved it. Great way to get some veggies and protein (beans!) in her tummy. 

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...

I Knew That Nutritional Yeast Would Come in Handy

Back in July, to make up for "The Worst Birthday Dinner That Never Happened" (long story for another time), The Shark booked us a weekend at The Farm. Vegan food, yoga classes, fresh air. It was love at first sight.

Sight of a slight altercation between a goose and the child. No one was harmed.

One of Toto's favorite spots.

In fact, we loved the food so much we bought the cookbook. Lots of recipes call for cashew cheese, and while I was ready to pay an exorbitant price for it at Healthy Options, they didn't carry it. So, we made it ourselves. Surprisingly easy and delicious. Even The Shark, who grew up on a dairy farm, couldn't stop dipping. Granted, he said it tasted more like hummus than cheese, but the nutritional yeast and apple cider vinergar definitely gave it a cheezy tang. I used this recipe because it didn't call for probiotics (need to google that) or long hours fermenting, but maybe in the future we'll try making a more complicated recipe. For now, I was happy to soak cashews, then plop them in the food processor with apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and some water. (I normally use nutritional yeast as a yogurt mix-in and in smoothies - lots of folic acid and B vitamins!). And voila, a yummy vegan snack that we can use for tomorrow's vegan stuffed peppers.

Raw cashews from the Salcedo Market - P250 ($6)

Happy vegan snacking.