It appears an alcoholic kindergartner was put it charge of meal planning this week. Suffice to say, Week 2 of my 30-day Dairy Elimination Diet wasn't fabulous. There were multiple meals consisting solely of wine, sugar cravings were out of control and I was seriously grumpy about the whole thing.
Despite all that, I still feel much better than when I was eating dairy. Darn it! I'm thrilled that I have no digestive issues or heartburn, my energy level is a tad higher than last week, my headaches are gone and I'm not nearly as bloated as I have been recently. It's looking more and more like dairy is not something my body wants or can handle. I should be just ecstatic about feeling better, but the more reality sets in that I may need to make this a permeant change, the more frustrated I feel.
But, I didn't cheat.
Sure, I ate jelly beans for lunch. But, I didn't cheat.
Day #8 - Monday
Breakfast - Apple & Peanut Butter
Snack - Almonds
Lunch - Chicken Noodle Soup
Snack - Hummus & Baby Carrots
Dinner - 2 Glasses of Wine
The week started out well, but by dinner time it was all over. I had a long work day and the husband got home late. I didn't feel like cooking, so we had Pino Noir and it was delicious.
Day #9 - Tuesday
Breakfast - Apple & Pumpkin Butter
Lunch - Chicken Noodle Soup & Frozen Fruit Bar
Snack - Hummus & Crackers, Dried Apricots
Dinner - 1 Glass of Wine
I tried to recover from the day before. But, I did mention that it was good wine, right?
Day #10 - Wednesday
Breakfast - Banana & Peanut Butter
Lunch - Chicken Fried Rice
Snack - Baked Apple & Brown Sugar
Dinner - Hummus & Baby Carrots
My sugar cravings were screaming at me, so I resorted to sprinkling (well, coating or heaping is probably more accurate) a sliced apple in brown sugar and cinnamon and baking it. It was AMAZING! But, it didn't shut the sugar cravings down.
Day #11 - Thursday
Lunch - Soy Chi Latte from Starbucks
Snack - Jelly Beans
Dinner - Bacon Wrapped Scallops & Asparagus
I gave myself a post-dentist appointment treat and picked up a Chi Latte on the way to the grocery store. It was HEAVEN and made me less crazy at the hectic store. I firmly believe in letting your inner child out to play, but probably not in the form of a pound of jelly beans from the bulk aisle. That probably wasn't a good decision. The scallops, however, were an excellent idea. Look for this recipe coming soon.
Day #12 - Friday
Breakfast - Banana & Peanut Butter
Lunch - Jelly Beans
Dinner - Pasta, Marinara & Meatballs.
Day #13 - Saturday
Lunch - WonTon Soup & Chicken Chow Mien (Local Chinese Restaurant)
Dinner - Fried Green Bean & Sesame Chicken (PF Chang's)
This was the peak of my frustration with this experience as well as my first try dining out dairy-free. For lunch the husband and I choose a local Chinese restaurant because Asian food is generally dairy-free so it seemed easy. However, when I asked the server about a few different dishes he didn't know how they were prepared and wasn't able to suggest anything that would be dairy-free. So, we went with what seemed the safest. I ended up at PF Chang's with a friend after a long afternoon of shopping and it was a much easier experience. The server was very knowledgable about the menu, suggested dishes and offered to swap the sauce that came with my favorite fried green beans.
Day #14 - Sunday
Lunch - Chips & Salsa
Dinner - Leftover PF Chang's Sesame Chicken & Fried Green Beans
Sunday was a busy with several projects around the house interrupted by football. I just didn't break for food until it was time for game-time munchies.
My goal for Week 3 is to get back on track with actual meals. We'll see how it goes (spoiler alert - Day #15 isn't going well already.)
Check out my other dairy-free posts:
Week 1
Starting a 30-day dairy elimination diet
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