And I've discovered that plain, whole foods can taste really good! I eat lots more veggies now, and more whole grains like brown rice. I also try to eat more lean protein, although chicken is starting to get really boring.
Today I ate an egg for breakfast, along with some diced red potatoes sauteed in unsalted butter, basil and a pinch of sea salt.
They're so, so good! I do have to try to limit the starchy potatoes, though. So, for lunch I ate a half of a boneless chicken breast, quinoa, broccoli and cucumbers.
I have recently discovered how good rice cakes are. Yum! There are plenty of flavored cakes available, but I really like the plain old ones. I eat a lot of rice cakes between meals these days.... For dinner, we shared a piece of cod, fried in unsalted butter with a little bit of basil. We had some leftover quinoa, and steamed blended broccoli and cauliflower. To be honest, I've had more than my fair share of broccoli these days; luckily, it's really, really healthy.
Since I started my healthier diet, I've noticed a lot of improvements in my health (besides my bladder problems, which is the main reason for the dietary restrictions). A huge difference I have seen is in my hypoglycemia. I used to get weak, sweaty and shaky on a daily basis if I didn't have a mid-morning snack at work and another right after work. It would all of a sudden hit me with no warning, and I'd end up binging on chocolate, chips--anything I could grab quickly.
Now, I never ever have a drop in blood sugar. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and sometimes a snack during the day. But if I don't get a snack, I'm totally fine. I do get hungry still, but I can still function just as well.
Homemade frozen yogurt
Today, I decided to make my own frozen yogurt as an alternative to ice cream (which I really miss at times!). I mixed a cup of plain Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries, which I thawed in the microwave for a few seconds until the juices ran out.
I covered the yogurt with plastic wrap and placed it in the freezer. My big mistake was to let it freeze all day. It was solid as a rock when I took it out this evening!
I ended up microwaving it for about 10 seconds so I could eat it tonight, but next time I'll try freezing it for about a half hour before I'm ready to eat it.
Because I used unsweetened yogurt, it's nothing like eating ice cream. If you don't like the taste of plain yogurt, I would either choose vanilla or honey or add your own sweetener. I still think my homemade frozen yogurt tastes pretty good, though!
Homemade rice milk
I took on another project today: homemade rice milk. For anyone who cannot drink regular milk, rice milk is another option, especially if you make it yourself. It's very easy, and VERY cheap to do!
What you need:
1/2 cup brown rice
2 cups water
Pinch of salt (I used sea salt)
Optional: sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey
Instructions:
First, toast the rice in a skillet for approximately four minutes, until the rice starts to change color. Pour the rice into a bowl or jar and add the water. I used bottled spring water, but filtered water would also work. Now, you will need to let it sit for 10 hours.
After 10 hours, pour the mixture into a blender, add salt and sweetener and blend on the highest setting for about two minutes, until you can no longer see the granules. Using a cheesecloth or fine strainer, strain the milk into a jar and refrigerate before serving. Straining is a bit messy, and it took a few pieces of cheesecloth to strain the milk but I finally got it. Don't forget to shake the milk before serving!
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| Milk and cookies, anyone? |
I haven't tried my homemade rice milk just yet, but I'm definitely curious. I really hope it turns out so I can make more!
UPDATE: I tried the rice milk later that night, and...it was different. Basically, it tasted like rice water. A sweetener would probably help if you plan on drinking it with a meal. I did use it in a rice casserole yesterday, and it actually worked out great.
My chocolate chip cookie recipe
And now, for the best part! Okay, so cookies are forbidden in my diet but I made Dan a treat this weekend using whatever ingredients we had in the house. We ended up with some really yummy chocolate-chocolate chip, oatmeal, coconut cookies. Not that I would know how they taste ;)
What you need:
1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar (or 3/4 cups each white and brown sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
2 cups chocolate chips
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions:
Cream together butter, sugar (or sugar/brown sugar) and cocoa. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend and then add the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add oatmeal, coconut and chocolate chips. Bake on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper at 325 F for 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for another minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes approximately two dozen cookies.
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