It’s my third week of not eating sugar, coffee, or gluten and I’m really excited and surprised at how easy it’s becoming to eat this way — even when traveling for a few days like I did last week. And yes, I still feel great. 🙂
I’m headed to Nashville to speak at the Teach Them Diligently conference later this week, (will you be there? If so, I’d love to meet you!) so I’m keeping our menu pretty simple.
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
{I’ll be eating a salad with chicken/tuna, etc. on it every day}
Mac & cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
PB&J, carrot sticks, apples
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Leftovers x 3Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Healthier Dark Chocolate Muffins
Boiled eggs
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free WafflesFreezer Cooking {I’ll share how this goes later this week!}
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Healthier Dark Chocolate Muffins
Taco MeatDinners
Steak on the grill, veggies, fruit
Chili Tortilla Egg Bake (using gluten-free tortillas that I got marked down to $0.99!), fruit
Oven-Baked Tacos, fruit, tossed Salad
Build-Your Own Haystacks, fruit
Dinner out
Dinner with extended family x 2
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
You menu helps me plan mine. Here is mine for the week http://missy-lifeofaworkingmom.blogspot.com/2013/05/cooking-weekly-menu.html?m=1
here are two SUPER yummy recipes:
grain-free chocolate cupcakes (we didn’t have a donut pan):
http://www.mommypotamus.com/chocolate-coconut-donuts-grain-free/
banana muffins – i add ~3/4 tsp. nutmeg to this:
http://comfybelly.com/2012/03/banana-bread-using-coconut-almond-flour/#.UZK-t8u9KSN
i find that using parchment paper works wonders – almond & coconut flour stick to paper.
i just cut rounds to put on the bottom of my muffin tin (by tracing the bottom of a matching size cup) and then gently loosen w/the dull side of a knife when done. YUM!
i get almond flour from honeyville via amazon, and coconut flour in bulk at the store. i’ve seen it in bulk at winco, but we don’t have one near, just our health food store.
I don’t do a weekly what we are going to eat meal plan for my website, I have been doing a see what we really ate this week post!
Tuna and salad sounds great now that the weather has startred getting warmer. I just recently printed a coupon for $.55/2 pouches of Starkist Tuna using their Salad Maker App. This the only way I have found to print their coupons, because Starkist is the only tuna I use. Although $.55/2 is not a great a saving as I would have liked, it might be good paired with a sale.
Those oven baked tacos look good!! I love to do a version of the “build your own haystack” but with a grilled or baked chicken breast instead of beef. It’s so good with the guac & salsa (or you can just slice avocado w/salsa).
My family and I are planning to be at the conference as well this weekend!! We are totally new to homeschooling, so it is much-needed for me. I’m a long-time reader here and excited to attend your workshop! 🙂
I do live right outside Nashville city limits! I did purchase a ticket to come to the Teach Them Diligently Conference and I can’t wait! I will definitely make a point to stop by and see you. If you have any questions about the area or hotel you are staying at, I can help you out, just ask.
Oh yay! I’m looking forward to meeting you! We won’t have a booth, so make sure to come find me after one of my sessions.
Hey Crystal,
Wish I could have met you at the TTD conference! I purchased tickets, but we can’t go!! I’m so sad. I didn’t know you were gonna be there?! If you know of anyone needing tickets for two children( children’s program) I got ’em! I would love to recoup my money! Anyway, have a great trip! I love your blog, you are such an inspiration! So glad you’re feeling better.
Are you speaking at the Omaha TTD conference?
I’m not speaking there this year as I had a schedule conflict, but I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic!
I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Crystal. I have been following the Eat to Live plan and feel fabulous! I too, have given up coffee, soda and juices. I eat steel-cut oatmeal with ground flax seed and fruit for breakfast, loads of raw and cooked veggies throughout the day as well as nuts and beans. Super easy to follow, once you get over the hump of detox and mindset of what I thought I was supposed to be eating. I have so much more energy and sleep far, far better than I used to…I don’t need the coffee. Keep going and you’ll be amazed at the changes in your health, sleep and energy. Well wishes!
Glad you’re feeling better!
We’ve decided after an experimenting going off and then back on gluten, to permanently go off. Two of our three children have dramatically different (and poorer) behavior on gluten.
Here’s our menu plan for the week:
http://www.momsplans.com/2013/05/menu-planning-for-may-11-2013-were-going-gluten-free-for-good/
What kind of cereal do you eat to stay off of sugar or gluten? We’re on this same diet, and cereal is our best bet with my husband leaving at 5:45a, but I can’t find anything…just what’s the closest for emergencies 🙂
I eat gluten-free oatmeal (it says GF on the front)
Oatmeal or puffed rice are two options. I usually do eggs, fruit, and possibly some gluten-free waffles from the freezer (depending upon how hungry I am :)).
You could make egg muffins and keep in the fridge, a couple seconds in the microwave and you’re good to go. 🙂
Awesome! I will be at TTD and would love to meet you!
Oh yay! Come find me after one of my sessions. I’d love to get to meet you!
Way to go, Crystal! Congrats on your third week!
Wondering if you have had problems with headaches? When I tried to follow a similar program some years ago the HA’s were debilitating. Had never had anything like it.
Do you drink decaf with milk or cream? I recently tried decade with chicory. I agree with the no sugar! Ive never tried gluten free but its worth a shot! I take b12 and d3 and that helps keep my energy up!
I have never drank coffee or any caffeine drinks…..It is trying to remove sugar and white foods. The HA’s felt like I was having a stroke. I was not able to tolerate them and had to go off as I was literally in bed for almost a week.
Yes, Days 2 through 4 were especially hard. But the headaches are completely gone now!
Hi Crystal,
I eat the same way as well (and so does my best friend, after seeing all the positive changes in me). Encouraging you to keep going with your eating plan. You’re definitely not alone out there! Don’t you feel great?!
Yes, I’ve been amazed how well I feel!
http://tenthingsfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/meals-for-week.html
I just posted suppers because it’s such a busy time right now, but I promise, we’ll still eat other times of day. 😉 Your menus inspire me to try new things – thanks so much!
-Laura at TenThingsFarm
If I was near Nashville, I would love to visit. I hope all goes well.
Here is what I am making:
http://simplythingsfamily.blogspot.com/2013/05/menu-plan-may-13-19.html
Saw another version of baked tacos on org.junkie today. I think we’ll have to try that out!
I hope you come back to the HEAV convention in Richmond VA next year!
We will be having Build Your Own Haystacks this week too. It is a family favorite. We are also trying out a new freezer recipe. It is thawing in the refrigerator. I hope we all like it.
Here’s our menu for this week,
http://www.frugalfamilyhome.com/food/menu/menu-plan-for-the-week-of-513
Congrats on your accomplishment! Eating healthy does help with many health problems!
This week marks the start of softball season for us…so a super easy dinners from here on out:
http://livinghappierandhealthier.blogspot.com/2013/05/weekly-meal-plan.html
I don’t want to wait until you do your freezer cooking post! On those dark chocolate muffins…is the “unsweeted cacao” just regular cocoa powder or is it something different?
I’m just using regular cocoa powder in them. I’ll let you know how it works!
Crystal, are you able to share why you went gluten free, sugar free?
How do you eat a salad everyday. I am trying and buy the ingredients and have zero resolve when lunch time comes. Plus for the last two weeks I have been diligent about eating healthy and drinking 9 glasses of water a day and yet the scale says I’ve gained weight!!! I know I need to work the exercise in but that is still a struggle. I started taking Optimum Nutrition vitamins last week and the 5-HPT and haven’t noticed a change yet. It feels so discouraging. Just wondered what triggered your diet change.
Throw out the scale 🙂 Just kidding (kind of!). Diet changes take a bit of time for your body to adjust to. Just focus on eating healthy and drinking water. Are you on My Fitness Pal? That has been so helpful for me!
It’s an experiment to see if it clears up some various things I was experiencing would clear up. I didn’t expect the side effect to be that I’d sleep so much better and just overall feel so much calmer (I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t sleeping all that well or that I was feeling anxious a lot of the time!).
At any rate, I’m not sure what I’m going to do longterm, but I’m excited about the short-term benefits I’ve experienced!
I have been doing the whole 30 which is similar to your challenge I feel fantastic and have found it so much easier than anticipated. Keep up the good work glad you are feeling fantastic.
What is Whole 30? Is it a book?
Information about the Whole30 can be found here http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/.
Thanks Melinda! In case you don’t feel like looking whole30 means No sugar, no grains, no legumes, no alcohol and no dairy. But it means yes to all natural whole foods like fruits, veggies, organic grass fed beef, wild caught fish, Free range chicken and eggs and lots of healthy fats.
Ah thank you! As a vegetarian, that would not quite work now would it 🙂
No new recipes for us this week… But we did get our garden planted!
http://www.everydayhomecook.com/2013/05/weekly-menu-plan-may-12-may-18/
Congrats on still going strong on your no sugar, caffeine and gluten diet!
Here is what’s cooking at my house this week:
http://cultivatingtrio.com/2013/05/12/katies-weekly-menu-512/
Have a great week!
Here’s our menu:
http://alysialoerch.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/my-weekly-menu-plan-511-517/
On nights you go out for dinner, where do you all go? And for the dinner with family what/ where do you eat at? House wise? What is usually served?
Chipotle is a great choice!
We’ve done Chipotle & Chili’s so far for going out to eat. I can usually get a steak or a salad no matter where we go — I just ask them to leave off sauces/dressings, etc.
Dinner with extended family is at our extended family’s houses. There’s a variety of things served, but grilling out is a favorite.