Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

Since no sugar is allowed on the 21 Day Sugar Detox or the Whole30, I have been searching for sugar free bacon locally with out any luck at all. Online, you can purchase some from U.S. Wellness Meats, but we cannot afford that right now unfortunately.

While reading posts in the Whole30 Forum, someone mentioned they used prosciutto in place of bacon and that the ingredients were only pork and salt...perfect! The person mentioned that he purchased his from Trader Joe's, so the next time I was down there (I love Trader Joe's) I looked for it. They had a few different kinds of prosciutto, only one did not contain sugar, so please always read the ingredients, never assume. I ended up buying two packages, each pack contained 4oz and cost $5.90...yikes I know, but I was desperate lol. I later found the same brand of prosciutto (still be sure to check ingredients) at Costco, you get 12oz for $12.00, so you basically get 4oz free over there, a much better deal!

Anyhoo, the reason I was hoping to find some sugar free bacon or an acceptable substitute was to make these gorgeous, tasty beauties!

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates


Package of Prosciutto
Dates- I prefer the caramel like flavor of deglet, but medjool will work great too.


If you were to use a whole 4oz package of prosciutto, you will need 14 dates. Each slice of prosciutto makes two wrapped dates.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

With a knife (regular of paring), gently press into the flesh of the dates. Then with your thumbs, pry the flesh open as gently as you can and remove the pit.

When all dates have been pitted, carefully remove a slice of prosciutto and gently tear in half with your hands. Then take one half and fold lengthwise. then wrap around the date. Don't worry about the prosciutto tearing while you are removing it, it happens all the time, you can still salvage it easily, just fold as best you can and wrap.

Lay on parchment covered baking sheet seem side down.

Bake in oven for 12 minutes. Let cool, then enjoy!


*If you are able to have dairy, stuff dates with feta cheese before wrapping.

**If you are able to have nuts, stuff dates with almonds, walnuts, or pecans before wrapping.

Here are some photos of me putting them together...

Here is a picture of the brand of prosciutto I used.

I got this package from Trader Joe's. The one from Costco is a two pack and looks a little different.

Some of you might be wondering why I am eating dates when I am trying to avoid sugar. Simple, dates are a whole, unprocessed food, perfectly fine to include in your Whole30 as long as you don't over do it. (Plus they are full of fiber, B vitamins, potassium, etc...)

These dates are perfect for taking on a hike or bike ride, they are little energy bundles! I hope you will give them a try, they are quite delicious!

Steph

Sauteed Cinnamon Peaches with Coconut Cream

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox and the Whole30 simultaneously. They are not the same thing, the Whole30 is much stricter and it's purpose is much more encompassing. I am following the Autoimmune Protocol as outlined in Dallas and Melissa Hartwig's book "It Starts with Food", they are the creators of the Whole30. My list of food that I can eat has been narrowed down by the Autoimmune Protocol, so I need to learn how to prepare tasty dishes with the foods I can eat, luckily, there is still quite a bit to choose from.

I created this dish to add a little flair to my meal yesterday, and found it to be very good, so good I wanted to share it with you all.

Sauteed Cinnamon Peaches with Coconut Cream

Serves 1

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil ( I prefer the cold pressed, flavorless kind)
1 Cup Sliced, Ripe Peaches (fresh is best, but frozen is great too)
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
Coconut Cream
Unrefined sugar, honey or stevia (optional)

Put can of full fat coconut milk in fridge so that the cream will harden and rise to top. Best to leave in fridge overnight, but at least 3 hours will work.

Spoon out hardened, white coconut cream from can into a small bowl, save rest of coconut milk for a smoothie. Whisk coconut cream until creamy and looks like whipped cream without the stiff or soft peaks. Put back in fridge and keep cold.

Heat a small skillet on medium high heat. Add the coconut oil to skillet and let get hot. Carefully add the sliced peaches to the hot skillet and let sit for a few minutes before stirring. Add cinnamon and stir every so often, but let the peaches sit for a few minutes in between. When peaches are lightly caramelized, turn off heat and put in a serving bowl. If you need to add some extra sweetness, now is the time to add it (I did not use any in mine and found it perfect for me). Put a dollop of coconut cream on top, then sprinkle on a small amount of cinnamon.

This recipe is quite versatile, you could use nutmeg is place of cinnamon if you like. Also in place of the coconut cream, you could use fresh raw cream or regular whipped cream.

I hope you give it a try and let me know if you liked it.

Steph

Crispy Baked Drumsticks

It's now a week into my second 21 Day Sugar Detox and I am doing great, no more cravings at all now. The first week is always a bit tough, since there is usually withdrawal symptoms and of course the psychological part that needs to be overcome...replacing the bad habit or craving with something good (in my case herbal tea) or eliminating it all together.

I have decided to join a group of people doing a Whole30 starting Aug.1st. You can read about the program here, the information is free. However, they have a book out called It Starts With Food (I highly recommend you get it!!) that explains in detail the science behind the Whole30 and much more. I am convinced doing the Whole30 will increase my health and healing tremendously. I will be following the Autoimmune Disease recommendations to avoid eggs, nightshades, dairy, nuts, seeds, and NSAIDs.

I will not be weighing myself during the Whole30, but I will when I am done and I will take a picture of how I look after as well. I am going to use these pictures as my before pictures, since I pretty much look the same and weigh the same.

So, please wish me luck! I'll still be doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox, just morphing it into the Whole30 lol.

Now on to a delicious recipe!

Crispy Baked Drumsticks

24 drumsticks
1/3 C. Coconut oil* or butter melted and mixed with EVOO
sea salt
onion powder
rosemary
pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Put drumsticks in a colander and rinse well and drain.

Lay drumsticks down on the parchment with the skin facing up.

Pour oil into a small bowl and using a pastry brush, liberally brush the oil onto the drumsticks (if you are using coconut oil and your chicken are fresh out of the fridge, the coconut oil will harden and create a shell on your chicken, don't worry it's perfectly fine)

Coat the drumsticks liberally with sea salt and onion powder. Then sprinkle on the rosemary and pepper.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 min. The skin will be browned, crispy and yummy...enjoy!

*I use cold pressed, flavorless coconut oil, I am not a fan of the strong coconut flavor in Extra Virgin on my foods.

Monday I will be doing a review of a book that I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of. I am so excited to share it with you all, I have been having a blast making recipes from this book and I have learned so much from it as well! Now stay tuned because I am going to be having a giveaway, some lucky winner will be mailed a free Practical Paleo book!

This book will be released Aug. 7th, 2012 and can be pre-ordered.

Have a wonderful week,

Steph

Starting a 21 Day Sugar Detox today!

Today I'm kicking off another 21 Day Sugar Detox: Monday, July 23rd - Sunday, August 12th

My family has been on two camping trips this summer, junk food and processed, convenience foods tend to make an appearance when that happens. Mostly it's my own fault due to poor planning, but we also tend to purchase food items while we are camping at a particular place for various reasons, the main reason being...comfort. Comfort foods, snacky foods are the biggest enticements for us and we give in of course! :)

Next time I will be purchasing these healthy kits to take with us to minimize the junk...wish I had thought of it BEFORE our trip!

Steve's Original Paleokits

Primal Pacs

Sophia's Survival Jerky Chews

Whether you have over indulged on vacation or not, please feel free to join me in my sugar detox, everyone will benefit!

You can choose:
1. Just get the sugar out in all it's forms, click here for a list of 50 different names for sugar. Read labels carefully, you'll be surprised, it's in many things!
2. Get all forms of sugar out and not eat anything sweet, including fruit and stevia, splenda or other non-caloric sweeteners. Studies show that for certain people, just eating something that tastes sweet even though there is no sugar, their bodies will release insulin causing fat storage.
3. You can follow the 21 Day Sugar Detox program by Balanced Bites. This program costs $21 is full of information and recipes, check it out.

So who is with me? We can encourage and support each other!

Please leave a comment to let me know if you are participating, I'd love to get to know you better.

Steph

P.S. I will be doing a review and having a giveaway on my blog for this book

Be on the lookout next week for details!

Baking Bacon

In case you were wondering why I have not posted about my progress on my second 21 Day Sugar Detox, well that is because I have postponed it till August. We have too much going on right now, we are preparing for our camping trips taking place this summer. I am trying new recipes, and figuring out what to bring for meals and snacks. So far I have some ideas...

1. Hobo meals
2. Omelet in a bag
3. Pancake mix, flours premixed in a bag with instructions on outside of bag
4. Oatmeal (gf oats of course) mixed with either some dry, organic milk or some protein powder (will have to test this out, I have some Sun Warrior Brown Rice Protein powder that I want to try), dried fruit and nuts, premixed in a bag with instructions also written on bag.

Quick, easy and cheap (but high quality) is the name of the game for me, if you have any other great ideas on what I can bring, please share!

Now on to Baking bacon!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably know by now I like to make easy but nutritious meals. I'm not a fan of washing a lot of dishes either, so I try to find ways to minimize the use of dishes, utensils and bake wear that I use.

We love bacon, but after making it on the stove for years and hating all the splattery mess that goes with it, not to mention the stuck on bacon bits at the bottom of my cast iron skillet that I like to not have to soak and scrub if possible to maintain my nice seasoning on it. I decided there must be an easier way, so I researched online to see if anyone was baking bacon in the oven, and sure enough there were many blog posts on the subject. After reading several recipes, I got the gist of it and tried my hand at it and now I love it and will not make bacon any other way....well ok except when we are camping, I will use my skillet :)

I like Trader Joe's Apple Smoked, thick cut, nitrate free bacon and that is what I used, be aware that if you use a thinner bacon the time will be shorter so keep an eye on it while it's on the oven!

Baked Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment, it is actually better to have your parchment be larger than the cookie sheet as it will make keeping your cookie sheet clean much easier.

Lay out your bacon side by side each other till you have filled the pan.

The package of Trader Joe's bacon is a rather small pack so I am able to bake it all at one time.

When oven is preheated, put your pan in and bake for 20-25 min. That is it...so easy and much less messy!

If you are using regular sliced bacon, I would bake for about 10 min. or so.

Wait till bacon fat is cool and solidified if you can, before gathering up the parchment corners and dumping in trash.

If you have more bacon than what can fit on one cookie sheet and you want to bake it all in one batch instead of waiting for the first to finish, line another cookie sheet with parchment like the first and lay the rest of your bacon down on it. Put both sheets on the oven, but half way through baking I would take the bottom sheet and switch it with the top one, to ensure more even cooking.

This method is what I have found to work for me, I hope it helps you in your future bacon endeavors!

Steph

Best gluten free bread recipe and another 21 Day Sugar Detox!

I want to share with you all the recipe for the best gluten free bread we have had, and I have bought and made many loaves...trust me! But first here is some history on how I came to find this treasure of a recipe. About a year and half ago, I asked my husband if we could have a gluten free household to avoid cross contamination and to help me stay gluten free. Luckily he agreed, because that is the sweet, hunky kinda guy he is and he wanted me to succeed in my attempt to get healthy. Well, in our family, we like sandwiches, they are easy to make and fairly inexpensive...that is if you don't eat gluten free. I found some gluten free sandwich bread cookbooks and made some of the recipes, the results were pretty good, not wonderful though. We also purchased some store bought breads and found we liked Udi's and Rudi's the best, but sometimes both would end up being dry, not to mention expensive. I decided to Google "Udi's bread recipe" and came across this blog, Extraordinary Life: On the road to joyful cooking, she had a recipe called Udi's white bread copycat recipe. I loved how her recipe was so detailed, and the instructions easy to understand. The comments on this recipe was also full of great tips (I urge you to read them if you plan to make this bread). The first time I made this bread, we were in love, sandwiches were tasty and enjoyable again...and guess what, it tasted waaaay better than Udi's (sorry Udi's) not to mention soft and not dry (of course it's not as soft as Webers bread, that stuff is more air than anything anyway).

Fast forward a year or so and I have made quite possibly a hundred loaves of this bread, and have not had any flops! I have also started using a scale to weigh my flours. I have found two benefits to this (that I can think of, could be more) one, it gives consistent bread results, two, it saves you money from using more flour than you need. Don't worry if you don't have a scale, the original recipe contains the measurements in cups.

I have reproduced this recipe on my blog with permission from Lisa @ Extraordinry Life. I have experimented with and created the gram conversions for those that weigh their ingredients like I do, here's the converstion for you.

1 Loaf

120 g Tapioca flour
119 g  Brown Rice flour
48 g Potato Starch (not Potato flour)
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar
3 egg whites
1 pkg or 2 1/2 tsp of dry active yeast (she says rapid rise yeast, but I have always used dry active with no problems)
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vinegar
3/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Once preheated, turn oven off.
Lightly grease on 8 x 4 bread pan. (Albertson's sells Good Cook non stick 8 x 4 pans, I have two of them)

*Grease pan with butter or vegetable shortening.
*In a medium sized bowl, weigh out your flours.
*Add into flours, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, stir carefully with a whisk or spoon to combine.
*Add water, oil, sugar, yeast into a small bowl or measuring cup and mix until combined.
*Allow water to sit while yeast starts to get foamy.
*Meanwhile, in a kitchenaid type mixer with whip cream attachment, whip egg whites for approx. 1 minute or until it develops soft peak.
*Add vinegar to egg whites and whip for a few seconds.
*Add yeast mixture to the egg whites in the mixer.
*Turn mixer on lowest setting and spoon flour into the egg whites, then turn mixer on to a medium setting and whip the batter for 3 minutes.
*With a spatula, spoon dough into pan and flatten as best you can with back of spatula.
*Put pan in oven and leave to rise for 30 min.
*When 30 min. is up, turn oven on to 350 (keep pan inside) and bake for 70-72 min.
*Take out of oven and turn out of pan, let cool completely before slicing or bread will fall flat and have a different texture. Letting cool completely is key...hard I know, but be patient :)
*Slice with serrated knife and enjoy!

2 Loaf Recipe:

240 g Tapioca flour

237 g  Brown Rice flour

96 g Potato Starch (not Potato flour)

4 Tbsp oil

4 Tbsp sugar

6 egg whites

2 pkg or 5 tsps of dry active yeast (she says rapid rise yeast, but I have always used dry active with no problems)

4 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vinegar

1 1/2 cups warm water

Same instructions as above!

Fresh out of the oven!

Beautiful loaves. 

Great texture, not to mention yummy!

Update: Here is the bread recipe made as hamburger buns! I used my Crown Muffin pans, but you really do not need to use them. You can spoon the dough into 6 equal piles on a parchment covered cookie sheet, then flatten and round each pile as best you can, then put in oven to rise for 30 min. according to recipe instructions. Bake only for 30 min. instead of 70! Let them cool, before using or the same thing will happen, they will deflate. You will have to plan ahead, perhaps make them earlier in the day if you will be having hamburgers for dinner. They make excellent rolls too! If you want to use them as rolls, you could definitely eat them not long after they are out of the oven, just break apart with your hands and smear with some butter...

The one loaf recipe will make 6 hamburger buns.

I have two boys (ok three if you count my Hubby) so I used the two loaf recipe to get  12 buns.

My Hubby made 1/2 lb. burgers lol, but boy were they good!

Costco has at this time a great deal on dry active yeast, it looks like a large block of yeast that you will have to chisel pieces off (had an argument with hunny as I did not want to have to break off chunks of yeast lol, but he won out because it is so much cheaper than at the regular store), but when you open it, the yeast is completely granulated and ready to use...so glad I gave in to my hunny!

Now on to the next bit of news...

I am going to do another 21 Day Sugar Detox on Monday, May 28th - June 18th.

After successfully completing the last one, I can feel myself falling back into my old habits, cravings are coming back and the control I thought I had is slipping away. I've made some huge improvements in my health, my thyroid medication has been lowered significantly and I don't want to go back, I need to move forward...so BRING IT ON! I can do this again, you betcha!

Anyone want to join me? You've got a week to gear up emotionally and physically...you can do it!!

You can choose:
1. Just get the sugar out in all it's forms, click here for a list of 50 different names for sugar. Read labels carefully, you'll be surprised, it's in many things!
2. Get all forms of sugar out and not eat anything sweet, including fruit and stevia, splenda or other non-caloric sweeteners. Studies show that for certain people, just eating something that tastes sweet even though there is no sugar, their bodies will release insulin causing fat storage.
3. You can follow the 21 Day Sugar Detox program by Balanced Bites. This program costs $21 is full of information and recipes, check it out.

So who is with me? We can encourage and support each other!

Steph

Post 21 Day Sugar Detox Photos

Here are the newest photos post detox, I am wearing the same top as before and my make-up is the same except I swiped on some pink lip balm. The jeans I am wearing are different, they are a size smaller than the ones I am wearing in the first pictures...yay! My sweet, supportive husband took these pictures for me.

Before: April 3, 2012

After: April 25, 2012

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

I can't really see much of a difference, but that is OK, it's only been three weeks, I can't expect major changes to take place in such a short time. What is important is I feel healthier and have more energy than before.

I visited my doctor today to get a blood test request to have my thyroid checked, I am pretty sure it's high right now meaning my thyroid medication will have to be lowered if I am correct. I really hope so, I would love to heal my thyroid if possible and not be reliant on any medicine. I have already lowered it from 150 mg to 130 mg, ( the doctor lowered it according to blood test results) and hope the doc will lower it more, pray for me! While I was at the doctor's office he mentioned to me about the HCG Diet, is anyone familiar with it? He told me (I think this is what he said, I'm deaf remember) that it is a hormone that mimics pregnancy in the body which makes fat burn faster. I told him I would do some research on it, but I'm not sure if it sounds like anything I want to do. I have been focusing on lifestyle changes, making slow, but significant progress in my eating habits and the foods I eat. I imagine if I don't make those fundamental changes, I would start gaining weight after going off the HCG Diet once I reached my goal weight. Still I will keep an open mind :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Steph

Last Day of Sugar Detox and a Recipe for Meaty Spaghetti Sauce.

Today is the last day of the 21 Day Sugar Detox that I've been on. I've faithfully avoided sugar except for Easter day and I must admit, sometimes it was pretty tough, especially in the beginning, but now at the end, cravings are pretty non existent. So now what? Well, I plan to only have sweets on our Friday family nights and on special occasions, I also plan to continue eating the way I have been, paying close attention to ingredients in food that I eat, making sure it does not have any sugar or sweet ingredients, you see the 21 Day Sugar Detox not only cuts out sugar, it cuts out anything sweet! For good reason though, studies are coming out that show some people who eat sweets even if it is sweetened with a non caloric sweetener like stevia or Splenda even (yuk) will release insulin anyway, causing our body to store the food as fat. I really believe I was/am one of those people. There have been times when I felt like I gained weight just looking at a delicious chocolate cake :)

I am excited to say that I have dropped 3 lbs. and now fit it in a size smaller jeans! I am now at a weight that I have not been at for almost six years! As I said earlier, my cravings are pretty much gone and that was the real purpose of the Sugar Detox for me anyway, so the weight loss is a nice bonus...a very nice bonus. I am hoping that my hormones may be closer to normal and so I will attempt to get off the Proactiv skin care that I have had to use to keep my skin clear, wish me luck! I will continue to do several of these 21 Day Sugar Detoxes this year and perhaps forever, it will help me keep my sugar craving from getting out of hand again.

Now on to a couple of recipes.

This delicious spaghetti sauce is very easy to make and will feed a family of 5 for 3 meals, so it's inexpensive too!

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

1Tbsp of olive oil or butter
1 red onion-diced
2 lbs ground beef or turkey or a combo (you actually could use less if you wanted, this amount makes a nice hearty sauce)
2  14.5 oz cans of organic tomato sauce
2  14.5 oz cans of organic diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp of dried parsley or fresh if you like
1 Tbsp or to taste of garlic salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Heat on medium high a large 6qt pot. Add oil and wait till hot, then add your diced red onions, cook for a couple of minutes then add the ground meat and cook till browned. When meat is browned add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer till you have finished making your pasta and serve.

Please add spices to your taste, this recipe is easy to play with and customize to your family's liking.
Enjoy!

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce on sauteed yellow squash ribbons with a sprinkling of parmigiana cheese, brown rice pasta is great too!

I made this quinoa pizza many times the past three weeks, it is delicious, easy and does not contain yeast (not that I have a problem with yeasted foods). I imagine you could use buckwheat groats (is not like wheat, and is gluten free despite the wheat in it's name) in place of the quinoa. While I wish I could take credit, the recipe is not mine and can be found on Charity Dasenbrock's For Life Blog, the picture however is mine, I hope it makes you drool :)

Quinoa crust pizza with pepperoni, black olives and cheese. I have made it vegetarian as well and it was equally delicious! 

Tomorrow I will have new pictures of how I look now, I'm not sure there will be much difference, but that's alright, what is important is getting healthier one day at a time!

Would any of you be interested in joining me on another 21 Day Sugar Detox in the future?

Steph

Day 15 of Sugar Detox and More...

Day 15 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox is almost at an end, I have one more week to go and I'm very happy! I don't plan to go on a sugar binge as soon as the detox is over, that would just undo all my hard work and be  plain stupid. I can honestly say I am a sugar addict, the last two weeks have made that abundantly clear to me, I was in denial thinking I was being healthy eating unrefined sugars, while healthier, they are still sugar and too much is not good. It's been a daily struggle trying to squelch my cravings, but I can honestly say it's getting easier now. My cravings are no longer the "frantic" type, but more the "secure" type, meaning I still crave sugary foods, but I know I can have some soon if I want and it's OK...does that make sense? :)

My goal for after I finish this 21 Day Sugar Detox is to do many of these detoxes this year, I'm thinking every other month or so. I need to conquer my inner sugar monster! Also I plan to have sweets on Fridays which is our family night for playing games and staying up late ( a perfect day for something sweet for the whole family) and on special occasions, not every day or almost every day as I was doing before.

Some things I have noticed in the last two weeks is my taste buds are more sensitive, simple foods taste delicious just as they are. I'm not as tired as I usually am, and that is big for me. I have also dropped another pound too, not too shabby!

Everyone is healing from the emotional and for Eric and Eilan, the physical trauma of the car accident. We have chosen to let it draw us closer to God and rely on him more than ever.

Here are some pictures of today's happenings...

My handsome Kade working hard on his school work.

Oops, I'm caught, the camera flash gave me away :)

Eilan and Aiden enjoying the sunshine and perfect weather during a break from their school work.

Our tomato plants, are planted!

My handsome Aiden showing me a trick he can do.

A delicious pizza made with a quinoa crust. I will post more on this later.

Homemade meat spaghetti sauce on sauteed yellow squash ribbons...so good and yellow squash does not have the bitterness that zucchini does.

Have you ever given up sugar? I'd love to hear about it.

Steph

Sugar Detox Progress (or lack of)

Last week started off well, I felt so steady, I did have some sugar cravings, but I was able to handle them fairly easily...until the car accident. My husband and daughter were in a car accident on Wednesday evening coming home from church, they were hit from the side by a driver who ran a red light. God was merciful and protected them and brought them back home safely to us! We have been praising and thanking the Lord since then, and treasuring every moment we have together. It is sad how easy we can take simple blessings for granted!

Despite all the happenings of last week, I remained sugar free (even though I wanted to rip through a tub of rocky road ice cream) up until yesterday. We had a birthday potluck at a church friends house between services and the sweet, young man of the house made a gluten free chocolate cake for me and another friend who are gluten free. It was the first time he had ever made anything gluten free, I just could not say no to his wonderfully, kind gesture so I had some...and it was gooood! Then things kinda spiraled out of control on the sugar thing, I had reasoned to myself, well since I have had some, why not live it up today and just get back on the wagon tomorrow. So I did, I had a mocha frap from Starbucks...venti, I also had some rocky road ice cream that I had been dreaming about all week along with some more chocolate cake that I took home. I don't know if my taste buds are changing but the mocha frap did not taste as good, let's hope for changing taste buds :)

It's Monday, I'm back on the wagon and being good again, but still having cravings and dreaming about rocky road ice cream and Christopher's gluten free chocolate cake. Will I make it through the next two weeks? I honestly don't know, but I will take it one day at a time and rely on the Lord for strength. What is encouraging is that before I went on my sugar binge, I was starting to see some benefits to my health and I had dropped a pound, therefore I will persevere to the end!

How was your week?

Steph

21 Day Sugar Detox Pictures

As promised, here are the starting pictures of me on Day 2 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox. I am pretty embarrassed to put these up, but I am curious to see the end result pictures and compare them. I fully expect to look radiant!

I ate some delicious Mini Egg Pizza Muffins from Paleo Parents new book "Eat Like a Dinosaur". Made plenty so I have breakfast already made for tomorrow!

I did have some cravings for something sweet so I made some coconut biscuits from the 21 Day Sugar Detox program recipes. Slathered on some grassfed butter and they filled me right up, cravings were gone.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Steph

Starting a 21 Day Sugar Detox today!

The team at Balanced Bites are kicking off a new 21 Day Sugar Detox today and I'm joining them!

I'm looking forward to giving my body the chance to do a little "spring cleaning", I know I will feel much better when it's over. If you would like to join too, head over to their blog for more information.

I'll post my "starting" picture tomorrow and an "after" picture when I complete the 21 days. I am curious to see if there will be a visible difference in my appearance, I am expecting to feel better at least :)


Oh, and after a year of being away, I'm baaaaack!
Steph