Just a quick update.

Today makes 24 days of gluten, sugar, and dairy free eating. And it hasn't been all that bad. The hardest part was getting through the sugar craving stage. I can now safely sit in the same room as my students during snack time without drooling over their brownies, doritos, and blueberry muffins. 

I've found a lot of new favorite recipes and I'm beginning to figure out which foods make me feel uncomfortable. I love sweet potato fries, and a large granny smith apple is too much sugar for my system. Oranges make a great, quick snack. Maple syrup makes a wonderful sweetener for just about anything. I don't like red peppers and bok choy adds a wonderful crunch to a simple salad. A friend gave me a bottle of lemon oil which paired wonderfully with some mashed raspberries, honey, and brown rice vinegar for a salad dressing that's great on salad, brown rice, riced cauliflour, or mashed potatoes. Mashed raspberries with some maple syrup and chia seeds makes a great jam.

I've found that I enjoy playing in the kitchen and trying out new recipes. I've almost perfected my sugar free chocolate recipe, though I've been having a lot of trouble with my oatmeal cookie attempts. I have a couple of batches of oatmeal crumble right now. Wesley suggested getting some 'milk' and using it as cereal. This evening, I heated some up with a couple of slices of apple and dropped a few of my attempts at chocolate on top. One of the best desserts I've had all month.

I do still miss some foods -- like the four cheese mac and cheese with honey pepper chicken at Applebees. But I really like how much better I'm feeling right now. I also like not being controlled by the sugar cravings. I savor my food now. I'm much more intentional about every bite that goes into my mouth -- and I'm enjoying each of those bites. I don't eat just because the food is sitting there. Partly because it's never just sitting there anymore. But also because of the intentionality and the thought that's going into preparing everything. 

So, 24 days in and right now all's going well. I have no desire to cheat and no temptation to quit. I do however, have a lot of dishes to do...