My Successful Wheat-Free Week

Ok, so Week 1 is done. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I know I've said it before, but I am really surprised that I was able to do it without caving. Although I'm not doing this for the same reasons I've done other diets in the past, I am so amazed that for the first time in my life (as long as I can remember), I am not craving food continuously. Even though I've cut out a significant part of my regular diet, I don't feel deprived. This is very uncharacteristic of me. And it gives me hope--maybe I can keep this up!!

Some good discoveries/ideas/recipes that have helped me navigate this new world:
-Babybel cheeses--these are great! And I totally don't miss the cracker I used to eat them on. They are portable and very satisfying!
-Greek Yogurt--oh so creamy and delicious. One morning I added a little too much flax and it tasted like I imagine horse feed would. Other than that, I've been loving it. It's so high in protein and low in fat.
-Stuffed Peppers--I made these for dinner one night. I scramble-fried lean ground beef, added onions, carrots, zucchini, peppers, celery, spinach, some bouillon, spices, and about 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes. Then I packed them into some small orange and yellow bell peppers that I had cut the tops off of and boiled for a few minutes. I mixed some leftover crushed tomatoes with water poured it over top and around the peppers, sprinked some cheddar and parmesan over top and then baked them for 30 minutes. Two of them for dinner was very filling and delicious! Leftovers made great lunch. I made too much filling for the number of peppers I had, so I added extra broth and some italian seasoning to it in the pan, boiled and simmered it and it became a tasty soup!
-I know you won't believe me, but I'll share it anyways--burgers taste awesome on a lettuce leaf without the bun!! Truly. Even as I was preparing it I was starting to grumble about how it wouldn't be the same, and it wasn't fair (poor me). But one bite into it and I realized that the bun is really just tasteless filler. A "holder" really. All the same juicy flavours and textures of a great burger can be experienced without it.
-Other good meals have been: Butter Chicken (chicken, spices, onions, crushed tomatoes, and cream). I just chose to have a much smaller service of rice than usual to cut down on my grains, and I didn't notice it; Chicken and Vegetable Satay Kabobs--the marinade I use for this has peanut butter in it and has always been my favourite (i'll try to post it here). With a salad and a few roasted potatoes it was a hit.
-Chicken Salad (chicken, mayo, green onion, celery, salt & pepper). I kind of felt like a kid in a candy store because normally when I make this salad, I would "sneak" spoonfuls of it right from the mixing bowl before putting it in wraps or on a bun. I thoroughly enjoyed taking 1/2 cup of it for lunch with some cucumber slices and almonds.
-And for a sweet treat--Peanut Butter Cookies (peanut butter, egg, sugar). Even wheat-free, I was the world's best mom to my kids when they came home and smelled fresh cookies. So easy. And again, no hording desire to eat 5 of them. I had one, it was nice. I stopped. Who am I??

Some lows:
-The rash is still quite bad on my hand. I thought it went away a bit, but it's not noticeably different.
-Realizing that every single breakfast cereal has wheat in it--even the "healthy" ones!!
-Too much flax is a bad thing (see above note). Especially in oatmeal. Especially after it's congealed in the bowl for 1/2 hour while the children dilly dally getting ready in the morning.
-protein foods are a lot more expensive than carb foods. Thankfully veggies are cheap!

Some highs:
-Everyone's encouraging comments and shared recipes/websites--I look forward to trying some of them this week. I bought the expensive ingredients to do so today (see above point!)
-Feeling more energetic
-Seeing my children choose less carb choices and even enjoy some of the non-carb foods/meals.
-Thankfully appreciating the fact, every morning, that coffee does not contain wheat!!
-Seeing the scale go down even though I'm not counting calories or points, I'm not feeling hungry or deprived. And I'm not exercising. Yay!

Here's to Week 2!!
Allrecipes.com Chicken Satay recipe.