No More Sugars

That's right! It's time for a change for me. No more sugars. None of their sweetness, no matter how much I want them.

Well, except for this kind.

I could never get enough of that sugar!! But, the refined, processed sugars that compose most of my diet are out. I have been noticing how bad the sugar makes me feel lately, but instead of doing anything about it, I have just eaten more. Ugg - it was starting to give me headaches and make me feel depressed all the time. But counting calories is just a pain and limiting sugars is a lot of work, so I wasn't head over heels enthusiastic about figuring out what to do next.

As always, God's timing is just right. I ran into Marci, a great gal I work with, one day last week at a meeting (we tend to work different schedules). We were talking about a cute belt she was wearing and she mentioned how she had removed sugars from her diet - both sugary stuff and stuff that turns to sugar (potatos, bread, pasta, etc.). She also gave me a very helpful list of things I could eat, so I decided to go for it. It's getting to be spring time and I really need to get rest of the baby weight off so I can fit into my summer clothes. Last summer, I wore maternity clothes still, but I don't particularly want to do that this year.

So, it was bye-bye sugars! That's where the spaghetti squash meal came in earlier this week. What I love about this is that I am not having to limit myself too much and I'm not counting calories at all. I'm just replacing the bad stuff with the good stuff and eating as much as I want to eat to feel satisfied. It's working too!

I happened across a magazine this week that had some other great ideas for nutritious breakfasts. Several of them were along the lines of what is on the good list, so I decided to try them out!

The first was mini egg frittatas. You can make a batch and keep them in the fridge all week. This is perfect for me since I don't spend a lot of time cooking breakfast in the mornings.

Start by sauteeing veggies in the pan. I used onions, tomatos (great for the ones that are getting just a little bit old and mushy), spinach, and mushrooms.

Mix up your eggs (I used twelve since I ended up having so many veggies - otherwise would have used eight) and add veggies. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into muffin tin.

I put the extra into my handy dandy CoringWare ramekin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until browned on top.

Cool. (Yum, yum! Don't these look great?)

I had to try this right away - it was yummy (haha - and I realized I had forgotten the salt and pepper, so I had to add that!).

I've also been doing oatmeal with cinnamon and blueberries. Yummo! Before I came across the magazine, I was eating it plain. But, Marci said all berries are low in sugar and metabolize differently than other fruit, so they are on the go list.

For snacks, Ian and I have been dipping into this yummy black bean and corn pico de gallo. I bought it already prepared at Kroger to save time. We eat it with baked Tostitos for a very satisfying snack. (Side note: Baked Tostitos don't have the same salty draw for me as regular ones, so I find I am satisfied with quite a few less!)

The first time I gave Ian the pico de gallo, I wasn't sure if he would even like it. He likes black beans and corn, but I wasn't sure about the onions, tomatos, or cilantro. He loved it!! In fact, he ignored the chip I had broken up on his tray and went straight for the good stuff. I'm so proud of him!

We're definitely on our way to a healthier lifestyle! I feel much better mentally and (as of Saturday) have already lost 2.5 lbs this week! It certainly helps that we have been able to get out and go walking/jogging four out of the seven days this past week. We're loving the wonderful weather and I'm looking forward to all our outside time this week. I think we are also going to try Aunt Lissie's suggestion of using zucchini in place of noodles for lasagna this week. Yum, yum! Thanks again Marci for being there at just the right time. It's amazing how God always uses you at just the right time in my life!