The first 24 hours

Last time I was on the Yeast Free diet the first 24 hours was hell.  I don't say that lightly.  I really felt as if my body was shutting down and my head would explode.  This time the first 24 hours was accompanied only by a minor headache.  I feel pretty darn good, and sticking to this diet has been easy.  Only a few times have I had to stop myself.  The candy dish full of tootsie rolls and dots in my office is tempting, but I always passed by.  This morning packing Dana and Kaia's lunches, I caught myself just before popping a chip and then a piece of cheese in my mouth.  I wasn't aware how much I mindlessly snacked until today. 

So, just what am I eating?  Here is my menu starting Monday evening:
Dinner- Roasted chicken thigh and leg
Mashed potatoes
Gravy made with corn starch, water and chicken broth
Green salad with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and a tiny amount of ranch dressing for flavor

Breakfast- Oat Groats (oats that haven't been rolled) with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
Small amounts of sugar are allowed, when they are consumed with a whole grain.  Your body will digest it like a complex carb because you consume it with the complex carbs.

Lunch- Leftover chicken breast (2 oz)
Baked potato with cottage cheese on top
Handful of cherry tomatoes

Snack- Corn nuts Not the healthiest, but the ingredients are corn, corn oil and salt.  Really satisfied my craving for something crunchy and salty.

Dinner- Eggplant Super Soup (recipe below)
Rye Krisps with cream cheese

Breakfast- 1.5 cups of oat groats with butter and 1 packet of sugar

I've been drinking 2 cups of coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day.  Lunch today is leftovers from dinner last night.  The soup is an excellent hearty recipe, easy to make, and was easy to convert to fit my diet.  The recipe is from a Sunset Cookbook, but I as always, have considerably altered the recipe.

Eggplant Supper Soup
3/4 pound of ground beef
1/2 an onion chopped
1 small eggplant cubed
1 large clove of garlic
1 large can of diced tomatoes in tomato juice
2 cubes of beef bullion
2 large cans full of water
6-8 oz of brown rice penne pasta (Hodgson Mills makes excellent rice pasta)

Brown the ground beef and add the chopped onion near the end of the cooking.  Add eggplant, garlic and tomatoes to the pot.  Then add the cubes of bullion and water.  Add or reduce water depending on desired thickness.  I wanted this fairly thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Then add your pasta and cook until tender.   

The eggplant soaks up all the flavors of the soup and makes this a delicious and hearty meal all by itself.  Dana, Kaia and Morgan ate Saltine crackers with their soup.  Brendon, Bryce and I had the Rye Krisps.  It was a great way to use the free eggplant I received, and no one turned up their nose!