One Week Down

So, Sunday marked the beginning of this second week on our adventure. I wish I could say it has been easy. The kids are distraught due to the lack of cereal, cookies, crackers, and other carb filled goodness in the house. It is even worse when we are at a function and they are serving some yummiest that we decline as a family. All in all, they have handled things very well.

I have been trying to help them out by doing a little baking at home.  I was alone with the kids Friday night while Genny was out.  It had been a struggle all week.  We were all sick of eggs and wanted something that resembled a baked good.  It is amazing how attached you get to these things.  When you cut starch out of your diet, it removes a whole category of food textures... and I am a very texture oriented person when it comes to food.  I decided that I would try baking macaroons and quick bread made with almond flour.

One thing that I realized immediately is that this stuff doesn't rise.  You don't get a whole lot of fluffy without wheat flour.  I am sure there is a solution to this, I just haven't figured it out yet.

Both baked goods were a huge success.  Personally, I am not a fan of the macaroons.  I used stevia to sweeten them which, after baking, leaves a bitter aftertaste.  The kids, however, LOVE them.  They are so excited that they get to have a cookie that is healthy.

The almond bread came out very nice.  It is a bit dense and can surprise you if you are not ready for the lack of sweetness, but does very well with all sorts of toppings.   We have now tried it with butter, cream cheese, and low-carb preserves.  It has a great flavor, and like most of the low-carb items I have made, is very filling.  We often have trouble eating an entire slice.

This led to another attempt at pancakes.  The first attempt was good, but yielded an end product with the wrong texture.  It was, again, very eggy and not cakey at all.  So I went searching for a recipe that uses coconut flour as a base.  I found one and tried it out on the family Saturday morning. While everyone was getting to the table, I whipped up some cream and grabbed the strawberry preserves for some toppings.

What a HUGE SUCCESS!  We hardly finished our prayer before the kids inhaled their first serving and started reaching for more.  The pancakes were heavy, but slightly fluffy. They tasted and felt like pancakes in your mouth. The big test is always Genny.  She slathered on some whipped cream and a small serving of strawberry preserves on her plate.  After the first bite went into her mouth, I heard a satisfied, "Mmmmmm" coming from her direction.  I love it when a plan comes together.

We have been enjoying our treats through the beginning of this week.  I tried to make a pumpkin bread, which turned out more like pumpkin pie.  Oops.  Oh well.  I spread some cream cheese on top and nuked it for a few seconds and it was delicious.  Maybe the next one will turn out better.

How I Feel

So far, I still feel good.  I can't say that my workouts are dramatically better, but I am not suffering without the carbs.  I have lost several pounds, but I'm not ready to report on that yet.  I am sleeping well and feel good in general.  The signs of inflammation have yet to improve.  My joints are still stiff and the eczema hasn't improved, but I'm only about 10 days in.  I don't really get all that hungry which is great!  I hated being a slave to my gut.

Here are links to the recipes mentioned above:

Sugar-free Coconut Macaroons
Gluten-Free Almond Flour Bread Recipe
Light and Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes