Day 5 Gluten Free: The cravings begin

I am feeling much better, it's true. Aside from the pulled muscle that I created myself by lifting something too heavy, I am having no random aches and pains throughout my entire body. My energy levels are still great despite how busy I've been. I am ingesting less caffeine and still able to stay awake and going for longer.

The food I've been eating has been delicious. I'm eating plenty of whole, naturally gluten free foods and mixing them in with certain convenience foods. My favorite so far is brown rice tortillas that I can use to make myself wraps. No more worrying about the lack of bread for sandwiches! A word of caution, however: heat these before using them.

I found that I get the best results when I cut the tortilla in half, stuff it, and the heat it like a quesadilla or panini. If I cut that in half again, separating the halves with a paper towel and then put it into a ziplock bag, the heat traps some moisture in the bag and the tortilla stays soft and edible until I'm ready to eat it (I make these in the morning and take them for lunch).

Up until last night, my cravings for wheat products were fairly well in check. Last night though, I found I wanted lasagna and cookies. Of course, this was a stress response, because when it is stressed, my body simply wants carbs, fat, and sugar.

I took the high road, however, and still had delicious dessert. I took some non-fat vanilla yogurt and sliced a banana into it. After freezing the entire mixture for about an hour, I put it into a blender with some peach preserves and whipped the whole thing together before putting it back in the freezer. After one more hour, I had a decent soft-serve banana peach ice cream that was well worth the wait.

So far this morning, I am still free from symptoms of illness. I didn't sleep well because of my son's inability to sleep. The lack of sleep is making me noticeably cranky and more easily stressed, but I'm going to fight back with some fun in the kitchen again.

Tonight, I'm making chicken coconut curry with some sauteed veggies on the side. I am looking forward to the smell of ginger, curry, garam masala, and coconut filling my apartment!