Basil Mung Bean Salad

First off, I have to thank all of my wonderful readers for being so supportive! Your comments on my last post really made my week! I've been doing much better since then. I even made a chocolate cream pie for a party last night (using my maple cinnamon snickerdoodles as a cookie crumb base), and was able to handle the leftover cookies. Or I should say, I was able to tell my boyfriend that I couldn't handle them and to put them somewhere I wouldn't see them. Whatever works, right? For me, out of sight, out of mind.

I had intended a second post to end the elimination diet, but I realized there wasn't a whole lot more I needed to say. But I didn't want to leave you thinking I didn't learn anything important from it. In case you're dealing with similar issues, here are a few things I've figured out:

• The headaches and fatigue improved considerably once I began taking vitamin D and a vitamin B complex.
  
• Drinking 8-16 oz. of water first thing in the morning also helps with the headaches.
• I'm definitely sensitive to maple syrup (which is too bad since I love those maple cinnamon snickerdoodles). Almonds might also be a problem, so I'm avoiding those for now, as well as all other nuts until I want to test them. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to be all sugar that's a problem for me, but specifically maple syrup that gives me headaches. I guess that's a good thing...?
  
• And cheese is not the best thing for my stomach. But I didn't need an elimination diet to tell me that. And for now, I still plan on eating it. Just not too often.
  

Although my elimination diet is officially over, I'm giving you another phase one recipe. My mung bean salad was probably my favorite meal to come out of the elimination diet. Before this, I had never tried mung beans. I wasn't actually sure what they were. But I found Truroots organic sprouted mung beans, and since I thought the price was decent, I bought a bag. I have to tell you, I haven't bothered to try any other brand since. I probably go through a bag a week, and I'm loving them! This recipe can be eaten hot, as a stir-fry, or cold the next day, which is what I usually do. It's my go-to meal for eating in between classes; It's so easy to make, I can whip it up in the morning if I have an extra ten minutes. Although, to be fair, I buy my cabbage and carrots already chopped up from the local fruit and vegetable stand. It would take longer if I had to cut them myself.



Basil Mung Bean Salad
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Ingredients:
1 cup mung beans, cooked according to directions on bag
5 cups diced or thinly sliced cabbage and carrots
1 large handful of fresh basil (about a cup), coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium low. Add the carrots and cabbage, and saute about 3 minutes.
   
2. Add the mung beans, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add sea salt to taste.
   
4. Stir in the basil and saute another minute.
5. Take off the stove and add in the sliced avocado.
   

Serves 4.

I'm trying to decide what type of recipe to make for my next post. I've attempted many failed sugar-free muffin and cookie recipes this week, and am having a great time doing it. But until I feel back to normal with my eating, I should probably lay off the baking a bit. Sugar-free or sugar-full, I eat too many just the same. Spring is finally coming though, which makes me want to eat more fresh fruit. And this month's theme for Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free is guiltless pleasures over at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free. So perhaps a guiltless fruit dessert is in order. Can I come up with one before the end of the month? I can certainly try...

This post is linked to Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Elimination Diet Wrap Up, Part 1

I disappeared this last week - into work, into studying for organic chemistry, into occasional bouts of self-pity, and into a baking frenzy. After my success making sugar and dairy free banana muffins, I was determined to try my hand at pumpkin bread. What followed were many nights of baking that have yet to produce a bread good enough to post. Good enough to eat, yes. But would I stake my reputation on any of the recipes? Definitely not. I'll keep trying though. Until...well, until I come up with a great recipe or get really tired of pumpkin. Whichever happens first.

In the meantime, I owe you all a post and a wrap-up of my elimination diet. I've been avoiding writing this because I wasn't sure how much to share. I've seen so many bloggers writing about how wonderful they felt on the elimination diet, and I wanted to be able to write a triumphant final post about everything I've learned and how much better I feel now. Unfortunately I can't exactly do that. While I think the elimination diet is a great idea, and most likely will do a modified version again at some point, there was something I didn't take into account when I started this plan: I'm a former binge eater. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how I've struggled with bingeing for years. And it's taken me years to get to a moderate and healthy place with food. Because I was feeling so good about food before I started the elimination diet, I thought I would handle it fine. The truth is, while I did learn a lot about how my body handles different foods, restricting my eating so much set me up for a major rebound. Perhaps this would not have happened if I were not so stressed, but I also chose a rather silly time to do a major diet overhaul. I'm working, taking classes, and applying to grad school. So of course being the perfectionist that I am, I decide now's the time to start a healthy diet plan that requires even more time in the kitchen. Uh huh... You see where I'm going here, right?

People who binge tend to think in black and white when it comes to food. And for years, that was exactly how I thought. I was either perfect or ate everything in sight. Letting go of bingeing has meant letting go of my idea that I had to eat perfectly all the time. Most of the time I eat healthy, but not all the time. And that's okay. But when I decided to follow the elimination diet, I felt I needed to be perfect. I think that the people around me could see what I couldn't. That in my quest to heal my body, I was only harming it more. I can't stress enough that this had nothing to do with the diet itself, which I still wholeheartedly endorse, but with the way I handled it. In needing to follow it perfectly, I set myself up for a fall, back into bingeing.

When I eventually added everything back in (except for gluten), I found I couldn't control my impulses. Whereas before I had been able to have sweets or cheese in the house without going overboard, I was suddenly incapable of stopping myself. I have to admit to you that for the last week, I've disappeared into bingeing as much as everything else I mentioned. And I haven't completely climbed out of the hole yet. I'm getting there, but it was a shock to find how quickly I went back to a place I haven't really been to in years. At least, not to this extent. The one thing that has saved me from completely disappearing into the hole is the same thing that helped me climb out of it years ago. I used to wallow in guilt when I binged. Which got me absolutely nowhere. Now, when I binge, I don't allow the guilt to linger. There's no point to it. How does it help to feel guilty? It certainly doesn't stop me from bingeing again. Instead, I take the binge as a gift, a learning opportunity. If I can figure out what happened, and why, and how I might handle the situation differently in the future, then I can move on with more confidence. So, this week, although I binged almost every day, I refused to wallow, and instead chose to learn. I had to relearn how important it is for me to eat steadily throughout the day. I had to let go of the desire to cook all my own meals, and buy frozen meals for nights when I was too tired. I had to learn to ask for help, something I've never done with much grace. Mostly, I had to let go of the idea that I can do everything. I can do everything, if I want to end up comatose on the floor.

So what's next? Continuing to reign myself back in and go back to healthy and moderate gluten-free eating. Continuing my quest for a sugar and dairy free pumpkin bread, as well as continuing to learn how to bake healthier in general. Continuing to eat deliciously healthy meals that I learned to cook while on the elimination diet, like the mung bean stir-fry I'll be sharing with you soon. And continuing to explore ways to find a balance with eating healthy and having a healthy relationship with food. Which, as we know, is not necessarily the same thing.

Sunshine Banana Muffins

After a sad couple of weeks without bananas, I added them back into my diet this week. I've also really missed baking, so I decided to make a gluten-free banana muffin. My limitations were that it had to be dairy free and free of any added sugars. So what to use? Bananas and sweet potatoes! The perfect combination of natural sweeteners. For inspiration, I went straight to The Gluten Free Goddess, and found a banana spice cake recipe that I could play around with. The result is a muffin so moist you would never guess it was made without added sugars. These are great for breakfast, although I'll admit I had them for dessert also.


Sunshine Banana Muffins
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Ingredients:
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sweet white sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1 large egg
1/8 cup olive oil
1 baked medium sweet potato
2 medium ripe bananas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tins. This recipe only makes 6 muffins, so double it if you want more.
   
2. Process the sunflower seeds in a food processor, just until they start to mix. They'll add some crunch to your muffins if you don't process them too much.
   
3. Put the rest of the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt) in a mixing bowl, and whisk together. Whisk in the sunflower seeds.
   
4. Put the egg, olive oil, sweet potatoes, and bananas in the food processor (no need to wash it in between) and beat until thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Pour in the dry mixture and process until completely mixed.
   
5. Drop batter into muffin tins with a large spoon.
   
6. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the outside just begins to brown and a knife inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
   

Makes 6 muffins.

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Simply Hot Recipes.


And speaking of sunshine, Julie at Gluten-Free Vegan Family awarded me with this sunshine award! Thanks, Julie! This came at the perfect time because my exams are starting up this week, and I need some positive energy to get me through! Now I get to pass on the sunny vibes to twelve other bloggers who inspire me. First, I'm bouncing this right back to Julie because her supportive comments have always made me smile. And:

2. The Gluten Free Homemaker
3. Gluten Free Gidget
4. Simply...Gluten Free
5. Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
6. Farty Girl
7. Chocolate Covered Katie
8. There Can Be Only Juan
9. Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog
10. Living Free
11. She Let Them Eat Cake
12. Healthy Green Kitchen

I highly recommend you check out these blogs for some wonderful recipes and entertaining commentary!