A New Beginning

I started this blog approximately one year ago. I was enthusiastic, energetic, and ready to become a culinary prowess in the kitchen. Slowly, but surely, my enthusiasm, energy and prowess faded away and I returned to eating out most of the week and cooking boxed, frozen and kindergarten staples. Sadly, my health suffered. For a while, my tummy troubles subsided and I thought everything was fine. But then, slowly, but surely, it all came crashing down again. So, here I am, back to my training and ready to become a culinary force to be reckoned with.

I've recently made a discovery regarding my eating habits and health. I cannot tolerate dairy products. I thought it was just milk, but it's not. It's cheese. It's yogurt. It's butter. Cooking is no longer something I want to learn, but something I need to learn. In order to ensure I'm dairy-free, I have to prepare my own foods. Eating out will be a special treat once in a while. It will no longer be the staple of my dietary intake.

Thursday I ordered four dairy-free cookbooks (and a fifth one based on the Food Network show, Chopped). Friday, I purchased new ingredients at the grocery store including an array of unique spices, coconut milk, and non-dairy Almond Dream vanilla ice cream. So far, the only thing I've tried
is the ice cream and I must say, it was AMAZING. It was actually better than regular vanilla ice cream because it has a subtle hint of almond flavor. It definitely makes me happy, as ice cream is probably my favorite sweet treat and I hated giving it up. One of the cookbooks I purchased is all dairy-free ice cream recipes. Now I just need to get an ice cream maker.

This post is a little rambley, so please bear with me. It's been quite a while and I'm trying to catch you all up on what has been happening in my life.

I've decided 2018 is my year to get all of my health issues under control. I've joined Weight Watchers, which is both easy and difficult. The plan itself is easy--especially the new Freestyle plan--but with my dietary restrictions, it's sometimes hard to stay on track, when you just want to eat food you can, without counting points.

I've also made an appointment with a GI specialist to determine what exactly my tummy troubles are. I'm fairly certain it is a mix of dairy intolerance with IBS. So, not only have I given up dairy, I'm also trying to stay away from coffee and caffeine, garlic, onions, and other high-fodmap foods, including gluten.

I've also made an appointment with a back doctor to figure out how to handle this sciatic nerve pain that I've had for the past couple weeks. Technically, I've had issues since I had an aggravated disc three years ago, but it's time to get some answers.

I am hoping to get back to doing yoga within the next couple weeks and just getting things moving forward in my life.

So, here's to a new beginning. Hope you enjoy my culinary adventures in cooking, dairy-free cooking and maneuvering my health throughout 2018.