Sticking To It

So I've been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for almost a month now, and I'm really seeing a difference.  My gut isn't having quite the same amount of cramping and uncomfortable bloating after each meal, and my energy level is much better.  I also switched medications, which definitely helped!

Sunday, however, we tried to go out to eat to this great local Mexican Restaurant, Cafe Ole´ for dinner.  After being seated at the table with waters and chips and salsa served to us, we realized that there wasn't really anything on the menu we could eat and still stick to the plan.  Including the mouth watering chips and salsa sitting at the table in front of us.  This was especially frustrating to David, who was starving after a 10 mile jog in the Boise foothills, so we decided to high tail it out of there and eat at this place we both enjoy called Fork.  

The thing is, David was still frustrated.  I just assumed that he felt, as I did, that it was still fun to go out to restaurants even though there were limitations to our eating.  I also thought that he liked the whole grazing style of eating better than set meals.  This was not the case.  Note to self: quit assuming.  This lifestyle was exhausting him.  When it came down to it, I was expecting him to follow this program, but not helping him understand it or follow it, apart from telling him to "read the book."  It truly wasn't fair to him.  So, yesterday I sat down and came up with a great (albeit simple) solution:  Weekly meal plans.

I sat down yesterday armed with The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, Breaking the Vicious Cycle Cookbook, and my favorite online SCD food blogs, Roost and Comfy Belly, and I picked out a weeks worth of great meals and I made a delightful plan to follow.  I made the appropriate adjustments to the recipes to make them SCD compliant, of course, but for week one, I think we're going to be eating pretty well and almost all the recipes are very quick and easy to prepare too.  Here's what I came up with for this week:

Monday:

Dinner: Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Cucumber Salsa

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Fruit

Lunch: Left overs from the night before

Dinner: Beef Stew with Fennel and Shallots and Carrot & Beet Salad

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Fruit

Lunch: Left overs from the night before

Dinner: Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions and Spinach Side Salad

Thursday:

Breakfast: Yogurt

Lunch: Left overs from the night  before

Dinner: Mahimahi with Macadamia Nut Crust and Apple Walnut Salad

Friday:

Breakfast: Yogurt

Lunch: Left Overs

Dinner: Spicy Beef Kabobs with a Greek salad

Saturday:

Breakfast: Veggies and Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Left overs from the night  before

Dinner: SCD Chicken Croquettes and SCD Cheese Bread

Desert: SCD Cheese cake

Sunday:

Breakfast: Omelet

Lunch: Left overs from the night  before

Dinner: Left Overs and Salads

Last night's meal of Seared Salmon with Cilantro-Cucumber Salsa was AMAZING!  It was absolutely delicious and it made us both happy.  I only wish I'd saved the fresh-caught fish my friend Thad gave us about a month ago for this recipe.  Oh well... I'll just have to beg him for another one of his catches!  

The other thing we both noticed about the meal was how nice it was to sit and enjoy it together.  We used to do it all the time, but we'd gotten out of the habit lately.  David and I both feel that with our completely opposite work schedules, these meal plans will both help us save money on groceries, and give us an opportunity to enjoy quality time together.

What we've also decided is that we'll make the meal plan every Saturday or Sunday.  Then we'll do the shopping for the week on Saturday or Sunday as well so we won't be scrambling to find the ingredients to prepare each meal on the night we are trying to cook it.  Makes such logical sense, and yet we weren't doing it that way.

I think we've finally figured out how to stick to the SCD program and keep both of us happy.  It's such a relief... And I think I'm really going to get into this whole weekly meal plan.  I love a good plan, and lists are my favorite!