Before and After pictures

I've been asked to publish my before and after pictures so here you go.

March 2009 (above)

December 2011 (below)

No explanation necessary.

Stocking my kitchen Part 1

    After losing over 100 lbs for the second and LAST time in my life I knew I needed to do something different. I can't and won't eat the same way I ate in the past and expect to maintain my newly lost weight. In the last year I have listened to me body and discovered how my body responds to different foods. Grains and refined sugar are not nice to me. I needed to figure out how I could eat and not feel deprived of delicious treats and foods that fit into this new self-imposed restriction. SO I started reading about a diet of no grains and refined sugar and came to the conclusion that a Paleo lifestyle is good direction for me. I fell in love with bringing recipes to my table that catered to this new lifestyle. No deprivation. And foods that satisfy and don't cause more carvings.

    The first recipe I made was from www.elanaspantry.com. Not strictly Paleo. But a great start into the realm of a new way of thinking about cooking. Brownies. One of my favorite recipes. It sparked an interest in me to try lots of new recipes. Elana's Pantry gave me a spring board to jump into a new world of baking and experimenting and eating a whole new way.

    Below is a partial grocery list to stock your kitchen.

Almond Flour 

I get mine from Honeyville Grains.

Coconut Flour

Coconut Oil

Sweeteners including honey, agave, coconut nectar, stevia

I choose stevia and coconut nectar most the time with agave a close second. 

Another sweetener Xylitol

A really good quality Vanilla Extract.

Don't waste your money on the imitation vanilla and double check the ingredients. 

Some real vanilla extracts have added sugar.

Celtic Sea Salt

An assortment of nuts.

Here I have walnuts, pecans, almonds and cashews.

An assortment of seeds.

Here I have sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and papita seeds.

So here you have a few of the things from my kitchen that are essential for preparing recipes that are are Paleo compliant.

Love Love LOVE comments. Please leave one.

More stuff for your kitchen on my next post.

Join me in this new journey

I am making my maiden voyage into foodie blogging. It's pretty big right now. Recipes galore for every style of specialized diet.  Colorful pictures of food close up and personal.
You can be assured I will be posting some of those pictures also.

My goal is to introduce you to grain-free and refined sugar-free cooking and, of course, eating.
My next post will show you what I have stocked in my pantry and where I got it.  There are few ordinary ingredients and it takes some effort to stock what you need to make some of these incredible recipes. It is well worth the effort. Once your pantry is stocked with some basics your ability to produce delicious grain-free and sugar-free recipes will be as easy as it was before you tossed out the white sugar and flour.

Grain-free is always gluten-free but gluten-free is not always grain-free. Nuts and seeds will take the place of grain flours and stevia, honey, coconut nectar and agave and other low glycemic index sweeteners take the place of white sugar.
Fresh meats and veggies satisfy your hunger while grains and sugary food only create a craving for more food. Our bodies are craving good nutrition. Processed foods never satisfy that craving.

There are lots of resources why you might choose a grain-free and sugar-free lifestyle. I'll give you the links later so you can make your own educated decision.

My choice came out of my desire to maintain a healthy weight and eat delicious foods and not feel deprived of treats.
My hope is that this will somehow expand your desire make healthier food choices.