Day 2 Saturday August 20th

I weigh myself every morning. After the first day of my gluten free diet, I lost 1 1/2 lbs.

For breakfast I had my green drink. This time, I didn't blend it and just mixed chocolate almond milk and the powder. Yuk - not a good idea, but I drank it anyways. I think I will go back to blending it with a banana. (Jenn gave me the idea to use a banana because it gives the drink a smoother taste - thanks Jenn).

I love to bake and try new recipes. When I had the time, I sat at the computer and started looking up gluten free recipes. I came across another blogsite called glutenfreegoddess. She had a lot of wonderful ideas that I would like to try. I also found a website called Living Without - it is also a magazine that my friend Rachel uses and enjoys. There are endless resources available.

I did find a banana bread recipe from taste of home website that I will try and will let you know how it turns out. I need to get a couple of ingredients before I can make it.

My mother-in-law gave me a cookbook years ago called The Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free cookbook. I looked through it again and found a brownie recipe. I decided to make it for dinner.

For lunch I had chicken salad, sweet potato chips, pickles (I made myself) veggies and dip.

For dinner, I baked a whole chicken, had a spinach salad with strawberries and feta cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette, white rice and fresh green beans (from in-laws garden). I also made the brownie recipe that I found and they turned out very good.

Here is the recipe: (When I post a recipe, I will also include a photo)

Chocolate Brownies (from The Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Free Cookbook)
1/3 c butter or margarine (if dairy free)
3 1/2 oz dark chocolate. I didn't have dark chocolate so I used 1/2 c choc chips instead.
1/2 c raw sugar - gives a chewy, crunch texture
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix in beaten eggs, then add rest of ingredients. Pour into 8x8 greased pan and bake for 30 mins. Best eaten when warm. Serve with ice cream - or my husband put frosting on his.

I will definitely use this recipe again. No need to buy the box mix anymore.

After a whole day of eating, I didn't get bloated or feel tired. I usually end up taking a nap at the same time the kids do in the afternoon and so far I haven't need one. I even had enough energy to work out. I am doing Jillian Michaels 6 Week Six-Pack. I am determined to have a flat stomach. This is my second week in. I am feeling good and the workout is getting a little easier to do. I am also interested in trying the Zumba workout or the Hip Hop Abs workout.