Day 7- a little improvement despite the sugar hauntings

It's Monday and I'm feeling a little better today although I feel like I have a Benadryl hangover but I didn't take Benadryl. It doesn't seem to be the flu, just a nasty cold. I prepped food this morning for the rest of the day and I'm hoping that is the key to my success.  Where I'm having trouble is the middle of the day, lunch time and snacks.  If I don't have something to eat that's ready, I lose any energy to make something and end up feeling hungry because I don't know what to eat.  For the majority of this past week, I have felt hungry during the day.  I have seen a trend already, I am substituting any sugar/carb habit with fruit.  I am eating a lot more fruit, also because it's easy, no cooking! So I'm being watchful of how much fruit I'm eating at this point although I think I need to be easy on myself and make the sugar transition slow.  I am going through sugar withdrawals for sure, my body is trying to convince me that I might die if I don't get my hands on a pop tart soon.  I dream about them at night, daydream about ripping open their shiny silver package and devouring both with such joy and ecstasy that my mouth waters in anticipation.  Weird, huh? Of all things, I'm obsessing about pop tarts.  I thought it would be brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I've required no such items be brought into the house at this time as I will have no will power not to attack the deliverer and rip it out if their hands, causing harm to them if they attempt to defend the said box of pop tarts.
I feel a little crazy.

I have opted for professional help in the food department, although I may need other professional help if the sugar cravings get worse. I have enlisted my friend Virginia to help me come up with ideas how to incorporate the vegetables and general ideas so I don't have to feel hungry and deprived. She is an amazing chef, check out her website http://thekitchenmistress.com/blog/. She blows me away every time I am lucky enough to eat her creations. You have no idea how ridiculous the camping experience is with her.

Last night I cooked dinner for my boyfriend's mother. Let's just say I was nervous to come up with something that I could eat and would not make her hate me/vomit. I was pleasantly surprised to find some inspiration on this blog http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/. She has mouth watering pictures that gave me an idea (see lemon linguine with basil pesto shrimp) to adjust to my diet.  I used spaghetti squash in place of the linguine and I made my own pesto with basil, garlic, olive oil and toasted pumpkin seeds.  I marinated the shrimp in half the pesto and added lemon juice and zest to the rest for a lighter sauce to cover the "noodles". I sauteed thin asparagus on my flat griddle and cut into bite size pieces before tossing it all together. It turned out delicious! Unfortunately, it was not very photogenic as my green sauce looked sickly so I don't have a picture to share with you.

On a different note, I am having some difficulty taking the supplements I've been prescribed.  My throat has begun anticipatory shrinking and my stomach is rejecting them by forcing them out the way they came in. Mostly it's the amount, 13 pills to swallow, twice a day but the worst part is the taste and smell. The GI Synergy herbal and fatty acid supplement includes garlic, so when I open the package I get an instant wave of nausea. Then, swallowing six pills one at a time, elongating the process so they don't get stuck in my throat,  my stomach rebels against me and forces burps with a foul stench that even my boyfriend can't pretend not to notice. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I do feel as pretty as I sound. It just keeps getting better and better. And yes, I will share with you all these disgusting facts, so that you do not have to feel like the only ogre if you go through this someday.

Food Journal Day 5
Breakfast: coconut yogurt with blueberries
Lunch: Thai soup with avocado, grapefruit (soup was from a box, not diet friendly but too sick to really care)
Dinner: steamed artichoke with lemon vinaigrette dipping sauce
Snack: homemade cherry bites ( see note on this below)
and yes, I felt hungry all day

Cherry bites: I mixed unsweetened shredded coconut with flax meal and coconut milk and chopped cherries, formed balls with an ice cream scooper (best cookie utensil) and baked for 15 minutes at 325 F for a toasty treat that is technically on my diet but pushing the line.  They are not very sweet at all but a perfect substitution for my cookie fix.

Coconut flax cherry bites

Food Journal Day 6
Breakfast: protein shake 
Snack: apricot, pumpkin seeds
Lunch:? don't remember if I ate lunch
Dinner: pesto shrimp with spaghetti squash and asparagus
Snack: cherry bite, herbal tea

Food Journal Day 7
Breakfast: protein shake with spinach, carrot juice, blueberries, coconut yogurt
Snack: toasted pumpkin seeds, 1/2 fresh squeezed orange juice
Lunch: leftover shrimp and squash dinner
Snack: golden beet with shallot salt
Dinner: pan seared haddock, gingered beet greens, roasted sweet potato wedges