Yeast-Free, day 4

I'm almost halfway through my fourth day back on a yeast-free diet.  It hasn't been too bad.  It has, however, required quite a bit of cooking and planning on my part.  Yesterday we had Quinoa pasta shells with spaghetti sauce on top and I have some set aside to take to work today too so I'm not tempted to go to Arby's or McDonald's.  I made scrambled eggs today and Cinnamon Bun Muffins and everyone enjoyed them.  Everyone but Kaleb said they'd eat the muffins again.  Livvy has gone back for seconds on the muffins which is awesome since of course there is no soy bean oil in them, thus they are completely safe for her too.  It's hard to believe the muffins are sugar-free and gluten-free.  I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: I LOVE ELANA'S PANTRY!  If you are looking for GOOD gluten-free recipes, or just want to eat healthier, I highly recommend you make good use of the recipes she has available.  It is possible to be successful on a yeast-free diet; it's just hard.  While my anxiety and general feelings of depression haven't decreased, I feel better mentally, just knowing that I am doing what is right for my body and mind.

I went to the new chiropractor yesterday.  For those of you in the St. Louis area, it's called Complete Wellness Center and it is located in Kirkwood.  I had acupuncture for the first time yesterday too.  It wasn't bad.  The needles she stuck in my ears hurt when my hair moved against them but the ones she put in the neck were painless.  And my neck felt better immediately after.  She also did this cold laser thing too.  I'm not sure which one eased the pain: maybe both.  But today my neck feels even better.  Still hurts, like it has for almost 2 years, but it is better than it was.  Something the chiropractor told me that didn't make me too happy was that in addition to continuing the yeast-free diet, I should also cut out CORN.  When I first started eating yeast-free, I was thankful that one of the only grains I could still have was corn.  With that out, that leaves amaranth and brown rice.  The one time I had brown rice pasta at pasta house, I thought it was disgusting.  So this makes me said, since the Quinoa pasta that I love so much also has corn in it.  When I called Kris and told him about cutting out corn he said "Well you may as well eat NOTHING."  It was amusing but I know what he's saying.  Man I wish I liked vegetables!  I think this would be easier.  Apparently canola oil has a corn base as well and I was told I should use olive oil instead.  Thanks to the recipes on Elana's Pantry I have discovered grapeseed oil too though so maybe I will try to alternate between olive oil and grapeseed oil.

A few people were asking about my recipe for yeast-free no bake cookies.  I tried them again this week, using agave nectar instead of Swerve, since the Swerve made the cookies taste so COLD in your mouth.  The feeling was just too bizarre for me.  The downside to making them with agave nectar is the consistency.  When I first put them on the parchment, they looked like this:

If I hadn't run out of oatmeal, I would have added more than the recipe called for to try to help them harden up a bit more, but I was out and didn't want to overdue it on the coconut.  Next time I try this recipe, I will add extra oats and coconut and see if it makes a difference.  But overall, the taste was great!  Soon here I will also calculate the calories, fats, Weight Watcher values.  Because I didn't have the consistency right, here is the end result of the "cookies", if you can still call them that.  Who cares how it looks as long as it tastes great!

Rather than direct you back to the recipe on a previous link, I'll just put it here again.  This is the recipe WITHOUT adding additional coconut or oats so if you are going to make these, I would add probably 1/2 cup oats and maybe 1/4 cup coconut.  Once I have the recipe down right, I'll let you know the exact measurements.

Gluten-free No Bake Cookies

1 1/2 cups agave nectar*

8 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup gluten-free unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup cashew butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

3 cups gluten-free quick oats

In large saucepan, combine agave nectar, butter, milk and cocoa. Heat, stirring frequently until boiling. Boil 1-2 minutes; remove from heat and cool 1 minute. Stir in cashew butter, vanilla & salt and mix well. Add oatmeal (and nuts/coconut if desired). Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper and let cool until it hardens. *If you can have sugar, increase amount to 2 cups.