Hanging up my Dairy Queen crown

I had a FANTASTIC day yesterday ! After discovering that both dairy and nightshades are a problem, I have been thinking of ways to  live without them , and on Wednesday I was able to cut them completely from my diet. Thursday was a day that was pain free, and movement could happen easy. And so move I did . Through a combination of Qi Gong, walking and Wii games, I got in 52 minutes of exercise ! No dairy or nightshades means no pain, no need for pain medications and movement can happen. Even more interesting was that the Wii said I had lost 1.32 pounds overnight, before I did a single moment of exercise for the day. Could it be that perhaps one of my weight issues has been caused by dairy ???? As a child I would drink almost a gallon of milk a day , and throughout my whole life I have been a big dairy fan with the consumption of milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Is it possible that this 'healthy" habit has been a root cause of other issues in my life ? It boggles my mind to consider, but it is indeed possible.

The movement felt really, really good and I was pain free until I did a funny side step while preparing dinner, and then I had to take an Advil to make the throbbing stop. This morning I have no soreness, no stiffness from perhaps pushing too hard, so I am good to go once again.

Living without dairy and nightshades is going to prove to be a bit of a challenge for some of our family favorites. Spaghetti is out ( nightshades), most casseroles are out ( dairy or nightshades or both) and pizza is death. ( Not really, but you get the idea). The planned meal for yesterday was spaghetti, so a substitution needed to be made. Enter in polenta !

( not mine, but from the web)
Polenta , in my mind, is this great canvas that you can pile things on. I took the sausage and cooked it with mushrooms and onions, and then topped it on polenta that I made with chicken bone broth , garlic and salt . To make polenta , take 6 to 8 cups of liquid, bring it to  rolling boil and then using a wire whisk and keeping the liquid moving, slowly pour in a stream of cornmeal ( about a cup)  while constantly stirring. Cook while constantly stirring for about 10 minutes and pour into bowls ( or pour into a pan, cool and cut into shapes to bake or whatever). Polenta can be topped with so many things , and it makes for a different from the norm kind of side.  Add a tossed salad and you have a very filling meal .

I feel like I am on a roll now- let the momentum continue !