Well, I've made it to Day 5! This is when it's supposed to get easier. Plus, the diet is almost over! Similar to my issue with plain milk, but much MUCH more severe, is my hatred for tomatoes. In fact, the first time I read about the GM diet, I didn't even consider it BECAUSE of the disgusting, slimy, seed-filled, red monsters that were required on Day 5. Luckily, I was able to concoct a way to manage the consumption of these vile fruits.
See, I love ketchup. And the hamburger patties that I am allowed on Day 5 would be pretty bland without it. Problem is, store-bought ketchup is loaded up with sugar, a huge no-no for me this week. So, what's the solution here? Homemade ketchup, of course!
Now, I'm going to post a picture of this, but please understand that this is my first time cutting a tomato, let alone trying to make ketchup from scratch, without one of the primary ingredients (sugar). When I made this last night and saw its strange color and consistency, I was feeling pretty sure that it was going to be about as bearable to eat as the juicy, raw tomatoes I was trying to avoid. But I tried it this morning (yes - for breakfast), and it was pretty good. It was definitely not as good as regular ketchup, but I think if I tried it a couple more times, I could perfect it. I combined several recipes I found online in order to have a spicy, flavorful ketchup (in order to, hopefully, mask the flavor/texture of the tomatoes). And it certainly was spicy and flavorful. It just doesn't have the bright red color or sweet taste that is consistent with the ketchup we are all familiar with. So, now that I've given my long disclaimer, here is my Spicy Homemade Ketchup:
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| After this photo, I added vinegar & it looked more edible. |
6 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Boil the tomatoes for 1 minute, and then transfer them to a bowl of ice water for 1 minute (this will make it super easy to peel them). Peel tomatoes, and then dice them, taking care to remove the seeds. Combine the ingredients in a blender and make a puree. Simmer puree, covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Note: This process is rather lengthy. You could make it a LOT quicker if you are willing to use canned tomatoes or chop whole tomatoes and include the seeds/skin.
Unfortunately, I (classic Laura move) left my lunch, a container of Wonder Soup, sitting on the counter at home. Since I live about an hour from Gardner-Webb, going home to grab it was not an option. So, I did the only thing I could think of to do, aside from skipping lunch altogether. After a failed attempt to order vegetable beef soup at Subway, I got a can of Campbell's Vegetable Beef from CVS. The soup was actually made with lean beef too! It was very similar to the Wonder Soup, except that it had beef and potatoes. I picked out the potatoes, but the beef was OK since it happened to be Day 5 - beef day! Hopefully this substitution won't matter in the long run.
For dinner, I "enjoyed" another hamburger patty topped with homemade, spicy ketchup. Not exactly what I was craving, but it did the trick.
I actually managed to drink the NINETY SIX ounces of water required for Day 5. At the beginning of the diet, I thought that sounded impossible, but by Day 5, I had actually had 9 glasses of water by 3:00pm! I may be on the "easy" days of the diet now, but I sure am ready to eat regular old food again! Two more days to go!
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