Hey, I made good spring rolls!

You know those times when you want a snack but aren't sure what so you wander around the kitchen, looking repeatedly in cupboards and fridge hoping something pops up that wasn't there the last time you looked? I had one of those a few nights ago, the first in months.

I was watching an episode of the series, "The Guardian" on Netflix (that Simon Baker is something else!) and wanted something to snack on but didn't have a clue what. A brief search of my kitchen cupboard and refrigerator contents turned up nothing that appealed to me so I tried to give up and go back to the show. Unfortunately, the desire for something to munch on wouldn't leave and I found myself wandering into the kitchen again to see if something had magically appeared. Nope, still nothing.

Finally, I saw the package of Frieda's won ton wrappers (17 grams of carbs in 4 wrappers) I'd bought a few days before and I toyed with the idea of making some kind of gooey, cream cheese-y, sweet treat but my taste buds didn't seem too enthused. I kept digging in the fridge and saw the bag of broccoli slaw mix I'd bought at the same time as the egg roll wrappers and remembered that I wanted to try my hand at vegetable spring rolls. Hmmm, my mouth started watering a bit and I realized my taste buds were in overdrive. Eureka!

Someone had very recently sent me the URL of the site containing her favorite egg roll recipe so I went to the site and read it but although the tips and hints that prefaced the recipe were awesome sounding the recipe itself seemed a little more complicated than what I wanted to undertake while watching television. I read the tips a couple of times to cement them in my mind and headed back into the kitchen, prepared to wow myself with whatever results I came up with. Okay, let me say that I'd attempted spring rolls before but due to lack of knowledge ended up with a mess in my skillet. The site I'd just read focused on using a small amount of filling and very tightly rolling the wrappers to prevent said skillet disaster and that appealed to me. I decided to work on mastering the rolling part rather than the filling.

Into my wok, I put a bit of olive oil. When it was hot but not smoking I added the broccoli slaw, some finely chopped red onion, and a bit of finely shredded cabbage. I didn't measure any of it so use discretion here. I threw in a spoon or so of chopped garlic and a bit of salt and pepper. Pushing the mess around a bit, I tasted and it was bland so I added a few drops of sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. I cooked it a bit more and tasted. It seemed good to me so I dumped it all into a glass bowl and moved it to my work counter. Since I don't have a deep fryer, I rinsed the wok a bit and added more olive oil, setting the wok on a low heat burner.

I proceeded with putting a very small amount of the filling in one corner of a wrapper then tightly rolling, folding the side edges in and ending with the top corner tucked under. I had enough filling for 4 rolls and when they were stuffed and neatly rolled I turned up the heat on the wok and put them into the oil. As one side browned, I carefully maneuvered the roll to another side until they were browned pretty much all over. When all of them were a pretty golden color I removed them and set them on a thick towel to drain and cool a bit.

It didn't take long before they were cool enough to eat. I took the first bite and thought, "Hey, this is pretty darn good!" I took another bite and confirmed the first thought. And with a bit of soy sauce to dip them in, they were actually quite good. Yes, I'd finally made spring rolls without destroying the wrappers and making a sloppy mess in my skillet! The filling was still a bit bland so I'll have to work on that but I'm very happy with the results overall. Now I just need to perfect the filling.

And no, mine aren't as pretty as the ones at the site linked above. I didn't follow all her rules but they're good enough for me. 

Do you make spring rolls or egg rolls? If so, how do you make the filling? I'd love to know your recipe or even suggestions on how to spice the filling a bit. 

Faux vegetarianism & a hearty soup for it

Faux vegetarianism. That kind of describes my diet now.

Back in March, my sons came from Austin to visit and while they were here, the youngest told me he'd been vegetarian for months. He told me that since he'd given up eating "anything with a face" his blood sugar was great. I prepared and ate vegetarian meals while he was at my apartment and lo and behold, my blood sugar was great, too. I played with eating meat and not eating meat for a few weeks and it became clear to me that just about any meat, other than seafoods, spiked my blood sugar. That was enough for me.

I embarked on a regimen of eating a ton of vegetables with a few bites of meat now and then and have lost about 12 pounds. My last A1c was under 7 and my physician was thrilled. So was I.

It's hard to maintain this, though. Now and then I crave meat and when that happens, I buy some, prepare it and enjoy it. So, while I'm not a vegetarian I'm almost one. ;)

Yeah, faux vegetarianism seems to work for me. For now. I don't know if it's a permanent thing or if, in the future, it too will cease to help keep the blood sugar under control but for now I'm enjoying it.

I wish I could say my grocery spending has decreased a lot but though it's gone down a little it hasn't gone down by much.

So what do I eat? I'm glad you asked.

Breakfast is usually stir fried vegetables of some sort (broccoli slaw with bell peppers is my favorite) with a scrambled egg, all rolled into a low carb tortilla with plenty of cilantro salsa. Sometimes I get crazy and fry a slice of vegetarian 'bacon', crumble, and add that. Sometimes I eat soup for breakfast. My favorite is just a simple vegetable broth loaded with zucchini, onions, and celery that I've stir fried a bit and added to the broth. I add plenty of fresh garlic and a bit of ginger and it's filling and delicious.

Lunch is generally salad with some steamed vegetables or a crustless vegetable quiche. Sometimes I just lightly steam a few vegetables and top them with a bit of homemade white sauce, spiced up.

Dinner is often a repeat of breakfast or lunch with a bit of fruit or yogurt on the side.

I've learned to occasionally enjoy Gardein or Morningstar Farms products but I try to keep those down to a dull roar. They're expensive, even on sale, and I really prefer to eat fresh food. The Gardein Crispy Tenders make a tasty addition to salad (my co-workers tried them and thought they were eating chicken) and their Beefless Tips are delicious served with a bit of wild rice. The Spicy Black Bean Burger from Morningstar Farms is one of my favorite treats. I fry it and put it on a whole wheat thin bun with a bit of onion dressing and it makes for a very portable lunch. A friend recently gave me a recipe for homemade black bean burgers and I'm going to make that one day this week.

So yeah, I'm a faux vegetarian...if you have some good vegetable recipes, I'd love it if you shared.

I'll head out to work in a couple of hours but I started a slow cooker soup awhile ago that should be ready when I get home. It's just a basic barley & vegetable soup but I stir fried the barley, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and bell peppers in a bit of coconut oil before adding them to the crock with vegetable broth. Stir frying or roasting the vegetables a bit just brings out the delicious flavors and makes the soup tastier. When I get home this evening, it will be a nice welcome.

Has it really been 8 months since I posted an entry?

Yes, it has been. Wow. I'm not sure why it's been so long except I've been busy with work and life in general. I've been at my current job for almost five years and although I really like it most of the time, sometimes I look for for a new job. I've even been on a few interviews and have had job offers but something keeps me where I am. Fear of change, perhaps. After all, I'm comfortable with what I do now. I think I could do it in my sleep. But I'm starting to think I'm too comfortable with it. I'm beginning to feel stagnant with it, bored, and a bit restless. Yet the thought of leaving is too intimidating for me to seriously consider. Maybe soon.

I've been on a few dates, too. For the most part, the men have been good people. We meet for coffee or dinner and talk, getting to know one another. It doesn't progress, though. Truthfully, they don't interest me. They seem nice enough, perhaps too nice. I know, that probably doesn't make sense unless you're a woman who likes the bad boys! If you are, you know exactly what I mean. But those bad boys, while exciting, aren't really what's best for me and I know that so I avoid them and now and then date a good one,  hoping I'll click with one of them. It hasn't happened yet but it might. In the meantime, I just live my quiet life.

I'm content. I'm happier now than I've been in many years and that's a wonderful thing. Someone asked me recently if I get lonely. Of course I do. Not often but now and then I miss certain things about having a mate. I miss eating dinner with another person, having someone to talk about the day's doings with, having someone to go sightseeing with, and yes, I miss loving someone. I have friends I invite over for dinner and a movie and sometimes we go out stomping around local towns or festivals and that's fun. But it isn't the same as doing it with someone you love. That said, I'll take my quiet and sometimes lonely life over one filled with strife, fear, or resentment. Peace is a valuable commodity and I value and protect mine.

So, yeah...I've not posted in months but I want to try to be better about it. The problem is that I don't have much of interest to say. I mean really, how many pictures of Sammy can y'all enjoy? ;)

Here's to a great 2012!

I'm not big on New Years Resolutions, mainly because most people (including me) don't keep them. It seems to me that except for the thought that goes into them they're generally a waste of time. I do, however, think improving ourselves is a good thing. Any time of the day, week, month, or year. In light of that, I stumbled upon an improvement recently.

18 days ago I quit smoking! I didn't plan for it, didn't really intend to do it but a few weeks ago I knew a quit was coming so I bought a box of nicotine patches. On December 16th I ran out of cigarettes and remembered I had the patches so I put one on. I haven't smoked a cigarette since and haven't used a patch since December 25th.

Interestingly enough, I've had not major cravings. I've had fleeting thoughts of cigarettes,  a hand full of minor desires for one, and Saturday night I wanted a cigarette for several hours but other than that, it's not been bad. The last time I quit, on January 2nd of 2007, I had a similar reaction but did chew the heck out of cigarette-length cut straws! I had a few of those ready this time but haven't used one.

I thought it would be good to have a visual reminder of how much money I'm not spending on cigarettes so every day I put into a pretty jar one penny for each dollar I haven't spent on cigarettes.

The picture above, taken yesterday, represents 144 dollars not spent on cigarettes. Several people have asked what I'll do with the money I don't spend killing myself and I've given that quite a bit of thought.  Half will be saved to take myself on a nice vacation and the remainder will go to a local charity I've chosen. I think those are both good things to do with the money.

Fauxtato soup success!

Ohh, long time no blog, friends! Life has been crazy but in a good way and I haven't had much time for blogging. However, I made something so delicious I just have to post about it here. Trust me, you'll be glad I did, especially if you're a low carb eater who misses that good ol' comfort food we know as "potato soup"!

For years I've heard of using cauliflower to make something akin to potato soup but none of the recipes I'd found appealed to me. Until last night, that is. I received email with a recipe for a simple but delicious sounding baked potato soup and as I read the recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients to turn it into fauxtato soup, including the cauliflower. I was very excited and started the dish last night before I headed to bed.

Here's a picture of the delicious but easy to make soup I ended up with.

Uh huh, makes your mouth water, doesn't it? Trust me, it's as beautiful to the taste buds as it is to the eyes!

And it's very easy to make. In a nutshell, I put one head of chopped fresh cauliflower, some chopped onion, about 3/4 of a package of onion soup mix combined with 2 cups water (since I didn't have broth on hand and wasn't making any for a few days), several whole cloves of garlic, and some spices in a slow cooker and left it all night. In the morning I mashed about a third of it with a block of cream cheese and put that back in the cooker. When the cheese was melted and incorporated well, I put some in the bowl and topped it with chopped green onion, crispy beef bacon, cheddar cheese, and a bit of fresh cilantro. If you leave the beef bacon out, it's vegetarian deliciousness in a bowl.

That's it! A little bit of chopping, a tad of mixing, throw it in the slow cooker and leave it all night, a little mashing up of stuff in the morning, and voila, delicious fauxtato soup!

This will definitely be on my menus as our weather cools. I hope it's on yours, too.

September 11th - September 17th Menu

Wow, last week just sped by! Between work and other stuff, it seems like I just got back from vacation yesterday. I'm stressing a bit over the move of my mother and stepfather and his increasing dementia. I'm afraid that soon, very soon, he's simply going to be too much for Mom to handle alone. I'm not sure just what we'll do when that happens. Our options are very limited.

And this coming week is going to be a busy one, also, so more light cooking and eating are in my future.

Last night I went to Carl's Jr. for a Portobello Mushroom burger in a lettuce wrap. No, it's not as tasty as the burger with the bun and fries but it's much lower in carbs and much easier on the blood sugar. It was good and really hit the spot.

Tonight I'll have Tilapia and vegetables steamed in paper and with it a salad and a bit of wild rice

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with marinara sauce and steamed spinach. Gnocchi is something I very recently learned to make along with some other pastas and I'll probably never buy pasta again!

Slow cooked vegetable soup with a homemade wheat roll

Chicken and vegetable stir fry

Beef fajitas with plenty of freshly made tomatillo salsa

Leftover night when I finish off whatever is in the fridge

I'm still working on reproducing dishes I've eaten in restaurants recently but other than the tomatilla salsa, I haven't gotten them right. I will at some point and when I do, I'll share them with y'all.

If you have the dinner doldrums, check out Menu Plan Monday. Seeing what others are planning for dinner might give you some fresh ideas.

Tomatillo Salsa, anyone?

Today was my first attempt at making this delicious salsa and it turned out fantastic, if I do say so myself!

I used a very easy recipe and added about a tsp of chopped garlic and the juice of half a lime. The finished product has the right amounts of heat and cilantro and will grace the little bit of leftover chicken I plan to eat tonight along with the vegetable soup.

This will definitely be a go to condiment for me.

September 4th - September 10th Menu

We've had a bit of a reprieve yesterday and today from the absolutely miserable heat. It's been so hot I haven't wanted to do anything at all, not even cook. I've cooked anyway, though, simply because eating out is so expensive and detrimental to my blood sugar. My efforts at diet improvement and exercise have been successful, though. My latest A1c of 6.5 is definitely an improvement. It still isn't where I want it to be but I'll take that progress, thank you! Rather than follow the dietitian's recommended 30 grams of carbs at meals I've been eating 20 grams and that seems to have stopped the weight gain and I have more energy. I've lost another two pounds of what I gained but I've been concentrating on blood sugar rather than weight loss so that's okay with me.

My mother and stepfather sold their home and are moving. The house had been on the market over a year and the closing is right around the corner so my sister and I took our vacation last week, went to Austin and had a fantastic time, then spent the last couple of days helping the folks try to get organized and packed. I say try because they have so much stuff crammed into that house there's simply no way for us to get it all done before the move. Not with work and lives, you know. In fact, the contents of the attic filled an entire bedroom and I kid you not! It's overwhelming that they have so much to move but it is what it is and we've done our best to get it in some kind of order. We'll help them all we can until the move and then help unpack in the new place as time allows.

So, while on vacation I had some new to me foods and now that it's cooled off a little I'm going to work on reproducing a couple of the dishes at home. One of them is the Migas breakfast taco with Tomatillo salsa from Torchy's Tacos. I have the ingredients to make the salsa and will do that today or tomorrow. It might take a couple of tries but I'm okay with that as long as the results are edible. Another thing I want to make is Hummus like that served at Sarah's Mediterranean Grill and Market. I enjoy hummus but theirs is particularly tasty. It isn't as garlic laden as some and is creamier than most I've had and I'd love to have some of that in my fridge to eat as a snack now and then. I might not eat it with pita but simply with a spoon.

Okay, on to this week's menu. I have a very busy week ahead so most of my meals will be simple and easy to prepare. Tonight I'm having leftover chicken, potato salad, boiled cabbage and cole slaw (yes, two kinds of cabbage in one meal! I love the stuff) from yesterday's cookout at Mom's house. If I get around to making the tomatillo salsa I'll have some of that on my chicken.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Homemade pimiento cheese (best recipe I've found to date) with wheat crackers and a large salad

Vegetable soup, leftover from Mom's house, with a small salad and a homemade whole wheat roll

Stir fry steak and vegetables with brown rice

Dinner with Mom one night. No doubt it will be higher in carbs than I prefer but I'll shoot insulin and eat just enough to not be hungry.

Homemade turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, and salad with a slice of whole wheat toast

Leftover night, when I eat whatever is languishing in the fridge.

Once it really cools off, I'll return to making roasts and experimenting with breads but for now light and easy eating is the way to go.

I have a very interesting cooking project coming up and when I have more time I'll post about that. Until then, play with your food! And don't forget to look at Laura's Menu Plan Monday today. Her citrus-chicken salad pita pockets sound delicious and I might have to try that dish soon.

July 3rd - July 9th Menu

I didn't make any of the recipes I'd planned last week. Instead, I ate leftovers and miscellaneous things from my freezer and fridge. My poor freezer was bulging with food so I made reducing it's contents and cleaning it a priority. It worked out well and I had plenty of time for more important things.

The next couple of weeks at work will be hectic. We had one person give notice last week then not return for her remaining shifts so there's been some scrambling to fill those. I love that we're down a person and it's Fourth of July weekend. And the boss is going on vacation next week so we'll be down two people that week. The good news is we're training a new person. I don't think she'll be ready to work alone for awhile so we'll just have to muddle through all this the best we can and try to maintain our sanity.

I'm very nervous and a little excited about starting back to college. I haven't been in over 20 years so I'm not sure what to expect but people I know in similar situations have told me it's much better later in life. I hope that's true. To help with my lack of basic math skills, I've been working my way through a textbook and workbook and using the videos at Khan Academy. Sal has a way of presenting difficult concepts in such a way that they're a little less difficult and his vision of a quality education for all is pretty impressive!

Okay, so on to the menu for this week. I work tonight so I'm taking a simple meal of turkey, swiss cheese, avocado and tomato on half a whole grain ciabatta roll and a few bell pepper strips with jalapeno ranch dressing.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Grilled or broiled NY strip steak with steamed asparagus and buttered red potatoes

Rosemary chicken with zucchini and red potatoes served with a salad

Chunky vegetable hash (South Beach recipe) with a scrambled egg

Beef brisket with Vegetables Alfredo over a little Dreamfields pasta

Leftover night, when I eat whatever is lingering in the fridge

Dinner out one night

I've received a few emails lately with questions about how I keep track of my menu for the week. Well, since I cook for just myself more often than not, it's no big deal if I vary things and prepare a meal not on my menu. However, since the menus are thoughtfully prepared with my blood sugar goals in mind I try to stick with what's on the menu and to do that, I need the menu where I can easily find it. So, I looked at a lot of different forms and picked the second one from The Project Girl. I don't care if I eat steak on Monday or Thursday or chicken on Tuesday or Saturday as long as I have the menu easily accessible. And it is. It's posted on my fridge each Sunday and here's this week's.

Meals are listed on the left and a shopping list is on the right. When the new week's menu is ready I put the old one in a binder so I can refer to it later for meal ideas. I've used this system for several months and really like it.

Join Laura and the crew for Menu Plan Monday and share what's on your menu for the week.

And have a great Fourth of July!

June 26th - July 2nd Menu

The carb counting plan I've been on for almost a month is still working like a charm so I'm going to continue it. My blood sugar is rarely under 75 or over 110 and for me those are fantastic numbers. It's been weeks since I've had a middle of the night hypo and I've had only two day time episodes, both when I shot for 30 grams of carbs and ate only about 15. Ooops! Two hypos in a month is excellent, though, so I'm encouraged. I've gained back a little of the weight I'd lost but since increasing my exercise the weight is leaving again. It looks as though I'll just have to exercise regularly, like it or not. Go figure!

This week I have quite a bit of time off so trying new recipes is in the works. I've picked a few that sound delicious and fairly easy so the plan is to make those and post the recipes and pictures separately.

And on to this week's menu. Last night I didn't eat because I was very full and tired from the weekend. My sisters came in from Dallas and yesterday at Mom's we prepared a turkey roast with gravy, asparagus, pea salad, spicy pinto beans, and cherry cobbler and I had some of each. When I got home I couldn't even think of food and had to force myself to choke down a yogurt before bed.

Tonight's dinner will be chicken wings with caramelized onions and mushrooms, half an ear of corn, and a tossed salad. Connie prepared and brought 10 pounds of wings to Mom's house so I snagged enough for at least two meals this week. She made three kinds of wings - hot, barbecue, and cheese and all are delicious!

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Marinated and grilled rib eye steak, the remaining half ear of corn, and grilled vegetables

Pico de Gallo Chicken Quesadillas with cold black bean salad

Chicken Alfredo with a bit of pasta, tossed salad, and steamed asparagus

A big salad with toasted tomato and cheese baguette

Dinner out one night

So that's it for this week's eats. Join Laura and the crew at Menu Plan Monday and share what's on your plate!

Update and happy anniversary/birthday to me

Almost a month ago my computer shut off and wouldn't come back on. I loved that old Mac Mini and off to the doctor I sent it. Three weeks later it was pronounced officially dead. It could have been saved but the cost of repair considering it's age seemed high so I did my research, talked to some very Mac-savvy folks, decided I wanted this computer then went out and found a good deal. It was one of the smartest moves I've made in regard to computers!

Interestingly enough, I didn't miss the computer. Not often, anyway. I missed having something to do at times but found other entertainment. I made some great meals, read more books than I have in years, watched a lot of History Channel, and spent time with friends and acquaintances. I even wrote quite a bit, something I hadn't done for way too long. I don't think most of us realize just how plugged in we are until we're no longer so plugged in. Without the computer, cell phone, television, games, and constant flow of information we often feel lonely or as though we're living in the dark ages but I'm beginning to think it's the other way around. Those things, which give the illusion of connections of some sort with other people, might actually isolate us and lead to our own personal dark age and the lack of true connections.

Speaking of dark ages, my one year anniversary is next week and my 49th birthday is not far behind. If you haven't a clue what anniversary I'm talking about, almost a year ago my life changed dramatically. I won't say it's been a fun or pleasant year but I will say it's been enlightening and, in many ways, satisfying. I have a new group of folks I enjoy spending time with whom I affectionately refer to as "the tribe", I'm going back to college soon even though I don't know just what I want to be when I grow up, and I've realized that being almost 50 doesn't mean life is over. In fact, it's just starting and as they say, better late than never.

So here's to new computers, new connections, and new endeavors. May we all have plenty of them and success with each!

May 29th - June 4th Menu

I saw the Endocrinologist and Certified Diabetes Educator last week. I found the visit with the endo to again be a waste of time and money. As of today, he's done very little my GP hasn't, can't, or won't do except confirm that I have LADA (Type 1.5 Diabetes) so I don't think I need him, though the GP probably won't agree. He did tell me that the recent blood sugar readings my sons had were way out of line and suggested they each get a Fasting Blood Glucose test and an A1c. Because of their ages, normal weights, and lifestyles he feels that if they're diabetic, they have LADA and not Type 2. He also gave credence to my suggestion that perhaps my diabetic relatives also had LADA rather than Type 2 and it's a genetic issue in our family.

I expected the visit with the CDE to be as much a waste of time as the endo but was pleasantly surprised. I told her up front that I eat a low carb diet most of the time but listened to her spiel with an open mind. In return, she didn't gripe about my way of eating but thoughtfully explained, complete with a white board and some great diagrams, why and how she believes low carb eating has actually harmed me over the last 11 years. Once I understood her perspective and the science behind it,  I agreed to a two week trial with the understanding that if I didn't see substantial improvement in blood sugar readings without large weight gain I'd go back to my way. She told me that my blood sugar might seem a little unstable for a few days but not to panic if it did and I might gain a few pounds but those issues would resolve themselves quickly.

In a nutshell, I now carbohydrate count, but for comfort and weight loss purposes my plan is modified to contain fewer carbs. I eat three meals a day of 30 grams of carbs and three snacks of 15 grams of carbs with the third snack being eaten right before I go to bed, whether that's at 8 PM or 3 AM. That's 135 grams of carbs, still much less than most people eat but much higher than the 30 to 50 grams I'm used to. It's not easy for me to eat those carbs and some days I simply can't eat them all but I try and do well most of the time.

I now eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking in the morning. Sometimes breakfast is nothing more than 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry cereal but it meets the 30 grams of carbs criteria. Breakfast is a major hurdle for me. I just don't want food most days before 11 AM so I made a rule for myself - no coffee before eating in the morning. Yeah, I basically bribe myself to eat that first meal but it works for me. In addition, it's enabled me to drink just two cups of coffee in the morning rather than the copious amounts of the past.

I started the new way of eating on Wednesday, May 25th and except for Saturday, when I over ate a little and ran around 150 all afternoon and evening, and a postprandial last night of 177 (see note below), I haven't seen readings under 75 or over 120. No panic stricken hypos in the middle of the night leading to werewolf eating binges, no rushing to bolus extra insulin because I've over eaten or under shot. It's been fairly steady between 85 and 100 for most of four days. In addition, I'm shooting substantially less insulin, sleeping better, feeling better in general, and have lost 2 more pounds. I'm puzzled by it all and four days aren't enough to convince me that this is the long term way for me but the results give me hope that I might be able to have a less restricted diet. Since the average American eats between 200 and 400 grams of carbohydrates a day, I'll never have the 'average' diet (and don't want it, thanks!) but something pseudo-average will wonderfully suffice!

With all that said, my menus now have meals that average 30 grams of carbs, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. Feel free to adjust them as needed for your own preferences and if you're diabetic, remember YMMV (Your Meter May Vary).

This week I'll have, in no particular order except for last night's dinner which is listed first:

Beef fajita salad with Ken's Lite Northern Italian Dressing and six Triscuit rosemary and olive oil crackers (My preprandial was 102 and postprandial was 177. Six Triscuits might be too many so I'll try four next time and if that doesn't work, they'll become a rare treat that requires a little more insulin)

Chicken breast seasoned with plenty of garlic and pepper, skillet cooked with olive oil, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and a side of wild rice with slivered nuts

Open faced roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions and a side of homemade vegetable soup

Cheese and skirt steak omelet, hash browns, and one slice of whole wheat toast with sugar free grape jelly

Baked cod with green beans, buttered beets, and half an ear of corn

Beef stroganoff, whole wheat noodles, green beans, and a large salad

Leftover night when I eat whatever is lingering in the fridge

And that's it for this week! By the way, my snacks are usually 1/2 a cup of fruit, yogurt, or four crackers with cheese. I'm going to have to get more creative with snacks and I'll update on those as I come up with good ones. If you have suggestions on snacks with 10 to 15 grams of carbs, please share them in a comment.

For more ideas on what to feed your family, check out Menu Plan Monday to see what others are coming up with.

Farmer's Market Haul

I went to the Historic Longview Farmers Market this morning, hoping to find some good tomatoes. Not surprisingly those sell out early and I missed them but I found some other goodies for my palate this week.

I left loaded with turnips, squash, leeks, onions, Daikon greens, and two kinds of goat cheese, plain and chipotle. I'd never had Daikon greens but prepared some and ate them with skillet cooked squash, onion, and fresh cilantro and it was a delicious lunch. As an added bonus, my blood sugar was just 85 two hours after lunch.

My menu for this week will be heavy on fresh produce. I love this time of year.

May 16th - May 22nd Menu

My sons came to visit from Austin this weekend and we had a great time. I wish they'd stayed longer but the oldest one starts a new job today and they needed to get back home in time for him to prepare for the new job. We went to my mother's house Saturday and did some work around her place. She was so happy to have two of her grandsons there. She's been pretty depressed over things with my stepfather and the visit cheered her substantially.

Before they headed back to Austin yesterday the boys humored me by eating high carb meals. I checked their pre and post prandial blood sugar and both sons had substantially abnormal results. Damn diabetes! I've been seriously questioning the assumption that all my diabetic relatives were Type 2s and the numbers on my glucometer did nothing to calm my fears that they were more than likely adults with Type 1. My sons are 27 and 26, neither is overweight, and they have relatively healthy diets though the diets are probably a bit high in carbs but they both had high FBG and way too high results one and two hours after their lunch. I'm concerned that I'm seeing a genetic tendency to some variation of Type 1 (LADA?, MODY??, Alien ancestry???) in my family. I can't change that but knowing it might help future generations. I sent those young men packing with glucometers, test strips, directions for testing and lower carb eating, and encouragement to see a physician quickly. Sigh.

Anyway, on to my menu for this week!

Tonight I work so I'll probably have a nice salad for dinner or chicken salad I made this morning. The rest of the week I'll have:

Mexican red lentil stew

Mushroom, cheese, and cilantro omelet with a small salad

Garlic-Lime chicken with sauteed green beans and mushrooms

Turkey asparagus roll ups, steamed spinach, and salad

Beef stroganoff over faux rice, grilled asparagus and artichoke hearts, and steamed green beans

Make sure you look at Laura's Menu Plan Monday. You'll find some nice ideas for your menu!

May 8th - May 14th Menu

And it's time for another menu to be shared! I've had a hectic week and another one is upon me and menu planning isn't really what I want to do in my small amount of spare time so I've put it off. But I finally worked on this week's menu last night after I got home from work. I was bone tired but if I don't plan for the week it becomes a haphazard grab what I can sort of thing (read that as trips to Long John Silver's, Carl's Jr., etc) so I dug through the freezer and fridge and here's what I came up with:

Sunday - I ate 6 small fish sticks and a salad. Not the most nutritious but it was all I could muster and  was actually good. I must have been very hungry, indeed! I took caution not to overeat and my blood sugar responded to that - 94 before eating, 85 two hours after.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order, except for the first meal which is Monday's:

Broiled chicken with a delicious homemade mayo, garlic, and black pepper dipping sauce, my special green beans, and a salad

Chicken fajitas made with leftover chicken and an egg wrap, served with cucumber/tomato/avocado salad and fresh pico de gallo

Ribeye steak with a small baked red potato, broccoli, and salad

Very large salad with just about every vegetable I can find in it

Dinner out one night, probably Italian food

Beef and vegetable stir fry with a tiny amount of wild rice and a salad

By the way, I've been experimenting with grazing the last few days. No, I didn't buy a cow! Instead, I've been eating small amounts of food throughout the day. It's doing wonders for my blood sugar and my weight. Two more pounds gone and I haven't had a blood sugar result over 110 though I did get a 54 at work yesterday. Ooops!

I'm accustomed to eating two, sometimes three large meals a day with snacks that aren't always the best choices but after doing a lot of research I thought I'd give grazing a good try. So far it's doing what I'd hoped. It might not always work this way but it's definitely worth the effort to try it for awhile!

I carry a small amount of almonds, cashews, walnuts, and cheese in my apron pocket and when I feel the need for something but no break is on the horizon, I munch on those. When I take my meal at work, I eat 1/3 to 1/2 of it (thanks to the grazing I'm not very hungry) and bring the rest home for later. I rarely feel hunger and my blood sugar seems happy at the moment so we'll see what happens.

Here's what I took to work yesterday: stuffed mushrooms, steamed cauliflower, carrot, bell pepper, and tomatoes with homemade dip, sliced strawberries, and hamburger steak cut into bite sized pieces. Oh, and a cheese stick for my apron pocket. :)

About 2/3 of it came home with me!

If you're bored with your menus and would like to try something new, head on over to Laura's Menu Plan Monday and see what others are cooking up this week.

A great day!

I woke up this morning with a FBG of 84, which is awesomely good. I was thrilled and have managed to keep the blood sugar between 84 and 110 all day.

I got a great pseudo surprise today - my mother, stepfather, two sisters and the boyfriend of one of them met me for lunch! I say "pseudo surprise" because I knew the sisters were coming to east Texas but I had to work and didn't think I'd get to see them. They left Dallas early, though, and although they were a bit later than I'd hoped we got to spend some time together before I headed to work. It was great to see them, even if it was for only a short time. This week has been really rough and I felt cheered by the visit and it just made my day.

And here we are at Cheddar's!

Left to right: Connie, Terra, and me

It's officially official...

I'm definitely a Type 1.5 diabetic. I got the call while I was out and about today but talked to the endo's nurse, who couldn't answer any of my questions. Basically all she said is I'll have to stay on insulin from here out and see the endo every three months. I have an appointment with him at the end of May and hopefully he'll have more information for me. I hate being left with all these questions and no answers.

To say I'm upset is something of an understatement. I've suspected this and yes, the phone call last week with the GP's assistant pretty much confirmed my suspicions but to hear it again, in no uncertain terms, no 'we think' or 'it looks like' or 'you appear to be', was really not what I wanted. On the other hand, a lot of things make more sense to me now.

I have a lot of questions to ask, a lot. And no answers for awhile.

Just sharin'....

I was almost asleep last night when I started hearing weird sounds. I figured it was Sammy and tried to ignore it but the sounds continued and got louder until I finally had to get up and see what he was doing.

Here's what I found in the living room!

I guess he decided to use the box as a bed and what I'd heard was him scratching and pawing at it, trying to get it just right. 

Ha ha, gotta love cats! 

Have a great Wednesday. 

May 1st - May 6th Menu

This week's menu is a good one! I got some great deals at the grocery store and spent my weekend off resting and preparing dinners and lunches for this week. Other than the California Grilled Chicken Salad, there isn't much I can eat where I work so I do try to take lunches. However, sometimes I'm lazy about it or just forget to grab my lunch and if the salad isn't available or I'm not in the mood for it I end up eating chicken nuggets or chicken strips, both things I really don't need. I'm really trying to be more careful about what I eat and taking meals to work is a big part of that.

Last night I had oven baked beef ribs and salad for dinner. The ribs were incredibly delicious and much more tender than I expected. I'd found a large rack of beef ribs for a great price so I divided the rack into two sections. The first I seasoned with pepper, garlic powder, and a little celery salt, wrapped tightly in foil, and baked at 250 for about four hours. The second I pan cooked on very low heat for about three hours with plenty (15) of fresh whole garlic cloves. Both cooking methods produced meat that fell off the bones and there's enough for at least two more meals. 

The rest of the week isn't nearly as exciting but is still good and healthy. Here's my menu, in no particular order:

Vegetable and chicken soup with salad and green beans

Chicken Parmesan with sauteed parmesan spinach 

Salad with several kinds of greens, tomato, baby carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and cheese

Chicken and vegetable stir fry with a bit of wild rice and mushrooms

Beef ribs with salad and 1/2 a small baked sweet potato 

Vegetable fajitas made with a slew of fresh veggies and low carb tortillas

And that's it for this week! It's all made at home, thrifty, and good for me.

What's on the menu at your house this week? If you're stumped for ideas, join Laura and her followers at Menu Plan Monday. I'm sure you'll get some nice ideas.

Where's my whip?

I still haven't heard from the endocrinologist and I'm just about ready to jump out of my skin.

I've spent quite a bit of time the last couple of days thinking about what I can do to get my blood sugar under better control. My last A1c was 7.1, a marked improvement from my January test but not close enough to the short term goal of 6.5 I've set. It does show that I'm on the right track, though, and that's encouraging.

After I had my little pity party Thursday I hitched up my big girl panties and was ready to beat the ever loving hell out of the Diabeastie. Where's my whip? Oh yeah, I don't have one so I guess I'll have to approach this differently. How about using common sense, planning, and forethought to gain the upper hand? How about putting to work the knowledge I already have and gaining more to help me overpower the dreaded creature? Yeah, I think that's a better plan.

In light of that, here are some of the things I must do/changes I must make to better manage my blood sugar:

Test more frequently - Depending on what's going on in my life, where I am, what I've eaten, and how I feel, some days I test only 3 or 4 times. Most days I test more often but when I've eaten something that's likely spiked me I'm more inclined to skip testing. I don't want proof that the 15 units of Novolog I shot weren't nearly enough for the two plates of food I ate so I just go on about my business. Trust me, that doesn't work well. I've returned to the test schedule that served me well as long as I faithfully kept it. I'll test before eating and drinking when I first get up in the morning, before each meal and two hours after starting the meal, before going to bed, when I eat something new to me, and when I don't feel good or feel like something is "off".  And I'll do this... Every. Single. Day. That's 10 tests on a good day. A bad day will mean 15 or more. At about $35 for 100 test strips it isn't cheap but it's a lot cheaper than a hospital stay, losing my vision, or having a leg amputated. To help with this chore, I've ordered 500 test strips to keep me going for a little while.

Multiple Daily Injections - Since a pump isn't financially feasible for me and haphazardly shooting when I think about it or when my glucometer freaks out over a high number isn't a good idea, I'm going to continue my MDI schedule with a little tweaking. Yes, it's something of a pain in the butt - I have to faithfully test, remember to take my glucometer and insulin everywhere I go, eat soon after shooting rapid acting insulin and for the amount for which I've shot, remember to take my basal insulin at the same time each night, and (arrgh, the worst part of all!) accurately count the carbs I eat. But MDI, when conscientiously performed, can produce very good results. Or so I'm told.

Count carbs - I admit I'm one of the worst carb counters out there. In the beginning and for quite awhile after my initial diagnosis I ate fewer than 20 grams of carbs most days, often eating 10 grams in an entire day, and if you aren't eating carbs, what's there to count? It was easier and quicker to eat a very low carb snack and pronounce it "about 2 grams of carbs" than it was to learn exactly how many grams of carbohydrates are in a serving of something,  measure or weigh to get that precise serving, and then consume just that serving. And that worked fine for awhile but I quickly needed insulin and still didn't properly count my carbs. Yes, I've been a horrible carb counter but I do know how to count carbs and I do it well most of the time. I simply need to be more faithful about it. So Friday I dug out my carb counting books, found a good food scale, and started putting them to use. No, I don't like it and yes, I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do than memorize carb counts of my favorite and not so favorite foods. But it is what it is.

Exercise more - This is another tough one because, well...I don't like exercise. However, I've increased the physical activity I get and it's already made a difference in weight and blood sugar so more should help. At least in theory. I don't have a gym membership. I just walk around the neighborhood and use my exercise DVDs. I simply need to do those things more.

So, the above things basically are my whip and I plan to fiercely use it!

I'll try to post updates on this now and then. Life is pretty hectic right now and I don't have as much free time as I'd like. At any rate, this week's menu will be posted later tonight or tomorrow. It's a good one!