Catching a yeastie beastie!

I love sourdough bread. It's a favorite of mine and the fact that it's lower on the Glycemic Index means that for me a slice of sourdough bread requires a smaller amount of insulin than other breads and the chances are lower that I'll get an unexpected high blood sugar reading after eating it. But I don't like buying loaves of it because I only eat a couple of slices a week and the bread eventually gets tossed into the trash. I started reading about sourdough and starter and learned about "catching a wild yeast". I know, there's quite a bit of debate about whether the yeast is in the air, the flour or both but regardless, I thought it would be fun to try sometime.

Conveniently, on Thursday a friend of mine posted to a forum we're both on about her starter made with wild yeast. She listed the steps and shared a picture and it sounded so simple even I could do it so I bit the bullet Friday.

I mixed one cup of unbleached flour and one cup of warm water in a glass bowl. I wet a kitchen towel with hot water, squeezed out the excess, wrapped the bowl in the towel, and set it on top of my microwave.

This is how it looked on Day 1 after being mixed.

When I was home, I stirred it every four to six hours, wet the towel again, wrapped the bowl in the towel and put it back on the microwave. 

On Day 2 I noticed a few small bubbles in the mix. Not many but a few. I continued the stirring, towel wetting, and bowl wrapping routine every four to six hours. I wish I'd gotten a picture of that but I'd had a long day at work and was too tired to do much but what I absolutely had to.

Today is Day 3 and when I checked the bowl this morning, this is what I found. I hold the secret to life! Itself!  ('scuse the reference to The Rocky Horror Picture Show but this moment seemed fitting for it)

The friend who posted about her starter is sick and unable to answer questions so I read her posts about the starter and gathered from them what I needed to do next. I added a pinch of flour and a pinch of sugar to the mix, stirred it, wet the towel with hot water, squeezed out the excess, wrapped the bowl in the hot towel, and put it back on the microwave. A few hours later I found a growing, yeasty smelling mess of stuff in the bowl. Success!

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I've gone to several sites and read about making starter this way and some say to discard half of what's in the bowl, feed the remainder and and leave it out for another couple of days. Others say to just feed for a couple of days without discarding any. For now, I'm going to leave Adam (that's what I've named this starter since he's my first) alone and will stir and feed him tomorrow morning before work. 

I hope I don't return home to a blob of yeast taking over my kitchen!

Panera Bread sourdough experiment or Houston, we have lift off!

I spent a good deal of yesterday morning reading about sourdough bread and it's virtues of being relatively low on the Glycemic Index and therefore easier on blood sugar than many other breads. Over the last 12 years, I've experimented with so many breads and things inaccurately called bread and other than one made by Julian Bakery, the results have been pretty depressing.

As any experienced diabetic knows, there's not one thing that works for all. What works for you might not work for me and what works for me might not work for you. Panera's website says two ounces of the sourdough loaf contain 28 grams of carbs. For me, that's a bolus of nine units of insulin. Meh, that's a lot of insulin but sometimes a girl needs a treat, you know? And since my body doesn't adhere to the 'a carb is a carb is a carb' grind, 28 grams of carbs from sourdough might affect me differently than 28 grams of carbs from mashed potatoes. It's all one big experiment but I'm ready, willing, and able to jump in with both feet to learn what works for me.

In light of all that, I stopped at Panera Bread last night on the way home from work to get a loaf of their sourdough. The small (and it isn't small at all) loaf of sourdough was $2.99. A little pricey but if it's real bread I can enjoy, I'm so game! They have an amazing slicer there so the employee sliced it on the thinnest setting, I gleefully paid her the money, and headed home, my precious paper bag of sourdough in hand.

At one point last night my BG was a bit low at 63 and I was hungry so I gently removed a slice of the bread from it's plastic bag, admired the softness, smell and texture and felt my heart skip a beat. I placed two slices of good quality American cheese on it. None of that processed cheese food for me, oh no! I started the toaster oven and lovingly slid the bread and cheese in. I was so anxious to eat it I didn't let it get very toasted. Instead, I got it out before it was ready and happily dug in, enjoying every bite.

I didn't bolus insulin for the treat because I was running low and had bolused a bit over ten units for dinner less than four hours earlier so I knew I still had a smidgeon of IOB (insulin on board, what remains of a previous bolus). I wanted to see what it would do without an additional bolus. I knew it might send the BG sky high but sometimes we have to play with these things to get a good picture of what's really going on.

An hour after eating the bread and cheese, my BG was 67! I was tired and ready for bed so I set the alarm for an hour in the future. And woke up this morning at about 5 AM. What? I didn't hear the alarm? Apparently not and that's rare for me. I jumped up to check the BG, knowing that it might be way too high. (Theoretically, food is out of the system after several hours but that isn't the case with me most of the time. I find that what I eat before bed definitely affects my fasting blood sugar) It was 76! Really? Yes! I checked it two more times and each time it was within a few points of that number so I know it was somewhere in that range. Very interesting so I decided to try it again.

I toasted another slice of the bread with one slice of the cheese and let it get good and toasty. I did bolus nine units for the food and coffee knowing I had no IOB other than my basal insulin. I had it with a cup of java. Normally, I bolus at least five units just for the coffee but gut instinct and my recent coffee experiments told me 14 units of insulin would be too much. By the way, Panera Bread's sourdough loaf is some of the best sourdough I've had. It isn't super light but it isn't heavy, either. For me it's just right. An hour and twenty minutes after eating, my BG was 101! Really? That's all? It's a slight increase, yes, but it's still very much in the safe zone. At the two hour mark, the BG was 83!! Can you believe this? I'm shocked and thrilled! And a little concerned. I've been running low or on the very low side of normal a lot lately and am not sure why. It isn't a bad thing but it's something i need to understand so I can manage it properly and avoid hypos.

At the three hour mark, I got quite a shock. The blood sugar registered at 56. I checked it three times. My bolus calculator said I needed to consume 12 grams of fast acting carbs and since I suck at figuring out how much of a bottle of glucose drink containing 16 grams of carbs is 12 grams of carbs, I drank it all and 15 minutes later the BG was 134. A tad higher than I like but certainly not horrendous. Rather than a ratio of 1:3, perhaps this bread requires 1:4 or even 1:6. I'll have to play with it some more to fine tune it. Also, I didn't weigh the slice of bread so it might have been less than 2 ounces which would certainly explain the lower readings. I have a food scale and will weigh the slice next time I try it.

The success of these two experiments doesn't mean I can eat sourdough and cheese every night and every morning but I think it does mean I can enjoy that as a treat now and then. And maybe once in awhile a real sandwich with real bread. Oh wow, the thought makes me all soft and noodly!

More experiments to come as long as this doesn't interfere with weight loss in the long run. Stay tuned!

Testing for insulin to cover coffee...a fail? Well, not quite.

"Ever wonder why your blood sugar rises after drinking a cup of coffee – even when using

artificial sweetener? It’s probably due to the caffeine. Intravenous administration of caffeine

was found to reduce insulin sensitivity (the degree to which insulin lowers blood sugar) by 15%.

Caffeine produced an increase in epinephrine (adrenaline), free fatty acids and blood pressure.

The solution: either take extra insulin with your coffee, or switch to decaf!"- Gary Scheiner

I purchased Gary Scheiner's "Think Like A Pancreas" on Friday and had a very hard time putting it down because, even with 12 years as a diagnosed Diabetic and having read almost every related book I can get my hands on, I was so very impressed. I finished the book last night and spent several hours basking in the afterglow of new knowledge.

Since the spike I get from coffee has been a thorn in my side since day one of my diabetic life, I decided to try his suggested test to find out just how much insulin I need for coffee. Mind you, I use no sweetener but do add two tablespoons of half and half or heavy cream to an eight ounce cup. Plain brewed coffee and espresso have no carbs but Gary's above-quoted explanation makes sense and damn it, decaf just isn't the same. (As a side note, I don't get spikes from other caffeine-containing drinks unless I consume a huge quantity) I refuse to give up my java so I bolus for it. That's been pretty much a shot in the dark for me as sometimes my guesses are good and other times they aren't so good. I figured following Mr. Scheiner's advice would help me come up with a better plan.

What he suggests is to test the coffee without other food and bolus just for the carbs in the coffee. I use no sweetener so that means bolusing for just the half and half. Two tablespoons of the lovely stuff contain two grams of carbs and since I prepared 16 ounces of java, I added four tablespoons of half and half. That means a bolus for four grams of carbs. However, my blood sugar was 66 before starting the test and since anything under 70 is considered low, my bolus calculator gave me "0.00" for insulin needed. Got that? Uh huh, I thought you did, you smart cookie.

So, at 3:40 PM today, before the first drink of iced coffee with half and half, my blood sugar was 66. I started to drink the stuff, figuring it would take me about 30 minutes to scarf it all down. After drinking about half of it the nausea started. Yep, nausea! No way could I get all 16 ounces of it down in 30 minutes. I thought I'd check the blood sugar at one hour just to see where it was and the result surprised me. 73! Just 73? For those not familiar with Diabetes, a rise of seven points is just about negligible, especially when the usual result is much higher than that. What happened to the spike I normally get from even one eight ounce cup of coffee? Hmm, I'm not sure but it was nowhere to be found and after an hour the coffee was pretty watered down by the ice.

I kept sipping on it, fighting nausea, determined to finish the three hour test. Yes, three hours of my life spent trying to get an accurate picture of how much insulin I need just for coffee. That's how important coffee is to me but it's also how important controlling my blood sugar is to me. If I'm not willing to give up a food or drink that causes my blood sugar to rise dangerously high, then I must bolus correctly for it. There are no ifs, ands, or buts on this.

At the two hour mark, I'd managed to drink about 12 ounces. That's it. My blood sugar was 75 and the nausea was still present though not so bothersome. I gave serious consideration to canceling the test but since I drink coffee at different times of day and my coffee-free blood sugar readings vary, it's vital that I have the information a finished test will provide. So I persevered. Gagging, I sipped a little here and a little there, fighting the nausea that came and went, anxiously watching the clock for the three hour mark, and more anxiously watching the barely changing level of coffee in the glass.

Finally, at the two and a half hour mark, major waves of that sick feeling in the stomach demanded I throw in the towel. My blood sugar was 67 and I thought I'd never drink another cup of coffee. I don't think I'm getting sick and perhaps all this is related to drinking coffee on an empty stomach. Normally that doesn't bother me but who knows? I needed to eat something and since I desperately wanted to tough it out until that three hour mark had passed, I threw what was left of the coffee in the sink and went outside to sit on the patio.

The three hour mark came and I checked my blood sugar, holding my breath. 63! I put the number into my PDA and it said I needed to eat. Not a surprise. The only thing that sounded good was yogurt so I entered the 15 grams of carbs for it into the calculator and bolused the 3.2 units of insulin it said I needed. Yep, I still needed a smidgeon over 3 units of insulin to cover that fairly small number of carbs even though I was on the verge of a big fat hypo. Blast it all!

I suppose some people would say this test was a failure but I don't agree. I did learn something and that is that starting at 3:40 PM on a Sunday afternoon with a blood sugar reading of 66, I can consume 12 ounces of iced coffee with about two tablespoons of half and half without a spike. At least on this day. ;)

Truthfully, the last three hours have confirmed what most diabetics know and some experts acknowledge. Diabetes is a very individual, complicated, and ever changing disease. What works today might not work tomorrow. In fact, it might not work later today. And what works on Sunday afternoons might not work on Monday mornings. Yes, I'm going to try it again tomorrow morning and adhere to my normal routine of waking at 5 and drinking 16 ounces of hot coffee with four tablespoons of half and half before heading to work. If I can stomach it.

We'll see what happens.

Food boredom be gone!

I get bored with my food fairly easily. I don't think it's because I eat low carb most of the time so much as I'm often tired when I get home from work and don't feel like cooking much so I eat stir fried vegetables or eggs and veggie bacon. Again. That's great for the blood sugar but it gets a bit old for the taste buds, you know? So when I saw the picture and recipe for Loaded Roasted Cauliflower Salad on my favorite blog, I knew it was a must try.

Since I don't work today, I made it this morning. I didn't have quite six cups of cauliflower but the recipe turned out just fine with almost five cups. And since I didn't have chives I added a bit of onion powder. Oh, I also forgot that some of the bacon was to be used to top the dish so it was all stirred in. And I used a blend of several cheeses rather than just cheddar. It turned out fantastic, even with my changes, and there's enough left for me to enjoy it again several times. For me, it needs a little more zip but I'm not sure yet what that zip is.

I'll definitely make this again and probably play with it a few times before I hit on just the right combination that makes it absolutely perfect for me. I think some colorful bell pepper would be a nice addition but that remains to be seen.

If you make this, let me know what you think and stop by Your Lighter Side to let Jamie know what you think, too.

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