Banana's Diner

Clearly I did not do what I said i would in my last post!
Last night after work, a group of us went to Banana's Diner.
I had the Greek Burger with onion rings!
Food revue - extremely Delicious!
Diabetes revue - not so good.
Carbs = High Morning Sugars
The day before, a salad was 87
Today, Burger and Onion rings, 117
I am pleased that it didn't jump above range, but still!
My goal should be right around 100.
It's simple math
i'm gonna work on it

Middle East Market

I just think that this picture of my food from the Middle East Market is so delicious that it deserves a post!

Also, since my last post my sugars have been 93, 103, 105, 122 (Yikes they are creeping up again!) so then last night i decided to just have a salad before bed - and no carbs - and guess what? This morning's sugar was 87.
Hmmm - No (or small amounts) of carbs + smaller meals = lower blood sugars
I wonder if i try that again tonight if it will be the same tomorrow.

Mediterranean Fried Cauliflower

OK, i have had several requests to give out some recipes, now I need to start out by saying that I am in no way a chef or a dietician and as far as any recipes that I may give, although this is a blog about diabetes, these recipes may or not actually be diabetic friendly.
But i will say that they are delicious!
So today I made some of my fried Cauliflower. It is something that i don't make very often, but when I do I wonder why i don't make it more often.
Start with a head of Cauliflower and chop it up into fairly small pieces.
I fry it in a deep cast iron skillet in vegetable oil, in about 3 batches, as to not crowd the pot too much, and after each batch is fried to a light brown, i drain well in a Strainer and then dump into a large bowl.
Chop 2 Roma tomatoes into a fine dice and half a bunch of finely chopped fresh parsley and add them in and stir.
That's all there is to it. It can be served warm, but is just as good at room temperature. I also like to take Tahini Paste and thin it out with water and serve it as a sauce with the dish.
Today along with the Cauliflower I served some Falafel (that I made from a mix) and the rest of the hummus that I had made two days ago.
Since my last post my blood sugars have been 118, 115, 93 and today was 88.
I guess I'm doing OK!

Nachos and Collards

Wow!
One post on Facebook and I went from 14 followers to 19. Thank you for the interest!
For those of you that are new, I would like to say that I go through phases of blogging every day, to phases of blogging just once a week, or just when i have eaten something interesting or photo-worthy.
I also think you all should know that my Doctor would like for my fasting blood sugar to be between 80 and 120.
She had me taking insulin for about 10 months, however in the past few months, partially due to me eating better and exercising more, she has taken me off of insulin and i am currently just on pills.

Now to yesterday's food.
I'm trying to save money these days, so I went through my fridge and pantry and realized that i had several things I could make with only purchasing a couple of ingredients. Mark came over and we went to the store and then we came home and i made Nachos. They were Delicious! I cooked the ground beef, layered them with the chips, cheese and salsa, and put them under the broiler. Very satisfying!

The plan was to go to Yoga, however we might have fallen asleep and missed it.
So instead we put on a huge pot of Collard Greens, and each did a half hour on the treadmill while they cooked down. I also through in a few rounds of bonus crunches, before I dove in to the big bowl of steaming Greens.
Also delicious!

Then before bed I had a bowl of Cereal.
So when I woke up today i had a headache and I felt that my sugar might be a little too low.
It was.
73
I probably should have eaten a little more throughout the day, especially with the cardio.
I suppose it is better to be a little too low, then a little too high. But in the past when it has been on the low side is when i have had a little "fit"

Today will be better!

a Day in Lakeland

Yesterday I was with addison holding an event in Lakeland.
I knew that I would be dining out all day and was worried for my blood sugar.
My previous few days have been 124, 109, 105, 103. I have been lowering them slowly and have been pleased with the progress, trying not to eat too many carbs before bed. I recently re-watched a Diabetes + Food DVD, and have been trying to eat a salad as my last meal of the day, and it has been working!
So, now that I am going to be eating out, and knowing that I crave delicious food, and also knowing that i do not always make the smartest choices when I am out of town.... Was I going to blow what I had been doing for the last three days?

So we started out by going to Arby's, no photo, but I had a regular beef and cheddar with the hashbrown potato like products. I figured that i would stay within the combo (No additional Add On items) and I did not UPSIZE anything! I figured that it was my first meal of the day, and my carbs should be eaten early in the day, since i would be active and hopefully the carbs would be "burned up" for energy!

Then about 3-4 hours later a group of us went out for a late lunch at Nana's Kitchen. It is a wonderful little greasy spoon/ country cookin' type of place that I had dined at a couple of other times when i was in the area! I knew that i was going to eat greasy food for the rest of the day, so i figured that i would start sharing my food with the group, that way i still got to taste what i wanted, but would not be consuming as many calories. I started out by ordering the Fried Green Tomatoes - Delicious! I ate about half of the plate and shared the rest! Then for my entree I had the Country Fried Steak with white gravy, with Corn, Collard Greens and Fried Cornbread! I ate every bite!!!!! On the flip side, sharing works both ways, Addison had ordered the Pineapple Upside Down PIE! I wanted it, but didn't want to commit to a whole piece, so I just had a generous bite of hers! Sharing rules!

Then after our event, on the way back to Orlando was the usual stop at Denny's.
They have this thing on the $4 menu which is amazing. Its a grilled cheese sandwich, but in the middle of the ooey gooey cheese lies four fried Mozzarella Sticks. It comes with fries and Marinara sauce. Jeff and I both wanted it, so we ordered one and split it, this way I got half of the sandwich and about a third of the fries, enough to satisfy my craving for it, but not all of the calories or carbs. Then for my entree i ordered the Chipotle Grilled Chicken and for my sides I chose sauteed spinach with bacon and pico and green beans. I got a little green vegetable in and didn't lose the flavor. Then finally Desiree and I (we are both diabetic) split a piece of Pecan Pie!!!!

I felt like I had eaten extremely delicious food all day long, but I still did manage to consume lots of grease, bad carbs, and empty calories. However I tried my best to cut portions and spread my eating out of several sittings.
Would I have blown it?
Or did I do OK?

Much to my excitement when I took my morning reading it was 93!
The lowest I have had in 16 days!
See, Diabetes Can Be Delicious!

Homemade Gnocchi

So this past week I have tried to cook at home more.
Lets start with the photos....
First we have a Chicken and Asparagus Casserole that i made.....
Delicious!
Next we have homemade Gnocchi that Mark and I made together served here with a homemade Alfredo Sauce and Fried Sage Leaves....
Extremely DELICIOUS!!!!
and then a Shepherd's Pie that I made earlier tonight!
Delicious! It would have been better if I had used Ground Beef, instead of leftover Roast Beef, but I was trying to use up what I already had in the house.
In the past week, i have only had one day where I didn't work out, every other day it has been Yoga, Workout with Lynn, or Treadmill at the house.
My recent blood sugars have been 106, 112, 124 (above range, but not too high), 111, 112, and 112.
I would like to get them down a little, but overall i am pleased.
I have still dined out some, but am trying to eat at home more often then before, both to save money and to get into cooking again!
Life is good!

My Birthday!

What a great day!
Mark planned everything.
We started out with lunch at Shiraz Grill out by Sea World.
We started with Makmur, Eggplant sautéed with tomatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic and spices and then for my entree I had Chicken Soltani, Combination of charbroiled, marinated thin-cut chicken breast and a skewer of seasoned ground chicken served with
charbroiled tomato and basmati rice topped with saffron. There were also a couple of desserts that we shared, Bastani, House Specialty Ice Cream flavored with saffron, rosewater and pistachio nuts and Faloodeh, Cooked Stratch Rice Noodle flavored with rosewater and mixed with simple syrup.
Everything was delicious and i brought home a box of leftovers.

Then back to my house for a nap (What a great birthday!)

Then for dinner we went to the Willow Tree Cafe.
We started with two orders of Spatzel with Rahm Sauce, delicious!
Then I ordered the Rahm Schnitzel (Pork) with Heaven and earth (Mashed Potatoes with Apples) and Potato Pancakes!
We also had some chocolate dipped Rum Balls for dessert!
Once again, another box of leftovers, so i shouldn't need to dine out this weekend very much!

I thank Mark for a wonderful, delicious birthday!!!!

Oh and by the way, Fasting Sugar was 109, i'm getting back on track!

Brown Butter Sauce

So yesterday for lunch I made butternut squash ravoli in a brown butter sauce with walnuts, basil and shaved parmesan.
It was delicious!
However.....
Brown Butter Sauce is really just melted butter, which has a lot of fat, and is probably not the healthiest.
That combined with the rest of the days eating which also contained the other piece of Coke-A-Cola cake from my fridge and some Chicken and salad made for a morning blood sugar of 131, the highest it has been since I was taken off of Insulin.
Not good! The first time i have been out of range.
I have been working out great, but I need to eat better.
It was my birthday today, so i will be easy on myself.
tomorrow i will be easy on myself as well, but after that I had better shape up!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

So I have been enjoying cooking and preparing my own food for the last few days.
Yesterday my parents were coming to town and wanted me to cook for them, and I decided to make all of my favorites...
Chicken Cordon Bleu, which turned out to be the best that I have ever made, I somehow managed to roll it up tightly and efficiently and for the first time the cheese didn't ooze out of the Chicken!
I also made a rich hollandaise sauce to go on top which was quite buttery and lemony.
Along side were roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Onions with Thyme and Dill, and my favorite "Go To" Salad with Walnuts, Sunflower seeds, Dried Cranberries, Apples and Bleu Cheese.
Delicious! Everyone was satisfied and everyone cleaned their plates.

Then came Dessert!
I remember from around third or fourth grade going over to Keith Fields house, and his mother had made a Coke-A-Cola Cake!
Well a few years back I was at a Cracker Barrel and they had it as the Dessert Special, I ordered it and it took me back all of those years.
So, I looked on line and found a recipe and decided to make it for myself.
My god is it sinful or what?
Of course it is made with Coke-A-Cola, tons of Sugar and Butter, and is extremely Ooey Gooey and Fudge Like!
I cut a small piece for myself and thoroughly enjoyed it, then I immediately packaged up most of the remaining to send home with my parents. Addison i saved a piece for you so don't you worry! I have to get it out of the house or I will continue to eat it.

However all things in moderation seems to be working, because the fasting blood sugar was 89!
I am pleased!

Cooking at home

So in the past few weeks, due to lack of an available kitchen to cook in, I have been eating out quite a bit.
Although now for both health reasons and financial reasons Mark and I have decided to limit our dining out, and I'm going to try to cook more at the house.
I love cooking, grocery shopping, meal planning and ultimately saving a few dollars, so why not?
Plus this way when I do go out to eat I will appreciate it that much more.
Yesterday Mark came over and we went shopping together, and then cooked!

a mixture of ground beef, onions, red peppers, cous cous, herbs and spices filled our tortillas topped with shredded cabbage and carrots, along with a salad of spring mix topped with mandarin orange segments, cranberries and a homeade dressing that was sweet and delicious. Very satisfying and we felt good about what we had eaten.

Followed by a short walk around the neighborhood.

There are plenty of leftovers and a variety of things to eat in the fridge.

and the fasting blood sugar was 103.

Thank God I have Water!

Sorry that it has been a minute since I have made a blog.
Due to leaks under my house I have had no running water at my house for the last three weeks.
How did this effect my diabetes?
Well, I have been staying at different peoples houses, hotel rooms, showering here and there when I can...
So I figured that with not cooking and eating out a lot, that my blood sugars would have been higher.
However.... I have managed to stay in the 80 - 120 range! Often at the higher end of that range, but still pretty good.
Water is now working, Thank God, and I have a fully functional kitchen again, i plan on doing lots of cooking for a while.

I did manage to dine out with addison yesterday while we were out running errands.
Pho 88
I started with Bì, Thịt Nướng, hoặc Bò Nướng Cuốn (2) Shredded Pork Skin, Grilled Pork, or Grilled Beef Rolls
and then had Gà Chiên Bột sauce Thái (Spicy Honey Chicken) Crispy boneless chicken lightly battered with broccoli, onion, and bell pepper sautéed in tangy honey sauce

Delicious as always, and their food always photographs so beautifully!
Today the fasting blood sugar was 89!
I am very pleased!