I love Whole Foods!

I've been a fan of WHOLE FOODS for quite some time. 

Every time I see it from I4 at Sandlake Dr. I am tempted to stop.

Sometimes I just like to walk around and look at all of the nice produce displays.

I mean look at how bright and colorful this salad Bar is!

They always have interesting and delicious looking foods in their prepared foods section.

They offer wonderful breads and decadent sweet treats.

and an impressive Wine selection

I don't often but a lot of things at Whole Foods but the other day I did decide to get a couple of items off of the Hot Bar and have them for lunch. I was feeling a little naughty and decided to get some of their Mac and Cheese.

I also selected some Spinach, Artichoke and Bleu Cheese Salad

and then some Seitan with Chinese Vegetables

My delicious lunch was right at $4

They have a nice place to dine at and it really started off my day in a great way!

I plan on doing it again soon!!!

always a work in progress

Ok, so lately my fasting blood sugars have been higher then what I would like for them to be. They have been averaging around 160. (They should fall between 80 and 120) At my last Doctor’s visit my Hemoglobin A1C was down to 6.6, but this past time it had jumped up a whole point to 7.6. This is totally unacceptable. If I do not get it back to where it was then the Doctor will most likely put me back on Insulin, and I DO NOT want that!

Perhaps my eating has gotten off track. Although I feel like I usually make pretty good choices, I have stopped logging in everything that I eat. I should probably reissue my account at myfooddiary.com. When I have used them in the past I feel like not only do I eat better, but that I am also better at portion control. It is a very helpful tool. I also just recently revisited my “Living with Diabetes” workbook and realized that a refresher is not a bad idea.

I have started “Eating Out” less and “Eating at Home” more. Today I made a delicious salad containing Spinach, Fresh Beets, crumbled Feta (lower in Fat then most cheeses) and a sprinkling of Walnuts. (I find that when you individually place the nuts on the salad and try to make it “look pretty” then you ultimately have fewer nuts on the salad, making it a little better for you)

And then there is Exercise. I know for a fact that for the period of time in which my A1C was taken that I was NOT exercising as much as I use to. I work out with a trainer once a week religiously, however I should be doing cardio at least 3 or 4 additional days. I was definitely "slacking" for that time period. I have slowly gotten back to doing it more often and that feels a lot better. In the past I have found that when I take off a couple of pounds that my fasting sugars improve. Although my weight has not increased, and I am still 20 pounds lighter then my “Heaviest Weight” I should still turn the exercise up a couple of notches.

I had to make myself do it today, but I did manage to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes: burning over 250 calories.

My short-term goal is to get my A1C down to 7 (or lower) by the next time I get my blood work done: which will be at the beginning of June. I have done it before, and although it will be a challenge, I HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN!

I did get a bit of good news a couple of days ago. I entered a contest for bloggers that I heard about on Sam Talbot’s website. Although I was not the winner, I was runner up and I will receive a personally autographed copy of Sam’s book “The Sweet Life”. He will also put a link to this blog on his email newsletter! I’m so excited. To any of you that have found me please join my blog! The more the merrier.

I will keep you up to date on my progress, and I also plan to include some delicious step-by-step recipes (with photos of course) in the very near future!

Shirataki Noodles with Cashews and Chiles

Looking through Sam’s book I was immediately attracted to his recipe for Shirataki Noodles with Cashews and Chiles. By trade I am a Photographer, and I must say that all of the photography in “The Sweet Life” is very appetizing to the eye.

Shirataki Noodles (which are made from Tofu) are very low in Carbohydrates. I have used them before and what I love about them is that they are a lot more “Diabetic Friendly” then regular Pasta, which is often a “No No” for a Diabetic Lifestyle.

It was very easy to make, and with all of the ingredients it sounded as if it would be kind of sweet and kind of spicy. The recipe called for two jalapenos, but since I often can’t handle too much heat I decided to just use one, which ended up being the perfect amount of spice for me.

The Cashews (One of my favorite Nuts) gave it just the right amount of crunch, and all of the other flavors married beautifully together. Also it is only 227 calories per serving, so it would even be OK to go back for a second helping.

I had a cold when I made this dish, and it seemed to help sooth me (like any good comfort food should) and I am actually feeling a lot better now.

Thanks Sam!

 If I haven't said enough yet to any of my readers, Go buy "The Sweet Life" by Sam Talbot, You will be glad that you did, wether you are diabetic or not!

Blood Sugar Question?

I have a question regarding my fasting blood sugars and I would love for someone to answer it for me!

As many of you know I work bartending 4 nights a week, and on these nights I am at my job from 8pm until 3am.

Sometimes I use this time as my (8 hour) fast, and take my reading around 3:30am.

On nights that I don’t work I usually eat my last meal around midnight, stay up for a few hours more, and then take my reading when I wake up around 10am or so.

I feel like I am eating as consistently as possible, however I find that my blood sugars at 3:30am (after my shift) are right on the money, usually ranging from 85 – 100, but my morning blood sugars (after eating at midnight, then sleeping and waking around 10am) are higher ranging from 120-150.

Can anyone tell me why this is?

The only big difference that I can think of is while I am at work I am fairly active, and when I sleep during my fast I am not.

Could this make such a drastic difference in my numbers?

Any explanation would be very helpful!

Sam Talbot's Guacamole

For several years now I have just loved Guacamole! It is made from Avocados which are high in monounsaturated fat (the good fat) and also a good source of potassium and vitamins B, E and K.

For those of you that don’t know me I even have a tattoo of an Avocado on my arm.

I often make Guacamole and all I do is mash up a couple of Avocados with some Lime Juice and a little salt and pepper. This method has always worked just fine for me, but as I was looking through Sam Talbot’s book I saw his recipe and decided to change things up and give it a try.

Sam’s recipe has some interesting ingredients in it, things that I would have never imagined, but I must say that it was really delicious (very chunky and full of flavor).

So far his book has been very informative with thoughtful recipes and tons of information that will be useful to diabetics of all kinds.

I’m very pleased to add this alternative Guacamole recipe to my “always increasing” repertoire. As you can see in the picture I do much better when I portion out a serving (On a salad plate rather then a dinner plate). This keeps me from overeating, something that is very easy for me to do, especially when it is this delicious.

Exciting New Book

It has been a little while since I have written a blog entry.

I was fairly successful through the holidays.

I did not work out quite as much as I should but I did resist a lot of food temptations, while still indulging on the things I really wanted just a little bit.

My blood sugars were elevated slightly, but were not too crazy.

However around October/ November I had a phase where they were very consistent and I need to get back to that.

Now a new year is here, and although I have not set any "Resolutions" I am now just starting to get back in to the gym a little bit more, as well as eating out less and cooking at home a little extra.

(Better healthwise, and ultimately much cheaper)

I am very excited about the book that I got in the mail this week!

"The Sweet Life" by Top Chef Contestant and "Fellow Diabetic" Sam Talbot

I have just barely looked through it as of yet, but the recipes look really delicious and fairly easy.

He has also filled the book with plenty of tips and personal insight and I know that it will be a book that I will enjoy reading cover to cover.

Perhaps I will prepare a couple of the dishes in the book and share my experiences in an upcoming blog.

I hope that all of you have had a Happy New Year so far!

Butternut Squash and Asparagus

I have continued to eat out, but lately I have also been trying to prepare more of my own food at home.

I recently purchased two big bundles of Asparagus at the new-ish produce market on 1792 and roasted them in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

I also made the recipe for Butternut Squash, Apples, Cranberries and Walnuts from the latest issue of DIABETIC COOKING. It came out really tasty and seems like a Thanksgiving Explosion when I put it in my mouth.

My blood sugars have been great, I have enjoyed cooking and eating, and I am currently down to 177 lbs. My goal is 169, which would mean that I was down 30lbs. from my heaviest weight.

8 more lbs. to go!