50 lbs and counting

In the last year I have dropped close to 50lbs. Everyone has been asking what I have been doing to lose weight so I thought I would share one of my secrets. Changing the food we eat. I know SURPRISE right?  This was challenging for me in the beginning though because the only things I knew how to cook that were fast were high in fat and high in carbs. Not a good combination for a diabetic.

For the past year we have been using a menu service which has been a life saver, a money saver, and a time saver. This menu service provides me with dinner menus for two people for 7 days, provides the recipe and a shopping list. The best part is most of the meals take less than 30 minutes to cook which works well with my work schedule since I don't get home until about 6 pm each night. Tonight's dinner was pork chops in a light sauce with roasted broccoli. It was great and took 20 minutes to cook. The net carbs for the whole meal was 10g including my glass of milk. So if you are stuck in a menu rut like I was, find a menu service that works for you and your budget.

Also, dinner was really the only meal I changed for us. Breakfast and lunch have stayed the same, whatever we can grab on the go usually but my glucose readings have significantly lowered as a result of changing that one meal to low carb.The menu service that we use just added a breakfast and lunch option to their plans so we may add those as well.

Morning highs and lows

It has been a whirlwind summer and a while since I posted. This summer has gone fast! My challenge recently has been high morning blood sugar, I mean REALLY high like 200+. My last visit with my Doctor resulted in another medication and no other advice. I hate taking medication so my goal is to eventually get off all my meds.
I have been experimenting with many recipes and recently I found a fabulous website that has been providing me with 7 meals per week that are low carb. This has benefited me in several ways. First I don't have to try to come up with these meal ideas on my own which I gotta be honest is always difficult for me. I end up falling back on the high carb comfort foods. Second, it has cut our grocery bill in half which is always nice. Third, by eating a low carb dinner and a small low carb snack (usually string cheese or cottage cheese and a few crackers or a piece of whole wheat toast) my morning blood sugars are back down where they need to be.
I have also been enjoying our local farmers market and have been getting almost all of our produce there. This has helped with the grocery bill even more and there is nothing better than fresh produce! I also got some fresh local honey at the farmers market which is really good for allergies.

All in all is has been a great summer and now I am looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall and hopefully more time to spend on my blog and my new addiction, Pinterest!!

If you want to check out the meal planner we are using here is the link. There is a subscription cost but for us it has been worth it for the convenience.

New things

Oh my goodness! I am so addicted to Pinterest!!! I love it!  So many ideas in so many areas!  I have been using it especially for the access it gives to recipes.  I am always looking for great recipes to liven up meals around our house. I was given a recipe for a low carb cheese cake that is FANTASTIC!  I made it last night and the hubby loved it (which is always the test since we don't have kids yet). Here is the recipe.

CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES   Low-carb

Crust

1 cup almond meal

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Artificial sweetner equivalent to 2 Tbls sugar

Combine, and press firmly into paper lined muffin tin

Bake @ 375 for 8 minutes or until fragrant and starting

to brown. Remove and let cool while preparing filling.

Filling

1 ½ pkgs cream cheese at room temperature

2 eggs at room temperature

¾ tsp vanilla

¾ tsp lemon juice

Artificial sweetner equivalent to 2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons sour cream

Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy

Add other ingredients, in order, one at a time

After each addition be sure to scrape down sides of bowl

Beat one more minute, pour/spoon mixture on top of crusts

Fill each cup almost full

Put the muffin pan inside a larger, roasting pan

Pour boiling water around muffin tin to just under rim

Bake @ 325 for about 35 minutes

They should be firm to the touch, but slightly soft in center

Makes 12 cheesecake cupcakes

<2 grams effective carbs each

Mine had more like 5 carbs each because I used Vanilla Wafers for the crust instead of Almond Meal and then I topped them with a 1 TBSP lite cherry pie filling. I felt that 1 was the perfect size for me. This recipe would be an amazing treat to take to a potluck.  

I have really been trying not to deny myself the treats because I believe that as long as we eat in moderation there is no reason we can't have them. So obviously severing sizes have become important to me. Here is a tip I found on Pinterest. To portion out Rice Crispie treats (one of my favorites) make them in mini-muffin tins instead of one large pan.

Resources for a busy life

I have found some pretty cool tools the past few weeks that I want to share.


1. For those with Smart phones- yes they have an app for that! I found an app for my iPhone called dLife. this app allows you to record you blood glucose readings, has recipes and all sorts of fun ways to help you. The best part is it is FREE! Don't have a smart phone? That's ok dLife has a website www.dlife.com

2. The American Diabetes Association website has fantastic tools including a great recipe log. www.diabetes.org

3. According to the American Diabetes Association the Glycemic index is a great tool to help control blood sugar. The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. www.glycemicindex.com

These have helped me a great deal in the past few weeks. Hope they will help you too!

Sugar Cravings

I read a tip in a cookbook this week on sugar cravings and decided to test the theory. The tip is that if you are craving sugar you eat a piece of fruit and drink a glass of water and the craving will be satisfied. The tip also said that if you do this every four hours that you will no longer crave sweets. Because I am diabetic I have to be careful of my sugar levels so I also added a piece of string cheese to my snacks to make them more filling and to stabilize my glucose levels.
So everyday this week I started my morning with a banana and a glass of water. Then every four hours I ate a clementine orange, my string cheese, and drank a glass of water. It worked. I have not craved sugar or soda all week. Sugary soda and candy have been a hard thing for me to give up since being diagnosed, but with this new trick I don't miss them.