...and how this makes me feel:
Thursday, January 28, 2010
I don't want this disease anymore, you can take it back
My blood sugars the past few days:
...and how this makes me feel:
...and how this makes me feel:
Sunday, January 24, 2010
my belly...and the things inside it
I haven't made borscht yet but I finally made something edible in my crock pot. I made eggplant-artichoke parmigiana. It was alright, but to be honest not as fantastic as I hoped, a little too sauce-y and I went over board with the capers. Its worth an attempt two though. Here's the recipe:
1 medium eggplant
1/2 t salt
1 14oz jar tomato pasta sauce
1 10oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
2 T capers, drained
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/4 t pepper
Cut eggplant into 3/4 inch slices. Cut those slices in half and sprinkle with SALT. Alternate layers of eggplant, pasta sauce, artichoke hearts and capers in slow cooker. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Then I served it over quinoa and covered it with mozzarella cheese.
On another note this is a picture of my belly after it was attacked by a Medtronic Guardian "soft" sensor.
The sensor that I was trying to use was dysfunctional and blunt! So that when I tried to insert it with my handy-dandy Medtronic "sen-serter" (a little blue tool that is essentially a gun for putting the sensor in my body) instead of smoothly and painlessly slipping under my skin it stabbed me and bounced back. I thought I had done something wrong so I tried again, and the same thing happened. So here I have two soon-to-be bruises on my stomach and the new sensor that I later inserted normally. It didn't really hurt that bad it just pissed me off for a bit, mostly because it meant that I had to waste a sensor.
But now you can see how the sensor looks. The transmitter, which is a plastic piece around the size of a silver dollar, attaches to the back of the sensor... officially making me part machine.
1 medium eggplant
1/2 t salt
1 14oz jar tomato pasta sauce
1 10oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
2 T capers, drained
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/4 t pepper
Cut eggplant into 3/4 inch slices. Cut those slices in half and sprinkle with SALT. Alternate layers of eggplant, pasta sauce, artichoke hearts and capers in slow cooker. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Then I served it over quinoa and covered it with mozzarella cheese.
On another note this is a picture of my belly after it was attacked by a Medtronic Guardian "soft" sensor.
The sensor that I was trying to use was dysfunctional and blunt! So that when I tried to insert it with my handy-dandy Medtronic "sen-serter" (a little blue tool that is essentially a gun for putting the sensor in my body) instead of smoothly and painlessly slipping under my skin it stabbed me and bounced back. I thought I had done something wrong so I tried again, and the same thing happened. So here I have two soon-to-be bruises on my stomach and the new sensor that I later inserted normally. It didn't really hurt that bad it just pissed me off for a bit, mostly because it meant that I had to waste a sensor.
But now you can see how the sensor looks. The transmitter, which is a plastic piece around the size of a silver dollar, attaches to the back of the sensor... officially making me part machine.
Friday, January 15, 2010
bagels and borscht
So in one of my last posts I commented about my cooking resembling body fluids lately. While this may be true I've discovered/re-discovered some easy meal fixes. The first one is the wonderful world of quinoa. My roommate eats it so I tried it and it's a great alternative to rice and grits which are great alternatives to evil carb-loaded PASTA. I mix it with cheddar cheese, chili powder, and garlic powder, a delicious combination that I also borrowed from my roommate.
My second discovery (and this is really a re-discovery) is spicy tuna. I guess that it's a variation on tuna salad but tuna salad can be gross and heavy on the mayonnaise and this recipe is not. I stole it from a cafe that I used to work at, it's just a mixture of tuna fish (the kind that comes in the little packets rather than the cans because the canned kind is slimy) hummus, and a lot of hot sauce. It comes out a weird orange color but its soooooooo (yes, and all those extra o's are necessary here) wonderful!!! I made it every day this week.
Other foods that I have been putting in my body: extreme amounts of coffee and diet coke, dark chocolate, lots of cottage cheese and provolone cheese, crackers and peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and salads that come in nice, easy, and ready-to-eat bags.
Today I spent the day in New York City with a friend. It was great; we looked at art, shopped, and ate (all necessary ingredients in a good NYC trip). While there Aly introduced me to my first knish and borscht soup. It was fantastic!!!!!!! (and all those exclamations point are well deserved). I'm thinking of trying to make borscht soup this week. I found this recipe online at simplyrecipes.com:
Borscht Recipe
Ingredients
8 cups beef broth*
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef shank
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
4 large beets, peeled, chopped
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
*Use gluten-free broth if you are cooking gluten-free
Method
1 Bring 4 cups of the beef broth, the beef shank, and onion to boil in large pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
2 Transfer meat to work surface; trim fat, sinew and bone and discard. Chop meat; cover and chill. Cool broth slightly. Chill in pot until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
3 Spoon fat from top of chilled broth and discard. Add remaining 4 cups broth, beets, carrots, and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
4 Stir in meat, cabbage and 1/2 cup dill; cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill.
Serves 6.
So maybe I'll try that and blog about it soon. Although it looks like I'm going to have to buy a lot of ingredients for it and I am feeling both lazy and poor this week so we'll see.
*Please note that bagels are not part of a healthy and balanced diabetic diet...but they're worth it :)
My second discovery (and this is really a re-discovery) is spicy tuna. I guess that it's a variation on tuna salad but tuna salad can be gross and heavy on the mayonnaise and this recipe is not. I stole it from a cafe that I used to work at, it's just a mixture of tuna fish (the kind that comes in the little packets rather than the cans because the canned kind is slimy) hummus, and a lot of hot sauce. It comes out a weird orange color but its soooooooo (yes, and all those extra o's are necessary here) wonderful!!! I made it every day this week.
Other foods that I have been putting in my body: extreme amounts of coffee and diet coke, dark chocolate, lots of cottage cheese and provolone cheese, crackers and peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and salads that come in nice, easy, and ready-to-eat bags.
Today I spent the day in New York City with a friend. It was great; we looked at art, shopped, and ate (all necessary ingredients in a good NYC trip). While there Aly introduced me to my first knish and borscht soup. It was fantastic!!!!!!! (and all those exclamations point are well deserved). I'm thinking of trying to make borscht soup this week. I found this recipe online at simplyrecipes.com:
Borscht Recipe
Ingredients
8 cups beef broth*
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef shank
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
4 large beets, peeled, chopped
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
*Use gluten-free broth if you are cooking gluten-free
Method
1 Bring 4 cups of the beef broth, the beef shank, and onion to boil in large pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
2 Transfer meat to work surface; trim fat, sinew and bone and discard. Chop meat; cover and chill. Cool broth slightly. Chill in pot until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
3 Spoon fat from top of chilled broth and discard. Add remaining 4 cups broth, beets, carrots, and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
4 Stir in meat, cabbage and 1/2 cup dill; cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill.
Serves 6.
So maybe I'll try that and blog about it soon. Although it looks like I'm going to have to buy a lot of ingredients for it and I am feeling both lazy and poor this week so we'll see.
*Please note that bagels are not part of a healthy and balanced diabetic diet...but they're worth it :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
a side note...
I found this image on another diabetes blog. Isn't it a little funny or ironic to put needles in your arm to commemorate the fact that you have to put needles in your arm? :)
I suppose that it would be really useful though if you were ever in a car accident or some situation where people would need to know about your diabetes. I used to wear a bracelet all the time that had the medical symbol on it and said my name and "diabetic" on the back. I stopped wearing it when it broke but I never replaced it because at that time I had entered high school and was meticulously critical of everything I put on my body. I don't wear one even now though. I probably should but I'm not a big jewelry fan. The real reason though I guess is that diabetes already has so much control over my life that I don't want to give it anymore than I have to, even in such a small way as letting it determine what jewelry I wear.
Anyway, if I get a tattoo anytime soon I think that it will be a flower :) not a medical alert symbol.
everything that I make lately looks like vomit...
Thus far testing out my crock pot has only led to disasters. Isn't this thing supposed to make cooking easier?? I will try again next week.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
out with the old and in with the new.
I haven't posted in a while mostly because there wasn't much to post about except what a bad diabetic I have been lately. I camped out at my parents house for nearly a week and a half. I didn't plan on staying that long but it was so blissful. I spent time with good friends, especially some that I haven't seen in a while either due to busy schedules or them moving to Hawaii and New Orleans (you know who you are, you guilty two). I have been living off my parents food and probably getting fat off of Christmas leftovers and then New Years leftovers. I didn't cook at all except to help my Dad and Nana make the most heavenly Christmas breakfast rolls whose main ingredients are by far butter and sugar. I also made Pizza Dip, also delicious but again not exactly diabetic or waist line friendly.
Then today, back in Philly and my apartment I thought that I could finally resist my sweet tooth, the only food in my house after all was baked beans, canned soup, and oatmeal, how bad could it be? But my friends invited me over where they had baked cornbread and apple cake and I didn't resist, not even a little bit. Tuesday I am flying to Nashville to visit family and my grandmother will probably force feed me fried chicken and Krispy Kreme donuts. I will try to eat healthy but it's looking like new years resolutions will have to wait till next week when I get back.
Recipe for Pizza Dip:
-combine an 8oz package of room temperature cream cheese with garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste. Spread on the bottom of a pie dish.
-layer with cheese, a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar
-layer with pizza sauce
-layer with a chopped red and green pepper (I bet that mushrooms and pepperoni would also be fantastic)
-finally layer with more shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Pig out with tortilla chips!
My Nana and Dad making ooey-gooey Christmas rolls
A side thought: Blogging reminds me of those incredibly annoying holiday letters where people (and usually people that you're not all that close to anyway) ramble on and on about how wonderful their year has been. The difference is that I ramble on and on about how difficult my life can be. How annoying is that? Oh well, I like doing it so I think I'll keep it up anyway.
Then today, back in Philly and my apartment I thought that I could finally resist my sweet tooth, the only food in my house after all was baked beans, canned soup, and oatmeal, how bad could it be? But my friends invited me over where they had baked cornbread and apple cake and I didn't resist, not even a little bit. Tuesday I am flying to Nashville to visit family and my grandmother will probably force feed me fried chicken and Krispy Kreme donuts. I will try to eat healthy but it's looking like new years resolutions will have to wait till next week when I get back.
Recipe for Pizza Dip:
-combine an 8oz package of room temperature cream cheese with garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste. Spread on the bottom of a pie dish.
-layer with cheese, a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar
-layer with pizza sauce
-layer with a chopped red and green pepper (I bet that mushrooms and pepperoni would also be fantastic)
-finally layer with more shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Pig out with tortilla chips!
My Nana and Dad making ooey-gooey Christmas rolls
A side thought: Blogging reminds me of those incredibly annoying holiday letters where people (and usually people that you're not all that close to anyway) ramble on and on about how wonderful their year has been. The difference is that I ramble on and on about how difficult my life can be. How annoying is that? Oh well, I like doing it so I think I'll keep it up anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
